The scene was warm and inviting at Bar Le Ritz on Friday May 3rd for Mond’s Harvest Moon concert to raise funds for Refuge de Coeur de l’isle. Hosted by Eric Cohen and Jason Rockman who said “Montreal’s crème de la crème” was there and, he was right.
Brad Barr, Kandle, Joseph Edgar, Félix Dyotte, Félicity Hamer, Mat Joly, Joé Napoléon, Andre Papanicolaou, Maxime Archambault, James Correa, Trevor Anderson, Joseph Yarmush, Brad Gardner, Annie Carpentier and Roy Vucino.
We got there at 7:30 expecting the show to begin at 8:00 but it actually started at 8:45. First up was one of my favourite indie rockers, who did a really fun cover of “Only Happy When it Rains” (Garbage). Kandle immediately lifted my spirits and by the sound of the crowd, I wasn’t the only one.
It felt more like a private party than it did a public event as most of the people knew each other, and the artists mingled with the fans.
The theme was 90s, so the musicians chose from a diverse range of songs from that decade. Some of my highlights were Andre Papanicolou’s fantastic cover of Mary Jane’s Last Dance (Tom Petty), Max Archambault’s Personal Jesus (Depeche Mode) which brought up the energy and James Correa’s No Rain (Blind Melon)
Kandle returned halfway through the first set and performed She-la (54-40), admitting that she had never done it before. And it sounded pretty damn good.
Closing the second set was Brad Barr, who very fittingly chose Neil Young’s Harvest Moon. Any chance to see Brad perform in a small venue is always a treat.
So by this time, it was midnight and I thought the show was over until Jason told me there was a third set. Unfortunately, I had to leave but for those who remained, 25$ to see some of Montreal‘s best artists play for four hours is a lot of bang for your buck. If you ever get the chance, don’t miss Mond’s events. You’re not just enjoying a great show but contributing to a worthy cause. And you get to hang out with some really cool people who care about their community and helping those in need.
MOND’s mission is to gather and collaborate with multidisciplinary artists, local businesses, and nonprofit organizations in order to provide support to the community.
- ONLY HAPPY WHEN IT RAINS : KANDLE
- FELL ON BLACK DAYS : JAMES CORREA
- PICTURES OF YOU : TREVOR ANDERSON
- LA NUIT JE MENS: FÉLIX DYOTTE
- NUTSHELL : MAT JOLY
- MARY JANE’S LAST DANCE : ANDRE PAPANICOLAOU
- PERSONAL JESUS : MAX ARCHAMBAULT
- SAY IT AIN’T SO : BRAD GARDNER
- PARANOID ANDROID : JOÉ NAPOLÉON
- SOMETHING IN THE WAY : KANDLE
- SHE-LA : KANDLE
- WOULD? : MAT JOLY
- ZERO: MAX ARCHAMBAULT
- NOTHING COMPARES TO YOU : FELICITY HAMER
- PENDANT QUE LES CHAMPS BRÜLENT : FÉLIX DYOTTE
- NO RAIN : JAMES CORREA
- GRACE, TOO : GEORGE DONOSO
- YOU ARE A LIGHT: BRAD BARR
- HARVEST MOON : BRAD BARR
- FAIRE DES ENFANTS: JOSEPH EDGAR
- WICKED GAME: KEVIN LAING
- LINGER: FELICITY HAMER
- IWANNA BE ADORED: TREVOR ANDERSON
- GLORY BOX: ALEXIANE MONTPETIT
- BIG BANG BABY: MAT JOLY
- JUST: MAT JOLY
- MONKEY GONE TO HEAVEN: ANDRE PAPANICOLAOU
- LOVE BUZZ: MAX ARCHAMBAULT
Review – Annette Aghazarian
Photos – Ryan Rumpel
