Miss the half week music-orgy that was Pop Montreal? Can’t wait for Victoriaville and Suoni to get your fix of experimental sounds?
Then the fourth edition of the Under the Snow Montreal Independent Music Festival from March 6 to 9 is the answer.
Packing almost 20 acts into six shows with everything from shoegaze pop to harsh psych noise, this year’s lineup is sure to satisfy even the most eclectic tastes.
Here are some artists to look out for:
Nadja – One of the heaviest bands in Canada, this Toronto duo brings the doom, combining elements of metal, noise, and ambient drones. This is dark, cold stuff that will remind you that winter is not over yet.
March 6 at Casa Del Popolo.
O featuring Martin Tetreault – Since the mid ’80s, Martin Tetreault has been one of Montreal’s most renowned experimental musicians. Creating strange turntable sound collages out of mangled records, distorted needles, gouged tone arms, etc., Tetreault tears down every conception one might have about the turntable’s function, manipulating it to get his desired effect, not unlike John Cage’s prepared piano. He will be performing with group O.
Mar. 7 at Casa Del Popolo.
Sharko – This Belgian trio plays anthemic indie pop with nods to The Police and Flaming Lips.
March 7 at Divan Orange.
Mouthus – One of the most amazingly abrasive bands going, this Brooklyn duo’s cacophonous barrage of primitive percussion clangs, and overloading guitar crunches must be seen live to fully appreciate.
March 8 at Sala Rossa.
Millimetrik – “Hip-hop with strings” might make you think of an ill-advised Mantovani comeback album, or the many mediocre RZA imitators that plagued hip hop in the late ’90s but Millimetrik pulls it off. With a mix of hip-hop, classical, and shoegazer, this Quebec City group creates ambient music with a kick.
March 8 at Casa Del Popolo.
