Burn Down The Capital
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FRIDAY, JUNE 10TH @ Cinecycle (129 Spadina Ave, down the alley) - 9pm - $12 Adv / $15 Door - All Ages

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Presented as part of TONE

KEE AVIL (https://keeavil.bandcamp.com)
Montreal experimental guitarist / composer Vicky Mettler creates mutant compositions from looped guitar noise, angular melodies, creeping vocals and grumbling electronics. She lands in Toronto celebrating her newest release "Crease" on Constellation Records. Her vocals whisper to rhythmic guitar notes, haunted gnarled textures ripple out from her guitar strings. Kee Avil sees Mettler's captivating compositions constructed out of what feels like bits of sonic refuse come to life. A beautiful and dazzling work of eerie songwriting. If you haven't seen Kee Avil her live performance is not to be missed!

KARLA (https://karlaishere.bandcamp.com)
Fuzzy ambient duo of Yunjin Claire Lee and Yoni Newman dip into Warp Records territory with their buzzing wobbling electronic tones. Luscious ghostly soundscapes whirl on top of friendly beats. Synths hum like bugs in the summer night sky. Notes pour out of the KARLA camp like blobs of molten lava casually rolling over the unsuspecting landscape. Their playful aesthetic sees them move from anxious tension to hopeful bucolic compositions reminiscent of krautrock. 

OUTPUT 1:1:1 (https://demofest.bandcamp.com/track/the-walls-a-liar)
Haunting avant-gothic songwriter Daniel Janvier's trio featuring Gene Converse and Victor O (American Standard Trio) take tortured song structures imbibing them with industrial noise textures and clattering metal that mix with Janvier's foreboding guitar work and ghostly vocals. Murky emotional music that feels akin to Nick Cave or even the more subdued late period Scott Walker outings. Vocals call out from beneath a pile of improvised noise scraps and discarded distortion. Come on time to check this live experiment in desolation.

$12 Adv at https://www.ticketscene.ca/events/40670/

TONE would not be possible without the support of The Toronto Arts Council, The Canada Council For The Arts and Long & McQuade.

Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/654161619267055

SUNDAY, JUNE 12TH @ BSMT 254 (254 Lansdowne Ave.) - 8pm - $10/$12

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Presented as part of TONE

JOYFULTALK (https://joyfultalk.bandcamp.com)
Nova Scotian Jay Crocker's avant electronic audio/visual project morphs into a new world with their latest album "Familiar Science" on Constellation Records. This new expanded band (featuring members of Cousins) sees JOYFULTALK merge avant jazz elements with funk based grooves adding to the classic polyrhythmic trance stylings of past outings. Angular electronics mingle with live drums, angelic hymnal vocals coat the airy layer above sharp guitar notes. Horn and synth lines play with each other as the rhythm section gets deep in the pocket. As the music moves and sways we see the true groove based momentum take over propelling this understated psych-jazz groover forward. Welcome to the melting pot! For fans of Flying Lotus and Ornette.

BUDI (https://budi.bandcamp.com)
Nick Dourado's (Special Costello) solo project bUDI hits all the right notes, bringing cozy womb-like vibes as affected masses of electronic textures and vibrating percussion swirl gently. Saxophone notes sing and sway in the comfort of Dourado's world. In the tradition of spiritual jazz, while also channeling an immersive sense of playfulness bUDI is an experience!

CHARLES SPEARIN (https://charlesspearin.bandcamp.com)
Multi instrumentalist / composer Charles Spearin (Do Make Say Think, Broken Social Scene) creates casually whimsical songs that swell with sentimental mist. Balancing ambient textures with avant rock compositions. Spearin is a storyteller both with lyrics and with out, assembling vivid sonic worlds through meandering guitar notes, flowering percussive accents and airy horn notes. Scope his latest record "My City Of Starlings" on Arts & Crafts!

$10 Adv at https://www.ticketscene.ca/events/40671/

TONE would not be possible without the support of The Toronto Arts Council, The Canada Council For The Arts and Long & McQuade.

Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/390103042984649

THURSDAY, JUNE 16TH @ Tranzac (292 Brunswick Ave.) - 8pm - $10/PWYC 

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Presented as part of TONE

​SICK BOSS (https://sickboss.bandcamp.com/)
Drawing from creative improvisation, folk, and Hendrix, guitarist Cole Schmidt, bassist James Meger and drummer Dan Gaucher, travel from Vancouver with an unafraid collage of big bold ideas that’ll carry listeners to unexpected places. For this performance Sick Boss will be an expanded line up featuring an all star cast including cellist Peggy Lee, Violinists Josh Zubot, and trumpeter / electronic manipulator JP Carter.

PLUS! 
Opening improv sets featuring members of Sick Boss and local Toronto crowd pleasers pianist TANIA GILL (https://taniagill.bandcamp.com), turntablist SLOWPITCHSOUND (https://slowpitchsound.bandcamp.com) and German percussionist SAMUEL HALL (https://samuelhall.bandcamp.com)

TONE would not be possible without the support of The Toronto Arts Council, and The Canada Council For The Arts.

Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/232373225763977

THURSDAY, JUNE 23RD @ Array Space (155 Walnut Ave.) - 8pm - $15/$18 - All Ages

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Presented as part of TONE

​AMIRTHA KIDAMBI & MATT EVANS (http://www.amirthakidambi.com / http://thisismattevans.com)
Vocalist Amirtha Kidambi (Elder Ones, Code Girl) and percussionist Matt Evans (Tigue) team up in a nerve wracking duo that sees both of them both facing grief and the chaotic emotions born out of that process. Chaotic lo-fi improvisations connect these two masters of the sonic dance. Amirtha's vocalizations flow from mourning prayers to visceral outbursts laced with crumbling effects. Alone until the shaky percussive distortion rattles to life, the hints of methodical rhythms to come. Embracing the dissonant and decaying tonality this duo creates raw dirdgy soundscapes filled with ominous slinking spirits and harsh primal beats. A ritual to purge the demons, this duo create gnarled sonics designed to cleanse. Keep an eye peeled for their debut record "Impermanence" out on Dinzu Artefacts!

MIRA MARTIN-GRAY & KIERAN MARAJ (https://cetterecords.bandcamp.com/.../fairy-dust-tractor...)
Toronto electro-acoustic duo builds murky world or gurgling electronics and metal fragments. Bubbling anxiety rumbles on top of clattering percussive nodes. Sounding like the inside of an empty stomach, these sonic senseis court a vat of unruly acid into a foreboding dance. Plucked strings, unraveling tape loops, and wavering electronic notes create a chaotic glow! 

PLASTIC BABIES (https://mechanicalforestsound.blogspot.com/.../recording...)
Your favourite trio of weirdos come together for storytelling, connection, soundscape, improvisation and escapism. Featuring Christine Duncan (voice and theremin), Patrick O’Reilly (guitar and pedals) and Laura Swankey (voice and pedals).

$15 Adv at https://www.ticketscene.ca/events/40672/

TONE would not be possible without the support of The Toronto Arts Council, The Canada Council For The Arts and Long & McQuade.

Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/278372471176758

FRIDAY, JUNE 24TH @ Tranzac (292 Brunswick Ave.) - 8pm - $15/$18

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Presented as part of TONE

​GORD GRDINA'S NOMAD TRIO (https://gordongrdina.bandcamp.com/album/nomad)
Vancouver guitarist / oud player Gord Grdina's Nomad Trio featuring NYC veterans pianist Matt Mitchell and drummer Jim Black arrives in Toronto supporting their 2020 release on Skirl. Grdina's angular inquisitive guitar phrases intwine with Mitchell's piano notes. This contemporary freewheeling avant jazz unit fleshes out Grdina's tunes with improvised flourishes. Urgent guitar work pushes the trio forward spurring Jim Black's heavy hits. The band ebbs & flows from unhinged caterwauling to groovy meandering, finally landing in a melancholic moment that sees notes flow like a slow river after a crashing waterfall.

BRODIE WEST QUINTET (https://brodiewest.bandcamp.com/album/meadow-of-dreams)
Toronto sax maestro Brodie West's Quintet provides just the right concoction of free jazz energy with the subtle beauty West seems to imbue on all of his compositional efforts. This quintet of pianist Tania Gill, bassist Josh Cole, drummers Nick Fraser and Evan Cartwright along with West on alto sax travels through airy meditative movements where the band flows as a single gentle beast. Gill's piano notes hang in the air and almost become enveloped by West's breathy sax whispers. The double drummer vibe, a mainstay of many of Brodie's groups, traverse the sonic landscape as one. Other more active moods see the band swing with detailed sax lines criss crossing the rhythmic back bone of the tunes. Scope their latest record on Astral Spirits / Ansible Editions!

BLOOP (https://linaallemano.bandcamp.com/album/proof)
Trumpeter Lina Allemano & Mike Smith on live processing & effects are the experimental sensation BLOOP! Smith takes Allemano's trumpet techniques and spits them back out as amplified alien versions of themselves. Skidding squeaks, popping flutters, crackling notes skitter off the rails as they turn back to ricochet off each other. Like an bizarre ASMR video without the visuals, this literally dynamic duo bounces from small whispers and creaks to gnarly squeals from all directions. Sounds like a kid making motorcycle noises and a truck full of metal chairs skidding on the highway. Get here on time!

$15 Adv at https://www.ticketscene.ca/events/40673/

TONE would not be possible without the support of The Toronto Arts Council, The Canada Council For The Arts and Long & McQuade.

Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/396902642042290

SUNDAY, JUNE 26TH @ Tranzac (292 Brunswick Ave.) - 8pm - $20/$25

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Presented as part of TONE & The Music Gallery's Departures Series

​MARY HALVORSON'S CODE GIRL (https://maryhalvorson.bandcamp.com/album/artlessly-falling)
NYC guitarist & composer brings her Code Girl ensemble to Toronto for the first time! A experiment in songwriting & lyricism the band melds avant jazz and rock forms with folk influences and improvisation in the service of Halvorson's deftly crafted pieces. The band of NYC heavy weights features Amirtha Kidambi (vocals), Adam O’Farrill (trumpet), Brian Settles (tenor saxophone), Michael Formanek (bass), Tomas Fujiwara (drums) and of course Mary Halvorson herself on guitar. The trademark waver of Halvorson's guitar drifts through the music effortlessly wrapping itself around Kidambi's exactingly aerobatic yet soft vocals. Horns meandering climbing up and down, over & around stretched guitar notes and rolling drums. The music builds like some comraderous journey. Never afraid to drop into heavy face rip territory Halvorson, Fujiwara & Formanek kick it with glistening distortion rollicking percussive blasts before subduing things as elegant vocal lines drift through skittering notes. An seamlessly adaptable band that dances from mood to mood with artful cohesion. One of modern musics essential bands. Don't sleep on this rare appearance!

BERNICE (https://bernice.bandcamp.com/)
Robin Dann & her who’s who crew of Toronto avant song slingers (Thom Gill, Dan Fortin, Felicity Williams, and Phil Melanson) pump out soulful compositions that are full of blooming vocal flourishes, airy guitar whispers and bubbling beats. Sounding like the release of some lost spirits rejoicing as they flee into the ether, Bernice creates a unique atmosphere. Vocals swell and fall, as spectral guitar notes drip from the sky. Electronic drum textures pop & gurgle like a stewing bog, fermenting. Get into this beautiful ghost music.

$20 Adv at https://www.ticketscene.ca/events/40674/

TONE would not be possible without the support of The Toronto Arts Council, The Canada Council For The Arts and Long & McQuade.

Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/314034220810646

SUNDAY, JULY 3RD @ Tranzac (292 Brunswick Ave.) - 8pm - $15/$20

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Presented as part of TONE

​FIRE! (Mats Gustafsson / Johan Berthling / Andreas Werlin) (http://earthwindand.com)
Fire! is a Nordic experimental trio of Mats Gustafsson (sax), Johan Berthling (bass guitar) and Andreas Werlin (drums) who came together to redefine the parameters of improvised music drawing on influences from free jazz, psychedelic rock, and noise. The trio lays down heavy stoner rock inspired bass riffs, prodding along under squealing sax devastation. Gustafsson is a power house of unrefined power in the avant sax shredder realm. Fire! travels from avant rock riffage to quiet passages of fluttering sax quips and shaking bells then back to slow groove building wastoid jams. Berthling's pensive bass notes ripple out meeting Gustafsson's low key squawks. Bursts of blistering noise rock influenced free jazz punctuate this trio's approach of abrasive desolate beauty. Killer live band! 

VÖLUR (https://volur.bandcamp.com/)
Toronto folk doom trio featuring members of Blood Ceremony & Gates will be joined for this special set by guest tanbur player Reza Houshvar! Völur merges distorted strings with thundering percussion. Hard treble screeches out over crushing bass, and blood curdling vocals. Lightning fast tanbur vibrations stay thick in the air until finally dropping to let a few poignant notes march forward. Sounding like some funeral march anthem from the fiery pits, group vocals unite in an occult hum. Borrowing from post rock and folk traditions channeled through an obliterating lens of doom metal, Völur helps you become one with the flame. CVLT.

BRIAN RURYK (brianrruryk.bandcamp.com)
Toronto avant garde anti-legend Brian Ruryk is easily one of the city's best kept secrets, Ruryk has been manipulating the concepts of sound since the 80s. Free jangled guitar notes spray over a live collage of junk percussion & chaos. Tape samples squeal out amongst herky jerky clatter of Ruryk’s eclectic set up. Much like the coming together of puzzle pieces in a way in which they do not fit, then experiencing the process in which the puzzler, instead of sorting the pieces, just cuts & mangles them to create a new image.

$15 Adv at https://www.ticketscene.ca/events/40675/

TONE would not be possible without the support of The Toronto Arts Council, The Canada Council For The Arts and Long & McQuade.

Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/568648334484776

WEDNESDAY, JULY 6TH @ The Baby G (1608 Dundas St. West) - 8pm - $12/$15

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Presented as part of TONE

ANTELOPER (https://intlanthem.bandcamp.com/album/pink-dolphins)
Trumpeter Jaimie Branch (Fly or Die) and drummer Jason Nazary (Little Women) hit the road behind their new release "Pink Dolphins” out on International Anthem! The duo dips deep into the electronics & synth on top of their normal instruments of choice. Glowing synth waves glisten like candy on top of organic drum beats. Underground electronics bubble creating a murky pulsating sonic texture as the duo gestates forward. Branches trumpet climbs out of the synthesized goop, muted notes clear the atmosphere as the duo's destination becomes clear. Spiraling horn lines entangle with synthesized melodies. Feeling like a kindred spirit to Matt Shipp's work on Thristy Ear's Blue Series, Anteloper deepens the connections between the free jazz continuum and contemporary electronic music. If you've seen Jaimie here before you know not to sleep on this. If not, get busy!

CHIQUITA MAGIC (https://isisgiraldo.bandcamp.com)

SURREALSURREAL (https://surrealsurreal.bandcamp.com)
New duo featuring alto saxophonist / bassist Jeremy Dennis (Tranz Defonce / Preanderthals) and percussionist Cyril Penney (Retired) bring the far flung free jazz for their first gig! Bustling avant grooves disappear as soon as they materialize in this hectic nectar. Art Ensemble-esque energy in a bastard post-bop world that nods to hip hop beats. Other moments see the duo tackle stoner sludge jams feeling like a free form Black Sabbath. Don't miss the unveiling of Toronto newest freak jazz unit!

$12 Adv at https://www.ticketscene.ca/events/40676/

TONE would not be possible without the support of The Toronto Arts Council, The Canada Council For The Arts and Long & McQuade.

Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/451327186760649

THURSDAY, AUGUST 4TH @ THE BABY G (1608 Dundas St. West) - 9pm - $19.50 Adv / $24 Door

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MATMOS (https://matmos.bandcamp.com)
Matmos is M.C. Schmidt and Drew Daniel. The duo marries the conceptual tactics and noisy textures of object-based musique concrete to a rhythmic matrix rooted in electronic pop music, the two quickly became known for their highly unusual sound sources: amplified crayfish nerve tissue, the pages of bibles turning, water hitting copper plates, liposuction surgery, cameras and VCRs, chin implant surgery, contact microphones on human hair, rat cages, tanks of helium, a cow uterus, human skulls, snails, cigarettes, cards shuffling, laser eye surgery, whoopee cushions, balloons, latex fetish clothing, rhinestones, Polish trains, insects, life support systems, inflatable blankets, rock salt, solid gold coins, the sound of a frozen stream thawing in the sun, a five gallon bucket of oatmeal. These raw materials are manipulated into surprisingly accessible forms, and often supplemented by traditional musical instruments played by them and their large circle of friends and collaborators. The result is a model of electronic composition as a relational network that connects sources and outcomes together; information about the process of creation activates the listening experience, providing the listener with entry points into sometimes densely allusive, baroque recordings. Their newest album "Regards​/​Ukłony dla Bogusław Schaeffer" sees them play with the catalogue of Polish polymath Bogusław Schaeffer.


JEFF CAREY (https://jeffcarey.bandcamp.com)
Brutally abstract action packed synthesist ready to glitch your mind.

Facebook Event:
https://www.facebook.com/events/3150402851894199

Upcoming Shows:

SEPT 1ST - 5TH: Intersection 2022
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