United Steel Workers of Montreal, clearly slacking on the job.

First off: look on the sidebar for a whhhack of new show listings, including... meh, dial613 isn't going to say. But suffice it to say that you may be asking somebody to (ahem) please please please get you tickets. Oh geez, dial613 went there.

This week in Ottawa, Geoff Berner returns. dial613 wrote a little about him before his last visit about 6 months ago, which turned out to be a really great show. Shouldn't be any less great this time around, and if that past write-up interests you even in the least, you are as likely to enjoy it as he is to be drunk on stage; and that is pretty much a sure thing.
Maybe there'll be an mp3 up below once dial613 finds its copy of 2005's Whiskey Rabbi there is an mp3 up now; also, you can get a bootleg of an Edmonton show (shortly after his previous Ottawa visit) at B(oot)log. And how convenient, you can also enter to win his new album, The Wedding Dance of the Widow Bride over at local blog i(heart)music this week.

As intriguing as Geoff Berner was to dial613 back in August, the same sort of curiousity is piqued by the United Steel Workers of Montreal and their "citygrass" music. While the former claims to punk up klezmer, the latter proports to punk up country. dial613 has yet to figure out the new New Music Canada layout, but you should be able to hear some stuff by clicking here, and then the song titles after that. If not: website, myspace.

Also this week, there is a show at The Live Lounge, which is run by the evil mass media empire of radio conglomeracy, live 88.5. If anybody goes, e-mail dial613 to let us know how great/good/awful/smutty the venue is, and the extent to which it robs your soul and replaces the remaining empty shell of your body with vast amounts of commercialism.

What are you looking forward to this week?
Any shows that dial613 isn't aware of?

02.21.07
Travel By Owl* with The Harlots, at Zaphod's
-->Travel By Owl - I Am Listening So Close (myspace)

02.22.07
The Beautiful Unkown, at The Live Lounge
Jupiter Ray Project*, at The Black Sheep Inn

02.23.07
Geoff Berner with Bob Wiseman and Male Nurse*, at The Black Sheep Inn
-->Geoff Berner - Song Written In A Romanian Hospital (website, myspace)
Valery Gore with Sarah Hallman*, at Zaphod's
-->Sarah Hallman - Shovel (myspace)
Crush Luther with Mugshot and Arm Your Desires, at Babylon
Marc Victor, at Avant-Garde Bar
Souljazz Orchestra* with Jokko*, at Maverick's

02.24.07
Blake, at Avant-Garde Bar
The Phantom Shifters* with The Solid Senders* and Garaga*, at Irene's Pub
The Postage Stamps with Design Of Cities*, at Zaphod's
United Steel Workers Of Montreal with Trevor Alguire, at The Black Sheep Inn
White Cowbell Oklahoma*, at Barrymore's

02.25.07
StopDieResuscitate with Jokers Of The Scene*, at Zaphod's

* denotes local act