Monday Roundup #279

Community notes:

• Save the date — a celebration of life for Jeff Burke will be held at The Tranzac, 2 to 8 p.m. on Sunday, July 12th. You can probably keep an eye out here for further details.

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Concert announcements:

Solitary Shrew Presents (feat. Catherine Crescent / Tania Gill/Aline Homzy/Brittany Pitt/Mira Riselli/Joe Sorbara) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-05-26 (Tuesday – early). $pwyc ($10 suggested). [more info]

Bitstance [William Brent/David Cecchetto/Colin Clark/Adam Tindale] / Array Space 2026-05-26 (Tuesday). $free, all ages

Nick Fraser presents (feat. Nick Fraser's Special Topics / Max Stover [solo]) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-05-26 (Tuesday). [more info]

More Noise Please! presents: Static//Dissonance//Rhythm//Eruption (feat. Fatboi Sharif & Icky Reels / Andrew Nolan / Escote / Gorf / 999ADJ) / BSMT 254 2025-05-28 (Thursday). $20. [tickets + more info]

Karen Ng presents (feat. Felix Henkelhausen/Nick Fraser/Karen Ng/Chris Pruden/Brodie West) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-05-28 (Thursday). $pwyc. [more info]

Exit Points #72 (feat. Hivemaker/Altar Egoic/Doorgirlvibe/Michael Palumbo / Shwaas/Judy Luo/Jonelle Sills/Zack Goldstein/Colin James Gibson) / Array Space 2025-05-29 (Friday). $17.52 (early bird)/$22.89 (advance)/$28.27 (general). [more info]

Transmit Presents at Do West Fest (feat. RroachH / The Get Alongs / Shilpa Ray / Mother Tongues) / outside The Garrison 2026-06-05 (Friday). $free, outdoors, all ages. [FB event]

Transmit Presents at Do West Fest (feat. Keegan Powell & The Jetpacks / Camille Leon / SAP / Silks / Boutique Feelings / Lavender Town / Ian Blurton's Future Now / Bonnie Trash / Phèdre / Holy Fuck) / outside The Garrison 2026-06-06 (Saturday). $free, outdoors, all ages. [FB event]

Gilliam/Milmine/Pottie Trio (Margaret Maria [solo] / Marbyllia [Margaret Maria & Bill Gilliam]) / Kensington Sound 2026-06-06 (Saturday). $25/PWYC

Transmit Presents at Do West Fest (feat. A Horse Named Friday / ROY / Hobby / Blunt Chunks / Ronley Teper & The Lipliners / Kiwi Jr.) / outside The Garrison 2026-06-07 (Sunday). $free, outdoors, all ages. [FB event]

The Fiver Trois / Dina's Tavern 2025-07-24 (Friday)

Drea Lake (Prince Enoki [Scott Peterson/Jocelyn Barth/Rob Piltch/Brandon Valdivia]) / Burdock Music Hall 2025-06-15 (Monday). $28.25 (early bird)/$39.55 (general admission). [tickets + more info]

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

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Shows this week:

Jazz Rat Monday (feat. Patrick Smith/Rebecca Hennessy/Max Simpson/Trevor Falls) / Dina's Tavern 2026-05-18 (Monday). $pwyc. [more info]

May Tuesdays Residency (feat. Velour Underground) / The Baby G 2026-05-19 (Tuesday). $free, 19+. [FB event]

Music Hosted by Karen Ng (feat. Duo Cichorium [Louis Pino & Jaz Tsui] / Kieran Adams/Caleb Clawson/Karen Ng/Raf Wilcot) / Wenona Lodge 2025-05-19 (Tuesday). $pwyc. [more info]

Playscape Emporium: Paint, Play ["The audience will witness the creation of various painted works, following the story of a painting as told by the brush."] (feat. Duo Cichorium / Constant Yen / Rowan Campbell / Charlee Wielgoz/Fahmid Nibesh/Joe Strutt/Mira Martin-Gray) / Array Space 2026-05-21 (Thursday). $25.00 (or Pay What You Want); livestream: $12.00 (or Pay What You Want). [more info]

Labyrinth Ontario presents Makam Nights (feat. Atom Wang) / The Tranzac (Living Room) 2026-05-21 (Thursday). $pwyc ($10 suggested). [FB event]

By Divine Right (Casper Skulls / The Will Powers) / Dina's Tavern 2026-05-22 (Friday)

Picastro (Lives Like Skyscrapers / Jordaan Mason) / Annette Studios 2026-05-22 (Friday). $28.25. [more info]

Isla Craig (Colin Fisher / Wenderly Park) / Le Monde 2026-05-22 (Friday). $15/PWYC (cash/card). [FB event]

Burn Down The Capital presents (feat. Cole Pulice / SpeariNg [Karen Ng & Charles Spearin] / Grace Scheele) / Collective Arts 2026-05-23 (Saturday). $22.89, 19+. [FB event]

Doug Tielli/Aline Homzy/Michael Davidson/Brandon Davis / Sellers & Newel 2026-05-23 (Saturday). $20 minimum donation. [more info]

Parade [Stefan Hegerat/Chris Pruden/Patrick O’Reilly/Laura Swankey] (Joyshape) / Burdock Music Hall 2026-05-23 (Saturday). $16.95. [more info]

Imaginary North and The AMBiENT PiNG present: Ambient Afternoon (feat. Piers Oolvai / Astrolope / Tewksbury / Dorraa and Lazy Summer Dogs) / Society Clubhouse 2026-05-24 (Sunday – 2 p.m.). $11.95 (advance)/$15 (door). [more info]

Sympathetic String Band & Friends (feat. Sympathetic String Band / Blue Moss / Jack Pine) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-05-24 (Sunday – early). $pwyc. [more info]

Ministry of Phonic Services presents (feat. Ben Rempel & Justin Gunter / Not the Wind, Not the Flag / Doug Tielli & Mike Gennaro) / Bickford Park 2026-05-24 (Sunday). $pwyc, all ages, outdoors. [more info]

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In memoriam Cris Derksen

Shocking and devastating news this weekend to hear of Cris Derksen's passing. I got to see Cris regularly for a spell when she was skipping between worlds and establishing herself both as a player and composer. Often seen with an infectious grin and a cheerful vibe, it was a big deal for me to have Cris come play Track Could Bend in its early days. Having moved onto bigger stages and more ambitious compositions, it's a huge loss to see this talent taken from us. Here's some sounds from the archives, with Cris playing in support of others as well as her own material:

• ...on March 7, 2014 at The Great Hall (Long Winter – Year 2, Volume 5).

Fiver - Gone Alone

• ...on December 4, 2014 at The Music Gallery (Emergents I).

Cris Derksen - 21

• ...on January 5, 2016 at Dundas Video (Track Could Bend #10).

Cris Derksen - War Cry [Movement I]

• ...on March 24, 2017 at The Gladstone Hotel's Ballroom (Long Winter 5.4).

Leanne Betasamosake Simpson - How to Steal a Canoe

• ...on July 21, 2017 at Harbourfront Centre – Concert Stage (Northern Passages Festival).

Cris Derksen - What Did You Do Boy?

[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.]

Monday Roundup #203

Concert announcements:

Second Fridays (feat. Chiquitamagic / Brodie West / Stones, Breeze, and Tinder) / Canadian Music Centre 2024-12-13 (Friday). $15; $10 for students. [morfe info]

Roasted Chestnuts IX (feat. Queer Songbook Orchestra) / Hart House Theatre 2024-12-20 (Friday). $32. [more info]

Cosmic Homeostasis XXVI / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2024-12-29 (Sunday – 2:30 p.m.) [FB event]

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

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Shows this week:

Dan Pitt [solo guitar] / Sellers & Newel 2024-12-02 (Monday). $15 minimum donation. [more info]

Track Could Bend #98 (feat. Dept. of Loss [Fan Wu / Phil Hamilton] / Pigeon Dance) / Wenona Lodge 2024-12-03 (Tuesday). $pwyc. [FB event]

Holy Oak Family Singers Present: A Musical Nativity Play (feat. Thom Gill/Luka Kuplowksy/Stefana Fratila/Dorothea Paas/Maggie Keogh/Bram Gielen/Spencer Cole/Alex Samaras/Carlyn Bezic/Ben Gunning/Sarah Ruba/Robin Dann/Josh Cole/Ryan Driver/Caitlin Woelfle-O'Brien/Ivy Mairi/Ten Moon/Isis Giraldo/Mara Nesrallah/Justin Orok/Stephen Prickett/Felicity Williams/Madelyn Kirby) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2024-12-04 (Wednesday – early) [more info]

Ghostlight / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2024-12-04 (Wednesday). $pwyc, $10 suggested. [FB event]

No Frills (Packs) / Ted's Collision 2024-12-05 (Thursday). $pwyc. [more info]

Tania Gill Quartet [Brodie West/Rob Clutton/Nico Dann/Tania Gill] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2024-12-06 (Friday – early). $pwyc. [FB event]

Jazz Piano Meets Kurdish Kamanche (feat. Diane Roblin & Shahriyar Jamshidi) / Canadian Music Centre 2024-12-06 (Friday). $27.96. [more info/tickets]

The Ocean Sleeps (Das Rad / Camo Kimono / Sabio) / Junction Underground 2024-12-06 (Friday). $10. [FB event]

Esther Splett (Tommy Tone / Corpusse / But Worse) / Spadina Baby 2024-12-06 (Friday). $15/PWYC, 19+

Not Dead Yet + Sacred Bones present (feat. Uniform / Pharmakon / True Body) / Monarch Tavern 2024-12-07 (Saturday). $31.56, 19+. [FB event]

coexisDance #107 (feat. Pursuit Grooves/Judy Luo/Laura Swankey/B Solomon/Oz Bamboo/James Bailey/Akin Mponjika/Laura Barrett/Meryem Alaoui) / Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre 2024-12-07 (Saturday). $15 (sliding). [more info]

Ayal Senior & Friends (feat. Ayal Senior & Kurt Newman / The Sympathetic String Band / Nick Flanagan / Way Bad Stone) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2024-12-08 (Sunday – 2:30 p.m.) [FB event]

Lostworldsounds [Heartbroken Yesterdays Fleeting Tomorrows album release celebration!] (Man Meets Bear / guests from Ghostlight) / The Sun Room at 918 Bathurst 2024-12-08 (Sunday). $15/PWYC (no one turned away for lack of funds). [FB event]

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Video hits:

• If I tell you that Parade (the band) is made up of Parade: Laura Swankey, Patrick O'Reilly, Chris Pruden and Stefan Hegerat and I tell you that the animation in this video was done by Bea Labikova you're just gonna click right on it, right?

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Bandcamp corner:

• After taking November off, there's one last Bandcamp Friday coming up to close out the year. A good time to pick up some digital stocking stuffers! I've got lots of stuff on my list, but here's a couple picks:

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It happened this week...

• ...on December 4, 2014 at The Music Gallery (Emergents I).

Cris Derksen - 21

• ...on December 4, 2014 at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge).

Pete Johnston with Michael Davidson with Jay Hay with Jake Oelrichs with Mike Smith - Dark Sequin

[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: Cris Derksen

Artist: Cris Derksen

Songs: New Nimkii^* + What Did You Do Boy?

Recorded at Harbourfront Centre – Concert Stage (Northern Passages Festival), July 21, 2017.

Cris Derksen - New Nimkii

Cris Derksen - What Did You Do Boy?

Having previously brought her Orchestral Pow-Wow project to Harbourfront, there was more room on the stage this time with cellist Cris Derksen performing with powerhouse drummer Jesse Baird. That left lots of room stage centre for dancer Nimkii Osawamick, who dazzled with his stunning hoop dance moves. Derksen's set covered a lot of ground, from delicate vocal ballads to raucous beat-driven instrumentals where her cello loops provide the "voices". Derksen has been busy working the folk festival circuit across the country (and beyond) all summer long, so it was a treat to see her in a brief stop back at home. Once things quiet down, there an album's worth of new material to be recorded, plus, I'm sure, reflections on the cognitive dissonance of playing songs like "Our Home on Native Land" to summer sesquicentennial crowds.

^* This is likely just a working title for this new piece. I will update when more information comes to light.

Recording: Leanne Betasamosake Simpson

Artist: Leanne Betasamosake Simpson

Song: How to Steal a Canoe

Recorded at The Gladstone Hotel's Ballroom (Long Winter 5.4), March 24, 2017.

Leanne Betasamosake Simpson - How to Steal a Canoe

Long Winter ended its abbreviated, roving season with a return to The Gladstone, filling the second floor with art and the Ballroom and Melody Bar with ping-ponging live sets. Starting things off in The Ballroom, there were a couple familiar faces, including Nick Ferrio, in supporting roles here, providing the musical backdrop for Simpson's poem-songs drawing on the storytelling traditions of her Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg heritage. Moving past spoken word declamation into sing-speak territory, some of the pieces approached a Blue Aeroplanes-style flow, while others, like this one, soared thanks to Cris Derksen's cello textures.

[You can check out some video footage of the night over at Brandon Caswell Douglas' youtube playlist.]

Recording: Cris Derksen

Artist: Cris Derksen

Song: War Cry [Movement I]

Recorded at Dundas Video (Track Could Bend #10), January 5, 2016.

Cris Derksen - War Cry [Movement I]

An evening of pop + improvisations got off to a great start with Cris Derksen's loop-based work on cello, voice + keyboard. Spontaneous and in the moment, but with lots of truly beautiful details embroidered in her sound, touching on the full range of musical ideas she's been exploring in her Orchestral Pow Wow project and her Arthur Russell-ish disco improvisations.

[The next Track Could Bend is February 2nd — Groundhog Day! — at Dundas Video. Stay tuned for more info.]

Recording: Cris Derksen

Artist: Cris Derksen

Song: 21

Recorded at The Music Gallery (Emergents I), December 4, 2014.

Cris Derksen - 21

Although, perhaps, needing a formal introduction such as this to a Toronto audience, Cris Derksen has been "emerging" across the country for the past several years — most notably collaborating with Tanya Tagaq. Recently spotted on local stages with Fiver, Derksen performed a solo set at this Melody McKiver-curated night. Proudly representing her heritage (growing up in Northern Alberta, her father is North Tall Cree and her mother Mennonite) but future-facing both sonically and socially, this set mixed classical gravitas with disco lightness. This particular track, originally composed as part of her soundtrack for CBC's 8th Fire, brings all of that together in a deliciously-layered resistance groove. [You can check out a recently-posted recording of this piece as a bunch more over at Derksen's soundcloud.]

Recording: Fiver

Artist: Fiver

Song: Oh Sienna

Recorded at Christie Pits Park ("Bloor Ossington Folk Festival"), September 21, 2014.

Fiver - Oh Sienna

Once again, the Bloor Ossington Folk Festival stayed true to its roots as a low-key and local celebration. By enfolding itself into the contours of Christie Pits, BOFF still feels casual and approachable, even with some heavy hitters in its lineup. As so often happens at outdoor events, weather forced organizers to make some adjustments on the fly, but even having to move the headliners into the beer tent served to reinforce the intimate vibes. There's room to grow, but overall the organizers are getting things right.

As the rain poured down, every available canopy was mustered to expand the covered zone at the beer tent and the crowd pulled in to watch Simone Schmidt's "other" unit. An energetic bounce from the rhythm section jousted with Cris Derksen's darker cello tones^* to give a different colour to Schmidt's songs than heard the day before. There was also the debut of a tasty new one called "Theme Writer's Theme" nestled among the older material.

^* I only know Derksen's work so far from her collaborations in Fiver, but I'm looking forward to hearing her unpack her own musical ideas at the Music Gallery's upcoming Emergents show.

Recording: Fiver

Artist: Fiver

Song: Gone Alone

Recorded at The Great Hall (Long Winter – Year 2, Volume 5), March 7, 2014.

Fiver - Gone Alone

Full review to follow. Never have I felt such a seemingly unending, relentless winter in this town, but the monthly instalments of Long Winter were all welcome respites. This second season closed out with a somewhat heavier night — Fucked Up finally made a last-minute appearance to preview their forthcoming Glass Boys album to close things out. But there was still a lot of variety stuffed in around the edges. It seemed like the crowd at this all-ages affair got younger every month, and from what I could tell a lot of the younger cohort came with open ears, willing to take a chance on the bands besides the ones they came to see. We don't have enough of this going on, so here's hoping that next winter is once again a Long Winter. (Except, like, weather-wise. Please don't make us deal with that again!)

Celebrating International Women's Day, Simone Schmidt brought a whole different configuration than was seen at the band's album release show — here in a stripped-down trio with her guitar accompanied by cris derksen's cello textures and Simone T-B's percussion.