The first thing I would like to say is Thank you to BSMT254 for partnering up with Blast Toronto. We will be looking for ways to elevate Toronto’s musical experience. We began our partnership, and I stayed to see what kind of music to expect from this hidden gem in the Brockton Triangle of Toronto.
This evening was part of Sub-Sessions 10. It is an ongoing project that happens occasionally at BSMT254. I spoke with the organizer and there will be an interview explaining the purpose for these sessions.
Blush
Blush was the first band on and opened with a very poppy and boppy about, what else, a Boyfriend. It seemed like a good opener, because of its fun warm tone. It made you feel like you were getting ready for summer.
Oddly enough, the second song was called “Welcome to the basement”. This was quickly turning into a house party. It felt like you were in a room of your new college friends, or maybe a net set of friends that like to nibble on gummies together.
Picture this, a video of a girl running through a fantasy scene in slow mo. She ends up at a gas station and a shirtless mechanic brings you into the bathroom to show you that they are out of Paper towel. This is their brand-new song, “Bathroom Stalls”.
This could have been an awkward moment for lead singer, Lauren, because her family was in the jam-packed room full of queers, as she put it. This was a room full of supportive people wanting to enjoy life and discover some new and exciting music. They have definitely come out on the right evening.
Blush is a band finding their footing in this crazy town of emerging artists. They are a four-piece band with six people on stage. They added two more just to see how it can all fit together.
A little bit of Blush-
Erik Masson
Erik Masson took me by surprise. I wasn’t sure which direction he was heading. Once he started to sing this mixed-up sound turned into a slow and trippy soul music. It was very smooth.
His next song was very slow and clunky. It was like dragging heavy rocks in your diaper. Yes this is a strange analogy but once the band got to the end the solo really took off and the journey was almost like a rocket breaking away on old fossil fuels.
This band is hard to pin point, but it is fun trying to give them shape. The lead singer was like a lounge singer on a new designer drug that kept our minds liquefied. At one point I could hear sounds coming from some old Pink Floyd as you just lied in a field of smoking grass.
They kept the slow pace, but this one got a little gloomier. Erik Masson and his band are searchers of the lost chords. So, if you are a music lover searching for new original sounds, this is a band to check out.
Check out Erik Masson-
Essie Watts
Essie Watts is a creative force looking for more creative power. The band got on the tiny stage with two dancers behind the singer. The beginning was slow and hypnotic. The singer, Jess, slowly pulled you into her methodical web with the promise of a little seduction. The two extra dancers were her added force to bring you towards her dark charm.
Eventually the dancers left, and Jess was up there to please the crowd that was handing themselves over to her music. A couple of songs were done in Spanish and that kept everyone interested on her next direction.
This was another fine performance that had plenty interesting twist and turns to it. At the end of what I felt was a pretty simple song, the band really went into a long jam that ended on a crashing crescendo that woke everybody up.
I think it is time to bring back those hot dancers. Well, not only did they come back, but they ramped up the seduction meter. They had a move like they were stuck in an earthquake. Go to my Instagram page to see this for yourself. www.instagram.com/blast_toronto/
My personal observation of this performance; I think they are going to need a bigger stage.
Essie Watts and her dancers!
Pick a Piper
The final band on this evening was a duo called, Pick a Piper. They are an electronic band that can turn a basement into a gentle rave.
The duo started off a little too simple for my taste, but once the dude grabbed his sticks and started playing the Timpani, the sound got much more interesting.
It felt like you were dancing inside a melatonin bubble. It was easy floating fun, until the thunder hit the scene. This turn of events started off with a solo drum battle and a Frankenstein sound was being created in front of us.
The drummer became fully awake as he jumped up and down flying on his drums. He then moved to an electronic xylophone that wowed the crowd. It was as if we were now dancing with the star lights as we planet hopped around the galaxy. It was a good time.
Pick a Piper-
And by the way, Happy Birthday Sandra!
I will be speaking with the organizer of the Sub Sessions and will let you know when another original evening out will occur. In the meantime, check out these Instagram pages.
www.instagram.com/blush.theband/
Instagram-Erik Masson
Blast Toronto (@blast_toronto) • Instagram photos and videos– Essie Watts
www.instagram.com/pickapiper_coyhaste/
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