Music Mondays - Alex Cartier of Prevenge

Easily one of my favourite records of last year. Excellent and incredibly catchy pop-punk jams about living in a bullshit town and realizing that, deep down, every town is just another bullshit town. It's got a nice little East Bay/Gilman/Crimpshrine/Cometbus influence that I might be alone in hearing, but fuck it. The point is that this record is fantastic. I feel very lucky to count Matt, Mikey and Wes as friends, and it's always a joy to get to see them play.

Local up-and-comers. My friends Erin and Giancarlo have been trying to get this band off the ground for a while, and I'm glad they did. This demo is great. Emotive without being lame, poppy without being grating. Just a couple of total babes laying down the sweetest harmonies and catchiest choruses on the island of Montreal. Get into it.

I know, I know: it's on the same weekend as Krazy Fest. But if you make the choice to come out to sunny Montreal, Quebec, you won't be disappointed. The line-up is spectacular: Lifetime(!!!), Dear Landlord, RVIVR, the Queers, Sister Kisser, Mockingbird Wish Me Luck, Junior Battles and many more. It's going to be a beer and gravy soaked weekend of fun and I can't wait.

I don't know if this is true for all Canadian punk kids who came of age in the nineties, but my major cultural touchpoints weren't really all that punk. In fact, my major musical influence during that period was the first two Big Shiny Tunes compilations from MuchMusic. It was a golden period for Canadian alternative rock, and it produced a lot of great bands. Limblifter were my favourite. I've probably watched this music video more than any other in my lifetime (Green Day's "Brain Stew" video is a close second).