Recording: Humbucker Music

Artist: Humbucker Music

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge (Humbucker Music presents), August 7, 2026.

Humbucker Music - [excerpt]

This group developed from Nick Storring's interest in the metal-reading qualities of humbucker pickups, with the group bringing a variety of implements to amplify. Storring worked with an old autoharp, while Jason Doell deployed a snare, bow, music stand, pitcher and ebow; Mira Martin-Gray had the head of a yard rake, kalimba, metal bracelet, vibrator, snare, ebow and other bricabrac; and Colin Cudmore had his customary assortment of found objects. Working out how to amplify and mix these sounds together over the course of their residency, this found them sharing the sonic space in a most satisfying way.

You can check out the full set over on youtube:

Recording: Sandy Ewen

Artist: Sandy Ewen

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge (Humbucker Music presents), August 7, 2026.

Sandy Ewen - [excerpt]

Bringing the usual assortment of railway spikes, files, steel wool, metal plates, etc., nonpareil prepared guitarist Sandy Ewen was a very sympatico match for the Humbucker Music ensemble. The stereophonic clarity of her sonic crinkles was, as always, a joy to behold.

You can check out the full set over on youtube:

Recording: Public Library

Artist: Public Library

Songs: To Cut [composer: Patrick O'Reilly] + Look [excerpt] [composer: Liz Anthonisen]

Recorded at Wenona Lodge (Track Could Bend #119), August 4, 2026.

Public Library - To Cut

Public Library with Roa Lee - Look [excerpt]

This special evening at Track Could Bend was co-conspired with bassist Mira Riselli as a special oppurtunity to delve into her love for graphic scores. She brought along her group Public Library (Elisabeth Dorion, voice/clarinet; Liz Anthonisen, voice/keys; Patrick O'Reilly, guitar; Jackson Welchner, bass; Robert Diack, drums) as fellow explorers — and to expand on the idea of different kinds of musicians interacting with the scores, we invited Roa Lee (gayageum) and Alison Melville (bass recorder, baroque flute). Most of the band members brought along a score to investigate, ranging from Riselli's comic strip to Dorion's linoprint to Anthonisen's axial time-loopage to one of O'Reilly's selections from Richard Serra's "Verb List", all leading to a satisfying variety of sonic outcomes.

You can check out all the pieces and collaborations over on youtube:

[Track Could Bend will be back ay Wenona tonight (September 1st with sets from Dave Grenon's Indistinctive Gait w/ Ayesha Lye and Caution Wet Floor Signs.]

Recording: The "Ryan Driver" Sextet

Artist: The "Ryan Driver" Sextet

Songs: We Kiss in a Shadow [composers: Oscar Hammerstein II/Richard Rodgers] + Can’t Get Out of This Mood [Jimmy McHugh/Frank Loesser]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), July 31, 2026.

The "Ryan Driver" Sextet - We Kiss in a Shadow

The "Ryan Driver" Sextet - Can’t Get Out of This Mood

Perhaps because it is so longstanding and rock-solid at its core, the Ryan Driver Sextet is actually a fairly malliable concept — if a member can't make it out to the Tranzac on the last Friday of the month, the arrangements can tighten up a little or a sub can be called in. Less frequent (though not unheard of) is mainman Ryan Driver sitting one out, and on this night Thom Gill (who has also played with the group as a fill-in) took on the cap and the seat at the piano to lead the band through some languid standards. It would be overstating things to say that Gill was trying to playfully destabilize the proceedings, but he did out his own stamp on the set, bringing along a few standards that have been on his mind (including Abbey Lincoln's "They Call It Jazz", which he also esssayed recently with the trio Cows in Rain).

[The group will be back in action — in Quintet formation — tomorrow night (Friday, August 28th) with Michael Davidson absent and with Mateos Labbé-Phelan sitting in on drums.]

Recording: Heraclitus Akimbo

Artist: Heraclitus Akimbo

Song: Fuck this bogus AI garbage, we're going back to punch cards [excerpt]

Recorded in The Sun Room at 918 Bathurst, July 26, 2026.

Heraclitus Akimbo - Fuck this bogus AI garbage, we're going back to punch cards [excerpt]

Celebrating a new album of compilation tracks and electronic compositions, this set visited a couple of the album's zones, including a synth-y revisiting of the melancholia-inducing beauty of the glass harmonica, as well as the attempted end-run at James Tenney's electronic concepts heard here.

You can check out the full set over on youtube:

photo by Thomas Evers

Recording: Hex-A-Decimal × Leucrocuta

Artist: Hex-A-Decimal × Leucrocuta

Song: Reed Magic/Reed Mysteries [excerpt]

Recorded in The Sun Room at 918 Bathurst, July 26, 2026.

Hex-A-Decimal × Leucrocuta - Reed Magic/Reed Mysteries [excerpt]

Excellent stuff in this joint set that saw Laura Dickens (a.k.a. Leucrocuta) fill the resonant space of the Sun Room with trills and drifts on clarinet while Hex-A-Decimal moved deeper into explorations on the elusively ghostly Ciat-Lonbarde Cocoquantus. Moving from Reich-ian minimalist loopage to lo-fi synth slurpage, there were plenty gorgeous moments throughout.

You can check out the full set over on youtube:

photo by Thomas Evers

Recording: Del Stephen

Artist: Del Stephen

Poems: Ran Into Diane + An Earthquake Woke Me Up + unknown^*

Recorded in The Sun Room at 918 Bathurst, July 26, 2026.

Del Stephen - Ran Into Diane

Del Stephen - An Earthquake Woke Me Up

Del Stephen - unknown

No music gear at all this time out as Del Stephen provided word-y contrast in an afternoon of instrumental electronic sounds. A chatty approach to frame the poems delved into process and technical considerations, such as how poems can change and be more than one thing (including possibly changing into songs, as heard here on "Diane").

You can check out the full set over on youtube:

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

Recording: Hoover Party

Artist: Hoover Party

Song: Peristalsis in flagrante [excerpt]

Recorded in The Sun Room at 918 Bathurst, July 26, 2026.

Hoover Party - Peristalsis in flagrante [excerpt]

Life's adventures have mostly kept Jonathan Adjemian away from musical performance for the past few years, so it was gratifying to see this return to action. Split into two larger pieces, the set started with a reconsideration of the still-too-relevant protest music of "Make Drones Not Drones", before essaying some newer concepts. An in-the-moment flash of inspiration saw a couple potato chips from the snack zone providing some crunchy close-mic'ed ripples, while the set closed out with this drone mantra/song that saw Adjemian playing guitar in the "regular" manner, which was confessed to possibly be a first time in live performance.

You can check out the full set over on youtube:

Recording: Jennifer Castle

Artist: Jennifer Castle

Songs: Full Moon in Leo + Piece of Glass + Fractal Canyon

Recorded at The Garrison, July 25, 2026.

Jennifer Castle - Full Moon in Leo

Jennifer Castle - Piece of Glass

Jennifer Castle - Fractal Canyon

It remains an object of complete incomprehensibility to one such as myself how folks could put down good money for a concert ticket, and then treat said concert as a place to have full-on conversations while the show is in progress in front of them. Gracing the city with this tune-up show before heading off for some festival dates, the first half-hour or so of this show was something of a write-off with the band competing in vain with a room full of people talking. It was only after some blessed soul took matters into their own hands and loudly told the room between songs to shut the hell up that the crowd seemed to realize there was a frickin' Jen Castle show going on in front of them and toned it down to a more suitable level.

That unpleasantness notwithstanding, this was a chance to see Castle interpret the songs of last year's excellent Camelot, as well and ranging through her substantial catalog. It turned out to be a fully-committed set, running about an hour and three-quarters, so there was a lot of ground covered, including a bring-it-all-down solo portion. Unsurprisingly, Castle came large with a stupendous band, with drummer Jay Anderson and guitarist Paul Mortimer anchoring things. Johnny Spence and Edwin de Goeij shared an interesting tag-team approach, swapping back and forth on bass and keyboards, while up front Vic Cheong and Isla Craig filled out the vocals. Having missed a few winter solstices now, I was glad to hear the newer material from such a crew (and also to hear some ace reinterpretations, such as a tough-as-nails/Fleetwood Mac-ified take on "Piece of Glass", a song that Castle has been rearranging for quite some time now.)

Recording: Potions

Artist: Potions

Song: Havelock

Recorded at The Garrison, July 25, 2026.

Potions - Havelock

In theory an opening slot for a beloved local entertainer is a prime opportunity for a young band hot off releasing their debut album. Unfortunately, the Saturday night Jen Castle crowd was not in "discovery" mode, mostly talking over the band's carefully-arranged folk numbers. For those willing to listen, all the elements were in place, with guitars and bass being freely swapped about on stage between Josh Sparks, Ben Rositsan, and Steven Noronha while the latter pair traded off vocals (and, at the back of the stage, Aidan McConnell's electronic interventions beyond his drumkit work filled space up nicely in the big room). With the songwriting burst that produced Beebo, Make a Wish (and the larger cache of tunes that that album drew from) now out in the world, there should be oppurtunities forthcoming to hear the band sharing this amazing music in more favourable circumstances.

[Potions will be trying their luck as an opener once more, welcoming Otto Benson to town at the Monarch Tavern on Tuesday, September 8th.]

Recording: The Fiver Trois

Artist: The Fiver Trois

Songs: R.J.D. + Only in the Longing

Recorded at Dina's Tavern, July 24, 2026.

The Fiver Trois - R.J.D.

The Fiver Trois - Only in the Longing

It's been far too long since I had a chance to see Simone Schmidt in performance, a gap in time that's brought a lot of new songs. In the case of the new album Cleaning House, some of those new songs have been kicking around for a while, waiting for the right moment to be finished off and sent out formally into the world. That gap in time also brought a new backing unit, with bassist Jeremy Costello joined by frequent collaborator Nathan Doucet on percussion, as well as newcomer Dani Crowther on pedal steel. Together, the group leaned into the new album's tunes, meaning there wasn't much room to revisit the back catalogue, and no room for anything older than some selections from 2021's Atlantic School of Spontaneous Composition album. But that focus lead to plenty amazing moments, with the band moving from rollicking psychedelic explorations to a quieter mid-show acoustic mini-set and back.

You can check out the full set over on youtube:

Recording: Isla & The Sorry Brothers

Artist: Isla & The Sorry Brothers

Songs: Long Vermont Roads [The Magnetic Fields cover] + Silver Dagger [trad. arr. Joan Baez]

Recorded at Dina's Tavern, July 24, 2026.

Isla & The Sorry Brothers - Long Vermont Roads

Isla & The Sorry Brothers - Silver Dagger

While Karsten Stryker and Kurt Newman kept up their nimble guitar interplay, Isla Craig prowled the stage like a spurned lover patiently awaiting a proper moment for vengeance. Heading out of the protective environs of the Tranzac, it was a delight to see this trio being given a warm and attentive welcome by a crowd unfamiliar with them as they played an opening set at someone else's gig. Finding the bluegrass essence of a diverse range of songs, it was also exciting to witness a fair turnover in the setlist from previous encounters.

Recording: Felicity Williams

Artist: Felicity Williams

Song: Everything in Time

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge (Rebecca Hennessy's Singer-Songwriter Circle), July 12, 2026.

Felicity Williams - Everything in Time

This iteration of Rebecca Hennessy's singer-songwriter night presented a somewhat oblong circle, with herself and Felicity Williams offering most of the songs — though bassist Michael Herring took a couple turns at the mic while guitarist Patrick O'Reilly offered a couple more compositional-type pieces. The interesting throughline with this grouping was that Hennessey and Williams once performed together (a decade and a half ago!) in Hobson's Choice — Hennessy mentioned afterward that that group's exquisite arrangements were based on the almost telepathic connection the players had from working together. This informal gathering was much more ad hoc in its musical set-up, with lead sheets being passed around and keys negotiated as musicians saw a lot of the pieces for the first time, but there were still plenty evidence of musical savvy as things fell together (with a guitar line, a trumpet solo, or a backing vocal) with grace and ease.

Excitingly, Felicity Williams used the night as a chance to test out some new songs — and also this one, which surfaced on the first album from her You Can Can project.

Recording: Rebecca Hennessy

Artist: Rebecca Hennessy

Song: Mistress of Misery

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge (Rebecca Hennessy's Singer-Songwriter Circle), July 12, 2026.

Rebecca Hennessy - Mistress of Misery

This iteration of Rebecca Hennessy's singer-songwriter night presented a somewhat oblong circle, with herself and Felicity Williams offering most of the songs — though bassist Michael Herring took a couple turns at the mic while guitarist Patrick O'Reilly offered a couple more compositional-type pieces. The interesting throughline with this grouping was that Hennessey and Williams once performed together (a decade and a half ago!) in Hobson's Choice — Hennessy mentioned afterward that that group's exquisite arrangements were based on the almost telepathic connection the players had from working together. This informal gathering was much more ad hoc in its musical set-up, with lead sheets being passed around and keys negotiated as musicians saw a lot of the pieces for the first time, but there were still plenty evidence of musical savvy as things fell together (with a guitar line, a trumpet solo, or a backing vocal) with grace and ease.

This day was also Hennessey and Herring's wedding anniversary, and each offered some songs in celebration of that fact — though this one was not one of those.

[Rebecca Hennessy's songwriters' circle is off this month, but keep your eye out for its return on Sunday, September 20th.]

Recording: Country Phasers

Artist: Country Phasers

Songs: [1st piece] + [excerpt] (with Heraclitus Akimbo)

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge ("Ayal Senior & Friends"), July 12, 2026.

Country Phasers - [1st piece]

Country Phasers with Heraclitus Akimbo - [excerpt]

Kurt Newman brought his Country Phasers concept out of hiatus for this special appearance, which found his guitars very phase-y (and synth-y!) indeed, if perhaps less country-ish. In proper "Ayal & Friends" style, guest-host Joe Strutt then proposed an impromptu duo to close things out, adding more synthy layers to the proceedings.

You can check out some more from this set over on youtube:

[Ayal Senior & Friends will be back at The Tranzac on Sunday, September 13th.]

Recording: Meggie Remy

Artist: Meggie Remy

Song: Old Man Trim Tab [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge ("Ayal Senior & Friends"), July 12, 2026.

Meggie Remy - Old Man Trim Tab [excerpt]

In an inneresting coincidence, this July 12th gig fell on the birthday of two unique Americans — Buckminster Fuller and Oscar Hammerstein II — both of whom were born on July 12, 1895. Meggie Remy used that as a jumping-off point to look at what these men had in common: a sort of optimism, and a belief that small gestures could create large changes in complex systems. A reminder, in these troubled times of grifters and profiteers, that decency and inventiveness were once considered key parts of the American character. This tape collage piece juxtaposes some interviews from the pair along with appearances of several versions of Hammerstein's "Old Man River".

You can check out the full set over on youtube:

[Ayal Senior & Friends will be back at The Tranzac on Sunday, September 13th.]

Recording: Toronto Improvisers Orchestra

Artist: Toronto Improvisers Orchestra

Song: Word Building

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), July 12, 2026.

Toronto Improvisers Orchestra - Word Building

There was the usual range of approaches in this TIO session — conducted pieces, freely-played pieces, three-bar loops, approximations of jazz. And also, from noted lexophile Del Stephen, a couple word-game pieces, including this one, which starts off like a round of free improv Password.

Recording: Wilderness Adventure Ride

Artist: Wilderness Adventure Ride

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at Wenona Lodge (Track Could Bend #118), July 7, 2026.

Wilderness Adventure Ride - [excerpt]

With the evening short a performer, a last-minute invitation to round out the proceedings was accepted by this pair of representatives from the Ministry of Phonic Services, who brought a short set of percussive electroacoustic noise. Moving from a crinkled-up plastic water bottle to other bricabrac, Colin Cudmore's sunds were being squeezed and processed by Owen Kurtz's Kaoss Pad magick and other electronic interventions.

You can check out the full set over on youtube:

[Track Could Bend is back at Wenona on September 1st (before the long weekend!) with sets from Dave Grenon's Indistinctive Gait w/ Ayesha Lye and Caution Wet Floor Signs.]

Recording: Mike Gennaro

Artist: Mike Gennaro

Song: [2nd piece]

Recorded at Wenona Lodge (Track Could Bend #118), July 7, 2026.

Mike Gennaro - [2nd piece]

Originally slated as a reprise of a shredtastic duo alongside Doug Tielli, circumstances modified this to a Mike Genarro solo set. Which was a loss and a small sadness, but also opened a window to a rare oportunity to hear Gennaro in solo mode. Unsurprisingly energetic, the highlight was the more restrained part heard here, with some swell resonances from small cymbals, bowls, and metal discs buzzing against each other.

You can check out the full set over on youtube:

[Track Could Bend is back at Wenona on September 1st (before the long weekend!) with sets from Dave Grenon's Indistinctive Gait w/ Ayesha Lye and Caution Wet Floor Signs.]

Recording: Ubersuck

Artist: Ubersuck

Song: unknown^*

Recorded at Wenona Lodge (Track Could Bend #118), July 7, 2026.

Ubersuck - unknown

With her Dorky & Best project, inventive percussionist/composer Germaine Liu has been turning her eye towards songcraft; this duo, alongside soprano saxophonist Kayla Milmine is on a parallel pop path. Expressing a shared love for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the pair presented a set of mostly original material, with songs about the show's characters as well as some memorable moments.

You can check out the full set over on youtube:

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

[Track Could Bend is back at Wenona on September 1st (before the long weekend!) with sets from Dave Grenon's Indistinctive Gait w/ Ayesha Lye and Caution Wet Floor Signs.]