Municipal Waste

Open wide, it’s Pouzza Fest!

The musical equivalent of poutine pizza (or is it pizza poutine?) — punk rock, of course — is descending on downtown Montreal. PLUS more heavy live music this weekend.

facebookAlrighty, better buckle up buckaroos ‘cause festival season comes screaming out of the gate this weekend with one setting up stakes in the downtown core while one of the best fests in our backyard gets underway once again just a 1.5-hour drive down the highway. Before we get to the non-festy shows, let’s have a look at the aforementioned fests:

The fifth edition of Pouzza features over 200 punk rawk bands with all venues remaining in walking distance of each other. Hugo Mudie and his crew have worked hard all year and their elbow grease is indeed our reward. Although your mileage may vary, my big picks of Pouzza would be the ’90s sound of local duo Solids at Katacombes on Friday night. Then things heat up accordingly.

Municipal Waste
Municipal Waste

On Saturday night, the safe bet would be Trigger Happy, Cerebral Ballzy and the Muffs at Foufounes. Pouzza saves the best for last with Hashed Out, the Dwarves and Municipal Waste at Foufounes on Sunday. While Hashed Out are indeed one of our fiercest bands, the Dwarves were brilliant when they did 10-minute sets, pissed on people, sounded like the poor man’s Pagans and destroyed their equipment, but they lost the plot when they signed to Epitaph a decade and change ago, reducing themselves to the Descendents with a head cold. It’s a definite coin toss there but Municipal Waste will guarantee stage diving mayhem. Also happening on Sunday at Pouzza will be ’90s emo legends Knapsack, down at Katacombes.

The other major music fest happening this weekend, one that’s a little bit more my speed, is the Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville, which will dazzle with its always eclectic curation and grass roots attitude and uncompromising passion. Making the short drive worthwhile for their 31st edition (!) is the collaboration between Suuns and Jerusalem in My Heart, Deerhoof, Laibach and OVO on Friday night. Saturday night features Tom Waits’s guitar genius Marc Ribot with the stratospheric fretwork of the Nels Cline Singers Unlimited. This line-up is certainly boggling to the mind but FIMAV really go out with a bang with the incredibly rare chance to see psych/prog legends Magma. Hooooolllllyyyyy fuckballs!!!

For the festivalophobic, there is still plenty happening in the usual haunts.

Thursday: Seeing bartender Annie should be reason enough to dunk yer whiskers in a glass of Laurentide at the ol’ Brasserie Beaubien, but adding further pressure to darken Annie’s door is duo Jilted X, Amherst’s la Noia, BYHD, Mono No Aware and one-man boy band Lucy. 73 Beaubien E., 9 p.m., $6/PWYC

Saturday: For those looking for some punk rawk outside of Pouzza’s stranglehold, once again Brasserie Beaubien is the place to catch Pretty Boys, Oops, Threat and the world debut of Infractions. 73 Beaubien E., 9 p.m., PWYC

For the more psych-inclined, you can catch Sacred Bones recording artists Folakazoid, Doomsquad and ¡Flist! at le Ritz. 179 Jean-Talon W., 9:30 p.m.,$10/$12

At Bistro de Paris, power pop band Dead Messenger will debut some new tunes they just put in the can for a fall release, with Down Under shoegazers Julia Why? and the Rejectors. 4536 St-Denis, 10 p.m., $6

Sunday: This is a real tough one as Magma in Victoriaville is definitely worth the drive, but Italy’s heavy psych band Ufomammut will definitely trip the light fantastic at le Ritz as well. Opening is Tunguska Mammoth and the doom of Show of Bedlam. 179 Jean-Talon W., 7:30 p.m., $15/$20

Monday: Chain and the Gang finally bring their swagger back to town with the Verboden Boys and the Commander Clark Group, at Casa. 4873 St-Laurent, 9 p.m., $10/$13

 

Current Obsession: Pagans, Shit Street

Jonathan.cummins@gmail.com