Hard Skin

It’s a music storm before the holiday quiet

From hilarious oi to searing psych to rock ‘n’ roll mayhem, this is a surprisingly stacked week for Montreal shows.

Anarchy Burger – Hold the Government!!!! I’ll let you record-collecting nerds out there figure out that reference. Go ahead and Google it — I’ll wait.

It seems this city is being run even more into the ground. It’s not news that year-round construction is squeezing out small businesses on the Main, real estate developers are buying buildings in Mile End, hiking up rent to the mom and pop stores who have resided in the same locale for decades only to become empty storefronts.

The latest has been the province of Quebec handing out hefty fines to record stores who dared to stay open past 5 p.m. on their biggest retail day of the year: Record Store Day. The four stores that were all hit on the same day were Phonopolis, Sonorama, la Rama and Death of Vinyl. This really chafes my taint as the music industry is now almost fully stocked with people who just love music and are willing to just scrape by to be involved in it and then this injury is added to the insult. Hopefully these four amazing wax shacks are able to contest the hefty fines and stay in business.

Here’s what we can all do when hitting the streets for our Xmas shopping: Instead of pouring money into online tax dodgers and anti-union motherfuckers, why not frequent these wonderful aforementioned shops and pick up some vinyl, CDs, books or local artwork” You’ll be happy you helped and anyone receiving these gifts are gonna think you’re the tits. Best of all, I will still have four fuggin’ rad places to dig through grates for vinyl gold. For a more thorough article on this bullshit, click here.

Thursday: Analogue Addiction keep it on like Donkey Kong with a killer gig at their fave swill joint, l’Esco. You can get into the good with Brooklyn’s Pop 1280 (nice Jim Thompson grab there kids), Clouds and Tonnes. 4461 St-Denis, 9 p.m., $13.68

One of the gigginest duders in Montreal, Bloodshot Bill, is finally unpacking his bag and will be doing a local show to help bid farewell of cherished live venue Katacombes who will be calling it a day due to increased rent and other real estate fuckery. Definitely make the trip to Katacombes while you still can — you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone. Also don’t forget to bring a non-perishable food item to be donated for those in need this year. 1635 St-Laurent, 8 p.m., $15/$10 with non-perishable food item and/or elf costume

Friday: The fine Punk Police DJ duo will be making another arrest at North Star with a pile of vinyl that is going to have you shaking it like a bowl of soup all night long. It’s free and North Star has 50 on tap, so no excuses! 3908 St-Laurent, 10 p.m., free

For a night of folk-fuelled punk, you can make it to Katacombes for Bad Uncle, Bats in the Belfry and Lucas Choi Zimbel. 1635 St-Laurent, 9 p.m., $10

Keeping your Friday night punky is Society’s Ills with Set It Back and Guttrot at the always punktastic Turbo Haus. 2040 St-Denis, 8 p.m., price too punk to list but it’ll be cheap

Mountain Dust apparently killed it at the Montreal Calling night at Corona last week so if you really want to see them stretch out their legs, you can make it to Casa to check them out with White Nails and The Hazytones. 4873 St-Laurent, 8 p.m., $12/$15

Saturday: Probably the biggest bill of the week — one that doesn’t even need to hide behind the done-to-death festival moniker — is taking over both la Sala Rossa and la Sotterenea just a few flights underneath. It’s a stacked night of electronic, punk and more featuring New Orleans’ Special Interest, Arizona’s Marshstepper, a DJ set from local duo done good Essaie Pas, Pelada, NYC’s triple threat of Maram, Anatomy and Stigmatism, Mayss, Dregqueen, D. Blavatzsky, Perestroika and Sheintot. If this isn’t packed, Montreal must surely be dying. 4848 St-Laurent, 8 p.m., $20/$25

For some good old tried and true metal and rockabilly (that’s sure to appeal to old and crusty patrons of Foufs), get your ass to Corona to catch Anonymus, Barf, Gutter Demons and Code 40-11. 2490 Notre-Dame W., 6:30 p.m., $20/$23

My big pick of the week goes to hilarious and fun Oi band Hard Skin, who will be swinging pints from the righteous stage at Katacombes, natch. Better wear a raincoat to this one. Openers are the Prowlers, Shards, No War and new skins on the block Street Panther. 1635 St-Laurent, 8 p.m., $18/$25

Sunday: Finally, putting the drone in at Katacombes will be thisquietarmy, who will one-note the living fug outta ya with some serious kraut rock and psych from openers Yoo Doo Right, Kee Avil, Delorca, Coba and DJ Marde keeping things oozing. 1635 St-Laurent, 7 p.m., $10/PWYC

Current Obsession: Discharge, The Nightmare Continues

jonathan.cummins@gmail.com