September was for shows

As always thanks to those of you who take the time to read my little updates. I really enjoy your replies as well; please tell me what brings you joy these days. 

The last month or so has been filled with a wonderful assortment of live music running the gamut from big stadium stuff (not something I do very often) to small and intimate (more my vibe). 

Here’s a weird little collage to listen to while you read. More on it later:

Music

While I was mostly in consumption mode in September, I still snuck in a few jams. Both are nascent projects (I will stop using the word “band” since it feels restrictive and diminutive). 

First, I’ve been jamming with Jamie (frequent collaborator: Sistra, Naustra, etc) and Rich (Orphx, and many other projects). We’re still finding our collective voice, but if results so far are any indication, it is going to be krautrock/noiserock/shoegaze adjacent. So far I’ve been playing drums but I hope to get weird with some electronics as well. 

Second, I got the opportunity to get in my studio with my old pal Mark (of Closet Monster and many other things) and make some noise. Ever since we first started jamming (circa ~2008ish?) we’ve always just clicked and that remains the case almost two decades later. Currently, this stuff is living sonically somewhere between Death From Above 1979 and Fugazi but I’m sure it will only get more interesting as it progresses. 

Third, they used some of my breakbeats on Hyperwar’s latest release The Maniac. If you like in-your-face hardcore of the d-beat persuasion, these guys don’t miss. Zak (singer) also wrote one of my favourite books of 2026, Fancy Gap.

And finally, I got some new Music Thing Modular hardware: the Radio Music mk2 and 8mu (AKA Radio Remote). I’ve already spent several hours mangling random radio recordings and breakbeats. This is going to be a very powerful tool for me. The video linked at the top is a more abstract example of what’s possible with this hardware. 

Coding

It was a quieter month as coding goes. I finished reverse engineering the official Zoom L6 app features that were missing from my app. This means you can now do everything from a Web MIDI enabled browser that you can do in the official app. And if you’re on iOS/iPadOS you can use MIDIWeb! 

The main thing I released this month was this new visualization tool. I am notoriously bad at recording videos and I wanted an easy way to create something interesting from audio files. This allows you to create visualizations that respond to audio input in interesting ways and export video files in different formats for social, YouTube, etc. This link at the top is an early example of this. It is entirely browser based (Chromium/desktop for now) and free. You can layer and sequence multiple visualizations and overlay text and images. I’ll open source it eventually, but I want to put it through its paces first. Please try it out and let me know what you think! 

Shows

Wu Tang Clan @ RBC Amphitheatre - I am typically not the type to open my wallet for Live Nation/Ticketmaster but I couldn’t resist $25 lawn tickets with some friends for what is meant to be the “last last” Wu Tang tour. 36 Chambers is a desert island record for me, so I was content to leave after hearing all the good stuff from that era, even if there was a trailer for RZA’s latest film in the middle of it. An unexpected highlight was the band they had hidden behind the video screens. 

Supercrawl @ James St North Hamilton, ON - I was a bit skeptical when they first announced this year’s line-up but it turned out to be one of the more enjoyable years for me. I mostly just sat at the north stage on Saturday and enjoyed the more “alternative” lineup. Chore was fantastic. The Penske File showed a hometown crowd why everyone loves them. Population II gained a new fan for life (seriously these guys should be touring with Angine). Anti-Queens proved that punk rock and politics are still the combo we need. And Protest The Hero blew our collective faces off, sans bass player no less! The “Fuck Live Nation” cheers were especially heartening. 

Jose Contreras//Sistra//Jess Carey @ Awesome Mom - When your friend (Sistra) opens for an indie legend in a venue like this, you go. I caught the tail end of Jess Carey’s set and I’m excited to hear more from her. I don’t think I’m capable of an unbiased Sistra opinion, but I really like how Jamie has been reshaping these tunes and this was a perfect showcase for them. Jose’s set was earnest and heartfelt, something that I wasn’t expecting given that I would probably put him in the ‘celebrity’ bucket. 

Dany Laj and the The Looks // Peer Review @ The Gate - I’ve seen Peer Review a few times and I’ve always been impressed, this was no exception. They’re the type of band that can fit on any sort of bill. I was most excited to see my old friends Dany Laj and the Looks. Jeannette (bass player) and I worked at Steve’s Music (RIP) back in the day and I also got to hang out with her and Dany quite a bit when I lived in Montreal. They’re the perfect prototype of a power-pop trio, even if they do have like 11 different drummers (shout out to Mike who killed this set). 

David MacKinnon/Patient Whales @ Piques and Valleys - Patient Whales is one of the many creative endeavours of my friend Paul (hi Paul!). I love hearing how he adapts his songs to a live setting and I’m a big fan of his songwriting. He even played my little Minichord for one song which was super impressive. I also got to hang out with his parents. David MacKinnon needs no introduction, he’s been part of many influential groups over the years. His solo stuff brings to mind shades of John K. Samson and J Mascis. I love songs with a sense of place and, given we live in the same neighbourhood, that sense of place is extra strong. 

Fembots/Mark Sasso @ Last Supper Books - Mark Sasso, of Elliott Brood, opened this intimate Friday show in my local book store. I’ve seen Elliott Brood many times over the last 15 years or so but this was my first time seeing Mark. He had great banter and I enjoyed all of his songs, especially his Roy Orbison cover. Seeing FemBots a week after seeing David was a treat and an interesting follow-up. He mentioned a few times how weird it was playing these tunes on guitar, as he typically plays them on piano. The tunes worked really well in this two guitar + chord organ (!) set up. I feel very privileged to be able to witness shows like this with like 20 of my neighbours at the place where I buy my books. 

Maitreya/The Isosceles Project/Spectra/Stitching Snakes @ Ooey Gooeys - I’ll focus on the one-two punch that was Spectra and Isosceles since they share a (fantastic) drummer. Spectra is one of those bands that make me rethink how much I should be practicing my instrument(s). They are very much in the modern prog metal world, but with a bit of a smirk. They all genuinely seem to be having a good time up there. The Isosceles Project is the sledgehammer (albeit a nimble one) to Spectra’s scalpel. They are riff masters, and Eric (and friends) have been crushing it for the better part of twenty (!) years. 

BA Johnston/Lee Reed & !Kryme One/Loud Hands @ The Corktown - I had to speedwalk from Ooeys to the Corktown just in time to catch BA (sorry Lee!). There’s nothing more life affirming and more aggressively Hamiltonian than seeing BA Johnston in a venue like The Corktown. I could gush about how singular a performer BA is, but unless you’ve seen him live before it would never be sufficient. IYKYK. And if you don’t know, then go see him as soon as you can (he’s playing here on Boxing Day) or book him to play in your backyard or your driveway. 

Books

• The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer - a beautiful little treat of a book about the indigenous gift economy and its application to our lives

• Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout by Cal Newport - a nice counterpoint to the current climate of hyperproductivity

• Aurora by David Koepp - a vaguely dystopian story about the aftermath of a “black sky” solar flare from the guy who wrote the Jurassic Park screenplay (among lots of other blockbusters)

Art

• Laura Heaney @ The Cotton Factory (pictured)

• Patchbay @ Smokestack

• House Plant @ Relay Coffee

Well that was a long one. I didn’t intend to become a live music blogger, but sometimes these things just happen. 

If you made it this far, we’re now best friends.

-Phil