Recording: Scott Hardware

Artist: Scott Hardware

Song: Millionaire

Recorded at The Music Gallery, August 25, 2018.

Scott Hardware - Millionaire

A super on-point opener for Castle If's album release show, Scott Harwood's set also essentially featured a new album of material — although his hasn't been released yet. Dialing back the house elements that were previously at the forefront, these tunes were simmered down to achingly lush beautiful ballads. The attentive audience in the churchlike space was the final ingredient here, holding their hushed attention throughout. A sign of big things coming from an always-fascinating songwriter/popcrafter.

Recording: Hooded Fang

Artist: Hooded Fang

Songs: Mama Pearl + You Don't Know How It Feels [Tom Petty cover, with Simone Schmidt + Scott Hardware]

Recorded at Lee's Palace (Dan Burke: 60 plus 20), December 8, 2017.

Hooded Fang - Mama Pearl

Hooded Fang with Simone Schmidt + Scott Hardware - You Don't Know How It Feels

Although things didn't feel exactly right, taking over Lee's Palace instead of packing The Silver Dollar, there were good vibes and all-star jams a-plenty at this night dedicated to Dan Burke, celebrating his 60th birthday as well as twenty years of promoting shows. Hooded Fang spent most of their set stretching out their grooves and highlighting the material from their Dynasty House EP, but in the spirit of the night, they brought out some special guests for a pass-the-mic tribute to Tom Petty.

Recording: Bodies That Matter

Artist: Bodies That Matter feat. Scott Hardware

Song: Infernal Organ

Recorded at The Baby G, October 20, 2016.

Bodies That Matter - Infernal Organ

Ian McPhedran's solo project grew to a duo on this night with his former Ostrich Tuning bandmate Scott Harwood joining him for the full set on extra guit and keyb. That served to enhance the usual frazzled haze throughout, and allowed for a big whitenoise implosion to close out the set, but maybe the best moment was on this song (which had also featured Harwood in its recorded version).

Recording: Scott Hardware

Artist: Scott Hardware

Songs: Mounir Chami keyboard fragment + Indictment

Recorded at Artscape Gibraltar Point (Camp Wavelength), August 20, 2016.

Scott Hardware feat. Mounir Chami - keyboard fragment

Scott Hardware - Indictment

Following and expanding on the template of last year's successful festival, Wavelength returned to the island with a meticulously-executed event that included an exciting range of music and a beach full of art beside festival headliner Lake Ontario. It also managed to be a stress-reducing rather than a stress-inducing time — rather like a weekend at the cottage, even if the city was just out of view. After the rock'n'roll headliner, there was the equivalent of a whole 'nother show in a quartet of late night sets for festival campers or anyone willing to stay late for the specially-chartered late-night ferry. (Once again, that service went off without a hitch, which by now has mostly obviated my grim memories of some of the awkward early attempts that had been made at such an offering.)

Since I last caught Scott Harwood playing, he has both dropped the tasty Mutate Repeat Infinity tape and stripped the live show back to just a duo with Whimm's Mounir Chami on keybs. There were plenty of high-energy moments in the set — so much so that Harwood's dance moves sent one of his keyboards tumbling to the stage. While everything there was reconnected, Chami provided this extremely tasty impromptu instrumental improvisation, which sounds like a nice partner for "Indictment"'s ballad vibes.

Recording: Scott Hardware

Artist: Scott Hardware

Song: New Money Walk

Recorded at The Silver Dollar Room (Wavelength 690 – Class of 2016 #5), January 22, 2016.

Scott Hardware - New Money Walk

Presenting as part of Dan Burke's annual next-big-thing "Class of" series, this night saw Wavelength at its most Silent Shout-y, presenting projects whose sounds skewed towards various points on the electronic/dance continuum. The mix at the Dollar tended to de-emphasize Chris Chami's piano sounds, but it did reinforce how dance-worthy Scott Harwood's post-Ken Park songs are, even if they are less-superficially drawing their sound from "dance music".

Recording: Scott Hardware

Artist: Scott Hardware

Song: Gertrude

Recorded at Smiling Buddha (Silent Shout Festival – Night 2), December 5, 2014.

Scott Hardware - Gertrude

Although they'd stepped away from presenting live music, Silent Shout returned for a two-night celebration to mark their fifth anniversary. Taking over the Smiling Buddha for two nights gave the site's designer Roxanne Ignatius a chance to re-imagine the space, with a deconstructed disco ball twirling above clouds and webby fabric tendrils. Plus, downstairs there was a gallery of her consistently-excellent show posters, going right back to the series' beginning when it had to spell out its mandate of "EVIL DISCO / GLOOMY ELECTRO / DEATHLY SYNTHPOP". And though there was a retrospective element to the whole affair, the music was decisively forward-looking, including a couple bands making their debuts. The second night even upped the ante by adding lasers!

Having now closed out the cycle that brought Ken Park's You Think About It Too Much, word is that a new album is already in the can and Scott Harwood formally re-launched the project with a short tour that ended with this hometown show. Harwood's pivot includes not only new songs and a new band but also a new moniker — I don't know if the use of "hardware" was a subtle hint that his music remains software free, but his vision of no laptop dance music has expanded with the presence of sax and piano giving things an analogue edge, and shifting things from Berlin disco to early 90's British house — there's a little bit of Happy Monday's "Step On" (and/or EMF's "Unbelievable") in the sound. Still eminently danceable and still based on strong songwriting, this looks like the start of an exciting new chapter.

[Scott Hardware will be playing at Wavelength's "Class of 2016" showcase at the Silver Dollar on Friday, January 22nd.]