Thanks to last week's Snowy Good Times, the screening of Luka Kuplowsky's Cluttertones documentary/performance film Memory of Light has been rescheduled to Wednesday January 28th. (Innis Town Hall, free)
The deadline for the next round of applications for the Tranzac’s performance residency program has been extended to this Friday (January 23rd).
Concert announcements:
Nick Fraser presents (feat. Nick Fraser's Special Topics [Nick Fraser/Kae Murphy/Max Stover/Josh Cole] / Kae Murphy [solo]) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-01-27 (Tuesday) [more info]
Exit Points #67 (feat. cheryl o/Annie Elgie/Shaunt Raffi/Casey Sokol/Michael Palumbo / W L C/Sonia Leung/Danielle Sum/Alexia Monize/Angelica Zavala) / Array Space 2026-01-30 (Friday). $22.89 advance, $28.27 general admission. [tickets + more info]
Axiomatic Heresy [Jonathan Kay/Nick Fraser/Alex Fournier with special guests Kayla Milmine/Andrew Kay/Reagan Mitchell] / The Emmet Ray 2026-02-01 (Sunday – 5 p.m.). $15. [more info]
Track Could Bend #113 (feat. OH GEE [Marilyn Yogarajah/Rob Campbell] / Ryan Kinney) / Wenona Lodge 2026-02-03 (Tuesday). $pwyc. [FB event]
Not Dead Yet presents (feat. Milkweed) / BSMT254 2026-03-31 (Tuesday). $24.94, 19+. [tickets + more info]
Not Dead Yet presents (feat. The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis) / 918 Bathurst 2026-05-02 (Saturday). $37.10. [tickets + more info]
Is your show missing from this list? Submit it via this form!
Shows this week:
Soundstreams Encounters: Transoceanic ["works from diasporic composers Corie Rose Soumah, Kotoka Suzuki, and Anthony Tan reimagine sound and light through science-fiction visions that decenter Eurocentric narratives of progress"] (feat. Soundstreams) / Hugh's Room 2026-01-19 (Monday). $free with reservation. [more info]
CMC Presents: Imagined Spaces (feat. Dame Cook / Sergei Kofman) / Canadian Music Centre 2026-01-22 (Thursday). $15 Advance / $20 at the door (General Admission), $12 Advance / $15 at the door (CMC Members and Arts Workers), $10 (students). [more info]
Handcrafted Music (feat. David Benitez/Arie Verheul van de Ven/Yoshi Maclear Wall/Martin van de Ven) / The Tranzac (Living Room) 2026-01-22 (Thursday) [more info]
Kurt Newman presents: Country Music for Cold Weather People (feat. Kurt Newman & Motel Time Again) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-01-22 (Thursday) [more info]
Tim Posgate Trio [Tim Posgate/Aline Homzy/Aidan McConnell] / The Rex 2026-01-23 (Friday – 5 p.m.). $pwyc. [FB event]
Diane Roblin's Life Force [Diane Roblin/George Koller/Tim Shia/Colleen Allen/John Johnson/Kevin Turcotte] / The Rex 2026-01-24 (Saturday – 5 p.m). $pwyc. [more info]
Winter's Delight: Musical Merriment with Good Company (feat. The Musicians of the Egg) / St. Thomas's Anglican Church 2026-01-24 (Saturday). $30 (General Admission), $20 (Students, Arts Worker), $10 Children. [FB event]
Liquid Architecture presents Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde [live silent movie score] (feat. ARRC [Ambrose Pottie/Rod Campbell/Ryan Kinney/Colin James Gibson]) / St. Matthew’s Clubhouse 2026-01-24 (Saturday). $10 (cash or e-transfer). [FB event]
40 years on (feat. Queen Mab [Lori Freedman & Marilyn Lerner]) / Canadian Music Centre 2026-01-24 (Saturday). $22.63 advance/$20 door. [tickets + more info]
people | places | records Residency (feat. Cristina Lord / Nick Norton) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-01-24 (Saturday) [FB event]
Imaginary North and The AMBiENT PiNG present Ambient Afternoon (feat. Kilometre Club / Heart Map Ambient Ensemble / Daena Delam) / Society Clubhouse 2026-01-25 (Sunday – 2 p.m.). $10 at the door, NOTAFLOF. fully accessible and family friendly. [FB event]
Global Sunday (feat. Donné Roberts) / The Rex 2026-01-25 (Sunday – 2 p.m.). $pwyc. [more info]
University of Toronto New Music Festival: Simple Beginnings (feat. minMAX Electroacoustic Orchestra) / Walter Hall 2025-01-25 (Sunday). $free. [more info]
Sympathetic String Band & Friends (feat. Sympathetic String Band / Potions performing as The Sympathetic Wind Band) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2025-01-25 (Sunday – early) [more info]
Out of This Spark 4th Anniversary Celebration (feat. OOTS Family Band / Evening Hymns / Richard Laviolette and The Oil Spills / The Pale Mornings / Jenny Omnichord / The Phonemes / Kite Hill)
The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge). Friday, January 7, 2011.
After a one-year jaunt at The Garrison, local label Out of This Spark returned to The Tranzac for their annual anniversary celebration. This edition, however, was quite different from past ones. Though the celebration could have filled the larger main hall, label honcho Stuart Duncan instead opted for the more intimate Southern Cross Lounge, putting the audience closer to the bands, though it meant that a few latecomers were turned away. Like shows in the Southern Cross usually are, this was a pay-what-you-can event, and like several other shows preceding it, this was a fundraiser for the Tranzac itself. And further mixing things up, unlike the previous anniversary shows, instead of a series of sets by the bands on the label's roster, this was given over to a night of music by friends of the label.1
N.B. I was without camera on this night, so to break up the text, I'm going to slip in a few videos from the night by Colin Medley.
The room, normally set up with loosely scattered tables, was opened up to accommodate the crowd, with only a single row of tables in front of the "stage" area. I got there early enough to snag one of the precious few seats, so I had a sweet spot to witness what would turn out to be a pretty lengthy show. It got off to a solid, though mellow start with Kite Hill, which made me ponder whether the band with one of the more complicated setups played first just for the sake of quicker changeovers down the line.
Ryan Carley led off with a solo piano number that I didn't recognize from the previous times I'd seen the band, but the songs after that were familiar. His songs are theatrical, and they succeed most when the music is called upon to evoke the moods to go along with his words — hence the need for a mini-orchestra with clarinet/sax, cello, violin, stand-up bass and drums. Songs like the stately "Warm Winter" were powered by the interplay of the mini-string section of Anissa Hart (also a member of Ohbijou alongside Carley) and Lisa Conway (also of The Owle Bird). There was also a stirring rendition of "Gathering". It sounds as if the band's long-awaited album is "in the can" and awaiting release — in the interim, you can get a taste of what's coming on their soundcloud.
Given how jammed the room was getting, it was pleasing that it was rather quiet for The Phonemes, another band that play in mostly softer tones. Magali Meagher's voice is always at the centre, but her guitar work is accompanied by Stephanie Markowitz and John Tielli, each shifting between several instruments. Meagher's gentle strumming on "Paper Plane", for example, was backed by zorbing blurts from Tielli's theramin, and he'd later also contribute on bass and drums as well as his high, keening vocals.
The band is featuring a lot of new material — hopefully the follow-up to 2007's There's Something We've Been Meaning To Do is in the works — including "Queen's Counsel", which I don't think I'd heard before. The set ended, as is usually the case, with the sublime "Pain Perdu". This time, it was a little more ragged than usual, but it was brought home with the help of Kat Burns and Gentleman Reg who were brought up to sing along.
Jenny Mitchell presents her songs under the name Jenny Omnichord, a nom de guerre which gives away her main accompaniment. Even if its musical range is a little narrow, the omnichord has its own unique vibe, and makes for a fitting partner to Mitchell's always-ebullient stage presence. Even when pressing through the occasional scatterbrained or self-deprecating moment, her sunny warmth animates her sets. On this night she was testing, of all things, an omnichord strap, so she could play standing up — and not, say, use the ironing board she otherwise brought as a stand. That, and the new omnichord that went with it, weren't entirely show-ready, but the bumps didn't matter in the face of the instantly memorable "Pain of Maybes".
Showing how her songs are tied into her life and friends, each of them came with a dedication, including "All Our Little Bows", which was played for her fellow ex-Barmitzvah Brother Geordie Gordon, who'd be playing later on in the evening. Coming at the far end of the holidays, there were not one but two seasonal songs in the set, including The Flaming Lips' "Christmas at The Zoo" as well as the pleasing goofiness of "Snoopy's Christmas", which I hadn't thought about in decades but then had lodged in my head for days.
The last time I had seen The Pale Mornings, they were called Whippoorwill. But change of name aside, this was basically the same band — an assemblage fronted by Sylvie Smith dedicated to playing some good ol' country music in a manner guaranteed to break your honky-tonk heart.2 Leading off with the dreamy tones of Santo & Johnny's "Sleep Walk", the band proceeded to tackle a range of classics. So one could, I suppose, dismiss this as a mere "cover band", but that seems to miss the point when they're so damned good — to use the technical term from the Institute of Country Music, they're hot shit. All of the musicians really nail this, but Chris Stringer on guitar and John Dinsmore on bass should be singled out — and as mentioned in this space previously, Smith is a top-notch singer, animating the material pretty fully.
Only on the immortal "Walkin' After Midnight", which was new to the setlist, were Smith's vox a little unconvincing, but on stuff like Don Williams' "I'll Be There", she was pretty great. And, as before, her own composition "On Our Own" (which came out under her own name on the Friends in Bellwoods 2 compilation) had me aching for more original material — though, keeping busy as she does in a couple other bands probably means that's not at the top of her agenda. If you get a chance to see these folks play, don't hesitate.3
The namesake of Richard Laviolette and The Oil Spills was unfamiliar to me, but I did know that his album All Your Raw Materials, originally released independently, had been picked up by You've Changed Records, which was enough to make me take notice. As it turned out, this was a logical follow-up to The Pale Mornings, bringing another barn-storming hootenanny. The Oil Spills were a big ole country band, with eight on stage all told, including accordion (Meredith Grant), pedal steel (Mike Brooks), banjo (Greg Denton), fiddle (Geordie Gordon, also of The Magic) and piano (Lisa Bozikovic, also adding her wonderful voice). Plus with Jenny Mitchell making a return to the stage on bass, this would be essentially the crew who'd played on the album. A group this big required some set-up on the fly — more vocal mics were still being added after they started playing, and though the sound was a little ragged at times, it was ragged in the right way.
A bit of a similar vibe to classic Jon-Rae and the River, but this was feeling more drilled into the music's honky-tonk roots like a raggedy back-porch band (or, on songs like "Snuck Right Up", like a back-porch Band). And from the start, this was all likeably fine. But then, as the band lurched into "Funeral Song", a tune good enough to fry biscuits in, it was suddenly pretty awesome. A shoutalong ode to facing the end with realism, the song is as enthusiastic about the notion of drunken wakes as it is against sombre funerals. The enthusiasm of that one caused, of all things, a broken accordion strap. For the next song, Lisa Bozikovic leaned over from the piano to help hold it in place while Grant played on. The rest of the set didn't quite reach the lift of that one moment, but the rambunctious fun that the band was playing with made it enjoyable throughout.
After, I looked back behind me and for the first time all night, there was some open space in the room. It was half-past midnight, so no surprise it was getting a little quieter. Which made it just right for Evening Hymns, who were, on this night, just Jonas Bonnetta (with a creaky acoustic guitar) and Sylvie Smith. The pair played mostly new songs, leading off "Family Tree" — which was not an upbeat one: "I'm going to chop down the family tree / break it into piles and burn all the leaves". On the night before heading up north to record their second album, it was quite amazing to hear the new songs in their most stripped-down, fragile state, and a powerful introduction to songs like the affecting "Arrows".
The only older song in the set was "Dead Deer", which was played to celebrate the release of the song's rather beautiful video. And there was also a cover of Michael Hurley's "Wild Geeses" — Smith's ethereal backing vox were especially strong here. Bonnetta, who had been in a friendly, chatty mood throughout, no matter how dark some of the new music was, finished off playing a solo version of "Spectral Dusk", which seems to be set to be the title track of the band's second album. There's no release date yet, but I'm guessing once fall rolls around we'll be hearing from the band.
An excellent set that held the audience totally quiet throughout, that wouldn't be required as the night wrapped up with another OOTS tradition, where players from different bands on the label's roster combined into The Family Band. As there had been throughout the night, there was a twist on the concept here, with a rotating series of vocalists doing covers, backed by a house band that was essentially Forest City Lovers.
First up, Jonas Bonnetta returned to the stage, and in a sort of inverse of the quiet set he had just played, belted out Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down", with backing vocals by Sylvie Smith and Gavin Gardiner from The Wooden Sky. Smith stayed on stage to take the lead on "Got My Mind Set on You". Given the loop of the verse and chorus, it looked like Smith would have been happy to keep the song going indefinitely.
Daneila Geshundheit (of Snowblink) made her first family band appearance, cementing her place in the OOTS-sphere in advance of the then-forthcoming reissue of the band's Long Live album. She delivered a totally smouldering version of "Take My Breath Away" that would leave any fighter pilot a heap of repressed homoerotic longing. The set ended with Kat Burns (Forest City Lovers) and John O'Regan (Matters, Diamond Rings) joining forces on Stevie Nicks' "Edge of Seventeen" that segued into "Bootylicious" by Destiny's Child — a canny combo as the latter sampled the former's guitar line. I was not ready for that jelly — or at least that wasn't what I was expecting, but it was a pleasingly fun way to end the long night.4
In retrospect, that was a helluva show. It's mind-boggling that there are things in our midst like this that you could go to on a pay-what-you-can basis, but hopefully everyone else at the show acknowledged that this was more than a usual amount of music and talent and filled the donation jar accordingly. Kudos to Stuart Duncan and all of the musicians, and here's hoping there will be many more birthdays to come.
1 For the analytically inclined, there was also a strong Guelph theme running through the night.
2 To be clear, in terms of country music, this is high praise indeed.
3 Pale Mornings will be playing on Saturday July 23, 2011 as part of the unique Wavelength "Band on the Run" event — a sort of musical treasure hunt spread across the city. The locations of the sets will only be revealed on the day, so keep an eye out here for further info.
4 It looks as if the next mutation of the Family Band is coming up at the SummerWorks Festival, on Wednesday August 10, 2011, where something called House League will be making their debut. Details are scarce right now, but they're listed as featuring members of "The Magic, Forest City Lovers, Matters and Evening Hymns".
Out of this Spark 3rd Anniversary Party (feat. The D’Urbervilles, Forest City Lovers, Evening Hymns)
The Garrison. Saturday, January 22, 2010.
The anniversary celebrations for local label Out of This Spark have been a warm spot in January's cold for the past couple years, and this time around the party had moved from the Tranzac over to The Garrison. Looks like they coulda picked an even bigger room yet, as the ticketless were being turned away at the door when I arrived, a bit late, missing Jenny Omnichord's opening set. At least that meant a most pleasant lack of dead time as Evening Hymns were just taking the stage and strapping on their instruments as I was finding a spot on the pool table to store my parka.1
Now a five piece, James Bonetta's band has slimmed down from when I'd seen them previously, with Tim Bruton on extra guitar plus Sylvie Smith adding bass duties to her vocal role. On the stage, a swirling, ambient instrumental introduction built up for a couple minutes, textures of keyb and guit with multitalented/man-of-many-bands Shaun Brodie laying down some trumpet licks on top. That opening build led into "Lanterns", rising up to a climax with more trumpet underneath Bonetta's treated and looped vocals, before collapsing into the regret-tinged "Dead Deer", with Smith doubling the lead vocal, and Brodie switching over to accordion. For my money, these robust arrangements to start the set were the sweetest fruit in the band's basket. Launching into "Cedars", Bonnetta commented, "this is a quiet song. Do what you gotta do." Given the less-than-stellar time I'd had with chatty people at the Garrison the night before, I was worried that that might mean general talking and ignoring the band, but it wasn't so bad on this night.
Then the band exited the stage, leaving Bonnetta alone as he launched into "Mtn. Song" — a surprising choice for a solo spot, given that this was previously a big, roiling band production with extra percussion. Turns out, though, that Bonnetta had some tricks up his sleeve, and the song was turned into something else entirely. Starting off slow and quiet, it slowly went from a coffeehouse folk song into an extended coda, recreating the album version's almost psychedelic ending, with Bonnetta adding layers of vocals via looping pedal à la Nif-D or Jamie Lidell. Stretching out past nine minutes, I don't know that I preferred this to the previous arrangement, but I surely do appreciate Bonnetta's willingness to tinker with his songs a bit and find different ways to present them. After that, the band — who had come around up front to watch that happening, not just holing up backstage to pound back some beers or anything — returned for a rollicking take through "Broken Rifle". The set ended with a new one whose name I didn't catch ("Cabin in the" something — "Cabin in the Burn", maybe?) that the band clearly enjoyed rocking out to. I've found Evening Hymns is sort of on the cusp for me, in terms of how much it engages me, but the fact that the live incarnation is ever-changing and treating the songs as malleable processes and not Songs Fixed In Place For All Time gives me cause to stay on their side.
Keeping one step (or several, preferably) ahead of the talkers, I decided to be proactive and moved right up to the front to see Forest City Lovers, settling in pretty much under the stage right speaker. Which turned out to be the right move for the half-hour set, as it sounded pretty good up there.
Although the band is and shall ever be most closely shaped by vocalist/songwriter Kat Burns, the D'Urbervilification2 of FCL continues apace — in addition to Kyle Donnelly on bass, Tim Bruton (who we've seen joining the band on stage in the past) is now listed as a full-time member.3 Over the past couple years, there's been a slow and steadily evolution of the band's live sound into something a bit meatier and more "rock", which is totally to my liking. On this night, the band sounded close to excellent, with perhaps only Donnelly's bass a bit high in the mix early on.
The set started with "Don't Go", sounding better than I've ever heard it, and the band was playing with a pleasing self-assuredness from the outset. FCL is now building up enough of a catalogue that it faces us with that happy dilemma of having too many good songs, and with the influx of new material, we're not going to get to hear all the old favourites every time. Fortunately, the new stuff is pretty good. The band played both sides of their recent 7", with Sylvie Smith coming out to add some backing vox to "If I Were a Tree", a slightly-dendrophiliac romantic sketch all the sweeter for sly double entendres like "if I were a tree / I'd give you wood". We also got what were told was a brand new song (opening lines "clear winter morning / we walk by the lake") and another one that I believe is new, ending with the refrain "we are what we believe in".4 I wouldn't have minded another song or two, but a very fine set overall, and Burns left the stage saying, "there'll be a special surprise after the D'Urbervilles, so stick around".
High energy as always, The D'Urbervilles started their set with a blast of new material — although we've been hearing some it if for long enough that some, like "Get In or Get Out", is already familiar, while "Spin the Bottle" can not be certifiably introduced by John O'Regan (now a blond, and possibly having more fun) as "an oldie". In fact, the bulk of the set was satisfyingly devoted to new stuff, which is, at turns, harder hitting and slinkier than previous. Completely entertaining but unassuming on stage as always, O'Regan and co. were rather fabulous, taut and energetic throughout. The set started off with a two-guit attack, though most of the songs involved O'Regan or Tim Bruton on keyb. The half-hour went by in a whir, again leaving the crowd wanting more. In case I haven't been adequately clear: solidly in the top tier of this city's acts.
And then, re-emerging, O'Regan said, "I guess we'll do some more... we'll all do some more." Members from all the evening's bands were assembling on stage for something of a re-enactment of the beloved joint performance at last year's Summerworks Festival. Let's dub them the OOTS Family Band after the performers' propensity to refer to their label in that rhymes-with-boots way. A raucous three song effort, leading off with the D'Urbs' "Dragnet", featuring Jenny Omnichord on bass. Following which, she sat down and plugged in her omnichord to lead one of her own songs, the full band sound (and Mika Posen's violin in particular) adding some lovely flesh to the song's bones. And then closing with a brisk and urgent take of FCL's "Country Road". Certainly in keeping with the shared spirit of the evening and Out of This Spark as a whole.
A very fine evening, and a tantalizing glimpse of what we can only hope is increased success for the label and these bands. With D'Urbs and FCL both headed towards new releases, I think OOTS will be staying on our radar in a big way for the rest of the year, and we can only hope their biggest problem will be finding a place big enough to hold their anniversary party next year.
1 Reading back over this, it never occurred to me until just now that it's mildly odd that the folks at The Garrison have kept the pool table opposite the bar pushed up against the wall. Given that it functions well enough as a leaning place and communal coat pile, it seems functional and all, I guess. Maybe they push it out to the middle of the floor during the day and hustle folks just in from the countryside.
2 This is my new favourite word, and is offered free of charge to anyone who wants to use it as the name of their D'Urbs cover band.
Tranzac Stage, Festival on Bloor. Sunday, June 14, 2009.
On a fine Sunday, headed down to the Annex for the Annual "Festival on Bloor", the street shut down from Spadina to Bathurst. As in years past, the Tranzac was sponsoring a stage set up at the corner of Bloor and Brunswick, with a variety of musical acts throughout the afternoon. Despite some names worth seeing, the stage was a little underadvertised, and I think was more a source of entertainment for people streaming by than those who were coming out of the way just to see someone play. Following on the heels of a choir, Ian and Simone took the stage for a duo set of $100 material. Those who came down (or those just randomly wandering by) were rewarded not only with the airing out of the standards ("Fourteen Hour Day", "No Great Leap") but with some new material. The first (entitled "Courting My Heartache"?) was presented as a sequel to "Black Gold", being played in front of an audience "for the fourth time"1. The finale was the premiere of "Four Grand Short" — "this is about the recession", explained Simone of a song about life's unappreciated and undercompensated work. Pared back to guit and vox, the focus is on the lyrics, giving a chance to show that $100's songs are solid all the way down. Always a pleasure.
After heading up the street to see Pink Mountaintops at Sonic Boom, wandered back down to Brunswick. Quite a fine day out — the sun felt surprisingly intense2 and made me a little drowsy as I pulled up a curb. Ended up sitting by the cool kids as Jenny Mitchell got set up on stage. Mitchell, a member of the Barmitzvah Brothers and The Burning Hell, was playing in her her solo guise of Jenny Omnichord — named after the titular instrument. The omnichord's percolating electronic rhythms brought to mind something like Edna Boil playing "Popcorn"3, though fortunately, the personality behind the songs elevated them above kitsch, with Mitchell's smiling vox and plainspoken songs (about Elvis impersonators, epistolary skeletons and pregnancy) keeping things grounded. A pleasant set of homespun songs that put me in a good frame of mind to head back home and do laundry.
1 So perhaps those in attendance for Friday's Horseshoe gig got a full-band version?
2 Though not so infernoriffic as the same festival a couple years back when Laura Barrett, Sunparlour Players, The Bicycles and Ninja High School all graced that same stage on a boiling hot afternoon that just about melted me.
Founded as a blog about one curmudgeon's love affair with the em dash, Mechanical Forest Sound has grown to become a community-based archive of local musical culture. Assuming that "independent music" isn't just boys with guitars and "culture" isn't just some sort of pageant, MFS is an investigation of a wide range of artists, reflecting on concerts as shared experiences, acts of citizenship and a chance to get down — fuzzy photographs and clear-sounding original live recordings a specialty.
Current manifestations of this project include Track Could Bend, a monthly concert series featuring "improvised music and weird rock offshoots", presented in a casual environment.
At one point I wrote full-on concert reviews, and for longer I thought I would catch up and write about shows in the past. But these days, because of, y'know, life, do not expect much in the way of full show reviews — but live recordings with blurbs will be posted as quickly after the fact as is feasible.
You can also check out full sets uploaded to the Live Music Archive. [not currently active]
N.B.: All recordings should be available & playable. If you come across any broken links, invisible or non-functioning players, etc, please leave a comment and I will tend to it ASAP.
ALSO N.B.: I'm perpetually on the lookout for a new place to stash my MP3's online. If you know of any place that allows a couple gigs of stuff to be openly linked to for streaming, drop me a line!
All MP3's on this blog are audience recordings shared as a reminder of the excitement of seeing live music. If you are an artist who doesn't want their music shared in this way, please contact me and I shall remove it forthwith.
Is your show missing from this list? Submit it via this form!
Ministry of Phonic Services presents: Back to School Field Trip ["a festival of outdoor experimental sounds and actions"] (feat. Vampire John Coltrane / Bee Solomon / Cows in Rain) / "Porch" 2026-09-07 (Monday). $pwyc. [more info]
More Noise Please! presents Manic Monday (feat. The Nausea / SEHKTOR8 / Crude Flame / Mountain of Woe / Pursuit Grooves / Writhing Deceiver) / BSMT254 2026-09-07 (Monday). $17.31 or pwyc. [tickets + more info]
Not Dead Yet presents (feat. Otto Benson / Potions) / Monarch Tavern 2026-09-08 (Tuesday). $27.82, 19+. [FB event]
Rondo Projects #4 ["the final part of Ehsan Sadigh’s Septet IV/IX"] (feat. Bea Labikova/Chris Pruden/Dhaivat Jani/Ehsan Sadigh) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-09-08 (Tuesday) [more info]
Ministry of Phonic Services presents: Back to School Field Trip ["a festival of outdoor experimental sounds and actions"] (feat. J.Vulgare / Colby Richardson / Fan Wu / Mariana Medellin) / "Mall" 2026-09-09 (Wednesday). $pwyc. [more info]
Alex Lukashevsky ["solostrumsinging + a guest or two"] / Water to Wine 2026-09-09 (Wednesday). $pwyw
Never Was [Brandon Davis/Bea Labikova/Racha Moukalled/Patrick O'Reilly/Adrian Russouw/Joe Sorbara] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-09-09 (Wednesday). [more info]
ESP Free Jazz Thursdays (feat. Brent Tanemura/Allison Cameron/Gloria Ksimuniv/Blake Howard) / Water to Wine 2026-09-10 (Thursday). $pwyc. [more info]
Kurt Newman presents (feat. Isla & The Sorry Brothers) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-09-10 (Thursday). $pwyc
Ministry of Phonic Services presents: Back to School Field Trip ["a festival of outdoor experimental sounds and actions"] (feat. Brian Abbott's Tone Cathedral / Mani Mazinani & Marilyn Yogarajah / Bea Labikova) / "Creek" 2026-09-11 (Friday). $pwyc. [more info]
Audiopollination (feat. Andrew Kobus to go/Xukasia/Janel Jones / flower club/Rohee Uberoi / Noah Campbell/Neal Armstrong/Aisha Sasha John / The Not Michael Lynns) / Array Space 2026-09-11 (Friday). $pwyc/$10 (notaflof). [more info]
Musica Universalis (feat. Colin Fisher / William Hunt / Jack Johnston / Cal Adam) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-09-11 (Friday) [more info]
William Hunt [solo piano live recording] / Sellers and Newel 2026-09-12 (Saturday). $15 minimum donation. [more info]
Lucid Lounge Saturdays (feat. Ryan Driver/Andrew Downing/Blake Howard) / Water to Wine 2026-09-12 (Saturday). $pwyc. [more info]
Toronto Improvisers Orchestra / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-09-13 (Sunday – noon). $pwyc. [more info]
Marilyn & Friends (In the style of Ayal) (feat. Sporesong [Adwoa & Marilyn] / Will Hunt / Nick Flanagan / A Hectic Space [Nilan/Roya/Vic/Marilyn]) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-09-13 (Sunday – 2:30 p.m.). [FB event]
Ministry of Phonic Services presents Back to School Field Trip: Installation Garden ["a festival of outdoor experimental sounds and actions"] (feat. various artists) / "Ravine" 2026-09-13 (Sunday). $pwyc. [more info]
Josh Cole: new works for improvising musicians ["solo and duo double bass"] (feat. Evan Palmer & Josh Cole) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-09-14 (Monday). $10 or pwyc. [more info]
Ministry of Phonic Services presents Back to School Field Trip: BPM (Big Percussion Meeting) ["a festival of outdoor experimental sounds and actions"] (feat. Amiel Ang / Brian Ruryk / Raf Wilcot / Victor O / Caleb Clawson) / "Playground" 2026-09-15 (Tuesday). $pwyc. [more info]
Body Help with Hugh Marsh / Pamenar (patio) 2026-09-15 (Tuesday). [more info]
Music Hosted by Karen Ng (feat. Matthew Cardinal / Vicki Venti / Pantayo) / Wenona Lodge 2026-09-15 (Tuesday). $pwyc. [more info]
Green-House (Masahiro Takahashi) / The Baby G 2026-09-16 (Wednesday). $25.03, 19+. [FB event]
Altered States Artist Showcase (feat. Scott Thomson/Brent Tanemura/Max Stover/William Hunt/Mateos Labbé-Phelan) / Water to Wine 2026-09-16 (Wednesday). $pwyc. [more info]
Ministry of Phonic Services presents: Back to School Field Trip ["a festival of outdoor experimental sounds and actions"] (feat. Brandon Auger / Ben Grossman / Fahmid Nibesh) / "Dome" 2026-09-17 (Thursday). $pwyc. [more info]
Andrew Downing & Dan Pitt / Sellers and Newel 2026-09-17 (Thursday). $20 minimum donation. [more info]
ESP Free Jazz Thursdays (feat. Brent Tanemura/Lauchlin Wood/Jake Bikay/Mason Wallington/Colin Fisher) / Water to Wine 2026-09-17 (Thursday). $pwyc. [more info]
Toronto Makam Music Forum (feat. Naomi McCarroll-Butler & Sam Shalabi / The Folios of Iranian Dastgāh [Sadaf Amini/Ava Rostamian/Soheil Sadeghi/Sasan Salaseli/Araz Salek]) / East End United 2026-09-18 (Friday). $30 general admission, $20 student/arts worker. [FB event]
Rob’s 60th Birthday (feat. Rob Clutton/Karen Ng/Chris Pruden/Germaine Liu) / Sellers and Newel 2026-09-18 (Friday). $20 minimum donation. [more info]
Whitetails (Chapel of Ease / The Cross Sea / LeBarons) / The Garrison 2026-09-18 (Friday). $25, 19+. [FB event]
Glenn Jones (Liam Grant / Colin Fisher) / Le Monde 2026-09-18 (Friday) [more info]
Chanoyu (feat. New Tendencies [Matt Nish-Lapidus] / Germaine Liu & Masahiro Takahashi) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-09-18 (Friday). [more info]
The Mike Milligan Trio [Mike Milligan/Nick Fraser/Brodie West] / Sellers and Newel 2026-09-19 (Saturday). $25 minimum donation. [more info]
Toronto Makam Music Forum (feat.Sami Abu Shumays’ Umm Kulthum Music Group) / East End United 2026-09-19 (Saturday). $30 general admission, $20 student/arts worker. [more info]
Roger C. Miller (Storey Littleton) / BSMT 254 2026-09-20 (Sunday). $27.36, 19+. [FB event]
Ministry of Phonic Services presents: Back to School Field Trip ["a festival of outdoor experimental sounds and actions"] (feat. HAHAHAHAHAHA / shemona / quivering / Emergency Euphoria) / "Highway" 2026-09-23 (Wednesday). $pwyc. [more info]
Mike DeiCont Trio feat. Eric West & Leland Whitty / Sellers & Newel 2026-09-24 (Thursday). $20 minimum donation. [FB event]
Ministry of Phonic Services presents: Back to School Field Trip ["a festival of outdoor experimental sounds and actions"] (feat. SlowPitchSound / Fleshtone Aura & Sandro Perri / Gayle Young & Reinhard Reitzenstein / tête à tête [Philippe Melanson & Matthew Pencer]) / "UFO" 2026-09-25 (Friday). $pwyc. [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]
Maggie Keogh/Ryan Driver/Max Donaldson/Blake Howard / Sellers and Newel 2026-09-27 (Sunday). $20 minimum donation. [more info]
Soundstreams Encounters: Nagoya Marimbas [featuring Steve Reich’s "Mallet Quartet" and "Nagoya Marimbas", plus works by Ann Southam and Juri Seo (feat. Kairos Percussion Quartet with Aerin Cho) / Hugh's Room 2026-09-29 (Tuesday). $free with reservation. [more info]
Jane Siberry / Sellers and Newel 2026-09-30 (Wednesday). $35 minimum donation. [more info]
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]
Liquid Architecture: Guitar Night (feat. Lex Feathers / Aranya Khurana / Colin James Gibson / Ryan Kinney) / St. Matthew's Clubhouse 2026-10-03 (Saturday). $10 (cash or e-transfer). [FB event]
Steve Reich at 90! (feat. Soindstreams) / Koerner Hall 2026-10-06 (Tuesday). $35-$94.75. [more info]
Soundstreams Encounters: Violins Unbound [works by André Ristic, John Beckwith, Chris Paul Harman, Parisa Sabet, Ana Sokolović] (feat. Judith Fliedl & Roan Ma) / Hugh's Room 2026-11-02 (Monday). $free with reservation. [more info]
Not Dead Yet presents (feat. Weird Nightmare [Hoopla record release shows]) / Osler Records 2026-11-18&19 (Wednesday & Thursday). $24.94, 19+. [tickets + more info]
Mike DeiCont & Dan Fortin / Sellers and Newel 2026-11-25 (Wednesday). $20 minimum donation. [more info]
Marilyn Lerner & Matt Brubeck / Sellers and Newel 2026-11-26 (Thursday). $20 minimum donation. [more info]
Soundstreams Encounters: Orison [a new music theatre work-in-progress featuring the ondes Martenot] (feat. Daniel Áñez & James O’Callaghan) / Hugh's Room 2026-11-30 (Monday). $free with reservation. [more info]
Musica Universalis (feat. C'est la fête Large Ensemble) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-05-08 (Friday)
Ayal Senior & Friends (feat. Ayal Senior & Kurt Newman / JOYSHAPE / Ryan Dugre / Nick Flanagan) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-05-10 (Sunday)
Cosmic Homeostasis XXXII / The Tranzac (Living Room) 2026-05-17 (Sunday)]
Playscape Emporium: Paint, Play (feat. Duo Cichorium/Constant Yen/ Rowan Campbell/Charlee Wielgoz/Fahmid Nibesh/Joe Strutt/Mira Martin-Gray) / Array Space 2026-05-21 (Thursday)
Wenderly Park (Colin Fisher / Isla Craig) / Le Monde 2026-05-22 (Friday)
Ministry of Phonic Services presents (feat. Ben Rempel & Justin Gunter / Not the Wind, Not the Flag / Doug Tielli & Mike Gennaro) / Bickford Park 2026-05-24 (Sunday)
Life Drawing (feat. Cosmic Homeostasis) / Riverdale Park 2026-05-31 (Sunday)
Prepare the Ground Festival (feat. William Basinski) / Trinity-St. Paul's Centre 2026-05-31 (Sunday)
Track Could Bend #117 (feat. saucering / Colin Fisher/William Hunt/Jack Johnson/Cal Adam) / Wenona Lodge 2025-06-02 (Tuesday)
Ayal Senior & Friends (feat. Ayal Senior/Nathan Yell/Marilyn Yogarajah / David Sait / Nick Flanagan / Nathan Yell) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-06-14 (Sunday)
Andre Ethier (Cows in Rain / Eliza Niemi) / Dina's Tavern 2026-07-05 (Sunday)
Track Could Bend #118 (feat. Ubersuck / Mike Gennaro / Wilderness Adventure Ride) / Wenona Lodge 2026-07-07 (Tuesday)
Toronto Improvisers Orchestra / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-07-12 (Sunday)
Ayal Senior and Friends (feat. Country Phasers / Meggie Remy / Nick Flanagan / Heraclitus Akimbo) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-07-12 (Sunday)
Rebecca Hennessy's Singer-Songwriter Circle (feat. Rebecca Hennessy/Michael Herring/Felicity Williams/Patrick O'Reilly) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-07-19 (Sunday)
The Fiver Trois (Isla & The Sorry Brothers) / Dina's Tavern 2025-07-24 (Friday)
Jennifer Castle (Potions) / The Garrison 2025-07-25 (Saturday)
Heraclitus Akimbo (Hoover Party / Del Stephen / Hex-A-Decimal × Leucrocuta) / The Sun Room at 918 Bathurst 2025-07-26 (Sunday)
Kathryn Merriam with Bea Labikova/Raphael Roter/Heather Saumer / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-07-29 (Wednesday)
The Ryan Driver Sextet With Thom Gill As Ryan Driver / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-07-31 (Friday)
Track Could Bend #119: An Evening of Graphic Scores co-presented with Public Library (feat. Public Library with Roa Lee and Alison Melville) / Wenona Lodge 2026-08-04 (Tuesday)
Humbucker Music Residency (feat. Humbucker Music / Sandy Ewen) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-08-07 (Friday)
new works for improvising musicians (feat. Josh Cole/Lina Allemano/John Oswald/Nick Storring/Owen Kurtz) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-08-10 (Monday)
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