Recording: Matthew "Doc" Dunn & Friends

Artist: Matthew "Doc" Dunn & Friends

Songs: Only Love Can Guide Us Now + Crying Shame [Jennifer Castle cover]

Recorded at The Baby G, December 20, 2018.

Matthew "Doc" Dunn & Friends - Only Love Can Guide Us Now

Matthew "Doc" Dunn & Friends - Crying Shame

A slightly-belated night to celebrate the release of Doc Dunn's Lightbourn album turned out to be a twofer, with the additional appearance of its follow-up Some Horses Run on the merch table. These "solo" albums (as distinguished from the collective grooves he heads with the Cosmic Range) found their songs fleshed out with an all-star band that included Simone T-B on drums, Grasshopper on percussion, James Matthew VII (formerly Blind Matty) on guitar, Andrew Scott on bass, Jonathan Adjemian on keybs as well as special guest backing vocalists Isla Craig and Meg Remy on a few numbers.

That exploded the sometimes-introspective vibe of the recorded versions into a cranked-up push-it-to-the-back-of-the-stadium wall of wailing guitars and pulsing funk, making these versions feel like they'd belong up on the merch table in a gatefold cover double-live album — the kind with just a couple stretched-out songs per side. There's even a tip of the hat here to peer and inspiration Jennifer Castle on a version of "Crying Shame" that tears with such momentum Dunn was pushing hard to keep up with the flow of the lyrical river.

[Doc Dunn and a smaller group of friends will be bringing some joy to the Mechanical Forest Sound 10th Anniversary celebration at The Baby G on Saturday, March 2nd.]

Concert Listings Roundup #287

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:

Night Of The Living Night Shift (feat. R. Flex / Becca Howe / Determinist?) / Wenona Lodge 2019-01-29 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Full disclosure: I had a bit of a hand in behind the scenes, getting the elements in place for the show. But the stylistically-mixed lineup (and the hearty joy I expect to be present in the room) all spring from the Earl of Ebullience himself, Luca Capone. Taking a step back from the airwaves (most recently on CJRU's The Night Shift) this is a chance to say thanks to someone who left no stone unturned in sharing an appreciation of the city's many flavours.

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This week's noteworthy shows:

Piano Fest (feat. Johnny Spence / Ryland Dinneen) / Burdock Music Hall 2019-01-28 (Monday – early!) [FB event]

Money House / The Emmet Ray 2019-01-28 (Monday – early!) [FB event]

The Heck Messengers [Mike DeiCont/Lowell Whitty/Ted Crosby/Jacob Gorzhaltsan] / The Emmet Ray 2019-01-28 (Monday) [FB event]

Loom (Queen of Swords / Catholic Wilt) / Burdock Music Hall 2019-01-29 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Lina Allemano's Titanium Riot / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2019-01-29 (Tuesday) [FB event]

New Tendencies [Batch 0008 release celebration!] (naw / Invisible Out) / Handlebar 2019-01-31 (Thursday) [FB event]

Video Age (Jackson Macintosh [mem. of TOPS / Crying High) / Monarch Tavern 2019-01-31 (Thursday) [FB event]

Don Kng [Nick Fraser/Don Scott/Karen Ng wsg Jake Henry] / The Emmet Ray 2019-01-31 (Thursday) [FB event]

Insensitive Granola [Aline Homzy/Michael Davidson/Ashley Urquhart/Alex Fournier] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2019-01-31 (Thursday) [FB event]

Jennifer Foster (Paul Linklater [solo acoustic!]) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2019-02-01 (Friday – early!) [FB event]

Tallies (Sahara / Carmen Elle) / The Drake Underground 2019-02-01 (Friday) [FB event]

Batuki Music Society presents (feat. Les Frères Cissoko Bannaya Family) / Alliance Française de Toronto 2019-02-02 (Saturday) [FB event]

Defend the 11 Fundraiser (feat. Hooded Fang / Brigitte Bardon't / Moul D) / The Beguiling 2019-02-02 (Saturday) [FB event]

Concert For Yemen (feat. Mad Ones / HotKid / catl. / Beams / Jerry Leger / Regina Gently / Noah Mintz) / Hard Luck Bar 2019-02-02 (Saturday) [FB event]

Sea Beau [EP Release!] (Vixu) / The Root Down Studio 2019-02-02 (Saturday) [FB event]

Audiopollination 68 (feat. Del Stephen/Michael Ramey/David Story / Alex Fournier/Mira Martin-Gray/Alexander Whyte / Ryan Kinney/mkl32 / Lîla Ensemble) / Array Space 2019-02-03 (Sunday) [FB event]

Nite Comfort 64 (feat. Dark Tapes, Blank Nurse/No Light) / Handlebar 2019-02-03 (Sunday – PWYC!) [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!

Red Arm Band [Mingjia Chen/Chris Pruden/Julian Anderson Bowes/Mark Ballyk] / The Emmet Ray 2019-02-04 (Monday – early! PWYC) [FB event]

Hainbach (Menial Rips / Munition Passion Altar / Mykhaylo) / Unit 2 2019-02-05 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Pugs & Crows (Sam Tudor) / Burdock Music Hall 2019-02-07 (Thursday) [FB event]

Somewhere There presents: After-concert Jam with Locals (feat. Pugs & Crows / Ted Crosby / Colin Fisher / Bea Labikova) / Array Space 2019-02-07 (Thursday) [FB event]

BLOOP! [Lina Allemano/Mike Smith/Germaine Liu/Nick Fraser] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2019-02-10 (Sunday) [FB event]

MAW 4: A Community Celebration of the Vocal Arts (feat. Richard Marsella / Clamaglamza / Isla Craig / Anny Fyreagle / Laura Swankey / Tidal Mouth / Blunt Chunks / Melanie Leishman) / Burdock Music Hall 2019-02-12 (Tuesday) [FB event]

The Canadian Arabic Quartet / The Music Gallery @ 918 Bathurst 2019-02-16 (Saturday) [FB event]

TIO Celebrates Bruce Cassidy (feat. Toronto Improvisors Orchestra with special guest Bruce Cassidy) / Array Space 2019-02-24 (Sunday) [FB event]

Mechanical Forest Sound's 10th Anniversary Celebration: A Night of Rock Music! (feat. Hooded Fang / Man Made Hill / Matthew "Doc" Dunn + Friends) / The Baby G 2019-03-02 (Saturday) [FB event]

Tough Age (Vanity Phase / Hugh Man) / Handlebar 2019-03-02 (Saturday) [FB event]

Omhouse (Luge / Slurry) / Monarch Tavern 2019-03-02 (Saturday) [FB event]

L CON (Synne Sanden) / Burdock Music Hall 2019-03-07 (Thursday) [FB event]

Venus Fest presents (feat. Ivy Mairi [EP release!] / Perfect Health [new solo project from Carmen Elle!]) / Burdock Music Hall 2019-03-08 (Friday) [FB event]

Digawolf [album release!] (Hex) / Burdock Music Hall 2019-03-22 (Friday) [FB event]

The Scientists (B-17) / Lee's Palace 2019-04-13 (Saturday) [FB event]

Jon Langford / The Horseshoe Tavern 2019-05-23 (Thursday) [more info]

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Community corner:

• Noise Bylaw Review: Amplified Sound The City of Toronto is reviewing the Noise Bylaw, and wants to hear from you. The current bylaw provides standards for noise, and applies to all properties in Toronto. There are several public consultations, but this one of of particular interest to music-lovers. NIMBY's and self-appointed no-fun police can suck up a lot of air at meetings like this, so it's vital that musicians, venues, promoters and audiences are on hand to make it clear that the presence of "amplified sound" is one of the things that makes the city a better place to live. April Alimero (Phèdre/Hooded Fang) is once more rallying the musical community to make their voices heard to City Hall, so come and join some friendly faces Wendesday evening at Scadding Court Community Centre.
• The relatively recent past of of music scene is sometimes the most obscure: out of the range of immediate memory, and also not quite new enough to always be accessible online. (The latter is a sad fact for anyone trying to find out more about a band whose albums list a Myspace address as their web presence!) Thankfully, some bits of this gap are being filled with a new initiative from Grasshopper, who has begun to upload videos from his extensive archive of concert recordings to a new youtube channel. So far there's a bunch of No Dynamics, as well as a couple Ninja High School sets, but keep an eye out for more to come!

Bandcamp corner:

• Melissa Boraski has done us all a huge favour by pulling together all of her released music — mostly under her Eiyn Sof moniker — available in one spot. Lots of excellent stuff here, including the stone classic Bloodstreams album.

Recording: Andrew Kay

Artist: Andrew Kay

Song: [first piece]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge (Music By & For Ken Aldcroft XXIV), December 12, 2018.

Andrew Kay - [first piece]

Saxophonist Andrew Kay had previously played this series with some music by Ken Aldcroft, but this time brought some solo and duo improvisations in his memory. Alternating between alto, clarinet and bass clarinet, there were some different textures and moods explored here, especially when Jake Parker Scott (now based in Oakland) joined in on alto, a touch of piano and some genteel impromptu percussion.

[Music By & For Ken Aldcroft will be back at The Tranzac on Wednesday, February 13th.]

Recording: Patrick O'Reilly + Heraclitus Akimbo

Artist: Patrick O'Reilly + Heraclitus Akimbo

Song: Gospel [composer: Ken Aldcroft]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge (Music By & For Ken Aldcroft XXIV), December 12, 2018.

Patrick O'Reilly + Heraclitus Akimbo - Gospel

This set saw guitarist Patrick O'Reilly playing some of Ken Aldcroft's pieces, but without his usual panoply of effects pedals. Instead, that sonic manipulation was handled by an external agent, adding some unstable twists to the proceedings. I must confess I pitched the concept for to this one, both of out an ongoing recent interest in manipulating other people's sounds, as well as having a chance at digging into Aldcroft's actual songs in a way I wouldn't be able to do on my own. Although he wouldn't've made these sorts of manipulations, Aldcroft was a dab hand with the few effects he did use, and there's some serious scholarship yet to be done on, say, his deft use of looping, especially in his solo guitar work.

You can also stream the full set if you like:

[Music By & For Ken Aldcroft will be back at The Tranzac on Wednesday, February 13th. Heraclitus Akimbo will be celebrating the release of a new solo album at the Tranzac on Wednesday, February 20th.]

Recording: Brodie West Quintet -1

Artist: Brodie West Quintet -1

Songs: C.T. [composer: Nick Fraser] + They Call This Everything [composer: Ryan Driver] + Possesional [composer: Rob Clutton]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), December 12, 2018.

Brodie West Quintet -1 - C.T.

Brodie West Quintet -1 - They Call This Everything

Brodie West Quintet -1 - Possesional

Playing as a quartet sans percussionist Evan Cartwright left Brodie West (alto), Tania Gill (piano), Josh Cole (double bass) and Nick Fraser (drums) a bit of space to play around in — and one leg of this group's rhythmical foundation removed. They did manage to tackle a few pieces from the group's current set ("Tumbling In" perhaps had more rolling than tumbling, but "Prel and Fug" bounced nicely) but for the bulk of the night the group instead reached beyond the regular repertoire to play some pieces from members and friends. Gill and Cole offered charts, but perhaps the most intriguing voyages were on a couple classic Drumheller¹ tunes, and there was also this beautifully-lyrical reading of a song from Ryan Driver's latest, tackled in the best jazz tradition of transforming pop tunes into standards.

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¹ This is as good a place as any to remind you that the four albums by Drumheller — all essential Toronto weird-jazz documents, besides just being groovy-good listens — are online at Nick Fraser's bandcamp.

Recording: Davison/O'Reilly/{AN} EeL

Artist: William Davison/Patrick O'Reilly/{AN} EeL

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at Array Space (Somewhere There's Second Sunday Series), December 9, 2018.

William Davison/Patrick O'Reilly/{AN} EeL - [excerpt]

A now-infrequent visit to the city from the expatriated Neal Retke was an opportunity to enter the world of {AN} EeL, facilitated by occasional collaborator William Davison as well as guitar hero Patrick O'Reilley. Moving from a buzzing electroacoustic soundfield punctuated by Retke's occasional shouts, things shifted into a sputtering narrative arc, like listening to talk radio in a car beneath an overpass — and eventually ending with a found-sound snatch of Handel's Messiah. Hallelujah indeed!

[William Davison will be performing a collaborative set with Bob Vespaziani at Track Could Bend #47, coming up at Wenona Lodge on Tuesday, February 5th. Meanwhile, Somewhere There's Second Sunday Series will be playing host to the spectacular MFS 10th Anniversary Celebration at Array on Sunday, February 10th and featuring sets from The Allison Cameron Band (Allison Cameron/Thom Gill/Kurt Newman), Lender (Christine Duncan/Laura Swankey/Nilan Perera/D. Alex Meeks) and The Knot (Tilman Lewis/Nick Storring).]

Recording: David Sait

Artist: David Sait

Song: [second piece]

Recorded at Array Space (Somewhere There's Second Sunday Series), December 9, 2018.

David Sait - [second piece]

It's always a joy to hear David Sait's meditations for guzheng (his Bandcamp has a pair of fabulous solo guzheng albums, including last year's Good Luck Corporation) and this outing saw the usual gentle tones augmented with some new extended techniques.

[David Sait is co-facilitating "Search & Reflect", a new series of participatory bi-weekly improvisers' workshops/hang-outs with Rod Campbell. In fact, the next one is today (Wednesday, January 23rd) at 5 p.m. in the Tranzac's Tiki Room. Meanwhile, Somewhere There's Second Sunday Series will be playing host to the spectacular MFS 10th Anniversary Celebration at Array on Sunday, February 10th and featuring sets from The Allison Cameron Band (Allison Cameron/Thom Gill/Kurt Newman), Lender (Christine Duncan/Laura Swankey/Nilan Perera/D. Alex Meeks) and The Knot (Tilman Lewis/Nick Storring).]

Recording: Tetsuo

Artist: Tetsuo

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at Array Space (Audiopollination 66), December 8, 2018.

Tetsuo - [excerpt]

Closing out the night, this improvising power trio (with Yusuke Frutate on guitar, Gordon Fynes on drums and Michael Lynn on bass) skipped around between a few genres in their song-length spontaneous compositions.

You can also watch this full set on youtube:

[The next Audiopollination will be at Array Space on Sunday February 3rd.]

Recording: Laura Swankey & Patrick O'Reilly

Artist: Laura Swankey & Patrick O'Reilly - [excerpt]

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at Array Space (Audiopollination 66), December 8, 2018.

Laura Swankey & Patrick O'Reilly - [excerpt]

The third party to sign up for this set didn't make it, leaving more space for these frequent collaborators to explore interactions for voice, pedals and guitar.

You can also watch this full set on youtube:

[The next Audiopollination will be at Array Space on Sunday February 3rd. Laura Swankey will be performing as part of the supergroup Lender (along with Christine Duncan, Nilan Perera and D. Alex Meeks) at Mechanical Forest Sound's 10th Anniversary Celebration, Sunday, February 10th at Array. Patrick O'Reilly will be playing guitar in the Nick Arseneau Sextet, tonight (Tuesday, January 22nd) at the Tranzac.]

Recording: Shortt/Lowry/Watson

Artist: Olivia Shortt/Amanda Lowry/Katherine Watson

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at Array Space (Audiopollination 66), December 8, 2018.

Olivia Shortt/Amanda Lowry/Katherine Watson - [excerpt]

An acoustic interlude in a night some more plugged-in sounds, this mini-wind ensemble brought flutes, sax and recorder to engage in a playful conversation.

You can also watch this full set on youtube:

[The next Audiopollination will be at Array Space on Sunday February 3rd. ]

Recording: Newman/Roblin/Heraclitus Akimbo

Artist: Paul Newman/Diane Roblin/Heraclitus Akimbo

Songs: [two excerpts]

Recorded at Array Space (Audiopollination 66), December 8, 2018.

Paul Newman/Diane Roblin/Heraclitus Akimbo - [excerpt 1]

Paul Newman/Diane Roblin/Heraclitus Akimbo - [excerpt 2]

Sometimes in improvised settings, one participant will show up with a gameplan that imposes to a greater degree on their fellow players. Fortunately, in this case, when Heraclitus Akimbo announced a plan to put microphones on Diane Roblin's piano and Paul Newman's saxophone and manipulate their signals, they were seemingly content to go along for the ride.

You can also watch this full set on youtube:

[The next Audiopollination will be at Array Space on Sunday February 3rd. Diane Roblin will be back at The Tranzac on Sunday, February 17th, presenting (and playing in) Glen Hall's Ossingtone. Heraclitus Akimbo will be releasing a new album (also at The Tranzac) on Wednesday, February 20th, and Paul Newman (along with Kayla Milmine) will open the show.]

Concert Listings Roundup #286

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:

Kapali Carsi (Man Made Hill / Sour Pussy / Cruise) / Owl's Club (basement) 2019-01-25 (Friday) [FB event]

Besides celebrating the release of Kapali Carsi's XX cassette, this night will feature several other flavours of strange and joyful noise — including an always-welcome Man Made Hill dance party.

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This week's noteworthy shows:

Piano Fest (feat. Donald Quan / Rêves Sonores feat. Joseph Shabason) / Burdock Music Hall 2019-01-21 (Monday – early!) [FB event]

Ted Crosby Trio / The Emmet Ray 2019-01-21 (Monday – early!) [more info]

Chris Banks/Tania Gill/Jesse Baird / The Emmet Ray 2019-01-21 (Monday) [FB event]

Business of Dreams (Dorothea Paas / Tough Age) / The Beguiling 2019-01-21 (Monday) [FB event]

Furniture Music (feat. Tara Kannangara/Ashley Urquhart / Amelia Thomas / Rob Grieve/Alex Fournier) / Wenona Lodge 2019-01-22 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Piano Fest [playing Jackson Browne's "Late for the Sky"] (feat. The Holy Oak Family Singers [Ben Whiteley/Johnny Spence/Tamara Lindeman/Charlotte Cornfield/Alex Samaras/Luke Kuplowsky/Ivy Mairi/Evan Cartwright/Sam Gleason/Alex Lukashevsky]) / Burdock Music Hall 2019-01-23 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Music by Harry and Furlong S1E4 (feat. The Search For Eternal Happiness Pt. 3 [Harrison Argatoff/Alison Keery/Mateo Gilando/Harry Vetro / Patrick Smith/Mike Gennaro) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2019-01-23 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Losers [single release!] [Cellphone / Scorpio Rising / Wrot) / Owl's Club (basement) 2019-01-24 (Thursday) [FB event]

Precious Jewel (Twin Rains / Valerie Dour / Jazz Funeral) / Handlebar 2019-01-24 (Thursday) [FB event]

Josh Cole Quintet / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2019-01-24 (Thursday) [FB event]

Paul, Doug, and Matias (Bunny) / The Dakota Tavern 2019-01-25 (Friday – early!) [FB event]

Aurochs / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2019-01-25 (Friday – early!)

The Ryan Driver Sextet / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2019-01-25 (Friday) [FB event]

CCMC (CCMC w/ Tiina Kiik/Lina Allemano/Germaine Liu/Anne Bourne) / Array Space 2019-01-25 (Friday) [more info]

Corpusse (Lightmares / Dent Tells Tales) / Duggan's Brewery 2019-01-25 (Friday) [FB event]

Art of the Uncarved Block presents (feat. Pax [ouch cassette release!] / Baby Band / Seamus Patterson) / Owl's Club 2019-01-25 (Friday) [FB event]

Class of 2019 (feat. Ellis / Sorry Girls / Rapport / For Jane) / Monarch Tavern 2019-01-25 (Friday) [FB event]

Prom Nite [last show!] (Rotten Column / Hugh Man / Oxalis [first show!]) / The Beguiling 2019-01-26 (Saturday – PWYC!) [FB event]

Lowell Whitty 5 with special guest Peter Lutek / The Rex Hotel 2019-01-27 (Sunday – afternoon show @ 3:30 p.m.!) [FB event]

Piano Fest (feat. Tara Kannangara / James Hill) / Burdock Music Hall 2019-01-27 (Sunday) [FB event]

SynapticCircusSundays (feat. The Nilan Perera Quintet [Colin Fisher/Bea Labikova/Kayla Milmine/Wes Neal/Nilan Perera] / The Electro-Acoustic Orchestra) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2019-01-27 (Sunday) [FB event]

Myst Milano (Ensh / Simon Thomas) / Handlebar 2019-01-27 (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!

Lina Allemano's Titanium Riot / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2019-01-29 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Concert For Yemen (feat. Mad Ones / HotKid / catl. / Beams / Jerry Leger / Regina Gently / Noah Mintz) / Hard Luck Bar 2019-02-02 (Saturday) [FB event]

Long Winter 7.4 (feat. James Baley / Graham Van Pelt / Triples / Rapport / KOZA / Westelaken / Jo Snyder / Mindful MC's / Donna Linklater / Mortimer. / Lost is Found) / Workman Arts 2019-02-09 (Saturday – PWYC! all ages!) [FB event]

Public Rehearsals: To Valerie Solanas and Marilyn Monroe (feat. Anne Bourne/Allison Cameron/Prices Easy/Ishan Davé/Ellen Furey/Thom Gill/Claire Harvie/Ame Henderson/Brendan Jensen/Germaine Liu/Bee Pallomina/Liz Peterson/Heather Saumer/Brian Solomon/Anni Spadafora/Evan Webber/Christopher Willes and others) / Daniels Spectrum 2019-02-12 (Tuesday – free! open rehearsal @ 3 p.m.!) [FB event]

Public Rehearsals: To Valerie Solanas and Marilyn Monroe (feat. Anne Bourne/Allison Cameron/Prices Easy/Ishan Davé/Ellen Furey/Thom Gill/Claire Harvie/Ame Henderson/Brendan Jensen/Germaine Liu/Bee Pallomina/Liz Peterson/Heather Saumer/Brian Solomon/Anni Spadafora/Evan Webber/Christopher Willes and others) / Walter Hall 2019-02-13 (Wednesday – free! open rehearsal @ 6 p.m.!) [FB event]

Invocation presents (feat. Saltland / Syzygy [Colin Fisher/Ilyse Krivel]) / Array Space 2019-02-13 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Public Rehearsals: To Valerie Solanas and Marilyn Monroe (feat. Anne Bourne/Allison Cameron/Prices Easy/Ishan Davé/Ellen Furey/Thom Gill/Claire Harvie/Ame Henderson/Brendan Jensen/Germaine Liu/Bee Pallomina/Liz Peterson/Heather Saumer/Brian Solomon/Anni Spadafora/Evan Webber/Christopher Willes and others) / OCAD University (The Great Hall) 2019-02-14 (Thursday – free! open rehearsal @ noon!) [FB event]

Not My Song 2019 [Curated by Mingjia, some of Toronto's most creative singer-songwriters will each interpret the song of another randomly paired performer secret-santa style] (feat. Monica Selene/Tara Kannangara/Robin Dann/Angel Apricot/Cass Beau/Katie McBride/Jonathan Wu/Emily Rose/Dorothea Paas/Lauren Dillen/Sabine Ndalamba/Kristin Fung/Mingjia) / Burdock Music Hall 2019-02-14 (Thursday) [FB event]

Wavelength Winter Festival 19 (feat. Mélissa Laveaux / Lex Leosis / Myst Milano) / The Garrison 2019-02-15 (Friday) [FB event]

Wavelength Winter Festival 19 (feat. Anemone / Twist / Future Peers / Isla Den) / The Garrison 2019-02-16 (Saturday) [FB event]

Wavelength Winter Festival 19 (feat. nêhiyawak / Kingdom of Birds ) / Monarch Tavern 2019-02-17 (Sunday – all ages! afternoon show @ 3 p.m.!) [FB event]

Wavelength Winter Festival 19 (feat. Elisapie / Beams / Luna Li) / The Garrison 2019-02-17 (Sunday) [FB event]

Heraclitus Akimbo [album release celebration!] (Kayla Milmine + Paul Newman) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2019-02-20 (Wednesday – early!) [FB event]

Riparian Acoustics/CMC Presents (feat. Lindsay Dobbin / Kat Estacio) / Canadian Music Centre 2019-02-21 (Thursday) [FB event]

Burn Down The Capital presents (feat. Wolf Eyes with Mark Morgan / Retired) / The Garrison 2019-02-23 (Saturday) [FB event]

Feast In The East 72 (feat. Fet.Nat / Absolutely Free / Badge Époque) / Jam Factory 2019-02-28 (Thursday) [FB event]

Molly Nilsson (Phèdre) / The Horseshoe Tavern 2019-03-19 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Venus Fest presents (feat. Gauche / Pearie Sol) / The Baby G 2019-04-03 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Beat Circus (Friendly as Fuck [Friendly Rich with Fat as Fuck] / Clara Engel / Kee Avil) / The Baby G 2019-04-06 (Saturday) [FB event]

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Community corner:

• Along with all the activity associated with Public Recordings' presentation of Pauline Oliveros' "To Valerie Solanas and Marilyn Monroe in Recognition of Their Desperation" (see info above on a trio of open-to-the-public rehearsals), Art Metropole and The Music Gallery are presenting a special event with Ione, Oliveros' spouse and long-time collaborator, reading from her memoir Pride of Family: Four Generations of American Women of Color. The event is taking place on Thursday, February 14th at A Different Booklist — full info can be found in the facebook event. Ione will also be the special guest at the next participatory instalment the Pauline Oliveros' Text Scores, a "sounding choir" facilitated by Anne Bourne. [This free event is currently sold out but twenty more spots will be released on February 9th.]

Recording: Karen Ng & Chris Worden

Artist: Karen Ng & Chris Worden

Songs: [excerpt from first piece] + [second piece]

Recorded at Wenona Lodge (Track Could Bend #45), December 4, 2018.

Karen Ng & Chris Worden - [excerpt from first piece]

Karen Ng & Chris Worden - [second piece]

Although I have seen guitarist (and award-nominated bird-watcher) Chris Worden playing "out"/experimental sounds before, it had been a spell since I'd seen him performing outside a rockband context. For this set he was exploring the resonant properties of his instrument's body, providing a soundbed for Karen Ng's sax excursions.

[Track Could Bend is back at Wenona on Tuesday, February 5th with sets from Meg Remy's Last Tape, William Davison & Bob Vespaziani plus the T.O. debut of Hamilton's all-star Freaky Boos.]

Recording: Blank Nurse/No Light

Artist: Blank Nurse/No Light

Song: unknown^*

Recorded at Wenona Lodge (Track Could Bend #45), December 4, 2018.

Blank Nurse/No Light - unknown

This experimental electronic project sees Evan Davies coming out from behind the drumkit to explore some metallic gothnoise. While the project is grounded in ideas of "sonic rituals", that was brought to the forefront in this set that was performed as an extended candlelit rite, four segments each facing a cardinal direction and with their own ritual steps, seemingly purging fear and anger.

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

[Track Could Bend is back at Wenona on Tuesday, February 5th with sets from Meg Remy's Last Tape, William Davison & Bob Vespaziani plus the T.O. debut of Hamilton's all-star Freaky Boos.]

Recording: Saint Barbara

Artist: Saint Barbara

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at Wenona Lodge (Track Could Bend #45), December 4, 2018.

Saint Barbara - [excerpt]

This duo set of cosmic folk-drone from Michael Franklin and Michelangelo Iaffaldano took its name from the fact that this show was being held on the name day for the teleporting, torch-extinguishing patron saint of artillerymen, mathematicians, and miners. The main portion of the set (extracted above) combined Franklin's hurdy-gurdy with Iaffaldano's prepared guitar and field recordings before their rousing coda shifted to Uilleann pipes and drums.

[Track Could Bend is back at Wenona on Tuesday, February 5th with sets from Meg Remy's Last Tape, William Davison & Bob Vespaziani plus the T.O. debut of Hamilton's all-star Freaky Boos.]

Recording: Patrick O'Reilly

Artist: Patrick O'Reilly

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at Wenona Lodge (Somewhere There presents: Solos), December 3, 2018.

Patrick O'Reilly - [excerpt]

This evening of four solo performances (two local, two visiting from Montréal) was engineered by Somewhere There's Peter Gough. Guitarist Patrick O'Reilly, an inveterate collaborator in the city's experimental and jazz scenes, made a rare solo appearance to close out the night, mixing together some techniques (music box, slide, nimble pedal manipulation) from his hefty bag o'tricks to summon a shifting, dreamlike soundfield.

Recording: Black Givre

Artist: Black Givre

Song: [last section]

Recorded at Wenona Lodge (Somewhere There presents: Solos), December 3, 2018.

Black Givre - [last section]

This evening of four solo performances (two local, two visiting from Montréal) was engineered by Somewhere There's Peter Gough. Samuel Bobony (who has also played with Constellation Records' Avec le Soleil Sortant de Sa Bouche) brought the most propulsion to the night, with overdriven electronic textures providing a sense of movement to his pounding drumkit patterns.

Recording: Kee Avil

Artist: Kee Avil

Song: thinkstill

Recorded at Wenona Lodge (Somewhere There presents: Solos), December 3, 2018.

Kee Avil - thinkstill

This evening of four solo performances (two local, two visiting from Montréal) was engineered by Somewhere There's Peter Gough. At the end of one last tour in support of her experimental song project's excellent EP, Vicky Mettler was fully zoned in on the material. There'll probably be a new batch of songs the next time she's in town, but they'll probably build from the canny loop-sense and electroacoustic-jumble-as-pop-textures explored in this set.

[That "next time in town" will be coming up on Friday, March 1st, when Mettler will be serving as support for Marc Ribot at Burn Down the Capital's Jam Factory show.]

Recording: Xuan Ye

Artist: Xuan Ye

Songs: [two excerpts]

Recorded at The Music Gallery (Emergents I), December 2, 2018.

Xuan Ye - [excerpt 1]

Xuan Ye - [excerpt 2]

Known for a steady flow of creative developments — and never playing the same set with the same gear twice — Xuan Ye kept things DIY here, deploying a trio of oscillating fans as sound sources and finding ways to generate sonic changes with interventions like adding a bit of feedback or taping on a garbage bag. There was also some good ol' fashioned interspecies communication, with Notable Local Pug Lana Del Satan adding some taps and jangles while running for treats around the bases of the fans. The coda heard here, with some meditative piano chords, complemented the fans' new take on furniture music.

[The Music Gallery's Emergents Series continues on Saturday (January 19th), with new electronic explorations from April Aliermo (Hooded Fang/Phèdre) and Sun Sun (Above Top Secret/Witch Prophet) — two sound-creators this blog has been a fan of for ages.]

Recording: Grace Scheele

Artist: Grace Scheele

Songs: [two excerpts]

Recorded at The Music Gallery (Emergents I), December 2, 2018.

Grace Scheele - [excerpt 1]

Grace Scheele - [excerpt 2]

This night of "wired sound experiments" began with Kitchener-Waterloo's Grace Scheele pushing her harp into some intriguing electroacoustic spaces. Her set was both visually interactive (thanks to some projection art seemingly being beamed upward from her instrument) and sonically experimental with the use of prepared/extended techniques, field recordings and effects pedals.

[The Music Gallery's Emergents Series continues on Saturday (January 19th), with new electronic explorations from April Aliermo (Hooded Fang/Phèdre) and Sun Sun (Above Top Secret/Witch Prophet) — two sound-creators this blog has been a fan of for ages.]

Concert Listings Roundup #285

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:

Cluttertones [Leeways album release!] (Kayla Milmine) / Burdock Music Hall 2019-01-16 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Somewhat unusually for mid-January, the week is positively packed with excellent shows, and this was a tough week to highlight just one thing (hint! don't miss the Emergents show at The Music Gallery on Saturday!). But I'll take a chance to remind everyone not to miss the celebration of a new album from the always-understated Rob Clutton and his Cluttertones project.

"Otherworldly chamber pop" (or whatever description you want to try and pin on the band) could sound somewhat discomfiting, but there's a generally a homespun charm at the bottom of their work. Lee Pui Ming (who guests on piano on Leeways' title suite) won't be at this release show, but the rest of the album's new works will surely be explored, as well as some newer pieces that have already been working their way into the group's recent shows.

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This week's noteworthy shows:

Music Hosted by Karen Ng (feat. Alle Meekingsmith [Lina Allemano/D. Alex Meeks/Karen Ng/Mike Smith] / Dan Fortin) / Wenona Lodge 2019-01-15 (Tuesday) [FB event]

An Instrumental Tribute to Clarence White (feat. Kurt Newman & Chris Quinn) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2019-01-16 (Wednesday – early!)

Robert Diack Group [Brandon Davis/Patrick O'Reilly/Jacob Thompson/Robert Diack] / The Rex Hotel 2019-01-16 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Double Album Release (feat. Ladom Ensemble / VC2) / Lula Lounge 2019-01-16 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Quaker Parents (WLMRT / HOBBY / No Frills) / The Baby G 2019-01-16 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Riparian Acoustics/CMC Presents (feat. Alex Samaras with Lara Dodds-Eden and Bram Gielen) / Canadian Music Centre 2019-01-17 (Thursday) [FB event]

Nick Ferrio + Holy Mackinaw (Ansley Simpson) / The Cameron House (back room) 2019-01-17 (Thursday) [FB event]

DWDB #4 ["American Songbook as well as folkish tunes and original compositions"] (feat. Dan Pitt/Andrew Downing) / The Emmet Ray 2019-01-18 (Friday – early! PWYC!) [FB event]

21C Music Festival: Terry Riley: Live at 85! (feat. Tracy Silverman/Gyan Riley) / Koerner Hall 2019-01-18 (Friday) [more info]

21C: AfterHours (feat. Wesley Shen and Continuum) / Mazzoleni Concert Hall 2019-01-18 (Friday – "after hours" show @ 10:30 p.m.!) [FB event]

Emergents II (feat. April Aliermo / Sun Sun) / The Music Gallery @ 918 Bathurst 2019-01-19 (Saturday) [FB event]

Biblical (WHOOP-Szo / Ian Blurton's Future Now) / The Horseshoe Tavern 2019-01-19 (Saturday) [FB event]

21C Music Festival (feat. So Percussion) / Koerner Hall 2019-01-19 (Saturday) [FB event]

Experts (Dr Fadeaway / Mawzy) / Handlebar 2019-01-19 (Saturday) [FB event]

The Archives of Eternity [Patrick Smith/Mark Hundevad/Andrew Furlong/Mike Gennaro] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2019-01-19 (Saturday) [FB event]

21C Festival [includes a world premiere by Anna Höstman, and a large ensemble work by Japanese composer Toshio Hosokawa] (feat. The Glenn Gould School New Music Ensemble) / Mazzoleni Concert Hall 2019-01-20 (Sunday – free with RSVP!) [FB event]

Music Minus 1 (feat. Victor Bateman / Germaine Liu / rotating guests) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2019-01-20 (Sunday – extra-early show @ 5 p.m.!) [FB event]

James Meger/Ted Crosby/Karen Ng/Michael Davidson / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2019-01-20 (Sunday – early!) [FB event]

Somewhere There Presents (feat. Jay Hay/Andrew Furlong/Dan Gooch) / The Emmet Ray 2019-01-20 (Sunday – PWYC!) [more info]

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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!

Piano Fest (feat. Donald Quan / Rêves Sonores feat. Joseph Shabason) / Burdock Music Hall 2019-01-21 (Monday – early!) [FB event]

Music by Harry and Furlong S1E4 (feat. The Search For Eternal Happiness Pt. 3 [Harrison Argatoff/Alison Keery/Mateo Gilando/Harry Vetro / Patrick Smith/Mike Gennaro) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2019-01-23 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Precious Jewel (Twin Rains / Valerie Dour / Jazz Funeral) / Handlebar 2019-01-24 (Thursday) [FB event]

Class of 2019 (feat. Ellis / Sorry Girls / Rapport / For Jane) / Monarch Tavern 2019-01-25 (Friday) [FB event]

Myst Milano (Ensh / Simon Thomas) / Handlebar 2019-01-27 (Sunday) [FB event]

Loom (Queen of Swords / Catholic Wilt) / Burdock Music Hall 2019-01-29 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Defend the 11 Fundraiser (feat. Hooded Fang / Brigitte Bardon't / Moul D) / The Beguiling 2019-02-02 (Saturday) [FB event]

Track Could Bend #47 (feat. Meg Remy's Last Tape / Freaky Boos [Jackson Darby/Aaron Hutchinson/Becky Katz] / William Davison & Bob Vespaziani) / Wenona Lodge 2019-02-05 (Tuesday – PWYC!) [FB event]

Array Ensemble [four new works by Marielle Groven, Christopher Mayo, Francis Ubertelli and Christina Volpini] / Array Space 2019-02-08 (Friday) [FB event]

Art of the Uncarved Block presents: An evening of spoken word w/ music [spoken word by Fool, Evan Moore, and Jordan Lee-Tung] (feat. Tang / Chris) / The Tranzac (Tiki Room) 2019-02-09 (Saturday) [FB event]

Somewhere There Presents: Mechanical Forest Sound's 10th Anniversary Celebration (feat. The Allison Cameron Band [Allison Cameron / Thom Gill / Kurt Newman] / Lender [Christine Duncan / Laura Swankey (music) / Nilan Perera / D. Alex Meeks] / The Knot [Tilman Lewis / Nick Storring]) / Array Space 2019-02-10 (Sunday) [FB event]

LeBarons (Hamilton Trading Co. / Christopher James Culgin / Flight Risk) / The Horseshoe Tavern 2019-02-14 (Thursday) [FB event]

Saint Dirt Elementary School / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2019-02-17 (Sunday – afternoon show @ 3 p.m.!) [FB event]

Radiant Baby (Hush Pup / LOLAA) / The Baby G 2019-02-23 (Saturday) [FB event]

BA Johnston (Sleepless Nights / Flesh Rag) / Junction City Music Hall 2019-03-23 (Saturday) [FB event]

Premieres VIII (feat. Thin Edge New Music Collective) / Array Space 2019-03-23 (Saturday) [FB event]

Invocation Presents (feat. Sophie Trudeau / Michaela Grill / Loom) / Array Space 2019-03-31 (Sunday) [FB event]

Yamantaka//Sonic Titan / The Garrison 2019-05-18 (Saturday) [FB event]

Recording: The Search For Eternal Happiness Pt. 2

Artist: The Search For Eternal Happiness Pt. 2

Song: Dog Pound [composer: Caleb Klager]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge (Music By Harry and Furlong, S1E3), November 28, 2018.

The Search For Eternal Happiness Pt. 2 - Dog Pound

This "episode" of this new-ish Tranzac residency delivered exactly what its title promised: music curated and performed by Harry Vetro and Andrew Furlong. As a musical unit, Vetro's Search For Eternal Happiness seems to be as conceptual as the titular metaphysical pursuit, with different iterations bringing a rotating series of musicians to join him.

This set saw him on drums backing a sort of double trio that included Dan Pitt and Harry Bartlett on guitar plus Jill McKenna and Caleb Klager on double bass. It's possible that it's an expanded version of a trio containing Bartlett, Klager, and Vetro that recorded some tunes together — including the ode to the Alberta village heard here. Carefully-arranged countrypolitan twang, this was "jazz" as filtered through the influence of Bill Frisell, whose work was also tackled during the set.

[Music By Harry and Furlong continues at The Tranzac on Wednesday, January 23rd, with a new The Search For Eternal Happiness configuration (with Harry Vetro plus saxophonist Harrison Argatoff as well as dancers Alison Keery and Mateo Gilando) plus a duo set from Patrick Smith and Mike Gennaro.]

Recording: Nelson Moneo & Andrew Furlong

Artist: Nelson Moneo & Andrew Furlong

Song: [edited excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge (Music By Harry and Furlong, S1E3), November 28, 2018.

Nelson Moneo & Andrew Furlong - [edited excerpt]

This "episode" of this new-ish Tranzac residency delivered exactly what its title promised: music curated and performed by Harry Vetro and Andrew Furlong. After a day's work at a jobbing gig playing christmas music, it looked like the latter was in the mood to throw away tonality and just tear at his bass strings a little. Violist Nelson Moneo jumped right into the same headspace for some bow-shredding skronk as the pair flipped between quieter explorations and drumstick-jamming noisebursts.

[Music By Harry and Furlong continues at The Tranzac on Wednesday, January 23rd, with a new The Search For Eternal Happiness configuration (with Harry Vetro plus saxophonist Harrison Argatoff as well as dancers Alison Keery and Mateo Gilando) plus a duo set from Patrick Smith and Mike Gennaro.]

Recording: Zurawinski/West/Newman

Artist: Mark Zurawinski/Brodie West/Kurt Newman

Song: I Hear a Rhapsody [composers: George Fragos/Jack Baker/Dick Gasparre]^*

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), November 28, 2018.

Mark Zurawinski/Brodie West/Kurt Newman - I Hear a Rhapsody

This trio was convened to explore a sort of "ultrafakebook" jazz — formally constrained by the frameworks of actual tunes, but working within that to find as many exploratory techniques as possible.

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

Recording: c_RL

Artist: c_RL

Songs: [trio piece for keyboards] [composer: Allison Cameron] + [excerpt from 1st piece] + Stick a Mic In It + [4th piece]

Recorded at Array Space (Allison Cameron Mini-Festival, Night 2), November 24, 2018.

c_RL - [trio piece for keyboards]

c_RL - [excerpt from 1st piece]

c_RL - Stick a Mic In It

c_RL - [4th piece]

How do you generate a sense of occasion for a band that's often as informal as c_RL? Some of this show's extra grandeur came simply from the venue, with Allison Cameron able to haul out some rarely-deployed gear from her studio at Array Space. That certainly informed her night-opening solo set, where she sat between two tables in a V formation filled with a selection of musical implements — and that extra gear came in handy as Nicole Ramersaud and Germaine Liu were called up to close out the opening half by playing a scored piece for keyboards (including melodica and toy accordion).

That also hinted at a running theme of seeing divergent strands, like parellel universe versions of c_RL playing chamber music or, a bit later on, rocking out like a noise band in "Stick a Mic in It", a no-wave tune dedicated to The Reveries. (There was also an unexpected and joyful tribute to trumpeter Lina Allemano as well.) The set covered a lot of ground, from Santana featuring Rob Thomas all the way to The Police. Er, no, wait, those were just snatches of Q107 being picked up by an amplifier. But they fit in as well, with the trio's eerie sounds engraved like a palimpsest over the monoculture.