Thursday, October 30, 2014

Recording: Cole/West/Fraser

Artist: Josh Cole/Brodie West/Nick Fraser

Song: [excerpt from second set]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), September 17, 2014.

Josh Cole/Brodie West/Nick Fraser - [excerpt from second set]

Full review to follow. If you keep your ear to the ground, every once in a while you get a chance to drop in on a gig like this — something that comes together at the last minute, barely announced, and entirely casual. Josh Cole (double bass), Nick Fraser (percussion), and Brodie West (sax) bounce off each other in various more settled ensembles, but this ad hoc gathering was a chance for some off-the-cuff push/pull improvisation. It's a real treat to be able to just hang out at The Tranzac and hear stuff like this.

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Recording: Blonde Elvis

Artist: Blonde Elvis

Song: I Gave Birth

Recorded at The Garrison ("Going Forward: A Fundraiser for Sistering"), September 14, 2014.

Blonde Elvis - I Gave Birth

Full review to follow. Putting his organizational acumen where his mouth is, Jesse James Laderoute put together this day-long fundraiser at The Garrison in response to an earlier imbroglio involving a so-called "men's rights" group trying to organize a festival by stealth. The event was a success, rasing consciousness as well as money for local women's shelter Sistering.

Meanwhile, the live incarnation of Laderoute's Blonde Elvis continues to evolve to catch the nuances of the pop sounds he's pushing for on his recordings, pulling back from a heavier guitar sound to give more room for the keybs. Tom Avis (of Gay, Silent Shout, etc.) is now on board with fey gestures, dramatically sweeping hair and synth textures, giving him a role in the band akin to Brian Eno in Roxy Music. This set-closer shows all those synths in full effect.

[Blonde Elvis will be opening for Thee Oh Sees at Danforth Music Hall on Nov 23.]

Monday, October 27, 2014

Concert Listings Roundup #68

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.


Gig of the week:

DEATH TO T.O. IV: A Halloween Covers Show (feat. Biblical [as Black Sabbath] / The Soupcans [as The Jesus Lizard] / Burning Love [as Hot Snakes] / Members Of Phedre, Hooded Fang, Moon King And Hellaluyah [as Beastie Boys] / Cellphone [as Metallica] / The Siilk Group (Members Of Ell V Gore, Yacht Club, Sheezer, Sissy Boy And Leslie Spits) [as The Doors] / Dana Wright [as Eminem] / Dilly Dally [as U2] / Blonde Elvis [as Buzzcocks] / Mexican Slang [as Babes In Toyland] / Nyssa, Little Junior And Nasa Valley [as Rod Stewart] / Sahara (Members Of Little Girls, Mausoleum And Sexy Merlin) [as Tears For Fears] / Sunset Pig (Members Of The Deadly Snakes, Highest Order And B-17) [as JJ Cale] / B-17 [as New York Dolls] / The BB Guns [as Primal Scream] / Members Of Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs And Gay [as ELO] / Whimm [as Wire] / Members Of Surinam, Das Rad, Ostrich Tuning And Schonsee [as Suicide] / Cell Memory [as Jesus And Mary Chain] / Jigsaw Youth [as Bikini Kill] / Bad Channels [as Divine] / Avant Kool [as Depeche Mode]) / The Silver Dollar Room + Comfort Zone 2014-10-30 (Thursday) [FB event]

Halloween be crazy goofballs style to the max at the Silver Dollar as this multi-stage spectacular takes over the building with a cavalcade of local stars doing in-costume cover sets. There will be unique one-offs aplenty — the diligence with this is being tackled can be seen by some of the custom-built bands listed above. Expect this one to be packed to the gills.


This week's noteworthy shows:

Parker Abbott Trio [Simeon Abbott/Teri Parker/Mark Segger – The Wayfinders CD release] / The Emmet Ray 2014-10-27 (Monday) [FB event]

TPC Impulse: the 2014 FUN-raiser for the Toy Piano Composers (feat. CelloPhone duo / members of TorQ Percussion Quartet) / Dave's 2014-10-28 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Bateman/Miller/Segger with guest vocalist Christine Duncan / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2014-10-28 (Tuesday – early!) [FB event]

Lina Allemano Four / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2014-10-28 (Tuesday)

Mystic Triangle [Tape Release!] (Blunt Chunks / Sean Paul [Sexy Merlin & Elrichman]) / Holy Oak Café 2014-10-28 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Titanium Riot (Lina Allemano New York Trio) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2014-10-29 (Wednesday – early!)

Hoover Party [Make Drones Not Drones tape release!] / Double Double Land 2014-10-30 (Thursday) [FB event]

Sheezer / Lee's Palace 2014-10-30 (Thursday) [more info]

April Snow [Thom Gill/Johnny Spence/Kieran Adams/Isla Craig/Michelle Willis] / Holy Oak Café 2014-10-30 (Thursday) [FB event]

The Bruised Spirits of Southern Ontario: Multi-media performance and installation by Opera Arcana [Jonathan Culp/GB Jones/Siânteuse/Minus Smile] / Videofag 2014-10-31–2014-11-01 (Friday + Saturday) [FB event]

The Ryan Driver Sextet / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2014-10-31 (Friday)

Yves Charuest & Ellwood Epps (Preanderthals / Heather Segger & Doug Tielli) / Ratio 2014-11-01 (Saturday) [FB event]

No Angels Dancing / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2014-11-02 (Sunday – matinée! 1 to 3 p.m.)

Clutton/Lassonde/Liu/Segger (Allemano/Lerner/Oswald/Segger) / Array Space 2014-11-02 (Sunday) [FB event]

Wavelength 626 (feat. Kurt Marble [first show!] / Suno Deko / Julie Byrne) / Milk Glass 2014-11-02 (Sunday) [FB event]


Add these to your calendar:

Les heures (Ah! La lettre! / Germaine Liu) / Ratio 2014-11-03 (Monday) [FB event]

A tribute to Jennifer Castle and Neil Young (feat. Ryan Driver / Alex Lukashevsky / Felicity Williams / Matt Cully / The Weather Station / Craig Dunsmuir / Prince Nifty / Oliver & Russ) / Holy Oak Café 2014-11-04 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Thin Edge New Music Collective presents: Cuatro Esquinas [feat. visiting special guest artist, Argentinian pianist Laura Ventemiglia] / Gallery 345 2014-11-06 (Thursday) [FB event]

Dustin Wong [Ponytail] & Takako Minekawa (Zones / Omhouse) / Handlebar 2014-11-10 (Monday) [FB event]

Audiopollination #24 (feat. Allison Cameron/Tom Richards/Zoe Alexis-Abrams / Arnd Jurgensen/David Shelly/Wendalyn Bartley / Alan Bloor/Christian Hegele/Noé Rodríguez / daniel loughrin/Adriana Monti) / Array Space 2014-11-11 (Tuesday) [FB event]

The Weather Station [EP Release!] (Kith and Kin) / The Dakota Tavern 2014-11-14 (Friday &ndash early!) [FB event]

Contact Contemporary Music: "Down to Earth" [works for solo and duo guitar] (feat. Rob Macdonald and Marc-Olivier Lamontagne performing works by Helmut Lachenmann, Jimmie LeBlanc and Jason Doell) / Canadian Music Centre 2014-11-15 (Saturday) [FB event]

Huun Huur Tu / Small World Music Centre 2014-11-19–2014-11-20 (Wednesday + Thursday) [more info]

L CON (Clarinet Panic Deluxx / Caylie Staples) / Jam Factory 2014-11-22 (Saturday) [FB event]

Bond Girls (Kurt Marble / Tyburn Fields) / Handlebar 2014-11-22 (Saturday) [FB event]

Wavelength 629 (feat. Surinam / The Dark Plains / sailboats are white / Hiera / Teen Tits Wild Wives / Watershed Hour) / Soybomb 2014-12-06 (Saturday) [FB event]

Friday, October 24, 2014

Recording: Margarita Night

Artist: Margarita Night

Song: Focus Group

Recorded at Array Space ("Somewhere There's Second Sunday Series"), September 14, 2014.

Margarita Night - Focus Group

Full review to follow. Margarita Night don't know any songs, but they do take requests. In fact, they insist on them. Cuddly noise explosions (noisy cuddle explosions?) courtesy of Thom Gill, Colin Fisher and Weaves' Spencer Cole. The songs tended to end when all three members surprised each other with a simultaneous sudden stop that would cause them to break out in laughter.

Recording: Ryan Brouwer's Improv Wind Ensemble

Artist: Ryan Brouwer's Improv Wind Ensemble

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at Array Space ("Somewhere There's Second Sunday Series"), September 14, 2014.

Ryan Brouwer's Improv Wind Ensemble - [excerpt]

Full review to follow. Ten deep, this improvised big band was under the guidance of conductor Christine Duncan, who was using a stripped-down version of the hand signals she employs with Element Choir. Performance-wise, the frenetic parts were the most entertaining to watch in real-time, with Duncan weaving the players into several cacophonous crescendos. But listening back, it was the quieter parts that resonate most, with subtle textures playing off against each other.

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Recording: Teenanger

Artist: Teenanger

Songs: Fly On The Wall + Twisted

Recorded at The Garrison, September 12, 2014.

Teenanger - Fly On The Wall

Teenanger - Twisted

Full review to follow. Never resting on their laurels for too long, Teenanger have returned with twenty-four minutes of new music (a length that probably explains that inbetweeny title) building on some of the elaborations that emerged on Singles Don't $ell without abandoning the energy of their core sound. Bassist Melissa Ball gets a lead vocal on "Mild Survivor", and, as heard here the band juts into new wave/no wave territory with a guest saxophone turn from Nancy Bocock in "Twisted". [Teenanger will be opening for Texans The Marked Men at Sneaky Dee's on November 23, 2014.]

Recording: Crosss

Artist: Crosss

Song: Interlocutor

Recorded at The Garrison, September 12, 2014.

Crosss - Interlocutor

Full review to follow. The lineup has shifted since I last saw 'em (with The Soupcans' bassist Nick now holding down the bottom end) but the core sound — call it Syd Barrett's Black Sabbath — remains in place. As vocalist/guitarist Andy March howls "recalculate my destiny", one can verily imagine a crew of teenaged AD&D players rolling the d20 to see who takes the next hit off the bong.

Recording: The Beverleys

Artist: The Beverleys

Song: Spaced

Recorded at The Garrison, September 12, 2014.

The Beverleys - Spaced

Full review to follow. The Beverleys have just added a new single to their official discography, but they have a whole buncha others as yet untapped in their setlist. This one leans on a familiar little guitar change, and as with the last time I saw the band at The Garrison, Steph's drums were especially thunderous.

Monday, October 20, 2014

Concert Listings Roundup #67

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.


Gig of the week:

Wavelength 623 (feat. Ben Frost / Nick Storring) / The Garrison 2014-10-24 (Friday) [FB event]

Some Wavelength shows are raucous parties and some are island reveries, but this one is a more composerly affair, highlighting the cutting edge of the intersection between the "indie" and "new music" worlds. Australia-via-Iceland composer Ben Frost's music has minimalist/experimental cred, but isn't far removed from some of the icier, austere corners of the rock/electronics realms — plus I'm told it's gonna be loud. Meanwhile, in a fine pairing, Nick Storring (also well known for his work in the improvised and pop realms) is releasing his long-gestating (and very tasty) Gardens album as well.


This week's noteworthy shows:

AIM Toronto Presents (feat. Andy Yue / Mark Zurawinski / Raphael Weinroth-Browne) / Musideum 2014-10-21 (Tuesday)

Beams (Pistol George Warren / Patrick Grant & The Flesh Vignettes) / The Silver Dollar Room 2014-10-23 (Thursday) [FB event]

(weewerk)'s 13th Anniversary Party (feat. Art Bergmann [Songs For The Underclass EP release] / Tony Dekker / Two-Minute Miracles) / The Great Hall 2014-10-24 (Friday) [FB event]

Antoine93 (Mathematique / Ken Park) / Double Double Land 2014-10-24 (Friday) [FB event]

See Through Trio [Parallel Lights CD Release Party] (Paul Newman / See Through 5) / Array Space 2014-10-25 (Saturday) [FB event]

The Reigning Sound (catl. / Pow Wows) / The Horseshoe Tavern 2014-10-25 (Saturday) [more info]

Stüka (New Zebra Kid / Bile Sister) / Milk Glass Co. 2014-10-25 (Saturday) [FB event]

Poppy Seed & the Love Explosion (The Disraelis / Blue Cougars) / Bovine Sex Club 2014-10-25 (Saturday)

Parker Abbott Trio [Simeon Abbott/Teri Parker/Mark Segger – The Wayfinders CD release] / The Rex 2014-10-26 (Sunday) [FB event]

Work/Death (Gordon Ashworth / Manticore / Beard Closet) / Ratio 2014-10-26 (Sunday) [FB event]

The Birth of Troubling Forms [performing a live, improvised soundtrack to Nosferatu] / CineCycle 2014-10-26 (Sunday) [FB event]

King Weather / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2014-10-26 (Sunday)


Add these to your calendar:

TPC Impulse: the 2014 FUN-raiser for the Toy Piano Composers (feat. CelloPhone duo / members of TorQ Percussion Quartet) / Dave's 2014-10-28 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Lina Allemano Four / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2014-10-28 (Tuesday)

Titanium Riot (Lina Allemano New York Trio) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2014-10-29 (Wednesday – early!)

Os Tropies [CreEPy Release and Halloween Party!] (Petra Glynt / Dead Burlesque by Sly Maria / Spoken word poetry by Angelica Né) / The Gladstone Hotel 2014-10-29 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Wavelength 626 (feat. Kurt Marble [first show!] / Suno Deko / Julie Byrne) / Milk Glass 2014-11-02 (Sunday) [FB event]

Feast In The East 42 (feat. Teenanger / The Soupcans / Hooded Fang / Rotzig) / Jam Factory 2014-11-07 (Friday) [FB event]

Building Home, Building Safety, Building Sovereignty – Legal Defense Fundraiser for Darlene Necan ("an evening of speakers, dinner and music with Amai Kuda and Simone Schmidt and MC Rebeka Tabobondung") / Native Canadian Centre of Toronto 2014-11-08 (Saturday) [FB event]

4th Annual Big Smoke Fest (feat. Dilly Dally / Blonde Elvis / Dirty Church / New Hands) / The Garrison 2014-11-08 (Saturday) [FB event]

Khôra (GREX / Clara Engel) / Ratio 2014-11-08 (Saturday) [FB event]

KASHKA [Bound Anniversary Party with two full band sets – one acoustic, one electropop] / The Drake Underground 2014-11-09 (Sunday) [FB event]

Kevin Drumm & Jason Lescalleet (Knurl / Advice [Jonathan Adjemian with Colin Fisher/Karen Ng/Matt Smith/Chris Worden]) / Double Double Land 2014-11-09 (Sunday) [FB event]

Sarah Peebles [Delicate Paths CD release!] (feat. Sarah Peebles/Nilan Perera/Kyle Brenders / Christoper Willes/Anne Bourne/Germaine Liu) / Ratio 2014-11-11 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Elephant Stone (The Blind Shake / The Auras / B-17) / Smiling Buddha 2014-11-21 (Friday) [FB event]

Spencer Burton / Rivoli 2014-11-27 (Thursday) [more info]

Aidan Baker (The Visit / Moonwood) / Ratio 2014-12-11 (Thursday) [FB event]

Viet Cong / The Garrison 2015-01-31 (Saturday) [FB event]


Bandcamp corner:

Tania Gill (piano), Karen Ng (saxophone), and Pete Johnston (bass) combine for playful/thoughtful improvisations in See Through Trio. Playing without a drummer, they're not tied down by metronomical thinking but there's still enough of a rhythmical impulse to keep things from getting too abstract. They're celebrating their new album on Saturday at Array Space (see listing above) — but you can also check it out now online.

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Recording: The October Trio

Artist: The October Trio

Song: [excerpt from first set]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), September 10, 2014.

The October Trio - [excerpt from first set]

Full review to follow. Time pulls us along our various paths, which sometimes means being pulled away from old friends. The October Trio dates back to 2004 when Evan Arntzen (sax, clarinet), Josh Cole (bass) and Dan Gaucher (percussion) established themselves as regulars in Vancouver's jazz scene. Over time, various movings from/back to Vancouver kept the band from being a working unit, but they still renew their friendship and musical headspace when they find themselves in the same city. Billed as a tenth anniversary spectacular, the band played three nights in a row in Toronto in three different venues, wrapping things up at The Tranzac. There was an easy interplay here that kept things moving nicely across two sets, a testament to the enduring power of old friendships.

[Bonus! I passed my recording along to the band, and they have posted their entire second set up on their Soundcloud for you to enjoy.]

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Contest: X Avant

X Avant IX: Transculturalism

October 16-19, 2014

Kicking their season into full gear, the Music Gallery's X Avant festival is always a special occasion. This year sees it a little more compressed into one weekend, which makes for an action-packed few days. This year's theme is "Transculturalism", putting into play Artistic Director David Dacks' masterplan to explode the narrow confines of genre, of ethno-cultural barriers and more. That's explored in a musical sweep which mixes Laraaji's New Age electric zither, Ed Hanley's tabla grooves, The Julius Eastman Memorial Dinner's tribute to an under-heralded contemporary composer, DJ Ushka's global bass music and Lido Pimienta's anticolonial celebrations.

All the concerts and side events are worth seeing — especially with a $40 festival pass on offer. And do note that the afternoons see a couple intriguing panel discussions that you can check out for gratis.

TICKETS + MORE INFO

You can check out the details of all the festival's events here, and if you hadn't noticed, the MG has a user-friendly/wallet-freindly online ticketing system that makes it easy to book shows in advance. Advance tickets are also available at Soundscapes, and as always, Music Gallery members get a sweet discount.

CONTEST

But if that weren't enough, complements of the Music Gallery, I have a festival pass to give away so you can overload on the festival.

To enter, shoot me an email to mechanicalforestsound@gmail.com, with "contest" in the title and your name in the body — or if it's easier, you can enter with a retweet on twitter or a "like" on facebook. I'll randomly draw a winner on Thursday, October 16th at noon.

N.B.: Hitting the "Like" button below is appreciated — and encouraged! — but does not constitute contest entry, given that I have no way of knowing who pressed it.

Monday, October 13, 2014

Concert Listings Roundup #66

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.


Gigs of the week:

X Avant IX (feat. Laraaji with Scott Peterson, Colin Fisher and Brandon Valdivia / Diely Mori Tounkara) / The Music Gallery 2014-10-16 (Thursday) [FB event]

X Avant IX (feat. Drums and Drones / Phrase Velocity) / The Music Gallery 2014-10-17 (Friday) [FB event]

X Avant IX (feat. Lido Pimienta / Ramzi) / The Music Gallery 2014-10-19 (Sunday) [FB event]

Kicking their season into full gear, the Music Gallery's X Avant festival is always a special occasion. This year sees it a little more compressed into one weekend, which makes for an action-packed few days. All the concerts and side events are worth seeing (especially with the $40 festival pass on offer), but if you have to narrow it down, these three are the ones I'm looking forward to the most. (P.S. enter to win an X Avant festival pass here!)


This week's noteworthy shows:

Aurochs / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2014-10-14 (Tuesday – early!)

The Warbler, Catie Staples & L-CON / Holy Oak Café 2014-10-14 (Tuesday) [more info]

Audiopollination #23 (feat. Diane Roblin/Jonathan Culp/Raphael Weinroth-Browne / cheryl o/Barry Prophet/Arnd Jurgensen / Adriana Monti/{AN} EeL / Kayla Milmine/bora x bora ) / Array Space 2014-10-14 (Tuesday) [FB event]

OJ Pimpson (Tonkapuma) / Fountain 2014-10-14 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Aldcroft/Ng/Gennaro (Rob's Collision) / The Imperial Pub 2014-10-15 (Wednesday)

Gianna Lauren (EON [Matt Cully solo]) / Holy Oak Café 2014-10-15 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Bizzarh (Beach Season / DCF / Niko Chan) / Smiling Buddha 2014-10-15 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Arnd Jurgensen with special guests / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2014-10-15 (Wednesday)

Esprit Orchestra: Polaris / Koerner Hall 2014-10-16 (Thursday) [more info]

White Fence (Buzzard King / MIMICO) / The Garrison 2014-10-16 (Thursday) [FB event]

Dust: The Quietest Big Band in the Known World / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2014-10-17 (Friday – early!)

Ronley Teper / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2014-10-17 (Friday)

Chandra with Bile Sister (Sexy Merlin / New Chance) / Double Double Land 2014-10-17 (Friday) [FB event]

Dilly Dally [7" Release Show!] (Army Girls / Wish / Bad Channels) / S.H.I.B.G.B.'s 2014-10-17 (Friday) [FB event]

Heavy Trash (Bloodshot Bill) / The Horseshoe Tavern 2014-10-17 (Friday) [more info]

The Big Sound / The Mod Club 2014-10-17 (Friday) [FB event]

X Avant IX: Jace Clayton's Julius Eastman Memorial Dinner / The Music Gallery 2014-10-18 (Saturday) [FB event]

X Avant IX (feat. DJ Ushka / Poirier) / Mojo Lounge 2014-10-18 (Saturday) [FB event]

Allison Cameron [lecture on the Arctic Circle, followed by performance with video] / Array Space 2014-10-18 (Saturday) [more info]

We Were Heads (Several Futures / Holzkopf / Arma Agharta / Alpha Strategy) / Handlebar 2014-10-18 (Saturday) [FB event]

The Shivas (Meanwood / B-17) / Smiling Buddha 2014-10-18 (Saturday) [FB event]

Lee Paradise (Marriage / Creep Highway) / The Silver Dollar Room 2014-10-18 (Saturday) [FB event]

Dog Gone Presents (feat. Secret Colors / The Auras / Sunshine & The Blue Moon) / Magpie Taproom 2014-10-18 (Saturday) [FB event]

Alaniaris / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2014-10-19 (Sunday – matinée! 3-5 p.m.)


Add these to your calendar:

See Through Trio [Parallel Lights CD Release Party] (Paul Newman / See Through 5) / Array Space 2014-10-25 (Saturday) [FB event]

Mystic Triangle [Tape Release!] (Blunt Chunks / Sean Paul [Sexy Merlin & Elrichman]) / Holy Oak Café 2014-10-28 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Blü Print: An Arachnidiscs Showcase (feat. Colin Fisher & Mike Gennaro / Holiday Rambler / Beard Closet / The Unquiet Grave) / Smiling Buddha 2014-11-04 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Ice Cream (Lee Paradise / Secret Sign) / Smiling Buddha 2014-11-05 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Wavelength 627 (feat. Petra Glynt / Jooj [Sook-Yin Lee & Adam Litovitz] / Maica Mia / Animalia) / Geary Lane 2014-11-08 (Saturday) [FB event]

Dirty Frigs [EP Release!] (Praises / Bile Sister / Sissy Boy) / S.H.I.B.G.B.'s 2014-11-14 (Friday) [FB event]

HSY (Crosss / New Fries / Boyhood) / Smiling Buddha 2014-11-28 (Friday) [FB event]

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Recording: Phookie Nijjit + Nodoubt Fersure

Artist: Phookie Nijjit + Nodoubt Fersure

Song: [excerpt from second piece]

Recorded at Array Space ("Audiopollination #22.1"), September 9, 2014.

Phookie Nijjit + Nodoubt Fersure - [excerpt from second piece]

Full review to follow. Local "improvised bonanza" Audiopollination likes to mix and match musicians who have never played together, an idea that might have found its apotheosis in its "self-curation" project, where musicians program themselves into new, recombinant performance units. These performers who closed out the night chose to present themselves pseudonymously. When pressed on the reasons why, one of them (who seemed to be making some sort of Electric Sense) held up a mangled trombone that looked like a train had run over it and said, "you'd have to be a phookie nijjit to play this thing." Backed by some spindly-skronk guitar, it sounded a bit like a junkyard In a Silent Way as performed by a moose call.

[As always, you can listen to the whole night over at Audiopollination's bandcamp. The next Audiopollination, another night of self-curation, takes place Tuesday (October 14th) at Array Space.]

Recording: Shahriyar Jamshidi + Raphael Weinroth-Browne

Artist: Shahriyar Jamshidi + Raphael Weinroth-Browne

Song: [excerpt from first piece]

Recorded at Array Space ("Audiopollination #22.1"), September 9, 2014.

Shahriyar Jamshidi + Raphael Weinroth-Browne - [excerpt from first piece]

Full review to follow. Local "improvised bonanza" Audiopollination likes to mix and match musicians who have never played together, an idea that might have found its apotheosis in its "self-curation" project, where musicians program themselves into new, recombinant performance units. Joining together on cello and kamanche (an Iranian bowed spike fiddle), Jamshidi and Raphael Weinroth-Browne spun out a wonderful performance, negotiating the meshing of scales and timbres on the fly — all the more surprising on hearing them explain afterwards that they had only played together once before in a practice setting. Totally entrancing and a wonderfully unexpected delight.

[As always, you can listen to the whole night over at Audiopollination's bandcamp. The next Audiopollination, another night of self-curation, takes place Tuesday (October 14th) at Array Space.]

Recording: Paul Newman, Aldwyn Hogg Jr., Peter Lutek

Artist: Paul Newman / Aldwyn Hogg Jr. / Peter Lutek

Song: [end of second piece]

Recorded at Array Space ("Audiopollination #22.1"), September 9, 2014.

Paul Newman, Aldwyn Hogg Jr., Peter Lutek - [end of second piece]

Full review to follow. Local "improvised bonanza" Audiopollination likes to mix and match musicians who have never played together, an idea that might have found its apotheosis in its "self-curation" project, where musicians program themselves into new, recombinant performance units. The night opened with veteran reedsman Newman and Lutek matched with pianist Aldwyn Hogg Jr., who began the set a bit tentatively but was soon generating some back-and-forth that sounded as informed by contemporary classical music as any school of improvisation you'd think of.

[As always, you can listen to the whole night over at Audiopollination's bandcamp. The next Audiopollination, another night of self-curation, takes place Tuesday (October 14th) at Array Space.]

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Recording: catl

Artist: catl

Song: Resistance Place

Recorded at Artscape Gibraltar Point (WL 614: "Wavelength Island Show"), September 7, 2014.

catl - Resistance Place

Surprise guests catl closed out the night (returning to the lawn they had graced a few summers before) bringing Wavelength's Island party to a close. Before sending the crowd home with the lullaby "Awake All Night", there were some raucous bursts like this one in a joyful end-of-summer celebration.

Recording: Weaves

Artist: Weaves

Song: Birds and Bees

Recorded at Artscape Gibraltar Point (WL 614: "Wavelength Island Show"), September 7, 2014.

Weaves - Birds and Bees

A fine day out on the island brought one last burst of that summer feelin' — and a reminder of times gone by. There was the formal announcement that Wavelength would be returning to the island for a full-fledged festival next summer, but the here-and-now was well-served by the bands on hand. Weaves was a definite highlight of the day, clicking on all cylinders performance-wise and sounding particularly on their game — and the newer tunes like this one are really integrated into the set by now. (A special nod should also be given to sound tech Dwayne Slack, who made AGP's backyard sound better than most clubs.)

Friday, October 10, 2014

Recording: Contact with Evan Ziporyn

Artist: Contact with Evan Ziporyn

Song: Music in Similar Motion [excerpt] [composer: Philip Glass]

Recorded at Yonge-Dundas Square (INTERsection 2014), September 6, 2014.

Contact with Evan Ziporyn - Music in Similar Motion [excerpt]

Read a few thoughts about the day as a whole here. Bang on a Can All-stars founder Evan Ziporyn's headlining status at this daylong festival was somewhat undersold, but he's a natural fit with the minimalism-loving crew who helped put the day together. After a few solo pieces from Ziporyn, this open score (not written for any specific group of instruments) from 1969 was an apt way to close out the day with the Contact ensemble. Perhaps typical of this sort of music with its extended minimal variations, I went from intrigued to mildly bored before really hitting the zone where I was grokking the repetitions. Settle in and wait for it.

Recording: Haphazard Hinges Ensemble

Artist: Haphazard Hinges Ensemble

Song: Haphazard Hinges [excerpt] [composer: Kyle Brenders]

Recorded at Yonge-Dundas Square (INTERsection 2014), September 6, 2014.

Haphazard Hinges Ensemble - Haphazard Hinges [excerpt]

Read a few thoughts about the day as a whole here. A keen-eyed observer might have seen an unusual number of saxophone-toting figures streaming into the Square in the leadup to this set, when suddenly there were no fewer than eighteen of 'em on stage. Under the leadership of Kyle Brenders, they explored a variety of sounds such an agglomeration could generate, from undulating waves to warped velocity to extended clacks'n'blats. Far more than the sax-a-plenty novelty this could have been, this turned out to be the day's highlight.

Recording: junctQín keyboard collective

Artist: junctQín keyboard collective

Song: qsqsqsqsqqqqqqqqq [composer: Tristan Perich]

Recorded at Yonge-Dundas Square (INTERsection 2014), September 6, 2014.

junctQín keyboard collective - qsqsqsqsqqqqqqqqq

Read a few thoughts about the day as a whole here. Composer Tristan Perich is interested in 1-bit electronics, which he describes as "music that never has more than one bit of information being played at any given time". This has perhaps most famously manifested in his "1-bit Symphony", an electronic composition housed in a CD jewel case. This composition for electronics and three toy pianos came from the same blippy source, filling the square with tinkling toy piano clinks and electronic blurps. (And if that weren't enough, the group followed that with the non-standard mix of melodicas and air mattress pumps.)

Recording: Luca Capone & Matthew Fava

Artist: Luca Capone & Matthew Fava

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at Yonge-Dundas Square (INTERsection 2014), September 6, 2014.

Luca Capone & Matthew Fava - [excerpt]

Read a few thoughts about the day as a whole here. INTERsection tends to cast a wide net in bringing different kinds of "new" music, but it's always pleasing to see the noisier tendrils being represented alongside the more staid styles. Bridging these gaps, Matt Fava keeps his feet planted in some different musical milieux, not only working to support the New Music scene from behind the scenes, but also keeping up the bottom end is local psych-droners Moonwood. "Playing" the unplugged end of a guitar cable running through some pedals, he was backed by his Moonwood bandmate, radio personality Luca Capone on drums. Fava's blanket read "psychic surf", and that's as amusingly inaccurate as any other description you might come up with for this jam. [Next year: more noise on the big stage, please!]

Recording: Thin Edge Music Collective

Artist: Thin Edge Music Collective

Song: Coming Together [excerpt] [composer: Frederic Rzewski]

Recorded at Yonge-Dundas Square (INTERsection 2014), September 6, 2014.

Thin Edge Music Collective - Coming Together [excerpt]

Read a few thoughts about the day as a whole here. After a tasty rip through John Cage's Credo In Us, Thin Edge pivoted to present Frederic Rzewski's piece, based on a text by American activist Sam Melville recounting his experiences as a prisoner in the notorious Attica prison, powerfully evoked by Olaf Szester's narration. The musical and textural repetition here hints at the numbing, rage-inducing monotony of prison life. "Deliberate — sometimes even calculating ... feeling for the inevitable direction of my life."

Recording: Spectrum

Artist: Spectrum

Song: Pure Imagination [composer: Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley]

Recorded at Yonge-Dundas Square (INTERsection 2014), September 6, 2014.

Spectrum - Pure Imagination

Read a few thoughts about the day as a whole here. A lot of New Music presentations are "one and done", so it was nice to see Spectrum get a chance to remount some of the music from a couple of its recent themed presentations. Reopening its Atlas of Imaginary Places, the ensemble took a few journeys to fantastic realms, introduced by this new arrangement of a Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory classic, animated by the wonderful voices of Alex Samaras and Felicity Williams.

Currente calamo: INTERsection 2014

INTERsection 2014 (Saturday, September 6, 2014)

I've got a buncha recordings from the day ready to go, but here's a few thoughts on the event that are common to them all.

I am absolutely delighted that INTERsection exists. For several years now, I've set aside a day to hang out at Yonge-Dundas Square (pretty much the only occasion you'd find me there) to soak in what is, when you think about it, a weird mix — New Music and experimental music being broadcast to the passers-by as they scurry through the vortex of tacky commercialism.

So I'm a fan, and I appreciate all the work that goes into making something like this happen. I've also been going long enough that I also feel a pining for what this event could be. One problem is that the event can never quite reconcile the two totally unrelated audiences it should be serving. For besides acting as a random disruption in the shopping district routine, given its timing and the forces it's gathering, it could also be a sort of public gala announcing the opening of the New Music season. (Usually relegated to the Labour Day long weekend, this year saw the festival moved ahead a week, which took the airshow overhead out of the mix but also meant that the event was a bit more lost in all of the concurrent TIFF-ery.)

It also feels a little bit thrown together at the last minute, perhaps this year moreso than usual, with a schedule (and out of town headliner) being announced in the days before the event, without giving much of an opportunity to raise interest and to get a crowd besides the random passers-by.

The off-stage "musicircus" programming was also scaled-down from the previous year, and felt a little threadbare. The central idea of it — creating a sonic mix-and-match that takes over the square — couldn't attain escape velocity with just one act at a time under a miniature tent. In fact, in doing so, it often left the acts feeling less vital than (and occasionally drowned out by) the hucksters and buskers across the street. Yonge-Dundas is never going to be the sort of sonically-pristine environment that most of this music is usually heard in, so it's better to go with the sort of over-the-top/overlapping spectacle we saw a year ago and really animate the square.

All that being said, there was a lot of worthy stuff up on the stage, with local DIY chamber ensembles Spectrum, Thin Edge and junctQín putting up strong work, and Kyle Brenders gathering no fewer than eighteen saxophones on stage to perform his "Haphazard Hinges", which turned out to be the day's highlight.

I'm glad this event happened, and given that the local New Music scene has this stage, I hope it's embraced and built upon in years to come.

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Recording: Battle Trance

Artist: Battle Trance

Song: Palace of Wind I

Recorded at Array Space (The Music Gallery's "Departures" series), September 5, 2014.

Battle Trance - Palace of Wind I

Following a test run, The Music Gallery has formalized their off-site series (now christened "Departures") under the co-curatorship of Tad Michalak, employing some of the DIY verve be brings to his work with Burn Down the Capital/Feast In The East. Further instalments are being planned, but nothing's announced yet.

The night's headliners were a new quintet of tenor saxophones convened by Travis Laplante, pushing their instruments into mesmerizing territory. With no PA, the only other sound in the room was the patter of rain on the roof overhead. That was soon obliterated by the rising wall of circular breathing, very phase-y in the manner of Steve Reich. That slowly transformed into several other textures (from quiet drones to Ayler-ish spirit-honking), constantly morphing for the length of the fifty-minute set until the group finally stopped to breathe, holding — holding — the rapt silence of the room, with just the patter of rain on the roof overhead for more than a full minute before lowering their instruments to accept the crowd's applause.

Recording: Not The Wind, Not The Flag

Artist: Not The Wind, Not The Flag

Song: [opening section]

Recorded at Array Space (The Music Gallery's "Departures" series), September 5, 2014.

Not The Wind, Not The Flag - [opening section]

Following a test run, The Music Gallery has formalized their off-site series (now christened "Departures") under the co-curatorship of Tad Michalak, employing some of the DIY verve be brings to his work with Burn Down the Capital/Feast In The East. Further instalments are being planned, but nothing's announced yet.

Brandon Valdivia and Colin Fisher played a typically-fabulous set, mixing crescendos of percussion with sax and guitar. There was an especially-pleasing quiet interlude with Valdivia's flute in a duo with Fisher's sax, and also a nice build to start things off, which is what I've excerpted here.

Recording: King Weather

Artist: King Weather

Song: [last piece]

Recorded at Array Space (The Music Gallery's "Departures" series), September 5, 2014.

King Weather - [last piece]

Following a test run, The Music Gallery has formalized their off-site series (now christened "Departures") under the co-curatorship of Tad Michalak, employing some of the DIY verve be brings to his work with Burn Down the Capital/Feast In The East. Further instalments are being planned, but nothing's announced yet.

The rainy night started off with climate controllers Steve Ward (trombone/loop pedal) and D. Alex Meeks (percussion) finding ingenious applications for their deliberately-limited toolkit — in this piece, Ward's percussive breath-bursts provide some structure for his layers of trombone, sounding like a thundercloud losing its way on a hot September evening.

Bonus! Here's some video footage of the proceedings:

Monday, October 6, 2014

Concert Listings Roundup #65

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.


Gigs of the week:

"The 4 Poets Magazine Launch" (feat. musical performances by LOOM / Zoë Alexis-Abrams with David Jones) / The Magpie Taproom 2014-10-08 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Four Laureates and Friends ["an evening of poetry, music, and song presented to benefit the United Way of Toronto"] (feat. Dennis Lee / Pier Giorgio Di Cicco / George Elliott Clarke / Terry Burns) / Robert Gill Theater 2014-10-08 (Wednesday) [FB event]

A pair of literary events on the same night sees a quartet of up-and-comers pitted against some more celebrated names. The former includes musical performances from Brooke Manning and Zoë Alexis-Abrams (whose works are in the magazine alongside Chris Boni and Brad Casey) while the latter will see Dennis "Alligator Pie" Lee being backed in performance by members of Aurochs. No bad choices to be made here.


This week's noteworthy shows:

New Music 101: Arraymusic with Martha Baillie & Music in the Barns / Toronto Reference Library – Hinton Learning Theatre 2014-10-06 (Monday – free! casual!)

Dan'l Boone [Neil Hagerty/Nate Young/Alex Moskos/Charles Ballas] (New Fries / Tranz Defonce) / Double Double Land 2014-10-06 (Monday) [FB event]

Spectrum: Season Launch Party – Tell It Like It Is (feat. Nick Storring / Barnyard Drama) / Alliance Française de Toronto 2014-10-08 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Toronto Friends of Refugees: 2nd Annual Community Jam (feat. Waleed Kush African Jazz Ensemble / Ruth Mathiang / Samba Elégua / Solar-C) / Lula Lounge 2014-10-08 (Wednesday) [more info]

The Living Daylight Stringband / Holy Oak Café 2014-10-09 (Thursday) [more info]

Wavelength 621 (feat. Titus Andronicus / Ice Cream / Programm) / The Garrison 2014-10-09 (Thursday – $3 with RSVP!) [FB event]

The Beverleys (Not Of / Familiars) / Smiling Buddha 2014-10-09 (Thursday) [FB event]

Casual Drones 4 (feat. Daniel Zabawa & Ian McPhedran / Steve Castellano / Christopher Sandes / Joseph Shabason / Justin Smalls / Nyles and JM Ladd) / Milk Glass 2014-10-09 (Thursday) [FB event]

New Fries [Fresh Face Forward tape release!] (Fan Fiction / Steve Kado / Few Horizzons) / 272 Geary Ave. 2014-10-10 (Friday) [FB event]

Riverrun / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2014-10-10 (Friday) [FB event]

Darlene Shrugg (Cellphone / Chico No Face) / The Silver Dollar Room 2014-10-10 (Friday) [FB event]

People Put Out Productions presents (feat. BART / Beat Cops / Dead Soft) / Magpie Taproom 2014-10-10 (Friday) [FB event]

Long Winter: Bloor Cinema Takeover (feat. screenings of Depeche Mode - The Posters Came From The Walls, Alan Vega, just a million dreams, The Fire Flies, sounds by Doomsquad, live soundtrack by Not the Wind, Not the Flag, Long Night With Vish Khanna, more) / The Bloor Cinema 2014-10-11 (Saturday) [FB event]

Thom Gill and Jos Fortin / Holy Oak Café 2014-10-11 (Saturday) [more info]

Deciduous (Pam Korgemagi / Impure Haha) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2014-10-11 (Saturday) [FB event]

Wavelength 622 (feat. The World Provider / The Almighty Rhombus / The Lord Almighties / Bardos) / Handlebar 2014-10-11 (Saturday) [FB event]

Legato Vipers [LV record release!] (The Histrionics / Harlan Pepper / Start Something) / The Silver Dollar Room 2014-10-11 (Saturday) [FB event]

Somewhere There presents the Second Sunday of October (feat. Matthew "Doc" Dunn [solo guitar + electronics] / No Angels Dancing [Allison Cameron/D. Alex Meeks/Stephen Parkinson]) / Array Space 2014-10-12 (Sunday) [FB event]


Add these to your calendar:

OJ Pimpson (Tonkapuma) / Fountain 2014-10-14 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Esprit Orchestra: Polaris / Koerner Hall 2014-10-16 (Thursday) [more info]

White Fence (Buzzard King / MIMICO) / The Garrison 2014-10-16 (Thursday) [FB event]

The Big Sound / The Mod Club 2014-10-17 (Friday) [FB event]

Allison Cameron [lecture on the Arctic Circle, followed by performance with video] / Array Space 2014-10-18 (Saturday) [more info]

We Were Heads (Several Futures / Holzkopf / Arma Agharta / Alpha Strategy) / Handlebar 2014-10-18 (Saturday) [FB event]

Antoine93 (Mathematique / Ken Park) / Double Double Land 2014-10-24 (Friday) [FB event]

Parker Abbott Trio [Simeon Abbott/Teri Parker/Mark Segger – The Wayfinders CD release] / The Rex 2014-10-26 (Sunday) [FB event]

Parker Abbott Trio [Simeon Abbott/Teri Parker/Mark Segger – The Wayfinders CD release] / The Emmet Ray 2014-10-27 (Monday) [FB event]

Hoover Party [Make Drones Not Drones tape release!] / Double Double Land 2014-10-30 (Thursday) [FB event]

The Bruised Spirits of Southern Ontario: Multi-media performance and installation by Opera Arcana [Jonathan Culp/GB Jones/Siânteuse/Minus Smile] / Videofag 2014-10-31–2014-11-01 (Friday + Saturday) [FB event]

Rub Out The Word: A William S. Burroughs Centennial Event ["features an actor, an 11-piece orchestra, electroacoustic sound and visual projections under the direction of composer/Burroughs scholar Glen Hall"] (CCMC) / The Music Gallery 2014-11-07 (Friday) [FB event]

Telephone Explosion's Xmas Party / 7 Year Anniversary (feat. Soupcans / Teenanger / LIDS / Mick Futures / Cellphone / New Fries) / S.H.I.B.G.B.'s 2014-12-05 (Friday) [FB event]

Buzz Records Presents a Very Special Krampus Party (feat. Greys / Odonis Odonis / Weaves / The Beverleys / Dilly Dally) / The Garrison 2014-12-06 (Saturday) [FB event]


Bandcamp corner:

In the lineage of the Artists' Jazz Band and the OCA new wave/punks, New Fries is a coalition between established musicians and performers better known in the visual arts scene. Anni Spadafora's lyrics (sounding at times like a radical activist's secret doubts found on torn-out diary pages) are set to an awkwardly groovy clatter, with sonic shades of The Raincoats, LiLiPUT, or Gang of Four. The half-dozen songs on their new tape (being launched with a show on Friday!) are a great distillation of their work, and one of my fave releases of the year so far.

Saturday, October 4, 2014

Recording: Battleship!

Artist: Battleship!

Song: [set 2, first part excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac – Southern Cross Lounge ("Mike Smith August Residency, Week 4"), August 25, 2014.

Battleship! - [set 2, first part excerpt]

Full review to follow. It's forever a struggle to get crowds out for an early show, but I'm a big fan of the night's first timeslot down at The Tranzac. Start 'round 7:30, wrap up before ten, get home and in bed at a reasonable hour. So I was well-pleased to see that Mike Smith was taking over the early slot for four Mondays in August, each with different musical collaborators.

The final instalment of Mike Smith's residence brought on another flavour of synth noodles, pitting Smith in a head-to-head matchup with I Am Robot and Proud's Shaw-Han Liem. Musically, this hewed a bit closer to Liem's turf, with Smith sometimes running sonic interference and causing commotion like the heroine of a screwball comedy. (On the other hand, one stretch with some deconstructed Muskox samples shifted things to some entirely different terrain.) A satisfying way to wrap up an enjoyable run of shows — I wish more artists would take on this sort of mini-residency to try on some different musical shirts.