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.
Gig of the week:
Somewhere There presents (feat. Black Givre / Kee Avil / Laura Swankey / Patrick O'Reilly) / Wenona Lodge 2018-12-03 (Monday) [FB event]
A superb mix of locals and Montréal peeps playing a variety of solo styles at this show in the cozy basement at Wenona Lodge. When Vicki Mettler brought her Kee Avil project to town earlier in the year, her loop-based avant-song styles were already razor-sharp, so several more months on the road might have rendered it other-worldly — catch her close up now before her big gig opening for Marc Ribot next year. Meanwhile, on the local side, here's a rare chance to hear Patrick O'Reilly playing on his own, and another opportunity to spend time in Laura Swakney's vocal garden.
This week's noteworthy shows:
DUST: the quietest big band in the known world [new residency!] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-12-04 (Tuesday – early!)
Track Could Bend #45 (feat. Saint Barbara [Michael Franklin + Michelangelo Iaffaldano] / Blank Nurse/No Light / Chris Worden + Karen Ng) / Wenona Lodge 2018-12-04 (Tuesday – PWYC!) [FB event]
Ghostlight / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-12-05 (Wednesday) [FB event]
Therapy: 2nd Edition (feat. Gabi Tomé / MOVES [Joseph Organ/Zach Bines/Spencer Cole] / The Jessica Stuart Few) / The Dakota Tavern 2018-12-05 (Wednesday) [FB event]
Riparian Acoustics presents (feat. Germaine Liu & Sarah Hennies) / The Canadian Music Centre 2018-12-06 (Thursday) [FB event]
Dilly Dally (Vallens / P0st3rb0y) / Lee's Palace 2018-12-06 (Thursday) [FB event]
Ava Luna (Carmen Elle / Prince Ness) / Monarch Tavern 2018-12-06 (Thursday) [FB event]
In Between Sounds #92 (feat. Lorde Awesome) / The Only Café 2018-12-06 (Thursday) [FB event]
Paul Linklater (Dinner is Ruined) / The Dakota Tavern 2018-12-07 (Friday – early!) [FB event]
Persamenco [Bahram Aghakhan/Pedram Khavarzamini/Araz Salek] / Small World Music Centre 2018-12-07 (Friday) [FB event]
Rat-drifting 3 (feat. Dave Riedstra) / Array Space 2018-12-07 (Friday) [FB event]
Audiopollination 66 (feat. Paul Newman/Diane Roblin/Heraclitus Akimbo / Olivia Shortt/Amanda Lowry / Laura Swankey/Patrick O'Reilly/Autumn K / Tetsuo) / Array Space 2018-12-08 (Saturday) [FB event]
Autobahn [James Hill/Jeff LaRochelle/Ian Wright] / The Sterling Studio Lofts 2018-12-08 (Saturday) [FB event]
Offline Vaporwave (feat. JΛVΛ.EXE / Specialized Dandylions / Hex-A-Decimal) / The Dupe Shop 2018-12-08 (Saturday – PWYC!) [FB event]
Riverrun / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-12-08 (Saturday) [FB event]
Long Winter 6.2 (feat. Myst Milano / Deux Trois / Rotten Column / Adria Kain / Blank Nurse/No Light / Greydini / Lee Reed / Piper Maru / Pineapple / Ensh) / SPK Polish Combatants' Hall 2018-12-08 (Friday – PWYC! all-ages!) [FB event]
Ayal Senior (Nick Flanagan [comedy] / Nashville Minimalism Unit) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-12-09 (Sunday – afternoon slot, 3 to 5 p.m.!) [FB event]
Somewhere There's Second Sunday Series (feat. William Davison/Patrick O'Reilly/Neal Retke / David Sait) / Array Space 2018-12-09 (Sunday) [FB event]
LUKA / Burdock Music Hall 2018-12-09 (Sunday) [FB event]
Lina Allemano Four / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-12-09 (Sunday) [FB event]
In Basements on Sundays: 1 on 1 songwriter sessions [hosted by Shawn Clarke] (feat. Jessica Stuart / Kenny Boothby) / Wenona Lodge 2018-12-09 (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!
Ornate Presents (feat. Dan Pitt [solo guitar]) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-12-11 (Tuesday – early!) [FB event]
JAOIM (feat. Unquartet / Dr. Purgatory) / Wenona Lodge 2018-12-11 (Tuesday) [FB event]
Music By & For Ken Aldcroft XXIII (feat. Patrick O’Reilly & Heraclitus Akimbo / Andrew Kay) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-12-12 (Wednesday) [FB event]
Women from Space Presents (feat. Mira Martin-Gray / Kayla Milmine [solos + duo!]) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-12-14 (Friday – early!) [FB event]
Bunny (The Dill) / Burdock Music Hall 2018-12-15 (Saturday) [FB event]
2nd Annual Quiet Music Concert [new compositions by: Brian Abbott, Paul Newman, Germaine Liu, Julia Memelstein, Kayla Milmine] (feat. Julia Mermelstein/Germaine Liu/Michael Davidson/Kayla Milmine/Kat Estacio/Brian Abbott/Paul Newman) / Array Space 2018-12-15 (Saturday) [FB event]
Diane Roblin Presents: A Holiday Improv Jam (feat. Diane Roblin/Phil Albert/Mark Zurawinski/Brian Abbott/Paul Newman/Germaine Liu) / 2018-12-16 (Sunday – early!) [FB event]
Somewhere There presents (feat. Jonathan Lindhorst's Limerence Quartet [Jonathan Lindhorst/Josh Cole/Nico Dann/Don Scott]) / The Emmet Ray 2018-12-16 (Sunday – PWYC!) [FB event]
Stefan Hegerat [album release!] (Laura Swankey / Karen Ng) / Burdock Music Hall 2018-12-16 (Sunday) [FB event]
Un Blonde (Mr. Joy) / The Baby G 2018-12-18 (Tuesday) [FB event]
Between The Lines [Michael Davidson/Dan McCarthy] ["debut duet performance featuring original music for vibraphone and marimba"] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-12-18 (Tuesday) [FB event]
Matthew "Doc" Dunn & Friends [Lightbourn release show!] (James Matthew VII / Dorothea Paas) / The Baby G 2018-12-20 (Thursday) [FB event]
All Seeing Eyes (catl. / Pat McCormack) / Monarch Tavern 2018-12-21 (Friday) [FB event]
SynapticCircusSundays (feat. Kurt Newman's Nashville Minimalism Unit / mkl32 and Mira Martin-Gray) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-12-30 (Sunday) [FB event]
catl. (Duende) / The Dakota Tavern 2018-12-31 (Monday) [FB event]
Invocation presents (feat. Joseph Shabason [Anne album release!] (Sandro Perri) / Array Space 2019-01-10 (Thursday) [FB event]
Batuki Music Society presents (feat. Les Frères Cissoko Bannaya Family) / Alliance Française de Toronto 2018-12-02 (Saturday) [FB event]