A local promoter celebrates a quarter century of sick shows

Twenty-five years? Has it really been that long since we were all sweating bullets in the Jailhouse Café as Greenland Productions made sure the shows ran smoothly and made Montreal a mandatory stop on all underground bands’ tour schedules? Just prior to their ’77 Montreal punk fest blow-out, there is a great Greenland party happening tonight (with an exhibition continuing for the next little bit) if you want to wax nostalgic or check out the history of Montreal live music from 1993 to now. My hats off to all of the swell peeps at Greenland and thanks for all of the great shows. Here’s to many more.

Thursday: Yep it’s true, the mighty Greenland have been enriching this city for over 25 years and reach all the way back to gigs at Jailhouse and other small venues that have come and gone. If you really want to check out the live music history of Montreal since the Lord’s grunge year 1993, you can check out the photo and poster art exhibit as well as a special feature on Crass’s artwork with original pieces being auctioned off for charity. This all goes down at Galerie Mainline. 3905 St-Laurent, 5 p.m., free

If you are hankering for a solid slice of psych pop, you can check out Telegraphic Beast with the raw sounds of Z Unslugged at l’Esco. 4461 St-Denis, 9 p.m., $10

The fine folks behind Slut Island have cooked up a show at le Ritz with Jupiter Brown, New Chance, Seen, Sylvia Wrath and Cartel Madras. 179 Jean-Talon W., 9 p.m., $10

My big pick of the week will definitely go to the industrial noise beat-down of Pharmakon, who will crush your puny little human brain at Sala with Wetware, Latex Honey Glove and Condoshifter. Bring earplugs! 4848 St-Laurent, 9 p.m., $12/$15

Friday: If you were hoping to go to the Radio Moscow, Mountain Dust, Technicolor Blood show at l’Esco, you are fugged without a kiss as it is cancelled.

Don’t get yer taint all chafed about the Radio Moscow no-show though, as you can make tracks to la Vitrola to catch the no-holds-bar rawk of the Effens, Adic, Lightbulb Alley and Dangereens. 4602 St-Laurent, 9 p.m., $10

Saturday: It seems like somebody is taking a bit of a break from Berlin and doing a rare Incredible Woman show at l’Esco with Debate Club and Charogne. Woopidy woop! 4461 St-Denis, 9 p.m., $10

The Endless Noise Disaster is hitting its sixth edition at Casa with the heavy as fug d-beat blast of Napalm Raid with Mueco, Death Exclamations and Derench. 4873 St-Laurent, 9 p.m., $8

On a completely different tip, across the street from Casa at la Sotternea is an ambient drone night with l’Ordre de l’Infiniment Nada, Cob, Beauty Tool, Noizalv and DJ Loom keeping people just barely awake. 4848 St-Laurent, 10 p.m., $8

Monday: If you like your garage punk masked, you will want to make it to l’Esco to catch the gigginest band this month — les Necrophiliacs — with bare-faced friends the Bambies and Explicit Delicious. 4461 St-Denis, 9 p.m., price unlisted

Wednesday: Just on the cusp of the ’77 Montreal punk fest, you can catch one of the most influential figures from punk’s first wave, Don Letts, as he mans the tables (much like he did in the summer of ’77 at the first punk bar, the Roxy) at le Belmont for what is sure to be a perfect mash-up of punk, dub, reggae and other earthly delights. Opening with some Sud Ouest flavour are DJs Ghostbeard and Poirer and Kell Bell Flo. This has all the markings of being fuggin’ great. 4483 St-Laurent, 9 p.m., $19.50

Current Obsession: Television, Marquee Moon
jonathan.cummins@gmail.com