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Mountain Dust, The Acorn play local stages this weekend

It's all on the table at local venues this week: from minimal folk, to gloomy synth-punk, to bluesy metal.

It's all on the table this week: folk, gloomy synth-punk, and bluesy metal

Jessa Runciman CBC News Posted: Jan 12, 2017 8:28 AM EST | Last Updated: January 12, 2017

Local band Potential Red performs at Black Squirrel Books on Friday night. (CKJD)

Potential Red @ Black Squirrel Books on Friday, 9 p.m., $7

It might sound like a trip back to the hazy early '80s, but Potential Red is the sound of the future Friday night, to be specific.

The Ottawa band started as the one-man project of Dave Sklubal, who was inspired to write a song after experiencing the loss of someone close to him.

That was his first foray into making music but two years later, Potential Red is still truckingwith a full band and a new EP released last month, full of synth-heavy, murky songs that offer a nod to Joy Division and New Order while blending the melodic with the morose.

They'll share those songs at Black Squirrel Books on Bank Street, alongside Townes and Monotymes.

The Acorn @ Pressed on Saturday, 8 p.m., $10

The Acorn performs at Pressed on Saturday night, alongside Gianna Lauren. (Provided)

Saturday marks The Acorn's cosiest, most intimate gig in a while at Pressed.

Theshow follows the release last week of a music video for Rapids,from the band's Polaris-nominated album Vieux Loup. Directed, filmed and edited by The Acorn's Rolf Klausener, the video is a hypnotic portrayal of ink droplets in water, and lyrics being painted onto paper and then unwriting themselves as the song builds.

2017 looks to bea big year for The Acorn, with a revamped lineup, word of another album in the works, and a 10th anniversary for the band's sophomore album, Glory Hope Mountain. They'll get the good vibes started Saturday alongside Gianna Lauren.

Mountain Dust @ CafDekcuf on Saturday, 8:30 p.m., $10

Montreal's Mountain Dust plays at Cafe Dekcuf on Saturday. (Martin Reisch)

Heading further downtown, CafDekcuf is hosting a Montreal supergroup of sorts.

Mountain Dust is made up of longtime members of that city's music scene, coming from bands like Trigger Effect, Beat Cops and Fashion Police. Together, they've incorporated theatrical metal vocals with classic rock guitar to churn out headbanging, acid-blues epics that sound like the rugged, psychedelic lovechild of Led Zeppelin and The Mars Volta.

They'll share the bill with Ottawa bands Elementals and headliner Eagleson, who'll be shooting a video during the show.

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