Messy Monday

Before I left Toronto, I went out for 10 days straight to enjoy my last days in the big city. This week being the 4th year anniversary of my departure, and with my mom going on her first overseas trip since the the pandemic, I decided to try to see if I could replicate it in Ottawa.

Monday wasn't promising with rain coming down all day. But it cleared up in the early evening by the time I made my way to Live on Elgin. This upstairs venue seemed to be a cross between The Burdock and a cleaner The Cave. I was curious about the headliner, as touring musicians don't usually visit Ottawa.

Opener Emma Bayash layered vocals, sound effects, and piano on songs about the ennui of modern-day dating and heartbreak (a recent break-up inspired 3 numbers). As a full-time nurse, her encounter with the highs and lows of the human experience also made it into her music. Sometimes she ventured a little bit into the clever wordiness of Penelope Scott. But in general, her earnest lyrics were a little on the nose. My favourite song was Lingerlust, which because of an upcoming two month stay in Montreal, Bayash had translated into a French version. I can identify with wanting great travel adventures but being happiest staying close to home.

Rachel Sunter (once Arsoniste) recently moved Montreal after a 10-year stint in Halifax. But it turned out this was a hometown show.  Her music was moody art-pop, punctuated with fragmentary and melancholic piano riffs. Although a classically-trained pianist, Sunter mostly sang or played guitar about inconstant Brit beau (nowhereman), emotional life (sad song), and moving on (goodbye to the purple room). Her composition was quite good with interesting touches and variety. Sunter must have played Toronto now and then. But being based on the East Coast, her Big Smoke gigs may have been infrequent enough that I didn't catch a show in the past 15 years.

It was too bad both performers suffered from poor sound. The mix was simply too loud given the room size and modest crowd presence. The high frequencies were clipping while the lower registers were muddy. This did not showcase Sunter's atmospheric pop and Bayash's balladic confessionals in the best light. The last time I left a gig that coincided with a championship game, the streets were loud with cheers. Tonight, the people in Ottawa wasn't as excited that the Toronto Blue Jays had won the ALCS in game 7.