Also performing will be Janelle Monáe, Norah Jones, Ziggy Marley, Seal, Esperanza Spalding, John Pizzarelli, Harry Manx, Richard Galliano, Emir Kusturica, Chris Botti and Fishbone.

Among local artists, let’s mention Sarah MK, Rémi Boldul, Vic Vogel & le Jazz Big Band, Patrick Watson, Jorane & I Musici, The Barr Brothers, Oliver Jones, Adam Cohen, Timber Timbre and Misstress Barbara.

There will be some special events as well, notably Carlos Saura‘s Flamenco Hoy, Angelo Parra‘s The Life and Blues of Bessie Smith: The Devil’s Music, a battle of the bands between the Duke Ellington Orchestra and the Count Basie Orchestra, and the return of GRUBB.

Finally, let’s mention that the Montreal Guitar Show will welcome Philip Catherine, Pierre Bensusan, Larry Coryell, Matt Schofield, Kelly Joe Phelps and a guitar hero showdown opposing Steve Hill to Paul Deslauriers!

www.montrealjazzfest.com

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We’re talking about every surviving member of the band – Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston and David Marks – playing together for the first time in forever.

Tickets go on sale Saturday, February 25 at noon on www.evenko.ca

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Not-so-incidentally, Lagwagon frontman Joey Cape recently recorded a 12-inch split record with Pouzza honcho Hugo Mudie, to be released during a pair of gigs at Quai des Brumes, on February 11 and 12.

In other news, it’s also been announced that Pouzza Fest will welcome Voodoo Glow Skulls, Less than Jake, Cheap Girls, Mikey Erg (from the Ergs), Saint Alvia, Disaster Strike and Immortal Squad during its 2012 edition, which will run from May 18 to 20. 3-day passes are already on sale, and fans can also make donations via Kapipal to enjoy special offers.

www.pouzzafest.com

www.lecurie.ca

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It will apparently be a “poppy, accessible – even rocking – new LP” and will include collaborations with Sean Lennon and members of the Dap-Kings. The article indicates that the work of Queen, David Bowie and Elton John has influenced Wainwright on his new songs.

www.rollingstone.com

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In the land of national treasures like Richard Desjardins and mines full of copper, this year there will be Malajube and the Californian experimental freaks from Secret Chief 3 (Mr.Bungle member Trey Spurance’s band), plus some weird rap (the prog hip hoppers from Gatineau, Jewish urban god Socalled, Alaclair Ensemble and turntablist DJ Brace), blasting rock (Galaxie, Sunny Duval, AKA the rockabilly guitar hero from Les Breastfeeders), flying folk (Philippe B, Karim Ouellet), new country (Dany Placard, Katie Moore), funky bluegrass (the whiskey-infused Canailles will whisk us, that’s for sure), groovy electro (the return of the way too rare Plaster!), extreme metal (including the worm-eating, eardrum-splitters from Cryptopsy), Frenchies (cousins Plus Guest and rockin’ The Experimental Tropic Blues Band) and more awesome up-and-coming oddities (Monogrenade, Duchess Says, Nique à Feu, Amanita Bloom, Beta Lovers, Panache, Elektrisk Gønner, Jimmy Hunt…).

No, we won’t sleep much. Ready for mosquito bites and campfire rambling. And yeah, we can kiss our liver goodbye.

(Kristof G.)

Festival de musique émergente
In Rouyn-Noranda, Abitibi-Témiscamingue
September 1 to 4

www.fmeat.org

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Costello didn’t give the trippiest performance. That had to be Karkwa, last year’s Polaris Music Prize winners, who were playing Osheaga for the first time, surprisingly enough. Almost entirely focused on their most recent album, Les Chemins de verre, the Quebecois band’s set neatly showcased their brand of sophisticated, proggy yet catchy rock. Even audience members who didn’t understand French must have had a great time.

Costello didn’t deliver the wildest performance. That was probably Death From Above 1979, whose comeback is clearly more than successful. Sebastien Grainger and Jesse F. Keeler kicked major ass with a wall of distorted guitar, thundering drums and warped vocals combining to form some kind of post-punk stoner metal, if that makes any sense.

Costello wasn’t the loudest either. Oh, Ratatat certainly won that crown with their deafening show at the Green Stage, where there was a huge turnout (more folks than at some of the main stage gigs!). Using a laptop, keyboards and percussions (electronic and otherwise), but mostly a whole lotta guitar riffs and solos, the New York duo showed that making people dance and rocking hard aren’t mutually exclusive. Add what about those badass projections, including clips from Predator!

Today, I also saw bits of the New Wave-ish Twin Shadow, of the energetic folk-grunge power trio The Mountain Goats, of the in-your-face indie rock duo PS I Love You, of Yoav who played solo with sampler/looper pedals a la Joseph Arthur, of Lupe Fiasco whose rap-rock hybrid set included a pretty cool version of Modest Mouse’s Float On…

All the same, the high point of my day was Elvis Costello, who I got to see up close, maybe 25 feet from the stage (it helped that the attendance was around 20,000 today, in contrast to yesterday’s crazy 38,000). With the help of three excellent musicians (keys, bass, drums) and of a go-go dancer in a cage (!), the 56-year-old veteran blew away the competition with a nonstop, filler-free run of killer songs, including Watching the Detectives, a super groovy Everyday I Write the Book, Alison, Uncomplicated, Radio Radio (“One, two, three, four!”), the bluesy I Want You, (I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea…

Costello seemed to be having a lot of fun, singing with a lot of conviction and proving to be quite the six-string samurai! And for the encore, he finished us off with the absolute classic Lipstick Vogue, Pump It Up, (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes plus covers of Nick Lowe’s (What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding, The Who’s Substitute and even Prince’s Purple Rain!

Photos courtesy of Osheaga / evenko

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