Winter Wonderland

Great Hall view of snowy Toronto

The Long Winter series of art/music shows at The Great Hall is to combat the "winter blues". But although it can be nippy, Toronto hasn't had a large blast of winter. But on Friday, a large storm rolled through, and it was appropriately wintery as I made my way through high snowbanks and clogged side streets for the 4th installment.

Though it was unlikely the thousand-plus people who joined the Facebook event all showed, northward of 600 did come out, filling up all the rooms at the venue. But things were roomy to start, with art installation (inflatable human torsos, long streamers along the stairs, photo exhibits, and word games) throughout. Later, the basement theatre would turn into an electro punk dance party. But early on, they were showing featurettes and short films. I found the short film "Marvin, Seth & Stanley" a by-the-book depiction of a father and his 2 estranged son trying to reconnect on a fishing trip.

Art, Music, Party

In the Main Hall, bands played all night although there were also more esoteric fare like a dance number by CCB Dance accompanied live by Yacht Club. The great thing about an all-ages show were the young teenagers who eagerly crammed right up to the stage to dance and enjoy the show, unlike the more typical stand-offish Toronto crowd. Rituals played fuzzy indie with long drawn out chords and refrains. Odonis Odonis has become more punkish, but the inclusion of synth drum pads and electronically modulated vocals gave a 90s Garbage vibe to their sound. Kids On TV was all about dressing up and rap-shout to dancy club beats, but their odd lyrics weren't typical of the genre. Fucked Up and Holy Fuck turned it all into a giant mosh pit, but I ducked out before their set to spare my aging bones.

In the Conversation Room, things started provocatively with a discussion on "Modern Love" by University of Toronto professor Michael Cobb who pushed for an re-assessment of singlehood as not a problem to be cured or a tragic social flaw and Arianne Shaffer, a story-teller who believed in true love and commitment. The discussion, with feedback from the crowd, ranged over online dating, intimacy, and pornography. The background noise level, with all the glad-handing, drinking, and socializing was reaching feverish pitch. So despite standing on a table and using a mic, Chris Colohan struggled to be heard reciting his free verse. The same issue plagued Tasseomancy. But those of us who paid attention to their dreamy, folkloric music with beautiful vocal harmony, mandolin, and complicated rhythm on drums and steel pan, it was a wonderful discovery. Maylee Todd ended the night getting the packed crowd to dance to her soul/funk music on such numbers as her new singles Baby's Got It and Hieroglyphics. And if her 80s-style I Can't Stand It wasn't retro fun enough for you, she also covered Evelyn Champagne King's Love Come Down.