It’s a calm city—laid-back and relaxed, with big tree-lined streets and well-kept little porches, and a number of expansive, beautiful parks. But it’s also a city of overflowing energy, full of possibilities and chance encounters, and it happens to hide one of the most exciting musical scenes on the planet. It’s Montréal.

We could have stayed for weeks over there just to film a group because their bassist was going out with the drummer of the group we’d met at breakfast at Café Olimpico, or another because we’d chatted with their singer in a comic book store, or yet another because a blogger had sung their praises the day before. We only had four days, and we were within inches of requesting asylum.

While we were there, Arcade Fire was rehearsing in a secret location, the hockey team battled Philadelphia, the weather was terrific, and each band could have become our friends. Montréal has many hidden treasures, and we only dug up a few beautiful pieces…

Chryde – La Blogothèque

• A record store: PHONOPOLIS
  A record store opened by a guy from the band Shapes and Sizes that offers an incredible variety of records in all genres, and has a knack for keeping a blog on which they make playlists according to the tastes of customers.
• A bookstore: DRAWN AND QUARTERLY
  Musicians are everywhere, even at the cash registers of bookstores. We ran into someone from Shapes and Sizes here too, and this one is a serious trap: a great deal of rare comics, fantastic books, and independent book reviews, among other things. To go back is to know that you’ll stay a whole lot longer than you’d planned.
• A bar: SPARROW
  Sober and extra British, this calm and friendly bar is perfect for nibbling on something and then drinking to your heart’s content with friends (often artists) that you’ve come across or that you’ve just made that night. One of our favorite spots during our stay.
• A venue: CASA DEL POPOLO/LA SALA ROSA
  It’s more than a place… it’s a myth. On one side of the street a vegetarian café that holds concerts, DJ nights and artistic performances; on the other an established concert venue in a historic part of the city that has kept its old chandeliers and vintage feel and welcomes all kinds of music.
• A snack: LA BANQUISE
  Because you always end up going out pretty late, because you suddenly get hungry, and because it would be just plain stupid to leave Montréal without having tasted their famous poutine, La Banquise serves it all night.
• A café: CAFÉ OLIMPICO
  This unpretentious café in the Mile End and its big terrace is perfect for a bit of quiet breakfast in the morning or for watching some hockey at night.
• A blog: SAID THE GRAMOPHONE
  Montréal or no, it’s basically the best music blog around. You’ll see some incredible finds here that have come from every corner of the globe and spectacular writing to accompany them. It’s also a great spot to find out about exciting new bands from the city… and God knows there is a lot of those.
• A radio station: BANDE A PART
  It’s a radio station, but it’s plenty more than that. It’s a fleshed-out site with a blog, playlists, album reviews, show calendars: a perfect reference point for the Canadian music scene.