It's two hours till Showtime and my tape is still not ready. Im in a band called Mescaline Ditch, we've been looping tape and building a wall of sound in the underworld aka my basement for the past three months. National drone day, a Canadian tradition for a few years now, is upon us today, and we have no tapes to sell.
We've got one sweaty, busy brunch, though. Nicole put a few new creases in her chefs cap. Asparagus and asiago omelettes and pulled lamb poutine All day. Michael Burtch, local sculptor and percussionist Par excellence, holds court amd prepares for his gong set at 180 projects.
What is this Drone Music? Wikihow defines drone music as "any style or type of music that restricts itself to a minimal number of chord changes"
Trance music
Minimalism
Systems music
Ambient
Drones signal the primal elements of music: the pulse of rhythm within every human body, the growing climaxes of anticipation and velocity, the focus in metaphor of the eternal Now, presence and the moment...
Now it's about two pm and I'm hiding behind Jamie Vincent's big amp drinking a beer. Mikey hands me his phone and tells me to make backwards noises. Occasionally this is how mescaline ditch shows go. We tried to do a set at the Fishbowl Festival but things were even less prepped. Tried to do noise Therapy, ended up sounding like husband material. We've got a Kaoscillator now. Boyd seems to think we're cool.
Mikey and me are smoking later outside the gallery. Inside, Pete Mozarowski is performing an original piano suite. There is a brief window between drone brunch and the 6pm jam at the café. Some of us use this time to sort through vintage freebies and consume beer, a sort of festival atmosphere permeating the sunny street of unity/gore.
The heat beats down, the day drones on, hot and humid. Rihkee Strapp around the hood with us.The drone jam starts late. Our set with Michael Burtch was called off, but I can assure you that everyone at Mescaline Ditch is very committed to bringing avant garde/experimental music to a laundromat near you. Soon!
Chris Shoust shows up at my house with a compact disc in his hand. We head to Barrelhouse, a place on Queen Street that's open past ten. Where Embers used to be. Tasty sliders, cool droney house music, just what you'd expect from an after party with some big kids of the Soo Art scene.
On the way home we find a few discarded fax machines, and get catcalled by high school girls. One time some girls shot a sticky dart at me from a car , and I threw some music papers at them. Not my proudest moment.
It's like midnight, we've returned home and perhaps sent a few embarrassing texts disguised as performance art using white plastic phones and a CPR mask.
the weeks top karaoke tunes:
Mr big, I'm the one who wants to be with you, Suzanne Vega Tom's diner, Sophie B Hawking's, damn, I wish I was your lover
On Sunday night we'll go try these out at Redneck's, but for now it's cafe brunch and backyard rehearsals. The harmonies...!
Around six am I wake up and try to listen to more weird music, but it didn't work. Nation Drone day comes but once a year here in Canada. Happy bday going out to Kylie Minogue.
My heart goes out to the low n slow crew, what with all the construction going on south of Albert and Gore. I love you all. Keep your chin up and stay strong. Thanks to Jackson Reed, Ears and Eyes, Nick Luck, Jason Willet, Dale, Bill, Great Chamberlain, and the 180 projects crew.
