The Feminine Mystique

Friday night, I went to The Harbourfront Centre to see Re-Quickening, a dance recital by native company Kaha:wi Dance Theatre. In invoking quickening, or the moment a woman feels her fetus move, the piece explored indigenous women's experience. But "re-quickening" itself is a ritual, the Onkwehon:we Condolence ceremony, which is meant to deal with loss and grief by "purging the eyes, ears, mouth so you can once again see, hear, and speak happy sights, sounds, and words."

As such, it had moments of pain including the opening scenes where the 3 dancers wore hoop dresses  and other times when they wrestled with chairs, sometimes worn over their necks like stocks, which evoked colonial oppression. As for myself, I found the scenes where indigenous culture was on display to be the most moving and exciting. There was one particular sequence where each woman mimicked a mythical being culminating in a fearsome haka display that thrilled me. Throughout the show, there was plenty of water and red-ness represent the pain but also the power (birth/life) of the female experience.

Praise The Sun

I was in the Coxwell and Danforth area on Thursday. Unlike the hipper areas closer to the west side, this area still has some rough edges, although I see that there are trendier spots in the neighbourhood. I decided to eat dinner in a non-descript Mexican place called El Sol.

Its bland exterior hid, some might say a hidden beauty, certainly a keen exuberance. The interior was chock-a-block full of decorations: carved Fabergé-like eggs, religious artefacts (or at least tchotchkes), ancestral shrine, and hundreds of wooden suns. I opted for some tacos sonorenses ($14.95). The plate came out with soft beans, crunchy tacos, fragrant rice, and two soft tacos stuffed with chorizo and potatoes. It was home-cooked flavour, stick-to-your-ribs tastiness. Unlike other places, the chorizo wasn't overly salty. El Sol won't be mistaken for a place like Playa Cabana, but I liked its cheeriness.

Hie Pie

Being off the main strip, Yauca's Lounge on Dovercourt never had much traction with the Bloorcourt Village neighbourhood. New spot Village Pizza is aiming to be different. They're off to a good start, earning a spot in Now's Best Pizza issue with their "authentic" Hawaiian pizza offering, complete with spam.

On Sunday, I dropped by for a slice ($5) and a pop ($2.50). With prices like that, it certainly won't be my go-to place for a quick bite. Two-fifty for a can of Coke? Sheesh. The slice of margherita was pretty good, certainly better than anything offered by the Pizza Pizza at the corner. On the other hand, it was pricier for a smaller slice. Yet despite being just out of the oven, it lacked that wonderful baked dough taste and flavour from places like Pizzeria Libretto. Certainly with a standard pizza oven, you can't really expect more. But on price, typically around $20+ for an entire pie, they are competing against these better restaurants. So they'd have to up their game. Will they last? They do have that trendy hipster vibe. But it is a hidden spot that likely won't get much foot traffic or business from the older working class residents.

We Scream

Later on Saturday, I trekked over to Smiling Buddha for some live, mostly electronic, music. Man Made Hill, in a silver mask make-up and wearing luca libre-esque costume, was committed to getting the crowd to dance to numbers like Clown Dick and Hot for Sloth. He mostly succeeded too, even when he sang about the freedom to Double Dippin' (that's not a metaphor).

Scott Hardware was more conventional, sticking to 4-on-the-floor dance beats. Perhaps because of their set, the crowd was expecting more upbeat from headliner Ice Cream. But despite their shiny lamé dresses, the duo's music from their debut LP was more repetitive and trance-y. It wasn't until about half way through their set that the skittery bass, pulsing synth chords, and harmonized chant-y lyrics finally got the audience to groove.

Clap Clap

On Saturday, I was at The Harbourfront Theatre to see Esmeralda Enrique Company present an evening of flamenco dancing called Épocas. The epynomous number opened with the members of the company invoking famous dancers from the past while their images appeared in the backdrop. There were a couple of dances that I thought were interesting. The combination of the familiar tapping of flamenco footwork combined with rhythmic castanets playing in Canción del Fuego Fatuo was quite exciting. Meanwhile, the push and pull in La Caña between Enrique and Rafael del Pino, a guest dancer from Spain, was primal. In fact, the presence of a male dancer in the predominantly female company added a tangible energy to the evening.

Unmodded

Friday night, I was at the Mod Club for a radio-sponsored (102.2 The Edge) show. The nice thing is that these all-ages event end early. But it wasn't quite as fun as the last few live shows. Perhaps I was being primed by the sponsor banner, but both the opening and closing act felt like variations on Hedley. Not the kind of music that I love.

St. Andrews was punchier Hedley with a bit of Arcade Fire thrown in. Ivory Hours was funkier Hedley meeting a bit of pop. They do have a couple of songs that made good sing-alongs (Hello Honey, Mary, Sleep Alone). I liked them well enough although it was a cover, Feel by Bombay Bicycle Club, that got me grooving.

In contrast, middle act Lost Cousins had a fun set. Maybe I've been in the mood for groovy dancing lately but their music with the funky guitar, singer switching between falsetto and "manly", and even some set-the-mood sax solos was the highlight. They just recently moved here from Kingston so hopefully they'll play more local shows.

No Nostalgia

On Thursday, I participated in two events that scored high on the nostalgia factor. But they both ended up being mediocre experiences ... as perhaps all such do. In the afternoon, I went to World Bowl for some 10-pin bowling. At first, there was excitement and fun. But bowling frame after frame became a chore quickly. The lighting and incessant music didn't help. And you end up with sore wrists and shoulders.

Later in the evening, I had dinner at Harvest Kitchen. The place was packed on both the main floor and the upstairs dining room. I believe part of the draw was the feel of a bustling home: both in the décor and vibe and in the kind of food offered (lasagna, local ingredients, etc.) I had the chicken pot pie ($16.95) and a glass of house wine. The entrée was disappointing, philosophically and actually. A piece of crust sitting on top of a stew is not a pot pie; you need all that juicy goodness soaking into the pastry. Also, it was ok as a "home-cook" meal but not the kind you'd offer to guests. You're better off at Dundas Kitchen.

Some Kind of Wonderful

I was at CBC main office at Front and John for a "First Play" session. Amazingly, this was the 3rd show I've attended where I was blown away by the infectiousness and fun of the music. This time around, it was courtesy of Tanika Charles (and her Wonderfuls). I've heard her singing classic Motown with Big Sound and even some of her own music, usually with a small set-up. The one time I saw her play with a fuller band, it was a great night.

This evening topped it all. With an album's worth of new material (Two Step, Soul Run) plus some oldies off her EP (I Am Your Woman, Parkdale), the backing of a full band, and beautiful sound in a professional studio, it was Ms. Charles night to shine. Channelling soul, funk, sexy R&B, and even some raucous rock, her music had me grinning and dancing for the whole set. 30 years ago, she would be a bona fide break-out star. Nowadays, with the fragmented state of the music industry, I hope some good stroke of fortune vaults her into mainstream recognition.

Some Reservations

On Saturday, I was at Ryoji for dinner.  There was cold Mimiga pork ears ($6), fresh Shima tofu ($8), Takoyaki ($7), Nanban fried chicken ($13), Hamachi carpaccio ($13), and a bowl of Tonkotsu ramen ($11). It's a nice venue with the big light globes. The food, as on previous occasions, were about average. Good to eat but nothing truly outstanding.

What stuck out for me was the distasteful attempts to steer people toward less desirable seatings by claiming that other tables were reserved. I was ready to leave before they gave me a good seat, despite the fact that the restaurant was only a quarter full. This happened throughout the night, as "reserved" tables were conveniently freed up if patrons refused the first choice offered. Maybe this is standard restaurant operation, but it made me less likely to want to return any time soon.

I Can Haz Melody

Friday night, I went to Gallery 345 for a violin and piano recital. Violinist Andréa Tyniec had a surprise for the audience. She will be performing on the 1689 Baumgartner Stradivari which she recently got on loan from the Canadian Musical Instrument Bank. But the first piece, a modern composition by Ana Sokolovic, may have disappointed some who might be expecting heavenly sounds from a "Strad". Though it gave Tyniec freedom to explore all sorts of sound-making, it was resolutely contemporary and dissonant.

However, a virtuoso solo piece from Eugène Ysaÿe (Sonata no. 6) and the catchy Le Grand Tango (Astor Piazzolla) with Todd Yaniw allowed more traditional tones. That was one fine instrument. After the break, it was time for Yaniw to also solo with Prelude Chorale and Fugue (Cesar Franck). The evening ended with beautiful playing of Brahms' Sonata no. 3.

Dancing On The Ceiling

I can't recall a show where I danced for the whole night. But it happened at Smiling Buddha on Thursday. Though boyBITCH started slow with an a cappella cover of All Is Full Of Love (Bjork), the rest of his set was ironic, upbeat, queer dance music. Similar to Weaves last week, I took immediately to trio Most People. They had a tendency to swap or trade musical instruments. How did they do it? By playing long songs that were a cross between prog-rock and funk. Their set comprised a mere 4 numbers, but they were all fun and catchy. Headliner Animalia was releasing her new album tonight. Backed by a live (and frenetic) drummer, the beefier sound system (compared to her disastrous show at Honest Ed's) highlighted the driving power of her music.

Chabi Boohoo

Despite the ubiquity of cafés everywhere in Toronto, I thought that french spot Chabichou at the edge of Little Italy had an extra spark. When I visited last Christmas looking for a present, I was impressed with their mousse, selection of cheeses, and other treats. So I went back on Sunday to try more hearty fare.

I was disappointed with the average decidedly average execution. The grilled cheese sandwich ($4) didn't taste different from your typical diner. The beef bourguignon ($9) was more substantial. Though the cubes of beef were tender, the stew overall didn't excite. The flat pasta was a definite dud: not much flavour or mouth chew. Maybe I should stick to their lighter offerings like croissant and pain au chocolat.

No Take-out

I've been feeling too old to stand around waiting for a late show, but the free show celebrating Make Some Noise's 10th anniversary promised to finish by 9 pm. So I headed over to the Toronto Reference Library to watch this showcase of "local bands playing in libraries".

Twist, now a full band, mined the same territory as Alvvays: lo-fi, slight groovy pop-rock. It was a bit hard to hear the singer in the cavernous lobby. Whether or not they get the same traction will probably be a matter of luck. On the other hand, I expect great things from head-liner Weaves. Primarily rhythmic as the funky bass and drum dominated the sound. Even the singing of Jasmyn Burke and guitar (Morgan Waters, former bassist of Sweet Thing) carried the groove. Whether it was a mosh-pit worthy song or a chill-out cool number, it's been a while since I've taken an instant liking to a new band.

Too Schmaltzy

I was in the Eglinton and Yonge area on April 1st and stopped by Touhenboku Ramen. These noodle shops are now ubiquitous in Toronto in all neighbourhoods. But this joint (2nd of the franchise) was one of the few that offered chicken broth as a option.

Since I've only had vegetarian and pork, I decided to finally try the chicken with the light bowl ($10.50). To be honest, I didn't like it. The chicken fat made the broth felt too greasy. I kept wanting to wipe my lips after every slurp. I can't imagine getting the regular, creamy version. The rest of the ingredients from chewy noodles to tender pork were fine.