Barr Brothers Live Video on Routes: Montreal

 Brad and Andrew Barr

The Barr Brothers recently played an intimate live show in Montreal for CBC's Routes.  Here is the CBC recording of the rare and wonderful event.

The Barr Brothers Brad and Andrew, are the core of the well-respected Boston rock outfit The Slip. For the past 2 years they have been sucked up into the Montreal musical community. Brad Barr has a growing rep as one of this city's tightest guitarists, while brother Andrew can create excitement on the drums a la Keith Moon. Montreal harpist Sarah Pagé adds a rich harmonic layer as well as much intriguing electronic processing. The multi-instrumentalist Andreas Vial fills out the band with an assortment of keyboards and bass instruments.

Elizabeth Powell is the leader of Canadian cult heroes Land of Talk and together they produced one of the most memorable of Routes Montreal's concerts. There is a sense that the Barr Brothers band is on a mission, Brad says, " I'm going to keep plugging away, keep writing, and I have a studio here in Montreal that I'm at every day. I'm just going to try to keep one upping myself I guess.'

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Osheaga 2010 - 'People Waving Hands'

Words: Sean Taylor

Poor Photos: Sean Taylor

Osheaga was a name used for the area that is now Montreal by some of the first European settlers in the region. The name is said to originate from Mohawk oral history as the white man was waving with his hands, either offering to shake hands or asking about rapids on the river. The story goes that as Champlain motioned to them from afar the astonished Mohawks looked at each other and said "O she ha ga" which meant people of shaking hands.....  

OK so starting a review with a definition is not going to win over new readers- but from the various mis pronunciations of the word over the weekend- and no one seemingly able to answer the “What does Osheaga mean?” question, I found it worthy of an introduction. And now having defined the word, knowing it’s not just another nonsensical moniker created by staff to ensure a copyrightable name- I think it fits perfectly. Not only for the historical and geographical factors- but surely that the notion that Osheaga means people shaking hands. Whether it was in greeting or in exaltation, there were certainly hands being waved for two straight days at beautiful Parc Jean Drapeau this past August weekend.

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