Sunday Playlist #48

Sunday Playlist #48: In memoriam Ron Gaskin

We lost one of the good 'uns this week with the passing of Ron Gaskin, a sender of sounds and a listener of note. Under his Rough Idea banner, RG was a huge part of this city's out-music history, specializing in bringing musicians to town who were too creative or adventurous for the more conservative institutional presenters. As a storyteller and conversational improviser, RG could make strangers feel like friends and as a presenter and host, his generosity of spirit and freewheeling associational logic encouraged audiences to enter into a dialogue with musicians earnestly and wholeheartedly. His presence will be missed by so many.

These selections from my archives are from shows where my memories of my encounters with RG are as vivid and precious as the actual music. (It's certainly not meant to be comprehensive in any way!) I also did a bit of a digging to find some moments from a couple of those famous intros — and we get to hear his voice as well, in character, playing the part of William S. Burroughs in the multimedia presentation of "Rub Out The Word".

The Swyves - Arc-Eye

• Recorded at Lee's Palace, May 18, 2011.

Matthew Shipp Trio - Psychic Counterpoint

• Recorded at Lula Lounge, March 10, 2013.

Peggy Lee - [excerpt 1]

• Recorded at Ratio, December 18, 2016.

Perch Hen Brock & Rain - RG intro

Perch Hen Brock & Rain - [first piece, first section]

• Recorded at Array Space (TONE Festival – Show #4), June 20, 2017.

Cactus Truck - RG intro

Cactus Truck - [excerpt]

• Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge (TONE Festival 3.6: Peter Gough Presents), June 27, 2019.

Rub Out The Word - The Penny Arcade Peep Show

• Recorded at Dundas Video (Track Could Bend #9), December 1, 2015.

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Sunday Playlist is a semi-regular feature that brings back some of this blog's previously-posted original live recordings for an encore. You can always click the tags below to see what I originally wrote about the shows these songs came from.

Sunday Playlist #47

Sunday Playlist #47: In memoriam Pete Carmichael

It was a shock this week to hear of Pete Carmichael's sudden passing. Pete was someone I knew first as a musician — The Diableros were more or less rock stars in my book, and when I started recording shows, they were the sort of local group that I thought needed to be documented. Fortunately, I had my gear by the time the group were playing around for their last EP.

I remember back in Stillepost days, Pete would often say "bootleggers welcome at our show!" when promoting his gigs, so my first contact was indeed me getting in touch to offer a recording (from the first show in this playlist) back to him. He was always gracious and thankful for that. At some point after that we met in person — we were going to the same sort of Optical Sounds psych-pop shows in that period. After Diableros ended, I was around as he built toward something new (like that rare acoustic show at St. Stephen-In-The-Fields) that ended up becoming The Whirly Birds. I saw that band several times as they built up their sound and repertoire, and I was always sad that the project seemingly fell apart in that sort of heartbreak phase where there was stuff recorded but no longer the will to put it out. To remind folks of what-might-have-been, I'm sharing a full Whirly Birds set here today. (link — in case your browser doesn't like the embed below)

There was also the relatively short-lived project The Green Ray/Green Rays which hewed to more of a Nuggets-style template, but offered some rough-and-ready fun. I have no inside info as to what happened there, but the band's existence has been mostly scrubbed (I seem to recall there were a few demos online at some point that're now long gone). Digging through the archive this week, I found a set from the group playing the Dundas West Fest in the parking lot across from The Garrison, so I'm sharing one of Pete's tunes from that set for the first time here. And closing things out, maybe it's best to end with a celebration, so I'm sharing the full set from The Diableros' 10th anniversary reunion show, where they played You Can't Break the Strings in Our Olympic Hearts in full. (link — in case your browser doesn't like the embed below)

Like so many people that I knew from the rock scenes, I can't say I knew Pete very closely — something that happens when the bulk of your interactions with a person come in loud bars. We would chat a bit out back at The Silver Dollar, and when I was having my back problems, I remember having a couple more substantial conversations with Pete about that, and about dealing with chronic pain (something I gathered that he knew far too much about).

Pete was generally kind and well spoken, often chatting with a bit of a sly smile. He showed up at his friends' gigs — sometimes even behind the mixing desk, as I recall seeing him at The Boat. He was a very careful craftsman in the way he constructed his songs, but he didn't let that search for perfection spoil the glorious imperfections of a band playing on stage. He had lately been working on some cool new songs, and it's a shame we won't hear the culmination of that project. It's a shame not to have him in our community. May his songs and his kindnesses be remembered.

Here's a few sounds from the archive to keep those memories alive:

The Diableros - Heavy Hands

• Recorded at Sneaky Dee's (Pitter Patter Festival), May 30, 2009.

The Diableros - Push it to Monday

• Recorded at The Boat, October 16, 2009.

Pete Carmichael - unknown

• Recorded at St. Stephen-In-The-Fields Church, November 13, 2010.

The Whirly Birds - Here to Stay

• Recorded at Handlebar (Crosswires), April 14, 2013.

Pete Carmichael and Co. - Dead Flowers

• Recorded at The Great Hall (A Night of Covers: A Celebration of Chris Levoir), July 4, 2013.

The Green Ray - He Don't Care

• Recorded at Bovine Sex Club, January 24, 2014.

Green Rays - Terror Eyes

• Recorded at Lakeview Stage (Dundas West Fest), June 7, 2014.

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Sunday Playlist is a semi-regular feature that brings back some of this blog's previously-posted original live recordings for an encore. You can always click the tags below to see what I originally wrote about the shows these songs came from.

Sunday Playlist #46

Sunday Playlist #46: In memoriam Ken Aldcroft

I was shocked and saddened yesterday when suddenly my facebook feed started filling up with the news of Ken Aldcroft's passing. My thoughts are with his family, friends, and many collaborators.

Ken had a powerful musical drive, and he was as happy to throw in with one-off ensembles as he was to work away at elaborate compositions with his more formal groups. Ken's guitar tone and technique were so distinctive to me: his dense flurries of notes were often like someone playing a rope trick, where the cord appears irreversibly tangled — until a sudden twist unknots everything. He loved complicated harmonics and catchy tunes and could tackle either with ease.

But beyond that, Ken was a warm and inviting person, eager to share his music and talk about it, or just to share a laugh and a deadpan story. He will be remembered as a teacher and a community-builder as well as a masterfully-inventive improvising musician.

There will be time to come to ponder more deeply at his many musical paths (including his excellent recorded legacy through his Trio Records releases) but for now I just wanted to revisit a few of the sets that stuck out in my mind. These aren't the "best" shows, just nights that I remember for one reason or another — certainly for Ken's playing, but also for the conversations or the situations. His music will endure, and hopefully today if can be a comfort as well. Let us remember his presence.

Ken Aldcroft - [excerpt]

• Recorded at The Tranzac's Main Hall (Somewhere There Creative Music Festival – Show 2), February 27, 2016.

Ken Aldcroft + Mike Gennaro - [third piece]

• Recorded at Dundas Video (Track Could Bend #6), September 1, 2015.

Aldcroft/Lynn/Ng/Miller - [set 2 excerpt]

• Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), June 8, 2016.

THREADS (Quintet) - Threads I [excerpt]

• Recorded at The Emmett Ray, October 21, 2013.

Ken Aldcroft and Scott Thomson - [excerpt from duo improvisation]

• Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), June 17, 2015.

Aldcroft-Fisher-Gennaro - [excerpt from first piece]

• Recorded at The Imperial Pub's back room, December 21, 2013.

Alaniaris - unknown

• Recorded at The Tranzac - Southern Cross Lounge ("The Second Annual Somewhere There Creative Music Festival" – Show 1 late set), February 21, 2014.

Hat & Beard - Jackie-ing

• Recorded at The Tranzac - Main Hall ("The Second Annual Somewhere There Creative Music Festival" - Show 2), February 22, 2014.

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Sunday Playlist is an occasional feature that brings back some of this blog's previously-posted original live recordings for an encore. You can always click the tags below to see what I originally wrote about the shows these songs came from.

Sunday Playlist #45

Sunday Saturday Playlist #45: National Drone Day

Huzzah! It's National Drone Day! To help you "spend this day listening entirely to drone music", here's a few apt selections from my archive, including a previously unposted Drone Day exclusive from Jean-François Laporte.

If you want to experience the sounds and the community today, there are at least three shows happening in town:

• The "official" National Drone Day celebration at The Tranzac
• The AMBiENT PiNG's Afternoon dreamSTATE Drone at Arrayspace
• Drone Alone, tonight in the basement of Mây

Drone on, you crazy drone-minds.

Zachary Fairbrother Feedback Guitar Orchestra - Buddha Box 2.1 [excerpt]

Jean-François Laporte - Rust

Total Life - [excerpt]

Svarte Greiner - excerpt from an improvisation

Wyrd Visions vs. Nif-D - excerpt from an improvisation

Martin Arnold & Friends - The Cuckoo Bird

Bonus! For some extra DIY drone-styles, you can also check out this recording of humming machinery I made.

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Sunday Playlist is a semi-regular feature that brings back some of this blog's previously-posted original live recordings for an encore. You can always click the tags below to see what I originally wrote about the shows these songs came from.

Sunday Playlist #44

Sunday Playlist #44: Favourite Recordings of 2013 — Neither pop nor not

Going through the recordings I posted last year, these didn't fit quite neatly with either my lists of "pop" or "not pop" musics, but maybe they'll be good at keeping each other company.

Rookie Lights - O Canada

Recorded at The Garrison ("All Toronto's Parties"), November 22, 2013. Please rise for the National Anthem.

Fresh Snow - Nautical Smoke

Recorded at The Shop under Parts & Labour ("Wavelength THIRTEEN – Night 1"), February 14, 2013. Please lay down for your Lucid Dreaming session.

Carl Didur - [last section]

Recorded at Double Double Land ("Punchclock Showcase"), November 30, 2013.

Hoover Party - West Lake Memories

Recorded at Tibet Kitchen's back patio ("Healing Power Afternoon Show"), June 23, 2013.

Justin Walter - Lullabies & Nightmares

Recorded at Monarch Tavern (Wavelength 575), September 24, 2013.

King Weather - First Piece [edit]

Recorded at Array Space ("Somewhere There Summer Series #7"), July 14, 2013.

Spires That In The Sunset Rise - unknown

Recorded at The White House, April 25, 2013.

Jason Doell - ii

Recorded at Gerrard Art Space ("Feast in the East 30"), October 10, 2013.

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Sunday Playlist is a semi-regular feature that brings back some of this blog's previously-posted original live recordings for an encore. You can always click the tags below to see what I originally wrote about the shows these songs came from.

Sunday Playlist #42b

Sunday Monday Playlist #42b: Favourite Recordings of 2013 — Pop (Part 2)

Well, all things considered, I don't have enough of a grip on 2013 to do a full on "best of" list. (Hell, at my pace, I'm still not ready to pronounce on 2011.) But there have been a few of the recordings that I've posted that have stuck with me for one reason or another. The first half of this list is here. Still to come: not-pop.

Veda Hille - Oh My God

Recorded at The Music Gallery, February 25, 2013. Hille's score for this new Peter Pan musical is based on lyrics by a teenaged boy — which maybe explains why CSI and Macbeth show up. Absurd and wonderful.

Hussy [a/k/a HSY] - Ladies Nite

Recorded at Steam Whistle Brewery ("Steam Whistle UNSIGNED"), May 24, 2013. Just as the band contracted their name, they boiled their sound down to pure, high-grade sludgy menace.

Man Made Hill - Speed Dating

Recorded at 961A College St., September 13, 2013. "Hey baby, do you like it manic and confusing?"

Maylee Todd - I Can't Stand It

Recorded at The Great Hall – SummerWorks Festival ("Maylee Todd's Musical Planetarium"), August 17, 2013. Playing in the round underneath planetarium projections, Maylee Todd showed her softer side could be as attention-demanding as her full-force funk workouts.

Moonwood - Trans Martian Express

Recorded at Handlebar ("Crosswires"), April 14, 2013. Wherein self-professed musical weirdos merge onto the autobahn and create their own version of pop tunes.

New Fries - Fix Touch

Recorded at Double Double Land ("Punchclock Showcase"), November 30, 2013. DIY-core/clatter/shout.

Pachamama - Fuck The Entertainment Industry

Recorded at Holy Oak Café, June 22, 2013. Conscious jammers of the year, separately and together.

The Replacements - Bastards of Young

Recorded at Garrison Common ("Riot Fest" – Day 2), August 25, 2013. There's no way this should have been as good as it was. Even the losers get lucky sometimes.

Sacred Lamp - unknown

Recorded at Double Double Land, July 27, 2013. Very possibly my #1 fave recording of the year. The restless ghosts of Santo & Johnny are free from the fetters of this world now.

The Saffron Sect - Phosphorous Flash

Recorded at The Silver Dollar Room ("MINOR Fundraiser"), October 4, 2013. I was waiting a couple years to hear this band, but the music is pretty timeless.

The New Mendicants - She's Gone

Recorded at The Dakota Tavern, August 26, 2013. I'd say my fond memories of this are skewed positively because this was a sit-down + listen start early/end early show, but maybe this is what happens when you put two talented songwriters on a stage together.

Caylie Staples - Ten-Ten

Recorded at Saving Gigi ("The Ballads Reimagined, Part Three: Voice"), March 17, 2013. This tune about the insistence of memory managed to imprint itself somewhere that I just couldn't shake it.

The Weather Station - unknown

Recorded at Holy Oak Café, August 20, 2013. "Was it the way he tied his shoes, the careful way he placed them in my hallway?" The beauty of the little details at the heart of big changes.

The Wooden Sky - An Evening Hymn

Recorded on the back of a truck being pushed down Stokes St. Spreading a concert out over a parking lot, back alley, park, street and loading dock is definitely one way to imbue a night with a sense of place.

Young Guv - Crawling Back to You

Recorded at The Garrison ("All Toronto's Parties"), November 22, 2013. Besides touring/recording with Fucked Up and producing what might be a couple of next year's best albums, Ben Cook managed to find time to toss off few pop gems in a couple of his side projects. The way that the start of this gives me the same shiver I get from, say, the best Buffalo Tom singles makes it the cream of the crop.

Zacht Automaat - unknown

Recorded at Double Double Land, July 27, 2013. A triumphant fanfare to the future.

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P.S.: It looks like the exfm widget that I've been using to make the music streaming go (I think that's the technical term) is going to disappear shortly. If anyone knows of an simple, easy-to-implement alternative, please let me know — otherwise, I'll be losing some functionality here.

Sunday Playlist #42a

Sunday Playlist #42a: Favourite Recordings of 2013 — Pop (Part 1)

Well, all things considered, I don't have enough of a grip on 2013 to do a full on "best of" list. (Hell, at my pace, I'm still not ready to pronounce on 2011.) But there have been a few of the recordings that I've posted that have stuck wiith me for one reason or another.

AroarA - #14

Recorded at Soundscapes, September 6, 2013. A nice, homey little in-store where pals like Leslie Feist and Daniela Gesundheit drop by for a show-stopping vocal break.

Beliefs - Catch My Breath

Recorded at Sonic Boom ("Record Store Day 2013"), April 20, 2013. Another in-store appearance, Beliefs had a very good year and are finishing off album #2 as we speak.

Bernice - Body Motivation

Recorded at The Great Hall, May 19, 2013. Two beautiful voices backed by a super-talented core of musicians, Robin Dann and co. sounded great whether it was in a concert hall or on a beach.

The Beverleys - Bre's House

Recorded at The White House, November 29, 2013. The Beverleys announced themselves as a band worth going out of your way to hear this year. They have some recordings in the can, ready to go for a release on Buzz Records in 2014.

Bizzarh - Cruella

Recorded at Daniels Spectrum ("Wavelength 570: The Regent Park Courtyard Session"), July 26, 2013. It's good to know that at least sometimes pure talent can get us (by which I mean, "me") to look past the genre silos we put ourselves in. Place your bets now for Bizzarh to be the soundtrack to summer '14.

The Bicycles - Requiem

Recorded at BLK BOX (SummerWorks Festival), August 15, 2013. Even in a year where The Bicycles returned with the the tasty Stop Thinking So Much, their greatest moment came at this one-night-only theatrical staging of a brand new song cycle (about young drones in love) that stands as the most emotionally resonant work they've done. Look for an album of these songs (and, dare we hope, a restaging?) to come out in '14.

The Blow - unknown

Recorded at Artscape Gibraltar Point ("The Final ALL CAPS! Island Festival"), August 10, 2013. Headlining the first night of the ALL CAPS festival, Khaela Maricich brought a bunch of songs that no one had heard before, but managed to create enough wiggly energy that the crowd seduced the pants right off her.

Jennifer Castle + Wyrd Visions - You Don't Have To Be

Recorded at The Music Gallery ("Weird Canada Showcase" a.k.a. Wyrd IV), May 11, 2013. Curating their own version of a pop showcase, Weird Canada brought together this inspired pairing, who spent the set accompanying each other as well as taking turns singing the other's songs.

Chelsea Light Moving - Burroughs

Recorded at Lee's Palace, March 31, 2013. The dissolution of Sonic Youth was a harsh loss, but rather mitigated by the chance that it gives us to see the successor bands in much closer proximity, playing new songs with a fresh edge.

Cold Warps - Dip Tripper

Recorded at The Silver Dollar Room ("Burger Records Party"), March 8, 2013. Sometimes the good stuff comes in shorty, ragged packages, half-ripping off their forefathers with a devil-may-care grin.

DAS RAD - Silver Latrine

Recorded at The White House ("Wavelength 580"), November 9, 2011. Sure sludge for now people.

Deciduous - Salt

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), August 7, 2013. Vanessa Hanson (who used to perform solo as Vanessa's Entire Heart) has toned down the feedback but still finding new ways to deconstruct folk music.

Ed Askew - Blue Eyed Baby

Recorded at The Piston ("Tin Angel Records showcase" – NXNE 2013), June 12, 2013. Look up Ed Askew and you'll quickly come up with terms like "outsider" or "idiosyncratic", but the way he yelps "oh, yes!" here is as pure an emotional release as you can find.

Emma McKenna - unknown

Recorded at The Great Hall ("Long Winter, Vol. 5"), March 23, 2013. Once a bandmate with Austra's Katie Stelmanis, Emma McKenna signalled a return to action with the debut of this trio. There haven't been many more rumblings since this, but do stay patient (it's been awhile!) and keep an eye out.

Evening Hymns - Rescue Teams

Recorded at The Drake Underground, November 14, 2013. It's always a thrill to catch a new song in the rough, as-yet unburdened by any preconceptions.

Gabe Levine - Where the Light Falls

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), June 1, 2013. Gabe Levine hasn't been playing many shows of late, but he brought a few new songs along for this solo set, including this one that seemed just perfect with the evening's light beginning to dim outside the windows.

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P.S.: It looks like the exfm widget that I've been using to make the music streaming go (I think that's the technical term) is going to disappear shortly. If anyone knows of an simple, easy-to-implement alternative, please let me know — otherwise, I'll be losing some functionality here.

Sunday Playlist #41

Sunday Playlist #41: Milk The Milkers

At the start of this week, all my feeds practically blew up with the release of Milkin' It, a tribute to Nirvana's In Utero put together by Hand Drawn Dracula. The tracklisting elicited a cheer from me 'cause these are bands that I love to go see all the time. In fact, it occurred to me once I did some poking around that I have live recordings from everyone involved in the project. So in case you wanted to hear what these bands sound like on stage doing their own material, here's a track-for-track answer playlist.

Breeze - unknown

Recorded at The Drake Underground ("What's in the Box" – Night 5), December 30, 2012.

Greys - Rennie + Carjack

Recorded at 159 Manning ("Don't Trust Anyone Under 30 – Manning BBQ 2013"), June 14, 2013.

Beliefs - Catch My Breath

Recorded at Sonic Boom ("Record Store Day 2013"), April 20, 2013.

Ostrich Tuning - Keep You Through the Night

Recorded at The Silver Dollar Room ("MINOR Fundraiser"), October 4, 2013.

Fresh Snow - Nautical Smoke

Recorded at The Shop under Parts & Labour ("Wavelength THIRTEEN – Night 1"), February 14, 2013.

Julie Fader - 723

Recorded at The Dakota Tavern ("Jason Collett's Basement Revue"), December 7, 2010.

Great Bloomers - Dark Horse

Recorded at Artscape Gibraltar Point (ALL CAPS! Island Show), October 17, 2009.

Teenanger - Psychic Sonya

Recorded at Parts + Labour ("Mattyfest Summerslam BBQ 2013"), August 18, 2013.

Absolutely Free - Clothed Woman Sitting

Recorded at Artscape Gibraltar Point (ALL CAPS! Festival), August 12, 2012.

The Weather Station - unknown

Recorded at Holy Oak Café, August 20, 2013.

Odonis Odonis - Wipeout Beat

Recorded at Polyhaus ("Feast in the East 20"), December 14, 2012.

Hooded Fang - Ode To Subterrania

Recorded at Lula Lounge, April 4, 2013.

The Wooden Sky - Baby It's No Secret

Recorded BLK BOX ("The Wooden Sky Travelling Adventure Show"), August 16, 2013.

Doom Squad - Born from the Marriage of the Moon and a Crocodile + Eternal Return

Recorded at The Music Gallery ("Exclaim! Magazine Destination Out Showcase"), November 17, 2012.

Milk Lines - unknown

Recorded at The Horseshoe Tavern, May 4, 2013.

Hussy [now known as HSY] - Ladies Nite

Recorded at Steam Whistle Brewery ("Steam Whistle UNSIGNED"), May 24, 2013.

Tess Parks - Life Is But A Dream

Recorded at Izakaya Sushi House, August 2, 2013.

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Sunday Playlist is a semi-regular feature that brings back some of this blog's previously-posted original live recordings for an encore. You can always click the tags below to see what I originally wrote about the shows these songs came from.

Sunday Playlist #40

Sunday Playlist #40: Dance for Spring!

Woodhands - CP24

Bocce - Bachelor

Fool's Gold - Surprise Hotel (Part I)

Ethio Stars Band - Aykedashem Lebe

The Soft Pack - More or Less

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Sunday Playlist is a semi-regular feature that brings back some of this blog's previously-posted original live recordings for an encore. You can always click the tags below to see what I originally wrote about the shows these songs came from.

Sunday Playlist #39

Sunday Playlist #39: Cosmic Thing

It's a little quiet for new stuff just now, and I don't have anything from the backlog quite ready to go yet, so here's a special Wednesday Playlist just to keep things fresh. Leaning back and vibing out are recommended.

The Necks - excerpt from an improvisation (first set)

Gardenia and Nick Storring - excerpt from an improvisation

Flowers of Hell - O [excerpt]

The Element Choir - excerpt from an improvisation

Matthew "Doc" Dunn - Music Gallery Performance (excerpt)

Doc Dunn is part of a lineup of artists from the freaky side of the tracks taking over the Silver Dollar tomorrow (February 7, 2013). Pachamama, Coca Cola, and Carl Didur are also on the bill — more deets here.

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Sunday Playlist is a semi-regular feature that brings back some of this blog's previously-posted original live recordings for an encore. You can always click the tags below to see what I originally wrote about the shows these songs came from.

Sunday Playlist #38

Sunday Playlist [Monday Edition] #38: Wavelength THIRTEEN Live Preview

Well folks, it's the best week of the year! Continuing their mandate to nurture the best bands in our city and beyond, it's time once again for the music festival so good that there was a long weekend created just to contain it. Once you've gotten all the details on the festival, read interviews and met the bands on the WL tumblr and listened to the offical mixtape, you might be asking yourself: "so what do these bands sound like live?" Well, here's a partial answer.

In-store All-Stars

All in-stores are FREE and ALL-AGES

Absolutely Free - Clothed Woman Sitting

Playing @ Sonic Boom, Wednesday, April 13.

Dusted - Long It Lasts

Playing @ Sonic Boom, Wednesday, April 13.

Andre Ethier - Soldier On

Playing @ Soundscapes, Saturday, April 16.

Laura Barrett - The Humble Fawn

Playing @ Soundscapes, Saturday, April 16.

The Soupcans - The Simulant

Playing @ Grasshopper Records, Sunday, April 17.

Thurs Feb. 14 @ The Shop under Parts & Labour

Lullabye Arkestra - We Fuck the Night

Ell V Gore - Scandals/Her Vicious

Fresh Snow - BMX Based Tactics

This Mess - No Sleep

Fri Feb. 15 @ Black Box Theatre/The Great Hall Downstairs

Doldrums - Anomaly

Blonde Elvis - unknown

THIGHS - Russ

Sat Feb. 16 @ The Great Hall

Do Make Say Think - End of Music

Evening Hymns - Asleep In The Pews

Doom Squad - Born from the Marriage of the Moon and a Crocodile + Eternal Return

Sunday Feb. 17 @ The Garrison

The Magic - No Sound

Castle If & Cell Memory - unknown

Legato Vipers - two unknown songs

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Sunday Playlist is a semi-regular feature that brings back some of this blog's previously-posted original live recordings for an encore. You can always click the tags below to see what I originally wrote about the shows these songs came from.

Sunday Playlist #37

Sunday Playlist #37

The Deeep - Muddy Tracks

Fool's Gold - Nadine

Tinariwen - unknown

Picastro - Split Head

Ostrich Tuning - Floor

Ostrich Tuning will be celebrating the release of their new album with a party at The White House on Friday, February 8, 2013.

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Sunday Playlist is a semi-regular feature that brings back some of this blog's previously-posted original live recordings for an encore. You can always click the tags below to see what I originally wrote about the shows these songs came from.

Sunday Playlist #36

Sunday Playlist #36

Field Music - Rockist Part 4

The Wave Pictures - Kiss Me

Gabe Levine - Shake Out Your Shoes

Imaginary Cities - Temporary Resident

Jim Guthrie - Wish I Were You

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Sunday Playlist is a semi-regular feature that brings back some of this blog's previously-posted original live recordings for an encore. You can always click the tags below to see what I originally wrote about the shows these songs came from.

Sunday Playlist #35

Sunday Playlist #35: Wednesday Week

It's an unusually quiet stretch 'round these parts, so I thought I'd liven things up with some songs.

On a tangentially-related note, close observers of this space will have realized that my postings from concerts past have dried up over the past while — I got swept up in the busy-ness of summer and never really got back into the groove of it. But I have been working in the background, and I think I have enough stuff in the tank that I can start pumping reviews out on a regular-ish schedule again. So I hope you're as excited about June 2011 as I am, because starting next week we'll all be re-living it.

The Radio Dept. - David

New Look - unknown

Hercules & Love Affair - Falling

Diamond Rings - You & Me

Gentleman Reg - Driving the Truth

Gentleman Reg is launching his fab new Leisure Life album with a release party at The Gladstone this Sunday (December 2, 2012) — more info here. Army Girls are opening and it's a night that you shouldn't miss.

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Sunday Playlist is a semi-regular feature that brings back some of this blog's previously-posted original live recordings for an encore. You can always click the tags below to see what I originally wrote about the shows these songs came from.

Sunday Playlist #34

Sunday Playlist #34

The Clientele - Never Anyone But You

Forest City Lovers - Tell Me, Cancer

Hooded Fang - Ghosts

Carmen Elle - Cold and Alcohol

Tusks - Little Pirouettes

Tusks are playing this Thursday (November 1, 2012) at The Piston to celebrate their new Total Entertainment album. Show up early and check out Gentlemen of Leisure, a new project from Bicycle Drew and Steamboat Matt.

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Sunday Playlist is a semi-regular feature that brings back some of this blog's previously-posted original live recordings for an encore. You can always click the tags below to see what I originally wrote about the shows these songs came from.

Sunday Playlist #33

Sunday Playlist #33

The Weakerthans - (Hospital Vespers)/Bigfoot

Daniel, Fred and Julie - Your Love

A.A. Bondy - When The Devil's Loose

Lisa Bozikovic - Wanting the Wanting

Diamond Rings - It's Not my Party

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Sunday Playlist is a semi-regular feature that brings back some of this blog's previously-posted original live recordings for an encore. You can always click the tags below to see what I originally wrote about the shows these songs came from.

Sunday Playlist #32

Sunday Playlist #32

Volcano - No Signal In the Valley

Torngat - Minute by Minute

Laura Barrett - Chidiya

Béla Fleck - unknown

Muskox - Ghost Ride

Muskox will be playing their final show tonight (October 14, 2012) at The Tranzac. Come on out and help give 'em a proper sendoff.

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Sunday Playlist is a semi-regular feature that brings back some of this blog's previously-posted original live recordings for an encore. You can always click the tags below to see what I originally wrote about the shows these songs came from.

Sunday Playlist #31

Sunday Playlist #31: Give Thanks for Rock'n'Roll

Action Makes - Berlin

Japandroids - Art Czars

Andre Ethier - Cop Killer

Teenanger - Louisiana Lounger

Useless Eaters - Telepathic

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Sunday Playlist is a semi-regular feature that brings back some of this blog's previously-posted original live recordings for an encore. You can always click the tags below to see what I originally wrote about the shows these songs came from.

Sunday Playlist #30

Sunday Playlist #30

Epigram - The Strangers We Are Becoming

Ruzan Orkestar - For Calvin

Bell Orchestre - Icicles/Bicycles

Powerhouse Sound - Broken Numbers

Broken Social Scene - Meet Me in the Basement

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Sunday Playlist is a semi-regular feature that brings back some of this blog's previously-posted original live recordings for an encore. You can always click the tags below to see what I originally wrote about the shows these songs came from.

Sunday Playlist #29

Sunday Playlist #29

Getatchew Mekuria & The Ex & Guests - Eoleyo

Cro-Mags - We Gotta Know

Fucked Up - Police

Anagram - Leads to Nowhere

The Soupcans - I Don't Wanna be a Soupcan

Join the The Soupcans and Teenanger for a tour send-off show on Tuesday (September 25, 2012) at Mây Café. Thighs open. (That is descriptive of the opening band; your reactions may vary.)

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Sunday Playlist is a semi-regular feature that brings back some of this blog's previously-posted original live recordings for an encore. You can always click the tags below to see what I originally wrote about the shows these songs came from.