It was about 12 years ago, after a night of partying, the boys from Bran Van 3000 nicknamed Tony Almonte: Tony Montreal. They realized that his last name was one letter away from a clever anagram.
Fast forward the timeline, and I’m walking in the parking lot of Chateau St-Ambroise sporting my Bran Van 3000 t-shirt when I hear from one of the open windows: “Hey! That’s my band!”
We connected on Facebook, and years later, finally met in person at a charity event for Haiti called Les Enfants du Fendli.
WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW BELOW:
Bran Van 3000
How happy was Montreal to hear about the grand return of Bran Van 3000 at the Montreal International Jazz Festival, no less?
They played FEQ, a street party in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, as well as other festivals in Quebec & Ontario.
None was happier than Tony Montreal, except that he wasn’t on stage with his mates…he was barely struggling to attend on the sidelines.
2 years ago, after spending time at the cottage with the band, and upon James Di Salvio’s return from L.A., Tony broke the news about his condition to the band because “it was clear my health condition was not getting better.”
With back-to-back POP Montreal shows September 30th and October 1st, 2022 at Club Soda for the Last 25thAnniversary Tour, what promises to be a celebration among friends, is bittersweet for Tony, who doesn’t know if he has the capacity to attend.
Lyme Disease
Almost invisible to others but devastating to the one who is affected, Lyme disease is on the rise, and Quebec is in one of the highest zones of infection.
Tony can empathize with the recent high-profile case of Amélie, the daughter of Groupe Jean Coutu CEO Alain Champagne, who took her own life, according to her father.
This disease “essentially kidnapped” Amélie, her dad explained.
As we speak, Tony is having a good day, but his speech has a stutter, brought on by the neurological complications of the disease. It’s a “brutal, brutal viral attack. Lyme Disease is no joke. I’m still emotional about this young lady. This is the 5th suicide on Québec soil in the last 2 years” due to the effects of Lyme Disease.
The silver lining is that at least Lyme Disease is now better detected, as it was often ignored in the past.
For Amélie, the diagnosis finally came from testing in the U.S., after “years of medical malpractice” in Québec, which has a long way to go to recognize this as a real threat.
The provincial health care system was also not able to protect Amélieès mental health, as she had previously attempted suicide, only to be released and succeed.
Katherine Hanna of Bikini Kill bravely displayed the effects of Lyme Disease in her film The Punk Singer (watch the Trailer).
I remember watching her, seemingly almost black-out drunk, yet it was 100% the effects of Lyme Disease.
Hanna recommends watching Under Our Skin to better understand Lyme Disease.
Avril Lavigne also suffered. Speaking of the debilitating part of the disease, she admitted that she “accepted death.”
For Shania Twain, it was the fear that she would never sing again that she feared the most.
Justin Beiber said of his experience with Lyme disease: “It’s been a rough couple years.”
Lyme Disease Prevention
When is Lyme Disease the most prevalent?
“We’re right into it now.”
Tony’s advice:
- Stick to the trail if hiking in the woods
- Avoid areas that deer frequent, such as tall grass
- Wear your pants, preferably thick denim, inside your socks
- Wear a good boot
- Wear light-coloured socks to better spot a tick
- Tuck your shirt inside your jeans
- Wear a hoodie to protect your neck; light-coloured is preferable
- Spray insect repellant with at least 10% Deet, especially on socks
- If you have a pet, Tony recommends getting products from Atlantick
- Inspect your pets thoroughly with a comb
- Purchase a tick-removal kit for any pharmacy
- If you go for a walk, take your clothes off at the door, and place in the dryer for 10 minutes to kill anything on there.
Tony shared that ticks are crawlers. “They don’t jump, they don’t bounce…all they do is they crawl…and they’re really good at it. So, for them to get from your ankle to the back of your ear is a very simple operation.”
Verslyme
Tony is the founder and spokesperson for Verslyme, an organization created to bring awareness about Lyme Disease.
“Prevention and awareness are important.”
After a summer of campaigns, Tony wishes to resume, but must take some time to rest and recuperate.
You can get hoodies and other merch to help the cause.
In music, as in life, Tony gives his all.
DJ
There are DJs that create their own music, and there are those who curate an experience. Both Tony and I identify with the latter.
Of course, some DJs pretend they are doing something while a pre-recorded mix is played for all, and “they have to live with that.”
I’ve seen Tony effortlessly mix live, which might seem simple to an observer, but it’s a juggling act of reading a crowd, focusing on the now, and imagining the future with the next track.
To make that jump from one song to another in such a way that seems natural is the talent that only years of DJing can bring.
A recent highlight was at Shazamfest, doing an 8-hour set with colleague Alain Vinet of Cirque du Soleil fame on a newly designed stage for this event.
“There was no one else I wanted to share this moment with, in nature. Playing with Alain is like playing with a musical Jedi.”
Two DJs, surrounded by nature and group energy, mixing as one team, creating a memorable experience for all.
<<Watch the full interview to hear us geek out on DJ Culture.>>
Recovery
Tony has taken all appointments and deadlines off the table.
“Timelines are not a thing in my life anymore.”
Being able to admit we don’t have the capacity to do something can help one gain strength when we are depleted and expend energy when it’s available.
Tony manages stress to allow the body to focus on the healing process, followed by rest, hydration, and three anti-biotics to continue the fight.
“I’m not attacking it (Lyme Disease); the meds are doing that. I’m harmonizing with my means. My strategy is not to fight with it; it’s to dance with it.”
Tony was once a soldier but is now an artist. To harmonize with the disease is to exist alongside with it, while Tony repeats his mantra: “It’s only like that, for the time being. This is what it is, right now.”
As Tony says, if you focus on the now…it’s 50/50. If you focus on the hard…it’s always hard.
While he may or may not be at the Bran Van 3000 celebration, he will cheer them on and give his full support in any way he can.
Either way, he will also continue to raise awareness on Lyme disease and help others dance with this bacterial infection. Maybe put some Bran Van 3000 in the background as you cha-cha-challenge this disease to a dance-off.
Writer: Randal Wark is a Professional Speaker and MasterMind Facilitator with a passion for live music. You can follow him on Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. His Podcast RockStar Today helps musicians quit their day jobs with out-of-the-box advice from Ted Talk Speakers, Best Selling Authors and other interesting Entrepreneurs and Creatives. He created the Rock Star Today Music Business Jam Session for musicians. Randal is a collector of signed vinyl, cassettes and CDs.
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