Two-Year Carnival

Eddie Paul - Alex Sergerie
ArtsMusic

Well it took a little while to round up all the photos from Forget The Box’s 5th birthday bash last month but here they are! We’d like to thank everyone who came out to the show and everyone who has supported us over the last five years. We have some personal thanks so let’s get to it:

Chez Nick and Dr. Sugarbottom’s for the excellent refreshments.

O Patro Vys for hosting us.

Seb Black, Eddie Paul, the Emery Street crew, Two-Year Carnival, Ruff Talons and Po Lazarus for their killer sets.

Indie Montreal for putting on the show.

Thanks to Stephanie Laughlin and everyone who helped her put it all together.

Click on the photo to launch the slideshow. Photos by Iana Kazakova and Alex Sergerie.

FTB party photosFTB party photos
ArtsMusic

Go see these shows this week.

FRIDAY, MAY 16

FTB 5th Anniversary Party w/ Seb Black + Eddie Paul + Po Lazarus + Ruff Talons + Two-Year Carnival @ O Patro Vys

Forget The Box is celebrating 5 years of independent media tonight with some musical guests, all of which have been featured on our site at one point or another over the years. Party!

Show starts at 9 p.m., $14 at the door.

One Man Band Festival w/ Wax Mannequin + Jenny Omnichord + Smoota + Tony Ezzy @ Divan Orange

One Man Band Fest continues tonight with what they call the “outsider music and weird folk masters” edition.

Show starts at 8 p.m., $12.

Duchess Says + El Napoleon + Police des moeurs @ Le Belmont

Show starts at 10 p.m., $15 at the door.

SATURDAY, MAY 17

Fu Manchu + Electric Citizen + Eagle Tears @ Cabaret Mile End

Show starts at 9 p.m., $20.

Piknic Électronik double edition @ Parc Jean-Drapeau

Everyone’s favourite Sunday summer pastime starts this weekend with a special double edition. There will be a Piknic event on Saturday as well as at the usual time on Sunday.

Events start at 2 p.m., $15 for individual day tickets.

SUNDAY, MAY 18

One Man Band Fest w/ Kim Barlow + J. Allen + Fireball Grant + Pete Moser The Fastest One Man Band + Gull + Tadi Cirus @ Brasserie McAuslan on the Lachine Canal

Beer, food and fun in the sun? Yes, please! You’ll find all that plus some talented musicians at this free afternoon event.

Show starts at 1 p.m.,  free.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 21

HR3 + Kids Eat Crayons @ Casa del Popolo

Show starts at 8:30 p.m., $10.

ArtsCultureCultureMusicNews

Has it really been five years? Yes, it has. A better question would be ‘has it only been five years?’

While my experience with Forget the Box since the site started back in 2009 may have felt like a whirlwind at times, it was also work. The kind of work where you get up in the morning, or in the middle of the afternoon after a particularly late night, happy to do it.

It’s the kind of work that you anticipate getting to while you’re at your paying gig. We’re all still volunteers, we’re doing it ’cause we love it and, at least in my case, because it’s important work.

Nothing compares to the joy of knowing you brought a story to light that no one else had, that you helped someone discover an artist that they didn’t know but now love or that you expressed an opinion people may have been thinking but no one had been writing and publishing for a broad audience. There’s also nothing like writing an April Fool’s post collaboratively, ridiculous to you and the team, but believable to some, who then question why they believed it.

ftb 5th anniversary fundraiser posterFTB is a labour of love that I share with between twenty and thirty people at any given time: fellow editors and writers, photographers, members of our board (we’re an incorporated non-profit) and behind the scenes people helping to promote and now monetize the site (we can’t be volunteers forever). Some have been here since the beginning, some for only a few months, some come and go and come back – they’re all a part of it.

For five years, we’ve also shared this experience with the people we’ve covered and our readers. You’re a part of FTB, too.

The one thing we haven’t been able to do yet is gather everyone who’s part of our extended group, or at least those that are in town and not otherwise occupied, in the same place. Well, that all changes Friday, May 16.

We’re turning five so we’re throwing a party at O Patro Vys along with our friends at Indie Montreal and you’re invited! We’ve also invited Po Lazarus, Seb Black, Eddie Paul, Ruff Talons and other surprise guests like Two-Year Carnival. I realize it’s not really a surprise when you tell people about it, but we do like to think outside of the box. In fact, we like to forget it entirely.

If you want to check out some great local bands and celebrate five years of FTB with us, then get your tickets in advance (and save yourself a bit of cash) and plan to expect the unexpected, as this seems like the type of party that may keep surprising you just like the fact that it’s only been five years of FTB surprises me.

Anyways, see you Friday!

The Forget the Box 5th Anniversary Spectacular takes place Friday, May 16 at O Patro Vys (356 Mont-Royal Est, metro Mont-Royal). Doors open at 8 p.m., $11.50 in advance via Indie Montreal or $14 at the door.

ArtsMusic

Squirrelin4Sounds apologizes for the tardiness of this set of reviews, we just awoke from hibernation and ventured out of our comfy den at the first smell of spring. Here are the local sounds that sustained us through this perpetual winter:

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femmaggots
S/T

(Released Feb. 14 2014)

“conceptions of the self, conceptions of the self, what is the self?”

There are no easy words to describe eight-piece femmaggots’ self-titled debut. Easy words wouldn’t suit the album anyways. Recorded by Tim Keen, femmaggots offers a bacchanal chaos that is simply fucking cathartic. An experimental “post-life post-punk scum” down-the-rabbit-hole soundscape unfolds. It’s not surprising that members have been involved in radio production; there is a refusal to let any sound go unnoticed. Wails are woven into raw tapestries. Recommended for sweaty thrashing about, late night chain smoking walks, and hungry hook ups. Favourite tracks are “CONCEPTIONS”, “SUBTERRANEAN EXISTENCE,” “NEW HERE TOO,” “POSITIVITY.”

 rufftalonsRuff Talons
Crushed

(Released Jan 23, 2014)

“HEY, we’re DONE, I CARE, but WE really CAN’T talk!”

As a pretty vocal fan of their first EP Tuff Stuff, I’m stoked about local act Ruff Talons’ follow-up Crushed. I’m not the only one. Crushed, recorded by Anne Gauthier and mixed by Dorian Scheidt, has been topping the charts at CKUT 90.3 FM for months and it’s no surprise why. Ruff Talons offers catchy potent lyrics, fun and dynamic “fancy guitar” riffs, and last but not least, Aven Auzin’s lively sour candy vocals. Moving towards more of a garage pop punk sound, Crushed’s best tracks are “Break up,” “Cape,” and “Telephone.”

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 loosestrife
enough

(Released July 4, 2013)

“my money’s not mine, my money’s not my own, my money’s not mine, my money!”

I first saw loosestrife when they performed to a jam-packed, sweaty crowd in Park Extension a year or so ago. A music and dance duo, loosestrife’s performance was equal parts jam and performance art. There’s something pretty damn perfect about the mix of Lyke and Weadick’s voices and musical conversations; the mix of movement and rhythm. Their EP enough, mixed by Anne Gauthier, is the best kind of minimal punk. A find that one cherishes. Favourite tracks are all of them. Alright, if I had to pick one, it would be the red herring of the album, the track titled “graveyard”, a sort of macabre hypnotic waltz.

Doppelbanger
Hard Feelings

(Released Feb. 13, 2014)0002431930_10

“I USED A FAKE NAME, and my mama don’t need to know, I’m a karaoke DJ.”

I was pretty excited that local riot grrl punk rock four-piece Doppelbanger released Hard Feelings. Hard Feelings was recorded and mixed by Pamela Hart and Anne Gauthier at Innerchild Studio. The EP showcases six of their original tunes and a cover of The Raincoats (Doppelbanger first came together as a Raincoats cover band). Doppelbanger’s sound is minimalistic, with candid lyrics, caterwauls, and speak-song vocals. They even have an accordion in the mix. Although at times the songs could benefit from being a tad faster, Hard Feelings’ slight absurdism echoes with many unspoken thoughts and unravel the routine. Favourite tracks are “Monster,” and “Ocean”.

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She’s
Tape

(Released Jan 20, 2014)

“so slow down… and fuck tomorrow.. ooooh ohh ohh”

She’s tag themselves as rock n’ roll and powertrash. I wholeheartedly agree with these monikers but would throw in a bit of surf psychedelic undertones to the mix. This is probably because She’s is a four-piece whose members play(ed) in other formations like Annette’s Beach Party, Blood and Archery Guild. Tape, their first EP, is part of a split cassette with Fountain and was mixed and mastered by Marshal Vaillancourt and Miguel Marcil-Pitre. Favourite tracks are “Kim Kimono” and “Girls Who Don’t Do Drugs”, which could nicely fit on the soundtrack for True Detective, and “This Hologram is Dissipating,” which is currently the soundtrack to my week.

Two-Year Carnival
Have You Seen Your Hands?a3709341195_2

(Released March 20, 2014)

“girl, I wonder what frequencies we will see from far…”

Two-Year Carnival, local heart-rock act, has shifted towards more of an indie rock sound in their new ten track album Have You Seen Your Hands? Fans of Blue Blood will recognize what they love in this new release, with a notable maturing of arrangement and sound. The Sunset Rubdown influence remains with a move towards Moonface. Two-Year Carnival spin tracks that evoke yearning creating surreal adventure reveries. Favourite tracks are “For Everything”, “So Much For Senior Hands”, and “Paper Sail Boats.”

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Tamara Sandor
A Bower in the Arsacides

(Released March 29, 2014)

“put it on and wear it, it puts you on and it wears you, squawk like a parrot till you up and grow into a cockatoo”

I first heard multi-instrumentalist Tamara Sandor when she hosted an open mic in the city in 2011. Years later, her melodies still dance across my lips. Sandor’s A Bower in the Arsacides starts with an arresting number that moves between genres such as jazz, folk, and neo-soul. “Daisy” showcases both Sandor’s talent as an arranger and vocalist. This album, the cover art of which highlights the Moby Dick reference in the title, is the product of years of hard work and material and it has aged like sweet wine. Perfect for the summertime. Along with “Daisy”, favourite tracks are “The Jog,” “Outskirts,” and “Dressed.” Fingers crossed she performs at the Folk Fest on the Canal this summer.

Music

I first heard Two-Year Carnival when they played with Trade Secrets and The This Many Boyfriends Club at the now closed L’Absynthe. I thoroughly enjoyed their set and was quite jolly when I had the opportunity to sit with the band for a few beers at Vol de Nuit before their show at Petit Campus in May.

Two-Year Carnival is a heart rock band made up of Joshua S. (vox, keyboard), Alex D. (drums), David P. (bass), Roby P. (sampler), Eric D. (guitar), and Gabrielle B. (violin). The troupe came together through frontman Joshua who met Gabrielle and Alex in his frosh group and knew Roby previously. Joshua knew Eric from his hometown of St-Jerome. As for David, although he’d originally been hired for a two-show Pop Montreal contract, he is now a permanent part of the merry line-up.

Originally named Senior Hand, as the band’s line-up grew they eventually changed their name to Two-Year Carnival. This new name was chosen as it echoes ideas of tragic love stories.

“Imagine a carnival that lasts for two years. There’s all these ups and downs, weird detours, and grand dolphin shows. It’s just the biggest mix of emotions there is,” explains Joshua.

Due to their name, I asked the band what carnival attraction or carny they would be. Roby knew right off the bat that he wanted to be the viking boat or maybe the person selling cotton candy. Gabrielle would either be the bearded lady or the whack-a-mole game. Joshua would be the illusionist or magician. If he were an attraction, Joshua would be the house of mirrors. David said he would be the elephant trainer, which seems apt for the bass player of the band. Alex would be the “dude shot out of a canon or a lion tamer.” As for Eric, the band agreed that he would be the strong man.

They released an EP entitled Blue Blood (2012) and have live recordings of their Petit Campus show. The crew has a lively music video for their single “Black Sea Mojito” which looks like it could have been part of some sort of combined film project by Gus Van Sant and Arcade Fire, minus the dark brooding elements. These guys are photogenic. Their EP is a compelling indie pop collection. Stand-out tracks are “Cherry Blossom Forest” and “Jupiter (The Son of the Sun).”

After watching this video, I had to ask: what’s a black sea mojito? Joshua answered decidedly, “It is the best mojito you’ll ever drink in your entire life. It is served by the Black Sea and it has crushed ice, not ice cubes. It has mint leaves picked in the forest in Bulgaria. Better than any mojito.”

The band has a wide array of influences: David cites the Beatles and their later albums. He likes the way they blended different genres of music and constantly did things differently. Alex names the Red Hot Chili Peppers, not as his favourite band, but as an influence in terms of their drummer Chad Smith. That spirit of blending genre and tradition, Alex says, influence his drumming.

Roby names Culpsp as his primary influence “just ‘cause he’s crazy.” Eric points to two very particular yet different sounds that influence him: Spanish guitar and the Buckley family in terms of electric guitar and blues.

Gabrielle’s biggest influence are classic composers from the romantic era like Brahms. She tries to maintain the sound of the violin as a violin in a band. Joshua emphatically names Sunset Rubdown for their insightful lyrics and how “it’s essentially this one man who writes music based on his dreams.” Sunset Rubdown, the band agreed collectively, is an important band for their sound.

So far, the venue they’ve enjoyed playing the most has been Il Motore, for which they felt the most prepared. Apartment parties have also been great and intimate experiences where there is a total control over one’s sound. Two-Year Carnival has also enjoyed their shows at Psychic City, their jam space which is “as much a myth as a real space.” Alex spoke about how throwing shows there has been “an interesting experiment of word getting out” which he likens to the experience of the band as a whole.

Each of their shows, they explained, has been a very different experience since their sound is constantly changing (as has their line-up in the last year). Although the band is Montreal-based in a sense, many of their members don’t live in Montreal. Therefore, getting everyone together to record has been quite the experience. David has found this experience to be positive in that it makes it so that every time they come together to play, it feels like the first time and keeps a sense of novelty. Eric added that it is often an experience in which the songs are constantly reinventing themselves.

For info on upcoming shows and other news, see Two-Year Carnival’s Facebook page.