This year's NXNE kicks off tonight, and I find myself as usual a combination of unprepared / overwhelmed / ready to throw in the towel and just stay in all weekend. But then I know I would regret it. I've been perusing the schedule only since last night and haven't really had a chance to explore every artist but I've discovered a few interesting curiousities and have stacked the rest of my picks with some vaguely familiar acts I'm not too familiar but would be interestedin checking out, as well as a several I can vouch for personally and wouldn't mind checking out again. My picks below are for tonight and tomorrow only, and I should have my picks for Friday and Saturday up by tomorrow night or early Friday. (I've been typing this post up on the fly so it definitely is rushed but I may perk it up with some media links and blurbs in the near future to make it all nice and pretty, so stay tuned.)
WEDNESDAY JUNE 12, 2013
Kashka
Wednesday June 12 @ 7:00 PM, The Arts & Crafts Pop-up
(also Thursday June 13 @ 9:00 PM, Wrongbar)
Video: Kashka - "Vichada" (music video)
Kat Burns of Toronto's indie folk group Forest City Lovers goes electro-pop.
Heaven
Wednesday June 12@ 9:00 PM, Rivoli
Bandcamp: Heaven
Brooklyn dream-pop outfit. Debut album Telepathic Love out in July 2013 through Goodnight Records. Update: They got help up at the border and didn't make it up here.
Heaven For Real
Wednesday June 12@ 9:00 PM, The Boat
Video: Heaven For Real - "Owner" (live at The Coast, February 24 2013)
Halifax three piece playing quirky pop music.
Rituals
Wednesday June 12 @ 10:00 PM, The Shop @ Parts & Labour
Video: Rituals - "Mesmerized" (music video)
Toronto outfit merging post-punk, no-wave and subtle psychedelia with wholly interesting result.
Calexico
Wednesday June 12 @ 10:00 PM, Virgin Mobile Mod Club
Video: Calexico - "Splitter" (music video)
The Arizona-based music veterans have carved out a career of their unique brand of Tex-mex, Americana and indie-rock influences over the course of approaching twenty years now. Their most recent album Algiers was released last September.
Mozart's Sister
Wednesday June 12 @ 11:00 PM, Rivoli
Video: Mozart's Sister - "Don't Leave It To Me" (music video)
Do you like Grimes? Apparently she sounds a lot like Grimes. And people like Grimes I hear. Mozart's Sister is Caila Thompson-Hannant who played in indie outfits like Shapes and Sizes, Miracle Fortress, and Think About Life, and that'd be enough for me to check her out in the future.
After The Smoke
Wednesday June 12 @ 11:05 PM, Wrongbar
Video: After The Smoke - "Come & Leave" (music video)
Alternative hip-hop group out of Tallahassee, Florida.
Special Guest
Wednesday June 12 @ midnight, Garrison
Special Guest
Wednesday June 12 @ midnight, The Shop @ Parts & Labour
Andrew Rodriguez and The Good Bad Kids
Wednesday June 12 @ 1:00 AM, Monarch Tavern (12 Clinton St.)
Video: Andrew Rodriguez - Bring Yourself Up Video
I remember Toronto-based singer Andrew Rodriguez and a past musical project of his entitled Bodega who I thought were cool.
THURSDAY JUNE 13, 2013
Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet Thursday June 13 @ 4:00 PM, Pearson (Terminal One)
Video: Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet - Rover and Rusty (music video)
Legendary, in some circles, instrumental guitar-drums-bass surf rock trio best known for their theme song to Canadiana television classic "The Kids In The Hall".
The Weeknd
Thursday June 13 @ doors 8:00 PM, Virgin Mobile Mod Club
Video: The Weekend - "Wicked Games" (music video)
Abel Tesfaye aka The Weekend blew up over the last few years with the help of some friends like Drake, having released a series of free mixtapes on the internet, of which he compiled and released officially as Trilogy. I wouldn't suspect you would get in to this show (part of the NXNE Lottery Series) easily with a wristband or pass unless you line up early.
Alvvays
Thursday June 13 @ 8:00 PM, The Arts & Crafts Pop-Up
(also Friday June 14 @ 10:00 PM, Silver Dollar Room)
Video: Alvvays - The Marquee Ballroom Grand Opening - 2013
Toronto-based band featuring the east coast's Molly Rankin and ex-Two Hours Traffic and guitarist Alec O'Hanley amongst its members playing some sweet indie-pop. I saw them open for UK's Palma Violets earlier in the year and they played a cool set including a cover of The Primitives "Crash" which is always good in my books. Seems the band have substituted the 'w' in their band name with two 'v' which I guess will make Googling them much easier.
Social Distortion
Thursday June 13 @ 9:00 PM, Yonge Dundas Square
Video: Social Distortion - "I Was Wrong" (music video)
Southern California, Orange County punk rock veterans playing a free show. Hell yeah! The band's career spans three decades [with a few hiatuses, mind you] and are currently working on their eighth studio album.
Chairs
Thursday June 13 @ 10:00 PM, May (876 Dundas St. West)
One of the more interesting discoveries I've made during my NXNE research this year. From the NXNE website, "lo-fi patchwork of acoustic and electric guitars, drum machines, live drums, synths, and samples with a forefront of interesting pop to work behind." Chairs' second full-length album, The Droning of an Insect Wing, was released October 2012.
Diana
Thursday June 13 @ 10:00 PM, Horseshoe Tavern
Video: Diana - "Born Again" (music video)
One of my favourites from this year's Canadian Musicfest, I have a hankering to check out their soulful, electro-pop again although I suspect it may be harder to get into their set I show up a bit earlier.
Braids
Thursday June 13 @ 11:00 PM, Comfort Zone
Video: Braids - Lemonade @ Hillside 2011
Art-rock three-piece from Calgary, now based in Montreal who've heated up the indie music press, garnered a Polaris Prize nomination and are now working on their second full-length. I saw them live in New York City during the CMJ Music Marathon and was impressed.
Couer De Pirate
Thursday June 13 @ 11:00 PM, The Great Hall
Video: Couer De Pirate - "Adieu" (music video)
Francophone singer-songwriter whose real name is Béatrice Martin. Having released two albums and taking time off to have her first child in September of last year, she's currently working on a new English language project.
No Joy
Thursday June 13 @ midnight, BLK BOX
Video: No Joy - "Hawaii" (music video)
Montreal shoegaze duo of Jasmine White-Gluz and Laura Lloyd whose second album entitled Wait To Pleasure was released this past April to critical acclaim.
Olenka and The Autumn Lovers
Thursday June 13 @ midnight, The Great Hall
Video: Olenka & the Autumn Lovers - "Motel Blues" (live at Gladstone Ballroom in Toronto during NXNE 2011)
My absolute favourite discovery of the 2008 edition of NXNE, it's great to see that Olenka and The Autumn Lovers are going on strong with their melange of Eastern European folk, country and roots music. The band released their Hard Times EP in October 2012,
Mikal Cronin
Thursday June 13 @ midnight, Silver Dollar Room
(also Friday June 14 @ midnight, Silver Dollar Room
Saturday June 15 @ 3:20 PM, Bruise Cruise
Saturday June 15 @ 1:00 AM, Silver Dollar Room)
Video: Mikal Cronin - "Change" (music video)
Pitchfork-approved garage pop who's collaborated and has also released an album and a single with Ty Segall. Cronin is this year's pick by Toronto promoter Dan Burke for the headlining three-night stint at the Silver Dollar Room during NXNE.
Del Bel
Thursday June 13 @ 1:00 AM, The Great Hall
(also Saturday June 15 @ midnight, Creatures Creating)
YouTube: Del Bel - "Stirring Bones" (audio only)
Taken from the CBC Music site, Del Bel, "draws players from Do Make Say Think, Bry Webb Band, The Happiness Project, Wayne Petti and the Thieves, L Con, Chrome and the Ice Queen, Kite Hill, Entire Cities, Ohbijou, Sun Parlour Players, Gregory Pepper and his Problems, Ensemble etc etc. Del Bel embodies an eerie cinematic sound infused with darkened soul and surf rock qualities."
doomsquad
Thursday June 13 @ 1:00 AM, Creatures Creating
(also Saturday June 15 @ 1:00 AM, Garrison)
Bandcamp: doomsquad
This Toronto band's Bandcamp is just plain spooky which is just what I'd expect from a band named doomsquad. Just some of the tags that describe their song "Ovoo" on their Bandcamp page include 'experimental', 'forest trance', 'shaman beat', 'atmospheric' and 'downtempo' which are fairly appropo descriptors.
Blue Hawaii
Thursday June 13 @ 1:00 AM, Comfort Zone
YouTube: Blue Hawaii - "Sweet Touch" (audio only)
Braids' frontwoman Raphaelle Standell-Preston takes time out for her own electronic / synth based project with her musical partner Alex Cowan, their duo name intriguingly named Blue Hawaii. I've heard from people in the know that they're really good.
Special Guest
Thursday June 13 @ 2:00 AM, Horseshoe Tavern
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