Weekend concerts bring Tasseomancy, Slim Cessna to town
Witchy electro-pop and Aussie garage rock, gothabilly and avant-garde classical
Tasseomancy @ Le Temporaire on Thursday, 8 p.m., $8
If being named after a method of divination isn't an immediate tip-off to Tasseomancy's black magic feel, it comes through in the band's intimate, enchanting music as soon as you press play.
Twin sisters Romy and Sari Lightman first gained widespread attention while playing in Toronto band Austra — but whereas the latter band opts for chilly dance beats and thumping tribal rhythms, Tasseomancy's latest album, Do Easy, sees the sisters heading in a new direction.
The record's name is a reference to a philosophy adopted by the Beat Generation of "doing easy" — that is, choosing the simplest, most relaxed way of doing things. Musically, the songs follow suit, flowing with ethereal ease (and echoes of Kate Bush) from beginning to end.
Her Harbour joins Tasseomancy at Le Temporaire, with an opening set that'll feature much-anticipated new music.
DZ Deathrays @ House of TARG on Friday, 9 p.m., $12.50
Party-loving thrashers DZ Deathrays deal in chunky riffs and snot-nosed vocals. The duo hails from Australia — but they've been working with Toronto-based label Dine Alone Records, and are in the midst of a North American tour.
The journey hasn't been without mishaps: while they were in Los Angeles, their massive tour bus managed to get stuck in the middle of Sunset Boulevard. DZ Deathrays posted evidence of the predicament on Instagram, showing the bus's wheels spinning fruitlessly while Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Proud Mary" plays fittingly in the background.
Thankfully, they got loose — and they'll bring their garage bangers to the stage at House of TARG on Friday, alongside label-mates and fellow Brisbanites Dune Rats.
Slim Cessna's Auto Club @ Zaphod's on Saturday, 8 p.m., $18
It's been just about 25 years since Slim Cessna's Auto Club formed in Denver — and the band is set to bring out a devoted Ottawa crowd when they make a tour stop here Saturday.
With religious-themed lyrics and imagery, and shadowy country stories of sin and redemption, it makes sense that Slim Cessna's style is often compared to Southern Gothic literature — and even called "gothabilly." Still, the band's latest album, The Commandments According to SCAC, offers a slightly more hopeful take on the trials and miseries of the western experience.
Expect a foot-stomping, sinister celebration inside Zaphod's when Slim Cessna plays there Saturday with openers The Reverb Syndicate.
'The Genius of Philip Glass' @ NAC Southam Hall on Saturday, 8 p.m., $25
Meanwhile, Saturday night is an eventful one at the NAC. For one thing, Juno- and Polaris Prize-winner Tanya Tagaq is giving a performance at the NAC Theatre. Then there's the fact Southam Hall will be hosting one of the most important music figures of the 20th century.
It's hard to sum up Philip Glass in a few sentences; the American composer's music is extremely varied but also instantly recognizable for its minimalism and rhythm. His pieces are affecting, whether you're a classical music aficionado or not.
At Saturday's event, Glass will receive the Glenn Gould Prize for "enriching the human condition through the arts." In his honour, the NAC Orchestra, guest-conductor Dennis Russell Davies and Philip Glass himself will give a concert of his music. It's not the kind of night you want to miss.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
