The pre-show weather gave the night a unique feeling, having been on the cusp of raining all day- but entirely undecided. It was another chilly June -another surprise brought to you by living in the great white north. The weather was also reflected in the unique set put on by The Barr Brothers later that evening. A performance that overflowed, but ended the evening much like the weather: containing itself. The Barr Brothers really know how to make music a living auditory…

The Barr Brothers are back in Montreal to perform a full show after months of touring that brought them to Canadian Music Week, Japan, SXSW, and a few American cities. After seeing The Barr Brothers for the first time in Toronto for Canadian Music Week, I have to say I was seriously impressed with their work. It was invigorating, especially when I was feeling extreme burnout from attending a bunch of shows in such…

Toronto is rocking with music and I’m having a great time! The rain hasn’t let up, but anything’s better than the ice blizzard back home. At least I get plenty of great bands to look forward to. Here are a few bands that I got to see last night. Hopefully I will make it. With all this great stuff going on, getting pen to the page and writing is harder then is sounds. Let me tell you about some of the great shows I got to see last night…

urprise Me Mr. Davis played their first show in Montreal last Tuesday to a crowded Sala Rossa. Mixing blues, bluegrass, country licks and rock, the band is a washing machine of style that comes together beautifully because of talented musicians that make the band feel flawlessly good.

Founded in 2003, Surprise Me Mr. Davis is a collection of musicians that played together in the Boston area; Andrew and Brad Barr on guitar and drums (from The Barr Brothers), Marc Friedman on bass (The Slip), keyboardist Marco Benevento, and troubadour Nathan Moore…

Go see these shows this week, get to it. THURSDAY, APRIL 24 SMOSAN #11: Avec le Soleil Sortant de sa Bouche + Femme Accident + Golden Tombs @ Le Cagibi It is the one year anniversary of the monthly audio/visual performance series known as the Secret Museum of Sound and Nature. The series brings together […]

Bran Van 3000 are legendary in the Montreal music scene. Ever since making it big with their hit Drinking in LA, which, by the way was originally entitled Drinking in Longeuil, they’ve been touring and bringing their eclectic sound to adoring fans everywhere. (I don’t know how much fun drinking in a metro or on the South Shore would be?)

Bran Van doesn’t release albums very often, in fact they’ve only released 4 albums since 1994. Which makes a Bran Van album release kinda like getting laid in the back of a Chevy, it doesn’t happen that often, but when it does – You’re really lucky!

Last Friday, I fell down the rabbit hole. Standing up, I brushed myself off and looked around. “Holy shit, holy shit, this is awesome!” Pure glee. In front of me, two giant stages had been erected and a crowd of hundreds grooved in unison to Broken Social Scene. I had fallen into the psychedelic landscape of Osheaga. Let it be known that this was my first time at Osheaga, this being my first year living in Montreal. For purely monetary reasons, I wasn’t planning on going (you may recall last week’s article “Keeping cool on a (penniless) budget”…) but then the Champion of Fun [i.e. Shit Shows], Chris Zacchia, called me and informed me I was coming with him. Um, yeah, no problem…

Montreal Music festival Osheaga is coming to town this weekend and with it a plethora of bands for you to lush over. This year the festival has expanded to a three day bonanza featuring five outdoor stages and a ton of Musicians! This is gonna be a hell of a trip, I hope you’re ready! As with any good outdoor music festival worth its spit, Osheaga is gonna have a bunch of great bands all playing at the same time. And it’s going to take a well weathered and speedy heel to catch all the good stuff when it goes on and not to miss any of the hidden gems. A good look at the schedule and a solid plan would be our first suggestion. Osheaga’s website actually provides a handy schedule creator that comes in quite useful when trying to plan your day…

On Friday, November 18th, M for Montreal showcased Random Recipe and SUUNS at Cabaret Juste Pour rire. I remember being enthralled to see Random Recipe perform. I remember someone whispering in my ear during their performance, “They just got booked for shows in Japan.” I remember leaving thinking and saying all night long, “Random Recipe is gonna blow everyone’s mind.” I also remember being completely and randomly taken back by SUUNS. So, let’s get to the goods…