scene profiles

By Andrew Rose

photo by Denis Tremblay, www.old.montreal.qc.ca

It's more likely that you'll stumble onto a great band, or a great restaurant, or a great coffee shop, and meet some lovely people. Montreal is the second-largest French-speaking city in the world, but don't let that fool you into thinking it's entirely foreign and impenetrable. This is an art town more than a business town, a genuinely cosmopolitan place where people from all over the world come to pursue their loves.

Geographically, Montreal is fairly contained — you can drive from one end to the other in 20 minutes. The mountain (Mount-Royal) is the centerpiece of the island, with the main downtown core to the south, running west-to-east along St. Catherine. The city's real cultural hub is just east of the mountain, running south-to-north down St-Laurent, also known as the Main. You can't really go wrong starting at the corner of St-Laurent and Sherbrooke and making your way up to Jean-Talon, with jaunts westward toward Avenue du Parc and eastward toward St-Denis. Of course there are countless other neighbourhoods and areas worth investigating (Old Montreal, for example), but this is what you'll need as a general framework to go exploring.

Food is everywhere. And good. And cheap. Bars and venues litter every block in the aforementioned sector.

So here's my unapologetic, incomplete snapshot of Montreal. Call it more songs (and words) about buildings (and music) and food. Have fun!

FESTIVALS

Montreal is a city of festivals, and trying to outline them all would be like trying to give a rundown of every good place to eat. Fortunately I have a bias, and moreover, not every festival is music-based.

Pop Montreal goes down around the first week of October each year, and boasts similarities to SXSW or CMJ in that it's partially industry-oriented and unfolds over a five-day period. Pop makes a real effort to include legitimately unknown acts from all over the world, and to seek out forgotten legends. Almost all the big names to come out of Montreal in the last five years have played the festival at very early stages in their careers, and many from elsewhere have done so as well. It's not uncommon for an act to have a breakthrough performance at a tiny show at the festival one year, and come back to headline a giant show a couple years later.

(A disclaimer: I work with Pop Montreal, doing most of their web content and hosting the PopCast, so you can take anything I have to say about the festival with a grain of salt. But I also think it's one of the best things about the city, and far and away the best portal into its music community.)

Tons of side events like Film Pop, Puces Pop (an arts-and-crafts flea market fair), and Art Pop also happen during the festival, making it a cultural feast for connoisseurs of all creative media. This year the musical lineup includes Roky Erickson, Sunset Rubdown, Ramblin' Jack Elliot, Tapes 'n Tapes, Vashti Bunyan, Think About Life, Akron/Family, Beirut, Regina Spektor, and about three hundred other bands you've never heard of, but will have by this time next year. It's also pretty much the greatest party on earth. Passes are $200 Canadian, but tickets can be purchased separately for shows.

The Future of Music Coalition Policy Summit
October 5 – 7, 2006
www.futureofmusic.org/events/summit06

After five years in Washington, D.C., these folks have decided to move things up to Montreal and McGill University for their important annual policy summit. This isn't really a festival per se, but since it's being held in association with Pop Montreal this year, it might as well be. If you're at all interested in the future of any aspect of the music industry, you should be interested in this policy summit. Panels and workshops run through three hectic days, and David Byrne is one of this year's featured speakers. Passes are $150 (but there are limited Summit/Pop super-passes available).

Festival International de Jazz de Montréal
June 28 – July 8, 2007
www.montrealjazzfest.com

Probably the biggest festival in the city, Jazz Fest usually takes place around the first week in July. Rather than being exclusively jazz-oriented, it's actually more of a general music festival these days; it's built for tourists, and occasionally too much to handle. Jazz fans with money will have no complaints, as there are always top acts in town (Dave Brubeck and Brad Mehldau were a couple of last year's big tickets). Great indie artists like Bell Orchestre and loveable mainstream legends (such as Paul Simon and Elvis Costello) have shown up in recent years too. If you don't mind crowds and have money to blow, it's not a bad event. The free shows by Place des Arts can attract over 100,000 people.

Osheaga
www.osheaga.com

The newest kid on the block, the Osheaga festival made its debut on Labour Day weekend 2006. Osheaga is a two-day, Coachella-type outdoor event. If you like this type of potentially muddy outdoor event, with act after act after act in a one-site marathon, you'll probably dig this one. The Flaming Lips and Sonic Youth were among this year's headliners. Smaller, more intimate stages (there were four in total) featured local acts, and for my money were the highlight of the event. It will be interesting to see where it goes next year.

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VENUES

There are a lot of great places to see music in Montreal. This wasn't always the case, but now there's no shortage of old theatres and churches converted into cool music spaces. Here's a list of places where you can usually catch great bands playing those ideally sized 100 – 300 people shows. You know, where the magic happens. Other notable spots are mentioned too, but this is by no means exhaustive. Good shows can happen anywhere; loft parties and gallery exhibitions can often end up being important venues.

Casa del Popolo, photo by Andrew Rose

A classic pair of venues across the street from one another; both have seen a lot of amazing music in less than ten years of existence. You can bet that Montreal-based record label Blue Skies Turn Black will present at least four amazing shows a month (if not more) at the 250-capacity Sala. And at Casa, most days of the week you can see superstars in the making, or locals figuring it out. Sala has a warm, bright restaurant downstairs (fried goat cheese in honey, please), and Casa's great for soups and sandwiches in the late afternoon. Best show I've seen there this year: Sunset Rubdown at La Sala Rossa.

The Green Room, photo by Andrew Rose

Both in the Mile End Cultural Centre, these two spaces function similarly to Sala and Casa, only one is upstairs from the other instead of across the street. Main Hall and the Green Room (or le Salon Vert) are just a few blocks away from Sala and Casa. The Green Room usually presents bands early in the evening, with DJs and dance parties after. Shows at Main Hall vary widely, from Frog Eyes one night to Fatlip the next. I saw my favourite Wolf Parade show at the Main Hall, and have spent many a fun night dancing (and DJing) at the Green Room. Best show I've seen there this year: Frog Eyes at Main Hall.

Club Lambi, photo by Andrew Rose

The Academy Club was inaugurated last year around Pop Montreal time, but Club Lambi really stepped it up in 2006 (with the Academy Club going more the party route than the show route). Lambi is located in an old bank building on the corner of Mount-Royal and St-Laurent (next to a swingers' club!), and the Academy Club is just a few doors down. Best show I've seen there this year: Three-way tie between Final Fantasy with Grizzly Bear, Handsome Furs, and Kelley Stoltz at Club Lambi.

Friendship Cove
215-A Murray Street
www.myspace.com/friendshipcove

Not just a venue, Friendship Cove is also the home of members of Think About Life and poster/cartoon wiz Jack Dylan. There are nooks and crannies and recording gear and art on the walls, and cool sculptures and posters galore. Lots of magic has happened here. Best show I've seen there this year: Socalled with Kali, Dishwasher, and Miracle Fortress.

Ukrainian Federation, photo by Andrew Rose

The Corona Theatre is a beautiful (if a bit out-of-the-way) old theatre near Griffintown and St-Henri. The Arcade Fire played a three-night stand here with Wolf Parade and Final Fantasy in April 2005. The Ukrainian Federation is an as-yet unused building that Pop Montreal is taking over for the 2006 festival. Also beautiful, it's superbly located and will host Joanna Newsom, Gary Wilson, Tapes 'n Tapes, Sunset Rubdown, and Ramblin' Jack Elliott, among others, at Pop this year.

Place des Arts, photo by Andrew Rose

The Place des Arts is where you go for the upscale shit. You know, like symphonies, seriously big jazz, Radiohead, that kind of thing. Within the PDA complex, the Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier is Canada's largest multipurpose concert hall, with 2,900 seats; the Théâtre Maisonneuve is smaller, at 1,500 seats.

Spectrum, photo by Andrew Rose

Collectively owned larger venues. Metropolis usually hosts the big shows that aren't quite arena-sized. Your Flaming Lips, your White Stripes your Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Spectrum is a smaller spot just across from Place des Arts; don't be surprised to see Mogwai headlining a show there one night and a big jazz event the next.

Club Soda

Mid-sized venues scattered around the downtown area. These can be booked for all sorts of stuff, but it's not uncommon to come across a kick-ass show at any of them. Cabaret is in the Juste Pour Rire building, at the crossroads of the conventional downtown area and St-Laurent, which will take you all the way up to the Plateau/Mile End area.

Le National, photo by Andrew Rose

These two clubs share a similar dynamic as Metropolis and Spectrum, only both usually feature slightly more underground acts — though La Tulipe hosts some big indie names as well. Antony and the Johnsons and Coco Rosie sold it out at Pop Montreal last year, and Sufjan Stevens and Animal Collective have both passed through. Vashti Bunyan will stop by La Tulipe for Pop this year, with Le National hosting the Akron/Family and Beirut show.

Theatre Plaza
6505 St-Hubert

Zoobizarre
6388 St-Hubert
www.myspace.com/zoobizarre

Zoobizarre is a bar that loves to party, a great little cave-like space that puts on lots of shows and also hosts DJs. It's just down the street from the significantly larger Theatre Plaza, which saw some good action last fall with a couple of Wolf Parade shows, but also doubles as a TV set.

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BARS

With so many bands in the city, a lot of great shows end up happening at smaller bars and salons. Here's a list of smaller places that often host shows. Good ones, too!

Quai des Brumes, photo by Andrew Rose

You're getting in the Eastern and Northeastern section of the city here. At most of these spots there's a higher chance of having Francophone stuff going on, but they don't fear the rock, either.

Barfly
4062A St-Laurent
514.284-6665

Le Divan Orange
4234 St-Laurent
514.840.9090
www.myspace.com/divanorange

Two small Lower Plateau staples. There's definitely a different vibe to each; Barfly is dirty pool-oriented, and Le Divan Orange is more of a clean hippie place with a veggie menu, but both have served up kick-ass shows.

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FOOD

Another great thing about Montreal is its food. You can get amazing food from pretty much anyplace in the world here. It seems almost silly to try to list the best places to eat, but here are a few that I find myself going back to again and again.

Fairmount Bagels
74 Fairmount W.
514.272.0667
www.fairmountbagel.com

St. Viateur Bagels
263 St-Viateur W.
514.276.8044
www.stviateurbagel.com

The bagels at both places are so good that you might as well get a dozen from each and do a taste test — they're only a block apart anyway. Nowhere else have I tasted bagels like this. Get some poppyseed and some sesame, and get 'em hot out of the oven. Plain, with butter, with cream cheese, whatever. Both these places are open 24 hours a day, making them perfect for the post-show, post-bar drunk stumble home “oh shit I'm HUNGRY" scenario, if you're in the neighbourhood.

Jardin du Cari, photo by Andrew Rose

This is an amazing place to warm up with a cheap, healthy meal in the Fall. Just ask for a veggie roti (that's potatoes and chick peas) with pumpkin. Test your limits with the hot sauce, and then if all is well, apply liberally and eat.

Rotisserie Serrano
161 St-Viateur W.

For a quick chicken sandwich, roasted in the window with potatoes. I like the way they use scissors when they're making it in front of you. One of at least four great rotisserie spots in the city; if you're down in the Plateau, hit up Romados (115 Rachel E., 514.849.1803) or Rotisserie Portugalia (34 Rachel W., 514.282.1519).

Schwartz's
3895 St-Laurent
514.842.4813
www.schwartzsdeli.com

If you go to Schwartz's, you'll be surrounded by tourists — and if you're not a meat eater, stay away — but oh man. About as classic a deli as you'll get anywhere in the world. Montreal smoked meat. Ritual.

Beauty's
93 Mount-Royal W.
514.849.8883

Beauty's is the breakfast version of Schwartz's, in terms of the classic element (they've been around forever), only cleaner and more about milkshakes. For the real breakfast grease, you're going to have to go all the way to NDG to Cosmos (5843 Sherbrook W., 514.486.3814) and ask Tony for some potatoes with your Creation. (Not to be confused with the band, who are almost as good.) They're not open on Mondays.

Easier to get to, and into, than Beauty's but just as good (and sometimes better) are the brunches at Arts Café (201 Fairmount), Bagels Etc. (4320 St-Laurent, 514.845.9462) and La Petite Marche (5035 St-Denis, 514.842.1994). Dusty's (4510 du Parc, 514.276.8525) isn't quite as tasty or charming, but there's ton of room, it's quick and cheap, and they serve breakfast all damn day.

Aux Vivres, photo by Andrew Rose

An essential stop for vegetarians and vegans, Aux Vivres is recently renovated, and apparently addictive. It's in a great location, just up from Mount-Royal on St-Laurent. Can be slow and a bit pricey, but it's usually worth it.

Mikado
368 Laurier W.
514.279.4809
www.mikadomontreal.com

Royal Sushi
5011 Avenue du Parc
514.274.5497

There are a million good sushi places in Montreal, some expensive and some not. If you're in Mile End and craving sushi, try one of these two places, which cover each end of the spectrum. Mikado is a pricey sit-down restaurant (though they have an affordable lunch), but the sushi is pretty killer. For those on limited budgets and/or in a hurry, Royal Sushi is tasty, cheap, quick, and super-friendly…and they even deliver.

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COFFEE

Sometimes you just want to drink coffee. Sometimes you just want to sit and watch people. If you happen to be in Montreal, here's where to do both.

Pharmacie Esperanza, photo by Andrew Rose

Pharmacie Esperanza sits on the corner of St-Viateur and St-Laurent, just up the street from the Main Hall. It's a super-cozy place to get coffee, read, or eat some veggie chili. It's an all-purpose place, really; there's food at all times of day, tiny shows that happen now and then, and beverages of all kinds.

Olympico, photo by Andrew Rose

Overflowing with charm, both Club Social and Olympico are just east of Esperenza, and are the best coffee places in town. Is there a rivalry? There must be. Both have lovely terraces that allow hung-over folks and crazy people and lazy regulars to drink coffee and talk and read all day. I usually find myself thinking how much I love Montreal when I have one of those afternoons at these places.

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RECORD STORES

Montreal offers plenty of options for record shopping. Of course you can get CDs at the big chain places like HMV or Archambault (the Renaud-Bray on Parc actually isn't bad for a chain store) — but whether you're a CD buyer or a vinyl junkie, you're better off with the following places. Speaking of independent stores, we lost a great shop this past year when Esoterik shut its doors. Don't let this happen in your town; support independent music retailers!

Cheap Thrills
2044 Metcalfe
514.844.8988
www.cheapthrills.ca

If you're downtown, skip HMV and trot a couple blocks up the street to Cheap Thrills. It's pretty much equidistant from McGill and Concordia Universities, and has a great selection of new and used vinyl and CDs. This is a good place to go for local experimental label stuff, like Alien8 or Constellation, but it also has good hip hop, soul, beats, blues, and jazz CDs. If a local band issues a self-released EP and it's good, you'll usually find it here (while they last). Definitely in the top three, if not Number One.

Le Pickup, photo by Andrew Rose

L'Oblique
4333 Rivard
514.499.1323

This store is also big on local bands, including experimental stuff (if you're in the Plateau/Mile End area, this is your Constellation/Alien8 stop). It has UK vinyl imports, and is pretty good for post-rock and reissues, as well as the big American indie labels. Great soul and jazz collection. Pretty punk-friendly, too. One of the best in the city. Just off St-Denis below Mount-Royal.

Primitive, photo by Andrew Rose

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MUSIC AND GEAR

Moog Audio
3828 St-Laurent
514.284.7434
www.moogaudio.com

If you're big on electronic gadgets, turntables and mixers, mics, software, and that kind of thing, Moog is probably where you want to be. You won't find cool second-hand vintage stuff here, and you can forget about actual instruments beyond keyboards and the like, but if you're looking to spend some money on high-end gear, this is your place. The Montreal branch is also home to DNA Records, specializing in all kinds of electro and some hiphop.

AudioManie
3324 Jean-Talon E.
514.729.4928

Used music gear in Montreal can be hard to find, but if you're looking for a good deal on decent secondhand stuff, AudioManie is a fine place to go.

Steve's
51 St-Antoine W.
514.878.2216
www.stevesmusic.com

Steve's is one of the more recognizable music dealer names in the city; it carries everything from band instruments to music software. Not necessarily the cheapest or friendliest (and don't go there looking for rare deals or anything), but if you're downtown and in a pinch, this is probably a good call.

Italmelodie
274 Jean-Talon E.
514.273.3224
www.italmelodie.com

Along with Steve's, the other big gun music store in the city. They've got pretty much everything you'd need, from pianos to recording gear and DJ gear, and the prices aren't bad.

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BANDS

There are a lot of bands in Montreal. You probably know the Arcade Fire, Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown, Islands, Bell Orchestre, the Stills, the Dears, and Stars, to name a few. But here are some other worthwhile Montreal artists that you might not know about yet:

Music by Montreal bands
	Think About Life, Think About Life
	Patrick Watson, Close to Paradise
	Joe Grass, Joe Grass Available for purchase via joegrass.com

Dishwasher

www.myspace.com/dishwasherisme

Miracle Fortress

www.myspace.com/miraclefortress

Think About Life consists of Graham Van Pelt (who's also Miracle Fortress), Martin Cesar (who's also Dishwasher) and Matt Shane (who's Matt Shane, and has a song named after him — you should hear it, it's really good). Some of the rawest talent in the city, and maturing really impressively. They recently toured with Wolf Parade and Art Brut. All the aforementioned acts offer something different, but chances are if you see any of them, you'll want to know and (hear) everything. Think About Life recently released their debut on Montreal's Alien8; Miracle Fortress self-released an EP at the beginning of 2006, and will be putting out a record on Secret City Records next year. (Full disclosure: I work with these guys.) Dishwasher has a self-released CD-R floating around; grab it if you can find it.

Patrick Watson

www.patrickwatson.net
Part Jeff Buckley, part Radiohead and Sigur Rós, a little late Beatles, a bit of early Pink Floyd, a dab of Sufjan Stevens and Björk, and a hint of Danny Elfman for good measure…Patrick Watson is both a crooning singer-songwriter and a super-tight, classic four-piece rock band. Along with Bell Orchestre and Dan Boeckner's Handsome Furs, he/they make a case for the next wave of electro-acoustic post-rock in Montreal. Another Secret City offering; their debut just dropped in Canada.

Magic Weapon

www.myspace.com/magicweapon

A lot of people were blown away by Sunset Rubdown's Shut Up I Am Dreaming. (If you weren't, you probably haven't heard it.) What you might not know is that most of the amazing guitar riffs on this record were the work of a talented fellow named Jordan Robson Cramer. In addition to his awesome work with Sunset Rubdown, Jordan has formed the band Magic Weapon with Mathieu Malouf. Wouldn't sound out of place next to Roxy Music, early Brian Eno, or John Cale, but also sounds uniquely fresh.

Joe Grass

www.myspace.com/joegrass

Katie Moore

www.myspace.com/miraclefortress

Two of Montreal's more classic talents. Both play solo shows and perform with countless other bands, and both their respective skills are unmatched. If you like any kind of alternative country, bluegrass, or folk music — or just music period —you'll want to watch out for these two. Katie's voice and songs are phenomenal, and Joe Grass is probably the best guitar player in Canada (though rivaled by Mike O'Brien, worth a mention here too). Katie is opening for Ramblin' Jack Elliott at Pop Montreal this year, and Joe is opening for Joanna Newsom.

Percy Farm

www.myspace.com/percyfarm
Percy Farm frontman Daniel Schachter is one of the most interesting and underrated songwriters in the city. He brings together a lot of what's best about Dylan and Cohen, but musically the band is also pleasantly haunted by Stephen Malkmus and Pavement, Tom Waits, Sonic Youth, and Yo La Tengo. Percy Farm also makes great use of horns for a song-based indie band.

Plants and Animals

photo by Jason Felker

Originally an instrumental trio, Plants and Animals combines influences from late-'90s post-rock in the Thrill Jockey Records vein with classic rocking '70s stuff and plenty of folk soul. You won't find a bunch of guys that love Neil Young or Nina Simone more, and they kick ass when they let loose like peak-era Dire Straits. Now that they've added vocals to the mix, the songwriting has gotten less abstract and more epic, along the lines that bands like Akron/Family and Tapes 'n Tapes are starting to explore. Guitar hero Warren Spicer and solid-as-a-cuddly-rock drummer Matthew Woodley can also be found playing with Katie Moore, or in Timber, or with Joe Grass and Katie Moore, or….You get the picture; these guys love to play music. Plants and Animals is currently finishing an album that, judging from early samplings, might be the best thing to come out of Montreal in the coming year.

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Posted October 2006

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