Tuesday Talks

On Tuesday, I went down to The Drake Underground for an intimate show that felt like meeting up with two friends. In fact, many there knew the country singers and they themselves were best friends. Opener Kelly Prescott was the funny friend who, in her words, "overshared". So her solo set had songs about break-up, divorce, and cheating exes. But it wasn't just her banter that got laughs. In Heels, a song about "making up for lost time" after finding herself newly single, the chorus with the line "I'm not head over heels, but I'll be heels over head for you" had people chuckling. Episode was both a "real country" number (with its 3/4 time) and an ode to the 90s when radio played female artists and you got to hear their perspective.

Headliner Jessica Mitchell was the intense friend who might overwhelm you with drama. Drawing from her debut album Heart of Glass, her songs were snippets of heartbreak. Acknowledging that the past 5 years have been miserable, Mitchell told the audience she was in a better place and sang some newer songs with a more positive outlook. It may have also allowed her to pen a personal song that reminded me of Muna's It's Gonna Be Okay, Baby in its biographical details.

It was around 2013 that I first saw Mitchell played at Emma-Lee's Case of The Mondays. But I kept missing her shows in town for various reasons. I recalled her powerful voice and it was on full display tonight; though she did get a little wobbly on notes held longer than 4 bars. And if the intervening time hasn't been great for her personally, Mitchell is finding commercial success with a Tim Hicks collaboration (Somebody Gonna Get Hurt), a song on Celine Dion's new album Courage (The Chase), and a cover by Trisha Yearwood (Working on Whiskey).

Killing Me Softly

On Saturday, I went to an early show at The Mod Club. Both performers did solo sets with just them and an acoustic guitar. First up was local singer Luka. Although the venue was still fairly empty by 7 p.m., it was still his largest mainstream audience. So I felt he missed a good opportunity to showcase his music to a crowd that, being here for J.S. Ondara, was primed for some earnest songs. Luka concentrated on new material for an upcoming album which didn't feel as strong or at least too elliptical to be accessible to a new listener. The tepid claps were stronger for his older songs Love Is The Eternal Weight and O, My Heart Is Full. Also, his usual laconic vocals didn't generate much excitement. A full band or even some back-up singers like Julie Arsenault would have really sold his crooning.

Ondara, as a Kenyan-American, had a whole album about at his new homeland called Tales of America. And over the course of his set, he took us through its promises and often its disappointments. Although his voice is clear and sweet and not the gravel of Springsteen, there was something in his lyrics and his heavy strumming that evoked the latter. He was effortlessly charming, delighting the crowd with anecdotes especially from his touring; from the man who dared him to play Heart of Gold while opening for Neil Young to the woman who worried about his mental state because of all his sad songs. I liked but didn't love his music. There was a sameness in tempo and chorus that eventually zoned me out. But the crowd loved the self-described "folk singer". There were many beatific smiles from his songs and exclamations over his soaring voice.

Frightful

Halloween came early this year because I had a Saturday lunch that was horrifying. I always try to enjoy a meal, at least while I'm there even if a place was not compelling enough to revisit. But that wasn't the case at Masalawala, an "Indian canteen" that recently opened in Little Italy.

It started out pleasantly enough: a bright, cheerful place painted with Bollywood Pop-art. The premise was simple: you pick a bowl ($11.99), select your rice, main protein, sauce, and any additional toppings. There were a few side dishes, too. So I opted for ingredients not usually available including brown basmati rice and grilled tofu. The "Belgian white chocolate" samosas ($2.99 for 2) also sounded intriguing.

The rice was chalky and crumbly because it wasn't fully cooked. The tofu was soft and gooey without any fried skin. I would use firm tofu if you're going to grill. The palak sauce had no flavour and the naan was a sad, tough chew. As I grimly ate my lunch, I noted that the same price gets you a delicious, gut-busting (in a good way) thali platter at Banjara just up on Bloor St. In fact, I've eaten Indian TV dinners from No Frills, mass-marketed for the mainstream, that were tastier. The lone bright spot was the combination fried + sweet from those dessert samosas. But they were imported from the U.K. so the owners can't take full credit.

The signs were there, but I had missed them. Despite an open kitchen, there was no smell of simmering spices. The only South Asian worker was the cashier. I don't think you have to be from some region to cook its dishes well, but places like this really test this theory. If you're really in the mood for "quick bites", then go to the suburbs like Scarborough with its plethora of authentic eateries.

Oh Here They Come

I wasn't feeling great stomach-wise after dinner on Friday; I'm getting sick every which way as of late. So I gingerly made my way to the Burdock for a show, not sure if it would be better to stay in bed. But I was rewarded with a fun night of music.

Opener was a collection of individual performers called Crystal Light Collective. Headliner Most People was mining 80s nostalgia so I couldn't help but notice that these young women sang in a modern way. Tiger Wing channeled Billie Eilish/Alessia Cara through some slow-moving chords. Soft Honey did spoken word, with her own verses were better than a cover of Lauren Hill. Shaemara gave us some danceable EDM. Finally, Janette King (from Montreal) sounded a bit like Ariana Grande for her 10 minutes.

Most People played songs with an 80s bent, helped in part by equipment either from that era (Yamaha DX7 e-piano) or can reproduce that sound (a 2000 DR-202 Dr. Groove drum machine). Add in some fat bass lines and funky guitar and the ghost of Hall and Oates (with perhaps a touch of 90s R'n'B) was strong on songs like Knife (Call Me Up) and Feeling's Right. Edwin Sheard's alto sax on a few numbers (Breathe) was the icing on this confection. Laura Barrett helped on the synth so the lead singer can take front stage on a sweet duet (Need A Little More) with boyBITCH. Did I mention that they were dressed in those iconic bright boxy suits, with glittery make-up, ear-rings, and necklaces?

Two-thirds into their set, Most People went back to an oldie (Falling Apart). That signaled a transition from smooth 80s to a stronger, more "bangers" vibe for the remainder of the evening. Whatever the feeling, the audience (including myself) was there to join in and dance along.

May La Force Be With You

Thursday night, I was at The Drake Underground for a show by Ariel Engle. A recent addition to Broken Social Scene, she is best known to me as AroarA, a duo formed around 2012 with husband and also BSS member Andrew Whiteman. Tonight they are back with some additional band members (including Carleigh Aikins) as La Force.

With multiple projects over the years including BSS and Hydra, there was a fairly big crowd for Engle; the first show on Wednesday was actually sold-out. La Force's music was upbeat, muscular synth-pop. It was interesting to hear her lyrics as Aroara's verses were taken from poet Alice Notley's In The Pine. Engle is a good songwriter herself, given emotional heft to catchy numbers. For the live show, she liked to sneak in lyrical snippets of other songs: Technotronic's Pump Up The Jam in Upside Down Wolf and Sinead O'Connor's Troy in Ready To Run. Engle played several Aroara songs including the sublime #14 ("I was born to be a poet"). Apparently, Whiteman doesn't usually play live with her on La Force so the encore Epistolary Love Song felt special and intimate.

La Force's debut album was released last year, so there were plenty in the crowd who knew the words. But I'm sure all were converts after tonight's wonderful set.

She Blinded Me With Psalm Sense

On Wednesday, I made my way to another new location for me: the Canadian Music Centre on St. Joseph Street. Like last Friday, a beautiful venue in an unexpected place. But in this case, the towering buildings and condos that now loom over downtown Yonge St. and the surrounding area made the smaller, existing edifices looked almost unreal, as if they were mere plywood fronts on a Hollywood lot. The audience seemed split between a who's who of the local indie scene and Jewish attendees.

Tonight, Daniela Gesundheit (Snowblink) was singing Jewish songs and prayers, usually only performed in religious settings at specific times such as Yom Kippur, in a secular environment. The project, called Alphabet of Wrongdoing (her English name of the song Ashamnu), was meant to bring the audience into contemplation about forgiveness given the current state of the world. It also had additional resonance for Gesundheit as one attempt to integrate her heritage in a modern way. So not only her singing in front of men would be verboten for some, but so would her custom (Horses Atelier) ankle-length coat made from prayer shawls. As she pointed out, women are still being harassed at the Jerusalem Western Wall for wearing tallits.

It was a beautiful performance. As a non-Jew, I have not attended a synagogue and heard this music. Not only is it wonderful in itself, but so was tonight's arrangement. The verses and melodies were traditional, but Gesundheit's vocal effects as well as the synth and piano flourishes, and the percussive embellishments by collaborators Johnny Spence, Phil Melanson, and Alex Lukashevsky were no doubt wholly original. From the positive reactions of some Jewish members during certain passages, a novel presentation of familiar material might have re-kindled strong emotions.

There was also audience participation. We were asked to pick a slip of paper and a blindfold before the show started. Before Kol Nidre, we learned that our fortune was on those slips in the form of short snippets taken from the prayers. Mine was all my bones shall say, "Incomparable". When Al Chet (The Great Confession) was sung, two volunteers served as witnesses in lieu of Torahs. Finally during the 3rd movement entitled Goodness Will Pursue Me which comprised 3 songs in preparation of our eventual death, we can choose to don our blindfold in contemplation. It was a night of compelling and wonderful experience.

Play Some More

Tuesday night, I went down to The Velvet Underground to see Jay Som. Opener Boy Scouts played a set of dreamy garage-pop. I enjoyed the vocal harmonies and the sonic layers on numbers like Get Well Soon. It was an understated performance by Taylor Vick but she still resonated with the crowd.

I thought Jay Som was still a bit under-the-radar but it was just a fashionably late crowd. It was sold-out (likely 400 or so) by her set, a big change from the 50-or-so people at her last show here. I've always wondered about what finally propels an artist past a certain level. She was quite appreciative as it seems that similar to Japanese Breakfast the Toronto crowd have embraced her more than other cities.

Jay Som doesn't really play "bangers", her music tends toward slow introspection with a bit of a stoner jam feel. But there was enough drums, groovy bass and wakka guitars on opening songs If You Want It, Turn Into, and Baybee to get loud cheers and dancing. They were listening through the slower indie section and sang along with her break-through The Bus Song. You know you've got fans when they stood intently through the encore for the lovely I Think You're Alright.

Sunny Days

My body doesn't fight off illness like when I was younger. So I was still feverish and coughing coming into the week-end. But with such bright, beautiful Autumn days, I made an effort to spend a little time outside.

Saturday, I went to Pho Linh at College and Dufferin for some pho. Perhaps some fragrant broth will clear up my head? Then it was a couple of blocks East to Arabesque to bask by the window with some parsley fatayar and a Blood of the Pigeon cup of Bedouin-style strong mint tea. It was good these businesses were still around. But I can't help but see that everyone was getting visibly older. As I ambled along College St. I noticed that the short-lived Art House Toronto at Rusholme has been replaced by a café called Barocco x Nino.

On Sunday, I walked around the neighbourhood to enjoy some more sunshine and came back to B x N, which turns out to be a joint venture between Barocco Coffee and Nino pastry. Sure enough, there was plenty of coffee options by the front. The back-half was a display of bite-site pastries, gelato, and a selection of more substantial food like panini. I bought a small Tuscan panzanella salad ($6) and a slice of veggie pizza ($5.50).

Settling into the long bench by the front window, I gave them a try. The ingredients were fresh but both dishes seemed under-salted. A bit odd since most restaurants tend to crank up (sometimes overly) the salt and oil. Their version of the salad had replaced the bread with quinoa and so resembled the one at Donna's. But it didn't have the same exciting flavours. The pizza was ok but was more like crunchy bread. Without top-notch dough, pizza can't excel. As I was eating it, I was reminded of Black Skirt which was here for several years. The chef had ambition to add pizza to their menu but they told me that they couldn't control the humidity and heat well enough to make good dough. Maybe some food for thought?

Lift Me Higher

On Friday, I was at 918 Bathurst for the 14th X Avante music festival. It was my first time here and I was impressed that a non-descript stretch of Bathurst just north of the subway station had a venue this beautiful. Though the festival's aim is to showcase experimental works of, as the director rather snootily called "creative music" (whatever that means), tonight's performers had approachable and fun sets. It felt like an an evening with friends.

Okan played some toe-tapping afro-cuban jazz. Though they were a 4-piece tonight, the core of the group really is the dynamic duo of Elizabeth Rodriguez (violin) and Magdelys Savigne (percussion). The songs were upbeat and got cheers for various solo turns, they also had deep emotional resonance: a break-up song about Rodriguez's previous bad marriage; a love letter to Savigne, her current spouse and musical partner; and a cover of an old Cuban composer. The latter had significance because he was friends with Rodriguez's grandma, who was visiting and seeing her grand-daughter play for the first time. With the soaring cathedral ceiling of the venue and an appreciative crowd, nana Rodriguez couldn't have picked a better show.

I kept missing local performances by Lido Piementa until she became better known. When I finally saw her, it was a disappointing EDM-esque opening set at The Mod Club, though she won The Polaris Prize later that year for La Papessa. Tonight, I witnessed why Piementa is such a magnetic performer. She had a great voice, clean and clear, with power that was used judiciously.

This was a run-through of her next release Miss Colombia though the project has been worked on since before La Papessa. Her bemusement at the Colombian people's anger over Steve Harvey's gaffe in mistakenly name Miss Colombia as Miss Universe in 2015 made her question whether she was still "Colombian". That their vitriol devolved to racial slurs against Harvey and winner Miss Philippines made this a "cynical love letter" to her old country.

Since it was an all-horn arrangement, for tonight Pimienta had assembled an 8-member band to play with her. She also recruited Rodriguez and Savigne for harmony on several songs. With all songs in Spanish, Pimienta had explanations for each number. This played to her wicked sense of humour. Switching between her own voice, an exaggerated "latina" patter, and a "white Becky" drawl, she laid out the motivation of each song: prejudice against Afro-Colombians, "good hair", blue-eye Western beauty standards, or sending money home. The jokes made talking about touchy topics easier.

In the end, the songs stood on their own. Pimienta might self-deprecatingly refer to her "Youtube Tutorial Academy" credentials versus the other "real musicians", but her music was top-notched. The audience loved her set and for the encore, she teased with a song from Miss Colombia 2. That album is probably 2 years out given that the first one is still being mastered.

More Nae

On Friday, I went to a tiny 3-table café at Ossingon and College called Janelle's Kitchen. Having just opened in the last two months for daytime meals, it took over from a long-time Vietnamese jewelry store and next to my old optometrist from decades back. Filled with knick-knacks, magazines, and newspapers, it exuded a cozy homey feel. Looking over the short menu, I opted for a vegetarian quiche ($13) and a cup of green tea ($3).

The slice of quiche was rich and warm, redolent of roasted mushrooms and cheese. It was a tad on the small side, along with generic bread bought from the Brazilian bakery just down the street, and a typical lettuce salad, the dish seemed a bit pricey. Though the coffee machinery was fairly trendy, the tea was simply a PC teabag. I like this place, but at close to $20 with tip I don't think this spot will make it on my regular go-to list of eateries.

She Said She Liked The Ocean

I was at The Mod Club Tuesday for two bands from L.A. I don't remember another year where I've seen so many indie bands from that state including The Marías, The Regrettes, Death Valley Girls, and French Vanilla. I was feeling light-headed and a bit detached throughout the show having gotten sick over the Thanksgiving week-end. In fact, I had to admit defeat and skipped out on the sold-out concert of Big Thief the next night.

Though I was mostly in a daze, I was impressed by both acts. Opener Chelsea Jade, along with 2 singers, sang some high-energy dance songs. I was on the fence with the typical EDM beats but was won over by some sonic flourishes and her interesting lyrics. I wasn't surprise to learn that like local singer Ivy Mairi, Jade came from a folk music background. The set was enliven by some judicious choreography somewhere between modern dance (think Sia's videos) and straight up club moves. Jade already had fans in the audience but converted quite a few more.

MUNA opened with Number One Fan and got the crowd going strong for their entire set. Their cross between indie and electronic pop kept the energy level up. A middle section with songs from their new albums had more of a rock feel with singer Katie Gavin describing it as their "Dixie Chicks/Avril Lavigne moment". But the night ended on a rave-like atmosphere as they did their "Bangers section" and advised their fans to "bring their best dance moves because there's no encore". So the crowd partied to Hands Off and I Know A Place. The show closed with the cathartic new song It's Gonna Be Okay, Baby which chronicled the ups and downs of Gavin's life.

Bring Back To Life

Friday night, I headed to Longboat Hall, the below-ground venue at The Great Hall on Queen St. W. For the first band Pick a Piper from Kitchener, I watched them from the second-level to get a more better view of their knob-fiddling. This EDM-esque band had an interesting set-up including a modular synth and an electronic glockenspiel. All three also played percussion so there were some poly-rhythm passages. But in the end, it was still a bit too four-on-the-floor.

While waiting for the next band to set-up. I was approached by some people who turned out to be Christian proselytizers. It's happened before in various urban situations (street corner, subway) but at an indie music show was a first. At least they weren't just there to preach as they professed their love of Family of Things. This band played an up-tempo set of funky dance-pop with lead singer Brad Barnham often singing in a falsetto. The missionaries weren't the only fans as a sizeable crowd danced during their set.

With the room now hyped and chatty, it was hard for one-woman electronic outfit Petra Glynt to hold their attention. It also didn't help that the mix was muddy, reducing her music to mostly thumping beats. Despite swooping effects and a similar aesthetic as U.S. Girls in their DIY sampling days, Glynt's set wasn't too thrilling. Perhaps a recent and more varied set from L Con biased me in terms of my expectations.

Tonight's Rich Aucoin set wasn't as sonically pleasing as his show at The Drake. With only one 1 backup singer, and no Christine Bougie on guitar and Anna Ruddick on bass, there were less layers. Also, instead of playing his latest album in its entirety synced to Disney's Alice In Wonderland, it was less obvious the work that had gone in for that extra endeavour. But in other ways, this Aucoin show was even more high-energy. By mixing in his old hits, as well as projecting the lyrics to the chorus and "practicing" them on every song, he got full audience participation. Of course, his fans were already primed and ready to dance and sing along. There were plenty of confetti shot into the crowd and the giant parachute made its appearance on Are You Experiencing?

Who Put The Bop

On Tuesday, I went to The Velvet Underground for a couple of bands from the L.A. area. The drawback of an all-ages show is a reminder of how old and obsolete you are. But the enthusiasm of the young, mostly girls, crowd was a nice change from the head-nodding of a typical show. They sang, danced, and clapped along to everything, not only for the 3 bands but even when certain songs played between sets.

The bands themselves were also baby-faced. Hala from Michigan opened the show with bright, cheery pop that reminded me of early Beatles (Love Grows) with a bit of groovy funk (Sorry). At the start of several songs, I thought he was doing a San Cisco cover. Greer the Band continued the very retro vibe with a laid-back early 60s, Beach Boys feel (Song For Me). Being a relatively new outfit, they played several covers including The Strokes' Someday.

Given how loud the audience cheered for the openers, it was unsurprising that it was deafening when The Regrettes took the stage. With the encouragement of band lead Lydia Night, a joyful mosh pit started with the first number California Friends. I read a review panning their doo-wop (Pumpkin) meets girl pop-punk sound (Go Love You). But seeing them live with ecstatic fans who danced all through their set, I saw young people playing infectious music (I Dare You). But The Regrettes do have some bite in that fun: Seashore ("Hey I've got news, I'm not a little girl") where they encouraged their fans to raise their middle fingers during the chorus; and encore song Poor Boy ("Tellin' you to shut your mouth") where Night asked women and non-binary folks to come to the front and be heard and the men to support them by moving back.

L after Love

Sunday night, I was at The Baby G for an EP release. It was sadly a sparse crowd, probably a combination of Nuit Blanche hangover and it being Sunday. Nobody wants to go out Sunday night where the first opener doesn't even start until 9:30 pm.

Isla Craig played with a full band numbers from her album including Who Am I and Bird of Paradise which was an ode to loved ones who have "passed from this realm". She also tried new songs about the "steadiness of the moon" and "riding the waves". Her jammy, stoner music was complemented by judicious use of languorous sax melodic lines.

Headliner Lisa Conway has shrunk her band L Con to just herself though she was joined on harmony by Isla Craig on 2 songs. I appreciate her playing her music "live" instead of just a backing track. But since all her knob fiddling couldn't really be seen by the audience, it's still a bit redundant visually. As Conway pointed out, for someone who doesn't dance on stage, she has been writing a lot of dance-y music. So though the plaintive Distance To The Moon opened the show, the rest of the set from Form of Space to Winner had plenty of bass and beat. But L Con's synth-pop isn't four-on-the-floor club numbers, it was full of interesting off-kilter rhythms, noisy samples, and layers of atmospheric effects. Even a straight-forward ballad Believe contained odd sonic textures. Her lyrics were also repleted with understated and strange imagery. Appropriately enough, Conway ended with a synth version of In The Air Tonight because throughout the set, her lighting collaborators had projected a kaleidoscope of 80s CGI geometric shapes and squiggles behind her.

Use My Walk

Saturday was noticeably cooler than the heat wave earlier in the week. But the bright sunshine kept things cheery and comfortable for a leisurely stroll. After a brief visit to the library at Shaw St., I made my way down College St. through Little Italy. The Royal was hosting the Toronto Food Film Festival. Apparently, Toronto has the most film festivals in the world, though most are local and not internationally known like TIFF. It seems that this one was more than just watching movies; later on, I saw several groups with the festival's pamphlet waiting outside various restaurants.

Once in Chinatown, I did some groceries and stopped at Swatow for shrimp wonton noodle soup and Vietnamese treats at Nguyen Huong Sandwiches. They are still going strong, but who can tell. Over the past year, there have been unexpected closures of venerable, decades-old stores in the area. But new ones, mostly eateries, continue to spring up. I'd bet that the stretch of Spadina between College and Dundas, not to mention just further south and spilling east and west along Dundas, has the highest density of restaurants anywhere in the city. Yet Chinatown doesn't have the night-time cachet of Little Italy or Queen St. West.

There were plenty of tourists in adjacent Kensington Market as I made my way home. After a quick nap, I got ready to listen to some Chopin at Gallery 345. But though the owner still posted on social media about tonight's show, it has been moved to Sunday. I was initially irritated with having made an unnecessary trip to the venue, yet it turned out to be a blessing. Later on around 9:30 pm at home, I was experiencing some intestinal issues. This would have occurred at the three-quarter mark if the concert had gone on. Thinking about the close proximity of the washroom to the stage area, I laughed at the situation. It would have made a perfect scene in some Hollywood gross-out comedy. Well, my stomach problem scuttled any nascent plans to head out to The Garrison's 10th Anniversary or Nuit Blanche.

OK Go

The early show at The Burdock on Wednesday was packed. Many friends of singer Kaili Kinnon were there to support her as she returns to the stage. Kinnon's life has been more or less on hold over the last year due to a concussion. Late into her set, she admitted that as recently as a month ago, she wasn't sure if she would be able to perform.

Though she usually sits behind her piano, tonight she sang standing front and centre. A full band played through a set of old material (Deepest Blue) to mostly new songs (Come Be Near, You Could Be Mine) from her 1218 project: 12 total songs released monthly through 2018. This project was also derailed because of her injury and didn't wrap up until now.

I couldn't quite engage with her music. It was a mix of Jazz and Pop, and not the best bits. So we have the ambiguous idiom of Jazz without the catchy simplicity of pop melodies combined with middle-of-the-road pop lyrics. A cover of Joni Mitchell's Case Of You highlighted what transcendent lyrics could be. Kinnon has a big vocal range, but her tendency toward Shakira-esque vibrato in the lower register grated after a while. She is undoubted talented and well-loved by the crowd tonight and I applaud her commitment to raising money for brain injuries.

Tall Tales

Since stand-up comedy is not recognized as an art form, an advocacy group was formed in 2017 to push for recognition and funding. To that end, the people at Theatre Centre has partnered up with CASC to present a week of Comedy Is Art shows. During the introduction, they also promised to open up their residency for a qualified stand-up comedian who has a "big idea" and is looking for financial and organizational support.

The first show tonight was an hour-long improv session with Tallboyz II Men. A few things stood out: they mostly got their start doing stand-up, and all were men of colour (East Asian, African-Canadian, and First Nations). They were recently commissioned by CBC to do a sketch comedy show a la Baroness Von Sketch.

Unlike their broadcast skits, they didn't touch on any issues relating to race. This was a shame as the gentle skewering of popular (i.e., white) culture with regards to the lived experience of POC made those sketches both funny and biting. This improv show, like most, was hit-and-miss. The middle was strong once they found their rhythm, but the beginning and end were mostly *cricket chirp*. Some highlights included: an extra-hipster podcast where the hosts discussed books, not their content but just their physical form, while live transcript was done on a typewriter; a first date who moved in and the reticent victim who won't kick them out; and a backwards day where among other things, winning teams had scores of 7-9.

If an improv troupe was to be considered for residency here, I'd like to see real experimentation and exploration to expand the form.