Go With The Flow

I previously said I have spent too much money travelling to Toronto for shows. But truthfully, if it was only that, I'd couldn't justify the cost to my frugal self. Saturday turned out to be the sort of day, just a "regular" one for The Big Smoke, which I don't have in Ottawa.

In the early morning, after eating leftover Ethiopian for breakfast, I took transit down to The Distillery District. I haven't been to this historic, cobble-stoned area in a while. Probably more recently than a decade ago but still not that often. I don't remember all the stores but it seemed like bigger eateries and indie breweries (and their large patios) have taken over the main corridor. Also, the whole zone was now surrounded by condos.

Once past The Distillery, I walked down Cherry St. and across several bridges to get to the new Biidaasige Park. Like most cities, the East-End was historically the location of plants, factories, and the dumping ground of wastes. With that land now at a premium, Toronto has been re-developing but also rehabilitating thousands of acres. So the street had clean sidewalks and bike lanes. Numerous plots had fencing announcing the development of dozens of buildings which would amount to entire neighbourhoods in the future.

The park itself was wonderful and part of the re-naturalization of the Don River (i.e., allowing it to meander again instead of being confined to a man-made channel). This flood-prevention would also open up the area to residential development. But on this sunny morning, it was the abundant green, native plants that made it seemed like you had left the big city. I was also there for A Lake Story where 400 people in 100+ canoes, carrying naturally-dye flags, paddled in formation through the river and into Lake Ontario. Similar to my approach to the Santa Claus Parade, I just wanted to see the start when they board and then be on my way. After watching the motivational speeches, the loading, and the group push-off, I headed back to the mainland. But I accidentally saw them for their entire trip.

As I moved back through the park, people were lined up at various points to watch the procession. The best view was just as they came around the first bend. I then walked back to Lakeshore with the intention of heading to Queen's Quay. I saw some new development and decided to do a quick tour. It turned out to be the East Bayfront area and many people were lined up by the water. Lo and behold, in the distance, the canoe armada was just coming out of the river mouth into the lake. The fluttering of the colourful flags drew oohs, aahs, and when they came closer to the waterfront, applause from the crowd.

East Bayfront was nice and I could see people buying condos here. Despite The Gardiner and Lakeshore Boulevard a few blocks north, there was a peaceful vibe. Two things surprised me. First, the presence of mature trees along the waterfront and at Sugar Beach. Second, it wasn't all new residential. There were quite a few businesses including George Brown College, Corus, Université de l'Ontario Français, Toronto Region Board of Trade and large retailers like Farm Boy and LCBO.

I jumped on the subway to have lunch at BHK Roll, a hidden gem inside a food court. This time, it was Chicken Vindaloo ($21) and thanks to my history with chef Saha, freshly-made basmati rice. But I admit I can't handle spices like I used to because the entrée packed almost too much kick for me. I think that more people have caught on because I saw someone eating Chicken Biryani and another person ordering several dishes from the pricier selection. My portion was huge and will serve as dinner on Sunday.

In the evening, I went to Koerner Hall (it has been a decade) for a concert by Tafelmusik, a group dedicated to "historically accurate" Baroque performances. Before I stepped inside, I asked a young woman standing alone why she wearing a cloak and carrying a lantern. It turned out she was waiting to lead a ghost tour. But I wasn't sure if there were any takers.

Rachel Podger (guest violinist and conductor) was leading this ensemble in 2 symphonies: Mozart's no. 40 and Schubert's Fifth which was an homage to Mozart in tone. Not being a regular classical music listener, I assumed from the liner notes that it was a composition for the cognoscenti as the symphony was likely never performed in Mozart's lifetime. He had fallen out of favour by that time.

Within the first phrase, I realized it wasn't obscure at all. The man next to me liked the performance but it wasn't "ovation worthy". But the horns were certainly better than "last night's atrocious playing". I didn't stay for the Schubert as I was ready to go to bed. You know you're getting decrepit when you can't even stay up longer than the grey-haired set for a classical recital.

Take A Chance On Meg

On Friday, I was heading again to Toronto for a concert. Will it be as mind-blowing as the last time I did that? Lately, Rider Express was packed especially after Kingston. I usually arrive the day before an event but there was no room at my East End rental for Thursday. After unpacking, I went to Abugida for a vegetarian platter.

As I noshed on some delicious lentils, okra, and other ingredients, I had 2 thoughts. First, my first experience with Ethiopian was in Ottawa back in university. Some Iranian friends thought it too spicy while I found the food quite mild. They would probably find Abugida's food intolerable. For myself, it was the perfect amount of kick. Second, last week I also had Ethiopian at Habesha with my financially-savvy friend. That veggie combo came in at $23, before tax and tip, for half the amount of food. This platter was $17 all-in! Maybe they didn't include tax because I paid in cash. But the price difference was eye-opening and why I rarely eat out in Ottawa.

On my last trip, I ended up going to only 1 concert. When I lived in Toronto, I often went to a show oblivious of the performers. But I listened ahead of time to the prospective bands and it deterred me because it all sounded mediocre. I did it again but this time, I was looking forward to the openers because hey sounded great.

When I arrived at The Mod Club just before 8, New Chance was in the middle of a song. And that was it because Ticketmaster had moved the start time to 7:30 without sending out an updated notification. But the number (and the rest of her album online) was good enough for me to get a t-shirt ($30) and a vinyl ($30). Luckily, CJ Willey was also good. Whether it was their mentorship with Meg (U.S. Girls) or side gig with Shania Twink, they had a strong and lively stage presence with country-inflected indie (So Brand New, Get Paid, Cheap Therapy). Willey showed they could also do intense on new numbers Gasoline and Wasp. So their debut vinyl ($30) also went into my tote bag.

I missed U.S. Girls last tour at The Velvet Underground in 2023. So I shelled out some big bucks to be in Toronto this week-end. These 3-day excursions typically clocked in around $800 for AirBnB, bus, food, and entertainment. Was it worth it? Well, I forgot that for every U.S. Girls' transcendent show, there could be some head-scratcher. It depended on the venue and the audience. Tonight's gig ended up somewhere in the middle. So maybe.

This ambivalence was likely why her audience doesn't seem to grow. There were still tickets at the door and The Mod Club ended up only half-full. It was also obvious from the crowd (and crowd noise) around me. Some wanted to groove to bangers like 4 American Dollars and others preferred atmospheric numbers like Rage Of Plastic (Simone Schmidt) and Family Tree. The younger fans (did Meg have a recent radio or TikTok hit?) seemed confused that U.S. Girls closed out the show with songs that used sample-heavy pre-recorded tracks instead of her band. But I wasn't surprised given Meg's beginnings. In any case, I suspect (and overheard some snippets) that a good proportion of the crowd left with a feeling of "I liked a bunch of songs but ..." U.S. Girls' eclectic output (Scratch It is the 8th album!) simply cannot satisfy everyone 100 percent.

So for her next gig, it'll probably the same amount of folks: many will not attend, and they will be replaced by new fans. As for me, I'd still go her shows if I was living in Toronto. But I wouldn't travel from out-of-town like this time.

A Taste of Ewe

Before attending a concert on Wednesday, I paid $24 for dinner from a food court. Was it caused by the recent price hikes on groceries? Probably. But mostly because after reuniting with my favourite Indian chef, and eating his delicious parathi rolls for lunch, I knew I had to return to try the pricier evening offers.

The only downside was that I had forgotten my face-mask and was in the subway during the rush-hour. Even without the threat of Covid, I can't imagine being unmasked in that packed crowd and risking flu, colds, and other transmissible diseases. But apparently most people didn't mind breathing all that stale air. Now onto the good stuff. In a nutshell, chef Saha's Gosht Nizami ($24) was exquisite. The people around me, eating KFC and Subway, might have thought I was a little strange. Why was this person closing their eyes and savouring every bite? Because the spices were perfectly balanced, each cube of lamb wonderfully tender, and the biryani rice (I had some early doubt since it looked too wet) was fragrant and rich. I have eaten at fancier offerings that were half as good. I do love stick-to-your-ribs South Asian but this was on another level.

Back at my rental, I didn't experience any after effects of a rich meal. So I made my way to The Drake Underground. Opening band Burs was a bit all-over-the-map. When they stuck to propulsive folk-rock like on Country Song from their upcoming album, they were tight and on fire. But on several numbers, a middle section or coda degenerated into a noisy shoe-gaze interlude. This sort of mish-mash only worked some of the time.

Case Oats was a new band with some indie/alt country buzz.  Fronted by Casey Gomez Walker (of Midwestern small-town stock) but based in Chicago, they have already signed to label Merge Records. Toronto was officially 1 of 3 album release venues. So for their set, Oats played their debut album Last Missouri Exit front to back. These songs were essentially a snap-shot of Walker's coming-of-age since she originally wrote them as short poems or lyrical fragments. They were about looking back (Seventeen), growing apart from your hometown friends (In A Bungalow), and your exe's girlfriend (Nora). There was only 1 love song (Wishing Stone) but plenty about toxic men (Buick Door, Bitter Root Lake, Hallelujah).

After wrapping up Last Missouri Exit, Case Oats played several new songs and a cover of The Clash's Lost In The Supermarket. Overall, I really liked these sharply observed verses and Walker's matter-of-fact singing (she also had a small sneer) straddled the line between honest and cynical. The only snag was she started to lose her voice about 3 songs in. This made Walker quipped that "you'll have to buy the record to hear how they should really sound".

The audience were mostly young but I was surprised to see quite a few middle-aged men. I'm guessing it was partly due to the reputation of the drummer dad's (Jeff Tweedy of Wilco) that brought them out. I was going to get some merch but the line-up was long and slow. I needed to get back to my rental for an early morning ride back to Ottawa.

Walking Down A Dream

I forgot my gym clothes so I couldn't go to yoga class. So on Wednesday, I decided to get some more steps in. This time, it was a walk from Lansdowne to Spadina and back along College St. There are always changes in new businesses replacing a long-time store or a failed contender. I will limit myself to a handful of observations.

The cheap car-wash at Lansdowne was no more. There will likely be a condo there but it might take a while. Though close to red-hot Dundas St. West, this intersection was always down-at-the-heels. The block from Sheridan to Dufferin was "nicely" gentrified; that is, there was variety (Archi Element, Critter and Co, El Mitote Latin Lounge) and all storefronts were occupied. This doesn't always happen when gentrification kills long-time businesses without replacement. ZEI Pottery (Do Hue, barely-there Cuchara) is the 4th pottery studio I have seen in this part of town. I'm not holding out much hope for them.

Nearer to Ossington, The Carvalo Condos never got its Pusateri but a NoFrills moved in. Krispy Kreme was putting in final touches in a former convenience store. There were too many turnovers in Little Italy and from Bathurst to Spadina to mention. But notably the spot hosting Korean fusion Mashed Bistro, then traditional Korean Riceteria, then a very short-lived breakfast diner, the slightly longer Nile River, was now a Japanese/Korean late-night spot called Cheongju Izakaya. Belly Buster Subs didn't last long at the former Soundscapes record shop. Vegan joint Odd Burger (previously vegan GL) could be on its last legs. Nothing online yet except rumblings though the IRL For Lease sign doesn't bode well.

My reward at Spadina was a slice ($5) from Fresca the best pizza shop in Toronto. It has been more than a year and it was even more bustling. But this meant I didn't get any face-time with the owners. In addition to the young makers putting out pizza, there was a now someone helping in the kitchen. The fresh-faced crowd looked university-age as the high-school teenagers have yet to return from summer vacation. I'm cautiously optimistic that Fresca will be around till at least the end of the decade.

On my return leg, I stopped at Barbershop Patisserie for an assortment of croissant, chausson, brownie, and banana bread ($32.25). They were all delicious as breakfast treats over the next few days. When I was supporting this business during the pandemic, I noticed the owner was slim ("never trust a skinny chef"). I assumed, probably wrongly, that it had to do with the stress of starting a new venture during a tumultuous time. 5 years in, they were perhaps even more slender. Maybe this meant this was their natural size? Because the shop seems to be doing well, now opened daily instead of only a few days a week.