Recording: Jake Laur Trio

Artist: Jake Laur Trio

Song: unknown^*

Recorded at The Dock Ellis' No-No Room (Gabe Girard presents), May 26, 2024.

Jake Laur Trio - unknown

This trio (with pianist Jake Laur joined by double bassist Yoshi Wall and drummer Ezra Schell) closed out a night of experimental and improvised sounds in the basement of The Dock Ellis. Clearly a keen student of syncopation, Laur led his crew through a continuous medley of pieces and strode through several eras of jazzy exploration.

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

Recording: Nobody Waved Goodbye

Artist: Nobody Waved Goodbye

Song: Slow Dance for Edgar Sibble [part 2]

Recorded at The Dock Ellis' No-No Room (Gabe Girard presents), May 26, 2024.

Nobody Waved Goodbye - Slow Dance for Edgar Sibble [part 2]

A recasting of a show originally slated for the (now-shuttered) Bar Orwell, this night brought some improvised sounds to the basement at sports bar The Dock Ellis. The No-Ro Room (as that basement space is known) has a bit of a rep as an occasional spot for punk-leaning shows, so this was a bit of an experiment in itself, with hopefully more to follow.

As for this set, this was a flowering of a grouping first tentatively explored a little while back, with Gabe Girard's percussion and Mike Lynn's bass interrupted by Joe Strutt's synths/samples/loops — and now augmented with trumpet from Marilyn Yogarajah and moral support from a companionable octopus. Taking their name from a classic slice of Toronto's cinematic history, there were some atmospheric explorations and mysterious sonics at play here.

You can check out the full set over on youtube:

Recording: Heraclitus Akimbo/Gabe Girard/mkl32

Artist: Heraclitus Akimbo/Gabe Girard/mkl32

Song: Muskox Problems (for Mike) [edit]

Recorded at Bar Orwell^* (Gabe Girard presents), March 31, 2024.

Heraclitus Akimbo/Gabe Girard/mkl32 - Muskox Problems (for Mike) [edit]

A cool'n'casual night of experimental sounds made for a pleasant Sunday evening. Curated by percussionist Gabe Girard, who also held down the drum chair for this set alongside double bassist Mike Smith. Heraclitus Akimbo, meanwhile, added some kaossilations, as well as a tape loop of Muskox's "Caveman Caveman Crystal Skulls" for this piece.

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

[Final details are being ironed out, but this group will be back will be playing once more — with a fourth member and a band name! Best you keep May 26th open — details to follow.]

^* Important reminder: "Bar Orwell has permanently closed its 1595 Dundas Street West location due to constructive eviction as of Thursday, April 11, 2024." Please support this "place for all the freaks and weirdos" at their gofundme.

Recording: Molehill

Artist: Molehill

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at Bar Orwell^* (Gabe Girard presents), March 31, 2024.

Molehill - [excerpt]

A cool'n'casual night of experimental sounds made for a pleasant Sunday evening. Curated by percussionist Gabe Girard, this show saw Molehill leaving their customary environs of the Southern Cross Lounge for the first time. There were some subtle evolutions from when I last saw them, including seeing the duty of sonic processing shifting more to drummer Jake Oelrichs, leaving Mike Smith with fewer distractions as he played bass.

^* Important reminder: "Bar Orwell has permanently closed its 1595 Dundas Street West location due to constructive eviction as of Thursday, April 11, 2024." Please support this "place for all the freaks and weirdos" at their gofundme.