SPILL LIVE REVIEW: LORI CULLEN @ SOGROVE CONCERT SERIES, TORONTO

LORI CULLEN

@ SOGROVE CONCERT SERIES, TORONTO

MARCH 1, 2025

Certain live music experiences are simply ‘special’. Nowhere is this more evident than with Lori Cullen’s recent run of shows, featuring songs from her 2024 album The Thunder And The Bay.

In a concert series they call SoGrove, Cullen and partner Kurt Swinghammer present semi-regular music events, bringing together neighbours, friends, and fans. An intimate setting, the space is normally Kurt’s art studio, opened up to accommodate audiences of about 25 people.

Looking relaxed and elegant, Cullen opened the show with a brief set of songs on acoustic guitar, from her 2022 album Blood Wonder. During this intro set, she was joined by Swinghammer on electric guitar, beautifully covering the Ron Sexsmith song “Heavenly”. For the final song of the opening set (Cullen’s “Could Be Good”), the pair were joined by bassist Maury LaFoy.

Introducing the main part of the programme, the songs from The Thunder And The Bay, Cullen related a funny tale of her first trip to Thunder Bay, ON, as a young working musician. She made special mention of how she is drawn to this part of the country, particularly noting the immersion into the natural world, the quality of the light, and the wonder of Lake Superior. These are some of the bases on which Cullen connected with the electronic music artist James de Pinho, her writing and production collaborator on the album. de Pinho was also in attendance at this show, and spoke to the audience about his and Cullen’s collaboration and creative process.

THE THUNDER AND THE BAY ALBUM REVIEW

As The Thunder And The Bay is partially an electronic music album, it was interesting to witness the band live (rounded out by Michael Phillip Wojewoda on drum pads), presenting the album in a ‘guitar, bass and drums’ format. Wojewoda’s drumming was artful and sounded true to the album, and Swinghammer’s guitar work – varied, passionate, and soulful – filled out the sound tastefully. Bassist LaFoy demonstrated versatile skill on his instrument, holding down the bottom, and providing melodic passages, punch, and swell perfectly, in service of each song.

Cullen was in exquisite voice throughout the evening. With vocals alternately fragile and powerful, and points in between, Cullen and the band presented the songs beautifully. Outstanding moments were many, but some standout performances included Cullen’s acoustic guitar playing and dreamy vocal on “The Lake”, and the sweet, soaring vocal of “Swim”, with its funky instrumental break. After showcasing all of the songs from The Thunder And The Bay, Cullen and company ended the show with a fun cover of George Michael’s “Freedom”.

While no dates have been announced as of yet, there are plans to bring this work to other venues and audiences. In the meantime, Cullen says, “Ideally I’d like to do more of these shows at SoGrove, to build up the mailing list and keep creating this intimate vibe. Originally we really just wanted a venue for the neighbourhood. A place to come see music and then a quick walk home. That happens, but people come from farther too!” People who are interested in this series can visit SoGrove’s Instagram page at https://www.instagram.com/sogrovetoronto?igsh=b2lkOGVncmwydm5y

We can be thankful for artists like Lori Cullen, creating music and an intimate space in which to share it, and growing a community with love and care.

Artist Links

Photo Credit: Graham Powell

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