It’s Sunday night and I don’t know how much energy I have to get through this. I like to think of it as an exercise in discipline, something I’ve been lacking in many areas of my life lately. But I thought I would write about a few of my favorite musical memories from the past year, like I usually do.

As many people who read this blog know, I moved to Montreal from Toronto this past spring.  As part of this change I noticed that I began going to shows that I would probably never would have in Toronto. Like Rancid, who played down at Metropolis, for example. I used to love Rancid but after And Out Came the Wolves, they became a little too ska for my tastes and I lost interest. I went to the first of two shows they played here probably because I was bored, not knowing very many people here and everything. But I enjoyed myself, and thought it was kinda funny that they played material mostly pulled from Let’s Go, and the aforementioned Wolves.

The first show I went to in Montreal was Les Breastfeeders at Le Divan Orange, which was a freakin blast. It’s a shame they aren’t well known in english Canada. They’d give all the other ’60s influenced rock n roll bands a run for their money.

Two other local shows that stood out for me was Bad Religion at Metropolis, which was, of course, awesome, and the Kelp Records showcase at Les 3 Minots during Pop Montreal. The big reason I went to this one was to see Camp Radio. I’m a fan of singer Chris Page’s solo work and his work with The Stand GT. See my article on Chris Page on the old Shred site here. A pleasant surprise was singer-songwriter Andrew Vincent. Although he had guitar troubles throughout his set, I was impressed by the quality of his songs and made a mental note to check his stuff out further. His voice reminds me of someone and it’s been driving me crazy who.

Just before I moved, I went with a friend to a criminally under-attended show with Seattle’s Cave Singers. “Helen” is one of the best songs I heard all year.

But when it comes down to it, there is nothing like a pure rock n roll show. The Drive By Truckers blew the roof of the Opera House back in March (I made a note of it here) and in September The Supersuckers destroyed the Horseshoe, playing the best set I’ve ever seen them play.