Frank Yang Who: Forest City Lovers , Snowblink , Snailhouse , Bocce , Kite Hill , Richard Laviolette , Octoberman , The Meek, Jenny Omnichord What/Why: Local label Out Of This Spark is turning five years old in 2012, and they're marking a half-decade of discovering, incubating and launching some of the area's best new talent the way any good anniversary should - with family, friends and a tonne of great music. Details on the event over here [...]
Todd V Wolfson I feel that I should say up front that any reservations I have about Kathleen Edwards and her work are entirely my own issues. Since her 2002 debut Failer , I've enjoyed her honest, roots-rock fare but always felt like I expected more from her creatively even though across her first three albums, she'd never shown any signs that she had ambitions beyond being a good singer-songwriter. That said, the fact that she spent her downtime following 20082s Asking For Flowers [...]
Frank Yang There's many great things about the long-running Toronto institution of Nu Music Nites at the Horseshoe - not least of all the fact that they're free - but the fact that they often feature such random assemblages of acts that each set can feel like its own standalone show and not part of a larger bill is certainly a big part of the fun. Such was the case on Tuesday night when rather than one headline-calibre act, as you'd normally be fortunate to have, they had two - and quite markedly different ones at that. [...]
Idée Fixe When you've spent much of your life doing one thing, and that one thing draws to a close, it's not unreasonable to decide to do something completely the opposite next. So for Bry Webb to make his first post- Constantines record Provider a quiet, mainly acoustic affair only stands to reason - particularly for anyone who heard him operating as Harbourcoats before the Cons went on hiatus. But to suggest that Provider is just the Cons frontman gone unplugged is a grave [...]
Frank Yang If you have a look over the last couple weeks of posts, you may notice that I've been to a number of shows lately; certainly the busiest stretch in some months. So when I say that to get me out of the house for a late Sunday night show on the other side of town would require something pretty dang special, I mean it. Fortunately or unfortunately, I'm not sure which, The Shop at Parts & Labour was hosting just that. I'd have probably gone if it was just Veronica Falls [...]
Here is part II for Friday and Saturday on what shows I will be checking out at Pop Montreal . Friday - September 23, 2011 12pm to 5pm DJ Tim CO-OP @ Nouveau Palais (281 Bernard O) 1pm Symposium - Voices on Voices with Tune-Yards 8pm Touchy Mob @ Ukrainian Federation Alternative options can be: Cousins @ Casa del Popolo, Sandman Viper Command @ Les 3 Minots [...]
Awhile back I decided to use a film camera and take some photos from this year's NXNE Festival in Toronto. Bought a roll of B&W Illford 36 exposure film. Wanted to see what the results were on printed photo/film. Took me awhile to get the film developed and scanned the good photos I took (Wish I got a better scanner. Anyone know a good brand to buy?) It would be too much to type up on which acts [...]
Photograph by Sabrina Diemert Toronto's North by Northeast - or NXNE - is the younger cousin and orienteering opposite of the behemoth Austin music extravaganza South by Southwest. Over its 17 years, the festival has swollen to 7 days of concerts (ranging from cozy church acoustic sets to sprawling punk moshing at Yonge and Dundas Square), films (mostly music-centric documentaries, including this year's highly touted Better Than Something: Jay Reatard ) and interactive conferences (if you were a musician and could get advice from Brian Wilson, wouldn't you?). As with any event attempting to [...]
Photograph by Sabrina Diemert Toronto's North by Northeast - or NXNE - is the younger cousin and orienteering opposite of the behemoth Austin music extravaganza South by Southwest. Over its 17 years, the festival has swollen to 7 days of concerts (ranging from cozy church acoustic sets to sprawling punk moshing at Yonge and Dundas Square), films (mostly music-centric documentaries, including this year's highly touted Better Than Something: Jay Reatard ) and interactive conferences (if you were a musician and could get advice from Brian Wilson, wouldn't you?). As with any event attempting to [...]
Photo by National Capital Commission It's pre-Canada Day today but here goes. Happy Canada Day 2011! Hope everyone will be enjoying their weekend and celebrate Canada's 144th birthday. I decided to make a mixtape which all the acts that are Canadian. I know some of the songs don't have Canada as a theme but just wanted people to have fun or chill to the songs on Canada Day. Enjoy! Aidan Knight - [...]
Photo by National Capital Commission It's pre-Canada Day today but here goes. Happy Canada Day 2011! Hope everyone will be enjoying their weekend and celebrate Canada's 144th birthday. I decided to make a mixtape which all the acts are Canadian. I know some of the songs don't have Canada as a theme but just wanted people to have fun to the songs on Canada Day. Enjoy! Aidan Knight - North East South [...]
![Forest City Lovers @ Analogue Gallery [NXNE 2011]](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/3537339_lg.jpg)
The closest of seeing Forest City Lovers at NXNE was at the Analogue Gallery 's BBQ. There was only two of them there. Kat Burns and the violinist who I forgot her name. It was a nice beautiful set as always and played at the back of the gallery. Great way to enjoy Forest City Lovers on a bright sunny day. [...]
Toronto - Playing against the lovely Church backdrop that is the Music Gallery, Toronto based folk band Forest City Lovers provided a lush gentle introduction to my night at North By Northeast . Starting off with a lovely solo piano number by Kat Burns, her lovely voice permeated the entire building with a lovely dose of calm, only slightly interrupted by the idiot photographer who put his camera too close to the mic which caused the clicking of his camera to become an inadvertent drum beat. The rest of the group soon joined the act and [...]
Anton Corbijn It only took about six minutes via Twitter to announce the forty albums long-listed for the sixth edition of the Polaris Music Prize , we'll have the next three weeks to argue over their relative merits and come July 6, when the ten record-strong short list is announced, another couple months to hash those out before the September 19 gala in Toronto when a yet-to-be-determined grand jury declares their pick for the best Canadian album of the past year. And there's more at stake this year than in the past, [...]
Every year the biggest and best indie bands, fans and media alike flock to Toronto, Canada for the acclaimed summer music festival known as North by North East (NXNE) now in its 17 th year running. Modeled after American festivals such as South by Southwest, Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza , NXNE is dedicated to new and upcoming music bringing the finest emerging musicians to the GTA, what some may call the Canadian Mecca for fresh, innovative and inspiring new music. NXNE has grown significantly [...]
Here is part 4 of who to see at NXNE . This time on Saturday June 18, 2011. There is a lot of things to see during the daytime and nighttime. Usually on the Saturday I would go down to the Legendary Horseshoe Tavern for CBC Radio 32s show. But this year I might have to break my tradition. I am setting my eyes on staying at this venue which is the Great Hall. Playing there are: 9pm - Duzheknew [...]
Here is part 2 of who I shall see at NXNE 2011. This being Thursday June 16, 2011. Things are starting to pick up that night. Again I am too overwhelmed on who to see! 7PM Snowblink at The Music Gallery Hopefully I will try to catch their set but I have to go to a interview at around 7:30pm. 8PM Ruth Minnikin at Dakota Tavern [...]
![Kite Hill, Kat Burns and THOMAS @ Raw Sugar Cafe [Photos & Video]](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/3468103_lg.jpg)
It was a lovely summer-like night of acoustic music at Raw Sugar Cafe on May 24, 2011. Mostly excited to see all three acts which were: Kite Hill Kat Burns THOMAS The first act was THOMAS . [...]
Warner Bros. Or at least we are the first batch of acts officially announced on Tuesday for this year's NXNE festival, running June 16 through 19 around Toronto. It's certainly not all of them, but there's some moderate to big names in there and perhaps most key, the headliners for the free shows at Yonge-Dundas Square that have become the centrepiece of the fest have been revealed. While there's no one quite of the stature of last year's Saturday night marquee of Iggy & The Stooges , New [...]
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