Smiles and Laughter – Peru Dyer and Mess V

Last night was our Monthly Mess V, the Birthday Mess. We’ll post pics and video soon soon, but for now let me just spin a yarn:

Here’s one- at about 4pm yesterday I got an email from the painter we’d been so excited to see – he was supposed to paint the event as it happened and he was bringing a giant canvas, drop cloth and supplies all the way from Ottawa. Except he wasn’t anymore, ah! Man down!

Now losing an act day of the show is not such a big deal and does tend to happen when you have 8 or 9 artists involved in an evening, but we’d been yammering about the live painting aspect for weeks and I really wanted to keep that oh so fricken cool component, so I quickly got on the phone and started calling painters. I called Tricycle Media first, because we did a Monthly Mess with them once and it was wonderful, and the whole space was hung with paintings they had done, so I thought maybe… but no, they were busy. Then I called Alison Louder – because she is helping to try and Save the Main Hall by organizing events and stuff. Alison and her sister Rebecca were two of the main people behind the push to keep Parc Ave called Parc. And as you Montrealers will know, that’s a fight they won, and that’s because they have mad connections and passionate souls. She said she’d call around, but then she also said she kinda loved the paint too, and could easily bring some supplies and dabble along if I wanted. I wanted. And then I called Peru Dyer, and he was up for it too! He’s one of my favorite local artists and people, and seeing him arrive at the Main Hall on his bike with a long canvas trailing behind him and a big grin was a highlight of my whole week.

Even aside from the painting, which I’ll get back to, the whole event was my favorite Mess yet, and maybe my favorite Indyish event so far. This is pretty amazing, given that Josh (the usual Mess maestro) put the line up together and then had to leave town and it was Marilis Cardinal’s first time coordinating a show. She and I emailed a bunch and figured it out and the ducks fell into messy joyful rows and it was a blast. She sent me an email at 3am last night with a list of ideas for the next Mess so I think she’s got the bug well now. Watch for grand things to come.

Having the amazing belly dancers perform – 2 different dance groups came with different costumes and music! – between every other set kept the energy joyful and high, and having beloved bud Claire Brosseau hosting kept me laughing happy, and shocked and blushing like mad when she made everyone sing happy birthday to me. Tessa brought hats and balloons, which popped enthusiastically throughout the night, and Alanah and Sarah (our newly anointed blog editors who are rallying international troupes to bring a whole new level of indy arts writing to you, faithful reader) made a cake and shared it with the audience and we sang happy birthday a second time, but this time for the real Birthday kid, Indyish.

The Darling Demaes and the Subcollisions were wonderful, thumpin, singalong great, and the crowd was packed in and happy all night, even though we start pretty early and people weren’t sure the Main Hall would be able to stay open at all. The comedian and the poet and the film maker – John Hastings, and Jeremiah Wall, and
Raimundo Morte
– all brought us something different thought provoking and funny. Yes! The comedian was funny! I know. Shocking. And we showed a film by the painter who couldn’t make it too – Cristian S. Aluas, because you know, we don’t hold a grudge. Much. =) And the erotic poems from Black Heart Magazine, read to us right near the end of the night by the Editor, Laura Roberts were also true to form and totally erotic. Maybe uncomfortably so for some, but she got her resounding applause like the rest so I think people mostly dug it. Eros at the end of evening is usually not unappreciated.

It was also a great last minute surprise to have Thola and the whole Afro-Bytes family with us again!! We loved them at the Fringe, such nice fun people, and such good party food. 2$ for 5 bits and a huge range of choices!! We’re gonna invite Afro-Bytes back for every Mess. Mess making is better when there’s food.

The other high highlight for me, aside from the painting and not getting the show shut down by the cops, was the end of night impromptu jam. Some of the members of the Darling Demaes and the Subcollisions stuck around and launched it sitting on the floor instead of the stage so everyone could wander up and join in. Alison started belting our wicked lyrics with a wholeheartedly soulful voice you don’t expect from someone so small, but you should because Alison Louder is all power. People from the crowd grabbed guitar cases and joined the thumping; team Indyish was right in there wacking on things and harmonizing and we all mostly sang and percussed and cracked each other up, and it felt like wow… This is what I’ve always wanted.

And in the end, we even got a birthday present – Peru and Alison decided to give us the paintings they’d been working on all night. To get a glimpse of how truly cool this is, you should head down to St.Laurent and Roy st this Saturday to celebrate Peruvian independence at the Kop Shop with Peru himself. He’s throwing a one day only exhibit before he leaves for Europe. Go give the man a hug and high five for coming through in a last minute pinch to paint at the Mess and check out his incredible body of witty lovely work. Here’s his invite:

hello friends,

as you may not know, next Saturday the 28th is Peruvian Indepenedence Day, and I will be having a one night Exhibit at Le Kop Shop (111 Roy St.)

I will be showing some work from when i moved to Montreal 5 years ago, and other work I`ve been working on which is still in progress

The intention with this show is to thank you Montreal for inspiring me all these years and to have a good time before I go to sell them for scratch in Europe

I will be taking this tour to Vienna and Barcelona until November so if you think you might miss me, come and give me a hug, or shake my hand if you prefer
hope to see you there
feel good
:p

ps. i made three flyers, which one you like best..