Suoni Per Il Popolo: Volcano the Bear + Shalabi Effect @ La Sala Rosa

Suoni Per Il Popolo reared its obscure head again this year with an all-star lineup including such underground stars as Keiji Haino, Omar Souleyman, Colin Stetson, and Dirty Beaches, supported by local big names Shalabi Effect, Jerusalem in my Heart, Martin Tetreault, and Constellation Records favourites like Hangedup. This festival, which runs from June 5-25, seems to be a favourite of experimental music lovers but is lesser known then perennial favourites Osheaga and Mutek. All shows take place in a conglomeration of Plateau venues including Sala Rossa, Casa del Popolo, Il Motore, and under the St-Laurent Underpass. You can find the schedule for this year here. Its line-up rivals even the Festival Musique Actuelle Victoriaville. So, I got on my dancing shoes and headed out to several shows, the first being Shalabi Effect’s CD release with Volcano the Bear.

I have to admit, embarrassingly, that I didn’t have an inkling of Volcano the Bear’s existence before this show. The prolific foursome hails from England, and only two of the members made it to Montreal this time. Sala was beautifully arranged for the show, a baby grand on the floor, an assortment of homemade instruments on the stage, and four reel to reel projectors on a riser in the middle of the room. The show began with two Bears only (Daniel Padden, Aaron Moore), on piano and drums. Cymbals were thrown onto the floor and the performance began in relative silence, a throwback to John Cage’s 4’33” perhaps. The set itself remained aleatoric in nature, including various tube instrument constructions. Tubes were attached to water bottles, clarinet mouthpieces, and trumpets to give Volcano the Bear a sound unlike any other. They have been categorized as “freak folk” by some, but their sound seemed more free jazz-inspired during this performance. The audience was rapt as VTB betrayed their endearing senses of humour through poetic lyrics and heavy beats.

Following Volcano the Bear, Shalabi Effect began a forty-five minute Middle-Eastern psychedelic jam with projectors whirring behind us. Shalabi Effect seemed toned down compared to their recordings and other times I’ve seen them. They had no percussion save for Will Eizlini creating broken-up, abstract beats on his laptop. Sam Shalabi once again awed the audience with gorgeous psych riffs, supported by another guitarist, Anthony Seck, and Alexandre Saint-Onge on double bass. With the acid-induced projections on their bodies, the quartet lifted the audience into a trance like state that, for me, felt like a mere five minutes.

There are still more shows to see! Check the link above for the full schedule and artist bios, pick a show or five, and have your mind blown.

-Danielle J hosts Runny Noise on Thursday from 10pm-12am