Free To Be

There was a concert Saturday night that promised a singular experiment: Indigenous singer Jeremy Dutcher with U.S. Girls at Massey Hall. On top of that, this rising star would be accompanied by a choir (that also sang on his new album) comprising of numerous singers from Toronto including Lydia Persaud and James Baley. But I only found out about the concert just before my trip and it was almost completely sold out; I would be sitting up in the rafters for $60. So I consoled myself that U.S. Girls' Massey debut was not the full band but only a trio of Meg Remy, Alex Lukashevsky, and Georgie Gordon (once of The Magic) and I will see Persaud and Baley soon for The O'Pears Christmas show.

Instead I headed to The Burdock for my first show there since the pandemic. Both acts tonight covered a similar ground: earnest pleas of the granola crowd to be kind and love one another. The first was a choir called Minuscule. This large ensemble was fronted by Laurel Minnes but tonight they were a 4-member group accompanied by Minnes' partner on drums. It was good, catchy music (Oh Da Dee, Lukewarm Love). The harmonies were nice but I've been spoiled by the intricacy of The O'Pears. Minnes' verbiage and melodic phrases reminded me of Language Arts and The Burning Hell. But while the latter bands had rawness, sweetness, and occasionally humour in their dense verses, Minuscule was a bit anodyne.

The duo Moonfruits from Ottawa also mined the same territory. In fact, they invited Minuscule to provide backup vocals on one song. The two groups had met when they played in Red Rock, Ontario. Domestic partners Alex Millaire and Kaitlin Milroy sang about depression (Loki), climate change (Carousel), and greedy landlords (Renter's Ramble). It was still a bit hippie and flower power but as they were in the folk tradition, they were successful at adding some timelessness to their lyrics. Their songs had a surprisingly propulsive feel that got toes tapping. Throwing in some humorous French songs from their older albums was a welcome bonus.