Teach A Man To Fish

I've heard Hamilton-based singer Jeremy Fisher only once before, at a Junos showcase at the Horseshoe. So on Tuesday, I went down to the Harbourfront to see a full set at the Pan Am-related Celebration Zone. Being on the scene since 2001, he seems to have a good number of long-time fans, as well as plenty of songs to draw on. The oldest one, Lemon Meringue Pie, got some amazed murmurs. Most of them (Alison, Cigarette, High School) were typical pop. Their distinguishing feature was Fisher's well-crafted lyrics. Although a tune like The Bride Is Dead (from reading an article about a man having a wedding day for his girlfriend after her sudden death) did veer into groan-inducing puns.

The set was elevated by Fisher's stories. The man was a natural show-man and story-teller. His songs often stretched into the 10 minute mark because half-way through he would relate some amusing or laugh-out-loud anecdotes. They could also be touching as during his cover of Greg Brown's Canned Goods. The most funny/"right in the feels" story was told while he played Ain't Got Nothing But Plenty of Time (inspired after a cross-country bike ride a long time ago). Recently, Fisher was on a bicycle tour of Southern Ontario. After he passed the 1000 km mark, he spent 20 minutes revising a humble-brag tweet. Just then, a man passed by on foot. After they struck up a conversation with Fisher crowing about his accomplishment, it turns out the man was Jean Béliveau, who was a few days from completing his 11-year walk around the world. Amid the laughter, Fisher quipped: "I'm sure both of us thought the other guy was an asshole."

X-Factor

Allie Hughes has been kicking around Toronto's music scene for a while, but her move to L.A. and transformation into a Lady Gaga-esque Allie X has brought much more attention to her music. On Saturday, she was a musical guest for the Flaunt Festival at Harbourfront.

Supremely tall on gangly boots and legs, this was essentially a reprise of her show at the Drake. But given her synth-dance (with weirdo touches) style, a tightly choreographed set is to be expected. Her dance moves were more (deliberately) animatronic/cyborg than Beyonce athleticism. With only a few songs released on the CollXTion I EP, she played the songs in order. But this was also a choice with the narrative that she was telling. Despite the seemingly pop nature of her music, she showed off her big pipes every now and then, as well as an "accidental" demonstration. During prolonged technical difficulties by her band before starting Prime, she decided to play the first verse by herself in an "operatic manner" accompanied by her classically-trained piano playing. The old people behind me could be heard expressing their amazement.

But the advantage of playing for fogeys at public venues instead of hipsters at underground trendy clubs is that they buy merchandise. So unlike her lonely table at the Drake show, there was a line-up afterwards for CDs and t-shirts. The other contingent is a small vocal fan-base comprising of young, queer kids. They cheered and danced during the show and stayed for photos and autographs. Her new music and outsider attitude seemed to have struck a chord, as a few fans were moved to tears talking to her.

Petit Déjeuner

The disadvantage of being an early riser is that most eateries don't open until almost midday. Incredibly, late night hot spot Bar Raval may close at 2 a.m. but they re-open at 8 a.m. So on Saturday, I headed over to try their menu. Reviews often talk about the unique curves and swoops in the bar. They were right, it was like being inside a "hipster Hobbit" home (in a good way). Even more amazing, except for the oyster bar, everything else on the menu was available as well as breakfast items arrayed on the bar-top.

Though everything now is labeled tapas this or that, Raval is a true Spanish tapas joint. It was also clear how they can open so early. Most dishes use raw or cured ingredients that just need some deft assembly on a plate. Nevertheless, this was high-quality stuff. So my first bite into the Galacia octopus ($8) was heaven: thinly sliced and tender. The sardines floating on top of a creamy base for the Stracciatella and Boquerones ($7) was equally delicious and not too strong in flavour.

Unfortunately, the Jámon croissant ($4) was a disappointment. Whoever they source their croissant from didn't do a great job. This was thick, heavy pastry closer to store-bought than the light, multi-layered, buttery decadence from a quality bakery. The ham was obviously high-end, but too thick and tough. The almond teacake ($4.50) was better: lightly sweet and not too dense. But the poached pear didn't have that usual lovely flavour.
So the take-away for me was stick to the main menu. The early opening hours are a blessing but at $35, Bar Raval is a bit steep to serve as a regular breakfast joint.

Crain It Up

Thursday night, I went to the Dakota for an early show. It was unfortunate that it was so sparse for Samantha Crain, a singer-songwriter from Oklahoma. Sometimes the sheer amount of going-ons in Toronto can be unkind to indie musicians. On the upside, the few that were there were true fans.

Crain came to my attention via Facebook posts from First Aid Kit, having opened for them in the U.S. I was curious enough to check her out for myself tonight. Well, she is a fine writer of americana music, much better than many bigger acts out there including First Aid Kit. Whether it was older songs (Santa Fe, For The Miner, Devils In Boston) or new tunes from her just-released 4th album (Elk City, When You Come Back), these were sharply observant stories of every day life. But what made her set a wonderful hour of music was her playing and her resonant voice. Without a band, many singers turn into boring chord strummers. But Crain had a repertoire of guitar techniques to enhance each song. Any musician who can replicate the exciting, driving pace of Lions with just a guitar is a great one. Foreign musicians seemed compelled to cover a Canadian artist when touring here, though it's true there are some musical giants from the North. So Crain covered Neil Young's Tell Me Why. Though there were calls for an encore, Crain had already played plenty of music. In any case, she made a beeline for the washroom, probably due to all the free booze sent to the stage by numerous admirers.