a better future is collectively created

May 13
4 min read

on Subvert, new (old) music released, and upcoming Toronto show

it is with such optimism, joy, and gleeful hope for a better future amidst this capitalist streaming hellscape that I share this month's thoughts.

Been hiding in a cottage along a river for most of the month, so consider me a turtle who has surfaced to chat and sun my shell hard again after a chilly April.

Collected Singles (2022-2024) OUT NOW

I'm celebrating Subvert's public launch with this lil collection of pieces I've previously released on various compilation albums. *more on Subvert momentarily From 12 Layers to ~~~~~~~~~~ to Jellygoo, I've gathered all my lil chicks into a cozy nest of ambient harptronica for easy listening.

aka the pied harper be pipe organ-ing the feels away (or turning into a glittery lime jello globule).

~Exclusively available on Subvert~

LISTEN

MAY 23 - SOLO BIG HARP SET at COLLECTIVE ARTS

Join me Saturday, May 23rd at 8pm at Collective Arts presented by Burn Down the Capital

Tickets

I am whipping out the biggest harp I've got + the most pedals + all new music compositions for this upcoming set!

Karen Ng is my god-tier Toronto improviser, so I am stoked for to be opening for her and Charles Spearin's SpeariNg.

Plus!!! Saxophonist Cole Pulice is headlining and if you haven't listened to their album Land's End Eternal then I'd highly recommend checking it out before the show.

(basically I'm trying not to think about how stacked this line-up is otherwise I'm just gonna dig myself into a hole of imposter syndrome. you seriously need to come and we can weep together to Cole Pulice) Set-wise - I locked myself in a house for a week and ate rice & bean burritos every night while percolating on this completely new big harp set. It may or may not involve

VHS tape
shaking of fists
using the harp's soundboard to gently scream into the void
some dissociative tonal chordal bass-y thing
lyrics?!

honestly I make it sound like it's gonna be hella noise-harp vibes, but tbh I think I probably feel like the music is sad-er or more melancholic when to anybody else's ear it's ~ethereal~ or ~pretty~ because it's hard to make the harp sound like anything but that sometimes. Or maybe I just hear the harp alot so I'm desensitized to the ~shimmer~ idk. I remember chatting with Mary Lattimore* once and she had mentioned receiving similar feedback. That people kept telling her how pretty + beautiful her tune about discovering a rotting beached whale carcass was (+ all the sad, existential feels that go along with that discovery). I had a good commiserative chuckle at that.

So! you tell me, does harp = pretty angel bby harpist x infinity forever?

come to the show and decide for yourself 😘

Tickets

*Mary Lattimore is a fab person on top of a fab musician btw. Super supportive when she didn't need to be (at her show, at the merch table someone wished she was local to Toronto and she introduced me to them as a local ambient harpist - who does that? literally the kindest person to exist).

SUBVERT: A CO-OPERATIVELY OWNED BANDCAMP ALTERNATIVE

If you are asking yourself why the hell do I keep meow-ing about Subvert, then here's my elevator pitch.

TLDR: Subvert is a co-operatively owned music platform. Think of it as an ethical way to enjoy the music you love with 0% platform fees, meaning 100% of your music purchases 100% goes to the artist. I've been excited about Subvert since 2024 when an ad on social media caught my eye. As a fan of grocery co-op's like Switzerland's Migros or my local Woodman's, the future potential in a co-op music platform venture was an easy yes. A future where I don't have to worry about some streaming CEO investing in drone warfare (looking at you Daniel Ek) or an algorithm that actively promotes AI music (looking at you again, Spotify 🤮)

I think our better, ethical future is collectively created and owned. So! I invite you to join me on Subvert. As a listener, the music awaits your ears! To my fellow musicians, you can batch upload lossless audio to your hearts content without having to have a tiered paid account - ie please upload your tunes, then let me know so I can add them to my Subvert collection <3

Become a Co-opitalist w/us

SOME RECOMMENDATIONS:

if you haven't been chased around your house by a poodle scream-singing Tiramisu by Gelli Haha, are you living? ahem - TIRAMISUUUUUUU, TIRAMISSUUUUUUUU
see how long you can survive without a bike lane with Marie LeBlanc Flanagan's browser-based video game Loser Lane
Get curious about the First Nations & Indigenous peoples, cultures, languages, and the treaties from where you're situated with Native-Land.ca.
I ate this for dinner for an entire week and felt great: Spanish Rice (but make it w/chicken stock not water) + 1 can pinto beans (drained) mixed together as the base. Then grab a flour tortilla and layer the mixture with whatever toppings you have on hand (ie avocado, shredded cheddar cheese, hot sauce etc). Then roll it into burrito shape and grill on a panini press (or similar) until nicely crisped. Add salsa and/or sour cream to finish. It's filling, cheap, easy to make, and keeps well in the fridge.