Monday Roundup #114

Community notes:

• As I signed up for the Freesound mailing list (see below!) it occurred to me to mention that if you have an email list that covers the sort of stuff I'm covering here, pass along the signup link to me so I can include it in a future update! It's tough finding out about stuff, so let's try and keep each other informed.

---

Inbox enhancers:

Freesound's goal is to connect themselves and their audience with great contemporary music. We do this through the presentation of concerts and events that are innovative, vibrant, diverse, and as rewarding as the music they play. The members of Freesound are some of the Toronto’s top young soloists in new music, and with Freesound they work as performers, curators, commissioners, and collaborators, creating and producing a diverse array of projects.

Based in Toronto, Freesound is particularly active in engaged in bringing emerging Canadian and international voices to the Toronto and Canadian new-music scenes. Operating since 2018, Freesound has presented a range of works, including music by Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Pauline Oliveros, Laurence Crane, Jason Doell, and Anna Höstman. With an exciting upcoming season featuring a number of world premieres and fascinating combinations of performers, Freesound is a collective for a new generation of composers and performers.

• Click here to join Freesound's email list!

---

Concert announcements:

Queermunity 6 (feat. Regina Gently / Fern Sully / Geordie Gordon / Ms Taken) / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2023-03-31 (Friday). $15 in advance, $20 at the door, 19+. [more info]

Ladyfinger [Diane Roblin/Kayla Milmine] / The Emmet Ray 2023-04-01 (Saturday – 6 to 8 p.m.). $10. [FB event]

Audiopollination (feat. Martin van de Ven/Grace Scheele/Mira Martin-Gray / James Bailey/Susanne Farkas/Nilan Perera / Daniel Field/Jack Brock/Shanika Maria / mkl32 & fuZzy) / Array Space 2023-04-07 (Friday). $10 (or PWYC). [FB event]

Bodywash (Tallies / Sahara) / The Baby G 2023-04-12 (Wednesday). $20.05, 19+. [FB event]

Emergents (feat. Matthew Cardinal / Yolande Laroche) / The Music Gallery 2023-04-22 (Saturday). $15 Door, $10 Low Income/Members/Arts Workers/Students. [more info]

Doug Paisley / [corporate brand name] Music Hall at Massey Hall 2023-05-13 (Saturday). $32.15. [FB event]

Ichi-Bons (bandcalledMAX) / Horseshoe Tavern 2023-05-20 (Saturday). $16.50, 19+. [FB event]

---

Shows this week:

University of Toronto Percussion Ensemble [Director: Aiyun Huang, featuring works by Yike Zhang, Emmanuel Séjourné, Ivan Trevino, Thierry de Mey, Fish Yu, Andrew James Clark] / Walter Hall 2023-03-20 (Monday). $free. [FB event]

Karen Ng's Wenona Series (feat. Rob Clutton Trio with Patrick O'Reilly) / Wenona Lodge 2023-03-21 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Little Jim [Chris Pruden/Matt Fong/Alexei Orechin/Anh Phung/Evan Cartwright with special guests: Tara Kannangara (March 24th), Caleb Klager (March 25th)] / The Rex Hotel 2023-03-22–25 (Wednesday–Saturday)

Parallax - Act 1 ["different mediums, industries and forms of expressions come together in a series of collective performances"] (feat. Melad Jajou/Jess Burgess/The Band / Gore Gloss/Lou Rose) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-03-22 (Wednesday). $pwyc/$20 suggested. [FB event]

Dan Fortin [solo bass] / Sellers & Newel 2023-03-23 (Thursday). Minimum donation $15. [more info]

The University of Toronto Hybrid Ensemble [part jazz, part classical, presenting a live original soundtrack to the silent film Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde] (Patrick O'Reilly's DOG Ensemble) / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2023-03-23 (Thursday). $free. [FB event]

Today Versions presents (feat. Del Stephen's Concrete Creative Recollections Research (Revisited)) / The Tranzac (Living Room) 2023-03-23 (Thursday). $10/PWYC. [FB event]

Cindy Lee (Dorothea Paas) / The Garrison 2023-03-23 (Thursday). $23.17, 19+. [FB event]

Karen Ng presents (feat. Eve Egoyan/Lori Freedman/Karen Ng) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-03-23 (Thursday) [FB event]

Annie Elgie's Tea Party Collective (Gary LaRocca) / Sellers & Newel 2023-03-24 (Friday). Minimum donation $15. [more info]

Shahriyar Jamshidi [My Sunset-Land Rojava album release event!] [solo kamanche performance + panel discussion] / Canadian Music Centre 2023-03-24 (Friday). $17.31 [more info]

Dun-Dun Band [EP release!] (Carl Didur / Prince Nifty) / Monarch Tavern 2023-03-24 (Friday). $14.50, 19+. [FB event]

Witches' Butter Ensemble [David Parker/Graham Beverly/Michael C. Duguay/Arden Rogalsky] (Wenderly Park feat. members of Stargoon) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-03-25 (Saturday). $pwyc, suggested $15. [FB event]

Cowbird Collective Presents: A Loose Grip on Reality Record Release Show (feat. Tone Cathedral [Sara Constant/Paul Newman/Andrew Furlong/Meghan Cheng/Brian Abbott] / Mun Mun C.F) / Array Space 2023-03-25 (Saturday) [FB event]

---

It happened this week...

• ...on March 23, 2018 at The Tranzac's Main Hall (Long Winter 6.5).

The Highest Order - Thirsty in the Rain

• ...on March 25, 2018 at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge (Synaptic Circus Sundays).

Chalk Repairer - [last 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.]

Monday Roundup #47

In the absence of concert listings, my regular Monday dispatches have fallen off. After bringing some life to the blog with the "bumping into" series, I figure I should get back in the groove. I'm guessing that this will be a bit like what used to get shoved into the end of the post when I was doing listings — some bandcamp suggestions, nods to a few livestreams, and sundry community notes (email me if you have anything that needs broadcast in the latter category!). Plus maybe a look back through the MFS archives.

---

Livestream nation:

• Apologies as this veers well into the self-promotional this week. First off, Track Could Bend returns this week — for the next while, expect pre-recorded sets to appear on youtube on the series' traditional first Tuesday of the month. There's a certain amount of figuring shit out that needed to be done, so I figured I'd make like a B-movie scientist and experiment on myself, convening the trio Our Way to Fall (where I'm joined by Liz Lima and Del Stephen) to play a "soundcheck" of sorts as I work out the kinks on how I want to record and present audio and video. The good news is this sounds pretty fab. The visuals are a work in progress — I know I want something a little lo-fi and rough around the edges but still visually interesting. You can check out how close I got to the mark as the set premieres on youtube tomorrow night (December 7th) at 7 p.m.:

• Meanwhile, I recommend the Audiopollination series in this space as a matter of course, so I can say without reservation that you wouldn't want to miss a duo set from Glen Hall and Elizabeth Lima... and you might also enjoy some things that Patrick O'Reilly and myself are cooking up. (livestreams here on Friday night. Free. Facebook event.)

---

Concert listings:

• Ladyfinger [Diane Roblin (piano & keyboards) + Kayla Milmine (soprano saxophone)] / The Emmet Ray 2021-12-12 (Sunday). $10. [FB event]

---

Video hits:

• Very exciting to see Vicky Mettler's Kee Avil project make the move up to Constellation Records, announced by this visually-arresting video:

---

It happened this week...

• ...on December 8, 2017 at Lee's Palace (Dan Burke: 60 plus 20).

The Highest Order feat. Michelle McAdorey - Carry On Warm

• ...on December 12, 2017 at Smiling Buddha.

Bitchin' Bajas - Circles on Circles

[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: The Highest Order

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 Run

A 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.]

Recording: The Highest Order

Artist: The Highest Order

Song: Thirsty in the Rain [Peter Rowan cover]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Main Hall (Long Winter 6.5), March 23, 2018.

The Highest Order - Thirsty in the Rain

For its season-closer, Long Winter returned to The Tranzac, filling the building with music and art. The night's headliners, The Highest Order brought some mellow jams to stretch out to, including some new songs as well as this cover, whose musings upon the preponderance of want and suffering in a land of plenty fit right in with their oeuvre.

Recording: The Highest Order

Artist: The Highest Order

Songs: Carry On Warm [Fiver cover, feat. Michelle McAdorey] / Something On Your Mind [Karen Dalton cover, feat. Bria Salmena] / Working Man Blues [Merle Haggard cover, feat. Dallas Good and Andre Ethier] / Stop the World and Let Me Off [Waylon Jennings cover, feat. Dallas Good] / Shake The Dope Out [The Warlocks cover, feat Dan Burke, Calvin Brown + Richard Gibson]

Recorded at Lee's Palace (Dan Burke: 60 plus 20), December 8, 2017.

The Highest Order feat. Michelle McAdorey - Carry On Warm

The Highest Order feat. Bria Salmena - Something On Your Mind

The Highest Order with Dallas Good and Andre Ethier - Working Man Blues

The Highest Order with Dallas Good - Stop the World and Let Me Off

Party Wallet - Shake The Dope Out

Although things didn't feel exactly right, taking over Lee's Palace instead of packing The Silver Dollar, there were good vibes and all-star jams a-plenty at this night dedicated to Dan Burke, celebrating his 60th birthday as well as twenty years of promoting shows. Headliners The Highest Order went brought the biggest contingent of guest performers, enlisting a large roster of friends and collaborators (as well as an expanded band with Stew Crookes' pedal steel, Nick Kervin adding percussion and Vallens' Marta Cikojevic on keybs throughout the night). Michelle McAdorey added some backing vocals on a Fiver song that's been brought over to The Highest Order, as well as being backed by the band on her own "Disappearing Things". Jen Castle reprised her Gerry Rafferty jam with the group while Andre Ethier and The Sadies' Dallas Good sat in for a mini-set-within-the-set. With B-17's Calvin Brown and Richard Gibson joining in with Dan Burke for the grand finale, the band morphed into their alter-ego Party Wallet to close out the night.

Recording: The Highest Order

Artist: The Highest Order

Song: unknown^*

Recorded at Artscape Daniels Spectrum (Venus Fest), September 30, 2017.

The Highest Order - unknown

The idea of a "feminist music festival" might bring to mind an earnest folkie gathering, maybe off in a forest somewhere, but this first annual event was nothing like that, using inclusive and intersectional ideals as guideposts to programming a day of wide-ranging musics. The brainchild of local musician Aerin Fogel, Venus Fest was an ambitious undertaking, presenting a dozen performances in Daniels Spectrum's spacious multi-purpose Regent Park digs. And it all came together quite wonderfully, highlighting a diverse slate of mostly local musicians and incorporating flourishes like Vanessa Rieger's live-mixed visuals. With this first festival completed, there's a new "sessions" series starting up, and lots of energy to build on the positive vibes this day released.

The Highest Order came to this set with Kyle Connolly sitting in on bass and a keen appreciation of how a "festival set" should work — keeping things short and snappy, as well as hyping up the crowd with a free t-shirt contest. And meanwhile, without being didactic, vocalist/guitarist Simone Schmidt worked to raise some awareness with her words and songs — all along with the band's cosmic roots grooves.

[The Highest Order will be playing alongside S.H.I.T. and Ansley Simpson at a fundraiser for the Toronto Overdose Prevention Society on Sunday night (November 5th) at The Baby G.]

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

Recording: The Highest Order

Artist: The Highest Order

Song: Keep A Window Open

Recorded at Christie Pits Park (Bloor Ossington Folk Festival – Day 2), September 18, 2016.

The Highest Order - Keep A Window Open

Unsurprisingly, the fine sunny weather accompanying the festival's final day had the park feeling much more lively and animated with dog-walkers and playground patrons. The tent was also a lot busier from the get-go and as the warm sun held overhead, the rise of the hill beyond was soon filling as well. There was more of a poignant sad undertone to the day, with organizers, bands and audience members all dwelling a little more on the idea that this was the end of the line for the festival. But, as always, the music was a balm and a call to enjoy these moments while they last.

Like many songs from Simone Schmidt's pen, this speaks to a specific place (the Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay, Ontario) and to a specific injustice (the indefinite jailing without charge of migrants). But, like many songs from Simone Schmidt's pen, this Christmas story is neither didactic nor offers easy answers, serving as a call to our sense of conscience and empathy. And yes, it also rocks out with a stone groove at the end, giving you a chance to work things out in your own head for a few minutes.

Recording: The Highest Order

Artist: The Highest Order

Songs: Warmfront + Closed Casket (with Andre Ethier) + Right Down the Line [Gerry Rafferty cover] (with Jennifer Castle)

Recorded at Comfort Zone, June 4, 2016.

The Highest Order - Warmfront

The Highest Order with Andre Ethier - Closed Casket

The Highest Order with Jennifer Castle - Right Down the Line

Forgoing the trendy one-information-morsel-at-a-time promotion m.o., The Highest Order dropped sophomore album Still Holding with a minimal gap from announcement to celebration. With the lasers and abstracted visuals (and a New Chance opening set!), this release show was a sort of re-mounting of last summer's basement jam — but this time, down in the depths of the Comfort Zone, the sound was quite fab and the visuals looked even more striking stretched across the wide arc of the stage.

The group ran through the album (including this one with a cool new video), tossed in a couple old faves, ceded the floor to a dance piece and then called up some friends to celebrate with them, bringing out Andre Ethier to amp things up with a Deadly Snakes number and Jennifer Castle to tackle a prime bit of classic-rock FM smoothness.

Recording: The Highest Order

Artist: The Highest Order

Song: Somewhere Out Of The Way

Recorded at Galleria Shopping Centre (Long Winter: Galleria), January 30, 2016.

The Highest Order - Somewhere Out Of The Way

An ambitious "takeover" project from the Long Winter crew saw their usual mix of music + art transferred to the near-derelict/doomed-by-gentrification Galleria Mall. It was a sonically awkward environment to hold a show (there's a lot of muddy "mall reverb" in these recordings) that attracted a rather different crowd than the regular LW events — skewing older, and perhaps towards those feeling a sense of pre-nostalgia for kitschy but less-corporate spaces like this. (Ironically, having a larger 19+ component in the crowd made for long lines for anyone wanting to get into the event's licenced areas, but that notwithstanding everything on the night seemed to run pretty smoothly.) Highly-attuned to the inequities carved into our social system, one could readily imagine the characters in one of Simone Schmidt's songs shopping at the Dollarama beside this show's stage. Chatting about the city's unfancy malls (and the pre-set deal she scored over at the event's Bunz Trading Zone pop-up) The Highest Order looked right at home in the Galleria, even while pausing to muse on what will be lost when the mall is replaced by condos. Musically, they stretched out for some sweet cosmic-psych grooves, including this one with Paul Mortimer taking the vocals.

Recording: The Highest Order

Artist: The Highest Order

Song: I.O.U.^*

Recorded at a Wade Avenue studio, July 11, 2015.

The Highest Order - I.O.U.

Tuning up before a slot at a large, out-of-town corporate festival, The Highest Order reconvened on stage for the first time since last September. This semi-advertised basement studio party was an opportunity for the band to unveil a set stuffed with new material before a friendly crowd. Jeff Bierk's hand-crafted projections and DIY laser show set the stage for the band's psych-twang, and the set showed there's a lot to look forward to, besides the one new song that has shown up in a video

^* I'm pretty sure this is the title that was called out at the start, but I'm treating is as not 100% confirmed for now.

Recording: The Highest Order

Artist: The Highest Order

Song: Two Hundred Pounds + I've Got Levitation [13th Floor Elevators cover]

Recorded at Christie Pits Park ("Bloor Ossington Folk Festival"), September 20, 2014.

The Highest Order - Two Hundred Pounds + I've Got Levitation

Once again, the Bloor Ossington Folk Festival stayed true to its roots as a low-key and local celebration. By enfolding itself into the contours of Christie Pits, BOFF still feels casual and approachable, even with some heavy hitters in its lineup. As so often happens at outdoor events, weather forced organizers to make some adjustments on the fly, but even having to move the headliners into the beer tent served to reinforce the intimate vibes. There's room to grow, but overall the organizers are getting things right.

Simone Schmidt played the festival on both days with different projects, starting on Saturday with her cosmic twang-psych unit expanding minds under clear blue skies. This segues so neatly from her "Two Hundred Pounds" to guitarist Paul Mortimer's take on this 13th Floor Elevators' classic that it seems pointless to split 'em up.

Recording: The Highest Order

Artist: The Highest Order

Songs: Widow + Hurry On Sundown (feat. Calvin Brown & Richard Gibson) [Hawkwind cover]

Recorded at The Horseshoe Tavern, May 4, 2013.

The Highest Order - Widow

The Highest Order - Hurry On Sundown

Full review to follow. Celebrating the release of their awesome debut album If It's Real, The Highest Order played one set composed mostly of its songs, and then a second with a series of guests joining them on some covers. Here's one taste from each set, the latter with extra guitars from half of rock action unit B-17.

Recording: The Highest Order

Artist: The Highest Order

Songs: That's How I Got To Memphis [Tom T. Hall cover] + Mind Odyssey [Spur cover]

Recorded at The Silver Dollar Room, November 24, 2012.

The Highest Order - That's How I Got To Memphis

The Highest Order - Mind Odyssey

Full review to follow. If you haven't been heading out to shows lately, you might not have noticed that Simone Schmidt has actually been having a busy year, debuting a whole lot of new songs under a couple different artistic identities. So far, it hasn't added up to a whole lotta released material, just a couple 7" singles like the one being released tonight. 2013 should see that change, with full-lengths slated from both Fiver as well as this unit.

The first set, featuring Stew Crookes on pedal steel, actually didn't sound all that different than full-band Fiver sets, but the second set with some extra guitar from Quest For Fire's Chad Ross gave a bit of a clearer idea of the psychedelic twang envisioned as this unit's core identity. There were several new originals sprinkled throughout both sets (keep an eye out for "Chain Mail" and "200 Pounds") as well a a whole bunch of covers. The pair here, with Cookes and Ross respectively, give a bit of a feel for the different flavours the band was working on and imparting with their interpretive skills. Word is that the full-length is slated for a February release, so I'm sure we'll be having another night with the band 'round then.

Recording: Fiver

Artist: Fiver

Song: Rainbow of Blues

Recorded at Holy Oak Café, June 26, 2012.

Fiver - Rainbow of Blues

Full review to follow.

"You guys want a bit of relief?"

[some crowd-members laugh nervously; a couple people clap]

"Awww... there is none! [beat] This is a song called 'Rainbow of Blues'."

Simone Schmidt might make jokes about the sense of darkness in her songs, but just as in her work with $100, the empathy that she brings to her character studies is unassailable. Strictly speaking, this tune belongs to Highest Order of the Blue Sage, the "other band" Schmidt plays in alongside guitarist Paul Mortimer, but it sounds good in this duo setting. There'll be a chance to hear her new Fiver material backed by a full band on Friday night (June 29) at The Silver Dollar, which comes highly recommended.