Dungen, Man Man, Excepter Play Montreal Fest

Yup, Liberation with a capital "L." Why? Because ain't no power like the power of the people, cause the power of the people don't stop. Duh. Or, as festival founder Mauro Pezzente expounds, "Liberation music is inspired by freedom of expression, improvisation, and sonic exploration...given the context in which much of this music is made and the reaction it provokes, it is also music that resonates with progressive social movements." The chant is catchier.

Among the many artists in all sizes and shapes of free jazz, avant rock, noise, and experimental electronics, highlights include Chicago's Ken Vandermark with his trios Cinc. and the Free Music Ensemble, Joe McPhee, Man Man, Excepter, Black Heart Procession, Dungen, Bardo Pond, Pink Mountaintops, Josephine Foster, Jack Rose, Don Caballero, the Flying Luttenbachers, A Silver Mount Zion, Japanese guitarist Tetuzi Akiyama, NYC composer Charlemagne Palestine, and the one and only Sun Ra Arkestra. Sun Ra the Man himself has interplanetary shit to attend to so he won't be able to make it, but original member Marshall Allen will be along for the ride.

The fest will also feature the Alhan el-Aalam (Melodies of the World) Music and Culture Series highlighting music from the Middle East. Performing in the series will be Iraqi-Canadian hip-hop artist Narcy of Euphrates, the Lebanese post-rock band Scrambled Eggs, and the Black Ox Orkestar, a neo-Klezmer band on Constellation Records. Is this the point where Benetton steps in with a new ad campaign for peace in the Middle East? The festival is presenting the series to address "the climate of fear and misunderstanding [that] has been created between mainstream Canadian society and its Arab and Middle Eastern communities." I mean, fine, if you want to be all nice and awareness-promoting about it. Maybe racial profiling and detainment in the U.S. could use that kind of face lift. You're such a do-gooder, Canadia.

Suoni Per Il Popolo, in collaboration with Arthur Magazine, will release a CD compilation featuring festival artists such as Cinc, Triple Burner, AIDS Wolf, Thames, Dragons 1976, Excepter, Trio X, Tetuzi Akiyama, Diane Cluck, Wharton Tiers, Avia Gardner, and Creeping Nobodies.

Other events at the festival will include the Tools of the Trade workshop series for young musicians, with instruction from festival artists such as Ken Vandermark, Paal Nilssen-Love, and the Sun Ra Arkestra. Space is the place, kids! For a full schedule with all performing artists, as well as ticket prices, visit the event's web site.