generik

NxNE 2009 in review

2009-07-27T11:39:00.001-07:00

NxNE Day One - aborted (June 17, 2009)
This Book Is Broken book launch @ The Courthouse featuring:

Broken Social Scene (unannounced special guest)
Apostle of Hustle
Jason Collett
Happiness Project
Years

***No review due to being denied entry due to unforeseen circumstances.***

NxNE Day One (June 18, 2009):

Timber Timbre @ The Courthouse

The official NxNE schedule listed Zeus during this time slot, so I was surprised to show up and find out they had already played. Disappointed, I stuck around to check out one of the newest signings to the Arts & Crafts roster, Timber Timbre (a.k.a. Taylor Kirk). Playing to a surprisingly full room, Kirk strutted the plaintive and sparse ballads from his new self-titled disc. The set started off with birds chirping on loop pedals and the rest of the set felt like listening to someone on a deck up at the cottage. Kirk barely addressed the audience (or even looked up), but the introspective songs seemed to go over well as he got an enthusiastic round of applause at the end of the set.

Black Lips @ Yonge-Dundas Square

A wide cross-section of demographics were on hand at this free show to witness the Atlanta, Georgia quartet rock out. The blues-inspired boogie rock had many in the audience dancing and eventually led to a stage invasion by some (drunk?) female audience members who eventually started making out.
I missed it, but apparently King Khan joined them onstage at the end.

The Most Serene Republic @ The Courthouse
It's been three years since I had last seen TMSR; and in the ensuing time, the initial novelty of them being the first non-Broken Social Scene related group to sign to Arts & Crafts has visibly waned. Their 2007 album Population got lost in the shuffle of other A&C releases and the hype for the just-released ...And The Expanding Universe has been minimal from what I've seen. Their live show is still essentially the same however. They've streamlined their sound somewhat into a more conventional rock sound, but still feature the chaotic indie pop that have come to characterize their oeuvre. They have a dedicated following, but will continually be overshadowed by their iconic labelmates for the foreseeable future.

You Say Party! We Say Die! @ The El Mocambo

The notoriously slow streetcars (a recurring problem during the festival) prevented me from arriving until two-thirds through the set. However, from what I did see, the band were testing out new material from their upcoming album, XXXX (which is scheduled for release in late September). Singer Becky Ninkovic is still a consummate frontwoman, but like The Most Serene Republic, their sound is evolving into a more conventional sound than the frantic party anthems on their earlier recordings.

HEALTH @ The Horseshoe Tavern
The Los Angeles based experimental noise rockers are seeing their stock rise after opening a portion of dates on Nine Inch Nails' Lights In The Sky tour last year. It was evident that the residual effect of that is paying dividends as the Horseshoe was packed for their set and more than a few people were excited. A small-ish mosh pit - something I've never witnessed in my four years of covering this festival - developed over the first few songs and the communal energy continued throughout the set.

NxNE Day Two (June 19, 2009):

Brides @ The Music Gallery

It's a little strange to walk into a venue expecting a rock show and seeing the audience politely sitting in church pews. However, the avant-garde, experimental noise rock quickly filled the venue. As the set continued on, they enlisted additional help from their friends in attendance (including ex-Republic of Safety guitarist Johnny Dovercourt) to contribute to the cacophonous sonic assault (by the end there were at least 5 guitarists).

AIDS Wolf @ Sneaky Dee's

In what must have been a first in the history of the venue (Sneaky's is well-known for running behind schedule at the best of times), AIDS Wolf apparently went on slightly early.
Arriving about two-thirds into their set, I enjoyed what brief moments I could. Singer Chloe Lum was in the midsts of throwing herself around the stage as her bandmates created a sonic collage that pleased the packed audience.

Blood Ceremony @ The Reverb

Despite a thin turnout, the local doom-metal group had a few diehards throwing the goathorns and headbanging at the front throughout the set. Their Jethro Tull-inspired occult rock (complete with flute!) stood up on it's own, but undoubtedly, many of them were there to fawn over singer Alia O’Brien.

Change Of Heart @ The Horseshoe Tavern

Admittedly, this band was a little before my time and the decidedly older crowd proved as much. Guitarist Ian Blurton began the set by announcing that he was "scared shitless" for the band's first gig in nearly a decade. Despite the slightly older demographic, they were lustily cheered after every song and the appreciative crowd ate up every minute of the set. Even the self-admitted sub-par encore (a rarity for NxNE) was well received.

METZ @ The Silver Dollar

A non-stop sonic/experiemtnal assault (I'm running out of adjectives) that was undoubtedly one of the best of the entire festival. Relentless percussion and bass lines meshed surprisingly well with the angular guitar and howling vocals. This band is loud and fast, but the unconventional song structures set them apart from traditional hardcore acts.

HEALTH @ Bovine Sex Club

A secret show that was announced the previous night to those who attended their set at the Horseshoe. The Bovine was packed to capacity as Health played another set that had the crowd engaged and demanding more.
Members of Change of Heart strolled in about halfway through the set and I overheard Ian Blurton remark at the impressive array of effects pedals Health uses.

NxNE Day Three (June 20, 2009):

dd/mm/yyyy @ The Horseshoe Tavern

The local math/experimental quintet are quickly earning a sizable cult following and distinguishing themselves with tight shows and a percussion section that is far above many other local acts of this genre. They brought out a massive bouquet of red balloons on stage that obscured nearly half the stage, but played as if they hadn't noticed it. They quickly whipped the crowd up with tracks from their new album, Black Square. The set continued on a high note until the penultimate song when someone turned a pedal or the PA system too loud and the volume grew almost unbearable (even with earplugs) for the rest of the set.

The Zoobombs @ Velvet Underground

The insufferably hot venue was packed for the start of the set and the Japanese group did their best to reciprocate. However, an unecessary half-hour jam dissipated most of the initial energy in the room and had many people looking at their watches or leaving before the anti-climactic end.

C'mon @ Lee's Palace

The Bathurst streetcar ran into a traffic nightmare at College (which was closed for an unrelated festival) and I missed all but the final ten minutes of the set. However, from what I saw, Ian Blurton's main outfit (does this guy ever sleep?) rocked the Lee's stage thoroughly and only added to their status as one of the best live bands out there today.

Hot Panda @ The Horseshoe Tavern

An impossibly long lineup at Sneaky Dee's to see Crystal Antlers had me scrambling for an alternate venue. The most convenient choice was the Horseshoe and these young Albertan upstarts. From the few songs that I caught, I was most impressed with their stage presence and the ease with which they interacted with the audience. The songs are typical indie-synth pop that's nothing to write home about, but their congeniality could very well endear them a promising future.

The Lovely Feathers @ The Horseshoe Tavern

The Montreal quintet have just released their second album, Fantasy of The Lot, and shuttered most of the material from 2006's Hind Hind Legs. Given the 2 AM set time, the Horseshoe audience was in the process of thinning out, but those who stuck around were treated to a tight set of uptempo indie pop from one of Canada's more underrated live acts.

Canadian Music Week 2009 in review

2009-03-26T15:35:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Will Currie & The Country French @ The Mod Club
It was a little surprising to see the Mod Club already three-quarters full by the time Will Currie & The Country French hit the stage opening the first of two nights for Can-rock heroes Sloan.
The mutual friendship between both bands was evident right from the beginning as they did an admirable job of getting the audience into their 60's-inspired, upbeat indie-pop. Many heads were bobbing to the music during their energetic set and they received an enthusiastic ovation at the conclusion.
Sloan later brought them out to perform their collaboration from last year, "Push Pins", during their encore.

Sloan @ The Mod Club
Nearly twenty years into their careers, it's a rare treat to see a homegrown band like Sloan still look like they're enjoying themselves onstage. Despite performing to a sparse and largely disinterested audience at last summers' MLS All-Star game festivities at BMO Field, they managed to sell out two-nights at the Mod Club this time around and the atmosphere almost felt like a Sloan show from their heyday in the '90's.
Sating the long-time fans in the audience by commencing with "Penpals" from 1994's Twice Removed, they worked their way through cuts from all over their nine albums. Fan favourites like "Coax Me", "The Good In Everyone", "People of The Sky", "The Other Man" and "Money City Maniacs" got rousing sing-alongs while newer material from last year's Parallel Play like "Cheap Champagne", "Witch's Wand", "Emergency 911" and "Believe In Me" sounded comparative to the classic material. Closing the show with a frenetic run through "She Says What She Means", Sloan showed how to keep a crowd engaged for the entirety of their set and exactly why they're deserving of their hard-earned reputation.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Flowers of Hell @ Velvet Underground
This band first gained local attention after emerging from left field to open the highly anticipated My Bloody Valentine show last fall. A sweeping orchestral ensemble, this Canadian/British instrumental collaboration would appeal to fans of Mogwai, Do Make Say Think, Bell Orchestre and Explosions In The Sky. Given a little more time and experience, the dozen or so people in attendance at the Velvet Underground might have witnessed the beginning of something very promising.

We Are Wolves @ El Mocambo
The stacked francophone lineup (also featuring fellow Montrealers Malajube and Duchess Says) made for an interesting atmosphere inside the El Mo. The people heard speaking French inside and outside made for a surreal experience.
No doubt excited to be opening for Bloc Party the following night, We Are Wolves let loose with an explosive set that had the venue rattling from the relentless rhythm section. The band quickly had the crowd worked into a frenzy and the response was equally appreciative. Leave it to the French to put typical Toronto audiences to shame.

Matt Mays + El Torpedo @ Lee's Palace
A consummate showman that didn't need to try to hard to appease the fans that packed Lee's Palace. The set was heavy on East Coast guitar jams but began to lose momentum and wane in the later stages when they delved into campy sing-alongs, but the crowd didn't seem to mind.

Quest For Fire @ Horseshoe Tavern
Entering a gradually emptying Horseshoe, stoner rock at it's most plodding and meandering wafted through to the front bar. The new project featuring ex-members of the Deadly Snakes is a definite departure from that bands' catalogue. You can tell they're been listening to their fair share of 60's psychedelia and Kyuss records and perform their chosen genre well. They could very well be the next Black Mountain. The crowd may have been a little confused after seeing Chad VanGaalen, but those that remained seemed respectful nonetheless.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Teen Anger @ The Gladstone
Trying their best to channel the uninhibited spastic energy of bands like AIDSWolf to the sizable Gladstone crowd, the set lost all of its momentum when guitarist Steve Sidoli broke a string a couple of songs in and took the better part of five minutes fixing it. Lead singer Chris Swimmings tried his best to crack jokes, but with minimal stage banter from his bandmates to fill the void, the crowd began to get restless. They did an admirable job in getting back on track, but musically, they have some work to do. The songs are quick and to the point, but don't engage the listener as much as they should.

White Cowbell Oklahoma @ Lee's Palace
Local mainstays with a dedicated fanbase (a higher-than-normal amount of cowboy hats in the audience), their website does a better job of explaining who they are and what they do than I ever could: Ass-kickin' southern fried boogie rock with four guitars, sexy ladies, bizarre onstage debauchery, plus acts of filth and destruction. This was undoubtedly the best opening set I saw all weekend and set the stage perfectly for the legendary Supersuckers.

Supersuckers @ Lee's Palace
For over twenty years, the self-proclaimed "Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Band in the World", have built a reputation as a hard-partying band that loves to have a good time.
Lead singer/bassist Eddie Spaghetti knows how to play to an audience and their brand of garage/cowboy punk had the faithful Lee's Palace enraptured and impassioned.
Arguably the best set of this year's festival (and one I was conflicted about leaving).

The D'Urbervilles @ The Silver Dollar
It's been a long time since I last saw The D'ubervilles (a few years ago at the same venue, the Silver Dollar, unexpectedly replacing a disbanded From Fiction during NxNE). Since then, they've apparently gone from nervously jittery Tokyo Police Club-esque indie-pop to Joy Division/New Order gloom. Lead singer John O'Regan certainly does his best to emulate Ian Curtis with his similar vocal style and onstage presence.

The Ghost Is Dancing @ The Silver Dollar
With the forthcoming release of their sophomore effort, Battles On, The Ghost Is Dancing were more energetic and happy sounding than any band should be at 2am. While the new material sounds more straight-ahead and conventional than their previously whimsical ensemble pop, it's a development that seemed inevitable.
This show ended with most of the members in various states of undress with their keyboardist finishing the set in his underwear.

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Bloc Party w/ Holy Fuck @ Kool Haus
The most anticipated show of the entire festival was undoubtedly the return of Bloc Party.
It's been only a scant six-months since Bloc Party was last in town at the Virgin Festival, but they've since released the under-appreciated Intimacy and have been touring in support of it ever since. The fact that they were playing back-to-back sold out shows at the Kool Haus only adds evidence of their ascension to the indie-rock stratosphere.
Whether you like them or not, their live show is brilliantly performed with dazzling lights, signature angular guitar hooks and precision timing only a band that has been on the road for almost a year can execute.

Hometown instrumental freak-outs Holy Fuck delivered a mesmerizing and hypnotic opening set, that encouraged many in the audience to light up and turn the venue into a hotbox by the time Bloc Party hit the stage.
Lead singer Kele Okereke amusingly noted, "There's a very pungent odour of marijuana in the room. You can't fool us, we weren't born yesterday! If you're going to use drugs, use them... responsibly."

Opening with the hard-driving "Trojan Horse" and continuing the onslaught with "Halo" and "Hunting For Witches", the British foursome quickly snapped the crowd out of their herbal stupour with a show heavy on sensory assault.
At various moments, especially during the beat-heavy "Mercury", it felt as if the show was equal parts rock concert/dance party. Along with the intense LED display, one could be forgiven if they thought they'd stumbled into a Daft Punk show.
They liberally chose songs from all three of their albums, with tracks from their 2005 breakthrough, Silent Alarm ("Banquet", "Positive Tension", "Like Eating Glass"), getting the biggest receptions.
Finishing the main set with a the blistering version of "Helicopter", they came back out for two encores before finally wrapping things up with crowd-favourite, "This Modern Love".

On the verge of moving up and filling arenas, Bloc Party proved without a doubt why they're deserving of CMW festival headlining status.

Broken Social Scene w/ Land Of Talk @ Masonic Temple, Brooklyn, NY - 10/24/08

2008-10-28T20:05:00.000-07:00

Virgin Festival @ Toronto Island Park, Toronto - 09/06-07/08

2008-09-23T14:03:00.001-07:00

I wasn't planning on attending this years' edition of the Virgin Festival. I had already seen the headliners numerous times (Oasis twice, Foo Fighters thrice) and the undercard largely left something to be desired. However, after winning tickets in a contest, I was off the the islands for the third year in a row. I used to visit the Toronto islands quite often in my salad days (friends of mine used to live there), but now it seems like I only ever go over there to witness bloated rock and roll spectacles.

Day One started ominously enough as cloud cover engulfed the sky on the ferry ride over. The first band of the day was the Midway State on the bigger of the two sidestages. My confidence wasn't bolstered by the fact the organizers didn't construct an additional footbridge to alleviate traffic and pressure on the single narrow pedestrian bridge between the sidestages and the mainstage as they had last year.

Collingwood upstarts The Midway State have been gradually building buzz through many local gigs and having one of their songs appear briefly on The O.C. Their adult-contempo rock would go over well with the Canadian Idol crowd and the small but appreciative audience seemed to enjoy it.

Headed over to the mainstage to get a good spot for local heroes The Constantines and caught the last moments of the forgettable Airborne Toxic Event.
As I write this, I barely even recall seeing them.

The Constantines were upgraded from their sidestage slot from last year and put on a solid set that brought the sun out from hiding. They never seem to disappoint and upped the ante for the bands to follow.

I quickly went back across to the sidestage to see what I could of Spiritualized.

However, the pedestrian bridge was becoming a logistical nightmare and I only caught a few minutes of feedback-laden space rock before deciding to head back to the mainstage for white-hot band du-jour, MGMT.
It should be noted that MGMT had the longest lineup I saw all day for the autograph tent and it was primarily female. These guys will never have a problem getting laid in the foreseeable future. Their blend of indie/psyche/dance rock on the other hand was somewhat of a letdown. I wasn't sure what to expect from them, and I'm still not sure what I got. It wasn't transcendent in any way and their set remains an enigma.

The bigger sidestage was running late so Scotland's The Fratellis went on a good twenty minutes past their scheduled start time. I didn't stick around as I decided to check out Florida punkers Against Me! instead. A curious choice to have at this festival, they seemed to go over well with the Foo Fighter crowd, they didn't really bring anything new to the table and for a while, it felt like I was at the Warped Tour as opposed to the Virgin Festival. The typical socially-aware lyrics and high-tempo stage act was a bit much for a lazy Saturday afternoon crowd.

Bloc Party seems to always play the coveted sunset slot whenever they play Olympic Island (as they did last time supporting Broken Social Scene). I hadn't seen them since then, so this was my first exposure to the A Weekend In The City material and choice selections from their forthcoming record, Intimacy. However, it was the classic material off 2005's Silent Alarm that really got things cooking. "Banquet", "Helicopter", "This Modern Love", "Hunting For Witches" and "Like Eating Glass" were all delivered with ferocity as drummer Matt Tong showed why he is arguably one of the best drummers in the world, period. However, their set was bogged down by technical issues with lead singer Kele Okereke's guitars and the momentum was difficult to maintain.

Just like the first time I saw them at Arrow Hall in 2003, the Foo Fighters opened their headlining set with "All My Life" and blasted through favourites like "Times Like These" and "Learn To Fly" while frontman Dave Grohl was a whirling dervish onstage. I admire the fact that Dave Grohl has treaded the line between mainstream sell-out and indie-cool for so long in the Foos that people forget the guy was in Nirvana.
An early run through of The Who's "Young Man Blues" turned into an unnecessary ten-minute jam session that wore patience thin and was only exacerbated when they did the same thing for "Stacked Actors" a couple songs later. They even played an obscure Nirvana b-side called "Marigold" that is the only Nirvana song to not be sung by Kurt Cobain. Things got back on track as they played more favourites like "Breakout", "Let It Die"; acoustic versions of "My Hero" and "Everlong" and wrapped things up with "Monkey Wrench" and "The Pretender".
During the encore of "Best Of You", I made my way to the ferry and thought that Day Two would be somewhat similar. Boy was I right (for the most part).

-----------------

Day Two started off even worse than Day One as a steady downpour dampened the early birds (including myself) and the mongoloids at Northwest Protection Services (the security company hired to handle searches) found new ways to annoy and frustrate me at the gate.

Once on the island however, things got better. the rain started to subside and I tried to focus on the music.

Up first were Prince Edward Islanders, Paper Lions on the big side stage. I can't say I was too enthused by their generic sounding adult-contemporary rock, but they had a sizable crowd who seemed to enjoy what they were doing (they've also scored the opening slot for Cake at numerous Canadian dates this year). Very reminiscent of The Midway State the previous afternoon.

I wanted to check out former Death From Above 1979 drummer Sebastien Grainger's new outfit, but as I already saw them last year at NxNE, I ultimately made the decision to head over to the mainstage and watch the ever entertaining local boy Danko Jones ("The Mango Kid!").
It was a smart move, as the single pedestrian bridge was already becoming congested and would only get worse as the day progressed.
It has been quite a few years since I last saw Danko rock out at the CNE Bandshell and this time around, you could tell he was purely in it for a paycheque.
However, it didn't stop him from berating the sun for emerging and enticing those in attendance to flip it the bird. He continually milked the audience for adulation in a half-serious, but joking manner and put on one of the more entertaining sets of the day.

Another Canadian act was up next as Winnipeg's the Weakerthans took the stage and weaved a set that went from alt-country to punk rock with subject matter ranging from Bigfoot ("Bigfoot!") to public transit ("Civil Twilight"). Other subjects included Antarctic exploration ("Our Retired Explorer") and a feline point of view ("Plea From A Cat Named Virtute"). Finishing off with favourites "The Reasons" and "Aside", the Weakerthans and modest frontman John K. Samson showed that Canada can produce bands on par or better than the supposed big names.

Los Angeles buzz-band Silversun Pickups was up next and promptly fell into a forgettable cacophony of noise-pop that was lost on the masses lying in the sun or drinking in the beer garden in anticipation of the Anglo-invasion later on. They seemed to only garner attention when they played their hit single "Lazy Eye", to close their set.
Personally, if they had been on the sidestage, they probably would've been better received, and I'll chalk up the audience indifference to poor scheduling.

As the afternoon slowly moved into evening and the shadows got longer, Welsh superstars Stereophonics sauntered onstage. I've always kept a distant interest in the Stereophonics since their minor North American breakthrough when Performance and Cocktails was released in 1999 and I had always wanted to see them, but for one reason or another never had after all these years. Since then, they've achieved mainstream popularity in their native UK and have released five straight number one albums over there. However, they never quite broke as big in North America and have enjoyed only moderate success over here (plateauing at the moderate theatre or large club level).

It was interesting to see them in what amounted to the large festival setting their accustomed to in the UK, but rarely have the luxury to play in Canada. The boisterous and numerous British fans in attendance seemed to finally wake up for the first in the triumvirate of their homeland heroes. They didn't disappoint either, opening with a surprising salvo of singles. "Bartender and the Thief", "A Thousand Trees", "Pick A Part That's New" and "Have A Nice Day" all had the die hards cheering and singing along while sating the casual fans (me) in attendance. Lead singer Kelly Jones has a gravelly voice that is nothing short of alienating, but is undoubtedly one of their defining characteristics - no more obvious than during his mid-set solo rendition of "Maybe Tomorrow" (arguably the highlight of their set).

The coveted sunset slot went to former Jam frontman and aging Modfather, Paul Weller. Despite the fact most of the audience were either toddlers or not even born (including myself) when the Jam played their last show in 1982, it didn't seem to matter to Weller, who put on an energetic and solid set for a man who just entered his fifth decade. The British fans ate it up and when he busted out Jam favourites "Town Called Malice" and "The Eton Rifles", they went ballistic. I can't say I'm familiar with anything else he's done, but his spirited set and overall good vibes did a much better job in setting up anticipation for the headliner than Bloc Party's technical nightmare the previous evening.

After a surprisingly brief changeover (maybe twenty minutes?) the unmistakable drum beat and guitar riff of "Fuckin' In The Bushes" rang out over th PA system to signify the arrival of arguably the biggest band to come out of the UK in the last generation or so. The roar of the approximately 20,000 in attendance was almost deafening and the flag-waving, sing-along masses far outnumbered the ones who witnessed the general self-indulgent fuckery of the Foo Fighters the previous evening.
Obviously hyped-up after witnessing one of their heroes (Paul Weller), the lads from Manchester quickly strapped on their instruments, told the sound guy to nix the entrance music and launched into "Rock N' Roll Star" from 1994's Definitely Maybe. Having seen Oasis twice before, I had a rough idea of what to expect from the Gallagher brothers. They rely heavily on attitude and posturing - especially Liam - to get a crowd going as opposed to running around and belching into the microphone as Dave Grohl did.
Mixing in new tracks off their forthcoming album Dig Out Your Soul, like "The Shock of The Lightning" and "To Be Where There's Life" with old classics like "Cigarettes and Alcohol" and "Lyla", the band and crowd were feeding off each other like no other act had over the course of the weekend.
Of course, just when the momentum was reaching it's zenith during "Morning Glory", some douchebag runs onstage and ruins it all. We all know the story by now, so I won't go into detail about it, but this incident just adds to the myriad of problems this festival has had to endure over the last three years. Kudos goes to the band for coming back and finishing off with the favourites ("Wonderwall", "Supersonic" and "Don't Look Back In Anger") so as to not cause a riot. However, the rumoured Paul Weller cameo during "Champagne Supernova" was sadly cut from the set and Toronto was robbed of something truly memorable.

As they finished things up with a cover of the Beatles' "I Am The Walrus" (no encore), I made my way to the ferry dock and knew that even after all the mistakes and misfortunes this festival has endured, they still have a lot of work to do. The quality of the supporting acts needs to improve and they still need to find a more effective way of getting people between stages. If they expect people to continually shell out big money for what amounts to a second-rate festival posing as a first-class festival, then the organizers are sadly mistaken.
Whether I return (or even the festival for that matter) or not next year is a definite maybe.

Sloan @ MLS All-Star Jam (Exhibition Place), Toronto - 07/23/08

2008-09-01T12:25:00.000-07:00

NxNE 2008: Day Three report (Saturday, June 14, 2008)

2008-06-16T10:41:00.000-07:00

Due to work commitments and nightmarish traffic, I couldn’t get to any venue before the 11pm slot.

The Guest Bedroom @ Sneaky Dee’s: Wanting to secure a half-decent spot for Monotonix, I decided to check out the band scheduled before them. The Guest Bedroom are one of those bands where you either love them or hate them. I can’t say their nervous, spastic freak-out jams were terrible, and in fact, a couple were actually quite good. However, they’re just too polarizing a band to truly enjoy if you’re leaning on the “dislike” side.

Monotonix @ Sneaky Dee’s: In all the times that I’ve been to Sneaky’s, I’ve never seen the place fill up to the breaking-fire-code capacity as I did for Monotonix. Throughout the weekend, they were being hailed as the must-sees of the festival after outstanding sets at the Bovine Sex Club, the Reverb and an in-store at Sonic Boom that reportedly ended in the middle of Bloor Street.
I knew we were in for something special as the band dismissed the stage and set up in the middle of the floor. I didn’t know it was even possible for a band to perform in-the-round at Dee’s, but Monotonix weren’t to be denied. The hard-rockers from Israel instantly launched into a pummeling soundtrack as singer Ami Shalev literally climbed the walls, hung from the ceiling and generally threw himself around the venue with abandon.
The crowd worked itself into a frenzy that didn’t let up for the entire 20-minute set. At one point, everyone started pogoing in unison to the point where the floor was literally bouncing and I thought it was going to give way and everyone would fall to their deaths into the Tex-Mex restaurant below in a cornucopia of beer and nachos.

Thankfully that didn’t happen and the set was a rousing success (as evidenced by the line of people waiting outside who groaned in disappointment when informed the set was over). Unfortunately, during the insanity of Monotonix, I lost my NxNE bracelet and was mercifully forced to end my weekend and go home to get a decent night’s sleep.

NxNE 2008: Day Two report (Friday, June 13, 2008)

2008-06-16T09:44:00.000-07:00

Ted Leo & The Pharmacists @ Yonge-Dundas Square: Unlike their set at the Mod Club the previous night, Ted Leo and his band actually seemed eager to play. Bolstered by a large and enthusiastic gathering of both fans and casual passer-bys, Leo responded by launching into his catalogue with more vigour and energy. One of the highlights of the festival for me was Leo working in a few verses of Daft Punk's "One More Time" during an extended rendition of "Little Dawn". However, about three quarters into his hour-long set, the sky opened up and a trickle turned into a drizzle and almost instantly turned into a thunderous downpour that brought the set to a surprisingly abrupt halt. To their credit, the band wanted to play on, but the rain threatened to cause electrical damage as technicians scrambled to protect the equipment.

Action Makes @ The Silver Dollar: Due to the thundershowers and incredibly lagging public transit, I didn’t arrive at the Dollar until two-thirds through Action Makes’ set. Unlike the previous night, the Dollar was surprisingly full and there wasn’t a fight to be seen. From what I saw of the band, their low-fi boogie rock went over quite well with the crowd, despite technical problems and a malfunctioning guitar.

Julie Doiron @ The Horseshoe Tavern: Arguably better known for her stint in East Coast indie heroes Eric’s Trip, the case can be made that Julie Doiron solo is just as good, if not better as her previous outfit. After seeing her set and listening to her voice, it’s inevitable that Doiron could be easily mistaken for iPod it-girl, Feist.
Although she predates the Feisty one by about a decade, Doiron hasn’t attained the level of swooning her contemporary indie-starlet has received. Her songs aren’t bad, but they don’t have the hooks and chorouses necessary to achieve mainstream adulation. However, I doubt that is her ultimate goal as she’s very capable of doing that if she wanted to. Accompanied by just her guitar and a drummer, Doiron’s songs are more intimate and almost whimsical (if that’s even possible) than Feist’s bedroom anthems and don’t have the Broken Social Scene juggernaut at their disposal to lend them any heft.
If she ever decided to write herself some hits, the iPod nation might just have another star in the making.

The Meligrove Band @ The Reverb: It’s been a while since I last saw the pride of Mississauga in action. Personally, I felt Planets Conspire was one the better albums to be released over the last couple of years and I was looking forward to seeing them debut some new material.
Because the night was being broadcast on CBC Radio 3, the musical lineup at this particular venue was an indie-hipster’s wet dream: Great Lake Swimmers, Laura Barrett, Justin Rutledge and The Priddle Concern featuring ex-Treble Charger and sometimes Broken Social Scenester Bill Priddle. This made for an unusually boisterous (and young) audience that gave the usually dour Reverb a welcoming, positive atmosphere.
Choosing a mixture of new material and some of the lesser-known tracks off of Planets Conspire, the band (now currently down to a power trio after the departure of one of their guitarists), blew through their 35 minute set at a blistering pace. As they launched into the opening chords of “Our Love Will Make The World Go Round” to end their set, the crowd erupted and turned the song into a communal sing-along that will go down as one of the highlights of the festival.

The Diableros @ The Silver Dollar: At this point, the skies had eased off to a drizzle, however they opened up again as I was walking along College Street towards the Dollar. The onslaught forced me to seek refuge at a pizza joint and wait it out (I’m not really a fan of the new makeover job at Massimo’s by the way; if you actually know of that place – but at least the slices are still decent). After 15 minutes, the rain didn’t appear ready to let up, so I decided to make a run for it, lest I miss The Diableros entirely. Sopping wet, I got to the Dollar with about 10 minutes left in their set and caught the last three songs. I wanted to check out We Are Wolves at Sneaky’s, but I was too cold, wet and exhausted so I headed home.

NxNE 2008: Day One report (Thursday, June 12, 2008)

2008-06-16T08:37:00.000-07:00

Hospital Bombers @ The Mod Club: Arrived halfway through their set and was surprised at how sparsely populated the venue was (I was afraid they had already reached their wristband allowance limit). Nothing extraordinary. Mid-tempo indie-pop with some competent harmonies and basic chords.

Ted Leo & The Pharmacists @ The Mod Club: It was a little strange seeing the veteran New Jersey punk-rocker opening for a band like Sloan - considering he could easily headline the Mod Club on his own (which he did, twice, last year). Undoubtedly, the local Ted Leo faithful were holding off for his free headlining show at Yonge-Dundas Square the following evening; which left a somewhat indifferent and lackluster crowd for this show (this being essentially a corporate gig: a sneaker company was celebrating its centennial). The chatter at the rear of the venue almost equaled the volume coming out of the amps and Leo was clearly perturbed, although he gamely played on without letting it on.
Luckily for those actually interested in the show, Leo and his band still let it rip for 40 minutes with both old and new material and no doubt left many in attendance converted.

Sloan @ The Mod Club: For guys nearing their forties, I’m not surprised that their musical oeuvre has slowed down over the last couple of albums. Not in terms of proficiency (if 2006’s rambling double-disc Never Hear The End Of It is any indication), but in terms of musical tempo. The set was mostly culled from the just-released Parallel Play (their ninth studio album) and featured many a mid-tempo number that had the crowd nodding in appreciation, but not much else. The only throwback during the main set was “Everything You’ve Done Wrong” from 1996’s One Chord To Another that garnered a hearty sing-along.
Guitarist Jay Ferguson was apparently suffering from a “sore throat” so singing duties were left mainly to bassist Chris Murphy and guitarist Patrick Pentland while drummer Andrew Scott got an extended turn at the mic for a few songs.
The band (and the crowd) finally showed some enthusiasm during a rowdy encore of crowd-favourites “The Good In Everyone” and “She Says What She Means”.
Nonetheless, you have to admire Sloan for at least realizing where their bread is buttered and sticking out for this long. The songs haven't really gone down in quality, just sort of plateau-ed. I doubt we’ll get a classic album like Twice Removed from them ever again, but at least they’re still going.

Morning Electric @ The Silver Dollar: Sometimes during these festivals, I find myself with an open slot where no one in particular that I want to see is playing. Usually I hit up a nearby venue and take a random stab at an act in hopes they’ll surprise me.
These guys were pretty unremarkable and the gig is more memorable for other reasons. I had just stepped inside and began taking pictures when security dragged an unwilling patron past me and out the door. However, not before legendary Silver Dollar promoter Dan Burke (who was standing directly in front of me) launched a few haymakers into the dude’s face for good measure on his way out. It’s good to know that I can spend less than ninety seconds inside the Dollar and get to see an altercation.

Dr. Draw @ Tattoo Rock Parlour: My original plan of catching the Rural Alberta Advantage at the Boat was thwarted when I showed up and discovered the venue was already at capacity. Thus, I had to scramble for Plan B.
I (foolishly) balked at seeing Monotonix at the Reverb as I would be seeing them on Saturday (more on that in my Day Three report), so I hiked to the nearby Tattoo Rock Parlour to catch Dr. Draw.
I had seen his impressive rock/classical fusion many times before, but never in such an intimate setting. The crowd was small, but fervently supportive and most walked out knowing they had seen one of the better sets of the festival.

People In Planes @ The Reverb: I haven’t heard much from these guys since their initial hype surrounding their debut album, As Far As The Eye Can See, a couple years ago. At the time (January 2006), I had interviewed them and saw them play at the packed Mercury Lounge in New York City. Back then, it could’ve easily have been projected that they would climb the proverbial ladder and been a much bigger band than they are now. However, it’s interesting to see how they’ve settled into being nothing more than an above-average rock band (at best) with middling popularity. It was also interesting to note their omittance of their most popular single, “If You Talk Too Much (My Head Will Explode)” from the setlist in favour of more unremarkable cuts from their upcoming album.

Flash Lightnin @ The Horseshoe Tavern: At this point in the night, I was starting to tire and wear down, so I decided to catch one more band and call it a night. Luckily the Horseshoe wasn’t as full as I had anticipated and I got a good look at one of the hidden gems of the local scene, Flash Lightnin. Their blues inspired arena-riffage would’ve made them superstars back in the 70’s and this was one of the more pleasantly surprising sets of the festival.

Tokyo Police Club w/ Smoosh + Winter Gloves @ The Opera House, Toronto - 05/02/08

2008-05-05T12:49:00.001-07:00

Boats! @ The Boat, Toronto - 02/21/08

2008-02-22T12:19:00.001-08:00

dd/mm/yyyy @ The Theatre Centre, Toronto (Wavelength 400) - 02/16/08

2008-02-17T11:18:00.000-08:00

dd/mm/yyyy - Imagine (Wavelength 400 @ The Theatre Centre, Toronto - 02/16/08)

2008-02-17T10:45:00.000-08:00

Wavelength 400 feat. Lullabye Arkestra, dd/mm/yyyy, Dance Electric, Telefauna & Femme Generation @ The Theatre Centre, Toronto 02/16/08

2008-02-17T09:16:00.000-08:00

Anagram + D.C.T. @ The Tranzac, Toronto - 02/01/08

2008-02-04T08:17:00.000-08:00

Tokyo Police Club @ Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto - 01/26/08

2008-01-28T21:47:00.000-08:00

Anagram @ the Silver Dollar, Toronto - 01/26/08

2008-01-28T21:40:00.000-08:00

Cold Dead Hads + Dance Electric @ the Silver Dollar, Toronto - 01/18/08

2008-01-28T21:24:00.000-08:00

Foxfire Forest @ The Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto - 01/15/08

2008-01-15T20:37:00.000-08:00

Fucked Up @ Sonic Boom (in-store), Toronto - 12/15/07

2007-12-16T11:58:00.000-08:00

In-Flight Safety + The Golden Dogs @ Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto - 12/15/07

2007-12-16T11:46:00.000-08:00

Do Make Say Think w/ Andre Ethier @ The Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto - 10/20/07

2007-12-16T10:54:00.000-08:00

Los Campesinos! w/ Germans + Sweet Thing @ The Mod Club, Toronto - 12/05/07

2007-12-07T17:32:00.000-08:00

Lowest of the Low @ Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto - 12/04/07

2007-12-05T11:01:00.000-08:00

Madrid w/ Off The International Radar @ The Drake Underground, Toronto - 11/28/07

2007-12-03T10:41:00.000-08:00

Sloan w/ Two Hours Traffic @ Grey Cup Kickoff Party, Toronto - 11/25/07

2007-11-26T19:46:00.000-08:00

Ohbijou w/ Basia Bulat + Bruce Peninsula @ Lee's Palace, Toronto - 11/09/07

2007-11-11T08:26:00.000-08:00

The Bicycles, More or Les + Republic of Safety @ North York Public Library, Toronto - 11/03/07

2007-11-04T10:34:00.000-08:00

Ghosthands + Ghostlight @ Sneaky Dee's, Toronto - 10/31/07

2007-11-04T09:43:00.000-08:00

dd/mm/yyyy @ Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto - 10/30/07

2007-11-04T09:33:00.000-08:00

Zoobombs @ Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto - 10/23/07

2007-11-04T09:09:00.000-08:00

Cuff The Duke @ Criminal Records, Toronto - 10/23/07

2007-10-29T07:27:00.000-07:00

Do Make Say Think - The Universe! @ The Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto - 10/20/07

2007-10-21T21:57:00.003-07:00

Five Blank Pages @ The Silver Dollar

2007-10-19T06:14:00.000-07:00

This is probably the worst video I have EVER shot, BUT, I am posting it to make a point... YOU MISSED A WICKED SHOW! The Horseshoe was packed and I had to watch the show from the back and was being pushed and bumped into by passers by, it was literally hard to breathe. Because I was at the back, the sound quality of the video is pretty good (for a point and shoot camera). Enjoy the video, even though it is not much to look at.

Five Blank Pages - She Sleeps Soundly

Pixie Moonshine @ O'Grady's

2007-10-19T06:08:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know that I shot video of Pixie last week at her CD Release show, but the videos that I posted did not reflect how good the rest of her set was. I won't do this for anyone else, but because I love Pixie and I know how great she can be, so I taped another one of her songs when she played a set at O'Grady's. She was great, and had another solid set, but this time I managed to capture a flawless song. You're going to have to put up with the endless chatter coming from the back of the room, but it's still and enjoyable video.

Pixie Moonshine - Cock Cobra

The Sharp Tongues @ The Silver Dollar

2007-10-19T06:02:00.000-07:00

This set at The Silver Dollar may be the last set ever by one of my favourite Toronto indie bands, The Sharp Tongues. I made sure to try and get as much video as possible (more video clips to come) because it's looking like we may never see this wicked band again. I hope you enjoy the clips... The sound is sub par, but if you play with the volume controls of your media player and speakers, you can probably find a balanced setting that makes it sound GREAT.

The Sharp Tongues - Lies

Wintersleep @ Horseshoe Tavern

2007-10-16T07:14:00.000-07:00

Pixie Moon Shine @ Mitzi's Sister

2007-10-11T21:37:00.001-07:00

Pixie Moonshine @ Mitzi's Sister

2007-10-11T10:10:00.000-07:00

Pixie Moonshine - Stick on Stars & Kraft Dinner

Pixie Moonshine - ...Repeat

Fjord Rowboat @ Tiger Bar

2007-10-05T08:22:00.000-07:00

Fjord Rowboat @ Tiger Bar

2007-10-05T05:50:00.000-07:00

It was dark, I was drunk, Fjord Rowboat KICKED ASS!

Fjord Rowboat - Can't See The Sun

The Mark Inside @ Lee's Palace

2007-09-29T10:47:00.000-07:00

Action Makes @ Lee's Palace

2007-09-29T10:32:00.000-07:00

Lipstick Machine @ Lee's Palace

2007-09-29T10:12:00.000-07:00

The Mark Inside @ Lee's Palace

2007-09-29T08:19:00.000-07:00

New song! You can download it from their MySpace page, and I cannot wait till they finally record their second record, we all have been waiting years for it!

The Mark Inside - Nothing to Admit

Action Makes @ Lee's Palace

2007-09-29T08:17:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favourite Action Makes songs... they are definitely one of the best bands in Toronto, not a doubt; it's always a good time at an Action Makes show.

Action Makes - Killing the Mind

Lipstick Machine @ Lee's Palace

2007-09-29T08:14:00.000-07:00

Lipstick Machine - Song 1

Brendan Canning - Hit A Wall @ Lee's Palace

2007-09-27T13:25:00.000-07:00

Kevin Drew - Backed Out On The... @ Lee's Palace - 09/27/07

2007-09-27T10:12:00.000-07:00

Kevin Drew - Farewell to The Pressure Kids

Kevin Drew - Backed Out On The Cause

Broken Social Scene presents Kevin Drew @ Lee's Palace

2007-09-27T08:26:00.000-07:00

Great Lake Swimmers @ Criminal Records, Toronto - 09/27/07

2007-09-27T00:22:00.000-07:00

Small Sins @ Super Market

2007-09-26T06:03:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love Small Sins, and this song, the first of their set, will show you why. It was great to see them in such a small venue... to bad it didn't seem like too many other people were as excited as I was.

Small Sins @ The Super Market

2007-09-26T04:50:00.000-07:00

Seven Questions with The Pink Christ: WAX MANNEQUIN

2007-09-21T11:33:00.000-07:00

How did you come to take on the role of President of Indie Rock?
I don't know anything about that. I think that's some shit my enemies made up.

Would you care to share any nagging paranoias, concerns or conspiracy theories?
They have these fees that you can't do anything about. They keep getting bigger. The flood and the bugs.

How many levels of reality do you suspect you function on at any given time? That would be too much and too sad for me to talk about. I get drunk to forget that shit.

Do you think the little girl who ended the bloodshed in Nelson BC could provide vital counsel to Stephen Harper?
I think she could teach him a thing about firing a gun.

Which dead musician would you tame and ride a cantankerous sea turtle to play a gig with from beyond the grave?
My grandfather. He was a strange man that I never met. He was a violin prodigy -- wrote elaborate songs in his shed, but never got to play them for anyone or record them. He wasn't good enough at writing the songs down. He had theories -- like if you put a propellor inside a box, the box would fly. Everyone thought his was crazy and he was.

Is it true, as it has been suggested, that you are the love child of Crispin Glover and Tom Waits, trained by the ghost of Freddy Mercury, and raised by Syd Barret and a clan of telepathic grizzly bears in the woods of northern Ontario?
I didn't know that any of that stuff even happened.

What sort of inspiring situations or people have you encountered during your travels? I'm constantly inspired, humbled and horrified on the road. There is an old guy in thunder bay with like 30 elaborate birdhouses on tall painted polls in his yard. An oil company in New Brunswick has bought out pretty much all of the provinces small and indiependant media sources. A mechanic in Sault Ste Marie spent two hours fixing the broken van that Jenny Omnichord and I were traveling in. He didn't charge us a thing and he gave us oil for the road. This was the morning after we were treated like third class citizens by the deluded owner of the music venue we played at; Hundreds of square kilometers of the BC forests are dead because of a beetle that won't die in the warm winters they've been having. I found a giant seaturtle dead by the side of the road two hours outside of Sudbury when our van died. Then I found a fighting-action ninja turtle figure ten feet away from it. That kept me going. Right now I'm in Newfoundland where they keep feeding me all the booze and pasta I can handle.

Quest For Fire @ The Horseshoe

2007-09-21T04:31:00.000-07:00

K-os, Joel Plaskett Emergency, You Say Party! We Say Die! & Jewish Legend @ The Guvernment, Toronto - 09/19/07

2007-09-20T22:01:00.000-07:00

The Smashing Pumpkins @ Virgin Festival, Toronto - 09/09/07

2007-09-11T12:39:00.000-07:00

Explosions In The Sky @ Virgin Festival, Toronto - 09/09/07

2007-09-11T12:14:00.000-07:00

The Constantines @ Virgin Festival, Toronto - 09/09/07

2007-09-11T11:52:00.000-07:00

The Carps @ Virgin Festival, Toronto - 09/09/07

2007-09-11T11:26:00.000-07:00

Tokyo Police Club @ Virgin Festival Toronto

2007-09-09T11:02:00.000-07:00

Closedown @ Virgin Festival Toronto

2007-09-09T10:12:00.000-07:00

Biffy Clyro @ Virgin Festival Toronto

2007-09-09T09:58:00.000-07:00

dd/mm/yyyy @ Virgin Festival Toronto

2007-09-09T09:44:00.000-07:00

The Postage Stamps @ Virgin Festival Toronto

2007-09-09T09:36:00.000-07:00

Earl Greyhound @ Virgin Festival Toronto

2007-09-09T09:26:00.000-07:00

Constantines @ Virgin Festival Toronto

2007-09-09T06:17:00.000-07:00

So great to see these guys again... to bad that they had to cut their set to 20 minutes, but still one of the best of the festival.

Constantines - Working Full Time

The Carps @ Virgin Festival Toronto

2007-09-09T06:15:00.000-07:00

So many people shakin' their booty by the end of this set... The Carps were at their best for this show!

dd/mm/yyyy @ Virgin Festival

2007-09-09T06:11:00.000-07:00

BEST SET OF THE DAY!

The Postage Stamps @ Virgin Festival

2007-09-09T06:07:00.000-07:00

This is probably the best I have heard The Postage Stamps, this set was a great way to start the day.

The Postage Stamps - To No One