Beauty and the Beast

Saturday night, I was at the Long Hall for a Wavelength show. This smaller venue, in the basement of The Great Hall on Queen St, has also been refurbished with better sound. Too bad there wasn't a big crowd tonight for some interesting music.

Saxsyndrum opened the night with some trancey music. This trio of tenor sax, drums, and vocal played through a dreamscape of instrumental loops, percussion, and singing that alternated between high notes and guttural growls. If Henry Rollins was a counter-tenor and into ambient music.

Language-Arts always put on a fun show full of muscular drumming, skittering guitar, and Kristen Cudmore's cute yet inappropriate banter. Looks like they've added a new bassist, at least for tonight. Arts fan don't tend to head-bang but there was a bearded dude this evening who was totally into their music.

Given Wavelength's typically poor time management, it wasn't a surprise that Del Bel came on much later than scheduled. By then, the small crowd was even tinier. This was a shame because their music, described as pop-noir, was wonderfully immersive in the space. You could dance to it while Lisa Conway's airy vocals and the complex instrumentation, played mostly live with the stage packed with musicians, elevated the music above most electronica.

CMW Final Night

I was dead-tired from several late nights at CMW. But I already bought tickets for tonight's showcase. Also, it was the last CMW show for The Silver Dollar. This venerable venue was slated to close after several decades for yet more condos. To be honest, I wasn't that sorry to see it gone. Whether it was the equipment or the grizzled sound tech (perhaps with a life-time of hearing damage), the mix here is usually terrible. And oh yes. Sets were always late, sometimes by an hour or more.

With that in mind, I only showed up for 2 acts, and only for Japanese Breakfast. Before then, Liam Betson (Titus Andronicus) did his 11 pm solo set at 11:20. I guess even CMW's strict set times can't prevail over The Dollar's lackadaisical approach. The best part of his set was his hilarious and excessive inclusion of Free Bird into his final song. I hope Betson didn't get clobber by the guy in the audience being mocked for his ironic request.

It was the last night of a Triple Header (a tradition) for Michelle Zauner. Her band was loud and tight, covering both new material and songs from her Psychopomp album. The new music was more electronic and synth-y, including liberal use of a vocoder on Machinist. They fought through some sound issues, mostly of the sound-guy-paying-no-attention-to-band problems. Being the last set, they returned for an encore to cover The Cranberries' Dreams.

CMW Night Two

A typical CMW showcase starts at 8 pm and doesn't end until 4 am. And that's staying in one venue instead of hopping around. My geezer bones can't support that sort of schedule so Friday night, I went to the Horseshoe for the middle section (10pm-1am) that included headliner The Beaches.

shy kids was a large (9 members!) band playing groovy pop that had a 60s vibe. But somebody should tell them there's no money with a band that big, whether touring, merch, or shows. Common Deer had that neo-folk pop Mumford and Sons/Mutineers feel with their violin, cello, and instruments of that ilk. But the vocal exchanges between the male and female leads made for some nice harmonies and contrasts.

The Beaches played straight-up radio-friendly rock. Under other circumstances, one might even venture into the "cock rock" category. But this being an all-female band, it was nice to get some women perspectives on sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Attractive and young, they'll obviously get some eyeballs, as seen by some crowd reactions. Some people dismissed them early on because they also like to do some ironically cheesy seductive stage poses. But in the end, The Beaches rock hard and should win many mainstream fans. The only usual downside to their sets was the contingent of Beaches residents (parents? friends of parents?) who show up. Maybe these fine folks don't go out enough, because they get a little too in-your-face loud and lack the club etiquettes that make several hundred people jammed together a little more pleasant for everybody.

Smooth As Silk

The first of several CMW shows for me occurred Thursday night at the Mod Club and local singer Charlotte Day Wilson was catching some hype with her soulful vocals. It was actually the second of two sold-out shows for her.

Opener Bernice seemed to be an odd pairing. Though they use a lot of synth and electronic drums (they actually had a bigger set-up than Wilson), their songs were elliptical with odd melodies and unusual harmonies. The club crowd was surprisingly quiet for their set.

Wilson came on stage and led us through about an hour of sensual vibes. Both her new music and her current hits including Work were anchored by a groovy R'n'B rhythm and her buttery smooth vocals. Sade comes to mind. It was actually too laid-back to dance to, though there were plenty of head nods and occasionally, some arm movements from the crowd. These were some fine tunes, but I'm not sure it was the kind of material that is improved by a live performance.

Dangerous or Delicious

Passing through the Dundas St area, I noticed there is a new pizza joint at Dundas and Dovercourt. More importantly, Double D Pizza's specialty was Chicago deep-dish. Since there's only 1 other Chicagoan purveyor in Toronto out in the east end, I wanted to give it a try. So on Saturday night, I finally ordered my first ever Chicago deep-dish.

And it looks literally like a pie with deep sides. The personal one ran $12 and although at first glance it seemed rather small, I was stuffed by the end. The crust was surprisingly thin, especially along the sides. In fact, I'm not sure I liked the brittle cracker feel near the top.

However, if the best part of a pizza for you is the tomato sauce and cheese, a deep-dish is ideal. The inside was gooey and dripping with a layer of sauce on top of cheese and pepperoni. Ultimately, it was just too heavy and oily for me. This style of pizza is perhaps something I might eat once or twice a year.

Degrassi High Note

Saturday night, I headed down to the Rivoli for a show that coincidentally, featured a bunch of performers who went to the Sheridan College music program. I could only stay for two acts. The evening began with Chris Tsujiuchi (and His Straight Boyfriends). This pianist enjoyed being over the top and using his vocal range to sing sassy originals and covers. It's hard to say which was which as he loved to sneak little snippets from pop hits into various numbers. It was essentially like watching Glee live on stage.

Headliner Eh440 came up next. This 5-piece a capella band has an experienced stage presence, especially Stacey Kay. They liked to do straight covers (Crazy, Genie In a Bottle), some mash-ups, and original tunes. The latter often had clever lyrics, as Kay loved fast rap a la Busta Rhymes, and that talent was also reflected in even the pop ballads. The downside, their arrangements were usually simple: beatbox + basic bass line + 3 part harmony. You can't blame that on pop music structure since Retrocity make complex numbers out of 80s songs. But on the upside, the high energy set got everyone dancing and was undoubtedly a lot of fun.

Other Voices

As noted previously, Wednesday's Silver Dollar Room line-up was unusual in its diversity. So the Friday night show at The Drake Underground with both performers being Filipino and women was a rare booking. The crowd was also diverse, closer to the official multicultural percentages touted by Toronto, as opposed to a typical evening out on the town. Funny how that works.

Opener Char Aragoza has spent the last few years occasionally supporting local acts like Maylee Todd, usually as a back-up dancer. I guess the performing bug has bit her too. Her set had a chill vibe, almost Lana Del Rey-esque, with multiple guitar and vocal loops on numbers like Astral Traveller and Rooftop Baby. I liked that even with her youth, she is already exploring more interesting guitar techniques. She'll want to get more comfortable on stage and not bury herself in her pedals.

It was quite a large crowd for a musician with a single album. But it wasn't just friends and family here for Casey Mecija. I suspect many were also fans of defunct band Ohbijou. And why not, several ex-members were here tonight in her backing band along with some new faces (Johnny Spencer, Kieran Adams). Mecija was also "retiring" the album, although it was barely 1 year old, so we got to hear it front to back.

To be honest, Psychic Materials didn't grab me when I streamed it. But it was more visceral and immediate when she played it tonight. The dreamy, repeating lyrical fragments now floated above a solid foundation of synth, bass, and drums. This was more immersive music, and along with video projections, and made for an interesting set.

3 Chords

Wednesday night, I left The Monarch Tavern with its oldie vibes (both audience and music) for The Silver Dollar Room. Given the punk line-up, I was expecting a much younger crowd and I wasn't disappointed. But it was mid-week, and I suppose the young-uns also had school or work the next day, so it was a bit sparse there.

Winter94 was what you expected: tight 3-piece, short explosive songs, lots of shouting. Empath (members of Perfect Pussy) was more unusual. Given its 2 female singers and both synth and digital bass, there was an ethereal vibe riding on top of the hard punk guitar chords and drums. I was drifting off to sleep between sets and considered heading home (the perils of geezer-dom), but persevered for Vagabon.

I was glad I stayed. This diminutive singer had a great set. She showed her rough roots on some furious numbers. But she also demonstrated fine guitar skills and a soft beautiful voice on several quiet songs. I wasn't surprised her merch table was mobbed afterwards. I was also glad of the diversity on stage tonight compared to the majority of shows in Toronto.

I was sorry to miss Allison Crutchfield but I had no energy left for her headlining set.

Hymns

Latent Lounge is a 4-week showcase of the artists from Latent Recordings, a record company started by Michael Timmins of The Cowboy Junkies. The previous 2 Wednesdays were sold out, so I didn't get to the The Junkies in the intimate Monarch Tavern in Little Italy. This week was also at capacity, but I was able to get a ticket.

Since each evening opened with a cover set from the Latent Recordings artists, and this week was about The Trinity Session, I was hoping that Margo Timmins might sit in. No such luck. Headliner Jerry Leger and opener Ivy Mairi made appearances. But the best part of that set was a band comprising of Junkies/Skydiggers, especially a blistering Workin' On a Building.

Given the (generally older) audience, Ivy Mairi stuck to her folk music with its slow unfolding lyrics. She also did a country song which she admitted, given her young age, may be a bit presumptuous with its contemplation of old age. She ended the evening with an acoustic Strange Love, which she shyly told the audience will be on her upcoming EP, and that release will sound nothing like anything tonight. The crowd laughed but they bopped along to its sunny pop structure. I admit I prefer the new stuff, Mairi seems to have a knack for catchy hooks, and would rather have the folky songs only as a small middle section of her set.

I couldn't stay for Jerry Leger because I had another show to go to.

Shaggy Sing

Tuesday night, two hirsute men did sets at The Great Hall. Dressed in a Canadian tuxedo, Spencer Burton gave us a mix of americana/country tunes. He spent almost as much time talking to the audience as singing, probably because he hasn't been off his farm in 3 months. Luckily, his stories were interesting and told with an engaging humour. I actually found his "children" songs, written for his kids, to be the most fun. Along with his gregariousness and laid-back personality, he would make a great children entertainer like Fred Penner (another hairy troubadour) if he toned down all the cursing.

Ben Caplan is even more magnificently bearded than Burton, with an out-sized stage presence. This East-Coaster loves Eastern European/klemzer-esque music full of wordy stories and images. His 4-piece touring band was joined tonight on a few songs by two local musicians. Along with Caplan, they have been working some sort of theatre/musical act to debut later this year. So the audience was treated to 2 numbers from this show. Caplan has always exuded a manic preacher vibe, but on one of the theatrical piece he actually segued into an extended fire-and-brimstone sermon. I wouldn't have been surprised if someone had become filled with the Holy Spirit and collapsed.

Munch Music

With the majority of venues located in the West End, Feast In The East tries to bring more live music to East End Toronto. On Saturday, I went to the 61st edition at the Matt Durant Studio. This workspace/art gallery, near Queen St East and Greenwood, is the farthest Feast location I've been to.

With the artwork on the wall using re-purposed material like hardwood slats and clothe irons, a vinyl collection in its own nook, extra decorations by Roxanne Ignatius, crepes being made in the work area, and a large gathering of young, attractive people, this felt like going to a house party if I had cooler friends. The downside was the lackadaisical approach to the start times so I only saw 2 of the 4 acts scheduled before heading home.

Merival started the evening with a low-key set of acoustic songs including a cover of Head Over Heels (Tears For Fears). One nice thing was the respectful silence for the musicians. Although during Sandro Perri's set, especially during a long instrumental number, and an equally long and verbose closer, a new song with probably 30 verses about the current state of the world we live in, the chatter started to pick up in the back room. His deft touch on the guitar made for an interesting set.

Origin of Species

On Saturday, I went to The National Ballet to see an eclectic mix of modern ballet pieces, or maybe non-narrative as some of them are several decades old. The newest piece, and a "challenging main course" as the ballet talk speaker noted, was Genus from Wayne McGregor. This was the North American remount of his original work with The Paris Ballet. Dancers dressed in black with white patterns resembling skeletal blotches, or perhaps moth coloration, danced across the stage in twos, threes, and solo movements. They sometimes mimicked each other, always a half-step out of sync, other times in random frenzy. Hazy mirror surfaces reflected their movements from all sides. Extreme extensions are followed by loss of limb control. Natural scenery was projected overhead for the most part, with a section that showed 19th century monographs detailing discovery and classification of insects.

After intermission, 3 "dessert" pieces were presented. Tarantella (George Balachine) showcased the technical prowess of a country couple. As I'm don't love Balachine, I'm glad it only ran 7 minutes. Self and Soul (Robert Binet) was submitted for the Erik Bruhne 2016 competition. I thought it was interesting but still revealed the relative youth of its choreographer. The Concert (Jerome Robbins) was definitely the crowd-pleaser. A group of concert-goers to a Chopin recital, the enthusiast, the introvert, the society girl, and other stereotypes gave us a glimpse into their reverie and daydream as they listened to Andrei Streliaev. There were plenty of gags including out-of-sync dancers and even a mallet over the head prop.

Once Upon A Time

On Friday, I was at The Harbourfront Theatre for this year's Kalanidhi dance. I couldn't stay for all 3 performances but I did catch the first piece entitled A Story and a Song from Navarasa Dance (LA/Boston). A couple of friends vied with each other to tell a good story. The winner was a love story about a woman who can turn into a flowering tree. Those on stage through traditional Indian dances, yoga postures, silk aerials, and Malkhamb (an Indian rope or pole-based acrobatic form) acted out the story: from her simple life, through her courtship with a prince, and all the complications that follow marriage. There were also Indian chants, songs, and kids' rhymes, but also some modern winks including the woman's sisters singing Beyoncé's All The Single Ladies.

It was a fun composition although some of the audience participation fell flat since the theatre was sparsely attended. Overall, it wasn't quite as thrilling as Sapargati from a few years ago, which used the same choreographic foundation to tell a story that felt mythic and filled with grandeur.