Thursday Oct. 29
CANAILLE & MUSKOX & DAMIAN VALLES
Triple record release
Co-presented with the artists

Doors 8pm, concert 9pm
$10 regular, $5 member, senior & student

On October 29th, Toronto's Canaille and Muskox each celebrate the release of new albums at the Music Gallery. Both Potential Things (Canaille) and 5 Pieces (Muskox) are also the unofficial inaugural albums recorded at 6 Nassau, a new studio space opened in Kensington Market this year, which is quickly becoming a new hub of activity in Toronto's independent music scene. Canaille and Muskox are the newest additions to the Standard Form roster of artists, a publishing imprint which aims to support musical and visual arts with an emphasis on experimental practices.

Muskox is an instrumental group formed to perform and develop the compositions of Michael Smith. Since its inception in 2006, the group has developed a unique ensemble sound drawing both from the diverse musical backgrounds of its membership, and the unusual instrumentation of banjo, vibraphone, electric piano, harmonium, cello, double bass and alto saxophone. The music of Muskox is a challenging fusion of jazz, American minimalism, various folk musics, and progressive rock, with a focus on densely structured poly-metric pieces.

Canaille ("riff raff") is a creative jazz quintet from Toronto, led by reedman Jeremy Strachan (also of Feuermusik). Formed in 2008, Canaille was conceived by Strachan as a forum to test out his own compositions, tunes, and arrangements with a set group of skilled improvisers. The group consists of players well known to denizens of Toronto's marginal music scenes: Colin Fisher, tenor sax; Mike Smith, bass; Nick Buligan, trumpet; and Dan Gaucher, drums. Potential Things (Standard Form, 2009) is Canaille's first album. Recorded and mixed by Jeff McMurrich in his newly-built studio in Kensington Market, Potential Things is a collaborative effort between the composer, the band, and engineer.

Best know for his guitar playing and drumming in the bands The Ivy League, I Can Put My Arm Back On You Can't, and ETAOIN SHRDLU, Damian Valles will be gracing the evening's audience with a seldom-seen solo performance. Having released a number of purely electronic recordings under the Greater Explosives moniker, Valles has been experimenting with solo guitar and laptop compositions for a number of years. His latest release will mark the beginning of a new series of limited run 3" CDRs from Standard Form entitled Rural Routes. The series will focus on ambient, experimental electronic, modern compositional, electroacoustic, and field recordings.

www.muskoxhq.net
www.canaillemusic.com
www.myspace.com/damianvalles
www.standardform.org