Recording: Dilly Dally

Artist: Dilly Dally

Songs: Marijuana + Morning Light + Sober Motel

Recorded at Lee's Palace, May 28, 2023.

Dilly Dally - Marijuana

Dilly Dally - Morning Light

Dilly Dally - Sober Motel

Dilly Dally is a band that I arguably saw more before releasing their first album than in the stretch they made their second, but they were still a group that I regarded with enough fondness to feel a pang of sadness when they announced their dissolution, to be accompanied by a pair of farewell shows. Going out on their own terms at least made it possible to treat this winding-down as a celebratory capital-O Occasion, rather than a bittersweet requiem for the hard go a band in music's vast middle class has to face in considering the daunting nature of being a band that's popular enough to have an international fan base big enough to tour to, but being stuck in a system that makes that almost completely unsustainable.

In any case, this was a good way to wrap things up. With no horn sections and no special guests parading across the stage, this was no Last Waltz, just a band focusing on what they're very good at, pouring out almost every song in their oeuvre, hearts on sleeve like a gang of friends giving it everything they got.

Recording: Jasmyn

Artist: Jasmyn

Song: Find The Light

Recorded at Lee's Palace, May 28, 2023.

Jasmyn - Find The Light

Moving past the hair metaphors, Jasmyn Burke's post-Weaves solo project is exploring "the nature of trying to get free". Though the set was saddled with a few tech gremlins, that added a welcome feeling of improvise-and-make-do spontaneity to the proceedings.

Recording: Bonnie Trash

Artist: Bonnie Trash

Song: Goodnight My Dear

Recorded at Lee's Palace, May 28, 2023.

Bonnie Trash - Goodnight My Dear

It's been a while since I've seen Bonnie Trash playing — I mean, it's been a while since I've seen pretty much any of the rock bands I dig doing their thing — so it was a real treat so see their sound and their presence expanding to fit a much bigger stage than I'd ever seen them performing on. Powered by a thundering rhythm section, both Emmalia Bortolon-Vettor (guit) and Sarafina Bortolon-Vettor (vox) carried themselves with rockstar gravitas, the former wringing organs and full choirs from the pedalboard and the latter wrapped around the mic stand, going deep on an internal journey.

Recording: c_RL with Wenderly Park

Artist: c_RL with Wenderly Park

Song: [excerpt from 1st piece]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Living Room), May 26, 2023.

c_RL with Wenderly Park - [excerpt from 1st piece]

With Nicole Rampersaud in town, there was a rare opportunity for the members of c_RL to convene for a set — and to warm things up for the main trio convergence they joined forces with Wenderly Park for some extra hums, scrapes and loops.

You can check out some more from this set over on youtube:

Recording: c_RL

Artist: c_RL

Songs: [excerpt from 1st piece] + [3rd piece]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Living Room), May 26, 2023.

c_RL - [excerpt from 1st piece]

c_RL - [3rd piece]

With Nicole Rampersaud in town, there was a rare opportunity for the members of c_RL to convene for a set, exploring the friendship/chemistry that had made its debut in this very room nearly a decade ago.

You can check out some more from this set over on youtube:

Recording: Fish with an "F"

Artist: Fish with an "F"

Song: [excerpt from 1st piece]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Living Room), May 26, 2023.

Fish with an "F" - [excerpt from 1st piece]

Having been putting in the work on the microtonal compositional front, it was fun to see guitarist Brian Abbott rocking out a bit, here alongside Andrew Furlong and Mark Zurawinski. Some good ol'fashioned quiet-to-shredding transitions, standards hinted at and detourned, cat sculptures, and so on.

You can check out some more from this set over on youtube:

Monday Roundup #128

Community notes:

• Pleased to see the formal announcement from The Tranzac that Jason Doell is taking over as the new Executive Director. It bodes well that the position is being carried forward with someone who has a genuine passion for the space and the sort of cultural engagement that The Tranzac allows/encourages.
• Word on the street is that The Concert Hall (a.k.a. The Masonic Temple) is back in business as a working concert venue. Because of the timing of its openings/closings it hasn't played a part in my show-going history and it's at the larger end of what I'd consider an interesting place to go to, but it's always a good thing to have more places for shows to happen. Looks like Collective Concerts is booking there, with a half-dozen shows listed already.
• I picked up that nugget from Airplane on the Highway, Michael Barclay's substack newsletter. For those who don't know, Barclay is a tireless documenter of independent Canadian music (and co-author of the utterly indispensable Have Not Been the Same, an essential source for a decade of pre-internet music history) and his weekly-ish dispatches have thoughtful music recommendations and very solid concert listings that hew further into "rock" shows that I might not be listing as much these days.

---

Concert announcements:

Dopamine Dream (Olga / Psychic Weapons) / Monarch Tavern 2023-07-06 (Thursday). $13, 19+. [FB event]

Ayal Senior & Friends (feat. Ayal Senior & Kurt Newman / Marilyn Yogarajah / Del Stephen's Wurld of Xo '42 / Nick Flanagan) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-07-09 (Sunday – 2:30 p.m.) [FB event]

Sounds from the Tall House presents (feat. Eiyn Sof / Spruce Needles / M. Mucci) / Tibet Street Records 2023-07-14 (Friday). $10. [tickets/info]

Cindy Lee (Freak Heat Waves) / The Garrison 2023-08-12 (Saturday). $23.17, 19+. [FB event]

Beams [EP Release] (Burs / Flake) / The Baby G 2023-08-18 (Friday). $20.05, 19+. [FB event]

Is your show missing from this list? Submit it via this form!

---

Shows this week:

Nick Fraser Presents (feat. Alexei Orechin [solo] / Chris Pruden [solo]) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-06-27 (Tuesday)

Toronto Jazz Fest (feat. Aline's étoile magique [Aline Homzy/Michael Davidson/Marito Marques/Dan Fortin/Thom Gill]) / [corporate name] Village Stage 2023-06-28 (Wednesday – 4:30 p.m.). $free, outdoors. [more info]

TONE Festival (feat. Sun Ra Arkestra) / The Great Hall 2023-06-28 (Wednesday). $44.39 advance/$50 door, 19+. [FB event]

Adrian Russouw Presents (feat. Sunlings [Adrian Russouw/Melissa Paju/Aidan McConnell/Garret Hildebrandt/Ben Rosistan] / Owen Kurtz) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-06-28 (Wednesday). $pwyc. [morfe info]

Summer Music in the Garden (feat. Tafelmusik) / Toronto Music Garden 2023-06-29 (Thursday). $free, outdoors. [more info]

CCMC [Al Mattes/Casey Sokol/Paul Dutton/John Oswald with guest Heather Saumer] / Array Space 2023-06-29 (Thursday). $pwyc, livestream available.

les formes mysterieuses [music for solo harpsichord – world premieres of works by Juro Kim Feliz, Linda Catlin Smith and Christina Volpini, as well as the live Canadian premiere of a piece by Anna Hostman and an old standard by Iannis Xenakis] (feat. Wesley Shen) / St. George by the Grange 2023-06-29 (Thursday). $pwyc (suggested 10-20$ range). [FB event]

Avalon Tassonyi [album release] (No Frills / The Royal Family) / Monarch Tavern 2023-06-29 (Thursday). $19.48, 19+. [FB event]

Karen Ng presents (feat. Marilyn Yogarajah/Kiran Mira/Kel Mansaray/Ananya Ganesh/Martin Heslop) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-06-29 (Thursday). $pwyc.

All-Set! Presents Music by Mike Smith (feat. Mike Smith/Jake Oelrichs/Laura Bates/Kayla Milmine/Brodie West) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-06-30 (Friday – early). $pwyc.

The Ryan Driver Quintet / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-06-30 (Friday). $pwyc. [FB event]

Unbleak Trio [Ananya Ganesh/Alex Fournier/Raphael Roter] / Annette Studios 2023-07-01 (Saturday). $10.

July Long Weekend (feat. OKAN) / Harbourfront Centre – Stage in the Park 2023-07-02 (Sunday). $free, outdoors. [more info]

Dave Clark presents (feat.. The Western Slang Band [Dave Clark/Lowell Whitty/Michael Herring/Paul Kolinski/Tania Gill and special guest Myk Freedman])/ The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-07-02 (Sunday – early) [more info]

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It happened this week...

• ...on June 27, 2013 at Holy Oak Café (Love Nation Night No. 2).

The Draperies - [excerpt from first piece]

• ...on June 30, 2013 at Harbourfront Centre.

Vieux Farka Touré - unknown

[Do remember that you can click on the tags below to go back and find the original posts (and often, more stuff) from these artists.]

Recording: Rumba: Soul of Congo

Artist: Rumba: Soul of Congo

Song: Mario [TPOK Jazz cover]

Recorded at the Paradise Theatre, May 20, 2023.

Rumba: Soul of Congo - Mario

A la gauche! A la droit! This evening of music and dance was assembled by Batuki Music Society to celebrate Congolese rumba — part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The crack band moved freely through the catalog of some of rumba's greatest-ever hits. Bureaucratic entanglements meant that international guest Olivier Tshimanga was unable to appear, but the rest of the group, including Blandine Mbiya (singer, dancer), Pecosse Animations (singer), Noel Mpiaza (drums), Dauphin Mbuyi (bass), Jean-Claude Kamina a.k.a. R9 (guitar), Samson Owandji (keyboards) and Walter Maclean, drawn from the Montréal and Toronto scenes, did a fabulous job in his absence. As always, this music is highly suitable both for dancefloor groovers and fans of nimbly-floating guitar wizardry — and as this track shows, the band was willing and able to stretch out the songs to lean into the gooves, get the crowd involved, and generally keep the party going.

Recording: Ayal Senior & Friends

Artist: Ayal Senior & Friends

Song: [last section of set]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge (Ayal Senior & Friends), May 14, 2023.

Ayal Senior & Friends - [last section of set]

The group, this time out, included regulars Kurt Newman, Andrew Furlong, and Jay Anderson — the same personnel that would soon be heading out for a chance to record the latest batch of Ayal's tunes that the crew have been workshopping over the past months. That means things are coming into ever-sharper focus, but to add a unique element to this outing, Senior invited Akim Gomez and his flute to join in for the last part of the set.

You can check out some more from this set over on youtube:

[Ayal Senior & Friends returns to the Southern Cross on Sunday, July 9th with the host (in duo mode alongside Kurt Newman) joined by Marilyn Yogarajah, Del Stephen's Wurld of Xo '42 and Nick Flanagan.]

Recording: Colin Fisher

Artist: Colin Fisher

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge (Ayal Senior & Friends), May 14, 2023.

Colin Fisher - [excerpt]

Most usually seen exploring on guitar or saxophone, it's always a treat to see Colin Fisher bring out one of his other instruments — in this case, a tanbur that kept his fingers flying as he wound around though a series of shifting themes.

You can check out some more from this set over on youtube:

[Ayal Senior & Friends returns to the Southern Cross on Sunday, July 9th with the host (in duo mode alongside Kurt Newman) joined by Marilyn Yogarajah, Del Stephen's Wurld of Xo '42 and Nick Flanagan.]

Recording: (((m))) man

Artist: (((m))) man

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge (Ayal Senior & Friends), May 14, 2023.

(((m))) man - [excerpt]

The "M" man in question here is none other than radio personality Minesh Mandoda, most often seen in the Southern Cross as part of the sprawling Ghostlight psyedelic collective. Here, however, he was on his own, weaving some guitar sculptures from pedals and apps.

You can check out some more from this set over on youtube:

[Ayal Senior & Friends returns to the Southern Cross on Sunday, July 9th with the host (in duo mode alongside Kurt Newman) joined by Marilyn Yogarajah, Del Stephen's Wurld of Xo '42 and Nick Flanagan.]

Recording: future poof

Artist: future poof

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Living Room (fuZzfest), May 13, 2023.

future poof - [excerpt]

On the cusp of joining the exodus of artists departing Toronto, Fahmid "fuZzy" Nibesh put together an afternoon of music, good company, and food to celebrate some of the folks he has most enjoyed making sounds with/hearing sounds from. Although Bea Labikova (sax) and Raphael Roter (percussion) have performed together in a variety of different incarnations, this time out they were considering themselves to be two-thirds of Future Proof (and hence the altername name). Closing out the afternoon, the set started and ended with Roter engaging the audience in some tambourine badminton, while Labikova built up ice mountains of sound from sax and effects.

You can check out footage of the full set over on youtube:

Recording: The Hell Drivers

Artist: The Hell Drivers

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Living Room (fuZzfest), May 13, 2023.

The Hell Drivers - [excerpt]

On the cusp of joining the exodus of artists departing Toronto, Fahmid "fuZzy" Nibesh put together an afternoon of music, good company, and food to celebrate some of the folks he has most enjoyed making sounds with/hearing sounds from. Another innovation from Kurt Newman Solutions™, this grouping with Andrew Furlong on electric bass and dual drummers Jake Oelrichs and Mark Zurawinski offers up a glimpse of infinite shred'n'choogle.

You can check out footage of the full set over on youtube:

Recording: Wenderly Park Ensemble

Artist: Wenderly Park Ensemble

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Living Room (fuZzfest), May 13, 2023.

Wenderly Park Ensemble - [excerpt]

On the cusp of joining the exodus of artists departing Toronto, Fahmid "fuZzy" Nibesh put together an afternoon of music, good company, and food to celebrate some of the folks he has most enjoyed making sounds with/hearing sounds from. fuZzy's duo Wenderly Park has perviously proven malliable in adding guest performers, but this set saw things expanding exponentially with some maximalism being offered by Allison Cameron (synth), Mike Lynn (double bass), Kayla Milmine (soprano sax), Karen Ng (alto sax), and Jasper Stadhouders (guitar).

You can check out footage of the full set over on youtube (though apologies to Kayla, who is outside the frame throughout!):

Recording: fuZzy n' frenz

Artist: fuZzy n' frenz

Song: [excerpt from 1st piece]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Living Room (fuZzfest), May 13, 2023.

fuZzy n' frenz - [excerpt from 1st piece]

On the cusp of joining the exodus of artists departing Toronto, Fahmid "fuZzy" Nibesh put together an afternoon of music, good company, and food to celebrate some of the folks he has most enjoyed making sounds with/hearing sounds from. This set perhaps gave some hints of what a promised upcoming solo album might offer — although "solo" concepts were being pre-expanded with a group that included Mira Martin-Gray (electronics), Germaine Liu (percussion), %%30%30 (percussion), Victor O. (bass), and Marilyn Y. (trumpet).

You can check out footage of the full set over on youtube:

Recording: Sarah Greene

Artist: Sarah Greene with fuZzy

Song: Being Real

Recorded at The Tranzac's Living Room (fuZzfest), May 13, 2023.

Sarah Greene with fuZzy - Being Real

On the cusp of joining the exodus of artists departing Toronto, Fahmid "fuZzy" Nibesh put together an afternoon of music, good company, and food to celebrate some of the folks he has most enjoyed making sounds with/hearing sounds from. With some more abstract sounds to follow, the day started with some songs from Tranzac booker/open stage host/singer-songwriter Sarah Greene, with songs old and new being embellished with fuZzy's guitar work.

You can check out footage of the full set over on youtube:

Monday Roundup #127

Community notes:

• Okay, let's try a thing. I feel like there's gigs I should be hearing about that I'm not hearing about. So instead of me banging my head against the infowall, I've created an online form for folks to tell me about the gigs I need to know about. Might work, might not — but for now, submit your gigs here.

---

Concert announcements:

CCMC [Al Mattes/Casey Sokol/Paul Dutton/John Oswald with guest Heather Saumer] / Array Space 2023-06-29 (Thursday). $pwyc, livestream available.

Exit Points #39 (feat. Ananya Ganesh/Alejandro Franco Briones/Andrew Noseworthy/Alexander Vincent/Marc Herscovitch / Amahl Arulanandam/Ron Johnston/Veronica Zupanic/Nolan Hildebrand/Michael Palumbo) / Array Space 2023-06-30 (Friday). $20. [FB event]

Unbleak Trio [Ananya Ganesh/Alex Fournier/Raphael Roter] / Annette Studios 2023-07-01 (Saturday). $10.

Track Could Bend #81 (feat. Brian Ruryk / Del Stephen's Wurld Of Xo '42 Multivurse Melody Band) / Wenona Lodge 2023-07-04 (Tuesday). $pwyc. [FB event]

Man on Man / The Baby G 2023-09-19 (Tuesday). $23.73. [FB event]

Is your show missing from this list? Submit it via this form!

---

Shows this week:

Unbleak Trio [Ananya Ganesh/Alex Fournier/Raphael Roter] / The Tranzac (Living Room) 2023-06-20 (Tuesday). [more info]

Adrian Russouw presents (feat. Downbeat Machine [Marilyn Yogarajah/Joe Sorbara/%%30%30/Andrew Furlong]) / Wenona Lodge 2023-06-20 (Tuesday). $pwyc.

Sarah Greene Presents (feat. Tania Gill / Shawn William Clarke) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-06-21 (Wednesday – early) [FB event]

TONE Festival (feat. Zoh Amba & Chris Corsano / Farida Amadou / Ways [Brodie West/Evan Cartwright]) / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2023-06-21 (Wednesday). $17.52, 19+. [FB event]

Musica Universalis (feat. Prince Nifty/Colin Fisher) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-06-21 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Reverb II [works by Romain Camiolo, Nasim Khorassani, Bekah Simms, Devon Osamu Tipp and Jocelyn Morlock alongside world premieres by Luke Nickel and Anthony Tan] (feat. Thin Edge New Music Collective) / 918 Bathurst 2023-06-22 (Thursday). $20.00 (General Admission)/$15.00 (Arts Worker/Senior/Student). [FB event]

DIG presents (feat. Hot Garbage / Burner / Scooter Jay) / The Horseshoe 2023-06-22 (Thursday). $25.29. [FB event]

TONE Festival (feat. White People Killed Them [Raven Chacon/John Dieterich/Marshall Trammell] / Animatist / not a band) / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2023-06-24 (Saturday). $17.52, 19+. [FB event]

Wax Mannequin [record launch!] (Hamilton Trading Co. / The Idaho Stop / Hiroki Tanaka) / The Dakota Tavern 2023-06-24 (Saturday). $13.54 advance/$15 doors, 19+. [FB event]

Astor Swings [a night of Astor Piazzolla arrangements played by a jazz septet! Works by Ernesto Nazareth and others.] (feat. Oleksandra Fedyshyn/Galen Weir/Rebecca Synard/Luan Phung/Sean Stanely/Jake Oelrichs/Gabe Girard) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-06-24 (Saturday) [FB event]

TONE Festival (feat. Caroline Davis' Alula / Madeleine Ertel Trio [Madeleine Ertel/Steven Noronha/Jonathan Chapman]) / The Rex 2023-06-25 (Sunday). $27.12. [FB event]

Saxophone Music (feat. Paul Newman / Harrison Argatoff) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-06-25 (Sunday). $pwyc. [FB event]

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It happened this week...

• ...on June 21, 2014 at The Great Hall (NXNE – Buzz Records Day Party).

Ancient Ocean - unknown

[Do remember that you can click on the tags below to go back and find the original posts (and often, more stuff) from these artists.]

Recording: Cetacean

Artist: Cetacean

Song: [second section]

Recorded at Wenona Lodge (Track Could Bend #79), May 2, 2023.

Cetacean - [second section]

Names, of course, are important, so note well here how Bryan Bray performed this set as Cetacean, that final letter both drawing it alongside but also distinguishing it from his long-running Cetacea project. The key difference being a matter of tools more than sonic destination, with this version eschewing guitars for synths (and even a laptop!) to generate its heavy dronefields.

You can check out some more from this set over on youtube:

[Track Could Bend will be back at Wenona Lodge on Tuesday, July 4th.]

Recording: Mira Martin-Gray & Friends

Artist: Mira Martin-Gray & Friends

Song: Body Language

Recorded at Wenona Lodge (Track Could Bend #79), May 2, 2023.

Mira Martin-Gray & Friends - Body Language

Celebrating the release of the wonderful Hen's Teeth, Mira Martin-Gray asked along a couple peers (Del Stephen on keyb and Fahmid Nibesh on guit) to both flesh out the tunes and to find ways to dig into their experimental superstructures, letting things stretch out with languid patience. The set ended with a nod to the album's "non-song" side, asking the audience to join in on "Play each note as if it will help", whose title is drawn from its text score ("play each note as if it will help / as if it could / when it doesn’t / rest / try again").

You can check out some more from this set over on youtube:

[Track Could Bend will be back at Wenona Lodge on Tuesday, July 4th.]

Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis XIX

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis XIX

Songs: Disco Whispers [excerpt] + Zero Gravity Bird Ceremony [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), April 30, 2023.

Cosmic Homeostasis XIX - Disco Whispers [excerpt]

Cosmic Homeostasis XIX - Zero Gravity Bird Ceremony [excerpt]

Another fifth-Sunday-of-the-month drone meetup brought out a mid-sized group (a dozen people) for some space-drift, spreading out around the Southern Cross.

The ensemble this time around was:

• Paul Newman - tenor saxophone
• Philip Hamilton - oscillator, contact mic
• fuzzy - guitar, pedals
• Patrick O'Reilly - circuit bent SK-1, piano
• Nilan Perera - prepared guitar + slicer pedal
• Ian McPhedran - guitar + pedals
• Sterling McPhedran - guitar + pedals
• Scott M2 - Animoog
• Ron Blake - iOS apps
• Sheldon - percussion+
• Victor O - toy keyboard + mixer
• Heraclitus Akimbo - synths

And as usual, you can stream/download the full session over on bandcamp:

[Cosmic Homeostasis will be back in the Southern Cross on the afternoon of the fifth Sunday of July — that is to say on July 30th, 2023.]

Recording: Ng/Allemano/Driver/Fraser

Artist: Karen Ng/Lina Allemano/Ryan Driver/Nick Fraser

Songs: [two pieces from the second set]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge (Karen Ng Presents), April 27, 2023.

Karen Ng/Lina Allemano/Ryan Driver/Nick Fraser - [2nd set, 1st piece excerpt]

Karen Ng/Lina Allemano/Ryan Driver/Nick Fraser - [2nd set, 4th piece]

Another one of those casual recombinations that the Tranzac makes possible. On paper, you might look at this and think of it as three-quarters of Titanium Riot, but that wasn't the vibe here, especially with Ryan Driver on his street-sweeper bristle bass. And with Lina Allemano adding some metal mute-on-cymbal floor percussion in the latter piece here, there were some titillating tastes of other destinations, though ultimately host Karen Ng's sax/clarinet/laughter added the animating joie de vivre to the proceedings.

Recording: Farahbakhsh/Ganesh/McCarroll-Butler/Ng

Artist: Isaiah Farahbakhsh/Ananya Ganesh/Naomi McCarroll-Butler/Karen Ng

Song: [1st piece, excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), April 23, 2023.

Isaiah Farahbakhsh/Ananya Ganesh/Naomi-McCarroll Butler/Karen Ng - [1st piece, excerpt]

After some duo explorations, cellist Isaiah Farahbakhsh and pianist Ananya Ganesh added a wind section, with Naomi McCarroll-Butler (fipple flute, bass clarinet, alto sax) and Karen Ng (clarinet, alto sax) adding extra textures.

You can check out some more from this set over on youtube:

Recording: Isaiah Farahbakhsh & Ananya Ganesh

Artist: Isaiah Farahbakhsh & Ananya Ganesh

Song: [2nd piece]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), April 23, 2023.

Isaiah Farahbakhsh & Ananya Ganesh - [2nd piece]

Pianist Ananya Ganesh continues to forge connections in T.O, appearing here in a duo with cellist Isaiah Farahbakhsh and exploring some song-sized chamber miniatures.

You can check out some more from this set over on youtube:

[Ananya Ganesh will be performing as half of meimei (மெய்மெய்) alongside vocalist Amirtha Kidambi, opening things up at Jason Doell's album release, part of the TONE Festival this Sunday (June 18th).]

Monday Roundup #126

Community notes:

• This blog's purview generally keeps things confined in the 416, but a rare exception is due to take note of Audiopollination Guelph's upcoming 24 Hour Improvisation Marathon. Conceptualized as a fundraiser to help sustain the series in its upcoming season, its home venue Silence will be hosting soundmakers from noon on July 8th to noon on July 9th. As with its regular shows (and that of its local parent series), this is a self-curated affair, so interested improvisers can check out the sign-up spreadsheet. And obviously, any donations are most welcome.

---

Concert announcements:

Reverb II [works by Romain Camiolo, Nasim Khorassani, Bekah Simms, Devon Osamu Tipp and Jocelyn Morlock alongside world premieres by Luke Nickel and Anthony Tan] (feat. Thin Edge New Music Collective) / 918 Bathurst 2023-06-22 (Thursday). $20.00 (General Admission)/$15.00 (Arts Worker/Senior/Student). [FB event]

Wax Mannequin [record launch!] (Hamilton Trading Co. / The Idaho Stop / Hiroki Tanaka) / The Dakota Tavern 2023-06-24 (Saturday). $13.54 advance/$15 doors, 19+. [FB event]

Marker Starling (The Crime Family) / The Garrison 2023-07-06 (Thursday). $23.17, 19+. [FB event]

Bo Ningen (Biblical) / Monarch Tavern 2023-07-19 (Wednesday). $19, 19+. [FB event]

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Shows this week:

Jelly Ear [Cory Harper-Latkovich/Allison Cameron/Yang Chen/Sara Constant/Andrew Noseworthy/Seb Shinwell] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-06-12 (Monday). $pwyc. [FB event]

TONE Festival (feat. New York Review of Cocksucking / Laura Swankey / Del Stephen) / Bar Orwell 2023-06-13 (Tuesday). $14.29, 19+. [FB event]

Dun-Dun Land (feat. Dun-Dun Man) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-06-13 (Tuesday – early)

a Josh Cole trio + strings f/ John Oswald [Aline Homzy/Nick Storring/John Oswald/Blake Howard/Josh Cole] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-06-13 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Emergents Series (feat. Jairus Sharif/Mustafa Rafiq / Marilyn Yogarajah/Subsume/Adrian Russouw) / The Music Gallery 2023-06-14 (Wednesday). $10, all ages [FB event]

Brodie West presents (feat. Ted Crosby/Josh Cole/Blake Howard) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-06-14 (Wednesday – early)

Music By Harry and Furlong (feat. Daniel Wyche [solo] / The Search For Eternal Happiness [Alex Samaras/Laura Swankey/Harrison Argatoff/Patrick Smith/Jeff LaRochelle/Madeleine Ertel/Kae Murphy/Andrew Furlong/Caleb Klager/Chris Pruden/Patrick O’Reilly/Aidan McConnell/Harry Vetro]) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-06-14 (Wednesday). $pwyc [FB event]

You in Mind (feat. Duo Cichorium / Jaz Tsui & Louis Pino) / The Music Gallery 2023-06-16 (Friday). $15; $10 for MG members, students, arts workers. [FB event]

Batuki Music Society presents: Lemen CD Release Concert (feat. Fantahun Shewankochew) / Alliance Française 2023-06-16 (Friday). $25. [more info]

$™ Presents: The Wrong Show (feat. Astrolope / Infinite Monotremes / JazzTobacco / Popular Narcotics / Everyone's Intestines) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-06-17 (Saturday) [FB event]

Sweet Session [Randi Helmers/Rob Clutton] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-06-18 (Sunday – early) [FB event]

TONE Festival (feat. Jason Doell [becoming in shadows ~ of being touched LP Release!] / New Hermitage) / Array Space 2023-06-18 (Sunday). $14.29, all ages. [FB event]

Happy Sundays (feat. FRAN / Motorists / Curt James) / The Baby G 2023-06-18 (Sunday). $free, 19+. [FB event]

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Bandcamp corner:

• Congrats to Pantayo, whose second full-length Ang Pagdaloy was named Bandcamp's album of the day on its release. Regular followers of this space will not be surprised it also gets a hearty recommendation from me.

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It happened this week...

• ...on June 17, 2018 at The Tranzac's Main Hall (TONE Festival).

Sick Boss Löve - [second section]

[Do remember that you can click on the tags below to go back and find the original posts (and often, more stuff) from these artists.]

Recording: Carl Didur

Artist: Carl Didur

Song: [1st piece, excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge (Idée Fixe & Ansible presents), April 20, 2023.

Carl Didur - [1st piece, excerpt]

This no-longer-new residency from the folks at Idée Fixe and Ansible Editions aims to present musics from and adjacent to the sibling labels, bridging the former's "rock" action and the latter's more experimental outlook. It's always a joy to hear Carl Didur in action, and something of a rarity to hear him playing piano, so this was a special treat. The other extended piece he played was more in the floridly "romantic" mode that I remember him tackling before, but this one has more of a Lubomyr Melnyk thing going on. (He'd also shift over to taishōgoto for the last pice, with guitarist Tobin Hopwood, the evening's other performer, joining in to dig deep into some Funkadelic.)

[The Idée Fixe/Ansible Editions residency will be back in the Southern Cross next week (June 15th), though at this writing I haven't seen an announcement of who's playing yet.]

Recording: Tobin Hopwood

Artist: Tobin Hopwood

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge (Idée Fixe & Ansible presents), April 20, 2023.

Tobin Hopwood - [excerpt]

This no-longer-new residency from the folks at Idée Fixe and Ansible Editions aims to present musics from and adjacent to the sibling labels, bridging the former's "rock" action and the latter's more experimental outlook. This night started with Possum's Tobin Hopwood in solo mode, building some echoplexed psychedelic structures while some excellent old-school projections morphed behind him.

[The Idée Fixe/Ansible Editions residency will be back in the Southern Cross next week (June 15th), though at this writing I haven't seen an announcement of who's playing yet.]

Monday Roundup #125

Community notes:

• Good news to hear that regularly scheduled concerts are returning to Burdock's Music Hall, a cozy and good-sounding room. Keep an eye out here for upcoming events in the space.

• Meanwhile, for reasons that are completely opaque to me, I was kicked off Instagram — some algorithm thought my postings were too much like bots, I guess — so apologies to anyone that found that to be a useful spot to keep up with postings here.

• And also meanwhile, if you'd rather see me in person anyway, there's an unusual confluence of things this week. Besides the regular first-Tuesday-of-the-month hang at Wenona for Track Could Bend tomorrow, I'll also be guest-hosting Audiopollination (Friday at Array) and Ayal Senior's Tranzac residency (Sunday at 2:30). Come hang out!

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Concert announcements:

Jelly Ear [Cory Harper-Latkovich/Allison Cameron/Yang Chen/Sara Constant/Andrew Noseworthy/Seb Shinwell] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-06-12 (Monday). $pwyc. [FB event]

a Josh Cole trio + strings f/ John Oswald [Aline Homzy/Nick Storring/John Oswald/Blake Howard/Josh Cole] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-06-13 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Batuki Music Society presents: Lemen CD Release Concert (feat. Fantahun Shewankochew) / Alliance Française 2023-06-16 (Friday). $25. [morfe info]

Sweet Session [Randi Helmers/Rob Clutton] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-06-18 (Sunday – early) [FB event]

Happy Sundays (feat. FRAN / Motorists / Curt James) / The Baby G 2023-06-18 (Sunday). $free, 19+. [FB event]

Toronto Jazz Fest (feat. Aline's étoile magique [Aline Homzy/Michael Davidson/Marito Marques/Dan Fortin/Thom Gill]) / [corporate name] Village Stage 2023-06-28 (Wednesday – 4:30 p.m.). $free, outdoors. [more info]

Summer Music in the Garden (feat. Tafelmusik) / Toronto Music Garden 2023-06-29 (Thursday). $free, outdoors. [more info]

Avalon Tassonyi [album release] (No Frills / The Royal Family) / Monarch Tavern 2023-06-29 (Thursday). $19.48, 19+. [FB event]

July Long Weekend (feat. OKAN) / Harbourfront Centre – Stage in the Park 2023-07-02 (Sunday). $free, outdoors. [more info]

Summer Music in the Garden (feat. Nick Fraser Quartet [Nick Fraser/Tony Malaby/Andrew Downing/Rob Clutton]) / Toronto Music Garden 2023-07-30 (Sunday – 4 p.m.). $free, outdoors. [more info]

Summer Music in the Garden (feat. Aline Morales) / Toronto Music Garden 2023-08-03 (Thursday). $free, outdoors. [more info]

Summer Music in the Garden (feat. Waleed Abdulhamid) / Toronto Music Garden 2023-08-13 (Sunday – 4 p.m.). $free, outdoors. [more info]

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Shows this week:

Track Could Bend #80 (feat. Dan Pitt & Alexei Orechin / Lima/Roblin/Hall) / Wenona Lodge 2023-06-06 (Tuesday). $pwyc. [FB event]

TONE Festival (feat. Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog / Andy Moor / Adversarial Networks) / The Great Hall 2023-06-07 (Wednesday). $28.27, 19+. [FB event]

Cheryl Duvall [world premiere performance of Patrick Giguère's "Intimes exubérances"] / Canadian Music Centre 2023-06-08 (Thursday). $20 general/$15 arts worker, students, seniors. [FB event]

Music and the Shadow People [sneak peak of a live radio play performance written by William Parker with immersive multi-channel sound design by Andrew O’Connor] (feat. William Parker/Bea Labikova/Kayla Milmine/Anita Katakkar/Mike Rinaldi/Trent Pardy/Gary Kirkham/Rosina Kazi) / Array Space 2023-06-08 (Thursday). $20 or PWYC (cash only).

TONE Festival: Telephone Explosion x International Anthem Records Showcase (feat. Badge Époque Ensemble / Ben Lamar Gay / Masahiro Takahashi) / Nineteen Seventy Eight 2023-06-09 (Friday). $22.89, all ages. [FB event]

Audiopollination (feat. Zoë Alexis-Abrams/David Sait/Marilyn Yogarajah / Luke Roberts/Rod Campbell/Rosie Cochrane / Grace Scheele/Martin van de Ven / Michael Palumbo/TBA) / Array Space 2023-06-09 (Friday). $10 or PWYC. [FB event]

Transmit Presents @ Do West Fest 2023 (feat. Godcaster / Shrewd / Scooter Jay / Weird Nightmare) / The Garrison Outdoor Stage 2023-06-09 (Friday). $free, outdoors. [FB event]

Transmit Presents @ Do West Fest 2023 (feat. Toronto All Star Steel Orchestra / Vikki Minor / Night Finger / (((Hastings))) / Gossamer Blue / Roach / Theo Vandenhoff / Ducks Ltd. / Slash Need / Cartel Madras) / The Garrison Outdoor Stage 2023-06-10 (Saturday). $free, outdoors. [FB event]

Michael Palumbo/Zoma Tochi/Hiro / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-06-10 (Saturday)

Jessie Dara (Emilie Mover) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-06-11 (Sunday) [FB event]

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It happened this week...

• ...on June 8, 2012 at Polyhaus.

Childs - White Phosphorus

• ...on June 10, 2012 at David Pecaut Square (Luminato Festival).

Abyssinian Roots feat. Henok Abebe - Cheferaw Dera

[Do remember that you can click on the tags below to go back and find the original posts (and often, more stuff) from these artists.]

Recording: Many People

Artist: Many People

Songs: [two excerpts]

Recorded at Wenona Lodge (Karen Ng's Monthly), April 18, 2023.

Many People - [excerpt 1]

Many People - [excerpt 2]

A return apearance from this... well, call it more of a "concept" than a "band", with Karen Ng gathering together as many horn players as can be wrangled. The twist here was some extra spacialization, with the crew (on this night: Ng plus Leland Whitty, Kae Murphy, Brodie West, Jay Hay and Ted Crosby) spreading along the length of the room, giving some incredible in-person surround-sound vibes. (The stereoification on the recording here can only give a taste of how lovely it was!)

You can also check out some footage of the (nearly) full set from Many Penguins People over on youtube (though do note it was impossible to get more than half the group in the frame at any given time!):