Tuesday, June 17th, 2008
You know what they say about the best-laid plans. With the Killbeat/Kelp Records BBQ taking place at the Global Backpackers hostel just down the street from my office, I figured I could arrive right in time to catch the tail end of the day’s performances. Day shows aren’t really entrenched as part of the NxNE culture yet, certainly not anywhere near the scale as at SxSW, but this annual event was certainly becoming one of the daytime to-dos not to be missed.
I’d expected to be met with the rollicking rock sounds of Ottawa’s Camp Radio but unsurprisingly they were running late and I instead found the relatively quieter but still prone to noisy outbursts pop of The Violet Archers, the new outfit from former Rheostatic Tim Vesely. Pleasant enough to make mental note to give their new album Sunshine At Night a listen – I think I have a copy kicking around here somewhere. The Violet Archers play the Cameron House this Friday, June 20.
Photos: The Violet Archers @ Global Backpackers – June 13, 2008
MP3: The Violet Archers – “Sunshine At Night”
MySpace: The Violet Archers
And then Camp Radio did take the stage (er, linoleum) and reminded me of what a great blast of hooky, straight-ahead rock their self-titled album. They cut their set a bit short in a futile effort to get back on schedule, but filled the time they did have with a hyper-energetic show that may not have been groundbreaking, but was certainly wall-shaking. And it blew some of the cobwebs out of my head, thank goodness.
Photos: Camp Radio @ Global Backpackers – June 13, 2008
MP3: Camp Radio – “Cons At The New Moon”
MP3: Camp Radio – “At The Landing Strip”
MySpace: Camp Radio
Fellow Bytowners in the HILOTRONS may have been celebrating their inclusion the day before on the Polaris long list or may have just been smashed as a matter of course – that was sort of the purpose of the day – but they weren’t as tight, taut or impressive as I’d hoped based on what I’d heard on their Happymatic release.
Photos: HILOTRONS @ Global Backpackers – June 13, 2008
MP3: HILOTRONS – “Dominika”
MP3: HILOTRONS – “Emergency Street”
Stream: HILOTRONS / Happymatic
MySpace: HILOTRONS
By this point, the weight of the week was crushing my skull so I beat feet to get home and take a much-needed nap – it meant missing seeing The Blood Lines at the BBQ as well as Oh No Forest Fires at the Kathedral to start the night off, but it was an absolute necessity of survival. And there was one mother of a thunderstorm barreling down on us – I could see way too much lightning in the western sky for comfort as I biked over to Lee’s Palace for the Friday night main event.
There I was met by Uncut, a Toronto band that seems to have been around forever, opened for many big names but never quite managing to reach that next level of success. I think I’ve seen them at least three or four times incidentally, but never a whole set, and while I salute their perseverance and dedication to the fine art of volume, their blend of post-punk and textured noise didn’t manage to really engage me.
Photos: Uncut @ Lee’s Palace – June 13, 2008
MP3: Uncut – “Dark Horse”
MP3: Uncut – “Understanding The New Violence”
Bionic showed up with an axe to grind with, well, pretty much everyone. But jokingly so, I think. Between slabs of loud, hard rock riffage frontman Jonathan Cummins took shots at stoic Toronto hipsters, shoegaze fans and fellow Montrealers The Besnard Lakes. No matter who you were or what you were there for, he was ready to bait you – it was quite hilarious. But Cummins let his own indie roots show with the band’s closing number, a thundering face-kick of a cover of XTC’s “Travels In Nihilon”. Intense.
Photos: Bionic @ Lee’s Palace – June 13, 2008
MP3: Bionic – “Black Blood”
MySpace: Bionic
As they were taking the stage, Jace of The Besnard Lakes tried a little get-back at Cummins by trying to imitate his aggro vocal stylings. Not so effective. The rest of the Besnards’ set fared better, thankfully – I’ve seen them a goodly number of times now and they never disappoint. They didn’t set any new standards either, but it was interesting to see how much more efficient they’ve become, able to impress without extended jams or noodling. But it could also have been that they were as anxious to see the headliners as everyone else – bassist Olga Goreas mentioned how her old band in Vancouver opened up for Swervedriver back in the ’90s.
Photos: The Besnard Lakes @ Lee’s Palace – June 13, 2008
MP3: The Besnard Lakes – “And You Lied To Me”
MP3: The Besnard Lakes – “For Agent 13”
Video: The Besnard Lakes – “For Agent 13”
Video: The Besnard Lakes – “Devastation”
MySpace: The Besnard Lakes
And Swervedriver. Yes. Though by convenience they’ve usually been lumped in with the “shoegaze” scene but in truth, they had little in common with the usual touchpoints of the genre – certainly as loud, but not nearly as noisy, and built more around being sonically propulsive than monolithic. But however you choose to regard them, they were unquestionably beloved and Lee’s Palace was beyond sold out and sauna-like in anticipation at the Oxford quartet’s return after more than a decade away.
While it might have been nice to say that the boys hadn’t changed a bit since their last visit, that’d be an outright lie. There was nary a dreadlock was to be seen – probably a good thing – and all four looked downright unassuming and wouldn’t have gotten a second look if they weren’t on stage. But there was no mistaking the sound they made, their pummelling rock juggernaut rides having lost none of their potency in the past decade. The set actually started slower than one might have expected, drawing on the defended by some but generally acknowledged to be flawed Ejector Seat Reservation and 99th Dream, but towards the heart of the set, when they rolled out the Mezcal Head and Raise classics, they found another gear and just took off. Numbers like “Duel”, “For Seeking Heat” and “Son Of Mustang Ford” were pure bludgeoning beauty and main set closer “Duress” was hazy psychedelic bliss. It’s not just as a fan that I say that most of Swervedriver’s repertoire has aged marvelously – it’s a statement of fact. Throughout, they were as good as anyone could have hoped though I found Adam Franklin’s utterly serene countenance to be curiously at odds with the band’s aural intensity. The man was positively zen up there, if completely soaked through with sweat.
Capping an almost two-hour set with a single-song encore of “Never Lose That Feeling” – truer words were never spoke – the band gathered at the back of the club to handle their own merch sales, which was a fine gesture but made for slow going as everyone lined up was seeking handshakes and autographs in addition to t-shirts, posters and CDs. Me, I shook Adam Franklin’s hand and made off with the pedals t-shirt straightaway to bed. 4AM was WAY past my bedtime, but so worth it. And a footnote from the show… I feel a real compelling need to get re-acquainted with my Fender Jazzmaster.
Photos: Swervedriver @ Lee’s Palace – June 13, 2008
MP3: Swervedriver – “Rave Down” (live)
MP3: Swervedriver – “Son Of Mustang Ford” (live at St Andrew’s Hall)
MP3: Swervedriver – “Duel” (live on Stockholm radio)
MP3: Swervedriver – “Last Train To Satansville” (live at Maxwell’s)
MP3: Swervedriver – “Bring Me The Head Of The Fortune Teller” (live on Stockholm radio)
Video: Swervedriver – “Never Lose That Feeling”
Video: Swervedriver – “Duel”
Video: Swervedriver – “Sandblasted”
Video: Swervedriver – “Son Of Mustang Ford”
MySpace: Swervedriver
Spiritualized have set up a new website at spiritualizedharmonies.com to celebrate the band’s almost 20-year history as well as the release of their latest, Songs In A & E. The National Post talks to Jason Pierce about his magical guitar. They’re at day one of V Fest on September 6.
Billboard has details on the release of Margot & The Nuclear So & So’s’ follow-up to The Dust Of Retreat and… it’s not simple. The long-announced title Animals! is now going to be applied to a vinyl release while the CD, which presumably is the album they actually expect people to buy and hear, will be called Not Animal. Both will be available digitally Clear? Didn’t think so. The Indianapolis Star has a little more info and some background from guitarist Andy Fry as to why things shook out that way. Both releases will be out October 7 and they will presumably be playing material from both records when they arrive at the Horseshoe on August 6.
Doing things more conventionally are The Dandy Warhols, who will release Earth To The Dandy Warhols on August 19. They’ll also be at the Kool Haus on September 13. They’re still a Kool Haus-sized band? Who knew. Wired also has an interview.
MP3: The Dandy Warhols – “The World Come On”
Tilly & The Wall’s O is out today and you can stream the whole thing at Spinner, as well as download the single and watch the video. They’re at the Mod Club on August 2 and Sentimentalist has a short feature.
MP3: Tilly & The Wall – “Pot Kettle Black”
Video: Tilly & The Wall – “Pot Kettle Black”
Stream: Tilly & The Wall / O
And my episode of WOXY’s “Friends Of The Futurist” is now archived online so you can stream it and my bitching playlist, though I’m sorry to say they didn’t run my voice through the James Earl Jones filter like I’d asked.
Monday, June 16th, 2008
Things not to do ever again – book myself for shows seven nights out of eight. Especially when three of those nights are extended, club-hopping affairs such as NxNE. As it was, my brain was about 80% fried before the festival even began, so take my diminished cognitive skills into account when reading any reviews from the past weekend.
Starting with Thursday. I had an itinerary heading into things but was already off it before things began, as I was too slow out of the blocks to catch Key Witness at the Velvet Underground. I did make it to The Boat for 9PM, however, and the set from Calgary’s Summerlad. It was probably the shortest set of the festival by anyone, quantitatively speaking, at only three songs long but when one of the songs was a slightly abbreviated version of their epic3-length “City Of Noise” (it takes up three sides of the double-LP 12″ single), it was plenty. As with anything designed as such, it’s inherently proggy but unlike other bands playing in the same sandbox, The Summerlad don’t sound overtly retro – rather than stoned, it sounds wide-eyed and alert. Wired, even. Transitions from section to section isn’t as seamless as one might like – you can definitely see/hear the edges – but still commendably ambitious and remarkably engaging. And I assume the “Funkytown” crib is entirely intentional. I hope.
Photos: The Summerlad @ The Boat – June 12, 2008
MP3: The Summerlad – “City Of Noise”
MySpace: The Summerlad
Next up and also visiting from out west were Regina, Saskatchewan’s Rah Rah, proving that large, co-ed lineups weren’t exclusively the dominion of Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. They were stylistically rangy, mixing pop, rock, country and folkiness and making it difficult to come up with a quick description of their sound, though there was nothing difficult about that. Amiable if not immediately distinctive, they put on a rambunctious show that was highlighted by violinist/vocalist Kristina Hedlund pouring Pop Rocks into her mouth and stepping up to the mic as they fizzed. It wasn’t actually audible but many many bonus points for trying.
Photos: Rah Rah @ The Boat – June 12, 2008
MP3: Rah Rah – “Duet For GP And Emmylou”
Though hailing from Toronto, The Rural Alberta Advantage continued the Prairie theme and were the band I’d come to see. Their debut album Hometowns has been one of my homegrown favourites since its very quiet release back in February. In fact, every time I listen to it I’m flummoxed as to why its not found the audience it deserves. But the band is still managing to find their audience, if the sizable crowd at the Boat was any indication, so it’s just as well that the RAA is as good live as they are on record. The trio, in matching Alberta-boosting t-shirts, put on a clinic of how to make a lot out of a little, using just acoustic guitar, a couple keyboards and inventive percussion to augment Nils Edenloff’s paeans to his home province. Boasting tremendous talent and charm, The RAA are one of those bands that leave me shaking my head in amazement every time I see them play, and this was no exception.
Photos: The Rural Alberta Advantage @ The Boat – June 12, 2008
MP3: The Rural Alberta Advantage – “Don’t Haunt This Place”
MP3: The Rural Alberta Advantage – “Luciana”
MP3: The Rural Alberta Advantage – “Frank, AB”
MP3: The Rural Alberta Advantage – “Sleep All Day”
MP3: The Rural Alberta Advantage – “In The Summertime”
MySpace: The Rural Alberta Advantage
The RAA would be a tough act to follow in my mind, but I gave youthful Toronto pop outfit Great Bloomers the opportunity to try, seeing as how they were playing just up the street at Supermarket. I’d heard others speak highly of them and their self-titled EP showed some promise, so why not. And it would be a relief to shoot a band anywhere besides the redder-than-the-depths-of-Hell Boat. I found the Bloomers’ stuff to be eminently likable and the band quite proficient, but residing on the wrong side of generic guitar pop. There were a few flashes of doing something more interesting or distinctive, but on the whole I found it less impressive than their recorded selves.
Photos: Great Bloomers @ Supermarket – June 12, 2008
Chart has been diligently compiling their festival report cards, and The National Post, The Toronto Star, JAM, eye, NOW and blogTO have all been covering the fest. I’ll be running down the rest of the weekend over the next couple days but all my photos are up if you want to peek ahead and see what’s coming. And while I won’t get to the writeup till Wednesday, if you’re looking for something to do tonight, I heartily recommend going to the Gladstone to see 6 Day Riot, who will be playing a post-NxNE show before heading back to the UK. If I can find some final reserve of energy, I may head down myself. Definitely one of the great discoveries of the week.
Otherwise, you may be looking to squeeze a little more value out of your NxNE wristband by heading down to the Kool Haus to see My Morning Jacket – the print ad in this week’s NOW says that ALL wristband/badgeholders who arrive before 9PM will be admitted free, which is a far safer bet than the “first 50” restriction originally imposed. Chart and The Toronto Star have conversations with the band.
The Montreal Gazette profiles Wolf Parade and their new record At Mount Zoomer, which is out tomorrow. The whole thing is streaming at their MySpace and they’re at the Kool Haus on August 9.
Stream: Wolf Parade / At Mount Zoomer
NPR is streaming last night’s Shearwater show in Washington DC and Blurt talks to Jonathan Meiburg about the art and artistry of Rook. Shearwater are at the Horseshoe next Monday night.
The Independent and The Telegraph talk to Leonard Cohen.
Daytrotter. Spoon. Yay.
Tiger Weekly talks songwriting with Jason Isbell.
MPR is streaming a studio session with Iron & Wine.
The National Post spotlights the growth of the Arts & Crafts label, talking to some of their artists including Feist and Brendan Canning.
Saturday, June 14th, 2008
I will confess that this was a show I really wouldn’t have expected to happen. It was perfectly logical that Lightspeed Champion would stop into town as he did in March as that was en route to his carpet bombing of Austin with performances during SxSW, but that he’d return so soon – and in a full band configuration rather than a duo – was a real surprise. Not because it wasn’t justified – Falling Off The Lavender Bridge remains one of my favourite albums of the year so far – but because it didn’t necessarily seem like Dev Hynes’ project was getting much traction in North America beyond the devoted Anglophile community, Conan O’Brien appearances notwithstanding, and mounting a full North American tour might not be the most sensible thing. But understand, this isn’t me complaining – just musing. Obviously someone saw a financial rationale for bringing Dev and co back to the continent and to them, I say “thanks”.
For this tour, Lightspeed Champion had picked up a couple of newer American acts as support, South Carolina’s The Explorers Club and from Omaha, Nebraska, Flowers Forever. The former is frequently pitched with simply as, “If you like the Beach Boys…” which while accurate, doesn’t paint nearly the whole picture. Yes, they frequently tread down the classic pop trail blazed by the Wilson clan and with their unbelievable five-part harmonies and four strong lead vocalists, it’s hard to find other reference points to do them justice. And really, if you CAN sing like the Beach Boys, why on earth would you NOT sing like the Beach Boys? But beyond their vocal prowess, the Explorers Club are gifted songwriters, musicians (their quadruple-guitar freak-out cover of “Johnny B Goode” was something to behold) and really engaging and entertaining performers. They definitely set the bar high for the rest of the evening.
A bar which Flowers Forever didn’t clear. At all. An outfit noteworthy as the side-project of Tilly & The Wall, it came off as a guy desperate to prove that he had some punk rock cred beyond being the dude in the band with the the cute tap-dancing girl. With a stage setup consisting of green floodlights, smoke machines and a trio of large, grotesque screaming head cutouts, the quartet seemed have a mandate to scare grade schoolers. Musically, they were loud and vaguely psychedelic, but anything interesting they might have had to offer in that direction was overshadowed by unfocused anger and random swearing. Juvenile much? Hopefully this little exercise has gotten that out of Pressnall’s system and he’ll be on his best behaviour when Tilly & The Wall come back to town on August 2 at the Mod Club.
When I’d first heard the words “Lightspeed Champion” and “full band” used together, I had fanciful visions of Dev Hynes accompanied by not just a rhythm section, but a full string section and Emmy The Great on vocals, set to recreate the full lushness of Lavender Bridge for my listening pleasure. Well the reality did indeed include the rhythm section, but that was the extent of it. Still, the addition of just those two players significantly altered the dynamic and presentation of the album’s material. Anna Prior, formerly of Leeds’ Dead Disco, not only handled drumming duties but more than ably covered some of Emmy’s vocal parts (and adorableness quotient) though not as loudly or as frequently as I’d have liked, but even a little went a long way.
But recreating the orchestrated wonder of the studio recording obviously wasn’t on the agenda – with the more conventional rock band setup (though again with Mike Siddell on violin) things were arranged relatively louder and heavier, though not to the detriment of the songs and based on the new material that was aired out, that seems to be the direction that Hynes’ songwriting is going anyway. With a (relatively) more structured set than he played in March, he also took the opportunity to trade the acoustic in for electric for a goodly portion of the set and demonstrate some serious chops that weren’t necessarily spotlighted on Bridge. His goofball humour was also on display, with between-song banter including asking the audience what they had for dinner and engaging in some discussion about the ongoing NBA finals. And of course, the hat. Last time in town, they played on the evening of one big-ass snowstorm so the big furry hunter’s hat was an understandable accoutrement. In the middle of Summer? Not so much, especially with Lee’s Palace’s air conditioning on the fritz. But the highlight, as I’m sure they intended, was the big rock reading of the Star Wars theme – Imperial march segueing into the main theme – leading into “Midnight Surprise”. Awesome.
Photos: Lightspeed Champion, Flowers Forever, The Explorers Club @ Lee’s Palace – June 11, 2008
MP3: Lightspeed Champion – “Everyone I Know Is Listening To Crunk”
MP3: Lightspeed Champion – “Waiting Game”
MP3: Flowers Forever – “Black Rosary”
MP3: Flowers Forever – “Beach Bum”
MP3: Flowers Forever – “Happy New Year”
MP3: The Explorers Club – “Do You Love Me?”
Video: Lightspeed Champion – “Galaxy Of The Lost”
Video: Lightspeed Champion – “Tell Me What It’s Worth”
Video: Lightspeed Champion – “Midnight Surprise”
Video: Lightspeed Champion – “Midnight Surprise” (short film)
MySpace: Lightspeed Champion
MySpace: Flowers Forever
The Boston Globe talks to Will Johnson, whose Centro-Matic were also in town on Wednesday night at the Horseshoe. Did anyone go? How was it? No regrets on my part but I’d have liked to have caught that show as well. I should have asked someone to grab me a copy of Dual Hawks.
Thanks to Torr for the tip-off that Neil Halstead will be releasing his second solo record Oh! Mighty Engine on July 29. Neil will be as close as Oro, Ontario on the shores of Lake Simcoe with label-boss/surfing buddy Jack Johnson on August 3, but apparently a proper tour is in the works for the Fall.
Incendiary talks to Isobel Campbell.
Spin catches Nicole Atkins backstage at Bonnaroo in a bale of hay, shoots video. Not nearly as dirty as it sounds.
The Old 97s stop by Spinner’s Interface for a session and have also got a new Tricia Helfer-powered, kung fu-ed video from their new album Blame It On Gravity. And speaking of BSG, that was a pretty dense mid-season finale, n’est-ce pas? Final scene was sort of what I expected, but still something to see. And now we wait till January for the last episodes. JANUARY. Frack. So glad that Weeds is back this week, otherwise I’d be ALL out of TV. And that’s just not right.
Video: The Old 97’s – “Dance With Me”
Also with a new video are The Besnard Lakes, who just opened up for Swervedriver on Friday night and will do the same for My Morning Jacket on Monday at the Kool Haus. That is what we call padding the resume.
Video: The Besnard Lakes – “Devastation”
Daytrotter features up a session with Headlights and also an interview with The Ting Tings, who’re in town at the Mod Club on Tuesday. Congrats to Kim and Diana who won the LPs and the passes to the show. And there’s a new video for that song. Yes, that one. No dancing silhouettes, though.
Video: The Ting Tings – “Shut Up And Let Me Go”
And though it’s been a bit lean in the last while, there’s some show announcements to get to. First, TV On The Radio’s July 2 show at the Kool Haus has been moved to the Phoenix. Half the capacity means twice the intimacy! I think.
A precise release date for Margot & The Nuclear So & So’s’ Animals! remains to be set, but some touring has been confirmed – they’ll make their Toronto debut on August 6 at the Horseshoe, tickets $10.50. They were supposed to check that off their to-do list back in April 2006 but had to cancel the show after their van checked out on them. Best of luck to them making it up here this time around.
Oneida are at Lee’s Palace on August 15, tickets $8.50. Their new album Preteen Weaponry is also out in August.
MP3: Oneida – “Preteen Weaponry”
Cuff The Duke will do a two-night stand at the Horseshoe on August 22 and 23, tickets for each show $12.
Baltimore’s Ponytail will be at Lee’s Palace on August 26. Their Ice Cream Spiritual is out on Tuesday.
MP3: Ponytail – “Celebrate The Body Electric”
Video: Ponytail – “Die Allman Bruder”
If you think the great reunion trend is limited to British shoegaze bands and American post-punk outfits – mid-90’s veterans of the college circuit are also getting into the act. Case in point, Winnipeg’s Watchmen are back together and will be at the Horseshoe on September 26. Tickets $20.
At the other end of the spectrum, new kids Black Kids will release their Bernard Butler-produced debut Partie Traumatic on July 22 and have booked a Fall tour to support. The Toronto date will be at the Mod Club on October 5 and tickets are $20.
Video: Black Kids – “I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You”
Video: Black Kids – “Hurricane Jane”
And finally, Pinback will be at the Mod Club on October 7, tickets $16.
Friday, June 13th, 2008
Image via
MONTREALTI usually save the quick giveaway posts for the weekend, but considering I’m already backlogged from NXNE and other related activities, I’m going to get this one out there today and try and catch up on proper content tomorrow.
Most people don’t need an excuse to visit lovely Montreal – it has plenty to recommend itself as is – but if you do, and perhaps need something to do over the August long weekend (though as I understand it’s not a long weekend in Quebec, which makes the timing of all this just peculiar but I digress), I’m here to help. Taking place August 3 and 4 at Parc Jean-Drapeau in Montreal is the third annual Osheaga festival, featuring unfortunate headliners The Killers and Jack Johnson, but an otherwise quite excellent lineup including Iggy & The Stooges, Cat Power, Broken Social Scene, Spiritualized, DeVotchKa, Duffy, Foals, Gogol Bordello, The Go! Team, The Kills and The Black Keys amongst many others.
And of course I wouldn’t be devoting a post to this if I didn’t have something related to give away (nor would there be the word “CONTEST” in the title. I have here in front of me, courtesy of the good folks at Osheaga, two sets of tickets for both days of the festival to give away. If you’d like to win them, send me an email at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I Want To Go-sheaga” in the subject line and your full mailing address in the body. Contest is open to anyone who can get to Montreal for that weekend and a winner will be selected at midnight one week from today, June 20.
MySpace: Osheaga
Thursday, June 12th, 2008
So here we are with another NXNE upon us, and like in past years, I grumble about the lineup, agonize about whether to see the up-and-coming local/Canadian talent or the big-name import marquee acts and seriously consider just crawling under the covers and sleeping through the whole thing. But after seeking a balance between those considerations as well as the logistics of getting from venue A to venue B in the 15 minutes or so between sets, I’ve come up with the following plan for the coming days (with a number of alternates which I won’t bother to post). A lot of unknown quantities here that made the cut because I liked or was at least intrigued by a MySpace stream or something – it could lead to something great, or it could be bitterly disappointing. Who knows. But there’s at least one band each night that I fully expect to make the evening worthwhile so if some of the others step up, that’s just gravy.
One of the unfamiliar acts I’ve got some hopes for is The Summerlad out of Calgary, who’re at the Boat on the Thursday night. The samples I’ve heard totally run the gamut from drawn-out Floyd-ian space rock to razor-edged post-punk, and surely somewhere in between those two extremes is something I can get into, right? We’ll see. Chart recently talked to the band about their split musical personalities and Vue also ran a feature.
Anyway, if you’re wondering where I’ll be through the weekend, it’ll be approximately here:
Thursday, June 12:
8PM – Key Witness @ The Velvet Underground
9PM – The Summerlad @ The Boat
10PM – Rah Rah @ The Boat
11PM – The Rural Alberta Advantage @ The Boat
12AM – Great Bloomers @ Supermarket
Friday, June 13:
5:10PM – Camp Radio @ Global Backpackers
5:45PM – HILOTRONS @ Global Backpackers
6:10PM – The Blood Lines @ Global Backpackers
9PM – Oh No Forest Fires @ The Kathedral
11PM – Bionic @ Lee’s Palace
12AM – The Besnard Lakes @ Lee’s Palace
1AM – Swervedriver @ Lee’s Palace
Saturday, June 14:
8PM – Grace Emilys @ Neutral
10PM – 6 Day Riot @ The Cameron House
11PM – Static Of The Gods @ The Cameron House
12AM – Miss Derringer @ Lee’s Palace
1AM – Redd Kross @ Lee’s Palace
MP3: Key Witness – “Perchance To Dream”
MP3: The Summerlad – “City Of Noise”
MP3: Rah Rah – “Duet For GP And Emmylou”
MP3: The Rural Alberta Advantage – “Don’t Haunt This Place”
MP3: Camp Radio – “Cons At The New Moon”
MP3: HILOTRONS – “Dominika”
MP3: The Blood Lines – “Modern Science”
MP3: Oh No Forest Fires – “We Fit Our Charm”
MP3: The Besnard Lakes – “And You Lied To Me”
MP3: Swervedriver – “Last Train To Satansville” (live at Maxwell’s)
MP3: Grace Emilys – “Falling Down The Stairs”
MP3: Static Of The Gos – “City Is Closed”
MP3: Miss Derringer – “Black Tears”
Also with the NxNE previews are The Toronto Sun, Thick Specs with a three-parter, Torontoist, The National Post and NOW, who as a festival sponsor think that everything is wonderful. eye has suggestions on doing the festival on the cheap (read: free) and along the same lines, Wolves & Hawks & Kites have rounded up a list of all the in-stores going on during NxNE as well, though Sonic Boom has since added The Hot Springs to the Friday evening bill at 6:30PM and Julie Doiron on Saturday at 6PM.
Fog City Journal, The Toronto Star and Exclaim! talk to Adam Franklin of Swervedriver. It should be noted that he’ll be half of a 7″ coming out later this Summer on White Whale Records wherein he covers Wolf Parade’s “Shine A Light” and Wolf Parader Dan Boeckner covers a to-be-determined Swervedriver song under the Handsome Furs handle. More details at Chart and you can stream the Adam Franklin track here as well as purchase it on iTunes.
The Toronto Sun talks to Sloan’s Jay Ferguson about Parallel Play and in response to Mike’s question in the comments yesterday, now that the dust has settled it looks like their only NxNE is tonight at Mod – no Lee’s, no Dundas Square.
Chart and eye talk to Young & Sexy, who occupy the 11PM slot at Sneaky Dee’s on Friday night.
Forest City Lovers have a new video from Haunting Moon Sinking. They’re be at the Tranzac tonight – not a NxNE show but if you’re not otherwise committed, definitely worth your time.
Video: Forest City Lovers – “Pirates!”
JAM talks to Constantines’ about how Kensington Market influenced Kensington Heights. They’re playing day one of V Fest on September 6.
Canuck digital retailer Zunior.com has expanded with a new video site dedicated largely to Can-con, appropriately named zunior.tv. There’s videos and exclusive features and sessions – worth a bookmark. And don’t forget their monthly free digital mix tape.
And whilst I’m on a Canadian theme, I should probably post my first ballot for this year’s Polaris Music Prize. While some jurors have been agonizing over their selections and engaging in strategic voting (which I’ve never understood – either the concept or the point), I just compiled a list of all the eligible records I owned or had heard enough to offer a reasonably informed opinion about and picked the five that were my favourites. Easy, right? That said, I didn’t really expect a few of them (at least) to make the top 40 long list and now that I’ve seen it (and will link it when it’s published publicly later today) and it looks like I’ve got to pick a couple new records for the second ballot, which is a shame. There’s records I like alright that still qualify but nothing I’m really passionate about. Anyway, I went with the following:
1. Basia Bulat / Oh My Darling
2. Amos The Transparent / Everything I’ve Forgotten To Forget
3. The Rural Alberta Advantage / Hometowns
4. The Acorn / Glory Hope Mountain
5. Two Hours Traffic / Little Jabs
Big surprises, eh? Update: Long list is now public on the Polaris site.
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