La La Land

Wednesday night, I went to The Horseshoe to see some indie bands as part of an Indie88 showcase. Opener Kaleidoscope Horse played music like they were dressed: stoner, psychedelic tunes. I didn't even mind them, as young hipsters, dressed up in 60s-inspired clothes. LOLAA, a sister act backed by a frenetic drummer, brought dance-y, latin-flavoured, beats to the night. Billy Moon from Hamilton played ironic "indie cock rock". The singer even sported a fake 70s stache. They were on the right side of being a bit too obnoxious because they had some good tunes and seemed to enjoy being on stage just as much as their fans.

It was a special night for Language Arts. Their synth player was decamping to Berlin. But they were getting a new bassist, along with a new tour van. With input from the crowd, the vehicle was officially named Jean-Claude Band Van. It was a good set that got a lot of people bopping along. The Language Arts formula: Kristen Cudmore's clever lyrics and skittering chords, and Neil MacIntosh's intense and varied drumming.

Aren't They Lovely?

I heard The Good Lovelies doing backup vocals at a show by Peter Katz. But their shows in Toronto are always well attended and I haven't been able to hear their own material since then. A special pop-up show at The Burdock to showcase songs from the upcoming album Burn The Plan also sold out. But due to demand, they scheduled a second show that night and I finally nabbed a ticket.

So on Tuesday, I made my way there to hear this well-travelled trio of singer/songwriters. Apparently, this show was officially (there might have been a few more) the 784th one. Even into a 10-year career, that's quite an accomplishment. Throughout their set, it was clear why they have such a wide fan-base, especially in little towns all over North America. The Good Lovelies have an engaging stage banter, with numerous funny anecdotes between songs.

The songs themselves were finely crafted. The multi-part harmonies are always there, along with a collection of guitar, mandolin, piano, and various percussion knick-knacks. Tonight, slide guitarist Christine Bougie provided some winsome slide solos as well as plucky riffs and chords. Depending on who was doing lead, the lyrics can be simple, almost lullaby-ish, to foot-stomping fun.

I had a good time, but not a great time. They'll probably do another 700 shows. But I think I prefer them on my stereo instead of live. It was like having a tasty, well-balanced meal. But when you're out on the town, you want a steak with too much salt and butter.

Tear In My Beer

Saturday night, I was at The Dakota Tavern for an early show of country-flavoured music. Dahmnait Doyle started in the late 90s/early aught. She is still active in the music scene but tonight was her first show with solo material in 14 years. There was plenty of hurtin' songs in her set though the heartbreak and regret encompassed more than failed romances. Even those arrived after years and decades of trials and tribulations. I enjoyed the lyrics of this deeply personal set, but I wasn't quite as engaged with the arrangements. It sometimes veered into bland new-country. All these songs were written in the last 1.5 months, so perhaps there was work down the road.

Sarah Cripps was also country, but darker and more unsettling. Her bluesy Gothic tunes ran the gamut from slow burning ballads to in-your-face rock numbers. Her lyrics weren't quite as intensely personal but still finely crafted. This was a great set of indie gems. If Cripps hasn't written a murder ballad yet, she should, as her talent is perfect for that.

Bombay On Bay Bomb?

It wasn't snowing this Saturday but a March rain was no improvement. I was running some errands around Yonge St, so I decided to go for lunch at Colaba Junction at College and Bay. This fast take-out/dine-in offered an alternative to food-court fare for the business crowd. So it wasn't surprising that it was less busy on the week-end.

Looking over the list of "street food" items, I finally picked the Bombay Railway Lamb Curry ($13.95). It was a bare-bones presentation: just rice and a bowl of curry. In fact, it reminded of the meal at Kabab and Burger House near Dufferin and Bloor. Luckily, the food was much better. The fragrant main was less oily and strong than most curry. It was almost a stew, very similar in flavour to the Dizi Sangi at Tavoos. This was a nice lunch. Back to that presentation though. At over $15 with tax, some may think this isn't a good deal. A simple salad wouldn't add much to the cost and would make the entrée seem more like a complete lunch.

Thinking and Dancing

Friday night, I dropped by the Drake for some upbeat music. Opener Tilsen was the typical plaintive indie songwriter. She'll probably grow as an artist. But I couldn't help noticing how generic a lot of pop songs are, not that hers were worse than usual. It was just that during one tune, she inadvertently used lyrical phrases from several songs.

The middle act, oddly named The Nursery,  brought up the tempo with an odd mix that's best described as synth-punk. It didn't really engage me until they switched halfway through into rather pretentious songs that reminded me of Evanescence. That worked for me. Might as well go over-the-top than too bland.

Headliner Parallels was releasing new EP Civilisation. Though almost every number was upbeat and encouraged dancing, the lyrics ranged far afield from love songs. Similar to Austra, Parallels pondered earnestly on the world and the human condition. It made fun, but relatively generic synth-pop, more interesting. One minor cavil: sometimes their attempts to fit in wordy lyrics came at the expense of a good hook or melody.

Quite A Dame

On another blustery Saturday day, I made my way to Dufferin and Dupont to check out something special. No, not Galleria Mall. Though my quick walk through the centre showed that its various businesses were still somehow hanging on. Geary Road seemed to be more industrial than anything else, but there were some retail stores including Porta Nova cafe. This rather spacious restaurant, I guess you got more room inside warehouse-like spaces, served typically meat-heavy Portuguese dishes. But I was here for a specialty from the titular Porto city in Northern Portugal, the Francesinha.

Don't let the translation of "Little French Girl" fool you. There's nothing delicate or dainty about this dish. The name is from its inspiration: the croque-madame. The version here ran $17.70 but you got a huge concoction of bread, steak, cheese, and ham. The whole thing was topped with an over-easy egg and slathered with tomato sauce. And just in case you might be still hungry, it came with a side of fries. All that was missing from the traditional version was some sausage.

What can I say, this dish sticks to your ribs. The strong, salty flavour of the ham and cheese cut through the sauce. It wasn't a great cut of beef but adequate given the price. Amazingly, I did not end up over-stuffed. But I did skip breakfast in anticipation of the calorie hit. I don't know if I'll eat this dish more than once or twice a year, but the other equally cheap dishes here are tempting.

A Real Boy

While The National Ballet is debuting its new production of Pinocchio, I am at the Betty Oliphant Theatre to see another puppet in a recital entitled Love, Sex & Brahms. Coleman Lemieux & Compagnie is presenting an expanded version of Kudelka's Dora-winning piece. The puppet in question, a stuffed bald man in a suit, is by conceit a Greek immigrant named Sarkis.

Through 17 Brahms' piano pieces, played by Andrew Burashko (Art of Time Ensemble), we witness an upper-middle-class (or perhaps even gentry) family from the turn of last century interact with each other in a drawing-room drama. There are coquette flirtation between youngsters, well-worned arguments between long-time couples, and plenty of social maneuvering and conflict between all members of both sexes. Repressed sexuality, both the common and "deviant", are a common thread. There is also a dark section that hints at sexual assault, or at least its possibility.

Sarkis participates through the manipulation of all the dancers, as witness, collaborator, and often proxy for someone else's inner thought. Nevertheless, he is perhaps in too many interactions that finally felt gimmicky. I want to see more movement where the dancers aren't constrained by including him in their choreography. The dancers, both men and women, come from a large range of ages. Ballerina Evelyn Hart, among others, is still graceful and sure-footed.

Happy Shiny People

My regular dining candidates are usually locations I've been to several times. But Thursday night, I decided to test out a new spot for me: Bar Begonia at Dupont and Spadina. This French bistro is another addition to the resto empire of the Rose and Son people. Its signage is a smiling emoji, reminiscent of Lite Brite. Its inside is packed with young, trendy people drinking, eating, and laughing.

I opted for a beef bavette ($28), frites ($7), and a half-pint of Steam whistle ($5). The very dim lighting, perfect for chatting up a pal or love interest, doesn't permit a good photo of the food. The beef is quite good, tender, with a rich wine sauce. The fries are acceptable, but not really memorable. Begonia is a good place to meet someone though it won't make my regular dining list. First, given the prices, it's not possible to put together a meal for under $30. Second, it may be a bit too noisy for some place you'd want to drop by after work. Finally, a French bistro that charges separately for (rather average) fries for its version of steak-frites? Come on.

More Regular

Another Friday night, another search for a potential regular dining spot. This time it was District Oven. I always enjoyed their brunch though that was an intermittent option. Sometimes they were open, mostly they weren't.

Looking over the menu, I opted for Babaghanouj ($8) and Kefta burger ($18). Though the eggplant dish was chosen mostly the freshly baked pita bread, it was good in its own right: rich and creamy. The burger had a strong flavour as the patty was a mix of lamb and beef. It was a thick and juicy choice. The fries were a bit run of the mill, small and a bit soft.

This seems to be also a good spot. The only drawback is that it's really too big. If this was turned into a music venue, they could easily fit 600-700 people in here. So everything here is large and cavernous: the tables, the space between tables, the ceiling. You could feel a bit lost in this restaurant.

Irregular

After dinner Friday night, I took a streetcar to Gallery 345 for the Canadian debut of jazz pianist Dánae Olano. The venue was almost full tonight. This young performer played a selection of Afro-Cuban compositions including several improvisations. She was joined by a few guests including Jane Bunnett and Hilario Durán.

The older pieces from Ignacio Cervantes and Ernesto Lecuona were quite revelatory: combining classical technique with the driving rhythm associated with Latin music. Olano's own work wasn't quite as dynamic and compelling, but she is just starting her career. Best of all were the improv pieces involving Bunnett, Duran, and Grupo Okan. Olano seemed to have a much lighter, whimsical touch for this, Duran brought clean, crisp notes, and Bunnett was fond of using harmonics and mic feedback on her flute solos. In a way, it was a waste of good dance music with all those butts firmly planted in their chair. Maybe we should have made our way to Lula Lounge for that portion of the evening.

So Regular

After years of cooking, I'm frankly getting tired of it. So much work to prepare meals. I've been thinking that I should become a restaurant regular and let someone else take over. I started compiling a candidate short-list. Friday night, I went to the first: Enoteca Sociale. Now, as part of a full dinner with copious wine and multiple dishes, it's not a cheap place. And there's no way you can stay healthy with that many calories and fat. But in my opinion, it could be a doable (even once a week) if you're judicious.

I limited myself to a sauté rapini side-dish ($7) and a plate of bucatini all'amatriciana ($14). Not only was that wallet-friendly but hopefully won't kill me from heart disease. That was actually enough of a meal, but the fresh bread and good olive oil was filling if you were hungrier.  In any case, success. It was a fine dinner, better than I could make at home, and no prep, cook, or clean-up time needed.