pronoun with Blunt Chunks at The Smiling Buddha

Photos by Katrina Lat.

The Buddha was a relaxed little venue this Wednesday night. Anything said to the audience felt like a conversation between friends. This might have had something to do with the small size of the crowd, just 20 or 30 people.

Local boys Sweet and Low started the show off with some short, snappy punk-rock tinged tunes. They were comfortable on stage and managed to fit about 10 three minute songs into their set, as well as a fair amount of snappy banter and greeting to their friends in the audience. Their set included some catchy riffs that deserve a second listen.

The Next act, Blunt Chunks, was nothing like I expected from their name, which conjures up and abrasive, heavy band. She was on stage solo with just an electric guitar, a looper and a small Roland sampler for company. Her voice is light, ethereal and quite enchanting. It contrasts well with the heavy beats she brings in from the sampler and standout track B.A.B.E. Baby is hauntingly beautiful. As she commented when she began, the samples and loops sound different every time, which is part of the allure of her as a live performer. I’m keen to see her live again to compare.

pronoun, aka Alyse Velturo, appears punctually on stage with a 3 piece backing band for compact set of just 7 songs that showcases a new song or two and her 4 track EP There’s no one new around you released in November on her own self-described “tiny record label” Sleep Well Records. The show opens with the dreamy guitar of til your legs give up before launching into popular track just cuz you can’t. The highlight of the short set is it’s the way – a track written in the upset she felt following the result of the last presidential election which sounds sweet, mellow and drenched in disappointment.

Vellturo leaves the stage with the words “See you next time, unless I can’t afford to”. I for one hope pronoun can make a bit of cash to visit Toronto again. I’d like to see how Velturo’s music career progresses with a bulked up set.