5th or 6th (perhaps even... *gasp*... 7th) generation indie mimics hopping on the (soon-to-be-yesterday's-news) Mile-End scene apparently defining our city's newfound culture (as it is often mentioned by my non-canadian collegues) and I don't blame them... don't get me wrong, I dug Godspeed (and I was late on that train like I was late for Mogwai's) but I'd argue that Grim Skunk, for instance, had the same "underground" impact years before -- oh wait, they're french... nevermind (avant d'envoyer du hate-mail encore, je suis canadien-français -- sur le même sujet, c'est écrit dans quelques posts antérieurs la raison de la lacune de fraçais ici, merci!). The nice thing about the 5th/6th/7th generation local "indie" (hehe) bands (aside from an almost immediate media attention due to the agenda) is that they are fucking talented. When the trends fade (as they will, as they always have) these bands are gonna have to cook up some original material or else fade with it... and I can't wait to hear that. If you're able to swallow listening to blatant influences, albeit talented ones, then you'll go nuts when these bands'll pave their own sounds. And what's wrong with blatant influences? Anyone who wasn't into the 90s Cali-Skate-Punk scene couldn't possibly tell the difference between a Propaghandi song or an MxPx song. Yet, there was never any statements about "originality" in the punk scene (not aloud, anyway) even considering that "punk" from the 70s is an absolute 180 degrees from what it is today. You think 70s UK punks would've wanted to be sponsored by a skate company? Last I was in California, I didn't hear no punk music playing on Venice Beach. But man, it sure looks fun to play and that's what it's all about. It's the same thing for Rap music and many many other genres. So why "pick" on the Mile-End scene? 'Cause it's current events and it's history repeating itself. You think 90s "emo" fans are pleased to see their "Saddle-Creek Records" artists now available in poster form at your local Videotron right next to Nickleback? Though in the meantime, when you look past a few absurdities, you can enjoy some very good shows. Who knows, we might go through the Hochelaga Music Scene of 2015 (probably not). If I die tomorrow, will you visit The Little Italy? Whether it happens or not, you should.
ps. I've just started a new band and I "decided" that it is, in fact, indie. It's called The Eviction Notice though I'm not copying the other "Eviction Notices" 'cause this one uses the "The". I'll be part of the Little Italy scene, though I'm not at all italian... and we don't have a scene.