THURSDAY 10
Acclaimed Geneva-born painter and sculptor Chantal Moret‘s newest paintings, inspired by the book of the Afghan author Atiq Rahimi entitled Syngue Sabour or Stone of Silence, are on display at the Galerie Gora (279 Sherbrooke W.) until Feb. 27. In her paintings the stones contain all the painful thoughts of humanity where men and women are represented as very thin and elevated bodies. Bass saxophone player Colin Stetson (who has performed with Arcade Fire and Bell Orchestre) headlines Sala Rossa, and Jim Bryson & The Weakerthans play at Cabaret Mile-End. The film Barney’s Version ends its run tonight at Cinéma du Parc.
FRIDAY 11
The Imani Gospel Singers of Rev. Darryl Gray’s Imani Family and Full Gospel Church in Little Burgundy celebrate Black History Month with a spiritual music performance (directed by Marcia Bailey) and a discussion on the evolution of gospel at the Atwater Library (1200 Atwater), from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., free admission. Over at The Church of the Baby Jesus (5039 St-Dominique), it’s the I’m With Cupid Cabaret, filled with booze, fun, comedy and music, with burlesque star Miss Sugarpuss, fab stand-up comic Mike Paterson, hit Fringe Fest dance troop Dance Animal, Van Mötley Mötörsmith Ledsnake featuring Dayna McLeod, Jackie Gallant and others. Showtime: 8 p.m. ($15).
SATURDAY 12
Studio 303 (372 Ste-Cat W.) presents When Your Standstill Moves with renowned Montreal/NYC violinist Malcolm Goldstein and Swiss dancer/performer Dorothea Rust. A one-night-only interdisciplinary performance ($15 at 7 p.m.). Over at Katacombes (1635 St-Laurent) it’s Boudoir of Blood with DJs Frigid, Davidé and Mary Hell, free bloody body painting by Montreal graffiti icon Zilon, and performances by Bella Obscura & Zombie, Tanya Stasilowitch & Tristan Ginger and Pat Pierce (live play piercing). Strict dress code: fetish, costumes, lingerie, latex, leather, etc. Theme inspiration: surgical, gory, horror, zombie, vampire, serial killer, crime scene, murder victim, accident victim, you get the idea. Doors: 10 p.m. ($20).
SUNDAY 13
If you can’t get enough of Valentine’s Day stuff, check out The Love Show comedy show in the very intimate and fun Comedyworks (1238 Bishop) with host Massimo and featuring stand-up comics Rodney Ramsey, Deanne Smith, Eman, Jeff Schouela and John Malanos. At 8:30 p.m. ($15). If you prefer to celebrate Valentine’s Day by having sex with married (gay) men, then tonight’s the night (thanks, Rod!) to check out your local sauna (Montreal term for bathhouse), because most married men will be home with their spouses tomorrow night!
MONDAY 14
Hottest gig of the week: Rolling Stones saxophonist Tim Ries, vocalist Bernard Fowler and bassist Darryl Jones, along with New York guitarist Ben Monder, team up with the McGill Jazz Orchestra I and McGill Schulich School of Music dean Gordon Foote (himself a fantastic sax player!) in a program of early Stones tunes, at Tanna Schulich Hall (527 Sherbrooke W.) at 7:30 p.m. Stones members will open the set, then be joined by McGill Jazz Orchestra I. Box office located in Pollack Hall (555 Sherbrooke W., $10), open noon to 6 p.m., Monday to Friday, and one hour before the performance… The Dears also launch their new CD (check out Tuesday’s listing) with a free 6 p.m. concert at Sala Rossa!
TUESDAY 15
If you can’t make it to the Dears’ album launch at Sala Rossa on Feb. 14 (admission to the performance at Sala Rossa is free!), then you can buy their new album, Degeneration Street, beginning today in stores and on iTunes. Legendary Canadian actor Eric Peterson and John Gray return to star in John Gray’s Governor General’s Award-winning play Billy Bishop Goes to War, the compelling story of the Canadian WWI fighter pilot, at the Segal Theatre (until March 6). And the Lipster kids present Birthday Bareoke (celebrating Glam Glam exhibitionist Michael J McCarthy‘s birthday) at Cabaret Playhouse (5656 Parc Ave). This is for-real naked/strip karaoke (yes, the venue has a nudity permit!). At 9 p.m., $2 suggested donation.
WEDNESDAY 16
This is a busy night for music: Wild Nothing open for Abe Vigoda (the band) at Sala Rossa, former Barenaked Ladies lead singer Steven Page opens for the Goo Goo Dolls at the Olympia Theatre, and School Of Seven Bells open for NYC rockers Interpol. Meanwhile, for my money the best R’N'B all-star house band in North America, Café Soul (with soul singer Alan Prater, bassist Al Baculis, drummer Tony Albino, and Joel Campbell and Dan Thouin on keys), headline their weekly Sweet & Sticky soul night at Jello Martini Lounge. First set starts at 10:30 p.m. ($7).
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Well, I have to offer up some well-deserved belated congratulations to the Arcade Fire for their surprise underdog win last Sunday night at the Oscars for album of the year and in so doing, turning the industry on it’s ear. Trumping music heavyweights Eminem, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga in the process, Montreal’s beloved local upstarts have achieved the pinnacle of industry recognition and have also effectively validated the surging appeal of indie music and it’s newfound commerical and artistic relevance. And if all that wasn’t enough they also nabbed the Best International Album at the Brit Awards a couple of nights later to cement their status as the buzz band of 2011, indie or otherwise!
So what exactly does the Arcade Fire’s stunning triumph at the Grammys mean for Montreal? Well apart from engendering that much more affection for an already well-loved and revered band and giving us bragging rights as well as an enhanced sense of pride and fierte, probably not all that much. After all, the music industry feeding frenzy came and went a few years back when our scene initially exploded with the likes of The Dears, Wolf Parade, The Unicorns, Lhasa de Sala, etc.. Since then it’s been pretty much business as usual and given the laid-back nature of our mutually-supportive tight-knit music and arts scene, I don’t expect things to appreciably change this time around either. If anything the win just confirms globally what indie fans far and wide have known for years : The Arcade Fire is not only a phenomenally great and influential band, but our city, what with it’s unique cultural and artistic mosaic, is as distinctive and sublime as the music that it gives rise to!