You can read more about why I'm doing listings here. Long story short: This curated and decidedly non-comprehensive list contains nothin' but shows that I am going to/would go to if I had more time.
Gig of the week:
The Draperies (Allison Cameron) / Ratio 2014-09-29 (Monday) [FB event]
Whenever guitarist Eric Chenaux, now resident in Paris, makes one his trips back to T.O., there's always a flurry of activity as his various groups squeeze in some quick reunions. Following up on a wonderful solo set opening for Jennifer Castle last week, he joins with Ryan Driver and Doug Tielli to reconvene this minimal rat-drift-y trio. Ratio should serve as a beneficial space for this set by a band that lends itself to quiet music demanding close listening.
[Bonus! I see that there's a Drumheller set listed at The Tranzac on Tuesday evening, so it looks like the Chenaux-fest will keep rolling. Oops — sources suggest this ain't so, sadly. It looks like this was a leftover artifact from before the originally-scheduled gig was rolled into the doubleheader with Ryan Driver on Friday last.]
This week's noteworthy shows:
Buck 65 / Soundscapes 2014-09-30 (Tuesday – free in-store performance!)
Drumheller / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2014-09-30 (Tuesday)
EMA / The Drake Underground 2014-09-30 (Tuesday) [more info]
Thom Gill / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2014-10-02 (Thursday)
Wavelength 620 (feat. Bruce Peninsula / Del Bel / Delta Will) / SPK Polish Combatants Hall 2014-10-03 (Friday) [more info]
Feast In The East 41 (feat. U.S. Girls / Nature / Castle If) / Jam Factory Co. 2014-10-03 (Friday) [FB event]
Doctor Ew / Holy Oak Café 2014-10-03 (Friday) [FB event]
Police Des Moeurs (Human Performance Lab) / Double Double Land 2014-10-04 (Saturday) [FB event]
DAS RAD [LP Release!] (Toronto Homicide Squad / Teen Tits Wild Wives / Hangin Tuff) / Smiling Buddha 2014-10-04 (Saturday) [FB event]
Nuit Blanche: "Jazz Age Cinema with the Ryan Driver Quintet" / TIFF Lightbox 2014-10-04 (Saturday) [more info]
Nuit Blanche: Spectrum Music's Interface ["interactive sound installation/live musical performance" with a rotating crew of improvising musicians] / Artscape Youngplace 2014-10-04 (Saturday) [more info]
No Angels Dancing / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2014-10-05 (Sunday – matinée! 1 to 3 p.m.)
Monk's Music / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2014-10-05 (Sunday – matinée! 5 to 7 p.m.)
Harley Card Trio with Alex Samaras / Holy Oak Café 2014-10-05 (Sunday) [more info]
Nite Comfort (feat. nwodtleM / the One (family) / jefftheworld) / Handlebar 2014-10-05 (Sunday) [FB event]
Pony Girl (bEQUALSd / Spectrum Percussion) / Array Space 2014-10-05 (Sunday) [FB event]
Add these to your calendar:
Spectrum: Season Launch Party – Tell It Like It Is (feat. Nick Storring / Barnyard Drama) / Alliance Française de Toronto 2014-10-08 (Wednesday) [FB event]
Four Laureates and Friends ["an evening of poetry, music, and song presented to benefit the United Way of Toronto"] (feat. Dennis Lee / Pier Giorgio Di Cicco / George Elliott Clarke / Terry Burns) / Robert Gill Theater 2014-10-08 (Wednesday) [FB event]
Wavelength 621 (feat. Titus Andronicus / Ice Cream / Programm) / The Garrison 2014-10-09 (Thursday – $3 with RSVP!) [FB event]
New Fries [Fresh Face Forward tape release!] (Fan Fiction / Steve Kado / Few Horizzons) / 272 Geary Ave. 2014-10-10 (Friday) [FB event]
Legato Vipers [LV record release!] (The Histrionics / Harlan Pepper / Start Something) / The Silver Dollar Room 2014-10-11 (Saturday) [FB event]
Lina Allemano's Titanium Riot [CD Release!] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2014-10-12 (Sunday) [more info]
Audiopollination #23 (feat. Diane Roblin/Jonathan Culp/Raphael Weinroth-Browne / cheryl o/Barry Prophet/Arnd Jurgensen / Adriana Monti/{AN} EeL / Kayla Milmine/bora x bora ) / Array Space 2014-10-14 (Tuesday) [FB event]
Sheezer / Lee's Palace 2014-10-30 (Thursday) [more info]
DEATH TO T.O. IV: A Halloween Covers Show (feat. The Soupcans [as The Jesus Lizard] / Burning Love [as Hot Snakes] / The Siilk Group [as The Doors] / Cellphone [as Metallica] / Members Of Phedre, Hooded Fang, Moon King And Hellaluyah [as Beastie Boys] / Dilly Dally [as U2] / Mexican Slang [as Babes In Toyland] / Sunset Pig (Andre Either) [as JJ Cale] / The BB Guns [as Primal Scream] / Members Of Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs And Gay [as E.L.O.]) / The Silver Dollar Room + Comfort Zone 2014-10-30 (Thursday) [FB event]
416 Toronto Creative Improvisers Festival (feat. King Weather / Nick Fraser/Rob Clutton/Brodie West / CA3) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2014-11-13 (Thursday) [more info]
416 Toronto Creative Improvisers Festival (feat. SonoRa / Kyle Brenders Ensemble / Birth of Troubling Forms) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2014-11-14 (Friday) [more info]
416 Toronto Creative Improvisers Festival (feat. Element Choir / Colin Fisher/Mike Gennaro / Toronto Improvisers Orchestra) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2014-11-15 (Saturday) [more info]
Naturale ["Violist Pemi Paull and percussionist David Schotzko perform duo works by Philip Glass, Luciano Berio and Ted Hearne, along with the world premiere of a new work by Linda Catlin Smith."] / Array Space 2014-11-19 (Wednesday) [more info]
Community corner:
The promo bumf came down the tube the other day that submissions — or as they dryly note, the chance to submit — are now open for next year's NXNE. So maybe this is an opportune time for us — as musicians, as fans, as people who cover the festival, as people who put on shows — to reflect on what we're going to do about it.
There was a great deal of dissatisfaction that simmered to the surface last year that was focused into the "WHY NXNE SUCKS" panel/sideshow, and while community organization led to the abandonment of the radius clause, there are still some who feel that's not enough. There were conflicting reports that came out of the panel that NXNE was going to abandon its pay-to-play recruitment via Sonicbids, but the final stance is that the practice continues, although at a lower price.
So my question is: rather than waiting around for the festival to start and complaining anew, what can we do now? Should we be communicating to bands not to enter the Sonicbids lottery (to be one of merely 40% of the festival's bands that are selected that way)? Should bands not play the festival under any circumstances? Are labels/bookers thinking about not taking part in NXNE at all? Should grassroots media accept the festival's implied indifference and not cover it, even when it comes to supporting artists we want to support? Do we need to pay attention to the festival to have a good time? Discussion, please.
Update: NXNE has just posted an article explaining Why We Use Sonicbids.
[Meanwhile, let's direct ourselves to what's going on with TWiMFeST at the end of October. It's a joint effort from Two Way Monologues and The Indie Machine, who are positioning themselves as something of an anti-NXNE, promising "a new artist/fan-centred festival with no fees, no radius clause, and paid gigs for performers". The first wave of announcements included the likes of B.A. Johnston, Carnival Moon, Connoisseurs of Porn, Christian Hansen, Persian Rugs, and Sun Stone Revolvers. There's also many more that I don't know, but that's part of the point: I trust the ears-to-the-ground people behind this to have some unheard gems in there.]
Posts
Cross-posted to the MFS facebok page in case anyone wants to discuss it there.
ReplyDelete