Gods of prog-psych are coming to town and more great gigs this week

With all of the large tour busses clogging up the highways and making the regular summer festival stops, there seems to be less room for the tiny Ford Econolines that transport the smaller bands that most of you who peruse this column want to see. Add to the fact that a lot of people are making tracks outside of the city, and things can get a bit dicey in the summer for gigs. Although the calendar is a little lean this week, especially considering the big fests starting up towards the end of the month, there are still some killer gigs, including a return from the masters of German psych prog.

Thursday: Do you dig screaming into the singer’s mic with your fellow shirtless bros? Well then you will definitely want to get your Addidas directed to Piranha and bro down with Strengthen What Remains with Kennedy, Gutser and Offset. When that killer breakdown happens, please give the floor a good punch for me. 680 Ste-Catherine W., 7:30 p.m., $8

A night that is sure to get all of you greasers flickin’ up a storm on your Zippos will be the rockabilly riot happening at Sala with Alex Brown and the Hepcats, with ultra fucking cool support from Bloodshot Bill and the Hickups. If you have not seen the Hellbound Hepcats and the positively electric Bloodshot Bill, you know this won’t be any psychobilly bullshit but the real deal. 4848 St-Laurent, 8 p.m., $10

Friday: If you missed the Punk Police DJ set at the Sick Things show last week at l’Esco, you can check out their dusty vinyl sides of glam, punk, post-punk, new wave and all that other good shit at their usual haunt, North Star. 3908 St-Laurent, 10 p.m., free

If you want to take in some straight up punk rawk with a bit of metal flourish, you can check out O Town’s Tightlip with Ultrarat, Body Break and Naked Spur at Casa. This will be Naked Spur’s first gig, so show up early and give ‘em some support. 4873 St-Laurent, 9 p.m., price unlisted

Holy fug, the fine furry metal promoters at Extensive Enterprises are sure keeping the staff at Piranha busy this week, with another show at the downtown bar featuring Cognitive, Wormhole and Ignominy. Just a bit of an FYI here: This will be totally fucking metal. 680 Ste-Catherine W., 7 p.m., $15/$18

Sunday: Are you over 40, balding but refuse to cut your hair and are storing an entire wardrobe purchased at Screaming Eagle? Well chances are you are an old-school rocker and if you want to meet other people that dress like Bon Jovi’s Richie Sambora, you will definitely want to be at Petit Campus to catch the old-school metal chutzpah of Armored Saint with Act of Defiance. Careful with the headbanging, old timer. 57 Prince-Arthur E., 8 p.m., $29-$34

Okay, the Armored Saint show is gonna be a giant steaming pile of dung, but fuggit, it’s a slow week so figured I would pad the column with it. But if you want to really make this Sunday worthwhile, make tracks to le Sotternea to catch the noisy post-punk of B.C.’s Lie, and in case you missed Body Break on Friday at Casa, you get a second shot here. Opening this whole punky shindig will be Boar God. 4848 St-Laurent, 9 p.m., $10/PWYC

Monday: The real easy pick goes to …… Armored Saint. Just kiddin’, Poindexter. German prog psych Gods Faust should pack them in at le Ritz, with No Negative opening. If you were as lucky as me and saw Faust years ago during a POP Montreal showcase, you know how fuggin’ crucial this show is. If you think there is an age specific cut-off for music to be vital, you have to go to this show and have your face melted. 179 Jean-Talon W., 9 p.m., $25/$30

Current Obsession: Manuel Gottsching, Inventions for Electric Guitar
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