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We Just Wanna Have Some Fun, Down At The Rock And Roll Club

After last week's slowdown, get ready to be overwhelmed by what Montreal has to offer this week. Thursday alone is enough to give you a cerebral aneurysm trying to decide what to do. Prince Palu apologizes if there are too many choices, but he wanted to give you as many options as he could.

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Obviously, the big ticket this week is the return of dance-punk legends Death from Above 1979 to Montreal at Metropolis (59 St-Catherine E.). A decade after releasing You're A Woman, I'm A Machine, which seemed to set them up to conquer the world only to see them disband over creative differences, DFA1979 reunited to release The Physical World in September and are heading out on tour to finish what they started. Joining them will be Phantogram, the experimental-electronic pop duo from Greenwich in upstate New York, who have been spreading like unconscious wildfire on soundtracks and television advertisements since their 2009 debut, and Toronto's Biblical, whose stoner-rock hits with equal doses of psychedelia and heaviness. You can checkout their latest album Monsoon Season on their website and see what all the excitement is about. If tickets are still available they will run you $42 at the door. Doors open at 6:30, show at 8:00.

If that is a little steep for your budget, there are a plethora of thrifty options with excellent music happening tonight all over town. Montreal's premier subterranean rock and roll venue, L'Escogriffe (4467 St-Denis) presents a triple bill of local psychedelic rock bands with Melted Faces, Double Date with Death, and After Party Acid People, all for the measly price of $5. With the amber glow of the room, the sound bouncing off the stone walls, and the promise from the bands that the night will get good and greasy, this is an easy one to recommend. Doors at 9:00.

The frugal feast of rock and roll continues over at Barfly (4062 St-Laurent) with a garage rock extravaganza quadruple bill of Pet Sun, Loose Pistons, No Aloha, and Leggy. These four bands pretty much cover the full spectrum of what great garage music can give you. From the sludgy psychedelic fuzz of Pet Sun to the bluesy Loose Pistons, the sexy power pop of No Aloha (formerly known as She), to the dream-punk of Leggy, this show is a must attend for garage rock fans. The fact that it is all happening at Barfly just adds to the goodness. It is a PWYC show with the suggested fee of $5.

Up the street at La Sala Rossa (4848 St-Laurent), Analogue Addiction and Ambiances Ambigües present the shiny punk of Caféïne along with the bizarro world of Vulgar You! and the all-girl power pop of the wittily named Nobro.

Meanwhile, over on Park Avenue at Piccolo Rialto (5711 du Parc) Heavy Trip presents their one-year anniversary show with the hip hop stylings of Alaclair Ensemble, the art-punk of Duchess Says, the prog-psychedelic rock of Chocolat, and the full-throttled power of Solids. DJs Kenlo Craqnuques and Raw Love will also be helping to keep the house bopping as Michael Bardier and co. celebrate what is hopefully the first of many great years.

If you need a little bit of a sombre feeling for your not-quite-the-weekend Thursday night, then Blues Skies Turn Black have just the night for you up at Bar Le Ritz PDB (179 Jean-Talon W.) when Last Ex and Maicamia give a double bill of ambient goodness. Born out of a unused horror film score by Timber Timbre, Last Ex is a musical project of two core members of that band, Simon Trottier and Olivier Fairfield, who decided to further explore its possibilities by building upon the string-based film score. Simultaneously ethereal and atmospheric, their sonic collage will go perfectly with the minimalist, experimental rock of Montreal duo Maicamia. $12 at the door. Show starts at 9:30.

If you are simply looking for a place to sit and drink your beer while catching up with your friends after a long fall semester, but would like to have some excellent tunes hand picked for your listening pleasure, then Rockette Bar (4479 St-Denis) is the place for you. Head on up the stairs where everybody's best friend, Mikey B Rishwain, presents the 12th edition of Secret Affair, this time with Susil Sharma of Heat taking over the DJ duties.

Friday, December 5, 2014

Inside the comfy confines of Casa del Popolo (4873 St-Laurent) is the first of a couple of album launches that are worthy of your time and money. Montreal band Notta Comet, who describe their sound as both "bike rock" and "scientist rock", are launching their debut album, Success With Houseplants. A couple other local bands fill out the line-up. Girl Arm, who are also launching a vinyl 7-inch, and Snooker Emporium. If the words "jangly and/or jagged guitars", "Math Rock", and "experimentation" mean anything to you, then you'll want to get down to Casa around 8:00. $5 at the door.

Also launching an album on Friday up at Brasserie Beaubien (73 Beaubien E.) is the excellent all-female trio Heathers. Joining their badass brand of rock and roll will be the post-punk dance music of Loosestrife and Doilies. I'd love to tell you what Doilies sound like, but as the Facebook event says they are "so cool you can't hear them on the internet." Their bio on Saturn Returns, a queer feminist art collective that is home to all three bands, describes Doilies as "sludgy harmonies over crunchy instrumentals", so I think I can go ahead and give it the thumbs up. It is a PWTC event (suggested $5) and gets going at 9:00.

If maximum R&B and vintage soul is what you are craving, then you'll want to make your way to Le Divan Orange (4234 St-Laurent) and get your groove on when DJs Nick Osicka and Ben Shulman present the next edition of Mess Around!. $5 and the dance party starts at 10:00.

Saturday, December 6, 2014

If the last two days haven't left you spent, you might want to head (back) into the cozy, stone-walled space of L'Esco where Heavy Trip, Housebreaker Records, and Vakarme present a night of good ol' punk rock with Ottawa's The Steve Adamyk Band and a couple of Montreal bands, their Dirtnap Records label mates Sonic Avenues and Prevenge. If the smell of beer and sweat wafting over the sounds of loud guitars and thundering drums gets you thinking of early holiday cheer, this is the place you'll want to warm your feet on a cold winter's night.

Maybe you were looking for something a little more in the danceable, indie-pop musical range? In that case, you can move a couple doors down to Quai des Brumes (4481 St-Denis) where local band Le Trouble will be joined by Toronto's Wildlife and Vancouver's Dear Rogue.

Then again, with this cold turn in the temperature you might be on the look out for a night of EDM to warm up those bones. If that is the case, then MEG Montreal is presenting a great night at Le Divan Orange that should fit the bill with their sixth-annual Le Père Noël Est Un DJ, featuring Technical Kidman, Mr. Nokturn and Truwayz. Bring a toy for the Sun Youth Christmas toy drive and admission is free! Dance party starts at 10:00.

Sunday, December 7, 2014

As we all fall into the gift-buying season that is upon us, you might want to check out the options available at The Plant (185 Van Horne) as they host the fourth-annual Holiday Art Market. Shop locally, give something unique and help out a starving artist. It's win-win-win!

The local ambient psych masters, The Besnard Lakes, who have been touring heavily in support of last year's brilliant Until In Excess, Imperceptible UFO, return to Bar Le Ritz PDB. They will be joined by a local band that is hard to define, so I will tell you to just go have a listen to Dear Denizen and defy you to try and tell me that they won't go great with The Besnard Lakes.

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

In the first few weeks of this column I have stuck to the weekends, mostly because it is easier and less time-consuming, but here are a couple of mid-week shows that you should know about. Unfortunately they are both on the same night, so once again you will have to say no to someone.

Light Bulb Alley headline a night of pre-holiday fun at Le Divan Orange with their blend of swampy, psychedelic, punk rock. They have been building a reputation around Montreal as a band you want to check out. Joining them will be Les Sales Machine, who I know nothing about other than they are a Québécois guitar-bass-drum-sax quartet that blends punk, funk and rock. Rounding out the bill is Burdett Road, who I know even less about. Something about a road in London, England and a bass player from Sweden. $10 at the door and the show starts at 9:30.

The other show on Wednesday night is being presented by Confluence at La Vitrola (4602 St-Laurent). The five-band bill puts two American bands, Elvis Depressedly and Told Slant, and with three local bands, Child Actor, Jack Deming of The Past, and Nanimal, to create a bedroom recording mini-festival.

--Join Prince Palu every Friday at 6 PM on The Go-Go Radio Magic Show and start a rock 'n' roll revolution and a radio magic revival!