Fresh brewed news for Tuesday, January 19, 2010

The STM has officially shafted Chinese firm Zhuzhou's bid to build new cars for the Metro system. Zhuzhou wanted to use steel wheels instead of the usual rubber tires, in order to save up to $1.5 billions, almost half of the total value of the contract, but the STM has so far rejected the idea.

It's not often that we see indie kids out of their element, and yet, as hundreds of them piled into the Théâtre Outremont on Saturday night, something seemed off. I don't think they would have sat down in such fancy-looking seats for anyone other than violinist and composer extraordinaire Owen Pallett, at a concert presented by the Montreal High Lights Festival. Pallett is notable for his contributions, in the form of strings arrangements, to bands like Arcade Fire, Mika, Gentleman Reg, The Hidden Cameras, and Jim Guthrie.

Fresh brewed news for Thursday, February 18, 2010

Nine people were arrested after a police raid in the West Island. They are suspected of being members of rival street gangs operating in the West Island. Residents of Dollard-des-Ormeaux and Pierrefonds contacted authorities due to a rise in violent incidents in their neighborhoods, leading to an investigation. "They were fighting for the territory of drugs, so they were trying to influence or get rid of the other groups, so there were shootings, there was intimidation and assaults," said Commander Antonio Iannantuoni. Whoever said nothing happens in the West Island?

Photo: "Hexes & Ohs / Divan Orange", by Midnight Poutine flickr pooler StacyannLee.

This week in concerts: You know what they say: you give a little, you take a little. On Monday is the Artists for Haiti benefit, and isn't it the best way to start the week? Of course, if you'd rather spend your mulah on John Mayer tickets, we hear he's sorry for being such a jerk.

Monday, Feb. 15 :
Soirée Bénéfice SOLID'AYITI: Artistes pour Haiti, Sala Rossa
The Sala presents an eclectic night to make your dollars go a long way. On the menu: Vox Sambou & Nomadic Massive, Paul Cargnello & The Frontline, DJ Kobal, Narcicyst, and Karma Atchykah.

Photo: "Au Revoir Simone @ La Tulipe - 22-mai-09", by Midnight Poutine flickr pooler fabio costello.

This week in concerts: Not a whole lot going on as far as the big shows are concerned, which is good for all the people out there still saving up to buy their John Mayer tickets. However, there's a lot of sweet, soft music from small acts coming up just in time for V-day.

Wednesday, Feb. 10 :
Laura Marling w/ The Wheel, Divan Orange
UK siren Laura Marling is bringing her beautiful voice and soft tunes to the coolest orange couch in town. Opening for her is Colorado outfit The Wheel, the side project of two members from Born in the Flood.

C'est dans une salle drapée de velours noir, au sous-sol du Musée d'Art Contemporain, que s'est produit hier soir le trio montréalais Land of Talk. Dans le cadre des Vendredis Nocturnes, le MAC présentait une soirée réglée au quart de tour, qui commençait à 19h pile. La performance était également retransmise en simultané sur deux écrans situés ailleurs dans le musée.

Décrit comme "un trio indie rock avec une touche de folk", j'ai trouvé Land of Talk agréablement plus rock que folk. La voix d'Elizabeth Powell, qui supporte fièrement le groupe, était à la fois enfantine et légère, envoûtante et mordante. Le trio était parfois aidé d'un bassiste, pour un son encore plus dynamique et enjoué.

Fresh brewed news for Thursday, February 4, 2010

More and more gruesome details are being made public as the Villanueva hearings continue. The two police officers who were present during the incident, Jean-Loup Lapointe and Stéphanie Pilotte, both testified yesterday and handed in their reports. Among other important details, the inquiry highlighted that certain procedures were not followed. Lapointe did not hand in his gun right after the incident; he was allowed to keep and discharge his weapon himself.

Photo: "Madrid/Metropolis", by Midnight Poutine flickr pooler StacyannLee.

This week in concerts: Believe it or not, we've got a pretty epic week of concerts coming up. I mean epic in a "oh my God, there are six shows on the same night, I don't know what to do with myself!" kind of way.

Thursday, Feb. 4:
Misstress Barbara w/ Winter Gloves and Girls on a Ducati, Club Soda
The Italian-born Montreal DJ is at it again - but this time, she brings a wildly appropriate opening band (indie rock band Winter Gloves) and her show buddies Girls on a Ducati.

Last night, a few thousand courageous concert-goers braved The Evil Blizzard of Death to go see Champion and his G-strings heat up the Metropolis. Maxime Morin might have dropped the "DJ" part of his moniker, but he's still a tall, stick-thin guy dancing like a monkey behind his booth, dishing out some pretty sick beats and occasionally gesturing to his musicians.

Fresh brewed news for Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Montreal's blue-collar workers are going on strike - but not any strike. The workers, whose contract expired in 2007, launched a rotary strike yesterday, and it should last for another 38 days. They refuse to collect garbage and less than 9 cm of snow, putting a halt on road repairs and forcing the closure of some sports facilities. According to city counselors, the blue-collars' union has been "unflexible and unwilling to move," the union asking for a 10% salary increase over 4 years and for the city to cut back on subcontracting to private firms.

Fresh brewed news for Tuesday, January 19, 2010

A group backed by six anonymous wealthy investors is getting ready to bid on flailing Canwest dailies. The investors, described as concerned with the future of local papers, will be bidding on the National Post, the Montreal Gazette and the Ottawa Citizen. They are particularly interested in the Gazette, as it is the last standing English-language daily in the city.

Photo: "The Kills - La Tulipe - 6-May-09", by Midnight Poutine flickr pooler fabio costello.

This week in concerts:

Monday, Jan. 18:
Tegan and Sara w/ An Horse, Place des Arts
Canadian twins Tegan and Sara are beyond cool. Their new album Sainthood, released last October, was produced by Death Cab for Cutie's Chris Walla, and was well-received by just about anyone. Fun fact: Australian indie-pop duo An Horse's song "Postcards" was used in a TV ad for the Mercedes-Benz CLC-Class in 2008.