I'm going to start off this story with a bold statement: Pop Montreal is the best festival I have heard about all year. The city is beautiful, historic, and happenin', with a thriving music scene and enough Francophile splendor to make me wish I could afford to attend grad school again, this time in Canada. And the festival lineup and the activities surrounding it? Well, let's just say I am already trying to think of a good way to bring up taking time off of work at my new job. Of course, since I'm being bold with my statements, I might as well be honest and admit that I wrote this story in hopes that in some way, somehow, it would convince a higher Pop Montreal power that they should extend a li'l financial assistance in the form of a press pass my way. Yes! This is a great idea, men and women of Pop Montreal! Just you wait and see!
And now without any further ado/self-promotion, let's discuss the incredible rating of this lineup. It's very high, due in no small measure to the selection of artists like Nick Cave, Burt Bacharach, Irma Thomas, Wire, Silver Apples, and The Persuasions. And there's more. In fact, there's -- ok, deep breath -- Dan Deacon, Hot Chip, Beach House, Black Kids, Dark Meat, You Say Party! We Say Die!, Crystal Castles, Vetiver, Cori Bishop (a.k.a. Elyse Weinberg), The Veils, Socalled, Evangelicals, Julie Doiron, United Steel Workers of Montreal, The Dodos, Cex, Liam Finn, Jason Collett, Wintersleep, Headlights, Playdoe, Dabaaz, Kim, Eric Bélanger, Great Lake Swimmers, St Catherines, Thomas Function, Chad Van Gaalen, Wedding Present, Dominique Grange & Jacques Tardi, Katie Moore, Jana Hunter, Woodhands, Sam Shalabi, Gatineau, Chocolat, Teeth Mountain, Teki Latex, D'Urbervilles, Michie Mee and T. Raumschmiere.
But like any good festival worth its salt, Pop Montreal is not just about booking my personal favorite bands. There's more! There are also Kids Pop, where artists and young'ns can explore the cultural richness of Montreal's arts scene through workshops, demonstrations, and shows. Another exciting portion of the festival is Puces Pop, a sort of hats-off to creating stuff independently. You'll find a craft market, workshops on arts and crafts, a fashion show, and a short seminar on business skills for those of us who are self-employed or who want to be. All this, plus a gear swap and record show! The list goes on with the addition of Art Pop, a celebration of the visual arts that promises vandalism, activism, and -- what I'm really excited about -- cute kitties. There's also the symposium section of Pop Montreal called Talk Music to Me!, with artist-driven talks, interviews, workshops, and more. And Film Pop has Vincent Moon presenting his thoughts on All Tomorrow's Parties, workshops on writing music for films, and -- yes, you guessed it -- more. Last but surely not least, you can catch original commissioned pieces from composers like Socalled, performed live in porn theatre Cinéma L'Amour.
At last now, I will stop drooling over your amazingly sexy festival, Pop Montreal organizers, and let readers know the low-down on attending. Ticket prices are in Candian dollars and are as follows:
Early Bird tickets until August 31st : $175+tx
After August 31st : $225+tx
After September 30th : $275+tx
Pop Pass : $70+tx
You can also get tickets for individual shows. Visit Pop Montreal for more.
