Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis

Song: Vale of Avoca (Set 2) [excerpt]

Recorded in the Vale of Avoca (Ministry of Phonic Services' Back to School Field Trip), September 14, 2025.

Cosmic Homeostasis - Vale of Avoca (Set 2) [excerpt]

A wonderful and special day out! As part of Ministry of Phonic Services' September-long Back to School Field Trip festival, members of the Cosmic Homeostasis collective gathered underneath St. Clair Avenue, in the Ministry of Phonic Services' Back to School Field Trip excursion to the Vale of Avoca (perhaps the city's most fancifully-named ravine). Feeling a world removed from the city, the expanded group enfolded itself into the space, with several guest performers taking advantage of stones, sticks and other found objects (including the trusses of the bridge itself!) to add some environmental sounds.

The full ensemble for this performance was:

• Allison Cameron - ukulele + NASA recording
• Colin Cudmore - percussion
• Dame Cook - MIDI synthesis/round objects
• Dan Friedman - Kastl Drum, Amp, EQ, mixer feedback, wooden flute
• Grace Scheele - toy melodica, recorder
• Grant Smales - nightjar sounds
• Heraclitus Akimbo - accordion, synth, pedals, water bottle
• Ian McPhedran - guitar
• Jaz Tsui - rocks
• Jim Davis - digital synth
• Juniper Mitchell - site-specific lithophone
• Karen O'Keefe - vocals
• Kat Estacio - kulintang, rock, bow, dried leaves, boy bawang, found metal, bridge underboob
• Louis Pino - rocks and dirt
• Maks - rocks, camera
• Mike Filippov - wavedrum + found objects
• Mira Martin-Gray - synth, jaw harp, kazoo
• Niamh Girling - tampura, morchang
• Nilan Perera - amplified acoustic guitar
• Paul Newman - tenor saxophone
• Phil Johnston - guitar + delay
• Rob Cruickshank - electronics
• Sonia Leung - violin, vocals
• Sterling McPhedran - rocks in the river

As always, this performance has been archived on Bandcamp:

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

[Mark your calendar, Cosmic Homeostasis will be back at The Tranzac on the afternoon of Sunday, November 30th.]

photo by Ministry of Phonic Services

Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis XXVIII

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis XXVIII

Song: Cancel the Wedding [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), June 29, 2025.

Cosmic Homeostasis XXVIII - Cancel the Wedding [excerpt]

A fine summer afternoon saw a robust group of space-droners out to chill in some cosmic sounds. As usual, there was a mix of acoustic and electronic sounds, new faces and old.

The ensemble for this session included:

• Ian McPhedran - guitar, namer-of-things
• Sterling McPhedran - banjo-ukulele
• Dan Friedman - recorder, Organism 8, Skrewell, Crackle + Dust
• Mira Martin-Gray - vocals, tone generator, kazoo
• Zack Berwick - guitar
• Scott M2 - Roland S-1
• Grant Smales - Buddha Machine
• Andrew Finlay Stewart - violin, kalimba, pedals, celtic whistle, whistling
• Rob Cruickshank - electronics
• Broken Pink Umbrella - Intellijel Cascadia synthesizer
• Phil Johnston - tape + fx
• Paul Newman - tenor saxophone
• Ariadna Ortega - cello (#2 only)
• Patrick O'Reilly - Game Boy
• Dame Cook - laptop
• Del Stephen - synth, piano
• Heraclitus Akimbo - Roland S-1, Bastl Wizard, radio

As usual, both full sets are available over on bandcamp:

And as well, you can check out some the day's full proceedings over on youtube:

Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis

Songs: Sanctuary Drone [four excerpts]

Recorded at Trinity–St. Paul's Centre (Sanctuary Drone), October 5, 2024.

Cosmic Homeostasis - Sanctuary Drone [excerpt 1]

Cosmic Homeostasis - Sanctuary Drone [excerpt 2]

Cosmic Homeostasis - Sanctuary Drone [excerpt 3]

Cosmic Homeostasis - Sanctuary Drone [excerpt 4]

After a couple expansive outdoor performances, the Cosmic Homeostasis crew were ready to make some further explorations into durational drone-making. Holding down the middle stretch of this all-night unofficial Nuit Blanche event, the musicians took over the Sanctuary's balcony, spreading out to give a spacialized mix to the audience down on the floor. Nearly twenty musicans came and went over the course of the night, adding some additional variety to the sonic textures. There was also a nice mix of acoustic and electronic sounds — the former especially blooming with the room's beautiful acoustics.

The participants in the Sanctuary Drone were:

• Blash Belmar - erhu, flutes
• Dan Friedman - Korg NTS-1, harmonica, whistling
• Eric Cinnesealach - clarinet
• Ian McPhedran - guitar
• Janel Jones - trumpet, voice
• Magick - Magick
• Matt Collins - guitar
• Maxim Gontcharenko- singing bowls
• Michelle Breslin - guitar
• Mickle32 - effects
• Paul Newman - tenor saxophone
• Phil Johnston - tape loops, effects, 1-string guitar
• Rosalind Saunders - violin
• Ron Blake - apps, etc.
• Ryan Kinney - electronics
• Sonia Leung - violin, windchimes
• Heraclitus Akimbo - synths, effects, accordion

If you want to hear (a lot) more of this, I have archived the bulk of the performance over on bandcamp:

Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis XXV

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis XXV

Songs: Geoff [excerpt] + A Partner for Geoff [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), September 29, 2024.

Cosmic Homeostasis XXV - Geoff [excerpt]

Cosmic Homeostasis XXV - A Partner for Geoff [excerpt]

In between more exotic engagements, the C.H. crew settled into the Southern Cross for a cozy fifth-Sunday-of-the-month gathering. A delightful wind section, this time out, as well as more fabulous underlying tanpura drones among some really nice sounds from new and old faces. It's always a treat to be in the middle of these sound-universes, but maybe this time a little more than usual.

The ensemble this time out was:

• Philip Hamilton - pedals, namer-of-things
• Ron Blake - apps, etc.
• Jim Davis - bass, pedals
• Dame Cook - haunted laptop
• Mira Martin-Gray - synthesizers
• Sterling McPhedran - banjo/ukulele
• Ian McPhedran - guitar
• Phil Johnston - oscillators, contact mic, voice
• Eric Cinnesealach - clarinet, percussion
• styrofoamNosebleedPrincess - tanpura
• Paul Newman - tenor saxophone
• Elliott Chapin - flute
• Heraclitus Akimbo - Pluto synth, Zoia, chimes

And as usual, you can check out the afternoon's full proceedings on Bandcamp:

Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis XXIV

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis XXIV

Songs: 100,000,000,000,000.1 Neutrinos [excerpt] + Elegy for Monstera [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), June 30, 2023.

Cosmic Homeostasis XXIV - 100,000,000,000,000.1 Neutrinos [excerpt]

Cosmic Homeostasis XXIV - Elegy for Monstera [excerpt]

Once again, the Cosmic Homeostasis crew gathered on a fifth Sunday of the month for some expansive space-drift. Playing on an unusual Canada Day long weekend, when the city felt a little emptied-out, saw a slightly smaller than usual crew in attendance — but with ten performers on hand, "small" is relative, and there was still plenty of sounds and plenty of spaces between sounds.

The performers this time around were:

• Phil Johnston - tape loop + 1-string guitar, namer-of-things
• Jonny Luke - cornet
• Michael Lynn - bass/clarinet
• Rob Cruickshank - electronics
• Sterling McPhedran - guitar
• Ian McPhedran - uke/banjo
• Eric Cinnesealach - clarinets/percussion
• Scott M2 - Animoog
• Jon Kereliuk - piano
• Heraclitus Akimbo - Medo + Bastl synths

As always, the full session is available as a name-your price album on Bandcamp:

Plus, you can also check out both sets (and some informative space facts) over on youtube: