Fear and Advil in Montréal: Three Music Festivals Not to Miss 

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• Courtesy Of Tristan Dagenais
• Junglepussy

"Get everything booked ahead of time, OK?"

I remember nodding vigorously in reply as my editors laid out the plan for me to cover the Montréal music scene. The Québec Issue loomed, and Seven Days was sending its reporters like secret agents to infiltrate our friendly neighbors to the north and learn all their secrets and cool spots. One of the all-time worst-prepared travelers in the history of poorly prepared travelers, I adhered to the advice from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and didn't panic.

After all, I've been traipsing up to Montréal for more than 20 years now. It's the closest place to see a top-tier show. It's a great city to ride a bicycle in (unlike Burlington). Then there's the culture, the record shops, the fucking food...

Also, everyone smells nicer up there. Even on the subway to Parc Jean-Drapeau to see a show, pressed against the city's well-dressed denizens, I always think to myself, Surely, a subway shouldn't smell this good.

The problem with creating a guide to the Montréal music and entertainment scenes is the sheer number of possibilities. When I got this assignment, I envisioned a map of musical fun spread out across the city, leading people from one party to the next. But that's not how Montréal works. Every weekend has a different feel, a different festival or some other unique event.

So I tried to Hunter S. Thompson the thing. I drove north on a solo mission to immerse myself in all things Montréal, dreaming of marijuana dispensaries, Chinatown dim sum and underground shows in secret venues. "I shall uncover the coolest secrets of the city," I said aloud like a Batman villain as I approached the border, rubbing my hands in anticipation.

Instead, I sat at the border crossing for 45 minutes while the cops searched a minivan that was carrying children like it was a clown car. One after another, they kept coming out of the van while I psyched myself up for a night on the town. I had my list; I had my contacts; I knew exactly where I was going.

By the time I reached the window, the disc in my back that I'd slipped playing soccer in February was barking at me, letting me know that my wild night in Montréal would require ibuprofen assistance. I ran through all my Lethal Weapon "I'm too old for this shit" jokes and told my back that I was going to mind-over-matter the situation, and would it mind just taking the night off?

The slipped disc refused to heed my entreaty. Meanwhile, as I finally entered Canada, my phone beeped at me. One of my Montréal music guides, someone I'd hoped would help me find the off-the-beaten-path shows, couldn't make it. I was on my own for the night. A wandering ronin in a foreign city. Or an aging music writer with a shit back — same difference, right?

And so I took on Montréal on my own. I jettisoned those pesky deadweights others call "plans" and hit the shuffle button. Aside from checking out the St-Ambroise Montréal Fringe Festival — a beautifully edgy, sprawling, almost monthlong celebration of diversity and artistic freedom —I experienced the city in "random" mode.

I could regale you with stories of stumbling into strip karaoke at Café Cléopatre or seeing a noise duo named the New York Review of Cocksucking at La Sotterenea. (I chickened out on going to the "bareoke," as it was dubbed.) I could tell you about the coolness of the 23rd edition of Suoni Per Il Popolo, the experimental music and art festival that ran for almost the whole month of June all over Montréal, and sternly admonish you not to miss it next year.

Orrrr ... I could give you a heads-up on festivals still coming this summer so that you can make your own rando Montréal adventure. Here are three suggestions for those heading north of the border for some summer (and fall) tunes. Turn to our Québec festival guide on page 60 for even more festivals, music and otherwise, throughout the province.

Veux-tu aller au concert avec moi? Let's go!

Distorsion Psych Fest

July 14 to 15, Entrepôt 77

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• Courtesy
• Atsuko Chiba

I've complained about it before in these pages: For all of Vermont's incredible summer festivals, there just aren't enough loud, aggressively rock-centric ones. Brattleboro's Field Day is a great addition, and we live in hope for the return of a fully powered Waking Windows next year, but it's slim pickings outside of those two events.

Update that passport or enhance your Vermont driver's license and make for the city of a hundred bell towers, as Mark Twain called Montréal. There you will find a loud, powerful and trippy weekend of music waiting for you in the form of the Distorsion Psych Fest at outdoor venue Entrepôt 77. Operating under the mission of "combining psychedelic hymns, subversive ear worms and decadent rhythms," the two-day event is a showcase for the best of Montréal's psych-rock scene, which is teeming with talent.

One of Montréal's newest acts, Karma Glider, will kick off the fest on Friday, July 14. Formed from the ashes of Montréal indie-rock act Heat, the band recently released its debut EP Future Fiction on local label Mothland. Lead single "In Deep Ocean" is a high-energy blast of fuzzed-out indie pop, a ready-made summer jam.

Heat are followed by Toronto's Kali Horse, a self-described "ethereal post-psych swamp rock" band. Somehow that description perfectly fits the dreamy mix of melody and ambience the band creates.

Capping off the first night of Distorsion Fest is one of the best bands I've seen come out of Montréal in years, Atsuko Chiba. I first encountered the five-piece a few years ago at Waking Windows, when it laid waste to the Monkey House in a blistering set of aggressive post-rock and mind-bending prog, with just a hint of krautrock thrown in for good measure. Somewhere between New York City post-rock masters Battles and the Mars Volta, Atsuko Chiba released the excellent Water, It Feels Like It's Growing in January. The album leans more into drone than previous efforts, as the band has gone even further afield with its sonic experiments.

Day two of the fest starts with Pure CarriÈre, the Québec City-based project of Jean-Michel Letendre-Veilleux (Beat Sexü) and Laurence Gauthier-Brown (Victime). Originally a slacker-punk outfit that launched in 2017 with the EP one take, pas d'edit, the band returned this year with Quatre tracks, an EP brimming with new-wave and indie-rock influences.

French duo Ko Shin Moon hit the stage at 9 p.m. They play a synthesis of electronic folk music from around the globe and describe their sound as a dialogue among traditional instruments, vocals and electronic sounds.

Hometown act YOCTO close the fest. The gloriously jangly art-rock act releases its debut album, Zepta Supernova, on August 25, so this is a chance to check out the band before the hype.

Where: Entrepôt 77, 77 rue Bernard Est, Montréal. When: Friday and Saturday, July 14 and 15. How much: Save your loonies. La vie est belle! The fest is free. distorsionpsychfest.com

ÎLESONIQ

August 12 to 13, Parc Jean-Drapeau

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• Courtesy
• The Chainsmokers

Canada's biggest electronic music fest returns. It seems like every year ÎLESONIQ manages to top itself, and the 2023 lineup is another absolute banger. Superstars such as the Chainsmokers, Alesso and Martin Garrix are all slated to rock the fest, first held in 2014.

One of the (many) cool things about ÎLESONIQ is the stage setup. Knowing the pain of having to choose between favorite musicians at festivals, the organizers have arranged for each stage to showcase a distinctive music style.

The Bell Oasis Stage features headliners, with sets by Afrojack and deadmau5. The Mirage Stage holds down the spot for bass music fans, featuring performances by Svdden Death and Level Up. House and techno artists, including Chris Lake, Elderbrook and Agents of Time, get their own spot on the Coca-Cola Neon Stage.

Where: Parc Jean-Drapeau, 1 Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montréal. When: Saturday and Sunday, August 12 and 13. How much: General admission weekend passes start at CAN$230, with other packages available. ilesoniq.com

POP Montréal

September 27 to October 1

POP Montréal was established 22 years ago as a cross-section of music, art, fashion, film and all-night parties. The five-day festival hosts around 400 artists every year, spread over 50 venues that are mostly located in the Mile End area of the city.

The best way I can describe POP to Vermonters is Waking Windows on speed. It has the same sort of indie spirit; you might not know all the bands on the lineup now, but you can expect them to be can't-miss shows the next time they come through town.

POP is a great predictor of the musical future. This year's lineup is no exception, featuring up-and-comers such as Belgian duo Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul and Montréal indie rockers La SÉcurité.

The fest is far more than a bunch of pretty young things (so to speak), though. First off, Tangerine Dream is on this thing. Tangerine Dream, man. If you're a fan of electronic music, it doesn't get much better than the German pioneers who started layering icy synths and making "future" music back in 1967.

Singer-songwriter Skullcrusher, R&B legend Candi Staton, 2024 presidential candidate Cornel West, Montréal indie rockers Men I Trust and NYC rapper Junglepussy are all on the same bill. If you notice a trend, well, you're hallucinating. Because there is none, and that's why I love POP Montréal.

Where: Various locations around Montréal. When: Wednesday, September 27, through Sunday, October 1. How much: Early bird passes for the entire festival are on sale now for CAN$141.52. popmontreal.com

I'm not kidding when I say that's just the tip of the iceberg for summer and fall music festivals in Montréal. There's the always-huge OSHEAGA in early August — Kendrick Lamar! For country fans, Lasso Montréal brings Chris Stapleton and Kane Brown to Parc Jean-Drapeau in mid-August. And don't forget the 43rd edition of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, one of the highlights of the musical calendar in the Northeast. Kicking off next week, the 10-day fest (take that, Burlington!) boasts Herbie Hancock, Diana Krall and Thundercat this year.

There's a music event for everyone happening in Montréal at any given time, and you can — and should — make a plan. Not everyone can be a wandering music editor with ADD and bad directions, after all. But try to let Montréal surprise you. I promise you, you'll find something much cooler than whatever you thought you were looking for.

Eye on the Scene

Last week's live music highlights from photographer Luke Awtry

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• Luke Awtry
• honeywaves at Parc Des Amériques, Montréal

honeywaves at Parc Des Amériques, Montréal, June 18: The last band I caught on Sunday at the St-Ambroise Montréal Fringe Festival had my attention before its members even turned their amps on. The first thing to catch my eye was Ronny Elvis Aguilera of honeywaves' sunburst Fender Jazzmaster, but it was his shirt — a loose, black button-up with a repeating cat face print — that sealed the deal. As the band started, a familiar and welcome sound wafted through the park. I hadn't been sure what to expect — after all, there were also a headless guitar and some synths onstage. But the dreamy indie pop was paired with a tasteful lead guitarist who leaned more toward jazz and knew when to step back and shake a tambourine. It all came together for a great cover of the Smiths' "This Charming Man."

Listening In

Spotify playlist of local jams