Calendar

Brock Holborn, Dan Pharaoh and Don Sawchuk

Doors at 6:30 PM
Show at 7:00 PM

Advanced tickets $15 at: danpharoah.com

Come see Don Sawchuk, Dan Pharoah and Brock Holborn each playing their own tunes and covers as well! 3 acts for $15! Come on by and let music fill the silence of the night!

[46 essex]

Silence Presents: Amos Hoffman & Noam Lemish Quartet CD Release Tour

Doors at 7:30 PM
Concert at 8:00 PM

Tickets $15 at the door

The Amos Hoffman & Noam Lemish Quartet offers an inspired blend of jazz and Jewish folk melodies. Amos Hoffman is an internationally renowned oud virtuoso and innovator; Noam Lemish is a multi-faceted, world-class pianist and composer. For years, Amos and Noam have been collecting Jewish melodies from different parts of the world including Kurdish, Yemenite, Moroccan, Ladino, Russian and Israeli songs. The quartet's lyrical and vibrant reimaginings of beloved Jewish melodies have been captivating audiences all across North America. This concert is part of a tour celebrating the release of their new album Pardes.


Amos Hoffman is an Israeli jazz Oudist and Guitarist known worldwide as a pioneer in fusing the rhythms and melodic themes of the Middle East with Modern Jazz.  Hoffman started playing guitar at the age of 6, and oud a few years later. He studied guitar privately, and later attended the prestigious Rubin Academy of Music in Jerusalem. His search for new musical experiences led him first to Amsterdam, and then to New York City, where he played jazz with both established musicians and up and coming talents like Jason Lindner, bassist Avishai Cohen, and Claudia Acuna. To date, Hoffman has recorded 5 solo albums, The Dreamer (1999), Na’ama (2006), Evolution (2008) Carving (2010) and Back to the City (2015).  He has also contributed on dozens more for artists in Israel and worldwide including Avishai Cohen, Kiko Berenguer (Spain), and Jan Mlynarski (Poland).  In 2013 Amos was awarded one of Israel’s most prestigious prizes – The Landau Prize for Arts and Sciences for outstanding achievement in the field of Jazz. Now based in the U.S., Hoffman looks forward to creating new musical adventures and reaching an even larger audience. 
www.amoshoffman.com


Noam Lemish is an Israeli-American jazz pianist and composer currently based out of Toronto, Canada. He has appeared in numerous performances across the US, Canada, Europe, Israel, and in Bhutan having played and performed with such musicians as: Sheila Jordan, John Handy, Julian Lage, James Newton, Dayna Stephens, Cameron Brown, George Marsh, Frances-Marie Uitti, Babatunde Lea and many others.  He has several recordings to his credit, including The Turning (2016), The Magic Clavier Book I (2015), Nightfall (2013), The People’s King (2010) and Yes And (2008). His compositions include chamber, choral, piano, numerous jazz works and “The People’s King”: a commissioned multi-cultural suite in celebration the King of Bhutan’s 30th birthday composed while teaching music in the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan in 2010. http://www.noamlemish.com/

[46 essex]

Polka Dogs

Doors at 7:30 PM
Concert at 8:00 PM

Tickets $15 at Eventbrite or the door

“The Polka Dogs are a boiling pan-cultural stew that bastes you, roasts you and serves you up well done. Please, Polka Dogs, can I have some more?”
 - Tom Allen, CBC

AFTER AN OVER 25-YEAR HIATUS

THE POLKA DOGS 

TORONTO’S BELOVED THEATRE BASED BAND RETURNS WITH 
AN ONTARIO TOUR AND NEW CD JUNE 2018

TOUR DATES:
JUNE 2, 8PM AT BURDOCK, TORONTO
JUNE 7, 8PM AT ARTWORD ARTBAR IN HAMILTON 
JUNE 8, 8PM AT SILENCE IN GUELPH

TORONTO – The revived, renascent, and reformed Toronto theatre-based band, THE POLKA DOGS, have returned after a 25-year hiatus. Starting as a theatre pit band in 1989, the band wowed the world in the 90s with an explosive, raucous, joyous sound of trombone, tuba, banjo, drums and that sultry, fantastic voice of theatre staple John Millard. The band returns with the same original sound, and features all five of its founding members including, Tom Walsh on trombone, Tiina Kiik on accordion, Colin Couch on tuba, John Millard on banjo and vocals, and Ambrose Pottie on drums. 

THE POLKA DOGS will be playing shows on June 2, 8pm at Burdock in Toronto, June 7, 8pm at Artworld Artbar in Hamilton, and June 8, 8pm at Silence in Guelph, and the new CD will be release in June 2018.

“Re-exploring the old material has been a fascinating experience in physical memory. We can actually play faster and tighter now than we did then. We are steadier, more mature, intelligent and in ways, better players. Our risks are more calculated. Yet there is still a certain sound, a sound that we and members of the public are thrilled to hear.” – John Millard, lead vocals / banjo

The band was conceived as a pit band for an outdoor spectacle which animated the history of Toronto’s Kensington Market. After a short run at The Cameron Public House as The Polka Dots, the band reformed as THE POLKA DOGS. The group went on to perform regularly at many local Toronto venues. A demo recorded at the Music Gallery gained attention and airplay and in the summer of 1990, the band was recorded in concert at Earl Bales Park with a CBC music series called The Entertainers. The group went on to tour Canada and Europe. In 1991 and 1992, THE POLKA DOGS were part of a dance piece called Sleeping Dogs Lie. They also collaborated with Martha Ross in the musical Ratbag, which was produced by Theatre Columbus and Canadian Stage Company in 1993. After a successful run at the Bluma Appel Theatre, the group toured Ontario one last time before ceasing operations in1993.

Mostly self-taught, John Millard (vocals, banjo) has been active in the Canadian music and theatre scenes for the last twenty years. He has toured Canada and Europe with his bands THE POLKA DOGS and John Millard & Happy Day, and has released five CD’s. Previous work includes John & Waleed at Theatre Passe Muraille, and The Ballad of Weedy Peetstraw at Caravan Farm. Current collaborations include The Cave with Tomson Highway: a song cycle to be performed live via webcast in June 2019. 

Lauded as one of Canada‘s most creative musicians, the music of Tom Walsh (trombone) blends memorable melody with fearless experimentation. As a trombonist, he has worked with such popular acts as the Barenaked Ladies, Cowboy Junkies, MC Solaar, Bran Van 3000 and even Zappa’s Don Preston as well as improvising with Jean Derome, René Lussier, D.D. Jackson, Fred Frith and Evan Lurie. On record, he’s featured on more than 50 national or international releases. Since 2002, he’s been nominated three times as “Trombonist of the Year” for Canada’s National Jazz Award. 

Ambrose Pottie (drums) is currently one of the curators of the Toronto Improviser’s Orchestra and was a founding member of Toronto pop group Crash Vegas, recording three albums and touring Canada and U.S. extensively. He also has recorded and/or performed with: Fred Frith, Andrew Cyrille, Eugene Chadbourne, Chris Brown, Bill Grove, Flaming Dono Drum and Dance Ensemble, Pete Dako, Mary Margaret O‘Hara, Plasterscene Replicas, Eric Schenkman, Sleepers and poet Bill Bissett. Ambrose is also a phonographer and electroacoustic performer/composer.

Tiina Kiik (accordion) is an accordionist and teacher residing in Toronto. She has worked with the Soulpepper Theatre, Audiopollination, Tapestry Opera, Arcana Ensemble, Hemispheres, and Dusk Dances, and has toured both Canada and internationally. Since 1995, she has taught accordion, piano and chamber music at the University Settlement Music and Arts School. She is performing a co-created piece with choreographer/dancer Julia Aplin for solo dancer and accordion. 

Colin Couch (tuba) is a carpenter and family man by day, and tuba player by night. Colin has worked with Kevin Breit, Cowboy Junkies, Bruce McCullough, Bob Snider, NOJO, Allison Cameron, Kyp Harness, Guh and many others. 

TOUR DATES
June 2, 8pm at Burdock,1184 Bloor St. West Toronto, ON
June 7, 8pm Artword Artbar,15 Colbourne St. Hamilton, ON
June 8, 8pm at Silence, 46 Essex Street, Guelph, ON

For more details on THE POLKA DOGS http://thepolkadogs.com/ / FACEBOOK

[46 essex]

Silence Presents: The R&B Jazz Songbook ft. Carlos Morgan

Doors at 7:30 PM

Concert at 8:00 PM

Tickets $15 at the door

Multi-award winning recording artist, Carlos Morgan, makes his debut performance inside "Silence" performing R&B and pop songs with Jazz interpretations and stylings. 

Morgan, along with "The Soul Patrol Jazz Group"; Darryl Joseph Dennie (Piano, Arranger & Musical Director), Roger Williams (Upright Bass) and Chris Wallace (Drums) perform classic and timeless songs from artists including Prince, Michael Jackson, The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder and Barbara Streisand.  

Morgan will also perform some of his favorite Jazz standards and his award winning original songs.  

Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaGRsXmb8es

[46 essex]

Red Tent

Doors at 6:30 PM
Event at 7:00 PM

[46 essex]

Set-up

5 Guys Chillin' - Guelph Sexuality Conference

Doors at 6:30 PM
Show at 7:00 PM

5 Guys Chillin' makes its debut in Guelph as part of the 40th Annual Guelph Sexuality Conference.

This highly acclaimed play has been performed in London, Dublin, New York City, Sydney, Toronto and now Guelph!

Woven together using the real words of guys found on Grindr, 5 Guys Chillin’ is a state of the nation play addressing one of the most urgent issues facing gay men's communities today. In 5 Guys Chillin’, we spend an evening with five guys, shining light on a complex, and sometimes dark, subculture of guys who like to Party ‘n’ Play (PnP). We see up close the nuances of navigating sexuality, sexual encounters, and sexual health, along with the role recreational drugs play in the lives of these men. With more gay men experiencing problem substance use in the PnP (or ChemSex) scene, this taut, sexy, and unflinching verbatim drama has never been more important.

[46 essex]

Andrew McPherson and Lenka Lichtenberg’s MASARYK Sextet

Doors at 7:30 PM
Concert at 8:00 PM

Tickets at door $10/PWYC

2-time Juno nominated songwriter and producer Andrew McPherson and bassist Marc De Vos (Eccodek) revisit material from Andrew's 4th solo album, 2017's Bardo.

Czech-Canadian artist Lenka Lichtenberg’s Toronto-based group is promoting her most recent album MASARYK. Colourful, wildly unique world music. Borderless folk and jazz with a hint of world-fusion and medieval electronica, played by some of the best in the genre. 

In 2017, Lenka and Andrew created a project called Lenkkodek, which combined material from Lenka's catalogue with Andrew's remixing and production sensibilities. The result was a thorough reinvention of Lenka's material, exploring the worlds of dub, electronica, jazz and ambient. The first track, 'Open my Eyes' was featured as CBC's Song of the Week and on 'Still Hopeful' the two artists created their first ever original collaborative work. 

For his performance at Silence, Andrew will be joined by bassist Marc De Vos (Eccodek) as they revisit material from Andrew's 4th solo album, 2017's Bardo. Lyrically driven and anchored by Andrew's distinctive baritone, London's Scene Magazine writes, “McPherson makes good use of lessons well-learned from the likes of Lennon-McCartney in the way these melodies unfurl themselves to maximum effect.” 

Andrew McPherson - Bio

Songwriter and producer Andrew McPherson has been a fixture of the Canadian music scene for nearly 30 years. Widely recognized for his 2-time Juno nominated world fusion project Eccodek, Andrew wears a host of musical hats. A fiercely committed collaborator, Andrew's production work has been released on labels including Six Degrees Records, Real World, Buddha Bar, White Swan/Black Swan, Modiba, National Geographic and more. He has partnered with artists including Vieux Farka Touré, Jane Siberry, Desert Dwellers, Kiran Ahluwalia, Philosopher Kings, Dub Colossus, MC Yogi, Delhi 2 Dublin, Stephen Fearing, Deva Premal, Kevin Breit and many more. From his Guelph-based Monastereo studio, Andrew produces, writes and releases his diverse catalogue of music that includes 7 Eccodek albums, 4 solo recordings, a live film score and 2 releases of his recently created ambient project, Peppermoth. Peppermoth's latest album, Glimmer Tide, is released worldwide in May 2018 on US label Six Degrees. 

For more info please visit: https://www.andrewmcpherson.ca/ 

Lenka Lichtenberg - Bio

Masaryk, the new album from Czech-Canadian artist Lenka Lichtenberg, marks her first foray into celebrating the music of her country of birth. It just won a 2018 Independent Music Award and has been described as “breathlessly beautiful” (Moors Magazine), and a “lovely album that will appeal across a wide listener audience” (Vancouver Sun). The deeply personal new release revisits the classic Czech, Moravian and Slovak folk songs that permeated Lenka’s early childhood and commemorates the recent passing of her beloved mother.

Masaryk resonates with an emotional depth that is both striking and heartfelt, and the lyrical beauty of these lesser-known musical treasures is well-served by Lenka's soaring, clarion voice. The arrangements are based on a seminal songbook published in 1948 by Jan Masaryk - an accomplished pianist, beloved public servant, and son of Czechoslovakia’s founding president, T.G. Masaryk. The songbook has been Lenka’s companion since childhood, and has long been a cornerstone of her journey as an artist. In November, 2017, ‘Masaryk’ premiered at the Czech Embassy in Washington, D.C., and in the Czech Republic, Divadlo Semafor. This tour marks the Canada launch for both the album and the crack band which features; David Buchbinder (trumpet), Alan Hetherington (percussion), Anita Katakkar (tabla), Demetri Petsalakis (guitar/lyra/oud), and Michael Herring (bass).

For more info please visit: 
https://youtu.be/bsg5nJvj_tk 
http://www.lenkalichtenberg.com
                                  
[46 essex]

The Neutral Zone wsg/ Demon Skulls and Noisebleed

Doors at 7:30 PM
Concert at 8:00 PM

Tickets $10/PWYC at the door

Join cyber-math-space-punks The Neutral Zone, as we celebrate the release of our first (self-titled) album. https://theneutralzone.bandcamp.com Time permitting, we will play the entire record, in sequence! Support from our friends and special guests:

Guelph Hand Pan Workshop 

2:00 PM
Tickets $35 at Eventbrite

With Adrian Portia - Masterful player

[46 essex]

Guelph Hand Pan Concert


Event at 8:00 PM
Tickets $20 in advance and $25 at the door

With Adrian Portia, Justin Gray, Jeimy Osorio 

Tickets through Eventbrite

[46 essex]

Silence Presents: Monicker 


Early show!

Doors at 2 PM
Concert at 2:30 PM

Tickets $15 at the door

Monicker (Arthur Bull, Scott Thomson, Roger Turner) to tour Eastern Canada, June 2018

The international, intergenerational, improvising trio, Monicker, will play seven concerts in four Canadian provinces, 16-23 June. 

Drummer Roger Turner (London, UK) is a legend in the field of creative improvised music, having played far and wide since the early 1970s with incredible collaborators including, notably, Cecil Taylor, Derek Bailey, Evan Parker, Annette Peacock, and Min Tanaka. He first played with guitarist Arthur Bull (Digby Neck, NS) in 2002 at a workshop at the Guelph Jazz Festival, and the two have reconvened to play duo concerts periodically ever since. In 2017, they invited trombonist Scott Thomson (Montreal), a key figure from a younger generation of Canadian creative musicians, to form a trio during a Halifax residency. From there Monicker’s fully improvised music forged its distinct artistic signature: Propulsive, dynamic, challenging, full of forward momentum, and obliquely tuneful as it artfully side-steps the pitfall clichés of generic free jazz. This Eastern Canadian tour will represent both a consolidation and the further development of this music, to the benefit of listeners in the locales along the way.

16 June, 8pm –– Hamilton ON, Something Else! Festival, https://zulapresents.org

17 June, 2:30pm –– Guelph ON, Silence, http://www.silencesounds.ca

18 June, 9pm –– Montreal QC, Suoni per il Popolo Festival, https://suoniperilpopolo.org

20 June, 8pm –– Ottawa ON, General Assembly (presented by IMOO) http://www.improvisedmoo.com

21 June, 8pm –– Québec QC, Librarie St-Jean-Baptiste (presented by Musique pas d’air) https://fr-fr.facebook.com/musiquepasdair/

22 June, 8pm –– Fredericton NB, Venue TBA

23 June, 8pm –– Halifax NS, 1313 Hollis, presented by suddenlyListen, http://www.suddenlylisten.com

Roger Turner, drums

Roger Turner has been working as an improvising percussionist since the early 1970s, collaborating in numerous established and ad hoc configurations. He has focused on solo work, work with electro-acoustic ensembles, open-form song, as well as extensive work with dance and visual artists. Specific jazz-based ensembles have led to collaborations with the most interesting European and international musicians and performers including Annette Peacock, Phil Minton, Cecil Taylor, Masahiko Satoh, Charles Gayle, Lol Coxhill, Derek Bailey, Otomo Yoshihide, Alan Silva, Keith Rowe, Josef Nadj, Min Tanaka, Toshinori Kondo, and Axel Dorner. He has toured and played concerts worldwide from Sydney to the Arctic, Tokyo to Belfast, New York to Beirut. https://www.turners-site.com

Arthur Bull, guitar

Arthur Bull is a veteran musician of the improvising music scene. Formerly the guitarist with The Bill Smith Ensemble, Bull has also played extensively with Paul Dutton, David Prentice, Michael Snow, John Oswald and John Heward, and he has performed in concert with Derek Bailey, Roscoe Mitchell and Roger Turner. He is also a poet, with three books published, and a translator from the Chinese. Originally from Ontario, Bull now lives in Sandy Cove, Nova Scotia, with his artist and musician wife, Ruth Bull. http://www.actuellecd.com/en/bio/bull_ar/


Scott Thomson, trombone 

Scott Thomson is an improvising trombonist and composer. He works extensively with singer and dance artist, Susanna Hood, and writes songs for her based on published authors’ texts to be played in many contexts, from duo to octet and sometimes including Susanna’s choreography. Scott co-founded the Association of Improvising Musicians Toronto (AIMToronto) in 2004 and served as a director until 2009, and co-directed the AIMToronto Orchestra, formed for a project with Anthony Braxton in 2007. In 2016, he convened the Montreal-Toronto Art Orchestra to play Roscoe Mitchell’s music. He founded Somewhere There, a Toronto creative music venue that hosted 850 concerts during his tenure, 2007-10. Scott has composed a series of site-specific works, ‘cartographic compositions’ for mobile musicians and audiences in unconventional performance contexts including, notably, the National Gallery of Canada; the Art Gallery of Ontario; and Montréal’s Vieux Port and Parc La Fontaine. He programs the Guelph Jazz Festival. 
http://www.scottthomson.ca

[46 essex]

Silence Presents: Sick Boss w/Lisen Rylander Löve 

Doors at 7:30 PM
Concert at 8:00 PM

Tickets at the door $15/PWYC

“SICK BOSS consistently delves deep beyondmusical boundaries, blurring borders between genres, and scenes.”– DiscorderMagazine

Drawing from creative improvisation, folk,and Hendrix, guitarist Cole Schmidt, bassist James Meger and drummerDan Gaucher, travel from Vancouver with an unafraid collage of big bold ideasthat’ll carry listeners to unexpected places. For this performance they will bemeeting again with Lisen Rylander Löve from Gothenburg, Sweden.

Sick Boss

BIO

Cole Schmidt: guitar + fx
James Meger: bass + fx
Dan Gaucher: drums+ fx,
Peggy Lee: cello
JP Carter: trumpet + fx
Tyson Naylor: synthesizer, organ+ piano+ accordion+ fx
Jeremy Page: clarinet

In its sinuous melodies and complex rhythms, SICK BOSS immediately calls to mind composer Cole Schmidt's work in Juno-award winning outfit Pugs and Crows. Yet, the frenetic swirl of creative improvisation, rock, folk and modern jazz hints at the many voices propelling the material. 

The songbook grew from weekly residencies in a pair of Vancouver bars, where guest artists were invited to sit in with core members Schmidt, bassist James Meger and drummer Daniel Gaucher, who also contribute compositions to the project. Sometimes, this process was incredibly spontaneous, involving musicians who hadn't played together before improvising for an entire evening. At other times, the trio collaborated with their guests to prepare entire programs of original music. The debut record features great playing by a sextet of key voices from the West Coast creative music scene, alongside aching vocal spots by Debra-Jean Creelman and Molly Guldemond, popularly known for their work with Mother Mother. 

ALBUM

The initial material for the debut, self-titled album by SICK BOSS was recorded nearly two years ago in a whirlwind session at Vancouver's Warehouse Studios. What followed was at least 50 hours of overdubs, creating a massive bank of composed and improvised material that was treated to a year of analogue and digital editing and experi­mentation before the finalized arrangements were passed to Toronto's Sandro Perri for mixing. The big, bold music that emerged from this process never stops moving, creating a rugged collage of ideas and references that evokes Captain Beefheart's relentless experimentalism. Yet, the unruly freak-outs and driving melodies frequently give way to moments of exquisite fragility, recalling both the complicated melancholy of Elliot Smith and the woven composi­tions of Radiohead. The record broadcasts conceptual urgency, decisively pulling the ear through lush chamber landscapes to unrepentant psych-rock. It's in these frequent moments of radical juxtaposition that SICK BOSS reveals its true edge: though two years of refinement have given the work a lot of polish, this is a band that will always agitate for creative upheaval. 

LINKS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJywA4dfGXw
https://sickboss.bandcamp.com

Lisen Rylander Löve

BIO

Lisen Rylander Löve is an internationally acclaimed Swedishmusician and composer who inhabits a unique territory between jazz, electronicmusic, and improvisation. Her singular sound melds saxophone and voice withlive electronics to create compelling soundscapes.

 [46 essex]