More M For Montreal, T Time For Toronto

Man simply can't live on a mere two nights of M For Montreal in a year. The annual showcase that gives Montreal bands an opportunity to strut their creative stuff in front of eager U.K. journalists is entering its third year. This time, organizers plan to spread the M with more mini-showcases starring the city's brightest young blue-chippers.

The new monthly Mini-M series carries the same doctrine as its larger brother — to introduce Montreal's best kept secrets to an international audience. Mini-M will be comprised of four nights of showcases spread through the summer featuring anglophone and francophone bands ready for export. The first will occur on Friday and will feature the side-project of current and former Dears members, For Those About To Love... We Salute You, as well as francophone pop-rock group Chinatown. The big finale will happen on Aug. 22, before the actual M For Montreal showcase that's scheduled for Nov. 20 to 22.

New to the M For Montreal program in 2008 is T For Toronto, an opportunity for Hogtown bands to impress international tastemakers alongside their Montreal brethren. No acts have been announced yet for the November showcase. The two previous M winners, Patrick Watson and We Are Wolves, have since performed in the U.K. at Brighton's The Great Escape, a festival created by M For Montreal co-founder Martin Elbourne.

Here are the dates for the four Mini-M shows:

May 23 Montreal, QC @ Quai Des Brumes w/For Those About To Love...We Salute You and Chinatown
June 27 Montreal, QC @ Quai Des Brumes w/Final Flash and Mille Monarques
July 25 Montreal, QC @ Quai Des Brumes w/Jason Bajada and Elephantine
Aug. 22 Montreal, QC @ Quai Des Brumes w/The Luyas, Diamond Sea, Caroline Keating, Polipe and others