The Stoned Poet

 It was a cold Friday night. Only option was to get in the car with friends and drive to Montreal. There, lay all hopes of finding twindling and fiddling to do. There'd be no beauties nor druggies outside with the cold weather, only option was to find a venue to scuffle in and drink and fade in the crown. That meant money would be needed, and I had all but money honestly. But nonetheless we went, drove, stopped at Atomic Cafe, gave a guitar back to a friend, bought a Pink Floyd Echoes 1965-2025 Magazine reviewing the band's entire career. I couldn't help but start reading it and sure it inspired more psyched lsd induced ideas to my brain. Possibilities seemed infinite. Thus, an idea came, I could try and bargain a ticket for the gang to go to a show. The show in question I wanted to see was, Sunday Riot Club, Street Panther and The Space Wizards @ L'Escogriffe. My friends Antoine and Jordan seemed unbothered of the uncome, but I was determined to get in, whatever the co...

"Come to me now and rest your head for just five minutes, everything is good Such a cozy room, The windows are illuminated by the evening sunshine through them Fiery gems for you, only for you Our house is a very, very, very fine house with two cats in the yard Life used to be so hard Now everything is easy 'cause of you and our [house]" Those lyrics from the song Our House by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young are the exact representation of what the project called Mai/Son was. A place where I could hang my problems, have a drink or two (as it was a Bring Your Own Beer, there was no pressure to drink at the bar) and simply enjoy the music whenever and whatever music it was. On many week-ends about to end up with no place to go, I would walk up Saint-Joseph Ouest and arrive at the mythic establishment. Compared to say Van Horne, Mai/Son was really a place to embrace, it was a venue we, the youth, had the possibilities of making ours and limitless were the possibilities towa...

 19th December, show at La Sottorenea with Violence City, Snatchers, Caniche 666 and No Waves. I arrived there around 19h45, I see julian at the entrace. He's there early, hopes to leave not too late, having more plans to come. We smoke, talk about Gun's N' Roses, local scene controversies and bands. Controversies are everywhere in this scene, everyone wants a name, no matter how dirty or how insane you have to act to have a tail waggin behind you. Rumors spread like wildfire, the music is the wind that keeps hailing the fire. Truly, I believe the scene is not at it's best, because politics, drugs and the social media have been injected in it. People demand from the artists certain standards, lyrics not too controversial, a certain dress code, a way to act and speak. The kids want to be represented, but I state that they don't even fucking know what they want or what they should resemble. Whatever. Cigarettes are done, inside we are, no one. Dead. Silence. Almost. I...

 "Lastly, as I believed the night couldn't get any better, Lezart came on stage to blow the place up with  Thomas Simard  on keys and voice/guitar at times,  Odilon  on drums,  Kéo  on sax and traversial flute,  Jean-Alexis Lessard  bending notes on guitar and finally  Nicolas Péladeau  on bass . With their soul clothed through jazz pop formula, Sade-like atmospheric music with close intimite reminders to Jeff Beck's first album Truth where guitar, sax, piano and sweet ear candies  come and warm our soul; their music really transcendented the imaginary. [...] Their songs were rich yet unknown, to me, having been on stage for now only a year max, but it surely made an impact, a big one, as big as those who saw The Beatles on Ed Sullivan Show, as big as the first man landing on the moon, and many more. Every song was like a firework, Boom and then everybody cheered! By the end, Back To the Old House by the Smiths is played and th...

Et du coup, je me suis dis, on est loin de l'époque où le standard règne, ou si tu ne t'imprègnes pas des standards bebop, swing ou autre, tu te fais virer du stage! Photo par Léa Fourniol! Le Saint-Graal , lundi le 8 décembre, 21h. La soirée commence, moi je suis en route, la musique coule à flot, Miles Davis, Kind Of Blue, l'odeur de Ashish me monte au narine, mes nerfs se tendent, la trompette embarque, mes sens s'aiguisent, le rythme embarque, et puis la lumière tourne rouge. Je m'arrête, les notes défilent, ainsi que le temps file. On va souper avec le père de mon amie. Pâtes au fruit de mer gratiné. Quel régal, un avant goût d'une soirée qui sera la débandade total musicalement parlant. Le souper est fini, on part, Amélie ma bonne amie et moi vers le Saint-Graal. Arrivé là-bas, c'est une cohorte de jeune, assoiffé de vivre toute en ayant une touche de modernité alors on se réserve une politesse, un savoir vivre, et un beau sourire pour l...

     Carter Kane, aka MOC has done much in the local scene of Montreal. From writing bars at the age of 10, playing shows all year long to hosting a weekly radio show called Fluid Mosaic where he interviews local artists of all genres to help promote their music and push the boundaries of a community in the music industry, allowing people to share their ideas, their creative plots and hopefully help build connections between people who delve in muisc through their earphones or during shows. Summer 2025 he hosted  FM Fest  supported by  Les Insoumises  ,  Infamy   CJLO  and  Non-Binary Twins . Artist such as  Parallel ,  Ryan Brio ,  Dievanse ,  Resonance , and more have had the opportunity to perform and showcase their talents through three neighboring venues, Casa del Popolo, Sala Rossa and La Sotterenea. This fest was really great because all kind of artist from various genres were playing, allowing for audienc...

Sunday, Funday it was on November the 16th! I went down to l'Escogriffe to see Cordial a French multi genre band that have swept everybody's feet at every venue they played. Tonight, the opening band was Oddcharm , this followed Cordial and finally, Lezart played. I came, smoke, breezed and freezes my ass off. No intake of insane amounts of alcohol would be seen from my part tonight, but as the cold bit through my limbs, I was forced to admit I desperately wanted to warm my bones. So in we got, Fanny the picture taker was there, Cordial had arrived, Oddcharm were there patiently waiting and Lezart were roaming, unseen and seeking warmth, praying on us, waiting for the right time to strike. At the door, I great the sax player of Lezart and we exchange a joke about having a line of coke in exchange of paying the ticket for the show, which I think is very inviting for the spectators yet I do reckon that now a days, everyone is broke and drugs aren't cool anymore. I go sit do...

   Friday the 7th October, I drove down the highway, tired and not down at all to go to a show. I was tired and to be fair enough the lineup was not promising, it remained estranged. I love punk, I love some hardcore band, but was lies in emo-mid-schoolfailing-somethingcore, just ain't my type. It ain't bad, but it doesn't get my balls tingling. I tend to scratch my head more in signs of incomprehension of what is going on. In simple terms, I was down to see Polyethelene and Snatchers, but the two other bands, I just didn't have the energy. But I went, and what I saw was, well, how to say, it was special, some good surprises, some less exciting surprises. Just like an LSD trip, you hope for the best, but at times, things get messy, you have to stir left and right, up and down, hoping to find balance and be centered again for the rest of the trip. Upon arrival at the Batiment 7, The Snatchers greet me, Fanny  ,who is seen taking pictures at shows, is there; but for the r...

Wednesday the 5th of November. It's cold, one of the first nights where I felt the cold biting my bones and frail limbs. Antoine, my good old drunken friend and I form a duo à la Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassidy, we love to have a good time filled to the brim with the finest of poisons, alcool. Tonight, we wanted to go out and simply have a reasonable amount of beers. No scuffing nor pushing nor shouting or rambling. We would be good boys, civilized. As we walked around Saint-Laurent, hoping we could go see Jazz at Barbossa, we are greated with a closed venue. God Fucking Damnit screams Antoine, I retort, Oh let's keep calm, we haven't even drinked yet, no need to get all riled up. Let's go grab a bite at Slice and Soda and then we can head towards l'Escogriffe and le Quai des Brumes to see what's up. Inside the pizza shop, the man tell's us he's closing so he deals us a deal and we are outted with two jumbo slices for 7$! Antoine tells me, "Wow it rea...

It's Friday 25th October, I'm posting fliers on old rotten drabbed poles who await in silence and agony. No sun caresses their envies nor woman or man to soothe their naughty desires or nitty gritty ways. I look at my phone, it's six thirty, the perfect time to get a beer, a nick and let all hell loose. I take one last pictures of the flyers, I run to my car and light up a cigarette while listening to Bob Dylan's He Was A Friend of Mine. Outside, the leaves hang low and many have fallen, a keen reminder that change comes at a great price. The cold weather mixed with Dylan's vocals on the Bootleg Series 1 to 3 send a shiver down my spine as I survey the streets of Montreal going around Mount Royal in hopes to find a parking near Saint-Laurent boulevard. A right turn, left, stop, go, turn and finally bingo, a spot lays empty. I park and head down two blocks, turn left, get a beer, get out, meet Francois a homeless guy, buy him a cookie and off I go to the show at La ...

October the 4th, I hop in my car with Antoine. Beer, a will to escape the ever dooming future of my generation and a hope of finding a groove that'll set me free from all morality and elusive mind bending thoughts or anxieties.  On a warm hot gloomy yet breezy saturdy night, I had my car parked downtown over the hills and as I locked at my car, the question was, will it stay put, will it roll down? Oh whatever it'll be fine I guess. Antoine and I take our stuff and I leave a note saying I just moved in and thus do not have a vignette for my parking yet, hoping it'll disuade any officers or parking agent of leaving a ticket on my windshield. We go down and turn on mcgill and walk and turn again and walk while talking, drinking a beer and suddenly, Antoine asks the question,  ''So were is the show?'' I reply, '' It's in a YMCA, in a gym more specifically.'' ''Damn thats crazy, just like when we saw shows younger at school in the gym...

  October 2nd, I wanted to go see le P'tit Belliveau at Quai des Brumes . Of course, it was sold out. So I was about to dip. But, But But, my friend Charlotte insisted we stay to watch live music. So what stands besides Quai des Brumes other than the mytical Escogriffe !   Going inside, we are greeted with a 20$ or PWYC, so we get our money out and reluctantly or rather unsurely we give it to the door gal and in we are. On stage, a girl with long curly black hair is swaying left to right with her grey guild motherfucking cool looking guitar. She sings out words, plays her guitar and enchants anyone who locks regards with her while the bassist dressed with an oversized green slick shirt is, well let's put it this way, making love to his bass as he chants out the groove. The drummer in the back is controlled, tamed yet gashed with a wildness that is subtle yet thrilling. The guitarist seemed straight out of sitcom was a melody virtuoso. He definitely knew a thing or two abo...

  Friday September 12, Caniche 666, Chop Sue Me, Heavenly Blue were playing on the same stage at Casa del Popolo to a lot of enthusiastic fans who came for different bands and reasons. A melting pot is the best word I could've used to describe the night.  First of, Fielding . I'll say it again, FUCKING GREAT LIVE BAND. The sound was cool, the vocals and the ensemble was tight, the aggressive picking yet contained was driving me dizzy! Their songs were sweet and electrifying. Together these guys just seem like the happiest of family onstage, a reminder of CSNY onstage back when they could tolerate each other. Their single sounded definitely more assumed and grooving onstage then on digital platform! Having listened recently to Hey Hey, My My the intro to the wield live album of neil young and the crazy horse, I would say this album pictures well the energy of Fielding onstage if you have never seen them. I ensue everyone to go see them live at least once. Plus, you might get ...

Et moi qui aurais cru avoir pu trouver le bonheur. Mais quel malheur finalement ces espoirs qui m'ont dupé, qui m'ont berné dans ma quête existentielle sans fin. Moi qui croyais y avoir vu une fin, une ligne médiane, une voie d'atterrissage; et non pas au paradis, ne vous foutez pas de moi, je ne suis pas si dupe. Je sais bien qu'il n'y a pas de point d'infini bonheur. Jamais il n'y a eu de désert farci au bonheur pur. Ce dit bonheur est bien une fabrication humaine, un concept accouché de la part de la dopamine. La même qui a dupé nombreux drogués à se piquer, qu'une dernière fois selon leurs dires, avant de mourir; avant de finir tout pourri dans les recoins sombres de la ville, bercé par une nuit qui n'en finit plus. C'est pour ça que je leur voue mon cœur tous les jours, par peur, par pitié, par tristesse, et peut-être par égocentrisme, par narcissisme, pour me sentir mieux le soir en rentrant. Vous savez j'ai vu un homme que j'ai cro...