Out of Africa

Though I have been to the Danforth and Donlands area, it was usually for dinner parties. So on Saturday, I decided to walk around the neighbourhood. There was a good mix of restaurants and other stores along this stretch of Danforth. But there wasn't actually a lot of foot traffic. I claim that this was due to the fact that the street was too wide. It felt more like a thoroughfare than as an area for strolling around.

I finally stopped at Le Plato, a restaurant serving West African food, that opened last year. Unfortunately, being located in the basement, you can't really see it. Even the sign is tucked away above the stairwell. In addition, it was hidden around the corner at the bottom so the first thing you see is a boarded up store.

Inside, the restaurant was small and cozy, though the lighting was perhaps too dim. As West Africa had primarily French colonies, the menu was in "la belle langue". The server also spoke fluent French so feel free to practice yours with him. For dinner, I ordered Makayabu ($10), a fish dish, with Jollof rice ($5) and Alloco ($5). While waiting, I also got a glass of Bissap ($2). The drink, made from hibiscus flowers, was fruity. The salted cod came grilled with onions and bell peppers and a mildly spiced sauce. Its saltiness wasn't too strong, though it definitely overwhelmed the sauce and veggies. The rice itself, from the one-pot-meal family of dishes, similar to paella and possibly the ancestor to jambalaya, was red and fragrant. It was on the dry side, so I found it was tastier to soften up the rice by mixing in the sauce and sautéed veggies. The Alloco, or fried plantain, was crisp and chewy. It was a delicious meal from an under-represented part of the world.

The Big Sound

Friday evening, I went down to the Roy Thompson Hall patio for a musical collaboration. As part of their summer music series which highlighted local musicians, they had also formed the "Massey Hall Band" composed of 18 players: trombones, saxes, trumpets as well as percussion, bass, and so on. Tonight, they were showcasing 10 songs from Bry Webb, each arranged by a different band member. Webb himself was also there to provide vocals and guitar.

Any thought of Kenny G smooth jazz or even Motown funk disappeared with songs like Asa and Big Smoke from Webb's recent solo efforts. It was modern arrangements that augmented the pop roots of these tunes. Highlights included the shimmering harmonic swell of Rivers of Gold and the cinematic Low Life. But as Webb comically noted before Ex-punks, his 15-year-old skateboarding self would have sneered at him.

But how did they do on heavier songs including those from his old band The Constantines? Actually even better. The arrangements captured the distortion and feedback of a rock back with Colin Stetson-esque solos, controlled cacophany, and propulsive bass and drums. Webb looked thrilled to be able to let loose with raging vocals despite standing in front of horns instead of cranked up amps. Young Lions was great and The Constantines' unofficial anthem Shine A Light was a KO punch. Well, perhaps under other circumstances. Because amazingly, Love In Fear, a song that Webb hasn't performed in 10 years, was even more jaw-droppingly powerful. I honestly thought they out-rock The Constantines when I saw the latter at Massey Hall last year.

Bry Webb released a vinyl of his own solo performance at Massey Hall. With the concert being professionally recorded tonight, I wouldn't be surprised if there was another release. This was an unexpected but astonishing collaboration.

Seat and Eat

On Friday, I went to the Howard Park and Dundas St W area for lunch. This area is still a bit down-at-the-heels but gentrification is happening along this stretch. One of them is Dundas Park Kitchen which the Globe and Mail restaurant critic raved about last year. Since this husband-and-wife team isn't open on the week-end, I haven't had a chance to try it.

Inside, the space was surprisingly large. But since it was almost entirely taken up with an open kitchen and prep area, there are only a few seats by the store-front window. Everything looked great but I decided on a "summer intern" sandwich ($10.75) with a cookie for an extra $1. It was a big sandwich stuffed with roast chicken, sprouts, pickled green tomatoes, red onion jam, sweet corn, and bacon mayo. The chicken was moist but not out-of-this-world, I would add a bit more fattiness perhaps in the form of crispy skin (which you'd probably get with the chicken dinner). But what made the sandwich excellent was the perfect balance of flavour. But if Alex Tso's chicken is good, Melanie Harris' chocolate walnut cookie is amazing. I am not a sweets person but I inhaled that dessert. I've never had a richer confection. It had a wonderful moist chew, closer to a cake than a cookie. This was a wonderful lunch. I'm looking at my calendar to see when I can come back and try their pot pies or galettes.

East Meets East

On Wednesday, I went to Great Eastern for lunch. This small restaurant at Sheppard and Victoria Park serves Indian Chinese (Hakka) and Thai as well as Halal meat. So it wasn't surprising that most of the clientele were from South Asia rather than farther East. From the lunch specials, which came in 2 groups: the $6 and $7 options, I chose the sambal chicken ($7).

The sambal sauce was interesting. It was slightly spicy, tangy, and with just a peanut-y hint. Along with the thinly sliced vegetables, it went pretty well on top of the steamed rice. I enjoyed the chicken as well but it had an odd texture. This was the softest chicken I've eaten. If I wasn't told, I would think it was some sort of bland fish. Not really sure I want to know what they added to make the chicken that tender. In any case, it was a cheap and filling lunch.

Welcome Back Otter

I haven't been going a lot of new restaurants lately, but I have been visiting some old favourites. On Friday, I dropped by The Fish Store on College. Usually I opt for the rice dish, but today I ordered the fish sandwich ($10.95). The last time I ate one was in the dead of winter. It was nicer to sit on the patio (which is bigger than the restaurant) and have my pickerel. It was a tasty couple of bites, but I have to admit it wasn't quite as filling as the purple rice.

On Sunday I went to Isshin Ramen. The weather has cooled down but I haven't eaten cold ramen this summer so I thought I'd give theirs a try. Their take on this dish was a vegetarian option called Lemon Shio ($13.80). It was a yellowish broth, upon which floated a circle of thin lemon slices. There was also salty tofu, wood ear mushroom, bamboo, and their twisty ramen noodles. The whole thing had a tanginess which I'm on the fence about. I miss the tender char siu pork; if you're going to replace the meat, you should pile on the veggies.

Cover Me

Nowadays, even a local band would release a vinyl version of their album. So I found myself at Burdock on Saturday for the "vinyl release" of Blimp Rock's sophomore album. I've been to this new venue several times and I find it to be a wonderful music spot. Tonight, it has gained some typical downsides. So for opener Pink Moth, chatty bar-talk has invaded and you no longer get the respectful silence from previous shows. This band's spacey pop set didn't stand out for me. There were two highlights: the singer's sweet high voice and the old-school vibe of a Wurlitzer digital piano.

The impeccable sound-mix was still there though. So the multi-part vocal harmonies, as well as the other instruments, were crisp and clear for Blimp Rock's set starting with a bittersweet duet between Clair Whitehead and Peter Demakos on Monogamy Blues. They played from both albums including Band Breakup, Lake Ontario Lifeguards, and Vampires. Given the recent successes of the Blue Jays, their paean to the 1993 World Series Champ edition (Oh, Baseball) couldn't be more timely. A Cat Stevens' cover (Don't Be Shy) and Let's All Stay In Tonight finished off a fun set. It should be noted that, unlike a verse in the latter, they did not actually "finish before eleven."

Blimp Rock came back for an encore and did 2 covers. I applaud this approach: a band should play all the songs it means to in the main set, an encore is a bonus. So playing other people's music is a fine choice. In this case, Steely Dan's Peg allowed them to groove up a complex jazzy arrangement and let Whitehead break out some nimble guitar work. And Robyn's Dancing On My Own encouraged the audience to dance and whoop it up.

White-out

Last year, I saw a "musical in concert" as part of SummerWorks. This year, this concept has spun off into its own festival called Musical Works. As director Tracy Michailidis explained, by stripping away all the staging, the audience can hopefully gain a better sense of a musical theatre show. Furthermore, the performers are able to concentrate on character development. On Saturday, I attended one show at Factory Theatre called Misprint.

This was obviously a riff off Archie (Comics) as we meet, in 1962, students in small-town Sunnydale getting ready for their last week of high-school. Domestic-minded Elly was itching to settle down with her "pumpkin-headed" beau Charlie while her rival Monica was looking to leave and explore the world, though the latter also had eyes for Charlie. The cast was rounded out with a football jock (Cliff), girl clique (Mary Jane, Lucy) and of course, gruff but kindly school staff (Miss Dundy and Mr. Sunnyhive).

On the positive side, I enjoyed the consistent musical arrangement. Many new musicals use a pastiche of song styles which, in my opinion, is a cheap way to engage the audience. Even the 2 songs that used popular musical motifs evoked the "shoo-wop" sounds of 50s pop. But plot-wise this was well-trod territory. The nostalgic look back at a supposedly simpler time is just too easy: for the actors to ham it up "gee golly" style, and for the audience to feel superior. After all, from a modern perspective, Elly's dream of a white-picket fence life is obviously headed for a rude wake-up call. As the show progressed, there were some hints that maybe even that may not be possible: perhaps they were actually just comic characters destined to keep reliving their senior year. But even that, with its echo of Pleasantville or The Truman Show, didn't move me. Essentially, Misprint was a lot of work in service of an ordinary story.

Smoking On The Water

I haven't seen singer Emma-Lee in probably a year. So I went down to the Massey Hall Patio series on Thursday for an early evening show. Like last year, the organizers set up the stage in the middle of a shallow pool. But this summer, they've have placed the tables and patio furniture along the deeper side of the outdoor space, allowing for more room to sit.

With her hair dyed black, wearing a tight dress, and eschewing her guitar, Emma-Lee has gone full pop singer. For tonight's performance, she had a full band including long-time collaborator Karen Kosowski. Over two sets, they did all new material from her upcoming 2016 album. Amazingly, her sets did not include any new songs that she showcased the last time I saw her. The two women must have been doing a lot of song-writing.

The first set had feel-good anthems like God Doesn't Know My Name and Glass (even cover song Dancing On My Own) reminiscent of Katy Perry. In the 2nd set, the music had more R'n'B flavour, and numbers like Mercy and Not Giving Up On You packed a big punch.

Bab's Burger

On Friday for lunch, I stopped by newly opened Kabab and Burger House near Dufferin and Bloor. This place advertised halal meat. Given that a mosque is just a few doors down, I'm surprised nobody jumped on this years ago. The Muslim men and women who came and went obviously thought it was a good idea.

The menu was a bit strange: about half South Asian (butter chicken, etc.) and half "North American" with burgers and such. I decided to try the $5.99 special with your choice of 1 meat and 1 veggie. The plate that came looked like any Indian joint but there were some interesting differences. Instead of basmati, it was a thin, long-grained pulao rice that imparted fluffiness. Both the chili chicken and assorted veggie didn't taste much of curry. In fact, they were more middle-eastern in flavour. All in all, I quite enjoyed this cheap lunch.

She Sells C-Scale By The Seashore

The clouds were threatening but the rain held off. So I was down at The Harbourfront to catch two local acts at the Celebration Zone stage. Both drew large crowds for different reasons. The 8 pm crowd was sitting on the astro-turf grooving to the electro-pop music of Brave Shores. The two musicians fronting this 4-piece were siblings Jay and Stefanie McCarrol. Although they have indie creds, a surprise pop hit written in 2013 spurred them to explore more dance-friendly music. So their set comprised of songs off their debut EP including Dancing Underwater and Surfs Up. Although the core of these tunes had friendly beats and catchy chords, they were often augmented with dissonant and atmospheric effects. They finished off the show with their big hit Never Come Down.

By 9:15 pm, it had gotten younger, louder, and up close to the stage. This demographic matched the women of The Beaches, who are themselves in their late teens/early twenties. I suspect that a good number were friends from school. I saw them at The Garrison and was impressed with their energy. Unfortunately, that venue make most bands sound bad. With the excellent sound tonight, it was clear why they were playing at many local and international festivals. They had veteran stage presence and plenty of raucous tunes (Loner, Strange Love, Little Pieces). There were even "roadies". Although these were likely their parents, it looks "professional" to have people tuning your guitars and fetching you water and towels during a show. Talented and yes, young and good-looking, they should blow up big anytime soon.

Devil at the Crossroad

Wednesday night, I went to the Junction Music Hall at Keele and Dundas for the first time. This slightly grimy basement bar seemed a better fit elsewhere than in the gentrified Junction area. I came a bit later because I wanted to avoid drum-and-bass (not the genre) duo Baa. No such luck. I'm sure playing music is fun but as a listener, a bunch of songs made up of similar-sounding bass riffs and drum rhythms got old quickly. On the brighter note, they didn't attempt any slap-bass technique.

The major feature of this venue was the wall of retro arcade cabinets and pinball machines. Along with the narrow space, it created a room for drinking and chatting up friends. Unfortunately, this atmosphere didn't help L Con and their airy synth-pop. But those of us paying attention was rewarded with bjork-esque tunes like Come To Autumn and song off their latest 7" (The Distance of the Moon, Without Colours). They ended with a new number that, if sped up, would be a sure-fire club hit.

I saw The Burning Hell at The Dakota in a mini-band format. His verbose songs were often wry and carried a dry wit. But as it turns out, with a full band, his set also turned into fun and danceable music. This was the first time I've ever seen duelling solos between an electric guitar and a clarinet. He stuck with newer numbers, whether off his latest album (Realists, Grown-Ups, Barbarians) or literally new and as yet un-recorded including an ode to his first cassette Pop Goes The World. This may be surprising since he had 4 albums of material, but as he told the crowd after a particularly raucous number: "It's fun playing new songs". It was a great set and the audience was loudly appreciative.

Fill Bill

Sometimes performers need the right venue to fit their music. Wednesday night, 3 acts played excellent sets at the Burdock. This new-ish venue is fast becoming one of my favourite. It not only has great sound-mix but also a respectful audience. So much so that opener Ian Kehoe kept exclaiming how thrilled he was at the crowd reception.

He was right. His solo act as Marine Dreams benefited from the close listen. Unlike the noisy stint at The Silver Dollar, his songs with their meandering melodies and stream-of-consciousness lyrics had a bigger impact here. I thought the two closing number: a new song about "time doesn't stop" and Slowly were nicely balanced lyrical pop.

There was also audience silence for Isla Craig, but only because her set was gorgeous. I was slightly disappointed with her show at the Great Hall for Bry Webb. Back at this intimate venue and augmented to a full band with guest vocals from Ivy Mairi and Tamara Lindeman (The Weather Station), we were wrapped in beautiful harmonies on numbers like Bird of Paradise. But this wasn't dreamy music to drift off to because the funky bass and drums, as well as the synth vibes, kept your head and feet moving. I want this music to be recorded and issued asap into my eager hands.

Head-liner Luka also played soft, quiet music. By his set, backroom chatter was creeping in, but not quite to the same level as a typical bar. At first, he seemed to be in the mold of the sad-sack singer with songs like Cover Me. But as I listened to this full band set, I think his musical lineage is actually 50s teen idol. Songs like Love Is The Eternal Way and O, My Heart Is Full may have modern lyrics but at their core (as well as some elements in the arrangement), these were pure starry-eyed pop.

Summer Fun

The evening has been cooling off lately, though overall it hasn't been a hot summer. But it was still nice enough to head down to The Harbourfront Celebration Zone for some fun vibes with Stella Ella Ola. Unfortunately, they didn't quite draw the same crowd as their "alter ego" Hollerado a few weeks back. But for the people there, we enjoyed this upbeat band running through the songs of their debut I Think We Should Hang Out All The Time. From Summerette to Peter Sellers, their jangly guitar, 50s rock beat, and multi-part harmonies evoked beach blanket party vibes. With a relatively short repertoire, they added some a cover (Mirror In The Bathroom) and new song.

They got chuckles for their cute banter: it was the last show before bassist Jake Boyd was getting married - so he was celebrating his freedom; Anne Douris was getting stitches removed from her thumb - and narrowly avoiding having it replaced with her toe. This stage had camera people working to project the show onto a large, 20-foot screen behind the performers. The Olas all got their spotlight, but with her constant smile and photogenic features, Douris got the most face time.

Wired

With the Parapan Games beginning this week-end, the festival activities also started up again. So on Sunday, I went down to Nathan Phillip Square to see Janelle Monáe. It was the biggest crowd I've witnessed with the entire square filled up cheek to jowl.

On her albums, Monáe explore futuristic themes with herself as a fugitive android named Cindi Mayweather. But live in concert, she resembled a young, beautiful, female James Brown with her pompadour and white suit. The bass, horns, and vocals emphasized the funk in songs like Dance Apocalyptic, Come Alive, and recent club hit Yoga. She called out to the strong ladies in the crowd with Q.U.E.E.N. and Electric Lady. In fact, Monáe often tried to get crowd sing-alongs going on both upbeat numbers (Tightrope) and slow ballads (Prime Time). Along with her energetic dancing and popular covers (I Feel You, I Want You Back), she may be the hardest-working woman in show business. Unfortunately, it was a bit lost on the reticent crowd which comprised of a sizeable number of curious onlookers (for free events). So her usual crowd-surfing was aborted to a few waves when she waded into the front row.

The upside was that unlike her noisy show at Kool Haus a while back, I was able to enjoy the better sound of tonight's mix. Still, for such a large, outdoor gig, the set-up seemed rather anemic. Monáe's big pipes were sometimes reduced to tinny vocals and André 3000's guitar solos were completely lost.

Say It Ain't So

After 6 years as an intermittent Weezer cover band, the all-female Sheezer was calling it a day. I went to the 2nd of a 2-night farewell stint at Lee's Palace on Friday. I have seen them since 2009 and though I did recognize a few familiar faces, it was hard to tell how many Sheezer regulars there were in the crowd. Their shows do have recognizable but varying demographics: some had mostly the kind of dudes you'd expect to listen to albums that were 20 years old, and others skewed young and college-aged. So I would guess that any given Sheezer show had a good majority of first-time attendees and this evening was no exception. But whether newbies or veterans, they were in for a treat.

Army Girls opened for Sheezer, like they did a few years ago (well, Donlands and Mortimer). Carmen Elle wryly asked the audience: "Do you like guitar music?" to some enthusiastic yeses. She demonstrated over the course of several songs her brand of fast punchy pop, though they did throw it a slow number. The addition of a bassist to the duo gave their set some muscularity.

How did Sheezer end their career? By playing every song from Blue and Pinkerton (except for Why Bother?) over a 20-song set. Some were rarely or never played (Across the Sea, Pink Triangle, Butterfly). For the die-hard Weezer fans, they even threw in a couple of b-sides (Jamie, Susanne, I Just Threw Out the Love of my Dreams). It was all sing-a-longs from the enthusiastic crowd for the first 40 minutes. As with any long set, it sagged a bit in the middle. But the energy picked up with the participatory Undone and stayed high for the last 4 songs.

Dana Snell and Laura Barrett were excellent but Robin Hatch was a stand-out on vocals. Her gigs with Dwayne Gretzky have honed her singing. She sneered and snarled through several tunes, proving that if she met River Cuomos in an alley, we'd know who'd have the bigger pair (of ovaries). Their encore had Hash Pipe (after some wag joked "play something off Raditude!") and a wonderful Only In Dreams. After the lights came on, and a group hug, Sheezer led the crowd in an emotional a cappella version of Butterfly. By the time they sang, "I ain't never coming back", the ladies were sniffling back a few tears.

A confession: I'm more a Sheezer fan than Weezer. Even now, I may recognize the songs but would be hard-pressed to recite any of the lyrics. So at the end of the show and after 6 years, I finally bought a Sheezer t-shirt.

Here's Johnny

On Tuesday, to welcome a new employee, we dropped by Johnny's Burger at Sheppard and Victoria Park for a quick bite at lunch. This retro-looking, take-out only joint has been around for over 30 years. There was a steady line of people coming in to order. But the servers behind the counter were very efficient, so your turn-around time is about 5 minutes or so.

The lunch combo was the cheapest but for around $8, I opted instead for a bacon burger and some onion rings. The rings were quite good: crispy but not too oily. The squarish burger had a good heft and was reasonably tasty. It doesn't quite rank up there with the newer burger places around town. But on the other hand, it's a lot cheaper. Johnny's offerings are "McDonald prices", but definitely better than fast food joints. They're open until 3 a.m. so this place is a good option if you somehow find yourself in the area late at night.