Additional Information
POP Montréal is celebrating 25 years of DIY and artistic vision. The festival remains an international beacon of indie music culture; spending several evenings there is invariably enlightening, enriching, exciting, and even liberating! It’s truly an event that celebrates the intercultural and welcoming nature of Montreal life. That’s why we’ve selected three daily recommendations from Pop MTL’s head programmer and founder, Dan Seligman. Here are his Thursday September 24th three picks.
Chad Van Gaalen Théâtre Rialto, Salle Exclaim! 8PM
Dan: Chad Van Gaalen is my first pick. Why? Since this is the 25th edition this year, we wanted to highlight some of the artists who’ve been part of the scene for 25 years. Because they’re still making great music! And I think Chad Van Gaalen is a true artist of this indie generation. He’s been on the scene for quite some time now. He’s really talented. If he’d been part of a different generation—the ’70s, for example—he would have enjoyed greater commercial success. His music is quite experimental. He creates really interesting folk-rock music with a DIY spirit. I think he reached his peak about 10 years ago; back then, he was signed to SubPop and had more support from the industry. Today, he does everything on his own; he’s shifted his focus more toward the underground scene. He does it all—he even directs his own music videos and creates his own visuals. He’s an interesting character and has already performed several times at Pop Montréal. He played at the Ukrainian Federation, among other places—I think that was in 2008. He’s a talented artist overall.
Plants and Animals, Divan Orange 8PM 2 shows Sold Out
Dan : Plants and Animals is my second choice, but the show at the Divan Orange is sold out. There’s an incredible crowd, but I think it’s pretty cool. One of the things we tried to do for the festival was to play the nostalgia card a little. So we came up with the idea of bringing the Divan Orange back to life by recreating it. It was such an important institution, a mainstay of Montreal’s underground music scene. Plants and Animals hasn’t officially broken up, but the band hasn’t been active for quite some time. The members have other projects that are doing well, but… it was one of those bands that was inextricably linked to the Divan Orange. Warren Spicer, the singer, even worked there as a bartender! When I asked them to play, they told me it was the perfect scenario for a comeback. So we’re doing two concerts… both sold out.
Dan : CFCF, also known as Mike Silver, is an electronic music producer. He grew up in Montreal; he’s a NDG kid. Early in his career, he recorded a few tracks with Jean-Michel Blais. He lived in Los Angeles for a while, where he tried his hand at film production. Many others did the same, hoping to pursue careers in film and music composition. Many end up returning home. Now that he’s back in Montreal, he’s releasing a new album, L.U.V., which is really cool. It’s disco, kitsch, ranging from Balearic disco to drum ’n’ bass. As part of this same event, we’re presenting a reunion of the Peer Pressure DJs. Hailing from the Montreal scene of the 2000s, they’re back. Mike Silver isn’t part of the Peer Pressure DJs, but he often performed alongside the collective and has frequently DJed at their events. He’s part of the same extended family. Since we decided to bring back a few artists from that generation, it’s interesting to connect with the Montreal audience that remembers them and also to see that younger people are taking an interest.
