Recording: The Lonely Parade

Artist: The Lonely Parade

Song: Stomach

Recorded at Junction City Music Hall, April 9, 2015.

The Lonely Parade - Stomach

This Peterborough trio has managed to elevate their performance a little every time I've seen 'em, and there are indications that they're becoming increasingly confident in exploring the unique jangle'n'crunch style they're carving out for themselves. Those songwriting and musical chops are also on display in their recent Splenda Thief EP. In town to back Nick Ferrio (and showing some additional musical flexibility), their own set after was a fully satisfying end to the night.

Recording: Nick Ferrio and The Lonely Parade

Artist: Nick Ferrio and The Lonely Parade

Song: My Friend the Soothsayer

Recorded at Junction City Music Hall, April 9, 2015.

Nick Ferrio and The Lonely Parade - My Friend the Soothsayer

I hadn't been out yet to the Junction City Music Hall, but the basement venue has a casual and intimate vibe that makes it worth revisiting. (But why did no one warn me to bring a pocket full of quarters for the Galaga machine down there amongst the vintage video games and pinball machines?)

I was on the scene to check out this team-up from two of Peterborough's most-notable musical exports, which saw The Lonely Parade acting as Nick Ferrio's backing band. Practising together for the past couple months, this pairing sounded pretty good on their first formal show together, and having a full-on rock unit behind him led to some beefed-up arrangements, as well as inspiring Ferrio to pen this brand-new tune to take advantage of the added crunch the band could offer. They also throttled back enough not to spoil the prettiness of Ferrio's more soulful tunes, many of which will be emerging on the forthcoming Amongst the Coyotes and Birdsongs, out on May 28th. (Keep an eye out for word of a return engagement to celebrate that release.)

Recording: The Lonely Parade

Artist: The Lonely Parade

Song: unknown^*

Recorded at The Great Hall ("Long Winter: Year 3, Volume 2"), December 12, 2014

The Lonely Parade - unknown

I was wowed when I saw this Peterborough trio at the Bloor Ossington Folk Festival, and it sounds like they're bringing their own brand of punked-up jale-jangle to the new songs that they're adding to their set. Word is there's a new EP on the way soon.

[The Lonely Parade will be back in town next Wednesday (January 14th) as part of Kelly McMichael's January residency at The Dakota]

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

Recording: The Lonely Parade

Artist: The Lonely Parade

Songs: She Can Wait + Hey, Felix

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

The Lonely Parade - She Can Wait

The Lonely Parade - Hey, Felix

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.

One of the weekend's key discoveries came early on over at the side-stage with this Peterborough trio that looked like they might have stepped out of the pages of Ghost World. The set started with "My Mom Got Hit on at a Punk Show", which was as obvious as its title, but then the band shifted, showing off a much more unique sound after that was more Fugazi than mall punk — or, perhaps, not unlike jale covering Minutemen. [You can check out their album over at their bandcamp.]