Torngat @ Casa Del Popolo
By: Jason Giammaria
Walking up to Casa Del Popolo, I was finding it hard to believe that a decent show, let alone a good one, could come from inside the walls of this supposed hot spot. But coming out of the tiny café-turned-music-venue on Montreal's legendary Saint Laurent, I couldn't help but think I had made my big discovery of Pop Montreal, and that I should never judge a band by its venue.
Montreal's own Torngat, armed with French horns, keyboards and drums, fed off the intimacy of the artistic, bohemian decor of Casa Del Popolo and the 40 or so spectators who were lucky enough to witness it. The trio's organized chaos of melodies took all those who would let them on a musical journey through captivating, seductive arrangements that somehow turned into catchy dance beats. It was moody, it was calm, it was spirited and it was heartbreaking.
With the band weaving their way through songs, the audience could be seen gently swaying back and forth, eyes closed, letting the music take them to whatever place they saw fit. Fans followed Torngat's seemingly spur-of-the-moment jams with devoted attention, waiting to see where the music would go next. Everything seemed improvised and rehearsed, all at the same time.
I was somewhat worried about whether or not an instrumental band could hold my attention for more than 15 minutes, but Torngat found ways to keep it interesting. The highlight: Pietro and Julien walking through the crowd while playing a call-and-response with each other on French horns — in a musically charged, mating call kind of way.
I'm happy that Torngat's incredible talents did not go unnoticed by the crowd packed into Casa Del Popolo. They got everything that is pure and spontaneous about music. Something that is lacking in so much of today's music.
