Over The Top Festival and "Animal" Bands

It's a well known joke among indie rock fans that there are tons and tons of "wolf" bands. Everyone from Wolf Parade to Aids Wolf to Guitar Wolf. There's something about the lupine animal that just attracts musicians trying to come up with a band name. With the success of wolf bands the backlash is going to be inevitable.

2006_5_4grizzly.jpgWhich makes Torontoist wonder which animal will be de rigeur for struggling indie musicians everywhere. We think this weekend's Over the Top Festival might hold some clues.

On opening night we have a bear band, Brooklyn's Grizzly Bear who'll be playing with Gentleman Reg at the Music Gallery. The show tonight at Sneaky Dee's has both big cats (Japanther) and big African game (Video Hippos).

Other non-animal musical highlights from the fest includes a Pop Montreal showcase tomorow night and Alberta's Chad Van Gaalen, on Saturday. There's also a Sunday evening show at the Drake with Ottawa's the Acorn and Eye cover makers Sailboats are White.

Illustration from the Grizzly Bear site.

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Comments (13) [rss]

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just to clarify, chad van gaalen is playing on saturday night at the music gallery... not tomorrow night. regardless, the pop montreal showcase looks great.

Word on the street is that horses will be the new 'it' animal in bandnames. I think I stole this from a cbc radio 3 podcast.

Yeah.... horses and their smaller counterpart ponies seem to be cropping up in more band names.

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if anyone is looking for me this saturday night, i'll be at chad van g. otherwise you can reach me by email.

My friend just named her new son Wolfe. But she's more of a Q107 listener, a bit behind the hip, and obviously hasn't yet jumped on the Horse train.

Wolves? Horses? How white-bread of these so-called Indy bands. Where is the Nihilist Marmot or the Electric Anteater Experience?

What's next, Cow Pasture and Phat Cows?

Ron, Ron, Ron. Again with the ineptly spelled "tomorrow" - what can we do to make you remember?

Gah. Tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow. I've scrawled it on my hand so I won't forget.

Now my "Indy" (indie) was definitely a flub. Meh!

nevermind the words......when are AARDVARK bands going to be the next big thing???

Horse names the new "it" thing for band names?

Does this mean the Wyld Stallyns will be making a comeback! I'll be the first in line for tickets.

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