Monday Roundup #291

Concert announcements:

Free Improvisation Thursdays (feat. Brent Tanemura/Tania Gill/Lauchlin Wood/Aidan Miller) / Water to Wine 2026-08-20 (Thursday). $pwyc. [more info]

Masahiro Takahashi presents Chanoyu (feat. Masahiro Takahashi / Trustfall / Nick Storring) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-08-21 (Friday). [more info]

Partitions illimitées / Unlimited Scores (feat. Julie Lassonde/Sonia Leung/Sully Malaeb Proulx/Marilyn Yogarajah) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-08-23 (Sunday – 12:30 p.m.). $pwyc (sugg. $10-$20). [more info]

The AMBiENT PiNG & Imaginary North present: 27 Years of Ambient Love! (feat. Cheryl O / Nanotopia / Jim Field) / Handlebar 2026-08-24 (Monday). $PWYC. [more info]

Joni Void ["two sets of improvised electronics and sample-based soundscapes, merging into an exclusive collaborative finale between both acts"] (Liz Hysen) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-08-30 (Sunday – noon). [more info]

Cosmic Homeostasis XXXIII / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-08-30 (Sunday – 2:30 p.m.). $pwyc, all-ages + family-friendly. [FB event]

Track Could Bend #120 (feat. Dave Grenon's Indistinctive Gait w/ Ayesha Lye / Caution Wet Floor Signs) / Wenona Lodge 2026-09-01 (Tuesday). $pwyc. [FB event]

Not Dead Yet presents (feat. Otto Benson / Potions) / Monarch Tavern 2026-09-08 (Tuesday). $27.82, 19+. [tickets + more info]

Burn Down The Capital presents (feat. Picastro [Double on Time album release] / Bernice / Granny Smith) / Gloves Up Boxing Gym 2026-09-26 (Saturday). $28.27, all ages. [FB event]

Project Nowhere × Burn Down The Capital presents (feat. Horse Lords / Common Earth Mineral / Stefana Fratila) / The Garrison 2026-10-01 (Thursday). $32.31, 19+. [FB event]

Thiante: Spiritual Senegal (feat. Ibrahima Diop / Seydina Ndiaye / Talla Kane) / Trinity-St. Paul's Centre 2026-10-17 (Saturday). $25 (advanced)/$30 (doors), all ages. [FB event]

Not Dead Yet presents (feat. Weird Nightmare [Hoopla record release shows]) / Osler Records 2025-11-18&19 (Wednesday & Thursday). $24.94, 19+. [tickets + more info]

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

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Shows this week:

Toronto Electronic Music Open Mic (feat. Ibrahim / Jades James / Ben Green / Chin Beats / gaussian_acid / Todd MacDonald / A/K/C / Inchoate / Jonah Gryfe / Phurniture / Broken Pink Umbrella / Big Steve / mylesofdude / Gruve Collective) / Handlebar 2026-08-10 (Monday) [more info]

Harry Vetro and Friends [Harrison Argatoff/Jay Yoo/Jack Johnston/Harry Vetro] / The Emmet Ray 2026-08-10 (Monday). $20. [more info]

new works for improvising musicians (feat. Josh Cole/Lina Allemano/Jaron Freeman-Fox/Nick Storring/Owen Kurtz) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-08-10 (Monday). $10/notaflof

Rondo Projects (feat. Ehsan Sadigh & Dhaivat Jani) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-08-11 (Tuesday). $pwyc. [more info]

Kiwi Jr. / Sonic Boom Records 2026-08-12 (Wednesday – 6 p.m.). $free, all-ages. [FB event]

Brodie West presents (feat. Brodie West Double Basses Quintet [Brodie West/Patrick O'Reiily/Nick Fraser/Josh Cole/Rob Clutton]) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-08-12 (Wednesday – early). $pwyc

Joyshape (Mira Martin-Gray) / Houndstooth 2025-08-12 (Wednesday). $15/PWYC

Never Was [Brandon Davis/Bea Labikova/Racha Moukalled/Patrick O'Reilly/Adrian Russouw/Joe Sorbara] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-08-12 (Wednesday). [more info]

YEARN ["a powerful one-hour work for solo piano by Dutch composer Lieke van der Voort"] (feat. Cheryl Duvall) / Canadian Music Centre 2026-08-13 (Thursday). $20 General Admission, $15 Arts Workers

Free Improvisation Thursdays (feat. Brent Tanemura/Lauchlin Wood/Mason Wallington/Nick Fraser) / Water to Wine 2025-08-13 (Thursday). $pwyc. [more info]

Kurt Newman presents (feat. The Binoculars) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-08-13 (Thursday). $pwyc

Constellating (feat. Mas Aya & Khôra) / Capsules Artist Resources 2026-08-14 (Friday). $11.98. [tickets + more info]

Shaaane (Battle Milk / Sound Effects / Dame Cook) / The Tranzac (Living Room) 2025-08-14 (Friday). $10, 19+. [more info]

Diane Roblin’s Life Force [Diane Roblin/George Koller/Tim Shia/John Johnson/Alex Dean/John MacLeod] / The Rex 2026-08-15 (Saturday – 2 p.m.). $pwyc. [more info]

Re:Stacks (feat. Stacks) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-08-15 (Saturday). [FB event]

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Bandcamp corner:

• A mere twenty years (!) after the release of T.O. freak-folk masterpiece Half-Eaten Guitar, it was a bit of a surprise to see the sudden appearance of a new Wyrd Visions album. On my first quick investigation, I note that at least some of the material was stuff that was being played live a decade ago, but the timeless infinite depths of a Wyrd Visions jam are welcome in any year/for every ear.

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It happened this week...

• ...on August 12, 2016 at Pia Bouman School for Ballet (SummerWorks: Sound Circuitz).

Special Costello - Late Night

• ...on August 13, 2016 at Pia Bouman School for Ballet (SummerWorks: High Blood).

DATU x HATAW - World Gong Crazy

• ...on August 13, 2016 at Burdock Music Hall.

Eric Chenaux - Skullsplitter

• ...on August 14, 2016 at Array Space (Somewhere There's Second Sunday Series).

Ali Berkok + Diane Roblin - [third piece]

[Do remember that you can click on the tags below to go back and find the original posts (and often, more stuff) from these artists.]

Recording: HanHan

Artist: HanHan

Song: Kailan Kaya

Recorded at The Garrison (Wavelength SEVENTEEN – Night 3), February 19, 2017.

HanHan - Kailan Kaya

The festival's last blast saw the stage stripped of the previous night's drumkit and stacks of amps — no surprise, as this was co-presented with Silent Shout, putting the accent on electronic rhythms and just a few dance grooves. After seeing HanHan take over the dancefloor at Long Winter, I had a bit of an idea what was in store for this set — though that made me all the more excited to watch her win over a crowd (who mostly didn't know her stuff) cheer her like a seasoned headliner by set's end. Again sharing space with a trio from the HATAW dance crew, this was a high-energy, closely-choreographed set that was a joy to behold. And HanHan's tracks have choruses that you can sing along to, even if you might have to wait 'til you get home to read up on her empowering lyrics.

Recording: HanHan

Artist: HanHan

Song: Tawa

Recorded at The Gladstone Hotel's Ballroom (Long Winter 5.2), January 6, 2017.

HanHan - Tawa

Based on her show-stopping work in DATU's High Blood at last year's SummerWorks, I was definitely looking forward to HanHan's solo set at Long Winter — and indeed it was pretty much the highlight of the event. Bringing a posse of HATAW dancers, the group took up space in the best way, eschewing the stage to take over the floor, performing with the crowd forming a rough semicircle around them. Although the exact messages of Hanhan's empowerment raps might be lost in performance to an English-speaking audience, her point is entirely conveyed by her confidence. [The lyrics are also translated over on her bandcamp.]

[You can also see some video using my audio over on Brandon Caswell Douglas' playlist from the night.]

[HanHan will be playing the Wavelength Music Festival on Silent Shout's co-presented Sunday night groove extravaganza, February 19th at The Garrison. Long Winter continues this Saturday (February 4th) with the action moving to The Theatre Centre, featuring music by Devon Welsh, Off World, Saidah Conrad, Germaphobes, L CON, Ivy Mairi, FIN, Young Clancy, Roberto and Vibrant Matter.]

Recording: DATU x HATAW

Artist: DATU x HATAW

Song: World Gong Crazy

Recorded at Pia Bouman School for Ballet (SummerWorks: High Blood). August 13, 2016.

DATU x HATAW - World Gong Crazy

Capping off the music shows at this year's SummerWorks Festival was this joint entry from future-R&B crew DATU and dance group HATAW. Both groups share an artistic vision of examining diasporic Filipino culture through a Canadian lens — realized here by going to church and presenting the show as an examination of rituals, Catholic and otherwise.

A true multimedia spectacular with a cast of more than twenty, this involved elaborate choreography and eye-popping costumes besides the music. Those ingredients came together in different ways for each song, pausing to take confessions from audience-members mid-way through. This track was the show-stopping climax, featuring a rap from HanHan while the dancers performed a tinikling dance. Intense, wonderful stuff. This was the clear standout of this year's crop of music shows and it seems inconceivable that it wouldn't get remounted somewhere else.

Recording: DATU

Artist: DATU

Songs: unknown^* + Halo Halo Man

Recorded at The Great Hall's BLK BOX (Long Winter 4.4), February 19, 2016.

DATU - unknown

DATU - Halo Halo Man

Once again, the last live set at Long Winter was one of the event's key discoveries, with fresh sounds wrapped up in a late-night dance party. There was actually a familiar face up front, as I recognized Alexander The from his work with Times Neue Roman and Santa Guerilla. There's a direct sonic link from that latter group, which mixed Philippine kulintang sounds with hip-hop (and was an element in the origin story of Pantayo). Formally listed as a trio, the group was appearing on stage alongside HATAW, adding dance moves and backing vox. That meant there was quite a musical range here, incorporating gong grooves, hip-hop loops (including an ace Mulatu Astatke sample), R&B vibes and some straight-up rockin' out. Very exciting stuff — word is that the band's album is dropping next month, so keep an eye out for some excitement when that happens.

[This season's Long Winter will conclude over two nights at The Great Hall on March 18th and 19th, 2016.]

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