I’m very pleased to announce the launch of the new Secret City Records website. This amazing Montreal-based independent record label hosts a small but incredibly talented roster of artists including Patrick Watson, The Go! Team and Plants and Animals. The site design and build was the result of a fruitful collaboration between LOKi design and Delmarr, featuring some very tight css scripting by Chris Desjardins.

We’re still working out a few kinks and getting all the content in place, but please check it out and let us know what you think. Welcome to our little corner of the web, your ears and eyes will thank you…

On Oct. 3, 2007, Patti Smith visited Montréal as part of the Pop Montreal Festival and performed a “secret” show/poetry reading accompanied by Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra… For a mere 5 bucks, we were witness to an intimate, honest and impassioned performance by the legendary punk princess at the Ukranian Federation. Silver Mt. Zion’s instrumental accompaniment worked beautifully with her words, sometimes billowing into frenetic waves of noise, while at other times just sparkling in the background. Truly kindred spirits at work.

Yesterday I stumbled across the full show downloadable as mp3s on BigO’s ROIO (Recording of Indeterminate Origin of the Week). Needless to say, I was ecstatic and wanted to share…

PS. Silver Mt. Zion will be returning to Montréal to play a show on March 20th at la Tulipe in support of their new album, 13 Blues For Thirteen Moons. Anyone who wants to come by for some pre-Zion drinks, give us a holla…

PPS. Title and image stolen from BigO zine

Parlovr getting the show started off right!

Many, many, many thanks to everyone involved that helped make last weekend’s launch party such an amazing success. We’d especially like to extend our gratitude to Amber Goodwyn who organised the event for us, the bands who gave generously of their time and talent, Flames!, Parlovr, and The American Devices, our gracious hosts, Yan, Carlos and David of lab.synthese, and Cat and Lindsay for their love, support and tireless work at the door.

Thanks of course to everyone that turned out, and to those that participated in the art making. The atmosphere was amazing, achieving such a perfect balance between a rock show, art happening and intimate house party. We really had a great time, and I think the event itself was a perfect expression of what we’re trying to do with the zine.

Photos after the jump…

(more…)

With much help and encouragement from the spectacular Amber Goodwyn, the hospitality of Yan Basque of/and Lab.synthese, and the generosity of the (kick-ass) bands Flames!, Parlovr and American Devices, the much-anticipated launch of Four Minutes to Midnight Issue 9 will be taking place on Saturday, January 26th.

More than an ordinary rock show, the launch of Issue 9 will also act as the starting point for issue 10, with the audience invited to participate in a variety of collaborative acts of art-making. The writing on the wall, so to speak…

Hope to see you there!

Flames! | Parlovr | American Devices

Lab.synthese

PS. Credit for the event’s title is due to A Silver Mt. Zion‘s beautiful song “Triumph of our tired eyes”.

Season’s greetings from Cozmos Quazar:

Positively Season’s Niceness.mp3

Cozmos on Myspace here. Just beautiful!