The short list for this year's Polaris Music Prize was announced and the nominess are as follows: Elliott BROOD – Mountain Meadows (Toronto, ON), Fucked Up – The Chemistry Of Common Life (Toronto, ON), Great Lake Swimmers – Lost Channels (Toronto, ON), Hey Rosetta! – Into Your Lungs (and around in your heart and on through your blood) (St. John’s, NF), K’NAAN – Troubadour (Toronto, ON), Malajube – Labyrinthes (Montréal, QC), Metric – Fantasies (Toronto, ON), Joel Plaskett – Three (Halifax, NS), Chad VanGaalen – Soft Airplane (Calgary, AB), Patrick Watson – Wooden Arms (Montréal, QC). Personally, I can't speak for any of them since I haven't heard any of these albums although I've heard a few songs here and there from some of these albums. (If I had to choose, I'd hope Great Lake Swimmers take the prize. )The jury seems to be a broad enough cross-section of journalists, broadcasters, bloggers and programmers across Toronto although perhaps there is a bit of a Central Canada bias and the jury selection's music tastes I'd guess tend towards indie than say hip hop and other more specific genres. Ultimately, I'm not surprised with the short list - I'm assuming that the final nominees were purely based on their popular vote and given that, the final short list was bound to skewer towards the more recognizable indie artists. Much criticism's been expressed about this year's batch and with much vitriol it seems, as if this year's choices aren't worthy for some reason. I think that's indie elitism creeping into the arguement. As much as we'd want our $100 or whoever to have made the short list, the final list is hardly a travesty...just thinking of the Junos and the Grammys makes me shudder. Metric are perhaps the biggest rock stars of the bunch but overall I don't think any of the artists are so financially well off that the $20,000 prize wouldn't be a blessing or or a nice bonus.

It's a strong possibility it seems that Nine Inch Nail could headline this year's Virgin Festival Ontario according to a post by Trent at NIN's website. That wouldn't totally suck actually. I'd saw NIN at the Sasquatch Festival a few years back and as big spectacular rock shows go, it was good.

In concert news, Andre Ethier is set to open for Destroyer(solo) at the Horseshoe on October 3.

Norweigan pop crooner Sondre Lerche rolls into the Mod Club on September 16 in support of his new album "Heartbeat Radio" out on September 8. Stream the new album over at Stereogum.

Brandi Carlile will be promoting her forthcoming studio album "Give Up The Ghost" on the road, stopping in for a show at The Mod Club on September 29. The release date of her new album will be announced in the coming weeks according to a post at her MySpace.

UK's Placebo will be playing Sound Academy on October 6 in support of their new album "Battle For The Sun" out now.

Ms. Hope Sandoval and her band The Warm Inventions return with a new album "Through The Devil Softly" on September 15 and plans to tour North America this fall with tour date in the UK and Europe to follow that. An mp3 from the new album is available for download:

MP3: Hope Sandoval and The Warm Inventions - "Blanchard"
MySpace: Hope Sandoval and The Warm Inventions

Labels: concert announcements, music news, Polaris, Polaris Music Prize

  Rodriguez @ Harbourfront Centre: photo by Michael Ligon


Sixto Rodriguez, who simply goes by Rodriguez, has an interesting story. He'd released a couple of Dylan-esque folk-rock albums in the 70's but radio ignored him. However it was two South African superfans of his who'd started a tribute website to him called The Great Rodriguez Hunt which one of Rodriguez' daughters had discovered in 1997 prompting her to post a message to its forum and subsequently being contacted by the fans who decided to promote him. Rodriguez toured South Africa a few times and in the past two years Seattle's Light in the Attic Records has re-released his albums "Cold Fact" and "Coming from Reality". Talk about second chances. This past Friday Rodriguez performed at the Sirius Stage down at Harbourfront for his Canadian Toronto debut [according to Eye, his Canadian debut was in Vancouver the week prior]. The story of his re-discovery and descriptions of him as the Brazilian Bob Dylan were enough to coax me down to the waterfront to check him out.

The somewhat frail though supercool gentleman was led out by a member of his backing band holding his arm until he got to centre stage. For his Canadian Toronto debut, his backing band consisted of some young musicians, a few I'd recognized as members of Toronto's Steamboat as well as ex-Bicylces bassist Randy Lee taking violin duty this night. A respectable crowd was onhand although not nearly as packed as it could have been but perhaps the dropping temperature[ok, it wasn't freezing but the breeze was enough to create a chill] was enough to keep a few a way that night. As first impressions go, his songs definitely warrant attention - the Dylan comparisons were definitely there[particularly in the inflection of Rodriguez' voice at times] but Rodriguez folk-rock melodies were ultimately his own and they were catchy at that. The backing band competently backed up the songs, notably Steamboat's Jay Anderson's playful drumming and Randy Lee's wonderfully sublime violin arrangements. Wearing a black hat and sunglasses, Rodriguez entertained the crowd here and there with some cool-cat words of wisdom about life and women drawing some chuckles from the crowd. Unfortunately he had to cancel his instore appearance for Soundscapes the following day so until next time he passes through town(and hopefully there'll be a next time), I do recommend you check him out. Funny how life works out, but as Rodriguez has done, when life gives you a second chance you have to reach out and grab it.

Photos: Rodriguez @ Harbourfront Centre (July 3, 2009)

Eye Weekly has an interview with Rodriguez and The National Post had a feature article on him last week.
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I apologize for not posting any concert announcements or music news lately but with the warm weather and a hectic concert season can you blame me?

The Hidden Cameras are set to release their new album "Origin:Orphan" through Arts & Crafts on September 22. They have some select East Coast/Quebec dates this month. I hope they do decide to play a hometown show this summer(Joel please!). In exchange for your e-mail you can get a free mp3 download of new song "Walk On".

I picked up a ticket to The Hold Steady's show for Sunday September 26 thinking it'll probably sell out and as I thought it has. Fear not(at least for the moment), but a second show's been added for Saturday September 26, tickets $21.50. I hope the Sunday show kicks the Saturday shows ass.

Mr. Joe Pernice had to look no further than presumably down the street from where he and his wife live [ok, I don't know where they live exactly but he does admit living in Toronto's Little Portugal] to decide on a Toronto venue for his upcoming tour. He'll be playing The Dakota Tavern on September 15. Ticket info has not been confirmed yet.

In support of their newest album cheekily entitled "Art Brut Vs. Satan" released earlier this year the UK outfit Art Brut will be playing Lee's Palace on August 12. Tickets $17.50 in advance onsale this Thursday July 9.

The Minus 5 stop in at The Drake Underground on September 13 with openers Minus 5 offshots The Baseball Project and The Steve Wynn IV.

Oklahoma psych-pop outfit Starlight Mints drop their new album "Change Remains" on July 21 and will be hitting the road, stopping in for a show at the Horseshoe on August 9.

San Francisco's Sleepy Sun, who I'd caught in Barcelona at the Primavera Sound Festival, will be playing The Drake Underground on September 21, tickets $10 in advance onsale July 9.

Olympia, Washington's Calvin Johnson and Toronto's Andre Charles Theriault will be playing a backyard show in Toronto on July 25. Detail still to be confirmed. Check for updates over at Stille Post.

Sweden's Love Is All have compiled some of their own video footage into a neat little video for their song 'Vans, Vans, Vans' telling the true story of losing four van during their European tour last autumn but still miraculously not missing any shows. Oh, the life of a touring band.

Labels: concert, concert announcements, Harbourfront, Harbourfront Centre, music news, Rodriguez, Toronto

Jay Ferguson of Sloan @ Mississauga Civic Centre: photo by Michael Ligon


Mississauga's been upping the ante lately with some decent concerts for example having lined up Sam Roberts and Kathleen Edwards for the Mississauga Waterfront Festival that happened in June and lining up Tokyo Police Club for a free show at Mississauga Civic Centre on July 24. This past Canada Day at Mississauga Civic Centre featured headliners Sloan, playing Mississauga for the first time. Though perhaps most in attendance were there for the fireworks later that night, there were definitely some Sloan fans in the house ("Sloaaannnn"). There were some funny comedy bits from MC and Mississauga resident Mike Bullard - I'd thought he was sort of hit and miss when he had his late night talk show, but I thought he was funny this night. After some delays with Sloan's sound check and Mr. Bullard fulfilling his MC duties hilariously (saying the boys had just left Halifax airport and were now on their way), he finally introduced the band, saying how great they were the several times they appeared on his talk show, then introduced the four members one by one. The performance itself didn't surpass any of their previous shows I've seen - it was fairly routine with drummer Andrew Scott and bassist Chris Murphy exchanging duties at one point in order for Andrew sing lead vocals on 'People Of The Sky'(and other tunes) and Chris Murphy as defacto frontman getting the crowd to participate(either singalong or clapping) at just the right moments during certain songs. What it boiled down to was that they have such a great catalogue of songs that it's terrific to hear one song after the next. Fan favourites like 'Penpals', 'Everything You've Done Wrong', 'People of They Sky', 'The Lines You Amend', 'The Good In Everyone', 'The Other Man', 'Money City Maniacs' bookended the set list with the middle section featuring more recent material from "Never Hear The End of It" and "Parallel Play", albums I'm almost embarrassed to say I haven't spent much time with (although after that show I hope to make time for). I remember a time when Sloan used to be my favourite band although in recent years I've lost touch with them. But for them to play my hometown finally[it only took 18 years], it wasn't hard to remember why they used to be my favourite band.

Photos: Sloan & fireworks @ Mississauga Civic Centre (Canada Day - July 1, 2009)

MySpace: Sloan

Labels: Canada Day, concert, Mississauga, Mississauga Civic Centre, Sloan

More detailed review to come, perhaps. Short version - they played the whole of "The Eternal" apparently, and a few older ones, although none that I recognized. Also they played a Neil Young cover, but I didn't recognize it either. That said, I really enjoyed the show. Here's the setlist (courtesy of someone at Stille Post).

Photos: Sonic Youth, The Entrance Band @ Massey Hall (June 30, 2009)

Labels: concert, Entrance Band, Massey Hall, Sonic Youth, Toronto

  Tracyanne Campbell of Camera Obscura: photo by Michael Ligon


There were so many music options in the city this past weekend(Pride, Toronto City Roots Festival, Toronto Jazz Festival, Zunior 5th Anniversary show at Tranzac) that I'd thought a simple gig at Lee's Palace might not suffice. However, I can always make an exception for Glasgow, Scotland's Camera Obscura whose magnificent pop melodies could send chills up my spine at just the right moments.

Chicagoan Anni Rossi, scheduled to have started her set at 10:15 pm according to the Lee's Palace website, finally came on after 10:30 pm. A deservedly sold-out show for Camera Obscura but a good number of patrons had shown up for Ms. Rossi's opening set. It was a pleasant introduction to her music. She had a creative and casual flair to her viola playing that was reminiscent to artists like Owen Pallett though perhaps warmer sounding than the starker tones that Pallett favours. Ms. Rossi, a petite brunette, stood on a suitcase of some sort which I'd thought she was using to raise her height on stage, but she actually used it to accompany herself with her own foot-stomping percussion. Anni's vocals had a nice clear timbre and range that reminded me of Regina Spektor. The combination of these components emphasized her well-developed melodies and song structure and produced a surprisingly rich sound. Too short of a set at 20 minutes as I thought she was only starting to warm up. It was hard to tell if people were enjoying her as a chatty crowd especially near the back may have pointed otherwise but the response between songs was enthusiastic.

It was not too hard for Camera Obscura to sell-out Lee's Palace considering they'd played well-attended shows in Toronto at larger venues The Opera House(in January 2007) and Phoenix Concert Theatre(in August 2007) in the past. I'd only given their latest album "My Maudlin Career" a cursory listen prior to the show, although their single 'French Navy' I'd listened to far more times on their MySpace. While the album hasn't yet made an impact as their previous album "Let's Get Out Of This Country" had immediately done, 'French Navy' is a succinct slice of pop and a great addition to their oeuvre.

The setlist was a mix of the new album and their previous and reaching back to "Underachievers Please Try Harder"(for 'Teenager') and "Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi" (for 'Eighties Fan'). For the most part the atmosphere within the crowd was a mixture of enthusisam and politeness. Camera obscura don't intend to impress visually (unless like myself you have a crush on Tracyanne or Carey, or you're the dude who yelled out to Tracyanne that he loved her) so the set's mostly reliant on the music and perhaps a bit of humourous banter along the way. Although the set started with some slower tunes, the more uptempo songs (like 'French Navy', 'If Looks Could Kill'[I couldn't help singing the lyric "Tell me where it all went wrong, Maybe I can make it better"], 'Let's Get Out of This Country') predictably got the crowd going. A move like inserting 'Toronto' within the lyrics of 'Forests & Sands' prompted a cheer from the crowd, a cliched move it was but it got the job done.. The lyric "But if the blood pumping through my veins could freeze like a river in Toronto" during 'Forest & Sands' also prompted a cheer from the crowd. Banter was minimal, but Tracyanne did thank the city for being the first sold-out show of the tour and mentioned hopefully they'll play a larger venue next-time and charge a lower-ticket price. The three-song encore which ended with the one-two punch of 'Lloyd Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken' and 'Razzle Dazzle Rose'[this song almost never fails to give me goosebumps] concluded the show on a high-note, a show that was predictably enjoyable for someone like myself who's now seem them live four times although is looking for a surprise or two from the band next time they roll through town.

Photos: Camera Obscura, Anni Rossi @ Lee's Palace (June 27, 2009)

Chromewaves and The Panic Manual have reviews and photos of the show as well.

MySpace: Anni Rossi
MySpace: Camera Obscura
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Happy Canada Day everyone! So what will it be for me tonight? The Constantines and Chad VanGaalen down at Harbourfront Centre or Sloan here in Mississauga at the Civic Centre?

Labels: Anni Rossi, Camera Obscura, concert, Lees Palace, Toronto

  Jonathan Richman @ The Great Hall: photo by Michael Ligon


Bringing the disparate styles of Jonathan Richman and Vic Chesnutt might not seem like an obvious bill, with Mr. Chesnutt on the rootsy folkier side of things, and Mr. Richman more known for his playful, troubadourian pop stylings but apparently they'd toured previously together and have also more recently recorded an album together along with drummer Tommy Larkin set for release later this year.

I'd wished I'd arrived more promptly for Vic Chesnutt's set and while I didn't miss the longer suffering of the heat that engulfed the venue I regret missing a good bit of Mr. Chesnutt's desolate, languid rootsy folk set. With Jonathan's drummer Tommy Larkin helping out on drums and Vic on guitar, Vic's vunerable warble took centre stage with the instrumentation being quite spare and ultimately secondary. It was unfortunate that the most impolite chatter I think I've ever heard at a show continued throughout Mr. Chesnutt's set although I was glad to hear I wasn't the only one trying to pay attention to the show - some more vocal patrons took some initiative to yell out for other people to shut up. While Mr. Chesnutt seemed to take the chatter in stride, in response to some audience member's requests for others in the crowd to tone down the chatter, Vic said something along the lines of maybe "throwing a punch". Good to see he has a sense of humour. Vic got quite the enthusiastic response at the end of his set such that had he been headlining we'd have definitely earned an encore.

Had it really almost been 5 years since Jonathan Richman last played Toronto? That was approximately the length of time since the first and only time I'd seen Jojo play live at Lula Lounge in 2004. As with that show (and as I'd imagine most of his shows are), he kept things spontaneous and loose. Although perhaps he had an idea of what him and drummer Tommy Larkin would be performing, he didn't seem to play with an actual set list or (at least no written one that I'd actually'd seen). Technically difficulties plagued the start of the set with Jonathan communicating to the sound guy that the connections should have stayed as they'd been during sound check and after several minutes of trying to get the speaker connections right he said to the crowd that the show must go on and he and Tommy performed two songs unamplified to the delight of the crowd. At those songs conclusion, Jonathan said he and the sound guy would take another stab at fixing the speaker and mic connections, expressing to us to be patient which most people were more than happy to be, and finally with a burst of acoustic guitar intercepted by the mic and filtered through the speaker, the crowd roared as the amplified part of the set began.

Jonathan exuded a charisma that's so rare these days. He was eccentric, goofy and whimsical which was reflected naturally in songs like 'I Was Dancing In A Lesbian Bar' (prompting some enthusiastic singalong) and 'Egyptian Reggae' and in spontaneous outbursts of dancing and or speaking in foreign languages like Italian and French. He showed a romantic side in a tune that he sung in English then in Italian reciting the song's title(which I can recall at the moment) in Italian because he said it sounded so much better in Italian. He also expressed a poignant side with a song about a(his?) dying mother in a nursing home. Mr. Larkin on drums kept a steady beat to Jonathan's casual but energetic acoustic guitar strummings and Jonathan's vocals guided the melodies nicely. Mr. Richman complimented the acoustics of the venue but we needed no reminder of how lovely everything sounded. It was lovely enough that for the duration of the set I'd almost forgotten how hot it was in there.

Photos: Jonathan Richman and Tommy Larkin, Vic Chesnutt @ The Great Hall (June 25, 2009)

Eye Weekly also has a review of the show. monkey x has a more pointed rant concerning the chatty crowd during Vic Chesnutt's set.

Labels: concert, Great Hall, Jonathan Richman, The Great Hall, Tommy Larkin, Toronto, Vic Chesnutt

  Woodpigeon @ Horseshoe: photo by Michael Ligon


I didn't necessarily plan it but I ended up going hardcore for Day Three of NxNE this past Saturday. Specifically, I'd gone from 1 pm to 3 am straight and even at the end of it all I was surprisingly energetic. Perhaps the Timmies coffee, plus the Amp Energy drinks I'd sampled at Yonge Dundas Square earlier in the day had something to do with it.

The day started out on a rainy note but fortunately the first thing on my schedule was an indoor event. The only NXNE film I did check out was the documentary about Depeche Mode fans around the world entitled "The Posters Came From the Walls" which played at the National Film Board on John St. Compiling interviews and stories from fans around the world although focusing mostly on fans in Eastern Europe and Russia, it's an intriguing view of how deeply connected Depeche Mode fans are to the band. I've always been a casual fan myself, "Violator" being my favourite album of theirs, although the film does stir some interest in me to consider seeing them live when they stop in Toronto for a show at Molson Ampitheatre on July 24.

With the rain continuing to fall steady, I decided still to head to Yonge Dundas Square where I arrived to see Japan's The Zoobombs into their set playing for a small crowd of brave souls standing in the rain, most with umbrellas or rainwear at least. I was suprised that organizers scheduled them so early in the day because The Zoobombs rock n' roll which can span the spectrum from jammy, to funky, to soul and garage is enough to ignite a spark in any decent size crowd. Playing so early in the day, with the unfortunate element of rain, was a wasted opportunity. I'd skipped all their NXNE shows this time around(since I'd seen them several times in the past few years) but if anyone is still raring to catch a proper live set of theirs, they'll be back in Toronto for a show at Silver Dollar on June 30. They came all the way from Japan for NXNE; you didn't think they'd be going back home to Japan so quickly?

Almost like clockwork, the rain thankfully ended after the conclusion of The Zoobombs's set. The rest of the afternoon was padded out with a variety of young, American indie acts all possessing an energy and hipness although not quite up my alley. Brooklyn's Golden Triangle, a 6-piece consisting of equal parts guys and gals, specialized in a variety of garage pop stomp, led by double-lead female vocals. They similarities in sonics and simple but capable musicianship as fellow Brooklynites Crystal Stilts but perhaps with more stomp and less pop. Perhaps the best thing about them are the sassy vocals and emotiveness of the two female vocalists.

The Yonge Dundas Square sets during the afternoon were about half an hour each with about a half an hour intermission between set so things seemed to move fast. Next up were Crystal Antlers, all the way from Long Beach, California. Playing up a noisy pop racket with shouty vocals, guitar, organ, a tradional drumkit as well secondary more basic kit for additional effect, it's hard to convey in to words what they sound like more than that. The guy playing the secondary drumkit standing up was particularly energetic although the band in general exuded enthusiasm during their brief set.

Up next were drums and bass guitar duo Japanther, no strangers to Toronto but this was the first time for me seeing them. They apparently have some rabid fans in Toronto as at least indicated by an Asian girl near me who kept on screaming their name after every song. The duo played a raucous rock n' roll set taking turns with vocals and augmenting their sound at times with some prerecorded audio dialogue bits and such. Their mics were adorned with toy telephone receivers which made for an interesting visual effect when they sung into their mics. Basically, a fun rock
n' roll set with simple melodies and the most basic of instrumentation, no more no less.

Los Angelese punks Youth Brigade brought out the Toronto's punk rockers of all ages, even some old school punks, for what was for some a greatest hits set of punk classics. For most like myself, it was all new. At its core it was pure rock n' roll with simple but effective meloedies, generous amounts of fast guitar, bass guitar and drum playing, and equally energetic vocals. The punks in the audience were surprisingly mellow except for one fellow who decided to jump the barrier at one point(to do what I don't know) only to have security on his ass and get him back to the other side of the barrier pronto. Lead vocalist Shawn Stern mentioned the Amp Energy Rock Band contest which was to get going just after their set and expressed that he understands it's a contest to win money but perhaps people's time could better be used actually trying to learn a real instrument. Well said.

The main part of the evening's festivities for me began at the Horseshoe Tavern to finally check out Calgary indie-folk outfit led by Mark Hamilton. Like locals Ohbijou(who play there CD release for their new album "Beacons" at The Opera House tonight, btw), Woodpigeon's sonics are steeped in strings, keys, and subtle rock instrumentation with similarly subtle vocals. That might sound like a recipe for music that might float off into the stratosphere, but the tempos and the band's musicianship were performed effectively enough that that was never the case. Almost forgot to mention that the band was playing to a fairly packed house (although even though I got there just after the band started, I still manage to ease myself up close enough to the front to get a decent spot), all the better for the surprise occasion of CBC's 2009 NXNE Galaxie Rising Star Award which they presented to Mr. Hamilton at the end of the set which he humbly received then walked off the stage. A definitie must-see next time they come to town.

Woodpigeon's set unfortunately cut in to seminal American garage rock outfit The Sonics who were headlining a free show at Yonge Dundas Square. Woodpigeon's set ended about 20 minutes to 10 pm while The Sonics' set began at 9:30pm and with the Queen St East street car being diverted because of the preparations for Muchmusic Video Awards at John St I had to walk down to King St. to take a streetcar east before jumping onto the subway to get up to Yonge Dundas Square. (The whole transit confusion at Queen St was made somewhat easier with some random conversation with a equally confused TTC'r, coincidentally who'd also come from the Woodpigeon set and was heading to C'est What for another NXNE set - hope you had fun).) Eventually, I made it to the Square, to a hoppingly packed audience in time to catch about three songs, two of which were their classic "The Witch" and their captivating, slightly dirtier take on rock n' roll classic "Louie Louie". Older and greyer, and they weren't wearing the suits like I'd seen on some of their album covers but they still were terrific. They mentioned they're working on new material which should see the light sometime this year.

I was pretty much playing the night(well actually the whole day) by ear, although almost definite must-sees for me for the 11 pm timeslot were London, ON's Olenka & The Autumn Lovers playing the back room of Bread & Circus on Augusta in Kensington Market. Again, another venue which I'd never been in, Bread & Circus was a tiny space relatively full for Olenka's set. I was thoroughly happy to see a full room this time compared to the paltry attendance of their NXNE set at C'est What last year(which if you hadn't already known was my favourite set of NXNE last year, so I'd like to take a little credit for spreading the word about an awesome band, okay). The band's forays into gyspy-folk, roots and Eastern European waltzes were performed with the band's casual flair, though top-notch playing(strings, accordion, guitar), and newer tunes introduced a slightly heavier tone to their sound. Looking forward to the new material.

Sorry to Toronto's Ketch Harbour Wolves who'd I planned to see at the Rivoli at midnight, but as midnight rolled around I decided to stay within the Bathurst-Spadina neighbourhood near College St. and opted to check out Phillie act Cold Cave at Sneaky Dee's. Hey, the NXNE guide compared them to New Order, so how could I go wrong with that? The band is essentially a solo project for a one Wesley Eisold(on keys, vox) but he also had gent on a second set of synths(between which they switch from time to time) and the female on guitar(or was that bass? I can't remember). They sounded more like Ian Curtis fronting New Order, with vocalist Wesley Eisold having a similar deadpannedness though never broadening his emotive range much as Curtis was capable of doing. The icy synths and electronic rhythms and the guitar were performed dutifully but in general there was such a dour mood to their music and stage presence, that I'd almost wanted to tell them to lighten up a bit.

Filling my 1 am time slot was Nightwood at Rancho Relaxo (also allowing me to grab a pizza slice at Massimo's just next door before their set). The Montreal 3-piece(two girls on guitar and vox, and a guy on drums) played it simple with the drummer perhaps the most accomplished musician but the girls keep their guitar playing as uncomplicated as possible. Fortunately, they have some tunes to back it up. Their DIY ethic draws similarites in my opinion to the North-Western Olympia, WA, K Records scene, drawing influences from punk and playing pop music with an edge.

Finally, although crazily I almost felt I could go on for another few hours, the last set of the night and the festival for me was Red Mass at Silver Dollar at 2 am. And wow what a way to end. Described as a "garage-psych avant-guardian rockestra" the multi-member band is led by King Khan/BBQ associate Roy Vucino who is also co-frontman of CPC Gangbangs. It's the energy of garage rock with experimental, psychedelic aspirations. They absolutely killed - cross-dressing band members, mask-wearing, face-paint, capes, smashing guitar and all. What rock n' roll is all about.

Another year NXNE has come and gone. It was a busy one again for me this year. I enjoyed most of what I saw although still I'm wishing for the day that NXNE gets some of the calibre of acts that it's sister festival SxSW gets. Yonge-Dundas Square stepped it up with nicely themed bills each night of the festival. As I mentioned above, I only caught one film but in general there seemed to be an interesting selection of films screening during the festival. The festival seemed much better organized this year, especially in the delegate pass pickup at the Hyatt Regency which I picked up late on the Thursday(June 18) in record time. The delegate tote bag is so terrific that I actually might use it. It was great to meet a few new faces and chat with older ones, and for those I didn't bump in to, I'm sure we shall in the future. Until next year.

Photos: NXNE in Toronto (Saturday June 20, 2009)

Labels: concert, music festival, nxne, Toronto