Brilliant Shine

Luminato seems diminished this year, possibly because it has spread out to several locations in the downtown core. There's no central focus, like the Hearn Generating Station last year, or the large outdoor stage with free concerts in previous years. There's some buzz about the famous Spielgeltent where several shows will take place.

On Saturday, I went to see My Brightest Diamond. That tent was tiny in David Pecaut Square. And with nothing else around, nobody would know that there's anything going else, let alone Luminato. Inside it was more interesting with its circus feel and stained glass. But whatever disappointment I felt dissipated from the first song of musician Shara Nova, This Is My Hand. Accompanied by choreographed hand gestures, it was powerful start to the best live show I have seen in years.

First, tremendous kudos to her 2 collaborators: Earl Harvin on drums and Chris Brew on bass. These Jazz musicians, but also well-versed in rock, brought tremendous technical skill as well as artistry to the show. It was probably also the occasion that drew out everyone's best. Apparently despite being on Nova's albums for the last 12 years, this was the first time they have all played together live.

But it all hung on Nova's songwriting, emotional performance, and beautiful vocals. No milquetoast pop numbers for her. Even the ostensibly love songs veered off the usual, such as her "lullaby" for her son. And the political numbers about the current injustices against African-Americans packed such pain and rage, they felt like body blows. I believed her when she said music can save your life. I don't think My Brightest Diamond play live shows often, and I don't know if that level of commitment can be sustained across a tour, but this one-off performance was a privilege to experience.

Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!

Friday night, I was at Massey Hall for another Live at Massey Hall. Tonight, two indie performers took the stage with new albums. First up was The Wooden Sky. This group indie-folk vibe was a bit of rock, a lot of americana, and just a slight touch of country. I thought when they went acoustic or alternately hard, it was more interesting that the dull middle-ground. The headliner was east-coaster Jenn Grant. She has gone more pop, though her indie roots were still apparent. I only stayed for a few songs in her set, though I liked her stuff more, because I didn't feel like sitting tonight.

Luckily, just down the block was the cure for moody indie. The Pride organizers have brought in 70s disco in the form of Boney M. I arrived just as their cover of Sonny was winding down. After that, the packed crowd (and myself) danced non-stop for the next hour with hits like Brown Girl In The Ring, Bahama Mama, Ma Baker, and of course Rasputin. There was a bit of cheesy nostalgia: I can't remember another show where, for an encore, the band sang a megamix of all the songs they had just done! But it was all in genuine fun and a much more diverse crowd than the other show.

More Lunch Munch

So there were a couple more lunch spots to try this week. At Sheppard and Pharmacy, there were a few old-school Chinese places that didn't stand out. But there was Umji, a Korean diner, that seemed promising. I opted for the soon tofu stew ($7.95). Honestly, I don't know how these places stay in business. With the variety of kimchi that accompanied the soup, plus the bowl of rice, it was a full-to-bursting lunch for under $10.

I was also back to Birchmount for the last spot in that area, the oddly named Mystik which turned out to be another South Asian take-out. It didn't have the wonderful array of options on display as Crown Paradise. I was hoping to try some Parsi dishes. These are entrées from an Indian ethnic group whose ancestors came from Persia. Unfortunately, they were no longer offered. According to the owner, most people who were interested in these dishes already make them at home. What a shame.

So I opted for the intriguing butter chicken roll ($4.99). It turned out to be a large burrito-style concoction stuffed with salad and gooey butter chicken. This was quite a filling meal for the price, although the flavour was average.

Cut To The Feeling

Perhaps Carly Rae Jepsen's management finds her career in a strange spot. Obviously she's a money maker, with critically acclaimed pop albums (Emotion and Emotion: Side B), and a devoted fan-base. She could sell out mid-size venues, but she lacks the wider popularity to sell out arenas. In any case, whether by choice or from corporate advice, she has only ever toured as an opener for larger acts like Hedley.

But thanks to the Canadian Sesquicentennial celebrations sponsored by various levels of government, there was a one-off show at Roy Thomson Hall on Saturday. I quickly snapped up some tickets though I wasn't sure about sitting in a chi-chi venue listening to Jepsen, backed by the Toronto Symphony, as opposed to dancing to synth and percussion. The sold-out crowd wasn't sure either and spent the night alternating between standing up dancing and sitting down.

It was Jepsen, and now and then her long-time guitarist, front and centre. She sang through every song on Emotion, this was the ostensible reason for tonight, but also her big hit Call Me Maybe and Tug of War, a "deep-cut" for her fans. Stripped of the dance-y percussion and augmented by cinematic strings, quite a few numbers revealed the hurt and longing in her lyrics. The evening was padded out with two instrumental interludes: Debussy's Clair de Lune and an abridged version of Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet. It was quite an enjoyable evening though I'm still holding out hope for a Jepsen show in her natural element.

Say Cheese

After an early show at The Dakota, I stepped out to a rainy evening. Before the show, I was wandering around the trendy restaurant strip along Ossington for a late dinner spot. I stumbled around a corner and found a tiny spot called Bobbie Sue's Mac and Cheese. All of it, such as it was, was the kitchen/prep area. But there were a few seats on the sidewalk for the few who wasn't ordering for take-out. Luckily they were open until midnight so I was able to return for a small bowl of Classic Mac ($6). Well, small is relative because it was quite a large bowl for a late nosh, brimming with hot pasta and gooey 5 cheese blend. That was satisfying though no doubt my diet took a hit with that much carb-loading!

Clean It Up

Friday night, I was down at The Dakota Tavern for an early show. Richard Laviolette was the opener. Armed with a guitar and a collection of Country Americana, he serenaded us about black birds and spring. It was a nice set at the beginning but as the bar volume grew, you could barely hear him. As an aside, despite its reputation as a great musical venue, both its tiny size and reputation as a "friends hang-out" place makes The Dakota one of the worse spot in the city for loud chatter. Any solo artists or purveyors of soft, emotional music should set their sight elsewhere.

Blimp Rock, the "corporate band" whose aim is to raise money to have a music festival in a blimp, has amazingly gone from a 1-album to a 3-album "joke". So tonight, we were here to celebrate the release of Soap Opera. There's plenty of inside jokes and lead singer Peter Demakos also made an amiable emcee leading us through the many lows (not too many highs) of the band's history including a legal fight with the Blue Jays and a tiny blimp bird-house venture. He also read the numerous hate comments online about the band because of their great trolling (in the old-school internet sense) techniques.

The songs also had plenty of inside-baseball and fan-service winks. Sometimes literally, as per the new song Oh, Basketball which is a callback to their baseball ode from the first album. But despite the drollness, the tunes off Soap Opera including Wet Hot Canadian Summer, Duet with the Devil, and Raccoon Nation 2 were rocking and Ode to Faults, sung a capella and joined in by the crowd, was even touching. Fans of the band was able to get their hands on their new album, which came as a downloadable card embedded inside a bar of soap. Why? First, Blimp Rock is always trying new merchandising idea and second, it's their response to "fast music" (Spotify and other streaming services) by offering "slow music" (it'll take a few baths before you'll get that card).

More Lunchables

It was time for more lunch options this week. Back I went to Sheppard and Birchmount for Very Peri Chicken. This wasn't bustling with customers so no evidence of a busy chicken rotisserie was found. The chicken burger and slaw ($7.49) was OK but this place is only a draw if you want to eat cheap Portuguese/BBQ chicken and have halal restrictions.

At the same intersection but on the Birchmount side was a great find, a Sri Lanka take-out called Crown Paradise. There was a wide variety of ready-to-eat options, not usually found in most South Asian eateries. I've gone back numerous times to try them all but for my first time here I opted for the uniquely Sri Lanka dish of Madras Kottu Roti ($7). This dish of chopped roti, mixed with chicken curry and spices, was filling, tasty, and had a nice spicy kick.

My final stop this week was also at this location in the main plaza. I stepped inside Alanoor Afghan Kabob which, despite some of its current Middle Eastern décor, must have been an attempt at a trendy spot in a previous incarnation. The Vaziri Kabob ($11.99) was a huge serving of basmati rice, afghan-style naan, and wonderfully tender and seasoned beef kofta and chicken breast.

Good Mood

Adaline had her Toronto show at The Drake Underground on Saturday. First up was Only Child. Armed with a loop pedal for her guitar, plenty of reverb for her vocals, she did a short set of sloppy ambient music. Adaline, a Vancouver transplant here in Toronto, has lately been living in L.A. Her entire set was every song off her new album Aquatic.

Her songs are often commissioned to play over the various montages so popular in TV shows. It was easy to see why: a mix of melancholy pop, soaring vocals, and atmospheric mood. I have only ever seen her playing solo, triggering tracks off her laptop and synth boxes. So it was a pleasure to finally hear Adaline with a full band. Taking centre stage, she was able to let loose and concentrated on her big vocals. The bigger live sound got plenty of people to dance too.

The Lunch Trail

When I work from home, I take advantage of the lunch spots in my neighbourhood. I decided to also try out a few near my work. But out in the city's suburbs, they tend to be concentrated at major intersections.

First up at Sheppard and Warden was Eight Noodles, a northern Chinese eatery. They make their own here and has a wide variety of choices. One caveat: most of the menu is in Chinese so you may have to go by the photos and a few text in English. I got a regular bowl of la mien ($6.99). Both the broth and the slices of beef had a strong beef flavour. The noodles were soft and chewy. It was a filling lunch but in my opinion, this style of soup doesn't have the same appeal as pho or ramen.

Next at Sheppard and Birchmount was Kub Khao. The back is more nicely decorated but usually busy, so I sat in the more utilitarian front of the restaurant. Instead of the usual thai curry, I opted for one of their "street food": a plate of grilled chicken and sticky rice called Khao Niew Kai Yang ($8.95). But this lunch was a bust. The glutinous rice was too sticky and sat heavy in the gut. The chicken had some flavour but not much else, neither crispy skin nor tender flesh. The Thai ice tea ($3.95) was nice though.

West Fest

Gentrification of Dundas St. W also brings along big events like the annual street festival Dundas West Fest. I skipped out on most of it but Saturday night I arrived later for the free outdoor concert across from The Garrison.

It turns out they were running almost an hour behind schedule. I came just as Ronley Teper's Lipliner was starting their set. Their singer was the kind of woman of a certain age who just doesn't care about people's opinions anymore. So their songs were quirky, verbose, sometimes political, and spanned several genres.

Casper Skulls was at the other end of the age spectrum. Their music was harder hitting: a bit of punk, indie, and rock. I was surprised at their equally dense verbiage and even more taken back by their content. Though there were the usual love songs, there were also plenty of political and social observations on issues affecting their young lives.

Diana brought the full band tonight including back-up singers Ivy Mairie and Gary Beals. But between the late start, their complex set-up (the techs probably had to mic up close to 30 sources), and the city curfew, it was an abbreviated set than was no more than 20 minutes. So they ran mostly through a few songs from their latest album, concentrating on the synth-y dance vibes and extended vocal pyrotechnics, especially between Beals and lead singer Carmen Elle.