Concert Listings Roundup #243

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:

Nite Comfort 55 (feat. Uxvae / Saturn City) / Handlebar 2018-04-01 (Sunday – PWYC!) [FB event]

This month's Nite Comfort sees new-ish projects from familiar faces — and should also make for a satisfying contrast in their approaches to "electronic" music. Uxvae mixes Martha Adem and Bryan W. Bray (Gates, Cetacea) in a dark, dangling-vine forest of gothy ambiance, while Saturn City is a new solo endeavour from Processor's M. Joakim — her recent Korg Etudes collection is really excellent stuff that I'm looking hearing to hearing in a live setting.

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This week's noteworthy shows:

The Ted Crosby Quintet [Ted Crosby/Michael Davidson/Harley Card/Alan Mackie/Nick Fraser] ["performing Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn's landmark 1967 album the Far East Suite"] / The Emmet Ray 2018-03-26 (Monday) [FB event]

Composers' Toolbox: The Joy of Play ["a very interactive presentation and workshop"] (feat. Germaine Liu/Heather Saumer/Bea Labikova) / The Canadian Music Centre 2018-03-27 (Tuesday – free with pre-registration) [FB event]

Bernice (Erica Eso / Tryal) / The Baby G 2018-03-27 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Keita Juma (Sydanie / Macala) / Rivoli 2018-03-27 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Ashley Urquhart/Alex Fournier/Nick Fraser / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-03-27 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Not Dead Yet/Stuck in the City present (feat. Bugg / Big School / Camp Girls / Sour Key) / Faith/Void 2018-03-28 (Wednesday – all ages!) [FB event]

The Silt [Doug Tielli/Ryan Driver/Marcus Quin] / Array Space 2018-03-29 (Thursday) [FB event]

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

Prom Nite (Pucumber Sasssquash Family Band / Retired) / Faith/Void 2018-03-29 (Thursday) [FB event]

Mr. Joy [record release!] (Blunt Chunks / The Mother Tongues) / Owl's Club 2018-03-29 (Thursday) [FB event]

The Heavyweights Brass Band [This City record release!] / Lula Lounge 2018-03-29 (Thursday – all ages!) [FB event]

Phalanges [Elizabeth Lima/Karen Ng/Kayla Milmine] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-03-29 (Thursday) [FB event]

Away Forward [album release party!] (Stargoon) / Duggan's Brewery 2018-03-30 (Friday – PWYC!) [FB event]

Night Owl Festival presents (feat. Nobunny / Vypers / BBQ Pope) / The Rec Room 2018-03-30 (Friday) [FB event]

The Ryan Driver Sextet / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-03-30 (Friday) [FB event]

Ronley Teper's Lipliners [last Saturday of the month residency!] / The Baby G 2018-03-31 (Saturday) [FB event]

Yo La Tengo / The Phoenix 2018-03-31 (Saturday) [FB event]

Digits (Wolf Saga / Kira May / Akage No Anne) / Handlebar 2018-03-31 (Saturday) [FB event]

Burn Down The Capital presents (feat. Michael Foster/Ben Bennett / New Positions / Invisible Out / c_RL) / D D L 2018-03-31 (Saturday – all ages!) [FB event]

Girls Rock Camp Toronto Rock Lottery / Burdock Music Hall 2018-04-01 (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!

Mike Smith/Kayla Milmine/Jeremy Strachan/Karen Ng / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-04-03 (Tuesday – early!) [FB event]

Crumb (Luna Li / Queen Of Swords) / The Baby G 2018-04-04 (Wednesday) [FB event]

BLOOP [Lina Allemano/Mike Smith/Germaine Liu/D. Alex Meeks] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-04-08 (Sunday) [FB event]

Collateral [Sam Shalabi/Norman Adams/Tim Crofts] with Nicole Rampersaud / Array Space 2018-04-12 (Thursday) [FB event]

Audiopollination 61 (feat. Brodie Chisholm/Nicolas Buligan/Andrew Kay / Lorne Shapiro/William Davison/Neil Wiernik / Will Austin/MJ Wright/Luca Capone / Kayla Milmine/Bea Labikova/Sarah Peebles) / Array Space 2018-04-13 (Friday) [FB event]

Batuki Music Society presents Sounds of Senegal (feat. Élage Mbaye) / Alliance Française de Toronto 2018-04-14 (Saturday – all ages, under 18 free!) [FB event]

Gladeye, Burn Down The Capital and Riparian Acoustics present (feat. Beverly Glenn Copeland and Indigo Rising / Tryal / Loom) / Jam Factory 2018-04-15 (Sunday – all ages!) [FB event]

Ivy Mairi (Mamalia) / Burdock Warehouse 2018-04-26 (Thursday) [FB event]

Joanne Pollock (Sages / Leucrocuta / Anna Modo) / Handlebar 2018-04-26 (Thursday) [FB event]

Silent Shout (feat. Castle If / Persons / Tigerwing / Gabe Knox) / Handlebar 2018-04-28 (Saturday) [FB event]

Pleasence Records Showcase (feat. Don't Bother / Heaven for Real / J Blissette / ZONES / Man Made Hill/ Mundy's Bay / Goosebump / Tough Age / Isla Craig / Traitrs / WLMRT / WHIMM / Petra Glynt) / The Garrison 2018-05-11 (Friday – early sets free in the front room!) [FB event]

Small World Music Society's 16th Annual Asian Music Series (feat. Foonyap / Holy Hum) / Small World Music Centre 2018-05-11–2018-05-12 (Friday–Saturday) [FB event]

Leather Jacuzzi (Cellphone / Prom Nite / Hugh Man) / The Baby G 2018-05-24 (Thursday) [FB event]

Jonas Bonnetta [All This Here ambient album release! Ensemble including Mika Posen, Edwin Huizinga and Adam Saikely] / The Drake Underground 2018-05-27 (Sunday) [FB event]

Telephone Explosion: Year Ten (feat. Odonis Odonis / Freak Heat Waves / New Fries / Teenanger / Andre Ethier) / Lee's Palace 2018-06-08 (Friday) [FB event]

The Holy Gasp [The Love Songs of Oedipus Rex release celebration] [album performance accompanied by an orchestra of 26 musicians and vocalists in the form of a wedding ceremony & reception] / 918 Bathurst 2018-06-30 (Saturday) [FB event]

Concert Listings Roundup #242

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:

Synaptic Circus presents (feat. Chalk Repairer [Patrick O'Reilly/Emily Denison/Andrew Furlong/Laura Swankey/Derek Gray/Edwin Sheard] / Kat Estacio) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-03-25 (Sunday) [FB event]

It's another one of those unbearably-busy Saturday nights this week (but you should really, really spend it out at the Aga Khan for the Music Gallery's large-scale Land of Kush premiere) but Sunday night is reserved for this night in the still-fresh Synaptic Circus series. Curated by the curious ears of Nilan Perera, this monthly is mixing together all sorts of fresh perspectives on creative music-making in this city, and I'm rather looking forward to both halves of this night.

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This week's noteworthy shows:

Nate Renner Quartet / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-03-20 (Tuesday) [FB event]

c_RL / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-03-21 (Wednesday – early!)

Dustiny [Thom Gill/Matt Newton/Josh Cole/Phil Melanson] (Prince Nifty) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-03-21 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Atsuko Chiba (Mazola / Animatist) / The Baby G 2018-03-21 (Wednesday) [FB event]

AMBiENT PiNG presents (feat. Henry Warwick / Alan Sondheim) / Handlebar 2018-03-21 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Jessica Stuart/Michael Davidson (Alex St. Kitts/Jacob Aylward) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-03-22 (Thursday – extra early set @ 5 p.m.!) [FB event]

Catholic Wilt (Lehrerin / Botanicals / Ben Oginz) / The Baby G 2018-03-22 (Thursday) [FB event]

Don KiNG [Nick Fraser/Karen Ng/Don Scott] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-03-22 (Thursday) [FB event]

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

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

HEX [Miss Pristine album release!] (Optic Flow / Slobrina / Zoë / Lavender Bruisers) / Monarch Tavern 2018-03-23 (Friday – all ages!) [FB event]

Long Winter 6.5 (feat. The Highest Order / Moon King / Tyriqueordie / Zoo OWL / Luyos MC / Camp Girls / The Neon City / Sweet Pea / Zero Point / Nick Fraser/Hafez Modirzadeh) / The Tranzac 2018-03-23 (Friday – all ages! PWYC!) [FB event]

North Atlantic Drift (Clara Engel / Snake Church) / The Dupe Shop 2018-03-24 – re-rescheduled date! (Saturday – PWYC!) [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]

Quiet Bedrooms: QB7 (feat. Forest Management / Philippe Vandal / Brigitte Bardon't + Hexzuul / Dame Cook) / D D L 2018-03-24 (Saturday) [FB event]

Caution Tape Sound Collective and the Association of Canadian Women Composers present: Spark to Stone [new compositions from Amy Brandon, Hope Lee, Julia Mermelstein, Sarah Reid, Ivana Jokic, Lesley Hinger, Bekah Simms] (feat. Caution Tape Sound Collective) / Array Space 2018-03-24 (Saturday) [FB event]

Calvin Love (Sunshine & The Blue Moon / Johnny de Courcy / Mango Reinhardt) / Owl's Club 2018-03-24 (Saturday) [FB event]

Sages (Anna Modo / Cherry Blaster / Wearenotwhoweare) / Handlebar 2018-03-24 (Saturday – PWYC!) [FB event]

Money House [Patrick O'Reilly/Stefan Hegerat/Alex Fournier] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-03-24 (Saturday) [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!

Keita Juma (Sydanie / Macala) / Rivoli 2018-03-27 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Phalanges [Elizabeth Lima/Karen Ng/Kayla Milmine] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-03-29 (Thursday) [FB event]

Nite Comfort 55 (feat. Uxvae / Saturn City) / Handlebar 2018-04-01 (Sunday – PWYC!) [FB event]

Track Could Bend #37: Third Anniversary All-Star Spectacular! (feat. Jakob Rehlinger, Craig Renaud, Luke Kuplowsky, Diane Roblin, Mira Martin-Gray, William A. Davison, Katie Jensen, Mani Mazinani, Matt Nish-Lapidus, Heidi Chan, Justin Huang Ford, Chris Trotter + more to be added) / Array Space 2018-04-03 (Tuesday – PWYC!) [FB event]

Wild Forms Gnarled and Mossy: New Music for Strings (and more) [new music composed by Allison Cameron, Matthias McIntire, Aline Homzy, and Robert Grieve] (feat. Allison Cameron/Matthias McIntire/Aline Homzy/Robert Grieve/Amahl Arulanandam/Laurence Schaufele) / Canadian Music Centre 2018-04-03 (Tuesday) [FB event]

The Mean (Secret Wars) / The Piston 2018-04-05 (Thursday) [FB event]

Faith Healer (Elle Barbara's Black Space / Johnny de Courcy) / The Baby G 2018-04-13 (Friday) [FB event]

Dialectica [Breakthrough CD release concert!] (The Toronto Saxophone Quartet) / MCC Toronto 2018-04-18 (Wednesday) [FB event]

VERSA [album release party!] (feat. Zoo Owl / Future Peers / DF) / The Commons Space 2018-04-21 (Saturday) [FB event]

Burn Down the Capital presents (feat. Wei Zhongle / Luge / Lice II) / Handlebar 2018-04-23 (Monday) [FB event]

Lydia Lunch (Brigitte Bardon't) / Hard Luck Bar 2018-05-10 (Thursday) [FB event]

The Music Gallery presents Fusing: Premieres VII ["six new interdisciplinary premieres fusing new music with dance, circus, literary, visual, theatrical and media arts by emerging and established artists from near and far" (feat. Thin Edge New Music Collective) / 918 Bathurst 2018-06-22 (Friday) [FB event]

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Bandcamp corner:

• Here's some brand-new modular synth experiments from Heidi Chan, gurgling in inventive ways and "inspired by Gaston Bachelard's The Poetics of Space."

• And also some equally fresh "rambling improvisations" by Trevor Turple (with some additional help from Ryan Carley), in case you need the musical eqivalent of a walk down a quiet backroad.

Recording: Furlong/Orechin/Liu/Moneo

Artist: Andrew Furlong/Alexei Orechin/Germaine Liu/Nelson Moneo

Songs: Latin Genetics + Una Muy Bonita [composer: Ornette Coleman]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge (Ornate Ornette), February 13, 2018.

Andrew Furlong/Alexei Orechin/Germaine Liu/Nelson Moneo - Latin Genetics

Andrew Furlong/Alexei Orechin/Germaine Liu/Nelson Moneo - Una Muy Bonita

This edition of the "Ornate Ornette" monthly was quarterbacked by double bassist Andrew Furlong, leading a quartet that also included Alexei Orechin on guitar, Nelson Moneo on violin and Germaine Liu on percussion. The music flowed with a free-ranging, funky amble — sort of a Shaggs-meets-Prime Time kinda sound, though the selections essayed reached back to the quartet days as well.

[This was the last show in this series' original incarnation. Now re-branded as Ornate Presents, the focus is shifting from one composer to being "dedicated to creative music steeped in the jazz tradition", curated by Alex Fournier and Phill Albert and holding steady in the second-Tuesday-of-the-month early slot at The Tranzac.]

Recording: The Brodie West Quintet

Artist: The Brodie West Quintet

Song: Tumbling In + Dirty Vampires^*

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), February 11, 2018.

The Brodie West Quintet - Tumbling In

The Brodie West Quintet - Dirty Vampires

On the cusp of heading into the studio to record the compositions he's been developing for this quintet, Brodie West and co. (which would be Tania Gill on piano and Josh Cole on double bass plus double percussionists Evan Cartwright and Nick Fraser) were in that sweet spot of being right in sync with each other but less than mechanically familiar with the material, leaving lots of room for moments of on-the-fly rearrangement and creative exploration.

^* Thanks to Brodie for confirming the titles to these.

Recording: WHIMM

Artist: WHIMM

Songs: unknown^*

Recorded at Recorded at Smiling Buddha (Pleasence Fest), February 10, 2018.

WHIMM - unknown

Celebrating both their transformation under a new ownership structure as well as the release of a new podcast, Pleasence Records put on a full night of entertainment, keeping busy with alternating sets upstairs and down. I came halfway through after attending an early show and still managed to catch four sets! WHIMM completed the proceedings with a short but intense set, bathed in moody blue light. The group were playing as a four-piece with Patrick Flegel (who performs as Cindy Lee) on second guitar, and this piece saw Deliluh's Kyle Knapp guesting on sax. That helped add some different routes into Mounir Chami's somewhat hermetically-sealed soundworld, adding some sonic relief to throw the material from the band's A Star Ajar into enlightening contrast.

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

Recording: The Famines

Artist: The Famines

Song:unknown^* + Add It to the List of Things That Make My Life Easier Than Yours

Recorded at Smiling Buddha's basement (Pleasence Fest), February 10, 2018.

The Famines - unknown

The Famines - Add It to the List of Things That Make My Life Easier Than Yours

Celebrating both their transformation under a new ownership structure as well as the release of a new podcast, Pleasence Records put on a full night of entertainment, keeping busy with alternating sets upstairs and down. I came halfway through after attending an early show and still managed to catch four sets! These special non-Pleasence-affiliated guests wrapped up the basement portion of the night with some bracing minimalist garage-punk. And though not quite as physically-committed to climbing and sliding around as when I saw them several years (and one drummer) ago, there was still a raw rambunctiousness (including a tumbling drumset) to go along with their mannered, well-designed sensibility.

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

Recording: Feel Alright

Artist: Feel Alright

Songs: In Your Eyes + In Bad Faith

Recorded at Smiling Buddha (Pleasence Fest), February 10, 2018.

Feel Alright - In Your Eyes

Feel Alright - In Bad Faith

Celebrating both their transformation under a new ownership structure as well as the release of a new podcast, Pleasence Records put on a full night of entertainment, keeping busy with alternating sets upstairs and down. I came halfway through after attending an early show and still managed to catch four sets! This project from Calgary's Craig Fahner released an EP on Paul Lawton's now-defunct Mammoth Cave label and seems set to follow him onward to Pleasence. The band, a geographically-flexible concept that allows Fahner to play with different friends in different timezones, saw him joined by Tough Age's Jesse Locke (on drums) and recent Calgarian transplant Matt Learoyd (making some melodic explorations on a Bass VI). The clean-toned power-pop/new wave would have worked well with skinny ties all around, but fit in fine with Fahner's collared shirt and acid-washed jeans.

Recording: WLMRT

Artist: WLMRT

Song: unknown^* + Soap Time

Recorded at Smiling Buddha's basement (Pleasence Fest), February 10, 2018.

WLMRT - unknown

WLMRT - Soap Time

Celebrating both their transformation under a new ownership structure as well as the release of a new podcast, Pleasence Records put on a full night of entertainment, keeping busy with alternating sets upstairs and down. I came halfway through after attending an early show and still managed to catch four sets! Recent Pleasence signees WLMRT are one of the more exciting rock'n'roll bands in the city right now, and right at home in a lo-fi environment like the Buddha's slightly grungy basement room. The vox are little more than an insistent rumour at times here, but there's more than enough joyful clamour to make up for it — I especially dig it in the latter song here when the guitar seems to start independently channelling some "Kids Don't Follow" Bob Stinson vibes.

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

Concert Listings Roundup #241

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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Gigs of the week:

Faster [Nuclear Fishin' album release!] (Coin Operated Duo [Michael Lynn/Ryan Kinney]) / Gerrard Art Space 2018-03-17 (Saturday – PWYC!) [FB event]

Burn Down the Capital presents (feat. Nick Millevoi's Desertion / Mimico / The Litch / Colin Fisher & Victor Cirone) / The Baby G 2018-03-17 (Saturday) [FB event]

St. Patrick's Day — perhaps the least likeable holiday of them all, where people you don't really want to be on the same planet as are at their most drunk-in-public — rolls around on Saturday, doubling down on how little I want to be around places where people are congregating to celebrate, so in search of tolerable alternatives, here's a couple options with some differing flavours of creative music. Burn Down the Capital's Baby G show for Nick Millevoi's Desertion contains a very scintillating undercard of locals, and will offer some hints of rock'n'roll volume and velocity. But if you really want to avoid the downtown (or just want something a little quieter and more contained), head on down to Little India for Faster's album release celebration at the cozy Gerard Art Space.

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This week's noteworthy shows:

Team Building ["new songs, works in progress, thoughts in sound, hosted by Luke Kuplowsky"] (feat. Alex Lukashevsky/Dana Gavanski/Kritty Uranowski/Tim Baker/Charlotte Cornfield/Georgia Harmer/Dorothea Paas/Ansley Simpson/Charise Aragoza) / Burdock 2018-03-12 (Monday – PWYC!) [FB event]

Ornate Presents (feat. The Unknown Guitar Quartet [Rob Grieve/Brian Abbott/Luan Phung/Patrick O’Rielly]) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-03-13 (Tuesday – early!) [FB event]

Clock Radio [Michael Davidson/Dan Fortin] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-03-13 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Josh Cole/Nick Fraser/Marilyn Lerner/Brodie West / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-03-14 (Wednesday – early!) [FB event]

Music By & For Ken Aldcroft, XIV (feat. Phill Albert/Max Donaldson/Andrew Kay/Andrew Noakes/Andrew Miller / Madeleine Ertel/Irene Harrett/Patrick O'Reilly) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-03-14 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Frequencies (feat. Sergio SP / Bénédicte / David Sharpe / Of) / Handlebar 2018-03-15 (Thursday – PWYC!) [FB event]

Future States (Rogue Tenant / Body Butter / The Nonsense) / Smiling Buddha 2018-03-15 (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]

Venus Fest Presents (feat. PILL / Eyeballs / Baby Cages) / Smiling Buddha 2018-03-17 (Saturday) [FB event]

Secret Sign [Fever Dance EP release!] (L CON / Twin Rains / World News) / Handlebar 2018-03-17 (Saturday) [FB event]

Diane Roblin/Kayla Milmine/cheryl o/Bea Labikova / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-03-18 (Sunday – early!) [FB event]

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]

Wavelength 750 (feat. Pick A Piper / joasihno / Ben Oginz) / Gladstone Hotel (Melody Bar) 2018-03-18 (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!

Nate Renner Quartet / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-03-20 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Jessica Stuart/Michael Davidson (Alex St. Kitts/Jacob Aylward) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-03-22 (Thursday – extra early set @ 5 p.m.!) [FB event]

Catholic Wilt (Lehrerin / Botanicals / Ben Oginz) / The Baby G 2018-03-22 (Thursday) [FB event]

Long Winter 6.5 (feat. The Highest Order / Moon King / Tyriqueordie / Zoo OWL / Luyos MC / Camp Girls / The Neon City / Sweet Pea / Zero Point / Nick Fraser/Hafez Modirzadeh) / The Tranzac 2018-03-23 (Friday – all ages! PWYC!) [FB event]

Calvin Love (Sunshine & The Blue Moon / Johnny de Courcy / Mango Reinhardt) / Smiling Buddha 2018-03-24 (Saturday) [FB event]

Sages (Anna Modo / Cherry Blaster / Wearenotwhoweare) / Handlebar 2018-03-24 (Saturday – PWYC!) [FB event]

The Silt [Doug Tielli/Ryan Driver/Marcus Quin] / Array Space 2018-03-29 (Thursday) [FB event]

The Heavyweights Brass Band [This City record release!] / Lula Lounge 2018-03-29 (Thursday – all ages!) [FB event]

Night Owl Festival presents (feat. Nobunny / Vypers / BBQ Pope) / The Rec Room 2018-03-30 (Friday) [FB event]

Digits (Wolf Saga / Kira May / Akage No Anne) / Handlebar 2018-03-31 (Saturday) [FB event]

Burn Down The Capital presents (feat. Michael Foster/Ben Bennett / New Positions / Invisible Out / c_RL) / D D L 2018-03-31 (Saturday – all ages!) [FB event]

Biblical (Völur / Kaleidoscope Horse) / Smiling Buddha 2018-04-07 (Saturday) [FB event]

Jaunt [Cue EP release!] (Hannah Bussiere / Blunt Chunks) / Luanda House 2018-04-13 (Friday) [FB event]

The Powers (Tenderness / Fleshtone Aura with Julia Male) / D D L 2018-04-13 (Friday)

Nyssa [EP Release!] (Petra Glynt / Pat McCormack / Shame Agent) / Owl's Club 2018-04-20 (Friday) [FB event]

Clamps (Alpha Strategy / WLMRT / Outer Rooms) / CineCycle 2018-04-27 (Friday) [FB event]

The Music Gallery presents (feat. Not The Music [Éric Normand/Philippe Lauzier] w/ Joe McPhee / Mercury [Lori Freedman/Nicolas Caloia]) / 918 Bathurst 2018-04-29 (Sunday) [FB event]

WHOOP-Szo (Billy Moon / Mauno / Possum / Beauts) / Smiling Buddha 2018-05-10 (Thursday) [FB event]

Moon King (Anemone / Helena Deland) / The Baby G 2018-05-11 (Friday) [FB event]

Art of Improvisation (Bill Gilliam/Rick Sacks/Bill McBirnie/Eugene Martynec/Glen Hall/Brian Abbott) / Gallery 345 2018-05-12 (Saturday) [FB event]

Labyrinth Musical Workshop Ontario presents (feat. Ali Akbar Moradi / Imamyar Hasanov) / Eastminster United Church 2018-05-19 (Saturday) [FB event]

Labyrinth Musical Workshop Ontario presents (feat. Quraishi / Ahmet Ihvani) / Eastminster United Church 2018-05-26 (Saturday) [FB event]

WLMRT (No Men / Smooches / Slutcode) / Handlebar 2018-06-09 (Saturday) [FB event]

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Mixcloud corner:

• A couple weekends back, I was honoured to be asked to contribute a playlist of between-set music for the final night of Wavelength's annual anniversary festival. To try and support the shifting vibe of the night, I came up with a modularized solution, with mini-playlists to be re-started after every set, keeping things pointed towards the sort of energy (I was guessing) each set would offer. I've started uploading these onto Mixcloud — look for further segments every Sunday (or so) for the next few weeks.

Recording: NAVI

Artist: NAVI

Song: excerpt^*

Recorded at Belljar Café (Track Could Bend #35), February 6, 2018.

NAVI - [excerpt]

The last time I saw NAVI perform, they brought a rather substantial set-up to Handlebar's stage — so though while they still had a respectable heap of gear for this set, it was definitely scaled back. Matthew Romerein handled modular synth and other electronics while Justin Huang Ford had his own keybs and pedals — as well as some fuzzed-out bass to add some looming menace beneath the pair's entomological explorations.

[NAVI will be back at Handlebar on Sunday, May 6th. Track Could Bend will be off-site at Array Space for a special Third Anniversary celebration on Tuesday, April 3rd. The night will feature an all-star assortment of performers from the past year's TCB events playing in "bands from a hat" — ad hoc ensembles selected at random shortly before playing.]

^* I suspect that this discrete chunk of the pair's continuous semi-improvised suite contains the seed elements of a song that will have a title of its own.

Recording: Love Children of the Apocalypse

Artist: Love Children of the Apocalypse

Songs: [two excerpts]

Recorded at Belljar Café (Track Could Bend #35), February 6, 2018.

Love Children of the Apocalypse - [excerpt 1]

Love Children of the Apocalypse - [excerpt 2]

This performance-art duo consists of a pair of improvisers stepping away from their primary instruments for some exploratory body talk. Liz Lima, best known as a clarinet player, provided vocals here while Mike Lynn, most often seen on bass, created the musical backdrop with electronics and drum machine. [check out a video of their set here, complete with dancing rabbits that I somehow don't remember being at the show.]

[Track Could Bend will be off-site at Array Space for a special Third Anniversary celebration on Tuesday, April 3rd. The night will feature an all-star assortment of performers from the past year's TCB events playing in "bands from a hat" — ad hoc ensembles selected at random shortly before playing.]

Recording: The Bim Prongs & {AN} EeL

Artist: The Bim Prongs & {AN} EeL

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at Belljar Café (Track Could Bend #35), February 6, 2018.

The Bim Prongs & {AN} EeL - [excerpt]

This collaboration between a pair of notable (and prolific!) sonic explorers was their first formal meeting on stage, though they have participated in recording projects together. Like some sort of twisted vaudeville duo, William Davision (a.k.a. The Bim Prongs) provided hall-of-mirrors sonic textures while Neal D. Retke (a.k.a. {AN} EeL) provided surreal vocalizations and occasional clanging.

[Track Could Bend will be off-site at Array Space for a special Third Anniversary celebration on Tuesday, April 3rd. The night will feature an all-star assortment of performers from the past year's TCB events playing in "bands from a hat" — ad hoc ensembles selected at random shortly before playing.]

Recording: Willie Thrasher

Artist: Willie Thrasher

Songs: Blue Blue Sea + Thank You

Recorded at Burdock Music Hall (Megaphono Roadshow), February 5, 2018.

Willie Thrasher - Blue Blue Sea

Willie Thrasher - Thank You

This showcase-style evening at Burdock was assembled by Ottawa's Megaphono festival, bringing some of their acts out for a quick roadtrip in the lead-up to the festival weekend. Headlining the night was Nanaimo's Willie Thrasher and Linda Saddleback, stars of last summer's Native North America Gathering (and its informal street-corner encore). Seated behind his kickdrum, banging out tunes on his 12-string (and, quite excellently, clad in a sk8-style THRASHER t-shirt) Thrasher radiated positive vibes, even if the pair were tired from a delayed flight on their eastbound trip. With skills honed from many years as a busker, Thrasher could stretch out songs, toss in asides, and send shout-outs to the audience effortlessly, focusing on songs from his Asumatak album — plus throwing in this brand new one heard here.

Recording: Trails

Artist: Trails

Song: Dream Girl

Recorded at Burdock Music Hall (Megaphono Roadshow), February 5, 2018.

Trails - Dream Girl

This showcase-style evening at Burdock was assembled by Ottawa's Megaphono festival, bringing some of their acts out for a quick roadtrip in the lead-up to the festival weekend. Representing the local Ottawa scene, Allie O'Manique brought a new backing band to add some atmospherics to her psych/folk songs. The project's name seems to be more evocative of a toggle on a reverb pedal than a path out in the forest, and the group takes this song (essayed in demo-ish form on her bandcamp) straight into some deliciously-hazy Mazzy Star territory.

Recording: Bonjay

Artist: Bonjay

Song: Ingenue

Recorded at Matt Durant Studio (Feast in the East 66), February 3, 2018.

Bonjay - Ingenue

An excellent night of songs and electronic textures in the cozy Matt Durant Studio was a sure cure for the winter blahs — and what a treat to see Bonjay back in action after a fairly lengthy retreat to facilitate the emergence of new material. There were still some old faves in the setlist to lean on, but the heart of the set contained the new jams that'll be part of the duo's forthcoming Lush Life album. On this night, vocalist Alanna Stuart caught a vibe from the room, and pulled back from extroverted frontwoman dance moves to just close her eyes and sing.

[Feast In The East will be back at the The Jam Factory on Saturday, May 5th to celebrate its 7 Year Anniversary with Gary Wilson, Tredici Bacci, and Bernice.]

Recording: FOONYAP

Artist: FOONYAP

Song: Gabriel Moody

Recorded at Matt Durant Studio (Feast in the East 66), February 3, 2018.

FOONYAP - Gabriel Moody

An excellent night of songs and electronic textures in the cozy Matt Durant Studio was a sure cure for the winter blahs. With a mandolin, violin and an big ol' loop station, this Calgary artist called the crowd in closer to sit and zone in to her delicate constructions. This long piece (in French, no less!) from her Palimpsest album served as the set's ornate centrepiece.

[Feast In The East will be back at the The Jam Factory on Saturday, May 5th to celebrate its 7 Year Anniversary with Gary Wilson, Tredici Bacci, and Bernice.]

Recording: Bénédicte

Artist: Bénédicte

Song: unknown^*

Recorded at Matt Durant Studio (Feast in the East 66), February 3, 2018.

Bénédicte - unknown

An excellent night of songs and electronic textures in the cozy Matt Durant Studio was a sure cure for the winter blahs. I'd been following Bénédicte's soundcloud for a while now, and was glad to have a chance to catch her in action, crouched on the floor, twisting loops and live vocals into new shapes.

[Feast In The East will be back at the The Jam Factory on Saturday, May 5th to celebrate its 7 Year Anniversary with Gary Wilson, Tredici Bacci, and Bernice.]

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

Concert Listings Roundup #240

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:

Track Could Bend #36 (feat. Horseman, Pass By / Kee Avil / Kayla Milmine / Brian Ruryk & Justin Haynes) / Belljar Café 2018-03-06 (Tuesday – PWYC!) [FB event]

It's not too often that Track Could Bend gets to play host to out-of-town guests, but it's always a memorable occasion when it happens. I'm really looking forward to hearing Montréal shred-hero Vicky Mettler's new Kee Avil project, as well as checking in again with the industrial rumblings/intense noisebursts/tense stasis of cello/drums/electronics duo Horseman, Pass By. As if that's not enough, there's gonna be some solo alto sax explorations from Kayla Milmine and the first-ever on-stage encounter between Brian Ruryk & Justin Haynes (bring earplugs!) will start things off.

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This week's noteworthy shows:

Bearrah Fawcett [Robert Grieve/Chris Pruden/Alex Fournier/Stefan Hegerat] / The Emmet Ray 2018-03-05 (Monday) [FB event]

The Mike Smith Company / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-03-06 (Tuesday – early!) [FB event]

Ghostlight / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-03-07 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Allison Au/Alex Fournier/Andrew Miller / The Emmet Ray 2018-03-07 (Wednesday – PWYC!) [more info]

SlowPitchSound (Myst Milano / Charise Aragoza) / Handlebar 2018-03-08 (Thursday) [FB event]

Triio [Bea Labikova/Aidan Sibley/Tom Fleming/Ashley Urquhart/Andrew Miller/Alex Fournier] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-03-09 (Friday – early!) [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]

Ada Lea (Omhouse / Charlotte Cornfield / Sea Beau) / Smiling Buddha (basement) 2018-03-09 (Friday) [FB event]

A Celebration of the Music of Ken Aldcroft (feat. Two Hours Early, Ten Minutes Late [Jason Robinson & Eric Hofbauer] / Mars People [Emily Denison/Daniel Kruger/Joe Sorbara]) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-03-10 (Saturday) [FB event]

Audiopollination 60 (feat. Patrick O'Reilly/New Tendencies/ Max Donaldson / Syd Ortega/HF/{AN} EeL/Arnd Jurgensen / David Parker/Bea Labikova/Raphael Roter / Karen Ng/ Mkl 32 / Rick Sacks/Paul Stillwell/Brian Abbott/Mkl 32) / Array Space 2018-03-10 (Saturday) [FB event]

Pineapple [Karen Ng/Rob Grieve/Alex Fournier] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-03-11 (Sunday) [FB event]

Somewhere There's Second Sunday Series (feat. Yes Deer [Karl Bjorå/Signe Dahlgreen/Anders Vestergaard] / Temporary Ensembles [Emily Denison/Andrew Furlong/Ben Grossman/Eric Hofbauer/Daniel Kruger/Matt Miller/Jason Robinson/Joe Sorbara/Kristen Theriault]) / Array Space 2018-03-11 (Sunday)

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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!

Team Building ["new songs, works in progress, thoughts in sound, hosted by Luke Kuplowsky"] (feat. Alex Lukashevsky/Dana Gavanski/Kritty Uranowski/Tim Baker/Charlotte Cornfield/Georgia Harmer/Dorothea Paas/Ansley Simpson/Charise Aragoza) / Burdock 2018-03-12 (Monday – PWYC!) [FB event]

Ornate Presents (feat. The Unknown Guitar Quartet [Rob Grieve/Brian Abbott/Luan Phung/Patrick O’Rielly]) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-03-13 (Tuesday – early!) [FB event]

Clock Radio [Michael Davidson/Dan Fortin] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-03-13 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Music By & For Ken Aldcroft, XIV (feat. Phill Albert/Max Donaldson/Andrew Kay/Andrew Noakes/Andrew Miller / Madeleine Ertel/Irene Harrett/Patrick O’Reilly) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-03-14 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Faster [Nuclear Fishin' album release!] (Coin Operated Duo [Michael Lynn/Ryan Kinney]) / Gerrard Art Space 2018-03-17 (Saturday – PWYC!) [FB event]

Dustiny [Thom Gill/Matt Newton/Josh Cole/Phil Melanson] (Prince Nifty) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-03-21 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Away Forward [album release party!] (Stargoon) / Duggan's Brewery 2018-03-30 (Friday – PWYC!) [FB event]

L CON (James Irwin / Casey MQ) / The Baby G 2018-04-05 (Thursday) [FB event]

Ace of Wands [EP release!] (Cat and the Queen / Alli Sunshine / Nice Going) / Monarch Tavern 2018-04-06 (Friday) [FB event]

Ed Schrader's Music Beat (Goosebump [f.k.a. Germaphobes]) / The Baby G 2018-04-10 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Let There Be Light [record release show!] (Dirty Inputs) / Array Space 2018-04-14 (Saturday) [FB event]

Bernardino Femminielli (Cindy Lee / Prince Innocence) / The Baby G 2018-04-14 (Saturday) [FB event]

Wavelength 751 (feat. Tess Roby / Bernice / Dorothea Paas) / 918 Bathurst 2018-04-21 (Saturday – all ages!) [FB event]

No Age (Behavior / Protruders) / The Rec Room 2018-04-28 (Saturday – all ages!) [FB event]

Labyrinth Musical Workshop Ontario presents (feat. This Tale of Ours Quartet) / Eastminster United Church 2018-05-12 (Saturday) [FB event]

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Bandcamp corner:

• Huge new development from The Music Gallery, with the beginning of a new initiative to disseminate recordings from their vast archive. The first six titles in their "Live at The Music Gallery" series are now online, with the promises of new batches dropping every six months or so. Excellent stuff here from Dialectica, Merganzer, New Chance, Nukariik, SlowPitchSound, and Rub Out the Word, all recorded with warmth and clarity by Paul Hodge. [full disclosure: I'm a member of the MG's Artistic Advisory Council, but my excitement for this is totally from a fannish/archive-nerd place.]

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Community corner:

• As those of us who have been keeping an eye on it over the past couple years know, venues come and venues go. Anyone wanting a longer historical perspective (and/or anyone who digs the jazz) should go check out "Notes in the Night: The History of Toronto Jazz Clubs since 1946" at the Market Gallery at St. Lawrence Market, the fruits of several years of deep research by Ralph Coram. The exhibit runs until June 23rd.

Recording: Jesse Zubot

Artist: Jesse Zubot

Song: Manifestation [excerpt]

Recorded at Buddies in Bad Times Cabaret ("Soundstreams' Ear Candy: Almost Unplugged"), February 1, 2018.

Jesse Zubot - Manifestation [excerpt]

Soundstreams' Ear Candy series is "dedicated to musical exploration and discovery in Toronto’s hottest venues", creating intimate experiences in smaller spaces and bringing together contemporary performance practices that might be just a hair too edgy for their mainstage shows. This night featured two highly-skilled violinists approaching their instrument from different angles finding common ground. Long a staple performer in Vancouver's improvised music scene, Jesse Zubot has a list of indie-rock collaborations as long as his bow and has been most visible lately as half of Tanya Tagaq's nimble backing duo. This set allowed him to show off a couple different facets, playing a set of solo improvisations (a breath of fresh air in a context where the scored note usually reigns) as well as assembling a collaborative duo with Andréa Tyniec. Zubot had a small rack of effects to extend his sound, but didn't need to rely on it to show off the range of his abilities — though it was pretty awesome when was willing to go over-the-top with it, as with the gathering cloud of delay feedback heard near the end of this extract.

[The Ear Candy series returns to Buddies on Tuesday May 15th with Beat It!, a percussion-based programme from Ryan Scott & co. featuring a world premieres from composers Nicole Lizée and Michael Oesterle. Meanwhile, Soundstreams' Salon 21 programme has been re-branded as Encounters and has a new home at The Gladstone. These shows are free with registration and offer adventurous programming, so they're a great way to discover something new. Performers for the next couple shows haven't been announced (keep an eye out here) but there was a note to save-the-date for April 10th (evening show) and June 3rd (afternoon show).]

Recording: Andréa Tyniec with Terri Hron

Artist: Andréa Tyniec with Terri Hron

Song: Love Song for MAD [excerpt]

Recorded at Buddies in Bad Times Cabaret ("Soundstreams' Ear Candy: Almost Unplugged"), February 1, 2018.

Andréa Tyniec with Terri Hron - Love Song for MAD [excerpt] [composer: Terri Hron]

Soundstreams' Ear Candy series is "dedicated to musical exploration and discovery in Toronto’s hottest venues", creating intimate experiences in smaller spaces and bringing together contemporary performance practices that might be just a hair too edgy for their mainstage shows. This night featured two highly-skilled violinists approaching their instrument from different angles finding common ground. Playing a Stradivari violin, Tyniec represented the world of serious music and serious chops, displaying a deft command of delicate dynamics on pieces from Eugène Ysaÿe and Michael Oesterle. But she also showed an eagerness to embrace new musical forms on this electroacoustic collaboration with composer Terri Hron, which digs into the letters, cassettes and films of her parents and grandparents (as detailed in her companion notes to the piece).

[The Ear Candy series returns to Buddies on Tuesday May 15th with Beat It!, a percussion-based programme from Ryan Scott & co. featuring a world premieres from composers Nicole Lizée and Michael Oesterle. Meanwhile, Soundstreams' Salon 21 programme has been re-branded as Encounters and has a new home at The Gladstone. These shows are free with registration and offer adventurous programming, so they're a great way to discover something new. Performers for the next couple shows haven't been announced (keep an eye out here) but there was a note to save-the-date for April 10th (evening show) and June 3rd (afternoon show).]

Recording: Crosby/Ng/Cole/Cartwright

Artist: Ted Crosby/Karen Ng/Josh Cole/Evan Cartwright

Songs: The Doorman + Albert [composer: Ted Crosby]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), January 31, 2018.

Ted Crosby/Karen Ng/Josh Cole/Evan Cartwright - The Doorman

Ted Crosby/Karen Ng/Josh Cole/Evan Cartwright - Albert

This quartet performance was nominally under the guidance of saxophonist Ted Crosby, and the two sets drew mostly from his compositions. The range within that can be seen in this pairing, with "The Doorman" (with Crosby and Ng both on clarinet) sounding more like a sophisticated arrangement of a lush indie rock tune while "Albert" (named, natch, for Mr. Ayler and seeing both horn players on their saxes) takes a jazzier turn. The group also found time to essay one of those new experimental scores that Karen Ng has been bringing to shows lately — keep an eye out for further developments on that front.