Recording: Zoo Owl

Artist: Zoo Owl

Song: unknown^*

Recorded at The Music Gallery, November 22, 2014.

Zoo Owl - unknown

In its mandate to act as the city's centre for creative music, props to the Music Gallery for remembering that it's not just the "highbrow" scenes that have a let's-push-things-forward ethos, and that there are plenty of folks who are experimenting with musical sound and form in the let's-call-it-pop field. MG production manager Adam Bradley is known to folks in that latter realm for his work as part of the Wavelength crew, and it was quite pleasing to see him get a chance to bring his sensibility to this "pop avant" showcase. Being part of a curated Music Gallery program not only allows for a chance to interface with a new audience, but also an opportunity to put on a slightly more elaborate show than usual to an attentive crowd.

On a constant quest to renew and expand this project's musical identity, after launching his début album earlier this year Bryan Sutherland decamped to the wilderness for inspiration, returning with a set's worth of new material (as well as a stageful of foliage and branches) to reveal at this special Music Gallery show. Perhaps taking a cue from nature's calm, the newer stuff is a bit less frenetic than the first batch of Zoo Owl songs — and this one borrows some classic rock'n'roll changes. But there was still plenty opportunities to climb up on his customized stage set to stare down down at the audience with his glowing eyes.

[Zoo Owl will be playing at Handlebar alongside Bad Channels and Valerie Dour on Saturday, January 3 of the new year.]

^* Does anyone know the title to this one? The obvious title would be "Into the Woods" — please leave a comment if you can confirm that or set me right otherwise!