ontreal is a busy place. With restaurants and bars opening and closing every day, concerts being performed nonstop, and news developing faster than it can be reported, it's hard to stay afloat. You need a guide. Martiniboys is here to help. Keeping our ears to the ground and our eyes to the blogs, we've collected all the hot buzz that you need to stay informed about your fair city. Whether it be a hot new band or a shocking political scandal, you'll find it here. There's no need to thank us, we're just doing our jobs. Okay, you can thank us.



It's hard to overlook the fact that Montreal is a fantastic music city. But with all the renowned international acts constantly filtering into the city, it's easy to forget that Montreal has a vital local music scene. The first annual PennyFest celebrates local musicians and presents them to the paying masses. The genres range from folk to pop to country with acts such as Courtney Wing, HuDost, Katie Moore, and Echo Hunters. But the real draw is Penny Lang, the folk singer-songwriter legend from whom the festival gets its name. She will headline all three days and bring in folkies from around the city and beyond. The festival takes place from tonight until Saturday at Centre St-Ambroise.





David Berman, after years of trying, finally seems to have shed the notion that Silver Jews are a Pavement side project. It might have something to do with the fact that Stephen Malkmus is no longer contributing to the band and Pavement broke up nearly 10 years ago, but it's still about damn time. Of course, it may also be due to Berman's growing reputation in his own right. His idiosyncratic vocal delivery and clever sardonic lyrics, which are so good as to have been often compared to Bob Dylan, have made him somewhat of a cult figure amongst indie rock fans. He's a reluctant live performer (as a musician, not a poet), so you should take any chance you have to see the Silver Jews live. Tonight is your chance. They're playing at La Sala Rossa





The first thing that anyone ever notices about this band is the name, Does It Offend You, Yeah?. Some people take it as a joke and some as an elaborate statement about the concept of censorship. But really it was just the first thing that was said on TV when they were deciding on a moniker (for those who are curious, it was uttered by Ricky Gervais on The Office). If you can get past the name, you'll be greeted by some catchy blog-approved electro-brit-rock. These guys are renowned for raucous live shows, so if you're on the fence based on their recorded output, go for the melee. The band plays tonight at Les Saints.





I wanted to re-imagine Shakespearean plays with robots, ideally staging them under the stars: Robot Hamlet in the Park; Titus Roboticus; and Romeo and Juliet Electronic Boo-ga-loo. Naturally, some plot points would need alteration (i.e. Ophelia couldn’t drown, but she could rust or get electrocuted; hmmm?). Unfortunately, due to lack of interest, my dream is not going to become a reality. Though I can’t do robot plays in the park, I can do the robot while electronic music plays in the park. No, it’s not the same thing, but it is mildly compensatory. As Part of Monteal's stellar Piknik Electronik, MSTRKRFT will play at Parc Jean Drapeau this Monday night. It's like regular electronic music, but much more hip. Think Daft Punk filtered through an indie-kid sensibility. No word on whether the audience will dance or stand still with their arms crossed and nod their heads.





Quebec clothing line Djab is venturing out into multi-media land this weekend. In conjunction with the limited edition Djab Escape Artist streetwear collection, the company is releasing a CD called I See The Light, a compilation full of electronic heavy hitters (Chromeo, Crystal Castles, MSTRKRFT et al). To coincide with the release, both Montreal locations of The Maison Simons will be featuring in-store performances this Saturday from noon to 4 pm from top local DJs A-Rock, Hatchmatic, and DJ Ezekiel. Special windows will be installed on the outside of the stores, allowing passerbys with headphones to plug in and listen to the compilation. It's like we're living in the future!






Like John Williams' crew, but without the fake shark tunes - well, perhaps they're not all the much like John Williams et al. UK outfit, Cinematic Orchestra is a sight to behold. Don't expect your regular drums, guitar, and bass set-up. Instead you'll be treated to turntables, saxophone, trumpet, piano, double bass, and, ummm, guitar and drums. It's a combination of jazz and electronic music that I, for one, didn't think possible. Imagine John Coltrane performing with a DJ. Does that really sound like something you'd want to miss? Cinematic Orchestra play Saturday at Club Soda.





26 year old Thomas Bartlett, a.k.a Doveman, has consistently stayed out of the spotlight despite being one of New York's most in-demand session keyboard players, touring with artists such as Glen Hansard, Martha Wainwright, David Byrne, The National, and Yoko Ono. Now Bartlett has stepped firmly into the frontman position with his sensitive recreation of the entire soundtrack to Footloose. If you've ever wondered what Footloose would sound like if it were performed by Bon Iver, you should check out this show Tuesday at La Sala Rossa.





Some events as soon as you hear them just sound cool. For some (mainly the geeky), Pointe-à-Callière Museum's 18th-century public market is one of those events. The market at Place Royale, the exact location of Montreal's first public market, turns Old Montreal into a bustling period piece. Expect street performers, arts and crafts, and food to crowd the streets, as well as over 100 period figures and two military regiments. There's also a tribute to Samuel de Champlain. Needless to say, they've gone all out for this thing. The event takes place Saturday and Sunday.





It's Film Festival season, and Montreal has a big one. The Montreal World Film Festival which starts tomorrow, continues the focus on world cinema and emerging talent. After surviving its almost untimely demise at the tender age of 30, the Montreal World Film Festival (FFM) lives, and is arguably stronger than ever. Vive le FFM libre! Unlike the high-profile Toronto International Film Festival, FFM hardly includes any Hollywood films, so take your Oscar buzz elsewhere, pal. But that’s not to say this festival does not include some very prestigious and important films. Far from it. This years sure-to-be-highlights include Paris 36, Ce qu'il faut pur vivre, and Nowhere Man. But it all starts off with a screening of the 1981 classic Chariots of Fire. Go if you can.





These Australian rockers are primed and ready to get people into the spirit. The band proved in their Montreal debut last April that they know how to get a crowd moving and on their feet. A lot of it has to do with rocking out with their proverbial cocks out. Shunning new and cutting-edge sounds, Airbourne instead go for the method tried and perfected by AC/DC: get some heavy riffs, a good song formula, some guitar solos, and people will respond (especially if they've had 6 or 7 beers). The band will attempt to bring down the walls Thursday at Le National.





It may be one of the seven deadly sins, but Montrealers will be flouting it all weekend: pride. It's that time of year again: Gay Pride Weekend. All sorts of flamboyant events take place from tonight until Sunday - celebrations in clubs and bars, gay theatre, street parties – but it's all about the main event, the Pride Parade. The theme this year is "Here comes the circus!" which I imagine will reimagine tightrope walking, trapeze, and clowns in ways that you would have never considered as a child. It all starts at the corner of Lorimier Avenue and René-Lévesque Boulevard and continues to travel west through the Village. Get out there and flaunt your pride, lust, envy, and possibly greed.





It's a Wednesday. There's not much going on in the way of nightlife and the only major concert in town is Rod Stewart. Why not take the opportunity to do something for the kids? They don't even have to be your kids; just grab some kids and take them to the International Balloon Festival of Saint-Jean-sur- Richelieu. The event's popularity has risen steadily (no pun intended) since its inception in the '80s, now attracting over 350,000 visitors per year. The 115 hot air balloons come in all shapes and sizes, including balloons modeled on cartoon characters and the fleur-de-lis. You've even got people in jet packs (that should be the selling point). The festival continues until August 17, but tonight's festivities include a performance by folk-rockers (and Neil Young apers) America.





These legendary heavy metal pioneers have been through a lot. From lead singer Rob Halford's public revelation of his homosexuality to unfortunate experimentation with synth-guitars, Judas Priest knows what its like to stay in the spotlight. Their most noticeable public occurrence, though, had to have been their 1990 trial alleging that their song "Better By You, Better By Me" contained a subliminal message that caused two teenagers to attempt suicide. The ridiculous part: the song was a cover. With the original lineup back in tow, Priest continues to find ways to stay relevant. Nearly 40 years since their original formation, they've released their most ambitious album yet, a concept album called Nostrodamus about the 16th century prophet. You'd better believe they'll have something in store for their concert at the Bell Centre tonight.







I'm going to give you a quick hip hop lesson. There are four elements of hip hop: BBoying, MCing, DJing, and Graffiti. The Under Pressure International Graffiti Convention displays all four, although obviously the focus is on the latter. Taking place this Saturday and Sunday, the festival takes it to the streets with a full weekend of DJs, breakdancing, spectacle, and street art. Over 100 artists are put into action and on display in order to educate and entertain both the public and city officials (who just launched an anti-graffiti campaign). Playing the outdoor stage are Hopskotch Players, Kid PQ, Candy Coated Killahz, Hardsteppers, Northern Lights and about 90,000 others who I won't mention. Most of the festival is free and outdoors. Not a bad way to spend a summer weekend if you ask me.





Radiohead are quite possibly the biggest musical act in the world right now; bigger than Coldplay, bigger than U2, even bigger than Neil Diamond. Every time this band puts out a record it's an event. Take their latest album, In Rainbows as an example. When Radiohead decided to allow fans to pick their own price it sparked a media shitstorm. It even added a new phrase to our modern vernacular: "The Radiohead Model". That just wouldn't happen if it were, say, The Pussycat Dolls. But there's good reason for all of the attention; I would argue (with the exception of Amnesiac) that every successive Radiohead album has been better than the last. Not only that, but their live show is supposedly legendary. Personally, I wouldn't know since I was unable to score tickets. If you have tickets to their concert tonight at Parc Jean-Drapeau, colour yourself lucky. This'll be one you can impress your future children with.





The long weekend is over, but that doesn’t mean the partying has to stop. Montreal music lovers have two choices for tonight as two high-profile veteran groups roll into town. The only thing is, they're on opposite sides of the spectrum. Back in the mid-to-late nineties, The Backstreet Boys used their squeaky-clean image to charm millions of tweens and their mothers worldwide. Now that they've returned, those same tweens are now in their twenties (not to mention their mothers, who are considerably older), but they still generate a lot of ticket sales from nostalgia. Unfortunately, I don't know if they're making many new fans. Tonight they play the Bell Centre. The polar opposite of the Backstreet Men are Rancid, who will play Metropolis tonight. The legendary ska-punkers also have the nostalgia factor going for them as one of the bands (along with Green Day and the Offspring) to catapult punk rock into the mainstream back in the mid nineties. Take your pick Montreal. I won't judge.





Once summer (a.k.a. festival season) comes along, you tend to feel very grateful for living in La Métropole. I don't know what it is about Montreal, but the city has a real faculty for attracting fantastic bands. Not only do you have big names like Radiohead, Beck and Feist coming to town, but you've also got two top notch summer festivals to choose from in Pop Montreal and Osheaga. Where Pop Montreal takes the form of a venue crawl, Osheaga is more of a standard outdoor festival. Taking place this Sunday and Monday at Parc Jean-Drapeau on Saint Hélène Island (NASCAR has got Saturday locked up), the lineup reads like a who's who of current bands. The headliners of the two days, The Killers and Jack Johnson, leave something to be desired, but nearly everything underneath is top notch talent. From seasoned veterans like Iggy and the Stooges, Cat Power and Broken Social Scene to up and comers like Plants and Animals, Chromeo and MGMT, it's just quality from start to finish. Also be sure to catch the Black Keys, Spiritualized, Gogol Bordello, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, Jamie Lidell and the Weakerthans. And there's plenty more where that came from. Full Story





If you're not a fan, then women's tennis may only bring to mind Anna Kournikova and grunting (although you may be thinking about those things anyway). But in reality, it's much more than that. Tennis is one of the few sports where men's and women's competition is actually treated with the same amount of attention since they play at a very similar level. And today's Rogers Cup action at Uniprix Stadium brings together some of the best players in the world. If you haven't been yet, today's definitely a good day. Tournament favourite Ana Ivonovic will play 18 year-old Czech Petra Kvitova in the afternoon, but it’s the evening session that is studded with stars. Three-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova, faces off against Marta Domachowska for only the second time ever and Quebec's own Aleksandra Wozniak takes on the number 2 seed, "Weird" Jelena Jankovic. I know that's a lot of Slavic names flying at you all at once, but believe me when I say that most of them are the best in the world.





It's a good time to be queer in Montreal. This week, there's not one, but two GLBTQ arts festivals to choose from. Divers/Cité, with its bilingually punning moniker, has already established itself as a premiere gay destination. Billing itself as a plouridisciplinary arts festival, Divers/Cité celebrates diversity with a series of art, dance, film and music events. Inevitably, though, the dominance of this festival has led to charges of corporate captivity, in particular by an oppositional group named Pervers/Cité. Opposing the exorbitant entrance fees and diminished liberation of Divers/Cité, Pervers/Cité presents a similar series of events, but cheaper and with a more radical bent. It's your choice, Montreal. For tonight Divers/Cité offers you Boulevard des Rêves, a collection of some of Quebec's best female vocal talents. On the docket for Pervers/Cité is the QPIRG Radical Summer Film Screening of Young Soul Rebels, an examination of youth cultural movements in 1970's Britain. It's your choice, Montreal.





With six Apple Stores already in Canada, Montrealers have been asking "where's ours?" (or possibly "où est nôtres?"). Mac enthusiasts will now have a chance to celebrate, as a new Apple Store opens its doors. The flagship store will be located at 1321 Sainte-Catherine Street and will offer Montreal residents a chance to overpay for iPhones. The store officially opens its doors at 5:00 PM Friday evening and will offer the first 1000 visitors free Apple T-Shirts (and themselves free corporate branding). Abandoning the trademark stainless steel, Apple is trying something new with the design of this store, opting instead for stone and glass. Mac-heads have a new haven in Montreal. Score one for Steve Jobs.





Since Montreal is such a musical Mecca, there is a lot of competition for the title of best music festival. My vote goes to Pop Montreal. With more than 200 acts playing in over 20 venues, the festival isn't only a chance to check out some fantastic artists, but also a chance to see the city transformed into a giant drunken club-hopping celebration. Of course, with a combination of emerging artists and well-established powerhouses, the music ain't bad either. This year's line-up has just been announced, and it's definitely nothing to scoff at. Leading the list of established elite are freak-rockers Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, avant-punkers Wire, and songwriter extraordinaire Burt Bacharach. That's a tough bill for the young whippersnappers to top, but this is Montreal; they'll certainly try. Jason Collett, Crystal Castles, the Black Lips, Julie Doiron, Wintersleep, Woodhands, Dan Deacon, Great Lake Swimmers, and You Say Party! We Say Die! aren't a bad start (understatement of the year). If you don't go to at least one show, you should be forced to move. I hear Saskatoon has got some space.