garage rock

Mac DeMarco
ArtsFestivalsMusic

Who is this grinning young ‘un who looks like Flea’s kid brother and makes music so lo-fi and strange that it makes you want to go running through the streets with a tall can and a lover?

Mac DeMarco is another Canadian (god, we grow good musicians here. Suck it, Slovakia) and probably a result of growing up in the 90’s. All that grunge has trickled down over our souls, giving way to music that is simultaneously full of longing for what’s been lost and rife with sounds that have no name. DeMarco, for all of his twenty four years, is already a force of brilliance, jamming in this sunny, simple way that showcases stiff songwriting skill and a style that is wholly his own. While, sure, there’s room for your garage rock and surf punk and of course, let’s not forget the new staple, psychedelic rock, DeMarco is taking the formula and fuzzing the lines a bit more; he’s really got his fingerprints all over his tunes.

But DeMarco isn’t some serious suffering poet. Or maybe he is. I’ve never even hung out with him, what the fuck do I know? I guess the reason I said that, about the serious poetic stuff, is because of what I’ve read. You know, about how his concerts are described as a “raunchfest” and how he gets naked onstage. Which, while not being serious, could be construed as a little poetic. In my opinion. (And that’s mostly all this article consists of: my opinions.)

Anyway, DeMarco has released two full length studio albums (Salad Days being the latest, released just this year) and with that comes the touring. While it’s a nice sentiment to say that music should only be about music, fans are always interested in more: they want it all, the personal life, the inspiration, the friendship and yeah, the nudity. Bring it on, man. DeMarco’s hitting up Osheaga Music and Arts Festival this year (I’ve included him in my Top Picks) and I personally am really excited, clothes or no clothes.

Mac DeMarco performs Friday, August 1 at 9:50 p.m. at the Scène des arbres Galaxie. Osheaga takes place August 1 to 3 at Parc Jean-Drapeau. 

ArtsMusic

California-based record store and label Burger Records has become an important institution for contemporary garage rock, post-punk and neo-psychedelic music. Burger bands have a penchant for adopting old-school aesthetics and sounds. The label is credited for the current cassette tape obsession in Orange County that has since spread across the U. S., helped along with “A Tape A Day, OK??” whereby the label released a new tape from a different band every day of the month of January.

Burgerama started out in 2012 as an annual festival in California. They’ve since brought Burgerama to other cities including Paris, Stockholm, Milan, Melbourne and Tel Aviv. This fall, they launched the first-ever North American Burgerama Caravan of Stars Tour, which they equate to “the greatness of a traveling In-N-Out Burger (if only that was a real thing).” Tonight, we’re promised a caravan and some Burger stars when the tour stops in Montreal for a show at Il Motore.

The lineup features Pangea, The Cosmonauts, Gap Dream, and headliners The Growlers. Show is at 8 p.m., $16 at the door.

The Growlers are a self-described “beach goth” band that blends elements of 60s pop, psychedelia, and surf rock.

One man outfit Gap Dream blends garage and krautrock influences to create a unique sound that can’t be tied to any time, place or genre.

The Cosmonauts blend drone-pop and fuzzy guitars to create a sound that they describe as a glimpse into Southern Californian drug-addled rock ‘n’ roll of the 21st century.

Together PANGEA (formerly known simply as Pangea) started off as a collection of recordings done on a 4-track tape machine when lead singer William Keegan was but a teenager. They’ve since played shows with the likes of Wavves, The Black Lips, and King Khan & The Shrines.