Toronto’s Listening Room is helping put an unsung part of the city’s music scene on the map with new audiences.
If you haven’t heard of the buzzy sonic experience making waves across social media, the Listening Room showcases Toronto’s most underrated musicians as they reinterpret your favourite artists and make their hits uniquely their own, live and improvised.
A recent performance shone a light on breakout R&B star Leon Thomas, transforming his hits “Not Fair,” “Muse” and “Mutt” with fresh, personalized interpretations. Upcoming shows include tributes to the sounds of founding father Snoop Dogg (March 8–9, March 11–12) and the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, Mary J. Blige (March 22–23, March 25–26).
Under the umbrella of Davie Studios, the Listening Room is “a jam series inspired by the Soulquarians’ process of music creation,” referring to the influential collective of experimental Black artists who congregated at New York’s Electric Lady Studios in the late ’90s and early 2000s. “The evening follows the three-part creative process of how some of our favourite neo-soul albums were made,” the Davie Studios website explains.
The first phase, what they call “priming the room,” sets the mood by playing tracks from the featured artist before the performance begins. Next, the house band takes the spotlight artist’s tracks and turns them into a live improvisational adventure, with each musician taking solos and adding their own unique flair.
Finally, the most exhilarating of the three stages is the “jam session,” where audience members are invited to grab an instrument and a mic, and perform whatever their heart desires — an experience that allows you to be more than an observer, joining in as a participant in the music-making.
From the moment you walk in until the very last note, the energy is immersive and undeniable — a shared love for music radiating from the Longboat Hall stage all the way to the balcony. Founder Shadia Ahmed masterfully curates the space, creating an environment where every person in the room feels engaged and moved by the music; no stoicism in sight, stank faces light up the sold-out crowd.
What truly sets this experience apart is the thoughtfulness and respect it gives to its musicians and artists, with a commitment to fostering a diverse music scene. “Our essence is the people in the room,” the organizers note. “Changing who’s in the room applies to both the musicians on stage as well as the audience enjoying the performance.”
It seemed unreasonable that the tickets were only $34.59 apiece; the talent, the thrill of spontaneity, the contagious energy, it all seemed like something money surely couldn’t buy. And yet, there I was, drink in hand, dancing, in awe of what was coming out of the speakers. It seemed as though my friends and I were in an endless competition to see who could pull off the most outrageous facial expression, almost breaking our necks in the process.
No matter where you were positioned in the venue, it didn’t matter — it was a 360-degree stage, making every vantage point coveted: behind the drummer, a bird’s-eye view from the balcony, or right in front of the vocalist — each offering a different outside perspective of the musicians’ world. Throughout the set, movement was encouraged, and I was fortunate enough to explore it all.
I’ll be honest, though — when it came to the portion of the open mic, I was terrified. The prospect of someone who should never go near a microphone wasn’t impossible. So, when this unassuming guy opened his mouth and started seamlessly incorporating some SZA into the mix, I summoned my inner Simon Cowell and thought to myself, “Well, would you look at that.” And somehow, the open mic performers just kept getting better and better, Toronto’s underground talent finding new ways to shine through.
Listening to these musicians play their respective instruments, it was evident these were rare talents. There was truly something special about witnessing a group of professionals with an undeniable passion for their craft, communicating with each other through the language of music and clearly having a blast.
They would laugh whenever the drummer would add emphasis to unexpected pockets of the piece, cheer as the trumpet soared in the perfect swell, and hype up the crowd when the guitarist struck just the right riff — and when you have the opportunity to see it up close and personal, you can’t help but do the same.
It’s a concert, but without the chaos of stan culture. The Listening Room delivers all the magic of a live show, minus the packed bodies and rushed performances. Special guests — a trumpet, a saxophone, and occasionally even some tap dancing — make surprise appearances, and the beauty therein lies in an unpredictability seldom seen on highly-choreographed tours; no two nights are never going to be the same.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source exclaim.ca ’
