Cräckers & Jam

ArtsFestivalsMusic

A special weekend awaits you in NDG as the the neighbourhood known for its shady peaceful streets and green sprawl once again hosts Porchfest.

Porches, front lawns and even rooftops transform into stages where local musicians play music and everyone is invited to share in the experience. The informal setting has proven to be quite a hit and the festival has attracted a ton of spectators since its first edition in 2015 due to its original concept.

Here are just a few of the acts you should check out today and tomorrow:

* (Please Note: After this article was written, rain became a real possibility and Porchfest announced that most of their Saturday shows may be moved to Monday, so please consult their site and Facebook page for schedule updates)

Skidoos Jaunes

Professional cover band Skidoos Jaunes will rock out with some well known tunes. The five-piece has been playing together for years. They usually do rock covers but they will be doing a toned down set for Porchfest and rocking out acoustic style.

Their performance will include interpretations of some famous rock songs ideally suited for the NDG porch environment, but for this special show they will be even adding a hint of country and blues to the set list. Children are more than welcome as the band has reserved a few songs that will be very appealing to the younger generation.

They will be playing their set on a back porch which means that there will be extra room for people to come and sit down and avoid the sound of passing traffic. Remember to bring your own chairs!

Sunday, 2pm, 3784 Melrose (entrance through the alley)

Crackers & Jam

This self proclaimed Slacker Lounge Act likes to party and they are full of melancholy. Come see a fantastic soul/rock band that has an energetic and immersive sound.

What’s cool about this outfit is their unforgettable visual performance. They combine a 70s groove, the 21st century sounds of techno and the everlasting sounds of strings from the days of Mozart till today.

They will get us dancing with their pop tunes and a heaping spoonful of bravado.

Saturday, 5pm, 4049 Hingston

Siamsa Montreal School of Irish Music

This awesome school’s MO is all about promoting Irish music, culture and a sense of community. So you don’t have to wait for next St Patty’s Day to get your Irish Fix. The school  holds classes open to the public and hosts workshops and even dances. They will be putting on a fantastic show during Porchfest so come and check the show out to find out what this unique school is all about.

Saturday, 4pm, 4413 Montclair

King Shadrock

King Shadrock is all about equal rights. His soulful reggae voice has earned him the name Little Buju which refers to reggae godfather Buju Banton.

He’s got that husky powerful voice. He’s influenced by the king himself, Bob Marley, as well as Sizzla and Lenny Kravitz. He loves entertaining people and will give you a great performance full of love and soul.

Sunday, 5pm, 6650 Cote-St-Luc (official closing show)

This is really just a smattering of what you can enjoy today (Saturday) and Sunday at Porchfest NDG (rain day is Monday). You can check out the full schedule or just head down to NDG and walk around.

* Know a band or an artist that should be featured in Shows This Week? Maybe a show FTB should cover, too? Let us know at music@forgetthebox.net. Our week goes from Thursday to Wednesday, so let us know by the preceding Sunday, though not too much in advance, or you may get lost in the shuffle. We can’t be everywhere and can’t write about everything, but we do our best!

ArtsFestivalsMusic

This week’s preview will be focused entirely on the Third Annual N.D.G. Porchfest which is set to take place this Saturday and Sunday. If you’re unfamiliar, here’s the event in a nutshell: It’s a music festival open to any solo artist or band that has access to a porch located somewhere in the borough and is willing to put on a free show for whomever passes by.

Some of the artists are professionals who perform for a living while others are basement warriors who just want their tunes to see a little daylight. The beauty of this fest is that all are welcome.

PorchFest 2015 photo by Jesse Anger

While you would most commonly associate this DIY festival with Folk/Blues/Rock music, the fact is it’s open to any genre as long as the artist is willing to translate their style to a porch setting. The result is you can walk the streets of N.D.G and hear just about every kind of music.

They pushed the fest back by a couple of weeks this year and it seems like a great decision. The forecast is calling for comfortably warm weather and mostly blue skies which is highly relevant for a fest that takes place completely outside.

Image courtesy Aurora Robinson/Porchfest

With close to a hundred acts in the festival there’s no way to talk about everything that’s going on. We at FTB have decided to highlight a few of the shows to give you a taste of the event but you should really take a look at their online schedule or download and print out their Printable Maps and embark on your very own musical “choose your own adventure.”

See you on the sidewalks!

Cräckers & Jam

A good place to start your Saturday off would be with Cräckers & Jam who will be bringing their laid back brand of indie rock to the good people of Marlowe Avenue. This is not only a nice way to ease into the afternoon but a very central place to start from with tons of shows on the surrounding blocks.

Cräckers & Jam play 2119 Avenue Marlowe, Saturday May 20th, 12:00pm.

Oxford Street

If you want to participate but have trouble getting around we suggest you stick to Oxford Street on Saturday where there will be four bands playing at two addresses quite close to each other. At 2157 Oxford will be Dirty ol’ Band and Steelburner while 2309 Oxford will host Hot Club Trio and The Vlcheks. The shows are set up so that no two bands are playing at the same time.

 

Dirty ol’ Band and Steelburner play 2157 Oxford, Saturday May 20th, 1pm and 2pm.

Hot Club Trio and The Vlcheks play 2309 Oxford, Saturday May 20th, 3pm and 4pm.

Voodoo Jazz

If you like jazz, blues, soul and funk music mixed together with quite a bit of horns, then we suggest you head down to Melrose late Sunday morning for Voodoo Jazz. Back after a break of a few years, this band is ready to treat PorchFest audiences to both instrumental numbers and songs with vocals.

Voodoo Jazz play 4333 Melrose, Sunday, May 21st, 11am

* Featured image from PorchFest 2015 by Jesse Anger

* Know a band or an artist that should be featured in Shows This Week? Maybe a show FTB should cover, too? Let us know at music@forgetthebox.net. Our week goes from Thursday to Wednesday, so let us know by the preceding Sunday, though not too much in advance, or you may get lost in the shuffle. We can’t be everywhere and can’t write about everything, but we do our best!