My main reason for being in Montreal this weekend is the 9th annual Suoni per il Popolo festival of underground music. Lasting the entire month of June, the musical offerings range from indie rock, to improvisation, to experimental noise. Most major shows take place at the Sala Rossa: a Spanish social hall on the northern reaches of Boulevard Saint-Laurent in Le Plateau, Montreal's boho district just east of Mont Royal.
When I was in Toronto last month, my friend Nick turned me onto the music of Eric Chenaux: guitarist/songwriter and longtime veteran of the Toronto underground who's documented much of that scene through his own excellent Rat-Drifting label. (Bethany's also a big fan.) A former punk guitarist, Chenaux has traversed an incredibly diverse musical path in the past decade: everything from folk ballads, to free improvisation, to The Reveries, where he and two others sing with speakers in their mouths connected to contact mics on their instruments.
Last night, Chenaux chose to play a quiet, hour long set of songs, mostly from his beautiful new album Mynah Bird. Much more than just another folkie, Chenaux is a master musician, picking at his classical guitar like a sitar. He was joined by longtime collaborator (and fellow Reveries member) Ryan Driver, who added electronics and piano to create just the right amount of dissonance.
But, it's Chenaux's songs, sung in a high, almost falsetto voice, that stick in your memory. Most dealt with devastating heartbreak, sung with the kind of emotion that clearly comes from a very painful place. You could almost hear the tears welling up in his eyes as he sang "Rest Your Daylights":
"If we don't make it, maybe memories are what we need to be."
After, Chenaux and fellow Toronto composer/improviser John Oswald played a brief improvisation together, with Chenaux picking away while Oswald played bleats and squawks on his saxophone. Oswald stayed on stage to play free jazz with his own trio, which sounded less like music than a bunch of unstructured noise. But, in context, it wasn't all that far out in left field.
On my way home, I stopped in the Centro Gallego for local duo Hyena Hive
Menace Ruine, who played brutal, electronic noise, courtesy of a battery of effects pedals and distorted female vocals. It was loud, terrible, possibly thrilling. But, for me at least, a bit much at the end of a long day. (More pics below.)
The duo on the pics is Menace Ruine, who played after Hyena Hive.
The duo on the pics is Menace Ruine, who played after Hyena Hive.
The duo on the pics is Menace Ruine, who played after Hyena Hive.
The duo on the pics is Menace Ruine, who played after Hyena Hive.
The duo on the pics is Menace Ruine, who played after Hyena Hive.
The duo on the pics is Menace Ruine, who played after Hyena Hive.
Appreciate the correction, thanks.
Appreciate the correction, thanks.
Appreciate the correction, thanks.
Appreciate the correction, thanks.
Appreciate the correction, thanks.
Appreciate the correction, thanks.