Mosh Core 2008

It’s February! Although I’m sure you knew that already, perhaps you weren’t aware that Montreal’s premier annual metal festival is once again set to take place this Saturday, Feb. 16 at Club Soda. This year marks the sixth anniversary of one of the most successful independent music festivals in Montreal, with a line-up that just keeps getting better. With the support of numerous sponsors, (Steve’s Music Store, Erikson Music and Adrenaline Tattoos & Body Piercing), Mosh Core Productions is
making their mark on the Montreal music scene. Not only do they promote and organize shows, they also function as a vehicle for aspiring musicians in all genres, providing them with a multitude of services including photography, graphic design, promo videos and press kits. In other words, if you’ve got a band, Mosh Core can take care of the rest.
Mosh Core Productions was founded in 2000 by Angelo Russo who, after having tragically lost a family member to breast cancer, was inspired to use music as a resource for raising money to help find a cure. The first event was held in 2001 to much success, with proceeds going to the Canadian Cancer Society. With this initial achievement, Russo expanded his company and production team and continued to host annual shows throughout the years. In 2004, Mosh Core hosted a two-day music festival featuring 18 bands and the company’s reputation as a growing force in event production soared. The benefits were two-fold: not only were they able to create a sense of community among local musicians and artists, but they also simultaneously raised money for cancer research — Russo’s primary goal.
This year eight bands are scheduled to hit the stage at 6 p.m. and as usual proceeds are forwarded to the Canadian Cancer Society.
The bands featured this year, in order of appearance, are The Catalyst, God Falls, Dimentia, Derelict, Insect, Endast, Incision and headlining is Ion Dissonance. Donation tables will be set up so the general public can make direct contributions. There are free prizes and giveaways throughout the night from Tattoo Mania, In Tune Guitar Picks, Exclaim Magazine and many more, including a grand prize raffle for a new guitar courtesy of Guerilla Guitars. For more information about Mosh Core Productions, visit www.moshcore.ca.

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Derelict is only one of the many talented bands set to rock the fest this year. In addition to playing Mosh Core last year and being brought back again for the 2008 edition, the band independently produced and released their first full-length album Ideological Prey. Samples from the record are available on their MySpace page. You can catch them on “The Metal File” on CHOM 97.7 and during “Sounds of Steel” on CKUT 90.3, among other stations. Guitarist /keyboardist Daryl Brunetti took a few minutes to answer some questions:

How did you guys meet?
“Well I met Eric at Dawson College. At the time I was already in a band and I saw him in one of the cafeterias wearing an “Emperor” band shirt and I approached him in the hopes of promoting my band. Eventually my band broke up, leaving me, the drummer and the bassist needing a new guitarist and singer, and luckily Eric was available for both positions! We met our drummer Jordan through one of Eric’s classmates at Concordia, and Louis our bassist is a childhood friend of Eric’s.”

How diverse are the band members’ musical influences?
“We all listen to various types of music. Personally I listen to everything from Death Metal to Jazz to Techno/Trance to Pop/Rock. I can’t speak for my mates, but I know they have diverse tastes as well, where we find ourselves on the way to a show listening to everything from Phil Collins, King Crimson, NWA, Enya, etc . . . and of course plenty of metal.”

Your band’s description reads: “Derelict incorporates the brutal and progressive elements of the Quebec scene with listenable structures and melody, resulting in an unforgiving yet accessible package.” How would you characterize the Quebec scene?
I characterize the scene as having many solid bands that rarely sound alike, which is also what is most notable. The metal scene is akin to the cultural diversity of Quebec and Canada, especially in Montreal where all cultures here have their own characteristics and similarities, but you couldn’t mistake one for another, at least I believe so anyway.

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