Artist: FET.NAT
Song: Patio Monday
Recorded at Jam Factory (Feast In The East 72), February 28, 2019.
FET.NAT - Patio MondayBringing les bruits nouvelles of their Le Mal album out on the road, Hull's FET.NAT added some new routines to their interactive groove repertoire.
Artist: Badge Époque
Song: Badge Theme*
Recorded at Jam Factory (Feast In The East 72), February 28, 2019.
Badge Époque - Badge ThemeThe new-ish post-Slim Twig ensemble from Max Turnbull has quietly been building steam for a little while now (though there's still only one track online to hint at the project's sound), with Turnbull (on keyb) joined by Jay Anderson (drums), Chris Bezant (guit), Alia O'Brien (flute), Giosuè Rosati (bass), and Ed Squires (percussion). Pushing deeper into the Gainsbourg lounge-funk essayed in the Twig band's late era and adding some library music deep crate dives, this group is less "rock", and feels more suited for some sort of elegant nightclub where they could perform for a seated, cocktail-swirling crowd.
[Badge Époque will be headlining a stacked lineup at The Garrison on Saturday, May 11th, along with fellow travellers Isla Craig, Ice Cream, and Carl Didur.]
* Thanks to a source for passing along the title to this one!
Artist: The Highest Order
Song: Had a Good Run
Recorded at Prairie Drive Park (Feast in the East 69), July 7, 2018.
The Highest Order - Had a Good RunA most pleasant day out in the park ended with a set from The Highest Order, mixing some stretched-out groovers with some jukebox nuggets like this one. A good enough set to bring out the local fire department, and a conclusion to an excellently-organized day providing food and entertainment to the locals and bringing some of the "downtown music crowd" even further east than usual into this big city.
[The Highest Order will be warming things up for The Weather Station at the Mod Club on Saturday September 29th. Feast in the East will be back inside at Matt Durant Studio on Saturday, September 15th featuring some heavy weirdness from Whimm, Slurry, Cruise and Leucrocuta.]
Artist: Eric Landry
Songs: Nightmare Train + Peaceful Sioux Village, Until...
Recorded at Recorded at Prairie Drive Park (Feast in the East 69), July 7, 2017.
Eric Landry - Peaceful Sioux Village, Until...
The citified version of nature on offer in Prairie Drive Park is shaped and marked by its human inhabitants more forcibly than some far-off forest, but it still felt like a suitable space to present Eric Landry's songs and stories, which quite often draw strength and inspiration from the natural world. As the day's humidity turned toward dusk's damp, Landry let his guitar do a lot of the talking, mixing in a few more instrumentals than at his last performance in these parts. And, showing off the depth of his songbook, this set actually didn't overlap that much with that previous show — it'll be a real occasion when his long-awaited album finally emerges, and hopefully that'll give him cause to return to the city once again.
[Feast in the East will be back inside at Matt Durant Studio on Saturday, September 15th featuring some heavy weirdness from Whimm, Slurry, Cruise and Leucrocuta.]
Artist: Faun Fables
Song: Ydun
Recorded at Prairie Drive Park (Feast in the East 69), July 7, 2017.
Faun Fables - YdunFeast in the East's third excursion to Prairie Drive Park lead off with some suitably rustic sounds from Oakland's Dawn McCarthy and Nils Frykdahl. The music refracted various strands of folk music — mostly those that feature songs about mysterious goings-on in darkened forests, making this appearance at the edge of Scarborough (at a most pleasant park trailing off into one of the city's many ravines) feel especially apt.
[Feast in the East will be back inside at Matt Durant Studio on Saturday, September 15th featuring some heavy weirdness from Whimm, Slurry, Cruise and Leucrocuta.]
Artist: Bonjay
Song: Ingenue
Recorded at Matt Durant Studio (Feast in the East 66), February 3, 2018.
Bonjay - IngenueAn excellent night of songs and electronic textures in the cozy Matt Durant Studio was a sure cure for the winter blahs — and what a treat to see Bonjay back in action after a fairly lengthy retreat to facilitate the emergence of new material. There were still some old faves in the setlist to lean on, but the heart of the set contained the new jams that'll be part of the duo's forthcoming Lush Life album. On this night, vocalist Alanna Stuart caught a vibe from the room, and pulled back from extroverted frontwoman dance moves to just close her eyes and sing.
[Feast In The East will be back at the The Jam Factory on Saturday, May 5th to celebrate its 7 Year Anniversary with Gary Wilson, Tredici Bacci, and Bernice.]
Artist: FOONYAP
Song: Gabriel Moody
Recorded at Matt Durant Studio (Feast in the East 66), February 3, 2018.
FOONYAP - Gabriel MoodyAn excellent night of songs and electronic textures in the cozy Matt Durant Studio was a sure cure for the winter blahs. With a mandolin, violin and an big ol' loop station, this Calgary artist called the crowd in closer to sit and zone in to her delicate constructions. This long piece (in French, no less!) from her Palimpsest album served as the set's ornate centrepiece.
[Feast In The East will be back at the The Jam Factory on Saturday, May 5th to celebrate its 7 Year Anniversary with Gary Wilson, Tredici Bacci, and Bernice.]
Artist: Bénédicte
Song: unknown*
Recorded at Matt Durant Studio (Feast in the East 66), February 3, 2018.
Bénédicte - unknownAn excellent night of songs and electronic textures in the cozy Matt Durant Studio was a sure cure for the winter blahs. I'd been following Bénédicte's soundcloud for a while now, and was glad to have a chance to catch her in action, crouched on the floor, twisting loops and live vocals into new shapes.
[Feast In The East will be back at the The Jam Factory on Saturday, May 5th to celebrate its 7 Year Anniversary with Gary Wilson, Tredici Bacci, and Bernice.]
* Does anyone know the title to this one? Please leave a comment!
Artist: Zacht Automaat
Songs: Into the Time Domain + unknown* + Lay Lady Lay [Bob Dylan cover]
Recorded at Matt Durant Studio (Feast In The East 64), September 23, 2017.
Zacht Automaat - Into the Time Domain
The last blast of a summer reprise made for a sweaty night in the charming Matt Durant Studio — home recently to the always-roving Feast in the East series. This annual-ish appearance from Zacht Automaat had more space echo and less taishogoto than last time I saw 'em, but was otherwise classic ZA all down the line. Colin Fisher pitched in some sax as usual, but the selections this time are from the trio parts of the set — including a new one from their heap o' covers as the set closer.
[Feast in the East returns to Matt Durant Studio for a Harvest Stew of electronic sounds on Saturday, November 18th, with sets from Off World, Egyptrixx, New Chance and Brigitte Bardon't.]
* One cleared up, but does anyone know the title to this one? Please leave a comment!
Artist: FET.NAT
Song: Cross-Check (Anatomique Voyage)
Recorded at Matt Durant Studio (Feast In The East 64), September 23, 2017.
FET.NAT - Cross-Check (Anatomique Voyage)The last blast of a summer reprise made for a sweaty night in the charming Matt Durant Studio — home recently to the always-roving Feast in the East series. Packed into a sweltering den-like space is probably the best way to experience Hull's toujours interactif FET.NAT. The series of cardboard, hand-held signs (usually used to cue or mock the audience) were turned into impromptu fans as the band got going — you can hear some members of the audience offering their thanks earlier on for the breeze before things turn into a back-and-forth shout-off.
[Feast in the East returns to Matt Durant Studio for a Harvest Stew of electronic sounds on Saturday, November 18th, with sets from Off World, Egyptrixx, New Chance and Brigitte Bardon't.]
Artist: Joanne Pollock
Song: Carnival
Recorded at Matt Durant Studio (Feast In The East 64), September 23, 2017.
Joanne Pollock - CarnivalThe last blast of a summer reprise made for a sweaty night in the charming Matt Durant Studio — home recently to the always-roving Feast in the East series. Joanne Pollock, armed with sequencers, mixer and vocal processor, is from T.O. but not resident here, so she had a large contingent of friends up front to groove along to her tunes as she started the night.
[Feast in the East returns to Matt Durant Studio for a Harvest Stew of electronic sounds on Saturday, November 18th, with sets from Off World, Egyptrixx, New Chance and Brigitte Bardon't.]
Artist: LAL
Song: Stand In My Way
Recorded at Prairie Drive Park (Feast in the East 63), July 8, 2017.
LAL - Stand In My WayA return to Prairie Drive Park after last year's initial excursion had another excellent lineup and even better weather. Free food for all gave locals and musical tourists a chance to mingle together and it was a real treat to hear music echoing through the well-used park. Essential city-building work from Toronto Arts Foundation's Arts in the Parks initiative — hopefully this will continue every summer.
As night fell and the playground cleared out, LAL closed the night with a conscious party, celebrating art and resilience. Appreciating the vibes in a neighbourhood she'd known since her childhood, singer Rosina Kazi's hands darted out around her in the barely-illuminated stage area, feeling her way through Nicholas Murray's beats like a teenager tentatively pacing through a darkened park, searching for one excitingly-illicit thrill or another.
Artist: Saxsyndrum
Song: Maceo*
Recorded at Prairie Drive Park (Feast in the East 63), July 8, 2017.
Saxsyndrum - MaceoA return to Prairie Drive Park after last year's initial excursion had another excellent lineup and even better weather. Free food for all gave locals and musical tourists a chance to mingle together and it was a real treat to hear music echoing through the well-used park. Essential city-building work from Toronto Arts Foundation's Arts in the Parks initiative — hopefully this will continue every summer.
This Montréal art-rock trio brought all the things their name suggests. When they began playing, a large hawk was circling overhead, the underside of its wings catching the fading golden evening sun — it's just possible it was looking for the source of the seagull squawks generated by Dave Switchenko's heavily-reverbed saxophone. Languishing hints of funk quite appropriate for the damp cool of the evening beginning to descend over the park.
* Thanks to Nick for passing along the title to this one!
Artist: The Cosmic Range
Song: The Shark [excerpt]
Recorded at Prairie Drive Park (Feast in the East 63), July 8, 2017.
The Cosmic Range - The Shark [excerpt]A return to Prairie Drive Park after last year's initial excursion had another excellent lineup and even better weather. Free food for all gave locals and musical tourists a chance to mingle together and it was a real treat to hear music echoing through the well-used park. Essential city-building work from Toronto Arts Foundation's Arts in the Parks initiative — hopefully this will continue every summer.
The full Cosmic Range complement were out in force, with Matt "Doc" Dunn joined by Isla Craig (vox, percussion), Andy Haas (sax, electronics), Max "Slim Twig" Turnbull (guit), Jonathan Adjemian (synth), Mike Smith (bass), Jay Anderson (drums), Brandon Valdivia (percussion) and Derek and Iggy Madison (percussion). The set was given over to a sprawling new piece called "The Shark", which moved hungrily between mellow groove-simmers and teeth-baring rockouts.
Artist: Phèdre feat. Casey Garcia
Song: unknown*
Recorded at Jam Factory (Feast in the East's 6th Anniversary), May 6, 2017.
Phèdre feat. Casey Garcia - unknownAnother celebration for this east-end institution saw it returning to perhaps the most-loved of its many homes. In typical Feast fashion, besides food (and birthday cake!) there was a diverse range of music with no fewer than five acts helping to mark the occasion. Phèdre are continuing to pivot to their next phase, supported by their hip-hop posse which includes Arowbe, Han Han, Lil Gae and Casey Garcia. That gives April Aliermo and Dan Lee more room to groove over their table of gear and hype up the crowd while the mic is passed around.
[Phèdre will be mixing it up with the fabulous HATAW as part of Pride's "Transformation" event at Yonge-Dundas Square on Thursday, June 22nd (free! outside!). And in another welcome return, on July 8th Feast in the East heads back to Prairie Drive Park for its second annual Arts in the Parks event. This day out is free, all-ages, and family-friendly and offers a free meal for all as well as live sets by The Cosmic Range, LAL and Saxsyndrum. Not to be missed — last year's event was one of the summer's highlights!]
[Thanks to Brandon Caswell Douglas for sharing his audio from this night — you can check out some his footage over at his youtube playlist for this event.]
* Does anyone know the title to this one? Please leave a comment!
Artist: ZONES
Song: unknown*
Recorded at Jam Factory (Feast in the East's 6th Anniversary), May 6, 2017.
ZONES - unknownAnother celebration for this east-end institution saw it returning to perhaps the most-loved of its many homes. In typical Feast fashion, besides food (and birthday cake!) there was a diverse range of music with no fewer than five acts helping to mark the occasion. Another syrupy selection of hazed-out dub-funk slices from Derek McKeon, the effect of this this set could be measured by the sight of the crowd up front dancing in their own pleasant cocoons/soft k-holes.
[And in another welcome return, on July 8th Feast in the East heads back to Prairie Drive Park for its second annual Arts in the Parks event. This day out is free, all-ages, and family-friendly and offers a free meal for all as well as live sets by The Cosmic Range, LAL and Saxsyndrum. Not to be missed — last year's event was one of the summer's highlights!]
[Thanks to Brandon Caswell Douglas for sharing his audio from this night — you can check out some his footage over at his youtube playlist for this event.]
* Does anyone know the title to this one? Please leave a comment!
Artist: Fly or Die
Songs: Theme 002 + Waltzer*
Recorded at Jam Factory (Feast in the East's 6th Anniversary), May 6, 2017.
Another celebration for this east-end institution saw it returning to perhaps the most-loved of its many homes. In typical Feast fashion, besides food (and birthday cake!) there was a diverse range of music with no fewer than five acts helping to mark the occasion. The night's out-of-town guests were passing through with a celebration of their own, marking the release of the group's first album. Fronted by Chicago trumpeter Jaimie Branch, the group included cellist Tomeka Reid as well as familiar faces Jason Ajemian (double bass) and the Chicago Underground Duo's incredible Chad Taylor on drums. The set mixed barnburning sections with more textured slow-flows, ebbing and flowing quite effortlessly as Branch stepped out to pump up the crowd.
[And in another welcome return, on July 8th Feast in the East heads back to Prairie Drive Park for its second annual Arts in the Parks event. This day out is free, all-ages, and family-friendly and offers a free meal for all as well as live sets by The Cosmic Range, LAL and Saxsyndrum. Not to be missed — last year's event was one of the summer's highlights!]
[Thanks to Brandon Caswell Douglas for sharing his audio from this night — you can check out some his footage over at his youtube playlist for this event.]
* Both of these could well have interpolations of some other pieces, but these are the base themes as far as I can hear. Please leave a comment if you'd label these otherwise!
Artist: Tenderness
Song: unknown*
Recorded at Jam Factory (Feast in the East's 6th Anniversary), May 6, 2017.
Tenderness - unknownAnother celebration for this east-end institution saw it returning to perhaps the most-loved of its many homes. In typical Feast fashion, besides food (and birthday cake!) there was a diverse range of music with no fewer than five acts helping to mark the occasion. Originally slated as a collaborative set re-arranging some of her pieces for saxophone quartet this ended up being "merely" a chance to hear Chrissy Reichert share some gems from her stack of not-yet-released tracks. The sax versions are still forthcoming, but in any case this was a treat and a delight, with Reichert singularly simmering in her spiritual, soulful flow.
[And in another welcome return, on July 8th Feast in the East heads back to Prairie Drive Park for its second annual Arts in the Parks event. This day out is free, all-ages, and family-friendly and offers a free meal for all as well as live sets by The Cosmic Range, LAL and Saxsyndrum. Not to be missed — last year's event was one of the summer's highlights!]
[Thanks to Brandon Caswell Douglas for sharing his audio from this night — you can check out some his footage over at his youtube playlist for this event.]
* Does anyone know the title to this one? Please leave a comment!
Artist: Fake Humans
Song: [second section]
Recorded at Jam Factory (Feast in the East's 6th Anniversary), May 6, 2017.
Fake Humans - [second section]Another celebration for this east-end institution saw it returning to perhaps the most-loved of its many homes. In typical Feast fashion, besides food (and birthday cake!) there was a diverse range of music with no fewer than five acts helping to mark the occasion. Colin Fisher and Carl Didur lead off the night, and the former helped mix things up by opening the set on his guzheng before ramping things up behind the drum kit (as heard here). Didur, on his second gig of the day, was doubling up on taishogoto and synth.
[Fake Humans will be back at Jam factory on Wednesday, June 21st, opening up for the legendary Hailu Mergia as part of the TONE Festival. And in another welcome return, on July 8th Feast in the East heads back to Prairie Drive Park for its second annual Arts in the Parks event. This day out is free, all-ages, and family-friendly and offers a free meal for all as well as live sets by The Cosmic Range, LAL and Saxsyndrum. Not to be missed — last year's event was one of the summer's highlights!]
[Thanks to Brandon Caswell Douglas for sharing his audio from this night — you can check out some his footage over at his youtube playlist for this event.]
Artist: Doomsquad and Not The Wind, Not The Flag
Songs: [two excerpts]
Recorded at Prairie Drive Park (Feast in the East 58), July 9, 2016.
Doomsquad and Not The Wind, Not The Flag - [excerpt 1]
Doomsquad and Not The Wind, Not The Flag - [excerpt 2]
A beautiful day out in Scarborough. Thanks to Toronto Arts Foundation's Arts in The Parks, Feast In The East received the resources to host this free event which brought art, food and music to the rolling hills of Prairie Drive Park. By offering a free meal and inviting park patrons of all ages to explore and interact with the installations, this felt like a most gracious imposition on the normal order of the park, which is obviously well-loved and well-used by inhabitants of the neighbouring highrises — a sharing of the space instead of a culture blitz from outside. An excellent day out, this had a mellow and friendly vibe. Toronto needs so much more of this: having "culture" dispersed more widely throughout this sprawling city, giving locals a chance to see something that might not normally happen in their neighbourhood while giving seekers a chance to hang out in hitherto-unexplored pockets. It makes the city feel bigger and more cozy all at once.
As night fell, some of the kids and families drifted away, and the park shifted into a zone of amiable nocturnal prowling, energized by the dance-groove from this joint set. When I previously saw Brandon Valdivia and Colin Fisher playing with Doomsquad they were a bit more in the mode of supporting players — here it felt like a more even-handed collaboration. It also had a different vibe, exchanging gallery goth-darkness for outdoor get-free optimism. Joy vibes aplenty, and by the time Lido Pimienta joined in at the end, the sky couldn't hold off any longer, letting loose a spiritual sprinkling that turned into a torrent as the band finished off.
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