Amy Millan @ Pop Montreal (Photo Credit: Ming Wu)

In the spirit of fall and that new crispiness in the air, one lamb made her way to La Belle Province to meet up with another lamb in Montreal for a week of music and mayhem.

To begin, the Pop Montreal International Music Festival (September 30-October 4) is bicycle and people friendly, which is apparent from the incredible number of bicycles touring the convenient bike paths of Montreal and lining the fences outside of venues.

As a fresh start to the evening, a cycle tour up Rue St. Urbain to visit the locally renowned Croissanterie Figaro located at Hutchison and Fairmount in Outremont seemed in order. Incidentally, this special snack stop is located directly across the street from the Ukranian Federation, one of the many venues used for Pop Montreal and particularly for the showcase featuring Amy Millan that evening. Also nearby was an art exhibit based on Charles Spearin’s (of Broken Social Scene and Do Make Say Think fame) recent release entitled The Happiness Project. If you haven’t already checked out the album, it is a series of spoken word tracks—derived from informal interviews with Spearin’s neighbours surrounding the subject of happiness—over which musical melodies have been added to accompany the natural cadence of the voices. The exhibit is open for the entirety of the festival with cookies and warm smiles to welcome all that enter, so be sure to stop by if you’re in the area.

The Ukrainian Federation, at first peek through the doors, seems more like a place where you might watch your little sister’s Christmas pageant than see a concert. As the opening act for the evening took the stage, however,  it was quickly made apparent that the whimsical backdrop of clouds and rolling hills combined with the impeccable sound of the venue were perfectly suited to the type of music we were about to hear.

My People Sleeping is a psychedelic pop quartet whose ambient boy-girl harmonies immediately lulled the room into a state of relaxation. Using voice as an instrument among the keyboards, electric guitar, bass, and drums, the band weaved some amazing sound landscapes. Although the stage was slightly elevated, making performer-audience interaction a bit difficult, the band bridged the gap by kindly sharing their cherry-flavoured Fisherman’s Friends with anyone suffering from a scratchy throat. Sadly though, no merchandise was for sale at the show. My Sleeping People if you’re reading this, we want to give your our money!

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/mypeoplesleeping

Next up on the bill was Bahamas a.k.a Afie Jurvanen, whose one-man guitar act was fleshed out by the pleasing roll of a percussionist. Jurvanen has toured with the likes of (the now disbanded) Paso Mino, Great Lake Swimmers, The Stills, Howie Beck, Amy Millan, Jason Collett, Hayden, and Zeus. Bahamas delivered a more lively performance than the preceding act, waking up the audience and getting some foot tapping action going. Jurvanen’s hilarious banter was complimented by rockin’ dance moves and a magnificent moustache. Tracks that may have seemed less energetic recorded were much more enjoyable in a live setting. Songs like “Hockey Teeth”—written about make-out mishaps with a beautiful woman (Feist!?!)—warmed and readied the room perfectly for the headlining act of the evening.

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/bahamasbreeze

After getting a chance to briefly chat with Amy Millan at sound-check that afternoon we were very excited for her to take the stage. The venue was packed to the gills by the time Amy and her Secret Weapon (made up of Hot Butterscotch horn section and backing band, Tumbleweed) kicked off their set with an acappella duet between Amy and country musician extraordinaire Dan Whiteley. The gospel tune had more country twang than is present on both of Millan’s recorded albums put together. The song set a playful tone that was calmed to a peaceful smoulder with the next track and old favourite, “Losin’ You”.

Being the first show of the band’s North American tour in support of the new album Masters of the Burial, one can expect some performance rough patches. Some slight issues with band harmony (practice, practice, practice!) and mishaps seemed to culminate with the cover of Richard Hawley’s “Run for Me” as Amy blanked on the lyrics and admitted some nervousness.

The audience, however, was hugely supportive and you could really feel the warm hometown love. After skipping the song and taking a brief time-out Amy was back on stage joking about her professionalism. Despite these endearing mishaps the through line of the performance was Amy’s voice and her charming banter which ranged from the glories of Jean Talon market, to biking in Montreal, to cooking eggplants. The rendition of “Old Perfume” (a Weeping Tile cover) and “Lost Compass” were also lovely! The track “Finish Line”, apparently the sister-song to Kevin Drew’s “Broke Me Up” from Spirit If…, was a crowd favourite.

Master’s of the Burial is an album for the twilight time; the space before sleep where thoughts are gentle and calm. The soft nuances of “Lost Compass”, a song actually recorded from the comfort of Amy’s bedroom, perfectly portrayed this feeling as the show came to a close, and heralded in the season of scarves, warm mittens, and cuddling.

Setlist:

Gospel Tune

Losin’ You

I Will Follow You Into The Dark

Towers

Ruby

Baby I

Hard Hearted

Come Home Loaded Roadie

Low Sail

Finish Line

Old Perfume

Skinny Boy

Bury This

Lost Compass

Run For Me (Take 1)

Day To Day

Run For Me (Take 2)

Bruised Ghosts

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/amymillan

After a fucking frette bicycle ride up the hills toward the North West part of Montreal, we found Bruce Peninsula holed up in a great – if a bit remote – little venue, the newly opened Il Motore. We were warmed up by the kick-ass four part harmonies and the incredible energy that emanated from this 8 piece supergroup – energy that seemed to lack a bit on their newly released album. Despite the restless drum thumping and loud guitars, the sound system was great and did not destroy our ears but successfully delivered the nuanced vocal performance that is the band’s forte.

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/brucepeninsula

Our adventures have left us inspired and excited for a new day of popping around. We’ve even made ourselves some delicious eggplant pizza for the journey.

Bagels and fun times,

Leah and Christine