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:
Somewhere There Creative Music Festival (feat. John Oswald [talk] / Divergence Trio [Emily Denison/Susanna Hood/Scott Thomson] / So Long Seven) / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2018-02-23 (Friday) [more info]
Somewhere There Creative Music Festival: Composing for Improvisors [works by: Brian Abbott, Bea Labikova, Zach Clark] (feat. Brian Abbott/Zach Clark/Bea Labikova/Kayla Milmine/Cheryl O/Heather Saumer/Joe Sorbara/Kristen Theriault/Laura Swankey) / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2018-02-24 (Saturday – matinée!) [more info]
Somewhere There Creative Music Festival: Circuits Bending Frames ["an evening of film and video by Laurie Kwasnik"] (feat. Jonathan Adjemian/Ryan Driver/Christine Duncan/Paul Dutton/Tiina Kiik/Laurie Kwasnik/Mani Mazinani/Wes Neal/John Oswald/SlowPitchSound/Laura Swankey) / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2018-02-24 (Saturday) [more info]
Somewhere There Creative Music Festival [open rehearsal + performance!] (feat. Trombone Quartet [Tom Richards/Heather Saumer/Doug Tielli/Nebyu Yohannes]) / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2018-02-25 (Sunday – matinée!) [more info]
Somewhere There Creative Music Festival (feat. Luan Phung Quintet [Luan Phung/Julian Anderson-Bowes/Matthew Chalmers/James Hill/Chris Rennie] / Heraclitus Akimbo / Holger Schoorl Ensemble [Holger Schoorl/Jonnie Bakan/Chantal Cornu/Emily Denison/Bea Labikiova/Paul Newman/Patrick O'Reilly/Heather Saumer) / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2018-02-25 (Sunday) [more info]
Now in its sixth year, the Somewhere There Creative Music Festival remains a one of my favourite events of the year, a jam-packed weekend of music and community filling up The Tranzac from Friday to Sunday. As interested in musical process as "results", regular performances are given equal billing to talks, discussions and open rehearsals. (The latter are at the centre of two afternoon events on Saturday and Sunday.) The whole thing leads off with a talk (or an "observational improvisation") from John Oswald on Friday, and from there, there's a full-on rush of good music. Absolutely recommended for anyone who wants to dip a toe into the fertile overlapping local creative music scenes.
This week's noteworthy shows:
Giant Hand (Blunt Chunks / Nick Ferrio) / Burdock Music Hall 2018-02-20 (Tuesday) [FB event]
Notes from Home [works by Jason Doell, Monica Pearce, Cecilia Livingston] (feat. TorQ Percussion Quartet) / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2018-02-20 (Tuesday) [FB event]
Phil Melanson/Allison Cameron/Christopher Willes / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-02-17 (Wednesday – early!) [FB event]
Josh Cole Quintet / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-02-17 (Wednesday) [FB event]
The Jessica Stuart Few [new monthly music series!] (Delta Will's Chamber Folk Experience) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-02-22 (Thursday – extra early timeslot, 5 to 7 p.m.!) [FB event]
Stereoscope / Canadian Music Centre 2018-02-22 (Thursday – early show @ 5:30 p.m.!) [FB event]
Uxvae (New Tendencies / Johan Seaton / Bachalard) / The Baby G 2018-02-22 (Thursday) [FB event]
S L V G (OBUXUM / CY.) / Handlebar 2018-02-22 (Thursday – 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]
Audiopollination presents Spirit of the Inner Child 2 (feat. Allison Cameron / Bea Labikova / Del Stephen / Jeff Sinibaldi / Julian / Mira Martin-Gray / Simone Baron / Tomasz Krakowiak) / Array Space 2018-02-23 (Friday) [FB event]
Ronley Teper's Lipliners [last Saturday of the month residency + album release celebration!] / The Baby G 2018-02-24 (Saturday) [FB event]
North Atlantic Drift (Clara Engel / Snake Church) / The Dupe Shop 2018-02-24 – N.B. re-rescheduled to March 23rd! [FB event]
ZOO OWL [single release!] (Bad Passion / Cherry Blaster) / Handlebar 2018-02-24 (Saturday) [FB event]
Long Winter 6.4 (feat. Brenda / KYLO / Ziibiwan / Casey MQ / Dre Ngozi / NOYFB / Macbeth II) / Workman Arts 2018-02-24 (Saturday – all ages! PWYC!) [FB event]
Batuki Music Society presents: Black History Month (feat. Kaia Kater / Waleed Kush African Jazz Ensemble with special guest Ruth Mathiang) / Aga Khan Museum 2018-02-24 (Saturday) [FB event]
Bloodshot Bill (The Hiccups) / Monarch Tavern 2018-02-24 (Saturday) [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]
Not The Wind, Not The Flag with Nilan Perera / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-02-25 (Sunday) [FB event]
Add these to your calendar:
Reminder: This post only contains this week's updates — the full listings can always be found over on the right-hand sidebar!
Riverrun / The Emmet Ray 2018-02-26 (Monday) [FB event]
Better Person (LUKA) / The Baby G 2018-02-28 (Wednesday) [FB event]
Bellwether4 / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-02-28 (Wednesday) [FB event]
Crystal Hibernations #4 (feat. Clara Engel / Uxvae / As Above|So Below) / The Tranzac (Tiki Room) 2018-03-01 (Thursday) [FB event]
Helena Deland (Yi / Baby Cages / Falcon Jane) / Smiling Buddha 2018-03-03 (Saturday) [FB event]
Art of the Uncarved Block [winter compilation release!] (feat. Triples / Low Sun / Chris / Stresser) / The Dupe Shop 2018-03-03 (Saturday) [FB event]
Nite Comfort 54 (feat. Chanteclair / Hymns57) / Handlebar 2018-03-04 (Sunday – PWYC!) [FB event]
The Mike Smith Company / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-03-06 (Tuesday – early!) [FB event]
Track Could Bend #36 (feat. Horseman, Pass By / Kee Avila / Kayla Milmine / Brian Ruryk & Justin Haynes) / Belljar Café 2018-03-06 (Tuesday – PWYC!) [FB event]
SlowPitchSound (Myst Milano / Charise Aragoza) / Handlebar 2018-03-08 (Thursday) [FB event]
B-17 (Day Trip / Portland TV / Bad Buzz / Nikki Fierce) / The Horseshoe Tavern 2018-03-16 (Friday) [FB event]
Rat-drifting 5 [afternoon workshop + evening concert!] (feat. iNSIDEaMIND) / Array Space 2018-03-17 (Saturday) [FB event]
Wavelength 750 (feat. Pick A Piper / joasihno / Ben Oginz) / Gladstone Hotel (Melody Bar) 2018-03-18 (Sunday) [FB event]
HEX [Miss Pristine album release!] / Monarch Tavern 2018-03-23 (Friday – all ages!) [FB event]
Prom Nite (Pucumber Sasssquash Family Band / Retired) / Faith/Void 2018-03-29 (Thursday) [FB event]
The Music Gallery presents Emergents III:The Music of Ken Aldcroft (feat. Daniel Kruger / Karen Ng / Emily Denison / Andrew Furlong / Mark Zurawinski) / 918 Bathurst 2018-04-06 (Friday) [FB event]
PONY (Boat Culture / Rapport) / Smiling Buddha 2018-04-06 (Friday) [FB event]
Bandcamp corner:
The indefatigable Neal D. Retke, who preforms as {AN} Eel, is a frequent connector of artists and audiences in virtual space through his various compilation projects which carry on the spirit of the pre-internet underground cassette music community. Two of his collections, each with an eclectic mix of sounds, emerged this past week, and both are worth checking out:
- Two Halves Volume Three is part of "a series of duets that were 'assigned' by {AN} Eel, after which participants detailed their own working methods... The collaborators have, for the most part, not worked directly with each other before & were chosen & paired by {AN} EeL."
- Meanwhile, CanNed DaDa: Vol. 1 is an overview of Retke's adopted homeland as he sees it, with all new CanCon tracks as well as solicited "duet or larger group ensemble pieces" reconstructed by him from "stems" or fragments sent in by artists.
[full disclosure: in my Heraclitus Akimbo guise, I am involved as an artist in both of these compilations.]
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