Woo Woo

On Friday, I went to Lee's Palace to check out Darlene Shrugg, a rock band with members from U.S. Girls, Ice Cream. First up was NOBRO from Montreal. This all-female trio played a fast set of punk approaching heavy metal levels of noise. What stood out from the usual punk was their lyrics and their highly rhythmic songs, helped by actual bongos. It was very entertaining.

In contrast, Biblical provided atmospheric moody hard rock. I think their entire set comprised of only a few songs. As we waited for the headliner to begin, a fire alarm went off. Given the late start, I decided to head home since it would probably be approaching 1:30 am after the firefighters finish their inspection.

Double Double

Like other neighbourhoods, new businesses also pop up in Chinatown. They still tend to be Chinese restaurants, even if nowadays they come from other regions instead of just Hong-Kong. But a small Malaysian coffee shop recently opened at Dundas and Spadina. Early Saturday morning, I decided to check out Papparoti.

Being a non-coffee drinker, I skipped their drinks menu. But they certainly have the usual varieties including espresso. Their selection of pastry treats are not normally found in other café, even the hipper non-chain ones. I settled on a Malaysian coffee bun with some labneh and jam ($8). It had a fragrant flavour with a slight hint of coffee. As such, it paired better with the creamy labneh; the sweet jam overpowered that delicacy. It was an interesting baked good, but overall it was a bit pricey for a couple of bites.

Update: It seems that this location has closed. There is still one in the GTA at Square One. I'm not surprised because people still come to Chinatown mostly for cheap eats and not for a trendy (and pricier) café experience. Call it the curse of the ethnic food ghetto. They should have opened just 2 blocks over in Kensington Market.

Bright On Beach

The Beaches in the East End is its own area, and often doesn't even feel like part of Toronto. Likewise, I don't venture out that way. So when Retrocity, the 80s a capella group, puts on a free show with the Beaches Jazz Festival every year, I also use it as an opportunity to see what has changed in that part of town.

It looked like rain but the clouds cleared for Retrocity's set. As usual, they brought multi-part harmonies to numbers like Easy Lover and Say Say Say. Sometimes they concentrate on certain themes. Today it was jazz arrangements of tunes and a smattering of Canadian content (Black Station White Station, Go For Soda). After their set, 3 svelte ladies in creamy white dresses, appropriately named The Willows, took the stage with 40s-style music that invoked sock hops and soda shops.

The Beaches, of course, don't change. But Queen St. W running from Eaton Centre has undergone lots. The stretch between Yonge and Jarvis is still run down with a few dive bars and shops hanging on. Condos are filling in the landscape up to the bridge over the Don Valley. There were still old buildings on the other side all the way to Kingston Road, but the businesses in them show that gentrification is almost 100% complete in every neighbourhood.

Bay & King

I don't work in the corporate district downtown so it was interesting to walk among all the suits on Wednesday. I was at First Canadian Place for a free lunch-time concert by Milk & Bone from Montréal. Scattered throughout the crowd was a few young faces that were obviously fans, but most of the audience were curious business types. Well, everybody was young once, is still young-ish, or think that they are. So I think the duo's synth-pop numbers like Deception Bay and Pressure went over quite well. Perhaps not enough to get this staid crowd dancing despite their exhortation, but from the number of people around the merch table after the show, enough to win new fans.

Breakfast and Tiff

On Wednesday, I was at The Phoenix Concert Theatre for Japanese Breakfast. First up was Mothers. They had two round projections that played looping videos during their set. It was a combination of soft, hypnotic pop and (sloppy) math rock. I couldn't get into their music but there were some people around me in the packed venue who were obviously fans.

Michelle Zauner probably remembers Toronto quite well. The Phoenix (cap. 800) is likely her biggest sold-out venue on this head-lining tour. It was upgraded from the original Lee's Palace after tickets quickly sell out. Her previous visits were at smaller bars including The Horseshoe and The Garrison. And her 3-day residence at the defunct Silver Dollar made a big impression on her, if not in a good way. She continued to throw shade, equal parts affection and exasperation, about that experience. This time we learn that Vlad, the sound engineer, threw a chair at promoter Dan Burke.

Japanese Breakfast plays catchy indie pop, with hooks to keep you bopping but introspective lyrics to satisfy the disaffected outsider aesthetic. Zauner has a strained singing style, as if she's always singing with a constricted throat. In a self-described "Animorph" dress, she is much more assured now and often ditched her guitar to roam the stage. The audience loved both old hits (Everybody Wants to Love You) and newer tunes (Boyish). Like her former tour-mate Mitski, Zauner is poised to play even bigger venues next time around.

Creature of the Sea

I was at The Horseshoe on Thursday night for a night of eclectic performances. First up was all-female band Nikki Fierce. I saw them a few years ago at the defunct Silver Dollar. Their sound has matured from a diy garage band to a psychedelic pop. It was a sexy and power blast of a set.

Johnny de courcy was a total 180 turn-around. Essentially presenting a musical sketch complete with props (a bench and streetlamp), it was about a down-and-out former bus driver in San Francisco. People at first reacted nervously but eventually warmed to his set. I actually enjoyed it quite a bit, more musical theatre should be shown this way. There was an energy to the immediacy of a live crowd in a bar that is lacking in the usual seated theatre set-up.

Though there was still a dedicated audience for Montreal's Anemone, the Horseshoe had thinned out for their set. I first saw them opening for Men I Trust a few weeks back. Those who remained was treated to a high-energy dance set that was a cross between a funk/disco jam band and breathy French pop from the 60s.

Memories of Vancouver

Friday evening, I was at the free Roy Thomson Hall Patio music series. Oh Susanna has put out 7  albums but tonight her set was taken mostly from A Girl In Teen City. All these songs were about being a teenager growing up in Vancouver. So from a particular Chinese restaurant to a music venue to a hang-out spot, there was an abundance of details. Even her other numbers had a specificity in her lyrics that are often lacking in most songs. This extended to covers including Sleepy Little Sailor. As such, there was a strong story-telling vibe to the music even though it was more country than folk.

Burning Bright

The Roy Thomson Hall patio hosts a series of free concerts throughout the summer. I haven't gone to many this year but on Thursday, I saw Montreal singer Kandle. She had disappeared for a while. Apparently, there were some issues with her former record label. Whether or not that informed her music, the songs from her upcoming album had an edge with sharp and biting lyrics. The straight-up rock-and-roll numbers came from her older material.

Kandle has a more than passing resemblance to superstar Taylor Swift. So watching her belt out songs of rage and despair sometimes feel uncanny, like you've stepped into an alternate universe. There were fans and friends in the crowd. But a lot of the audience had just stopped by after work, and more than a few seemed astonished by her performance.

Mad as Heck

On Tuesday, I was at the Danforth Music Hall to see some women rage. First up was Vagabon. I have seen this small powerhouse musician several times. I felt a little disappointed tonight because she has left behind some of her garage/punk sound for quieter introspection. Nevertheless, she still packed a good punch.

For this tour, Courtney Barnett has decided to decorate her stage with a series of logos that  was a cross between Soviet iconography and the Mercedes brand. Her music is associated with a loose, psychedelic rock and densely verbose lyrics. There was plenty of that especially on her older songs. But the new tunes tapped into a simmering anger, especially at the stunted man-child. And if the lyrics of Nameless, Faceless weren't clear enough, her roar throughout I'm Not Your Mother, I'm Not Your Bitch made the rage abundantly clear. It was a great show from an artist who is growing ever more assured.

Hot Tamales

I was really into street festivals way back when but I don't attend them as often. Recently, I realized I have never been to Salsa on St. Clair despite that it was 14 years old. I used to practice at a yoga studio in the area and even saw vendors setting up as I was leaving my morning class. So on Saturday, I made my way to mid-town to check it out. This stretch from Oakwood to Christie with its yuppie businesses might seemed an odd fit. But then you noticed that there are more latin and Mexican restaurants than expected.

The street was closed off with a vibrant, festive atmosphere everywhere, helped by the beautiful sunshine and warmth. There were a large number of vendors selling latin-american food and plenty of dance studios were showcasing latin dances or inviting passer-bys to join in. Unsurprisingly, many people knew how to shake a hip. After a quick meal of pulled pork ($10) and some free Takis chips sample, the highlight for me was the parade led by a group of women in full Rio Carnival costumes. How they can walk and dance in those teetering heels is beyond me.

Clean It Up

On Friday, at The Drake Underground, there was literally no other paying customer except myself. I have never been to a show where a band played to an empty venue; one of the travails of being a small, out-of-town band. But kudos to Before The Flood for gamely doing their set of thumping folk with gusto.

After the opening act, there was finally a crowd but still less than 50 people for Sweet Crude from New Orleans. This was a shame because they had the highest energy, most danceable set I saw this year. Their songs were a combination of English and French Creole, with powerful vocal exchanges between the two leads, and vibrant poly-rhythmic percussion. It seems every member played a main instrument plus some percussive item. There was even dance choreography. The band noted the irony of having Before The Flood opened for them. Being from New Orleans, everyone divides history into before the flood and after the flood with regards to hurricane Katrina.

Get On My Lawn

On Wednesday, I went to a free concert at Lynn Park sponsored by the local BIA. I don't recall walking through this stretch of Danforth but it looked like gentrification has been going on here, too. Outside of hold-outs like Quattro Amici Café, it was mostly trendy shops and restaurants. So it was no surprised that the full crowd sitting on the grass at the park was well-established middle-aged couples with their young children.

I missed the opening act but head-liner The Pursuit of Happiness was setting up on stage. They went through all their hits. It was amusing to watch some toddlers rocking out as much as their parents. The teens seemed more bemused by these relic songs. Frontman Moe Berg joked that a show this early was better at his age and it also allowed his daughter to see him perform.