Great Aunt Ida at the Kozmik Zoo

Ida Nilsen is no stranger to these parts, having cut her teeth in West Coast bands such as the Beans, Radiogram, and the Buttless Chaps. Nilsen has called Toronto home since 2007, carrying on her acclaimed Great Aunt Ida project. She’ll be returning to her old stomping grounds on Thursday and Friday (September 13 and 14) for a pair of shows at the Kozmik Zoo. (Don’t ask—we’ve never been there either.) Nilsen will be joined at both gigs by Jay Clark Reid (bass), Ford Pier (guitar), Jonathan Anderson (guitar), and Barry Mirochnick (drums). Those gents all contributed to the latest Great Aunt Ida record, Nuclearize Me, an unassuming gem full of haunting, piano-led slow numbers, guitar-gilded indie rock, and lushly orchestrated baroque pop. Catch her while you can: after this tour, Nilsen is skipping the country entirely and relocating to Detroit, Michigan, where, we can only assume, she intends to embark on a hip-hop career in the Motor City tradition of Kid Rock, Eminem, and Insane Clown Posse.