The Stoned Poet

I came in, quai des brumes, another night of late night drinks and loud music while waiting for a note or riff that'll shake me to the core. On August 2nd, the bands onstage were Valken and Horse .  It was Sunday, I was tired, burned out, aching for sips of beer that could wage away my worries. A friend lifted me to the show. Upon arrival, I met other friends we talked, we laughed and by the time we were inside, I managed to get what I came for, a drink, two, maybe more. Suddenly, a loud thundering riffs breaks through. My eyes runs around looking for the source, and there it is, on stage, four guys, looking like a cross over from Gun's N' Roses and Led Zeppelin. The singer has short hair with a bandana, the lead guitarist pises woth his magnificient Alice In Chains like long dark hair. The drummer has a Dazed andConfused hippie hard looking style. The name of the band is Valken. The meaning behind the name is falcons in dutch. Their set would prove me one thing, they sure...

 I arrived at the venue around 7:00pm. My mind was well unaware of the upcoming side effects of a microdose of shrooms, recommended by a good doctor who'd told me it could fix my dance issues on the dancefloor.Should you ever happen to have lazy uncoordinated feets, I can now guarantee you that no drugs could fix such problems. I'm making sure everything is going according to plans, since I was organizing the night, the space on stage was very limited, thus I had to plan and reassure everything would work. Back in the 60's a lot of bands would've fought making sure they got their amps on stage, but luckily, in 2026 violence has been alienated and talking it out was the solution. An hour before the show starts, Matteo, singer and guitarist for Mildew, asks me if he can smash his guitar on stage. I look at him and respond, '' It's your show, you are the pilot, fuck whatever they say, fuck the rules, fuck everything, it's all about impressing the spectators...

On the 30th April, a special gathering was happening at La Sottorenea . Bands who book shows on week days are always on a gamble. Who knows how many people will show up after work, knowing they have to come in to work on the next day. But as summer approaches, people tend to go out more and that means that every booked shows week or weekend can benefice a larger crowd. I was one of those people who was working on Friday but decided that the beautiful weather and sun was enough to get me out of my basement for the night. So I grabbed my suit, ran to my car and drove right up to La Sottorenea in a hurry. Serial Milk , a band who's gaining more attention following the release of their brilliant EP titled Animal Disguise, where celebrating their new music accompanied of In Headlights and Escape. I was quite curious to see Escape as I'd never heard of em', In Headlights I'd seen at B7 previously but was not quite familiar with their sound. Upon arrival, parking found, and ...

 On May 2, at La Toscadura, there happened to be a mass of children and adults who all came to worship music, good times and witness some of the wildest musical display's I'd personally seen in a while. I'm talking about like Iggy Pop's wild stunts or insane feats pulled off stage back when Heavy Montreal use to be a thing. Moments where band members are in such trance on stage that anything can happen in the name of entertainment. God knows, these are the best shows one shall ever see. SewerSpewer Guesting with Feartilizer  I arrived after the first band, Unsucked, had finished playing. I talked outside with showgoers, it was around 9:30 and the place already seemed to be going wild. I'd barely drank one sip, I saw a kid being transported outside the venue, barely conscious, seemed to have ingested some kind of powder or stimulant related drug or an insane amount of alcohol. Whatever it was, his body now demanded rest and water. To my left, another one was laying ...

"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...

     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...

September 5th there was a show at Bâtiment 7 . A maniacal show for sure! Everyone was there cunts, batters, mad hatter's, clowns and more underage uncivilized pot smokers. Girls boys, trans, and more were at the rendez vous for a five band lineup. I came up dressed, stressed and with little rest.  First up was Mildew , they crammed up the venue and tore down any worries of a bad show. Their act was on point, even better than anything I'd saw before. They seemed to be willing to destroy the place if possible. James the bassist was caught crowdsurfing and playing bass once again, Matteo was seen making love with the feedback of his amp with the guitar posted right in front! What was missing tho was a drummer to smash his kit. But I know, money is scarce and the kit wasn't his so their was no possibility of utterly destroying the whole kit! But they swept the kids off their feet. Stay Out by  Mitch Afterwards, I was out, it was too hot. Slackin Idle were about to go on, playi...