I walked into this Ghostlight show already in progress, wondering if they'd decided to set up an art installation (or circus) instead of a just a jam. With mini bluetooth speakers being moved around the room and a record-needle-dragging model traincar adding disembodied sounds, there was an interestingly-disembodied sonic icing on top of everything. (Adding to the layers was electronicist Adelaide Santos conjuring up something mysterious in a briefcase on the floor.) Sprawling in the right ways, Ghostlight are at their best when feeling a little restless, and I was glad to be surprised by the group once again.
Here's a quick look at that record playing train device:
Sundays in April Residency (feat. Eucalyptus) / Hirut Cafe and Restaurant 2023-04-09 (Sunday). Suggested $15 per person.
Labyrinth Ensemble with Evgenios Voulgaris / Aga Khan Museum 2023-04-15 (Saturday). $40 Regular, $36 Friends, $30 Students and Seniors [tickets include same-day Museum admission]. [FB event]
Sundays in April Residency (feat. Eucalyptus) / Hirut Cafe and Restaurant 2023-04-16 (Sunday). Suggested $15 per person.
Cola (Nutrients) / The Baby G 2023-04-19 (Wednesday). $24.73, 19+. [FB event]
Sundays in April Residency (feat. Eucalyptus) / Hirut Cafe and Restaurant 2023-04-23 (Sunday). Suggested $15 per person.
Sundays in April Residency (feat. Eucalyptus) / Hirut Cafe and Restaurant 2023-04-30 (Sunday). Suggested $15 per person.
Shows this week:
Nick Fraser Presents (feat. Rob Clutton Trio [Karen Ng/Nick Fraser/Rob Clutton] with special guest Jim Lewis) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-03-28 (Tuesday)
Séance Centre presents: You Can Can LP Release (feat. You Can Can [Felicity Williams/Andrew Zukerman with Brodie West/Thom Gill/Josh Cole/Phillipe Melanson] / Tenderness & Fahmid Nibesh) / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2023-03-30 (Thursday). $20.
CCMC [Paul Dutton/John Oswald/Casey Sokol with special guest Rob Clutton] / Array Space 2023-03-30 (Thursday). $free admission, donations welcome.
Ace of Wands [Desiring album release!] (Mad Ones / Zinnia) / Velvet Underground 2023-03-30 (Thursday). $23 advance. [FB event]
You In Mind presents (feat. Jasmyn / Camille Léon / Shn Shn) / The Music Gallery 2023-03-31 (Friday). $17.03, all ages. [FB event]
Queermunity 6 (feat. Regina Gently / Fern Sully / Geordie Gordon / Ms Taken) / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2023-03-31 (Friday). $15 in advance, $20 at the door, 19+. [more info]
The Ryan Driver Sextet / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-03-31 (Friday) [FB event]
Ladyfinger [Diane Roblin/Kayla Milmine] / The Emmet Ray 2023-04-01 (Saturday – 6 to 8 p.m.). $10. [FB event]
Nico Paulo [album release!] (Steve Lambke) / Tibet Street Records 2023-04-01 (Saturday). $23.86. [FB event]
Bitstance [improvised semi-noisy modular computer music – live debut!] (William Brent/David Cecchetto/Colin Clark/Adam Tindale) / Array Space 2023-04-01 (Saturday). $free.
B.A. Johnston (Sons of Butcher / Marty Topps) / The Baby G 2023-04-01 (Saturday). $13.85 (early bird) / $20.05, 19+. [FB event]
Sundays in April Residency (feat. Eucalyptus) / Hirut Cafe and Restaurant 2023-04-02 (Sunday). Suggested $15 per person.
It happened this week...
...on March 27, 2016 at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge).
Rather a pleasing treat to return to this cozy east end haunt with Brian Abbott and Kayla Milmine reactivating their "Faster presents" banner. This first set saw the latter joined by tabla player Anita Katakkar for some Indo-jazz forays. This piece, with Katakkar singing the rhythm in the lead-up, tells about Lord Shiva embodying all sound.
*Does anyone know the title to this one? Please leave a comment!
Rather a pleasing treat to return to this cozy east end haunt with Brian Abbott and Kayla Milmine reactivating their "Faster presents" banner. Here Abbott (on guitar) lead an ensemble of top-notch players (Meghan Cheng, violin; Sara Constant, flutes; Andrew Furlong, double bass; Paul Newman, tenor saxophone + clarinet) through a couple of his pieces showing his ever-deeper burrowing into the realms of microtonality.
Unlike the works on his A Loose Grip on Reality album, which focuses on hyper-real pieces ("music that would purposely be unplayable by humans even if anyone was crazy enough to try"), the pair of compositions essayed here had a woozier pace, with sounds from one instrument sliding into another in a sort of slow-motion hocketing, sounding almost like paulstretched audio at times — or perhaps like a version of a tape-loop piece like Music For Airports where little loops are being played on tape decks with dying batteries, putting things out of skew in subtle ways.
[That same album will be celebrated this Saturday (March 25th) at Array Space with animation by Meghan Cheng and performaces from Tone Cathedral and Mun Mun C.F.]
As I signed up for the Freesound mailing list (see below!) it occurred to me to mention that if you have an email list that covers the sort of stuff I'm covering here, pass along the signup link to me so I can include it in a future update! It's tough finding out about stuff, so let's try and keep each other informed.
Inbox enhancers:
Freesound's goal is to connect themselves and their audience with great contemporary music. We do this through the presentation of concerts and events that are innovative, vibrant, diverse, and as rewarding as the music they play. The members of Freesound are some of the Toronto’s top young soloists in new music, and with Freesound they work as performers, curators, commissioners, and collaborators, creating and producing a diverse array of projects.
Based in Toronto, Freesound is particularly active in engaged in bringing emerging Canadian and international voices to the Toronto and Canadian new-music scenes. Operating since 2018, Freesound has presented a range of works, including music by Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Pauline Oliveros, Laurence Crane, Jason Doell, and Anna Höstman. With an exciting upcoming season featuring a number of world premieres and fascinating combinations of performers, Freesound is a collective for a new generation of composers and performers.
Queermunity 6 (feat. Regina Gently / Fern Sully / Geordie Gordon / Ms Taken) / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2023-03-31 (Friday). $15 in advance, $20 at the door, 19+. [more info]
Ladyfinger [Diane Roblin/Kayla Milmine] / The Emmet Ray 2023-04-01 (Saturday – 6 to 8 p.m.). $10. [FB event]
Audiopollination (feat. Martin van de Ven/Grace Scheele/Mira Martin-Gray / James Bailey/Susanne Farkas/Nilan Perera / Daniel Field/Jack Brock/Shanika Maria / mkl32 & fuZzy) / Array Space 2023-04-07 (Friday). $10 (or PWYC). [FB event]
Bodywash (Tallies / Sahara) / The Baby G 2023-04-12 (Wednesday). $20.05, 19+. [FB event]
Emergents (feat. Matthew Cardinal / Yolande Laroche) / The Music Gallery 2023-04-22 (Saturday). $15 Door, $10 Low Income/Members/Arts Workers/Students. [more info]
Doug Paisley / [corporate brand name] Music Hall at Massey Hall 2023-05-13 (Saturday). $32.15. [FB event]
University of Toronto Percussion Ensemble [Director: Aiyun Huang, featuring works by Yike Zhang, Emmanuel Séjourné, Ivan Trevino, Thierry de Mey, Fish Yu, Andrew James Clark] / Walter Hall 2023-03-20 (Monday). $free. [FB event]
Karen Ng's Wenona Series (feat. Rob Clutton Trio with Patrick O'Reilly) / Wenona Lodge 2023-03-21 (Tuesday) [FB event]
Little Jim [Chris Pruden/Matt Fong/Alexei Orechin/Anh Phung/Evan Cartwright with special guests: Tara Kannangara (March 24th), Caleb Klager (March 25th)] / The Rex Hotel 2023-03-22–25 (Wednesday–Saturday)
Parallax - Act 1 ["different mediums, industries and forms of expressions come together in a series of collective performances"] (feat. Melad Jajou/Jess Burgess/The Band / Gore Gloss/Lou Rose) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-03-22 (Wednesday). $pwyc/$20 suggested. [FB event]
The University of Toronto Hybrid Ensemble [part jazz, part classical, presenting a live original soundtrack to the silent film Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde] (Patrick O'Reilly's DOG Ensemble) / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2023-03-23 (Thursday). $free. [FB event]
Today Versions presents (feat. Del Stephen's Concrete Creative Recollections Research (Revisited)) / The Tranzac (Living Room) 2023-03-23 (Thursday). $10/PWYC. [FB event]
Cindy Lee (Dorothea Paas) / The Garrison 2023-03-23 (Thursday). $23.17, 19+. [FB event]
Karen Ng presents (feat. Eve Egoyan/Lori Freedman/Karen Ng) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-03-23 (Thursday) [FB event]
Shahriyar Jamshidi [My Sunset-Land Rojava album release event!] [solo kamanche performance + panel discussion] / Canadian Music Centre 2023-03-24 (Friday). $17.31 [more info]
Dun-Dun Band [EP release!] (Carl Didur / Prince Nifty) / Monarch Tavern 2023-03-24 (Friday). $14.50, 19+. [FB event]
Witches' Butter Ensemble [David Parker/Graham Beverly/Michael C. Duguay/Arden Rogalsky] (Wenderly Park feat. members of Stargoon) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-03-25 (Saturday). $pwyc, suggested $15. [FB event]
Cowbird Collective Presents: A Loose Grip on Reality Record Release Show (feat. Tone Cathedral [Sara Constant/Paul Newman/Andrew Furlong/Meghan Cheng/Brian Abbott] / Mun Mun C.F) / Array Space 2023-03-25 (Saturday) [FB event]
It happened this week...
...on March 23, 2018 at The Tranzac's Main Hall (Long Winter 6.5).
University of Toronto Percussion Ensemble [Director: Aiyun Huang, featuring works by Yike Zhang, Emmanuel Séjourné, Ivan Trevino, Thierry de Mey, Fish Yu, Andrew James Clark] / Walter Hall 2023-03-20 (Monday). $free. [FB event]
Parallax - Act 1 ["different mediums, industries and forms of expressions come together in a series of collective performances"] (feat. Melad Jajou/Jess Burgess/The Band / Gore Gloss/Lou Rose) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-03-22 (Wednesday). $pwyc/$20 suggested. [FB event]
Karen Ng presents (feat. Karen Ng, Lori Freedman and guests) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-03-23 (Thursday)
Cowbird Collective Presents: A Loose Grip on Reality Record Release Show (feat. Tone Cathedral [Sara Constant/Paul Newman/Andrew Furlong/Meghan Cheng/Brian Abbott] / Mun Mun C.F) / Array Space 2023-03-25 (Saturday) [FB event]
Ace of Wands [Desiring album release!] (Mad Ones / Zinnia) / Velvet Underground 2023-03-30 (Thursday). $23 advance. [FB event]
You In Mind presents (feat. Jasmyn / Camille Léon / Shn Shn) / The Music Gallery 2023-03-31 (Friday). $17.03, all ages. [FB event]
Dun-Dun Land (feat. Dun-Dun Man / Thom Gill) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-03-14 (Tuesday – early!)
Sarah Greene Presents (feat. Sarah Greene/Paul Kolinski/Dave Clark/Tania Gill / Dave Clark's Western Slang) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-03-15 (Wednesday – early!) [FB event]
University of Toronto Vocal Jazz Ensemble [Christine Duncan, director] / Walter Hall 2023-03-15 (Wednesday). $free. [FB event]
Idée Fixe & Ansible presents (feat. Evan Cartwright / Brodie West Quintet) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-03-16 (Thursday)
Ronley Teper & the Lipliners / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-03-17 (Friday – early!)
Beyond the Valley of the Guitars (feat. Brian Ruryk / Nilan Perera) / Sellers & Newel 2023-03-17 (Friday). Minimum donation $20. [more info]
Karla (Mesh System [Caleb Klager/Stefan Hegerat] / Magfoto) / Tibet Street Records 2023-03-17 (Friday). $20. [FB event]
Selkie Sessions (Urban Shores Edition) (feat. Andrew Patten / Ivy Mairi / Sean Donald / Isla Craig) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-03-18 (Saturday – early!). $PWYC. [FB event]
Burn Down The Capital presents (feat. Still House Plants / Oil Giant / Brian Ruryk) / Bar Orwell 2023-03-19 (Sunday). $12 Adv / $15 Door, NOTAFLOF. [FB event]
It happened this week...
...on March 16, 2019 at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge).
A rollicking night at Karen Ng's Tranzac residency, featuring a couple musicians newly-connected in different ways to the local scene. I'd caught guitarist/bassist Jasper Stadhouders already that week (and more to come!), so the real discovery here was pianist/vocalist Ananya Ganesh, recently relocated from NYC to T.O. for the next few months. (And also a delight to hear Kieran Adams behind the kit, craftily sneaking in some electronic percussion flourishes to bump things along.)
It's a treat having Amsterdam's Jasper Stadhouders around about town, and on this night at Karen Ng's monthly show at Wenona (every third Tuesday of the month!) he brought out guitar and bass to work alongside sax and clarinets from both Ng and Brodie West. Mark Ballyk, meanwhile, held things together behind the kit — at one point taking the notion of drum sticks so literally he hauled out a couple tree branches.
You can hear/see the whole second set over on youtube:
Late Addendum! you can now hear/purchase this whole set in a fine multi-track recording made my Mark Ballyk over on Bandcamp!
[Stadhouders will be joined by Lori Freedman and Allison Cameron at Track Could Bend tonight (March 7th), and will be opening the Women From Space Festival tomorrow night (March 8th) in a much-anticipated duo set with Karen Ng.]
Beyond the Valley of the Guitars (feat. Brian Ruryk / Nilan Perera) / Sellers & Newel 2023-03-17 (Friday). Minimum donation $20. [more info]
Selkie Sessions (Urban Shores Edition) (feat. Andrew Patten / Ivy Mairi / Sean Donald / Isla Craig) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-03-18 (Saturday – early!). $PWYC. [FB event]
Burn Down The Capital presents (feat. Still House Plants / Oil Giant / Brian Ruryk) / Bar Orwell 2023-03-19 (Sunday). $12 Adv / $15 Door, NOTAFLOF. [FB event]
Women from Space: 5th Anniversary Festival 2023 (feat. Karen Ng & Jasper Stadhouders / Gayle Young & Sarah Albu / Big Bang [feat. Karen Ng/Tara Kannangara/Heather Saumer/Naomi McCarroll-Butler/Liz Lima/Anh Phung/Meghan Cheng/Racha Moukalled/Yunjin Claire Lee/Mira Riselli/Diane Roblin/Allison Cameron/Yang Chen/Angelica Zavala/Laura Swankey/Annie Elgie/Kayla Milmine/Bea Labikova with conduction by Christine Duncan]) / 918 Bathurst 2023-03-08 (Wednesday). $15 General Admission per show / $45 4-night festival pass. [FB event]
Music by Harry and Furlong (feat. Andrew Furlong/Mark Hundevad / The Search for Eternal Happiness [Harry Vetro/Harry Bartlett/Caleb Klager]) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-03-08 (Wednesday). $pwyc.
Diane Roblin's Life Force / Drom Taberna 2023-03-09 (Thursday – 7:00 p.m.)
Women from Space: 5th Anniversary Festival 2023 (feat. Heidi Chan/Naoko Tsujita/Mo:delic Arts / Seylon Stills/Bee Pallomina/Kristine White / Angels & Demons [Amirtha Kidambi & Darius Jones]) / 918 Bathurst 2023-03-09 (Thursday). $15 General Admission per show / $45 4-night festival pass. [FB event]
Women from Space: 5th Anniversary Festival 2023 (feat. Lotte Anker/Craig Taborn/Chris Corsano / White Boy Scream / Aiyun Huang) / 918 Bathurst 2023-03-10 (Friday). $15 General Admission per show / $45 4-night festival pass. [FB event]
Audiopollination (feat. Olive Joy/Victor O / Ryan Kinney/Dame Cook / Andrew Finlay Stewart/Paul Geldart/Sinéad Bermingham / Michael Lynn/Mira Riseli) / Array Space 2023-03-10 (Friday) [FB event]
Musica Universalis (feat. Colin Fisher Trio [Colin Fisher/Josh Cole/Jeff Luciani] / Ryan Driver [solo synth]) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-03-10 (Friday) [FB event]
Women from Space: 5th Anniversary Festival 2023 (feat. Mount Joy [Bea Labikova] / Judith Berkson / Nicole Mitchell & Coco Elysses) / 918 Bathurst 2023-03-11 (Saturday). $15 General Admission per show / $45 4-night festival pass. [FB event]
Long Winter (feat. Dilettante / Animatist / Faiyaz and the Wasted Chances / Uh Huh / Eliza Niemi / Super Freddy / Night Danger) / The Tranzac 2023-03-11 (Saturday). $22.29, PWYC entry available @ doors, all-ages. [FB event]
New drone mix for a snowy/melty/snowy days! Focus on guitars and hypnotic rhythmic repetition. Featuring a sonic salutation from Tom Verlaine, plus sounds from Mountains, Tarotplane, Bitchin Bajas, miroque, Atoris, Eternell, and anthéne & Simon McCorry.
It happened this week...
...on March 11, 2018 at Array Space (Somewhere There's Second Sunday Series).
This solo set moved in an astral glide from the effected percussion heard here into some guitar explorations.
You can check out some footage from this set over on youtube:
[Ayal Senior & Friends will be back at The Tranzac on Sunday, March 12th, with Ayal Senior playing with Kurt Newman, Andrew Furlong and special guest Jay Anderson, plus sets from Piers Oolavi and Cxicada and comedy from Nick Flanagan.]
For a Sunday afternnon sit-down crowd, Greydini mixed it up a little for this set, forgoing the usual freneticism for a pair of extended explorations in his sonic laboratory. Still trawling in the cultural detritus (especially with the help of some classic grainy VHS projections) these felt like the source material for absurd pop nuggets yet to be simmered down to concentrated form.
You can check out some footage from this set over on youtube:
[Ayal Senior & Friends will be back at The Tranzac on Sunday, March 12th, with Ayal Senior playing with Kurt Newman, Andrew Furlong and special guest Jay Anderson, plus sets from Piers Oolavi and Cxicada and comedy from Nick Flanagan.]
*It's also possible that the title here is "Meet the Metal Brain".
Founded as a blog about one curmudgeon's love affair with the em dash, Mechanical Forest Sound has grown to become a community-based archive of local musical culture. Assuming that "independent music" isn't just boys with guitars and "culture" isn't just some sort of pageant, MFS is an investigation of a wide range of artists, reflecting on concerts as shared experiences, acts of citizenship and a chance to get down — fuzzy photographs and clear-sounding original live recordings a specialty.
Current manifestations of this project include Track Could Bend, a monthly concert series featuring "improvised music and weird rock offshoots", presented in a casual environment.
At one point I wrote full-on concert reviews, and for longer I thought I would catch up and write about shows in the past. But these days, because of, y'know, life, do not expect much in the way of full show reviews — but live recordings with blurbs will be posted as quickly after the fact as is feasible.
You can also check out full sets uploaded to the Live Music Archive. [not currently active]
N.B.: All recordings should be available & playable. If you come across any broken links, invisible or non-functioning players, etc, please leave a comment and I will tend to it ASAP.
ALSO N.B.: I'm perpetually on the lookout for a new place to stash my MP3's online. If you know of any place that allows a couple gigs of stuff to be openly linked to for streaming, drop me a line!
All MP3's on this blog are audience recordings shared as a reminder of the excitement of seeing live music. If you are an artist who doesn't want their music shared in this way, please contact me and I shall remove it forthwith.
Holy Oak Family Singers Xmas Show + Thom's Bday (feat. Thom Gill / Ryan Driver / Caitlin Woelfe-O'Brien / Luka Kuplowsky / Stefana Fratila / Carlyn Bezic / Ivy Mairi / Fez Gielen / Tiffany Wu / Heather Saumer / Fan Wu / Charles James / Joseph Shabason / Maggie Keogh / Dorothea Pars / Edwin De Goeij / Ben Gunning / Doug Tielli) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2025-12-03 (Wednesday – early). [more info]
Equinox and Solstice Residency (feat. Ghostlight) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2025-12-03 (Wednesday). $10 suggested. [FB event]
Performances & words in honour of Paul Dutton (Celebration of Life and Tribute Performance) (feat. Steve McCaffery/Rafael Barreto-Rivera/Lillian Allen/bill bissett/Brian Dedora/Gary Barwin/Gregory Betts/Beatriz Hausner/Joe Sorbara) / Supermarket 2025-12-04 (Thursday) [more info]
More Noise Please! Presents: An Evening of Unconventional Sounds (feat. High Grove / Magnetic Coroner / Reaching Needles / Babies R Stupid / Death Kneel / Deniz Tafaghodi) / BSMT 254 2025-12-04 (Thursday). $15/pwyc. [FB event]
CMC Presents: Game Night (feat. Render File / Obuxum) / Canadian Music Centre 2025-12-04 (Thursday). $15 Advance / $20 at the door (General Admission), $12 Advance / $15 at the door (CMC Members and Arts Workers), $10 (students). [more info]
Pine Trees and Blue Sky [featuring Marcos Balter's Violin Concerto and works by Jessica Ackerley, Toshio Hosokawa, Anna Höstman, and Haotian Yu] (feat. Continuum Contemporary Music) / St. George's Grange Park 2024-12-06 (Saturday). $22.63 (general admission), $19.44 (senior / arts worker), $11.98 (student). [FB event]
Theo Vandenhoff (Fresh Snow) / The Baby G 2025-12-06 (Saturday). $19/94, 19+. [FB event]
Long Winter 14.2 (feat. Indian Giver / STELLA / Wanda / Toronto Experimental Translation Collective) / St. Stephen-In-The-Fields 2025-12-06 (Saturday). $PWYC / $20 advance tickets (skip the line), all ages. [more info]
Amrita [Kayla Milmine & Anita Katakkar wsg Jonathan Kay] / The Rex 2025-12-07 (Sunday – 2 p.m.). $pwyc. [more info]
Florian Hoefner Trio [Florian Hoefner/Andrew Downing/Nick Fraser] / The Rex 2025-12-07&08 (Sunday & Monday). $21. [more info]
The United Jewish People’s Order's Big, Beautiful Winter Fundraiser (feat. Black Ox Orkestar / Marching Disorder / Judy Rebick / Elvira Kurt) / Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre 2025-12-08 (Monday). $20-$60 suggested, no one is ever turned away. [tickets + more info]
10 Year Anniversary / Reunion party (feat. Bill Gilliam/Kayla Milmine/Ambrose Pottie) / Annette Studios 2025-12-10 (Wednesday). $pwyc. [FB event]
Jane Inc. [A Rupture, A Canyon, A Birth album release celebration] (Aisha Sasha John) / The Baby G 2025-12-12 (Friday). $23.87, 19+. [FB event]
not a band [Modern Rot EP release] (Bag / Ether Girls) / Handlebar 2025-12-12 (Friday). $15/pwyc. [FB event]
The Mike Milligan Trio [Mike Milligan/Nick Fraser/Brodie West] / Sellers & Newel 2025-12-13 (Saturday). $20 minimum donation. [FB event]
Burn Down the Capital, Venus Fest and The Music Gallery present (feat. Beverly Glenn-Copeland with special guest Elizabeth Copeland / Kamra / Topanga Trio) / East End United Church 2025-12-13 (Saturday). $35-$40 PWYCA. [more info]
THE AMBiENT PiNG and Imaginary North Present (feat. Gollden / Ken Little / Hozerz) / Handlebar 2025-12-15 (Monday). $pwyc. [FB event]
Playscape Emporium: Theatrics (feat. Duo Cichorium / Hee-Soo Yoon / Toronto Saxophone Collective / Trevor Flemings / Domenic Clarke) / Array Space 2025-12-18 (Thursday). $25 (or Pay What You Want), livestream: $12.00 (or Pay What You Want). [more info]
Beams (Dusted) / The Baby G 2025-12-18 (Thursday). $23.87, 19+. [FB event]
Batuki Music Society presents (feat. Rhythm Section Band [Dally Dominic/Kofi Ackah/Quandoe Harrison/George Kobby/Gabriel Amankwah/Daniel Boateng]) / It’s Ok* Studios 2025-12-20 (Saturday). $20. [FB event]
Not Dead Yet presents (feat. Career Suicide) / The Baby G 2025-12-20&21 (Saturday & Sunday). $27.27, 19+. [FB event]
Not Dead Yet presents: S.H.I.T.mas 2025 (feat. S.H.I.T. / Slash Need / Faze / Friction / Terminator / Pest / Charade) / East End United Church 2025-12-27 (Saturday). $22.49, all ages. [FB event]
Lipliners Residency (feat. Ronley Teper & The Lipliners) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2025-12-30 (Tuesday – early) [FB event]
A Soulful Wintry Evening With Kurdish Kamāncha (feat. Shahriyar Jamshidi) / Burdock Music Hall 2026-01-17 (Saturday). $22.60 advance/$30 door. [FB event]
Soundstreams Encounters: Transoceanic ["works from diasporic composers Corie Rose Soumah, Kotoka Suzuki, and Anthony Tan reimagine sound and light through science-fiction visions that decenter Eurocentric narratives of progress"] (feat. Soundstreams) / Hugh's Room 2026-01-19 (Monday). $free with reservation. [more info]
CMC Presents: Imagined Spaces (feat. Dame Cook / Sergei Kofman) / Canadian Music Centre 2026-01-22 (Thursday). $15 Advance / $20 at the door (General Admission), $12 Advance / $15 at the door (CMC Members and Arts Workers), $10 (students). [more info]
Lipliners Residency (feat. Ronley Teper & The Lipliners) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-01-27 (Tuesday – early) [FB event]
Soundstreams Encounters: Arvo Pärt at 90 (feat. Erika Raum/Oskar Daniel-Raum/Xin Wang) / Hugh's Room 2026-02-09 (Monday). $free with reservation. [more info]
Soundstreams presents: Arvo Pärt at 90 (feat. Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir) / Yorkminster Park Baptist Chuch 2026-02-14 (Saturday). $33.25 to $89.75. [more info]
Behaviours:Data (feat. Anando Gabo / Marelena Pellegrino / Technology of Creative Consciousness) / Array Space 2026-02-19 (Thursday). $25 (or Pay What You Want), livestream: $12.00 (or Pay What You Want). [more info]
CMC Presents: Solo Works (feat. Wesley Shen / Roan Ma) / Canadian Music Centre 2026-02-19 (Thursday). $15 Advance / $20 at the door (General Admission), $12 Advance / $15 at the door (CMC Members and Arts Workers), $10 (students). [more info]
Lipliners Residency (feat. Ronley Teper & The Lipliners) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-02-24 (Tuesday – early) [FB event]
Lipliners Residency (feat. Ronley Teper & The Lipliners) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-03-31 (Tuesday – early) [FB event]
Playscape Emporium: Paint, Play (feat. Duo Cichorium / Constant Yen / Rowan Campbell / Charli/Fahmid/Joe/Mira) / Array Space 2026-05-21 (Thursday). $25 (or Pay What You Want), livestream: $12.00 (or Pay What You Want). [more info]
Track Could Bend #99 (feat. Lostworldsounds / future proof) / Wenona Lodge 2025-01-07 (Tuesday)
Ayal Senior & Friends (feat. Ayal Senior & Kurt Newman / Michelle Breslin / David Sait / Nick Flanagan) 2025-01-12 (Sunday)
Isla Craig (A L M A) / 918 Bathurst (Sun Room) 2025-02-02 (Sunday)
Track Could Bend #101 (feat. Kayla Milmine/Bob Vespaziani/Michael Lynn / Colin Fisher) / Wenona Lodge 2025-02-04 (Tuesday)
Track Could Bend #100 (feat. Isla Craig/Fahmid Nibesh/Michelangelo / Del Stephen/Danny Sheehan/Phil Hamilton / Ian McPhedran/James Bailey/Tom Richards / Raphael Roter/Sara Constant/Bill Gilliam / Bea Labikova/Mira Martin-Gray/Heather Saumer / Sarah Peebles/Kat Estacio/Danny Alexander / Luka Kuplowsky/Karen Ng/William Davison) / 918 Bathurst 2025-02-16 (Sunday)
Music Hosted by Karen Ng: A fundraiser show for Earlobe (feat. Holger Schrool & Mark Zurawinski / Many People) / Wenona Lodge 2024-02-18 (Tuesday)
Patrick O'Reilly presents: Carded! (feat. Patrick O'Reilly/Samuel Little/amiel ang/Samuel Laramee/Omar Yazaw/Leah Reavster/%%30%30/Annie Elgie) / Walter Hall 2025-02-24 (Monday)
Track Could Bend #102 (feat. M.D.N.R. / Del Stephen's Totoloto)
Women From Space Festival 2025 (feat. Erin Poole & Rosina Kazi/Chantelle Mostacho & shn shn / Yuniya Edi Kwon / Azumi OE/Eukademix) / 918 Bathurst 2025-03-08 (Saturday)
Women From Space Festival 2025 (feat. Mingjia Chen + Linnea Sablosky / Arushi Jain / Myra Melford's Fire and Water Trio) / 918 Bathurst 2025-03-09 (Sunday)
Nolan Hildebrand’s DMA Recital (feat. Colin Fisher/Roan Ma/Patrick O'Reilly/Chris Weins/Veronica Zupanic/Hirad Moradi/Louis Pino/Nikki Huang/Hoi-Tong Keung/Bevis NG/Jasmine Tsui/Thomas Li) / Walter Hall 2025-03-11 (Tuesday)
Clue Note presents (feat. Rob Clutton/Bea Labikova/Doug Tielli/Kevin Turcotte/Mark Zurawinski) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2025-03-25 (Tuesday)
Nick Fraser presents (feat. Nick Fraser's Special Topics) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2025-03-25 (Tuesday)
The Music Gallery presents (feat. Turntable Trio [Maria Chavez/Evicshen/Mariam Rezaei] / Kristina Guison) / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2024-03-31 (Monday)
Track Could Bend #103 [Co-presented with Ministry of Phonic Services] (feat. Maebh Clark & Lucas Dvorsky / %%30%30) / Wenona Lodge 2025-04-01 (Tuesday)
Ambient soundscapes for babies to adults (feat. LordAUK / A L M A / Jessica Deutsch) / 918 Bathurst (Sun Room) 2025-04-06 (Sunday)
Kurt Newman presents: Newman Guitars (feat. Kurt Newman / Harris Newman) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2024-04-10 (Thursday)
SaltChunkJerry (Man Made Hill / Greydini / Shaaane) / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2025-04-12 (Saturday)
Stranger Still / 918 Bathurst (Sun Room) 2025-04-13 (Sunday)
Labyrinth Ensemble with Âriâ Mohâfez / Aga Khan Museum 2025-05-03 (Saturday)
Track Could Bend #104 (feat. Caleb Klager / Hex-A-Decimal / Allemano/Driver/Klager) / Wenona Lodge 2025-05-06 (Tuesday)
Audiopollination (feat. Pierre Mongeon/Michael Palumbo/Diane Roblin / mkl32 / Mira Martin-Gray / Holger Schoorl & Mark Zurawinski) / Array Space 2025-05-09 (Friday)
The Music Gallery presents What Is: heart(break) – Rebound (feat. Sarah Hennies & Tristan-Kasten Krause / Imaginary Percussion Ensemble) / East End United Church (Gymnasium) 2025-05-16 (Friday)
Not The Wind, Not the Flag / Le Monde 2025-05-17 (Saturday)
an action committee / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2025-05-18 (Sunday)
Music Hosted by Karen Ng (feat. Brodie West / Karen Ng/Leslie Ting/Germaine Liu) / Wenona Lodge 2025-05-20 (Tuesday)
TONE presents (feat. Eric Chenaux Trio / Cici Arthur) / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2025-05-23 (Friday)
Ben Mike & The Beatles (Carolina Lopez) / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2024-05-25 (Sunday)
Heraclitus Akimbo / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2024-05-29 (Thursday)
Prepare the Ground – Night 2 (feat. Raphael Weinroth-Browne / Jay Jayle / Ora Cogan & Ester Thunander / Oldest Sea) / 918 Bathurst 2025-05-31 (Saturday)
Prepare the Ground – Night 3 (feat. Harvestman / John Wiese / Lana Del Rabies / The Rita) / 918 Bathurst 2025-06-01 (Sunday)
Track Could Bend #105 (feat. Determinist? / Aliyah Aziz) / Wenona Lodge 2025-06-03 (Tuesday)
NO HAY BANDA (HxH) / The Music Gallery 2025-06-05 (Thursday)
Open Tuning Festival (feat. Cosmic Homeostasis) / Karma Co-op's parking lot 2025-06-07 (Saturday)
Prince Nifty & Colin Fisher / Le Monde 2025-06-07 (Saturday)
Araz Salek & Friends / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2025-06-08 (Sunday)
Audiopollination (feat. David Sait/James Bailey/Eunoia Jean Close / cheryl o/Neil Wiernik/Del Stephen / Heraclitus Akimbo/Laura Swankey/Judy Zhu / Mickle32 & Rod Campbell) / Array Space 2025-06-13 (Friday)
New Chance (Bile Sister) / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2025-06-14 (Saturday)
South by South East International Festival (feat. Yani Borrell) / Harbourfront Centre (Concert Stage) 2025-06-28 (Saturday)
Track Could Bend #106 (feat. Cudmore/Perera Duo / Ariadna Ortega / Grace Scheele) / Wenona Lodge 2025-07-01 (Tuesday)
Rock Plaza Central (Neil Haverty) / The Baby G 2025-07-03 (Thursday)
Ayal Senior and Friends (feat. anthéne / Del Stephen / Nick Flanagan) / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2025-07-13
Ministry of Phonic Services presents (feat. Brian Ruryk & %%30%30 / Fossils / Xodkaar × Auto Feeder / Battle Milk) / under Hogg's Hollow Bridge 2025-07-19 (Saturday)
Ministry of Phonic Services presents (feat. Fron Reilly & Stephen Vickery / Joyce To / Nilan Perera) / 918 Bathurst (Sun Room) 2025-07-27 (Sunday)
Track Could Bend #107 (feat. Poached Roses / Tom Richards) / Wenona Lodge 2024-08-05 (Tuesday)
Mechanical Forest Sound presents (feat. The Davison Auger / Wenderly Park / Murmur) / 918 Bathurst (The Sun Room) 2025-08-06 (Wednesday)
Within (Heraclitus Akimbo & Marilyn Yogarajah) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2025-08-09 (Saturday – early)
About this, It Was Not Yet Written (feat. Myk Freedman/Dave Clark/Ronley Teper) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2025-08-09 (Saturday)
Our Way to Fall (Sarah Greene Preservation Society Trio) / 918 Bathurst (The Sun Room) 2025-08-14 (Thursday)
Music Hosted by Karen Ng (feat. Mustafa Rafiq/ Sara Constant/Marilyn Yogarajah/Karen Ng/Lenny) / Wenona Lodge 2025-08-19 (Tuesday)
Intersection 2025: Day 2: All Day Music Marathon (feat. Arkose / Anthéne / Khôra / Bilal Nasser / Alex Raja Ven & Heart Map Ambient Ensemble / Temporal Waves / David and Sydney Dacks / Lavender Town) / Sankofa Square 2025-08-30 (Saturday)
Track Could Bend #108 (feat. Brian Abbott / Allison Cameron) / Wenona Lodge 2025-09-02 (Tuesday)
Ministry of Phonic Services presents Back to School Field Trip (feat. Cosmic Homeostasis) / Vale of Avoca 2025-09-14 (Sunday)
Ministry of Phonic Services presents Back to School Field Trip (feat. Double Trio / Charles Spearin) / CNE Bandshell 2025-09-23 (Tuesday)
Karen Ng presents (feat. Trapezoid) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2025-09-25 (Thursday)
Ministry of Phonic Services presents Back to School Field Trip: Closing Show (feat. Christine Duncan and The Element Choir / Future Proof / Woolworm, Ontario / SSSY) / Oculus Pavilion 2025-09-27 (Saturday)
The Ryan Driver Sextet / Array Space 2025-10-04 (Sunday)
Track Could Bend #109 (feat. BLACK GALAXIE / O'Reilly/Strutt/Pitt / Brandon Auger & Deniz Tafaghodi) / Wenona Lodge 2024-10-07 (Tuesday)
CONTXT by Trane presents: Weather Report Tribute Night (feat. Isaiah Collier/Rich Brown/Chris Pruden/Mark Kelso/Juan Carlos Medrano) / 918 Bathurst 2025-10-11 (Saturday)
Karen Ng Presents (feat. Aidan McConnell/Karen Ng/Adrian Russouw) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2025-10-14 (Tuesday)
Ministry of Phonic Services presents (feat. qeTTe fossa / Jaap Blonk / T.D. / Jaap Blonk & Mike Gennaro) / The Jama 2025-10-18 (Saturday)
Track Could Bend #110 (feat. anthéne / Fossils) / Wenona Lodge 2025-11-04 (Tuesday)
Hank the Kid (P.S. I Love You / SAP) / Dina's Tavern 2025-11-23 (Sunday)