Also Cool's FME 20th Anniversary Top Picks: Round One

 

Elizabete Balčus by Zane Zelmene

Once again, we’re packing up and heading to Rouyn-Noranda over the Labour Day long weekend to hit FME in Abitibi-Témiscamingue! The jam-packed four-day festival never disappoints, and this year’s lineup in celebration of its 20th anniversary is stacked with familiar favourites and new must-see acts for us here at Also Cool (and maybe you, too!) Get a taste for the artists we’ll be catching this weekend in the first edition of our FME 20th Anniversary Top Picks below!

Mitch Davis by Richmond Lam

Mitch Davis 

Montreal producer and multi-instrumentalist Mitch Davis boasts a smooth take on indie rock that we’re excited to hear in a live context for the first time! We became acquainted with Davis’ sunny breakup songs over the pandemic, and have been hooked on his Easter egg-laden jams ever since. In our recent interview with Davis, we entertained touring his debut LP The Haunt with a full band, so it feels full circle to have this long-anticipated set on our list.

Mitch Davis plays Café L’Abstracto on Sunday, September 4th at 5PM. 

Mitch Davis

Instagram | Bandcamp

Alicia Clara by Tess Roby

Alicia Clara 

Dream-pop songstress Alicia Clara brings a delicate whimsy to her songwriting, refined on her brand new single “Only Fools Wish For Love”. The track invites anticipation for her next offering, her EP Velveteen, which arrives on October 28th via Hot Tramp. When guesting on our podcast Also Cool Sounds Like, Clara spoke to the isolation she was experiencing in contrast to the momentum of moving to Montreal from Switzerland. With a taste of what’s to come from Clara, we’re eager to hear new work from her at the festival. 

Alicia Clara plays Guinguette Chez Edmund - Scène Fonderie Horne on Sunday, September 4th at 2PM. 

Alicia Clara

Website | Instagram | Bandcamp

Elizabete Balčus by Zane Zelmene

Elizabete Balčus 

All the way from Rïga, Latvia, neo-psychedelic avant-gardist Elizabete Balčus weaves spectral vocals, flute and electronics into otherworldly sonic collages. We were introduced to Balčus’ Nina Hagen-meets-Björk compositions through our friends at Mothland and instantly fell in love with her surreal performance theatrics. Balčus plays FME hot on the heels of her upcoming album Hotel Universe, set to arrive September 16th via Mothland. We implore you to fall down the rabbit hole into Balčus’ fantastical daydream where she rules with innovative fascination. 

Elizabete Balčus plays the Videotron Stage - 200 Murdoch Avenue on Saturday, September 3rd at 8PM. 

Elizabete Balčus

Instagram | Bandcamp

Kee Avil by Lawrence Fafard

Kee Avil 

The brainchild of Montreal-based composer Vicky Mettler, Kee Avil combines guitar, voice and electronic production “to create songs that teeter on the edge of collapse while oozing forward, like sticky wax picking up and shedding disparate elements along the way.” Mettler’s intimate songcraft entrances listeners with whisper-like vocals and post-punk structures, transforming a space of any size into an immersive musical experience. Mettler’s striking stage presence struck a chord with us at the most recent edition of Ottawa-Hull’s PIQUE festival, making their debut LP Crease now a constant rotation. 

Kee Avil plays the Hub Desjardins - 218 Murdoch Avenue on Friday, September 2nd at 5PM. 

Kee Avil

Website | Instagram | Bandcamp

Sheenah Ko via Bandcamp

Sheenah Ko

Also a core member of Besnard Lakes, Montreal-based synth-pop artist Sheenah Ko’s work is “avant garde electronic pop for those who want to get into a trance, get into a vibe, get deep and get real”. We virtually co-presented Sheenah at Taverne Tour x Also Cool Present: Into the Matrix with Andy Jon and Sheenah Ko in early February of this year, and cannot wait to hear songs from her latest album Future is Now, released this past May.

Sheenah Ko plays Guinguette Chez Edmund - Scène Fonderie Horne on Friday, September 2nd at 9PM.

Sheenah Ko

Website | Instagram | Bandcamp

Grim Streaker via Mothland

Grim Streaker

Brooklyn’s Grim Streaker sport weirdo sing-talk rock that you cannot help but bop to. Their latest album MIND is described as “a surreal, subversive world of four songs that reflects on the current state of mental health, laughable social constructs and the inescapable working grind”. Grim Streaker, now signed to Mothland, have been making their way around the United States opening for acts like Idles and METZ.

Work for a dime/Get back in line/Zip up your mouth - MIND

Grim Streaker plays Cabaret de la Dernière Chance on Thursday, September 1st at 11:59PM.

Grim Streaker
Instagram | Bandcamp

Tamar Aphek by Rotem Lebel

Tamar Aphek

Israeli concert-pianist-turned-distortion-guitarist Tamar Aphek takes the stage at FME opening for Chad Vangaalen. She’s been a part of Israel’s underground scene for over a decade, known for asking her collaborators to “play as crazy as [they] can.”

Aphek thinks of her performances as plays or cinematic experiences and considers the characters and roles she and her bandmates play. In her song “All I Know”, she peels back so many layers of who they are and what the characters want that “eventually nobody knows who is who in the song.”

Tamar Aphek plays Scène Hydro Québec - 112 7e Rue on Friday, September 2nd at 9PM.

Tamar Aphek

Instagram | Bandcamp

FME

Website | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok


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Taverne Tour x Also Cool Present: Into the Matrix with Andy Jon and Sheenah Ko

 

Hey, you on the Internet, wanna go to a show? Why not take a trip with us into the Matrix with Also Cool and Taverne Tour!

From February 4th (that's today) to 5th 2022, Taverne Tour takes on the Internet void with an interactive and free festival spanning across every genre you could ever want. 

Festival-goers will be able to explore this vintage video game-inspired 2D model of La Grande Métropole, meeting up with friends at various Plateau venues and bars while catching virtual concerts.

Also Cool is proud to virtually co-present Sheenah Ko (The Besnard Lakes, Antoine Corriveau, Le Couleur) and trip hop singer-songwriter Andy Jon, hosted on Aire Ouverte

Andy will be performing at Baptiste on Friday at 8 pm, followed by Sheenah who starts at 8:30 at Le Verre Bouteille. Later that night, garage rock prodigy Gus Englehorn will perform songs found on his forthcoming album via Secret City at Taverne Saint-Sacrement, followed by enigmatic artist Julia Daigle (from electro-pop outfit Paupière) who sings a selection of tracks from her recent critically-acclaimed opus at Diving Bell.

Friday will also see the queen of underground hip-hop, Emma Beko, warm up audiences everywhere with a set at La Sala Rossa. In terms of high decibels, the programming features post-rock/krautrock armada, Atsuko Chiba, accompanied by real time projections by video artist Anthony Piazza, at Le Ministère, and to conclude this first night of broadcast, Toronto-based industrial trio, Odonis Odonis, performing titles from their latest release, Spectrums, at l’Escogriffe Bar Spectacle.

The first artist on Saturday night will be Hot Tramp signee, Alicia Clara, who will share with attendees her clever decoction of bedroom-pop at Diving Bell. Her concert starts at 8 pm. Fans of spitting will be able to catch rapper Skiifall, whose singular alloy of hip hop got him a record deal with prestigious label XL Recording (Radiohead, Tyler, the Creator, Kaytranada, etc.). He performs at 10pm at Belmont.

Also on Saturday, the curators offer an absolute treat for fans of heavy, experimental sounds as Montrealers thisquietarmy and Away (from Voïvod) present their new sci-fi drone metal project Thisquietarmy x Away at La Sala Rossa. The festival also presents “left field” artists N NAO (who also plays with Klô Pelgag and Laurence-Anne) and SEULEMENT (ex-Technical Kidman). The former picks from her ethereal pop repertoire, performing at Quai des Brumes, while the latter provides avant-garde electronic vibes at l’Escogriffe Bar Spectacle.

Last but not least, the fourth wall shall be broken when singer-songwriter Alias dishes out his incendiary and psychedelic take on rock’n’roll at Pub West Shefford, to be followed by neo-disco/rock band BPR a.k.a. Barry Paquin Roberge, an orchestra featuring members of Les Deuxluxes and Les Breastfeeders, who are tasked with closing out this 2022 edition at Le Ministère.

The complete programming, as well as links to all free virtual events and Aire Ouverte, are available via the festival's website: https://www.tavernetour.ca

See you in the Matrix!

Andy Jon I Sheenah Ko

Taverne Tour is first and foremost the result of a collaboration and synergy between local cultural event organizers and business owners of Plateau Mont-Royal. By programming up-and-coming as well as established artists from here and abroad, in the neighbourhood’s many cultural establishments and other unusual locations, this year again, the event maintains its primary mandate: to energize the Plateau musical scene. In light of the pandemic that struck the World in the early 20s, this edition of Taverne Tour is more than ever a must for the many communities and artists who reside in the neighbourhood. So it is with great enthusiasm that we unveil, in tandem with Aire Ouverte, this unique interactive edition of the event!


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