“Band + Poetry” Happy Hours

It was in 2006 that Samian, the politically engaged Métis who raps in Algonquin, met Anodajay, the rapper from the Abitibi forest and proud representative of a culture and a territory. In cuttingly precise lines, Samian talks about identity, his message that of a Nation having trouble making itself heard. Together, they are luminous proof that hip-hop transcends the urban scene.

The singer-songwriter-trombonist serves up his own special brand of minimalist jazz with the Benoît Paradis Trio. With virtuosic ease, his comic-book songs portray everyday Montreal in a slightly off-kilter (and often funny) light, a mix of insanity and sensitivity. Slammer Queen KA adds her unique persona and poetic verve.

Keith Kouna is the singer-songwriter from the now defunct cult band Les Goules. His first solo album, Les Années Monsieur, features an ethanol-fuelled world of growly, acrobatic, candidly lucid poetry. In this show, he joins writer and consummate performer J-F No. Two bad boys whose poetry will bludgeon the stage.

Inspired by Zydeco, country, blues, ragtime, bluegrass and garage rock, with compositions that are truly Québécois, Canailles is seven self-taught hyperactive musicians with degrees in whiskey-soaked nights. Their guest is writer Maxime Catellier who shares their love for a raw acoustic sound everyone wants to listen to.

Although influenced by traditional old-time tunes, Lake of Stew are all about graffiti, meeting the Dalai Lama, the state of the healthcare system, pies, and the town of Châteauguay. The acoustic sextet from Montreal asked poet Paula Belina to join them in this repertoire of waltzes, call-and-response songs and boogie-woogie!

Navet Confit (Turnip Confit) is a phlegmatic boy-vampire who likes to surprise, whisking us off to a surreal world where anything can happen. He has fun reinterpreting himself (an open book!), readings seasoned with abstract visuals to make sure everyone stays confused. His guest is novelist, short story writer and journalist Marie Hélène Poitras.

A quartet of false poets and Russian musicians, moving with the dainty slowness of cosmonauts. Or, the unexpected encounter of sound-voice poetry adepts Sebastian Dicenaire and Vincent Tholomé (Belgium) with musicians Guido Del Fabbro and Guillaume Soucy (Quebec). An eclectic, experimental rendez-vous.

They astounded us in 2009 with a mix of pared-down folk/country imagery and lyrics. Avec pas d’casque prefers a homemade, DIY approach. Their partnership with actor-performer JF Nadeau feels as natural as a gift from heaven.