Late Sunday nights spent in a light snowfall with good company have been the breeding ground for some of the best moments I’ve had. There is nothing more beautiful than a still winter evening and taking a quiet stroll through the deserted urban landscape that is our fair city.
This passed Sunday I was particularly restless after a week of illness and home improvement projects. I spent most of the holidays without a voice and one of the worst colds I’ve had in a while. The bright side is the money I didn’t spend on partying and keeping up with my friends allowed me to splurge on décor! However when I realized it was my last night before a new semester, I decided it was necessary to put on my new boots and head out on the town.
Sunday is a day of relaxation, but you can still find a fun event if you’re going stir-crazy. Give your local concert venues a check and you can usually find a cheap show to suit your Sunday vibe. This past Sunday I attended a friend of a friend’s show at Casa Del Popolo, a venue located on St Laurent just south of St. Joseph (that serves fantastic black velvets for five dollars).
Sunday’s line up was Wind & The Wild (formerly On a Bear Hunt), Little Stella, and Geronimo. Though the STM late night Sunday service is not the most reliable, I made it for the last act. I enjoyed my drink and settled in for the sounds of Wind & The Wild, a Montreal based band whose members reign from Aylmer and Chelsea, Quebec. They kept me at a good level of lively, with their relaxed sound and twangy vocals. They played a few upbeat danceable songs, a couple of covers, but mainly their own tunes. It was five dollars well spent.
The show ended at twelve and I decided to continue on because… I was already out. The next place we slid to was Barfly. Each Sunday they host a bluegrass jam session, and there is no cover. In a very loose environment, the crowd is a mixture of young to old (ish) folks drinking, playing pool, chatting, and listening to the live music.
As most anyone who has lived in Montreal longer than a couple months knows, this city is a small one. On any given night it is just as likely that you will make a new friend, as it is you will run into an old one. To me there is nothing more comforting than a chance encounter with someone you knew in a different time or place, it helps you feel like the world is a manageable size.
After some catching up you continue your adventure together. By this point some dancing might be in order. If you’re around the plateau, you have the three staple options: Blizzarts, Blue Dog and Korova. No lines, no cover, decent tracks, and occasionally, if one is lucky enough, an empty dance floor all for themselves. Disagree as you may, but for me nothing beats starting a dance floor with some good company.
Perks of Sundays: you never know who you’ll run into, you’ll only have to pay cover once, and despite how many buses you miss, you can walk home down the middle of Sherbrooke, Parc, St. Laurent, or in wherever direction your bed lies, unbothered by the usual spew of on coming traffic, because this metropolis sleeps early on Sundays.
