Recording: Cameron/Girling/Martin-Gray/Shortt

Artist: Allison Cameron/Niamh Girling/Mira Martin-Gray/Olivia Shortt

Song: ii-V-I ∞ [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge (Clue Note), October 29, 2024.

Allison Cameron/Niamh Girling/Mira Martin-Gray/Olivia Shortt - ii-V-I ∞ [excerpt]

A delightful evening at The Tranzac with the debut of Clue Note, a new residency hosted by Mira Martin-Gray and Niamh Girling. The night started with a classic pub quiz, drawing friends and strangers together into impromptu teams, before switching over to some creative music. This night saw the premiere of Martin-Gray's "ii-V-I ∞", a "freaky drone jazz composition" tackled by the composer (laptop, kazoo) plus Allison Cameron (organ, synth, laptop), Niamh Girling (tanpura) and Olivia Shortt (saxophone). The piece moved from an undifferentiated dronefield, pulling apart and allowing specifics (such as Short's "Lonely Woman"-ish moan-cries) to slip in — very existential.

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

[Clue Note returns to The Tranzac on Tuesday, November 26th with trivia on the theme of theme is "What's in a name?" and music performed by Socks and Sandals (and Friends), a.k.a. Germaine Liu, Mira Martin-Gray, Nick Storring, and Mark Zurawinski.]

Recording: Glass Orchestra

Artist: Glass Orchestra

Song: unknown [part 2]^*

Recorded at The Music Gallery (X Avant XIX – Night 5), October 19, 2024.

Glass Orchestra - unknown [part 2]

Celebratring their 46^th season as an ensemble, the Glass Orchestra helped close out this year's X Avant Festival at the Music Gallery. (The group has a long association with the MG, including through the membership of longtime live sound engineer Paul Hodge.) That extended tenure has helped the group in their accumulation of unique glass-based instruments, which are a striking spectacle to see on stage. Incorporating gamelan rhythms (though we were assured that the group draws most from the musical culture of Silconasia) there was also some glass horn squawking as well as some classic fingers-on-wine-glass-rim drones. (Bonus! you can watch the whole set on the archive of the MG's livestream over on youtube!)

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

Monday Roundup #201

Community notes:

• Like many folks, I've found it weird to navigate the contradictions of participating on twitter for the past while. So with a new consensus forming around Bluesky, I'm going to try posting updates there instead. You can find me as @mfs-toronto.bsky.social. (And remember, of course: for an algorithm-free experience, this aged platform does offer you an RSS feed!)

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Video hits:

• Luka Kuplowsky and The Ryōkan Band's album release show is now preserved as the concert film "An Evening at the Tranzac" available on youtube. Beautuful stuff, go and fill your heart!

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Concert announcements:

Exit Points 55 (feat. Zoma/Sarah Peebles/halfdecentheart/Jaeyoung Chong/Andrew Finlay Stewart/Kimute/WEI EN/Zoë Ëoz/kat estacio/Jonathan Huard/Michael Palumbo) / Array Space 2024-11-29 (Friday). $17.52 (early bird)/$22.89 (advance)/$28.27 (general). [FB event]

Burn Down The Capital presents (feat. V. Vecker / Death Kneel / Cetacea / Aida Khorsandi) / Collective Arts 2024-11-30 (Saturday). $17.52. [FB event]

Cannon Album Release (feat. Dan Fortin/Michael Davidson/Thom Gill/Phil Melanson/Karen Ng/David Occhipinti / You Can Can [Felicity Williams & Andrew Zukerman]) / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2024-12-01 (Sunday). $20. [FB event]

Track Could Bend #98 (feat. Dept. of Loss [Fan Wu / Phil Hamilton] / Pigeon Dance) / Wenona Lodge 2024-12-03 (Tuesday). $pwyc. [FB event]

The Ocean Sleeps (Das Rad / Camo Kimono / Sabio) / Junction Underground 2024-12-06 (Friday). $10. [FB event]

Audiopollination (feat. Jake/Tomasz Krakowiak/Julie Lassonde / David Sait/James Bailey/Daniel Ramjattan / Adriana Monti/Gabe Girard/Nilan Perera / Brie Clarke/Jenna Geen/Adrian Russouw/Abby Silvera) / Array Space 2024-12-13 (Friday). $10 (cash or card). [FB event]

Is your show missing from this list? Submit it via this form!

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Shows this week:

California Transformation [featuring works by Edgard Varèse, Juri Seo, Ivan Trevino, Michael Oesterle, Carlos Chávez, Lukas Ligeti] (feat. U of T Percussion Ensemble) / The Rex 2024-11-18 (Monday). $free. [FB event]

Dan Pitt Quintet [Naomi McCarroll-Butler/Patrick Smith/Dan Pitt/Alex Fournier/Nick Fraser] / The Rex 2024-11-18 (Monday). $20. [FB event]

Brittany Pitt's Reverie [Brittany Pitt/Dan Pitt/Tristan Schultz/Aaron Blewett] / The Rex 2024-11-19 (Tuesday – 5:30 p.m.). $10. [more info]

Music Hosted by Karen Ng (feat. Karen Ng & Allison Cameron [debuting a new piece by Stephen Parkinson] / Karen Ng & Ted Crosby / Philippe Melanson [solo]) / Wenona Lodge 2024-11-19 (Tuesday – 8:30 p.m.)

Andy Haas & Mike Milligan (Max Donaldson) / Sellers & Newel 2024-11-24 (Sunday). $20 minimum donation. [FB event]

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In the mix:

• New ambient mix! New age hits, classic 80's synth sounds (classic 70's too!), a Stargate and a Dragon Gate, some Doctor Who incidental music (not Gate-related!), possibly Ennio Morricone's cheesiest theme, and that one piece of hold music that kept haunting me. Tracks by: Constance Demby, Steve Hillage, Colin Currie Group & Synergy Vocals (playing Steve Reich), Suzanne Ciani, Emerald Web, Jonathan Gibbs, Anthéne & Simon Mccorry, Circa Alto, and DreamQuest.

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It happened this week...

• ...on November 19, 2017 at The Dupe Shop (Arachnidiscs Dual Release Show).

Stargoon - [excerpt]

• Recorded on November 22, 2017 at Array Space (Spirit Of The Inner Child: Spontaneous Group Explorations).

Del Stephen/Paul Newman/Jeff Sinibaldi/David Parker - [excerpt]

[Do remember that you can click on the tags below to go back and find the original posts (and often, more stuff) from these artists.]

Recording: Spectrum Soundbath

Artist: Spectrum Soundbath

Songs: [two excerpts]

Recorded at Trinity–St. Paul's Centre (Sanctuary Drone), October 5, 2024.

Spectrum Soundbath - [excerpt 1]

Spectrum Soundbath - [excerpt 2]

Taking place in a variety of hang-out-able environments, Spectrum Soundbath is a rigourously-participatory exercise in community drone-making, with the organizers towing along a wagonload of percussive tools and other items to spread out for folks to make sounds with. Taking over the stage after Cosmic Homeostasis' balcony performance, the soundbath crew greeted the pre-dawn, starting with a small crew but gaining in strength as friends dropped in to end their own Nuit Blanche explorations. This is a sort of sonic experience that makes the most sense when you're in the middle of it, but for documentary purposes, here's a couple scenes from the proceedings.

Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis

Songs: Sanctuary Drone [four excerpts]

Recorded at Trinity–St. Paul's Centre (Sanctuary Drone), October 5, 2024.

Cosmic Homeostasis - Sanctuary Drone [excerpt 1]

Cosmic Homeostasis - Sanctuary Drone [excerpt 2]

Cosmic Homeostasis - Sanctuary Drone [excerpt 3]

Cosmic Homeostasis - Sanctuary Drone [excerpt 4]

After a couple expansive outdoor performances, the Cosmic Homeostasis crew were ready to make some further explorations into durational drone-making. Holding down the middle stretch of this all-night unofficial Nuit Blanche event, the musicians took over the Sanctuary's balcony, spreading out to give a spacialized mix to the audience down on the floor. Nearly twenty musicans came and went over the course of the night, adding some additional variety to the sonic textures. There was also a nice mix of acoustic and electronic sounds — the former especially blooming with the room's beautiful acoustics.

The participants in the Sanctuary Drone were:

• Blash Belmar - erhu, flutes
• Dan Friedman - Korg NTS-1, harmonica, whistling
• Eric Cinnesealach - clarinet
• Ian McPhedran - guitar
• Janel Jones - trumpet, voice
• Magick - Magick
• Matt Collins - guitar
• Maxim Gontcharenko- singing bowls
• Michelle Breslin - guitar
• Mickle32 - effects
• Paul Newman - tenor saxophone
• Phil Johnston - tape loops, effects, 1-string guitar
• Rosalind Saunders - violin
• Ron Blake - apps, etc.
• Ryan Kinney - electronics
• Sonia Leung - violin, windchimes
• Heraclitus Akimbo - synths, effects, accordion

If you want to hear (a lot) more of this, I have archived the bulk of the performance over on bandcamp:

Recording: DRONE:KLUB

Artist: DRONE:KLUB

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at Trinity–St. Paul's Centre (Sanctuary Drone), October 5, 2024.

DRONE:KLUB - [excerpt]

A community-based initiative from the AMBiENT PiNG crew, DRONE:KLUB is a mind-meld/meet-up for electronic musicians to share a clock signal and collaborate. Familiar with TSP from a Drone Day event earlier this year, the crew held down the primetime evening slot of this unofficial Nuit Blanche event, playing for a couple hours (plus overlap time as Cosmic Homeostasic eased in after them) and bringing some planetarium vibes to the church's beautiful space.

Monday Roundup #200

Community notes:

• Looks like data is still being added, but thankfully the Tranzac's new calendar is finally online!

• Meanwhile, I note that this week's listings has a nice round number! The number is somewhat arbitrary, especially if you consider the 361 weeks of the old listings series that took a break during lockdown before re-launching in this slightly-streamlined format, but it's still nice to see. Like all of us, I wish it were easier to hear about what's happening and where!

---

Concert announcements:

Music Hosted by Karen Ng (feat. Karen Ng & Allison Cameron [debuting a new piece by Stephen Parkinson] / Karen Ng & Ted Crosby / Philippe Melanson [solo]) / Wenona Lodge 2024-11-19 (Tuesday – 8:30 p.m.)

Clue Note: Trivia and Creative Music (Vol. 2) (feat. Socks and Sandals (and Friends) [Germaine Liu/Mira Martin-Gray/Nick Storring/Mark Zurawinski) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2024-11-26 (Tuesday – early) [FB event]

All-Set presents (feat. Molehill [Mike Smith/Jake Oelrichs/Pete Johnston] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2024-11-29 (Friday – early). $pwyc

Okavango African Orchestra [with special guests Lorraine Klaasen, Diely Mori Tounkara, Pape Ndiaye, Mis Blandine and Dally Dominic] / Redwood Theatre 2024-12-20 (Friday). $20 (advance tickets), $25 (door). [more info + tickets]

Is your show missing from this list? Submit it via this form!

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Shows this week:

Burn Down The Capital presents (feat. Haley Fohr [a.k.a.Circuit Des Yeux] & Bill Nace / Völur) / Standard Time 2024-11-11 (Monday). $22.89, all ages. [FB event]

Brittany Pitt's Reverie [Brittany Pitt/Dan Pitt/Tristan Schultz/Jon Catanus] / The Rex 2024-11-12 (Tuesday – 5:30 p.m.). $10. [more info]

The Brodie West Quintet / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2024-11-13 (Wednesday – early)

Slipstreams (feat. Grace Scheele / Arie Verheul Van De Ven / Ben Rositsan / Finn Pender Chapman ) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2024-11-13 (Wednesday). $pwyc. [more info]

Cheryl Duvall [world premiere performance of "The Plains", written by Linda Catlin Smith] / Canadian Music Centre 2024-11-13&14 (Wednesday & Thursday). $15/20. [FB event]

More Noise Please Presents: An Evening of Harsh Noise & Experimental Sights and Sounds (feat. Panties [tape release party!] / Shameful / Shelf / Nwodtlem / Shemona ) / Spadina Baby 2024-11-14 (Thursday). $PWYC, BYOB. [FB event]

Confluent Motion [Bill Gilliam/Kayla Milmine/Rob Clutton/Joe Sorbara] / The Emmet Ray 2024-11-15 (Friday – 6:30 p.m.). $10 (advance)/$15 (walk-ins)

Magpie [Concessions album release celebration] (Geordie Gordon) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2024-11-15 (Friday – early). $15. [FB event]

The Max Donaldson Trio [Max Donaldson/Ian Afif/Mateos Labbe-Phelan] / Sellers & Newel 2024-11-15 (Friday). $15 minimum donation. [more info]

Freesound Presents: Music for Piano Quartet II [works by Georgia Denham, Michael Oesterle, Laure M. Hiendl] (feat. Aysel Taghi-Zada/Matthew Antal/Amahl Arulanandam/Wesley Shen) / Array Space 2024-11-15 (Friday). $22.63. [more info]

Blunt Object ["performing the weird and wonderful music of Carla Bley", with Jay Hay/Ben Dietschi/Gordon Hyland/Jesse Malone/Teppei Kamei/Heather Saumer/Robin Jessome/Josh Bird/Chris Bruder/Phil Albert/Nico Dann] / The Rex 2024-11-16 (Saturday – 2:00 p.m.). $10. [FB event]

Perhaps Bells: New Piano Music by Bruce A. Russell (feat. junctQín keyboard collective) / Array Space 2024-11-16 (Saturday). $20.00 (or Pay What You Wish) / Livestream: $10.00 (or Pay What You Wish). [more info]

Graham Nicholas & Shawn William Clarke with Mike T. Kerr / Sellers & Newel 2024-11-16 (Saturday). $20 minimum donation. [more info]

Brian Ruryk (Garlic Jr. / Toller / Lawngir) / The Tranzac (Living Room) 2024-11-16 (Saturday). $PWYC. [more info]

Burn Down The Capital presents (feat. Wendy Eisenberg's Viewfinder / Bernice / Pete Johnston's Stranger Still) / Collective Arts 2024-11-17 (Sunday). $22.89 advance, $25 door, 19+. [FB event]

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It happened this week...

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

Flowers of Hell - O [excerpt]

• ...on November 18, 2010 at The Great Hall.

Henri Fabergé and his Naval Academy Marching Band - Please Yourself

[Do remember that you can click on the tags below to go back and find the original posts (and often, more stuff) from these artists.]

Monday Roundup #199

Community notes:

• Cheers to Audiopollination, celebrating their 12th anniversary at Friday's show! (I also note that the self-curation signup sheet for January to June is now open as well!)

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Concert announcements:

Cheryl Duvall [world premiere performance of "The Plains", written by Linda Catlin Smith] / Canadian Music Centre 2024-11-13&14 (Wednesday & Thursday). $15/20. [FB event]

C'est la fête (Cellsync / bikebike / A.JFM) / Tapestry 2024-11-21 (Thursday). $10/pwyc+. [more info]

Jazz Piano Meets Kurdish Kamanche (feat. Diane Roblin & Shahriyar Jamshidi) / Canadian Music Centre 2024-12-06 (Friday). $27.96. [more info/tickets]

Is your show missing from this list? Submit it via this form!

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Shows this week:

Mike DeiCont Trio [Mike DeiCont/Eric West/Leland Whitty] / The Rex 2024-11-03&04 (Sunday & Monday). $20. [FB event]

Brittany Pitt's Reverie [Brittany Pitt/Colin Story/Caleb Klager/Jon Catanus] / The Rex 2024-11-05 (Tuesday – 5:30 p.m.). $10. [more info]

Track Could Bend #97 (feat. Marilyn + Apple / Darren Williams / Rebecca Bruton) / Wenona Lodge 2024-11-05 (Tuesday). $pwyc. [FB event]

Not Dead Yet presents (feat. Flora Yin-Wong / Colin Fisher) / Standard Time 2024-11-06 (Wednesday). $25.26, 19+. [more info]

undercommons collective 1.3 (feat. K2 (Kayla Milmine & Jonathan Kay) / Pigeon People (Kayla Milmine/Jonathan Kay/Germaine Liu/Mark Zurawinski]) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2024-11-06 (Wednesday). $15 / pwyc. [FB event]

Sub-Sessions #7 (feat. Leona Hell / godsgreenearth / Shallow Waves / FORMING) / BSMT 254 2024-11-07 (Thursday). $14.64. [FB event]

Finom (meg elsier / Beams) / The Baby G 2024-11-07 (Thursday). $23.57, 19+. [FB event]

Ratboys (Ducks Ltd.) / Lee's Palace 2024-11-08 (Friday). $35.92, 19+. [FB event]

Audiopollination (feat. Mira Riselli/eric cinnsealach/marilyn yogarajah / Martin van de Ven/Arie vvdv/Grace Scheele / Ryan Kinney/Bill Gilliam/Sara constant / Shima/Mkl32/%%30%30) / Array Space 2024-11-08 (Friday). $10 (cash or card) or PWYC. [FB event]

Second Fridays (feat. Dan Fortin [Cannons album launch!] / Max Donaldson Trio [Max Donaldson/Ian Afif/Matteos Labbe-Phelan] / Stick Figures [Regan Mowery/Ezra Schell/Aidan McConnell]) / Canadian Music Centre 2024-11-08 (Friday). $15 / $10 (students). [more info]

Music Gallery presents (feat. Joëlle Léandre & Rémy Bélanger de Beauport / Masahiro Takahashi/Joseph Shabason/Bram Gielen) / Allan Gardens Children's Conservatory 2024-11-09 (Saturday). $15/$20/$25 PWYCA [pay what you can afford]. [more info]

Burn Down The Capital presents (feat. Extra Life / Oil Giant / Output 1:1:1) / The Baby G 2024-11-09 (Saturday). $19.78, 19+. [FB event]

Liquid Architecture (feat. Jamie Eriksen / Saba Yazdanpanah / Brian Abbott / Ryan Kinney) / Mischief Makers 2024-11-09 (Saturday). $10 adv. tickets/cash at door; $12 card at door. [FB event]

The Sarah Greene Preservation Society [Sarah Greene/Paul Kolinski/Tania Gill/Michael Herring/Conny Nowe] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2024-11-09 (Saturday). $pwyc. [FB event]

Ayal Senior & Friends (feat. Ayal Senior & Kurt Newman / Marilyn Yogarajah / Nick Flanagan / Triple Bad Acid) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2024-11-10 (Sunday – 2:30 p.m.). [FB event]

Paul Collins Beat (Dany Laj & The Looks) / The Garrison 2024-11-10 (Sunday). $30.74, 19+. – CANCELLED [FB event]

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It happened this week...

• ...on November 5, 2009 at The Horseshoe Tavern.

Dog Day - Neighbours

• ...on November 6, 2009 at Rancho Relaxo.

Volcano - No Signal In the Valley

[Do remember that you can click on the tags below to go back and find the original posts (and often, more stuff) from these artists.]

Recording: Swankey/Pitt/Pitt

Artist: Laura Swankey/Brittany Pitt/Dan Pitt

Song: [excerpt from first piece]

Recorded at Wenona Lodge (Track Could Bend #96), October 1, 2024.

Laura Swankey/Brittany Pitt/Dan Pitt - [excerpt from first piece]

There were pedals all around for this trio, with Dann Pitt (electric guitar) flanked by Brittany Pitt (baritone sax) and Laura Swankey (vox). There were some nice swirling sounds here and some outward-pushing adventures that, with the addition of a rhythm section, could turn this into a particularly cosmic psych band.

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

[Track Could Bend is back at Wenona on Tuesday (November 5th) with solo sets from visitors Darren Williams and Rebecca Bruton and an introductory duo from Marilyn + Apple. Meanwhile, Brittany Pitt, with her Reverie ensemble, will be holding down a November residency at The Rex, with shows every Tuesday in November from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.]

Recording: Josh Cole & Mira Martin-Gray

Artist: Josh Cole & Mira Martin-Gray

Song: [first piece]

Recorded at Wenona Lodge (Track Could Bend #96), October 1, 2024.

Josh Cole & Mira Martin-Gray - [first piece]

A fabulous blend of techniques and technology, with Josh Cole's double bass operating in acoustic space and triggering samplesplosions from Mira Martin-Gray's reactive laptop manipulations, resulting in some truly futuristic jazz.

I managed not to get video for this track posted here, but you can check out some more from this set over on youtube:

[Track Could Bend is back at Wenona on Tuesday (November 5th) with solo sets from visitors Darren Williams and Rebecca Bruton and an introductory duo from Marilyn + Apple.]

Monday Roundup #198

Community notes:

• Allison Cameron's monthly "Community Improvisation Workshop" continues at Array Space tonight (Monday, October 28th), open to musicians of any level, inclusive — and free! Truly recommended for anyone that wants to gain a more confident headspace around improvising musically, alone or with others.

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Contest reminder:

• Just a quick reminder that tomorrow (Tuesday, October 28th) at noon is the deadline to enter to win a pair of tickets to see the Labyrinth Ensemble in performance with Maliheh Moradi at the Aga Khan this Saturday. Full information right over here!

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Concert announcements:

Brittany Pitt's Reverie [Brittany Pitt/Colin Story/Caleb Klager/Jon Catanus] / The Rex 2024-11-05 (Tuesday – 5:30 p.m.). $10. [more info]

undercommons collective 1.3 (feat. K2 (Kayla Milmine & Jonathan Kay) / Pigeon People (Kayla Milmine/Jonathan Kay/Germaine Liu/Mark Zurawinski]) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2024-11-06 (Wednesday). $15 / pwyc. [FB event]

Second Fridays (feat. Dan Fortin [Cannons album launch!] / Max Donaldson Trio [Max Donaldson/Ian Afif/Matteos Labbe-Phelan] / Stick Figures [Regan Mowery/Ezra Schell/Aidan McConnell]) / Canadian Music Centre 2024-11-08 (Friday). $15 / $10 (students). [more info]

Music Gallery presents (feat. Joëlle Léandre & Rémy Bélanger de Beauport / Masahiro Takahashi/Joseph Shabason/Bram Gielen) / Allan Gardens Children's Conservatory 2024-11-09 (Saturday). $15/$20/$25 PWYCA [pay what you can afford]. [more info]

Brittany Pitt's Reverie [Brittany Pitt/Dan Pitt/Tristan Schultz/Jon Catanus] / The Rex 2024-11-12 (Tuesday – 5:30 p.m.). $10. [more info]

Brittany Pitt's Reverie [Brittany Pitt/Dan Pitt/Tristan Schultz/Aaron Blewett] / The Rex 2024-11-19 (Tuesday – 5:30 p.m.). $10. [more info]

Brittany Pitt's Reverie [Brittany Pitt/Dan Pitt/Caleb Klager/Jon Catanus] / The Rex 2024-11-26 (Tuesday – 5:30 p.m.). $10. [more info]

Tibbs Eve Rager (feat. BA Johnston / Marty Topps / Whyte Wine / Young Rielsing) / Bovine Sex Club 2024-12-23 (Monday). $10 (early Bird) / $15 / $20 (door). [FB event]

Is your show missing from this list? Submit it via this form!

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Shows this week:

Mira Martin-Gray and Niamh Girling present CLUE NOTE ["a new monthly series that's part trivia night and part creative music concert"] (feat. Allison Cameron/Niamh Girling/Mira Martin-Gray/Olivia Shortt [performing Mira Martin-Gray's freaky drone jazz composition "ii-V-I ∞"]) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2024-10-29 (Tuesday – early). $10 suggested /pwyc. [FB event]

Carolyn Mark / Sellers & Newel 2024-10-29 (Tuesday). $20 minimum donation. [more info]

Friends of Clue Note present: Trivial Musical Pursuits (feat. Sara Constant/Zoë Alexis-Abrams/Bea Labikova/Patrick O'Reilly/Victor O/Marilyn Yogarajah/Heraclitus Akimbo) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2024-10-29 (Tuesday). $pwyc. [FB event]

No Octopus Dancing (Octopus [Germaine Liu & Mark Zurawinski] / Allison Cameron & Stephen Parkinson) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2024-10-30 (Wednesday – early)

TRAITRS (Bonnie Trash / Dermabrasion) / The Garrison 2024-10-30 (Wednesday). $29.98, 19+. [FB event]

Hallow's Eve Eve (feat. So Tired / Secret Sign / Body Rot) / Houndstooth 2024-10-30 (Wednesday). $pwyc. [FB event]

Ladyfinger [Diane Roblin/Kayla Milmine] (Patrick O'Reilly & Friends) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2024-10-30 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Labyrinth Ensemble with Maliheh Moradi / Aga Khan Museum 2024-11-02 (Saturday). $40 ($36 Friends of Aga Khan Museum / $30 Students and Seniors). [FB event]

Ace Of Wands (Not A Band / Waxlimbs) / The Baby G 2024-11-02 (Saturday). $23.57, 19+. [FB event]

Not Dead Yet presents (feat.S.H.I.T. [For A Better World record release] / Slash Need / Stigmatism / Hogtied) / Cafeteria 2024-11-02 (Saturday). $21.41-$28.52, 19+. [more info]

The Atom Chasers [Michael Kaler/Loren Davie/Chris Cawthray] / The Emmet Ray 2024-11-03 (Sunday – 4:30 p.m.). $10 with reservation/$15 without. [FB event]

Burn Down The Capital presents (feat. Ava Mendoza / Fresh Snow / Not The Wind, Not The Flag) / Collective Arts 2024-11-03 (Sunday). $17.52, 19+. [FB event]

LAL [with special guests Ian de Souza and Vee Kee] / Buddies In Bad Times Theatre 2024-11-03 (Sunday). $20. [FB event]

Elastic Recordings presents (feat. Tommy Crane's Dance Music For All Occasions / Clock Radio [Michael Davidson/Dan Fortin]) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2024-11-03 (Sunday). $20 suggested donation. [FB event]

Mike DeiCont Trio [Mike DeiCont/Eric West/Leland Whitty] / The Rex 2024-11-03&04 (Sunday & Monday). $20. [FB event]

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It happened this week...

• ...on October 28, 2018 at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge (SynapicCircusSundays).

Murr - unknown

• ...on November 2, 2018 at Fatima in the Alley.

Juini Booth/Patrick Smith/Mark Hundevad - [unknown]

[Do remember that you can click on the tags below to go back and find the original posts (and often, more stuff) from these artists.]

Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis XXV

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis XXV

Songs: Geoff [excerpt] + A Partner for Geoff [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), September 29, 2024.

Cosmic Homeostasis XXV - Geoff [excerpt]

Cosmic Homeostasis XXV - A Partner for Geoff [excerpt]

In between more exotic engagements, the C.H. crew settled into the Southern Cross for a cozy fifth-Sunday-of-the-month gathering. A delightful wind section, this time out, as well as more fabulous underlying tanpura drones among some really nice sounds from new and old faces. It's always a treat to be in the middle of these sound-universes, but maybe this time a little more than usual.

The ensemble this time out was:

• Philip Hamilton - pedals, namer-of-things
• Ron Blake - apps, etc.
• Jim Davis - bass, pedals
• Dame Cook - haunted laptop
• Mira Martin-Gray - synthesizers
• Sterling McPhedran - banjo/ukulele
• Ian McPhedran - guitar
• Phil Johnston - oscillators, contact mic, voice
• Eric Cinnesealach - clarinet, percussion
• styrofoamNosebleedPrincess - tanpura
• Paul Newman - tenor saxophone
• Elliott Chapin - flute
• Heraclitus Akimbo - Pluto synth, Zoia, chimes

And as usual, you can check out the afternoon's full proceedings on Bandcamp:

Contest: Labyrinth Ensemble with Maliheh Moradi

Labyrinth Ensemble with Maliheh Moradi

Saturday, November 2, 2024 @ Aga Khan Museum

Regular readers here will know that I've been a fan of Labyrinth Ontario (and the Labyrinth Ensemble) since the group's launch back in 2017. Functioning simultaneously as a community hub, centre of learning and presenter of musical excellence, Labyrinth keeps busy weaving together the many varieties of maqam, the overlapping modal music traditions from across the world.

Combining their education and presentation strands, for the past few years Labyrinth has been bringing in top-level practitioners to join the ensemble in two-week intensives, at the end of which guest and group present their findings in concert form. This year, Labyrinth is hosting Maliheh Moradi, an Iranian vocalist and instrumentalist based in Los Angeles. "Trained by renowned Persian musicians Mohammad-Reza Shajarian, Fatemeh Vaezi (Parisa), and Ali Asghar Shahzeidi, she has garnered attention for her notable work with the Mowlavi Opera and participation with the Voices Unveiled project. Her new album, Our Sorrow, was released in April of this year and achieved 3rd place on the World Music European Chart."

Labyrinth Ensemble shows at the Aga Khan are also just a wonderful night out — taking place in one of the most beautiful venues in the city, the room itself is a treat, and the music is always filled with beautiful discoveries. (It's also a chance to see some of this blog's fave musicians in action, including ensemble co-founder Araz Salek as well as Naomi McCarroll-Butler and Yang Chen.)

TICKETS + MORE INFO

Tickets are $40 ($36 for Friends of the museum, $30 for students and seniors) and are available through the museum's website.

CONTEST

Thanks to Labyrinth, I have a pair of tickets to give away for this show, To enter, shoot me an email to mechanicalforestsound@gmail.com, with "contest" in the title and your full name in the body. I'll randomly draw a winner at noon on Tuesday, November 29th.

Recording: Brian Ruryk & %%30%30

Artist: Brian Ruryk & %%30%30

Song: [2nd piece]

Recorded at Bickford Park "Stadium" (Ministry of Phonic Services presents: Back to School Field Trip 2024), September 19, 2024.

Brian Ruryk & %%30%30 - [2nd piece]

Metaphor alert. Somewhere, out behind an urban schoolhouse abutting a park, there's a paved-over concrete pit with a mouldering, ancient basketball hoop against one wall. Back a bit, making it into a courtyard of sorts, there's a tree in a planter — a full grown, mature shade tree, a true miracle and rarity, given how much more often one sees planters with scraggly, barely-surviving sticks. Twenty feet below the surrounding "ground" level, with concrete walls on two sides and a tree up the embankment growing over it on the third, this tree has somehow managed to thrive in this weird, desolate corner.

Meanwhile, in various somewheres — in public spaces being taken over by corporate interests or in pocket forests or in little concrete valleys like these — the Ministry of Phonic Services has been putting down roots and building community with weird sonic experiments and placemaking celebrations. Somehow, in the dire context of this moment in the gyre of toxic unaffordability, erosion of common cause/common reason and the general enshittification of everything, younger folks are still refusing to take things as given and are using art and community to counter with a better vision of what our city could be. It's enough to make the sclerotic hearts of the formerly young and optimistic pump with a little more vitality.

This gig was one of a series of DIY public space takeovers from the MPS crew, the sites thoroughly scouted (and lovingly tidied up!) to create unique environments for some one-off gatherings. Friendly and embracing environments, even if the music hewed toward the discordant.

An inspired idea to pair up noise guitar legend Ruryk with junk percussionist %%30%30, the latter enhanced Ruryk's bricabrac-tossing sensibilities with some full-body, wall-pounding action moves.

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

[Brian Ruryk will be playing the Tranzac's Living Room solo (but alongside Garlic Jr., Toller, and Lawngirl) on Saturday, November 16th.]

Recording: Louis Pino

Artist: Louis Pino

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at Bickford Park "Stadium" (Ministry of Phonic Services presents: Back to School Field Trip 2024), September 19, 2024.

Louis Pino - [excerpt]

Starting with an array of bowls and other percussive implements, Pino added walkie talkies and other electromagnetic resonances to veer from meditative drones to buzzing, ticking glitched-out noise.

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

[As half of Duo Cichorium, Pino will be providing music and sharing some curatorial sensibilities at Of dances and dreams, the first instalment of the new Playscape Emporium series at Array Music. Check it out on Thursday, December 19th.]