Lily of the Valley

It was warm enough Friday night that I could walk to The Baby G, a distance of about 2.5 km from my sublet. The stretch on College between Dovercourt and Havelock were lively with diners at Gonzo Izakaya (Levetto, Hadley's), Giuletta (Bestellen), Lardo (Prairie Boy Bread) but also event spaces like Society Clubhouse where Octopus Garden yoga studio and vegan spot Urban Herbivore used to share space.

Unlike The Monarch show on Thursday, bands took their time to get going not just with their set but also their songs. Catholic Wilt (Jesse James Laderoute) was a duo tonight, trading songs that were slow and atmospheric. I liked Laderoute in his upper register but I was zoning out for the most part. I haven't seen Isla Craig since 2019 (though she was often in the crowd at shows). Her new material since The Becoming still carried that meditative pulse, enlivened by little guitar riffs. She admitted that she has only been playing acoustic guitar as of late, but the crowd was appreciative of her deft playing on her electric.

Anna (Beams, Ace of Wands), through a chance meeting with U.S. producer Kevin S. McMahon, started a collaboration on some of her songs that weren't a fit for the her current bands. Another impetus was her pregnancy. McMahon then brought in a friend, film-maker and musician Daniel Liss and The Cross Sea was formed. The studio recordings were intricate enough that for their album release, they recruited several others to play live. From New York came McMahon, Liss, and Chris Robertson (Elk City). Local musicians were Lee Rose (Ace of Wands' lead singer), Anna's brother Mike, and Heather Mazhar (Beams).

Their set woke me up. As a (currently) one-off, it ranged from sweet folk with banjo, to some multi-vocal pop, to a heavy number like Alien. Some of the lyrics were a bit banal and on the nose but the arrangements were layered and interesting. Given the logistics, I doubt if this "band" would ever tour so it was special to see it live ($20) in Anna's hometown of Toronto.