Recording: Robyn Hitchcock & The Sadies

Artist: Robyn Hitchcock & The Sadies

Songs: You're Still on My Mind [Luke McDaniel cover, via The Byrds] + One Hundred Years from Now [Gram Parsons cover, via The Byrds] + Lucifer Sam [Pink Floyd cover] + I Wanna Destroy You [Soft Boys cover]

Recorded at The Drake Underground, September 13, 2015.

Robyn Hitchcock & The Sadies - You're Still on My Mind

Robyn Hitchcock & The Sadies - One Hundred Years from Now

Robyn Hitchcock & The Sadies - Lucifer Sam

Robyn Hitchcock & The Sadies - I Wanna Destroy You

This was about the fifth or sixth year that Robyn Hitchcock has made an annual stop in the basement at The Drake, with the last few being multi-night mini-stands, where RH would show off his super-deep catalogue by playing for two or three nights in a row without repeating a song. This year saw a couple nights of solo balladeer action, but this Sunday-night closer was a special one-off, seeing Hitchcock being backed by specialists-in-all-styles The Sadies in a night billed as "Jewels From The Vault".

That was a hint that there'd be covers a-plenty, but all expectations were surpassed when the set turned out to be a start-to-finish recreation of The Byrds' iconic country-rock foundation-stone Sweetheart of The Rodeo. This night was a follow-up to the same pairing covering The Band's Stage Fright in full at the Winnipeg Folk Festival earlier this year, and a few selections from that were played, as well as a pair of Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd tunes. Dipping into Hitchcock's own back pages to finish with rocked-up versions of The Soft Boys' "I Wanna Destroy You" and "Queen of Eyes" was just icing on the cake. And all of it was delivered with Hitchcock's signature surrealistic élan, whether musing on the poles of the karmic wheel or making an impassioned tribute (in French!) to his cup of tea with soy milk ("sans vache"). As always, an annual highlight.

[As there are just too many gems to pick from here, I've gone ahead and uploaded the entire set to the Live Music Archive, so you can stream or download the whole thing there.]

Recording: Emma Swift

Artist: Emma Swift

Songs: Seasons + Shivers [Rowland S. Howard cover]

Recorded at The Drake Underground, September 13, 2015.

Emma Swift - Seasons

Emma Swift - Shivers

"This is miserable stuff," said this Sydney-via-Nashville singer as an introduction to her set, her upbeat spirit contrasting the sad songs that she prefers to strum. Opening for Robyn Hitchcock on the heels of their joint single earlier this year, the stripped-down set included a couple duets with RH and a couple covers, including the Australian All-Time Mope Champ heard here.

Concert Listings Roundup #116

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:

Not The Wind, Not The Flag [Pleasence album release!] (c_RL / Nifty) / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2015-10-01 (Thursday) [FB event]

What can I say about Not The Wind, Not The Flag — T.O.'s best band — that I haven't said a kajillion times on this blog already? Fierce astral projections meet meditative inner peacemaking, the duo are celebrating Vermillion, their first-ever vinyl album release, on Pleasence Records. Super rad openers to boot, so this is simply not to be missed.

---

This week's noteworthy shows:

Wavelength 680: Your Band Sucks [interview/book talk] (feat. Jon Fine) / The Garrison 2015-09-28 (Monday – free!) [FB event]

Body Help / The Emmet Ray 2015-09-28 (Monday) [FB event]

Nick Fraser/Doug Tielli (Mark Godfrey/Jim Lewis/Nick Fraser / Bristles [Andrew Downing/David Occhipinti/Jim Lewis]) / The Tranzac (Silver Dollar Room) 2015-09-29 (Tuesday – early + late slots!) [FB event]

Tom Richards Quartet / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2015-09-30 (Wednesday – early!) [FB event]

Ken Aldcroft's Convergence Ensemble / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2015-09-30 (Wednesday)

Yo La Tengo featuring Dave Schramm: An Acoustic Evening / Queen Elizabeth Theatre 2015-09-30 (Wednesday) [more info]

Destroyer / The Danforth Music Hall 2015-09-30 (Wednesday) [more info]

Solon Gee Band (Smith/Fukuzawa Duo / Yonge Kings) / The Central 2015-09-30 (Wednesday – PWYC!) [FB event]

Vieux Farka Touré (Julia Easterlin) / Revival 2015-10-01 (Thursday) [more info]

Feast In The East 53 (feat. Jerusalem In My Heart / Jessica Moss / Rose Bolton & Music In The Barns / Khôra) / Jam Factory 2015-10-02 (Friday) [FB event]

Donné Roberts / Alliance Française de Toronto 2015-10-02 (Friday) [FB event]

Womyn Wimmin Women (feat. Vag Halen / Nikki Fierce) / Smiling Buddha 2015-10-02–2015-10-03 (Friday + Saturday) [FB event]

Audiopollination #35.1 (feat. Watson Jennison/Colin Fisher/Michael Lynn / Bill Gilliam/Glen Hall) / Array Space 2015-10-03 (Saturday) [FB event]

Meeko Cheech (Notta Comet / Alpha Strategy) / Handlebar 2015-10-03 (Saturday) [FB event]

Toronto Improvisors Performance [seven-hour non-offical Nuit Blance improvised music performance!] / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2015-10-03 (Saturday)

Erik Satie's "Vexations": 14 hour performance by Brian Abbot + friends / Propeller 2015-10-03 (Saturday – 10 a.m. to midnight!) [FB event]

Nuit Blanche: Hit ["a performance using microphones as percussive instruments to sound a space"] (conceived by Christof Migone) / Park at Queens Quay E. & Cooper St. 2015-10-03 (Saturday – free! outdoors! all night long!) [FB event]

L CON (Joanne Pollock) / Burdock Music Hall 2015-10-04 (Sunday) [FB event]

Nite Comfort 26 (feat. Cetacea / Evan Wainio-Woldanski) / Handlebar 2015-10-04 (Sunday) [FB event]

---

Add these to your calendar:

Reminder: This post only contains this week's updates — the full listings can always be found over on the right-hand sidebar!

Burn Down the Capital and Somewhere There present (feat. Michael Snow and Mani Mazinani's Cat Fight / Rob Grieve's Nusuth / Brendler/Lewis/Perry/Sperrazza) / Array Space 2015-10-08 (Thursday) [FB event]

Widowspeak (Beams) / The Silver Dollar Room 2015-10-11 (Sunday) [FB event]

Spectrum: Season Launch Party (feat. Dialectica Saxophone Quartet / Interface sound installation) / Emmet Ray 2015-10-14 (Wednesday) [FB event]

By Divine Right (Patti Cake / Nick Ferrio and His Feelings) / Junction City Music Hall 2015-10-16 (Friday) [FB event]

Eve Egoyan [Thought and Desire CD release concert] / Small World Music Centre 2015-10-16–2015-10-18 (Friday–Sunday) [FB event]

DEATH TO T.O. V (feat. Members of Ice Cream, Slim Twig Band and Vallens [performing as Alanis Morissette] / Explorer Feat. Matty Dee [performing as Alice Cooper] / Members of Fucked Up, Young Guv, Wyrd Visions, Elliott Vincent Jones, Prince Ness And Dylan III [performing as Backstreet Boys] / Sahara [performing as Cocteau Twins] / The Two Koreas [performing as Clinic] / Members of Sloan And Good Enough [performing as Descendants] / Blonde Elvis [performing as David Bowie] / Calvin Love [performing as Iggy And The Stooges] / B-17 [performing as Kiss] / The Dirty Frigs [performing as No Doubt] / Beliefs [performing as Portishead] / Fake Palms [performing as Television] / Members of Century Palm and Germaphobes [performing as The B-52's] / Performed By Only Yours [performing as The Police] / Greys [performing as The Smashing Pumpkins] / Sportsfan [performing as The Strokes] / Biblical [performing as The Who] / Members of Hollow Earth, Weaves And Cell Memory [performing as Wings]) / Lee's Palace + The Dance Cave 2015-10-30 (Friday) [FB event]

Delta Will (Mune / Kurt Marble) / Burdock Music Hall 2015-10-30 (Friday) [FB event]

Dirty Frigs (EARRING / BBIGPIGG / "special guest") / Smiling Buddha 2015-10-31 (Saturday) [FB event]

Moonwood [Desert Ghosts album release] (Processor / M. Mucci) / Ratio 2015-11-06 (Friday) [FB event]

Clara Engel [Visitors Are Allowed One Kiss album launch] (Old Haunt) / Burdock Music Hall 2015-11-07 (Saturday) [FB event]

Wavelength 683 (feat. Esmerine / Bernice / Baby Cages) / Monarch Tavern 2015-11-13 (Friday) [FB event]

Scott Merritt with Jeff Bird (Sandro Perri) / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2015-11-27 (Friday)

---

Calendar corner:

Winter is just around the corner, which also means Long Winter almost here. Details of this season's first event will be out soon, but for now, you should just mark off all these dates: Friday, November 13, Saturday, December 12, Saturday, January 16, Friday, February 19, and Friday, March 18.

Recording: John Cooper Clarke

Artist: John Cooper Clarke

Poems: Get Back on Drugs You Fat Fuck + Bed Blocker Blues

Recorded at The Garrison, September 10, 2015.

John Cooper Clarke - Get Back on Drugs You Fat Fuck

John Cooper Clarke - Bed Blocker Blues

So far as I can tell, punkrock performance poet icon John Cooper Clarke hasn't played Toronto for over thirty years, so the fact that this show was delayed from springtime seemed like not much longer to wait. Two shows at the smaller Rivoli ended up becoming one entirely sold-out show at The Garrison, and the packed-in crowd were in good humour as JCC performed a series of poems with his rapid-fire delivery, punctuated by more relaxed stretches of banter. That there was about twice as much of the latter as the former was not to the set's detriment as Clarke shared a lifetime's worth of quips, one-liners and anecdotes. Still raw and hilarious, his poems' biting humour still covered all the big issues (love, death, gentrification, rental cars, etc.). Possibly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in these parts and a wonderful show.

Recording: Nailbiter

Artist: Nailbiter

Song: [second section]^*

Recorded at Smiling Buddha, September 9, 2015.

Nailbiter - [second section]

This was the first public appearance by this new side-project from Josh Korody (of Beliefs and Wish), and he brought a couple tables filled with modular synths and patchcords. As the room around him filled with clouds of dry ice, Korody engineered some analog grooves, hinting at old-school industrial sounds. This first salvo has already been accompanied by the project's first album, which mostly works in the same sonic terrain.

^* I'm not sure if Korody was in "song mode" here or just improvising, though I suspect the latter.

Recording: Fresh Snow

Artist: Fresh Snow

Songs: Prelude Drone Pt. I [feat. Doomsquad] + Pt. II, Proper Burial [feat. Carmen Elle]

Recorded at Smiling Buddha (basement + main stage), September 9, 2015.

Fresh Snow - Prelude Drone Pt. I [feat. Doomsquad]

Fresh Snow - Prelude Drone Pt. II

Fresh Snow - Proper Burial [feat. Carmen Elle]

Celebrating the release of their long-awaited new EP, Fresh Snow integrated a couple one-of-a-kind moments into their release show. It actually started down in the basement, where half the band were joined by members of Doomsquad, also clad in Fresh Show's trademark balaclavas, crouched over keyboards and loop pedals, churning out a slowly-rising ambient drone. Drummer Jon Maki wandered through the crowd ringing chimes, and after a few minutes, the Fresh Snow members left one by one to make their way upstairs to the main stage. There, Tim Condon was holding his own drone séance, the sounds becoming more complicated as the others joined him and finally kicked into the first proper song. Mid-set, there was another special guest when Carmen Elle (of DIANA and Army Girls) took the stage to reprise the vocal that she laid down on the new EP. These moments might not get repeated any time soon, so here they are.

Recording: Carl Didur

Artist: Carl Didur

Song: unknown^*

Recorded at Smiling Buddha, September 9, 2015.

Carl Didur - unknown

Set up on the floor in front of the stage, Carl Didur's set began to general indifference from the crowd, but this was a case where things settled down fairly well as the tendrils of his music wove their way through the room. Working in real time, Didur wasn't just slipping his tape loops in and out of his reel-to-reels — at one point he actually pulled out a wrench to make an adjustment to one one of the machines on the fly.

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

Recording: ZONES

Artist: ZONES

Song: Two Cans^*

Recorded at Smiling Buddha (basement), September 9, 2015.

ZONES - Two Cans

On a night of mostly-instrumental music celebrating the release of Fresh Snow's new EP, woozewave duo Derek McKeon and Kat Murie led things off in the basement with their tropical abstract grooves. Not instrumental, but as always the vocals were buried and distorted enough to not be the dominant feature of any of the songs.

^* The band has confirmed the title of this one.

Recording: bedroom superband

Artist: bedroom superband

Songs: [two excerpts]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), September 8, 2015

bedroom superband - [excerpt 1]

bedroom superband - [excerpt 2]

This avant-chillout project from Matthew Pencer (laptop), Michael Davidson (vibraphone) and Josh Cole (mono synth/laptop) is still making quiet noises in the dark, but this time out they had some help, with guests Daniel Pencer (saxophone), Isla Craig (vox) and Thom Gill (synth) justifying the immodest modifier to the band's name. Though a half-dozen deep, this was still quiet and un-busy music, layer upon layer of electronic whirring with little sax licks at the edges and Craig's wordless lullabying.

[bedroom (possibly in smaller numbers) will be back in action on the second Tuesday of next month — that'd be October 13 — in the Southern Cross.]

Recording: Aurochs

Artist: Aurochs

Song: [set 1 excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), September 8, 2015

Aurochs - [set 1 excerpt]

Back at it over at their monthly Tranzac residency, the quartet was in pleasingly subtle territory for much of the night, with pianist Ali Berkok and bassist Pete Johnston prepared to settle into some circular, looping grooves while percussionist Jake Oelrichs would occasionally punt for field position. Meanwhile groovulator Mike Smith's presence was felt throughout, but never unduly called attention to itself, as he manipulated and extended the others' sounds, occasionally creating four-dimensional bubbles rippling the sonic spacetime fabric.

[Aurochs will be back in action on the second Tuesday of next month — that'd be October 13 — in the early slot in the Southern Cross.]

Recording: Shalabi Effect

Artist: Shalabi Effect

Songs: Third Section [in two parts]

Recorded at Jam Factory (Intersection 2015 – Day 2 / The Music Gallery's Departures Series), September 6, 2015.

Shalabi Effect - Third Section, part 1

Shalabi Effect - Third Section, part 2

These longstanding stalwarts of Montréal's experimental music scene exist amongst an intertwining network of other projects, so it was a rare treat to see them playing this T.O. date. Co-founder Sam Shalabi (also busy with his solo work and Land of Kush) brings the influence of his time in Cairo, and his work on oud is one of the band's distinctive elements. At this show, however, it was his moog that provided the most unexpected moments when a loose cable started sending static shards through the PA, much to the band's confusion. That required a slight mid-set pause in what was otherwise a constantly-shifting soundscape that ranged from tabla grooves to electronic drones — a mix that made sense under the quartet's carefully-considered sound-shaping.

[After this offsite excursion, the Music Gallery's season gets going at St. George the Martyr Church with Friday's presentation of In the Sea (featuring Tristan Honsinger) and The Visit — and leading up to next month's X Avant Festival.]

Recording: Dominions

Artist: Dominions

Song: Vice Regal Salute [edit]

Recorded at Jam Factory (Intersection 2015 – Day 2 / The Music Gallery's Departures Series), September 6, 2015.

Dominions - Vice Regal Salute [edit]

Never one to hew too closely to composerly decorum, this new band (don't call it an ensemble) from Jason Doell debuted with a declaration that it would only exist for two or three gigs and then break up. Very punk rock — as were the (unintentional) squeals of feedback that punctuated this performance in a stiflingly-warm Jam Factory. The group's proclaimed unlongevity and the sound problems (to say nothing of Doell's propensity for subtly-didactic titles) should not, however, distract from the tastiness of the music. Playing guitar and joined by Anastasia Tchernikova (piano), Evan Lamberton (cello), and Eslin McKay (violin) the two pieces performed offered Doell's characteristic use of fraternizing textures rather than melodic development — suitable to lean back and listen to the music rustle up against the whispers of the DVP creeping in through the windows.

[After this offsite excursion, the Music Gallery's season gets going at St. George the Martyr Church with Friday's presentation of In the Sea (featuring Tristan Honsinger) and The Visit — and leading up to next month's X Avant Festival.]

Concert Listings Roundup #115

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:

Diatribes (Bespoken feat. Germaine Liu / Ido Govrin) / Ratio 2015-09-23 (Wednesday) [FB event]

This night of sonic exploration not only includes a visit from Geneva, Switzerland-based electro-percussive minimalist duo Diatribes, but also the highly-anticipated return to experimental chamber ensemble Bespoken, who released a gem of a tape a couple years back.

---

This week's noteworthy shows:

Quinsin Nachoff Trio / The Emmet Ray 2015-09-21 (Monday) [FB event]

Pneuma Ensemble [Toronto Public Library's "medieval musicians in residence"!] / Toronto Public Library – Fairview Branch 2015-09-22 (Tuesday – free shows @ 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.) [FB event]

Berkok/Sexton/Song / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2015-09-22 (Tuesday)

Mild High Club (Wish / Germaphobes) / Smiling Buddha 2015-09-22 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Dust: The Quietest Big Band in the World / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2015-09-23 (Wednesday – early!)

Composer Celebration #2: Irving Berlin (feat. host Alex Samaras, house band with Ghislain Aucoin/Bram Gielen/Spencer Cole, plus special guest singers Robin Dann/Thom Gill/Michelle Willis/Lara Dodds-Eden) / Holy Oak Café 2015-09-23 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Nick Fraser New Quartet [Nick Fraser/Daniel Oore/Emily Denison/Josh Cole] / The Rex Hotel 2015-09-23 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Myriad3 / The Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre – F--- S------- Centre for the Performing Arts 2015-09-24 (Thursday – free! lunchtime show! 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.) [FB event]

Xylouris White / Soundscapes 2015-09-24 (Thursday – free in-store!) [more info]

Aldcroft/Gennaro (CCMC) / Musideum 2015-09-24 (Thursday) [FB event]

Pete Johnston and special guests / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2015-09-24 (Thursday)

Dead Malls (Deep Frontier [Ben from Mystic triangle + MIMICO]) / Holy Oak Café 2015-09-24 (Thursday) [FB event]

Last Lizard [aka Alex Zhang Hungtai, ex-Dirty Beaches] (LA Timpa [debut show!]) / Double Double Land 2015-09-24 (Thursday) [FB event]

In The Sea feat. Tristan Honsinger (The Visit [CD release!]) / The Music Gallery 2015-09-25 (Friday) [FB event]

The Ryan Driver Sextet / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2015-09-25 (Friday)

Peers [tape release!] (Country / Taste [single release!] / Nyssa) / The Silver Dollar Room 2015-09-25 (Friday) [FB event]

DUDEBOX + Steam Whistle present Unsigned (feat. Prince Innocence / BizZarh / Marlon James) / Steam Whistle Brewing Roundhouse 2015-09-25 (Friday) [FB event]

Godspeed You! Black Emperor (Xylouris White) / The Danforth Music Hall 2015-09-25–2015-09-26 (Friday + Saturday) [more info]

See Through Trio (Justin Haynes) / Ratio 2015-09-26 (Saturday) [FB event]

Prince Nifty Triad [Matt Smith/Thom Gill/Colin Fisher] / Holy Oak Café 2015-09-26 (Saturday) [FB event]

Tich Maredza Band / The Belljar Café 2015-09-26 (Saturday) [FB event]

Audiopollination #34.2 (feat. Ellwood Epps /Karen Ng/Paul Newman/Germaine Liu/Rob Clutton / Yves Charuest/Nicole Rampersaud/Joe Sorbara/Ken Aldcroft / Ellwood Epps/Yves Charuest) / Array Space 2015-09-27 (Sunday) [FB event]

---

Add these to your calendar:

Reminder: This post only contains this week's updates — the full listings can always be found over on the right-hand sidebar!

Meeko Cheech (Notta Comet / Alpha Strategy) / Handlebar 2015-10-03 (Saturday) [FB event]

Nuit Blanche: Hit ["a performance using microphones as percussive instruments to sound a space"] (conceiced by Christof Migone) / Pary at Queens Quay E. & Cooper St. 2015-10-03 (Saturday – free! outdoors! all night long!) [FB event]

Nite Comfort 26 (feat. Cetacea / Evan Wainio-Woldanski) / Handlebar 2015-10-04 (Sunday) [FB event]

The Ill-Tempered Clavier (feat. John Kameel Farah) / Ratio 2015-10-07 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Our Founders (Within / Manticore) / Burdock Music Hall 2015-10-07 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Do it for Ronnie [a benefit concert for Ronnie Morris] (feat. FrETZ [members of Fresh Snow & METZ] / Dave Monks / The Flowers of Hell / VΔNESSΔ / All-star jam feat. members of UNCUT, 2 Koreas and controller.controller) / Lee's Palace 2015-10-08 (Thursday) [more info]

Bodies That Matter [EP release party!] (Zones / Mimico / Beard Closet) / Ratio 2015-10-09 (Friday) [FB event]

Cetacea (Hybrid Frequency / Hexzuul / Mandelbrut / Ruin) / The Steady Café and Bar 2015-10-13 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Neoism Now! (feat. Istvan The King / Processor / Fresh Flesh / The New Matriarchy / Monty Cantsin) / Smiling Buddha 2015-10-15 (Thursday) [FB event]

Burn Down The Capital presents (feat. Guerilla Toss / Buck Gooter / Connoisseurs Of Porn) / 8-Eleven 2015-10-16 (Friday) [FB event]

Hank [LP Release!] (Marker Starling / The Canadian Romantic) / Burdock Music Hall 2015-10-24 (Saturday) [FB event]

---

Community corner:

Although the immediate concern of one band's name has apparantly been addressed, this excellent article by April Aliermo (of Hooded Fang and Phèdre) remains essential reading on the power of names and the power of naming. Who gets to be heard? Who needs to quiet down and listen? What does it mean to be able to not have to engage with these issues — and to be oblivious to the fact that is, in and of itself, a form of privilige that others don't have?

Recording: Flowers of Hell

Artist: Flowers of Hell

Song: Warmth of a Christmas Chill

Recorded at Yonge-Dundas Square (Intersection 2015), September 5, 2015.

Flowers of Hell - Warmth of a Christmas Chill

You can read my general notes on the festival here. Returning headliners (they closed out the festival back in 2011) Flowers of Hell were a well-fit choice to finish the day off. Even with a Lou Reed cover tossed in for good measure, this large-format rock'n'roll ensemble was the most "classical" act of the day — especially when essaying material from their brand-new Aria 51 EP, which is itself a precursor to the release of mainman Greg Jarvis' full symphony. This was the only act of the day that suffered from being on the floor of the square rather than on stage, as the crowd that accumulated made it a bit tough to get a good view — ironically, the best spot to watch this was actually up on the stage, behind the band. Playing without any monitors, the band was feeling their way through a bit more than usual, relying on intuition and Jarvis' conducting. Even with that obstacle, this was still a reasonably-bombastic way to close out a full day in the square.

Recording: The Element Choir with Paul Dutton

Artist: The Element Choir with Paul Dutton

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at Yonge-Dundas Square (Intersection 2015), September 5, 2015.

The Element Choir with Paul Dutton - [excerpt]

You can read my general notes on the festival here. Under the guidance of Christine Duncan, the Element Choir can enfold its abstract voiceworld into any surroundings. Amusingly, during this set a large protest march made its way down Yonge Street, stopping at the edge of the square and for a few moments, two drifting clouds of crowdbabble drifted into each other. For the latter part of their set, the group was well matched with featured soloist Paul Dutton, whose shout-sputters were abstracted and amplified by the group.

Recording: Tatsuya Nakatani

Artist: Tatsuya Nakatani

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at Yonge-Dundas Square (Intersection 2015), September 5, 2015.

Tatsuya Nakatani - [excerpt]

You can read my general notes on the festival here. Osaka-raised, now U.S.-based percussionist Tatsuya Nakatani played as the daylight began to fade, hovering over a kit that ranged from giant gongs to tiny bowls. There were some delicious thunderous drumrolls punctuating things, but the more interesting textures came from Nakatani's bowing techniques — and the potential energy in the pauses between his percussive gestures. No surprise, then, that he has declared that he "make[s] sound by controlling ma at the appropriate moment". A recording, of course, doesn't at all capture the presence of what he does, but you can get hints of all of the above in this excerpt.

Recording: Music in the Barns with #1000Strings

Artist: Music in the Barns with #1000Strings

Song: Spectre [composer: John Oswald]

Recorded at Yonge-Dundas Square (Intersection 2015), September 5, 2015.

Music in the Barns with #1000Strings - Spectre

You can read my general notes on the festival here. This piece for "string quartet and string multitude" was originally composed by John Oswald to be played by the Kronos Quartet and accompanied by a backing track of overdubbed layers upon layers of strings augmenting the live performance. For this "one time only participatory performance", Music in The Barns turned to the community to crowdsource a multitude — there weren't a thousand string players on hand, but all corners of the square felt quite full with groupings of violins, violas, cellos and basses, with a wonderful mix of ages and skill levels playing next to each other. Under the guidance of group leaders and timekeepers, the assembled throng did a couple runthroughs of the piece (which mostly stayed on A, moving from a single note to tremolo and then increasingly-wider glissandi). Standing in the middle of it all created quite a surround-sound experience, which is hard to reproduce here — as is the visual experience of seeing the mass of players slowly lift their bows from the strings to bow the air above them. As with the original performance, this included the use of the backing track, so the large numbers sound even more immense here. The loudest section sounds like a cloud of white noise — and a bit like a more genteel version of what Knurl unveiled in the square earlier in the day.

Recording: Not The Wind, Not The Flag

Artist: Not The Wind, Not The Flag

Songs: In This Strange Location [two sections]

Recorded at Yonge-Dundas Square (Intersection 2015), September 5, 2015.

Not The Wind, Not The Flag - In This Strange Location [segue]

Not The Wind, Not The Flag - In This Strange Location [final section]

You can read my general notes on the festival here. It's a treat to hear one of T.O.'s greatest bands in any setting, so I was looking forward for them to have a chance to blast away in the open space of Yonge-Dundas Square. Mildly discomfited by the towers of advertising around them, Colin Fisher and Brandon Valdivia set their dial to "roar" — though there were also, as in the first selection here, some pleasingly-textured interlude grooves.

[Vermillion, the band's first album on vinyl, is coming out on Pleasence Records. They'll be celebrating with a rather kick-ass release show at the Tranzac on October 1st, with c_RL and Nifty playing as well.]

Recording: Taktus

Artist: Taktus

Song: Glass Houses No. 1

Recorded at Yonge-Dundas Square (Intersection 2015), September 5, 2015.

Taktus - Glass Houses No. 1

You can read my general notes on the festival here. Earlier this year, Greg Harrison and Jonny Smith released the excellent Glass Houses for Marimba, which rearranges Ann Southam's hauntingly-beautiful minimal piano variations for two marimbas. This fusion of the rigourous compositions and the instruments' warm tones created a stately island of calm in the middle of the afternoon's hustle-bustle. This in situ recording, complete with background mutterings and vehicular roars, shows the music enfolding itself into its environment.

Recording: Knurl

Artist: Knurl

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at Yonge-Dundas Square (Intersection 2015), September 5, 2015.

Knurl - [excerpt]

You can read my general notes on the festival here. Alan Bloor's Knurl project sees him generating and controlling layers of white noise via his pedals and custom-made circular sawblade "fiddle". In an enclosed space, the real beauty of the performance comes from finding the beautiful overtones hidden within the squall as the sounds bounce off the walls. In the open space of Yonge-Dundas Square, there was less of that going on, but it was particularly enjoyable to hear his roar settling over the concrete soundscape. At one point I was grooving to a particularly gnarly roar that was emerging, but when I turned my head I realized it was from one of the motorcycles revving up next to the Hard Rock Cafe.

Recording: Christof Migone

Artist: Christof Migone

Song: Record Release [excerpt]

Recorded at Yonge-Dundas Square (Intersection 2015), September 5, 2015.

Christof Migone - Record Release [excerpt]

You can read my general notes on the festival here. Montréal sound-artist Migone took advantage of the festival's stageless presentation to spread his sound-implements out among the crowd. At the heart of his set was this segment, mixing a pleasantly airy ambient background with the localized fry-frazzle of the vibrations of plastic pellets on sheets of foil, reverberating to the sounds of small music players. Creating a temporary shifting soundfield, this invited listeners to move around and explore the shape of the sounds being generated.

Recording: Dreamed Meat

Artist: Dreamed Meat

Song: [edited excerpts]

Recorded at Yonge-Dundas Square (Intersection 2015), September 5, 2015.

Dreamed Meat - [edited excerpts]

You can read my general notes on the festival here. This two-headed subset of Imaginary Flesh saw Cory Latkovich and Rob Grieve lead off the festival under a blindingly-hot mid-afternoon sun. Grieve's guitar and Latkovich's laptop manipulations established an abrasive tone mixing gravelwarble and synthy woops.

Festival: Intersection 2015

INTERsection 2015 (Saturday, September 5, 2015)

(feat. Flowers Of Hell / The Element Choir / Tatsuya Nakatani / Music In The Barns with #1000Strings / Not The Wind, Not The Flag / Taktus / Knurl / Christof Migone / Dreamed Meat

Here's a few thoughts about the event in general. Click on the names above to check out my recordings from the day.

A year ago, there was a feeling in the air that the Intersection Festival was ripe for renewal. As things came together, it turned out that precisely that thing came to pass, with the day-long festival returning as a stripped-down/noised-up affair. There was a bit of a conceptual pivot in the curation, focusing less on the new music/contemporary classical sounds that have been the festival's mainstay and presenting a broader gathering of experimental sounds.

This year's festival was presented in association with Burn Down the Capital, and the influence of BDtC's Tad Michalak could be felt in the day's programming. Thus, while the festival has slipped in some abrasive noise before (I have fond memories of seeing Disguises and Roman Pilates in YDS), there was a greater willingness than before to double down on distortion, especially in the day's earlier going. It remains utterly wonderful to know that there's even one day a year that the ad-bath concrete canyon can play host to something sonically disruptive.

It also represents a weird experiment in putting music that's usually hidden away in small DIY spaces in front of the general public. It's comforting, at one level, to witness how spectacularly ignorable pretty much anything can be, and nice to see that a few people, in approaching some strange sounds without baggage, can totally get into it. (There's also, admittedly, a bit of a thrill in freaking people out — one of my favourite moments of the day was watching a guy coasting through the square on his bike during Knurl's set, shouting, "this is fucking crap!")

The festival also put the music closer to the audience this year, working in three "stage" zones right on the floor of the square instead of up on the big stage. Except for during Flowers of Hell's closing set, this worked out very well. The apogee of this came during Music In The Barns' participatory presentation of John Oswald's "Spectre", which filled the square with violinists, cellists, violists and bassists, completely obliterating the performer/audience boundary.

Pivoting to a couple other large ensembles (Flowers of Hell and Element Choir) gave the night-side of the festival a bit more heft that the day's smaller-but-noisier ensembles couldn't match, and closing with Flowers of Hell's symphonic orch-rock (complete with operatic soprano vocals) linked this year's festival to its roots.

It remains a bit of a struggle to turn this into a "destination" event as opposed to a stumbled-upon discovery, but the fact that there was a lot of elbow room to hear this music serves as a most appealing feature to me, and this new configuration was very worthy as the one day of the year that I bother going out of my way to hang out in Yonge-Dundas Square. Kudos for Contact to have the vision to push beyond the Intersection status quo, and kudos to Tad Michalak for putting together an entertaining day out. There's so much room for growth here — music like this needs new and different audiences, and just as importantly, various strains of experimental and boundary-pushing music need chances to be in the same spaces and cross-pollinate.

Recording: Brick Quartet + Joe Sorbara

Artist: Brick Quartet + Joe Sorbara

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at Ratio, September 3, 2015.

Brick Quartet + Joe Sorbara - [excerpt]

On the first night of a tour, this group joins three Montréalers (Raphael Foisy, bass; Jacob Desjardins, drums; Vicky Mettler, guitar) with New Zealand saxophonist Jeff Henderson. The august name was derived from the slightly less decorous title — Built Like A Brick Shithouse — of a tape documenting a live session that three of them took part in last year. At this local show, they were joined by Joe Sorbara, adding an extra layer of percussion as the group ranged from from revved-up blastin' to shout-shrieks to rubber chicken mouth-to-mouth breakdowns.

Recording: Rob Clutton/Ben Grossman/Germaine Liu/cheryl o

Artist: Rob Clutton/Ben Grossman/Germaine Liu/cheryl o

Songs: [excerpt from first piece, in three parts]

Recorded at Ratio, September 3, 2015.

Rob Clutton/Ben Grossman/Germaine Liu/cheryl o - [excerpt from first piece, part 1]

Rob Clutton/Ben Grossman/Germaine Liu/cheryl o - [excerpt from first piece, part 2]

Rob Clutton/Ben Grossman/Germaine Liu/cheryl o - [excerpt from first piece, part 3]

I spent most of this hot/damp/hard-to-think slog of a day waiting for a thunderstorm to descend to take the edge off things. It never arrived, but the cooling evening brought refreshment through some sonic thunderclaps at Ratio. This improvising quartet lead off the night, featuring some always-welcome (though too-rarely heard) sounds from cheryl o (cello) and Guelph's Ben Grossman (hurdy gurdy). They were joined by local stalwarts Rob Clutton (electric bass) and Germaine Liu (percussion) in a unit that o promised would be performing together again. (She even casually mentioned they would henceforth be known as "Group Hug".) The sound moved from the lurching propulsion of someone trying to walk without falling down into more chaotic swells of noise. This extract here splits nicely into the well-loved LOUD-quiet-LOUD format.

Recording: Zach Clark/Jonathan Adjemian/Glen Hall/Eugene Martynec

Artist: Zach Clark/Jonathan Adjemian/Glen Hall/Eugene Martynec

Songs: [an excerpt, in three parts]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge ("troubleshooting~ v5"), September 2, 2015.

Zach Clark/Jonathan Adjemian/Glen Hall/Eugene Martynec - [excerpt, part 1]

Zach Clark/Jonathan Adjemian/Glen Hall/Eugene Martynec - [excerpt, part 2]

Zach Clark/Jonathan Adjemian/Glen Hall/Eugene Martynec - [excerpt, part 3]

As has become a troubleshooting custom, SuperCollider rider and past performer Zach Clark returned to curate this instalment of the series. In lieu of a full solo set, he lead off the night's final team effort on his own before the night's other performers joined in for a group improvisation. It turned out to have a tasty mix of textures and it's worth presenting a bit of a longer chunk here.

[The next troubleshooting night will be Wednesday, October 7th at The Tranzac.]

Recording: Jonathan Adjemian

Artist: Jonathan Adjemian - [second piece]

Song: [second piece]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge ("troubleshooting~ v5"), September 2, 2015.

Jonathan Adjemian - [second piece]

Operating with laptop instead of his array of synths, Jonathan Adjemian still managed to generate an immersive series of drones (not drones) including this piece originally devised for a dance performance. Later in the set, he'd start some blipulations running and pivot to accompany himself on piano.

[The next troubleshooting night will be Wednesday, October 7th at The Tranzac.]

Bonus! here's some flickering candle video footage, which corresponds to the last section of the piece posted here:

Recording: Glen Hall and Eugene Martynec

Artist: Glen Hall and Eugene Martynec

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge ("troubleshooting~ v5"), September 2, 2015.

Glen Hall and Eugene Martynec - [excerpt]

Leading off the this instalment of troubleshooting's monthly laptop-based improvisation night were two veterans of the local scene. Glen Hall is known as a wind player and writer/arranger besides being a laptop-based electroacousticist; Eugene Martynec (with a legendary background as a producer and session musician) is leader of the Toronto Improvisers Orchestra. Operating with idiosyncratic software — respectively, Kyma X and Midi Ax — the pair were in full control of their shifting soundfield. The first section (reproduced here) had hints of gamelan abstraction while second half saw some tasty patches turn Hall's sax into something like a gauzy EWI.

[The next troubleshooting night will be Wednesday, October 7th at The Tranzac.]

Recording: Basmyn Jurke

Artist: Basmyn Jurke

Song: unknown^*

Recorded at Dundas Video (Track Could Bend #6), September 1, 2015.

Basmyn Jurke - unknown

When Jasmyn Burke started performing as Weaves — before Weaves was even a band — she played a few sets just on her own, with guitar and vocal loop pedal. Recently this slightly-mysteriously named Basmyn Jurke has appeared at a few low-key gigs, doing just the same thing, looping her emotions while testing out some new songs and sonic techniques.

[The next Track Could Bend will be at Dundas Video on Tuesday, October 6th.]

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

Recording: Alaniaris

Artist: Alaniaris

Song: Trickster

Recorded at Dundas Video (Track Could Bend #6), September 1, 2015.

Alaniaris - Trickster

Avant-rebetiko rockers Michael Kaler (bass), Mark Zurawinski (drums) and Ken Aldcroft (guit) brought out their nine-step zeibekiko rhythms for a few groovy excursions.

[The next Track Could Bend will be at Dundas Video on Tuesday, October 6th. Alaniaris will be playing their regular monthly residency show at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge this Sunday (September 20th) from 3 to 5 p.m.]

Recording: Ken Aldcroft + Mike Gennaro

Artist: Ken Aldcroft + Mike Gennaro

Song: [third piece]

Recorded at Dundas Video (Track Could Bend #6), September 1, 2015.

Ken Aldcroft + Mike Gennaro - [third piece]

Always a potent combination, drummer Mike Gennaro and guitarist Ken Aldcroft faced off to start this evening with a trio of crackling interchanges involving a complicated combination of forward lunges and sudden side-steps.

[The next Track Could Bend will be at Dundas Video on Tuesday, October 6th. This duo will be playing together again next week (Thursday, September 24th) at Musideum, sharing a bill with improv legends CCMC.]

Concert Listings Roundup #114

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.

---

Gigs of the week:

Bloor Ossington Folk Festival: "Exile On Bloor Street" [multi-venue music happening!] (feat. Michael Feuerstack / Jon McKiel / Copilots / Crooked House Road / Menalon / Joyfultalk / Wearenotwhoweare / Lullabye Arkestra / Soupcans / The Pucumber Sasssquash Family Band / Chris Ladd) / Menalon Restaurant + Studio 835 + Bassline Music Bar 2015-09-18 (Friday) [FB event]

The Bloor Ossington Folk Festival (feat. Asiko Afrobeat Ensemble / The Burning Hell / Construction & Destruction / Cousins / Fiver / The Holy Gasp / The Idaho Stop / Moonsocket / Sandro Perri / TOKKA / Weird Lines) / Christie Pits Park 2015-09-19 (Saturday – free! outside! end-of-summer vibes!) [FB event]

The Bloor Ossington Folk Festival (feat. Absolutely Free / Crosss / Julie Doiron & Friends/ Lindy Vopnfjord / Nick Ferrio / Overnight / Sebastian Brown / Shi Wisdom / Stanley Brinks & Freschard / Walrus) / Christie Pits Park 2015-09-20 (Sunday – free! outside! end-of-summer vibes!) [FB event]

A look around indicates that there are two big corporate festivals coming to the city this weekend, and I'm sure there's something worth seeing at those. But you might want to consider the alternative: a festival that is not only community-based and rooted in celebrating local music, but is also free. Oh, and directly across the street from the subway, too. The Bloor Ossington Folk Festival, which turns five this year, is low-key and casual yet stacked with a lot of great music. And remember — it doesn't deploy "folk music" in the narrow sense of a genre, but more like the music of, by and for a community. Come on out and be a part of it.

---

This week's noteworthy shows:

Flying Hórses [album release!] (Merganzer / Kite Hill) / Musideum 2015-09-15 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Ultimate Painting (Jaunt / Century Palm) / Adelaide Hall 2015-09-15 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Heaven For Real (WHIMM / Blanka / Crystal Eyes) / The Silver Dollar Room 2015-09-15 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Tom Richards Quartet / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2015-09-16 (Wednesday – early!) [FB event]

Josh Cole/Ryan Driver/Karen Ng/Brandon Valdivia / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2015-09-16 (Wednesday)

Juice: split 7" release party (feat. Old & Weird / New Fries / Farang / Dorothea Paas / Partner) / Double Double Land 2015-09-16 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Bloodshot Bill (The Dreamboats / Boat Culture) / The Silver Dollar Room 2015-09-16 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Wavelength 679 (feat. The Nihilist Spasm Band feat. Joe McPhee [50th anniversary concert!] / HSY / The Dead Are Those Who Have Died) / The Garrison 2015-09-17 (Thursday) [FB event]

INVOCATION TO presents: "Teenage Love Stories" (feat. Jib Kidder / Moon McMullen / Joanne Pollock / Brigitte Bardon't) / Dundas Video 2015-09-17 (Thursday) [FB event]

April Snow [Thom Gill/Johnny Spence/Kieran Adams/Liam Russell] / Holy Oak Café 2015-09-17 (Thursday) [FB event]

Lief Hall (Petra Glynt / Badlands) / Double Double Land 2015-09-17 (Thursday) [FB event]

Carl Didur (Fet.Nat / Man Made Hill) / 8-Eleven 2015-09-18 (Friday) [FB event]

Yamantaka//Sonic Titan (Tonkapuma) / The Garrison 2015-09-18 (Friday) [FB event]

Safejo Amama / De Place Restaurant and Bar 2015-09-18 (Friday) [FB event]

Bile Sister Presents (feat. Mary Ocher / JOOJ / Baby Cages) / Double Double Land 2015-09-18 (Friday) [FB event]

Tony Wilson/Peggy Lee (Tony Wilson/Lina Allemano/Brodie West/Peggy Lee/Rob Clutton/Nick Fraser) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2015-09-19 (Saturday)

Alaniaris / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2015-09-20 (Sunday – afternoon show! 3 to 5 p.m.!)

Somewhere There presents (feat. Bly de Blyant / Causings / Colin Fisher + Mark Hundevad) / Array Space 2015-09-20 (Sunday) [FB event]

---

Add these to your calendar:

Reminder: This post only contains this week's updates — the full listings can always be found over on the right-hand sidebar!

See Through Trio (Justin Haynes) / Ratio 2015-09-26 (Saturday) [FB event]

Wavelength 680: Your Band Sucks [interview/book talk] (feat. Jon Fine) / The Garrison 2015-09-28 (Monday – free!) [FB event]

Vieux Farka Touré (Julia Easterlin) / Revival 2015-10-01 (Thursday) [more info]

Feast In The East 53 (feat. Jerusalem In My Heart / Jessica Moss / Rose Bolton & Music In The Barns / Khôra) / Jam Factory 2015-10-02 (Friday) [FB event]

Womyn Wimmin Women (feat. Vag Halen / Nikki Fierce) / Smiling Buddha 2015-10-02–2015-10-03 (Friday + Saturday) [FB event]

Audiopollination #35.1 (feat. Watson Jennison/Colin Fisher/Michael Lynn / Bill Gilliam/Glen Hall) / Array Space 2015-10-03 (Saturday) [FB event]

Track Could Bend #7 (feat. Body Help / Karen Ng & Sexy Merlin / Cris Derksen) / Dundas Video 2015-10-06 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Pleasence Records 5 Year Anniversary (feat. Odonis Odonis / Soupcans / New Fries / Blonde Elvis) / Smiling Buddha 2015-10-16 (Friday) [FB event]

Weights & Measures [reunion show!] (Boars) / Soybomb 2015-10-17 (Saturday) [FB event]