Recording: Retired

Artist: Retired

Song: Turncoat/Medical Jargon

Recorded at Toronto Public Library – Parkdale Branch (SHHHHH – Day 2), May 7, 2016.

Retired - Turncoat/Medical Jargon

So many things I like here, wrapped up in one package. Not only was this a celebration of an awesome new initiative from the Toronto Public Library where anyone with a library card can borrow a musical instrument, it was celebrated with a couple shows in the program's home branch. I didn't make it out on the Friday where the event's co-organizer Kyle Knapp played a quieter show with his Deliluh project, alongside solo efforts from Dorothea Paas and Dave from Soupcans (a new solo endeavour called Stucco). But Sunday afternoon (a free!, all ages!, afternoon! show — which for me is like seeing a row of cherries come up on the slot machine) moved things down to the Parkdale library's mysterious basement — home, it turns out, to an auditorium that awesomely looks like it was last redecorated c. 1985. This show got pretty loud, though apparently the bunker-like building is soundproofed enough that that didn't disturb the patrons above. I would love to see more shows like this — the mind reels at the possibilities of the communities that could be brought together in this space.

Really excellent work here from this jazzcore quartet. My understanding is that there's a couple new members in the fold (and a fresh album to boot), but this was a really together performance that saw heavy drone undertones being pushed along by Cyril Penny's out-jazz percussion.

[Retired will be playing as part of a tasty Burn Down The Capital bill at Double Double Land on Thursday, May 26, along with Fet.nat and Several Futures feat. Slime.)]