Cats and dogs
Pop quiz: if an alley cat and a street dog met at midday in Park La Fontaine, who would win in a fight? Answer: the dog would win every time.
Whereas alleycats are oft-vicious bicycle deathraces organized by the bike courier community, Montreal’s first ever Street Dog – taking place this Saturday at Park La Fontaine – is a non-intimidating scavenger hunt for cyclists of all stripes.
“The Street Dog race is about celebrating biking by exploring the city,” the organizers explain. “We believe enthusiasm for biking is infectious and we want to share the love.”
The Street Dog’s kindred spirit is Critical Mass, Montreal cyclists’ monthly effort to reclaim the streets. Both aim to bring together the bike community and display strength in numbers against our four-wheeled, engined counterparts. “We believe we can have fun and be political at the same time,” the organizers say, emphasizing the accessibility and ease of cycling.
Street Dog hopefuls can roll on over to the corner of Brébeuf and Rachel on Saturday afternoon to take part in the festivities. Registration and pre-race activities start at noon and the Dog itself takes off at 2 p.m..Entry donations of $2-5 are appreciated, but no one will be turned away. Bring your bike and helmet, a map, and your street dog face – but leave your spoke cards and alleycat sass at home!
An afterparty at Révolution Montreal bike shop (1757 Amherst) will feature the bike film 2 Secondes, free food, and prizes for the wiliest Dogs. See you on the streets!
– Leah Pires
The Jurassic period
In 1990, I was born. But more importantly, literary genius Michael Crichton wrote the Lazarus-cum-Barney thriller Jurassic Park. In 1993, this work of art was translated to film form, and more recently Crichton’s brilliance has inspired a gang of Montreal rock ‘n’ rollers. This weekend there are two occasions to catch Jurassic Park’s carnivorous seventies AM gold melodies.
Friday, kill two birds with one stone (did you know: dinosaurs are the ancestors of birds) and get your music fix while supporting McGill’s funny paper The Red Herring. Their fundraising event taking place at Barfly will showcase an array of McGill student talent. Jurassic’s dino-beats will feature James Bond-steeped stylings of The Herring’s (and The Daily’s) Rupert Common, rapper extraordinaire. Andy White will be performing new-age-murderative-guitar-and-voice-dystopocalypse-mixed ass-shakin’ jams. And rounding out the set list is rockabilly acoustic heartthrob Rex Daren (not to be confused with a Tyrannosorous Rex).
If you can’t get enough of Jurassic Park’s tunes Friday night, head on down to Theatre Ste. Catherine for a night of madness and mad beats. With the Apocalypse Brothers’ DJ set and Doctor Buttfuck on the bill, a double dose of homoeroticism is guaranteed. Reversing Falls and 15 Minutes of Power will be playing, and the night is sure to climax with Michael Farsky’s Black Family Orchestra.
Jurassic Park plays at Barfly tonight at 9 p.m., $6, and Friday, November 21 at Theatre Ste. Catherine at 9 p.m.. Admission is pay-what-you-can.
– Whitney Mallett