Concert Listings Roundup #235

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:

Audiopollination 59.1 (feat. Mira Martin-Gray/Kurt Newman/erik k. / Michael Keith/David Sait/UsK / Adriana Monti/Brenda Joy Lem/ Sumika Motoki / Watson Jennison/mkl32) / Array Space 2018-02-04 (Sunday) [FB event]

Audiopollination's self-curated series is always an impressive grab-bag of instrumentation, styles and musical personalities all thrown togtether to find common ground. This month's version (on an unusual Sunday, please take note) has an excellent mix of musicians I admire and total-strangers-to-me, meaning there should be all kinds of discoveries at hand.

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This week's noteworthy shows:

Piano Fest (feat. Kritty Uranowski / Ryland Dineen) / Burdock Music Hall 2018-01-29 (Monday – early!) [FB event]

Piano Fest (feat. Emma Frank / Thom Gill) / The Burdock 2018-01-29 (Monday) [FB event]

Look Vibrant (Bernice / Luge / Bleu Nuit) / The Baby G 2018-01-30 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Titanium Riot / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-01-30 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Ted Crosby/Karen Ng/Josh Cole/Evan Cartwright / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-01-31 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Soundstreams' Ear Candy: Almost Unplugged (feat. Andréa Tyniec / Jesse Zubot) / Buddies in Bad Times Cabaret 2018-02-01 (Thursday) [FB event]

Astral Projections V (feat. New Chance / Stefana Fratila) / Handlebar 2018-02-01 (Thursday) [FB event]

In Between Sounds #82 (feat. Lorde Awesome) / The Only Café 2018-02-01 (Thursday) [FB event]

Thinking [works by Maria de Alvear and Marci Rabe] (feat. Thin Edge New Music Collective) / Array Space 2018-02-02 (Friday) [FB event]

Sportsfan [vinyl release show!] (B-17 / The Beachmen / Triples) / Smiling Buddha 2018-02-02 (Friday) [FB event]

Bird City [Jenny Mitchell f.k.a. Jenny Omnichord + band] (Rich Burnett) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-02-03 (Saturday – early!) [FB event]

Feast In The East 66 (feat. Bonjay / Blunt Chunks / Foonyap / Benedicte) / Matt Durant Studio 2018-02-03 (Saturday) [FB event]

Okavango African Orchestra / Alliance Française de Toronto 2018-02-03 (Saturday) [FB event]

Maylee Todd / 187 Augusta Ave 2018-02-03 (Saturday) [FB event]

Nite Comfort 53 (feat. Doom Tickler / ZOË) / Handlebar 2018-02-04 (Sunday – PWYC!) [FB event]

Rob Clutton Trio [Rob Clutton/Karen Ng/Nick Fraser] / The Emmet Ray 2018-02-04 (Sunday – PWYC!) [more info]

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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!

Wax Turnip Time (feat. Karen Ng/D. Alex Meeks/Chris Pruden/Mike Smith) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-02-06 (Tuesday – early!) [FB event]

Alpha Strategy (Catholic Wilt) / The Baby G 2017-02-10 (Saturday) [FB event]

Operator Music Band (Miles Francis / Rapport / Camp Girls) / The Baby G 2018-02-13 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Wingtips (Sahara / p0st3rb0y) / Nocturne 2018-02-14 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Rat-drifting 4 (feat. Marla Hlady / Christof Migone) / Array Space 2018-02-17 (Saturday) [FB event]

Uxvae (New Tendencies / Johan Seaton / Bachalard) / The Baby G 2018-02-22 (Thursday) [FB event]

North Atlantic Drift (Clara Engel / Snake Church) / The Dupe Shop 2018-02-24 – rescheduled date! (Saturday – PWYC!) [FB event]

Toronto Improvisors Orchestra celebrates Sam Newsome (feat. Sam Newsome/Karen Ng/Rod Campbell/Bill McBurnie/Laura Swankey/Brian Abbott/Ryan Kinney/Michael Lynn/Rob Clutton/Arnd Jurgensen/Hooley McLaughlin/Bill Gilliam/Matt Ozzy/Ambrose Pottie/Raphael Roter/David Story/James Bailey) / Array Space 2018-02-25 (Sunday) [FB event]

Giant Claw (Seth Graham / New Chance / SlowPitchSound / Dohn Valley / D D L 2018-03-23 (Friday) [FB event]

The Music Gallery's Departures Series (feat. Land of Kush [Sand Enigma world premiere!]) / Aga Khan Museum 2018-03-24 (Saturday) [FB event]

FRIGS (WHIMM) / The Garrison 2018-04-07 (Saturday) [FB event]

The Dream Syndicate / The Garrison 2018-05-04 (Friday) [FB event]

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Bandcamp corner:

• Michael Keith, whose musical hats include bluesman and purveyor of ancient-sounding mystic melodies has launched a bandcamp label showing off some newer angles. These THings deploys "guitar, a Casio synth and a Zoom fx" for some electronic abstractions, and he has just shared two solo collections along with a collaboration with David Sait on guzheng.

Recording: Jennifer Castle

Artist: Jennifer Castle

Songs: Tonight the Evening + You Can't Take Anyone

Recorded at The Garrison (Venus Fest Winter Solstice Celebration), December 21, 2017.

Jennifer Castle - Tonight the Evening

Jennifer Castle - You Can't Take Anyone

Jennifer Castle's solstice celebration, long a seasonal highlight, was co-presented this time 'round as part of Venus Fest's monthly concert series. A month after what was by all accounts a triumphant turn at Massey Hall, Jennifer Castle stripped things back for an intimate, round-the-campfire night of songs. Making a rare appearance on acoustic guitar, she was joined only by Paul Mortimer and Vic Cheong, pulling the audience into her new songs (as well as new arrangements of older ones). That still left plenty of terrain to explore, like in this set opener that roared out on the highway line with Cheong taking over on the coda. Wonderful stuff.

Recording: Aisha Sasha John

Artist: Aisha Sasha John

Poems: selections from I have to live

Recorded at The Garrison (Venus Fest Winter Solstice Celebration), December 21, 2017.

Aisha Sasha John - selections from I have to live

Jennifer Castle's solstice celebration, long a seasonal highlight, was co-presented this time 'round as part of Venus Fest's monthly concert series. Seizing the opportunity to present some intersectional/multidisciplinary vibes, this spoken word set from local poet Aisha Sasha John saw her read her work with dry humour concealing some barbed hooks. Like in Jennifer Castle's work, there was a porous boundary between chill-on-the-couch bon mots and cut-to-the-core existential quandaries. Leading with some new work in raw form (some of the lines ripped straight from her tumblr musings), she then read from last year's I have to live, considering how identity shifts from the ideal (and the idealized) with every real-world fact and compromise.

Recording: Ora Cogan

Artist: Ora Cogan

Song: Darling

Recorded at The Garrison (Venus Fest Winter Solstice Celebration), December 21, 2017.

Ora Cogan - Darling

Jennifer Castle's solstice celebration, long a seasonal highlight, was co-presented this time 'round as part of Venus Fest's monthly concert series. Opening the night was folky Montréal-via-Vancouver singer/songwriter Ora Cogan, whose exploratory lyrics and nimble guitar playing made her a sympathetic pairing with the headliner. Crickets, her new album (out on local label Hand Drawn Dracula) adds some synthy textures to the songs, but on stage she was accompanied only by a rhythm section, fighting to be heard by a crowd that beyond the first few rows was sadly uninterested in discovering something new. True heads know, though, so it was no surprise to see Castle at the side of the stage, head down, eyes closed, receiving the vibes.

Recording: The GGS New Music Ensemble

Artist: The GGS New Music Ensemble

Song: Ennea's Domein (2nd mvt) [composer: Robin De Raaff]

Recorded at Temerty Theatre (If:Iff - works for chamber orchestra and electronics), December 14, 2017.

The GGS New Music Ensemble - Ennea's Domein (2nd mvt)

Another night of intriguing works from the New Music Ensemble of the Royal Conservatory's Glenn Gould School, steered by the genial Brian Current. As always, the material was confidently tackled by the younger musicians, enhanced with some familiar faces from the wider New Music community (Darren Creech was on piano throughout, for example).

This concert saw a couple works incorporating live electronic elements: Kotoka Suzuki's "Dreams and Wandering" had some tasty ambient washes (added live by the composer) under parts of the score (a pleasing effect that could have been pushed even further), while James O'Callaghan's "IF:IFF" deployed electroacoustic misdirection in a manner that transcended cheesy over-the-topness with its dedication to dramatic performativity. This piece from Robin De Raaff, meanwhile, didn't use any electronic sounds but still had an algorithmic feeling, thanks to its rigourous three movements with three sections each, with the labour spread out amongst three times three musicians — the piece was "brought you by the number nine," joked De Raaff in his introduction.

Recording: Cluttertones

Artist: Cluttertones

Song: Gull

Recorded at Burdock Music Hall, December 13, 2017.

Cluttertones - Gull

It was hard to believe that it'd been almost exactly two years since Rob Clutton had convened this same lineup of performers at The Burdock. Since that time, he's been extending the group's composition book, and getting ready to present the unit's second album. As such, it was no surprise that after warming up with old chestnut "Webbed", the rest of the set was newer material. Perhaps even more than the older pieces, it feels as if Clutton's compositions have a shape — say, expanding concentric circles on the surface of a smooth pond — more than a direction. But as the first album's bison, lions and ants are joined by bears and gulls, sometimes it's best to just float in place and watch.

Recording: Germaine Liu

Artist: Germaine Liu

Song: unknown^*

Recorded at Burdock Music Hall, December 13, 2017.

Germaine Liu - unknown

It was hard to believe that it'd been almost exactly two years since Rob Clutton had convened this same lineup of performers at The Burdock. As always, Germaine Liu was bringing new ideas to her percussive tools, and finding delightfully-complicated sounds in the simplest of objects. This set started with an extended examination of a string of bells before shifting to glockenspiel and drumkit on this piece (starting with some insistent typewriter-like pounding) and then onto some watery considerations.

[Germaine Liu will be joining in with the multi-limbed spectacle of Octopus Curls (with Allison Cameron, Stephen Parkinson, Nicole Rampersaud and Mark Zurawinski) at The Tranzac on Wednesday (January 24th).]

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

Recording: John Millard

Artist: John Millard

Song: Yes. Well.

Recorded at Burdock Music Hall, December 13, 2017.

John Millard - Yes. Well.

It was hard to believe that it'd been almost exactly two years since Rob Clutton had convened this same lineup of performers at The Burdock. Just like that last time around, John Millard brought his banjo and a back pocket full of stories, letting his between-song banter dwell on incidents or images that'd then show up at supporting details to his main narratives. In off-handed ways like that, there's such a casual accretion of details in John Millard's songs that sometimes you don't notice the cagey craft right away.

Concert Listings Roundup #234

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:

Two Floor Fundraiser [fundraising for necessary roof work at Owl's Club!] (feat. New Fries / Schönsee / Retired / Pearle Harbour's Battle Cry / Sigil / Hangin' Tuff / Group Hug) / Owl's Club 2018-01-26 (Friday) [FB event]

Owl's Club, with its cosy/casual Legion Hall vibes, has been emerging as a community hub — not in the least beacuse of Kyle Knapp's Raw Materials collective. Many of the groups from that circle can be found playing at this rager, with performances in both the upper and lower-floor spaces, all in the service of helping Owl's Club to pull together some funding for much-needed roof repairs. Come out and see some excellent bands + help preserve a much-needed space for independent culture.

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This week's noteworthy shows:

Destroyer (Mega Bog) / Phoenix Concert Theatre 2018-01-22 (Monday) [more info]

Composers' Toolbox [talk / demonstration / Q&A] (feat. Nicholas Murray) / Canadian Music Centre 2017-01-22 (Monday – free with RSVP) [FB event]

Piano Fest (feat. Darren Creech / Thompson Egbo-Egbo) / Burdock Music Hall 2018-01-23 (Tuesday – early!) [FB event]

Piano Fest (feat. Penumbra / Avesta Nakhaei) / Burdock Music Hall 2018-01-23 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Xuan Ye & Colin Fisher / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-01-23 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Iranian Canadian Composers of Toronto present [eight new works for solo accordion] (feat. Michael Bridge) / Canadian Music Centre 2018-01-24 (Wednesday – early show @ 5:30 p.m.!) [FB event]

Octopus Curls [Allison Cameron/Stephen Parkinson/Nicole Rampersaud/Germaine Liu/Mark Zurawinski] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-01-24 (Wednesday – early!)

Mike Gennaro and the Archives of Eternity / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-01-24 (Wednesday)

DELVE [Karen Ng/Jeff LaRochelle/Brodie West/Peter Lutek/Evan Cartwright] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-01-25 (Thursday) [FB event]

Digits (Loji) / The Piston 2018-01-25 (Thursday) [FB event]

Piano Fest (feat. Tania Gill Quartet [Tania Gill/Lina Allemano/Rob Clutton/Nico Dann] / Ali Berkok) / Burdock Music Hall 2018-01-25 (Thursday) [FB event]

University of Toronto New Music Festival [works by Eliot Britton and Nicole Lizée] (feat. Architek Percussion / SaskPWR) / Walter Hall 2018-01-25 (Thursday – free!) [FB event]

Barnes/Woldemichael Ethio-Jazz Quartet / Hirut Café 2018-01-25 (Thursday) [FB event]

LAL Winter Wonderland: Dead Happiness Video Release Party (feat. LAL / Franny Galore / Witch Prophet / "surprise guest") / Rivoli 2018-01-26 (Friday) [FB event]

Arraymusic presents: Four New Works [new works by Rebecca Bruton, Marielle Groven, Stephen Parkinson and Holger Schoorl] (feat. The Array Ensemble) / Array Space 2018-01-26 (Friday) [FB event]

Aurochs / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-01-26 (Friday – early!) [FB event]

The Ryan Driver Sextet / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-01-26 (Friday) [FB event]

Ronley Teper's Lipliners [last Saturday of the month residency!] / The Baby G 2018-01-27 (Saturday) [FB event]

North Atlantic Drift (Clara Engel / Snake Church) / The Dupe Shop 2018-01-27 (Saturday – PWYC!) [FB event]

Pins & Needles [farewell show!] (HEX / Love Lagoon) / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2018-01-27 (Saturday) [FB event]

Most People (Rapport / Katie McBride / Dinah Thorpe) / Handlebar 2018-01-27 (Saturday) [FB event]

Rat-drifting 3 (feat. Rebecca Bruton/Marielle Groven/Stephen Parkinson/Holger Schoorl) / Array Space 2018-01-27 (Saturday) [FB event]

Colour & Noise [Ashley Urquhart/Alex Fournier/Patrick O'Reilly/Curtis Whittaker/Aidan Sibley/Tara Kannangara] (Triio [Alex Fournier/Allison Au/Aidan Sibley/Tom Fleming/Ashley Urquhart/Mark Ballyk]) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-01-28 (Sunday – early!) [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!

Piano Fest (feat. Emma Frank / Thom Gill) / The Burdock 2018-01-29 (Monday) [FB event]

Astral Projections V (feat. New Chance / Stefana Fratila) / Handlebar 2018-02-01 (Thursday) [FB event]

Audiopollination 59.1 (feat. Mira Martin-Gray/Kurt Newman/erik k. / Michael Keith/David Sait/UsK / Adriana Monti/Brenda Joy Lem/ Sumika Motoki / Watson Jennison/mkl32) / Array Space 2018-02-04 (Sunday) [FB event]

Nite Comfort 53 (feat. Doom Tickler / ZOË) / Handlebar 2018-02-04 (Sunday – PWYC!) [FB event]

Willie Thrasher & Linda Saddleback (Trails / King Kimbit) / Burdock Music Hall 2018-02-05 (Monday) [FB event]

SlowPitchSound / Burdock Music Hall 2018-02-07 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Pleasence Fest and Podcast Launch (feat. WHIMM / ZONES / Moon Eyed / Doom Tickler / Feel Alright / WLMRT / Don't Bother / The Famines) / Smiling Buddha 2018-02-10 (Saturday) [FB event]

The Greggies [record release!] (Terror Lake / Cursor) / Handlebar 2018-02-10 (Saturday) [FB event]

Delusions of Grandeur (Sea Beau Band) / Burdock Music Hall 2018-02-15 (Thursday) [FB event]

Bile Sister (wearenotwhoweare / Mazola / Slurry / Walls Are Blonde) / Owl's Club 2018-02-17 (Saturday) [FB event]

Giant Hand (Blunt Chunks / Nick Ferrio) / Burdock Music Hall 2018-02-20 (Tuesday) [more info]

Notes from Home [notes by Jason Doell, Monica Pearce, Cecilia Livingston] (feat. TorQ Percussion Quartet) / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2018-02-20 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Music Gallery presents (feat. Multiform(s) [w/ Jonathan Adjemian/Meryem Alaoui/Lori Duncan/Germaine Liu/Kate Nankervis/Ann Trépanier/Kathia Wittenborn/Amanda Acorn] / Open Fortress [w/ Allie Blumas/Anna Mayberry/Lee Gelbloom/Jolyane Langlois/David Psutka]) / 918 Bathurst 2018-03-09–2018-03-10 (Friday–Saturday) [FB event]

Girls Rock Camp Toronto Rock Lottery / Burdock Music Hall 2018-04-01 (Sunday) [FB event]

Not Dead Yet presents (feat. Alex Zhang Hungtai / Xuan Ye / Cares) / D D L 2018-04-03 (Tuesday) [FB event]

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Contest reminder:

• Don't forget that you still have time to enter to win a pair of tickets to Soundstreams' Almost Unplugged with Andréa Tyniec and Jesse Zubot on February 1st at Buddies in Bad Times. All the details you need are here.

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Community corner:

• On Sunday, Fahmid Nibesh and I will be hosting an "Archive Jam" for the Music Gallery, focusing on their years at 179 Richmond W. The aim of this event is to get folks who were on the scene to bring their ephemera — photos, posters, programs, and so on — so they can be added to the MG's archive. Part storytelling, part show-and-tell, it's a casual way to try and join our community's past and living present. All the info you need is here.

Recording: Bitchin' Bajas

Artist: Bitchin' Bajas

Songs: Circles on Circles + No Tabac

Recorded at Smiling Buddha, December 12, 2017.

Bitchin' Bajas - Circles on Circles

Bitchin' Bajas - No Tabac

On a snowy Tuesday night with temperatures plunging, the hardiest deep-groove heads persevered to check in with this Chicago trio. Previously unknown to me, when I got the invite I assumed they'd be, like, a garage rock band — but that unindicative name is the only thing about this unit that wasn't sleek and elegant. Offering a sort of analog-bubblebath of planetarium vibes, this was the sort of music probably best experienced while sinking deep in your beanbag chair. Psychedelic prog-synth noodles with some nods to Terry Riley, there was even a Sun Ra cover in the mix as the band stuck mostly to tunes from their recent sprawling Bajas Fresh album.

Recording: ZONES

Artist: ZONES

Song: unknown^*

Recorded at Smiling Buddha, December 12, 2017.

ZONES - unknown

This night of planetarium drift-bliss from Chicago's Bitchin' Bajas included some smartly-programmed local openers refracting some complementary sonics. Known for a certain kind of murky dub-groove, Derek McKeon has once again tinkered with his project's musical DNA, expanding back to a duo that now incorporates live percussion. That inevitably adds some propulsion to the proceedings, especially in the spots when the rototoms get thrown into the mix.

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

Recording: SlowPitchSound

Artist: SlowPitchSound

Songs: three sections^*

Recorded at Smiling Buddha, December 12, 2017.

SlowPitchSound - unknown #1

SlowPitchSound - unknown #2

SlowPitchSound - unknown #3

This night of planetarium drift-bliss from Chicago's Bitchin' Bajas included some smartly-programmed local openers refracting some complementary sonics. Turntablist Cheldon Paterson and dancer Libydo managed to evoke some imaginary landscapes to start the night, crossfading from abstract insect drones to bumpin' beats.

[SlowPitchSound will be taking part in Arraymusic's reactivated Rat-drifting series as part of a turntable workshop/performance on March 17th.]

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

Recording: Absolutely Free

Artist: Absolutely Free

Song: Geneva Freeport

Recorded at Polish Combatants' Hall SPK (Long Winter 6.2), December 9, 2017.

Absolutely Free - Geneva Freeport

I was sad to have missed this year's first Long Winter (at my home base of The Tranzac, no less!) but was pleased to see the series return to the SPK's mirrored bunker for another go-round. Using the downstairs dining room and the upper main hall, there was music back and forth all night — plus the usual mix of comedy, art and Vish Khanna's Long Night talk show. Showing off nearly a full set's worth of new material, a slight shift in approach saw the trio's keyboards mostly playing themselves, while the band were more focused on drums, bass and guitar. Compared to the days of yore that saw the group spend most of their time on stage hunched over electronics, this was definitely more rockin', in a dark disco kinda way.

Recording: YlangYlang

Artist: YlangYlang feat. Ashley Obscura / Anna Mayberry / Victoria Cheong

Songs: three unknown titles^*

Recorded at Polish Combatants' Hall SPK (Long Winter 6.2), December 9, 2017.

YlangYlang feat. Ashley Obscura - unknown

YlangYlang feat. Anna Mayberry - unknown

YlangYlang feat. Victoria Cheong - unknown

I was sad to have missed this year's first Long Winter (at my home base of The Tranzac, no less!) but was pleased to see the series return to the SPK's mirrored bunker for another go-round. Using the downstairs dining room and the upper main hall, there was music back and forth all night — plus the usual mix of comedy, art and Vish Khanna's Long Night talk show. In a marked contrast with the comedy show that immediately preceded it, Catherine Debard brought some quiet introspection to the night. Since I had seen her perform in the fall, her uncertain landscapes were set askew even further when her musical gear was stolen. The generosity of friends and fans has since allowed her to get going again, but this unique set saw her forced into a different approach, telling the crowd, "I asked friends of mine to send me poetry that I cut and pasted and added to this chunk of ambient music that I prepared for Long Winter, 'cause for me winter is an emotional, sad, isolating kind of thing." As she meditated and practised some yoga to the tracks, the crowd in the room was mostly indifferent, which meant that their lack of attention costed them an opportunity to recognize the voices of some amazing artists on her tracks. (The full roster included Allie Blumas and Georgia Webber as well as the ones here.) The beauty of this set wasn't fully apparent at the time, so it's worth presenting a larger dose than usual straight from the mixer so you can ruminate on these words and sounds while you look out a window at a frozen landscape.

^* Does anyone know the titles to these? Please leave a comment!

Recording: The Cosmic Range

Artist: The Cosmic Range

Song: The Shark (mid-sized version) [excerpt]^*

Recorded at Polish Combatants' Hall SPK (Long Winter 6.2), December 9, 2017.

The Cosmic Range - The Shark (mid-sized version) [excerpt]

I was sad to have missed this year's first Long Winter (at my home base of The Tranzac, no less!) but was pleased to see the series return to the SPK's mirrored bunker for another go-round. Using the downstairs dining room and the upper main hall, there was music back and forth all night — plus the usual mix of comedy, art and Vish Khanna's Long Night talk show. Not quite the petit version and not quite the full-on prowling carnivore, this mid-sized vehicle was still a reliable groove machine, powered by Mike Smith's basslines, embroidered by comandante Doc Dunn (organ), Jonathan Adjemian (synth) and Max Turnbull (guit/keyb) and propelled by the percussive embroidery of Grasshopper, Brandon Valdivia and Kieran Adams.

^* Thanks to a commenter for noting this was a section of "The Shark".

Recording: LolaBunz

Artist: LolaBunz

Song: Real Hip-Hop

Recorded at Polish Combatants' Hall SPK (Long Winter 6.2), December 9, 2017.

LolaBunz - Real Hip-Hop

I was sad to have missed this year's first Long Winter (at my home base of The Tranzac, no less!) but was pleased to see the series return to the SPK's mirrored bunker for another go-round. Using the downstairs dining room and the upper main hall, there was music back and forth all night — plus the usual mix of comedy, art and Vish Khanna's Long Night talk show. The music downstairs started with this energetic set from the West End representin' LolaBunz, whose styles upon styles ranged from old school flow to some Yoruban-flavoured remix action to shimmeringly-menacing contemporary noir beats.

Recording: Kurt Marble

Artist: Kurt Marble

Song: Friend of Mine

Recorded at Polish Combatants' Hall SPK (Long Winter 6.2), December 9, 2017.

Kurt Marble - Friend of Mine

I was sad to have missed this year's first Long Winter (at my home base of The Tranzac, no less!) but was pleased to see the series return to the SPK's mirrored bunker for another go-round. Using the downstairs dining room and the upper main hall, there was music back and forth all night — plus the usual mix of comedy, art and Vish Khanna's Long Night talk show. Slowly expanding their glam-grunge template to encompass an amped-up take on sludge-psych, Kurt Marble + co. got the night rolling with some rock and roll abandon.

[Kurt Marble will be playing at Night 2 (the "rock" night) of the Wavelength Winter Festival on Saturday, February 17th at The Garrison alongside Odonis Odonis, Freak Heat Waves, Tough Age, and Luge.]

Contest: Andréa Tyniec and Jesse Zubot

Almost Unplugged with Andréa Tyniec and Jesse Zubot

February 1, 2018, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre

Soundstreams is one of the local heavyweights when it comes to presenting contemporary, composed music, and their main stage concerts are big events, often at Trinity-St. Paul's but occasionally expanding all the way to the likes of Massey Hall. But they also like to get their hands dirty and tear into the music's fibre in closer quarters, such as in last year's excellent Salon 21 series event featuring Germaine Liu's ceramic percussion. The Ear Candy series is dedicated to "musical exploration and discovery" in smaller venues and less formal environments, remixing and experimenting with new ways of being creative with sound (MFS fave SlowPitchSound is a frequent series collaborator).

The next show in the series mixes chamber music with improvised sounds by pairing violinists Andréa Tyniec and Jesse Zubot. The latter probably needs no introduction to readers of this blog, known as he is for his recent work with Tanya Tagaq on stage and album — and he's also worked with Destroyer, Fond of Tigers, Gordon Grdina and Peggy Lee, as well as the likes of Steve Reich, Francois Houle, Fred Firth, Mats Gustafsson and many others. Andréa Tyniec has an equally impressive background in the contemporary classical scene, and I'm looking forward to discovering her sounds at this show, including some icy cool electronic textures from Terri Hron. This show will see solo excursions from each of the performers exploring their own idiom, and then will culminate in a duet of an original piece created specifically for this performance.

TICKETS + MORE INFO

Single tickets are now available for purchase for $20 in advance (or $25 at the door).

CONTEST

Thanks to the cool folks at Soundstreams, I have a pair of tickets to the show to give away! Contest now closed, thanks for entering!

To enter, shoot me an email to mechanicalforestsound@gmail.com, with "contest" in the title and your name in the body. I'll randomly draw a winner on Tuesday, January 23, 2018 at noon.

Concert Listings Roundup #233

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:

Andre Ethier [Under Grape Leaves Telephone Explosion release party!] (Blessings [Robin Dann from Bernice] / Joseph Shabason) / The Baby G 2017-01-19 (Friday) [FB event]

After a fairly-quick-fire four-album run (including the discographically-confusing back-to-back On Blue Fog and Born of Blue Fog) around and after the end of The Deadly Snakes, it's been nearly a decade without a new album from Andre Ethier. That makes the release of Under Grape Leaves from Telephone Explosion into something of an event, worthy of a celebration. Though still occasionally seen making a garage-rawkin' ruckus on stage, his albums have already had their share of mellower moments — and though I don't know where on the spectrum this release party is going to fall, the choice of a couple excellent texture purveyors to open things up suggest this show might be suitable for attentive listening more than Friday night rowdiness.

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This week's noteworthy shows:

Chris Pruden/Mark Godfrey/Nick Fraser / The Emmet Ray 2018-01-15 (Monday – PWYC!) [more info]

Nelson Moneo/cheryl o/Kristian Podlacha/Harrison Vetro ["the intersection of chamber music and free improvisation"] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-01-16 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Josh Cole Quintet / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-01-17 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Kamancello / Burdock Music Hall 2018-01-17 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Venus Fest (feat. Luna Li / ggpeach / Nezzy) / The Baby G 2018-01-18 (Thursday) [FB event]

Riparian Acoustics presents (feat. Sandy Ewen / Ways / Fake Humans) / D D L 2018-01-18 (Thursday) [FB event]

Nick Arseneau Quintet [Nick Arseneau/Marie Goudy/John Nicholson/Patrick O'Reilly/Harrison Vetro] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-01-19 (Friday – early!) [FB event]

Crystal Hibernations Number 3 (feat. Cares / UXVAE / Brother Tiger) / The Tranzac (Tiki Room) 2018-01-19 (Friday) [FB event]

Beatrice Keeler (Merival / Alex Leggett / ZOË) / The Cameron House 2018-01-19 (Friday) [FB event]

Jonathan Adjemian [solo piano + guests!] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-01-20 (Saturday – early!)

Audiopollination 58 (feat. Jesse Laderoute/Ashley Urquhart/David Story / Lane Halley/Alex Whyte/Tomasz Krakowiak / Heraclitus Akimbo/Alex Fournier/Del Stephen / D. Alex Meeks + friends) / Array Space 2018-01-20 (Saturday) [FB event]

Class Of 2018 (feat. Lush Buffalo / WHOOP-szo / Hot Garbage / Iris / Tange) / Smiling Buddha 2018-01-20 (Saturday) [FB event]

Westelaken [LP release!] (Slurry / HEX) / Monarch Tavern 2018-01-20 (Saturday) [FB event]

FAWN 2017/18 Day Party! (feat. Castle If / FAWN [Acote/Mary-Dora Bloch-Hansen/Adam Scime/Darren Creech/Jonathan MacArthur]) / Smiling Buddha 2018-01-21 (Sunday — PWYC! afternoon event, 2 to 6 p.m.!) [FB event]

Brian Abbott's Earthlight [Brian Abbott/Diane Roblin/Mark Zurawinski] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-01-21 (Sunday – early!) [FB event]

Continuum Contemporary Music: Time Travels Light [compositions by Fjóla Evans, Michael Oesterle and Andrew Staniland] (feat. TorQ Percussion Quartet/Rob Power/Ryan Scott/Continuum's lower string sextet) / 918 Bathurst 2018-01-21 (Sunday) [FB event]

Somewhere There Presents (feat. Pineapple [Karen Ng/Alex Fournier/Rob Grieve]) / The Emmet Ray 2018-01-21 (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!

Octopus Curls [Allison Cameron/Stephen Parkinson/Nicole Rampersaud/Germaine Liu/Mark Zurawinski] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-01-24 (Wednesday – early!)

Pins & Needles [farewell show!] (HEX / Love Lagoon) / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2018-01-27 (Saturday) [FB event]

Colour & Noise [Ashley Urquhart/Alex Fournier/Patrick O'Reilly/Curtis Whittaker/Aidan Sibley/Tara Kannangara] (Triio [Alex Fournier/Allison Au/Aidan Sibley/Tom Fleming/Ashley Urquhart/Mark Ballyk]) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-01-28 (Sunday – early!) [FB event]

Soundstreams' Ear Candy: Almost Unplugged (feat. Andréa Tyniec / Jesse Zubot) / Buddies in Bad Times Cabaret 2018-02-01 (Thursday) [more info]

Track Could Bend #35 (feat. The Bim Prongs & {AN} EeL / N A V I / Love Children of the Apocalypse) / Belljar Café 2018-02-06 (Tuesday – PWYC!) [FB event]

Bill Gilliam/Kayla Milmine/Ambrose Pottie / Burdock Music Hall 2018-02-06 (Tuesday) [FB event]

The Music Gallery and Native Women in the Arts present the Kwe Performance Series: Mother Tongue (feat. Joanne Shenandoah / Salia Joseph & Kwiigay iiwaans / Nelson Tagoona) / 918 Bathurst 2018-02-10 (Saturday) [FB event]

Somewhere There's Second Sunday Series (feat. Kieran Maraj / cheryl o & Meghan Cheng) / Array Space 2018-02-11 (Sunday) [FB event]

Wavelength Winter Festival 18 (feat. MI Blue / Bossie / OBUXUM / Plazas) / The Garrison 2018-02-16 (Friday) [FB event]

Wavelength Winter Festival 18 (feat. Odonis Odonis / Freak Heat Waves / Tough Age / Kurt Marble / Luge) / The Garrison 2018-02-17 (Saturday) [FB event]

Wavelength Winter Festival 18 (feat. Buke and Gase / Omhouse / Fusilier / You'll Never Get to Heaven / Joseph Shabason) / The Garrison 2018-02-18 (Sunday) [FB event]

Somewhere There Presents (feat. Astrosurf) / The Emmet Ray 2018-02-18 (Saturday) [FB event]

Somewhere There Creative Music Festival (feat. TBA) / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2018-02-23–2018-02-25 (Friday–Sunday – save the dates!)

Lenten Treasures ["featuring music of Tallis, Victoria, Palestrina, Sanders, Willan, and Larkin"] (feat. The Tallis Choir) / St. Patrick's Church 2018-03-18 (Sunday) [more info]

Eamon McGrath (Bart) / The Dakota Tavern 2018-03-23 (Friday) [FB event]

Yamantaka//Sonic Titan / The Baby G 2018-03-29 (Thursday) [FB event]

Nap Eyes (She Devils) / The Baby G 2018-04-03 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Dr. John Cooper Clarke (Son of Dave) / Lee's Palace 2018-04-12 (Thursday) [FB event]

U.S. Girls / The Horseshoe Tavern 2018-04-19 (Thursday) [FB event]

Recording: The Highest Order

Artist: The Highest Order

Songs: Carry On Warm [Fiver cover, feat. Michelle McAdorey] / Something On Your Mind [Karen Dalton cover, feat. Bria Salmena] / Working Man Blues [Merle Haggard cover, feat. Dallas Good and Andre Ethier] / Stop the World and Let Me Off [Waylon Jennings cover, feat. Dallas Good] / Shake The Dope Out [The Warlocks cover, feat Dan Burke, Calvin Brown + Richard Gibson]

Recorded at Lee's Palace (Dan Burke: 60 plus 20), December 8, 2017.

The Highest Order feat. Michelle McAdorey - Carry On Warm

The Highest Order feat. Bria Salmena - Something On Your Mind

The Highest Order with Dallas Good and Andre Ethier - Working Man Blues

The Highest Order with Dallas Good - Stop the World and Let Me Off

Party Wallet - Shake The Dope Out

Although things didn't feel exactly right, taking over Lee's Palace instead of packing The Silver Dollar, there were good vibes and all-star jams a-plenty at this night dedicated to Dan Burke, celebrating his 60th birthday as well as twenty years of promoting shows. Headliners The Highest Order went brought the biggest contingent of guest performers, enlisting a large roster of friends and collaborators (as well as an expanded band with Stew Crookes' pedal steel, Nick Kervin adding percussion and Vallens' Marta Cikojevic on keybs throughout the night). Michelle McAdorey added some backing vocals on a Fiver song that's been brought over to The Highest Order, as well as being backed by the band on her own "Disappearing Things". Jen Castle reprised her Gerry Rafferty jam with the group while Andre Ethier and The Sadies' Dallas Good sat in for a mini-set-within-the-set. With B-17's Calvin Brown and Richard Gibson joining in with Dan Burke for the grand finale, the band morphed into their alter-ego Party Wallet to close out the night.

Recording: Comet Control

Artist: Comet Control

Songs: The Cloud [Elevator cover, feat. Matt Mason] + The Love You Save [Joe Tex cover, feat. Andre Ethier + Yuri Didrichson]

Recorded at Lee's Palace (Dan Burke: 60 plus 20), December 8, 2017.

Comet Control feat. Matt Mason - The Cloud

Comet Control feat. Andre Ethier + Yuri Didrichson - The Love You Save

Although things didn't feel exactly right, taking over Lee's Palace instead of packing The Silver Dollar, there were good vibes and all-star jams a-plenty at this night dedicated to Dan Burke, celebrating his 60th birthday as well as twenty years of promoting shows. The special guests definitely made this set memorable, with Anagram/Surinam's Matt Mason adding a menacing edge to a driving version of Elevator's "The Cloud". And after that, things got as close to a Deadly Snakes reunion as you might be likely to see, with Comet Control's Chad Ross and Andrew Moszynski being joined by old comrades Andre Ethier and Yuri Didrichson, dedicating the Stones' "Hand of Fate" to Dan Burke as well as tackling this Joe Tex number.

Recording: Hooded Fang

Artist: Hooded Fang

Songs: Mama Pearl + You Don't Know How It Feels [Tom Petty cover, with Simone Schmidt + Scott Hardware]

Recorded at Lee's Palace (Dan Burke: 60 plus 20), December 8, 2017.

Hooded Fang - Mama Pearl

Hooded Fang with Simone Schmidt + Scott Hardware - You Don't Know How It Feels

Although things didn't feel exactly right, taking over Lee's Palace instead of packing The Silver Dollar, there were good vibes and all-star jams a-plenty at this night dedicated to Dan Burke, celebrating his 60th birthday as well as twenty years of promoting shows. Hooded Fang spent most of their set stretching out their grooves and highlighting the material from their Dynasty House EP, but in the spirit of the night, they brought out some special guests for a pass-the-mic tribute to Tom Petty.

Recording: Moscow Apartment

Artist: Moscow Apartment

Songs: Be You + She Talks To Rainbows [Ramones cover via Ronnie Spector, with Kritty Uranowski + Dan Burke]

Recorded at Lee's Palace (Dan Burke: 60 plus 20), December 8, 2017.

Moscow Apartment - Be You

Moscow Apartment with Kritty Uranowski + Dan Burke - She Talks To Rainbows

Although things didn't feel exactly right, taking over Lee's Palace instead of packing The Silver Dollar, there were good vibes and all-star jams a-plenty at this night dedicated to Dan Burke, celebrating his 60th birthday as well as twenty years of promoting shows. Another young group prospering under the mentorship of local hero Kritty Uranowski, this teenaged duo is already exhibiting strong songwriting and excellent vocal harmonies. On their own they're on the folky side, but with Uranowski on guitar (and Hooded Fang's Dan Lee on drums) they became an ace rockin' backing band for Dan Burke to take a girl-group-ish turn at his birthday celebration, covering Ronnie Spector's version of this late-era Ramones nugget.

[Moscow Apartment will be playing another Dan Burke show, performing as part of the "Class Of 2018" series at The 'Shoe on Friday, January 26th.]

Concert Listings Roundup #232

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:

Marker Starling [Anchors & Ampersands release party!] (Bunny) / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2018-01-13 (Saturday) [FB event]

While it might seem like repeat of celebrations past (party like it's 2010!) Chris Cummings' return to the Tranzac in celebration of a new album is very much a chance to reflect on his continuous growth and transformation as an artist. Last year's superb I'm Willing covers album showed off Cummings' gifts as an arranger and interpreter — as does the new Anchors & Ampersands, but with a twist, as he is now looking back and bringing new perspectives to some of his older works. As is usually the case with a new Marker Startling album, the show is an opportunity to see him with an expended band and lusher arrangements — and for a no-doubt pop bonus, the excellent Bunny are once more opening the night.

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This week's noteworthy shows:

Sarah Greene / The Dakota Tavern 2018-01-09 (Tuesday – early!) [FB event]

Ornate Ornette (feat. Karen Ng/Lowell Whitty/Mike DeiCont/Phill Albert) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-01-09 (Tuesday – early!) [FB event]

Music By & For Ken Aldcroft XIII (feat. Brian Abbott/Bea Labikova/Germaine Liu/Karen Ng/Patrick O'Reilly / Harley Card/Jason Kenemy/Jim Sexton/Laura Swankey) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-01-10 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Happy NY 2018 (feat. Allison Cameron/Kurt Newman/Stephen Parkinson) / Arraymusic 2018-01-11 (Thursday) [FB event]

Soap (Cellphone / Slurry) / Owl's Club (basement) 2018-01-11 (Thursday) [FB event]

Tania Gill Quartet [Tania Gill/Lina Allemano/Nico Dann/Rob Clutton] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-01-12 (Friday – early!) [FB event]

Grounders (Lee Paradise / Beds) / The Baby G 2018-01-12 (Friday) [FB event]

Moves [Spencer Cole/Zach Bines/Joe Organ] (Side Hustle / Evan Cartwright) / Burdock Music Hall 2018-01-12 (Friday) [FB event]

Dimensions in Sound (feat. Slow Attack Ensemble / Ryan Carley's Ferra Fauna / LUCIEN) / ROUND 2018-01-12 (Friday) [FB event]

The Nilan Perera Ensemble [Nilan Perera/Kayla Milmine/Wes Neal/Rick Sacks] / Array Space 2018-01-12 (Friday)

Sahara (Nyssa / Kiwi Jr.) / Monarch Tavern 2018-01-13 (Saturday) [FB event]

Germaphobes (Omhouse / Rapport / Hobby) / Smiling Buddha 2018-01-13 (Saturday) [FB event]

WLMRT (Deathsticks / Camp Girls / Tourist) / Euro Sports Bar 2018-01-13 (Saturday) [FB event]

Buffalo MRI (Sandro Perri/Fleshtone Aura) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-01-13 (Saturday) [FB event]

Michael Snow & Jesse Stewart [Live at the National Gallery LP launch concert!] (Brodie West/Mani Mazinani) / Array Space 2018-01-13 (Saturday)

New Chance (ZOË / Invisible Out / Hexzuul) / Smiling Buddha 2018-01-14 (Sunday) [FB event]

Lina Allemano Four / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-01-14 (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!

Riparian Acoustics presents (feat. Sandy Ewen / Ways / Fake Humans) / D D L 2018-01-18 (Thursday) [FB event]

Audiopollination 58 (feat. Jesse Laderoute/Ashley Urquhart/David Story / Lane Halley/Alex Whyte/Tomasz Krakowiak / Heraclitus Akimbo/Alex Fournier/Del Stephen) / Array Space 2018-01-20 (Saturday) [FB event]

FAWN 2017/18 Day Party! (feat. Castle If / FAWN [Acote/Mary-Dora Bloch-Hansen/Adam Scime/Darren Creech/Jonathan MacArthur]) / Smiling Buddha 2018-01-21 (Sunday — PWYC! afternoon event, 2 to 6 p.m.!) [FB event]

Continuum Contemporary Music: Time Travels Light [compositions by Fjóla Evans, Michael Oesterle and Andrew Staniland] (feat. TorQ Percussion Quartet/Rob Power/Ryan Scott/Continuum's lower string sextet) / 918 Bathurst 2018-01-21 (Sunday) [FB event]

Iranian Canadian Composers of Toronto present [eight new works for solo accordion] (feat. Michael Bridge) / Canadian Music Centre 2018-01-24 (Wednesday – early show @ 5:30 p.m.!) [FB event]

Two Floor Fundraiser [fundraising for necessary roof work at Owl's Club!] (feat. Schönsee / Retired / Pearle Harbour's Battle Cry / Sigil / Hangin' Tuff / Group Hug) / Owl's Club 2018-01-26 (Friday) [FB event]

North Atlantic Drift (Clara Engel / Snake Church) / The Dupe Shop 2018-01-27 (Saturday – PWYC!) [FB event]

Titanium Riot / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-01-30 (Sunday) [FB event]

Thinking [works by Maria de Alvear and Marci Rabe] (feat. Thin Edge New Music Collective) / Array Space 2018-02-02 (Friday) [FB event]

Feast In The East 66 (feat. Bonjay / Blunt Chunks / Foonyap / Benedicte) / Matt Durant Studio 2018-02-03 (Saturday) [FB event]

Okavango African Orchestra / Alliance Française de Toronto 2018-02-03 (Saturday) [FB event]

Nick Fraser Quartet w/ Tony Malaby [Is Life Long? CD release!] / the Rex Hotel 2018-02-05–2018-02-06 (Monday–Tuesday) [FB event]

Haunted Summer (LOLAA / Akage No Anne / Ace Of Wands) / Smiling Buddha 2018-02-09 (Friday) [FB event]

Audio Bleed (feat. Hybrid Frequency / Fillspace) / Belljar Café 2018-02-10 (Saturday — PWYC!) [FB event]

The Music Gallery presents: Voice Pieces (feat. The Element Choir / Lillian Allen / AMALIA) / Gardiner Museum 2018-02-23 (Friday) [FB event]

Beams [LP release!] (catl. / L CON) / Smiling Buddha 2018-02-23 (Friday) [FB event]