Riot Fest @ Fort York Garrison Common, Toronto (August 25, 2013)

Ushering in the dog days of summer a few weeks back was the two-day long weekend travelling music festival Riot Fest which took over the grounds of Fort York Garrison Common. Day One was strictly for the younger generation (eg. A Day to Remember, Pierce the Veil, Every Time I Die, Mayday Parade, Grade, The Ghost Inside & Structures) which I passed on and so I chose to take in Day Two only which while including newer acts like Best Coast mostly featured bands of an older ilk including Dinosaur Jr., Rocket From The Crypt, The Weakerthans, Iggy and The Stooges and of course the much anticipated reunion of The Replacements, Toronto which had the honour of hosting the first live reunion of Paul Westerberg and Tommy Stinson (plus backing band of Josh Freese and David Minehan) after 22 years. Other than Best Coast, I'd not seen any of the other acts live. I'd caught a J Mascis solo set at the James Street Supercrawl in Hamilton a few Septembers ago, a Lou Barlow in-store a few years back and a John Samson solo set at Lee's Palace back in 2009 but save for that, Riot Fest was my first time seeing their respective bands as well as my first time seeing Rocket From The Crypt, Iggy and The Stooges and The Replacements.


  Bethany Cosentino of Best Coast: photo by Michael Ligon

I kind of remember Best Coast as a one trick pony, playing the same garagey, surf-pop number over and over, but that wasn't true at all during their set. They're more varied sonically than that and although their are particularly innovative, they managed to charm me by the end of their set. Bethany mentioned how it was an honour to play the festival and that she was the only girl amongst the bands in the lineup, which drew applause from the crowd.


  J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr.: photo by Michael Ligon

Dinosaur Jr.' set, while great, felt low-key surprisingly even during J's most shredded guitar solos but it was great to hear "The Wagon" and "Just Live Heaven". Lou Barlow seemed much more animated on bass than I would have imagined.


  The Venue: photo by Michael Ligon

Ah yes, Fort York Garrison Common. You became almost a second home to me this summer, having been there already twice before for other festivals [TURF, The Grove Music Festival].


  Rocket From The Crypt: photo by Michael Ligon

San Diego's horn-embellished punks Rocket From The Crypt were a name that floated around during my indie rock 90's days who I never really explored in depth back then. They were very much an enigma then and still are today with their punk-driven brand of rock n' roll with more than a dash of horns, like a collision of rockabilly and punk but without the awful aftertaste. I remember the sun coming out during the set (after it had been mostly grey prior to this) and the dust storm being kicked up near the front of the stage by what I presume were concert-goers really getting into the music. With the band wearing matching black and white, rockabilly shirts they were perhaps the best-dressed band of the day.


  John Samson of The Weakerthans: photo by Michael Ligon

In his off-time, it appears that Weakerthans vocalist John Samson has mountain-men'd himself up with his beard and outgrown locks. Mellowest set of the day for sure, and perhaps the odd-band-out, their lyrical pop-rock in contrast with the punkier roots of all the other acts on the bill. Fox Jaws' Carleigh Aikins was a special guest on one song to sing duet with Samson.


  Iggy and The Stooges: photo by Michael Ligon

Still sounding dangerous after all these years, Iggy and The Stooges (which included The Minutemen's Mike Watt on bass, plus original members guitarist James Williamson and drummer Scott Asheton) played pretty much what amounted to a greatest hits set playing classics like "Raw Power", "Fun House", "Search and Destroy", and my personal favourite "I Wanna be Your Dog" as well as plugging the most recent Iggy and The Stooges album Ready To Die (released earlier this year}, and then throwing in a great performance of a solo Iggy tune ("The Passenger") for good measure. Though well-meaning I think it was an error in judgement bringing up audience members on to the stage for a dancy party during the more askewed punk-jazz of "Fun House" but other than that this was a terrific set.


  The Replacements: photo by Michael Ligon

Having been in highschool back in the mid to late 80's I was too busy listening to the British acts like The Smiths, The Cure, and New Order perhaps too immature to have cared much about or appreciate an American band like The Replacements. It probably wasn't until the early 90's when Muchmusic and their alternative music video show The Wedge seemed to feature The Replacements' music videos for "Left Of The Dial" and "Bastards of Young" (both videos similarly filmed with a fixed shot of a speaker) as staples of the program. Sign of the times back then I guess that music videos got me to take notice of an artist. I'd still count myself as a sporadic listener of them even after that but, colour me impressed [how pun-ny of me], after witnessing their reunion set at Fort York Garrison Common a few weeks ago. Covering all aspects of their career from their early punk days to their later major label releases, it was a fantastic setlist all around. That the band had limited their reunion (at least for now) to only three cities (Toronto, Denver, Chicago) on the travelling Riot Fest roadshow is a shame for everyone else but wow, what an honour and an experience it was to see them.

Photos: Riot Fest @ Fort York Garrison Common, Toronto (August 25, 2013)

Review - NXNE (June 15, 2013)

On this fine Canada Day I thought take some time to get up my last slice of NXNE reviews for Saturday June 15. After taking some time out from NXNE for a relaxing afternoon set from Sarah Harmer who was performing as part of Luminato, I had the rest of the day to figure out what I'd do for NXNE. I had some picks for NXNE that night that I was fairly certain I'd try to go to them but I had the rest of the afternoon into the early evening to decide to what to do so with nothing better to do, I went to check out the action at Yonge Dundas Square.


  Moon King: photo by Michael Ligon

I got to Yonge Dundas Square in time to catch Moon King fronted by Maddy Wilde, and Daniel Woodhead who used to be in Toronto indie group Spiral Beach. Where Spiral Beach's lauching point was quirky indie rock that had a conciseness to its instrumentation, Moon King go for a far looser sound, taking elements of punk, shoegaze, and just a tad bit of psychedelia, wrapped up in the energetic reverb-tinged vocals of Woodhead and Wilde. The midday distractions of Yonge Dundas Square prevented me from getting more than a mild appreciation for what the band was doing on stage, but at least what they were doing was interesting. On another note, my thirst beckoned and so I went on a quest to quench it.


  Serena Ryder: photo by Michael Ligon

I had more than a few hours to kill and somehow found myself down on Queen St. near the MuchMusic building where the MMVA's were preparing for their broadcast the day after. Miss Serena Ryder was sound checking, running through a mini-medley of her hits "What I Wouldn't Do" and "Stompa" multiple times. It seemed that it wasn't so much a sound-check as much as the crew and her were trying to get all the camera angles and her marks on the floor right. And by the way, I saw her performance on television the day after and she nailed it. Went to Burger Priest down the street for the first time [thumbs up] and was making my way to the Garrison for the 8 pm set of Toronto band Breeze but the transit gods were not co-operating so instead made my way to Czehoski for the 9 pm set of Swiss singer songwriter Heidi Happy.


  Heidi Happy: photo by Michael Ligon

I know Czehoski has been booked as venue for NXNE for several years now, but it's just the worst as a music venue. It has a small stage at the back of the house with dinner tables and dinner patrons flanking each side of the narrow space that leads to the stage. I watched from the back with a beer I ordered from the bar which seemed like the least awkward thing I could do at the time. Thankfully, it seemed like most of the dinner patrons were trying to be respectful and pay attention to the artist while they actually ate but still the venue just seemed totally wrong. Heidi Happy, I think sensed a bit of distraction at times, but made the most of it with her mostly folk-pop ballads. (She also did an acapella cover of a German-Swiss song that was fun to watch and hear.) Alternating between acoustic and reverb-y electric guitar, she also used a looper quite frequently for rhythms and vocal backing as well as other instruments at times like a mini xylophone. Her overall approach as well as the use of a looper reminded me of Feist. I enjoyed her set although I was a bit disappointed that she wasn't playing with a band since some of the songs of hers I've heard off YouTube definitely sound great fleshed out instrumentally. From what I recall, Heidi Happy has come through town for festival appearances (CMW, NXNE) several times now, so I woudn't be surprised if she makes a return trip in the future.


  Chad Valley: photo by Michael Ligon

I thought I'd shoot over to BLK BOX on the streetcar but hadn't anticipated fire trucks coming down the street and blocking off traffic as well as the streetcar. Fortunately, the traffic delay was only temporary and the streetcar got through and I was off to see UK electro-pop artist Chad Valley at BLK BOX. It's no surprise it's called BLK BOX. It's a room that literally is painted black. Devoid of white light, it was mostly red and maybe some hues of blue illuminating Chad Valley on stage. The brainchild of the project is vocalist / instrumentalist Hugo Manuel. With Manuel behind a bank of keyboards, his soaring vocals (along with his soulful backup singer) helped to propel the vibrant electro-pop rhythms and melodies that reminded a lot of M83. Chad Valley's full-length debut Young Hunger was released in 2012, featuring collaborations with artists like Twin Shadow and Active Child, and something I think I'd like to check out.


  Norman Wong Arts & Crafts Photo Exhibit: photo by Michael Ligon

Fortunately, I was just in the vicinity of the Arts & Crafts Pop Up and decided to pop-in to check out photographer Norman Wong's exhibit. They had a DJ playing and a bar and it would have been a nice chill way to hang out for a bit but there wasn't that many people there which was a shame. Perhaps everyone was down the at the Horseshoe Tavern, if the long lineup was any indication at 11:30 pm trying to get into the venue for Fucked Up's 1:00 am set. I was only swinging by and wasn't planning on catching Fucked Up anyway so I made my way up the street towards Kensington Market to catch my final set of the night as it would turn out.


  Un: photo by Michael Ligon

Having missed seeing their only set during Canadian Musicfest earlier this year, it was fortunate I got to catch Montreal electro-dance duo UN (pronounced like the prefix “un-”, and one of the most impossible names to search on the internet )who were playing the tiny venue Handlebar in Kensington Market. Consisiting of member Kara Keith (whose performed under her own name and with bands like Falconhawk) and Jen Reimer (and according to her website is sound artist and performer based in Montréal known for creating site-specific performances in resonant urban locations), UN specialize in a spunky synth-pop dance tunes with Reimer's solid, almost metronomic, drum beats and Keith's new-wave-ish vocals. They sparked a fair amount of dancing and leg-shaking for those on-hand and fun times were had. Conceived as a solo project for Keith in 2010, but then adding Reimer shortly after, it took the band three years to release their first full-length, the cheekily named UN Titled, earlier this year.(via ALTSOUNDS) The band had recently gone to Calgary for the Sled Island festival but like most of the bands were affected by the flood but did get to play a backyard show while there with some other bands with all proceeds going to flood relief.(via Mixtape Magazine) How good of them. Hope to see them back around these parts some time in the future.

I'd wanted to have caught Mikal Cronin's 1:00 am set at the Silver Dollar but the twitter feed was all a flutter that it was packed and I said to myself, screw that, and headed home. In my mind, I'm picturing that scene from "Lethal Weapon" and Danny Glover's charcacter Murtaugh saying "I'm too old for this shit". Another NXNE is in the books, but I'll probably be back next year.

Photos: NXNE in Toronto (June 15, 2013)

Review - NXNE (June 14, 2013)

Friday night of this year's NXNE was relatively a light one for me as it turned out. I'd already decided that I'd brave the crowds down at Yonge Dundas Square for Canadian singer-songwriter Hayden and headliners The National. Unlike the previous day's weather, this evening was perfect on that note. It was fortuitous that I took a spot near the front, stage left, for Hayden's set when I did as it filled up quickly and only after looking at a few of my crowd shots did I see that the crowd extended all the way back to Yonge St. for The National's set.


  Hayden: photo by Michael Ligon

Starting a little after 7:30 pm,  Hayden took to the stage with a drummer and bass guitarist. His seventh full-length, the Polaris Music Prize long-listed Us Alone was released this past February through Arts and Crafts. Churning through some classics like "Bad As The Seem" and "Trees Lounge" and other older ones, interspersed with a selection from the new album, Hayden alternated between songs from guitar to keyboards. Singer songwriter Lou Canon (his sister in-law in fact) came as a special guest singing and playing keyboards on the song "Blurry Nights" as she does on the studio version on Us Alone, a lovely folk-rock number duet between her and Hayden.  He was at his best on tracks like the poppy "Rainy Saturday" off the new album which showed he still has life left in him. The venue itself was perhaps unforgiving in conveying Hayden's talents when you have thousands of fans waiting for no one else but the headliner, but perhaps Hayden's set converted a few music fans. 


  Matt Berninger: photo by Michael Ligon

As The National's show at the Air Canada Centre (theatre configuration) in December 2011 attested (the largest venue in Toronto they had played up till that point), The National had reached stadium-level status and succeeded. Getting booked to headline a free show at Yonge Dundas Square during NXNE was almost too good to be true and with the very recent release of their sixth studio album Trouble Will Find Me through 4AD,  this show was bound to be special or at least great. And it was. More than any other National show I've seen, this may have perhaps been the funniest I've seen Matt as he jokingly commented on the environment around him especially the Beyonce billboards staring at him from across the Eaton Centre and the Jack Astor patio above and to the side that he jokingly invited everyone after the show for a drink. I'd anticipated the band perhaps playing an hour and a half tops but having started just after 9 pm, the band went almost to 11 pm. It was a fine set list giving attention mostly to their most recent album and their previous one High Violet obviously but with a few nods to the fan faves off of Boxer and Alligator. The band didn't just phone it but seemed to give it as much as they would for any other show. Like Matt has done during previous shows including their show in Toronto at the Air Canada Centre back in December 2011, Matt jumped down into the audience at one point, running through crowd while singing with a wired mic with fans dutifully lifting the mic cord over their heads for Matt in order for it to not get tangled, ending with Matt back up at the front of the stage and the audience adrenalized.


  The National: photo by Michael Ligon

I was hoping for an acapella "Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks" to end off the show like they'd done back in December 2011 at the Air Canada Centre but really didn't think they actually do it in this outdoor venue. But lo and behold, they did it, as the entire band, including their horn section, moved towards the front of the stage, the Dessner brothers flanking each side of the lineup and adding some spare guitar. As the band sang acapella to the audience it didn't take long for the audience to join in wholeheartedly, perhaps the loudest audience singalong I think I've ever heard. Any sort of crowd chatter was stopped virtually in its tracks to the point that all you could hear besides the singing was the traffic noise off in the distance. What a wonderful end to a terrific show. That I hadn't checked out any more of the NXNE festival that night was perhaps because everything else would just pale in comparison and so I packed it in and ended on a high note.

Photos: NXNE - The National, Hayden (June 14, 2013)

Review - NXNE (June 12-13, 2013)

NXNE is in the books for another year and it was one of the more spontaneouos ones I've had in years. I bumped into some familiar faces along the way, but didn't seem many of you. It seems, by the looks of others NXNE coverage, we were all checking out different bands which is good in a way as the festival gets a wider scope of coverage because of that. I'd planned on starting my NXNE on Wednesday night with the 9 pm set at the Rivoli by Brooklyn dreampop outfit Heaven but found out at the venue that the group had border troubles and didn't make it in to Canada. That explains why their name had conspicuously vanished from the NXNE website schedule earliery in the day. Part of me wanted to stay for the 11 pm set by the Montreal-based Mozart's Sister, the electro-pop project of Caila Thompson-Hannant, a member of Shapes & Sizes but my impatience / desire to perhaps call it a night got the best of me.


  Rituals: photo by Michael Ligon

However I looked at my NXNE picks for that night and saw that I had a pick for 10 pm that night down Queen St. westbound at The Shop @ Parts and Labour with Toronto group Rituals so I decided to jump onto the streetcar, ride westbound and along the way decide whether I should check out the show at The Shop. I'd come to my senses by the time I reached Parkdale and got off at the stop that was practically right in front of the venue [I had booked the next two days off work and decided to forgo sleep and not waste this opportunity.] My first time at the venue, my first impressions of it was that like the underground, intimate music venue of The Drake Hotel, The Shop @ Parts @ Labour was like an industrial, laid-back version of that. The venue was quickly filling up already. By the crowd reaction, my impression was that Rituals were still relatively new to the scene but the band's brand of music merging post-punk, no-wave and subtle psychedelic tones went over well with the crowd including myself. Music was more textural than melodic although not necessarily void of melody which I think I picked up in the gritty vocals or harmonic guitar tones in a song or two. Generally, they fall within the category of not-necessarily-my-thing-but-interesting-nonetheless and if more adventurous listening is your thing, definitely check them out. The band released a self-titled 7" EP in 2011 and earlier this year their Mesmerized EP as a digital download through their Bandcamp.

I almost packed it in for the night but then was convinced to stay for the next set by Olympia, Washington band Milk Music. Their grungy look, most of the band with long hair and one member with beard definitely fit in line with their sound which I could best describe as Slacker-dom punk, their sound more complex but essentially an extension of grunge and bands like Dinosaur Jr in the 90's. The band rose from the underground in 2009 with a self-titled cassette and then their Beyond Living EP (which got a wider release in 2011) and earlier this year released their full-length debut Cruise Your Illusion [ha ha, wicked title!] through Fat Possum Records. I'm tempted to listen to them but their set, which seemed to meander at times like a band on an extended jam, didn't quite gel for me that night. Oh, and the venue was getting too tightly packed and I had to escape towards the back for a breather. Although, there was a special guest [Tampa art-punks Merchandise] slotted for the midnight set time, I decided to call it a night.


  Old Man Markley: photo by Michael Ligon

Got a later start to the festival the next day but after getting organized, I made my way downtown to Yonge Dundas Square with nothing really better to do. It was punk night at the Square with Southern Californian punk rock veterans Social Distortion scheduled to play later that night. I arrived earlier as Los Angeles punk and bluegrass band Old Man Markley were already into their set. With the weather being uncertain, there wasn't that large of a crowd on hand which probably was a disappointment but the band didn't seem to mind. With male and female vocals, the band's punk tunes were embellished with root-sy elements such as fiddle and sounded enjoyable although certainly were not my thing. In tribute to the deceased singer Tony Sly of Northern California punks No Use For a Name, Old Man Markley played a cover of one of their songs ("The Feel Good Song of The Year") which seemed to go over well with the punks in the audience. Around since 2011, the band released their second album Down Side Up through Fat Wreck Records earlier this year.


  Social Distortion: photo by Michael Ligon

Not that I was ever a huge fan of Social Distortion but a selection of their tunes ("Ball of Chain", "Story of My Life", their cover of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire", "I Was Wrong") and later Mike Ness' first solo album seemed to have infiltrated my music listening back in the 90's, part of it due to the alt-country movement that I'd gained an affection for. Lead singer Mike Ness had been so bad-ass looking back in the 90's with his arm tattoos and greaser haircut, and although his hair is grayer, and was perhaps more dapper this night with his black collared shirt and black fedora he's still as bad-ass as ever. Intermittently raining throughout the half-hour or so I stayed for his set but after Ness and his band played "Story Of My Life", I was satisfied and I took towards Queen St. to catch the streetcar towards the Horseshoe Tavern.


  Carmen Elle of Diana: photo by Michael Ligon

Toronto's Diana were the band I was at the Horseshoe Tavern to see for their 10 pm time slot and as I had expected the place was almost near capacity. That the band's Canadian MusicFest set had alluded to earlier this year, the band are getting more popular by the moment. I started at the back but was fortunate to get closer to the stage off to the side near the merch table to get a better view by the time they got to playing their most excellent electro-soul-pop single "Born Again", vocalist Carmen Elle's smooth vocals floating over a delectable bed of dreamy synths, subtle beats, and voluptuous bass guitar backing, for which the 12-inch vinyl was being sold. A palpable excitement floated throughout the crowd, although it did felt bit scene-ish, but overall it was a good indication of hopefully exciting things to come for the band, most eagerly their full-length debut entitled Perputual Surrender expected to come out on Paper Bag Records on August 20 to which they were recently signed in Canada [the band were signed to indie label Jagjagjuwar in the US.]


  Merchandise: photo by Michael Ligon

Having skipped out on the secret headlining slot of Tampa indie-punks Merchandise at The Shop @ Parts and Labour the night before, I decided to stick around for them following the mass exodus of people after Diana's set. Comfortably full again by the time they took the stage, frontman Carson Cox announced it was birthday and if I recall something along the lines about hoping to get drunk. While the band members histories had roots in the hardcore / punk scene were, Merchandise are less punk and more noisy melodic rock, at times romantic sounding at least to my ears. Post-punk, if you will. The more I think of it they sound like noisier cousins to UK's White Lies. For a first time seeing them, I liked what I heard as did the audience also who wanted an encore if I recall, but didn't get one. Three albums in, the band's most recent full-length is this year's Total Nite released through Iowan indie record label Night People, garnering an 8/10 from Pitchfork.


  Olenka and The Autumn Lovers: photo by Michael Ligon

I could have stuck around at the Horseshoe Tavern for Dan Deacon's set who I've never seen live, but I decided to end the night in a quieter fashion with the midnight set of London, Ontario indie folk group Olenka and The Autumn Lovers over at The Great Hall. Playing to a small but adoring audience, I noticed almost right away that there was less of the Eastern European folk influence in what they were performing and that there was a more prominent rootsy influence that Olenka and her band were focusing on. It seemed like an all-too brief set but nonetheless enjoyable.

Photos: NXNE in Toronto (June 12, 2013)
Photos: NXNE in Toronto (June 13, 2013)

Summer Festivals 2013 - Riot Fest

As the buzz of NXNE has now worn off, there are many more Toronto summer music festivals to look forward to and the most recent announcement and perhaps the most exciting for some is the reunion by Minneapolis punk / alternative rock legends The Replacements who'll be headlining the second night of the two-day travelling music festival Riot Fest which comes to Toronto over the weekend of August 24 and 25. As the poster above clearly shows, the first day of the festival[August 24] will primarily be featuring new-school emo / punk bands like Grade and A Day To Remember, but day two [August 25] is clearly where the excitement lies for many with The Replacements headlining and the remainder of the lineup that day including bands like Iggy and The Stooges, The Weakerthans, Rocket From The Crypt, and Dinosaur Jr. The Toronto stop will be The Replacements first show since 1991. Exciting times. Tickets for the weekend or for individual days can be purchased here.

Facebook: Riot Fest
Twitter: Riot Fest
Video: The Replacements - "Left Of The Dial" (music video)
Video: The Replacements - "Bastards of Young" (music video)
Video: The Replacements - "Alex Chilton" (music video)
Video: The Replacements - "Achin' To Be" (music video)

NXNE Picks (June 14-15, 2013)

Here's my picks for NXNE for tonight and tomorrow night. Other than The National show at Yonge Dundas Square tonight [psyching myself for the zoo that it'll most likely be], I'm not sure where I'll actually be today and tomorrow. There's a lot of good or interesting things to choose from but I think I'll just keep things spontaneous this year:

(rushed post again; will try to spice it up with some media links on the fly, so keep checking back.)

FRIDAY JUNE 14, 2013

Beach Day [Hollywood, USA]
Friday, June 14 @ 2:00 PM, Urban Outfitters
(also Saturday June 15 @ 11:00 PM, Handlebar and Sunday June 16 @ 6:30 PM, Kops Records (in-store))
Video: Beach Day - "Beach Day" (music video)

Still Corners [London, UK]
Friday June 14 @ 3:00 PM, Urban Outfitters
(also Friday June 14 @ 10:00 PM, Horseshoe Tavern)
Video: Still Corners - "Berlin Lovers" (music video)

Dusted [Toronto, Ontario]
Friday June 14 @ 4:00 PM, Urban Outfitters
(also Saturday June 15 @ 7:00 PM, St. James Gazebo and Saturday June 15 @ 11:00 PM, Garrison)
Video: Dusted - "Bruises" (live at Open Roof Festival, August 16, 2012)

By Divine Right [Toronto, Ontario]
Friday June 14 @ 7:00 PM, St. James Gazebo
Video: By Divine Right - "Hugger of Trees" (music video)

Hayden [Toronto, Ontario]
Friday June 14 @ 7:30 PM, Yonge Dundas Square
Video: Hayden - "Rainy Saturday" (music video)

The National [Brooklyn, USA]
Friday June 14 @ 9:10 PM, Yonge Dundas Square
Video: The National - "Bloodbuzz Ohio" (music video)

Buke and Gase [Brooklyn, USA]
Friday June 14 @ 11:00 PM, Horseshoe Tavern
Video: Buke and Gas - "General Dome (music video)

The Magic [Guelph, Ontario]
Friday June 14 @ 11:0 PM, BLK BOX
Video: The Magic - "Mr. Hollywood" (live at KazooFest 2012 Guelph, ON)

Sloan [Toronto, Ontario]
Friday June 14 @ 11:00 PM, The Great Hall
Video: Sloan - "The Marquee and The Moon" (live at The Mod Club, June 21 2011)

Super Friendz [Halifax, Nova Scotia]
Friday June 14 @ midnight, The Great Hall
Video: Super Friendz - "Up and Running" (music video)

WHY? [Cincinnati, USA]
Friday June 14 @ midnight, Horseshoe Tavern
Video: WHY? - "Strawberries" (music video)

Foxtrott [Montreal, Quebec]
Friday June 14 @ 2:00 AM, Silver Dollar Room
Video: Foxtrott - "Shields" (live, Session BRBR)

SATURDAY JUNE 15, 2013

Breeze [Toronto, Ontario]
Saturday June 15 @ 8:00 PM, Garrison
Video: Breeze - "Paradise (in a while)" (music video)

Heidi Happy [Lucerne, Switzerland]
Saturday June 15 @ 9:00 PM, Czehoski
Video: Heidi Happy - "Dance With Another" (music video)

Chad Valley [Oxford, UK]
Saturday June 15 @ 10:00 PM, BLK BOX
Saturday June 15 @ midnight, Sidedoor
Video: Chad Valley - "Fall 4 U" [feat. Glasser] (music video)

Majical Cloudz [Montreal, Quebec]
Saturday June 15 @ 10:00 PM, The Arts & Crafts Pop-Up
Saturday June 15 @ midnight, BLK BOX
Video: Majical Cloudz - "Childhood's End" (music video)

Evan Dando [Los Angeles, USA]
Saturday June 15 @ midnight, Rivoli
Video: Evan Dando - "Frying Pan" (live)

Iceage [Copenhagen, Denmark]
Saturday June 15 @ midnight, Horseshoe Tavern
Video: Iceage "Ecstasy" (music video)

Tangiers [Toronto, Ontario]
Saturday June 15 @ midnight, Garrison
Video: Tangiers - "Keep the Living Bodies Warm" (music video)

Heartbeat Hotel [Toronto, Ontario]
Saturday June 15 @ 1:00 AM, Magpie
Video: Heartbeat Hotel - "Fins Of A Shark" (live at Magpie, Toronto for Southern Souls)

Joey Bada$$ [Brooklyn, USA]
Saturday June 15 @ 1:00 AM, Wrongbar
(also Sunday June 16 @ 8:00 PM, Yonge Dundas Square)
Video: Joey Bada$$ - "Waves" (music video)

Fucked Up [Toronto, Ontario]
Saturday June 15 @ 1:00 AM, Horseshoe Tavern
Video: Fucked Up - "Queen of Hearts" (music video)

NXNE Picks (June 12-13, 2013)

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

Summer Festivals 2013 - Wolfe Island Music Festival

  Wolfe Island Music Festival

Late post here, but another summer music festival you may want to mark on your calendar is the Wolfe Island Music Festival which takes place every year on Wolfe Island in Ontario [the largest of the Thousand Islands], a quick ferry ride away from Kingston. This year's edition of the festival takes place over the weekend of August 9 and 10 and the full lineup was announced recently, with this year's headliners being Joel Plaskett Emergency.  Early bird weekend passes (with camping) went onsale through ticketscene.ca for $75 on May 3 and early bird prices will end on June 15 after which the price jumps to $95.

Twitter: Wolfe Island Music Festival

Canadian Musicfest - BADBADNOTGOOD, Cookie Duster @ Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto (March 23, 2013)

  Cookie Duster: photo by Michael Ligon

It took a while but here's the last part of my coverage of this year's Canadian Musicfest. I ended this year's festival, as a traditionally do, on the Saturday night and dropped anchor at the Horseshoe Tavern for two sets. At about a quarter past eleven, Toronto's Cookie Duster took to the stage. You can read up on the history of the band here but this is the project of Brendan Canning(of Broken Social Scene) and Bernard Maiezza, and the current lineup includes Jeen O'Brien, guitarist Matt Murphy(of Superfriendz) and drummer Damon Richardson (Danko Jones). I couldn't help but feel an Emily-Haines vibe emanating from vocalist O'Brien - she sang wide-mouthed with enthusiasm, and perhaps not as much swagger as Haines, but it appeared she was trying. It wasn't hard to imagine some of these songs as Broken Social Scene songs - songs that went from sprawling, to groove-based, and others which definitely presented their distinct pop choruses. The band's single "Two Feet Stand Up" from the lineup's 2012 full-length LP When Flying Was Easy was one of the more infectious songs I'd heard in a long time and I was glad to hear it live. Not everything was as instantly catching as that but in the end I thought the variety was refreshing. While one might think of the band as a supergroup of sorts, I really felt the members gelled well together.

Photos: Cookie Duster @ Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto (March 23, 2013)
Facebook: Cookie Duster
Twitter: Cookie Duster
Video: Cookie Duster - Two Feet Stand Up (Official Video)


  BADBADNOTGOOD: photo by Michael Ligon

With Cookie Duster's competent warm-up, I was ready to end the night with Toronto's BADBADNOTGOOD. Having missed seeing them live on numerous occasions, I made up my mind that this would be the night I would finally catch them. Comprised of Matthew Tavares on keys, Chester Hansen on bass, and Alexander Sowinski on drums, and on that night also including a Leland Whitty on sax and flute, the band worked the crowd hard with their sublime mix of free jazz, hip hop, groove. This was the band's first show ever at the Horseshoe Tavern, and there were moments of intense feeling in the crowd as individuals tried, with only partial success, to get a mosh pit going. As the band approached the conclusion of their set and appropriately prepped the crowd for one final blast of their sonic, almost punk-ish, fury, the crowd took the cue, a mosh pit broke out and in a fit of spontaneity I threw myself into it. Not the first time I've done that but not something I've done very often either, and but the rush you get from it is unlike no other. Yes, I ended up spraining my right foot [I think somebody stepped on my foot] and it took me several days before the pain subsided to a tolerable level, but it was totally worth it.

Photos: BADBADNOTGOOD @ Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto (March 23, 2013)
Facebook: BADBADNOTGOOD
Twitter: BADBADNOTGOOD
Bandcamp: BADBADNOTGOOD
Video: BADBADNOTGOOD - UWM (Feat. Leland Whitty)
MP3: BADBADNOTGOOD - BBNG2 (full album) *

* or go to the band's website to download BBNG2 in CD quality format

Canadian Musicfest - Charlotte Church @ El Mocambo, Toronto (March 23, 2013)

  Charlotte Church: photo by Michael Ligon

Charlotte Church (yes, that Charlotte Church) came to town last month for a show at El Mocambo during Canadian Music Week. The Welsh soprano who's mainly known as an angel-voiced classical singer whose prodigious talent was first introduced to the masses in the late 90's before she even hit her teens. She branched out into pop in the mid-2000's with her album Tissues and Issues and then came back in 2010 with a singer-songwriter pop album Back to Scratch but at that point, although she was off my radar for that whole period. When I saw her name on the Canadian Musicfest lineup I didn't even have the intention of including her in my CMF schedule but when I checked out the video of the live session [her song "Nerve"] she did for The Line of Best Fit, I was actually floored. She's yet again branched off into a different direction, still displaying her powerful yet nuanced vocals but at least as displayed from the Line of Best Fit session, she's embraced an edgier musical direction.

Having been a Live Nation show meant that my CMW media pass didn't allow me to take photos at the show since I'd not gotten approval through Live Nation. I found it a little surprising, that on name recognition alone and that the festival had been prominently promoting her as one of the festival's feature acts, the El Mocambo was at most a little more than half capacity for Charlotte's set. It took a bit of time to set up after the openers (Folly and The Hunter), but then the band took the stage, with Charlotte eventually strolling on. Her wardrobe, her dress and face paint that was on the theatrical side, reminded me a bit of Bat For Lashes or the wilder moments of Kate Bush which was almost a disappointment since I was hoping to see the down-to-earth look she had in The Line of Best Fit session. But the theatrical look that Charlotte had this night never became a distraction once she opened her mouth. As was quite apparent from her set, she hasn't totally abandoned her classical vocal stylings - her vocals were quite powerful when they needed to be [with Charlotte soothing her voice with honey between songs], but there was also more nuance as she added a gentler touch at times, and wasn't afraid to even add effects to her vocals like vocoder or use a loop pedal. Musically, it was a mix of organic and electronic, post-rock, pop and ethereal, with two drum kits, guitars and keyboards, augmented at times with electronic flourishes. Performing songs off the first two EP's (of a series of five E.P.s) entitled One and Two respectively and even introducing a new song to the audience [which she'd prompted the audience to feel free to slow dance to the saddest song in the world], the mature musical direction that Charlotte has taken this time around feels quite natural and intensely satisfying.

Photos: Charlotte Church @ El Mocambo, Toronto (March 23, 2013)
Facebook: Charlotte Church
Twitter: Charlotte Church
Video: Charlotte Church - "Nerve" (live session for The Line of Best Fit)
Video: Charlotte Church - "Nerve" (live session for Saturday Night Show)
Video: Charlotte Church - "Glitterbombed" (music video)
Video: Charlotte Church - "Glitterbombed" (Live Jonathan Ross Show)

Lowell, Savages @ Canadian Musicfest, Toronto (March 22, 2013)

  Lowell: photo by Michael Ligon

On the Friday night of Canadian Musicfest, I chose quality over quantity, only checking out two sets that night, but both buzz-worthy acts that in my opinion lived up to the hype. First up was Toronto singer-songwriter Lowell at Lee's Palace who was totally unknown to me before the festival. According to the her bio on the Canadian Musicfest website, over 4 days in April 2012, she worked in the studio with Grammy award winning producer Martin Terefe and the other members of the Apparatjik collective (Magne F (Aha), Guy Berryman (Coldplay) and Jonas Bjerre (MEW)) to create a mini-album entitled Apparatjik Presents lowell: if you_ _ can, 5olve thi5 jumble?, her debut which was released in late October 2012. Tagged as one to watch in 2013 by The Grid TO, she's only 21 years young but has already made some headway in Europe. Lowell's multiple appearances during this past Canadian Musicfest were apparently her first live shows in her hometown, and by what I heard at Lee's Palace that night, I was impressed. With a bank of keyboards in front of her and with a drummer accompanying her, it was a no-frills performance of subtle rhythms, whirring keyboards and Lowell's girlish vocals. I don't recall if she played her rhythmic pop single "Shake Him Off" but I can hear why she often has been compared to Swedish singer Lykke Li. I didn't quite get a full helping of her music since I arrived to the venue a little after she started her 9:30 pm set [the venue already being at almost 75% capacity] and her set seemed all-too-brief, but I look forward to checking her out live again. I'm usually hard to impress when it comes to artists / bands that are that young, so to come out of her set with my interest piqued was a nice surprise.

Photos: Lowell @ Lee's Palace, Toronto (March 22, 2013)
Facebook: Lowell
Twitter: Lowell
Video: Lowell - "Shake Him Off" (music video)


  Savages: photo by Michael Ligon

Next up on my agenda were buzz act Savages from London, England who were scheduled to play a set at the Horseshoe Tavern at around 10 after 11 pm. This was the first of two appearance they had scheduled during the festival [they played a midnight set at Lee's Palace the night after]. I'd gone to the CMJ Music Marathon in New York City in October of last year and Savages were actually one of the buzziest acts of the festival, and I managed to not catch any of their appearances so I definitely thought I should make up for that. As dangerous-sounding as their name implies, the all-female four-piece consisting of Jehnny Beth on vocals, Ayse Hassan on bass guitar, Fay Milton on drums & Gemma Thompson on guitar, specialized in a spiky post-punk sound that had echoes of Siouxsie and The Banshees, Joy Division, Gang of Four, and Public Image Limited. The band had appropriately dark attire to go with their dark post-punk sound, Jehnny's stark vocal attack like a sonic punch in the face, while the band with Fay's propulsive drumming, Ayse rumbling bass, and Gemma's spiky guitar sound, sliced through the air. While Jehnny had an air of perhaps being a bit scary, she was really only like that when she zoned in to her vocal performance - she was quite thankful to the audience, the few times she spoke to us. I was too young in the late 70's / early 80's to have experienced the post-punk era first-hand, but this I imagine may have been the closest facsimile, minus the smartphone cameras that a good number of audience members had of course. The band's debut full-length entitled Silence Yourself is set to be released on May 7 via Beth's own label Pop Noire and through Matador Records.

Facebook: Savages
Twitter: Savages
Video: Savages - "Husbands" (live on Later with Jools Holland, 2nd October 2012)

Canadian Musicfest -- Mise En Scene @ Sonic Boom and Model Citizen, Toronto (March 22, 2013)

  Mise En Scene: photo by Michael Ligon

What Canadian Musicfest could perhaps benefit from is alternate venues for bands to play in like instores. I'm kind of surprised that more unofficial in-stores / performances aren't organized around Canadian Music Week like what has happened, especially in recent years, during NXNE. Well, I guess NXNE's warmer weather does help. Local artist & brand development company Audio Blood were in charge of Canadian Musicfest's social media and also organized a bunch of instores at several different locations under the banner of CMW EXTRAS, giving some of the artist/band participants more opportunities for exposure. On the Thursday night of the schedule at 11 pm was the only official CMW set for Winnipeg female guitar/drums duo Mise En Scene but with having to work the next day, I wasn't particularly motivated to stay downtown and have to commute back to the burbs late for a second night in a row. However, since I knew Mise En Scene were going to be playing a few in-stores the next day, I didn't feel too bad for not going to their Thursday night set at the Bovine Sex Club.

That Friday, Mise En Scene had two instores - one just after work around 5 pm at Sonic Boom and then later that night around 8:30 pm at a clothing store in Kensington Market called Model Citizen, both of which I attended. The duo, consisting of Stefanie Blondal Johnson (guitar/vocals) and Jodi Dunlop (drums), were increased to a three-piece with a gent on bass for their Model Citizen in-store. Just when I thought the guitar / drums rock duo thing had been done to death, here comes along these gals who impressed the hell out of me. And no it's not just that they're cute girls (although that doesn't hurt). Musically, they reminded me of bands like Dum Dum Girls and Best Coast, Johnson with her bare bones guitar strumming and Dunlop with her tight and energetic drumming. The gals performed a great set of melodic tunes, showcasing a variety of musical styles including punk, garage and 60's pop. The better set of the two that day was in my opinion the one at Model Citizen. In the more intimate surroundings of Model Citizen, the band's energy was palpable and front-woman Johnson's enthusiasm was apparent as she got the crowd on-hand clapping. The band's debut full-length Desire’s Despair was released late 2012. In the end, it's only rock n' roll and from what I've heard, it's a fine effort.

Photos: Mise En Scene @ Sonic Boom, Toronto (March 22, 2013)
Photos: Mise En Scene @ Model Citizen, Toronto (March 22, 2013)
Facebook: Mise En Scene
Twitter: Mise En Scene
Bandcamp: Mise En Scene
Video: Mise En Scene - "Hey Velvet" (music video)

Canadian Musicfest - Aidan Knight @ Church Of The Holy Trinity, Toronto (March 22, 2013)

  Aidan Knight: photo by Michael Ligon

In past years, I'd normally take the Friday off from work just in case I had to recover from a late Thursday night during Canadian Musicfest but this year I was working. That I work in downtown Toronto worked to my advantage as I am down the street from Church Of The Holy Trinity which was featuring noon time sets on a few days during the festival. The noon time sets were hosted by CBC Music. I took a later lunch than usual and headed to the church for Victoria, BC singer songwriter Aidan Knight's 1:30 pm set. A small crowd filled the church's pews to take in the artist's set. He was backed with a band, with members on background vocals, keyboards, drums, violin, and the occasional brass (flugelhorn and trumpet), and Aidan either on guitar or banjo. Mr. Knight's songs were reminiscent of the folk-rock of Toronto's Great Lake Swimmers, both their hushed acoustic melancholia and more uptempo folk-rock. His quieter songs especially took full advantage of the church's exemplary acoustics. It wasn't a revelatory performance at all [God knows that indie-folk / folk-rock bands are a dime a dozen], but it was definitely a good first impression on me. Aidan's most recent full-length, Small Reveal, his second album, was released this past October and you can check it out at his Bandcamp page at the link below.

Photos: Aidan Knight @ Church Of The Holy Trinity, Toronto (March 22, 2013)
Facebook: Aidan Knight
Twitter: Aidan Knight
Bandcamp: Aidan Knight
Video: Aidan Knight - "Singer Songwriter" (Live on Exclaim! TV)

The Grove Music Festival Moved To Toronto / Niagara-On-The-Lake Residents Breathing A Sigh Of Relief

Via Art & Crafts Facebook page comes news that The Grove Music Festival which was originally suppose to be held in Niagara-On-The-Lake at The Commons At Butler’s Barracks National Historic Site on August 3 has now been moved to Toronto at Fort York Garrison Common for the same date. There's been a slight adjustment to the lineup for reasons unknown at present - Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Pretty Lights, and Bob Mould are no longer on the schedule - but at least the headliners are still there. As well the ticket price for the festival has been reduced to $59.50 - at that price for the lineup as it is, I think that's a pretty sweet deal. Niagara-On-The-Lake residents must be breathing a sigh of relief that the invasion of their quaint town has been thwarted.

Actually, an article on NiagaraAdvance.ca [from March 28] interviewed concert promoter Elliott Lefko, who was bringing the Grove Music Festival to Niagara-On-The-Lake and he stated that ticket sales for the festival had been slow, and given the huge investment the decision was made to move the show to Toronto.

Second Wave of Sled Island 2013 Announcements

  photo credit

From the Sled Island website comes a second wave of announcements for the festival which takes place in downtown Calgary Alberta from June 19 - 22, 2013:

"Lineup additions include Danish hardcore phenoms Iceage, indie rock royalty Superchunk, the Miami-based doom pop of Torche, The Night Marchers featuring members of Sled Island 2012 faves, Hot Snakes, psych-rock hype factory Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Weakerthans frontman John K. Samson, and prolific lo-fi folksters Mount Eerie performing with a full band. Also announced today is the mind-melting masters of hip hop jazz improvisation, BadBadNotGood, hyperbole-inducing Ottawa-based producer Ryan Hemsworth, frantic Vancouver punk rockers White Lung, artful R&B pop crooner Javelin and genre-defying Los Angeles DJ, The Gaslamp Killer."

Passes are on sale now - the Festival Discovery Pass is $199 and the Festival Discovery Plus Pass is $349. More information can be found here.

Canadian Musicfest - Mount Moriah @ Drake Underground, Toronto (March 20, 2013)

  Heather McEntire of Mount Moriah: photo by Michael Ligon

After seeing Diana's set at the Mod Club, I could have just stuck around to see headliners, chvrches, a sold-out show as it was but I chose instead to hoof it down to the Drake Hotel to check out Durham, North Carolina country-rock band Mount Moriah. I first discovered them when I saw them at last year's CMJ festival in New York City when they played a Merge Records showcase (the label having released the band's second album, and their first for Merge, entitled Miracle Temple)and was quite taken by them so when I found out they were coming to Toronto for CMW and for their first ever show here, I penciled them in immediately. Consisting of the core duo of guitarist Jenks Miller and singer Heather McEntire (who met back in 2007 while both working in a record store in Chapel Hill; via Spin) as well as bassist Casey Toll and drummer James Wallace, the group humbly took the stage to a disappointingly thin audience numbering no more than thirty by my estimate. That disappointment aside, the group played an impressive set of Southern-fried country-rock that brimmed with a dark undercurrent, and if we were a quiet audience, and did not even edge closer to the stage on McEntire's encouragement, they didn't hold it against us. The band did their genre well, but most of my appreciation for them lay in vocalist Heather McEntire. McEntire's edgy haircut (think Tegan and Sara) belied a voice with a southern drawl straight from Emmylou Harris able to express heartache on quieter numbers and to belt it out with a spunkiness like a little firecracker on some uptempo tunes. McEntire's banter included the occasional "shucks" as she stated that they were from the south..."south of the south". I've heard of Southern charm, and she really had it. The band's date at the Drake was part of their extensive North American tour that they're on until at least the end of the June; the band were in Montreal for a show the day after and therefore could not have been booked for more dates during Canadian Musicfest. Hopefully, the next time the band hit Toronto, the word will have spread about the band and they will play to more people. Till then, I will maintain my bragging rights that me and and a small group of us caught the band's first ever show in Toronto.

Photos: Mount Moriah @ Drake Underground, Toronto (March 20, 2013)
Facebook: Mount Moriah
Twitter: Mount Moriah
Bandcamp: Mount Moriah
Video: Mount Moriah - "Bright Light" (music video)

Canadian Music Week moves to the month of May for 2014

The music festival that most people love to hate, Canadian Music Week (CMW), have revealed through their Facebook, that next year's festival in 2014 will be be taking place May 6-10. Yes, it is a plus that it will be in a warmer month, but it appears the organizers have chosen to the ignore the myriad of other criticisms that people have of the festival overall.

The fact that CMW took place in March was never really a concern for me; March could be cold, it's Canada, and I think people just have to suck it up. The fact that CMW took place in March meant something to look forward to earlier in the year. I'm more concerned that next year's CMW is about a month before NXNE which takes place in June. The buffer between the festivals will be much shorter and I'm wondering how this will effect artists / bands who consider registering for these festivals. Will the net effect be that NXNE, which seemed to be really hitting it's groove over the last 5 years, will now lose some of that momentum to CMW? I am also concerned with the potential that CMW might overlap with Hot Docs, which traditionally starts at the end of April and into early May, or at the very least, having no recovery time between attending Hot Docs and CMW. I guess we'll have to wait and see how it goes next year.

Second Wave of NXNE announcements plus The National documentary at Hot Docs

The second wave of announcements for the upcoming NXNE festival were just announced. (Check out the first wave of announcements here.) Just spreading the word. Looks to be a decent festival this year. The second wave of announcements for NXNE include:

Social Distortion and Big Boi will each be headlining free shows at Yonge Dundas Square on different nights (Social Distortion on Thursday June 13 and Big Boi on Sunday June 16).

Other acts include Toronto hardcore band Fucked Up, French Canadian singer-songwriter Coeur De Pirate, Hip hop Brooklyn duo Smif N’ Wessun, American alternative hip hop act WHY?, California five-piece The Soft Moon, English guitar-rockers Peace, West Coast melodic punks White Lung, Toronto chillwave group DIANA, B.C. garage punks Nü Sensae,noise-punk rockers Destruction Unit, Synth popsters Majical Cloudz, UK new wave poppers Still Corners, Copenhagen punks Lower, electro rock from Toronto band Moon King, Improv jazz out of Lean Left, and old school indie rockers Blinker the Star.

Also as already announced, New York City band The National will participate in this year's NXNE by headlining a free show at Yonge Dundas Square on Friday June 14 but if your in the mood for more Berninger and company, you can check out Matt's older brother Tom Berninger's intimate and up-close documentary on the band entitled Mistaken for Strangers as Tom joins them on tour as one of their roadies. The documentary will be at this year's Hot Docs festival in Toronto with screenings as follows:

April 30, 9:15 pm @ The Royal
May 2, 11:59 pm @ Bloor Hot Docs Cinema
May 5, 4:00 pm @ Bloor Hot Docs Cinema

Canadian Musicfest Picks (2013)

Another edition of Canadian Musicfest (the music showcase component of Canadian Music Week) quietly kicked off yesterday evening but it gets into full gear tonight. I've gone through the list of artists, skimming bios, listening to audio, checking out videos, what-have-you, and have cobbled together a long list of artists that I found interesting, both from abroad, and from our own fair country / city. On a side note, I must mention that the whole process of 'researching' who I might be interested in seeing is an entirely un-fun experience - it's long, boring, and tiring - but in the end it pays off. Like the Boy Scouts motto goes - be prepared. I've also learned there's an inordinate amount of folk / roots acts taking part in the festival, so many that I almost want to strangle someone, but that's another story. There is no way in heck I'm going to catch all of these artists - I haven't even gotten around to laying out an actual schedule, and I already know there's some overlap with some of my picks. Most of the picks below are artists I've never even heard, and the buzz-factor of bands playing this festival is much lower compared to Toronto's own North By Northeast (which happens in June) but traditionally I've taken this as an opportunity to try to discover new music and hopefully keep the stink quotient to a minimum. Be sure to check out my picks below as well as the individual artist sites where there are audio / video samples:

Aidan Knight (Victoria, BC)
Friday March 22, 2013 @ 1:30PM, Church of the Holy Trinity
Saturday March 23, 2013 @ 10:10PM, Horseshoe Tavern

A singer-songwriter and also namesake of a experimental folk band.

Alba Lua (paris, france)
Wednesday March 20, 2013 @ 8:00PM, Czehoski
Thursday March 21, 2013 @ 9:00PM, Silver Dollar

Favourably reviewed on Pitchfork, the band's helium-voiced lead singer leads the trio in their supple brand of warm, hazy pop music.

badbadnotgood (Toronto, ON)
Saturday March 23, 2013 @ 12:10AM, Horseshoe Tavern

The young free-jazz, hip-hop influenced, groove trio can almost be classified as festival veterans having played Coachella, NXNE and others and have collobarated with Tyler, The Creator and Frank Ocean. I've always meant to check them out.

Ballroom Jacks (New York City, New York)
Friday March 22, 2013 @ 10:00PM, Annex Live

Scruffy trio from the streets of New York City (Queens that is) playing music that medls "1960's American girl groups, Phil Spector's Wall of Sound, and the aesthetic of new wave 80's music" in a not so unappealing way.

Beams (Toronto, ON)
Saturday March 23, 2013 @ 9:00 PM, Silver Dollar

Multi-harmony, banjo-laden, musical saw twinged, folk and bluegrass.

Boats (Winnipeg, MB)
Saturday March 23, 2013 @ 12:00AM, Rancho Relaxo

Comparisons to The New Pornographers, the band's third album of 'hooky pop songs' entitled "A Fairway Full Of Miners" just came out through Kill Rock Stars recently.

Boy (Hamburg, Germany) Updated
Saturday March 23, 2013 @ 4:30 PM, HMV (333 Yonge St.), acoustic performance and autograph session
Saturday March 23, 2013 @ 11:00PM, El Mocambo (Upstairs)
Sunday March 24, 2013 @ 10:00PM, The Dakota Tavern

Female pop duo founded in 2007, comparisons to Feist, yadda yadda, yadda yadda. That said, what I've heard from them is sunny and charming. And they're cute to boot.

The Breezes (Montreal, QC)
Thursday March 21, 2013 @ 8:30 PM, Horseshoe Tavern

Psych-pop goodness, the band's debut album self-titled album was released independently this past December.

Castle-if/Cell Memory (Toronto, ON)
Saturday March 23, 2013 @ 10:00PM, Comfort Zone

These locals might just be too cool for school to me, but I might perhaps satiate my more experimental tastes by taking in their set. What I've heard is sort of trippy.

Charlotte Church (Wales, United Kingdom)
Saturday March 23, 2013 @ :PM, El Mocambo (Downstairs)

Yes, that Charlotte Church. The girl's grown up, still has amazing vocals but now is backed by a band with a much edgier musical approach than you've heard her or ever imagined. Quite spectacular actually.

CHVRCHES (Glasgow, Scotland)
Wednesday March 20, 2013 @ 10:00 PM, Virgin Mobile Mod Club

Electro-pop trio with guitars and synths, reviews on Pitchfork, you know you want to see them. Advanced tickets to their set are sold out but there'll be tickets, and presumably limited wristbands/passes, let in at the door.

Decades (Toronto, ON)
Saturday March 23, 2013 @ 9:00 PM, Lee's Palace

I've seen the band a few times recently in an opening slot and was somewhat invigorated from what I'd heard - a lead singer with maybe just a little bit of a Morrissey influence, fronting a band whose music takes an ethereal, post-punk yet melodic direction.

Diana (Toronto, ON)
Wednesday March 20 @ 9:00 PM, Virgin Mobile Mod Club

Apparently a band I should check out according to sites like BlogTo. The band consists of Carmen Elle (Army Girls), Kieran Adams (Warm Myth and Bonjay), Joseph Shabason (Destroyer), and Paul Mathew (Hidden Cameras).

Fine Times (Vancouver, BC)
Friday March 22 @ 9:00 PM, Supermarket
Saturday March 23 @ 2:00 AM, Sneaky Dee's

The duo, their name perhaps a take on the New Order LP "Fine Time", play synth-infused, melodic rock.

First Rate People (Toronto, ON)
Thursday March 21 @ 9:00 PM, Annex Live

The band's first single was reviewed by Pitchfork back in 2010, garnering a favourable review. Been meaning to check them out. They released a new single entitled "You Won't Get This Joke At All" just recently.

Ginger and the Ghost (Sydney, Australia)
Wednesday March 20 @ 10:30 PM, El Mocambo (Upstairs)

I hear traces of Kate Bush in this male/female duo's music, while lead singer Missy has a penchance for visual flamboyance and colourfulness similar to Alison Goldfrapp of Goldfrapp.

Heidi Happy (Lucerne, Switzerland)
Wednesday March 20, 2013 @ 8:00PM, Supermarket
Saturday March 23, 2013 @ 10:00PM, Cameron House - Backroom

The Scandinavian singer-songwriter I believe played last year's festival (or was it NXNE?) and has returned, presumably because she likes Toronto. What I've heard falls in line with breezy Scandinavian pop like The Cardigans, good stuff if you're into that.

Jesuslesfilles (Montreal, QC)
Saturday March 23 @ 1:00 AM, Silver Dollar

Franco-phone garage rock, featuring co-lead, male / female vocals. I liked this much better than I expected.

Let's Build Machines (Toronto, ON)
Friday March 22 @ 9:00 PM, Revival

Acoustic folk outfit The Wilderness of Manitoba's Will Whitwham, gets off his electro-pop cajones with this side project, with decent results.

Lowell (Toronto, ON)
Friday March 22, 2013 @ 9:30PM, Lee's Palace
Saturday March 23, 2013 @ 12:30PM, Church of the Holy Trinity
Saturday March 23, 2013 @ :PM, The Danforth Music Hall

The GridTO recently named the 21 year old as one to watch, already a fast-rising star in much of Europe at the same time never having even performed at home. The dates above will be her first proper live performances at home. She's a classicaly-trained pianist and her music has drawn comparisons to Lykke Li.

Maica Mia (Toronto, ON)
Friday March 22 @ 9:00 PM, Silver Dollar

Desolate, atmospheric, mood rock comes to mind as a description.

Mount Moriah (Durham, North Carolina)
Wednesday March 20 @ 11:00 PM, Drake Underground

I caught the female-led trio at last year's CMJ festival in New York City where they played a Merge Records showcase.The band's self-titled debut was re-released on Merge last October. The band's music merges American folk & rock music in a very appealing way.

Mozart's Sister (Montreal,QC)
Saturday March 23 @ 1:00 AM, Comfort Zone

From the Pop Montreal site, Mozart's sister are described as the "electro-pop solo project of Shapes & Sizes’s Caila Thompson of indie rock, new wave, 80s pop and a little R&B ting".

Mise En Scene (Winnipeg, MB) Updated
Thursday March 21 @ 11:00 PM, Bovine Sex Club
Friday March 22 @ 5:00 PM, Sonic Boom (782 Bathurst St), in-store (info)
Friday March 22 @ 8:15 PM, Model Citizen (279 Augusta Ave), in-store
Saturday March 23 @ 3:30-6PM, Goorin Bro’s Hat Shop (320 Queen St. West), in-store (info)

Not nearly as surfy as Best Coast nor indebted to 60's girl groups as Dum Dum Girls but yes this female guitar / drums duo will probably appeal to you if you're fans of those bands.

Ocean City Defender (Thunder Bay, ON Canada)
Wednesday March 20 @ 1:00 AM, Cabin 5

Comparisons to M83, and from Thunder Bay of all places. The outfit is the work of multi-instrumentalist K. Preston Merkley, his debut EP The Golden Hour was released in January of 2012.

Persian Rugs (Toronto, ON)
Friday March 22 @ 10:00 PM, Rancho Relaxo

Guitarist Ian Jackson of the defunct Toronto indie band The Diableros, took his guitar chops and formed Persian Rugs, a band whose love for C86 / Sarah Records-influenced indie pop is quite apparent.

Savages (London, England United Kingdom)
Friday March 22 @ 11:10 PM, Horseshoe Tavern
Saturday March 23 @ 12:00 AM, Lee's Palace

British all-female post-punk rock band who were one of the buzz bands of last year's CMJ festival in New York City, who I didn't get a chance to see when I was there. The band's debut album Silence Yourself is due out on Matador Records on May 7. (via Pitchfork)

Un (Montreal, QC)
Thursday March 21 @ 12:00 AM, Drake Underground

The female duo, consisting of Jen Reimer on drums and Kara Keith on vocals and 'other stuff', released their self-titled debut disc this past Valentines Day. Their icy, post-punk synth tunes remind me a little of Ladytron.

Valleys (Montreal,QC)
Saturday March 23 @ 10:00 PM, Lee's Palace

Elements of ambient, dreampop and electropop, they're hard to pin down, but quite interesting overall.

Vimes (Cologne, Germany)
Wednesday March 20, 2013 @ 10:00PM, Gladstone Hotel, (North Ballroom)
Thursday March 21, 2013 @ 10:00PM, Annex Live

Duo consisting of Azhar Syed and Julian Stetter specializing in electro-house music. Chilly Gonzales and Hot Chip are fans. (via Noisey)

Unlike last year's festival and the mild temperatures that the city got, this year looks to be a chilly one, so bundle up, don't forget your earplugs, grab your schedules and have a good festival!