I headed to my old neighbourhood to visit my dentist on Thursday. Since I arrived early, I went to the No Frills at Dufferin Mall, which was larger and better stocked than the Coxwell location, for some small groceries. Both the regular and express buses along Dufferin will be carrying attendees to the FIFA World Cup down at Exhibition Place. So the glass facade of the subway station was covered with World Cup colours, logo, and welcoming messages.
I received not just a cleaning but measurements to get a new mouth-guard. My dentist has gone digital 2 years ago so instead taking an impression with putty like back in 2020, he jammed a wand into my mouth. The intraoral scanner must be emitting only tiny laser pulses because it took awhile to complete the process. After the cleaning, I asked him why despite my daily regiment and 3-month visits, it was still a chore. He claimed that I was actually doing a good job but some locations, like below the gums, were not accessible. Still, given the state of my mouth, I think his "A grade" assessment for my effort was done "on a curve".
I hadn't had lunch yet so I made my way to the best 241 Pizza in the city. The owner was there and I explained that I haven't visited since March because I don't live in Toronto anymore. We chatted about the World Cup where he will be cheering on Iran. He revealed that he lived in Woodbridge, but liked his business location for the busy view of passer-bys. I agreed wholeheartedly and ate my slice ($5.50) on the steps of the nearby church to people-watch. A young couple joined me with tacos bought at Gus Taco from just across the street.
In the evening, I went to Dina's Tavern for a NXNE concert. I originally chose the venue so I could go to Fresca, too. But 2 pizza meals in one day was overkill. I started going to NXNE 16 years ago but it has been 7 years for me. Some things remain the same like amateur photographers with their gears and media pass. Some were new: there were more young POCs today. But it might have been because the 3 performers tonight were mixed.
Ley Vara and Lauryn Kovacs presented solo sets. They sang the usual love songs composed by young artists. But Kovacs did write a tribute to her mother called One In a Million when she spent a month in L.A. There were a few covers: Vara did Like A Prayer (Madonna) while Kovacs sang Save Me (Aimee Mann). It was dedicated to her dad because he loved the movie Magnolia. I saw that film in the theatre when it came out in 1999 so yeah, generation gap. Of all the acts playing tonight, Kovacs had the strongest material.
Chai Sully was a shift way from the wistful balladry of the first 2 sets. With the help of her producer, standing behind a sampler and a MacBook, Sully leaned into an R'n'B vibe. Her songs were short (almost snippets) that flowed into each other in quick succession. I know this "compilation" style is also typical of rappers. This would play better in a club/DJ show but in a small concert setting, it made her songs sound unfinished.
The final set was a full band starring Vara and Kovacs called Frank. But I had to get back to the East End early enough to work tomorrow. Some German tourists waited with me for the streetcar. They got off at Yonge St. while I kept going. The East End is definitely "grungier" than other parts of Toronto. I thought a bare-chested man was going to harassed some young women. Luckily, he only spoke to them briefly before getting off a few stops later at Broadview.
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