Concert Listings Roundup #89

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:

Queer Songbook Orchestra Play Songs of Resilience / Church of the Holy Trinity 2015-03-26 (Thursday) [FB event]

Just on the merit of the performers in this ten-piece pop orchestra (including Alex Samaras, Lief Mosbaugh, Shaun Brodie, Ghislain Aucoin, Dan Fortin and more) this would be worth seeing — and all the more with guest vocalists like Simone Schmidt and Geordie Gordon. But tapping into the group's mandate ("a living archive of songs that shape community") gives it even more power. A sort of musical equivalent to the Celluloid Closet, this performance is billed as "taking a look back at this history with the queer lens intact, revealing little known backstories and personal narratives". And add to that the august surroundings in the Church of the Holy Trinity, and this is simply not to be missed.

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This week's noteworthy shows:

Pendrith Trio / The Emmet Ray 2015-03-23 (Monday) [more info]

Killer BOB (Processor / Lice) / Double Double Land 2015-03-24 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Etiquette [record release show!] (Programm / Year of Glad) / The Drake Underground 2015-03-25 (Wednesday) [FB event]

HPR presents (feat. Mas Aya & New Chance) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2015-03-25 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Wavelength 653 (feat. Brian Borcherdt / Sean Paul / Slime / Toblerone Boys) / Ratio 2015-03-27 (Friday) [FB event]

Prince Nifty & friends / Holy Oak Café 2015-03-27 (Friday) [more info]

The Ryan Driver Sextet / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2015-03-27 (Friday)

Angela Lansbury: a jazz tribute (feat. Bobby Hsu and Alex Samaras) / Holy Oak Café 2015-03-28 (Saturday – early!) [FB event]

Mexican Slang [single release show!] (The Ukiah Drag / Moss Lime) / S.H.I.B.G.B.'s 2015-03-28 (Saturday) [FB event]

Featurette (Deciduous / Tasha & The Sweet Talkers) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2015-03-28 (Saturday) [FB event]

Tranz Defonce (White Van / Onfiilm / Rocket Parade) / Handlebar 2015-03-28 (Saturday) [FB event]

Milk Lines (PANIC) / 3030 2015-03-28 (Saturday – free!) [FB event]

LIDS [Telephone Explosion 7" release show!] (MIMICO / Fake Palms) / Double Double Land 2015-03-28 (Saturday) [FB event]

Gates (Hashed Out / Good People / IRN) / Soybomb 2015-03-28 (Saturday) [FB event]

LOOM (Mekele / Beard Closet) / Holy Oak Café 2015-03-28 (Saturday) [FB event]

Crosswires (feat. Paul-Julien Tanti / Faiyaz & the Wasted Chances / Ugly School / The Jim Storie Juniors / Handlebar 2015-03-29 (Sunday) [FB event]

King Weather / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2015-03-29 (Sunday)

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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!

Wolfshirt Presents (feat. Personal Data / Hallowed Bells / Spookyfish / Know Itself) / Magpie Taproom 2015-03-31 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Shawn William Clarke (Jos Fortin / Matthew Oomen) / Holy Oak Café 2015-04-02 (Thursday) [FB event]

Clara Engel (A. Minster) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2015-04-03 (Friday – early!) [FB event]

Norman Blake, Joe Pernice and Guests [April residency!] / Dakota Tavern 2015-04-03 (Friday – early!) [FB event]

Wand (Heaters / The Saffron Sect) / The Silver Dollar Room 2015-04-03 (Friday) [FB event]

Alpha Strategy (New Horizzzons / Badminton Raquet / Connoisseurs Of Porn / Zack Kouns) / Smiling Buddha 2015-04-04 (Saturday) [FB event]

Crofts/Adams/Pearse/Hemingway / The Rex 2015-04-05 (Sunday) [FB event]

PPOP Presents (feat. Advertising / Tofu Stravinsky / AC) / Johnny Jackson 2015-04-05 (Sunday) [FB event]

Track Could Bend #1 (feat. Allison Cameron / Michael Lynn & Michael Keith / Jesse James Laderoute) / Johnny Jackson 2015-04-07 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Bernice (Omhouse) / Burdock Music Hall 2015-04-07 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Norman Blake, Joe Pernice and Guests [April residency!] / Dakota Tavern 2015-04-10 (Friday – early!) [FB event]

Jon McKiel & Aaron Mangle (Stella Ella Ola / Marine Dreams / Joyful Talk) / The Silver Dollar Room 2015-04-11 (Saturday) [FB event]

Audiopollination #29.1 (feat. Heidi Chan/Jamie Thompson / Brian Abbot/James Bailey / Kayla Milmine-Abbot/Conrad Gale / Tomasz Krakowiak/Holger Schoorl) / Array Space 2015-04-14 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Norman Blake, Joe Pernice and Guests [April residency!] / Dakota Tavern 2015-04-17 (Friday – early!) [FB event]

Champion Lover (Several Futures / The Two Koreas / Kurt Marble) / Magpie Taproom 2015-04-17 (Friday) [FB event]

Holy Oak's 6th Anniversary (feat. April Snow & The Musicologists [Thom Gill/Johnny Spence/Bram Gielen/Kieran Adams] / "secret guest performance") / Holy Oak Café 2015-04-17 (Friday) [FB event]

Norman Blake, Joe Pernice and Guests [April residency!] / Dakota Tavern 2015-04-24 (Friday – early!) [FB event]

Wavelength #656 (feat. Peers / Daniel Isaiah / Mannerisms / Caylie Staples) / Monarch Tavern 2015-04-24 (Friday) [FB event]

DIΛNETICS IV (feat. Knurl / Ceramic TL / The Good Children / Broken Doll Factory) / 8-Eleven 2015-04-24 (Friday) [FB event]

C.R.E.A.M. Afternoon All Ages (feat. Ken Park / NOIA / Pantayo / Petra Glynt / Tonkapuma / VCR) / Double Double Land 2015-06-20 (Saturday – PWYC!) [FB event]

C.R.E.A.M. Afternoon All Ages (feat. DOOMSQUAD / HATAW / Hooded Fang / Ice Cream / Lido Pimienta / Moss Lime) / Double Double Land 2015-06-21 (Sunday – PWYC!) [FB event]

Wavelength 669 (feat. The Ex / Brodie West & Fleshtone Aura) / Hard Luck 2015-06-23 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Recording: The Muted Note

Artist: The Muted Note

Song: Loss [based on a poem by Jan Zwicky]

Recorded at The Tranzac – Main Hall ("Somewhere There Creative Music Festival" – Show 3), February 21, 2015.

The Muted Note - Loss

The Muted Note is a collaboration for poetry, music and dance. Trombonist Scott Thomson (the founder of the original Somewhere There) and dance artist/vocalist Susanna Hood started this project by animating the poetry of P.K. Page with their respective arts, each start/stopping and darting around the lines in their respective ways, closing with this succinct rumination from Zwicky.

Recording: Owen Pallett

Artist: Owen Pallett

Songs: Soldier's Rock + Song for Five & Six

Recorded at Lee's Palace, January 31, 2015 (matinée).

Owen Pallett - Soldier's Rock

Owen Pallett - Song for Five & Six

More matinée shows, please! This afternoon all-ages affair had a rapt crowd (a mix of the under 20's and over 30's) that was out to listen attentively instead of just drinking and hanging out. Besides remarking on them as the cutest crowd ever, headliner Owen Pallett (who was in an upbeat mood all afternoon) also chuckled as he issued a grim prediction to the younger contingent: "I was thinking about, like, having an all-ages show in Lee's is showing teenagers their bleak and terrible future. This is where you're gonna spend a lot of unhappy nights. Get ready!"

Still playing with Les Mouches bandmates Rob Gordon and Matt Smith, the set focused on last year's In Conflict, but there were a satisfying range of diversions beyond that (Tori Amos cover included!) as they played in front of a glowing, fog-belching crystal construction. And not even fully dark yet by the time the show was done!

Recording: New Fries

Artist: New Fries

Song: Oil & Water

Recorded at The Tranzac – Southern Cross Lounge ("Tranzac New Year's Eve"), December 31, 2014.

New Fries - Oil & Water

With the recent-ish addition of Ryan Carley's keybs to the lineup, there's an additional layer of woozy instability underlying New Fries' live sound. I don't wanna get too highfalutin' about it — 'cause it's still rock'n'roll to me — but New Fries is increasingly coming across as trying to resolve a dialectic of groove and anti-groove (to say nothing of vibes and anti-vibes) and heading into a space where the tense opposite of a thing becomes a thing.

[New Fries will be helping to represent "the future" at the last night of Wavelength's fifteenth anniversary festival at The Garrison on Sunday, February 15th.]

Recording: Blonde Elvis

Artist: Blonde Elvis

Song: Fit For Her

Recorded at The Tranzac – Main Hall ("Tranzac New Year's Eve"), December 31, 2014.

Blonde Elvis - Fit For Her

At a well-curated (i.e. packed with bands I like) NYE celebration at The Tranzac, Blonde Elvis were outliers as the most straight-up rock band of the night but their phasers were still set to impress. Word is their EP is now complete, so keep an eye out for it.

[Blonde Elvis will be playing Michael Rault's tour kick-off show at Johnny Jackson on Monday, March 2nd.]

Recording: FIN

Artist: FIN

Song: unknown^*

Recorded at CineCycle ("Blockspace II Presents: Pre-NYE Extravaganza"), December 30, 2014.

FIN - unknown

This night was a pre-NYE party assembled by the Blockspace collective (Laura Dobson, Julie Reich, Nick Leviathann) that transformed CineCycle into a DIY label bazaar and filled it with art installations plus a full slate of live music. It was also a release party for the Reich-compiled Offerings mixtape, the last gesture from the local showpaper before a soon-to-be-announced transformation.

Rebecca "Fin" Simonetti's musical works have included Wet Nurse, a collaboration with Alex Mackenzie. Her solo setup starts from a similar place technologically with the latter's Petra Glynt, though Simonetti employs her loops/samples/tracks in a manner that's a bit more straight-up "pop" on the surface. (EMA might be another point of worthy comparison.) But look below and there's the same interplay of sexuality and menace that Simonetti explores in her visual art. No wonder, then, that she faced the crowd wearing a football player's shoulder pads, hinting not only at the need for protection but a willingness to tackle any challenges.

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

Recording: Doom Tickler

Artist: Doom Tickler

Song: unknown^*

Recorded at CineCycle ("Blockspace II Presents: Pre-NYE Extravaganza"), December 30, 2014.

Doom Tickler - unknown

This night was a pre-NYE party assembled by the Blockspace collective (Laura Dobson, Julie Reich, Nick Leviathann) that transformed CineCycle into a DIY label bazaar and filled it with art installations plus a full slate of live music. It was also a release party for the Reich-compiled Offerings mixtape, the last gesture from the local showpaper before a soon-to-be-announced transformation.

Artist Leslie Predy's musical project has a sound that embodies both parts of its name. Using nothing but her voice and a loop pedal, Predy builds grunts, moans and screams into song-shapes, their inherent gruffness co-existing with a certain whimsical quality. In 2014, the recent prominence of Tanya Tagaq makes this seem like a reasonable path to pop, but it should be noted that Predy has been making music as Doom Tickler for several years now.

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

Recording: Zacht Automaat

Artist: Zacht Automaat

Songs: [four unknown songs]^*

Recorded at Double Double Land, December 29, 2014.

Zacht Automaat - [tracks 7 + 8]

Zacht Automaat - [tracks 9 + 10]

If you figured that a late set on a Monday night would keep people away, think again. This season's semi-annual emergence of the mighty Zacht Automaat took place over two back-to-back nights in crammed quarters. The first was at DDL, a frequent stop for the band, and it was jammed in solid.

Still celebrating the consolidation of their double-vinyl compilation (which has now received a second pressing), 2014 was the first year in the band's existence without a new release — though the keen-eared might have heard a hint of what's to come if they paid attention to the between-sets background music at this gig. [Edit: the new album has now landed on bandcamp!] The two nights featured similar setlists, so instead of cherry picking something from each, I'm going to pass along here a pair of one-two punches from the first, which I managed to capture a little bit more cleanly. Stay tuned, keep refreshing the ZA bandcamp site, and remind yourself that summer is just around the corner.

^* Does anyone know the titles to these? Please leave a comment!

Recording: Mirrors

Artist: Mirrors

Song: [excerpt from an improvisation]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), December 28, 2014.

Mirrors - [excerpt from an improvisation]

This was only the second gig for these self-declared "electric dialectic monist acousticians", but they played nearly an hour of improvised material with a self-assured patience, letting musical themes develop at their own pace. The sound is basically trance-y hypnagogic dreamscapes, with Kayla Grant intoning passages from the Book of the Dead (and processing ver vocals) while Zach Clark provided drones and flutters (on Moog, shruti box and sundry electronics) while Liam Cole pulled the abstractions together with his non-invasive percussion. You could slot this (and not just alphabetically!) between Manticore and Moonwood.

Recording: A Ryan Driver Quintet

Artist: A Ryan Driver Quintet

Songs: I Walk a Little Faster [composed by Carolyn Leigh/Cy Coleman] + I Never Knew [composed by Stephen Parkinson/Ryan Driver]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), December 26, 2014.

A Ryan Driver Quintet - I Walk a Little Faster

A Ryan Driver Quintet - I Never Knew

The indefinite article in the band's name in the listing for this Boxing Day Special was an indicator that this was not the usual version of Ryan Driver's Quintet/Sextet. The special guest on the night was Stephen Parkinson (composer of the tunes on the band's album) on melodica, sitting in for guitarist Martin Arnold. And even though he was playing it through a wah pedal, Parkinson smartly made no attempt to replicate the mildly destabilizing tendrils that Martin's guitar brings, settling instead for an additional air of languidly yearning ambiance to complement Michael Davidson's vibes as well as Rob Clutton's bass and Driver's piano. (The slight squeak that can be heard in the first track here is an artifact of a creaky hi-hat pedal in Blake Howard's drum kit.)

[The Ryan Driver Sextet will be taking its regular turn at The Tranzac on Friday, January 30th, but Driver has several other cool gigs coming up in the interim, including a "Piano Party" with Jonathan Adjemian at the Tranzac on January 20th, a date at Wavelenth's pop-up gallery at Huntclub Studio alongside Lina Allemano, Rob Clutton and Jason Sharpe on the 25th and a Tranzac date with the Josh Cole Quartet on Wednesday the 26th.]

Recording: Jennifer Castle

Artist: Jennifer Castle

Songs: Downriver + Like a Gun

Recorded at Double Double Land, December 21, 2014.

Jennifer Castle - Downriver

Jennifer Castle - Like a Gun

Jennifer Castle's Pink City release show was a real treat, but this solstice special/birthday celebration was something else entirely. The exposure that the album has been getting indicates that she could fill a much larger venue, so one might have thought this barely-announced set at DDL might be just a "casual" night where she could take things easy, musically speaking. Instead, she brought a full band, employing many of the same people that'd recorded the album with her for a completely different set. [You can contrast the band sound with the solo take of "Downriver" that I'd posted a while back.]

Joining her were Dave Clarke (acoustic guitar), Jonathan Adjemian (keybs), Mike Smith (bass), Paul Mortimer (guit), Ryan Driver (flute/melodica/snare/b vox) and Felicity Williams (backing vox) — a formidable list of talents. They didn't tend to rev things up too much, preferring instead a relaxed lope — a drummerless stoner drift that embroidered details into Castle's songs. The set focused on the new album, but dipped back for a few older faves (like "Powers" and "Way of the Crow") as well as the cover of The Flatlanders' "Keeper of The Mountain" that she recently tackled for an online session. One of the year's last shows turned out to be one of the very best — in a just world, Castle would be able to take a crew like this on the road and blow minds from coast to coast to coast.

Recording: Ian Russell

Artist: Ian Russell

Song: unknown^*

Recorded at Double Double Land, December 21, 2014.

Ian Russell - unknown

Ian Russell — formerly of beloved local urban roots unit $100 — has been keeping a bit of a lower musical profile lately, but the keen-eyed will have spotted him with guitar in hand popping up at casual events here and there. On this night, he took the stage as an unscheduled opener to tide the full room over a spell while Jennifer Castle's set was delayed a bit. It's a musical fit, for even without lyrical content, the sweeping acoustic guitar suites that Russell is playing here were just like an old-school Castlemusic set — fragments of songs drifting together, faintly familiar and settling in like old friends.

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

Recording: Unsilent Night

Artist: Unsilent Night Toronto

Songs: [sound montage from Unsilent Night performance, in three parts] [Composer: Phil Kline, arranged collectively by the participants]

Recorded in and around The Grange neighbourhood, December 19, 2014.

Unsilent Night Toronto - Walk Montage Part 1

Unsilent Night Toronto - Walk Montage Part 2

Unsilent Night Toronto - Walk Montage Part 3

As an excellent alternative to more traditional holiday celebrations, the Music Gallery hosted a performance of Phil Kline's ambient sound sculpture. A "multi-track electronic piece" conceived in 1992, Unsilent Night is a group outing that serves as an alternative to carolling, with participants instead playing a component of Kline's composition of a boombox, phone speaker, or any other portable music-playing device. the result is a beautifully-spacialized sound, with bells and choirs moving in and out of sync.

This first try by the Music Gallery had enough participants to conjure that magic as the procession snaked its way along McCaul, Dundas and Spadina, but a larger group would create an even more immersive environment. We'll see if there's an agitation to build on this and create a new local tradition. As a document, here's a trimmed-down excerpt from my recording, which is very much "in the rough", with cars and conversations (along with shuffling footfalls and mic bumps!) making their way into the sonic environment.

Recording: Nick Storring

Artist: Nick Storring

Songs: [two excerpts from an improvization]

Recorded at Ratio, December 16, 2014.

Nick Storring - [opening section]

Nick Storring - [middle section]

The composer's work is often something with a long leadtime before results are seen in the world, so it must be rather enjoyable for Nick Storring to see the fruits of his labours so fulsomely on display lately. Besides getting some serious work out in the world, Storring has also managed to look pretty cool while doing it, dropping a recent split 7" as well as this beautifully-designed new tape release on the Orange Milk label. It's a companion of sorts to the still-fresh Gardens, with both albums reflecting a new emphasis on acoustic instrumentation instead of digital treatments.

That layered bricolage is tough to reproduce in a live setting, so this release party saw Storring working behind a table of instruments and electronics being mixed with help of his laptop. Taking advantage of Ratio's intimate space, this set had a different feel than the similar release set for Gardens, with long atmospheric bass loops and electroacoutic rustlings creating a more subtle atmosphere.

Recording: Craig Dunsmuir

Artist: Craig Dunsmuir

Songs: unknown^*

Recorded at Ratio, December 16, 2014.

Craig Dunsmuir - [unknown #1]

Craig Dunsmuir - [unknown #2]

Craig Dunsmuir is perhaps better known as a DJ and a one-man musical recommendation service mostly because he's not one to crow too much about his work as a musician — working, as he does, under a shifting series of aliases including Kanada 70 (where he's put out some work on the Constellation label, solo and with Sandro Perri). This rare live appearance saw Dunsmuir live-mixing behind a console, using Dilla-esque methods to create postrock beatscapes in concise bursts.

[Dunsmuir will be performing again on Saturday February 21st as part of the Healing Power showcase at The Music Gallery featuring D/P/I and Fleshtone Aura.]

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

Recording: Michael Keith

Artist: Michael Keith

Song: [third improvisation]^*

Recorded at Ratio, December 16, 2014.

Michael Keith - [third improvisation]

Known as a nimble guitar player, Michael Keith has recently been performing solo sets with his three-stringed baritone ukulele. Ukulele is an instrument with a lot of baggage and a rep for being employed in trite, goofy ways, so it's refreshing to see that being pushed completely aside. Instead, Keith's blurred finger technique draws on his interests in the blues and Persian music to create something that's new — virtuosic but emotionally resonant.

Bonus! Here's a bit of video from the set:

^* So far as I know, this is a straight-up improvisation, but leave a comment if you know otherwise.

Recording: Matt "Doc" Dunn's Galactic Jazz Band

Artist: Matt "Doc" Dunn's Galactic Jazz Band

Songs: [two excerpts]^*

Recorded at Grasshopper Records, December 16, 2014.

Matt "Doc" Dunn's Galactic Jazz Band - [first excerpt]

Matt "Doc" Dunn's Galactic Jazz Band - [second excerpt]

The group that Matt "Doc" Dunn brought to the Music Gallery in September was too damn good to exist as a one-off, so it was a real treat to see them play a casual and intimate set in the back of Grasshopper Records on Dundas. Clustered around the record bins, the four-keyboard (Dunn plus Carl Didur, Mike Smith and Jonathan Adjemian), dual-percussion (Brandon Valdivia and Keiran Adams) alignment was augmented this time with Colin Fisher on sax and percussion, pushing things to an even further cosmic plane. Besides those sax grooves, this is also a slightly better capture from my end, so it's worth posting this, even if the terrain overlaps a bit from what I put up last time. And once again, the first clip here is swingingly funky, the second sublimely spiritual.

[You can also check out Ayal Senior's video capture of the set in two chunks.]

^* Does anyone know the titles to these ones? Please leave a comment!

Recording: Planet Beach

Artist: Planet Beach

Songs: [two improvised sections]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Tiki Room), December 15, 2014.

Planet Beach - [third part]

Planet Beach - [fifth part]

An intimate last-minute show in the rumpled den that is the Tranzac's Tiki Room, this set saw Bernice's Philippe Melanson (percussion) and Robin Dann (vox) playing alongside Montréal friends Mike Bjella (sax) and Gabriel Drolet (double bass). The sense of hearing the ghosts of songs was enhanced by the fact that occasional disembodied voices would carry over from the open mic in the next room, embroidering the group's sonic rustles. Largely improvised, Dann was more of an equal instrument here than a lead voice, singing phrases from found tracts and pamphlets. The outcome was quiet and restful, as relaxing as a trip to the spa.

[Expect some more sonic abstractions when Robin Dann is joined by Claire Harvie and Phil Melanson as part of the Felicity Williams-curated upcoming Emergents showcase at the Music Gallery on Friday, January 30th.]

Recording: Karen Ng Trio

Artist: Karen Ng Trio

Song: Mean To Me [composer: Fred E. Ahlert]

Recorded at The Emmet Ray, December 15, 2014.

Karen Ng Trio - Mean To Me

I got no kick against straight-up jazz, even if these days I tend to head out more often to see the weirder, freer tendrils. And I certainly dig the cozy backspace at The Emmet Ray, even if they tend to cater more to the former than the latter. So it was nice to see some familiar faces joining together, making it well worth it to head out for a casual evening of standards. Karen Ng (alto sax) was joined by Chris Banks (double bass) and Even Cartwright (percussion) for a couple sets that tackled Monk, Ellington, and so forth, including this tune which is probably best remembered from Billie Holiday's rendition.

Recording: Kith & Kin

Artist: Kith & Kin

Songs: My Mother Is the Ocean Sea [Wade Hemsworth cover] + ՍԻՐՏ ԻՄ ՍԱՍԱՆԻ (Sirt Im Sasani/My Heart Trembles) [traditional]

Recorded at The Music Gallery, December 14, 2014.

Kith & Kin - My Mother Is the Ocean Sea

Kith & Kin - Sirt Im Sasani

As has become a holiday tradition, Ivy Mairi, Martha Farquhar-McDonnell, and Kathleen McDonnell brought a variety of seasonal songs to a packed crowd at the Music gallery. And not just the Christmas season, as Easter and midsummer were also referenced in songs old and older. The first here was written by Wade Hemsworth for the soundtrack to an industrial NFB short on seaweed harvesting (you can see some of the footage and in Kith & Kin's recent video for the tune) and the second is a traditional Armenian hymn, ambitiously tackled with their choir among their usual store of shape-note songs. Very beautiful stuff, and a highlight of a show that is always an annual favourite.