VT09 Starts Tonight, Continues Sporadically

Mats Gustafsson of The Thing, tonight at the Tranzac in Toronto. Photo by Cees van de Ven.

Most years veteran Toronto jazz-etc show promoter and radio host Ron Gaskin partners with the Festival International de Musique Actuelle in Victoriaville, Que., to bring some of the artists visiting Canada for FIMAV (or “Victo”) to Toronto, for those of us who can’t make it up to that town between Montreal and Quebec City. He calls it VTO. This year, though, there is no FIMAV - in light of the recession and having gone all-out on last year’s 25th-anniversary fest, that prime event on the out-music calendar is taking a breather till 2010. But that didn’t stop Gaskin, who was already in talks with performers, and as a result we’ve got VT09, which will spool out gently and messily across Toronto from now till June 20.

It begins tonight at the Tranzac and tomorrow at the Imperial Library Pub with The Thing, Swedish saxophonist Mats Gustafsson’s Stooges-meet-Ayler trio. Thing drummer Paal Nilssen–Love (from Norway) then returns on May 15 with OFFONOFF featuring Italy’s Massimo Pupillo (of Zu) on bass and Terrie from The Ex on guitar. May 29, it’s Swiss violist, singer and electronixist Charlotte Hug . And more, including Toronto musicians opening each show.

A less happy bit of local weirdo-music/festival news is that Japanese master noiseician Merzbow has cancelled his scheduled May 21 appearance in the Over the Top festival, apparently due to Swine Flu phobia - on the Japanese government’s part, not his own. There’s lots else to be excited about in O.T.T. - but not quite as excited. (Frowny face.)