hooves on the turf

Three bands from Montreal - Malajube, Sam Roberts Band and The Stills - played Prospect Park’s Celebrate Brooklyn series on the occassion of Canada Day. Out of all outdoor venues this summer, Prospect Park’s Bandhsell is perhaps the classiest (as reflected by the bill, which includes fine orchestras and jazz acts). Enclosed by lush trees, there’s plenty of shade, but most worth noting is the superior quality of sound. Rows and rows of chairs, however, (and a half-empty “members only” area in front of the stage) can seem awkward when a band like Malajube is playing- sitting and Malajube just don’t go together. But the patch of cool grass at the back is quite spacious, and by the time the Stills came on and evening turned into night, there was more getting up and dancing.

More after the jump.

Download “Montréal -40°C”  (bootleg from Feb 18, 2007 show at Mercury Lounge)
Download from the Daytrotter Session

or listen to the bootleg:



Malajube performs three songs for Daytrotter, including two instrumentals they’ve been playing at recent shows. The first one, “Crystal Ball,” has been the consistent choice for an opener, though this version has several new additions, now sounding finished at 5 minutes and 16 seconds! The other two are “Etienne D’aout,” for which they have a new video, nd “la Contrôleuse.”

The bootleg I’ve uploaded is a dirty recording, but the show at Mercury Lounge was a charged one, and audience participation / Julien’s comments make it a fun listen.