Last call for Suoni per il Popolo

This is the week where the most challenging, progressive, innovative, grassroots-driven and just downright ballsy festival in the city, Suoni per il Popolo finally gasps its final breath before putting a sock in it for another year. My hat is off to the all of the organizers and volunteers who curated and executed such an eclectic festival this year. Making it to a 15th edition is no easy feat, with all of the energy drink-sponsored behemoth fests that rapidly lose touch with their core audience and dwarf the good guys. Happy 15th Suoni — this ol’ coot luvs ya.

Thursday: If you want to get some Suoni in before it plays possum for another year, check out ex-Growing members’ new jammer Total Life with Markus Floats and the Past at Casa. 4873 St-Laurent, 9:15 p.m., $6/$8

Bert Jansch and John Fahey fans should not miss the mesmerizing pickings of Ryley Walker and Myriam Gendron at la Vitrola. 4602 St-Laurent, 9:15 p.m., $10/$12

Off the Suoni path is Vancouver’s Poor Form with Dreamboat and ex-Dig It Up-ers Fatigue Kills at the swank as fug Turbohaus. If you head over there, tell Jordan he still needs to give me back my Tim pedal. Wotta a jerk. 5011 Notre-Dame W., 8:30 p.m., $5 before 9 p.m./$10

Red Mass’s slimmed down psych duo Birds of Paradise release their new single “Love Is Confusion” at l’Esco. 4467 St-Denis, 6-8 p.m., free

Friday: Down at Quai des Brumes, you can catch Philly’s Mumblr with Full Blood and ex-Devil Eyes’ new joint Ghost Vines with DJ Phillipe Lavoie filling in the spaces. 4481 St-Denis, 9 p.m., $7

For a true taste of the Suoni spirit, get ‘er down to Casa for a night of improv from saxophonist and Suoni favourite Ken Vandermark and fellow reedsmith Nonoko Yoshida. 4873 St-Laurent, 9:15 p.m., $15/$18

If you’re especially adventurous, you can cool your heels at Casa afterwards for Baltimore’s Wet Brain, Berkley’s Street Eaters and Perverted Justice, getting all punky at midnight. 4873 St-Laurent, 11:30 p.m., $5/$8

Down the street at la Vitrola you can gorge on a night of noise-fuelled mayhem with Puce Mary, Ligature, Encapsulate, Shredded Nerve, Pleasure Korps and Liebestod. 4602 St-Laurent, 9:30 p.m., $10/$12

The blips and bleeps are o’ plenty on Friday night as you can also make it down to Sala to catch Last Ex, godspeed/Growing duo Hiss Tracts and Tashi Dorji. 4848 St-Laurent, 9:15 p.m., $12/$15

Saturday: You can catch the first of two days of Fringe POP programming (that’s the Fringe Festival and POP Montreal) happening at Parc des Ameriques with R U Real, Dear Denizen and Samito. For all of you cheapskates, this is a free gig. St-Laurent & Rachel, 7 p.m., free

For a night of glimmering power pop and four on the floor rawk, catch the Tranzmitors, Hammer of the Mods faves Dany Laj and the Looks (Dany bought me two beers once) and Laureate at Bistro de Paris. 4536 St-Denis, 9:30 p.m., $10

Suoni nears its end with collective Marshstepper, Frederikke Hoffmeir and Jesse Sains, Azar Swan, Clay Rendering (featuring Wolf Eyes’ Mike Connelly) and Appetite at la Vitrola. 4602 St-Laurent, 9:30 p.m., $10/$12

Sunday: The Ottawa Explosion will have wrapped its rock/punk weekend but the hangover will be spent here in Montreal when Needles/Pins, New Swears, Vacation, Pretty Pretty and Sonic Avenues unleash holy hell at Brasserie Beaubien. Expect a lot of PBR’s being crushed in the alley behind B.B. for this one. 73 Beaubien E., 5 p.m., $10

Fringe POP ends its two day/night stint starting at 4 p.m. at Parc des Ameriques with Wider Smile, the Loodies, Nancy Pants, Hua Li (who’s also launching an EP next week) and Seoul. St-Laurent & Rachel, 4 p.m., free

Monday: Spoon return to town at the Corona Theatre with the Antlers in tow. Truthfully I lost touch after 2005’s awesome Gimme Fiction jammer, but then again I think Kiss’s Dressed to Kill is the best record of all time, so what the fug do I know. 2490 Notre-Dame W., 8 p.m., $32/$37

My easy pick for the week is of course under the Suoni umbrella: Heroic Dutch band the Ex play the solid support of Complications and no wavers les Zerreurs at Sala. Though they replaced their singer after decades together, the Ex still remain as creative and challenging as ever. DO. NOT. MISS. 4848 St-Laurent, 8:45 p.m., $20/$22

 

 

Current Obsession: Unknown Mortal Orchestra, II

jonathan.cummins@gmail.com