Monday Roundup #295

Community notes:

• In addition to the shows listed below, as part of their "Makam Music Forum" Labyrinth Ontario is hosting a pair of Conversation Circles hosted by Jonathan Adjemian and Yang Chen. "These circles will create a space for all those who seek to question common ethnographical frameworks surrounding musical categories." Free to attend at East End United before the shows on September 17th and 18th , more info here.

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Concert announcements:

Josh Cole: new works for improvising musicians ["solo and duo double bass"] (feat. Evan Palmer & Josh Cole) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-09-14 (Monday). $10 or pwyc. [more info]

Body Help with Hugh Marsh / Pamenar (patio) 2026-09-15 (Tuesday). [more info]

Music Hosted by Karen Ng (feat. Matthew Cardinal / Vicki Venti / Pantayo) / Wenona Lodge 2026-09-15 (Tuesday). $pwyc. [more info]

Josh Sparks’ Digital Bath / Dina’s Tavern 2026-09-16 (Wednesday). $no cover. [more info]

Altered States Artist Showcase (feat. Scott Thomson/Brent Tanemura/Max Stover/William Hunt/Mateos Labbé-Phelan) / Water to Wine 2026-09-16 (Wednesday). $pwyc. [more info]

Toronto Makam Music Forum (feat.Mehdi Rostami + Folios of Turkish Makam [Julian Anderson-Bowes/Saghi Farsijani/Canan Sezgin Geylan/Yahya Geylan/Roa Lee]) / East End United 2026-09-17 (Thursday). $30 general admission, $20 student/arts worker. [more info]

ESP Free Jazz Thursdays (feat. Brent Tanemura/Lauchlin Wood/Jake Bikay/Mason Wallington/Colin Fisher) / Water to Wine 2026-09-17 (Thursday). $pwyc. [more info]

Whitetails (Chapel of Ease / The Cross Sea / LeBarons) / The Garrison 2026-09-18 (Friday). $25, 19+. [FB event]

Glenn Jones (Liam Grant / Colin Fisher) / Le Monde 2026-09-18 (Friday) [more info]

Chanoyu (feat. New Tendencies [Matt Nish-Lapidus] / Germaine Liu & Masahiro Takahashi) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-09-18 (Friday). [more info]

Toronto Makam Music Forum (feat.Sami Abu Shumays’ Umm Kulthum Music Group) / East End United 2026-09-19 (Saturday). $30 general admission, $20 student/arts worker. [more info]

Roger C. Miller (Storey Littleton) / BSMT 254 2026-09-20 (Sunday). $27.36, 19+. [FB event]

Mike DeiCont Trio feat. Eric West & Leland Whitty / Sellers & Newel 2026-09-24 (Thursday). $20 minimum donation. [FB event]

Liquid Architecture: Guitar Night (feat. Lex Feathers / Aranya Khurana / Colin James Gibson / Ryan Kinney) / St. Matthew's Clubhouse 2026-10-03 (Saturday). $10 (cash or e-transfer). [FB event]

FemBots (Jenny Omnichord) / Burdock Music Hall 2026-10-10 (Saturday). $22.60. [tickets + more info]

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

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Shows this week:

Ministry of Phonic Services presents: Back to School Field Trip ["a festival of outdoor experimental sounds and actions"] (feat. Vampire John Coltrane / Bee Solomon / Cows in Rain) / "Porch" 2026-09-07 (Monday). $pwyc. [more info]

More Noise Please! presents Manic Monday (feat. The Nausea / SEHKTOR8 / Crude Flame / Mountain of Woe / Pursuit Grooves / Writhing Deceiver) / BSMT254 2026-09-07 (Monday). $17.31 or pwyc. [tickets + more info]

Not Dead Yet presents (feat. Otto Benson / Potions) / Monarch Tavern 2026-09-08 (Tuesday). $27.82, 19+. [FB event]

Rondo Projects #4 ["the final part of Ehsan Sadigh’s Septet IV/IX"] (feat. Bea Labikova/Chris Pruden/Dhaivat Jani/Ehsan Sadigh) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-09-08 (Tuesday) [more info]

Brodie West presents (feat. Brodie West's Double Basses Quintet [Brodie West/Patrick O'Reilly/Josh Cole/Rob Clutton/Nick Fraser]) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-09-09 (Wednesday – early). [more info]

Ministry of Phonic Services presents: Back to School Field Trip ["a festival of outdoor experimental sounds and actions"] (feat. J.Vulgare / Colby Richardson / Fan Wu / Mariana Medellin) / "Mall" 2026-09-09 (Wednesday). $pwyc. [more info]

Alex Lukashevsky ["solostrumsinging + a guest or two"] / Water to Wine 2026-09-09 (Wednesday). $pwyw

Never Was [Brandon Davis/Bea Labikova/Racha Moukalled/Patrick O'Reilly/Adrian Russouw/Joe Sorbara] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-09-09 (Wednesday). [more info]

ESP Free Jazz Thursdays (feat. Brent Tanemura/Allison Cameron/Gloria Ksimuniv/Blake Howard) / Water to Wine 2026-09-10 (Thursday). $pwyc. [more info]

Kurt Newman presents (feat. Isla & The Sorry Brothers) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-09-10 (Thursday). $pwyc

Ministry of Phonic Services presents: Back to School Field Trip ["a festival of outdoor experimental sounds and actions"] (feat. Brian Abbott's Tone Cathedral / Mani Mazinani & Marilyn Yogarajah / Bea Labikova) / "Creek" 2026-09-11 (Friday). $pwyc. [more info]

Liam Cole (Westelaken / Wishbone Zoë) / The Rat's Nest 2026-09-11 (Friday). $15/pwyc

Audiopollination (feat. Andrew Kobus to go/Xukasia/Janel Jones / flower club/Rohee Uberoi / Noah Campbell/Neal Armstrong/Aisha Sasha John / The Not Michael Lynns) / Array Space 2026-09-11 (Friday). $pwyc/$10 (notaflof). [more info]

Musica Universalis (feat. Colin Fisher / William Hunt / Jack Johnston / Cal Adam) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-09-11 (Friday) [more info]

William Hunt [solo piano live recording] / Sellers and Newel 2026-09-12 (Saturday). $15 minimum donation. [more info]

Marker Starling (Tean Dream) / BSMT 254 2026-09-12 (Saturday). $22.84, 19+. [FB event]

Lucid Lounge Saturdays (feat. Ryan Driver/Andrew Downing/Blake Howard) / Water to Wine 2026-09-12 (Saturday). $pwyc. [more info]

Toronto Improvisers Orchestra / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-09-13 (Sunday – noon). $pwyc. [more info]

Marilyn & Friends (In the style of Ayal) (feat. Sporesong [Adwoa & Marilyn] / Will Hunt / Nick Flanagan / A Hectic Space [Nilan/Roya/Vic/Marilyn]) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-09-13 (Sunday – 2:30 p.m.). [FB event]

Elastic Recordings Presents: Inhabiting & Releasing Spontaneous Structures – A Concert & Workshop (feat. The Plastic Waste Band / Michael Davidson & Bjorn Kriel / Aline Homzy) / Annette Studios 2026-09-13 (Sunday – workshop @ 3:00 p.m., concert @ 8:00 p.m.). $20-$25 concert only (advance), $25-$40 concert + workshop (advance), $free (kids 12 + under). [FB event]

Ministry of Phonic Services presents Back to School Field Trip: Installation Garden ["a festival of outdoor experimental sounds and actions"] (feat. various artists) / "Ravine" 2026-09-13 (Sunday). $pwyc. [more info]

Mayme Joach [Alex Lukashevsky/Jack Johnson/Nick Fraser] (Jacko Packo) / Dina's Tavern 2026-09-13 (Sunday). $13

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It happened this week...

• ...on September 11, 2009 at Rolly's Garage (Optical Sounds' Back to Cool Party).

The Disraelis - The Bitter Ash

• ...on September 12, 2009 at SPK Polish Combatants Hall.

Getatchew Mekuria & The Ex & Guests - Eoleyo

[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: Public Library

Artist: Public Library

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

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

Public Library - To Cut

Public Library with Roa Lee - Look [excerpt]

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

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

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

Monday Roundup #294

Concert announcements:

More Noise Please! presents Manic Monday (feat. The Nausea / SEHKTOR8 / Crude Flame / Mountain of Woe / Pursuit Grooves / Writhing Deceiver) / BSMT254 2026-09-07 (Monday). $17.31 or pwyc. [tickets + more info]

Rondo Projects #4 ["the final part of Ehsan Sadigh’s Septet IV/IX"] (feat. Bea Labikova/Chris Pruden/Dhaivat Jani/Ehsan Sadigh) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-09-08 (Tuesday) [more info]

Audiopollination (feat. Andrew Kobus to go/Xukasia/Janel Jones / flower club/Rohee Uberoi / Noah Campbell/Neal Armstrong/Aisha Sasha John / The Not Michael Lynns) / Array Space 2026-09-11 (Friday). $pwyc/$10 (notaflof). [more info]

Lucid Lounge Saturdays (feat. Ryan Driver/Andrew Downing/Blake Howard) / Water to Wine 2026-09-12 (Saturday). $pwyc. [more info]

Toronto Makam Music Forum (feat. Naomi McCarroll-Butler & Sam Shalabi / The Folios of Iranian Dastgāh [Sadaf Amini/Ava Rostamian/Soheil Sadeghi/Sasan Salaseli/Araz Salek]) / East End United 2026-09-18 (Friday). $30 general admission, $20 student/arts worker. [FB event]

Rob Clutton/Karen Ng/Chris Pruden/Germaine Liu / Sellers and Newel 2026-09-18 (Friday). $20 minimum donation. [more info]

Mike DeiCont & Dan Fortin / Sellers and Newel 2026-11-25 (Wednesday). $20 minimum donation. [more info]

Marilyn Lerner & Matt Brubeck / Sellers and Newel 2026-11-26 (Thursday). $20 minimum donation. [more info]

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

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Shows this week:

Jazz Rat Mondays (feat. Patrick Smith/Jen Lo/Mark Godfrey/Jon Catanus) / Dina's Tavern 2026-08-31 (Monday). $pwyc. [more info]

Two Duos: Improvised Music (feat. Double Half Hitch Knot [yasmine & Roshanak] / Debacle Rebuttal [vic & Clay]) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-08-31 (Monday). [more info]

Track Could Bend #120 (feat. Dave Grenon's Indistinctive Gait w/ Ayesha Lye / Caution Wet Floor Signs) / Wenona Lodge 2026-09-01 (Tuesday). $pwyc. [FB event]

Drones Over Dufferin (biG kNiFE) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-09-01 (Tuesday). $pwyc. [more info]

The Lina Allemano Four [Lina Allemano/Brodie West/Andrew Downing/Nick Fraser] / Jazz Bistro 2026-09-01+02 (Tuesday+Wednesday). $20. [more info]

Altered States Artist Showcase (feat. Rebecca Hennessy/Michael Herring/Tim Shia) / Water to Wine 2026-09-02 (Wednesday). $pwyc. [more info]

Holy Oak Family Singers present: Madonna (feat. Holy Oak Family Singers & co.) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-09-02 (Wednesday – early). $pwyc. [more info]

the grandson [album release show] [Yoshi Maclear Wall/Ezra Schell/Lee Rosensweet] (Genre Fiction [Ben Culver/Alex McPherson/Miles Cakebread-Kraus/Ali Rashid]) / Burdock Music Hall 2026-09-02 (Wednesday). $10. [more info]

Equinox and Solstice Residency (feat. Ghostlight) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-09-02 (Wednesday). $pwyc, sugg. $15. [FB event]

ESP Free Jazz Thursdays (feat Brent Tanemura/Jake Bikay/Diana Piruzevska/Gloria Ksimuniv) / Water to Wine 2026-09-03 (Thursday). $pwyc. [more info]

Tania Gill presents (feat. Tania Gill/Brodie West/Rob Clutton/Nick Fraser) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-09-04 (Friday – early). [more info]

Shapeshifter [record launch!] [Brittany Pitt/Dan Pitt/Aidan McConnell] / Sellers and Newel 2026-09-04 (Friday). $20 minimum donation. [more info]

Humbucker Music’s Residency (feat. Humbucker Music [Nick Storring/Mira Martin-Gray/Colin Cudmore/Jason Doell] / Brian Ruryk) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-09-04 (Friday). [FB event]

Diane Roblin's Life Force [Diane Roblin/George Koller/Tim Shia/Kevin Turcotte/John Johnson] / La Rev 2026-09-05 (Saturday). $20 (door)/$25.57 (advance). [tickets + more info]

Ministry of Phonic Services presents: Back to School Field Trip ["a festival of outdoor experimental sounds and actions"] (feat. Germaine Liu / Fossils / Day of Niagara) / "River" 2026-09-05 (Saturday). $pwyc. [more info]

Mateos Labbe-Phelan/Max Stover/Ian Afif / Sellers and Newel 2026-09-05 (Saturday). $20 minimum donation. [more info]

Adjacent Spheres ["performing original music inspired by and composed by Dean Veneruz"] (feat. Village [Michael Davidson/Joel Bracken/Aline Homzy/Jen Lo/Hiro Tanaka/Mateo Mancuso]) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-09-06 (Sunday)

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Bandcamp corner:

• It's back on September 4th! After that long summer gap, it feels a bit surprising to have Bandcamp Friday again two months running, but there's lots of stuff coming out and artists to support! Here's a couple things I have my eyes on:

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In the mix:

• New ambinet mix! Drone and drone-adjecent music, "country and new age" special. Sounds from Sympathetic String Band, rebecca bruton & Kurt Newman, anthéne, PJS, Heraclitus Akimbo, Brian Eno, Matt Rogalsky, Thought Guild, John Taylor/Norma Winstone/Kenny Wheeler, The Cosmic Tones Research Trio, and Steve Young.

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It happened this week...

• ...on August 31, 2018 at The Revue Cinema (Intersection (Night 1)/The Music Gallery's Departures Series).

Suzanne Ciani - [edited excerpt]

• ... on September 4, 2018 at Wenona Lodge (Track Could Bend #42).

Saturn City - Shepherd

[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: The "Ryan Driver" Sextet

Artist: The "Ryan Driver" Sextet

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

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

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

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

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

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

Recording: Heraclitus Akimbo

Artist: Heraclitus Akimbo

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

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

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

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

You can check out the full set over on youtube:

photo by Thomas Evers

Recording: Hex-A-Decimal × Leucrocuta

Artist: Hex-A-Decimal × Leucrocuta

Song: Reed Magic/Reed Mysteries [excerpt]

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

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

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

You can check out the full set over on youtube:

photo by Thomas Evers

Recording: Del Stephen

Artist: Del Stephen

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

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

Del Stephen - Ran Into Diane

Del Stephen - An Earthquake Woke Me Up

Del Stephen - unknown

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

You can check out the full set over on youtube:

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

Recording: Hoover Party

Artist: Hoover Party

Song: Peristalsis in flagrante [excerpt]

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

Hoover Party - Peristalsis in flagrante [excerpt]

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

You can check out the full set over on youtube:

Monday Roundup #293

Community notes:

• The 2026 Musicworks Electronic Music Composition Contest is now open. "Compose/submit an experimental piece in any electronic-music genre — acousmatic, electroacoustic, glitch, soundscape, intelligent dance music (IDM), turntable art, video music et. al. The contest is open to entries from anyone located anywhere in the world and from artists at any age or stage of career. Pieces must be previously unpublished, i.e. not released on a commercially available recording at the time of submission." Maximum length is 10 minutes. Contest entry fee is $30, and entrants receive a free one-year subscription to the print edition of Musicworks. Get all the information you need here.

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Concert announcements:

Altered States Artist Showcase (feat. Rebecca Hennessy/Michael Herring/Tim Shia) / Water to Wine 2026-09-02 (Wednesday). $pwyc. [more info]

the grandson [album release show] [Yoshi Maclear Wall/Ezra Schell/Lee Rosensweet] (Genre Fiction [Ben Culver/Alex McPherson/Miles Cakebread-Kraus/Ali Rashid]) / Burdock Music Hall 2026-09-02 (Wednesday). $10. [more info]

ESP Free Jazz Thursdays (feat Brent Tanemura/Jake Bikay/Diana Piruzevska/Gloria Ksimuniv) / Water to Wine 2026-09-03 (Thursday). $pwyc. [more info]

Ministry of Phonic Services presents: Back to School Field Trip ["a festival of outdoor experimental sounds and actions"] (feat. Germaine Liu / Fossils / Day of Niagara) / "River" 2026-09-05 (Saturday). $pwyc. [more info]

Adjacent Spheres ["performing original music inspired by and composed by Dean Veneruz"] (feat. Village [Michael Davidson/Joel Bracken/Aline Homzy/Jen Lo/Hiro Tanaka/Mateo Mancuso]) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-09-06 (Sunday)

Ministry of Phonic Services presents: Back to School Field Trip ["a festival of outdoor experimental sounds and actions"] (feat. Vampire John Coltrane / Bee Solomon / Cows in Rain) / "Porch" 2026-09-07 (Monday). $pwyc. [more info]

Ministry of Phonic Services presents: Back to School Field Trip ["a festival of outdoor experimental sounds and actions"] (feat. J.Vulgare / Colby Richardson / Fan Wu / Mariana Medellin) / "Mall" 2026-09-09 (Wednesday). $pwyc. [more info]

Ministry of Phonic Services presents: Back to School Field Trip ["a festival of outdoor experimental sounds and actions"] (feat. Brian Abbott's Tone Cathedral / Mani Mazinani & Marilyn Yogarajah / Bea Labikova) / "Creek" 2026-09-11 (Friday). $pwyc. [more info]

Elastic Recordings Presents: Inhabiting & Releasing Spontaneous Structures – A Concert & Workshop (feat. The Plastic Waste Band / Michael Davidson & Bjorn Kriel / Aline Homzy) / Annette Studios 2026-09-13 (Sunday – workshop @ 3:00 p.m., concert @ 8:00 p.m.). $20-$25 concert only (advance), $25-$40 concert + workshop (advance), $free (kids 12 + under). [more info]

Ministry of Phonic Services presents Back to School Field Trip: Installation Garden ["a festival of outdoor experimental sounds and actions"] (feat. various artists) / "Ravine" 2026-09-13 (Sunday). $pwyc. [more info]

Ministry of Phonic Services presents Back to School Field Trip: BPM (Big Percussion Meeting) ["a festival of outdoor experimental sounds and actions"] (feat. Amiel Ang / Brian Ruryk / Raf Wilcot / Victor O / Caleb Clawson) / "Playground" 2026-09-15 (Tuesday). $pwyc. [more info]

Green-House (Masahiro Takahashi) / The Baby G 2026-09-16 (Wednesday). $25.03, 19+. [FB event]

Ministry of Phonic Services presents: Back to School Field Trip ["a festival of outdoor experimental sounds and actions"] (feat. HAHAHAHAHAHA / shemona / quivering / Emergency Euphoria) / "Highway" 2026-09-23 (Wednesday). $pwyc. [more info]

Ministry of Phonic Services presents: Back to School Field Trip ["a festival of outdoor experimental sounds and actions"] (feat. SlowPitchSound / Fleshtone Aura & Sandro Perri / Gayle Young & Reinhard Reitzenstein / tête à tête [Philippe Melanson & Matthew Pencer]) / "UFO" 2026-09-25 (Friday). $pwyc. [more info]

Soundstreams Encounters: Nagoya Marimbas [featuring Steve Reich’s "Mallet Quartet" and "Nagoya Marimbas", plus works by Ann Southam and Juri Seo] (feat. Kairos Percussion Quartet with Aerin Cho) / Hugh's Room 2026-09-29 (Tuesday). $free with reservation. [more info]

Soundstreams Encounters: Violins Unbound [works by André Ristic, John Beckwith, Chris Paul Harman, Parisa Sabet, Ana Sokolović] (feat. Judith Fliedl & Roan Ma) / Hugh's Room 2026-11-02 (Monday). $free with reservation. [more info]

Soundstreams Encounters: Orison [a new music theatre work-in-progress featuring the ondes Martenot] (feat. Daniel Áñez & James O’Callaghan) / Hugh's Room 2026-11-30 (Monday). $free with reservation. [more info]

Soundstreams Encounters: Hua ["an immersive audiovisual collaboration"] (feat. Margie Kelk & Alison Yun-Fei Jiang) / Paradise Theatre 2027-04-13 (Monday). $free with reservation. [more info]

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

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Shows this week:

Strings & Spirits presents [live score of indie game "A Short Hike", featuring composer Mark Sparling & developer Adam Robinson-Yu, along with special drinks & surprises!] (feat. Render File) / Canadian Music Centre 2026-08-24 (Monday). $PWYC, suggested minimum $10. [tickets + more info]

The AMBiENT PiNG & Imaginary North present: 27 Years of Ambient Love! (feat. Cheryl O / Nanotopia / Jim Field) / Handlebar 2026-08-24 (Monday). $PWYC. [more info]

Jazz Rat Mondays (feat. Patrick Smith/Anthony D'Alessandro/Chris Banks/Ernesto Cervini) / Dina's Tavern 2026-08-24 (Monday). $pwyc. [more info]

Nick Fraser presents (feat. BLOOP-tanium Riot with Christine Duncan [Christine Duncan/Mike Smith/Rob Clutton/Nick Fraser/Ryan Driver]) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-08-25 (Tuesday) [more info]

ESP Free Jazz Thursdays (feat. Brent Tanemura/Lauchlin Wood/Brodie West/Mateos Labbé-Phelan) / Water to Wine 2026-08-27 (Thursday). $pwyc. [more info]

Hieronymus Harry (Isla Craig / Jack Pine) / Pamenar (back patio) 2026-08-27 (Thursday). $15 or PWYC. [more info]

Caution Wet Floor Signs [Yoshi Maclear Wall/Garret Hildebrandt/Dame Cook/Will Hunt/fossa séu] / The Emmet Ray 2026-08-27 (Thursday). $12. [more info]

Karen Ng presents (feat. Rob Clutton ‘Scrapples’ Quartet [Rob Clutton/Kevin Turcotte/Tania Gill/Mackenzie Longpré]) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-08-27 (Thursday). [more info]

Army Girls (By Divine Right / Amelia Maxwell) / The Drake Underground 2026-08-28 (Friday). $22.63, 19+. [more info]

Exit Points #75 (feat. Julie Lassonde/Lisa Santoprete/Yvan Sheremetieff/Andrew Chiappetta/Woolworm, Ontario / Kavi/Roa Lee/Sahil Gopal/Michael Palumbo/Awstad Afraaz Adam Mulji) / Array Space 2026-08-28 (Friday). $15-20 advance, $20 door. [more info]

The Ryan Driver Quintet [Ryan Driver/Martin Arnold/Rob Clutton/Brodie West/Mateos Labbé-Phelan] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-08-28 (Friday). $pwyw. [FB event]

The Silt [Doug Tielli/Ryan Driver/Marcus Quin] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-08-29 (Saturday – early)

4 Weeks for Sonny Rollins (feat. The Bridge Quartet [Shawn Nykwist/Lee Wallace/Chris Banks/Mark Hundevad]) / CONTXT by Trane 2026-08-29 (Saturday). $30.79 advance, $40 door. [FB event]

Devin Patten trio [Dan Pitt/Devin Patten/Aaron Blewett] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-08-29 (Saturday). [more info]

Joni Void ["two sets of improvised electronics and sample-based soundscapes, merging into an exclusive collaborative finale between both acts"] (Liz Hysen) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-08-30 (Sunday – noon). [more info]

Cosmic Homeostasis XXXIII / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-08-30 (Sunday – 2:30 p.m.). $pwyc, all-ages + family-friendly. [FB event]

Amrita [Anita Katakkar & Kayla Milmine] / DROM Taberna 2026-08-30 (Sunday – 5:30 p.m.). $pwyc. [FB event]

Sympathetic String Band & Friends (feat. Sympathetic String Band / Andrew Timar) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2026-08-30 (Sunday – early). $pwyc. [more info]

Mifune Moods presents: Akira [live score] (feat. Mifune Moods [Ali Rashid/Annie Elgie/Fionn Ling/Luke Nickel/Sarah Laur/Keon Narinesingh/Yoshi Maclear Wall/Ezra Schell]) / Bampot 2026-08-30 (Sunday). $pwyc/$10, all ages. [tickets + more info]

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Bandcamp corner:

• There have been a variety of various sonic experiments and presentations in the past while, but it's exciting to see a new song — portending a new album of same — from Lisa Conway.

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It happened this week...

• ...on August 28, 2010 at The Shop under Parts & Labour.

Little Girls - Youth Tunes

Procedure Club - Feel Sorry for Me

[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: Jennifer Castle

Artist: Jennifer Castle

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

Recorded at The Garrison, July 25, 2026.

Jennifer Castle - Full Moon in Leo

Jennifer Castle - Piece of Glass

Jennifer Castle - Fractal Canyon

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

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

Recording: Potions

Artist: Potions

Song: Havelock

Recorded at The Garrison, July 25, 2026.

Potions - Havelock

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

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

Recording: The Fiver Trois

Artist: The Fiver Trois

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

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

The Fiver Trois - R.J.D.

The Fiver Trois - Only in the Longing

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

You can check out the full set over on youtube:

Recording: Isla & The Sorry Brothers

Artist: Isla & The Sorry Brothers

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

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

Isla & The Sorry Brothers - Long Vermont Roads

Isla & The Sorry Brothers - Silver Dagger

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

Recording: Felicity Williams

Artist: Felicity Williams

Song: Everything in Time

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

Felicity Williams - Everything in Time

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

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

Recording: Rebecca Hennessy

Artist: Rebecca Hennessy

Song: Mistress of Misery

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

Rebecca Hennessy - Mistress of Misery

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

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

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