Mechanical Forest Sound

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.

Check out my original live recordings from many of the gigs discussed here.

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 comments are welcome, or you can reach me at mechanicalforestsound@gmail.com.

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!

Agnes [Mark Zurawinski/Doug Tielli/Mira Martin-Gray/Bea Labikova/Rob Clutton] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-11-10 (Tuesday – early). $pwyc. [more info]

DIMETAPP [Mike DeiCont/Mackenzie Longpré/Kae Murphy/Luan Phung] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-11-10 (Tuesday). $pwyc. [more info]

Brodie West Presents (feat. Brodie West's Double Double Basses Quintet [Brodie West/Josh Cole/Rob Clutton/Patrick O’Reilly/Nick Fraser]) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-11-11 (Wednesday – early)

Sub-Sessions 17 (feat. Dead Broke / SCUMMM / Habit) / BSMT 254 2026-11-11 (Wednesday). $15/pwyc, 19+

Maggie Keogh/Ryan Driver/Max Donaldson/Blake Howard (Jessie Dara / Liam Cole) / Burdock Music Hall 2026-11-11 (Wednesday). $16.95-$21.47. [tickets + more info]

ESP Free Jazz Thursdays (feat. Brent Tanemura/Lauchlin Wood/Mason Wallington/Aidan Miller) / Water to Wine 2026-11-12 (Thursday). $pwyc. [more info]

Clovis Consort (Fortunato Durutti Marinetti) / The Jama 2026-11-12 (Thursday). $17.55. [tickets + more info]

Confluence Concerts: In Our Nature [curated by Andrew Downing] (feat. Larry Beckwith/Ted Crosby/Michael Davidson/Andrew Downing/Aline Homzy/Patricia O’Callaghan/Suba Sankaran/Michael Spiroff/Yeşim Tosuner/Anika Venkatesh) / Heliconian Hall 2026-11-12&13 (Thursday & Friday). $30. [more info]

Labyrinth Ontario presents Makam Nights: Cafe Aman (feat. Angelo Martinos/Nicolas Royer-Artuso/Dan Kunda Thagard) / The Tranzac (Living Room) 2026-11-13 (Friday). $early. [FB event]

Musica Universalis (feat. Diane Roblin/George Koller/Jeff Luciani/Colin Fisher) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-11-13 (Friday)

Unlikely Moon presents (feat. Alex Lukashevsky / Joy Shape / Carl Didur) / house show 2026-11-14 (Saturday). $15 or PWYC, all ages. [more info]

Honks & Howls: Whiskers & Wings (feat. Laurel MacDonald / Snake Party [Michelangelo Iaffaldano/Emma Whitla/Michael Palumbo/Ian Usher/Nick Li]) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-11-15 (Sunday – 2:30 p.m.). $pwyc. [more info]

Selina Martin / The Bell & Beacon 2026-11-15 (Sunday – 7 p.m.)

Art of Improv presents (feat. Julia Biłat & Roman Stolyar / David Sait/Eugene Martynec/Bill Gilliam) / Annette Studios 2026-11-15 (Sunday). $25/pwyc. [more info]

Mirror Walker Residency (feat. Mirror Walker [Patrick O'Reilly & Cale Fladager] / Future Proof [Bea Labikova & Raphael Roter]) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-11-16 (Monday). $pwyc.

Not Dead Yet presents (feat. Weird Nightmare [Hoopla record release shows] / Dusted / Jo Passed / Ancient Greece) / Osler Records 2026-11-18&19 (Wednesday & Thursday). $24.94, 19+. [tickets + more info]

Ministry of Phonic Services presents BPM [Big Percussion Meeting] (feat. Aidan Miller/Bevis Ng/Dhaivat Jani/James Bailey/Kieran Adams/yasmine) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-11-20 (Friday). $pwyc. [more info]

By Starlight: early music for reflection and celebration (feat. The Musicians of the Egg [Michele Deboer/Rebecca Claborn/Cory Knight/Olivier Laquerre/Alison Melville/Ben Grossman/Jonathan Stuchbery]) / The Church of the Redeemer 2026-11-21 (Saturday). $pwyw. [more info]

The AMBiENT PiNG and Imaginary North present an AMBiENT EVENiNG (feat. Ben Green / Yoshie & Chie / Lorde Awesome) / Handlebar 2026-11-23 (Monday). $pwyc. [FB event]

Ministry of Phonic Services presents (feat. Olivia Shortt / Nikki Huang [performing "Living Room", a composition by Luke Blackmore for amplified pieces of furniture]) / The Jama 2026-11-24 (Tuesday). $15-$20. [tickets + more info]

Nick Fraser presents (feat. Alex Lukashevsky's Bad Baby Trio / Nick Fraser's Special Topics) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-11-24 (Tuesday)

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]

Mira Martin-Gray Band (G. Mark Weston) / Annette Studios 2026-11-26 (Thursday). $pwyc.

Small World Music's Ishq Festival: An Evening of Qawwali and Khayaal (feat. The Saami Brothers) / Toronto Pavillion 2026-11-27 (Friday). $55.30 + up. [tickets + more info]

Triio [Bea Labikova/Jon Kay/Tom Fleming/Danielle Sum/Stefan Hegerat/Alex Fournier] / Sellers & Newel 2026-11-27 (Friday). $20 minimum donation. [more info]

Westelaken [In it for the Lack album release show] (Ben Mike & The Beatles / "secret guest") / 918 Bathurst 2026-11-27 (Friday). $20 - $40 (sliding scale). [tickets + more info]

Fiver with the Fiver Trois / Dina's Tavern 2026-11-28 (Saturday). $21.97, 19+. [tickets + more info]

Cosmic Homeostasis XXXIV / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-11-29 (Sunday – 2:30 p.m.). $pwyc, all ages + family-friendly. [FB event]

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]

drop [Dan Pitt/Jen Lo/Kae Murphy/Stefan Hegerat] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-11-30 (Monday). $pwyc.

A duo double-bill (feat. BLOOP [Lina Allemano & Mike Smith] / ​Karen Ng & Rob Clutton) / Sellers & Newel 2026-12-06 (Sunday). $20 minimum donation. [more info]

Lina Allemano Four (feat. Lina Allemano/Brodie West/Andrew Downing/Nick Fraser) / Sellers & Newel 2026-12-07 (Monday). $20 minimum donation. [more info]

The Cluttertones [Rob Clutton/Lina Allemano/Tim Posgate/Ryan Driver] / Sellers & Newel 2026-01-16 (Saturday). $20 minimum donation. [more info]

Burn Down The Capital presents (feat. Nadja / Fresh Snow) / The Garrison 2027-01-17 (Saturday). $30.52, 19+. [FB event]

Freesound preents: new music for Shō & Accordion (feat. shshcc [Michael Murphy/Wesley Shen/Matti Pulkki) / Array Space 2027-03-19 (Friday). $27.96 (general admission), $17.31 (student/seniors/arts worker). [tickets + more info]

Soundstreams Encounters: Hua ["an immersive audiovisual collaboration"] (feat. Margie Kelk & Alison Yun-Fei Jiang) / Paradise Theatre 2027-04-13 (Monday). $free with reservation. [more info]

Freesound preents: Music for String and Reeds (feat. Aysel Taghi-Zada/Matthew Antal/Amahl Arulanandam/Matti Pulkki) / Array Space 2027-05-21 (Friday). $27.96 (general admission), $17.31 (student/seniors/arts worker). [tickets + more info]

Freesound preents: Flutes + Violin + Percussion (feat. Tristan Durie/Michael Murphy/Aysel Taghi-Zada) / Array Space 2027-06-12 (Saturday). $27.96 (general admission), $17.31 (student/seniors/arts worker). [tickets + more info]

2009 Gig List

2010 Gig List

2011 Gig List

2012 Gig List

2013 Gig List

2014 Gig List

2015 Gig List

2016 Gig List

2017 Gig List

2018 Gig List

2019 Gig List

2020 Gig List

2021 Gig List

2022 Gig List

2023 Gig List

2024 Gig List

2025 Gig List

2026 Gigs

Tania Gill presents (feat. Victor Bateman/Brodie West/Nico Dann) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-01-02 (Friday)

The Silt / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-01-02 (Friday)

Track Could Bend #112 (feat. Duo BEAK / Vividness Trio) / Wenona Lodge 2026-01-06 (Tuesday)

Toronto Improvisors Orchestra / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-01-11 (Sunday)

Ayal Senior & Friends (feat. Senior & Newman / Nick Flanagan / Aaron Knight / Azaria / Charter of the Forest) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-01-11 (Sunday)

ur audio visual presents (feat. Heraclitus Akimbo / Charter of the Forest) / The Sun Room @ 918 Bathurst 2026-01-18 (Sunday)

Track Could Bend #113 (feat. OH GEE / Ryan Kinney) / Wenona Lodge 2026-02-03 (Tuesday)

Toronto Improvisers Orchestra / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-02-08 (Sunday)

Ayal Senior & Friends (feat. Ayal Senior & Kurt Newman / Destroya / Nick Flanagan / Roya/Marilyn/Ayal / Ayal Senior) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-02-08 (Sunday)

Bad Baby and Mayme Joach (Fan Wu / Colleen Coco Collins) / Burdock Music Hall 2026-02-08 (Sunday)

Music Hosted by Karen Ng (feat. Max Stover/Mateos Labbé-Phelan/Andrew Furlong/Karen Ng) / Wenona Lodge 2026-02-17 (Tuesday)

Rapallo (Marker Starling) / Dina's Tavern 2025-02-21 (Saturday)

Earlobe fundraiser (feat. Many People) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-02-26 (Thursday)

coexisDance #113 (feat. New Chance / Rachana Joshi / Sid Eillers / Brandon Davis / Kayla Milmine / Brendan Swanson / Rowan-Muriel / Joel Lawrence) / Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre 2026-02-28 (Saturday)

Eliza Niemi (Shep. Treasure / Westelaken) / Dina's Tavern 2026-03-01 (Sunday)

Track Could Bend #114 (feat. Bill Gilliam / Scallions / Tap slap wind and light) / Wenona Lodge 2026-03-03 (Tuesday)

Ayal Senior & Friends (feat. Senior & Newman / Lostworldsounds / Nick Flanagan / Nocturnes / Ayal Senior) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2025-03-08 (Sunday)

International Women's Day (feat. Tania Gill/Aline Homzy/Karen Ng/Brittany Pitt/Mira Riselli) / Sellers & Newel 2026-03-08 (Sunday)

Ben Mike & The Beatles (Down Town) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2025-03-14 (Saturday)

Cosmic Homeostasis XXXI / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-03-29 (Sunday)

Track Could Bend #115 (feat. Brian Abbott & Paul Newman / Ben Mike & Owen Kurtz) / Wenona Lodge 2025-04-07 (Tuesday)

Kurt Newman presents Post-Bluegrass Bluegrass (feat. Isla & The Sorry Brothers) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2025-04-09 (Thursday)

Sonomadic Improv presents (feat. the clearing / Happy Apple) / Annette Studios 2025-04-12 (Sunday)

Josh Cole: new works for improvising musicians (feat. Aline Homzy/Nick Storring/John Oswald/Owen Kurtz/Josh Cole) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-04-13 (Monday)

Sympathetic String Band & Friends (feat. Sympathetic String Band / Gayle Young) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-04-26 (Sunday)

Not Dead Yet presents (feat. The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis / Yr Knives) / 918 Bathurst 2026-05-02 (Saturday)

Track Could Bend #116 (feat. the rest / Wobbly + John Oswald / Red Trillium) / Wenona Lodge 2026-05-05 (Tuesday)

Holy Oak Family Singers presents: Our Parents' Tapes (feat. Luka Kuplowsky/Tiffany Wu/Isla Craig/Justin Orok/Edwin De Goeij/Fan Wu/Aiden McConnell/Ivy Mairi/Carlyn Bezic/Robin Dann/Ben Gunning/Bram Gielen) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-05-06 (Wednesday)

Potions & Strings (Dun-Dun Man) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-05-06 (Wednesday)

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)

Caution Wet Floor Signs / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-06-28 (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)

Joni Void/Liz Hysen/Charles Spearin / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-08-30 (Sunday)

Cosmic Homeostasis XXXIII / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-08-30 (Sunday)

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

Equinox and Solstice Residency (feat. Ghostlight) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-09-05 (Saturday)

Ministry of Phonic Services presents: Back to School Field Trip: Dome (feat. Brandon Auger / Ben Grossman / Fahmid Nibesh) / CNE Bandshell 2026-09-17 (Thursday)

Ministry of Phonic Services presents Back to School Field Trip: Otherwise (feat Heraclitus Akimbo / qeTTe fossa & Mateos Labbé-Phelan) / Bickford Park 2026-09-22 (Tuesday)

Ministry of Phonic Services presents Back to School Field Trip: UFO (feat. Gayle Young & Reinhard Reitzenstein / SlowPitchSound / Fleshtone Aura & Sandro Perri / tête à tête à tête) / Oculus Pavilion 2026-09-25 (Friday)

Imaginary North and The AMBiENT PiNG present Ambient Afternoon (feat. Jessica Deutsch / Little Jim / R Grunwald) / Society Clubhouse 2026-09-27 (Sunday)

Cosmic Homeostasis (Bea Labikova) / 918 Bathurst – Sanctuary 2026-10-04 (Sunday)

Track Could Bend #121 (feat. Shawn Will / Benny Liquid / Debacle Rebuttal) / Wenona Lodge 2026-10-06 (Tuesday)

Musica Universalis (feat. Not the Wind, Not the Flag) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-10-09 (Friday)

Ur Audio-Visual label showcase: Sean Travis Ramsay Memorial (feat. Heraclitus Akimbo / Percy Bangs / The Blue Funz) / 918 Bathurst – Sanctuary 2026-10-11 (Sunday)

Idée Fixe Records 15 (feat. Potions / Roy / Kyla Marlena / Alex Lukashevsky / Isla Craig / Joseph Shabason with Thom Gill / Cormac Culkeen with Michael Cloud Duguay / Bry Webb / Jennifer Castle) / St. Stephen-in-the-Fields 2026-10-13 (Tuesday)

Jay Anderson & Matt McLaren’s 25-year Renewal of Musical Vows (feat. Jay & Matt's All-Star Band with Friends and Guests / Steamboat / Saffron Sect) / Ted's Collision 2026-10-15 (Thursday)

X Avant XXI: Memory Mannnnn, Night 3: Ancient Circuitry (feat. Mani Mazinani's Solar Organ Ensemble / For The Youth: Reilluminated) / First Unitarian Church 2026-10-16 (Friday)

Track Could Bend #122 (feat. Ancient Egypt / Alaniaris with special guest Brian Abbott) / Wenona Lodge 2026-11-03 (Tuesday)

coexisDance #116 (feat. Newton Moraes/Karen Ng/Emily Duckett/Aline Morales/Zachary Cardwell/Mira Martin-Gray/Jaz Tsui) / Trinity St. Paul's 2026-11-06 (Friday)