From the Vault: 2003 Montreal Stylz

I first started taking notice of graffiti in 2003 when I moved downtown. I was living on the Ottawa Street at the bottom of Peel in Griffin Town. Besides a general interest I needed a focus for my academic work and decided that graffiti would be it. I took to the streets as often as I could and whenever I could tracking through the city, alleyways, rooftops, highway system, anywhere and everywhere I saw a hint of paint.

Most of these pics were taken at night with a pocket digital camera as it was the only time I was able to roam about aside from work and class. For the most part the pics came out ok. Some good stuff here from a few local hard hittin' bombers and crews, and some stuff from outta towners. In any case enjoy.

Stay posted. I got lots more in the vault.

Richard X. Heyman - Hey Man! - 1991

In the early '90s, Richard X. Heyman exemplified the type of artist who enjoys rave reviews from rock critics but doesn't break through commercially. The fact that the New York-based singer/composer's second album, Hey Man!, wasn't a big hit commercially certainly wasn't due to a lack of first-class writing. Drawing on influences ranging from Tom Petty and Elvis Costello to the Byrds, Hey Man! is a gem-laden CD that, sadly, got lost in the corporate shuffle. Melodic power pop treasures like "In the Scheme of Things," "Falling Away," and "Bad Business in Town" show just how prolific and thoughtful a songwriter this guy is, and should have made him well known. For power pop enthusiasts, Hey Man! is well worth searching for.-AMG



Richard X. Heyman - Hey Man! - 1991/rs
or
Richard X. Heyman - Hey Man! - 1991/sb

Help The Tattle Tales record a new album!

The Tattle Tales have been waiting a long time to record their second album. But enoughs enough, and now it's finally time! BUT they desperately need your help!! Please contribute any and all that you can. The Tattle Tales will be eternally grateful!!!

To donate to the project, please click here :

To show you how much we love and appreciate you, we're giving you our last album for FREE! 12 songs for nothing! This way you can listen to us before you decide if you want to help us out!


Click and enjoy!


- The Tattle Tales!!!

The Rock Club - Wet Money - 1993

With melodic, guitar-based pop songs and lots of vocal harmonies. Reminiscent not only of the Beatles but of the Beach Boys as well. Some of it sounds a bit amateurish, but it's well-produced and a lot of fun.



The Rock Club - Wet Money - 1993/rs
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>The Rock Club - Wet Money - 1993/sb

TA Wall Pics July 2009

In reflecting upon the recent buffing of the upper TA Wall areas, I thought I'd post some recent pics of the wall from July and August. I've got plenty so I'll post some more of the lower main wall soon.

The Mockers - Somewhere Between Mocksville and Harmony - 1995

Though the Mockers have included a large cast of musicians hailing from all corners of the U.S. rock scene, the band's foundations were laid by two preteen Beatles fans living in Spain in the early '70s. Tony Leventhal and Seth Gordon were the children of New York expats living on the southern coast of Spain when they met. The third-graders quickly discovered their common love for rock & roll and formed a friendship that would last a lifetime. When their families eventually moved back to the States, both began learning guitar and keeping in touch regarding their plans to form their long-awaited rock band. Many years later the two converged in Virginia, creating the surf-pop band the Mockers. With a rotating cast of lead guitarists and drummers, the Mockers climbed their way to the top of the live music scene in Virginia. They spent the next several years touring tirelessly, sometimes playing as many as 20 engagements a month. As the band conquered the East Coast and Midwest, they earned the attention of the local press. Their relentless schedule began to wear thin, and the bandmembers took a long break to regain their creative spark. Some years later Leventhal and Gordon decided it was time for the Mockers to record their debut CD. The 1995 release Somewhere Between Mocksville and Harmony garnered excellent reviews, including a Billboard Critic's Choice Award. Ironically, the disc saw the greatest amount of airplay in Spain, resulting in heavy touring throughout the country and a reconnection with the boy's old stomping grounds. -AMG



The Mockers - Somewhere Between Mocksville and Harmony - 1995/rs
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The Mockers - Somewhere Between Mocksville and Harmony - 1995/sb

Turcot is Killed (Dead)

So it's official folks, Turcot yards have been closed by Transport Quebec. Most access points have been fenced off and private security roams about picking up anyone who trespasses. Since 2003 Transport Quebec (MTQ) has owned the yards, however, up until recently they have not done much with it.

On my way into work the other morning I noticed several crews setting up camp on the service road area just under the Decarie exit. The trailers they had looked like the kind used by graffiti clean up crews. I was passing through this afternoon and noticed that they had buffed all the supports and were working towards the train tunnel area.

Firstly, this seems like a waste of money namely because of the plans we've all been hearing about concerning the redevelopment of the yards in the next few years. Turcot has been a painting area for a little while, why buff it now? Especially if the plan is to redevelop the area? Secondly, buffing the area only makes it a prime target for writers who have the balls to go in and hit up some fresh canvass. I forsee more graff going up there in the near future, even if only some quick throwies.

And this is not the only area buffed out, the MTQ (I assume it is the MTQ, however, Westmount or the borough of Ville-Marie might also be invovled -I am yet to locate something on that) seems to be on a crusade to remove graffiti from the highway system. Under the Ville-Marie expressway from Lucien-Lallier to De Courcelle has been mostly buffed, including the Upper TA Wall area. Again...waste of money? Within 2 days there were already some tags and outlines thrown up. Give it a month and the area is going to be soaked in paint again, as it has been for the last 15 years... And in the typical fashion they buffed only the areas visible from the highway and from the new condo developments across the street, leaving areas that are not visible (lower TA wall and factory as well as some other areas) which begs one to ask what was the real motivation behind the buffing?

Above pics: Upper TA Wall Area

In any case, the idea of Turcot as an open free-range painting area is dead with the choke hold that the MTQ seems to have on the area. The rest of the Ville-Marie expressway still appears to be mostly open (I was walking it just the other day without issue except for a few new fences) and the TA Wall should be back to its former colorful and lustrous state of layered paint in no time. It will be interesting, however, to see just how far the MTQ is going to go with this new program.

Stay posted.