Montreal’s music community suffered a double loss last week with the deaths of Swing Dynamique guitarist and bandleader Mike King, aged 42, who took his own life on Monday, April 12, and ex-pat roots rocker Ray Condo, who died of heart failure at home in Vancouver on Thursday, April 15. He would have been 54 in May. Both King and Condo were career musicians noted for their extraordinary dedication to their muse, and both were very highly respected by their music-playing peers.

When anyone thinks of the Winnipeg-raised King they’ll inevitably think of Django Reinhart, the master of swing jazz whose wild two-handed picking technique King had masterfully replicated. Since the early ’90s, King manned the helm of Swing Dynamique through several residencies in many Montreal clubs (the most recent being at Jello Bar, where King was much loved and where a memorial gathering was held on Sunday), playing Reinhart as well as many original tunes that explored a cheerful range of upbeat and accessible jazz. He and Swing Dynamique were surefire crowd-pleasers, and though the future of the band hasn’t been decided, King’s inimitable touch and lightning style, as well as the free spirit and obvious enjoyment he brought to the stage, will be missed by any who had the pleasure of seeing this huge talent perform.

"Mike King was someone who touched an amazing amount of people – everyone knew Mike and he was very well liked," says prolific local player and bandmate Mark Peetsma. "On a more personal level, Mike had me playing in places I never would have gotten to without him. He was a super gracious bandleader on stage, and a total gentleman with the other musicians. He had a big effect on everyone he ever ran into."

A service for King will be held at the St. James United Church on April 24 at 3 p.m.

Ray Condo would be best known in Montreal for his playing with The Hard Rock Goners from the mid-’80s to the mid-’90s, playing rockabilly infused with country and blues at a newly vibrant time in the Montreal music scene, but also at a time when very few were bold enough to be grabbing rockabilly by its roots and really making it swing. After relocating to Vancouver in 1991, Condo continued with the Hardrock Goners for some time before settling in as Ray Condo & His Ricochets, releasing several albums. Perhaps as much for the music that he made, Condo was known for his intensely loyal fans, many of whom stuck with him throughout his lengthy career.

"I’ve been talking to friends about this lately and I’m probably ready to say he was Canada’s rockabilly star," asserts cohort, compadre and Crazy Rhythm Daddy Peter Sandmark, who performed in The Hardrock Goners with Condo. "He just kept doing it. He always used to say he was on a mission and in a way I think he accomplished his mission. When we started no one was doing it and now there’s an international scene."

Sandmark notes with some sadness that, at the time of his passing, Condo was in the midst of preparations for high-profile tours of the United States, Europe and Australia. "He was really on the cusp. I saw him in February and I saw his show and he was in top form, on top of his game. Of course it’s a tragedy when someone dies, especially in the middle of his career, but I’d also like to accent the positive, what he achieved. He went far and I’m really proud to be able to say that I played with him."

The Crazy Rhythm Daddies will organize a memorial concert for Condo, and are currently scouting two tentative dates in May. We’ll keep you posted.

On behalf of the rest of the staff here at Hour, my sincerest condolences to the families, friends and fans of both Mike and Ray, they’ll assuredly be missed.

You can’t keep a good team down! "Last night I thought I had this amazing dream that the Canadiens made it to the next round of the playoffs," former Slaves On Dope guitarist Kevin Jardine tells me this past Tuesday. "Can someone confirm that this happened because someone stole my paper this morning!"

That did kind of seem like a dream, didn’t it? A never-ending, flop-sweating, blood-freezing dream, but a hell of a dream nonetheless. Shows what self-belief and hard work can bring to a team of like-minded individuals, and no one would know that better than Montreal’s Slaves On Dope, who have, for all intents and purposes, put that project to bed for good. That’s it that’s all.

Noted for their extreme work ethic, Slaves On Dope, while underachieving in their own expectations, nevertheless managed to live the life that most bands dream of for the better part of their 11 years together, relocating to Los Angeles for an extended stay, playing Ozzfest twice (after signing to Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne’s Divine imprint) and touring virtually uninterrupted for years. After relocating back to Montreal in late December, life took over in unexpected ways, as it is wont to do, and for SOD it literally was the end of the road.

"Basically, it was a combination of things,’ explains Jardine. "We expected the Metafour record to do better than it did, MCA folded and we were let down by our label, and downloading pretty much killed any momentum we had with the last record – people were downloading songs three months before it even came out. Y’know, sometimes things just don’t go the way you want. And when our touring cycle came to an end [former singer] Jason [Rockman] and his girlfriend were having a baby. That was something we were going to work around, but it became apparent that that was something that would be a priority and that he would have to focus on. So we decided to put Slaves On Dope on hiatus."

The loss of the versatile and volatile Rockman (who anticipates a return to music after he has settled into daddy-dom) would be a deathblow for a lesser band, but the remaining three have decided to put their collective experience to work for them and continue with fresh lungs up front.

"Rob, Frank and I really wanted to keep writing music," he continues, "so we went to the first person we thought of, which is Andrew W. who sang for The Shannon Index. It was one of those things that you knew was right from the very beginning, and All For Fame was born out of that."

All For Fame finds the mostly veteran outfit, who had always been most closely associated with L.A.’s nu metal scene, striking out in a markedly different direction.

"We just got kind of bored with the music scene that’s going on right now in general," says Jardine. "The wave of metal is done right now in America, it’s gone back underground, and the New York garage type thing is still chugging along. In addition to that, every band that comes out seems to fall neatly into a category and nobody’s doing anything different. So we want to do something a little bit off the centre, but still rock the way a Queens Of The Stone Age or a Foo Fighters does."

And as for the future, that will doubtless take care of itself. "We’ll do this show at L’Alizé and probably another one on May 3, and then do the same things we did in the last band: get out there and work hard, play hard, play a lot and get the word out."

All For Fame perform their Montreal debut at Alizé (900 Ontario E.), April 24 with Sign Of One and Shotwhilehunting (formerly Ablyss, "but with a new guitar player and, also, a change in direction"). It’s an 8 p.m. start, and you can go to allforfame.com for more info.

Pop into Fringe rock The organizers of Pop Montreal (Montreal’s annual celebration of cutting edge music of all stripes and dots) are pleased to announce that, in conjunction with the Montreal Fringe Festival and Greenland Productions, they’ll be hosting the outdoor music stage for the duration of the 10-day performance arts festival, from June 10 to 20, at Parc des Amériques (St-Laurent and Rachel).

To that end, they’re looking for 12 "pop artists" to play, which will consist of three shows over the duration of the fest. "We are looking for a diverse range of artists who are pushing the boundaries: super freaks, synth-punks, super MCs and rockers who aren’t afraid of a little competition," says Pop Montreal, who will be in charge of the selection process.

Interested parties are requested to send a CD, 35-word bio, press kit, and photo to Fringe Pop, c/o Pop Montreal, 15 Mont-Royal W. #110, H2T 2R9, Montreal. The deadline for submissions is May 10, and the names of those chosen will be announced at the Fringe opening press conference, May 31.

Last writes Just to quickly note that singer, songwriter and sexpot Paul Cargnello brings his latest soulful folk punk to Cabaret tonight, April 22, starting at 8:30 p.m….. The Planet Smashers‘ Ska Is Dead tour rots out the Medley, April 24, with Catch 22, Mustard Plug and Big D and the Kids Table. Look for an April 26 release of a Planet Smashers DVD, 10, chronicling the band’s decade-long hangover…. And make an effort to catch the ever and always up-and-coming Vox Crosby – off-centre pop that’ll grow in you as much as on you – at Hard Rock Café, April 23, with Bullmoose and Moza.