Eva Foote

ArtsMusic

The weather actually feels consistently warm and the streets of Montreal are alive with people. What a great time to check out some live music in town, so let’s jump right in:

Sound of Melancholy

Montreal’s own Velvet Noise is set to take the stage this week. The band released its first album three years ago to critical acclaim. Since then, they have tirelessly toured Eastern Canada and nearby New England.

And it’s been a journey. Managing doubts. Dealing with lots of emotions. Lots of ups, lots of downs. Growing as musicians and as individuals. And above all persevering through the struggle we call life.

The result: five brand new songs of trendy indie pop-rock. They’ve got a melancholic vibe channeling the spirit of Snow Patrol and Radiohead but with musical complexity a la Mutemath and Half Moon Run.

So come see them for an intimate experience at Casa as they celebrate the launch of their second album, one that is certain to make a stir.

Velvet Noise launch their second EP at Casa del Popolo, 4873 Boul St-Laurent, Thursday, April 26, 8:30pm. FREE

A Celebration Of All Things Folk

Blowing in from New Brunswick this week is four-piece folk band The Olympic Symphonium. The hardworking band has been paying their dues since 2005 and have developed their own unique sound.

All four members contribute to the songwriting process tackling real life issues like the complexity of family life, the inevitability of death, the mundanity of life on the road, and struggles with mental illness.

Opening act Eva Foote will gift the crowd with folk songs she dedicates “for the shy, strange and nostalgic.”

The Olympic Symphonium perform with Eva Foote at Casa del Popolo, 4873 Boul St-Laurent, Sunday, April 29, 9pm. Tickets are $12 in advance available through Blue Skies Turn Black or $15 at the door

A Night Of Reverie

Power pop trio Dany Laj And the Looks will stroll into Barfly this week to offer their mix of rock/folk/country infused music that has that unmistakable 70s power pop vibe with plenty of Joie De Vivre. They will be celebrating the release of their freshest single Left Right To One which you will be able to buy as a digital download or vinyl record.

Les Envahisseurs will be on the bill bringing their energetic garage rock to the scene. This band has played all over Canada, United States and Japan sharing the stage with prominent acts such as The Lyres, The Love Me Nots, and The 5,6,7,8s.

This quirky band has great stage presence, and intelligent lyrics to boot. And there will be go go dancing.

Completing the bill will be Waveyard which mixes a blend of 60’s spy movie rock alongside garage instrumental surf.

Dany Laj and the Looks & Les Envahisseurs & Waveyard perform at Barfly, 4062A Boul St-Laurent, Friday, April 27, 9pm. $10 at the door

Jungle Pop Comes To Montreal

“An insatiable dance collection of jungle-pop songs with many well-executed nods towards Brazilian instruments, poets and to the national language, Portuguese.”

-Paste Magazine

New York based duo Sofi Tukker grace the stage in Montreal this week showcasing their unique dance music that has made waves on the US pop dance charts. The duo has had their music championed by Apple and PlayStation.

Apple used their single Best Friend in their commercial for the Iphone X. Playstation 4 also used it in the soundtrack for their game Fifa 18. And their songs Drinkee has been nominated for a Grammy.

The House/EDM outfit will be showcasing songs from their newest release Treehouse freshly released 2 weeks ago.

Sofi Tukker perform with Kah-Lo and LP Giobbi at Théâtre Corona, 2490 Notre-Dame Ouest, Friday, April 27, 8pm. Tickets are $32.90 and available through Evenko

* Featured image of Velvet Noise via Indie Montreal

* 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!

ArtsMusic

Hope you have an umbrella because in between all the rainstorms it looks like we’ve got another great week of music ahead of us. Here are some of your options for the next seven days.

John K. Samson +  Michael Feuerstack

On Thursday singer/songwriter John K. Samson is playing a show at Théâtre Fairmount in support of his second album Winter Wheat released last October. While his career as a solo artist is fairly new, you might know John as the frontman of Canadian Indie rock band The Weakerthans who were part of the Canadian music scene from 1997 until they decided to go on hiatus in 2014.

Joining Samson will be local talent Michael Feuerstack who has also been in the game for quite a while now under a different name. You might know him as Snailhouse, the moniker he used for a number of years before re-branding to his real name.

Regardless of the labels they’re currently going by, both these guys create great music with memorable lyrics. Give a listen to the track Postdoc Blues off John’s latest album to see what I mean.

John K. Samson and Michael Feuerstack play Théâtre Fairmount, 5240 Avenue du Parc, Thursday, April 6th, 8:30pm (Doors at 7:30), $25 to $20 +s.c available through the box office.

 

Allison Crutchfield and The Fizz + Vagabon + Empath

Also on Thursday you can stop by La Vitrola for an evening of Indie Rock presented by Suoni Per Il Popolo and CKUT with three great acts from south of the border in the form of Allison Crutchfield and the Fizz, Vagabon and Empath.

Headliner Allison Crutchfield’s latest album Tourist in This Town was released in January and it’s really worth a listen all the way through. Or just go to the show and you can get the live version!

 Allison Crutchfield and The Fizz, Vagabon and Empath play La Vitrola, 4602 Boulevard St. Laurent, Thursday, April 6th, 9:00pm, $12 available through the box office.

 

Carlos Núñez

Sunday night Nuits d’Afrique will be hosting an evening with Spanish bagpiper Carlos Núñez who is coming to town for the last stop on his springtime tour through North America. The Galician multi-instrumentalist is well known for breaking down barriers between music styles. Most commonly associated with playing Celtic music, Núñez’s songs also draw heavily on his Latin roots and classical music.

This tour is also a celebration of Carlos’s illustrious career. It’s been twenty years since the release of his debut album Brotherhood of Stars and since then there has been no slowing down. He’s released an impressive ten more albums and done countless tours all over the globe in that time.

Carlos Núñez plays Théâtre Fairmount, 5240 Avenue du Parc, Sunday, April 9th, 8:30pm, $38.40 available through the box office.

 

North Country Towers + Isaak Salomon + Eva Foote

On Sunday Casa Del Popolo will be hosting folk performers North Country Towers who invite you to enjoy the nice spring weather (I guess they like rain) we’ve been having and come see a show. Actually Sunday is supposed to be the one sunny day this week so the thought of getting out of the house and seeing three acts for only eight bucks seems like a great way to spend the day.

North Country Towers, Isaak Salomon and Eva Foote Casa play Casa del Popolo, 4848 Boulevard Saint-Laurent, Sunday, April 9th, 8:00pm (Doors at 7:30), $8 available at the door.

L O S

For those who don’t want to go home Sunday, you can just stay at Casa Del Popolo till Monday night when Quebec City based band L O S will be playing in support of their recently released first album Big Surf. When the word “Surf” is in the title of an album, it’s hard to prevent certain preconceptions of what it’s going to sound like to pop into your head. In this case you’d be dead wrong.

The vibe of Big Surf is a lot more mellow than you’d expect from a musical standpoint and a lot deeper and sophisticated in terms of the lyrics. Give them a listen and if it’s your thing then head down on Monday, tickets are only five dollars!

L O S plays Casa del Popolo, 4848 Boulevard Saint-Laurent, Monday, April 10th, 9:00pm, $5 available at the door.

* Featured image of Alison Crutchfield via Twitter

* 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. We can’t be everywhere and can’t write about everything, but we do our best!