Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis

Song: Vale of Avoca (Set 2) [excerpt]

Recorded in the Vale of Avoca (Ministry of Phonic Services' Back to School Field Trip), September 14, 2025.

Cosmic Homeostasis - Vale of Avoca (Set 2) [excerpt]

A wonderful and special day out! As part of Ministry of Phonic Services' September-long Back to School Field Trip festival, members of the Cosmic Homeostasis collective gathered underneath St. Clair Avenue, in the Ministry of Phonic Services' Back to School Field Trip excursion to the Vale of Avoca (perhaps the city's most fancifully-named ravine). Feeling a world removed from the city, the expanded group enfolded itself into the space, with several guest performers taking advantage of stones, sticks and other found objects (including the trusses of the bridge itself!) to add some environmental sounds.

The full ensemble for this performance was:

• Allison Cameron - ukulele + NASA recording
• Colin Cudmore - percussion
• Dame Cook - MIDI synthesis/round objects
• Dan Friedman - Kastl Drum, Amp, EQ, mixer feedback, wooden flute
• Grace Scheele - toy melodica, recorder
• Grant Smales - nightjar sounds
• Heraclitus Akimbo - accordion, synth, pedals, water bottle
• Ian McPhedran - guitar
• Jaz Tsui - rocks
• Jim Davis - digital synth
• Juniper Mitchell - site-specific lithophone
• Karen O'Keefe - vocals
• Kat Estacio - kulintang, rock, bow, dried leaves, boy bawang, found metal, bridge underboob
• Louis Pino - rocks and dirt
• Maks - rocks, camera
• Mike Filippov - wavedrum + found objects
• Mira Martin-Gray - synth, jaw harp, kazoo
• Niamh Girling - tampura, morchang
• Nilan Perera - amplified acoustic guitar
• Paul Newman - tenor saxophone
• Phil Johnston - guitar + delay
• Rob Cruickshank - electronics
• Sonia Leung - violin, vocals
• Sterling McPhedran - rocks in the river

As always, this performance has been archived on Bandcamp:

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

[Mark your calendar, Cosmic Homeostasis will be back at The Tranzac on the afternoon of Sunday, November 30th.]

photo by Ministry of Phonic Services

Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis XXVIII

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis XXVIII

Song: Cancel the Wedding [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), June 29, 2025.

Cosmic Homeostasis XXVIII - Cancel the Wedding [excerpt]

A fine summer afternoon saw a robust group of space-droners out to chill in some cosmic sounds. As usual, there was a mix of acoustic and electronic sounds, new faces and old.

The ensemble for this session included:

• Ian McPhedran - guitar, namer-of-things
• Sterling McPhedran - banjo-ukulele
• Dan Friedman - recorder, Organism 8, Skrewell, Crackle + Dust
• Mira Martin-Gray - vocals, tone generator, kazoo
• Zack Berwick - guitar
• Scott M2 - Roland S-1
• Grant Smales - Buddha Machine
• Andrew Finlay Stewart - violin, kalimba, pedals, celtic whistle, whistling
• Rob Cruickshank - electronics
• Broken Pink Umbrella - Intellijel Cascadia synthesizer
• Phil Johnston - tape + fx
• Paul Newman - tenor saxophone
• Ariadna Ortega - cello (#2 only)
• Patrick O'Reilly - Game Boy
• Dame Cook - laptop
• Del Stephen - synth, piano
• Heraclitus Akimbo - Roland S-1, Bastl Wizard, radio

As usual, both full sets are available over on bandcamp:

And as well, you can check out some the day's full proceedings over on youtube:

Recording: Maebh Clark & Lucas Dvorsky

Artist: Maebh Clark & Lucas Dvorsky

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at Wenona Lodge (Track Could Bend #103), April 1, 2025.

Maebh Clark & Lucas Dvorsky - [excerpt]

This time out, I was happy to invite Ministry of Phonic Services to program the sets — all the better to lean back and relax a bit on the tenth anniversary of TCB's first show. This set brought together Maebh Clark (a.k.a. Dame Cook) and Lucas Dvorsky (a.k.a. Woolworm, Ontario), a pair of laptopists performing together for the first time. There was the looming petential of noise freakouts exploding at any instant, but the pair explored a lot of different textures, building up from some mellower zones into contrasting digital debriscapes.

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

[Track Could Bend will be back at Wenona on Tuesday, May 6th, with sets from Allison Cameron, Hex-A-Decimal, and Allemano/Driver/Klager.]

Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis XXVI

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis XXVI

Song: I'm Not Bruce [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), December 29, 2024.

Cosmic Homeostasis XXVI - I'm Not Bruce [excerpt]

Closing out a busy and productive year (with shows in The Tranzac, in church, and outside) this afternoon saw a record number of homeostasisists gathering together to gently listen and make sounds. A real joy to be in the middle of, with so many strands that one could follow along, until something else grabs one's attention. And as always, you can hear the whole afternoon's worth of sounds over on bandcamp:

The participants this time around were:

• Jim Davis - bass + effects, namer-of-things
• Johan S. - sunvox ipad / UPI sketch
• Mike Filippov - wave drum
• %%30%30 - percussion
• Rosalind Saunders - violin
• Trevor Ablett - guitar
• Christina + Wesley Ablett - wave drum
• Jonny Luke - cornet
• Scott M2 - S-1
• Paul Newman - tenor saxophone
• Mira Martin-Gray - laptop
• Matt Collins - guitar
• yasmine - synth, shakers
• apple - shakers
• Sterling McPhedran - guitar
• Ian McPhedran - banjo-uke
• Elliott Chapin - flute
• Dame Cook - digital synthesis
• Dan Friedman - Moog Mavis, Korg NTS1, flute
• Philip Hamilton - oscillators, contact mic
• Victor O - Yamaha CP Reface
• Mickle32 - clarinet
• Heraclitus Akimbo - lap steel

Mike Filippov shot some really beautiful abstracted video on the day that really captures the spirit of the music. It doesn't look to be embeddable, so I recommend you click here and go watch it!

Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis XXV

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis XXV

Songs: Geoff [excerpt] + A Partner for Geoff [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), September 29, 2024.

Cosmic Homeostasis XXV - Geoff [excerpt]

Cosmic Homeostasis XXV - A Partner for Geoff [excerpt]

In between more exotic engagements, the C.H. crew settled into the Southern Cross for a cozy fifth-Sunday-of-the-month gathering. A delightful wind section, this time out, as well as more fabulous underlying tanpura drones among some really nice sounds from new and old faces. It's always a treat to be in the middle of these sound-universes, but maybe this time a little more than usual.

The ensemble this time out was:

• Philip Hamilton - pedals, namer-of-things
• Ron Blake - apps, etc.
• Jim Davis - bass, pedals
• Dame Cook - haunted laptop
• Mira Martin-Gray - synthesizers
• Sterling McPhedran - banjo/ukulele
• Ian McPhedran - guitar
• Phil Johnston - oscillators, contact mic, voice
• Eric Cinnesealach - clarinet, percussion
• styrofoamNosebleedPrincess - tanpura
• Paul Newman - tenor saxophone
• Elliott Chapin - flute
• Heraclitus Akimbo - Pluto synth, Zoia, chimes

And as usual, you can check out the afternoon's full proceedings on Bandcamp:

Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis

Song: Eclipse Drone [excerpt]

Recorded at Christie Pits, April 8, 2024.

Cosmic Homeostasis - Eclipse Drone [excerpt]

Well, a total solar eclipse isn't something that happens every day, and even if Toronto was limited to a mere 99.9% of totality this was an event worth getting outside for. So, returning to the scene of previous park gatherings, a robust crew gathered to experience the unsettling gloom that manifested even under cloudy skies. There was a visual score offered as a suggestion at structure, but as is usual with this ensemble, the sounds were satisfactorily self-regulating. And even with such a large group, it was still an intensely quiet experience — the zone of sounding attracted some notice from passers-by, but wasn't disruptive outside its bubble.

What an amazing turnout! The full ensemble consisted of:

• Ian McPhedran - prepared guitar
• Kai Schmidt - child's keyboard
• Helen Lhazan - monotron synth
• Elka Cruz - wrist bell + cyborg pancreas + kalimba
• styrofoamNosebleedPrincess - wrist bell, jaw harp, flexitone
• Mira Martin-Gray - synth, harmonica
• Simon Webb - tambourine + bell
• Eric Cinnsealach - bass clarinet
• Dame Cook - haunted laptop
• Alex Simons - harmonicas, bell
• Chris Price - voice
• Max Donaldson - voice
• Ivy Carroll - voice
• Daisy Betlej - bowed flexitone
• Kaya McGregor - tongue drum (soprano)
• Marius / Lenny / Adriano - stuff & vibes
• Naomi McCarroll-Butler - jaw harp
• Matthew + Anna - harmonica, whistle, thumb piano, pistachios
• Sara Constant - flute
• Kat Estacio - cymbal, Tibetan singing bowl
• Abigail Trotsky + Chris Trotter - DIY resonance box + bow w/ reverb + multi-effect
• Erin Corbett - cello + mandolin
• Mickle32 - bass
• Heraclitus Akimbo - synths, Zoia

You can listen to a (lightly-edited) version of the full experience over on bandcamp:

Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis XXIII

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis XXIII

Songs: Moving [excerpt] + Top of the Mountain [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), March 31, 2023.

Cosmic Homeostasis XXIII - Moving [excerpt]

Cosmic Homeostasis XXIII - Top of the Mountain [excerpt]

With the calendar withholding a fifth Sunday of the month until March, this was the first manifestation of this ever shifting/growing collective in the calendar year, but even competing calls of Easter weekend couldn't stop a robust group of droners from gathering together. With birthday celebrant Diane Roblin considering the names of the pieces, there was a nice mix of gentle clatter and spacy drift over these two selections.

The full ensemble this time out was:

• Diane Roblin - Yamaha Reface, melodica, namer-of-things
• Scott M2 - Animoog
• Carly H - voice
• Dame Cook - plastic, cup, laptop
• Eric Cinnesealach - bass clarinet, percussion
• Mira Martin-Gray - tone generator, voice
• Mike Filippov - percussion
• Victor O - melodica, salt packets
• Marilyn Yogarajah - trumpet, piano
• Jesse Clark - percussion
• Phil - static apparition
• Paul Newman - tenor saxophone
• Mickle32 - bass
• Heraclitus Akimbo - Roland J-6, Bastl Kastle, radio, lyre

And as always, you can hear/download the entire performance over at bandcamp:

Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis XXII

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis XXII

Song: Stimulant Sister Comedown Cowboy [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge (Cosmic Homeostasis & Audiopollination: Pre-NYE gathering + celebration), December 30, 2023.

Cosmic Homeostasis XXII - Stimulant Sister Comedown Cowboy [excerpt]

With the regular fifth-Sunday-of-the-month afternoon timeslot reserved for NYE prep, Cosmic Homeostasis took over the Southern Cross for a rare evening drone meetup. That might have brought on some slightly more rambunctious zones, but things were still relatively contained, with a really nice mix of acoustic and electronic sounds. Rather a pleasant way to gather with friends and celebate the turning of the year.

The participants this time out were:

• Hallelujah Daisy Bettlej - piano, namer-of-things
• Dame Cook - laptop noise
• Scott M2 - Animoog
• Sable - dong xao
• Berrett E. Lediard - Refraction
• kat estacio - kulintang, electronics
• Diane Roblin - Yamaha Reface electric keyboard
• Eric Kinsella - percussion, bass clarinet
• Victor O - malfunctioning keyboard
• Del Stephen - FM synthesizer keyboard, pedalboard
• Paul Newman - tenor saxophone
• Elliott Chapin - flute
• Mira Martin-Gray - Bastl Kastle
• Grant & Gertie - bowls
• Heraclitus Akimbo - iPad synths, shortwave radio, Zoia

As always, the full session is preserved over on Bandcamp:

Plus, you can check out some footage of the full first set over on youtube:

photo by Vincent C.

Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis XXI

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis XXI

Song: Low-pressure Supercollider Sounds [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), October 29, 2023.

Cosmic Homeostasis XXI - Low-pressure Supercollider Sounds [excerpt]

A special day for the Cosmic Homeostasis collective, celebrating the release of a pair of recordings as a new album. Both birthed in a period when gathering at The Tranzac was unfeasible, "Broken Telephone" was a lockdown-era initiative where members of the group built layer upon layer of sounds as the recording passed from one person to the next. "Christie's Transmission" emerged from a period of tentative returning to gathering — in this case, outside on a couple occasions in late summer of '21 in Christie Pits. The latter recordings were beautifully collaged together by Jeffrey Sinibaldi, who also released these sounds on a tape from Vacancy Recordings.

Meanwhile, it was business as usual for the musicians who gathered to make some sounds together, with electronic sounds mixing with horns, percussion and even some tap dancing percussion. As usual, the full session is available over on bandcamp:

The participants this time around were:

• Paul Newman - tenor saxophone
• Rob Cruickshank - electronics
• Michelangelo Iaffaldano - voice, guitar, software synthesis
• Eric Kinsella - bass clarinet + percussion
• Scott M2 - Animoog
• James Bailey - Roland SE-02 with radios
• Victor O - Casio
• Christina Muratore - harmonica
• Michael Lynn - tap + clarinet
• Maebh Clark/Dame Cook - hauntological experiments
• Shelodyn - improvidence
• Philip - clip mic + oscillator
• Ian + Sterling McPhedran - radio
• Patrick O'Reilly - circuit bent Casio SK-1
• Heraclitus Akimbo - Kaossilator + Zoia
• Jeffrey Sinibaldi - namer-of-things

[Cosmic Homeostasis will close out the year with a special non-afternoon, non-Sunday event, taking over the Southern Cross on Saturday, December 30th in an evening that will be shared with Audiopollination for a special pre-NYE celebration.]

Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis XIII

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis XIII

Song: I Can't Find My Phone [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), December 29, 2019.

Cosmic Homeostasis XIII - I Can't Find My Phone [excerpt]

To my surprise and delight, in the midst of that muddled and busy holiday week after xmas we managed to muster a baker's dozen soundmakers to mindmeld into some electroacoustic drift. Maybe folks just needed a calm zone away from the holiday hurlyburly. In any case, an excellent bit of preparation for the collective's first formal recording session — of which, more news soon!

The group on this day consisted of:

• Scott M2 (Animoog Borderlands)
• Paul Newman (tenor saxophone)
• Matt Wells (cymbal)
• Dame Cook (electronics)
• Patrick O'Reilly (Bliptronic 5000 and guitar)
• strofoamNosebleedPrincess (bass guitar and objects)
• Michael Lynn (bass guitar and things, namer-of-things)
• Maggie Keogh (Omnichord)
• Del Stephen (synth, piano, tape, fx)
• NilanX (prepared guitar and fx)
• Mira Martin-Grey (prepared/broken autoharp)
• Stefan Powell (duochord with magnetic wheels)
• Victor O (shakers + noisemakers)
• Heraclitus Akimbo (tapes and electronics)

You can also listen to the full set over on Bandcamp:

Recording: Wiernik/Corbett/Cook

Artist: Neil Wiernik/Erin Corbett/Dame Cook

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge (Karen Ng Presents: The Boxing Day Special), December 26, 2019.

Neil Wiernik/Erin Corbett/Dame Cook - [excerpt]

Karen Ng (away for her regular night at The Tranzac) left things to guest curator Victor O, who assembled a fine night of electroacoustic sounds. The night started with this trio offering three flavours of electronics, mashing together into 8-bit victory fanfares, bitcrushed surfscapes and touch-type chimes.

Recording: American Standard Trio with Kayla Milmine and Mira Martin-Gray

Artist: American Standard Trio with Kayla Milmine and Mira Martin-Gray

Song: [excerpt from first piece, in two parts]

Recorded at Wenona Lodge (Jazz and Otherwise Improvised Musics), July 9, 2019.

American Standard Trio with Kayla Milmine and Mira Martin-Gray - [excerpt from first piece, part 1]

American Standard Trio with Kayla Milmine and Mira Martin-Gray - [excerpt from first piece, part 2]

Short a member for the night, two-thirds of American Standard Trio (Dame Cook and Victor O) enlisted like-minded sonic explorers Mira Martin-Gray and Kayla Milmine to help populate their noise-as-jazz-as-noise soundworld. You know how some nights you can hear feral cats fighting with raccoons in a territorial battle over the green bins? Well, parts of this set sounded like that, only on a planet of robots. Not a Disney soundtrack then, but a lively and joyful ramble nonetheless.

Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis XI

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis XI

Songs: Out Among the Reeds [excerpt] + Windows and Passageways [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge, June 30, 2019.

Cosmic Homeostasis XI - Out Among the Reeds [excerpt]

Cosmic Homeostasis XI - Windows and Passageways [excerpt]

As the month's fifth Sunday rolls around once more, a robust turnout of musicians (and audience) showed up at the Tranzac to hang out and hear some pleasantly-unrushed drift-drones.

The afternoon's performers included:

• Dame Cook - electronics, namer-of-things
• Ron Blake - ipad apps
• Michael Lynn (mkl32) - bass
• Niamh Girling - push chime
• Abigail Trotsky - guitar, ebow, pedals
• Paul Newman - tenor saxophone
• Chris Trotter - synth
• Laura Swankey - voice, pedals
• Mira Martin-Gray - electronics
• Jordan Brown - synth, pedals
• Matt Wells - bells
• beard closet - guitar, noisebox
• Del Stephen - piano, synth, drumstick
• Heraclitus Akimbo - static, found sounds, effects

You can also check out the full sets over on bandcamp:

[Cosmic Homeostasis will be back in the Southern Cross on the afternoon of Sunday, September 29th!]

Recording: Dame Cook/O'Reilly/Bray

Artist: Dame Cook/Patrick O'Reilly/Bryan W. Bray

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at Array Space (Track Could Bend #49: Fourth Anniversary All-Star Spectacular!), April 2, 2019.

Dame Cook/Patrick O'Reilly/Bryan W. Bray - [excerpt]

For its fourth anniversary, Track Could Bend once more invited back all of the past year's performers to partake in some instant bands, with names being drawn from a hat before each set. A dozen musicians took up the challenge, divided into four trios. Unexpected connections emerged — there were more violins than usual, for example — and once more the results were highly satisfying. This set saw two guitar heroes take the stage, though only Bryan Bray brought his axe, while Patrick O'Reilly instead brought a toy keyboard and some bells. Dame Cook, meanwhile, added the requisite violin as well as some treated youtube sounds.

[Track Could Bend is back at its Wenona home base tonight (Tuesday, June 4th) offering sets from Mike Barber, Ashley Urquhart and Friends plus Pete Johnston's Bog Standards.]

Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis X

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis X

Songs: The Wire Shimmy [excerpt] + Buzzy Bandit Breakdown [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), March 31, 2019.

Cosmic Homeostasis X - The Wire Shimmy [excerpt]

Cosmic Homeostasis X - Buzzy Bandit Breakdown [excerpt]

Another afternoon of electroacoustic ambient drift sounds, with a robust turnout that reached fifteen performers by the second set. But for all that, the performers showed admirably restraint, growing the soundfield without becoming too obtrusive and making for a rather-pleasant drifting sensation.

The afternoon's performers included:

• Ron Blake - guitar, kaoss pad
• Matt Wells - guitar
• Rob Cruickshank - electronics
• Randi Helmers - voice
• Aaron Dawson - crappy old synth
• Victor O - water-logged xylo, cello bow, random percussion
• Dame Cook - electronics, xylo
• Del Stephen - keyboard
• Marilyn Y - singing bowl, trio chime
• Paul Newman - tenor saxophone
• Mira Martin-Gray - electronics
• Phil Hamilton - guitar, monotribe
• Patrick O'Reilly - piano, namer-of-things
• Scott M2 - electronics
• Heraclitus Akimbo - tapes, pedals, sine wave, guitar

You can also check out the full sets over on bandcamp:

[Cosmic Homeostasis will be back in the Southern Cross on the afternoon of Sunday, June 30th!]

Recording: Dame Cook

Artist: Dame Cook

Song: [edited excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Tiki Room (Cold Early Spring), May 16, 2019.

Dame Cook - [edited excerpt]

This aptly-named night, curated by Hexzuul's David Jones, saw the temperature falling and some occasional snow flurries outside, and a warm crowd filling the Tiki Room. Also celebrating an Arachnidiscs CD-r EP (one more to keep track of amongst a prolifically-updated bandcamp), Dame Cook offered a set that sounded a bit like like popping some Quaaludes and flipping through youtube while the cat walks on your keyboards in the background, moving from Metal Gear Solid samples to a seasonally-appropriate tribute to the recently-passed Mark Hollis.

[Dame Cook will be performing alongside Bile Sister and Leucrocuta at Handlebar this Saturday (May 18th) as part of "American Standard Union", a "flower power electronics super-assembly" of American Standard Trio, New Tendencies and Brother Cece.]

Recording: American Standard Trio

Artist: American Standard Trio

Songs: [two excerpts]

Recorded at Burdock Music Hall, November 11, 2018.

American Standard Trio - [excerpt 1]

American Standard Trio - [excerpt 2]

Excellent work here from AST, bigging up their sound to fit a more advanced PA than there was at the last time I saw 'em, and adding a touch of gravitas in creating some low-budget soundtrack-y electroacoustic jams. There was still a joi de vivre in their methodology, mind you, and watching the band in action (water-cooler jug percussion, elaborate pass-the-violin procedures and all) is like witnessing a gang of kids playing scrub on a baseball diamond — a lot of free movement that's still subject to higher principles of co-ordination.

Recording: Dame Cook

Artist: Dame Cook

Song: [first piece, in two parts]^*

Recorded at Handlebar (Nite Comfort 59), September 2, 2018.

Dame Cook - [first piece, part 1]

Dame Cook - [first piece, part 2]

A charming night out at Nite Comfort that offered, as they say, both kinds of music (that is to say, electronic and electroacoustic). Playing violin — at times held like a dowsing rod — Dame Cook entered into a mysterious forest for some explorations. American Standard Trio bandmate Danny Sheahan added support on laptop manipulations (as well as duet vox on a closing cover of Peter Gabriel's "Don't Give Up").

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

Recording: American Standard Trio

Artist: American Standard Trio

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at Wenona Lodge (Track Could Bend #40), July 3, 2018.

American Standard Trio - [excerpt]

Although this was the first official show for this unit, its constituent members have worked together in other projects — and were working together enough in finding this project's sonic space that their first tape (issued by Heretical Objects Cooperative) was out before this first gig. Self-consciously applying the tools of "noise" music to the structures of free jazz, the trio have found their own path into the cut'n'paste electroacoustic realm, with glubbering spoken word samples, abstract piano stabs and disembodied violin all finding their way into the mix. And though this audio sample might imply a fairly serious musical mentality, their live presentation (which included visuals reconstructed from videogame cutscenes) broadened that context into a more playful realm.

[Dame Cook (one-third of American Standard Trio) is performing at Nite Comfort, this Sunday (September 2nd) at Handlebar. Track Could Bend will be back downstairs at Wenona next Tuesday (September 4th), featuring sets from Saturn City, Sarah Tracy and Very Many.]