Recording: Moth Ash

Artist: Moth Ash

Song: unknown^*

Recorded at The Baby G, August 9, 2018.

Moth Ash - unknown

Nominally a "punk" presenter, Not Dead Yet is best known for its namesake festival, but its year-round programming is also noted for fostering positive community vibes. As this drone dream of a show indicated, they're also willing to stretch out, musically, and it was a thrill to see a healthy and mixed crowd out for a night of zero-bpm hovering. But it's only a lateral step over from harsh noise (which is closer to NDY's sweet spot) to loud ambient, and both members of this duo have straddled those liminal sound-spaces in their respective solo gigs. Framed by some liturgical chanting, this latter section of their set builds a nice drone from hurdy-gurdy, violin and plenty of pedals.

[Moth Ash will be opening things up for Jerusalem In My Heart and Sarah Pagé next week (Wednesday, October 3rd) at Burdock.]

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

Recording: Moth Ash

Artist: Moth Ash

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at Gerrard Art Space (Eclec~Tic~Toc Fest, Vol. 1 – Night 2), July 15, 2017.

Moth Ash - [excerpt]

Ever since washing up on our shores, Neal D. Retke (who performs as {AN} Eel) has been spreading joy and preaching the benefits of D.I.Y. co-operation. A busy member of the international home-taping circuit known for his many collaborative projects, this festival arose from a desire to bring together some of the different musicians he's encountered here so far, mixing together songs and noises over two days in the G.A.S.'s cozy east-end space.

After letting things build for several minutes, Craig Renaud (who had also played the festival the day before in his solo guise) crouched down to guide things along through pedal manipulations, which slowly got more abrasive and crunched-up. On the whole, another excellent set from one of the city's choicest drone duos with Lumi Krysztal (violin) and Renaud (a.k.a Bit Reduction, hurdy gurdy + electronics) offering elegant sounds that never overstay their welcome.

Recording: Moth Ash

Artist: Moth Ash

Song: [edited excerpt]

Recorded at The Steady Café (Track Could Bend #26), May 2, 2017.

Moth Ash - [edited excerpt]

Frequently seen at local noise shows with their individual projects, this duo brings together Lumi Krysztal on violin and Craig Renaud (a.k.a Bit Reduction) on hurdy gurdy and effects for some rather satisfying darkthrum ambient rumbles. As stylish a drone duo as you're apt to see, the only thing this set was missing was a subwoofer to properly channel the menacing low end.

[Track Could Bend is back at The Steady on Tuesday (June 6th), with sets from Processor, Steve Sladkowski & Joe Sorbara and Diane Roblin & Katie Jensen.]

Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis

Songs: Why am I so fascinated by railway enthusiasts but horrified by model train hobbyists? [excerpt] + Excellent Yardarm Strategies (or Massaging the Primordial Catfish's Goiter) [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge (Cosmic Homeostasis II), January 29, 2017.

Cosmic Homeostasis - Why am I so fascinated by railway enthusiasts but horrified by model train hobbyists? [excerpt]

Cosmic Homeostasis - Excellent Yardarm Strategies (or Massaging the Primordial Catfish's Goiter) [excerpt]

An extension of a sonic experiment undertaken last fall, the goal of Cosmic Homeostasis is not too different than that of the folk circles that can be found in the same room on some other nights: to mix together musicians of different backgrounds and skill levels in a participatory, communal effort. Suggestions for the vibe and some broad methodological hints were provided by a tactical memo circulated in advance, but otherwise, all musical decisions were left to the participants in the moment. The results seemed like a most pleasant diversion for a Sunday afternoon. The participants for this event were:

• Lumi Krysztal - violin
• Craig Renaud - hurdy gurdy, effects
• {AN} EeL - spring coil unit, namer-of-things
• Kat Estacio - gongs, electronics
• Kayla Milmine - soprano saxophone
• Paul Newman - alto saxophone
• Brett Despotovich - electronics
• Joe Strutt - tactical memo, keyb, loops, shortwave radio, percussion, piano

For anyone who wants to drift further than these samples allow, the whole show is available for streaming/download over at bandcamp:

[Cosmic Homoeostasis will be returning at the end of April — keep an eye out closer to the date for further information!]

Recording: Goth Girl x Lumi Kryzstal

Artist: Goth Girl x Lumi Kryzstal

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at Belljar Café (T.O. Noise #4), January 20, 2017.

Goth Girl x Lumi Kryzstal - [excerpt]

Amongst the stories of venues closing and DIY spaces under threat, there are slivers of good news to be found, such as this coffee-shop-by-day/bar-by-night turning into a friendly hub for loud and user-unfriendly musics. Located on Dundas Street West right opposite that nifty radial intersection with Howard Park that that sees a near-steady stream of streetcars merging in and out, the Belljar is a small-ish space, but quite adequate to the needs of several flavours of noise music. This series comes more from the punk end of the harsh-noise scene, but there are signs that there's an effort being made to book from a wider spectrum and let different sounds rub up against one another.

This collaborative set put the night into more electroacoustic territory, with scraped instrumentation competing with pedal-noise — and everything soaring into bursts of feedback.

[The series returns to The Belljar on Saturday, March 11th, with a night that will include Beard Closet's noise refraction Samesex, plus sets from Marion, Excrement Binge and Corrodesion.]