To get a bit of sunshine, I walked down to Bloor for lunch on Thursday. I would normally get some fish at a place like Hana Sushi, but with the amount of meat eaten at Pastorcito the day before, I opted for a strictly vegetarian maki platter ($15.99). It was a full meal with miso, salad, and 16 pieces. The cucumber/avocado was bland but the yam tempura and the inari (fried tofu skin) were acceptable.
I was tired from previous nights but I enjoyed my last outing with Karen Ng and Germaine Liu. So I went to The Tranzac in the evening. After I bought their digital albums, I realized they were more into experimental music. But I had no idea it would be a big no for me tonight. First, Karen's invited guests (10 or so) took time setting up. So the 9:30 start time got pushed back to almost 10:30 pm. Second, it was improvised noise which was better than this old concert but still dissonant. In fact, an elderly couple made a quick exit at around the 4 minute mark.
To start the show, Karen tossed a dice plushie. And throughout the set, other musicians would rethrow the die. But I wasn't sure if the value indicated for a specific person to play (since there were more than six) or the number of collaborators. As I sat through the cacophany, here were some of my thoughts. First, this was a modern phenomenon since I doubted older cultural music traditions had no melody or rhythm. Second, if improv music was analogous to "real-time conversation", then this set was closer to "parallel play". Finally, if there was any human experience that closely resembled this, perhaps it was the final moments of your life when your synapses unravelled.
It was a fundraiser for website Earlobe, a clearing house of experimental music concert listings. But The Hat, a plastic beer pitcher, didn't fill up like past events. It was a big ask from the crowd though I did chip in $10. Liu, who brought homemade cookies and other snacks, didn't play. But would her contribution have added to the noise or brought some structure?
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