Monday Roundup #123

Community notes:

• Good news from over at the Canadian Music Centre with word that Karen Ng has been selected as new the curator for the CMC Presents concert series. Expect cool things to be happening in the Chalmers Performance Space!

• Meanwhile, outgoing curator Nick Storring (whose last curated show will be at the CMC this week, as mentioned in the listings below) will be presenting a workshop entitled "Getting you and your music out there", examining "the ins and outs of publicity and promotion for independent composers and musicians trying to build a name for themselves in 2023." The event at the CMC on Friday (May 26th) is free with RSVP.

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Concert announcements:

Sunglaciers (No Frills / Pretty) / Monarch Tavern 2023-06-01 (Thursday). $14.50, 19+. [FB event]

Liquid Architecture: An evening of solo acoustic guitar (feat. Brian Abbott/Ryan Kinney/Kurt Newman/Patrick O’Reilly) / Mischief Makers 2023-06-03 (Saturday). $10 in advance/$12 at the door. [FB event]

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

Venus Fest presents: Year 8 LP release (feat. Queen Of Swords / CJ Wiley / Ivy Mairi) / Cecil Community Centre 2023-07-07 (Friday). $25.57. [FB event]

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Shows this week:

Estonian Music Week: Jazz Stage (feat. Kirke Karja Trio / Tania Gill Quartet / Marilyn Lerner & Matt Brubeck) / St. Anne's Anglican Church 2023-05-25 (Thursday). $27.96. [FB event]

CMC Presents (feat. Roa Lee / Araz Salek) / CMC Chalmers Performance Space 2023-05-25 (Thursday). General Admission: $15 Advance / $20 at the door, CMC Members and Arts Workers: $12 Advance / $15 at the door, Students. $10 anytime. [more info]

CCMC [Casey Sokol/John Kamevaar/Paul Dutton/John Oswald + guest: Cheryl Ockrant] / Array Space 2023-05-25 (Thursday). $free/PWYC, livestream available. [more info]

West End Phoenix presents WEPFEST: 3 Day Spring Fundraiser! (feat. John Southworth and The South Seas [album launch!]) / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2023-05-25 (Thursday). $22.60 [more info]

c_RL (c_RL with Wenderly Park / Fish with an "F" [Brian Abbott/Andrew Furlong/Mark Zurawinski]) / The Tranzac (Living Room) 2023-05-26 (Friday – 6:00 p.m.). $PWYC. [FB event]

All Set Presents: Music by Mike Smith (feat. Mike Smith/Jake Oelrichs/Laura Bates/Kayla Milmine/Brodie West) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-05-26 (Friday – early!). $pwyc.

Westelaken [I am Steaming Mushrooms album release!] (Little Kid [solo] / Only God Forgives) / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2023-05-26 (Friday). $15 or PWYC @ door. [FB event]

Exit Points #38 (feat. magfoto/Delta-Sine/Kavi/Hrysovalanti/Sarah Imrisek / Youssef Bassit/Gayle Young/Astrolope/Spencer LeVon/Michael Palumbo / “Switchemups”) / Array Space 2023-05-26 (Friday). $20 at the door. [FB event]

Bill Gilliam/Eugene Martynec/Bill McBirnie [Outside The Maze album release!] / Annette Studios 2023-05-25 (Friday). $15 / PWYC. [FB event]

The Ryan Driver Sextet / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-05-26 (Friday)

The AMBiENT PiNG: Drone Day 2023/DRONE:KLUB:35 [live community drone event: droners, friends and audience are all welcome] (feat. dreamSTATE & friends) / Long & McQuade Clinic Hall 2023-05-27 (Saturday – 6 to 8 p.m.). $free. [FB event]

West End Phoenix presents WEPFEST: 3 Day Spring Fundraiser! (feat. Queer Songbook Orchestra) / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2023-05-27 (Saturday). $22.60 [more info]

The Nilan Perera Quintet [Nilan Perera/Alex Fournier/Rick Sacks/Jim Lewis/Naomi McCarroll-Butler] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-05-27 (Saturday) [FB event]

Dilly Dally [final shows!] (Bad Waitress / Breeze) / Lee's Palace 2023-05-27&28 (Saturday & Sunday). $32.33, 19+. [FB event]

Buffalo Daughter (Ingredient) / The Garrison 2023-05-28 (Sunday). $25.25, 19+. [FB event]

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It happened this week...

• ...on May 25, 2010 at The Tranzac Club (Southern Cross Lounge).

The Rent - Prospectus

• ...on May 25, 2010 at The Horseshoe.

The Weakerthans - Reconstruction Site

• ...on May 27, 2010 at The Horseshoe (Pitter Patter Festival).

Epigram - The Strangers We Are Becoming

[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.]

Sunday Playlist #30

Sunday Playlist #30

Epigram - The Strangers We Are Becoming

Ruzan Orkestar - For Calvin

Bell Orchestre - Icicles/Bicycles

Powerhouse Sound - Broken Numbers

Broken Social Scene - Meet Me in the Basement

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Sunday Playlist is a semi-regular feature that brings back some of this blog's previously-posted original live recordings for an encore. You can always click the tags below to see what I originally wrote about the shows these songs came from.

Recording: Epigram

Artist: Epigram

Song: Never Was and Never Will Be

Recorded at The Boat, February 10, 2011.

Epigram - Never Was and Never Will Be

My notes for this set can be found here.

Gig: Old World Vulture

Old World Vulture (Ostrich Tuning / Epigram)

The Boat. Thursday, February 10, 2011.

It'd been a while since I'd been out to The Boat in Kensington Market — word on the street was that it had closed down for a little while — but its comforting dankness seemed the same as it ever was. It was too cold a night to putter around before heading to the show, so I arrived in the early going. In the empty-ish room, a scratchy copy of Alien Lanes was on the turntable and Keith Hamilton, in a Phaneuf jersey, was in the back corner, thinkin' for himself and watching the Leafs.

Soon enough Epigram were stirring and getting ready to play. From what I gathered, they were the ones who had put the night together, brought along the drumkit and had even put up a table for Second Harvest to try and get some twonies from those in attendance. When they got going, they started off with what I remembered most about the band — a glide-y sound with plenty of e-bow. Mostly playing tracks from sophomore album Reverie, the first two songs, each about five minutes long, were of a piece with what I had seem 'em do before. The spaciousness of the quiet interludes is my favourite thing about the band, and I dig how they can shimmer and coast along without always relying on a big explosion.

Not that there wasn't some sonic expansiveness. The band mixed things up by bringing up Trevor Townsend on extra percussion. His shaker and glockenspiel added a nice touch to the next song. And for an interesting sort of gravitas, the following one began with the band playing over some sampled dialogue of Del and Neal's hotel-room argument from Planes, Trains and Automobiles, bringing into play a large marching-band type drum on the stage. Enjoyable stuff, and good to see the band expanding their bag of tricks.

Listen to a song from this set here.

Although also playing instrumental music, Old World Vulture don't bring such a post-rock angle. With fewer quiet parts, they deal less in subtle, shifting dynamics, aiming instead for more of a sleeker sound. Devin Hughes' keyboards are the main melodic voice here, with Mike Costanzo (guit) and Anthony Perri (bass) providing texture or thrust as required.

The band played some songs from an album they were then in the process of recording¹ including new songs like "You're Exotic" and "Last Kicks of a Dying Horse", the latter offering some pretty tasty shifts. Aggressive without being too monolithic, the band brought volume and a smoke machine. And also a variety of musical imperatives underlying the songs — one actually had a good beat you could dance to. Even when Hughes' keyb got a bit balky mid-set, the band kept pushing forward. Overall, a good time.

Listen to a song from this set here.

In the minor-est of minor observations, I'd note that it's not too often that you get two bands whose names start with "O" on the same bill. Ostrich Tuning were, name synchronicity aside, an interesting fit in this lineup. They can stretch out instrumentally as much of the other two bands that played, but no matter how far they push their excursions, they still come back to a "song" sensibility, with vocals and hooks and all those accoutrements. It also just so happens that they're in the upper tier of the city's bands, even if their occasionally drone-y propensities might not be something for everyone's taste.

The early part of the set included stuff from their self-titled debut album, which is a cracker of a disc, well worth chasing down. The unseasonal instrumental fanfare "We Like Summer" led into the catchy "Gender Trouble/Bodies That Matter". Masters of slowburning hazy drift, Ostrich Tuning's songs tend to segue in and out of each other, and "Bodies That Matter" — part of a three-song suite on the album — faded into another song, then returned for a mutated reprise. The band alternates lead vocals along with instrumental roles, but the vox tend to stay pretty low in the mix — another reason you can't be sure when one song has melted into another. At its best, the band's music can go from simmer to boil in subtle gradations — you're getting pleasantly mellowed out until suddenly you realize your face is melting.

Amongst the seven-ish songs (again, a bit hard to count) in a forty-five minute span there was also a newer one with an uptempo, Sonic Youth-y rhythm. But even that stretched out a bit — Ostrich Tuning aren't ever in too much of a rush. On the whole, excellent stuff.²

Listen to a song from this set here.

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¹ A recent dispatch from the band notes that the album is now being mastered, so keep an eye out for it soon.

² Ostrich Tuning will be playing tomorrow (Thursday, August 25, 2011) at The Boat, kicking off the weekend-long Optical Sounds/Hoa Hoa's celebration. Not to be missed.

Recording: Epigram

Artist: Epigram

Song: The Strangers We Are Becoming^*

Recorded at The Horseshoe (Pitter Patter Festival), May 27, 2010.

Epigram - The Strangers We Are Becoming

My notes for this set can be found here.

^* Thanks to Brad for passing the title of this one along.

Gig: Pitter Patter Festival 2010 (Thursday)

Pitter Patter Festival 2010 (feat. The Hoa Hoa's, The City Streets, Epigram)

The Horseshoe. Thursday, May 27, 2010.

Returning for another year of not-for-profit idealism, the strictly pay-what-you-can Pitter Patter Festival is increasingly ambitious in scope, with shows in Toronto at fourteen venues over three spring nights, as well as well as nearly a dozen out-of-town venues, allowing both visiting bands as well as locals getting their feet wet to set up a quick mini-tour. With that unbeatable price, it's an excellent chance to go out and get familiar with some new bands. In that spirit, on the festival's opening night I found me a lineup that offered a couple groups I knew nothing about, anchored by one of my favourites — meaning I knew there'd be something I'd like if the thrill of the new didn't pan out.

First up in front of a pretty quiet room was local quartet Epigram. Two guitarists, each with a large rack of pedals, were flanking the bassist at centre stage. No mics, I noted — and indeed there'd be no vocals during the set. That, and the extended lengths of their songs, would possibly indicate their name was chosen with a certain wryly-raised-eyebrow sense of misdirection.

The set started with a couple minutes of quiet interplay, one guitar's gentle line playing against the other's e-bow before martial drums came in, building in a chimingly atmospheric ascension. The tones were more soaring than aggressive, and the song's construction used a build-and-release template, stretching out seven minutes.

Perhaps the liberal application of the e-bow here would be the best indicator of the mood that the band was interested in exploring — gliding, shimmering and dreamy. Perhaps it makes sense, then, that their forthcoming sophomore album is entitled Reverie. For better or worse, the band mostly stuck with that throughout, lending a unified sound to a set that detractors might call too much of the same thing. By the last selection I was feeling a bit of that as well.

I note that the band discusses using a wider instrumental palette ("piano, organ, accordion, glockenspiel, and melodica") on their new album — a bit of that brought to the stage would add a needed bit of seasoning to a hardy but stolid broth. But for a half-dozen titles over forty minutes, I found it an enjoyable soundtrack to the evening's start, even if it was, perhaps, not so groundbreaking. I did enjoy it, though, and respect the way the band has chosen to lull rather than hammer the audience.

Listen to a track from this set here.

As out-of-towners, Edmonton-via-Montreal trio The City Streets didn't even have the small retinue of friends that Epigram had brought to the place, and it was feeling rather like a ghost town. There was plenty of room to take things in from the dance floor, but I must confess that after a couple songs I went and found a seat to take things in from a bit further back. Not that there was anything especially wrong with what the group was doing, but it just didn't do much for me. Playing a sort of literate, stripped-down guitar rock, I think they were reaching for a sort of late-era Replacements sound. They scratched at that in a couple songs like "Irish Rose", whose lyrics ("baby since you've gone/ I've been wearing all your clothes") matched the roughed-up musical swagger. But too often they sounded to me something like The Goo Goo Dolls immediately before they lost their edge, or maybe Soul Asylum immediately after they lost theirs. Others might be more amenable to this — I could theoretically imagine it striking someone else as a good example of melodic, sensitive (but not spineless) rock.¹

By 11:30, there were more people on hand, but there was still a low-key sort of vibe for a Hoa Hoa's gig. It's unusual to see the band outside their own sorts of events, where the show is part of a party for an audience of friends. Here, in the empty-ish bar, the vibe was more like an away game — the sort of indifferent environment where the savvy side might play for a draw and save their strength for another day. Not that the band was lazy or indifferent, but this set had a different feel.

Still, leading off with "Postcards", that familiar rush came over me, and the band hit the sweet spot early on with a slashing version of "Vinyl Richie" with some electric jug-like vocals thrown into the stew, sounding like the band had maybe been listening to some 13th Floor Elevators. The set also included "The List" (from previous album Sonic Bloom) with its New Order-ish guitar line as well as a repeat of the "new-ish" song recently added to their setlist. "Blue Acid Gumball", in its customary set-closing slot, didn't reach the highest heights that I've seen it taken to, but still closed things out in fine rave-up style.

Conceptually, a bit of a hodge-podge on the night, but that's what you're going to get at a festival like this. As always, huge praise is due to Keith Hamilton and everyone else that makes this PWYC festival happen — it's a great idea, and it's especially cool to have shows like this in relatively bigger venues like The 'Shoe. One slight problem — something that I witnessed here and that I heard about through anecdotal reports of other Pitter Patter gigs — is that given how much work went into putting these shows on, it's disheartening to see lacklustre crowds. The logistics are well in hand — the next step is getting people out to these shows.

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¹ Their third album, the just-released The Jazz Age, is available for free download via their myspace.