Gig: Mansa Sissoko

Mansa Sissoko (Pasi Gunguwo + Mutamba Rainos)

Gladstone Hotel (Melody Bar). Friday, June 3, 2011.

Out to The Gladstone for another instalment of Batuki's then-monthly residency.¹ Programmer Nadine McNulty always loves to encourage creative cross-currents, so it's no surprise that a night of Malian kora music was preceded by a brief set of Zimbabwean mbira tunes, courtesy of Pasi Gunguwo and Mutamba Rainos. I'd previously caught them playing as a part of the larger, now-defunct Masaisai, and as a duo, the pair are still exploring the Zezuru folk music tradition. Their first piece was introduced as a prayer: "when we play this music we are connecting, just like a telephone, to connect with the ancestors." And while all that might make it sound like a sober exercise, the execution is always joyful: celebrating and dancing are also perfectly reasonable ways to connect with the ancestors. Although there's a hypnotizingly trace-y undertone to their gorgeous interlocking mbira rhythms and vocal accompaniments, the pair really are happiest when they motivate folks to get up and move some.

Listen to a song from Pasi + Mutamba here.

That quick set got the crowd in a receptive frame of mind for Mansa Sissoko. Based in Montréal, Sissoko comes from a Malian griot family, but his work isn't strictly limited to that tradition. A master of the tricky 21-stringed kora, he was joined for this set by bala player Kassoum Diamoutene. The set began with some quieter stuff, the kora and balafon sort of rubbing up against each other a bit and establishing the space they were working together in. Generally, the kora danced around melodically, while the balafon took more deliberate rhythmic steps. Musically, this took a few minutes to "click" for me, to get into the headspace of that mix of the easily musical and slightly dissonant that comes with listening to something in an unusual tuning system.

After a spell, they were joined by fellow griot Katenen 'Cheka' Dioubate on vocals, and the structure fell into place a bit more regularly around her vocal lines. Her smiling presence also provided a bit more of a focus as she wished good luck upon the women in the crowd in "Khaira".

Listen to a couple songs from this show — one with Pasi & Mutamba and one with Cheka Dioubate — here.

Following a break, there were second sets with both combos, Gunguwo and Rainos now joined by former Masaisai bandmate Tich Maredza on percussion. "It's so nice to see happy people," was the comment as they provided a bouncy rhythm to encourage more people to get up and dance.

Sissoko returned to the stage and played one long, slightly drifting, song — in one sense, this was almost wilfully "background" music, loosely unfolding, and potentially grooving along forever, rather than being focused on the "song".

Then there was an attempt to sew all the night's elements together with the mbiras joining in for a jam session. They set up while Sissoko was singing, and then, when they were ready, Sissoko turned the song with a "ha!", ramped up the tempo and let everyone play together. It took a couple minutes for everything to fall into sync, and there was an interesting spark for a couple minutes before Gunguwo and Rainos eased off. After regrouping, they found a groove in a longer song.

To close, Cheka Dioubate returned to sing again. Closing out the night's impromptu vibe, Ruth Mathiang also stepped up onto the stage to add her voice as well as everything came to a close. All told, an interesting night — all of these musicians are so skilled that it's interesting to let them mix it up in different combinations and watch the creative sparks fly. Eventually, though, the breeze coming through the front door starting growing cooler, and the room was getting crowded as the karaoke crowd began to filter in. And as the set finished, it was still early enough that I could head up he street for another show.

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¹ Shifting gears and venues, Batuki's Friday programme at Gladstone has now transformed into Africa Up Close, taking over the NOW Lounge on Church Street on the first Friday of every month. That means there's a show tonight (Friday, July 6, 2012), and it features the "South Sudanese soul" of Ruth Mathiang. The room sounds a little nicer, and the trade-off for the cover charge ($10) is that you'll be among an audience who is on hand to listen to the music, and not just treat it as a background distraction while looking fashionable at The Gladstone and waiting for the karaoke to begin.

Gig: Resolutionaries Marimba Band

Resolutionaries Marimba Band

Gladstone Hotel (Melody Bar). Friday, February 11, 2011.

Music Africa, the hard-working folks who put on Afrofest, have been keeping busy in the off-season lately by celebrating Black History Month with a month-long series of free Friday night shows in The Gladstone's Melody Bar. It's always a good opportunity to investigate unfamiliar acts: free, low-pressure, nice crowd, and (if you're so inclined) still done in time to head out to another gig afterward. And on a cold February night, it feels particularly fine to be sitting in the Melody Bar, watching streetcars trundle past in the crisp cold.

This night definitely fell into the "try something new" category, as I knew nothing about the Resolutionaries Marimba Band. Active for a year, the Peterborough crew are self-proclaimed purveyors of "Zimbabwean hybrid music", indicating that they're strongly aware of the tradition they're playing in, but not strictly bound to it. The band featured a drummer and bass player, plus three musicians rotating between the four full-sized marimbas. Under the leadership of founder Chaka Chikodzi, they delivered a polyrhythmic and highly tuneful brand of mostly-instrumental dance music, and turned out to be a delightful discovery.

Given the limits of the small stage, Chikodzi's main marimba was on the floor, right by the door out to the street. That meant he was first in line for a blast of cold air every time someone entered — which might have given him extra incentive to get the room heated up. And though I think the band was an unknown to most of the crowd, it didn't take long for the bouncy imperative to take over and get people up and dancing. The whole of the first set was given over to extended uptempo grooves, the players moving from marimba one to another as each song required. It was also a joy to watch the band, given the constant physicality of the playing, with mallets blurred as the rhythmic lines rubbed up and danced against each other.

After the nonstop dance party of the first set, the second started off on a different note with Chikodzi taking centre stage and playing mbira, backed only by drums for a quieter song, which also featured his appealing voice. After that, as the rest of the band returned, I recognized the old standard "Manhanga", a celebration of sweet pumpkins that had the crowd clapping along in its triple-fire pap-pap-pap rhythm. The next songs were slower and more intricate, but the music was still more than groovy enough to dance to.

Things picked up again with some extra drum action, a large two-headed one lying on its side giving the bandmembers a chance to step out in front of the stage and get in on the dancing. This was feel-good music in the most literal sense, and the positive vibes from the band brightened the room.

And, as always, it's interesting to see how these shows play out against the background of a crowd that's not necessarily there just for them. Toward the end, an older dude in sweatpants and a Ramones t-shirt came in through the front door and, surveying the situation, bowed to the band before throwing his coat to the floor and proceeding to dance in front of the stage. About a third of his dancing repertoire was The Robot. And once things wound down, with the karaoke crowd eagerly eyeing the tables up front, it was easy enough to skip outside and hop on the streetcar and head onward to the next show.

A couple selections from this show: listen to something more upbeat here, or one that simmers a little more here.

NXNE 2010: Friday (Part 1)

NXNE — North by Northeast Festival, Toronto, 2010.

Friday, June 18, 2010. Featuring: Mathemagic, Trust, A.A. Bondy, John Doe and Exene Cervenka

8 P.M.: Mathemagic @ The Gladstone Hotel Ballroom

Mostly out of geographic considerations — my plans for the first part of the night had me jutting back and worth on the Queen West axis — the Gladstone seemed like the best of the slim pickings in this timeslot. So, into a pretty empty room to check out local-via-Guelph crew Mathemagic, who had parlayed a decent amount of online hype into a deal with local indie Paper Bag. For what would later be a busy night, the room was disquietingly empty as things got started, a mere handful of people lining the walls as the band took the stage.

Originating as something of a bedroom pop project for Evan and Dylan Euteneier, the band had only recently become a live performance unit, which, um, sort of showed here.¹

People toss the term "shoegaze" around a lot these days — including for this band — but to me what I was hearing reminded me of wispy 4AD-styled pop, all echo and fluffy clouds. Pleasant, swirled-up pop, in other words. Musically, this was fine. As a "live rock experience", it was a bit of a failure, with awkward stretches of dead silence between songs, and not a lot of energy in the presentation. The band spent a lot of the set watching their computer screens, as if they were, like, doing karaoke to songs that they themselves hadn't written. "This is hard to watch," commented a friend.

With the bright evening daylight pouring through the windows, the environment wasn't exactly, y'know, chillwave. Which is what I'm informed in the current term for this kind of stuff. The focus was on two laptops on stage, augmented by a midi keyb plus electric and acoustic guitars. There were no amps on stage, and the DI'ed guitars sounded rather trebly and bloodless.² The mix was also a bit off, too, with the live guitars up too much and overwhelming the rest of the music. To the good, the band was sporting new member Karen Jacobs on vox and a bit of guitar — a very good move by the group. Having her vocals layered into the songs did add to the atmospheric sounds.

The trio played seven songs, the bulk of which were from their self-titled EP, although there were a couple were newer numbers. The last one had the descriptive tentative title "Reggae". For me, given the genre of music they're playing, it's simply tough to make this into an exciting live experience. Add the learning-on-the-job inexperience and we can feel some sympathy for Mathemagic, even while we write this off as a rather lacklustre set.³

9:15 P.M.: Trust @ Wrongbar

It would be a minor kind of festival hell to to hit only places that were just getting going for the night, seeing sets with the thinnest of crowds on hand, waiting while musicians hang around, chatting, waiting for people to show up. Inside Parkdale's Wrongbar, there was pretty much nuthin' going down just after the hour, things looking like they weren't about to get going right away. There was even a stepladder still standing in front of the stage, and, fairly incongruously in a venue that was host to a night of electronic-based music, Mermaid Avenue was playing over the house system as the lights dimmed and the band stepped on stage to soundcheck.

Actually, there would turn out to be a not-bad crowd for locals Trust once things got going. For a relatively new project, this looks to have a built-in fanbase, perhaps of folks familiar with drummer Maya Postepski's solo work on her Princess Century project, or overlap with folks coming in to see Katie Stelmanis (who was up in the next timeslot, and whose band includes Postepski). Self-described as "gothic" on their myspace page⁴, the collaboration between Postepski and vocalist/keyboardist Robert Alfons specializes in doom-y synthpunk, Suicide-in-a-black-leather-jacket style.⁵

Alfons handled most of the vocals, and Postepski spent most of the set behind the drum kit. Like the band I'd just come from, these guys are playing to backing tracks, too, but it's funny how much more rock'n'roll it is just by having no laptop in sight. Plus, even if it's minimalist brooding on a dark stage, this band is performing. Oh, and of course, the presence of Postepski's live drumming makes a giant difference. Enough to make this an enjoyable set that felt "live". It helps that you can also get distracted by dancing to it. The band weren't banterers, but that kinda fits the vibe. Most of the music came with a steady, pulsing beat, but a slowed-down one near the end of their seven-song set was quite effective, too. A band to watch.

Listen to a track from this set here.

10:00 P.M.: A.A. Bondy @ The Great Hall

Leaving The Gladstone to check out Trust turned out to be well-worth it, but the decision came with a cost. My first pick for this timeslot was Timber Timbre, back in the same Gladstone Ballroom I'd left an hour previously. But what had been a near-empty room when I left was now crammed beyond capacity, with a significant line outside. I'd more-or-less expected this, and given my strict never-stand-in-line NXNE policy, I had a backup, which happened to be not only just down the street, but also on the same venue I'd want to be at an hour later for my night's most anticipated set. And thus by default, I was checking out Birmingham, Alabama roots singer/songwriter A.A. Bondy. With a bandaged hand and rolled-up sleeves on his white t-shirt, he looked perfectly cast as the sensitive bad-boy delinquent/poet type — all he was lacking was a pack of smokes tucked up his sleeve.

Opener "I Can See The Pines Are Dancing" featured some some nice pedal steel from the drummer. The band would basically have two configurations — the quieter songs featured pedal steel while the bassist added keyb parts when some atmosphere required it. The set opened and closed with the quiet stuff, and then kicked up its heels in the middle. "When The Devil's Loose" had a nice pulse to it⁶, while "Mightiest Of Guns" showed off the quieter side effectively.

This was enjoyable, though I did find Bondy's look to be a little contrived, in a I-live-my-miserable-lyrics sort of way. Holding up a tangled guitar cord between songs, he commented, "this is my life, right here."⁷. He was a good enough songwriter, but as is often the case, unless his words latch themselves onto you in some specific way, the overall effect is kind of generic. It left me with the sense that this was fungible stuff that is done as well by, say, a handful of our own local rootsy bands. Of course, I could be wrong in this, as I saw several members of one of those bands clustered right up front, taking this in like they were picking up tips.

Listen to a track from this set here.

11:00 P.M.: John Doe and Exene Cervenka @ The Great Hall

After that set, the place cleared out pretty thoroughly, which was surprising to me, as we were coming up to something that I was genuinely anticipating. But in a festival filled with the buzz of the next big thing, perhaps legends take second place. Or, maybe, some that would have been interested in John Doe and Exene Cervenka had already seen them the night before when they played on the free stage at Yonge-Dundas Square with their seminal Los Angeles band X.

X were never punk purists or reductivists — from the rockabilly leanings at their outset to the rootsy folk and country sounds they'd later move towards, it's not in the least an affectation for the band's main songwriters to strip down to two voices and an acoustic guitar. Thus, the selections from the X catalogue, like opener "Burning House Of Love" felt just right. Some needed more re-arrangement than others — "This is a punk song", Doe said, launching into "Because I Do" from 1982's classic Under the Big Black Sun. But here it was slowed down, the original's breakneck fury replaced by regret, as if positing that country music equals punk plus time. Some, like "Skin Deep Town" (which the pair still seem to have a lot of fun playing) didn't require much re-arrangement at all.

But of course, in one sense, this is all old hat to the pair. Rather than a career deathbed conversion to Unplugged-style stripped-down re-arrangements⁸, these guys have been doing this for a quarter century, and several of the selections in their set were songs they'd played in their country alter-ego band The Knitters. Covers and traditionals were the theme for these, including "Give Me Flowers While I'm Living" (a Flatt And Scruggs cover)⁹, "Little Margaret" (a variation of the Child Ballad "Fair Margaret and Sweet William") and the old Carter Family chestnut "Poor Old Heartsick Me" ("Take it, Dave!" Doe shouted as it headed into the solo, a call out to absent guitarist Dave Alvin).

Playing acoustically, the stripped-down songs were coming quickly, including more covers like "Rank Strangers" (performed by many, perhaps most famously by the Stanley Brothers) and "Something To Brag About" (a great duet piece for the pair penned by Charlie Louvin, with Cervenka taking Melba Montgomery's part). Cervenka just sang for the first couple songs of the set, but then picked up her guitar to play on "Lonesome War" (from Sev7en, her 2006 album with the Original Sinners). Doe responded with "The Losing Kind" from one of his own solo albums. The pair, who were married and divorced during X's early 80's heyday, still bicker fondly with each other on stage like an old couple, and were pretty charming throughout the set, which stretched to about forty-five minutes.

The early peak might have come with the title track from 1987's See How We Are, which, topically, sounds like it could have been written last week, its earnest sadness befitting the restrained and dignified-looking elders, its recession-ready laments of "this bottom rung ain't no fun at all" feeling resignedly earned. Similarly, closer "The New World", an anthem to America's lost industrial heartland ("it was better before they voted for what's-his-name") still has a ripped-from-the-headlines feeling. A worthy retrospective on a pair of rich and unfinished careers, I'm glad to have had a chance to give them their flowers while they're living, as it were.

Listen to the pair tackle an X song here, and something older than that here.

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¹ "Are you having fun tonight?" asked Evan (or possibly Dylan) Euteneier after one song, before pausing to sort of wince at himself. "What a cheesy thing to say at a concert. Sorry — we're new at this."

² "Bloodless" might describe the band's look as well. They didn't present as a bunch that you'd be afraid of if you came across them in a dark alley late at night.

³ Afterthought: I should note that this is all to be taken very much as a snapshot of the band as they were at this show, and not necessarily prescriptive of a band that's playing more gigs and learning more about being a live band. I've already seen them play again, and some of the roughest of these rough edges are already being smoothed out, of which I shall say more anon.

⁴ Which is here, and might be difficult to find if you just google "Trust".

⁵ Since then, the pair has been supplemented on stage by Susan Gale, adding more percussion and generally creating more space for the other musicians. I've subsequently seen them again and they have expanded their scope a good bit, making a good thing better.

⁶ It also had a guitar tone that might go some way to justifying Bondy's presence on a bill with The Walkmen, whom he will be opening for when they hit town October 9th at The Phoenix.

⁷ Further courting pathos, he would also offhandedly comment, "I'd like to take this time to tell everybody here that I'm going deaf."

⁸ Which the band poked some fun at with their own stripped-down album Unclogged.

⁹

John Doe: "Here's a song about death."

audience: "Woo!"

John Doe: "No! No death!"

Exene Cervenka: "Actually, it's a song about bein' here now..."

John Doe: "... it's about life, that's right."

Gig: Ethio Stars Band

Ethio Stars Band

Gladstone Hotel (Melody Bar). Friday, June 4, 2010.

Another free, early Friday night show at The Gladstone, again put together thanks to Nadine McNulty of Batuki Music.¹ In fact, it seems that we have her to thank for the Ethio Stars Band existing at all — they first played at a special "Tribute to Tilahun Gessesse" show earlier this year, and we're fortunate that these fine artists have continued to work together. In the true "all star" tradition, any of these musicians could front a band of their own — and some, in fact, do just that. They also can be seen being pulled into ad hoc units put together when leading Ethiopian musicians pass through town on tour, especially saxophonist Girma Wolde Michael. The band also includes Ermias Assebework (vox), Gezahegn Mamo (keyb), Waleed Abdulhamid (bass) and Daniel Barnes (drums).

With an upbeat but relaxed crowd on hand, the band played two sets, the first starting off slow, slinky and groovy, with bass and keybs locked into the rhythm, leaving lots of room for the saxophone as the lead instrumental voice. From the outset, it was clear how much having a live drummer adds, having seen some Ethio-pop shows with just rhythm tracks provided by a keyboard player. However, this music requires a deft touch, as there's more pull than push, and the rhythms tend to twist themselves inside out a bit. In the hands of a lesser player, it could go awry quickly, but the steady Barnes — who is more usually found playing in the city's jazz scene — was excellent throughout the night.

After an instrumental that a bit brief by the night's standards — songs would usually go about seven or eight minutes — Assebework emerged, leading off with another slower number. With the less-frenetic start, the crowd was staying in place, mostly sitting down, but full of appreciation at the recognition of each song. Assebework turned out to be a top-notch singer, with a wide range and a tone that recalls Mahmoud Ahmed.

The band's repertoire is drawn from the vast pool of Ethiopian hits, from the "golden age" of the 60's up to more current sounds. I don't know enough to really be able to distinguish the classics from the newer material, but it's not hard to pick on on the shift in tone and musical approach from song to song. One, for example, had a jauntier groove to it, and the rhythmic complexity was toned down to the point where Barnes sounded not unlike those programed drum machines. Mentally, I filed this as "new school", but who knows? After the previous stuff — I mentally tagged at least one as Mahmoud Ahmed, and I'm sure there was some Gessesse in there as well — it felt a bit less vital. But it was a hit to a lot of the people in the crowd.

There was a also a ripple in the room when Kemer Yousuf, local notable in the Ethio music scene, came in through the front door a couple songs in. Although Assebework and the rest of the band aren't big on chatting or showmanship — something that you can get in abundance at one of Kemer Yousuf's shows — he clearly recognized their formidable talent as he hopped up on stage to stick $20 bills on the performers' foreheads. My endorsement is one thing, but you can take that as a iron-clad guarantee of quality.

After seven tracks in forty-five minutes, the band took a quick break before coming back for their second set. By now, it was starting to get dark outside, and the crowd was more boisterous, standing up and dancing. The band responded with a steady steam of uptempo stuff. This is where the band really shines, and there was a party atmosphere as the area in front of the stage filled up with moving bodies.

I wish I had more of a vocabulary to be able to describe some of this — though there's a certain set of tricks that seem to be cut across the different kinds of songs at play here, not in the least something like the reggae drop out (often on hitting the chorus) where for a moment there'd only be the drummer and vocals playing before the rush of everyone else coming back in. I also wish that I could identify more of these songs. There were a couple that I was nodding familiar with but couldn't put names to. Still, I know enough to dig this a lot. Talent transcends language or style, and a funky groove makes such distinctions irrelevant. We're fortunate to have a group like this playing in our midst — hopefully they'll have some more shows together coming up.²

You can check out a couple recordings from this set here and here.

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¹ The next of these shows, featuring roots reggae from House of David Gang, will be on September 3, 2010. To repeat — free! early! These shows are a great way to "get your feet wet" with some music that you might not check out otherwise.

² Looking ahead a bit, I have already seen these guys a second time, and I can report that this show was no fluke — these guys have the goods and you owe it to yourself to check them out next time they play.

Gig: Madagascar Slim

Madagascar Slim

Gladstone Hotel (Melody Bar). Friday, March 5, 2010.

With some time to kill before a Friday night gig, decided to drop in at this free early show at The Gladstone. The first of this year's monthly "Gladstone World" series¹ presented by Nadine McNulty of the Batuki Music Society. McNulty is a VIP in the local music scene, not only bringing in big-name acts from all over the world but also tirelessly promoting local talent, like in the show at hand. Madagascar Slim was playing in support of his recently-released disc Good Life, Good Living with four-piece backing band behind him (guit, drums, bass² and flute³). At its best, Madagascar Slim's music simmers while keeping a gentle tone. Always a solid live performer, he's never afraid to let a song stretch out, and with his skill on the guitar can throw down extended solos in a wide range of tones, without it sounding showy or over-the-top.

Arriving just as things were about to get started, I found myself a spot up against the bar on the left side of the room. Settled in beside me were a small crew of older folks who gave the impression that they were stoically waiting this out so that they could get going with the karaoke.⁴ On the stage, the band started off with "Boribory", one of the album's highlights, an upbeat anthem sung in Slim's native Malagasy. "Fiderana" also had a pleasingly lilting, flute-aided melody — and yet a guitar solo with bluesy tone managed to fit in nicely here. And so forth through the first set, running about thirty-five minutes.

After a break, the second set started with the skipping rhythm of "Ravorondreo". The mixing of styles was most immediately apparent in "Sitaka", which began as a lilting Malagasy folk tune, but shifted gears midway through into a greasy twelve-bar blues groove⁵ and then, quite seamlessly, back to where it started. Slim's facility with the blues should come as no surprise — he played in blues bars, jamming with players like Jeff Healey, when he was getting his feet wet in the local music scene. For my money, I'm glad he decided to go back to his roots and incorporate that into his musical vision, creating something much more unique. As I mentioned, Slim touched on a wide range of styles, so it's not a big deal that not everything agrees with my sensibility. "Take Me Home", for example, is a little too Adult Contemporary for my tastes, but mixed in along the whole it doesn't detract from the show's enjoyability. The second set ran about the same length as the first but with a quick encore added on to the end. And then it was time for me to dash up the street to the night's next attraction. Hopefully the karaoke folks found it as pleasing of a bridge to their evening's main fun.

Listen to a track from this show here.

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¹ First Friday of every month 'til August, free admission. More info here.

² As I think I've mentioned previously — any band with Ebenezer Agyekum (also of Afrafranto and African Guitar Summit) on bass is probably worth listening to.

³ Flute player — in Canada do we prefer the British flautist or the American flutist? — Aysha Wills, who appears to keep herself mixed up in some different musical camps, was wearing a t-shirt for hardcore band The Rival Mob.

⁴ Clearly regulars, they even brought their own bar snacks, including a Tupperware bowl of nuts set out on the bar in front of them.

⁵ This caused the karaoke crowd beside me to sit up and take notice. Soon enough, of their number was up and dancing in front of the stage.

Gig: "Celebrating Africa’s First World Cup"

"Celebrating Africa’s First World Cup" (feat. Afrafranto, Njacko Backo and the Toumkak Drummers, Jacques Yams, CanAfric Theatre)

Gladstone Hotel Ballroom. Friday, February 5, 2010.

At the close of the Masaisai show, walked out the door and over to the ballroom to take in the second Music Africa event of the night, a special soccer-themed event celebrating South Africa's World Cup and the participating African teams. I'm not much for the footie, but I was easily pulled in by the musical talent on hand. Inside the ballroom sort of a relaxed rec-room vibe, with a smallish crowd in the early going as people slowly filtered in. There ended up being a respectable crowd, but there was certainly room for more.

Starting the evening off was the CanAfric Theatre led by the voice and powerful presence of Justine Gogoua (often seen of the Afrofest stage as one of the event's hosts). Starting with the drum — the root of it all, after all — Gogoua's accompanying trio did three pieces with percussion and voice as the framework for some enthusiastic dancing. With lots of room on the dancefloor, the performers jumped down from the stage to show off their moves, their energy a nice spark to the night.

And then a short set from Jacques Yams, decked out in the green jersey of his native Cameroon's Indomitable Lions and playing acoustic guitar and backed only by a single percussionist. I wasn't familiar with him, but was quickly impressed by his lightly skipping guitar work and plaintive french-language vocals. Playing just a very short three-song set, it was enough for me to file the name away for future reference. Hunting around a bit, it looks like he works with a couple bands, so keep your eyes open for a chance to see him.

And then genially earnest Music Africa president Michael Stohr (wearing a layered succession of African World Cup jerseys that he proceeded to pull off in turn throughout the evening) drew names from a hat for some soccer-themed giveaways as things were gearing up on the stage behind him for Njacko Backo and the Toumkak Drummers. Backo, who also performs solo and with his other group Kalimba Kalimba, is equally well-known and well-regarded as an entertainer and a teacher, and is a master thumb piano player and percussionist. Here he was backed by his five piece Toumkak Drummers, a mostly-percussion ensemble, with members rotating through a variety of drums and percussion instruments, plus kalimba, flute and ngoni.

Playing to the night's theme, Backo advocated a pan-African solution to winning the World Cup ("Cameroon doesn't have to win — Africa has to win. We're going to get all the juju men together..."), invoking everyone to stand up and devising an impromptu clap-along chant for all of the African World Cup teams — and then stopping the beat when not enough people were shaking along to inveigh against the non-participators, only to resume the beat in double time. Never afraid to ham it up when required, to make faces and shout at the crowd, Backo donned the hand-made makarapa that was on display to whip up the crowd. Even after that he was still not satisfied with the amount of dancing, and said to his band, "let's make it funky — James Brown!" Which I thought, as the percussion kicked back in, was a sort of a figure of speech. But soon, ngoni player Chip Yarwood was kicking out some "Sex Machine"-like riffs to a woodblock-tapping rhythm and it was James Brown. A fabulous, high-energy end to a set that was a lot of fun to watch and move to.

Listen to an excerpt from this set here.

Next up was the biggest reason that I was out for this show — to have another chance to check out Afrafranto. When I saw them last summer, they were playing an opening set for Vieux Farka Touré, and despite being totally off my radar, proceeded to totally impress me. Though they seem to keep a fairly low profile, internet wise, I've been keeping an eye out for them since. Sadly, it seems that their rep isn't as sizable as their talents, as by the time they took the stage, the already-smallish crowd had withered away some more. Those who remained, however, were in for a treat, and pretty much everyone was dancing from the get go to their palmwine rhythms. Palmwine — the forerunner of the more widely known highlife genre — has a hint of calypso rhythm added to its West African shuffle, adding that extra zing of jump up to the music's insistent groove.

The band played for nearly forty-five minutes, stopping for breath only once in the middle — otherwise the band, led by vocalist Theo Yaa Boakye, segued continuously from one song to the next. A few minutes in, I was thinking to myself, "this isn't just a good band — this is a fabulously good band." It's mildly disorienting to think that this top-shelf band doesn't have a webpage or even a myspace, but they're not complete unknowns. As shocking as it seems in the musical headspace I usually inhabit, not everything unfolds on the net. Plus, these musicians are well known for their other pursuits — Boakye as well as guitar hero Pa Joe are associated with the African Guitar Summit. And speaking of that, there might have been others out in the crowd who were there to watch Pa Joe play guitar, but I think I was the only one gawping, slack-jawed, at the delicious sounds generated by his astoundingly gentle touch, the notes lifting off like the butterfly that the band is named for. Put simply: this is one the best bands in Toronto that you know nothing about, and now that you do, you don't have an excuse.

Listen to a song from this set here.

And speaking of African music and the World Cup, I note that this year's Afrofest will be taking place at Queen's Park on July 10th and 11th, the latter of which is the same day as the final game of this year's World Cup. Whether you're looking for a place to celebrate the outcome or just someplace to go and dance and ignore the final, write the dates down in your calendar now and plan to attend — Afrofest is one of this city's best summer events and not to be missed.

Gig: Masaisai

Masaisai

Gladstone Hotel (Melody Bar). Friday, February 5, 2010.

Dashed over to The Gladstone to check out the first of a series of free Friday night shows in the Melody Bar put together by folks from Music Africa in celebration of Black History Month. I'd seen Masaisai before, at the same venue no less, last August and had been keeping my eye out for another chance to catch 'em. Playing a soulful, highly danceable variety of Zimbabwean chimurenga music, based around the mbira¹, the group managed to fit eight people on the tiny Melody Bar stage — although that left the marimba on the floor in front of everyone. I arrived a bit past eight, in time to catch about a half-hour of the show's first half. Last time I'd seen 'em, they'd been confined to a relatively short showcase-style set, so it was illuminating to see them with a chance to stretch out a bit more. Besides their first-class rockin' party tunes, we got to hear some different angles on the ingredients of their music. Vocalist Tich Maredza, for example, played a couple songs solo with acoustic guitar before the break, including, I believe, a cover of a Tuku song.

The second set started by leaning more towards the traditional end of the band's repertoire, with a couple more rootsy mbira-based numbers, the first with a simmering hypnotic groove, the second a prayer with intertwining vocal parts from Makuri and Evelyn Mukwedeya (who we got to hear singing more during the longer set) and a slowly building backbeat. But after that, as the full band got going again, there was a good-sized crowd of people dancing in front of the stage, which is how it would stay for the rest of the set. From time to time, even members of the band would jump down to join in.

Solid musicianship all around, including from a guest drummer playing, we were told, with only five minutes' practice with the band.² A full hour's worth for the second set, and the band definitely raised the temperature in the room — enough that the cold blast of winter air that blew in whenever anyone passed through the door beside the stage was a bit of a relief. A good time — worth seeing again for sure.

Listen to a track from this show here.

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¹ The thumb piano, close cousin of the kalimba.

² I didn't quite manage to catch his name — it might have been Winston Mapeka — but unfortunately I can't credit him properly. We were told he has "played with every popular chimurenga musician in Zimbabwe", and that showed in his technique — I love those little fills takka-takka-bam-bam-bam that come on top of the regular beat.

Gig: The Phonemes / Michelle McAdorey

Blocks Presents: The Phonemes, Michelle McAdorey and Betty Burke

The Gladstone Hotel (Melody Bar). Thursday, November 26, 2009.

Out again for the monthly Blocks Recording night at the Gladstone, this time with a couple acts on the bill I was interested in investigating, plus one familiar one. From a genre perspective, sort of an interesting night as well, as all three acts were pretty different from each other, but each could, at some level, be placed in some corner of the big category called "folk".

We were a little off the pace in getting there — stupid hybrid buses with their propensity to just quit working — and arrived with Betty Burke¹ already on stage. Managed to grab one of the last remaining tables and settle in. I'd been eager to check them out pretty much ever since I'd heard about 'em, mostly based on the fact that Maggie MacDonald² was involved. The band is normally a trio with Shaun Brodie — or possibly a five-piece now with rhythm section — but on this night it was only MacDonald and Holly Andruchuk. I was not familiar with the latter, but she has a solid CV of folkie hell-raisin', and is obviously a strong source of this group's musical direction — a sort of straight-ahead roots-rock. Or as MacDonald would put it, "we're in the true story business" — punk like Woody Guthrie was punk.

MacDonald is not the world's greatest singer, but she's a helluva vocalist, and it was great to hear her hitting her characteristic cadences, like in one song, coming down hard on those opening syllables: "New York and London are under water / lovers and liars swim together" — but also cool to hear those tics in a new musical context. "New Job", the final song, which included a sort of origin story of the band's name was rather good fun. I only caught about three-and-a-half songs, but I dug what I heard, and look forward to checking out the full band. More gigs, please.

Listen to a track from this set here.

Next up was Michelle McAdorey, who was certainly part of the draw getting me down to the show. Probably best known for her work with Crash Vegas, who'd flirted with Canadian semipopularity in the early '90's. Following the band's dissolution, she'd released a solo album at the other end of this decade, but had been keeping a low profile for the past while. Lately, she'd been said to be playing with some of the members of the local improvised music scene, and it was from this pool that she drew her lineup for this gig. This was the first show for a band including Eric Chenaux³, Ryan Driver, Martin Arnold and Blake Howard. I'd seen half of these guys playing just recently with The Reveries, and having that context in mind certainly helped me to sort of appreciate the musical place this group was coming from. Aiming for a meeting point between folk/songwriter and improvisational urges, there was a musical tension between droneyness and widdley-wah guitar, bringing to mind, say, MV & EE in a sort of mellow, rustic mood. It also felt — especially on songs like "Love Don't Change" — like it was bumping up a bit to that fine line that separates fluid musical exploration and noodly stoner jamming. With that in mind, I think I enjoyed some of the quieter, textured moments more, although they were a bit less at home in this environment, the crowd split between Friends of Blocks out eagerly soaking in the show, and those just out for a drink in a bar where some band happened to be playing. Given that, I'm already eager for this band to play somewhere in a more hushed environment — Music Gallery show, anyone?

Listen to a track from this set here.

The couple times that I'd seen The Phonemes during the summer they were playing as a duo + guests, with Magali Meagher playing with John Tielli on guit and theramin. This time the pair were accompanied by the keyb work and vox of Stephanie Markowitz, which fleshed out out the sound rather well. Meagher is an intriguing songwriter, her plainspoken lyrics flirting with a pop sensibility in a come-hither manner. It was certainly interesting to hear some of the new songs that I'd heard presented in a stripped-down format at this summer's shows getting filled-out arrangements, and Meagher's consistently upbeat patter and share-the-stage ethos — Maggie MacDonald was called up to add some percussion on "Steeples and People" — were good entertainment. But the fact that I was winding down with sleepiness on a work day sort of had me drifting a bit as things went on. A scattering of chatty people — including a table of oblivious young folks busily trying to impress each other with banalities and bottle service — was a bit of a distraction, too. But generally good stuff, and a nice step forward with the new material.

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¹ The name, it turns out, comes from a story about Bonnie Prince Charlie, the Jacobite pretender to the British throne, who, following his defeat in battle fled into exile disguised as his maid. All sorts of interesting things here to be spun out about gender/power/representation and so on, or as Maggie would say on stage, cutting to the chase: "we're named after a drag queen from three hundred years ago". Also note, adding to the mythic value of the band's name, that it was a MacDonald who came up with the plan and saved the prince.

² MacDonald, sort of a rockstar combination of Rosa Luxemburg and Ava Gardner, is currently a member of The Hidden Cameras and formerly of beloved post-punk Fall-owers Republic of Safety.

³ Chenaux, it turns out, had been a late-era touring member of Crash Vegas, so his creative partnership with McAdorey is a fairly longstanding one. I recall having enjoyed Crash Vegas back in its time in a "pop" sort of way — it strikes me that it would be interesting to perhaps revisit some of that in light of what I know now and see how much of this current freak-folk kind of vibe is there in nascent form.

Gig: Kids on TV

Kids on TV / Diamond Rings

The Gladstone Hotel (Melody Bar). Thursday, September 24, 2009.

Celebrity encounter! Rolled into the Gladstone just before the show's starting time, looking around for A. Found him near the back of the room, flipping through a magazine, and we headed back up towards the front, figuring to nab something near the stage before the place filled in too much. The table up front that we decided to crash was being held down by none other than Lauren Schreiber, mastermind of the No Shame independent music series, now a hundred shows deep and beyond. She kindly offered us a spot and we chatted a bit about the awesomeness of Kids on TV as the early part of the show began, a retrospective of KoTV's short films and music videos. Though I'd seen them all at various times in the past, it was interesting to see them all back-to-back, plotting a trajectory from KoTV's more overtly experimental/explicit early works to the more subtle current stuff that still manages to convey the same themes. We were joined by some familiar faces, including Ms. Singing Lamb and young D., who remains unconvincable about KoTV's merits. In a pleasant turn, K., in need of some cheap entertainment, also dropped by.

In fact, there was a rather healthy crowd out, and the room was pleasantly filled as Diamond Rings took the stage. In a similar get-up to his appearance at Owen Pallet's birthday bash¹ John O'Regan filled his half-hour set with seven songs of new-romantic yearning; slow jamz and upbeat ones, split between guit and keyb. He managed to shill for his vinyl single in a most self-depreciating manner: "You should probably be buying things from Kids on TV tonight. If, after buying everything from Kids on TV, and having five beers, you still have seven dollars, then buy my record." As he noted, most in the crowd were familiar with "All Yr Songs", given the cheer it got, but several of the other tunes on offer were at least as good as that one, showing this is no one trick pony. An amusing sort of environment to have a show in, with the stage abutting the bay window overlooking Queen Street, giving the audience a view of some of reactions from passers-by outside, including one guy, who looked like he should have been wearing a soiled mackintosh, who strolled by to examine John O. several times. Good fun.²

Listen to a track from this set here.

After the fabulous roll they've been on all summer, it was sweet to see Kids on TV cap it off with a crowded show in front of an enthusiastic crowd. And for me, seeing them at the Gladstone was a nice bit of things going full circle, as it was here that I first encountered them.³ During Blocks Recording Club's monthly night at the Gladstone, the band were celebrating their new Shape Shifting Mutants digital EP, playing a full, hour-long set, mixing together old and new material. Opening with "Breakdance Hunx", we got to hear some Mixing Business With Pleasure tracks like "Jeremy, Mon Ami" and "Hanky Code" that haven't gotten an airing for a while. It was more pleasing, though to hear how well the newer material holds up beside the classics, making the anticipation for the next release even greater. In fact, the band announced from the stage that the next album, Pantheon, should be out March '10, so some of the new songs not on the EP (like "Dazzler" and "Liberace's Lover") will find a proper home. The band even debuted a new song, "City of Night", named after the John Rechy novel. So there's a lot to look forward to from the band.

Sadly, though, this fabulous show might have to tide us over for a spell, as after this the band is "going into hibernation for a few months," according to John Caffery. Still, glad they went out on a high like this — as A. commented on the way out, their best show of the summer.⁴

Listen to a track from this set here.

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¹ Though lacking the deluxe "Diamond Rings" t-shirt he was wearing last time out, John O. was wearing a fetchingly teal Florida Marlins jacket.

² And the good times continue: Diamond Rings has another show coming up and the newly-opened Garrison, October 15th, with his split-single flipside mates P.S. I Love You plus Katie Stelmanis.

³ It was, in fact, way back at the end of '05, when they played at the This is Not a Reading Series launch party for Maggie MacDonald's Kill the Robot. Having never heard of them, I remember being blown away, and after the show J. and I were tossing the verses of "Breakdance Hunx" back and forth while waiting for the Queen car in the December night's chill.

⁴ I didn't pull out my camera for this one, but Ivy L. has some good shots at her Blog T.O. review.

Gig: Masaisai

Masaisai

Gladstone Hotel (Ballroom). Friday, August 14, 2009.

On a Friday evening, I was a little sleepy from having been up late the night before watching Forest City Lovers and The D'Urbervilles tear up the stage at their Summerworks show, so I wasn't sure how long I could last. Considering the options, I decided to check out this post-Afrofest show at the Gladstone. Not only was it free, meaning I'd feel okay about leaving early, but it was also front-loaded with the band I was most interested in, Masaisai, a local band with most of the membership having roots in Zimbabwe. The band's music is based around the mbira (thumb piano), and mixes a roots music with a modern sensibility. The band was six players deep: drums, bass, guit, two mbira and a dancer/percussionist. Anyone familiar with the work of the mighty Thomas Mapfumo's chimurenga would have an idea of where this band is coming from. It's energetic, infectiously danceable stuff. If I were going to pick one adjective to describe it, it would be "bright" — redolent not only of the sunny emotional tenor, but also the skipping treble like light reflecting off a lake.

The musicians, including one youthful mbira player, were operating at a high level. The drums provided an excellent backbone with a steady skittering beat and guitarist Larry Lewis provided a lot of that aforementioned brightness. This was a really good half-hour of music, although were a couple tweaks that could have improved matters: the mix wavered a couple times, with the mbira disappearing a bit and the shaker overpowering things at a few moments. And while singer Tichaona Maredza did a fine job and held forth with a warm presence, he could have exercised his frontman's prerogative to inveigh the crowd, which seemed a little hesitant, up and dancing in front of the stage. After four songs, the band thought they were up against their time limit, but were convinced to stay up for one more, which sounded a little rushed in the tempo, as if they graciously didn't want to overstay their welcome on the stage.

But these are small things. Overall, this grabbed me in just the right way — fun stuff that makes you want to dance some. Don't take my word for it — the band has some more upcoming gigs listed on their myspace, including a free show on Saturday, August 22.

There was a whole slate of acts following Masaisai on stage at the Gladstone, and from what I heard catching the end of some of them soundchecking, it was a solid lineup throughout. But I was getting sleepy fast and decided to call it a night with a warm feeling from a band I'll be looking to see again.

Listen to a track from this set here.

Gig: CMW (Friday)

CMW: Hooded Fang / Teenanger / Japandroids / The Mark Inside / The D'Urbervilles / The Ghost is Dancing

Gladstone Hotel Ballroom / The Silver Dollar. Friday, March 13, 2009.

Walked into the Gladstone Ballroom just as Hooded Fang were getting underway. Didn't see anything else especially eye-grabbing as an option, so I thought I'd check them out despite having seen them last month. Got a fairly similar set, but that at least showed consistency of their talent, and that it was no fluke the first time around. Once again they made me smile. Good bouncy pop.

Teenanger looked like a diverse bunch of miscreants (nerd/slimebag/reprobate/sexy chick) that had ended up in a band together. They were basically mining from a rich vein of Stooge-y rock. Just starting to build up a good head of steam a couple of songs in, all momentum was sapped from the set when a broken string (and no backup guit) brought things to a complete halt for a few minutes. A contingency plan for this sort of eventuality is definitely indicated for the future. Once things got going again, they were pretty good, although for one reason or another the guitar was pretty quiet for the rest of the set. Whether the room's sound system was just underpowered for this kind of thing, or perhaps the guitarist didn't crank things fully up after replacing the string, it made the band feel a bit less biting than it should have — music like this demands a loud, mean, snarling guitar sound. Even though the songs didn't stick with me, I enjoyed their set, and I dig what they do.

I had read some interesting things about Japandroids and they were probably the main reason I'd come down to the Gladstone. A two-piece (guit/drums) from Vancouver, with both members shouting along.¹ An obvious point of comparison would be No Age, but these guys are coming from a different place, more straight-up garage². When they started, I was a little doubtful: with their off-the-cuff shouty hooks, the first thing that came to mind was Armada.³ But as the set went on, they won me over as I realized these guys had found a sweet spot between sounding rough and sounding tight. The lads were also in a spot between swagger and modesty, making casual overtures to the women in the room while seeming humbled to be out on the road, playing for strangers. By set's end, I was a convert, and the deal was sealed on the last song when Brian lurched behind the drum kit, and then, while attempting to step out, tripped backwards over the monitor, and ended up sprawled out, still playing. As the song ended, he shouted, "we're going up the CN Tower, and you guys should come with us!"⁴

In the warm glow of that, it was time to switch venues and by luck there was a streetcar pulling up as I got to the stop. Made my way east and north to The Silver Dollar and had good timing again, as The Mark Inside were just finishing their setting up. It'd been ages and ages since I'd been to the Silver Dollar, and I'd forgotten how claustrophobic it gets when the place is full, as it happened to be. Looking for room, I forged through the narrow peninsula in front of the stage and did find a bit more breathing space on the other side, though regardless of where I was standing, there seemed to be a loud drunk shouting at someone just inches away from me. As the band started, I tried to remember where I'd read something positive about them, but was drawing a complete blank.⁵ With no preconceptions, I can say they were a very good band who were not totally my style. Good solid rock, very proficient. If I had to guess, I'd wager that a blues-rock band lurks in their background... and that a Tragically Hip-esque band lurks in their future, though without the mytho-poetic baggage. Very well-received by the crowd.

Next up was The D'Urbervilles, who were the band I'd come to see. Singer John O'Regan (tall, laser-beam glare) still projects a youthful image, arriving on stage wearing a backpack and being handed a slurpee soonafter, giving a bit of image of a high school-aged Ian Curtis. But despite their youthful appearance, this is a band that has fast matured. I last saw them almost exactly a year ago, at their album release gig, and their musical growth since then was palpable, as was their confidence. In short, they gave the sense that they have become who they are. Their set was powerful and spooky focused. This was one where I genuinely wish the band had been able to stay on for longer. The D'Urbervilles really come across like a band in their moment, so hopefully there are bigger stages in their future.

Anything might have seemed like a comedown after that, but The Ghost is Dancing felt more like a plummet. Another sprawling cute-rock collective, replete with props (their presence was announced with their name spelled out on a Lite-Brite) and instrument changes aplenty, there just wasn't anything I could get into here. The band was six members deep, which seemed like at least two too many, as it left the songs feeling over-arranged and all mashed together instead of layered. Not for me. I was feeling beat by then, and getting no lift from this music, decided it was time to make my way home.

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¹ In a fiendishly nerdy coincidence the drummer is named David Prowse. Although I imagine he must have taken some grief over this, it seems likely that anyone who'd make fun of someone about this would be the sort of person easily beaten up anyways.

² Although if I were trying to be cool, I'm sure I could find some west coast punk band to place them in some sort of rock lineage. Maybe just a touch of early NoMeansNo?

³ Obviously sans Herman Menderchuck.

⁴ I note they already have another local show lined up, May 9 at the El Mo. I recommend it.

⁵ It was only after a week or so later, that I put it together in my head that I'd read their new album was recorded with Arctic Monkeys producer Jim Abbis, and that they opened a string of UK dates for The Hold Steady. Interestingly, one wonders if this would have shaped my appreciation of the band had I remembered this going in.