Folk Hero

This past Tuesday, I headed down on a rainy night to see Basia Bulat at the Phoenix. Unfortunately, she wasn't the head-liner so it was a shortened set. I was hoping to see her with the full band so I was slightly disappointed when she came on-stage alone. But she was her usual vibrant self and won over a number of people in the crowd. In addition to her hits such as "In the Night" and "The Shore", she tried out 2 new songs, one on a new musical instrument the ukelin (a cross between a mandolin and a ukulele). She also sang a Polish song popular in the 1960s Communist Poland called In The Green Zoo - about 2 lovers who visit a zoo and at the end don't know if it's them watching the animals or have the animals come to see them (nice political subtext). Listen for "Hippopotame" and other animal names, if you know them in Polish :)

At the end of the show, I chatted with Basia for a bit. She will do a full band show in the New Year as well as release 2 CDs - her 3rd album and an all Polish CD. I didn't ask her if it will be only Polish cover songs or will include original composition. I suggested that she should do a Polish song with Olenka. As it turns out, they know each other quite well. I gave her a Polish fudge candy called krówka, given to me by a Polish co-worker. She seemed to like it ok, except that when I got home I realized that this candy has been sitting on my desk for more than a month. I gave Basia stale candy!

The head-liner was Josh Ritter. In older photos, with his scruffy beard, he looks like a young Bob Dylan. Now clean-shaven, he resembles John Mellencamp/Opie. Like these two singers, he writes long, lyrical songs that can be best described as Americana although he does delve into Egyptian mummies and Arthurian knights. He is also a tireless and enthusiastic performer, putting in two solid hours with nary a pause between songs.

I was struck by the audience who cheered as loudly and sing along as lustily for such songs as Kathleen, Harrisburg, The Temptation of Adam as if they were the most anthemic of rock songs by U2 or Bon Jovi. I'd be tempted to say they are older small-town folks like the woman next to me who drove down from Thunderbay. But in fact it was mostly young 20-something in the crowd. They all seemed very earnest and non-ironical - the only hipsters (or at least hipster-esque people) around were to be found on stage: the drummer in a tight-fitting suit, the pianist with his scruffy Ross Geller look, and the bassist with curly Salvador Dali mustache.

I enjoyed the performance although personally most of these long ballad with "AABB" rhyming didn't resonate emotionally with me. However, I did connect with Change Of Time, Lantern, In The Dark (which was sung with all the house lights turned off and un-miked), and Southern Pacifica. Hmm, 3 of those songs are on the new album So Runs The World Away. Maybe I should have bought it. Off to the record store!

Classical Gas

After dinner at Enoteca Sociale, I wandered over to the Garrison for some music. In keeping with a quiet Sunday evening, NoShame Productions put on a show with 3 bands with a folk or classical sound - at least as classical as you'll get with pop music.

First was The Weather Station with some minimalist soft music. The duo had some interesting songs, but definitely more suited for a night at home chilling on the couch. Next came Kite Hill, a 6 member band that is a side project. Upright bass, cello, violin, recorder, flute and drums backed up a pianist singing some plaintive tunes. They remind me of Bell Orchestre, but not so self-indulgent. The only negative note is that I really couldn't hear the recorder or the flute. Also, orchestration for "non-pop" instruments tend to be simplistic. I'd like to hear something that approaches a classical piece or even the complexity of a decent pop guitar part.

The head-liner was Olenka and the Autumn Lovers from London, Ontario. The lead singer, Olenka, is a Polish-Canadian who also plays the guitar. Hmm, the last female Polish-Canadian singer/guitarist I've seen is Basia Bulat. And I became an instant fan. Will lightning strike twice?

I heard the same Polish influence in Olenka's music as Basia's. There's a quality to certain songs such as Odessa and Go that evokes a tradition of old folk songs. The instrumentation was also similar: with 2 female harmonies, cello, violin. The Autumn Lovers also throw in drums, tenor sax, trumpet, xylophone, and even some sleigh bells. The major difference is that Olenka's songs are more pop: both in her voice and in the guitar of the male lead guitarist. He added some awesome licks that gave the live performances a driving rock feel - though he didn't indulge in any guitar face.

So I ended up liking Olenka a lot and have been listening to her new CD "and now we sing". However, she doesn't quite thrill me like Basia because of the same pop sensibility. There's a timelessness to Basia's unique voice and songs that suggest somehow that these songs weren't written a few years ago but have passed down for several generations.

Social Network

The area on Ossington between Dundas and Queen is completely gentrified. As a result, more and more trendy businesses are colonizing Dundas between Ossington and Dufferin. One such venture by the owners of Pizzeria Libretto is Enoteca Sociale, an Italian restaurant specializing in home-made food as prepared by nonna, a typical Italian grandmother. In addition to fresh food, it boasts a large selection of Italian wines and also a big collection of cheeses, all maturing in its own cheese cave.

Arriving at about 7:30, it is a busy place: long and narrow with a bar. Most of the tables are communal style. As such, my dinner companion and I shared a table with 4 other people. This was off-putting for me simply because the seating spaces were so narrow. It would be reasonable for 4 but not 6. Even with a group of friends it would have been an uncomfortably tight squeeze. I guess they're not going for the large table in the garden of a Tuscany house ambience. If it was meant to put more butts into seats and thus more profit, I don't appreciate that as a customer.

We ordered the $35 3-course Nonna special as the $45 5-course was not available on Sunday. First came a wooden platter with olives, bufala di mozzarella, bomba calabrese, and duck pâté with caramelized onions on crostini. The olives were good quality and so was the cheese. However, my dinner companion pointed out that really high quality bufala would have a fresher dairy flavour. I enjoyed my first taste of the spicy bomba since I like all things hot. The duck and onions were excellent though the crostini was a little too crunchy for my taste. The second course was braised lamb with smashed potatoes with a side of rapini drizzled with oil and garlic. The lamb was soft and delicious though my friend wanted pasta instead of potatoes. We both agreed that the rapini was water-logged and needed salt. It looked like it was simply boiled and drained. Finally, the dessert arrived in the form of semolina cake topped with syrup and poached plums. I liked the plums but thought the dessert was too sweet. My buddy thought the cake was a little dry, possibly stale.

Overall, the dishes came in at about 70% success. This is not a winning percentage for $35 but we were reasonably satisfied. However, thinking back, I realized that the dishes came out communally. In other words, the portions were doubled up. The portions would be perfect for 1 person and are on the small side for 2. So in fact it was a $70 3-course dinner. In that light, this was not good food for the money. Maybe that's why the other diners at our table ordered only pasta dishes a la carte, a steal at $13-15.

I would try the pasta dishes next time to see if Enoteca is worth repeat visits. If not, it would be better for me to find an Italian girl. They come with real nonnas who'll feed you until your belt burst.

Last Chance To See

This past Friday, I went to a local bar called The Piston to check out some music. The Piston took over the spot of the old Concord Cafe. It's supposed to be the harbinger of the gentrification of the area of Bloor and Ossington. Something that was previously attributed to Disgraceland, Comedy Bar, et al. A long and narrow bar with a separate room in the back for live music. The music area is certainly the smallest I've been in, probably no bigger than my apartment if you discount the stage and the sound mix area. The clientele is a mix of casually upscale and ironic hipster.

The first act at around 10:15 pm is a local band called Mantler. They play an updated 70s style of music, heavy on the funky bass. Having read that description, I decided to skip out on the band. I arrived in time to hear their last two songs. They are certainly capable musicians but not my cup of tea.

The second act is Otouto, which is Japanese for younger brother. However, this Australian trio took the name for its sound, as one of the singer (Martha Brown) told me after the set. The singing duties fall to lead singer and guitarist, the Lisa-Loeb-ish Hazel Brown and her sister Martha Brown, A Natalie Portman look-a-like, who also man the synthesizers. Kishore Ryan is the drummer who sometimes like to play his rhythm on a cooking pan. They remind me of Bjork on her third album Homogenic. Kishore lays down complex, syncopated and skittering beats while the Browns play fragments of melody and bass. I enjoyed it but the small crowd was restrained at Otouto's low-key stage presence and odd music. The two songs that got the biggest cheers were more mainstream: one employed a drum machine to give it a thumping beat, and one used their voices in a rapid back-and-forth that was like a live version of stereo panning.

I bought their CD "pip" and chatted with them a bit after the set. Unfortunately as is the case, some of the songs aren't on there including my favourite which was the aforementionned human stereo. Not surprisingly, their "international" 35 city tour is being done on the cheap. The main act, Owen Ashworth, has been touring a lot and has contacts in numerous North American cities. Of course, this still meant that often times they slept on the floor at somebody's place. Given the cheap door cover of $10 and the small crowd, I doubt that the bar revenue covers much more than their travels.

At this show, there weren't too many takers for their CDs or t-shirts either. It seems odd to me as the CD was only $12, not much more than the price of a beer or two. For supposed indie music lovers, people seemed to be a stingy bunch. Afterward, I was thinking that if they could pull in $100-200 in "merchandise" a show, the tour wouldn't be a total wash. As a small indie Australian band, they're unlikely to ever come back to North America so forget about building a fan base. But how to get someone to reach for their wallet after a 30-40 minute set? Here's my "talking out of my ass" take on things, having observed Allie Hughes and other indie acts.

• Otouto need a "swagger coach" like Justin Bieber, That is, they need a stronger stage presence. As two young attractive women in a musical genre (i.e., indie) mostly attended by High Fidelity male musical nerds, their sex appeal could go a long way to quickly win over the crowd.
• They need more mainstream hook-friendly tunes to grab the rest (i.e., the more conventional friends or girlfriends of those lo-fi nerds). Given that most listeners would not have heard their material before, the music can't be too out there. Luckily, they don't need to "pander" with fluff pieces; just create "live remix" versions of some of their songs where the drum machine plays a more prominent role and maybe add musical layers via loop pedals or sequencers. I can imagine the reaction if they use their harmonies to do an original (perhaps ironic) cover of a popular tune, such as Tegan and Sara singing Rihanna's Umbrella.

The main act is Owen Ashworth, otherwise known as Casiotone For the Painfully Alone. Apparently, he started out with a 4-track mixer and some cheap synthesizers. Well he's now a well-oiled one man band with a pile of keyboards, drum machines, and effects plugged in every which way. This is his last tour under this moniker. He cranks out melancholic song after melancholic song, driven by sad, confessional lyrics. Despite all the live effects, the slow strings and synth beats of those 80s Casio underlie most of the songs. So it was like listening to a whole set of Bob Dylan doing Make You Feel My Love and Sinead O'Connor singing Nothing Compares 2 U. But I don't mean this in a pejorative sense. According to Owen, he's moving on to other kinds of music and will never do these songs again after this tour. I've never listened to him before and I'm glad I got to hear these songs before they are, in his words, "locked in a vault and dropped into the ocean".

We Built This City on Doo-Dat-Doo

For the Global Cabaret Festival down in the Distillery District, I went to see Retrocity's tribute to Queen and The Police. Retrocity is an 8-member a cappella band who specializes in vocal arrangements of 80s tunes. It is a side project for the professional singers in the group (such as Suba Sankaran of Autorickshaw) so it is always a pleasure to attend one of their rare concerts. I had a great time with the music although some of the songs were unfamiliar to me (e.g., I'm Going Slightly Mad by Queen). However, it didn't rank up there as one of my favourite Retrocity shows; some of which included my very first show with them in a fund-raiser at the Arts and Letters Club on Elm, and a few of their shows at Clinton's.

First, I didn't think the material was a-one stuff. The Queen songs were excellent, especially The Show Must Go On and Bohemian Rhapsody but most of The Police songs were dull. The excitement of a 3-member reggae-influenced band became muzak-like. Their last tribute show covered songs by Michael Jackson. This was an excellent choice as his music is very layered pop. But generally speaking, they do better when they can pick from the cream of the 80s crop. Their cover of Toto's Africa, Jackson's Human Nature, and an 80s rap medley expertly performed by Suba and her husband Dylan Bell are legendary.

Second, the atmosphere was a bit staid. They wore nice clothes and performed about 10 songs without much banter. The audience was mostly grey-haired. It  felt a bit like those Casino Rama nostalgia shows for aging baby boomers. In contrast, at other shows, the audience was young and enthusiastic. The band wore 80s gear and made all sorts of silly talk. Past highlights for me included one grand entrance sung to the intro to the A-Team, introduction of each band member with modified lyrics from 80s TV theme songs, and a "romantic medley" where they brought back all those cringe-worthy memories of a grade 8 high school dance.

Finally, the sound mix felt incorrectly balanced compared to other shows. For the whole night, I thought that the "bass" and "drum" mikes should have been louder. These were rock and pop songs and needed that driving beat. Without it, the songs had that "London Philharmonic Plays The Beatles" feel. This was obvious when they did Bohemian Rhapsody. In that song, there is a transition from the faux opera to the head-banging section, made famous by the car scene in Wayne's World. That rock and roll excitement simply wasn't there at this show.

In any case, they will be doing another show in December. Of course I'll be there. But I hope they'll be playing at a venue where everyone understands the mystical power that is 80s head-band and leg-warmers.

Still Bill Vol. 2

The night of Nuit Blanche, I decided to check out a dance recital down at Harbourfront first. Dancemakers had on a show titled Double Bill #2. Presumably there was Double Bill #1 and the series will continue. I had no trouble securing a ticket at the last minute as there was only about 30 people in the 300+ Enwave Theatre. I was able to get a seat right at the front. Although I don't begrudge the $38 seat, if I was on a budget I think I would not be happy with the agent for not offering me the cheaper $28 seat up on the second level. After all, the theatre was more than half empty and the 2-3 people up there were invited to come down and sit with us on the main level.

The theme of the 2 pieces "Show" and "So You Think The Spectacle Does Not Love You" was art versus show. What does it mean to be a contemporary dancer in an atmosphere of shows such as "So You Think You Can Dance", "Dancing With the Stars", "America's Best Dance Crew" and so on?  Does it mean you add a little more razzle-dazzle? Use pop songs in your pieces? Dismiss them as superficial?

The first piece had the dancers in small groups, dancing with each other, supporting and sometimes mirroring each other's moves. But subtly a bit of competition would creep in. Who can dance the fastest? Who has the highest kick? The dancers put on incomplete costumes made out of paper: a pair of pants, a vest, a shirt. The piece ended with them all rushing to the front of the stage multiple times, increasingly frenetic, feeding on the (imaginary) applause.

The second piece is a stage somewhere, as dancers move through: chatting, sitting, changing clothes. They do moves that suggests dance exercises. Over and over, sequences of movements are repeated, trying to achieve perfection. The music of the pieces have been electronic sounds, beeps, and chirps. It's interesting to see a dance sequence, "practiced" 4-5 times by a dancer, suddenly becomes something different when the spotlight shines on her and a ballad-y pop song starts to play. Is it still art or a 60-second piece by Mia Michaels to choose America's favourite dancer?

I liked this recital much more the last dance recital. But overall I was a bit underwhelmed. When there are several dancers, I typically like to see more interactions in the choreography. Technique-wise, this shows a mastery of their craft. Artistically, there is more opportunity for innovation. When each dancer does their own thing, I tend to cynically wonder if there are varying levels of skill which prevent them from collaboration.

Waiting To Exhale

To celebrate the grand opening of Octopus Garden Yoga, which has relocated to College and Dovercourt from the Annex, 4 free classes were offered this week-end. I decided to attend the 2 hour 9 a.m. class in lieu of my regular practice at St. Clair and Oakwood. The first thing I noticed was the tiny space. I suppose it was typical for a yoga studio. But I'm used to the unusually large space at the Y. The next thing I noticed was the 40 or more people who came. Well, we ended up laying our mats so close together that there was about a finger's width between them.

The owner, Pat Linfoot, decided that for the very first class in this new space, we will do 108 sun salutations (with variations). Yikes! And that's what we did. Over 8 different yoga instructors took turns doing about 10 each. We didn't actually get to it all, ending up somewhere around 80-90, as some instructors took their time and only did a few. It was interesting to observe how different each instructor was. It was also interesting to watch how the participants handle the class.

Even with the variations, it was a lot of sun salutations. This series of postures is the foundation of all yoga practices. It is also very "basic" and not flashy like a handstand or putting your leg behind your head. Yet I believe it is quite difficult to get right and most repetitive injuries or wear-and-tear in Yoga are from these postures. My own observation is that a lot of practitioners don't do them correctly. And that's under normal circumstances.

With 108 in mind, you've got to modified your practice: replacing some the postures with easier variations to conserve energy and be kind to your body. After a few full salutations, I made my own adjustments. Unsurprisingly, the gung-ho ones didn't last too long and took more and more child's pose to rest. I also don't think their wrists, shoulders, or back will feel that good later in the day when the endorphins wear off. The most important part of Yoga is learning to breathe, everything else is meant to teach you that lesson.

After lunch, I went down to the Bell Lightbox, the permanent home of TIFF. With 5 theatres, they will be showing movies year round. With great anticipation, I sat down to watch Breathless (A bout de souffle). Am I a cinephile who wants to see one of the classic movie from the French New Wave movement of the 60s? Not really, although I do like these older films. No, I just wanted to sit in the dark and stare at the gamine, short-haired Jean Seberg for 2 hours. Give me a pixie cut over long tresses any day.

The movie itself was excellent. The impetus and tragedy of the movie is the criminality of Michel (Jean-Paul Belmondo). But at its core, Breathless is a romantic movie. Two beautiful people living in Paris, flirting, fighting (playfully), and loving. A distillation of what it means to be young and believing that you are the first in the world to have loved so deeply, to discover "profound" insights (and talk about them), and a rumpled bed in a tiny apartment is all the possession you need.

And did I enjoy looking at Jean Seberg? Yes, she is utterly breath-taking. And the fashionably gamine, yet simple, 60s look she sported was fresh and stylish. I don't know if it was meant as an running joke but her character Patricia asked Michel at various times if she's attractive. He's evasive and does praise her smile, her shoulders, and so on. The take-away is a gallic shrug: "She's ok-looking." Frankly, a real-life Patricia would have most men grinning like a love-sick schoolboy and acting just as foolish.

And would I like a real-life Patricia of my own? Why yes I would ... assuming I survive the heart attack.