Recording: Catholic Wilt

Artist: Catholic Wilt

Song: unknown^*

Recorded at Dundas Video (Track Could Bend #18), September 6, 2016.

Catholic Wilt - unknown

Whether it's a spell of creative fecundity or the influence of some new metal t-shirts, Jesse James Laderoute has had a rush of new material that falls outside of Blonde Elvis' sophisto-pop parameters. He's recently debuted Body Rot, a solo industrial endeavour as well as this doom-folk project, which was getting just its second public airing. With a deliberately compressed and tinny/trebly guitar tone, there was un underlying uneasy edge under the quartet of extended songs unveiled here — and plenty of slow and deliberate builds and clever loop-pedal deployment to craft layers of guitar sounds. This last one in the set came across most like a "folk song" — albeit one that got trapped in some foreboding forest.

[The next Track Could Bend is coming up on Tuesday (October 4th) and will feature CHOBO with Strings, Goosey (The Holy Gasp's Benjamin Hackman and Karen Ng), and INCHOATE.]

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

Recording: Isla Craig

Artist: Isla Craig

Song: Serenade [Steve Miller Band cover]

Recorded at Dundas Video (Track Could Bend #18), September 6, 2016.

Isla Craig - Serenade

TCB's experimental quest is fully ecumenical, so when Isla Craig mentioned her solo set was going to be all classic rock covers, I wasn't too worried. There'd been more e-bow in her guitar work lately, and this was a chance to stretch out with that. (And anyway, I probably don't fully trust anyone who thinks that Steve Miller Band's Greatest Hits 1974–78 isn't sweet, sweet stuff.) "Jet Airliner" gave Craig a chance to try out her stance as sunglasses-on-stage wearing guitar hero, but this "Serenade" sounds less like a bacchanal and more like a mystic rite — and this could easily slip right into one of her "regular" sets.

[The next Track Could Bend is coming up on Tuesday (October 4th) and will feature CHOBO with Strings, Goosey (The Holy Gasp's Benjamin Hackman and Karen Ng), and INCHOATE.]

Recording: Mike Gennaro + Mark Hundevad

Artist: Mike Gennaro + Mark Hundevad

Songs: [two excerpts]

Recorded at Dundas Video (Track Could Bend #18), September 6, 2016.

Mike Gennaro + Mark Hundevad - [excerpt 1]

Mike Gennaro + Mark Hundevad - [excerpt 2]

I had seen Mike Gennaro and Mark Hundevad playing together not too long before this in a trio with Colin Fisher, so this duo set gave an opportunity to see how different things could be. While power drummer Gennaro was the backbone both times out, Hundevad (a noted percussionist himself) pivoted from the marimba/piano work in the trio to some cool Moog-powered synth moves here. Suggesting funk squelch and Sun Ra soul-stabs, Hundevad shaped this set in some very cool ways while Gennaro provided pulse and drive to keep things moving along.

[The next Track Could Bend is coming up on Tuesday (October 4th) and will feature CHOBO with Strings, Goosey (The Holy Gasp's Benjamin Hackman and Karen Ng), and INCHOATE.]

Recording: SlowPitchSound + Germaine Liu

Artist: SlowPitchSound + Germaine Liu

Song: [excerpt from first piece]^*

Recorded at Handlebar (Nite Comfort 37), September 4, 2016.

SlowPitchSound + Germaine Liu - [excerpt from first piece]

This inspired pairing saw abstract turntablist Cheldon Paterson (a.k.a. SlowPitchSound) joined by percussionist Germaine Liu, combing the former's collage constructions with some small-scale collisions in physical space. This set mixed a seasonally-appropriate deconstruction of an astrology record (discussing the season-changing sign of Virgo) with Liu's marbles-in-a-pan gentle clatter'n'spin.

[Nite Comfort returns this Sunday (October 2nd) at Handlebar with Jamie Todd's URM and Johan Seaton.]

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

Recording: Heraclitus Akimbo

Artist: Heraclitus Akimbo

Song: ♐COMFORT [excerpt]

Recorded at Handlebar (Nite Comfort 37), September 4, 2016.

Heraclitus Akimbo - ♐COMFORT [excerpt]

This was another set using sounds from Unfavorable Semicircle as source material. There's not so much I can say objectively about this, save that it felt satisfactorily executed. A friend told me this section reminded him of Uhura adjusting the alien transmissions to match the frequency of whalesongs, so that's good enough for me.

[Nite Comfort returns this Sunday (October 2nd) at Handlebar with Jamie Todd's URM and Johan Seaton. And oddly enough, Heraclitus Akimbo will be playing a short set with Allison Cameron next week (October 6th) at the Canadian Music Centre as part of the Bridging Worlds event. Also: this full performance can now be virtually gripped over at Bandcamp.]

[photo by Kathryn Farewell]

Recording: Absolutely Free with Contact

Artist: Absolutely Free with Contact Contemporary Music

Songs: [new song] + Two Cares Due None^*

Recorded at Yonge-Dundas Square (Intersection Festival – Day 2), September 3, 2016.

Absolutely Free with Contact Contemporary Music - [new song]

Absolutely Free with Contact Contemporary Music - Two Cares Due None

A lovely day, warm in the sun with a cool breeze, the Intersection Festival once again filled Dundas Square with music of all kinds, offering a counterpoint to business at usual in the ad-basked concrete canyon. With Tad Michalak (of Burn Down the Capital/Feast in the East) again taking a leading role in curating the day, the music had nods to the festival's more chamber music-intensive past while upping the noise and weirdness reverberating off the surrounding walls. That had a sort of push-pull effect on the passers-by, sometimes drawing them in, sometimes causing evident confusion and moving along.

The night ended with a headlining set that was true to Intersection's past while completing a satisfactory arc for the day. Bringing together Contact Contemporary Music — the event's founders — with adventurous local rock trio Absolutely Free pushed them both a little away from their usual sonic spheres. At the start, with the band playing some songs from their regular setlist, it felt a bit more like mere tacked-on orchestral adornment, but as the set progressed, that balance shifted. By the end, with the band presenting some of their soundtrack work the larger ensemble felt quite integral to the whole — and I don't imagine we'll see so many chances for the band to tackle this on so grand a scale on stage again.

[Absolutely Free will be playing a short set (billed as "Absolutely Free vs Absolutely Free") tonight (September 28th) at the Forms Festival at the Great Hall.]

^* Does anyone know the title to these? It seems fair enough to assume the closing soundtrack piece is from Two Cares Due None, but I'm not sure if this was a series of cues or a more extended composition. Please leave a comment if you know these!

Recording: Travis Laplante

Artist: Travis Laplante

Song: unknown^*

Recorded at Yonge-Dundas Square (Intersection Festival – Day 2), September 3, 2016.

Travis Laplante - unknown

A lovely day, warm in the sun with a cool breeze, the Intersection Festival once again filled Dundas Square with music of all kinds, offering a counterpoint to business at usual in the ad-basked concrete canyon. With Tad Michalak (of Burn Down the Capital/Feast in the East) again taking a leading role in curating the day, the music had nods to the festival's more chamber music-intensive past while upping the noise and weirdness reverberating off the surrounding walls. That had a sort of push-pull effect on the passers-by, sometimes drawing them in, sometimes causing evident confusion and moving along.

I'd previously seen Brooklyn-based Laplante perform a couple years back with his sax quartet Battle Trance, in a small room with no amplification. This solo set — in the middle of the vast open square, speakers blasting his sounds off the hard surfaces — was rather the opposite, but the intensity of the performance was the same. With his circular breathing diving a steady wave, his pieces ranged from Reich-ian repetition to more soulful plaints in a non-stop advance. With night closing in on the square, it felt like his sounds were pulling all the corners of the square in a little tighter.

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

Recording: Kyle Brenders Ensemble

Artist: Kyle Brenders Ensemble

Song: Grasslands [1st mvt]

Recorded at Yonge-Dundas Square (Intersection Festival – Day 2), September 3, 2016.

Kyle Brenders Ensemble - Grasslands [1st mvt]

A lovely day, warm in the sun with a cool breeze, the Intersection Festival once again filled Dundas Square with music of all kinds, offering a counterpoint to business at usual in the ad-basked concrete canyon. With Tad Michalak (of Burn Down the Capital/Feast in the East) again taking a leading role in curating the day, the music had nods to the festival's more chamber music-intensive past while upping the noise and weirdness reverberating off the surrounding walls. That had a sort of push-pull effect on the passers-by, sometimes drawing them in, sometimes causing evident confusion and moving along.

A very-worthy re-emergence of this abstract big band (with a slightly-shuffled lineup¹ from its appearance back in February) saw them fill the square with electroacoustic soundfields. There was an interesting tug of war between the horns' drift and the electronics' drone, while Michael Davidson's vibes rode above giving things a hint of melodic direction.

---

¹ This time out the band included Kyle Brenders (saxophones, composition), Scott Peterson (bass), Nick Buligan (trumpet), Peter Lutek (clarinet, electronics), Karen Ng (alto sax), Cheldon Paterson (turntables), Brandon Valdivia (drums), Doug Van Nort (electronics), and Michael Davidson (vibes).

Recording: Imaginary Flesh

Artist: Imaginary Flesh

Song: Seven Haab Out of Xi Boötis, pt. 3

Recorded at Yonge-Dundas Square (Intersection Festival – Day 2), September 3, 2016.

Imaginary Flesh - Seven Haab Out of Xi Boötis, pt. 3

A lovely day, warm in the sun with a cool breeze, the Intersection Festival once again filled Dundas Square with music of all kinds, offering a counterpoint to business at usual in the ad-basked concrete canyon. With Tad Michalak (of Burn Down the Capital/Feast in the East) again taking a leading role in curating the day, the music had nods to the festival's more chamber music-intensive past while upping the noise and weirdness reverberating off the surrounding walls. That had a sort of push-pull effect on the passers-by, sometimes drawing them in, sometimes causing evident confusion and moving along.

A rare chance to check out Imaginary Flesh in the... um, something. Celebrating the digital release of their fab concept album, they played the expansive "Seven Haab Out of Xi Boötis" in its entirety. Ranging from deep-space synth wubbles to some ace kosmische grooves, this was an altogether tasty journey.

[I also created a remix that enfolds some some set's quieter parts upon themselves, which you can check out on soundcloud.]

Recording: Gates

Artist: Gates

Songs: Lacunae + Woven Into Parchments [chamber mix]

Recorded at Yonge-Dundas Square (Intersection Festival – Day 2), September 3, 2016.

Gates - Lacunae [chamber mix]

Gates - Woven Into Parchments [chamber mix]

A lovely day, warm in the sun with a cool breeze, the Intersection Festival once again filled Dundas Square with music of all kinds, offering a counterpoint to business at usual in the ad-basked concrete canyon. With Tad Michalak (of Burn Down the Capital/Feast in the East) again taking a leading role in curating the day, the music had nods to the festival's more chamber music-intensive past while upping the noise and weirdness reverberating off the surrounding walls. That had a sort of push-pull effect on the passers-by, sometimes drawing them in, sometimes causing evident confusion and moving along.

Experimental metallists Gates have fluctuated in size in the past, but this festival appearance gave the none-more-black crew a chance to double its size from its currently-customary quartet, seeing core members Bryan W. Bray (guitar), Joel Beauchamp (percussion & synth), Lucas Gadke (bass) and Laura C. Bates (violin) augmented with Raphael Weinroth-Browne (cello), James Beardmore (synth & electronics) Karen Ng (tenor sax & clarinet) & Nick Buligan (trumpet). That gave the crew a chance to present some of the pieces from their forthcoming Vas album in a sort of musical widescreen, embroidering the underlying doom drones with rich ambient builds and freeform freakouts. Like a batsignal shining in the sky, the first rumbling notes sent out some sort of metal alarm, and suddenly a small horde of jean-jacketed, fist-pumping enthusiasts materialized in front of the stage. As "composerly" as anything you might have ever seen at Intersection, this comes from somewhere entirely different than New Music orthodoxy, but it's heading to the same destination. (Via Hell, of course.) [Do note that my recording here, with the guitar and bass not present in the soundboard feed, is gonna have a whole bunch less menacing rumble than what's going to eventually emerge — let's call this alternative consideration of these pieces a "chamber mix" in honour of all those extra elements that really get to stand out here.]

Recording: Michael Snow + Mani Mazinani

Artist: Michael Snow + Mani Mazinani

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at Yonge-Dundas Square (Intersection Festival – Day 2), September 3, 2016.

Michael Snow + Mani Mazinani - [excerpt]

A lovely day, warm in the sun with a cool breeze, the Intersection Festival once again filled Dundas Square with music of all kinds, offering a counterpoint to business at usual in the ad-basked concrete canyon. With Tad Michalak (of Burn Down the Capital/Feast in the East) again taking a leading role in curating the day, the music had nods to the festival's more chamber music-intensive past while upping the noise and weirdness reverberating off the surrounding walls. That had a sort of push-pull effect on the passers-by, sometimes drawing them in, sometimes causing evident confusion and moving along.

A rare outing from "the only Octave Cat Synthesizer duo in the world", there was whoop-zworping aplenty sawtoothing across the square in a set that sounded like a soundtrack to a UFO landing. Michael Snow, who's been playing his CAT for several decades in CCMC had an able foil in Mani Mazinani, who's also known for his visual art and his work in shredcore duo Gravitons. The set closed out in the most delightful way imaginable with Mazinani's toddler showing off her own burgeoning musical chops as she climbed up on his lap at set's end to take a few stabs at the keyboard.

Recording: Brian Ruryk

Artist: Brian Ruryk

Song: unknown^*

Recorded at Yonge-Dundas Square (Intersection Festival – Day 2), September 3, 2016.

Brian Ruryk - unknown

A lovely day, warm in the sun with a cool breeze, the Intersection Festival once again filled Dundas Square with music of all kinds, offering a counterpoint to business at usual in the ad-basked concrete canyon. With Tad Michalak (of Burn Down the Capital/Feast in the East) again taking a leading role in curating the day, the music had nods to the festival's more chamber music-intensive past while upping the noise and weirdness reverberating off the surrounding walls. That had a sort of push-pull effect on the passers-by, sometimes drawing them in, sometimes causing evident confusion and moving along.

Bringing one of the city's great noise musicians to a place like Dundas Square was certain to bring a smile to the face of a small band of enthusiasts. For everyone else, there were reactions ranging from terror to bemusement as Ruryk's full-body concrète hit the concrete. With half a Dollarama's worth of bricabrac being flung around, this appealed on a visceral level to kids who haven't had the joyful pleasures of raising a ruckus hounded out of them yet. But under the scatterzone junkcore, there were some serious musical points being raised, including this Max Webster deconstruction that was offered as a tribute to the Yonge Street of the 70's.

[Brian Ruryk will be playing at a noisy Nacho Wednesday showcase, tomorrow night (September 28th) at The Tranzac alongside Kevin Hainey's Kapali Carsi and Beard Closet-meets-Bodies That Matter mashup Determinist?.]

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

Recording: Raphael Weinroth-Browne

Artist: Raphael Weinroth-Browne

Song: [third piece]

Recorded at Yonge-Dundas Square (Intersection Festival – Day 2), September 3, 2016.

Raphael Weinroth-Browne - [third piece]

A lovely day, warm in the sun with a cool breeze, the Intersection Festival once again filled Dundas Square with music of all kinds, offering a counterpoint to business at usual in the ad-basked concrete canyon. With Tad Michalak (of Burn Down the Capital/Feast in the East) again taking a leading role in curating the day, the music had nods to the festival's more chamber music-intensive past while upping the noise and weirdness reverberating off the surrounding walls. That had a sort of push-pull effect on the passers-by, sometimes drawing them in, sometimes causing evident confusion and moving along.

Cellist Raphael Weinroth-Browne was definitely in the former camp, drawing a crowd as he lead off the day. Originally slated as an appearance by The Visit, this solo turn actually turned out to be a tasty overture for the festivities, with Weinroth-Browne's inventive riffing (with enough volume to invoke some of those cool echoes from the opposing buildings) causing a crowd of passers-by to pause and gather.

Concert Listings Roundup #168

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:

Wolf's Nacho Wednesdays: Piano Party (feat. Tania Gill / Doug Tielli) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2016-09-28 (Wednesday – early!) [FB event]

Wolf's Nacho Wednesdays: Broken Guitars & Shattered Dreams (feat. Brian Ruryk / Kapali Carsi / Determinist? [Beard Closet versus Bodies That Matter – live debut!]) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2016-09-28 (Wednesday) [FB event]

There's been great things going down on Wednesday nights at The Tranzac of late, and this week features a pair of shows with contrasting vibes. Piano Party excursions tend to be more on the peaceful and meditative side, while the late feels like the aftermath of an Inyrdisk hard drive crash, with Kevin Hainey's noise-bass Kapali Carsi project returning alongside noise godhead Brian Ruryk (who was totally fabulous at the Intersection a few weeks back) and Determinist?, a new joint project from Bodies That Matter's (and ex-Ostrich Tuning) Ian McPhedran and Beard Closet's Phil Hamilton. Bring earplugs!

---

This week's noteworthy shows:

Bellwether4 / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2016-09-27 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Dressy Bessy (Camp Girls / The Bunny & The Rose / Nude Dogs) / The Silver Dollar Room 2016-09-27 (Tuesday) [FB event]

The Roches: sung by Holy Oak Family Singers (feat. Thom Gill / Luke Kuplowsky / Robin Dann / Isis Giraldo / Drew Smith / Sandro Perri / Alex Samaras) / Holy Oak Café 2016-09-27 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Culture Reject (Hamilton Trading Co. / respectfulchild) / Burdock Music Hall 2016-09-27 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Walrus (Crazy Bones / Boat Culture / Father Christmas) / The Silver Dollar Room 2016-09-28 (Wednesday) [FB event]

FORMS1 - Opening Night ["3 floors of live music, audiovisual experiments, installations + talks, including VSVS: live musical collaborations with visual treatments by Romar Johnson/façadeMontage"] (feat. Kehdo VS Vision of Excess / Internet Daughter VS Eytan Tobin / Nailbiter VS Keita Juma / Stillmonk VS BSMNT / Absolutely Free VS Absolutely Free / Scott Hardware VS Lee Paradise / ?NZOL? VS Kara [Organdrum] / Weight VS RLMDL / Sjamsoedin / Lydian [members of Dirty Inputs, Hexzuul, Jay Holy + Bile Sister] / NONOTAK studio / susy.technology) / The Great Hall 2016-09-28 (Wednesday) [FB event]

The Inbreds [vinyl re-release show!] / Gladstone Hotel 2016-09-29 (Thursday) [FB event]

FORMS Festival (feat. Laurel Halo / Kara-Lis Coverdale / Jeremy Gara / Brigitte Bardon't) / The Great Hall 2016-09-29 (Thursday) [FB event]

SheWolf Radio's 1st Anniversary Party (feat. So Young / Basement Revolver / Planet Creature / Triples) / Handlebar 2016-09-29 (Thursday) [FB event]

Comet Control [Center of the Maze record release!] (Eiyn Sof / Holy Mount) / The Horseshoe Tavern 2016-09-29 (Thursday) [FB event]

Colin Fisher's Monthly (feat. Bardo Drifter [Nicole Rampersaud/Andrew Furlong/Mark Hundevad/Brandon Valdivia/Colin Fisher]) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2016-09-29 (Thursday) [FB event]

Built to Spill (Alex G / Surinam) / The Danforth Music Hall 2016-09-30 (Friday) [FB event]

ISIS SALAM (Thick Cobra / P0st3rb0y / Bobbypin) / The Baby G 2016-09-30 (Friday) [FB event]

ZUZE ["more afrofunk music of Iran"] / Burdock Music Hall 2016-09-30 (Friday) [FB event]

Wavelength 713 (feat. Most People [video release party!] / Eyeballs / LUKA) / The Monarch Tavern 2016-09-30 (Friday) [FB event]

The Ryan Driver Sextet / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2016-10-30 (Friday)

Mild High Club (Alex Calder / Elsa) / The Baby G 2016-10-01 (Saturday) [FB event]

Saxsyndrum (Fet.Nat / Boraj) / Burdock Music Hall 2016-10-01 (Saturday) [FB event]

Audiopollination #47.1 (feat. Michael Snow & Diane Roblin / Nobu Kubota) / Array Space 2016-10-01 (Saturday) [FB event]

The Gooch Palms (Meanwood / Wine Lips / The Try Umphs [ex-Green Rays]) / The Silver Dollar Room 2016-10-01 (Saturday) [FB event]

By Divine Right (The Magic / Dave Schoonderbeek) / Monarch Tavern 2016-10-01 (Saturday) [FB event]

In Store 6 (feat. Snowblink) / Quixotic Sounds 2016-10-01 (Saturday – PWYC!) [FB event]

Nick Fraser Quartet / Burdock Music Hall 2016-10-02 (Sunday) [FB event]

Nite Comfort 38 (feat. URM / Johan Seaton) / Handlebar 2016-10-02 (Sunday – PWYC!) [FB event]

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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!

Robin Hatch (Brent Randall / Drew Smith) / Holy Oak Café 2016-10-04 (Tuesday – PWYC!) [FB event]

Troubleshooting~ v18: Putting Up a Parking Lot (feat. Nicolas Buligan w/ scavenged parking lot debris) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2016-10-05 (Wednesday – early!) [FB event]

SHDW CLN (Sly Why : kid / Keenan Howard / Piñata Cafe) / Sonic Café – upstairs 2016-10-07 (Friday – PWYC!) [FB event]

Strange Attractor (Winter '94 / Protruders) / Faith/Void 2016-10-07 (Friday) [FB event]

Spectrum Season Launch Party (feat. Circles [album release!) / Jazz Bistro 2016-10-11 (Tuesday) [FB event]

The Night Shift + CJRU present: The Fall Fund Drive (feat. Above Top Secret / SlowPitchSound / The Pinnacles of Self Absorption [feat. members of Eyeballs and Bile Sister] / Allison Cameron) / The Baby G 2016-10-14 (Friday) [FB event]

Audiopollination #47.2 (feat. Kayla Milmine/Max McEachern/Elliott Fienberg / Alan Glicksman/Arnd Jurgensen/Dougal Bichan / Brian Abbott/Paul Newman/Michael Ramey / Tomasz Krakowiak and Branko Dzinovic) / Array Space 2016-10-15 (Saturday) [FB event]

VAG does Women, Wymyn, Wimmin (feat. Vag Halen) / Smiling Buddha 2016-10-21–2016-10-22 (Friday–Saturday) [FB event]

BA Johnston (Century Palm / Spruce Invaders) / Junction City Music Hall 2016-10-22 (Saturday) [FB event]

Al Tuck / Burdock Music Hall 2016-10-23 (Sunday) [FB event]

Inuit Showcase (feat. IVA / Taqralik Partridge / Nukariik) / The Music Gallery 2016-11-05 (Saturday) [FB event]

Axis: Sova (B-17 / Explorer) / The Silver Dollar Room 2016-11-09 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Night Owl Festival Presents (feat. Holy Wave / Mimico / Uubbuurruu / Hush Pup) / The Silver Dollar Room 2016-11-11 (Friday) [FB event]

Tanya Tagaq / Trinity-St. Paul's 2016-11-25 (Friday – all ages! early show!) [more info]

Download: NoMeansNo

One of my all-time favourite bands announced their retirement yesterday. Nomeansno were the first "punk" band that I truly loved, that suggested that punk could be so much more expansive than one particular set of sounds or gestures. And the fact that there was this legendary Canadian band hidden in plain sight set me off looking for so many other things. I managed to see them live twice (and their alter agos, The Hanson Brothers, once) though only the last of those was in my show-taping era. That night at Lee's was a marathon hour-and-three-quarters, digging through their deep catalogue but also throwing in some newer stuff. Never a dinosaur act, Nomeansno goes out with a pretty solid discography under their belt, including a handful of stone classic albums. Old age will get us all — but in every defeat, there will be victory.

Nomeansno - Jubilation

Nomeansno - Theresa, Give Me That Knife

Nomeansno - Something Dark Against Something Light

Nomeansno - Victory

Grab the full set here:

NoMeansNo - Live at Lee's Palace, April 4, 2011 [MFS #679]

Meanwhile, here is also my favourite NMN live recording. I bought this "official bootleg" on cassette back when I lived in Winnipeg, and for my money, this is a more-fierce set than the contemporaneous "official" Live and Cuddly. (Do note: this isn't my rip.)

Grab it here:

NoMeansNo - Live in Warsaw [QQRYQ Records, 1990]

Recording: Elliott Sharp

Artist: Elliott Sharp

Songs: [excerpt, in two parts]

Recorded at Soybomb (Intersection Festival – Day 1), September 2, 2016.

Elliott Sharp - [excerpt, part 1]

Elliott Sharp - [excerpt, part 2]

The Intersection Festival has a habit of augmenting its free day of music in Dundas Square with a ticketed concert. Like last year, that entailed going "off-site" as part of the Music Gallery's Departures series. This show was perhaps a bit more of a departure than usual, bringing some chamber music to DIY/punk venue Soybomb — definitely an intersection between different sounds and different crowds.

An avant garde-ist and no waver whose works have been released by everyone from SST to Tzadik, Elliott Sharp probably has as much "punk cred" as any chamber composer you care to name. Across dozens of ensembles and recording projects, that manifests in the freedom to explore across a wide range of sonic terrains. In this set for solo guitar, his decades of musical inquiry were compressed into dense, knotty streams of technically-rich playing, filled with double-tapping arpeggiations, prepared strings and slide abstractions that hinted at in-the-moment inventiveness as well as higher-order mathematical unities.

Recording: Soupcans

Artist: Soupcans

Songs: Fluorescent Orange + Wet Alien + Pleasure Overdose

Recorded at Soybomb (Intersection Festival – Day 1), September 2, 2016.

Soupcans - Fluorescent Orange

Soupcans - Wet Alien

Soupcans - Pleasure Overdose

The Intersection Festival has a habit of augmenting its free day of music in Dundas Square with a ticketed concert. Like last year, that entailed going "off-site" as part of the Music Gallery's Departures series. This show was perhaps a bit more of a departure than usual, bringing some chamber music to DIY/punk venue Soybomb — definitely an intersection between different sounds and different crowds.

Programming a night like this would often entail sticking the punk band at the end of the night, not smack-dab in-between the chamber ensemble and solo guitar sets. I like that this was in the middle of it all, avoiding the easy trajectory and forcing the audience to think about these sounds and how they collide with each other is a less abstract way. I will note, somewhat to my surprise, the older, more genteel "Music Gallery" crowd who looked somewhat out of their element seemed to be pretty cool with this — I mean, they've probably seen some punk action in their time — while the younger "Soybomb"-type crowd tended to melt away after this set was done. That might also have been, however, that some of them were hep to the rumours this was going to be the Soupies' last show. (A query to the band confirms "we may do one more studio session and record some of these songs for a posthumous release, but that was likely the last soupcans set for the foreseeable future.") A great way to go out, if true (two words though: reunion tour) playing a set crammed with new tunes on a night dedicated to new sonic adventures.

Recording: Thin Edge New Music Collective + Elliott Sharp

Artist: Thin Edge New Music Collective + Elliott Sharp

Song: Mare Undarum [composer: Elliott Sharp]

Recorded at Soybomb (Intersection Festival – Day 1), September 2, 2016.

Thin Edge New Music Collective + Elliott Sharp - Mare Undarum

The Intersection Festival has a habit of augmenting its free day of music in Dundas Square with a ticketed concert. Like last year, that entailed going "off-site" as part of the Music Gallery's Departures series. This show was perhaps a bit more of a departure than usual, bringing some chamber music to DIY/punk venue Soybomb — definitely an intersection between different sounds and different crowds.

It was quite something to see Thin Edge New Music Collective setting up in the giant half-pipe, but the room, baffled against aggressive sonic assaults, sounded quite decent. They played a set of chamber pieces by Elliott Sharp, and with the composer sitting in on guitar, this one came closest to the dense technical knottiness of his own solo set. Some of the other pieces, like "Light in Fog" pulled back from that somewhat to offer hints of Alban Berg while "Flexagons" added percussion and an underlying drone — plus some moments that felt like refractions of punkrock guitar shredding as much as anything else. All part of the night's continuum, then.

[Thin Edge will be presenting Balancing on the Edge, a mix of "new circus and new music" with works by John Cage, Iannis Xenakis, David Lang, Nicole Lizée and the world premiere of compositions by Scott Rubin and Nick Storring. It's happening as part of Harbourfront's NextSteps Dance Series on November 18th and 19th, plus there's a chance to check out a sneak preview on Nuit Blanche.]

Recording: Gennaro-Hundevad-Fisher

Artist: Mike Gennaro/Mark Hundevad/Colin Fisher

Songs: [three excerpts]

Recorded at Array Space, August 30, 2016.

Gennaro-Hundevad-Fisher - [excerpt 3]

Gennaro-Hundevad-Fisher - [excerpt 1]

Gennaro-Hundevad-Fisher - [excerpt 2]

Epic improvisations from this trio of heavy hitters, matching drummer Mike Gennaro with Mark Hundevad, another top-notch percussionist who came to this set ready to play the piano but ended up pulling out Array's vibes and marimba as well. Hundevad turned out to be no mean mallet player, leaning and twisting as his sticks became just as much of a blur as Gennaro's. Colin Fisher, meanwhile, brought a trio of saxophones to face off with the pair — from the get-go, one got the impression that they might blast away until someone had to stop due to exhaustion. Just as life is lived forwards and understood backwards, the quiet meditation from near the hour's end is perhaps the best entry here, before working back to a couple samples of the more frenzied interplay.

Recording: Carl Didur

Artist: Carl Didur

Song: [first section]

Recorded at Array Space, August 30, 2016.

Carl Didur - [first section]

Carl Didur's solo set was split into two parts this time out, leading with the meditation for synth/clav/taishogoto reproduced here before taking the plunge on one of Array's grand pianos.

Recording: Cell Memory & Castle If

Artist: Cell Memory & Castle If

Song: [new piece, in two parts]^*

Recorded at Monarch Tavern, August 28, 2016.

Cell Memory & Castle If - [new piece, part 1]

Cell Memory & Castle If - [new piece, part 2]

A reunion of sorts for this kosmische duo, each of whom have lately been doing work on their own projects. The set started with some of the extended burbles of yore, a patient, all-in twenty minute glide before the set finished with this new piece, which seemed less concerned with Faust-y drift than amniotic stasis.

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

Recording: Psychic Pollution

Artist: Psychic Pollution

Song: two unknown songs^*

Recorded at Monarch Tavern, August 28, 2016.

Psychic Pollution - unknown #1

Psychic Pollution - unknown #2

The great local electronic sounds on this night were fitting musical companions for J. Schuurman, who was passing through from Victoria. His Psychic Pollution project offers up a very tasty selection of austere moog-powered noodles. Not quite ambient and not quite thrumming with kosmiche propulsion, this feels more like a dream (with a VHS filter) where you're running away from a UFO but stuck in slow-motion. (There's also much goodness on offer over at his bandcamp page.)

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

Recording: Mystic Triangle

Artist: Mystic Triangle

Song: unknown^*

Recorded at Monarch Tavern, August 28, 2016.

Mystic Triangle - unknown

There's been a slight tweak in Ben Oginz's approach with some new compositions for his Mystic Triangle project — these instrumentals felt less like the soundtrack to a straight-to-VHS Predator ripoff and more like background music in a particularly excellent 80's episode of NOVA.

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

Recording: Hexzuul

Artist: Hexzuul

Song: [first movement]^*

Recorded at Monarch Tavern, August 28, 2016.

Hexzuul - [first movement]

David Jones lead off this night of electronic/synth variations with an extended piece based around a self-hypnosis tape, which moved from drift-off-to-sleep to noise shards and back again. Lay back, close your eyes, and you'll wake up strangely refreshed.

^* I don't know if this piece as a whole has a title; I will update if I get more info!

Concert Listings Roundup #167

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.

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Gig of the week:

Brodie West [Alexandra Park LP release!] / Alexandra Park 2016-09-23 (Friday – outside! all ages + family friendly! evening show @ 7 p.m.!) [FB event]

There's all kinds of stuff going on this week, but looking it over, I realized more than anything, I was looking forward to gathering "near the boulder between the skate park and the children's playground" to hear some atmospheric solo saxophone improvisations. This show in Alexandra Park is in celebration of Alexandra Park, a new LP of solo sax improvisations being released by Pleasence Records.

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This week's noteworthy shows:

David Jones (Ross Birdwise / New Chance / Fake Humans) / Ratio 2016-09-19 (Monday) [FB event]

The AMBiENT PiNG: Back to School Drone (feat. DreamSTATE / Drone:Klub) / Handlebar 2016-09-20 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Wavelength #711: in/future (feat. DATU X HATAW / Dirty Inputs / Isla Craig) / Ontario Place 2016-09-20 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Wolf's Nacho Wednesdays (feat. c_RL) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2016-09-21 (Wednesday – early!)

Wolf's Nacho Wednesdays (feat. The Josh Cole Quartet) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2016-09-21 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Partner (Bueller / Cupcake Ductape / Thrifty Kids) / The Horseshoe Tavern 2016-09-21 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Solids (Slow Mass / Not Of) / The Baby G 2016-09-22 (Thursday) [FB event]

Buzz Records presents (feat. Wreckless Eric / Johnny De Courcy / Rogue Tenant) / Smiling Buddha 2016-09-22 (Thursday) [FB event]

Left Coast Tour Fundraiser (feat. LAL / Lee Reed / Mars Baby 5000) / Supermarket 2016-09-22 (Thursday) [FB event]

Man Made Hill (CHOBO / Paul Tjepkema) / Holy Oak Café 2016-09-22 (Thursday – PWYC!) [FB event]

The Big Sound / The Great Hall 2016-09-23 (Friday) [FB event]

Uma Nota at In/Future: Brazilian Grooves! (feat. Bruno Capinan / Luisa Maita / Maracatu Mar Aberto) / Ontario Place 2016-09-23 (Friday) [FB event]

Singing River ["dance, music, storytelling and installation in celebration of the Don River"] (feat. music by Germaine Liu and Juliet Palmer / Christine Duncan & The Burble Choir) / Corktown Common 2016-09-24 (Saturday – free! all ages + family-friendly! afternoon event from 1 to 5 p.m.) [FB event]

Feast In The East 59 (feat. Yamantaka//Sonic Titan / Völur / Whoop-Szo / Body Rot) / Anchored Social Club 2016-09-24 (Saturday) [FB event]

Illeagle Studio Presents (feat. Doritoh / FORCES [ex-Golden Dogs] / Stella Ella Ola / Brother Amos) / Handlebar 2016-09-24 (Saturday) [FB event]

Zoo Owl (Slow Down Molasses / Hush Pup / Mother Tounges) / The Baby G 2016-09-24 (Saturday) [FB event]

Faster Presents: solo/solo/trio - Welcoming the fall equinox! (feat. Paul Newman / Nicole Rampersaud / Bill Gilliam/Kayla Milmine/Ambrose Pottie) / Gerrard Art Space 2016-09-24 (Saturday – PWYC!) [FB event]

A Memory For Ken Aldcroft From All Of Us ["Please bring music or words and/or your self"] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2016-09-24 (Saturday)

Club Kidz ["an early evening show & dance party for kidz and their adults... dancefloor games of tag, calm zone art making and making space for youths in Toronto communities of care"] (feat. LAL) / Burdock Music Hall 2016-09-25 (Sunday – early show 5 to 8 p.m.! all ages! PWYC!) [FB event]

Invocation Presents (feat. Psychic Ills / His Clancyness / Whimm) / Double Double Land 2016-09-25 (Sunday) [FB event]

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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!

Wolf's Nacho Wednesdays: Broken Guitars & Shattered Dreams (feat. Brian Ruryk / Kapali Carsi / Determinist? [Beard Closet versus Bodies That Matter – live debut!]) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2016-09-28 (Wednesday) [FB event]

SheWolf Radio's 1st Anniversary Party (feat. So Young / Basement Revolver / Planet Creature / Triples) / Handlebar 2016-09-29 (Thursday) [FB event]

Comet Control [Center of the Maze record release!] (Eiyn Sof / Holy Mount) / The Horseshoe Tavern 2016-09-29 (Thursday) [FB event]

By Divine Right (The Magic / Dave Schoonderbeek) / Monarch Tavern 2016-10-01 (Saturday) [FB event]

Track Could Bend #19 (feat. CHOBO with strings / Goosey [Benjamin Hackman + Karen Ng] / Diane Roblin + Katie Jensen) / Dundas Video 2016-10-04 (Tuesday – PWYC!) [FB event]

CMC Presents: Bridging Worlds (feat. Allison Cameron in conversation with Kristel Aubrey Jax / live performances by Allison Cameron & Heraclitus Akimbo) / Canadian Music Centre 2016-10-06 (Thursday – early! 5:30 to 8 p.m.) [FB event]

The Taste (Ian Daniel Kehoe / Dorothea Paas) / Monarch Tavern 2016-10-07 (Friday) [FB event]

L CON [Moon Milk vinyl release!] (Isla Craig / James Irwin) / Monarch Tavern 2016-10-15 (Saturday) [FB event]

DAS RAD [final show!] (Surinam / Traitrs / Alpha Strategy) / The Baby G 2016-10-15 (Saturday) [FB event]

Body Help + Dan Pencer [Healing Power digital album release!] (New Chance / Brodie West + Fleshtone Aura) / Burdock Music Hall 2016-10-17 (Monday) [FB event]

Johan Seaton (Hybrid Frequency / Fog Spirits) / Belljar Café 2016-10-22 (Saturday – PWYC!) [FB event]

Death To T.O. 6(66) (feat. David Bowie & Prince Tribute [performed by The Big Sound band with special guest singers on each song] / Nirvana [performed by The Wooden Sky] / The Smiths [performed by Only Yours] / Girlschool [performed by members of Teenanger, Hooded Fang, Milk Lines & more] / Blink-182 [performed by EVJ & Friends] / PJ Harvey [performed by Vallens] / T. REX [performed by Sunshine and The Blue Moon] / The Eurythmics [performed by members of Beliefs & more] / The Rolling Stones [performed by Nyssa & friends] / Corrosion Of Conformity [performed by ex members of Rammer] / Hüsker Dü [performed by several futures] / The Velvet Underground [performed by The Vypers] / Mudhoney [performed by sedge] / Yeah Yeah Yeahs [performed by sportsfan]) / Lee's Palace + Dance Cave 2016-10-28 (Friday) [FB event]

Ricky Eat Acid (Kitty / Scott Hardware) / Smiling Buddha 2016-11-02 (Wednesday – all ages!) [FB event]

Pleasence Records double release party (feat. Blonde Elvis / Germaphobes / Grounders / Whimm) / The Baby G 2016-11-05 (Saturday) [FB event]

Thee Oh Sees (Twist) / The Danforth Music Hall 2016-11-17 (Thursday) [FB event]

Sunday Playlist #46

Sunday Playlist #46: In memoriam Ken Aldcroft

I was shocked and saddened yesterday when suddenly my facebook feed started filling up with the news of Ken Aldcroft's passing. My thoughts are with his family, friends, and many collaborators.

Ken had a powerful musical drive, and he was as happy to throw in with one-off ensembles as he was to work away at elaborate compositions with his more formal groups. Ken's guitar tone and technique were so distinctive to me: his dense flurries of notes were often like someone playing a rope trick, where the cord appears irreversibly tangled — until a sudden twist unknots everything. He loved complicated harmonics and catchy tunes and could tackle either with ease.

But beyond that, Ken was a warm and inviting person, eager to share his music and talk about it, or just to share a laugh and a deadpan story. He will be remembered as a teacher and a community-builder as well as a masterfully-inventive improvising musician.

There will be time to come to ponder more deeply at his many musical paths (including his excellent recorded legacy through his Trio Records releases) but for now I just wanted to revisit a few of the sets that stuck out in my mind. These aren't the "best" shows, just nights that I remember for one reason or another — certainly for Ken's playing, but also for the conversations or the situations. His music will endure, and hopefully today if can be a comfort as well. Let us remember his presence.

Ken Aldcroft - [excerpt]

• Recorded at The Tranzac's Main Hall (Somewhere There Creative Music Festival – Show 2), February 27, 2016.

Ken Aldcroft + Mike Gennaro - [third piece]

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

Aldcroft/Lynn/Ng/Miller - [set 2 excerpt]

• Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), June 8, 2016.

THREADS (Quintet) - Threads I [excerpt]

• Recorded at The Emmett Ray, October 21, 2013.

Ken Aldcroft and Scott Thomson - [excerpt from duo improvisation]

• Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), June 17, 2015.

Aldcroft-Fisher-Gennaro - [excerpt from first piece]

• Recorded at The Imperial Pub's back room, December 21, 2013.

Alaniaris - unknown

• Recorded at The Tranzac - Southern Cross Lounge ("The Second Annual Somewhere There Creative Music Festival" – Show 1 late set), February 21, 2014.

Hat & Beard - Jackie-ing

• Recorded at The Tranzac - Main Hall ("The Second Annual Somewhere There Creative Music Festival" - Show 2), February 22, 2014.

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Sunday Playlist is an occasional feature that brings back some of this blog's previously-posted original live recordings for an encore. You can always click the tags below to see what I originally wrote about the shows these songs came from.

Recording: Will Kidman

Artist: Will Kidman

Songs: unknown^* + Through the Morning, Through the Night [Gene Clark cover]

Recorded at Church of St. Andrew by-the-lake, August 28, 2016.

Will Kidman - unknown

Will Kidman with Misha Bower and Matt Cully - Through the Morning, Through the Night

A trip out to the Island to see a gig in the Church of St. Andrew by-the-lake is always a treat, and this Sunday afternoon offered three sets where the performers kept overlapping in various ways. Misha Bower, Matt Cully and Will Kidman (with occasional contributions from Martha Farquhar-McDonnell, who'd had her own show in St. Andrew a couple months back) each provided some new offerings from their own songbooks as well as coming together for a trio of set-ending covers. The previous weekend had seen Will Kidman out on the Island, backing up Michelle McAdorey at Camp Wavelength but it seemed he needed a little help from his friends to cajole him into playing his own material. Kidman mentioned that one of the new songs had been completed the night before with the help of Misha Bower, and she was on hand to sing on a couple, including the closing cover which strayed from the Neil Young tracks in the previous sets to go with this tune from the second Dillard & Clark album. [Do note this show was performed without microphones, so the sound of my recording is a bit raw — if you listen closely, you can hear the whir of the overhead fan, and occasionally the drone of the cicadas outside.]

[Will Kidman plays the Bloor Ossington Folk Festival on Sunday (September 18th) in Christie Pits Park at 4:10 p.m.]

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