SWEET SOUNDS
Shows warm up cold nights
Here are a few selections from the music portion of this year’s Montréal en lumière festival, which runs from Feb. 19 to March 1. This year’s edition promises the usual mix of adult- oriented locals and international acts.
Theophilus London:
A New Yorkbased electro soul and hip hop jack of all trades perhaps better known for his associations ( most notably Kanye West) than his own output. Full of New York ’ 80s chic, his latest album, Vibes, features not only West in an executive producer role, but Motown legend Leon Ware as well. Feb. 19, 9 p. m., Le Belmont, $ 25
Bastian Baker:
He’s the son of a hockey player, was a coach on the Belgian version of La Voix and could be considered a poppier alternative to similarly alliterative local darling Bobby Bazini. Based on that info, it’s easy to envision the 23- year- old Swiss songwriter becoming a new Montreal favourite. Feb. 20, 8 p. m., Maison du Festival Rio Tinto Alcan - L’Astral, $ 27.55
Dan Mangan + Blacksmith with Hayden and Astral Swans:
Club Meds is one of the more shocking albums to emerge so far this year. The Vancouverite’s earlier energetic indie- rock releases were very much of their time, but with maturity has come a darker outlook and more disruptive arrangements. Feb. 21, 8 p. m., Corona Theatre, $ 35.65
Jay- Jay Johanson:
The Swedish songwriter never stopped making music, although it’s his late ’ 90s and early 2000s work that shaped a generation of his countrymen, from the lovelorn Peter, Bjorn and John to iconoclasts The Knife. Johanson’s trip- hop sounds have aged exceptionally well. Feb. 21- 22, 8 p. m., Le Gesù, first show: $ 33$ 38.55, second show: $ 35-$ 41.35
Mara Tremblay with Catherine Leduc:
One of Quebec’s most fiercely independent auteurs returned in 2014 with À la manière des anges. Her humble folk and country origins barely factor into the more ambitious studio- rock sound of her latest release. Feb. 24, 8 p. m., Club Soda, $ 34
Guillaume Beauregard:
The solo excursions of the Vulgaires Machins frontman couldn’t be more different from his sneering punk rock band’s early 2000s heyday, when their videos were in heavy rotation on Musique Plus. His 2014 album, D’étoiles, de pluie et de cendres, falls more under folk- pop than punk. Feb. 25, 8 p. m., Le Gesù, $ 28-$ 33.55
Matt Schofield:
A decorated blues guitarist from the U. K. at the height of his powers. He holds the likes of B. B. King and Stevie Ray Vaughan in reverence, but he also has the chops to stand among the best of today’s bluesmen. Feb. 26, 8 p. m., Maison du Festival Rio Tinto Alcan - L’Astral, $ 31
Alejandra Ribera:
As enchanting as Ribera’s La Boca is, it’s hard to listen to it and not to be confused by her unexpected cover of The Proclaimers’ 500 Miles. By slowing the cheesy hit down to sultry speeds and sticking with her rich, adaptive vocals, the Montreal resident made it her own. Feb. 27, 8 p. m., Le Gesù, $ 33-$ 38.55
Betty Bonifassi:
Bonifassi has lent her voice to a number of interesting projects over the years — DJ Champion, Beast, The Triplets of Belleville — and her big, booming pipes can’t help but always stand out. Her latest project is a tribute to African- American songs from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Feb. 28, 8 p. m., Maison du Festival Rio Tinto Alcan - L’Astral, $ 34.55
Nuit Blanche on Feb. 28: In addition to Bonifassi’s Montréal en lumière appearance, the last day of the month is also Nuit Blanche. There are more than 200 activities happening on that night alone — many of them free and music- related — so consider this the wafer- thin Coles Notes. Ariane Moffatt & Friends are DJing outdoors at Place des Festivals. Poirier is hosting a rump-shaking Karnival party at Club Soda. Techno legend and Inner City mastermind Kevin Saunderson and others will be at Espace Réunion for an off- season MUTEK event. The Phi Centre will host electric pow wow trio A Tribe Called Red. Electropop group Le Couleur is launching a new EP with a cocktail party at Cinémathèque Québécoise.