Monday Roundup #151

Community notes:

• The Music Gallery just announced a series of free workshops coming up in February, most hosted by some familiar faces from these blogpages, including: Nilan Perera (Improvising music 101), Anne Bourne (Deep Listening in the Dark) and Labyrinth Ontario (Music as Play). Keep an eye out here for more info (and RSVP if they fit into your calendar!).

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Concert announcements:

Josh Cole Presents (feat. a Josh Cole trio + strings [Aline Homzy/Nick Storring/Josh Cole/John Oswald/Blake Howard]) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-12-12 (Tuesday). $pwyc. [FB event]

Tenderness (Gift Idea [debut!] [Steven Lourenço/Patrick McKenna/Jonathan Pappo feat. Alex Hamlyn]) / Tibet Street Records 2023-12-14 (Thursday). $20. [FB event]

Kamancello / Annette Studios 2023-12-16 (Saturday). $22.63. [FB event]

Ministry of Phonic Services Presents: It Takes Two to Tango (feat. Wilderness Adventure Ride [Owen Kurtz & %%30%30] / Faggot Obsequy [Emjay Wright & Kye] / anais & cnrkrtz [Annais Linares & Connor Kurtz]) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-12-16 (Saturday) [more info]

Ancient Egypt [live recording] [Pete Johnston/Scott Thomson/Holger Schoorl] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-12-17 (Sunday) [FDB event]

A Benefit for Toronto Palestine Solidarity Community Defence Fund (feat. LAL / Holofernes Head / Oxalis / Scooter Jay) / Horseshoe Tavern 2023-12-18 (Monday). $pwyc, 19+. [more info]

Marilyn Lerner Special Appearances Residency (feat. Queen Mab [Lori Freedman/Marilyn Lerner]) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-12-19 (Tuesday)

Henri Fabergé quashes Creskins ["an evening of punk comedy rock opera festivities"] (feat. Henri Fabergé & co.) / Monarch Tavern 2023-12-20 (Wednesday). $22.63. [tickets + more info]

Welcome To Hell – live! (feat. Joseph Shabason with Felicity Williams/Robin Dann/Kieran Adams/Phil Melanson/Hugh Marsh/Josh Cole/Thom Gill/Vince Spilchuk / Still Boys) / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2024-01-18 (Thursday). $27.96. [FB event]

DIG presents (feat. Hot Garbage [Precious Dream record release] / Mother Tongues / Luge) / Lee's Palace 2022-02-17 (Saturday). $22.12, 19+. [FB event]

Is your show missing from this list? Submit it via this form!

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Shows this week:

Tim Posgate Trio [Tim Posgate/Brandon Davis/Aidan McConnell] / The Rex 2023-12-05 (Tuesday – 5:30 p.m.). $10. [more info]

Colin Fisher/Mark Hundevad/Diane Roblin / The Emmet Ray 2023-12-05 (Tuesday – 6 p.m.). $10 in advance; $15 at the door. [FB event]

Track Could Bend #86 (feat. kat estacio / Alma) / Wenona Lodge 2023-12-05 (Tuesday). $pwyc. [FB event]

Holy Oak Family Singers [presenting Holiday Songs (local and canon)] (feat. Luka Kuplowsky/Ada Dahli/Robin Dann/Thom Gill/Josh Cole/Madelyn Kirby/Ten Moon/Ben Gunning/Felicity Williams/Philippe Melanson/Caitlin Woelfe O'Brien/Ivy Mairi + more) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-12-06 (Wednesday – early) [more info]

Ghostlight / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-12-06 (Wednesday) [more info]

BÉING Festival – Night 1 ["A two-day festival celebrating the release of Badge Époque Ensemble's Air, Light & Harmony"] (feat. Badge Époque Ensemble / Park Details Band [Chris Cohen & Yasi Perera] / Marker Starling & Dorothea Paas [duo set]) / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2023-12-07 (Thursday). $29.19 ($46.04 2-day pass). [FB event]

Audiopollination (feat. Louis Pino/Michael Palumbo/Jaz Tsui / Hiromune Kubayashi/Olive Joy/J. Moone / Isaiah Farahbakhsh/Eye-Duh Kho/Mira Martin-Gray / Love children of the apocalypse) / Array Space 2023-12-08 (Friday). $10 or PWYC. [FB event]

BÉING Festival – Night 2 ["A two-day festival celebrating the release of Badge Époque Ensemble's Air, Light & Harmony"] (feat. Badge Époque Ensemble / Yves Jarvis / Carl Didur) / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2023-12-08 (Friday). $29.19 ($46.04 2-day pass). [FB event]

Musica Universalis (feat. Colin Fisher/Blake Howard/Brandon Valdivia) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-12-08 (Friday). $10 suggested donation

Aline's étoile magique with super special guest Felicity Williams / Annette Studios 2023-12-09 (Saturday). $20

Ayal Senior & Friends (feat. Ayal Senior / Sympathetic String Band / Under Heaven / Nick Flanagan) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-12-10 (Sunday – 2:30 p.m.). $pwyc. [FB event]

Isla Craig (Bad Baby [Alex Lukashevsky]) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-12-10 (Sunday – early) [more info]

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It happened this week...

• ...on December 10, 2010 at Sonic Boom Records.

Action Makes - Let Them Go

• ...on December 10, 2010 at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge).

$100 - Not For Me

The Pining - Back Again

[Do remember that you can click on the tags below to go back and find the original posts (and often, more stuff) from these artists.]

Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis XXI

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis XXI

Song: Low-pressure Supercollider Sounds [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), October 29, 2023.

Cosmic Homeostasis XXI - Low-pressure Supercollider Sounds [excerpt]

A special day for the Cosmic Homeostasis collective, celebrating the release of a pair of recordings as a new album. Both birthed in a period when gathering at The Tranzac was unfeasible, "Broken Telephone" was a lockdown-era initiative where members of the group built layer upon layer of sounds as the recording passed from one person to the next. "Christie's Transmission" emerged from a period of tentative returning to gathering — in this case, outside on a couple occasions in late summer of '21 in Christie Pits. The latter recordings were beautifully collaged together by Jeffrey Sinibaldi, who also released these sounds on a tape from Vacancy Recordings.

Meanwhile, it was business as usual for the musicians who gathered to make some sounds together, with electronic sounds mixing with horns, percussion and even some tap dancing percussion. As usual, the full session is available over on bandcamp:

The participants this time around were:

• Paul Newman - tenor saxophone
• Rob Cruickshank - electronics
• Michelangelo Iaffaldano - voice, guitar, software synthesis
• Eric Kinsella - bass clarinet + percussion
• Scott M2 - Animoog
• James Bailey - Roland SE-02 with radios
• Victor O - Casio
• Christina Muratore - harmonica
• Michael Lynn - tap + clarinet
• Maebh Clark/Dame Cook - hauntological experiments
• Shelodyn - improvidence
• Philip - clip mic + oscillator
• Ian + Sterling McPhedran - radio
• Patrick O'Reilly - circuit bent Casio SK-1
• Heraclitus Akimbo - Kaossilator + Zoia
• Jeffrey Sinibaldi - namer-of-things

[Cosmic Homeostasis will close out the year with a special non-afternoon, non-Sunday event, taking over the Southern Cross on Saturday, December 30th in an evening that will be shared with Audiopollination for a special pre-NYE celebration.]

Recording: Roblin/Fisher/Luciani

Artist: Diane Roblin/Colin Fisher/Jeff Luciani

Song: [2nd set excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), October 29, 2023.

Diane Roblin/Colin Fisher/Jeff Luciani - [2nd set, excerpt]

Always keeping a hand in with a variety of ensembles, pianist Diane Roblin presented a matinée with this occasional trio that saw her joined by Jeff Luciani (drumkit) and Colin Fisher (sax, guit). Adding some synth swells to the piano rolls, there was an appealing sonic range here and lots of joyful interplay — definitely suitable for watching the leaves tumbling down in the background.

Given how my camera was overwhelmed by the daylight streaming in behind the players, you won't see any of those leaves tumbling down (and rendering the foreground in a rather murky way), but you can check out some footage of this full set over on youtube:

Recording: Western Ghats

Artist: Western Ghats

Songs: [1st piece, excerpt] + [2nd piece]

Recorded at Bar Orwell, October 22, 2023.

Western Ghats - [1st piece, excerpt]

Western Ghats - [2nd piece, excerpt]

Percussionist Marshall Trammell, who was in the region for Guelph's improvisation festival, also managed to add this local show alongside Scarborough's Chandan Narayan, here playing veena. The pair have some jams online, but onstage had time to really unpack some ideas, taking a minimal set of inputs into some expansive spaces — one got the feeling they could have played off each other for hours.

Recording: Newman/Constant/Arulanandam

Artist: Kurt Newman/Sara Constant/Amahl Arulanandam

Songs: [excerpt, in two parts]

Recorded at Bar Orwell, October 22, 2023.

Kurt Newman/Sara Constant/Amahl Arulanandam - [excerpt, part 1]

Kurt Newman/Sara Constant/Amahl Arulanandam - [excerpt, part 2]

An intriguing improvising trio here, especially as two of its members (Sara Constant, flutes; Amahl Arulanandam, cello + effects) are more often heard performing in the strictly-notated realm. Alongside guitarist Kurt Newman (who travels down many highways, musically speaking) this set was all rustles and plinks — evoking quieter, ghostly spaces.

Monday Roundup #150

Concert announcements:

Track Could Bend #86 (feat. kat estacio / Alma) / Wenona Lodge 2023-12-05 (Tuesday). $pwyc. [FB event]

Audiopollination (feat. Louis Pino/Michael Palumbo/Jaz Tsui / Hiromune Kubayashi/Olive Joy/J. Moone / Isaiah Farahbakhsh/Eye-Duh Kho/Mira Martin-Gray / Love children of the apocalypse) / Array Space 2023-12-08 (Friday). $10 or PWYC. [FB event]

Winter Solstice Tour (feat. Jennifer Castle) / The Great Hall 2023-12-21 (Thursday). $40.18, 19+. [FB event]

VISITATIONS: piano meditations for life and death (feat. Del Stephen) / The Tranzac (Living Room) 2023-12-28 (Thursday). $10. [FB event]

Tranzac NYE (The Silt / Pursuit Grooves / The Burning Hell / New Chance / Shotgun Jimmie) / The Tranzac 2023-12-31 (Sunday). $28.27 advance, $30 door. [FB event]

Is your show missing from this list? Submit it via this form!

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Shows this week:

Metatron [works by Sandeep Bhagwati, Kaija Saariaho, and Eliot Britton] (feat. University of Toronto Percussion Ensemble) / Walter Hall 2023-11-27 (Monday). $free. [FB event]

Dan Pitt/Madeleine Ertel/Harry Vetro / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-11-27 (Monday) [more info]

Titus Abbott Collective [Titus Abbott/Marilyn Lerner/Josh Cole/Nick Fraser] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-11-28 (Tuesday) [FB event]

No Octopus Dancing [Allison Cameron/Stephen Parkinson/Germaine Liu/ Mark Zurawinski] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-11-29 (Wednesday – early)

Tiger Balme / Hugh's Room Live 2023-11-29 (Wednesday). $30 (advance), $35 (door), $15 (students, arts workers & underpaid folx). [FB event]

bikebike [multimedia experience + live album recording [Daria Morgacheva/Corey Cosman/Josh Kestenberg] / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2023-11-29 (Wednesday). PWYC (recommended $15) tickets available at the door, $17.52 advance. [FB event]

DAS RAD (Flake) / Houndstooth 2023-11-30 (Thursday). $free

CCMC [Paul Dutton/John Kamevaar/Al Mattes/John Oswald/Casey Sokol with guest Cheryl Ockrant] / The Baby G 2023-11-30 (Thursday). $pwyw, livestream available.

Little Jim [Chris Pruden/Matt Fong/Julian Anderson Bowes/Tara Kannangara/Mack Longpre/Caleb Klager] (Adversarial Networks [Caleb Klager/Luan Phung/Chris Pruden]) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-11-30 (Thursday) [more info]

Tania Gill Presents: The Music of Carla Bley (feat. Doug Tielli/Tania Gill/Michael Davidson/Rob Clutton) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-12-01 (Friday – early). $pwyc [more info]

Not Dead Yet presents (feat. Kontravoid / God's Mom / Tony Price) / Nineteen Seventy Eight 2023-12-01 (Friday). $25.26, 19+. [FB event]

Robert Dayton (The Canadian Romantic / Ms Lightbody) / Eyesore Cinema 2023-12-01 (Friday). $5. [FB event]

We Are Time Showcase – Night 1 (feat. Tough Age / New Chance / Body Breaks / MISZCZYK) / The Baby G 2023-12-01 (Friday). $22.70, 19+

Valley Voice [Harrison Argatoff/Michael Davidson/Dan Fortin/Ian Wright] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-12-02 (Saturday – early). $pwyc. [FB event]

Batuki Music Society presents: Migration album release celebration! (feat. Okavango African Orchestra) / The Redwood Theatre 2023-12-02 (Saturday). $20 advance / $25 at the door. [FB event]

Burn Down The Capital presents (feat. Not The Wind, Not The Flag / Khôra / Xicada) / Tibet Street Records 2023-12-02 (Saturday). $15, all ages. [FB event]

Marbyllia [Margaret Maria & Bill Gilliam] [double album release party!] / Annette Studios 2023-12-02 (Saturday). $30 (admission including 2 CDs), $20/PWYC (general admission). [FB event]

VISITATIONS: piano meditations for life and death (feat. Del Stephen) / The Tranzac (Living Room) 2023-12-02 (Saturday). $10. [FB event]

We Are Time Showcase – Night 2 (feat. Motorists / Bile Sister / Empanadas Ilegales / CHANDRA) / The Baby G 2023-12-02 (Saturday). $22.70, 19+

Brian Ruryk (Lava Gland / Brian Fog / Density Creep) / Bar Orwell 2023-12-03 (Sunday). $pwyc

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Bandcamp corner:

• The last Bandcamp Friday of the year coming up this week — grab something for yourself and maybe some digital stocking stuffers as well. Here's a couple things on my list:

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It happened this week...

• ...on November 27, 2011 at The Great Hall.

Bassekou Koyate & Ngoni Ba - Saro

• ...on November 30, 2011 at The Garrison.

Devon Williams - Tower of Thought

[Do remember that you can click on the tags below to go back and find the original posts (and often, more stuff) from these artists.]

Recording: Vijay Iyer & Hafez Modirzadeh

Artist: Vijay Iyer & Hafez Modirzadeh

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at ImprovLab, University of Guelph (IF 2023 – Day 2), October 21, 2023.

Vijay Iyer & Hafez Modirzadeh - [excerpt]

A rare out-of-town day trip to hear some music out past the city limits gave a glimpse into goings-on out in Guelph, including the U of G's "brand new state-of-the-art" ImprovLab, which hosted some of the concerts in a full day's programming as part of the International Institute for Critical Studies in Improvisation's conference. The conference's closing performance was originally slated to be a duo between pianist Vijay Iyer and trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith, but the latter's illness meant some last-minute organizational improvisation that saw saxophonist Hafez Modirzadeh stepping in. The resulting set felt anything but thrown together, though, with striking coherence and excellent interplay between the pair, each finding space to dig into motifs and give the other room to stretch out.

Recording: Mali Obomsawin Quartet

Artist: Mali Obomsawin Quartet

Song: unknown^*

Recorded at ImprovLab, University of Guelph (IF 2023 – Day 2), October 21, 2023.

Mali Obomsawin Quartet - unknown

A rare out-of-town day trip to hear some music out past the city limits gave a glimpse into goings-on out in Guelph, including the U of G's "brand new state-of-the-art" ImprovLab, which hosted some of the concerts in a full day's programming as part of the International Institute for Critical Studies in Improvisation's conference. Fabulous work here from bassist Mali Obomsawin, playing alongside Magdalena Abrego (electric guitar), Allison Burik (bass clarinet, alto sax), and Mili Hong (percussion). Exploring songcraft and other compositional forms, there was room here for a lot of interplay — and improvisation — often in the form of simmering grooves.

^* Does anyone know the title to this one? Please leave a comment!

Recording: Damon & Naomi

Artist: Damon & Naomi

Songs: Season Without Time + Judah and the Maccabees

Recorded at Bar Orwell, October 16, 2023.

Damon & Naomi - Season Without Time

Damon & Naomi - Judah and the Maccabees

Returning to Toronto after a rather long absence, Damon Krukowski and Naomi Yang looked to be right at home in the "literary dive-bar" environs. In between dryly humourous banter-y snippets of the sort of gentle mocking endemic to long-running musical/life partners the pair highlighted 2021's A Sky Record at the start and end of the set — though in the middle Yang exchanged keyboard for bass and the pair spent some time digging through their back catalog. Cozy and intimate, this was just the right vibe to spend some time with these songs and some stories.

Recording: Picastro

Artist: Picastro

Song: unknown^*

Recorded at Bar Orwell, October 16, 2023.

Picastro - unknown

Continuing a long-running tradition of constantly shape-shifting around frontperson Liz Hysen, Picastro showed up at this gig opening for Damon & Naomi in a totally different formation than I'd seen previously — while the last time I saw the group it was as a duo with double bassist Alex Fournier, here it was a trio with Tim Condon (guitar, SK-1) and Mike Mērnieks-Duffield (drums). The latter, unsurprisingly, added some quiet propulsion to things, but the core dirge-drift of the Picastro soundworld was definitely in evidence here. That said, this was a snappy set by Picastro standards, with several shorter songs and keeping things under a succinct half-hour.

^* Does anyone know the title to this one? Please leave a comment!

Recording: Shoe Horn Ensemble

Artist: Shoe Horn Ensemble

Song: [first section]

Recorded at the Bata Shoe Museum (Track Could Bend @ X Avant XVIII – Neeeerrrrddddssss: shoe horn), October 12, 2023.

Shoe Horn Ensemble - [first section]

I'm still not entirely sure what I did to deserve such an honour, but somehow I ended up curating a night of this year's X Avant Festival. And not just any ol' night as we were invited to conspire a musical takeover of the Bata Shoe Museum. Thanks to the amazing powers and positive energy of Artistic Director Sanjeet Takhar, we were able to fill the building with creativity, bringing a grouping of nine musicians to first enfold some sounds in the museum's galleries, then gather them all together for a collaborative improvisation. Best of all, though it was on a grander scale than I'd usually allow myself to imagine, it really felt like it was all done in the spirit of Track Could Bend. And were there shoes? Oh yes, there were shoes.

After spreading the musicians out in the galleries, the conclusion gave everyone a chance to find ways to work together in a large ensemble. The featured performers here were electronic musicians Laura Dickens (a.k.a. Leucrocuta) & Hex-A-Deximal, who were processing incoming sounds from the mics and from Tegan Dietsch's tap board. Around that centre, horn players and percussionists had a chance to wander some more — one of the most delightful moments was when trumpeter Lina Allemano and trombonist Tom Richards headed up the stairs and out of sight, only to pop out of the elevator behind the audience a few minutes later! With everyone putting, ah, their best foot forward this was a satitisfying way to gather all the threads shoelaces together.

For the record, the full ensemble was:

• Tegan Dietsch (tap)
• Lina Allemano (trumpet)
• Tom Richards (trombone)
• Why Be Normal [%%30%30 & James Bailey] (found percussion)
• Annie Elgie (voice)
• Yang Chen (percussion/processing)
• LD & Hex-A-Deximal (electronics)

You can check out the full set over on youtube:

[The Bata's new exhibition Dressed to Impress: Footwear and Consumerism in the 1980's is now open. Track Could Bend will be back in its regular first-Tuesday-of-the-month incarnation at Wenona Lodge on December 5th, with sets from kat estacio and Alma.]

Recording: Annie Elgie & co.

Artist: Annie Elgie & co.

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at the Bata Shoe Museum (Track Could Bend @ X Avant XVIII – Neeeerrrrddddssss: shoe horn), October 12, 2023.

Annie Elgie & co. - [excerpt]

I'm still not entirely sure what I did to deserve such an honour, but somehow I ended up curating a night of this year's X Avant Festival. And not just any ol' night as we were invited to conspire a musical takeover of the Bata Shoe Museum. Thanks to the amazing powers and positive energy of Artistic Director Sanjeet Takhar, we were able to fill the building with creativity, bringing a grouping of nine musicians to first enfold some sounds in the museum's galleries, then gather them all together for a collaborative improvisation. Best of all, though it was on a grander scale than I'd usually allow myself to imagine, it really felt like it was all done in the spirit of Track Could Bend. And were there shoes? Oh yes, there were shoes.

When I saw the "In Bloom" exhibit on the first site visit to the museum I made a mental note that it would be a perfect spot for vocalist Annie Elgie. And indeed, in between a couple benches at the far end of the room she settled right in between flowers and footwear to conjure up some spirits. This section, from the end of the event's first half up in the galleries, was one of my favourite parts of the whole night — you can hear horn players Lina Allemano and Tom Richards circling around like the sampled seagulls that are calling out.

You can check out another segment of this performance, with tap dancer Tegan Dietsch joining in (and much more!) over on youtube:

[The Bata's new exhibition Dressed to Impress: Footwear and Consumerism in the 1980's is now open. Track Could Bend will be back in its regular first-Tuesday-of-the-month incarnation at Wenona Lodge on December 5th, with sets from kat estacio and Alma.]

Recording: Yang Chen & co.

Artist: Yang Chen & co.

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at the Bata Shoe Museum (Track Could Bend @ X Avant XVIII – Neeeerrrrddddssss: shoe horn), October 12, 2023.

Yang Chen & co. - [excerpt]

I'm still not entirely sure what I did to deserve such an honour, but somehow I ended up curating a night of this year's X Avant Festival. And not just any ol' night as we were invited to conspire a musical takeover of the Bata Shoe Museum. Thanks to the amazing powers and positive energy of Artistic Director Sanjeet Takhar, we were able to fill the building with creativity, bringing a grouping of nine musicians to first enfold some sounds in the museum's galleries, then gather them all together for a collaborative improvisation. Best of all, though it was on a grander scale than I'd usually allow myself to imagine, it really felt like it was all done in the spirit of Track Could Bend. And were there shoes? Oh yes, there were shoes.

I've seen percussionist Yang Chen in a variety of settings and I knew they could provide some musical secret sauce in an adventure like this. Setting up shop in the upper part of the permanent collection (dedicated to giving a "Glimpse into Artefact Storage") they were at a crossroads for audience members and other wandering performers, generating a variety of close-mic'ed textures and subtle feedback (feet-back?) hums — plus, you can hear some sonic bleed from Why Be Normal on the lower level and some passing horns here.

You can check out some other zones from this set's conclusion over on youtube:

[The Bata's new exhibition Dressed to Impress: Footwear and Consumerism in the 1980's is now open. Track Could Bend will be back in its regular first-Tuesday-of-the-month incarnation at Wenona Lodge on December 5th, with sets from kat estacio and Alma.]

Recording: Why Be Normal

Artist: Why Be Normal

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at the Bata Shoe Museum (Track Could Bend @ X Avant XVIII – Neeeerrrrddddssss: shoe horn), October 12, 2023.

Why Be Normal - [excerpt]

I'm still not entirely sure what I did to deserve such an honour, but somehow I ended up curating a night of this year's X Avant Festival. And not just any ol' night as we were invited to conspire a musical takeover of the Bata Shoe Museum. Thanks to the amazing powers and positive energy of Artistic Director Sanjeet Takhar, we were able to fill the building with creativity, bringing a grouping of nine musicians to first enfold some sounds in the museum's galleries, then gather them all together for a collaborative improvisation. Best of all, though it was on a grander scale than I'd usually allow myself to imagine, it really felt like it was all done in the spirit of Track Could Bend. And were there shoes? Oh yes, there were shoes.

This pairing of found percussionists Colin C. (who performs as %%30%30) and James Bailey (who also brought his trombone along on this occasion) came together at TCB some months back and their joyful junk spectacle called out for a bigger canvas. Taking over one end of the lower level of the museum's permanent collection, this was indeed a widescreen adventure, with all sorts of bricabrac spread around.

You can check out the pair interacting with tap dancer Tegan Dietsch (and more!) over on youtube:

[The Bata's new exhibition Dressed to Impress: Footwear and Consumerism in the 1980's is now open. Track Could Bend will be back in its regular first-Tuesday-of-the-month incarnation at Wenona Lodge on December 5th, with sets from kat estacio and Alma.]

Recording: Lina Allemano & Tom Richards

Artist: Lina Allemano & Tom Richards

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at the Bata Shoe Museum (Track Could Bend @ X Avant XVIII – Neeeerrrrddddssss: shoe horn), October 12, 2023.

Lina Allemano & Tom Richards - [excerpt]

I'm still not entirely sure what I did to deserve such an honour, but somehow I ended up curating a night of this year's X Avant Festival. And not just any ol' night as we were invited to conspire a musical takeover of the Bata Shoe Museum. Thanks to the amazing powers and positive energy of Artistic Director Sanjeet Takhar, we were able to fill the building with creativity, bringing a grouping of nine musicians to first enfold some sounds in the museum's galleries, then gather them all together for a collaborative improvisation. Best of all, though it was on a grander scale than I'd usually allow myself to imagine, it really felt like it was all done in the spirit of Track Could Bend. And were there shoes? Oh yes, there were shoes.

The phrase "shoe horns" was one of the first things on the idea board when brainstorming for this show began, and I had this vivid mental image of a horn player using a shoe as a mute. No surprise then that the first person I thought of in that scenario was trumpeter Lina Allemano, who tends to bring a variety of ad hoc resonators to use as mutes. Trombonist Tom Richards is equally imaginative in expanding the possibilities of his instrument, and the pair had a tremendous time riffing off each other in the "Obsessed" exhibit — plus, of course, using their mobility to find chances to interact with the other performers.

You can check them out in their "home" gallery and visiting some others over on youtube:

[The Bata's new exhibition Dressed to Impress: Footwear and Consumerism in the 1980's is now open. Track Could Bend will be back in its regular first-Tuesday-of-the-month incarnation at Wenona Lodge on December 5th, with sets from kat estacio and Alma.]