Recording: Lido Pimienta

Artist: Lido Pimienta

Song: Al Unison Viajan^*

Recorded at The Great Hall ("Long Winter – Year 2 Volume 1"), November 8, 2013.

Lido Pimienta - Al Unison Viajan

Full review to follow. The first season of Long Winter shows developed their sensibility as they went along, but a second go-round gives a chance to plug into — and expand upon — an existing template. This time 'round, The Great Hall was even more stuffed to the gills. The main hall and conversation room stages were running in tight tandem, meaning you could (and I did!) basically watch music continuously all night long. But on top of that, there was a third stage in the restaurant, plus a full separate slate (including a live talk show) in the basement BLK BOX, to say nothing of the art interventions scattered throughout the space.

As the main hall started to feel filled up, it was Lido Pimienta's cutting-edge Colombian-inspired grooves and elastic voice that really gave the spark that got the night grooving. With distorted Rob Ford videos projected behind the group (five wide, including Steve Ward on trombone), she started a conscious party while celebrating being included on a limited run 7" single being handed out at the door. Invigorating stuff — my recording's a little murky, so to get the full force of this, you should come see her at the forthcoming All Toronto's Parties spectacular.

^* Thanks to Lido for passing the title and the meaning of this one ("...about British and Spanish colonizers who travelled to North and South America with the same intentions and around the same time... a shared history of oppression and genocide.")