shazamfest

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Summer is heating up both literally and figuratively in Montreal and we’ve got some outdoors and in-person events this week. Let’s get started:

ShazamFest is Back This Weekend

ShazamFest is truly one of Quebec’s most unique festivals. It’s eco-friendly, happens in the Easten Townships and offers a mix of music, circus, burlesque, dance, wrestling and more.

Last year’s event was also unique in that it was scaled back (as were so many of our cultural events). This year, they’re offering a “nearly-normal, safe-but-just-as-quirky 15.5th edition” done in collaboration with the Estrie Public Health Department.

The talent roster is full of acts from across Quebec.

Politically-charged rap artist Sarahmée, Montreal’s neo-disco glam squad Barry Paquin Roberg and pioneering rocker Frank Custeau all headline, DJ Tony Montreal (accompanied by the legendary Alain Vinet of Cirque du Soleil fame) joins the lineup for the first time this year and the Canadian Redneck Beard, Moustache & Mullet Contest and Clowns Without Borders are back by popular demand.

ShazamFest XV.V runs July 9–11 at 2722 Way’s Mills, Barnston West, QC J0B 1C0. Tickets, info and full lineup at ShazamFest.com

Piknic Électronik is Back at Parc Jean-Drapeau

While large events like Osheaga won’t return this year, Parc Jean-Drapeau will see quite a bit of music and dancing this summer. Piknic Électronik returned last Saturday and will run on Saturdays and Sundays throughout the summer.

Last year, the event was only online and called Piknic at Home, this year’s event is in-person, though will follow Public Health guidelines, meaning audiences are limited and see performances on multiple stages. Each day, they will also be admitted in two groups: one can enjoy shows in the afternoon sun from noon-5pm and the other can Piknic in the evening from 6-10pm.

Tickets are sold in pairs, with each given a designated spot. Masks are required elsewhere on the site.

It’s also chock-full of local, Canadian and Quebec talent. This weekend features Paolo Rocco, Syla, Laced and more.

For tickets and the (still developing) Piknic Électronik schedule, please visit PikNicElectronik.com

The Liquor Store Play Cabaret Lion D’Or…For Real This Time

It was only a few months ago that Montreal-based seven-piece The Liquor Store were playing a virtual show at Cabaret Lion d’Or (virtual for the audience, that is, the band was actually there). Now, with Quebec Public Health restrictions loosened, they will be playing the venue again, this time with an in-person audience.

The band also recently released a music video for the song MOPHO, the first single from their upcoming second album Colossus. Give it a look and listen below before catching this band live:

Indie Montréal presents The Liquor Store @ Cabaret Lion d’Or, 1676 rue Ontario Est, Saturday, July 10, 8-10pm (doors 7:30pm). Tickets available through ThePointOfSale.com

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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ShazamFest, a unique outdoor annual summer festival, returns for its 14th edition, and this year with more whimsy than ever. It has perhaps the most eclectic diversity of performances to occur at a single festival.

ShazamFest features a diverse range of entertainment including, but not limited to: live music performances, circus acts, burlesque, dance, theatre, poetry, wrestling, skateboarding, and much more. The festival is set to take place from the 11th to the 14th of July (this weekend), and is to be hosted in the Eastern Townships, 90 minutes outside of Montréal at festival founder Ziv Przytyk’s organic family farm. Free roundtrip shuttle services from Montréal are available, as well as free on-site camping. 

The festival is also particularly distinctive for its green initiatives, as part of its dedication to an eco-responsible and sustainable approach. ShazamFest is very encouraging of its zero-waste initiatives, having only produced 12 bags of garbage at its 13th edition last year and aiming to create even less this year by encouraging festival goers not to bring single-use bags, using only reusable or compostable dishware, providing unlimited free local source water, bringing in organic local food vendors, and numerous other eco-friendly features.

The headlining acts of ShazamFest XIV will be Afrikana Soul Sister, Les Hôtesses d’Hilaire, the Souljazz Orchestra, and Susie Arioli. A few additional must-see features include Matthew Silver, Ziv’s Sunset Show, Bibi Lolo BangBang the clown, a burlesque segment by Swell Sisters La PetiteFleur and Queeny Ives, and many more.

Here’s the full lineup:  

Visit ShazamFest’s website for more information about the artists and tickets.

Win Tickets!

That’s right, FTB is giving you a chance to win a pair of tickets ($125 value) to Shazamfest! Simply share this post on Facebook or Twitter, tag @forgetthebox and say Shazam!

We will draw a winner from the entrants and announce it Friday morning.

For everyone else, tickets are available through ShazamFest.com

Happening on July 11-14, 2019, 2722 Way’s Mills, Ayer’s Cliff, QC J0B 1C0 in the Eastern Townships.

Free entry for children 12 years & under
Free admission all day Sunday 
Free roundtrip shuttle services from Montréal 
Free on-site camping

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For this edition of Montreal Music Shows This Week we’ve got a 90s icon, some indie folk mainstays and an out-of-town music festival coming to the city. Let’s get started:

Matthew Good

For any Canadian kid who grew up in the 90’s there’s really no introduction needed, for the rest of you start with Underdogs and go from there. A quick recap of more recent history: as of 2002 Matt dropped the “band” part of the name and has been officially solo. What didn’t stop was his commitment to writing, music, speaking out about politics and championing a variety of social causes.

Still going strong, Good released Chaotic Neutral back in 2015 which has his signature sound all over it. More recently nostalgia seekers can check out I Miss New Wave: Beautiful Midnight Revisited which is a re-recording of five tracks from the iconic 1999 album of the same name.

Matthew Good plays Théâtre Corona, 2490 Notre-Dame West, Saturday, March 18th, 8:00pm (Doors at 7:00), $35.50 through box office or $40.50 on the day of the show.

Great Lake Swimmers + Megan Bonnell

Next Wednesday you can head over to Sala Rosa where Toronto based Indie/Folk/Rock mainstays Great Lake Swimmers will be kicking off their spring east coast tour right here in our fair city. With six full length albums and four EPs under their belt there will be no lack of catalogue to choose from for this show.

Their most recent release A Forest Of Arms  is everything we’ve come to know and love about the group and something you should pick up if you haven’t already. Rather than a single song here’s a beautifully shot and recorded full concert video to give you an idea of what to expect.

Great Lake Swimmers and  Megan Bonnell play La Sala Rossa, 4848 boul. Saint-Laurent, Wednesday, March 22nd, 9:00pm (Doors at 7:30), $17 through box office, 18+.

The Shazamy Awards

If you’re a regular attendee of Shazamfest or have always been curious about the annual out-of-town event, then head down to Matahari Loft this Saturday for The Shazamy Awards. In addition to giving out awards for Most Glamorous Skater, Best Underwear and Most Likely To Get Lost In The Woods, there will, of course, be performances.

As with Shazamfest itself, this event will feature burlesque courtesy of Ottawa’s Koston Kreme and Sherbrooke’s Cheri Coquette and, of course, musical performances. Theatre Ste-Catherine’s house band The Firing Squad, DJ Raymond, Da Joint Doctor will all be performing, as will Static Gold’s lead singer (currently seen on La Voix) Zaya Solange:

The Shazamy Awards, Saturday, March 18, 8pm, The Matahari Loft, 1673 Mont-Royal Ave E, $10, tickets available through ShazamFest.com

* Featured image courtesy Great Lake Swimmers

* 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!

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This week we will take a special look at Shazamfest which kicks off tonight with a “pre party” and runs through the weekend. This fest, located in Barnstone-Ouest in the Eastern Townships, is the perfect activity for those looking to get out of the city for a camping weekend.

Trust me it will be a lot more interesting than just sitting around a campfire with that annoying guy and his acoustic guitar that he only kinda knows how to play. You should note that camping is free to anyone with a ticket to the festival and parking is ten bucks, prices vary depending on what ticket package you buy.

No car? No worries. This year they’ve added a shuttle bus from Montreal which leaves Friday at 6:00pm and gets you back Sunday night. Or for those in really good shape you can bike on over and they’ll give you a 20% discount.

Les Deuxluxes + BlackVoid

One of the great things about this fest is that it’s really geared for people to spend the weekend there without having to take time off work. On Friday the shows only start at 5:30 pm and on Sunday they end by 7:00pm with a “D.J afterparty” for those who can stick around.

In order to accommodate weekend travelers but still pack in a full fest lineup they’re putting performances on late into the night. For example, those who arrive later on Friday will still be treated to music into the wee hours in the form of rock bands  Les Deuxluxes and BlackVoid who will be on at 12:00am and 1:3o am respectively.

Inword

Some forms of music just sound better on a warm summer day in the mid day sun out in the country. One such example is reggae, which is probably why the festival has scheduled Inword to play Saturday in the late afternoon (5:30pm to be exact).

This Montreal based act is the perfect choice to get people into a nice groove and a must see for anyone heading there this weekend.

Gypsy Kumbia Orchestra

With a fusion of afro-columbian and eastern european sounds Gypsy Kumbia Orchestra is musically hard to classify but physically very easy to dance to. You really want to check out their bandcamp page and give their very unique sound a listen.

They’re taking to the stage on Saturday night at 9 and should really set a the tone for the second evening of the fest.

‘Let It Burn’ Gypsy Kumbia Orchestra from Gypsy Kumbia Orchestra on Vimeo.

Non-Music Activities

It’s also important to mention this fest isn’t all music, there’s tons of different activities and performances with highlights including a burlesque show by Capital Tease Burlesque, a skate competition, professional wrestling and a Redneck Beard & Mustache Competition.

In terms of the facial hair competition there’s seven different categories to compete in (one of them being fake beards, ladies) over $1000 dollars in prizes and a 15% discount off the festival for anyone who enters. Can anyone say hipster heaven? Who knew that this whole time you’ve been growing your ironic mustache it might actually net you some cash.

ShazamFest runs 15th to the 17th of July and is located at 2722 Chemin de Ways Mills, Barnston-Ouest, QC.

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ShazamFest celebrates its 10th anniversary this year with a great program full of music, skateboarding competitions, wrestling, burlesque, circus, laughter, workshops and so much more. The festival starts Thursday July 9 and runs until Sunday. Camping is available on location, at one of the first certified organic farms in Canada. Also, you can join the fun on Sunday for free, a little gift to the public for the 10th year anniversary.

What is ShazamFest?

From the road, the site doesn’t look like much, just a simple field. But once you get in, you arrive at a magic place. A place that apparently has been a meeting point for a very long time. The site, located in the Eastern Townships, about 20 km South West of Magog, in Barnston West (roughly a 90-minute drive from Montreal) was an Abenaki meeting spot many centuries ago.

shazamfest

Ziv Pryztyk, the festival’s founder/director, explains that the idea behind the festival, more like a carnival, is to bring together a community, for people to interact and build networks with people that might not be from their regular social circles (or even age group, as it is a multi-generation event).

In its first year, the festival attracted about 400 people. Since then, the party has now grown close to 2000 people, with three generations embracing the fun of camping on the grounds. The festival is free for kids under 12 and you will never be charged for water.

Shazamfest is an eco-conscious festival, meaning local food is provided. This year’s beer of choice comes from Beau’s All Natural Brewery in Eastern Ontario. This craft beer company has been invading the Quebec market for the past five months and is now available in over 70 bars in Montreal, as well as in IGA stores and depanneurs that carry craft beers.

The Lineup

Many acts will be performing during ShazamFest this year. On the musical side of things, there will be Buck 65 on Friday, Lemon Bucket Orchestra on Saturday and Mike Goudreau on Sunday, to name only a few. Miss BonBon Bombay will be hosting the Burlesque side of things.

shazam2

There will be a skateboarding competition on the famous Shazam ramp, which gets bigger every year.  There will also be wrestling events and a laughter competition held by Albert Nerenberg. Circus, forging and other workshops will be given each day of the event.

Win Tickets

Want to attend ShazamFest for free? FTB and Shazamfest are giving away a pair of day passes for Saturday. Since Sunday and camping at the fest are free already, this will get you two days and one night of Shazam for free.

To win, just share this post on social media and leave a comment below, letting us know what aspect of Shazam you are most looking forward to.

Good luck!