Torontoist » NXNE

Wu-Tang Members, Bad Religion to Join Flaming Lips at NXNE

Chris Dart — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 20:00:49 +0000

Food-fixated rapper Action Bronson and local alt-country favourites The Sadies also added to the fest's schedule.

Fans in Yonge-Dundas Square during last year's NXNE.

A large chunk of this year’s North by Northeast line-up was revealed today, including several of the headlining acts.

In addition to Grammy award-winning experimental rock legends the Flaming Lips, whose presence was announced this morning, other scheduled headliners will include one quarter of the Wu-Tang Clan in the form of Ghostface Killah and semi-local Raekwon, veteran California punk band Bad Religion, and Canadian hero Matthew Good.

Several other smaller but no less interesting names are also scheduled to take part in the June festival. Ultra-dark Sacramento-based alt-rap crew Death Grips—who recently and somewhat inexplicably signed with Epic Records—will bring their anarchic, hard spitting, discordant sound to town. Notoriously high-energy Australian (by way of Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Brooklyn) art punk crew The Death Set are also scheduled to appear.

In non-death related news, New York-based chef-turned-rapper Action Bronson will also take part in NXNE this year. Post-hardcore supergroup Rival Schools were another act announced today. Consisting of former members of Gorilla Biscuits, CIV, Youth of Today, and Iceburn, Rival Schools have been working as a three piece since late last year, when guitarist Ian Love quit the band.

There will, as always, be tons of local content at NXNE as well. Alt-country stalwarts The Sadies are scheduled to do a show, as are noisy art punks Metz, and self-described “noh wave” band Yamantaka//Sonic Titan.

More artists, as well as schedules and venues, will be announced the in the coming weeks, and wristbands are now on sale.

Correction: April 17, 5:30PM: It was previously stated that Action Bronson will be playing in May at Wrongbar, but that show has been cancelled.

The Flaming Lips to Perform a Free Show at NXNE

Steve Kupferman — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 13:30:16 +0000

NXNE, the annual music festival, just announced the headliner for this year’s concert series in Yonge-Dundas Square, and people who like psychedelic rock and songs about weird things to put on toast are bound to be happy: occupying the featured spot that in recent years has gone to performers like Iggy Pop (2010) and Devo (2011) will be The Flaming Lips. The show, like all of NXNE’s Yonge-Dundas programming, will be free. The festival runs from June 11 to June 17.

So, What Do We Think About CMW?

Carly Maga — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 15:30:31 +0000

Canadian Music Week kicks off its 30th festival tonight. But is it showing its age?

Janelle Monáe goes crowd-surfing at the 2011 Indie Awards, while audience members snap pictures and a creepy man wears a black mask. Ah, CMW. Photo by Roger Cullman, from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.

And so it begins! Canadian Music Week, which is part of the Canadian Music Festival (CMW or CMF, respectively). Aren’t we excited? Well, aren’t we?

Yes, this could be the first CMW in recorded history that won’t have coat checks or cursed umbrellas hindering intrepid concertgoers, and there’s a pretty great film docket and comedy lineup to boot. But for those who watched as a few anticipated acts cancelled their appearances or failed to show up at all, or who are still recovering from SXSW, or who are simply saving their money for NXNE, vigour for the fest could be waning in the event’s 30th year.

So, how do we feel about Canadian Music Week? Torontoist asked some local music writers, bloggers, and lovers to share their thoughts.

Frank Yang
Chromewaves/Polaris Juror

They have real trouble attracting any kind of talent to play it, and what they do get they stack onto a single lineup such that there’s one show that everyone tries to get into and dozens that no one bothers with. This year, an astonishing number of international acts have cancelled appearances after being announced—not sure what to make of that. I feel obliged to cover it but am hardly excited. There was a time that CMW and NXNE were on about a level playing field but NXNE has gotten astronomically better and CMW…has not.

I’ve had to delete so many bands I was genuinely keen to see from my calendar that it’s hard to get remotely excited. And moving it from before SXSW to after is an inexplicable logistical pain in the ass. I touch on this in my festival preview post from last week. but the fact that they’ve not made comment on their website or Twitter about one of their ostensible headliners—Childish Gambino—cancelling his show, and that Jeff Beck is still listed in the big graphic on the artists page despite cancelling over a month ago is telling.

Jesse Ship
Assistant Editor, Tribute Magazine, Freelance Writer for AOL Spinner

It’s so easy to jump on the jaded hate-wagon but come on.… It’s still a huge opportunity for tons of bands to get exposure and love and an international business conference for the industry.

Scott Honsberger
President and Founder, Toronto Music Industry Association

In my opinion, Canadian Music Week is an integral part of the music industry of Toronto as well as Canada. Venue festivals/conferences such as CMW are chances for the music industry to come together, meet, collaborate, and enjoy an enormous amount of live music. It also offers a chance for us to show off our venues, our talent, and our city to people from all over the world. It’s a permanent part of my yearly schedule.

Ashley Carter
Editor, AUX

Mostly it’s just annoying that it butts up against SXSW, which would be fine if it seemed like they were taking advantage of booking bands touring back from that festival. But judging by the lineup, that can’t be the idea. Maybe it’s a conspiracy to burn out journalists that have to cover both?

Joe Strutt
Mechanical Forest Sound

CMW is extraordinarily draining because of the merch/corporate slant. There are so many bland bands that want to become cogs in “the industry” that it’s painful to try and sift through them to try and find something interesting to see. (For proof, look at my troll through a sampling of artists’ bios.)

It also seems like a big scam inasmuch as they’re peddling $75 wristbands for bands that you either a) can’t get into or b) could go see around town for 10 bucks or less during the other 51 weeks of the year. More rambling in my festival preview.

Anupa Mistry
Regular contributor to NOW Magazine

I think it’s worth getting excited over any festival that gives local and international artists a chance to perform. CMW/CMF might not have as many “big name” acts but I think it can function as a nice throwback to the lost art of “discovery”! I’ve got a show, or multiple, every night of CMW that I’m really looking forward to. It’s a nice mix of local and not-local acts too: The Get By, Cold Specks, Dabrye, BADBADNOTGOOD/Lunice/Zodiac, Spoek Mathambo/Cadence Weapon, Nicolas Jaar, and Georgia Anne Muldrow.

Ricky Lam
The Panic Manual

[I] have no idea why they would put it after SXSW, when most people are tired from seeing shows.

Lisa Lagace
TurntheRecordOver.com

There isn’t a huge difference between the two, so I’ve never quite understood why so many people seem to prefer NXNE. Generally, both events have great conferences with similar keynote speakers and workshops, and the quality of bands that play are of the same level. I love both festivals for the same exact reasons. I get a week of nonstop amazing live music and fun parties, and I get to see all the bands I love play during that short time. There’s also a really great music documentary film festival attached to both, that seems to be getting get stronger each year.

If everyone is talking about what a great place for music Toronto is right now, it’s because of what happens at festivals like CMF. It may never feel as significant as the bigger festivals south of the boarder, but within Canadian music, it will always be an important time for discovering emerging bands. Bands I can’t wait to see play CMF this year are Teenage Kicks, Attagirl, The Dirty Nil, Pat Wright, Poor Young Things, Cold Specks, Wildlife, Topanga, The Sweet Mack, Zeus, Eight and a Half, The Darcys, Bright Lights Social Hour, and Jane’s Party.

Dave Jaffer
Freelance Music Writer/Polaris Juror

It’s not a festival for music fans as much as it’s one for the industry. It’s not very well organized either, and, in the places that it is, it’s hyper-managed to the point that incredible performers will get like, 25 minutes and then get the hook. The first time I did CMW I had a lot of fun, and some of my friends—who were from Toronto and who had been in the industry longer than I had—referred to that year as an anomaly. I was like, “No, you guys are jaded, etc,” but they were right.

Jessica Lewis
Roundletters/Static Zine Editor-In-Chief

It’s still relevant in the sense that it’s a music festival and that’s always needed whether it’s for the music industry or fans. People are still greatly benefiting from it whether they enjoy it or are making money off it, and isn’t that good? I’ve seen a ton of people on Twitter saying they’re really excited about it. Sure the lineup’s not great this year to our standards, but it’s a fest and I think it’s good we can still even have two big ones let alone a ton of small ones in this city. It has decreased in relevance this year in the sense of putting it after SXSW, the lineup’s not as big, and NXNE has definitely revved it up.

Aviva Cohen
Photographer/Static Zine Managing Editor

NXNE has started to do things that make the festival feel special—big shows at Y&D Square, Booze Cruise, utilizing smaller indie venues, etc. The best thing about CMW are the in-stores at Sonic Boom.

One Year Later: Toronto Police, Social Media, and the G20

Sarah-Joyce Battersby — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 17:30:00 +0000

Photo by sevennine from the Torontoist Flickr pool.

Last Friday as news broke that an officer had been charged with assault in connection with the violent takedown of Dorian Barton on June 26, 2010, the official police twitter feed was sending out photos from a welcome-home ceremony at Pearson Airport for some cops returning from a police mentoring mission in Afghanistan.
On the Sunday night of the G20 weekend, Constable Scott Mills was experiencing technical difficulties. As the force’s designated social media officer, it was Mills’ turn to man the official Toronto Police Twitter feed, but he was distracted by a full email inbox that needed to be cleared to make way for evidence being emailed in from the public to the Integrated Security Unit. Mills says he tried his best to answer the questions and criticisms that were starting to stream in, but he just couldn’t do it alone.
Ever the optimist, Mills notes one positive thing that emerged from the G20 chaos: “It showed the police world the importance and urgency of getting a social media policy in place.”
But can social media help usher in new paradigms in police-civilian relations, or is the force just replicating their old style with the new media?

Officially labelled as the Toronto Police Service’s social media officer, Mills was put into his corporate communications job two months before the summit took over the downtown streets. Mills is 20-year veteran policeman, until last summer he’d always been a cop about town, a man involved in the community. He began using social media in his work around 2005 when he was within the community policing unit at 14 Division, then with Crime Stoppers Toronto before starting his current role. He’s still the social media advisor to the IT committee of Crime Stoppers International.
The fact that the Toronto Police force has a designated social media officer and are in the midst of developing an organization-wide policy for social media use isn’t exactly ground-breaking. The internet has burrowed itself deep into our daily experience, and tweeting has become quotidian—stories about tweeting maybe even more so.
And, of course, the police aren’t the only ones out there using Twitter; the bad guys are on it too. Policing efforts have to focus on social media networks just to catch criminals and prevent crime. And the city’s police use social media just like you’d think they would: to catch bad guys, to prevent crime, and to promote themselves.
Though some activists and academics take issue with the cops using social media for PR, the fact remains that concerted PR efforts can lead to more positive relationships with the communities that cops are working in. The kind of work cops do (interview strangers, ask for tips from the public, approach angry people) is way easier to do when people like you.
Mills is a likable guy. He wants to talk about his job, he wants to talk about how social media can be used for crime prevention, and he wants to tell us about the cases he’s been working on. He talks passionately and at length about all this (not to mention often), but when we press him to talk about the G20, he has to pull back. Mills has things to say about that. About what it was like working out of the corporate communications office over the weekend, and about how he and his fellow officers are feeling one year later, after all the backlash. But he can’t.
“It’s gotta be other people than me speaking for the organization,” he says.
And that, right there, is the crux of the problem for a monolith institution that props up the rules and codes that dictate our version of civilization using social media: where social media and the open internet portend an era of transparency, some organizations aren’t ready to be so open, and maybe never will be.
Police forces, especially great big police forces like Toronto’s, have fairly sophisticated corporate communications operations. They have sworn officers whose full-time job is fielding calls from reporters all day, confirming whether such-and-such report of gunshots is true or elaborating on something heard on the police scanner in the newsroom. Those media relations officers are part of an elaborate series of filters that traditionally transported information from the source of the action, through authorized knowers like public relations workers, into the hands of the professional press corps, who would then package it for public consumption. But the thing about social media, the thing that keeps proving itself (with wiener tweets from politicians and viral videos of crazy cat ladies) is most of those filters break down. Information can be transmitted directly, and quickly, to the general public. And those old barriers that distanced the public from the information are breaking down.
How many non-journalists would think to call the police’s media relations office if they had a question for the cops? There’s nothing really to stop them from calling, saying they’re reporters, and asking. But something about that feels wrong; it feels off-limits. But would anyone hesitate to tweet @TorontoPolice? As Mills later said in a public presentation on the police media strategy over G20 weekend, there were enough officers dealing with requests from traditional media, but only one guy on social media. Only one guy dealing with the public.

Mills is an active proponent of using social media to build relationships with the public to help police do their job. He has a waiting list for Facebook friends (since the site limits individuals to 5,000), mosly kids he built relationships with in his time as a school officer with Crime Stoppers. And he says social media increased anonymous tips to Crime Stoppers from 300 a month to over 1,000 a month over a two-year period. He’s even made presentations about law enforcement using social media for crime prevention at INTERPOL. So Deputy Chief of Police Peter Sloly brought together a team, including Mills and professional social media strategists to help build a social media strategy for the whole force. Though they’ve yet to develop a formal policy, Mills says he hopes one will be in place by the end of the summer. But there are some kinks to work out.
Privacy is a main concern for the police. What information should be shared with the public? Where is the line between an officer’s personal life and private life? Are re-tweets an endorsement? They’re the same quandaries faced by any large organization trying to both harness the power of social media and mitigate the risks.
“I’m fairly open in public, and I feel that leads to an increased trust, an increased flow of information, and an increased transparency. Other people are of the opinion that they want to keep their personal lives totally separate. So we’re working towards the balance. I really think we’re getting there. It might not look it from the outside looking in,” Mills laughs. “But we are getting there.”
Vocal police critics don’t have much faith that they will get there. According to Kate Milberry, an activist academic and postdoctoral fellow in the Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto, the nimble, conversational nature of social media presents a challenge for lumbering institutions.
“My main criticism is that it’s window dressing, simply using social media to parrot a line,” says Milberry. She posits that the police are so bad at using social media because “the internet is a technology of the people, more so than any earlier technologies. “It’s a people’s tool; it’s not a tool of social control, and it’s not a tool of economic exploitation.”
Milberry says the Toronto Police Services’ use of social media falls too far toward the more traditional paradigm of an older media broadcast style rather than using tools like Twitter to engage in a dialogue. In fact, she hashed out what she says is the hashtag-fail of the Toronto Police social media strategy over the G20 weekend at a recent NXNEi panel discussion, alongside veteran police tweeter Tim Burrows.
Over the course of his 12-hour shift on Sunday night of the G20, Mills did manage to make a connection, which became an ongoing dialogue and resulted in a combined effort.
“Somebody had tweeted something to effect of, ‘eff you @TorontoPolice. I’m blocking you the same way you blocked my civil liberties,’” Paisley Rae told us. She retweeted the sentiment, but before she had a chance to block the police’s twitter account, she got a response from them. An apology. And a question: can we talk this out?
“I wish more people would have had that opportunity, because it made me feel better,” says Rae. Both Mills and Rae admit the conversations they’ve had since the G20 have changed their perspectives. So when George Wass was killed in Parkdale, Rae’s neighbourhood, Mills asked her to make a video about it. She’s since made other videos in conjunction with the police, most recently for an effort to find a missing little girl, Pearl, who was last seen in Parkdale. Rae isn’t paid for this work. She is a freelance social media content creator and strategist. In an email she tells us, “I’m just trying to be a good neighbour.”

Social media enables police to do work that is exciting, yes, but it’s also essential. As we may marvel at the foresight and ingenuity that is Scott Mills scurrying from club to club in the entertainment district, checking in on FourSquare, and attaching a composite sketch of a suspected sex offender that was seen in the area, and applaud the Toronto Police force for their attempts to harness these tools to do the good work of catching bad guys, we have to keep in mind that the bad guys know how to use Twitter too, simultaneously developing new ways to break the law. The entire law enforcement machine is on a grand metaphoric chase, trailing behind pirates and hackers and e-predators.
As Mills tells it, he first understood the necessity of using social media in his police work while working a homicide case in 2005. Investigators found a clue scrawled on a billiards room bathroom wall, a hint at who might have been involved, identified by screen name. The street crimes unit went to work, and they tracked down the guy, but if you subtract the internet details, that’s really just a story about the police doing its job.
The internet enables the police to do better police work, and maybe that’s all we should expect. The mere existence of Twitter cannot make quick work of dismantling the blue wall of silence that has built up over decades. For all the wonders of social media in the world of marketing and journalism and running for president, it may not be up to the task of satisfying the rabble’s demands of transparency from organizations—whether it’s the police, the military, or the government—that watch over our society. Organizations have made a habit of shouting “You can’t handle the truth!” and leaving it at that, so what’s to stop them from tweeting it?

For complete G20 retrospective coverage, go to One Year Later.

NXNE 2011: The Festival That Was

Carly Maga — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Forget compasses, GPS, or helpful Sherpas. From June 13–19 this year, Torontoist is here to be your guide to everything NXNE.
It really is fitting to use compass directions as the name for a large-scale music/film/conference-hybrid festival, since we have to approach it as an expedition of sorts. First, there’s lots of planning: choosing your destinations, finding a route, arranging transportation, creating contingency plans, the whole deal. Second, you can’t do it alone, or else it’s a lot harder and, frankly, lamer. Third, you have to be willing to take risks and venture off the beaten path every once in a while. And lastly, expect the unexpected, because sirens, booby traps, and mortal enemies can pop up at any point to derail your musical quests. Hopefully you make it to the other side in once piece, a bit tired, a bit sore, but happy.
To describe this year’s North by Northeast festival in one word, we’d have to say: “hardcore.” Punk and grunge rockers were a definite presence across both music and film programming. Beloved punk, grunge, and new wave bands from the ’90s were resuscitated to breathe life into a new festival-going audience. A new Lifetime Achievement Award was instituted to celebrate music’s most devoted patrons, this year to Brian Wilson, a man still touring and recording while dealing with the effects of a lifetime addicted to music (and a few other things). And though not all the headliners at Yonge-Dundas Square were necessarily hardcore, their fans certainly were.
North By Northeast has always been big. But now it’s getting really big. With a new comedy showcase and expanded film lineups and conference panels, we’re enjoying watching NXNE mature into new roles and expand its scope. Excited, even. Dare we say, proud? Because, though sometimes it seemed like Montreal’s entire music scene went on a road trip to NXNE, it’s still very thoroughly and remarkably a Toronto event, one that gives its attendants the same sense of curiosity and eagerness to explore the city as events like Nuit Blanche. Armed with a wristband and bike lock (Didn’t see enough helmets out there this year. For shame.), you feel like there’s no venue too small, no band too obscure, no way to have a bad time.
Also—give us a moment—HOLY HOTNESS! Someone give whoever was responsible for the weather this past week a priority pass to next year’s festival. Surely, our sense of musical discovery would have been hampered if the voyage was rainy and cold. With such warm nights, the traveling in between concerts was sometimes just as much fun, it became part of the experience instead of a hassle to be avoided. More hopping, more bands, more good times.
So, now we’re home again after a week or so out exploring. And like all good travellers, we’ve got some pretty good photos to show for it. Above are some of our favourites we haven’t shown you yet, and after the jump, reviews of this weekend’s shows. Enjoy, while we finally get around to cleaning up our rooms, picking up the paper, and feeding our fish. Until next year.

Weekends. Supposedly “free time” meant for some R&R, a break to reload for the week ahead, when actually they’re mostly spent going back and forth between Home Hardware, Canadian Tire, and the Home Depot for hours trying to find the exact fitting to get your faucet to stop dripping. It’s keeping you up at night and Johnson at the office is saying that you’re falling behind. There’s the big trip to Milwaukee coming up. He needs you on your A-game.
But not this weekend! Oh boy, not this weekend. Were we ever busy doing anything but chores, work, or other responsible endeavours. After all, it was the closing weekend of NXNE—the most wonderful time of the year. Here’s what we checked out:

Friday June 17

Diamond Rings
Seen at Yonge-Dundas Square, 7:30 p.m.
It’s not like John O’Regan, the man behind Diamond Rings, needs extra help on the performance front, but securing a place on the Polaris long list this week for his album Special Affections probably didn’t hurt. He commanded the attention of the crowd that filed into the Square as his set got underway, and delivered his playful brand of pop complete with his uninhibited dance moves, glamorous wardrobe and makeup, and infectious air of excitement. Racing from keyboard to mic stand and down to ground-level, O’Regan conquered the Square all by his lonesome. (CC)

Land of Talk
Seen at Yonge-Dundas Square, 8:30 p.m.
The second of three Polaris long listed acts to play at the Square, Land of Talk began their set with a very special guest. Although from where we were standing it was tough to tell who it was, other than a man in drag, we later found out it was Gentleman Reg. Though it was a fun addition to the set, once Reg departed and people in the crowd stopped wondering if Land of Talk had acquired a fabulous new member, the Polaris-worthy performance began. Frontwoman Liz Powell killed it, and she could probably kill you, too—her ridiculously ripped arms were the star attractions on the big screen video that was set up beside the stage. (CC)

GROUNDERS
Seen at: Rancho Relaxo, 9 p.m.
A band’s following can be measured in ticket sales, fanmail, or the quality of the choreographed dance moves peformed by their friends in the front row. By that last criterion, Toronto’s GROUNDERS are doing amazingly well. Despite not being part of their close circle, we were still humming the beat of the bouncy “Along the Line” as we left Rancho Relaxo. (CM)

Stars
Seen at Yonge-Dundas Square, 9:30 p.m.
As thousands of fans crammed into Yonge-Dundas Square, swooning over Stars’ charming and oddly intimate set, vocalist Torquil Campbell proclaimed: “Just when I think Toronto can’t get any more beautiful, you keep on coming through.” It was an all-out lovefest between the Montreal band and their audience. Playing mostly tracks off their Polaris long-listed album The Five Ghosts, the over hour-long set incorporated all the things we’ve come to love about Stars—beautiful music, joyous performances, and true professionalism, even when Campbell forgot the lyrics of his own song (which happened). (CC)

Red Mass
Seen at: Great Hall, 10 p.m.
The problem with big ticket NXNE shows: bands like Red Mass open for bands like Swervedriver, which theoretically is awesome, except everybody’s buzzing around doing other stuff ‘cos they bought tickets to the big-ticket artists and don’t get there early enough for the openers. And so, awesome bands like Red Mass end up playing to virtually nobody. Which sucks. The band was hot, though. They’ve dialed back on the psychey Brian Jonestown Massacre stuff since we last saw them, leaving a more stripped-down, thrashy set. Mostly bangers, very little mash. (JS)

Black Lungs
Seen at: Horseshoe Tavern, 10 p.m.
“Schizophrenics and stolen bicycles… Stay out of Parkdale!” screamed former Alexisonfire guitarist Wade MacNeil, who has shed every last melodic wail from the like of Dallas Green. Black Lungs has no soft edges, but their showmanship and clever lyrics keep even the least-likely bangers hanging on. Probably even Parkdale residents. (CM)

USA Out of Vietnam
Seen at: Great Hall, 11 p.m.
Featuring ex-Doughboy Jonathan Cummins (who made some jokes about Arts and Crafts, you know, for our benefit), a member of Hot Hot Heat, and a guy named Brendan, USA out of Vietnam played a droney set of riff-heavy post-rock. While it was a bit snoozy to start, like all post-rock is, things picked up steam as they played on, and as more and more folks piled into the venue. (JS)

Kidstreet
Seen at: Supermarket, 11 p.m.
Just as with CMW, Kidstreet once again brought the goods. This powerful sibling trio opened by getting the crowd dancing, and didn’t let up until the end of their set. The closest we can get to explaining Edna Snyder’s quick-paced vocal stylings: imagine Super Mario Starman as a rap artist. (CS)

Rich Aucoin
Seen at: The Garrison, 12 a.m.
What can we say about Rich Aucoin that hasn’t already been said? Aucoin’s fans are well aware that he is the ultimate showman, and maybe one of the best live acts in Canada right now. If the volume of media and photographers are any indication, the industry is starting to pay attention to this master of positive party-pop. Aside from some technical glitches caused by some over zealous photographers and a pair of dead AA batteries, his powerfully interactive set had the entire crowd jumping, dancing, singing, and, most of all, sweating. (CS)

Swervedriver
Seen at: Great Hall, 12 a.m.
Plenty of hipsters and oldsters and people in pilled Raise tour shirts at this one. English alt-rock icons Swervedriver packed the Hall, with kids lining up outside scrambling to get in. Swervedriver’s band of shoegazy whine-rock has never sound better—except for bassist Steve George’s hot mic, which resulted in repeated feedback whirs throughout the set. (JS)

Olenka and the Autumn Lovers
Seen at: the Gladstone Hotel Ballroom, 12 a.m.
Technical difficulties and equipment issues unfortunately affected this London, Ontario-based folk rock act throughout their set. Although frontwoman Olenka Krakus took the setbacks in stride, changing the set list on the fly like a pro, the six-person outfit seemed to lack its usual lustre. Fortunately, Krakus and violinst/vocalist Sara Froese largely redeemed the set’s troubled spots with an especially strong encore, performing a haunting rendition of “Motel Blues,” off their latest album And Now We Sing. (CC)

Cults
Seen at: Lee’s Palace, 12 a.m.
Cults described themselves as “a romantic band” to the sardine-packed Lee’s Palace crowd: their music is about love—bandmates Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivion are dating—and Follin kept playing with the hem of her dress in a very coy and adorable way. But with three supporting band members in their live show, Cults’ happy ’60s style took on a distinctive harder and edgier tone. It still sounded good, just not like what audiences can hear on the radio. But if anyone knows the problems and solutions to keeping a romance alive on the road, it’s Follin and Oblivion. At least it better be. (CM)

Matters
Seen at: Drake Hotel Underground, 12 a.m.
Our first note at the Matters’ set: “We’ve missed these guys!” The D’Urbervilles 2.0 have upgraded with tinges of lead singer John O’Regan’s Diamond Rings project; also, O’Regan’s busy solo touring schedule has imbued him with an even stronger presence as a frontman (though to our mind, he and the boys were always great as the D’Urbs, too). Adding some keys and a darker synth sound you can dance to is a canny shift for the band (the new name is easier to wrap your head around, too.) (SF)

Great Bloomers
Seen at: Sneaky Dee’s, 1 a.m.
Talk about your sweat lodges. Jeepers. An oppressively humid Sneak’s upstairs hosted local roots-rockets Great Bloomers, whose lineup has been entirely shaken up in the past year, save for the consistent presence of singer/songwriter/guitarist Lowell Sostomi. Though trimmed down to a four piece (keyboardist Shawn Dell recently parted ways with Bloomers), the band’s sound is as dense as ever, getting the Sneak’s floor literally shaking with foot-stomping and other woo-hooing hullabloo. Former Bloomers ivory-tickler Andrew Kekewich (of Wooden Sky) cameoed to play keys for a few tunes and join-in for the chorus harmony sing-a-longs, which was adorable. (JS)

Sheezer
Seen at: Sneaky Dee’s, 1 a.m.
A snatch of conversation we overheard just prior to the Sheezer set: “An all girl Weezer cover band—what’s better than that?” “Nothing, really.” Toronto (and indeed, everywhere this act has toured) has fallen hard for the quintet of moonlighting musicians. That’s because the ladies have the experience and chops to do justice to the early beloved material of Rivers Cuomo and co. This was one of the most enthusiastic response from a capacity crowd we saw at NXNE; as we wrote that night: “Mosh pit going at the @sheezertoronto show—but instead of bodychecking, there’s a lot of enthusiastic hugging.” (SF)

Deerhoof
Seen at: Horseshoe Tavern, 2 a.m.
Deerhoof is a weird band, with a highly-devoted fan base of similar oddballs. Needless to say, the crowd was s-t-o-k-e-d to see Deerhoof play as The Horseshoe’s special guests on Friday night, and they certainly didn’t disappoint in delivering their offbeat beats with charm only a mother could love. A little uncomfortable with the spoken word—Greg Saunier’s address to the crowd was an adorably awkward string of “Toronto,” “shows,” “love,” “levels,” and “thank you”—they let their music do the talking for them, Satomi Matsuzaki’s childlike vocals were enough to fill in for onstage banter. We got a good selection from their latest album, 2011′s Deerhoof vs. Evil, but the highlight was an exciting and interactive closer of “Come See the Duck.” This band is still considered indie despite opening for The Pixies, releasing 11 albums, and having legions of followers, and it was a real treat to see them at The Shoe. (CM)

Saturday, June 18

Live in Bellwoods: Allie Hughes, Forest City Lovers, and Harlan Pepper
Seen at: Trinity Bellwoods Park, 3:30–5:30 p.m.
We love to see free, unplugged events taking place during the daylight hours of NXNE, especially when they boast some of our favourite lineups. We love to see them take place outside, especially in Trinity Bellwoods, especially when it’s frigging hot as Hades out. We love to see them so well-attended: there were probably over 200 people thronged around the acts like the ants around their picnic lunches.
One problem with all this though—and it’s a big one—is that while Hughes and Harlan Pepper had a bit of support from more band members and interments, poor Kat Burns of Forest City Lovers was barely audible, even for those only feet away. As the Live in Bellwoods series gets more and more popular, maybe choose a spot that’s speaker friendly? Then again, isn’t being unplugged the point? We’re conflicted.
On another note, we must give an honourable mention to an adorable little boy who stole the show during Hughes’s set with his supreme dance moves. (CM)

Men Without Hats
Seen at: Yonge-Dundas Square, 8 p.m.
It may seem stupid that MWH singer Ivan Doroschuk, who nowadays looks like a sun-bleached Ultimate Warrior, was, in fact, wearing a hat. But that’s no stupider than naming your band Men Without Hats in the first place. (JS)

Brett Caswell & The Marquee Rose
Seen at: Sneaky Dee’s, 9 p.m.
Brett Caswell and his band amply rewarded the early attendees to the Audio Blood/White Girl Records showcase with a blistering set of country rock; whether seated at his keyboard or burning up his guitar nose-to-nose with his exceptional fiddler (who went through a few hairs on her bow), he was leaving it all on stage. We’re grateful indeed to MJ Cyr for tipping us to Caswell; his band is one we’ll be keeping an eye on for more local sets in the future. (SF)

Devo
Seen at: Yonge-Dundas Square, 9 p.m.
Awesome. Better than the Phoenix shows in 2009. The band made exceptional use of the venue, playing loud and twitchy and full-on to a crowd of punks, dads of punks, and people in homemade energy dome hats. After shuffling through some new material, Devo worked through all the hits: “Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA,” “Mongoloid,” “Gates of Steel,” “Girl U Want,” “That’s Good” and, yep, even “Whip It.” You want to make fun of Devo being this old and so sell out-y, but fact is they’re one of the coolest bands ever. Three costume changes, guys. Three! (JS)

Jennifer Castle
Seen at: The Great Hall, 10 p.m.
With the amount of buzz around Toronto’s Jennifer Castle and her newest album Castlemusic, we weren’t surprised that The Great Hall was swarming and humming with fans like excited bees, Castle playing music that’s got the same slow grace as a blossoming flower. Unfortunately, from where we were at least, her microphone muffled any chance of catching a word, spoken or sung. As a strong songwriter, we missed her crafted lyrics. We still got her signature vibrato though, loud and clear. And we’ll take it. (CM)

Jenn Grant
Seen at: Horseshoe Tarvern, 11 p.m.
Anyone who can stall an audience through a bout of technical failure with a surprise
performance with Buck 65 deserves a little praise for her ingenuity. Despite a rocky
start, equipment-wise, Jenn Grant’s performance of “Paper Airplanes” with fellow
East Coast musician Buck 65—while her bandmates scrambled to fix whatever was
tripping them up—was a highlight of the set otherwise comprised of songs off her Polaris long-listed album Honeymoon Punch. (CC)

BRAIDS
Seen at: The Great Hall, 11 p.m.
Yet another buzz band from Montreal playing NXNE, BRAIDS have certainly come a long way from spending a year practicing in guitarist’s Taylor Smith’s parents’ garage. Wanting a live glimpse of their debut Native Speaker fresh off it’s spot on the Polaris long list, we were most impressed by the lead vocals of Raphaelle Standell-Preston, flowing from alto to near-operatic soprano ranges, but less than enthused by their quiet stage presence. (CM)

Carnival Moon
Seen at: The Secret Delaware Show, 11 p.m.–ish
Torontoist really cares about making sure that you know everything about the shows you weren’t able to make it to—but now we’re going above and beyond, to recap the shows that you didn’t even know about. The “Secret Delaware Show” opened with Carnival Moon (Elaine Kelly-Canning and Dave Scanlon, the violinist from Irish band Halves), backed by members of The Wilderness of Manitoba. Though there were some rough edges around their new songs, the overall impression was like watching a smooth, flowing Joanna Newsom. (CS)

Chad VanGaalen
Seen at: The Great Hall, 12 a.m.
With a tiny, ramshackle, homemade guitar strapped to his chest (admittedly, the worst guitar he’s ever made), Chad VanGaalen still managed to rock out pretty hard during his set, which only included a few older songs and mostly put his latest release Diaper Island on display. Surely, not everyone was super pleased with this choice, but we enjoyed the set in any case. We’re still miffed VanGaalen was overlooked by Polaris this year. (CM)

New Country Rehab
Seen at: The Dakota Tavern, 1 a.m.
We were excited about the debut release of New Country Rehab back in January, and the quartet of double bass, drums, guitar, and fiddle didn’t disappoint in person either. Lead by fiddler John Showman (of The Foggy Hogtown Boys and The Creaking Tree String Quartet), this isn’t Taylor Swift’s new country. In one sense, they’re a back-to-basics bluegrass band, yet they incorporate modern influences and sounds. Plus, just like the fiddler’s name suggests, they’re showmen. The deadpan of Showman’s delivery of twangy vocals complimented the biggest smile we’ve ever seen on the face of bassist Ben Whiteley, and it had the crowd slow dancing one song, jigging the next. (CM)

One Hundred Dollars
Seen at: Horseshoe Tavern, 1 a.m.
After watching set after set of enthusiastic young acts thrilled at the opportunity to play CBC Radio 3 NXNE showcase, the entirely smile-less performance of One Hundred Dollars could have been at risk of officially killing the mood that had been built up over the night with preppy pop/folk acts like Hooded Fang and Jenn Grant. However, with lead vocalist Simone Schmidt’s gritty vocals and the band’s refreshing alt-country sound, the audience was taken to a different time and place, like a country-western bar in the southwestern United States during a time before Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood existed. (CC)

The Balconies
Seen at: Sneaky Dee’s, 1 a.m.
Perhaps The Balconies’ new songs and high-intensity performance were too stimulating; unlike the Sheezer show the night before, where the enthusiastic crowd was jumping up and down and hugging each other, a half-dozen alcohol-fueled moshers threatened to ruin the exceptional pop-rock trio’s set for everyone else (they knew the words to the Balconies’ older songs, so they weren’t just louts who’d wandered in from the Taste of Italy street festival). By the third song of their set, The Balconies’ Jacquie Neville had noticed the shoves, harsh words, and smaller fans fleeing the out-of-control crush, and asked for some moderation. “I don’t actually want to bleed all over this stage,” she insisted; “Don’t make me have to punish you.” Thankfully, a few larger fans made their way to the centre and planted their feet, imposing order without resorting to violence; reckless moshers, like atoms, tend to stay relatively still when they have nothing to react to. (SF)

Thom Gill
Seen at: The Secret Delaware Show, 12 a.m.
All we can really say is: “Holy shit.” If Eric Clapton put together a band and enlisted Prince, Whitney Huston, and John Mayer to round things out, and then that band played for over a decade, and then that band had a collectors edition greatest hits album, it would sound like Thom Gill. Seriously. Not even being funny about it. (CS)
Entire Cities
Seen at: The Dakota Tavern, 2 a.m.
One of the last official sets of NXNE, Entire Cities provided a rousing send-off, in more ways than one. Flute and sax player Ruhee Dewji dedicated their entire barnstorming set to E Street Band member Clarence Clemens, who’d passed away hours earlier; lead singer Simon Borer revealed he’d given the eulogy for a close family member at a service earlier in the day, and told the crowd that after the day he’d just had, spending it playing for such an enthusiastic crowd was exactly what he needed. Certainly, their set would double as the most spirited wake we’d ever attended. (SF)

Wilderness of Manitoba
Seen at: The Secret Delaware Show, 2 a.m.
And one of the last semi-official shows, hosts of the the Secret Delaware Show The Wilderness of Manitoba closed out the night, er, morning with a handful of songs pretty much exclusively generated by audience request. It was a real treat for the audience to hear songs like “Crows Feet” and “Manitoba,” which the band rarely ever play live. It wasn’t the tightest set they’ve played, but that really wasn’t the point, and the audience didn’t really care. Everyone in attendance went home happy after such an impressive and intimate line-up. (CS)

Reviews by Carly Conway, Steve Fisher, Carly Maga, John Semley, and Corbin Smith.

CORRECTION: June 20, 11:45 AM In the ninth photo in the gallery, we originally misidentified the band as Indian Handcrafts. It is Amos the Transparent.

CORRECTION: June 20, 5:08 PM We initially reported that the guest turn at the Land of Talk show was John O’Regan of Diamond Rings; it was actually Gentleman Reg. Our apologies to both.

On the NXNE Frontlines: The Volunteer Coordinator

Carly Maga — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Forget compasses, GPS, or helpful Sherpas. From June 13–19 this year, Torontoist is here to be your guide to everything NXNE.

Pat McCormack can coordinate the hell out of your schedule, while hopping fences. A true Renaissance man.

It’s not surprising that the mascots for NXNE are some rather adorable little monsters. Because as fun as the festival is, it is one heck of a beast. Sometimes we have trouble making a Facebook event for our own birthday, so we understand that 650 bands, a three-day conference, and a film festival, among many other events, do not arrange themselves.
So far our coverage of NXNE has focused on the more eminent and rather alluring aspects of the festival—concert reviews, artist profiles, general hobnobbery with other music enthusiasts—but before we wrap up our look at this year’s fest, we chat with NXNE volunteer coordinator Patrick McCormack. We sat down with him to get to know the guys behind the scene, the hands on deck making everything run as smoothly (and it has gone pretty smoothly!) as it has.

Name: Patrick McCormack
Age: 27
Position: Interactive Conference Volunteer Coordinator, bassist for Neon Windbreaker (aka, “The Band With the Sandwiches“) and The Coppertone
Years at NXNE: 5
Torontoist: In the grand scheme of things, how do you see the role of the volunteer within NXNE?
McCormack: The volunteers are doing all the work. Most of my work is done before NXNE even starts, by the time it rolls around, I’m mostly there to make sure everyone’s doing what they’re supposed to be doing, and if someone’s like “We just arranged this last-minute event, we need volunteers!” it’s my job to find them. But that’s it, I’m just finding them, it’s the volunteers… well you see it on the screen at TIFF—we can’t do this without volunteers. It’s totally true.
It seems like no one ever has enough time in the day, so why do you and other volunteers give yours to NXNE?
In the beginning, like a lot of people, I was looking to get an eye into the industry. I play music, I was interested in seeing more about what that industry was like. But then, I just started having way too much fun there and that’s what I kept going back for, just for that. Plus I realized that it’s not really a networking opportunity. Most people already have good jobs, or just don’t care.
A lot of kids come in thinking this is all network, network, network, and they’re going to come out of NXNE with some job as, like, a music executive, and by the end, they think “Maybe I didn’t get that, but I still had a good time.” And that, to me, is what I think it’s all about.
But sometimes we have kids who do it for one day and they hate it and never come back. Or, unfortunately, they work one day, they get their pass, and then they don’t come back.
Really? How often does that happen?
Not often. Not often since I started. I like to think I’m really good with names and faces.
Any other perks of being a volunteer?
We do a kind of wrap-up party at Wrongbar after the festival. It’s catered, there are prizes like concert tickets and records, things like that, and usually we’ve got a few bands that play. There are a lot of kids that work [one] venue and don’t necessarily get to see anything else. We like to have one night where they can all say that they met everyone, got to see some cool bands, and wrap up about it all, memories, jokes…
What’s your favourite part of your job?
In the start, my favourite part was the music—getting out with a bunch of people, going to shows, partying all night. Now, it’s fun to do this for other kids, especially because a lot of them use this as a way to get into the city. I’d say that 30–40 per cent of our volunteers are just new to town and looking to meet friends. It’s cool to be able to help out with that. They’re like “I’m new to Toronto, I don’t know anyone,” and this helps them to meet new people who are into similar things. And these are kids I hired, and after two or three years, I’ll see them come back and they’re still friends and hanging out, and some have even started bands together.
I had a volunteer last year, it was a real thrill for him. Last year we had a couple of speaker panels that were really cool, Mark Arm and Steve Turner from Mudhoney were doing a panel. I was off driving and I had to call a guy I knew that was working at the hotel, I had to ask him to ask a question, and he answers the phone out of breath, running. “I’ll call you right back, I have to go to the LCBO to get non-alcoholic beer for Steve Turner.” He was so happy, he was like “Oh those guys are so cool, they were so nice…” and he got to hang out with X in the green room… I love being able to do that, when they first get into it, because that was his first year.
I love being able to do that for my volunteers. A lot of them are first-years, a lot of them don’t know what to expect, and if you can get away giving someone else a story like that, like that’s why people come back.
And your least favourite part?
I have about 100 positions I have to fill, that means 100 different schedules, and I have to piece them in one by one. It’s kind of like a puzzle, a puzzle that never ends.

What was your first year like?
I worked my ass off. I’d say I worked 50 hours that week, or I think it was across five days. I did all the load-in [to the Hyatt hotel], which is about a seven to eight hour day. Then on my last day I worked from nine or ten in the morning to nine or ten at night. I really did work my ass off, but that’s why they let me keep coming back.
What jobs are the most-requested?
[For NXNE Interactive] I would say working in a conference centre is the most popular. When volunteers say they want to work in a venue they usually say “I want to be a stage manager.” But the misconception is that a stage manager comes in and starts working at the start of the festival. But they’re actually working two months out, talking with bands, coordinating with bands. They’re the ones that are like “Okay, you’re playing here, we need you here at this time, this is the gear we have.” They’re the ones that are making sure those bands have what they need when they need it
And those are volunteers?
Those are volunteers.
And the most dreaded job?
There’s never anything awful. We always see on volunteer forms, we ask them what’s one thing they absolutely do not want to do, and some people put “Scrubbing toilets” and I can’t imagine they’re serious, but it comes up so often that I have to believe they’re not just being cheeky and they really think they’re going get the absolute worst job available. Which is usually not the case. In fact, it’s never the case. Even if you’re working the door, you’re there for half an hour to an hour at a time, and you’re there with other people so you can talk and hang out. As far as the interactive part goes, that’s probably the job that people are most wary of.
What’s the average age of a volunteer?
This year I have volunteers I think as young as 16 and as old as, I’d say, 50. On our form we have “What’s your age: 19 or younger, 19–23, and then 23 or over.” And those are the only tiers that we have. And I never ask people their age but sometimes on the phone, you get people like “You know I’m just so into the whole rock music thing!” [laughs] But you know what? Older volunteers, number one, they’re reliable, and they also just have a good attitude. They’re here just for the hell of it. A lot of people are there for volunteer hours for high school, some people are doing it for the pass. A lot of people when they’re upwards of age are really just doing it to give themselves something to do. And I love that. I wish I had the kind of schedule to do that.
What’s your best story from volunteering with NXNE?
Driving around with The Stooges was amazing. They’re just super down to earth guys, just a couple Detroit rock and roll guys. They can laugh and joke. And they probably see people like me, driving them from place to place, all the time, but the fact that they were still really nice and willing to talk at nine in the morning was excellent.
Getting together with Surfer Blood: I picked them up from the airport one morning and right when they got in the car they said “Take us to a place where we can get tattoos.” So right when I’m leaving the airport, I call up the guy who tattoos me and say “I’m bringing a couple of kids over to you.”
And I met up with them the next day, I ran into them on the street, and they were showing me all these goofy tattoos they got… and they said “Come and party with us tonight!” So I went to see their show, and we ended up breaking into the Christie Pitts pool at like 3 a.m. which, unfortunately, I got pulled away from because I had another driving job I had to do. But they at least had a pretty good time.
Was this mid-jump, or what?
Pretty much, yeah. Right when I hopped the fence I got the call on my phone “Where are you right now?” “Uh, I… can’t tell you.”
Any plans to make this a non-volunteer gig?
I don’t see it as being my full-time job at all. I’m actually pretty happy doing what I’m doing with them. I walk around, and all the volunteers know who I am, I like being that person they all know. And I certainly wouldn’t have the time for more responsibilities. I’m going sleep one of these days.
Photos by Michael Chrisman/Torontoist.

Who’s Playing NXNE: Twin Shadow

Carly Maga — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 20:00:00 +0000

Forget compasses, GPS, or helpful Sherpas. From June 13–19 this year, Torontoist is here to be your guide to everything NXNE.

Photo by Alex John Beck.

Twin Shadow
Lee’s Palace (529 Bloor West)
June 19, 12 a.m.
$15 at door or click here for NXNE pass and wristband pricing options.

George Lewis, Jr. (a.k.a. Twin Shadow) is far more jovial than his music would have you believe. His debut album, 2010′s Forget, dredges up a culturally-isolated, lonely, and KKK-stained childhood. Released partly by Chris Taylor’s (of Grizzly Bear) gloomily-named Terrible Records, it has been described as ranging in emotions from “sweet and sinister, sad and regretful.” So, he doesn’t exactly seem like a “glass-half-full” type of guy. But wouldn’t you know it, he actually helms from the land of sunshine—born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Florida—and boasts the carefree attitude of a 1950s rock star.

Torontoist: Tell us why we should see you at NXNE, in 10 words or less.
George Lewis, Jr.: Uh, because…we’re an up-and-coming and exciting band to watch.
What’s your favourite Toronto venue, and why?
There was a little hotel with a venue in the basement.
The Drake?
Sure, yeah, yeah. We had a really good time there, just a really good night. Everyone had a great time, everyone went home with someone. It was fun.
Does the Northeast beat the Southwest, and why?
Well, the southwest is an awful drive through. All you see is tumbleweeds, you’re afraid you’ll never see a bathroom again and that you’ll probably see George Bush’s children or something. Maine is much more interesting.
Who’s going to be the breakout act of NXNE this year?
Twin Shadow.
Haven’t you already broken?
Have we broken? Okay, tell me who’s playing and I’ll tell you who’s going to break.
Okay…well some of the bands we’re speaking to are TuZO, Allie Hughes, Bent By Elephants, Snowblink, MJ Cyr…
None of the above. Is Hooray for Earth on the list? If not, they should be. They’re gonna blow up in a big way.
What’s up next for Twin Shadow?
Some hanging out in New York and maybe some writing of the next record.
Any hints about what that might include?
Umm…I don’t know. I have no idea. It’ll be really good though, I promise.
Any last words?
We can’t wait to see you. We really, really love Canada. We had the best time in Canada, it rocks. Also, I say “What’s up, Max.”
Who’s Max?
You’ll find out. Come to the show and find out. He’ll be a very prominent figure.

Who’s Playing NXNE: The Balconies

Steve Fisher — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 19:00:00 +0000

Forget compasses, GPS, or helpful Sherpas. From June 13–19 this year, Torontoist is here to be your guide to everything NXNE.

The Balconies—Jacquie Neville, Liam Jaeger, and Stephen Neville (at right)—bring the noise. Photo by Corbin Smith/Torontoist.

The Balconies

Sneaky Dees (431 College Street)

June 19 at 1 a.m.

$10 at the door or click here for NXNE pass and wristband options.

It’s been a busy year for The Balconies. Their debut self titled album got rave reviews, and they’ve won all sorts of acclaim for their energetic live shows. That high-intensity pop flair earned them more than just fans and praise; they took second place in a band competition in their hometown of Ottawa, which came with an oversized cheque for $75,000. “We bought a new touring van, a big Ford 16 seater, which is awesome,” says Stephen Neville. “I also ordered a new bass, but it still hasn’t arrived yet.”
Much of that money is going into recording a follow-up record, which the band is taking their time with. “We started in January, working on new material. We also recorded a seven inch, which just came out. Now, we’re almost finished recording the album—though it’ll be a while before it’s fully mixed and released.” In the meantime, says Neville, they’re still playing their electric rock show, and also experimenting more with some classical arrangements.

Torontoist: Tell us why we should see you at NXNE, in 10 words or less.
Stephen Neville: Because we’ll debut some new material we’re excited to play!
What’s your favourite Toronto venue, and why?
The Horseshoe Tavern; it’s a good sized room, and there’s a lot of history there—and the staff are great.
Does the NXNE beat the SXSW, and why?
Well, we haven’t been, but from what I’ve heard… I think NXNE is a different thing, really. It’s spread out more across the city, and I think it’s less chaotic. This’ll be our third year at NXNE. The first year, we just drove down from Ottawa for our show; last year, we got to experience it fully, and I’m hoping to do the same this year.
Who’s going to be the breakout act of NXNE this year?
Jane’s Party. They’re fantastic. They’re working on an EP, and have just a few teaser tracks out right now, but those are phenomenal.
What’s up next for The Balconies?
We’re gonna get back to mixing the album—it’ll probably be a long process, but I’m excited. We’re proud of our debut album, but it didn’t quite capture the energy of our live sets the way the next one will, I think.

NXNE Picks: Weekend Edition

Carly Maga — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 15:15:00 +0000

Forget compasses, GPS, or helpful Sherpas. From June 13–19 this year, Torontoist is here to be your guide to everything NXNE.

Chad VanGaalen in 2009. Photo by Corbin Smith/Torontoist.

The lineup of events over the weekend is much more extensive because people tend to do more things when they don’t have work the next day. Or even if they do. Whatever. It’s the last few days of NXNE. Go out anyway, and then grab a coffee in the morning. That’s what it’s for.
There’s still lots of movies, comedy, picnics and parties going on for those who’ve hit their musical saturation points. For the rest of you, there’s more! Oh boy is there more.

Saturday, June 18

Live in Bellwoods
Trinity Bellwoods Park (D5/D6), 2–5 p.m.
Many of the acts we’ve recommended in previews and already enjoyed at late night showcases, like Allie Hughes, Sweet Thing, and Lake Forest, are playing free afternoon sets in the sun dappled centre of Trinity Bellwoods Park; check out the Facebook event for the full schedule. (SF)

The Elwins
Bread and Circus (299 Augusta Avenue), 8 p.m.
Several of the bands in our upcoming profiles have named this likable pop trio as the band they hope breaks out at NXNE. Their video for Southern Souls is one of the most watched videos the popular “impromptu performance” website has produced, and they’re a band that engenders a lot of love from other Toronto-based musicians. (SF)

CATL
Comfort Zone Side Stage (486 Spadina Avenue), 9 p.m.-2 a.m.
First: It’s CATL and they’re awesome and the guitarist/singer is so comfortable with how cool he is that he sits down the whole time. Second: They’re playing, like, all night. (JS)

Devo
Yonge-Dundas Square (10 Dundas Street East), 9:30 p.m.
Number of things funnier than seeing Devo play Yonge and Dundas Square: 0. (JS)

Josh Reichmann
The Garrison (1197 Dundas Street West), 10 p.m.
The former Tangiers frontman and Jewish Legend cypher is always one to watch. His new album, After Live, was recently released by the Hand Drawn Dracula label, and he’s playing relatively early on in one of the most eclectic and interesting bills of the festival. (SF)

Neon Windbreaker
Comfort Zone (486 Spadina Avenue), 11 p.m.
Originally dismissed as a joke band who gave away album downloads on pieces of fruit, these TO boys returned from playing 100 shows at SXSW with chops to match all the stunts. (JS)

Wild Nothing, Twin Shadow
Lee’s Palace (529 Bloor Street West), 11 p.m. – 1 a.m.
Because NXNE often instills too much positive stimulation and good vibrations, head to Lee’s for a double-dose of the down-and-out nostalgia and slow pop-synth shoegazing of Wild Nothing and Twin Shadow that have critics raving with excitement. Schadenfreude at its best. (CM)

Candy Coated Killahz
Gladstone Hotel Ballroom (1214 Queen Street West), 11:30 p.m.
Back in 2009, this electro-pop duo played in the highly anticipated Sunday night lineup at Yonge Dundas Square that featured Wu-Tang Clan founding member GZA. Needless to say, there was a lot of excited energy for Toronto pair to feed off of that night. Now Tasha and Icon the Anomali will have the chance to work up their own crowd in the closer confines of the Gladstone Ballroom with tracks off their sophomore album Neon Black, due out in July. (CC)

Chad VanGaalen
The Great Hall (1087 Queen West), 12 a.m.
A lot of people thought VanGaalen’s Diaper Island was snubbed by the Polaris Prize Long List this year (and we agree). Still won’t stop this show from filling up fast. What can we say? People like Canadian indie music, toilet humour, and epecially toilet humour in their Canadian indie music. (CM)

One Hundred Dollars
Horseshoe Tavern (370 Queen Street West), 1 a.m.
If you like your folk-rock with a slice of sincerity pie, look no further. (One time I got shushed at one of their shows because I was too drunk and wouldn’t stop loudly discussing characterizations of Moriarty in various Sherlock Holmes adaptations with my friend. That was a justifiable shush, for sure.) (JS)

Makeout Videotape
The Garrison (1197 Dundas Street West), 2 a.m.
Mac Demarco’s fuzzy party favourite outfit closes out the scheduled bill at the Garrison, though there’s a good chance the frivolity will continue until the 4 a.m. last call. (SF)

Sunday June 19

Closing Night Showcase
Yonge-Dundas Square (10 Dundas Street East), 5–9 p.m.
And on the seventh night, we rested. That is, if you don’t mind missing Reema Major (5 p.m.), D-Sisive (7 p.m.), Digable Planets (8 p.m.) and The Pharcyde (9 p.m.). Which, we don’t think you do, so be sure to drop by. (CM)

Recommendations by Carly Conway, Steve Fisher, Carly Maga, and John Semley.

Who’s Playing NXNE: Olenka and the Autumn Lovers

Carly Conway — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 18:15:00 +0000

Forget compasses, GPS, or helpful Sherpas. From June 13–19 this year, Torontoist is here to be your guide to everything NXNE.

Sara Froese (left) and Olenka Krakus (right) jammin’ during Canadian Music Week. Photo by Corbin Smith/Torontoist.

Olenka and the Autumn Lovers

Gladstone Hotel Ballroom (1214 Queen Street West)
June 18, 12 a.m.
Click here for NXNE pass and wristband pricing options.

In a lot of ways, London, Ontario isn’t one of a kind. It’s a city that stole its name and most of its geographical markers—the Thames River, Hyde Park, Covent Garden, to name only a few—from that place across the Atlantic. And it doesn’t even have a palace. But out of this city of simulacra comes Olenka and the Autumn Lovers and their unique brand of Eastern European–influenced folk-rock. No stranger to the NXNE scene, this year marks the band’s fourth appearance at the festival. This time around the band will not only feature new tracks off their second album, And Now We Sing, but will also introduce some new faces that weren’t on the roster last year.
In anticipation of their set tonight at the Gladstone Hotel Ballroom, we caught up with frontwoman Olenka Krakus while she was in town Monday for a pre-NXNE visit.

Torontoist: Tell us why we should see you at NXNE, in 10 words or less.
Olenka: Are you serious? I’m a lit major. In 10 words?
[Counting on fingers] Because I am playing with the whole band again.
What’s your favourite Toronto venue, and why?
I’ve always really liked the Drake Underground, because the sound is really nice. I like the Gladstone too. Actually, it probably trumps the Drake. When I’m playing in a venue, I’m a lot more attuned to how the space is going to affect the sound.
Does North East beat South West, and why?
Of course. It’s in Canada.
From what I’ve heard, [SXSW] is even more of a whirlwind, and even more industry-geared. So if you’re not in one of the big showcases, you just kind of fall by the wayside. NXNE is more of a generous experience for bands that are starting out. As a festival, [NXNE] helps to nurture smaller bands.
Who’s going to be the breakout act of NXNE this year?
I’d say the breakout band, or at least the band deserving of the most recognition is One Hundred Dollars. Their new album is a real, honest-to-god gem, and sadly not enough people will realize how solid it is musically and profound lyrically.
What’s up next for your band?
A crapload of grant writing for the next album, which we will hopefully be putting together in May of next year. We’re also touring out west, and then we’ll probably go east in autumn to reconnect with our Maritime friends and do the festival circuit.

NXNE Picks: Friday, June 17

Torontoist — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 16:00:00 +0000

Forget compasses, GPS, or helpful Sherpas. From June 13–19 this year, Torontoist is here to be your guide to everything NXNE.

Yes, this is what a Rich Aucoin show actually feels like; this one was at the Drake in February. Photo by Corbin Smith/Torontoist.

If NXNE was like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, then tonight, Night Three, would be juuuuuuuust right. And here’s why:

Diamond Rings/Land of Talk/Stars showcase
Yonge-Dundas Square (10 Dundas Street East), 7:30-11 p.m.
Sure, you probably won’t be privy to the same level of intimacy that’ll be available at dozens of other venues across the city hosting NXNE events. And yes, you’ll probably be subjected to obnoxious advertisements invading your peripheral vision the entire time. But it’s a fairly safe bet you’ll be treated to three excellent acts. Glam rocker Diamond Rings opens the show, and his larger-than-life stage presence will hopefully subdue any apprehension one may have towards the sprawling block-wide venue. Montreal trio Land of Talk has been inching its way out of the shadow of former tour mates Broken Social Scene, so we’re expecting a polished set of whimsical-whilst-powerful folk-rock. And finally, Arts & Crafts outfit Stars boasts a large arsenal of crowd-pleasing tracks, not to mention the always-entertaining playfulness between Amy Millan and Torquil Campbell. Two more reasons why this set rules: it’s free for non-wristband or pass holders, and you still have a lot of hours of music left ahead of you. (CC)

Julianna Barwick
Wrongbar (1279 Queen Street West), 11 p.m.
As any episode of Cribs will tell you, the bedroom is where the magic happens. While that’s certainly not always the case, it does apply to Brooklyn’s Julianna Barwick, who recorded her latest album The Magic Place with a loop station and her computer in her bedroom. Her soft, airy, seemingly wordless tracks have been compared to a lot of artists, like Enya, Animal Collective, Brian Eno, and Cocteau Twins, but Barwick’s got some pretty nifty tricks up her sleeve. (CM)

Bialystoker
Gladstone Hotel Ballroom (1214 Queen Street West), 1 a.m.
Montreal art-rockers The Lovely Feathers had a reputation for manic, spastic performances, and we’re exceedingly intrigued by this new incarnation of the band. Will we see a significant and revitalizing change, as when The Ghost Is Dancing switched over to Powers (who play themselves at the Silver Dollar in the same time slot) at the beginning of the year? (SF)

Heavy Cream
Comfort Zone (486 Spadina Avenue), 1 a.m.
Four-piece from Nashville, TV. Garage meets rebel-rock meets you drinking too many beers and having a lot of fun. (JS)

Great Bloomers
Sneaky Dee’s (431 College Street), 1 a.m.
Toronto alt-country heavies deck themselves out in matching plaid snap-up shirts, do rollicking dad-rock with stupidly catchy choruses, and, in doing so, prove once and for all why a dad is the best kind of parent. (JS)

Rich Aucoin
The Garrison (1197 Dundas Street West), 1 a.m.
It’s not like there haven’t been enough chances to see one of Rich Aucoin’s legendary dance-party extravaganzas recently, but just in case you missed them, he’s back at The Garrison tonight in advance of the release of his giant, cross-country, 500-musician album We’re All Dying To Live: Public Publication EP/Over The Top! LP. Expect silly string, streamers, sing-alongs, and sweat. (CM)

Sheezer
Sneaky Dee’s (431 College Street), 2 a.m.
Perhaps they aren’t playing the most original music at the festival, but it’s hard to argue that Sheezer, together again now that Laura Barrett has returned from the West Coast, aren’t one of the most enjoyable live draws in town. (SF)

Recommendations by Carly Conway, Steve Fisher, Carly Maga, and John Semley, and compiled by Carly Maga.

NXNE Recap: Thursday

Torontoist — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 15:30:00 +0000

Forget compasses, GPS, or helpful Sherpas. From June 13–19 this year, Torontoist is here to be your guide to everything NXNE.
Descendents, Dodos, and Dirty Beaches—oh my! Sunny and warm, day two of NXNE was like a trip over the rainbow. Here’s what we checked out:

Rusty
Seen at: Yonge-Dundas Square, 7 p.m.
Rusty, who you may remember from that time you were 12, played a pretty convincing, and hilarious, set. No wonder they took home that Juno in 1996, eh? Just seeing Rusty fans, and seeing that there still are Rusty fans, was pretty cool. (JS)

Snowblink
Seen at: Music Gallery, 7 p.m.
The meandering, billowing vocals of Snowblink were ideal for the high-ceilinged Music Gallery. Snowblink was the closest thing the audience has felt to supposed the new rapture coming this October, which is to say that the light, floaty music had the audience collectively feeling as though they were ascending to heaven. (CS)

Evening Hymns
Seen at: Music Gallery, 8 p.m.
Evening Hymns sounds like Bon Iver without falsetto, and supported by a fully fleshed-out band. The further into the set they got, the further down they pulled us from the airy heights where Snowblink left us; their mostly new material was full of palpable pain. Which made sense after the lead vocalist explained that their upcoming album was very much inspired by him recently losing hs father. (CS)

Fucked Up
Seen at: Yonge-Dundas Square, 8 p.m.
Everyone’s favourite local heroes ripped out some tracks from their new extra-long-player David Comes to Life. Damian Abraham (a pit photographer’s wet dream) descended into the crowds, with techs feeding the mic cord out, extended an almost–mosh pit halfway to Yonge Street. A lot of the layered, three-guitar jive of Comes to Life got lost in the shuffle, with the set sounding coming off a little flat. Or maybe we were just standing too far back. (JS)

Doctor Ew
Seen at: 918 Bathurst Street, 8 p.m.
With all the hype and goings-on that come with a festival as large as NXNE, trying to digest it all can get old overwhelming quick. Luckily, with smaller, a bit out-of-the-way venues like 918 Bathurst, a not-for-profit community arts centre in the Annex, it’s possible to enjoy a couple of quality sets without having to fight for personal space. In the church basement–esque hall, audience members chilled shoeless on an old rug while the bartender in the back tended to his stock of about three forties of liquor, a couple Tupperwares of assorted beer, and stacks of plastic drink cups.
Unfortunately, it was only the six or so people who could fit on the rug, plus the few who grabbed actual seats along the wooden room’s periphery, who showed up for Doctor Ew’s (a.k.a. Drew Smith) opening set,.
CBC Radio 3′s Vish Khanna once said of Smith’s sound: “In places, it reminds me of Brian Wilson, fighting one of his demons to make a Beach Boys masterpiece that no one else understands.” With playful, catchy, but at times dark songs about being a dreamer and walking home from school, this comparison seemed to make sense. Also appropriate, then, was his decision to talk about Brian Wilson‘s appearance at the festival’s Interactive arm during his between-song banter. Even more appropriate? The cover of the Beach Boys’ “Surfer Girl” that Smith played with about as much heart as if he was playing in front of Wilson himself. Although it would have been nice had more people shown up to enjoy Smith’s set, it was a worthwhile way to either wind down from a hard day at work or begin a long night of show-hopping nonetheless. (CC)

Brian Borcherdt
Seen at: 918 Bathurst Street, 9 p.m.
The minimalist quality of the venue worked to Borcherdt’s advantage, as there was little to distract the audience from Borcherdt, his guitar, and that voice you don’t get to hear with his other gig in instrumentalist group Holy Fuck. With very little interaction with the audience until the end of what appeared, at first, to be a disappointingly short set, it felt a little bit like Borcherdt didn’t know there was anyone even watching him. Despite putting down his guitar after only playing about 20 minutes of mostly new material off his upcoming album, he thankfully stuck it out upon audience request and rounded out his set with an old favourite, “Motel.” (CC)

The Dodos
Seen at: The Phoenix, 9 p.m.
The Dodos were once known for incorporating toy pianos and xylophones into their sets for a more percussion-driven, yet playful sound. But with another guitarist along for this tour, they were suddenly much harder and louder than fans at The Phoenix may have anticipated. We thought the show was missing some light-heartedness and audience interaction, but the rest of the crowd was feeling their style (and don’t get us wrong, they still sounded pretty good). In fact, the last time dodo birds were so loved, it didn’t bode well for them. Let’s hope it turns out better for these Dodos. (CM)

OFF!
Seen at: Yonge-Dundas Square, 9 p.m.
Holy smokes is Keith Morris ever angry. The band’s set of shreddy, sound-the-same bangers was broken up by Morris going all VH1 Storytellers, offering up commentary on the American government, a Vietnamese woman who lives in his neighbourhood, and how he’d get helicopters to pour tar on the crowds if his band ever played the Super Bowl. Like, OFF! rules and all, but any other 56-year-old guy who just stood around yelling “Fuck People!” would probably just be called a schizophrenic. Just saying. You get a pass if you were in Black Flag and Circle Jerks, though. Maybe. (JS)

The Descendents
Seen at: Yonge-Dundas Square, 10 p.m.
Oh hello, everyone’s inner 14-year-old skanker! The goddamned Descendents played! Which was wicked. You can scoff at punk reunions, sure, but fun is fun. Milo Aukerman brought his kids on stage, which kind of tempered a however-old Milo Aukerman, singing songs about what he’s going to be like when he gets old and sneering about suburban homes. And they played “Lucky” live. For the first time ever. Decent! (JS)

MJ Cyr
Seen at: Mitzi’s Sister, 10 p.m.
Cyr wasn’t nervous at the outset of her gig, but she did spend some time pulling down the hem of her vibrantly coloured frock. “I was going to wear pants tonight, but then I remembered what I promised in this interview I did. I usually wear tights with this dress… if there was a drummer behind me, he’d be getting a whole different show than you guys.” Wisecracks aside, Cyr’s set benefited greatly from accompanist Cam Britton, who had his own set of looping pedals, a flute, and tenor and alto saxophones. The horn section in some songs brought Destroyer’s recent album Kaputt to mind (though Cyr’s style is considerably more earnest). (SF)

Tanika Charles
Seen at: Wrongbar, 10 p.m.
Walking in to Wrongbar at the beginning of Tanika Charles and the Wonderfuls’ set was a bit like walking into a scene of Dreamgirls, that movie with Beyonce and Jennifer Hudson, but with less drama and fewer sequins. Charles is a Toronto-born, Edmonton-raised singer who is back in her hometown with her two background singers—the “Wonderfuls” part of the equation, we gather. The strong trio of female voices belted out a set of Motown-inspired tracks, complete with subtle and effective choreography and a sharp wardrobe. The set ranged from a string of slow, remember-the-good times songs to upbeat anthems like “Money” and “Parkdale,” which was especially appropriate considering the locale. (CC)

Allie Hughes
Seen at: Wrongbar, 11 p.m.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper Allie Hughes set without some sort of theme. Last night was a German-inspired evening, complete with scripted interludes between songs spoken entirely in German in semi-convincing Eastern European accents. True to her musical theatre roots, there was exaggerated choreography that included slain bandmates, the return of her “Chad” character, and tears of blood. We’re also pretty sure there was a narrative thread throughout, though our understanding of the German language is severely lacking. Even with all the theatrics, Hughes; strong vocals were still the highlight, especially in the crowd favourites “Not the Stars” and “Headmaster.” However, when you’ve got a set as choreographed as Hughes’, technical blips seem all the more obvious; there were a few noticeable audio glitches throughout, but they fortunately did not take away from the overall effect of this entertaining set. (CC)

PS I Love You
Seen at: The Horseshoe Tavern, 11 p.m.
We managed to catch the tail end of PS I Love You’s set at The Horseshoe Tavern, but we’re not sure if we could have handled any more. In a good way! This Kingston duo wasn’t holding back and delivered the hard-hitting alt-pop that got them on this year’s Polaris Long List. But between that, their amps at full volume, and the oppressive heat of The ‘Shoe, if we had been there longer, we just don’t think we would have survived to write this review. (CM)

Suuns
Seen at: The Horseshoe Tavern, 12 a.m.
Suuns are part of the Montreal invasion of bands taking over NXNE, which we’re welcoming with open arms if they keep playing like this. Suuns delivered a pounding, high-energy (even higher than usual), yet totally danceable blend of electro-rock that pumped up the crowd at The Horseshoe Tavern as much as lead singer Ben Shemie’s singing-face and body language creeped them out. (CM)

Lake Forest
Seen at: 619 Bathurst, 12 a.m.
Three-fifths of the Wilderness of Manitoba make up Lake Forest, so it was no surprise that this show was impressive, despite headman Will Whitwham’s suggestion that it was simply a fancy rehearsal. As far as we can tell, Lake Forest is Whitwham’s personal project: he seems to be writing all of the music and then bringing in friends at the end to help flesh out the sound. The sound itself reminded us, unsurprisingly, of Wilderness of Manitoba, but more sombre and with more electricity. (CS)

Sweet Thing
Seen at: The Rivoli, 12 a.m.
“Wow—it’s been a while since we’ve been here, huh?” Owen Carrier observed, looking around the packed Rivoli back room fondly. These days, the radio-approved pop-rock outfit plays larger venues for their hometown appearances, and the long line-up outside the venue (on a night with a plethora of options) was a testament to their loyal fans. The boys played a typically energetic set, with Carrier’s freshly broken toe a non-factor—although his bandmates got a few digs in about his rock climbing mishap between songs. (SF)

Bruce Peninsula
Seen at: The Rivoli, 1 a.m.
“It’s been a few months… it feels so good to be up here.” With his leukemia in remission, and with a new record on the way, Bruce Peninsula’s Neil Haverty was in fine spirits, and his enthusiasm was infectious. The new tunes in the band’s set were joyful indeed, and the capacity crowd was boisterously smitten; we’d have taken more detailed notes, but we were too busy stomping and clapping ourselves. (SF)

Dirty Beaches
Seen at: The Silver Dollar, 1 a.m.
Like vandalism on a piece of artwork, there is a sense of indignant sadness in the idea of a dirty beach. So it also comes with the music from Taiwan-born, now Canadian resident Alex Zhang Hungtai, whose haunting, distorted, low-fi music is based in his sense of displacement. It also sounds lost in time, reminding us of both a tortured ’50s greaser (a modern day Rebel Without a Cause) or the hero of a Western, about to draw arms against his foe under the sun at dusk (rather, under the red lights of The Silver Dollar). Either way, he sounds even more anguished live than on his recordings, which is good, for us. (CM)

Reviews by: Carly Conway, Steve Fisher, Carly Maga, John Semley, and Corbin Smith. Photos by Corbin Smith/Torontoist except where noted.