Indie Music 52 (15-21 Sep 2008).

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Welcome to my weekly roundup of inexpensive indie(ish) musical happenings in downtown Toronto. I try to list as many shows here as I know about, though with a preference for listing those happening at venues I especially like, or featuring performers I know something about. This list is thus not comprehensive. In addition, I rarely list shows that cost $10 or more, and never ones that require advance ticket purchases. If I'm missing something or you have any comments, let me know.

Last week I went to a few shows in somewhat out of the ordinary places for indie music. Friday night I sat on the grass at the Oxford Hotel and listened to marvelous melodic music (Ketch Harbour Wolves and Howl), surrounded by lovely people. Saturday I sat on the floor at Sonic Boom Records, taking in a very pregnant Castlemusic and the awesome $100. Sunday was the ALL CAPS! Rain Cheque show which featured 9 bands/performers of all different sorts playing at the Music Gallery (which is a church). It was great! These are the kinds of events that make living in this city exciting. Thursday was fun too: The Schomberg Fair, The Pack A.D., and The Speaking Tongues at the Horseshoe.

My life would be easier if I didn't know about all the great inexpensive shows happening each week. It makes deciding where to go so difficult. As always, I've starred some shows that I think will be good (depending on what you're in the mood for.) If I haven't starred a show, it doesn't necessarily mean I don't think it will be awesome; I just don't know much about those bands/venues.

MONDAY (15 sep)

Angela Bower (AKA Christine Bougie & Dafydd Hughes) @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 7pm, pwyc.

Shoeless Monday feat. Sex Butler @ 11:15, Wentworth @ 10:15, and Card Calling @ 9:15. The Horseshoe Tavern, 8:30pm, free.

Elvis Mondays presents Carmen Elle, Niverse, Purrr, The Februarys, Luxury Bob, and The People of Canada @ The Drake Hotel (Underground), 9pm, free.

Pilgrims of Brock @ The Cadillac Lounge, 9pm, free.

Bryan Arcand and The Elwins @ The Cameron House (Front Room), 9:30pm, pwyc.

Jason Benoit performs H. H. Neptune @ Tranzac (Tiki Room), 10pm, $5.

mByronic Heroes @ The Cameron House (Back Room), 9pm, pwyc.

Groovy Mondays feat. Steve Rakem @ Mitzi's Sister, 10pm, pwyc. Followed by Open Stage at 11pm.

The Low Heroes, The Infamous Bajcar & the Grim Preachers, and Leah Erbe @ Smiling Buddha, 9pm, $5.

Little Claw, Eat Skull, and Blues Control @ Sneaky Dee's, 9pm, $10.

TUESDAY (16 sep)

The Jessica Stuart Few and Aki Takahashi @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 7:30pm, pwyc.

The Everytime Band @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 10pm, pwyc.

Bitchin' Sessions (improv music) @ The Gladstone Hotel (Art Bar), 8-11pm, pwyc.

Hobsons Choice @ Mitzi's Sister, 10pm, pwyc.

The Pink & Black Attack presents Conversation and Along Way Home @ The Bovine, 9pm, free.

Scott Pietrangelo, Alex Woodrow, and Kristin Lagasse @ Free Times Cafe, 8:30pm, $5/pwyc.

Homegrown Tuesdays feat. Matt Empacher and others @ Silver Dollar, 7pm, $5.

The Waking Eyes and The Sheepdogs @ Supermarket, 9pm, $5.

The Hotel Lobbyists @ The Boat, 9pm, $5.

David Prentice & Aaron Lumley @ Somewhere There, 8-10pm, $6. This alternative venue (340 Dufferin St, enter from Melbourne Ave) showcases improvisational music.

WEDNESDAY (17 sep)

Granny Boots presents Ryan G. Hinds, Chelsea P. Manders, Yehuda Fisher, Mark Shyzer's Quintet Quartet, and more @ The Gladstone Hotel (Melody Bar), 7:30-10pm, free.

The Annex WreckRoom & IndieCan Radio present IndieCan Wednesdays feat. Sidharta, Painted Birds, and The Februarys @ The Annex WreckRoom, 9pm, free.

David Woodhead @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 7:30pm, pwyc.

PWYC Weds feat. Battleship Ethel, Saffron Sect, Blanc En White(debut), and Your Volunteer @ Rancho Relaxo, 9pm, pwyc.

Great Aunt Ida and Selina Martin @ Czehoski, 9pm, pwyc.

Lilli Lewis @ The Savannah Room, 8-10pm, $5.

* Muskox and Allison Cameron @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 10pm, pwyc.

LAUGHstock presents Revolution Love, Driftwood, and Mob Mentality @ The Boat, 9pm, $5.

No Official Capacity presents Cheap Beer & Metal Night 2 feat. Wolves Of Anson, Stalingrad, and tba @ Sneaky Dee's, 9pm, $5.

Witch Hunt, Endprogram, and Shit Reign @ Siesta Nouveaux (15 Lower Sherbourne St.), 7pm (early show), $5.

Freehand Books Toronto SuperLaunch feat. readings by Marina Endicott (fiction), Jeanette Lynes (poetry), Saleema Nawaz (fiction), and Susan Olding (non-fiction), and music by Paul Quarrington and PorkBelly Futures @ Clinton's, 7:30pm, $?.

Victor Bateman & Arnd Jurgenson . . . then quiet @ Somewhere There, 8-10pm, $6. (The second set is 30 minutes of silence.)

* Amos The Transparent, Dinosaur Bones, and Matt Duffin @ Tattoo Rock Parlour, 9pm, $8.

* Lifestory:Monologue w/ The Diverse Attraction, Siberia, Lexigton, HyPoGea, Play Oliver, and Treestar @ Kathedral, 6pm, $10. All ages.

Wombat Wednesdays hosted by Girls With Glasses feat. The GWG (Evalyn Parry, Eve Goldberg, Karyn Ellis), Anne Lindsay, and Morgan Jones Phillips (Emergency Monologues) @ Tranzac (Main Hall), 8pm, $10 ($9 for people w/ glasses, or $8 for Tranzac members).

Decadent Rare feat. Ciara Adams, Natalie Walshots, Sule Heitner, and Sean Dixon @ Supermarket, 7pm, $10. This is a new series which showcases a few different kinds of art and performance.

Aaron Garner and Patrick Ballantyne @ Holy Joe's, 8pm, $10.

THURSDAY (18 sep)

Ancient Chinese Secret @ The Cadillac Lounge, 7:30pm, free.

Revolvers, The Vestaloynes, and Engine Ears @ Mitzi's Sister, 10pm, free.

Tundra Fun and The Jessica Stuart Few @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 7:30pm, pwyc.

Picastro, Liz Forsberg, and CJ Boyd @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 10pm, pwyc.

Dave Borins @ Free Times Cafe, 8:30pm, $5/pwyc.

* Knock Knock Ginger, Woodward Company, Deadbeat Dads, The Decade of Sleep, and Elisha @ The Silver Dollar, 9pm, $4.

Ladyfest Toronto presents LAL, Emma McKenna, Miau Miau, and The I Love You Twos w/ DJs Droppin' Dimez @ The Boat, 9pm, $5-$10.

Metal Meltdown feat. Mortiferous @ 11:15, Amarith @ 10:15, and Blood Runs Cold @ 9:15. Lee's Palace, $5.

No Shame presents The Darcys, Boys Who Say No, and The Music Box @ Rancho Relaxo, 9pm, $5.

* Lullabye Arkestra and Orn w/ DJ Daniel Vila @ Wrongbar, 10pm, $5.

Mermen Attacks, mByronic Heroes, and Alright Alright @ Sneaky Dee's, 9pm, $5.

La Cambalacha feat. QuiQue Escamillo & Co., The Hot Club Of South East Central, Santerias, and more @ El Mocambo (Upstairs), 9pm, $5.

* Alphabot (EP release), Everything All The Time, Boxes & Bags, and Still Life Still, hosted by The People Of Canada @ The Drake Hotel (Underground), 8:30pm, $6 (or $5 in adv from the bands).

The Knot: Tilman Lewis, Nick Storring, and Justin Haynes @ Somewhere There, 8-10pm, $6.

Josh Gabriel w/ Stella Rose @ C'est What, 9pm, $tba.

Lorne Hind 360, Kickflip, and BBQ Spacetank @ Clinton's, 9pm, $8.

Andrew DeVillers (CD release) w/ HotKid and Donovan Woods @ El Mocambo (First Floor), 9pm, $8 (or $15 to get the CD too).

Nick Zubeck (CD release) w/ Sandro Perri, Christine Bougie, and Dafydd Hughes @ Tranzac (Main Hall), 9pm, $8.

Skull Fucking Metal Fest feat. Hellacaust, Punch Drunk, Demontage, NuclearHammer, Hands of Death, Malaria, and King @ Smiling Buddha, 7:30pm, $10.

Michael Jerome Browne (CD release) @ The Gladstone Hotel (Ballroom), 8pm-midnight, $10.

FRIDAY (19 sep)

Trish Kerr @ The Gladstone Hotel (Melody Bar), 8-10pm, free.

The Mad Housewives @ Graffiti's, 9pm, pwyc.

* Alun Piggins & the Quitters @ Mitzi's Sister, 10pm, pwyc.

Nancy Dutra @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 7:30pm, pwyc.

Joshua Cockerill @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 10pm, pwyc.

The DoneFors @ Not My Dog, 10pm, pwyc.

No Subtitles Art & Music Show presents Grasshoppers and Still Life Still @ WhipperSnapper Gallery, 10pm, pwyc.

Friends Explode presents Young Flux, Red Trakpants, and Oscar Brown @ Smiling Buddha, 9pm, $5.

Breadfan, Kintra, and The Unavowed @ Clinton's, 9pm, $5.

Jim Armstrong & The Sonic Deli Band, Home Grown, and Big Blue @ The Savannah Room, 10pm, $5.

* Steam Whistle Unsigned 8 presents The Framework, Lioness, The Burning Hell, and DJs These Electric Lives @ Steam Whistle Brewing (The Roundhouse, 255 Bremner Blvd), 8pm, $5. 100% of the door donated to the Artists' Health Centre Foundation. A great bill that brings together different indie genres. All bands are ones you should see/hear.

* The Oxford Hotel presents Brad Casey, Hungry Lake, and Sam Sidd @ The Oxford Hotel (117 Oxford St.), 8pm, pwyc. BYOB. Bands will play in the backyard, or kitchen if it's raining. It's a lovely spot with a relaxed, friendly vibe. You should go sometime.

Heavy Petting and Casual Licks @ Free Times Cafe, 8:30pm, pwyc/$5.

The Warped 45s and The Locusts Have No King @ The Dakota Tavern, 10pm, $5.

The Great Collapse, Braintoy, Scarlet Sins, and The Isosceles Project @ Reverb, 7pm, $5. All ages.

Caitlin Burgess (CD release) w/ Scarecrow @ Holy Joe's, 9pm, $5.

Ladyfest Toronto presents Asian Arts Freedom School @ Beaver Hall, 7pm, $5.

Night Flowers (album release) w/ recordbreaker and Mary 5e @ The Drake Hotel (Underground), 9pm, $5.

Beyond the Black and Outspoken w/ DJ sets by the Darth Virgos AL911 & Billy Geek @ The Bovine, 9pm, $5.

Jetset Motel, The Paper Makers, and Sherry Ryan @ Silver Dollar, 9pm, $6.

Live to Air dance party feat. Radio Clash @ 11:00. Lee's Palace, $6 (or free w/ student ID).

The Von Drats (CD release) w/ The Butchers and The Brimstones @ The Cadillac Lounge, 10pm, $8.

Film Jam 11 feat. BVD, The BreakDown, Elissa Barclay, and Acrid Ricki & the Sticks, w/ DJ Havok, art by Jacqueline Pytyck and Alex, and hosted by Skye Collyer and Jeremy Johnson @ El Mocambo (Upstairs), 8pm, $10 ($8 w/ canned food donation).

* Tusks (EP release), Mandibles (CD release), and Steven McKay Band @ Tranzac (Main Hall), 8:30pm, $8. Well, heck.

* Scott b. Sympathy and Revival Dear @ C'est What, 10pm, $8.

Ska Face and The Idlers @ The Rivoli, 9pm, $10.

Uma Nota @ The Gladstone Hotel (Ballroom), 9pm-midnight, $10.

SATURDAY (20 sep)

Toronto New Music Marathon w/ Eve Egoyan, The Lollipop People, The Dead Are Those Who Have Died, Allison Cameron, New Adventures in Sound Art, Tidal Pool, Bitchin, Shrimp Cocktail, Rob's Collision, Tim Francom & Dean Pomeroy, Digital Prowess, Book of Gnomes, IO Media, Contact, and more @ Yonge-Dundas Square, 2-10pm, free.

* Ladyfest Toronto presents Isla Craig, Samantha Martin, and Ghost Bees @ St. Stephen's In-the-Field Church (103 Bellevue Ave), 3pm, $5-$10. All ages.

Country Saturday feat. Joanne MacKell & the Paradis Rangers @ The Gladstone Hotel (Melody Bar), 6-9pm, free.

* Seedy Ease, Nights, The Hots, and Days Left @ The Sound Academy (11 Polson St), 8pm, free. Indie rock. For free.

Spacecraft 7 @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 6pm, pwyc.

* The Weather Station, Snowblink, and Entire Cities (acoustic) @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 10pm, pwyc.

QuiQue Escamilla @ Mitzi's Sister, 10pm, pwyc.

Leaving Sangster and Melissa Larkin @ The Savannah Room, 8:30pm, $5.

Ladyfest Toronto presents Sita Black, Party Time, Dinah Thorpe, and Rae Spoon @ Tranzac (Main Hall), 9pm, $5-$10.

Leonard Cohen Tribute Night @ Free Times Cafe, 8:30pm, $5.

The Torrent and Animal Monster, w/ films by Amy Lockhart & Phillipe Blanchard @ Cinecycle (129 Spadina Ave), $5.

Red Records presents Mic Machanixx w/ King Jus and DJ Nana @ The Rivoli, 9pm, $5.

Bigfix (CD release), Tex & the Renegades, and Love Pony, w/ DJ Ronin E-Ville @ Smiling Buddha, 9pm, $5.

* The Hotel Lobbyists, Revolvers, and The Skirtchasers, @ The Mansion (157 St. George St), 9pm, $5. BYOB.

TWM presents The Lovely Killbots, Honest I's, The Svens, and Bombs @ Rancho Relaxo, 9pm, $6.

Allison Cameron, Justin Haynes, and Jean Martin @ Somewhere There, 8-10pm, $6.

Monica Schroeder and tba @ C'est What, 10pm, $6.

The Blue Demons, The Knifings, The Robot, and The Goddamn Goddamns @ Silver Dollar, 9pm, $tba.

Central Boulevarde, Mugwump, Maelstorm Effect, Blame the Messenger, Phantom Black, and more @ Kathedral, 5pm, $10.

Final Trigger, Hail the Villain, Toy Box, If Looks Could Kill, Isle of Thieves, Blue Sky Down, Nathan Down, and tba @ Reverb, 5pm, $10. All ages.

iNative Fest feat. Jesus Murphy, Texas Meltdown, Plex & DJ Divinyl, hosted by Andre Morriseau @ Hard Rock Cafe, 8pm, $10.

SUNDAY (21 sep)

* Laura Barrett (CD release) w/ Dan Werb and Ghost Bees @ Tranzac, 1:30pm, $10. Come by at 11:30am for brunch (catered by Laura and Ajay Mehra, served at noon), $7. Projection art and animations by Tin Can Forest, Isaac King, and Chris DeCastro. Marvelous.

Rascalz, K-os, K'naan, Kamau, and more @ Nathan Phillips Square, noon-10pm, free.

Terpsicalliope @ Somewhere There, 1-3pm, $6. Improv dance & music.

The AMBiENT PiNG presents dSU, Eric Hopper, and Jamie Todd; Anne Sullivan (Building Castles Out Of Matchsticks); and Kinder Atom; w/ visuals by General Chaos @ The Textile Museum of Canada, 1:30pm, $6/pwyc.

White Squirrels and Sinners @ The Gladstone Hotel (Melody Bar), 5-8pm, free.

Max Cann @ The Gladstone Hotel (Melody Bar), 8-10pm, free.

Hotcha and Barry Payne & John Allaire @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 5pm, pwyc.

The Rent plays the music of Steve Lacy @ Somewhere There, 6-8pm, $6.

Gordon's Acoustic Living Room @ Free Times Cafe, 8pm, free.

* dUTERVIL, Remotely Controlled, and Matthew de Zoete @ The Boat, 9pm, $5.

Wavelength 431 feat. Spookey Ruben, Prussia, and Child Bite @ Sneaky Dee's, 9pm, pwyc.

Anhai and Brandon Valdivia @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 10:30pm, pwyc.

FABRik RECordS Showcase 3 @ Rancho Relaxo, 9pm.

Ladyfest Toronto presents Sunny D, Fat Femme Mafia, Doom Tickler, UTI, and Jasmyn Burke (Hot Monogamy) @ St. Stephen's In-the-Field Church, 7pm, $5-$10. All ages.

iNative Fest feat. The Johnnys, Jacques & the Shakey Boys, and Jace Martin, hosted by Paul Sayers @ El Mocambo, 8pm, $10.