Montreal music scene uneasy in spotlight

updated 5:49 p.m. ET July 28, 2005

MONTREAL - To find the heart and soul of the Montreal music scene on a recent evening, all one had to do was head to the Mile End neighborhood, walk into a quaint coffee shop and pop into the intimate back room.

About 11 p.m., Former Hot Hot Heat member Dante DeCaro stepped up to the mic at Pharmacie Esperanza. With his guitar slung over one shoulder and harmonica fastened around his neck, DeCaro projected a voice that sounded like pure Dylan — whiny, melodic, captivating.

Standing around were many of DeCaro's friends and fans, including Nick Robinson, an organizer of the influential Pop Montreal International Music Festival; Olga Goreas of the experimental ambient group Besnard Lakes; Nick Diamonds and Jamie Thompson from the now-defunct, once-hopeful Unicorns; and electronic artist Tim Hecker, also known as the techno rebel Jetone. Backing DeCaro on drums was Arlen Thompson of the indie buzz group Wolf Parade, which is scheduled to drop its Sub Pop Records debut, "Apologies to the Queen Mary," in September.

In many cities, this would qualify as a see-and-be-seen crowd. But in Montreal, it's the status quo. This is one cosmopolitan city where celebrity and pretense don't exist — just a strong community of musicians and artists dedicated to their craft.

They don't necessarily need approval from the outside world, despite the onslaught of international media attention. But now that it has arrived — making Montreal a successor to former musical "hotbeds" like Seattle; Austin, Texas; Omaha, Neb.; and the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn — many here have mixed feelings.

"There is a kind of knee-jerk fear reaction among certain people that this is all bad that people are going to come here and rape and pillage the pure underground scene," said Dan Seligman, co-founder and creative director of Pop Montreal.

Just trying to do their thing
"If the attention goes away, then A&R people ("artist and repertoire" executives from music labels) won't swoop in, allowing bands to grow in the proper fashion," said Pop Montreal's Robinson. "We're just musicians trying to do our own thing. Then we got thrust into the spotlight — we banded together to protect ourselves."

Ian Barrett / AP Ludovic Jean-Louis of Dre-D performs at Le Divan Orange nightclub in Montreal on July 15. Montreal musicians don't necessarily need approval from the outside world — despite the onslaught of international media attention over the last six months.

Protection from what, exactly, is unclear. Protection from allowing clever musicians and talented artists to gain more attention than if the media hadn't started poking around? Protection from letting some of the quality music get out?

"I don't agree with wanting (the spotlight) to go away," said Gary Worsley, co-owner of Montreal-based indie label Alien8 Recordings, which has put out albums by the Unicorns, Merzbow and Kiss Me Deadly, which recently toured with uber-hot group Bloc Party. "It's good for the city. Bands like Pony Up have been able to get a lot of hype on one EP, which would not have happened if we didn't have this attention."

What initially brought on this attention can be pegged, in part, to the explosion of one group: the Arcade Fire.

Arcade Fire fuels spotlight
Last fall, indie music fans and bloggers sent the Arcade Fire's MP3s around the Internet at breakneck speed. Eventually the band shipped 220,000 copies of its debut, "Funeral," on independent label Merge Records — something fairly uncommon for an indie release without a large distribution partner. This prompted media outlets like Rolling Stone to dub Montreal the "next big scene."

But years before the Arcade Fire blew up, many bands were already creating a stir up north. In the mid-1990s, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, an experimental post-rock orchestra, gained international prominence without major label backing, and enjoyed some financial success.

Where Godspeed's members could have taken their money and ran, they chose to remain immersed in Montreal's music community.

"People reinvested themselves and their money into studios and opened clubs and cafes that gave back to the artists and the community," Seligman said. "The idea of reinvesting your cultural enterprises into the city is important."

Godspeed guitarist and current A Silver Mt. Zion member Efrim Menuck, along with local producer Howard Bilerman and Godspeed member Thierry Amar, opened the influential Hotel2Tango recording studio, where the likes of Wolf Parade, Arcade Fire, the Dears, all-girl rock outfit Pony Up! and the psychedelic noise-rock group Et Sans have all laid down tracks.

Godspeed bassist Mauro Pezzente and his girlfriend/partner Kiva Stimac gave those artists a few venues to put on shows. The pair run three newer music venues in the now-trendy Plateau Mont-Royal area — Casa Del Popolo, El Salon and Sala Rossa — that also double as either a bar, restaurant or cafe.

"When I first moved here, there were only like three venues to play in," said Jonathan Cummins, founder of the hard rock band Bionic and a Montreal Mirror columnist. "Today there are so many venues, you can see five different shows a night."

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