Pop Montreal was an astounding success in 2006. The four-day (to others, five) festival gathered artists of such great magnitude that it poses great competition for the other familiar music festivals on this side of the country. North by North East and Canadian Music Week have their hit-and-miss years, the upcoming Pitter Patter Music Festival is only beginning and Over The Top Fest is definitely the next-best thing. As for Pop Montreal, it stands out amongst the contenders.

To create awareness that Pop Montreal will be back and kickin' (from October 3rd to 7th), a small, yet appealing show at The Drake happened on Saturday night with Dishwasher (member of Think About Life) performing with his soulful beats and close-eyed singing, and a fashion show. Yes: a fashion show.

The night began with DJing by Rory Them Finest, mashing beats of a funk/hip-hop, then dance variety. As the music played as the lights came up, the fashion show began. An all-female ensemble came out from the side of the stage, and went on to strut their stuff, posing for the public. All designs were done by Haiiku and Nomada. After a bit of glamor came a lot of greatness with solo Montreal'er, Dishwasher.

Dishwasher, aka. Martin Cesar, hails from an archipelago of roughly 158 islands named Seychelles. Only after a few years, he moved with his family to Montreal and fell into a very creative music scene. Dishwasher is a solo act that Cesar began just after high school which consist of soulful beats, cool themes and calming lyrics (both in English and French). There are times when Cesar will drop the music portion of his show altogether and just read from text. Other times, he will dress up in "entertaining" clothing and spook the audience. Last night, he donned a somewhat traditional outfit of his home continent, along with huge glasses frames and closed eyes. Cesar stayed almost still the entire set, making small motions with his hands, almost pretending as if no one were around to watch or listen. He ended his set with a French song. All I can remember from it is him singing, "les yeux bleu" over and over. For some who might have become detached after a while, they missed out on a wonderful ending. For those who were kept in the zone, they probably wanted to hear the last song again.

Pop Montreal will continue to advertise and spread the word as the months and weeks draw down to October. Anything Pop Montreal will be boasted by me, so keep an open eye and ear out!

Photos:
Dishwasher
Fashion Show

(linked image taken by Jason Trill)