Music

Music previews, reviews, interviews and opinion from Montreal on local and out of town acts, festivals and more

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Since both of this week’s entries relate, either directly or indirectly, to Nuit Blanche, it’s probably a good idea to start by briefly explaining what Nuit Blance is, for those who don’t know.

In a nutshell, one night a year, most museums and galleries, some other businesses and the Montreal Metro stay open all night. There are parties, events in Quartier des Spectacles and the Old Port and even the Biodome gets involved.

This year, it’s not possible for most people to be out of their homes after 8pm due to the curfew, let alone on the metro at 3am, but some of the key Nuit Blanche events have found their way online.

Let’s get started:

Art Souterrain Festival is Back Online and in Physical Space

Every year, the Art Souterrain Festival is the highlight of many Montrealers’ Nuit Blanche. This event normally sees several artists fill Montreal’s Underground City with installations and perform live art shows.

This year, of course, will be different. Roughly 30 artists will take part in the festival’s two parts:

From tomorrow (Friday) until April 30th, you can take in free online activities such as recordings of performances, podcasts, round table discussions and artist portraits (with quite a few of them happening next Saturday, aka Nuit Blanche 2021). Then, from April 10th to 30th, the regular public installation part of the festival will take over the Underground City.

The 13th Edition of Art Souterrain begins online Friday, February 19th on the Art Souterrain website

Leonard Cohen: A Crack in Everything from the MAC is Now Online

Speaking of Nuit Blanche, Back in 2017, that’s when we covered (and very much enjoyed) the Leonard Cohen exhibit A Crack in Everything at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal (MAC). It was an immersive and impressive multimedia experience and a fitting local tribute to our legend who had passed away the year before.

Now, while the MAC is open once again to the general public for in-person visits, they have decided to bring back the Cohen exhibit for anyone (in Canada, that is) at any time with a free virtual version of it. It obviously won’t be the same as exploring the exhibit in person, but given the amount of recorded video and audio content in it, it should transition well to this format.

Leonard Cohen: A Crack in Everything Virtual Exhibit is available online for free until February 22, 2024. You can explore it on the MAC website

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This week we’ve got a film and arts festival dedicated to LGBTQ+ works that highlight members of Black communities, a music video premier from a local alternative folk rock group and a Valentine’s market from the people behind POP Montreal.

Let’s get started:

The Massimadi Afro LGBTQ+ Film and Arts Festival

We’re in the middle of Black History Month and the Massimadi Afro LGBTQ+ Film and Arts Festival is set to return for its 13th edition. This year, the theme is, appropriately, Resistance.

With all that is going on south of the border and around the world, resisting is key. The festival also plans to resist any negative effects COVID might have on their ability to reach audiences by making the entire event free and online.

With seven feature films 23 short films and representation from nine countries, the conversation is sure to continue. There will also be found tables, a comedy show and even speed dating.

The 13th Edition of the Massimadi Afro LGBTQ+ Film and Arts Festival runs February 12 – March 12. For the complete schedule and more info, please visit massimadi.ca

Aquarius Dreams Release Music Video for Flora’s Earthtones

Montreal-based alternative folk rock group Aquarius Dreams released their lastest EP Flora’s Earthtones way back in pre-COVID 2019. While they are planning to go on a “reformative hiatus” and then re-emerge when the pandemic is done, they are first releasing a video for the EP’s titular track this weekend.

Directed by Callum Sheedy, the video “alludes to the degradation of the relationship between humanity and nature, the dance between moral volition and action.” Part of it is also clearly shot on Mount Royal, which always leads to some spectacular visuals.

Puces POP is Back Online for Valentine’s Day

The annual POP Montreal music festival is all set for an in-person edition this fall, but while the curfew and other COVID restrictions are still in effect, their popular Puces POP market has reinvented itself, just in time for Valentine’s Day. They have an online catalogue available until March 1st.

You can buy products from over 70 local artisans. We’re talking body products, clothing, jewelry and much more.

You can find it all at PucesPop.com

Featured Image: Screenshot from Flora’s Earthtones by Aquarius Dreams

If you know of an event that you feel should be covered, please contact arts@forgetthebox.net or music@forgetthebox.net

No promises but we’ll do our best

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The snowstorm seems to be done and the weather for the next few days promises to be nicer, but we still can’t go outside at night or hang out in groups during the day. Fortunately there are Montreal shows you can check out this week from the comfort of your home.

Let’s get started:

Geordie Theatre’s The Little Mighty Superhero & Celestial Bodies

2021 marks Geordie Theatre’s 40th year of performing plays in schools as well as original youth-oriented works for the general public. And they’re not about to let the pandemic cancel their birthday party.

The Geordie Theatre Fest is back! It started yesterday with staged readings exclusively for schools, but this weekend, everyone can enjoy some virtual theatre that is good for the whole family.

On Saturday, they will be streaming live performances of two original plays:

  • The Little Mighty Superhero, written by Marie Barlizo and directed by Liz Valdez is “a heartwarming journey of a young boy’s quest in rediscovering imagination and memory in the face of fear and the unknown.”
  • Celestial Bodies, written by Jacob Margaret Archer and directed by Geordie Artistic Director Mike Payett, is “one girl’s cosmic journey to truly owning, literally and metaphorically, the space she occupies.”

The 2021 Geordie Theatre Fest runs Saturday, February 6th with The Little Mighty Superhero at noon and Celestial Bodies at 3pm and 5pm. For more info or tickets, please visit geordie.ca

Virtually Visit the Wheel Club with A Devil’s Din

Montreal-based psychedelic rockers A Devil’s Din will be playing The Wheel Club in NDG this Friday. More specifically, the band will be performing at The Wheel Club, but the audience will attend virtually via Facebook Live.

This isn’t just a chance to see a band playing in 2021 in a traditional real-world venue instead of from their homes, it’s also helping to keep the venue afloat so they can re-open to the public when the pandemic subsides. It’s free to watch, but the audience are encouraged to donate to the venue and the band.

Think of it like going to a show with no cover, then putting something in the hat when they pass it around between sets. Also, you can use the money you save by buying your drinks at the dep to give a little more to the venue.

A Devil’s Din Live Webcast at the Wheel Club starts Friday, February 5th at 8pm. To watch free and for info on how to donate, please visit the Facebook Event Page

Featured Image from Celestial Bodies courtesy of Geordie Theatre

If you know of an event that you feel should be covered, please contact arts@forgetthebox.net or music@forgetthebox.net

No promises but we’ll do our best

ArtsMusic

Now that we’re a few weeks into this new column, it’s probably a good idea to mention just what we’re featuring here.

Our previous column Shows This Week featured concerts, live performances and in-person arts events happening in and around Montreal. Since those aren’t happening for the foreseeable near future, Montreal Arts & Music This Week will showcase the work of local artists and musicians as well as performers from out of town that have a special relationship with our city and/or see Montreal as a second home.

Sometimes it will just be music, sometimes just stuff like visual arts, theatre and comedy. Most times, though, it will be a mix.

If there is an actual event you can go to in person, we very well may include it. If there are many, it means the pandemic is probably over, so we should go back to Shows This Week.

One final note before we jump into this week’s entries: we’ll do our best to always publish on Thursdays. This week, though, we’re publishing on Friday, because the two releases we’re covering only come out today.

So let’s get started:

What if Elephants and Maya Malkin’s New Single Sugar Daddy

What If Elephants hope to offer listeners “the perfect pop escape for the winter blues” with the release of their latest single Sugar Daddy. The Montreal-based indie pop four-piece is joined on the track by long-time collaborators Maya Malkin and Tokyo Speirs (Walk Off the Earth).

This is a rhythmically-driven tune that features quite a few harmonies. The band is currently putting the final touches on their latest EP.

Kareem’s New Video Mea Culpa Raises Awareness About Suicide Prevention

Montreal rapper Kareem already had a name for himself in the French hip hop scene and two albums under his belt when the first confinement affected everyone last March. With the new video for his latest single Mea Culpa, he deals with the isolation it brought and how it affected his creative process.

The song also deals with his at times difficult upbringing. Kareem hopes to open a dialogue about how people deal with moments of weakness and encourage people to seek help when needed.

It also deals with suicide and the video ends with the number for the suicide prevention hotline.

Featured image of What If Elephants by Claudine Chausse, courtesy of Strut Entertainment

If you know of an event that you feel should be covered, please contact arts@forgetthebox.net or music@forgetthebox.net

No promises but we’ll do our best

ArtsFestivalsMusic

Igloofest, literally Montreal’s coolest festival (temperature-wise) is back this winter, running every Saturday from February 13th to March 13th. They just announced a partial lineup, and it promises to still be a huge dance party.

Of course, Montreal is still very much in the COVID Red Zone and there’s a very real chance Quebec’s 8pm to 5am curfew will be extended beyond February 10th. So this year, the festival will be streaming on Facebook, Twitch and YouTube, meaning the party will be at home for festivalgoers.

The performers, though, will be all across the city, at iconic spots that we will hopefully all be able to visit again in person soon. So far:

  • CRi, Jesse Mac Cormack and Sophia Bel will kick things off February 13th at La Ronde
  • Jacques Greene will be in the Old Port February 20th
  • Young rapper Lou Phelps will be part of a lineup at the Stewart Museum on February 27th
  • March 6th will see Mistress Barbara on the roof of Videotron headquarters
  • On March 13th, the S.A.T. will host a noon to midnight marathon with various artists

The rest of these lineups will, of course, be announced soon. The 15th anniversary of the fest, though, has been pushed to 2022, when we can all, once again, party together in person.

As for keeping it cool, or cold, well, organizers do suggest your backyard or balcony. If you don’t have one of those, though, you could always open a window, but you might want to check with your roommates first.

Featured image from Igloofest 2012 by Chris Zacchia

Igloofest 2021 runs February 13 – March 13. For details and the full lineup (when it is available), check out igloofest.ca

ArtsMusic

This week, the curfew continues and so do the Montreal arts and music. We’ve got a music video and an actual outdoor event. Let’s get started!

Venus Furs’ New Inspiration Music Video

Before COVID hit and everything changed, you could find Montreal’s Venus Furs (aka Paul Kasner) playing POP Montreal and opening for acts like The Horrors and The Twilight Sad. Last year, though, the Montreal-based shoegaze (also know as dream pop) artist launched his own record label called Silk Screaming and released a self-titled debut album.

Then, this past Tuesday, he released a music video for the single New Inspiration. Justis Krar directed the video and Kasner plays all instruments on the track except for bass and drums.

Here it is:

Venus Furs’ self-titled debut album is available through SilkScreaming.com

Luminothérapie & Coeur Battant

This one’s actually something you can’t attend from the comfort of behind your computer screen. It’s two outdoor events that started over the holidays and continue until March 14th.

The first (Luminothérapie) is a circuit in Quartier des Spectacles comprised of five installations and activities that are accessible to everyone and COVID-safe, according to organizers. They feature light, sound, and interactivity.

The second, Coeur Battant, is designed to showcase downtown as the beating heart of the city. Each night, a different building will be lit up in red as the sounds of a heart beating play.

Of course, the night part of “every night” as well as the overall experience of both events had to be drawn back a bit due to the curfew. They end at 6:30pm as long as the curfew lasts.

Here is the promo video:

Luminothérapie & Coeur Battant run until March 14th. General info can be found on the Quartier des Spectacles website, but updates regarding curfew hours are on their Facebook Page

Featured Image of Venus Furs by Sean Mundy, courtesy of raison d’être Media

If you know of an event that you feel should be covered, please contact arts@forgetthebox.net or music@forgetthebox.net

No promises but we’ll do our best

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While our Shows This Week column, both for music and arts, is clearly on hiatus until we can, you know, go to shows again, we thought we’d highlight some of the Montreal and Montreal-friendly music, art, theatre, comedy, film etc. that you can partake in.

Let’s get started…

The image + nation Launches Canada’s First-Ever Queer Short Film Festival

image + nation, Canada’s first LGBTQ+ film festival just concluded its 33rd edition, albeit in a totally online form. While you can still see the films that won awards at the festival until December 12th, image+nation has something else to offer.

From December 9th until the 31st they are running the first-ever pan-Canadian Queer Short Film Festival. This new event is focusing on a few key areas including growing up and growing older as an LGBTQ person, films from countries and perspectives that see little representation in the queer cinema canon and outreach to Francophone communities outside of Quebec.

I+N Courts Queer Short Film Fest runs December 9-31. The full program is available in an online catalogue and you can watch the short films until the end of 2020

Wooden Drone’s Never Ending Loops

Montrealer Emmanuel Lauzon, aka electronic music producer Wooden Drone released his debut album this past November 14th. Titled Never Ending Loops, it is a 14-tracks of electronic ambient music meticulously produced over a decade.

That’s right, this is the product of ten years’ worth of work. During that time, Lauzon was also developing the video game We Happy Few as a senior 3D artist. Both projects were released simultaneously.

Wooden Drone will be releasing a single in the new year, but for now (in addition to the full album) we have this teaser video:

Never Ending Loops by Wooden Drone is available for download on Bandcamp

Igloofest Will Return and Has An Online Shop for a Good Cause

Igloofest, the annual outdoor-in-winter music fest has the distinction of being literally the coolest festival in Montreal, but also, due to its timing, one of the few big annual events that actually got to hold an in-person 2020 edition.

This year, with a COVID vaccine’s potential widespread distribution still months away, there won’t be an in-person Igloofest this winter. Organizers are working on a digital version in its place and promise surprises and video capsules starting in January and leading up to the 15th edition scheduled for 2022.

Right now, though, you can buy festival merch. Their online shop, the Iglooboutique, launched this past Thursday, offers items like the classic toque sold at the event each year, hockey jerseys and socks.

If you buy a pair of socks, another pair will be donated to people suffering from homelessness. This is due to Igloofest‘s partnership with Montreal-based Robin des Bas.

You can find updates on the online festival at igloofest.ca and shop at boutique.igloofest.ca

Featured Image from Mother Bunker (2020) playing at the I+N Queer Short Film Festival

If you’re involved in a project or know of one that you think should get coverage here, please let us know at arts@forgetthebox.net or music@forgetthebox.net We’ll do our best, but no promises

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In what has got to be their earliest partial lineup announcement ever, or at least in a while, Osheaga has given us the headliners for its 15th Edition. It will be Foo Fighters on Friday, Cardi B on Saturday and Post Malone on Sunday.

The event is scheduled to take place July 30, 31 and August 1 in Parc Jean-Drapeau, so it might still be a bit of time before we get the full lineup. Those are usually released in March, anyways.

This early announcement, while sparse, is quite welcome. After a summer devoid of in-person festivals and a spring and fall devoid of live in-person shows of any kind, it’s good to know that what is arguably Montreal’s largest music festival will be roaring back next year, and with some huge names, no less.

It’s also a reminder that while Montreal is pretty much locked down now, there are some things on the horizon like a vaccine, a return to semi-normal and, by the end of the summer, Osheaga.

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It’s been a few months since we’ve been able to have a drink and check out a band with others in public. It’s been considerably longer since we’ve been able to do that at the Jailhouse Rock Café.

The now-legendary Montreal music venues closed its cell door at 30 Mont-Royal Ouest for the last time in 2001, so we’re talking almost two decades. Now, thanks to a new book by Domenic Castelli (if you remember the Jailhouse, you know who he is) you can relive the scene.

The Jailhouse Rock Café – Show Posters 1988-2001 Montreal is exactly what it sounds like and then some. It’s a visual history of the venue from its early days as Bar La Terrasse and then as Jailhouse under original owner Jacques Corbo to when Castelli convinced his brother David to buy the place in 1998 and the Castelli Bros moved everything around, turning it into the venue most of us remember, and right up to when the landlord refused to renew the lease.

Jailhouse was mostly known as a punk venue, and for good reason. Many a local and touring punk band graced their stage (and wrote on the backstage wall).

But the venue also featured rockabilly, ska, rock, you name it, they had it at some point. They even had burlesque, vaudeville and horror theatre all rolled into one.

Full disclosure: I was part of that particular show, Dead Dolls Cabaret, and yes, some of our posters are in the book. I also went to other shows at Jailhouse, some where I had friends in one of the bands and some just because.

While I only really started going to local shows in the later years of Jailhouse, the whole book is full of memories for me. That’s because in those days, you didn’t have to actually go to the show to remember the poster.

Show posters were part of Montreal’s landscape. You couldn’t walk around the Plateau without seeing a bunch of them.

Whether they were made by a professional graphic designer or the bassist who also happened to draw, they were art. A lost art form that comes alive again in this book.

While there are plenty of photos, both on stage and back stage, as well as the odd set list, newspaper listing and bit of text explaining things, the show posters are key. And they look great, even on a computer screen.

Of course this is meant to be a physical coffee table book, the kind you invite a few friends over to look at over drinks while listening to music from the Jailhouse era.

UPDATE: You can now order the physical book or the book with a Jailhouse T-Shirt or Hoodie or the e-book (also available in an Amazon Kindle Edition).

Featured image courtesy of Domenic Castelli

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This is the time of year where thoughts start to turn to summer and, in particular, all the shows the season usually brings to Montreal. At Forget the Box, this is when we start thinking about just how we’re going to cover all the festivals (music, theatre, comedy, etc) and what sort of ticket giveaways we may run.

This year, as everyone knows, will be quite different due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Even if some of the restrictions currently in place are loosened and things get back to some semblance of normal, the summer’s events won’t be coming back until next year, or in some cases this fall.

So there are no shows to cover, but that doesn’t mean we can’t run a contest to give away tickets. You’ll just have to wait a while to pick up your prize.

With everything upside down, what time better than the present to start thinking of the future. If we beat this thing with our social distancing, we’ll have reason to celebrate.

So without any further ado, here’s FTB’s Lockdown Contest:

The Prize

The Grand Prize is two tickets to the show of your choice with some restrictions. Given the huge financial hit the event industry is bound to take this year and the fact that they’re probably all too busy right now to coordinate a contest with us for the future, these won’t be promo passes.

Instead, we’ll be buying a pair of tickets like everyone else and then giving them to the winner free of charge. As such:

  • It can be any concert, play, comedy show, festival, etc, but it must happen in the Greater Montreal Region (if you can get there by bus and metro, it’s in the zone) before the end of 2022.
  • Tickets to the concert or show must be available for purchase to the general public. So if a show’s sold out for the public, it’s sold out for this contest, too.
  • We don’t guarantee your first pick, or preferred seating, but we’ll do our best.
  • Price of a single ticket can be no more than $200. Depending on what you pick, you might get access to an entire indie festival, a day’s worth of top-notch concerts or just one really great show.
  • You must be legally allowed to enter the venue where the show is taking place.

How to Enter the Contest

Normally with giveaways, we try to keep things simple. This time we’re asking a little more. Here are the details:

  • Send us your best Montreal on Lockdown Story by email to forgetthebox@forgetthebox.net with Lockdown Contest in the subject line before May 22nd 2020 at midnight.
  • We’re looking for uniquely Montreal stories – funny anecdotes, personal tales of how you’re dealing with our new reality, interesting accounts of how people are respecting social distancing in their own way, heartwarming tales of community solidarity, whatever you think might inspire, interest or amuse. They could be written, told through photos, or a combination of the two.
  • Share this post either on Facebook or Twitter and tag @forgetthebox also before May 22nd 2020 at midnight.
  • We reserve the right to publish the stories we receive and will definitely publish the winner (so please let us know how you would like to be credited – just one name, a name and an initial, your full name, a fake name, etc. – if not we’ll just use your name.

We know that these times are trying and that not everyone is in the right headspace to be positive right now. This contest isn’t designed to preach positivity, but rather to try and give everyone something to look forward to.

The shows will return. This summer will look and feel very different in Montreal, but if we all do our part, we’ll all be partying together at some point – and you can be the one who got in with free tickets!

ArtsFestivalsMusicNews

Yesterday, the Quebec Government requested suspending all public cultural and sporting events across the province until August 31st in order to keep fighting COVID-19 through social distancing. Following the request, Evenko announced that Osheaga, Île Soniq and the new country music festival LASSO won’t take place in Parc Jean-Drapeau late July and during August as originally planned.

“We are truly saddened by this situation, but everyone’s health must remain our top priority,” evenko President and CEO Jacques Aubé said in a press release. “It is too early to specifically announce the status of each of our events. We want to take the time to properly think about each of them and evaluate our options. Of course, we will do everything we can in order to minimize the impacts of this decision on all parties involved, by trying to postpone events, when possible.”

evenko now says it is in “solution mode” and will announce the fate of these events as soon as they work that out. They had already announced months ago, before COVID-19 was a concern, that their other festivals Heavy Montréal and 77 Montréal would be taking a break in 2020. Now we’re waiting to see if the other festivals will do the same or if they will be rescheduled, fully or in some form.

We previously learned that the Montreal Jazz Fest, Francofolies and Fringe Festival won’t happen this year and that Just for Laughs has been moved from July to late September/early October. This request by the Quebec Government, in effect, extends a municipal Montreal decision to cancel all festivals, public events and sporting events until July 2nd. is

It is clear that even if we flatten the curve and social distancing restrictions are loosened and things get back to something that resembles normal, summer in Montreal will look and feel very different this year.

Featured image from Osheaga 2019 by lamyazpixels

ArtsMusic

Social distancing to slow the spread of COVID 19 (aka the Coronavirus) means we can’t go out to shows, but it’s clear that the shows haven’t stopped, they’ve just moved to your home. With a spate of online concerts popping, a Leonard Cohen balcony singalong scheduled for tonight and a dance party that you still have to dress up for, there’s more than enough going on for Shows This Week: At Home Edition!

Leonard Cohen Balcony Singalong

If there’s one name that seems to bring all Montrealers together, it’s that of the late, great poet, singer and icon Leonard Cohen. Tomorrow (Sunday), POP Montreal and Martha Wainwright hope Cohen can bring people together as they stay physically apart.

They’re calling it So Long Marianne de Balcon Montreal. In the very recent tradition established by quarantined people in Italy, everyone is encouraged to sing Cohen’s So Long, Marianne together at 8pm tonight from their balconies or out their windows.

Wainwright will be streaming a guide vocal, sort of like a virtual choir master and will follow up the Cohen song by leading a group performance of Richard Desjardins’ Le coeur est un oiseau. You can find the lyrics and info on the stream through the Facebook event page. For now, though, you can practice to this:

Montreal Balcony Drone

Friday from 9-9:15 pm, it’s drone time. No, not the kind of flying delivery, warfare or temporary pandemic dog walking devices that you may be thinking of, but rather the sound that links several forms of music.

John Triangles Stuart started the Facebook event and so far over 2000 people have responded. People are encouraged to go to their balcony or open their windows and use whatever physical instruments they have (or use online synths) and collectively create a drone in the key of C.

Virtual Party

Montreal’s first virtual nightclub launches next Saturday, March 28 between 8 and 11pm. No lineup or coat check, but you will need to access it with your camera enabled, as you’ll be able to see the other guests and they’ll be able to see you.

The DJs are provided, but the drinks are on you and for just you (and possibly the people you live with). You are also asked to dress up like you were going to a real world party with other people and your own light show is encouraged.

You can find the details on the Facebook event page, which has already reached over 20 000 people, so the virtual nightclub may very well be packed for its opening.

We’ll be posting about similar events or livestreamed concerts as this shutdown continues. If you are hosting such an event, please let us know at music@forgetthebox.net (no promises we will mention it, but we’ll do our best)

ArtsMusic

There may not be that much snow on the ground in Montreal today, but the city looked more Christmasey earlier this month. That’s when local country folk rock and roller Jesse Stone and some musician friends braved the cold on Mount Royal’s lookout to bring some holiday cheer to the people who were there and now, via video, the rest of us.

This pop-up show consisted of one song with one message: Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. So what better time for us to share that message with you.

Enjoy!

ArtsMusic

Hey you! Looking for some shows to see this weekend, but can’t figure out what to see? Well you’ve come to the right place. Take a gander, or stay awhile, and check out some of these shows happening in our lovely city this week!

Thursday, November 7th: THe LYONZ

THe LYONZ, a Montreal-based DJ/production duo and art collective have just released their newest single, Fall. THe LYONZ had released their debut album Peace Beyond the Pines in 2015.

The muti-talented duo’s work reflects a focus on hip-hop and electronic sounds, but their musical style is diverse and also weaves in touches of jazz, reggae, house, and funk.

The group will be performing this Thursday at Bar Loic, so check out their show and hear their newest single, live! 

THe LYONZ perform every Thursday at Bar Loic, 5001 Notre Dame Ouest, from 10pm to 3am. Entry is free! Check out the Facebook event for more info.

Thursday, November 7th: Jade Bird

Jade Bird is a 22 year old songwriter and musician from the UK, which makes her wistfully soulful Americana sound all the more a pleasantly surprising plot twist. Her debut EP, Something American, hits the nail on the head, and her most recent release, Lottery, has already blown up.

Her music rests on the edge of indie pop and hints to country and folk. Its charming emotional introspective character plays like a glance into her own soul at the junction of traditional story-telling genres and a more contemporary indie sound. 

Jade Bird plays Theatre Fairmount, 5240 Avenue du Parc. Doors open at 7pm. You can purchase tickets through the Theatre Fairmount website.

Friday & Saturday, November 8-9th: Barfly’s 23rd Anniversary Party

Local hole in the wall, (but not fly on the wall!), Barfly, will be celebrating its 23rd anniversary this weekend with two separate shows featuring some of your favorite local bands!

The Friday show will feature Dead Messenger, Ian Blurton’s Future Now, and the Enchanters, and the Saturday show will include performances from the Fast Food Fairies, Ashtray Heart, and the Pop Sicles.

The shows will begin at 9pm for both days, but since Barfly is also doing a 23rd anniversary happy hour special from 4pm to 9pm, it might be in your best interests to get there a little early. 

Barfly’s 23rd anniversary party will take place at Barfly, 4062a St. Laurent Blvd, on Friday and Saturday. No ticket necessary!

Saturday, November 9th: Ghostemane

Florida-man, Eric Whitney, known professionally as Ghostemane, is a modern-day pioneer of the metal hip-hop genre, though perhaps that goes without saying. Ghostemane’s music career began with him playing in hardcore punk and doom metal bands, but he’s since transitioned to producing his own sound that seamlessly fuses together hip-hop and metal in dark and unexpected ways that are sure to chill your spine. 

Ghostemane plays Mtelus, 59 Sainte Catherine St. E. Doors at 6pm, show starts at 7:30pm. You can get your tickets through evenko.

Are you or your band playing a show in Montreal? Let us know at music@forgetthebox.net. We’ll do our best to include you in an upcoming Shows This Week, but, of course, no promises.