Live-ing it up

Toronto-area show listings for March to mid-April 2025

My personal selections of Toronto-area shows, March 3 to April 15. On each date, the top event listed would be my likely first choice.

Tell me cool stuff I missed, in the comments. While this list won’t mail out again, I’ll update this page periodically as new info emerges (esp. for April), so check back on the web page now and then.

See, among others, Michael Barclay’s That Night in Toronto and Joe Strutt’s Mechanical Forest Sound for more complete listings. Check the Jazz in Toronto daily calendar (frustratingly only for same-day info). For Hamilton, see the #Hamont Substack. For non-categorizable events, see the Toronto Event Generator.

See some of you some of there!

Can't believe we get both Rosanne Cash *and Suzanne Vega up close in Toronto in March.

Mon Mar 3: Michaël Attias (NYC/Berlin sax) w/ Jim Lewis, Andrew Downing, Nick Fraser, Rex Hotel, 8.30 p.m., $20
- Faye Webster, Queen Elizabeth Theatre, $35-$50 (also Mar 4)
- This Is Not the Show (Trampoline Hall’s facilitated social gathering) w/ Misha Glouberman, the Garrison, 7 pm
- Tom Waits Appreciation Congregation, Castro’s, 7:30 pm

Tue Mar 4: Michaël Attias (NYC/Berlin sax) w/ Michael Herring, Trevor Hogg, Nick Fraser, the Tranzac, 9:30 pm
- Popular Music Books series w/ Francis Bradley on I Hear Freedom: Solidarity, the Great Migration, and Black Creative Music (book in progress), with Gabriel Vanlandingham-Dunn, online, 5 pm ET, see here for info
- Mardi Gras w/ Heavyweights Brass Band, Drom Taberna, 8:30 pm
- Richard Flohil’s Stories from the Edge of Music, Mariska Martina (UK), Sellers & Newel
- Stranger Still (settings of Alden Nowlan poems, w/ Pete Johnston/Mim Adams/Randi Helmers/Rob Clutton), the Tranzac, 7 pm
- Faye Webster, Queen Elizabeth Theatre, $35-$50 (also Mar 3)
- Jorja Smith, Massey Hall
- Track Could Bend #102 w/ M.D.N.R. (Max Donaldson/Nate Robertson), Del Stephen's Totoloto, Wenona Lodge, 9-11 pm, pwyc

Wed Mar 5: Don Byron (NYC) with Michael Occhipinti, Rex Hotel (March 5-8), 8:30 pm, $16-$28
- Holy Oak Family Singers present the music of Haruomi Hosono (Yellow Magic Orchestra etc), Tranzac, 7 pm (monthly)
- Parallel (Oakland neo-shoegaze), Ace of Wands, the Baby G
- Grocer (Philadelphia), Luge, Least Weasel, The Garrison, $21
- Ghostlight: Spring Equinox, Tranzac, 9:30 pm

Thur Mar 6: Don Byron (NYC) with Michael Occhipinti, Rex Hotel (March 5-8), 8:30 pm, $16-$28
- Ensemble Musikfabrik (Cologne) (works by Georgina Bowden, Dylan Lardelli, Pauline Oliveros, Juliet Palmer, Gordon Williamson), Array Space, $22
- Strangetooth (bluegrass), Tranzac, 7 pm (weekly)
- Run with the Kittens, Cameron House, 10 pm (monthly)

Fri Mar 7: Rosanne Cash, Koerner Hall, 8 pm, $70+
- Women From Space festival w/ Big Bang! Plays Nina Simone, Plastic Babies (Christine Duncan, Patrick O’Reilly, Laura Swankey), Allison Cameron’s Small Scale Experimental Machine, the Music Gallery (918 Bathurst), doors 7:30 pm, $15-$20
- Don Byron (NYC) with Michael Occhipinti, Rex Hotel (March 5-8), 8:30 pm, $16-$28
- Tania Gill presents the Blues (feat. Victor Bateman/Ken Kawashima/Jean Martin/Blake Howard), Tranzac, 7 pm (monthly)
- Sub-Sessions #9 electronics w/ Citizenry, Precious Jewel, Garden of Magic, BSMT 254, $17, all ages
- Lucy MacNeil, Hugh’s Room

Sat Mar 8: Los Lobos (acoustic), Koerner Hall, 8 pm, $60+
- Don Byron (NYC) with Michael Occhipinti, Rex Hotel (March 5-8), 8:30 pm, $16-$28
- Kraftwerk: 50 Years of Autobahn, Massey Hall, $285 (!) (according to my pocket calculator)
- Women From Space festival w/ Azumi OE, Eucademix, yuniya edi kwon, Erin Poole/Rosina Kazi/Chantelle Mostacho/shn shn, the Music Gallery, 918 Bathurst, doors 7:30 pm, $15-$20
- Kallisto (Montreal Turkish-psych-jazz), Tranzac, 7:30 pm
- Labyrinth Ontario presents Fragmented Forms w/ Araz Salek (tar), Aysel Taghi-Zada (violin), Cory Harper-Latkovich (cello, rebec), Sara Constant (flute and contrabass flute), Yang Chen (percussion), Annette Studios (566 Annette St.), 7:30 pm, $25
- Shibaali (Iran) ft. Habib Meftah & Rouzbeh Esfandarmaz, Dastgâmachine, Neda Mohamadpour, Allied Music Centre (Massey Hall)
- Music Gallery presents Black Audio Film Collective Screening feat. Edward George, Handsworth Songs (1986) and The Last Angel of History (1996), Cinema 3, TIFF Lightbox, 7 pm (doors 6:30 pm)
- Music Gallery presents Dub Night 1 w/ Edward George, Ms. Move On Up, The Little Jerry, 418 College St, 8 pm-2 am
- The Ichi-Bons, the Kewpie Dolls, the Monarch
- Robertson & Kerr, Cameron House, 8:30 pm (weekly)
- Saturday Bluegrass Casual, Tranzac, 12 pm-2 pm (weekly)

Sun Mar 9: Women From Space festival w/ Myra Melford’s Fire and Water Trio (feat Ingrid Laubrok, Lesley Mok), Arushi Jain, Mingjia Chen & Linnea Sablosky, the Music Gallery, 918 Bathurst, doors 7:30 pm, $15-$20
- Music Gallery presents Strangeness of Dub talk-performance by Edward George, BSMT 254, 254 Lansdowne, 2 pm (doors 1:30 pm), pwyc $15-$25
- Queen Kong (Radical Jewish Culture/Ashke-jazzy), the Local (Roncesvalles), 9 pm
- A Celebration of Zakir Hussain, Small World Music Centre (Artscape Youngplace), 2 pm
- Goddess of Slide: The Forgotten Story of Ellen McIlwaine, Hot Docs Cinema, 12:30 pm
- Ayal Senior & Friends w/ Kurt Newman, Del Stephen, Marilyn Yogarajah, Nick Flanagan, Tranzac, 2:30 pm
- Music Gallery presents Dub Night 2 w/ Selectress Sunshine, Patrick Roots, Rooms Coffee, 915 Dupont, 6 pm
- John Borra, Communist’s Daughter, 5 pm (every Sunday)
- Doghouse Orchestra, Cameron House, 10 pm (every Sunday)

Mon Mar 10:

Tue Mar 11: Suzanne Vega, Lula Lounge (also Mar 12)
- Wolf Parade (Apologies to the Queen Mary 20th anniversary shows), Kiwi Jr., the Concert Hall (sold out? also Mar 12)
- Big Smoke Brass, Massey Hall
- Myk Freedman Quartet, Jazz Bistro

Wed Mar 12: Suzanne Vega, Lula Lounge (also Mar 11)
- Brodie West Double Basses Quintet (Patrick O'Reilly guitar, Josh Cole and Rob Clutton upright basses, Nick Fraser drums), Tranzac, 7 pm
- Wolf Parade (Apologies to the Queen Mary 20th anniversary shows), Kiwi Jr., the Concert Hall (also Mar 11)

Thur Mar 13: Memory Pearl album launch (Moshe Fisher-Rozenberg/Matt King/Joseph Shabason/Bram Geilen/Alec O’Hanley), guided meditation, Kat Duma, DJ Badge Epoque, Standard Time, 7:30 pm
- Strangetooth (bluegrass), Tranzac, 7 pm (weekly)

Fri Mar 14: NoBro (Montreal; new lineup), Klokwise, Peura, the Horseshoe
- Mack MacKenzie, Suzanne Nutall, Gabba Gabba Gool Club (Theatrix Costume House), Hamilton, $20-$25
- Buena Vista Orchestra, Danforth Music Hall
- Myk Freedman’s Heavy Metal Klezmer, Drom Taberna, 8:30 pm
- Audiopollination (improv monthly), Array Space, doors 7:30 pm, show 8 pm, livestream available

Sat Mar 15: Mack MacKenzie, Suzanne Nutall, Painted Lady, 218 Ossington, 6:30 pm-9 pm, $20
- Billy Joel, Skydome
- Robertson & Kerr, Cameron House, 8:30 pm (weekly)
- Shane Pendergast, the Local (Roncesvalles)
- Saturday Bluegrass Casual, Tranzac, 12 pm-2 pm (weekly)

Sun Mar 16: Identity, ft. Matthew Lau, works for solo vibraphone by Adrian Knight, José Manuel López López, Steve Reich, Massimo Lauricella, Von Hansen, ArraySpace, 2 pm, $22.63
- John Borra, Communist’s Daughter, 5 pm (every Sunday)
- Doghouse Orchestra, Cameron House, 10 pm (every Sunday)

Mon Mar 17: Mary Margaret O’Hara’s 47th annual Martian Awareness Ball, Horseshoe, 8:30 pm doors, $20
- Helmet, Lee’s Palace
- St. Patrick’s Day w/ North Atlantic Drift, Michael O’Grady, more, the Local (Roncesvalles)

Tue Mar 18: Popular Music Books series w/ Brian Fauteux, Music in Orbit: Satellite Radio in the Streaming Space Age (University of California Press, in progress) and Andrew deWaard, Derivative Media: How Wall Street Devours Culture (University of California Press, 2024), online, 5 pm ET, see here for info

Wed Mar 19: Nick Storring new LP Mirante listening party, DJs Matthew Ramolo (aka Khôra), Nick Storring, Eric Warner (We Are Busy Bodies), the Little Jerry, 418 College St., 8 pm-midnight
- Thea May, Horseshoe
- Solidaridad Tango, Hugh’s Room
- Harley Card, Rebecca Hennessy & Paul Kolinski, Sellers & Newel
- Toronto Klezmer Society Epic Jam, Tranzac, 9:30 pm (monthly)
- Rory Lavelle, the Local (Roncesvalles), 9 pm

Thur Mar 20: Festival of Authors presents Muttertongue spoken word-sound trio book launch w/ Lillian Allen/Gary Barwin/Gregory Betts, plus the Neo-Sonic OCAD Sound Troupe, Tranzac, doors 7 pm, show 8 pm, free
- Kevin Quain, Sellers & Newel
- Extraordinary Voices experimental-vocal showcase w/ FreePlay, Barnyard Drama (Christine Duncan/Jean Martin), Jordana Talsky, Blunt Chunks (Caitlin Woelfle-O’Brien), Judy Zhu, Hugh’s Room
- Victory Pool Music 5th anniversary w/ Moonriivr, Geordie Gordon, Evan Redsky, more, Cameron
- Music for Solo Instruments w/ Michael Murphy, Amahl Arulanandam, Matti Pulkki, Array Space, $22.63
- Charlie Parr, Joe Wunderle, Horseshoe, $19.50
- Strangetooth (bluegrass), Tranzac, 7 pm (weekly)
- Makam Nights (Turkish-Arabic), Tranzac, 7 pm (monthly)

Fri Mar 21: John Southworth & the South Seas, Tranzac, 7 pm
- Something Else presents Stephan Crump (NYC, bass, solo), Blue Moss, You Me Gallery, Hamilton, 8 pm, $17-$20
- Wabi 25: Sandro Perri & Adam Marshall, Standard Time, 10 pm, $28+
- Liam Grant (New England, solo guitar, “American Primitive meets punk”), Sellers & Newel, $20
- Long Winter 13.4 w/ Slash Need, Secret Sign, Arc & Texture, Edmund Stay, St. Anne's Parish Hall, pwyc, all-ages (also Sat night)

Sat Mar 22: Kali Malone (U.S./Stockholm), organ, Trinity St. Paul’s, $48, all ages
- Basic (Chris Forsyth/Douglas McCombs/Mikel Patrick Avery), The Sound Garage, 165 Geary Ave., $28.98
- Something Else presents Stephan Crump (NYC, bass, solo: noon), the Josh Cole Trio (12:45 pm), the jazz documentary Imagine the Sound (Ron Mann, director; 1:30-3 pm), HPL (Hamilton Central Library), Hamilton, noon onward, free (reservations here)
- Stephan Crump (NYC, solo bass), Sellers & Newel, $25
- Don Rooke & Kevin Breit, Tranzac, 7:30 pm (monthly)
- Michael Holt (ex-Mommyheads) & the Kids (Peter Murray, David Celia, Don Kerr), David Celia opening, the Brockton (house show)
- The John Prine Shrine w/ Jason Fowler, Dala, Kennedy Road, Jory Nash, Melanie Conly, John McDermott, Tom Allen, Maury LaFoy and more, Hugh’s Room, 8 pm (sold out except for live stream, $11)
- Tom Waits Appreciation Society, Drom Taberna, 8:30 pm.
- Robertson & Kerr, Cameron House, 8:30 pm (weekly)
- Transsonic, Jason Doell, Array Space, $22.63
- Saturday Bluegrass Casual, Tranzac, 12 pm-2 pm (weekly)
- Long Winter 13.5 w/ Roach, So Tired, Dynesti, Leevisa, St. Anne's Parish Hall, pwyc, all-ages

Sun Mar 23: Beak> (final tour w/ Geoff Barrow in the band), Litronix, the Great Hall, $48.30
- 25th annual Banjo Special (Chris Quinn, Chris Coole, Brian Taheny, Arnie Naiman), Tranzac, 7:30 pm, $30
- John Borra, Communist’s Daughter, 5 pm (every Sunday)
- Colette Savard & the Savantes, the Local (Roncesvalles), 9 pm
- Doghouse Orchestra, Cameron House, 10 pm (every Sunday)

Mon Mar 24: Mary J. Blige, Raptors/Leafs arena
- All That Cabaret: 95 Years of Sondheim w/ Charlotte Moore, Gabi Epstein, Hugh’s Room
- David Picco (St. John’s), the Local (Roncesvalles), 9 pm

Tues Mar 25: The Bug Club, No Frills, The Boojums, Longboat Hall, $36.38
- Angélique Kidjo, Koerner Hall
- Anoushka Shankar, Massey Hall
- Clue Note: Trivia & Creative Music w/ Rob Clutton, Mark Zurawinski, Kevin Turcotte, Doug Tielli, Mira Martin-Gray, Bea Labikova, Tranzac, 7-9 pm
- Twain, Esther Rose, the Garrison, $35.86
- Alex Bird & the Jazz Mavericks, Sellers & Newel, $25
- Kandle, Apacalda, Katie Cruel, Horseshoe
- Kip Harness, the Local (Roncesvalles), 9 pm

Wed Mar 26: Magnetic Fields 69 Love Songs Anniversary Tour, Queen Elizabeth Theatre, $40-$60, two-night pass $109 (also Mar 27)
- Yasuaki Shimizu (Mariah, Saxophonettes, etc), Eucalyptus, The Great Hall, 7 pm doors, $51
- Rythmetic: The Compositions of Norman McLaren w/ Absolutely Free, Hot Docs Cinema, $26.77
- The North Sound, Hugh’s Room

Thurs Mar 27: Magnetic Fields 69 Love Songs Anniversary Tour, Queen Elizabeth Theatre, $40-$60, two-night pass $109 (also Mar 26)
- UWUW (live 10-piece debut, incl. Jason Haberman, Jay Anderson, Ian Blurton, Chris Cummings, Drew Smith, Jay Hay, more), Aladean Kheroufi, The Garrison
- Mandy Patinkin: Being Alive, Massey Hall
- Karen Ng presents, Tranzac, 9:30 pm (monthly)
- Strangetooth (bluegrass), Tranzac, 7 pm (weekly)
- CCMC, 7:30 pm, ArraySpace (monthly)

Fri Mar 28: Ryan Driver Sextet, Tranzac, 9:30 pm (monthly)
- Toronto Songbook Vol. 4 w/Emm Gryner, Chris Tait (Chalk Circle), Garnetta Cromwell, Michael Occhipinti, more, Hugh’s Room, 8 pm (doors 7 pm), $22-$48
- Newfound Interest in Connecticut, Michael Scott Dawson, Colin Fisher, the Garrison
- Bella White (Victoria, BC), Horseshoe
- Exit Points (improv monthly), Array Space, 8 pm
- McMillan's Camp Boys (Nova Scotia), Sellers & Newel, $20

Sat Mar 29: Elizabeth and Beverly Glenn-Copeland, Joseph Shabason, Rooney’s, Hamilton, doors 2 pm, show 3 pm, $15 adv, $20 door (Mask wearing required)
- Kylie Minogue, Raptors/Leafs Arena
- Baths, Fashion Club, Longboat Hall
- Elwins, Vanity Mirror, the Garrison
- Drones Over Dufferin, the Brockton (house concert)
- Robertson & Kerr, Cameron House, 8:30 pm (weekly)
- Saturday Bluegrass Casual, Tranzac, 12 pm-2 pm (weekly)

Sun Mar 30: FKA Twigs, History (also Mar 31)
- Andy White (Belfast), He Mistook Her for a Swan, Sellers & Newel, $25
- CS Cleaners, Special Delivery, Glum, Some Exercise, the Baby G
- John Borra, Communist’s Daughter, 5 pm (every Sunday)
- Doghouse Orchestra, Cameron House, 10 pm (every Sunday)
- Dave Clark’s Western Slang, the Local (Roncesvalles), 2 pm

Mon Mar 31: FKA Twigs, History
- The Music Gallery presents Turntable Trio (Maria Chavez/Evicshen/Mariam Rezaei), Kristina Guison, the Tranzac (Main Hall), $15-$25

April

Tues Apr 1: The Hard Quartet (Emmett Kelly/Stephen Malkmus/Matt Sweeney/Jim White), Danforth Music Hall
- Popular Music Books series w/ Michael Barthel, Party in the U.S.A. (in progress), Maya Smith, Ne me quitte pas (both Duke UP Singles series) and Jason Schneider, That Gun in Your Hand: The Strange Saga of ‘Hey Joe’ and Popular Music’s History Of Violence (Anvil Press), with Eric Weisbard, online, 5 pm ET, see here for info
- The War and Treaty, Axis Club

Wed Apr 2: Holy Oak Family Singers, Tranzac, 7 pm (monthly)
- Harry Bartlett, guitar/Aline Homzy, violin/Andrew Downing, bass, Sellers & Newel, $20

Thurs Apr 3: Strangetooth (bluegrass), Tranzac, 7 pm (weekly)

Fri Apr 4: Tindersticks, 7 pm, Queen Elizabeth Theatre, $50-$83
- Tone presents Satako Fujii Tokyo Trio, The Titillators, Tranzac, 8 pm, $20
- Maria Doyle Kennedy (Ireland), Hugh’s Room
- Slum Village, Velvet Underground
- Corpusse, Sellers & Newel

Sat Apr 5: Tone presents Tara Clerkin Trio (Bristol, UK), Slow Attack Ensemble, Potions, Collective Arts, 2777 Dundas St. West, 8 pm, $20-$25 POSTPONED
- Pussy Riot (Russia): Riot Days (An Activist Multimedia Experience), margø, Lee’s Palace, $35
- Edgar Breau (Simply Saucer) solo, LOLA, 40 Kensington Ave., 8 pm, free
- Emily Beisel (Chicago, bass clarinet/vox/etc), Sellers & Newel, $20
- My Darling Clementine matinee, Hugh’s Room, 2 pm (doors 1 pm), $15-$37
- Dar Williams, Hugh’s Room, 8 pm, $25-$50
- Robertson & Kerr, Cameron House, 8:30 pm (weekly)
- Saturday Bluegrass Casual, Tranzac, 12 pm-2 pm (weekly)

Sun Apr 6: Beth Gibbons (Portishead), Bill Ryder-Jones (The Coral), Massey Hall
- Merle Haggard tribute w/ Jamie Oliver, Russell DeCarle, Redhill Valleys, Johnny 99, Nudie, Sam Polley, Ivan Rivers, Nicholas Campbell, Bazil Donovan, Mike Chianelli, more, the Horseshoe
- lordAUK, A L M A, Jessica Deutsch (“ambient soundscapes for babies and adults”), 918 Bathurst St.
- John Borra, Communist’s Daughter, 5 pm (every Sunday)
- Doghouse Orchestra, Cameron House, 10 pm (every Sunday)

Mon Apr 7: Alan Sparhawk (Low), Circuit des Yeux, Horseshoe Tavern
- Nubya Garcia (UK), Axis Club
- Trampoline Hall Lecture Series, 7:30 pm (doors 7 pm), the Garrison, $18+

Tues Apr 8: Tamino, Concert Hall

Wed Apr 9: Goldie Boutilier, the Horseshoe
- Harry Manx, Hugh’s Room

Thurs Apr 10: Tranzac fundraiser w/ Dorothea Paas Band, Raf Reza, C’est La Fête, Tranzac Main Hall, doors 8 pm, show 9 pm, $25 adv, $30 door
- Heart, Lucinda Williams, CNE Coliseum
- Bright Eyes, Cursive, History
- Lola Kirke, Drake Underground
- Strangetooth (bluegrass), Tranzac, 7 pm (weekly)

Fri Apr 11: Claire Rousay & More Eaze, You Can Can, Monarch Tavern, $26.42
- Kathleen Edwards, the Danforth Music Hall, $39.50
- Rose Cousins, the Concert Hall, $55
- Whitney Rose, Falcon Jane, the Horseshoe
- Gene Loves Jezebel, Jay Aston (Bucks Fizz), the Rec Room Square One, Mississauga
- Audiopollination (improv monthly), Array Space, doors 7:30 pm, show 8 pm, livestream available

Sat Apr 12: FACS (Chicago, Wire-ish post-punk), Noble Rot, Natural Light, Lee’s Palace
- The Tallest Man on Earth (Sweden), the Concert Hall
- Robertson & Kerr, Cameron House, 8:30 pm (weekly)
- Saturday Bluegrass Casual, Tranzac, 12 pm-2 pm (weekly)
- Brìghde Chaimbeul (Scotland), St. Anne's Parish Hall, 8 pm
- Scott B Sympathy, Erika Werry, Darryl Gould, the LOLA, 40 Kensington Ave, free

Sun Apr 13: Joe Boyd (producer, Nick Drake, Richard & Linda Thompson, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Incredible String Band, Pink Floyd, REM, etc, etc) book launch, And The Roots of Rhythm Remain: A Journey through Global Music, Rivoli, doors 1 pm, event 2 pm, $20
- Something Else presents Lucian Ban & Mat Maneri, Brighde Chaimbeul, St. Cuthbert’s, Hamilton, 7 pm, $28-$35
- John Borra, Communist’s Daughter, 5 pm (every Sunday)
- Doghouse Orchestra, Cameron House, 10 pm (every Sunday)

Mon Apr 14: Gruff Rhys (Super Furry Animals), Longboat Hall
- Mogwai, Danforth Music Hall

Tue Apr 15: Mount Eerie, Hana Stretton, Precious Bane, the Concert Hall
- Popular Music Books series, Jessica Holmes, The Musical Vernacular of Depression and Dan DiPiero, Big Feelings: Queer-Feminist Indie Rock After Riot Grrrl (both University of Michigan Press, in progress), with Robin James, online, 5 pm ET, see here for info
- Franz Ferdinand, History