Recording: You'll Never Get To Heaven

Artist: You'll Never Get To Heaven

Song: unknown^*

Recorded at The Garrison (Wavelength Winter Festival 18 – Night 3), February 18, 2018.

You'll Never Get To Heaven - unknown

This year's Wavelength birthday celebration was more restrained than usual, sticking to one venue for three nights and having no extra daytime activities. That left the work of transforming the events to something more than just a "regular" night at a show to scene-setters like General Chaos and Roxanne Ignatius. The festival's final night was the most musically eclectic, the acts connected by an exploratory thread.

Since seeing them at the Wavelength festival four years previously, YNGtH seem to have shifted from a standing up vibe to a sitting down one. That seemed to go hand-in-hand with moving the musical energy to a different point on the musical spectrum — away from dream pop and further toward staight-up ambient. There were more shades, then, of Slow Attack Ensemble (Chuck Blazevic's other project) as the gentle sounds generated by him and Alice Hansen sounded like hazy abstractions of the songs that populate the pair's recordings.

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

[The next Wavelength Festival is already on the distant horizon, with Camp Wavelength once more contained to the mainland and landing at Garrison Common on August 18th and 19th. Meanwhile, the next few monthly shows, co-productions (as well as a cool Toronto Post-Punk in the Early '80s Music Talk) are all announced.]

Recording: Joseph Shabason

Artist: Joseph Shabason

Song: November^*

Recorded at The Garrison (Wavelength Winter Festival 18 – Night 3), February 18, 2018.

Joseph Shabason - November

This year's Wavelength birthday celebration was more restrained than usual, sticking to one venue for three nights and having no extra daytime activities. That left the work to transforming the events to something more than just a "regular" night at a show to scene-setters like General Chaos and Roxanne Ignatius. The festival's final night was the most musically eclectic, the acts connected by an exploratory thread.

Anyone who showed up late missed the festival's best set, with Joseph Shabason bringing another edition of his ever-shifting backup collective to the stage for some embracing ambient atmospherics. (This time out saw him backed by Nicole Rampersaud on trumpet, Thom Gill on keys, Phil Melanson on percussion, Bram Gielen on fretless bass and Kieran Adams on Octapad. These are all top-notch local musicians who you should be investigating if you don't already know their other work.) This new piece is based on a keyboard loop by Italian composer Gigi Masin.

^* Thanks to J.S. for passing along the title to this one.

[The next Wavelength Festival is already on the distant horizon, with Camp Wavelength once more contained to the mainland and landing at Garrison Common on August 18th and 19th. Meanwhile, the next few monthly shows, co-productions (as well as a cool Toronto Post-Punk in the Early ‘80s Music Talk) are all announced.]

Recording: Odonis Odonis

Artist: Odonis Odonis

Song: Eraser

Recorded at The Garrison (Wavelength Winter Festival 18 – Night 2), February 17, 2018.

Odonis Odonis - Eraser

This year's Wavelength birthday celebration was more restrained than usual, sticking to one venue for three nights and having no extra daytime activities. That left the work to transforming the events to something more than just a "regular" night at a show to scene-setters like General Chaos and Roxanne Ignatius. Night 2 was nominally the "rock" night, with electronics giving ways to amps and drumkits — though the night's final two acts each tugged at those distinctions in their own ways.

Odonis Odonis brought the night to a dark and menacing conclusion with their throbbing industrial "No Pop" — even collapsing keyboard stands couldn't derail their skittering, insect army momentum.

[Odonis Odonis will be headlining Telephone Explosion's "Year Ten" celebration, Friday, June 8th at Lee's Palace. The next Wavelength Festival is already on the distant horizon, with Camp Wavelength once more contained to the mainland and landing at Garrison Common on August 18th and 19th. Meanwhile, the next few monthly shows, co-productions (as well as a cool Toronto Post-Punk in the Early ‘80s Music Talk) are all announced.]

Recording: Freak Heat Waves

Artist: Freak Heat Waves

Song: In the Dip of the Night

Recorded at The Garrison (Wavelength Winter Festival 18 – Night 2), February 17, 2018.

Freak Heat Waves - In the Dip of the Night

This year's Wavelength birthday celebration was more restrained than usual, sticking to one venue for three nights and having no extra daytime activities. That left the work to transforming the events to something more than just a "regular" night at a show to scene-setters like General Chaos and Roxanne Ignatius. Night 2 was nominally the "rock" night, with electronics giving ways to amps and drumkits — though the night's final two acts each tugged at those distinctions in their own ways.

Victoria's Freak Heat Waves have virtually been a different band each time I've seen them, so it wasn't a total shock to see that a taut postpunk unit had been reduced to a Suicide-esque duo for this show. Witnessing Thomas Alfred Di Ninno operating his MPC2000XL in realtime was amusingly akin to watching someone sending a fax, so it was left to Steven Raymond Lind's looming presence to keep the audience focused. Their brand new Beyond XXXL is just out on Telephone Explosion.

[Freak Heat Waves will be playing Telephone Explosion's "Year Ten" celebration, Friday, June 8th at Lee's Palace. The next Wavelength Festival is already on the distant horizon, with Camp Wavelength once more contained to the mainland and landing at Garrison Common on August 18th and 19th. Meanwhile, the next few monthly shows, co-productions (as well as a cool Toronto Post-Punk in the Early ‘80s Music Talk) are all announced.]

Concert Listings Roundup #246

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:

Special Costello (Budi [Nicholas Dourado] / Bonka [Bianca Palmer]) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-04-16 (Monday – extra early show, 6 to 8 p.m.! PWYC!) [FB event]

The Halifax contingent of Beverly Glenn-Copeland's backing band Indigo Rising (who played a wonderful show last night at Jam Factory) get their own breakout special showcase in this early show at The Tranzac tonight.

---

This week's noteworthy shows:

Brandon Davis/Patrick O'Reilly/Jacob Thompson/Robert Diack [Robert Diack Lost Villages CD release!] / The Rex 2018-04-16 (Monday) [FB event]

Lake Affect / The Emmet Ray 2018-04-16 (Monday – early! PWYC!) [FB event]

Dirtywood [Myk Freedman/Rebecca Hennessy/Michael Herring/Dave Clark] / The Emmet Ray 2018-04-16 (Monday – PWYC!) [more info]

Dupé Dupe with Myk Freedman / The Dupe Shop 2018-04-18 (Wednesday – lunch time show @ 12:30 p.m.!) [FB event]

Bellwether4 / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-04-18 (Wednesday – extra-early show, 5 to 7 p.m.!) [FB event]

Octopus Curls [Allison Cameron/Germaine Liu/Stephen Parkinson/Nicole Rampersaud/Mark Zurawinski] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-04-18 (Wednesday – early!)

Ryan Brouwer/Ted Crosby/Karen Ng / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-04-18 (Wednesday)

Dialectica [Breakthrough CD release concert!] (The Toronto Saxophone Quartet) / MCC Toronto 2018-04-18 (Wednesday) [FB event]

U.S. Girls / The Horseshoe Tavern 2018-04-19 (Thursday) [FB event]

Paul Cherry (Lovers Touch / Triples) / The Baby G 2018-04-19 (Thursday) [FB event]

Nyssa [EP Release!] (Petra Glynt / Pat McCormack / Shame Agent) / Owl's Club 2018-04-20 (Friday) [FB event]

Audiopollination (feat. Michael Snow & Diane Roblin / Nobu Kubota) / Array Space 2018-04-20 (Friday) [FB event]

Record Store Day (feat. Sydanie / WLMRT / OBUXUM / Colin Fisher & Victor Cirone / The Mike Smith Company / The Spazzes) / Sonic Boom 2018-04-21 (Saturday – afternoon performances! free! all-ages!) [FB event]

Wavelength 751 (feat. Tess Roby / Bernice / Dorothea Paas) / 918 Bathurst 2018-04-21 (Saturday – all ages!) [FB event]

VERSA [album release party!] (feat. Zoo Owl / Future Peers / DF) / The Commons Space 2018-04-21 (Saturday) [FB event]

Mother Tongues (Eyeballs / Slutcode / Weak Hands) / Handlebar 2018-04-21 (Saturday) [FB event]

Saint Dirt Elementary School / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-04-21 (Saturday) [FB event]

Free Songs: Session 1 [" artists/bands... playing three songs each over the course of an hour and a half"] (feat. Obuxum / Charlotte Cornfield / Longtime Listener / The Shuvs) / Quixotic Sounds 2018-04-22 (Sunday – free! all ages!) [FB event]

Triio [Bea Labikova/Aidan Sibley/Tom Fleming/Ashley Urquhart/Alex Fournier/Mark Ballyk] / The Rex 2018-04-22 (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!

Composers' Toolbox ["interactive presentation"] (feat. Christine Duncan) / Canadian Music Centre 2018-04-24 (Tuesday – free with registration!) [FB event]

Rosetta (USA Out of Vietnam / Sovereign / Uxvae) / Coalition 2018-04-25 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Beds (Rapport / Bobbypin / Chloe's World) / Owl's Club 2018-04-27 (Friday) [FB event]

Synaptic Circus Sundays (feat. Ilana Waniuk ["new work for solo violin and electronics"] / Blunt Chunks) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-04-29 (Sunday) [FB event]

Tone Deaf Culture presents T.O. NOISE #10 (feat. Abrasion Therapy [debut performance!] / CARES / Hexzuul) / Faith/Void 2018-05-03 (Thursday) [FB event]

Sahara [single release!] (Paul Jacobs / Gloin / In Drift) / Horseshoe Tavern 2018-05-04 (Friday) [FB event]

New Fries (Palberta / Sigil / Creep Highway / Lice 2) / Owl's Club 2018-05-05 (Saturday) [FB event]

Knurl [split tape release!] (Hybrid Frequency / Corrodesion) / The Dupe Shop 2018-05-05 (Saturday – free!) [FB event]

Wet Tuna [Matt "MV" Valentine + Pat "P.G. Six" Gubler] (Tony Price & Friends / Bardo [Ami Spears solo]) / The Baby G 2018-05-06 (Sunday) [FB event]

The Music Gallery presents (feat. Tatsuya Nakatani Gong Orchestra) / 918 Bathurst 2018-05-26 (Saturday) [FB event]

Feel Alright [Pleasence album release!] (Goosebump [f.k.a. Germaphobes] / Wares / Nutrients) / Owl's Club 2018-06-14 (Thursday) [FB event]

Peach Kelli Pop (Tallies / Tange) / The Baby G 2018-06-16 (Saturday) [FB event]

Shooting Guns (Comet Control / B-17 / Familiars) / Monarch Tavern 2018-06-29 (Friday) [FB event]

Wavelength 763 (feat. faUSt / Castle If) / Jam Factory 2018-07-15 (Sunday – all ages!) [FB event]

Recording: Tough Age

Artist: Tough Age

Song: Unclean

Recorded at The Garrison (Wavelength Winter Festival 18 – Night 2), February 17, 2018.

Tough Age - Unclean

This year's Wavelength birthday celebration was more restrained than usual, sticking to one venue for three nights and having no extra daytime activities. That left the work to transforming the events to something more than just a "regular" night at a show to scene-setters like General Chaos and Roxanne Ignatius.

Night 2 was the "rock" night, with electronics giving ways to amps and drumkits. Instead of flashy solos, Tough Age draw the crowd in with their infinitely-scalable speedfreak jangle. This tune is a good example of how drummer Jesse Locke can goose the tempo that you might hear on a song's recording but still stay locked-in like a metronome.

[The next Wavelength Festival is already on the distant horizon, with Camp Wavelength once more contained to the mainland and landing at Garrison Common on August 18th and 19th. Meanwhile, the next few monthly shows, co-productions (as well as a cool Toronto Post-Punk in the Early ‘80s Music Talk) are all announced.]

Recording: Kurt Marble

Artist: Kurt Marble

Song: Hands + unknown^*

Recorded at The Garrison (Wavelength Winter Festival 18 – Night 2), February 17, 2018.

Kurt Marble - Hands

Kurt Marble - unknown

This year's Wavelength birthday celebration was more restrained than usual, sticking to one venue for three nights and having no extra daytime activities. That left the work to transforming the events to something more than just a "regular" night at a show to scene-setters like General Chaos and Roxanne Ignatius.

Night 2 was the "rock" night, with electronics giving ways to amps and drumkits. As always, Kurt Marble & co. cranked things up a notch sending out waves of slacker psych-grunge to celebrate both parental visits and a new video.

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

[The next Wavelength Festival is already on the distant horizon, with Camp Wavelength once more contained to the mainland and landing at Garrison Common on August 18th and 19th. Meanwhile, the next few monthly shows, co-productions (as well as a cool Toronto Post-Punk in the Early ‘80s Music Talk) are all announced.]

Recording: Luge

Artist: Luge

Song: unknown^*

Recorded at The Garrison (Wavelength Winter Festival 18 – Night 2), February 17, 2018.

Luge - unknown

This year's Wavelength birthday celebration was more restrained than usual, sticking to one venue for three nights and having no extra daytime activities. That left the work to transforming the events to something more than just a "regular" night at a show to scene-setters like General Chaos and Roxanne Ignatius.

Night 2 was the "rock" night, with electronics giving ways to amps and drumkits. Performing during the Winter Olympics — undoubtedly the moment of widest cultural acknowledgement of the luge – this quartet sent their songs though a series of pitch-shifting hairpin turns and slippery sonic textures.

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

[Luge and Lice II are opening for Chicago freak-popsters Wei Zhongle at Handlebar on Monday, April 23rd. The next Wavelength Festival is already on the distant horizon, with Camp Wavelength once more contained to the mainland and landing at Garrison Common on August 18th and 19th. Meanwhile, the next few monthly shows, co-productions (as well as a cool Toronto Post-Punk in the Early ‘80s Music Talk) are all announced.]

Recording: M.I. Blue

Artist: M.I. Blue

Song: unknown^*

Recorded at The Garrison (Wavelength Winter Festival 18 – Night 1), February 16, 2018.

M.I. Blue - unknown

This year's Wavelength birthday celebration was more restrained than usual, sticking to one venue for three nights and having no extra daytime activities. That left the work to transforming the events to something more than just a "regular" night at a show to scene-setters like General Chaos and Roxanne Ignatius. This opening night hewed more towards the electronic/groovy end of things, bringing cool vibes but also some sonic obstacles for the performers.

M.I. Blue, at the forefront of the next wave of forward-thinking soulful producer-performers was struggling with inaudible monitors throughout her set, but still managed to sound pitch-perfect, bringing some smouldering trip-hop grooves.

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

[The next Wavelength Festival is already on the distant horizon, with Camp Wavelength once more contained to the mainland and landing at Garrison Common on August 18th and 19th. Meanwhile, the next few monthly shows, co-productions (as well as a cool Toronto Post-Punk in the Early ‘80s Music Talk) are all announced.]

Recording: Plazas

Artist: Plazas

Song: Reasons^*

Recorded at The Garrison (Wavelength Winter Festival 18 – Night 1), February 16, 2018.

Plazas - Reasons

This year's Wavelength birthday celebration was more restrained than usual, sticking to one venue for three nights and having no extra daytime activities. That left the work to transforming the events to something more than just a "regular" night at a show to scene-setters like General Chaos and Roxanne Ignatius. This opening night hewed more towards the electronic/groovy end of things, bringing cool vibes but also some sonic obstacles for the performers.

Plazas, the solo dance-pop project from Vancouver expat Savana Salloum, lead the whole thing off with some likeable tunes and bedroom-mirror dance moves, pushing past a couple older EP's and toward her forthcoming Distant Desires album.

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

[The next Wavelength Festival is already on the distant horizon, with Camp Wavelength once more contained to the mainland and landing at Garrison Common on August 18th and 19th. Meanwhile, the next few monthly shows, co-productions (as well as a cool Toronto Post-Punk in the Early ‘80s Music Talk) are all announced.]

Concert Listings Roundup #245

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:

Collateral [Sam Shalabi/Norman Adams/Tim Crofts] (Nicole Rampersaud) / Array Space 2018-04-12 (Thursday) [FB event]

Given the economics of making creative music in this country, we don't get a chance to see out-of-town peers to our local scene as much as we should. Sam Shalabi was in T.O. not that long ago at the centre of his big-band Land of Kush ensemble at the Aga Khan Museum, but Norman Adams (cello) and Tim Crofts (piano) — both stalwarts of the Halifax creative music scene — don't make it out this way as often. Together, they're celebrating a just-released trio album. Nicole Rampersuad's solo trumpet (quite possibly with feedback bursts) will welcome them on behalf of the local side.

---

This week's noteworthy shows:

Side Hustle (Syngja / ZOË) / Burdock Music Hall 2018-04-09 (Monday) [FB event]

Ed Schrader's Music Beat (Goosebump [f.k.a. Germaphobes]) / The Baby G 2018-04-10 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Ornate Presents (feat. Tara Kannangara & Alex Fournier with special guest Tom Felming) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-04-10 (Tuesday – early!) [FB event]

AMBiENT PiNG (feat. Not Your Average Worker Bees / Cult Eyes) / Handlebar 2018-04-11 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Kurt Newman/Brodie West / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-04-11 (Wednesday – early!) [FB event]

Music By & For Ken Aldcroft XVI (feat. Germaine Liu/Laura Swankey/Lieke Van der Voort / Alaniaris) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-04-11 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Trace Mountains (Rachael Cardiello / LUKA) / Burdock Music Hall 2018-04-11 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Andre Ethier (Sunshine and the Blue Moon) / Grossman's Tavern 2018-04-11 (Wednesday) [more info]

Batuki Music presents (feat. Fatoumata Diawara / Okavango) / Koerner Hall 2018-04-12 (Thursday) [FB event]

Dr. John Cooper Clarke (Son of Dave) / Lee's Palace 2018-04-12 (Thursday) [FB event]

Jaunt [Cue EP release!] (Hannah Bussiere / Blunt Chunks) / Luanda House 2018-04-13 (Friday) [FB event]

The Powers (Tenderness / Fleshtone Aura with Julia Male) / D D L 2018-04-13 (Friday)

Faith Healer (Elle Barbara's Black Space / Johnny de Courcy) / The Baby G 2018-04-13 (Friday) [FB event]

Audiopollination 61 (feat. Brodie Chisholm/Nicolas Buligan/Andrew Kay / Lorne Shapiro/William Davison/Neil Wiernik / Will Austin/MJ Wright/Luca Capone / Kayla Milmine/Bea Labikova/Sarah Peebles) / Array Space 2018-04-13 (Friday) [FB event]

The Mountain Goats / Phoenix Concert Theatre 2018-04-14 (Saturday) [more info]

The Music Gallery presents (feat. Eve Egoyan [De Puro Amor/En Amor Duro CD release!]) / St. George the Martyr Anglican Church 2018-04-14 (Saturday) [FB event]

Let There Be Light [record release show!] (Dirty Inputs) / Array Space 2018-04-14 (Saturday) [FB event]

Bernardino Femminielli (Cindy Lee / Prince Innocence) / The Baby G 2018-04-14 (Saturday) [FB event]

Batuki Music Society presents Sounds of Senegal (feat. Élage Mbaye) / Alliance Française de Toronto 2018-04-14 (Saturday – all ages, under 18 free!) [FB event]

Pietro Amato & Jessie Stein (Jonathan Kawchuk & Scarlett Rose) / Burdock Music Hall 2018-04-14 (Saturday) [FB event]

Brian Abbott's Earthlight [Diane Roblin/Mark Zurawsinksi/Brian Abbott] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-04-15 (Sunday – early!) [FB event]

Gladeye, Burn Down The Capital and Riparian Acoustics present (feat. Beverly Glenn Copeland and Indigo Rising / Tryal / Loom) / Jam Factory 2018-04-15 (Sunday – all ages!) [FB event]

Somewhere There presents: Solos (feat. Laura Swankey / Elisa Thorn) / The Emmet Ray 2018-04-15 (Sunday) [FB event]

Slip, Slop, Slap: Experiment! (feat. PANQUEQUE / Claire Whitehead / KASHKA [solo]) / Handlebar 2018-04-15 (Sunday) [FB event]

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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!

Special Costello (BUDI / Bonka) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-04-16 (Monday – early show, 6 to 8 p.m.!) [FB event]

Dupé Dupe with Myk Freedman / The Dupe Shop 2018-04-18 (Wednesday – lunch time show @ 12:30 p.m.!) [FB event]

Octopus Curls [Allison Cameron/Germaine Liu/Stephen Parkinson/Nicole Rampersaud/Mark Zurawinski] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-04-18 (Wednesday – early!)

Audiopollination (feat. Michael Snow & Diane Roblin / Nobu Kubota) / Array Space 2018-04-20 (Friday) [FB event]

Faster Presents (feat. DUST [Michelangelo Iaffaldano/Chris Adriaanse/Nicolas Buligan/Cory Latkovich/Lina Allemano/Paul Newman/D.A. Meeks/Mike Smith/Kayla Milmine/Brian Abbott]) / Gerrard Art Space 2018-04-28 (Saturday) [FB event]

Cosmic Homeostasis VI (feat. Paul Newman/Ronnie Blake/Syd Ortega/Laura Swankey/Joe Strutt/more TBA!) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-04-29 (Sunday – afternoon show, 3 to 5 p.m.! PWYC!) [FB event]

Myriad3 / The Rex 2018-05-02–2018-05-03 (Wednesday–Thursday) [FB event]

Feast in the East: 7-Year Anniversary (feat. Gary Wilson / Omhouse / Bernice / Cindy Lee) / Jam Factory 2018-05-05 (Saturday – all ages!) [FB event]

Peeling (Vallens / Whip Kisser / Scarlett Rose) / The Baby G 2018-05-08 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Sun K (Beams / A Fellow Ship / Nikki Fierce) / Lee's Palace 2018-05-09 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Thin Edge New Music Collective: Launching – A Fundraising Concert [works by Linda Catlin Smith, Stephen Webb, Luciano Berio, Kaija Saariaho, and a world premiere of a new work by Jason Doell] (feat. Duologue [Nathan Petitpas/Suhashini Arulanandam] / Anthony Thompson / Amahl Arulanandam / Ilana Waniuk / Cheryl Duvall / Rebecca Leonard) / Array Space 2018-05-11 (Friday) [FB event]

Negative Gemini (Ice Cream / Nyssa) / The Baby G 2018-05-17 (Thursday) [FB event]

Pink Noise (Man Made Hill / Bile Sister / Wolfcow) / D D L 2018-05-17 (Thursday) [FB event]

Slip, Slop, Slap: Experiment! (feat. Lora Bidner / Zoë Alexis-Abrams / KASHKA [solo]) / Handlebar 2018-05-20 (Sunday) [FB event]

Wavelength 754 (feat. FET.NAT / Just John / JONCRO) / Bike Pirates 2018-05-26 (Saturday – all ages!) [FB event]

Jennifer Castle / The Drake Underground 2018-06-01 (Friday – early show!) [more info]

Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey / De Runa Banquet Hall 2018-06-22 (Friday) [FB event]

Bombino / Lee's Palace 2018-07-03 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Eclec ~ Tic ~ Toc Festival (feat. TBA) / Gerrard Art Space 2018-07-13–2018-07-14 (Friday–Saturday – save the dates!) [FB event]

Godspeed You! Black Emperor / The Phoenix 2018-08-07 (Tuesday) [more info]

Slip, Slop, Slap: Experiment! (feat. KASHKA / L CON) / Handlebar 2018-08-19 (Sunday) [FB event]

Concert Listings Roundup #244

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:

The Music Gallery presents Emergents III:The Music of Ken Aldcroft (feat. Daniel Kruger / Karen Ng / Emily Denison / Andrew Furlong / Mark Zurawinski) / 918 Bathurst 2018-04-06 (Friday) [FB event]

Since Ken Aldcroft's untimely passing, his friends and bandmates have been keeping his music alive in a variety of ways, including the monthly "Music By + For" residency at the Tranzac. For this specuial night at the Music Gallery, Emily Denison has assembled a band that will being Aldcroft's music to a younger generation of players — and hopefully a wider audience as well. Do note that this will be a full evening at 918 Bathurst, with the concert preceded by an instalment of the MG's History Series (see note below) and followed by a fundraising after-party, complete with bakesale!

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This week's noteworthy shows:

Track Could Bend #37: Third Anniversary All-Star Spectacular! (feat. Jakob Rehlinger, Craig Renaud, Luke Kuplowsky, Diane Roblin, Mira Martin-Gray, William A. Davison, Katie Jensen, Mani Mazinani, Matt Nish-Lapidus, Heidi Chan, Justin Huang Ford, Chris Trotter + more to be added) / Array Space 2018-04-03 (Tuesday – PWYC!) [FB event]

Nap Eyes (She Devils) / The Baby G 2018-04-03 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Not Dead Yet presents (feat. Alex Zhang Hungtai / Xuan Ye / Cares) / D D L 2018-04-03 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Wild Forms Gnarled and Mossy: New Music for Strings (and more) [new music composed by Allison Cameron, Matthias McIntire, Aline Homzy, and Robert Grieve] (feat. Allison Cameron/Matthias McIntire/Aline Homzy/Robert Grieve/Amahl Arulanandam/Laurence Schaufele) / Canadian Music Centre 2018-04-03 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Mike Smith/Kayla Milmine/Jeremy Strachan/Karen Ng / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-04-03 (Tuesday – early!) [FB event]

Patsy's Rats (First Base / Tough Age) / Hard Luck Bar 2018-04-04 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Crumb (Luna Li / Queen Of Swords) / The Baby G 2018-04-04 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Andrew Downing's Grad Hybrid Ensmble [music with film] (DOG [Dani Oore Games]) / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2018-04-04 (Wednesday – PWYC!) [FB event]

L CON (James Irwin / Casey MQ) / The Baby G 2018-04-05 (Thursday) [FB event]

The Mean (Secret Wars) / The Piston 2018-04-05 (Thursday) [FB event]

PONY (Boat Culture / Rapport) / Bovine Sex Club 2018-04-06 (Friday) [FB event]

Ace of Wands [EP release!] (Cat and the Queen / Alli Sunshine / Nice Going) / Monarch Tavern 2018-04-06 (Friday) [FB event]

By Divine Right (So Young / Lavender Bruisers) / Junction City Music Hall 2018-04-06 (Friday) [FB event]

FRIGS (WHIMM) / The Garrison 2018-04-07 (Saturday) [FB event]

BLOOP [Lina Allemano/Mike Smith/Germaine Liu/D. Alex Meeks] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-04-08 (Sunday) [FB event]

Somewhere There's Second Sunday Series (feat. Marilyn Lerner/Nicole Rampersaud / Patrick O'Reilly/John Oswald/Nilan Perera) / Array Space 2018-04-08 (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!

Side Hustle (Syngja / ZOË) / Burdock Music Hall 2018-04-09 (Monday) [FB event]

Ornate Presents (feat. Tara Kannangara & Alex Fournier with special guest Tom Felming) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-04-10 (Tuesday – early!) [FB event]

AMBiENT PiNG (feat. Not Your Average Worker Bees / Cult Eyes) / Handlebar 2018-04-11 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Brian Abbott's Earthlight [Diane Roblin/Mark Zurawsinksi/Brian Abbott] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-04-15 (Sunday – early!) [FB event]

Somewhere There presents: Solos (feat. Laura Swankey / Elisa Thorn) / The Emmet Ray 2018-04-15 (Sunday) [FB event]

Mother Tongues (Eyeballs / Slutcode / Weak Hands) / Handlebar 2018-04-21 (Saturday) [FB event]

Saint Dirt Elementary School / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-04-21 (Saturday) [FB event]

Free Songs: Session 1 [" artists/bands... playing three songs each over the course of an hour and a half"] (feat. Obuxum / Charlotte Cornfield / Longtime Listener / The Shuvs) / Quixotic Sounds 2018-04-22 (Sunday – free! all ages!) [FB event]

Triio [Bea Labikova/Aidan Sibley/Tom Fleming/Ashley Urquhart/Alex Fournier/Mark Ballyk] / The Rex 2018-04-22 (Sunday) [FB event]

Togetherness [Ellwood Epps/Erik Hove/Scott Thomson/Stéphane Diamantakiou/Ivan Bamford] / Burdock Music Hall 2018-04-27 (Friday) [FB event]

The Music Gallery presents Emergents IV: Subtle Blend (feat. Pursuit Grooves / 2nd Son / Naman Cale) / 918 Bathurst 2018-05-05 (Saturday) [FB event]

Buzz Records presents (feat. Show Me The Body / New Fries / Peeling / Tough Age) / Longboat Hall 2018-05-09 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Yonatan Gat (Absolutely Free) / Sneaky Dee's 2018-05-10 (Thursday) [FB event]

"Secret Headliner" (Deliluh / E-Saggila / Tyriqueordie) / Lower Bay Station 2018-05-11 (Friday) [FB event]

Un Blonde (Mimico / Scott Hardware / Mother Tongues) / Monarch Tavern 2018-05-12 (Saturday) [FB event]

FACS [ex-Disappears] (Vanishing Hand / The Brain) / Monarch Tavern 2018-05-20 (Sunday) [FB event]

The Sadies (Blind Matty Band) / The Great Hall 2018-06-01 (Friday) [FB event]

Camp Wavelength (feat. TBA) / Fort York (Garrison Common) 2018-08-18–2018-08-19 (Saturday–Sunday) [FB event]

Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore / The Great Hall 2018-09-14 (Friday) [FB event]

Venus Fest (feat. TBA) / Mod Club + The Opera House 2018-09-20–2018-09-22 (Thursday–Saturday) [FB event]

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Community corner:

• Don't forget that before Friday's show, the Music Gallery is hosting another instalment of their History Series, this time focusing on Creative Music Journalism. Join Artistic Director David Dacks talking to Mark Miller, Carl Wilson, Katie Jensen, Jennie Punter and Jerry Pratt in a look back at the publications that have dared to bring experimental sounds to the wider public. Free to attend, starts at 6 p.m.

Concert Listings Roundup #243

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.

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Gig of the week:

Nite Comfort 55 (feat. Uxvae / Saturn City) / Handlebar 2018-04-01 (Sunday – PWYC!) [FB event]

This month's Nite Comfort sees new-ish projects from familiar faces — and should also make for a satisfying contrast in their approaches to "electronic" music. Uxvae mixes Martha Adem and Bryan W. Bray (Gates, Cetacea) in a dark, dangling-vine forest of gothy ambiance, while Saturn City is a new solo endeavour from Processor's M. Joakim — her recent Korg Etudes collection is really excellent stuff that I'm looking hearing to hearing in a live setting.

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This week's noteworthy shows:

The Ted Crosby Quintet [Ted Crosby/Michael Davidson/Harley Card/Alan Mackie/Nick Fraser] ["performing Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn's landmark 1967 album the Far East Suite"] / The Emmet Ray 2018-03-26 (Monday) [FB event]

Composers' Toolbox: The Joy of Play ["a very interactive presentation and workshop"] (feat. Germaine Liu/Heather Saumer/Bea Labikova) / The Canadian Music Centre 2018-03-27 (Tuesday – free with pre-registration) [FB event]

Bernice (Erica Eso / Tryal) / The Baby G 2018-03-27 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Keita Juma (Sydanie / Macala) / Rivoli 2018-03-27 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Ashley Urquhart/Alex Fournier/Nick Fraser / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-03-27 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Not Dead Yet/Stuck in the City present (feat. Bugg / Big School / Camp Girls / Sour Key) / Faith/Void 2018-03-28 (Wednesday – all ages!) [FB event]

The Silt [Doug Tielli/Ryan Driver/Marcus Quin] / Array Space 2018-03-29 (Thursday) [FB event]

Yamantaka//Sonic Titan / The Baby G 2018-03-29 (Thursday) [FB event]

Prom Nite (Pucumber Sasssquash Family Band / Retired) / Faith/Void 2018-03-29 (Thursday) [FB event]

Mr. Joy [record release!] (Blunt Chunks / The Mother Tongues) / Owl's Club 2018-03-29 (Thursday) [FB event]

The Heavyweights Brass Band [This City record release!] / Lula Lounge 2018-03-29 (Thursday – all ages!) [FB event]

Phalanges [Elizabeth Lima/Karen Ng/Kayla Milmine] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-03-29 (Thursday) [FB event]

Away Forward [album release party!] (Stargoon) / Duggan's Brewery 2018-03-30 (Friday – PWYC!) [FB event]

Night Owl Festival presents (feat. Nobunny / Vypers / BBQ Pope) / The Rec Room 2018-03-30 (Friday) [FB event]

The Ryan Driver Sextet / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-03-30 (Friday) [FB event]

Ronley Teper's Lipliners [last Saturday of the month residency!] / The Baby G 2018-03-31 (Saturday) [FB event]

Yo La Tengo / The Phoenix 2018-03-31 (Saturday) [FB event]

Digits (Wolf Saga / Kira May / Akage No Anne) / Handlebar 2018-03-31 (Saturday) [FB event]

Burn Down The Capital presents (feat. Michael Foster/Ben Bennett / New Positions / Invisible Out / c_RL) / D D L 2018-03-31 (Saturday – all ages!) [FB event]

Girls Rock Camp Toronto Rock Lottery / Burdock Music Hall 2018-04-01 (Sunday) [FB event]

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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!

Mike Smith/Kayla Milmine/Jeremy Strachan/Karen Ng / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-04-03 (Tuesday – early!) [FB event]

Crumb (Luna Li / Queen Of Swords) / The Baby G 2018-04-04 (Wednesday) [FB event]

BLOOP [Lina Allemano/Mike Smith/Germaine Liu/D. Alex Meeks] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-04-08 (Sunday) [FB event]

Collateral [Sam Shalabi/Norman Adams/Tim Crofts] with Nicole Rampersaud / Array Space 2018-04-12 (Thursday) [FB event]

Audiopollination 61 (feat. Brodie Chisholm/Nicolas Buligan/Andrew Kay / Lorne Shapiro/William Davison/Neil Wiernik / Will Austin/MJ Wright/Luca Capone / Kayla Milmine/Bea Labikova/Sarah Peebles) / Array Space 2018-04-13 (Friday) [FB event]

Batuki Music Society presents Sounds of Senegal (feat. Élage Mbaye) / Alliance Française de Toronto 2018-04-14 (Saturday – all ages, under 18 free!) [FB event]

Gladeye, Burn Down The Capital and Riparian Acoustics present (feat. Beverly Glenn Copeland and Indigo Rising / Tryal / Loom) / Jam Factory 2018-04-15 (Sunday – all ages!) [FB event]

Ivy Mairi (Mamalia) / Burdock Warehouse 2018-04-26 (Thursday) [FB event]

Joanne Pollock (Sages / Leucrocuta / Anna Modo) / Handlebar 2018-04-26 (Thursday) [FB event]

Silent Shout (feat. Castle If / Persons / Tigerwing / Gabe Knox) / Handlebar 2018-04-28 (Saturday) [FB event]

Pleasence Records Showcase (feat. Don't Bother / Heaven for Real / J Blissette / ZONES / Man Made Hill/ Mundy's Bay / Goosebump / Tough Age / Isla Craig / Traitrs / WLMRT / WHIMM / Petra Glynt) / The Garrison 2018-05-11 (Friday – early sets free in the front room!) [FB event]

Small World Music Society's 16th Annual Asian Music Series (feat. Foonyap / Holy Hum) / Small World Music Centre 2018-05-11–2018-05-12 (Friday–Saturday) [FB event]

Leather Jacuzzi (Cellphone / Prom Nite / Hugh Man) / The Baby G 2018-05-24 (Thursday) [FB event]

Jonas Bonnetta [All This Here ambient album release! Ensemble including Mika Posen, Edwin Huizinga and Adam Saikely] / The Drake Underground 2018-05-27 (Sunday) [FB event]

Telephone Explosion: Year Ten (feat. Odonis Odonis / Freak Heat Waves / New Fries / Teenanger / Andre Ethier) / Lee's Palace 2018-06-08 (Friday) [FB event]

The Holy Gasp [The Love Songs of Oedipus Rex release celebration] [album performance accompanied by an orchestra of 26 musicians and vocalists in the form of a wedding ceremony & reception] / 918 Bathurst 2018-06-30 (Saturday) [FB event]

Concert Listings Roundup #242

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.

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Gig of the week:

Synaptic Circus presents (feat. Chalk Repairer [Patrick O'Reilly/Emily Denison/Andrew Furlong/Laura Swankey/Derek Gray/Edwin Sheard] / Kat Estacio) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-03-25 (Sunday) [FB event]

It's another one of those unbearably-busy Saturday nights this week (but you should really, really spend it out at the Aga Khan for the Music Gallery's large-scale Land of Kush premiere) but Sunday night is reserved for this night in the still-fresh Synaptic Circus series. Curated by the curious ears of Nilan Perera, this monthly is mixing together all sorts of fresh perspectives on creative music-making in this city, and I'm rather looking forward to both halves of this night.

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This week's noteworthy shows:

Nate Renner Quartet / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-03-20 (Tuesday) [FB event]

c_RL / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-03-21 (Wednesday – early!)

Dustiny [Thom Gill/Matt Newton/Josh Cole/Phil Melanson] (Prince Nifty) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-03-21 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Atsuko Chiba (Mazola / Animatist) / The Baby G 2018-03-21 (Wednesday) [FB event]

AMBiENT PiNG presents (feat. Henry Warwick / Alan Sondheim) / Handlebar 2018-03-21 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Jessica Stuart/Michael Davidson (Alex St. Kitts/Jacob Aylward) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-03-22 (Thursday – extra early set @ 5 p.m.!) [FB event]

Catholic Wilt (Lehrerin / Botanicals / Ben Oginz) / The Baby G 2018-03-22 (Thursday) [FB event]

Don KiNG [Nick Fraser/Karen Ng/Don Scott] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-03-22 (Thursday) [FB event]

Eamon McGrath (Bart) / The Dakota Tavern 2018-03-23 (Friday) [FB event]

Giant Claw (Seth Graham / New Chance / SlowPitchSound / Dohn Valley / D D L 2018-03-23 (Friday) [FB event]

HEX [Miss Pristine album release!] (Optic Flow / Slobrina / Zoë / Lavender Bruisers) / Monarch Tavern 2018-03-23 (Friday – all ages!) [FB event]

Long Winter 6.5 (feat. The Highest Order / Moon King / Tyriqueordie / Zoo OWL / Luyos MC / Camp Girls / The Neon City / Sweet Pea / Zero Point / Nick Fraser/Hafez Modirzadeh) / The Tranzac 2018-03-23 (Friday – all ages! PWYC!) [FB event]

North Atlantic Drift (Clara Engel / Snake Church) / The Dupe Shop 2018-03-24 – re-rescheduled date! (Saturday – PWYC!) [FB event]

The Music Gallery's Departures Series (feat. Land of Kush [Sand Enigma world premiere!]) / Aga Khan Museum 2018-03-24 (Saturday) [FB event]

Quiet Bedrooms: QB7 (feat. Forest Management / Philippe Vandal / Brigitte Bardon't + Hexzuul / Dame Cook) / D D L 2018-03-24 (Saturday) [FB event]

Caution Tape Sound Collective and the Association of Canadian Women Composers present: Spark to Stone [new compositions from Amy Brandon, Hope Lee, Julia Mermelstein, Sarah Reid, Ivana Jokic, Lesley Hinger, Bekah Simms] (feat. Caution Tape Sound Collective) / Array Space 2018-03-24 (Saturday) [FB event]

Calvin Love (Sunshine & The Blue Moon / Johnny de Courcy / Mango Reinhardt) / Owl's Club 2018-03-24 (Saturday) [FB event]

Sages (Anna Modo / Cherry Blaster / Wearenotwhoweare) / Handlebar 2018-03-24 (Saturday – PWYC!) [FB event]

Money House [Patrick O'Reilly/Stefan Hegerat/Alex Fournier] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-03-24 (Saturday) [FB event]

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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!

Keita Juma (Sydanie / Macala) / Rivoli 2018-03-27 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Phalanges [Elizabeth Lima/Karen Ng/Kayla Milmine] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2018-03-29 (Thursday) [FB event]

Nite Comfort 55 (feat. Uxvae / Saturn City) / Handlebar 2018-04-01 (Sunday – PWYC!) [FB event]

Track Could Bend #37: Third Anniversary All-Star Spectacular! (feat. Jakob Rehlinger, Craig Renaud, Luke Kuplowsky, Diane Roblin, Mira Martin-Gray, William A. Davison, Katie Jensen, Mani Mazinani, Matt Nish-Lapidus, Heidi Chan, Justin Huang Ford, Chris Trotter + more to be added) / Array Space 2018-04-03 (Tuesday – PWYC!) [FB event]

Wild Forms Gnarled and Mossy: New Music for Strings (and more) [new music composed by Allison Cameron, Matthias McIntire, Aline Homzy, and Robert Grieve] (feat. Allison Cameron/Matthias McIntire/Aline Homzy/Robert Grieve/Amahl Arulanandam/Laurence Schaufele) / Canadian Music Centre 2018-04-03 (Tuesday) [FB event]

The Mean (Secret Wars) / The Piston 2018-04-05 (Thursday) [FB event]

Faith Healer (Elle Barbara's Black Space / Johnny de Courcy) / The Baby G 2018-04-13 (Friday) [FB event]

Dialectica [Breakthrough CD release concert!] (The Toronto Saxophone Quartet) / MCC Toronto 2018-04-18 (Wednesday) [FB event]

VERSA [album release party!] (feat. Zoo Owl / Future Peers / DF) / The Commons Space 2018-04-21 (Saturday) [FB event]

Burn Down the Capital presents (feat. Wei Zhongle / Luge / Lice II) / Handlebar 2018-04-23 (Monday) [FB event]

Lydia Lunch (Brigitte Bardon't) / Hard Luck Bar 2018-05-10 (Thursday) [FB event]

The Music Gallery presents Fusing: Premieres VII ["six new interdisciplinary premieres fusing new music with dance, circus, literary, visual, theatrical and media arts by emerging and established artists from near and far" (feat. Thin Edge New Music Collective) / 918 Bathurst 2018-06-22 (Friday) [FB event]

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Bandcamp corner:

• Here's some brand-new modular synth experiments from Heidi Chan, gurgling in inventive ways and "inspired by Gaston Bachelard's The Poetics of Space."

• And also some equally fresh "rambling improvisations" by Trevor Turple (with some additional help from Ryan Carley), in case you need the musical eqivalent of a walk down a quiet backroad.

Recording: Furlong/Orechin/Liu/Moneo

Artist: Andrew Furlong/Alexei Orechin/Germaine Liu/Nelson Moneo

Songs: Latin Genetics + Una Muy Bonita [composer: Ornette Coleman]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge (Ornate Ornette), February 13, 2018.

Andrew Furlong/Alexei Orechin/Germaine Liu/Nelson Moneo - Latin Genetics

Andrew Furlong/Alexei Orechin/Germaine Liu/Nelson Moneo - Una Muy Bonita

This edition of the "Ornate Ornette" monthly was quarterbacked by double bassist Andrew Furlong, leading a quartet that also included Alexei Orechin on guitar, Nelson Moneo on violin and Germaine Liu on percussion. The music flowed with a free-ranging, funky amble — sort of a Shaggs-meets-Prime Time kinda sound, though the selections essayed reached back to the quartet days as well.

[This was the last show in this series' original incarnation. Now re-branded as Ornate Presents, the focus is shifting from one composer to being "dedicated to creative music steeped in the jazz tradition", curated by Alex Fournier and Phill Albert and holding steady in the second-Tuesday-of-the-month early slot at The Tranzac.]