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Paul Smoke

@smoke_harder

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Concerts up front, long walks, tea, smaller films. Windsor, ON. Send a song.
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Sweeping Promises • Meteor • Windsor, ON • November 2, 2026 Sweeping Promises are from Lawrence, Kansas. I talked with guitarist Caufield Schnug and bassist/singer Lira Mondal before the show about their term “cicadence”. A combination of cicadas and cadence. They mentioned how the sounds of cicadas influenced their latest album. Particularly the way individual sounds come together in a kind of unison. With their own rhythm, texture, ebb and flow. It makes sense when you watch Caufield play. That repetitive almost percussive guitar attack. The angular rhythms and the way everything locks together and shifts around. There is something insect like about it. But also something very rock and roll. It is a big part of what I enjoy about Sweeping Promises. Especially live. Clip 2/2 @sweeping.promises #postpunk #artpunk #livemusic #windsorontario #meteorwindsor by @smoke_harder
Sweeping Promises • Meteor • Windsor, ON • November 2, 2026 Sweeping Promises are from Lawrence, Kansas. I talked with guitarist Caufield Schnug and bassist/singer Lira Mondal before the show about their term “cicadence”. A combination of cicadas and cadence. They mentioned how the sounds of cicadas influenced their latest album. Particularly the way individual sounds come together in a kind of unison. With their own rhythm, texture, ebb and flow. It makes sense when you watch Caufield play. That repetitive almost percussive guitar attack. The angular rhythms and the way everything locks together and shifts around. There is something insect like about it. But also something very rock and roll. It is a big part of what I enjoy about Sweeping Promises. Especially live. Clip 1/2 @sweeping.promises #postpunk #artpunk #livemusic #windsorontario #meteorwindsor by @smoke_harder
she’s green • Bar Le Ritz PDB • Montreal, QC • Oct 4, 2026 she’s green · figurines From Minneapolis, Minnesota. Night three. I saw Teddy Nordvold (bass) outside before the show and asked how soundcheck went. Already better than the night before. In Toronto I told him he was going to like Bar Le Ritz because it was one of the best sounding rooms I knew. After the Montreal set I asked him if I was imagining how good the room sounded. Nope. He said I was right about it. For me this was probably the best version of she’s green out of the three nights. Sound. Performance. Presence. Everything came together. After the monitor problems in Toronto hearing them in a room where everything was working with them instead of against them made a difference. I told Teddy afterward that I had a lovely three days following these shows. We also talked about the future and he said they would love to play festivals. Windsor was so good I changed my plans and went to Toronto. Toronto made me change them again and go to Montreal. That turned into catching the entire Canadian run of their first headline tour and my fourth time seeing she’s green overall. Three cities in three nights and every one was worth it. Until we meet again. Clip 2/2 @shes__green #shesgreen #shoegaze #dreampop #indierock #livemusic by @smoke_harder
she’s green • Bar Le Ritz PDB • Montreal, QC • Oct 4, 2026 she’s green · bleed From Minneapolis, Minnesota. This is the song that did it for me. The first time I saw she’s green opening for Chapterhouse the whole set was great. But when they played “bleed” that was the moment I was blown away. Chapterhouse helped define shoegaze. Then I heard this and thought this is what shoegaze sounds like right now. “bleed” still does that to me. The way it builds and then keeps getting bigger toward the back end is everything I want from this kind of music. For me this is peak shoegaze in 2026. Clip 1/2 @shes__green #shesgreen #shoegaze #dreampop #indierock #livemusic by @smoke_harder
Witches Exist • Bar Le Ritz PDB • Montréal, QC • Oct 4, 2026 From Austin, Texas. Third time seeing Witches Exist in three nights and they have quickly become one of my favourite bands I have discovered this year. What really clicked for me over these shows is the contrast in their sound. Jackson Baker (vocals) has this sweet almost 90s indie tone to his voice. While underneath it the guitars get angular, dissonant, noisy, pulling toward post punk, noise rock and shoegaze. Sometimes those guitar parts even give me little flashes of Polvo. They don’t sound like Polvo overall. But there is something in the way those angular guitars push against the sweeter vocals and melodies that takes me there. Arianna Macris (keys) told me in Windsor that her favourites songs from the current set were the first and last songs. Because she gets more keyboard parts in both. They open with “Pyre” and close with the unreleased “Five Blocks”. After three nights “Five Blocks” is easily my favourite Witches Exist song. I don’t usually come away with one song that clearly. But this one has been stuck in my head. “Pyre” is great but “Five Blocks” is the one for me. There really isn’t a weak point in the set. This is basically the material from what is coming next. With “Pyre” the only song already released. If this set is any indication there is a lot to look forward to. Bar Le Ritz seemed to give them more room to move and Jimmy Mercado (guitar) was having a ton of fun with it. He uses the guitar physically too, swinging it and changing its angle around those noisier more angular parts. Jimmy is also a friendly guy. At Meteor he remembered the conversation about “Pyre” and in Montréal he spotted me from across the street and gave me a wave. The ending of “Five Blocks” was the perfect rock and rock moment. Jimmy turns the guitar downward like he is about to spike it into the floor. Then drives the guitar head toward the pedalboard and hits one of the switches with it instead of his foot. You hear the click. The sound cuts and he walks away. Set over. Cool as fuck. Three cities. Three nights. I liked them more every time. witches by @smoke_harder
smush • Bar Le Ritz PDB • Montreal, QC • Oct 4, 2026 From Brooklyn, New York. Night three. I could hear the smush sound check from outside Bar Le Ritz before doors and they already sounded fantastic. They mentioned tonight that this was their first time playing Montreal and this ended up being my favorite of the three sets I saw from them. More movement. More dynamic and more playful with the guitars and the sound. This song was easily my favorite smush moment of the entire three day run. It starts off gently leaning into the dream pop side with that sweet tone in the vocals. Then it just slams into this huge dense shoegaze wall and everything washes over the room. It feels almost like don’t think this is all dream pop. Here is what else we can do. For those few minutes they were as shoegaze as anybody could possibly be. The sound. Energy and feeling all landed perfectly. This whole bill was incredibly strong. Three bands. Three nights and not a weak one in the bunch. Seeing smush again tonight just made me appreciate their range even more. Their balance is still what I like most overall. Dreampop, shoegaze, indie, melodic and haze without leaning too hard in any one direction. After three nights I would absolutely see them again. @smush______ #smush #shoegaze #dreampop #indierock #livemusic by @smoke_harder
Montreal, Quebec • October 4, 2026 • around 6 p.m. A few things I saw on the way to Bar Le Ritz for she’s green. by @smoke_harder
Simile Aria • Old City Hall • Toronto • Oct 4, 2026 An industrial compressor fills with air before feeding organ pipes placed throughout Old City Hall. The compressor was so powerful you could feel the floor vibrating under you. Then it stopped and the pipes began to play. Maggy Hamel-Metsos #nuitblanchetoronto #nbto26 #soundart #installationart #toronto by @smoke_harder
band band clock • Nathan Phillips Square • Toronto • Oct 4, 2026 Midnight at Nuit Blanche. A marching band came down the City Hall ramp every hour on the hour marking the time through the night. Lisa Kiss & Collaborators #nuitblanchetoronto #nbto26 #torontoart #performanceart #toronto by @smoke_harder
Nuit Blanche • Toronto • Oct 3–4, 2026 A few things from the night. Before I headed to Montreal. by @smoke_harder
she’s green • Hard Luck Bar • Toronto, ON • Oct 3, 2026 From Minneapolis, Minnesota. Night two sold out show. They were even better. Zofia (vocals) pointed out during the set that Kevin (drums) had lost his monitor. Someone from the venue tried to fix it. It remained broken. Afterward I found out Teddy (bass) had completely lost his monitor too. Raines (guitar) had a different problem his monitor kept cutting in and out so he eventually shut it off himself. Raines told me he adapted by turning his head to catch whatever sound he could from the room. Sometimes he could hear Kevin’s cymbals better from one angle and use that to stay in rhythm. From the audience you would barely have known anything was wrong. The timing sounded dead on and the whole band stayed tight. Teddy was worried about how the set had sounded to the audience and you could see the relief on his face when I told him it sounded great. He said they have dealt with technical problems before and learned how to adjust. But this felt close to the limit. I was impressed they kept the whole set together as tightly as they did. There was also a small world moment. In Windsor I randomly asked a woman how she knew she’s green and she said her brother introduced her to them. Tonight while the band was setting up I heard a guy tell Zofia that his sister had seen them in Windsor the night before and loved it. That sounded familiar. I asked if his sister was the woman I talked to. He showed me a photo and sure enough it was her. Then I asked how he discovered she’s green. He seen them open for Softcult. Pretty much the same way I found them. I knew nothing about them before they opened for Chapterhouse. Chapterhouse were incredible. But seeing both bands on the same bill made something click for me. Chapterhouse helped define shoegaze while she’s green felt like where that sound is now. Two nights still wasn’t enough. So now I am heading to Montreal today to see them again tonight. Making it three nights in a row and my fourth she’s green show overall. Clip 3/3 she’s green • mettle @shes__green #shesgreen #shoegaze #dreampop #indierock #livemusic by @smoke_harder
she’s green • Hard Luck Bar • Toronto, ON • Oct 3, 2026 From Minneapolis, Minnesota. Night two sold out show. They were even better. Zofia (vocals) pointed out during the set that Kevin (drums) had lost his monitor. Someone from the venue tried to fix it. It remained broken. Afterward I found out Teddy (bass) had completely lost his monitor too. Raines (guitar) had a different problem his monitor kept cutting in and out so he eventually shut it off himself. Raines told me he adapted by turning his head to catch whatever sound he could from the room. Sometimes he could hear Kevin’s cymbals better from one angle and use that to stay in rhythm. From the audience you would barely have known anything was wrong. The timing sounded dead on and the whole band stayed tight. Teddy was worried about how the set had sounded to the audience and you could see the relief on his face when I told him it sounded great. He said they have dealt with technical problems before and learned how to adjust. But this felt close to the limit. I was impressed they kept the whole set together as tightly as they did. There was also a small world moment. In Windsor I randomly asked a woman how she knew she’s green and she said her brother introduced her to them. Tonight while the band was setting up I heard a guy tell Zofia that his sister had seen them in Windsor the night before and loved it. That sounded familiar. I asked if his sister was the woman I talked to. He showed me a photo and sure enough it was her. Then I asked how he discovered she’s green. He seen them open for Softcult. Pretty much the same way I found them. I knew nothing about them before they opened for Chapterhouse. Chapterhouse were incredible. But seeing both bands on the same bill made something click for me. Chapterhouse helped define shoegaze while she’s green felt like where that sound is now. Two nights still wasn’t enough. So now I am heading to Montreal today to see them again tonight. Making it three nights in a row and my fourth she’s green show overall. Clip 2/3 she’s green • bleed @shes__green #shesgreen #shoegaze #dreampop #indierock #livemusic by @smoke_harder

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