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We Just Wanna Have Some Fun, Down at the Rock and Roll Club

After breaking down on the highway coming back from Rochester, NY, only to be brought to the nearest Tim Horton's by the CAA tow-truck driver - with his family following in the cruiser of a Good Samaritan Sûreté du Québec officer - Prince Palu was convinced it was fate's way of having some fun in granting him a brand new Toyota Camry. It wasn't. $430 and a new alternator later, Palu is back home and ready to tell you about some great live music options this weekend.

Thursday, March 5, 2015

It is once again the first Thursday of the month, so that means a new artist-in-residency for the on-going Divan Orange Camp 6 à 8 series at Le Divan Orange (4234 St-Laurent). This month features One-Man-Band Jan Dutler (Harmonica, Ukulele, Trombone, Suitcase-Drum, BeatBox, and Vocals) from Switzerland who has spent the past three years travelling the world, soaking up different styles of music, and blending them into a unique mix of multilingual (German, English, Spanish, Russian and Italian) blues-jazz-folk hybrid. With $5 pints and free admission, once again this is a great way to start your weekend a little early.

Up the road at La Sala Rossa (4848 St-Laurent), Blue Skies Turn Black present a night of Alt.country bliss with a couple of Toronto-based trios, Elliot Brood, and The Wilderness of Manitoba. $18 at the door, show starts at 9:00.

Across the street at Casa del Popolo (4873 St-Laurent), Under the Snow Festival kicks off its 11th edition with a double bill featuring the post-rock psychedelic of Carnior and the slowcore indie rock of Dye By The Sword.

Friday, March 6, 2015

Touring behind their brand new album, Shadow of the Sun, San Francisco's Moon Duo return to Montreal at Bar Le "Ritz" P.D.B. (179 Jean Talon W.) for a night of swirling psychedelia and musical majik. They will be joined by a couple of Montreal bands, the indie-pop danceable goodness of Moss Lime and the shoegaze ambient-soul of Pang Attack.

Friday also marks the return of one of Montreal's prodigal sons, Mark Sultan, also known as the one-man-band extraordinaire BBQ. In a reunion of sorts, joining BBQ in this triple bill at Divan Orange will be two of his former Les Sexareenos band mates, Roy Vucino and Annie Laurin, and their respective new bands, Birds of Paradise and Lunar Exile. With this much local garage-rock royalty, you'd be wise to grab a ticket before heading over to find it sold out.

Celebrating its 15th year, Art Matters is throwing their opening night party up at Theatre Plaza (6505 St-Hubert) with the avant-garde jazz of Saxsyndrum, garage-punk noise of the Famines, space-age hip hop of Rollie, and the experimental pop of Pascale Project (formerly known as Mathematique). First 100 people get in for $5, $10 for everyone after that. Check out the rest of the Art Matters events here.

Saturday, March 7, 2015

One of Canada's greatest live bands, The Golden Dogs, will be returning to Montreal on Saturday with their fuzzy power pop rock 'n' roll and shaking it all over the stage at Divan Orange. With an all-new line up, they released their latest album, 3 ½, last month and have been getting raves reviews. If that wasn't enough for ya, the addition of Nancy Pants, Montreal's pre-eminent purveyors of fun, puts this show into the realm that would make the late, great Billy Red Lyons say, "Dontchadaremissit!"

--Prince Palu hosts The Go-Go Radio Magic Show, every Friday night from 6 to 8pm. Tune in. Turn on. Freak OUT! Only on CJLO.