Recording: Peggy Lee

Artist: Peggy Lee

Song: [two excerpts]

Recorded at Ratio, December 18, 2016.

Peggy Lee - [excerpt 1]

Peggy Lee - [excerpt 2]

This particularly thoughtfully-assembled Rough Idea production brought together three different sonic explorers for a night of deep-listening vibes. Although cellist Peggy Lee has been based in Vancouver for quite awhile now, she got her start in Toronto and still has many connections here. Matching well with headliner Susan Alcorn's effortless virtuosity, Lee's set featured a steady stream of astonishing musical ideas, flitting from drones to string-scrapes — sudden outbursts punctuating subtle explorations. This unamplified set was pushing the limits of my microphones, so here's a couple shorter excerpts to give the general idea.

Recording: Doc Dunn & Co.

Artist: Doc Dunn & Co.

Song: [middle section]

Recorded at Ratio, December 18, 2016.

Doc Dunn & Co. - [middle section]

This particularly thoughtfully-assembled Rough Idea production brought together three different sonic explorers for a night of deep-listening vibes. Picking up on the spirit of headliner Susan Alcorn's Cosmic American drift, Matthew "Doc" Dunn brought an ensemble geared toward creating some sympathetic excursions. With Mike Smith and Johnathan Adjemian on synths and Brandon Valdivia providing some gentle percussion, Dunn floated on top with some tasty slide guitar. The set drifted through three distinct movements, the middle of which is presented here.

[Another aspect of Dunn's sonic explorations will be foregrounded when The Cosmic Range celebrate New Latitudes at the Great Hall next Thursday (January 19th). Sandro Perri's Off World have just been added to the bill to open the night.]

Recording: Kith & Kin

Artist: Kith & Kin

Songs: Dives and Lazarus [traditional] + Alilo [traditional]

Recorded at The Music Gallery, December 17, 2016.

Kith & Kin - Dives and Lazarus

Kith & Kin - Alilo

Once again, Kith & Kin's Holiday Wassail brought glowing joy to the darkest time of year, raising voices up to celebrate the solstice and winter's return. Both of these are nominally "holiday" tunes, but unlike the ones we're inured to by sheer repetition, these feel like a ray of light even after the holiday's passing. "Dives and Lazarus", reflecting on the fate of a heartless rich man, was presented by Kathleen McDonnell as a piece of wholly topical content while the glorious Georgian hymn "Alilo" called on the larger "friends" ensemble to let the music ascend gloriously to the Music Gallery's rafters.

Recording: Odonis Odonis

Artist: Odonis Odonis

Songs: That's How It Goes + Join in the Chant [Nitzer Ebb cover]

Recorded at The Garrison, December 16, 2016.

Odonis Odonis - That's How It Goes

Odonis Odonis - Join in the Chant

This pre-holiday night at The Garrison brought together three local groups each closing out successful years. Closing out a busy round of touring behind the darkly industrial Post Plague, the band overcame some early technical trouble to crank their lumbering menace (illuminated by Romar Johnson/façadeMontage's pummelling strobe effects) to the max. The Nitzer Ebb number that's been closing out their sets lately (focusing on lies, gold, guns, and fire) feels entirely too timely and a dark soundtrack for dark times. We'll see where they take that energy next as they pivot to focus on their next musical evolutions.

Recording: Doomsquad

Artist: Doomsquad

Song: Eat the Love

Recorded at The Garrison, December 16, 2016.

Doomsquad - Eat the Love

This pre-holiday night at The Garrison brought together three local groups each closing out successful years. Although I'd seen Doomsquad this year performing in various capacities (and taking their sonic sensibilities in new directions), I hadn't caught the five-piece version they'd taken on tour, with the rhythm section now powered by twin brothers Josh and Jesse Hasko (a.k.a. North America). That gave the Blumas siblings up front plenty of space to extend their own groove zones, stretching out the Total Time tracks into a psychedelic-third-eye non-stop-dance frenzy.

Recording: Vallens

Artist: Vallens

Song: unknown^*

Recorded at The Garrison, December 16, 2016.

Vallens - unknown

This pre-holiday night at The Garrison brought together three local groups each closing out successful years. Vallens is starting to look past the songs on the excellent Consent album — some of the new stuff is leaning even more heavily on Marta Cikojevic's synth textures, giving deeper layers of atmospherics (like those on the swoon-worthy set-closer "Devour").

[Vallens will be part of an amazingly-stacked bill presented by Toronto Women In Music this Saturday (January 14th) at The Baby G, alongside Beliefs, Peeling, and Nyssa.]

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

Concert Listings Roundup #183

You can read more about why I'm doing listings here. Long story short: This curated and decidedly non-comprehensive list contains nothin' but shows that I am going to/would go to if I had more time.

---

Gig of the week:

Pickles Aid ["help ease the pain of Doc's Christmas Eve layoff"] (feat. Laura Barrett / Entire Cities / Young Doctors in Love / More or Les) / Junction City Music Hall 2017-01-12 (Thursday) [FB event]

Not only is this a cool show, it's for a proper cause — helping someone who's given their all to DIY culture in this city a chance to maintain a foothold and some economic dignity in turbulent times. At the lateral-thinking MC of many an old-school Wavelength (and later Crosswires) show, Duncan "Doc Pickles" MacDonell always championed a participatory "just try it!" ethos. As he might've already said: don't just come and watch this show — start your own band and play a show like it!

---

This week's noteworthy shows:

Ornate Ornette (feat. Alexei Orechin/Emily Denison/Alex Lank/Phil Albert) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2017-01-10 (Tuesday – early!) [FB event]

The Brodie West Quintet / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2017-01-11 (Wednesday – early!) [FB event]

Music By & For Ken Aldcroft, II (feat. Mike Gennaro [solo drums] / Anthony Argatoff/Andrew Furlong/Mike Gennaro/Joe Sorbara / My Misshapen Ear [Anthony Argatoff/Andrew Furlong/Joe Sorbara]) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2017-01-11 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Mark Hundevad and Mike Gennaro [The Archives of Eternity release celebration!] / Array Space 2017-01-12 (Thursday) [FB event]

As Though With Eyes Closed [works for cello and piano by Bekah Simms, Michael Vincent Waller, Nick Storring and Linda Catlin Smith] (feat. Paul Pulford/Cheryl Duvall) / Canadian Music Centre 2017-01-12–2017-01-13 (Thursday–Friday) [FB event]

My Misshapen Ear [Anthony Argatoff/Andrew Furlong/Joe Sorbara] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2017-01-13 (Friday – early!) [FB event]

Faster Presents: sQuiRreLLy SoUndS! (feat. Holger Schoorl/Tomasz Krakowiak / FASTER / Sarah Peebles/Cheryl O/Brian Abbott/Camille Emaille) / Gerrard Art Space 2017-01-13 (Friday) [FB event]

Marker Starling [I'm Willing release party!] / Burdock Music Hall 2017-01-14 (Saturday) [FB event]

Lee Ranaldo (Steve Gunn) / The Great Hall 2017-01-14 (Saturday) [more info]

Audiopollination #50 (feat. Ambrose Pottie/Brian Abbott/Michelangelo Iaffaldano / Darlene Cuevas/Arnd Jurgensen / Maxwell McEachern/MJ Wright/Camille Émaillé / Bob Vespaziani/Tena Palmer/Michael Lynn) / Array Space 2017-01-14 (Saturday) [FB event]

Blanking [Daps Records EP release!] (S. Hard x Lee Paradise ["collaborative improvised electronic set"] / Context, NA [new project by WHIMM's Jonathan Pappo – live debut!]) / Holy Oak Café 2017-01-14 (Saturday) [FB event]

Toronto Women In Music presents (feat. Beliefs / Vallens / Peeling / Nyssa) / The Baby G 2017-01-14 (Saturday) [FB event]

Alaniaris / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2017-01-15 (Sunday – afternoon show @ 3 p.m.!) [FB event]

Diane Roblin/Glen Hall/David Story / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2017-01-15 (Sunday – early!) [FB event]

Swankey Quartet [Chris Pruden/Victor Vrankulj/Andrew Miller/Laura Swankey] [live recording!] / The Rex Hotel 2017-01-15 (Sunday) [FB event]

---

Add these to your calendar:

Reminder: This post only contains this week's updates — the full listings can always be found over on the right-hand sidebar!

Bellwether 4 [Emily Denison/Anthony Argatoff/Andrew Miller/Victor Vrankulj] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2017-01-18 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Tone Deaf Culture Presents: Toronto Noise #4 (feat. Bit Reduction / Bachelard / Goth Girl x Lumi Kryzstal / Ero Guro / Post Natal Drip [first show!]) / Belljar Café 2017-01-20 (Friday) [FB event]

Feast In The East 60 (feat. Mare / Ayahuasca / Raphael Weinroth-Browne / Manticore) / Matt Durant Studio 2017-01-20 (Friday – all ages!) [FB event]

IDR – Italian Doc Remix [Marco Cappelli/Doug Wieselman/Jose Davila/Ken Filiano/Jim Pugliese/Francesco Pellegrino] / Array Space 2017-01-21 (Saturday) [FB event]

Teen Ravine (Ivy Mairi) / Monarch Tavern 2017-01-27 (Friday) [FB event]

The Beguiling Moving Blowout Show (feat. New Fries / Creep Highway / Tonkapuma / Man Made Hill / Tough Age / Paul Tjepkema) / The Beguiling 2017-01-28 (Saturday) [FB event]

Ruins of Utopia (Fog Spirits / Error 144 / Inchoate) / Belljar Café 2017-01-28 (Saturday – PWYC!) [FB event]

Cosmic Homeostasis II ["ambient interstellar electroacoustic drift vibes"] (feat. Kat Estacio/{AN} EeL/Brett Despotovich/Brandon Caswell Douglas/Paul Newman/Alice Thomas/Craig Renaud/Ted Phillips/Joe Strutt) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2017-01-29 (Sunday – afternoon show, 3 to 5 p.m.! PWYC!) [FB event]

GREX (The Science Of What? / Lil Picnic) / Handlebar 2017-01-29 (Sunday) [FB event]

Paul Linklater & Brent Randall / The Cameron House 2017-02-03 (Friday – early show @ 6 p.m.) [FB event]

Her Harbour (LUKA) / Burdock Music Hall 2017-02-06 (Monday) [FB event]

The Woodshed Orchestra / The Dakota Tavern 2017-02-10 (Friday – early!) [FB event]

Halocline Trance x Dianetics presents (feat. Brigitte Bardon't / Egyptrixx / Hexzuul / Xuan Ye) / The Baby G 2017-02-10 (Friday) [FB event]

Batuki Music Society presents (feat. Diely Mori Tounkara) / Alliance Française 2017-02-11 (Saturday) [FB event]

Pissbowelking (Colin Roy Gillespie [mem. Greys] / Western Plates [mem. Beliefs]) / Handlebar 2017-02-26 (Sunday) [FB event]

---

Bandcamp corner:

The 2017 releases have started to appear!

• The collaboration between Brandon Valdivia and Matthew Ramolo that we saw last summer has now manifested with a "processed, collaged, and superimposed" montage megacut — as well as a "B-side version" of residual fragments.

• Meanwhile, New Age/Self Help duo Zone Support have returned with a new volume of mantras and affirmations that are guaranteed to kick Seasonal Affective Disorder in the keister. Reach out and find your zenith.

Recording: Sorbara/Neal/Gill

Artist: Joe Sorbara/Wes Neal/Tania Gill

Songs: Waltz for Ken [composer; Dave Clark] + X Marks the Spot [composer: Ken Aldcroft]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge (Music By & For Ken Aldcroft, I), December 14, 2016.

Sorbara-Neal-Gill - Waltz for Ken

Sorbara-Neal-Gill - X Marks the Spot

This trio — with series convener Joe Sorbara in the drum chair joined by Tania Gill on piano and long-time Convergence Ensemble bassist Wes Neal — worked in both the "by" and "for" categories, sharing this brand new piece from Dave Clark (as well as one by Sorbara himself) alongside a series of Aldcroft originals, explored with vibrantly jazzy interplay.

["Music By & For Ken Aldcroft" returns to The Tranzac on Wednesday (January 11th) with sets by Mike Gennaro (solo percussion), Anthony Argatoff/Andrew Furlong/Mike Gennaro/Joe Sorbara and My Misshapen Ear (Anthony Argatoff/Andrew Furlong/Joe Sorbara).]

Recording: Alaniaris

Artist: Alaniaris

Song: Junction

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge (Music By & For Ken Aldcroft, I), December 14, 2016.

Alaniaris - Junction

Since Ken Aldcroft's passing, Michael Kaler and Mark Zurawinski have been exploring how to continue the rip-roaring rebetiko excursions they used to share with him. It looks like Alaniaris will now vary in instrumentation and bring in some guest performers, but this set saw the debut of a bass/drums "power duo" format. Kaler is exploring the use of a loop pedal to deploy lead and rhythm parts together. In the meantime, this trip back to the dry, pre-gentrification Junction puts his bass' brooding tone to good use.

[Alaniaris are still holding down their monthly slot at The Tranzac, so you can see 'em on Sunday (January 15th) at 3 p.m. "Music By & For Ken Aldcroft" returns to The Tranzac on Wednesday (January 11th) with sets by Mike Gennaro (solo percussion), Anthony Argatoff/Andrew Furlong/Mike Gennaro/Joe Sorbara and My Misshapen Ear (Anthony Argatoff/Andrew Furlong/Joe Sorbara).]

Recording: Paul Newman

Artist: Paul Newman

Song: [solo saxophone, first section]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge (Music By & For Ken Aldcroft, I), December 14, 2016.

Paul Newman - [solo saxophone, first section]

Joe Sorbra and friends are keeping the memory of Ken Aldcroft's life and music alight, taking over his old monthly timeslot at The Tranzac for this new series. Paul Newman opened the night with a set of saxophone pieces from a fellow solo explorer looking for new sounds to be eked out from his instrument and musical sensibility.

[Paul Newman is back in action tonight (January 8th), celebrating the release of his new Music for Solo Tenor Saxophone CD at Array Space. "Music By & For Ken Aldcroft" returns to The Tranzac on Wednesday (January 11th) with sets by Mike Gennaro (solo percussion), Anthony Argatoff/Andrew Furlong/Mike Gennaro/Joe Sorbara and My Misshapen Ear (Anthony Argatoff/Andrew Furlong/Joe Sorbara).]

Recording: Brodie West Quintet

Artist: Brodie West Quintet

Songs: Lemon Time + Clips

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), December 14, 2016.

Brodie West Quintet - Lemon Time

Brodie West Quintet - Clips

A night of new, not-even-named-yet pieces were explored on this night, with Brodie West joined by regulars Tania Gill (piano), Josh Cole (bass and Phil Melanson (percussion) — plus Dave Clark sitting in at the second percussion chair. That double-drummer dynamic is central to what's going on here, with several of West's new pieces incorporating counterpoint percussion, which sees the drummers sometimes sharing and co-deconstrcting rhythmic patterns (and sometimes working meticulously independently of each other). The bass and piano often work together to give a trampoline floor underneath West, who happily darts around the beat(s) with his alto.

[The Brodie West Quintet — with Evan Cartwright back as Phil Melanson's percussive foil — returns for another Nacho Wednesday at The Tranzac next week (January 11th).]

Recording: Gill-Melanson-Fortin-Driver

Artist: Thom Gill/Phil Melanson/Dan Fortin/Ryan Driver

Songs: Alfie [composers: Burt Bacharach and Hal David] + April In Paris [composer: Vernon Duke]^*

Recorded at The Emmet Ray, December 12, 2016.

Gill-Melanson-Fortin-Driver - Alfie

Gill-Melanson-Fortin-Driver - April In Paris

Originally slated as an outing for Bernice side-project Blessings, holiday-time availabilities lead to some substitutions, leading to the quartet listed above. Ryan Driver, who had guested in the evening's early set, stuck around to add some synth squiggles and super-relaxed vocals (lounging comfortably on one of the Emmet Ray's backroom bedraggled couches, Driver's body language brought to mind Perry Como's Still Alive). Otherwise, this was a chance for Thom Gill to get equally languid, laying down some guitar on a series of mellow standards.

^* Thanks to Dan for passing along the title to this one!

Recording: Best Man

Artist: Best Man

Song: Everything Must Spin [Ryan Driver cover]

Recorded at The Emmet Ray, December 12, 2016.

Best Man - Everything Must Spin

This duo of Felicity Williams (vox) and Justin Haynes (guit, synth) was joined by Ryan Driver on synth — and essayed this Who's Breathing? number, alongside a few standards and a taste of Williams' Al Purdy songs. Very lovely stuff, sometimes with the tunes stretching out and abstracting themselves.

Recording: Simply Saucer

Artist: Simply Saucer

Songs: Bullet Proof Nothing [acoustic] + Alien Cornfield [acoustic]

Recorded at Monarch Tavern (Heavy Metalloid Music Book Launch), December 11, 2016.

Simply Saucer - Bullet Proof Nothing [acoustic]

Simply Saucer - Alien Cornfield [acoustic]

This Sunday afternoon event was a release celebration for Heavy Metalloid Music, Jesse Locke's definitive biography of underground Hamilton legends Simply Saucer. (And a very tasty read that you should get your hands on!) The first part of the event saw Locke and Saucer frontman Edgar Breau chatting on stage with author Sam Sutherland. The musical set after that had been listed as a solo turn from Breau, but it turned out to be a more elaborate mini-Saucer, with Breau (on acoustic guitar) joined by Kevin Christoff (bass) and Colina Phillips (backing vox, percussion, synth). Not just living in the past, Breau had talked on stage about a couple different upcoming Saucer projects, including a space-themed side-long concept half-album from which the latter song here is drawn.

Recording: No Parking

Artist: No Parking

Song: unknown^*

Recorded at Dundas Video (Track Could Bend #21), December 6, 2016.

No Parking - unknown

I invited Joe and Ilse from Protruders to come out to TCB to do whatever they wouldn't do in a "regular" set, so this version of the band whiplashed from snappy punkbursts into songs with the same number of chords (or less!) but that were considerably stretched out. Along the way there was some speak-and-spell antidisestablishmentarianism and some old-fashioned pass-the-instruments-around to close out on a propulsive two-chord fever vamp.

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

[Track Could Bend's February show (on the 7th) will feature sets by Heidi Chan, Upanishads and Organballoon.]