NXNE is a hard fest to navigate. Imagine being told you could eat 1,000 meals over seven days for a menial ticket price. Several options would arise: 1) get really picky (involves a lot of research); 2) shrug and gorge yourself until you're burnt out on food for weeks by day three; 3) nibble and wander noncommittally; 4) eat what your foodie friends tell you to eat (possible indigestion); 5) get stressed and don't end up eating anything: read reviews and feel bad about what you missed. Hey, if you're in category five, don't feel too bad. [...]
This past sunday myself and photographer Alejandro Santiago had the opportunity to attend vanilla teen Mecca, " The MuchMusic Video Awards ." Being two adult men, we were quite lost as to who was a celeb and who was just a member of the Bell Media elite. Being an event that only seemed to celebrate celebrity, this was a definite handicap. This confusion was compounded by the fact that we were delegated to the press room and back corridors of the MuchMusic establishment, unable to see the show and judge relative popularity levels [...]
Nobody likes going to shows alone. Well, some people do but they are shows themselves: freak shows . I certainly don't like it, but at NXNE it's a different matter. The nature and fluidity of the festival allows for a great number of encounters with fellow travellers as well as the good people who support the infrastructure of the madness. So for this summary I'm taking the point of view that the festival is more about the people then the music, film, art, interactivity, or even the alcohol. Here are the coolest of [...]
Stumbling around late on any given night, you're bound to hear some ridiculous things. During the week-long NXNE festival, though, there is a whole other breed of conversation you'll have the pleasure of overhearing. While there have already been some mid-fest compilations of great overheard lines ( "You're like Bob Dylan with a uterus" ), we've rounded up the top tweets and our (sadly) personal experiences for your reading pleasure. Some of it features sex, some of it features music, but much of it features beer-addled brains and loose tongues. My personal favourites were conversations. Case [...]
Matt Berninger, frontman of The National , gestured at the H&M billboard across Yonge-Dundas Square while introducing a song. "This," he said gravely," is for Beyonce." On Friday night, as part of NXNE 's free concert series, The National played a long set in the packed square. Lit by neon billboards, they opened with "I Should Live In Salt," the lead track from their new album Trouble Will Find Me , and then proceeded to just rip through a well-curated 90-minute set. There was a great balance between old and new tracks, [...]
This Week in Music rounds up the latest news, releases and concerts coming to Toronto. IN THE NEWS Riot Fest brings stacked lineup to Fort York Toronto's stacked summer music festival schedule continues to grow with perhaps one of the biggest announcements of the year. After a successful event in the city last summer, Riot Fest will take over Fort York on August 24-25. The first night will see performances from bands such as [...]
As NXNE excitement dies down, you might be inches away from death yourself. You're going to need to pull yourself together though, pals: Japandroids are in town this Monday night, and they know you have the strength to push through (Tuesday sounds like a good day to call in sick). Speaking of calling in, Japandroids were a little mopey during our phone chat. I could tell it was going to be a fun and democratic interview with noisy and anthemic garage rock duo Japandroids - because there was only one phone between the two of them, [...]
If you're as sick of whack slow music as I am Cellphone offers good reception. It's fast, it's eerie, it's cool, it's now, and most importantly, it sure gets your head boppin'. I recently chatted with the fearsome foursome over email to get some insight to this can of nuts called "Cellphone." Be warned they are a beast with four heads: I asked them separately a series of questions that ended up highlighting each unique personality. Mike: the Party Dude. Alex: cool but rude. Jay: builds machines (brain) and Eric: a giant rat (jk). [...]
10 years after the release of The Postal Service's seminal Give Up , I was able to fufill one of my biggest live music dreams: seeing Mates of State play three times. But they were only the opening band at The Air Canada Centre on Monday and I was there to see The Postal Service, even if it was under the guise of seeing the beloved duo of Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel, the geniuses behind pop masterpieces Like U Crazy , For the Actor , Whiner's Bio , My Only Offer, [...]
Free NXNE concerts are destined to leave a scent in the air. Do you know the smell? No, it's not summer per se; it's booze and bands and parties...And wristband plastic? NXNE is once again descending on the city. Music wristbands are 60 bucks and tax, but there's nothing that says you have to drop a bunch of money to see some great live music. There's free events all over the city this week that'll let you experience some of the best bands working today in some really interesting settings. [...]
One of the best and worst parts of NXNE are the four nights of free concerts at Yonge Dundas Square showcasing international beloved recording stars and Billy Talent. If you can stand large crowds then it's an affordable (free!), unique night out. If you hate large crowds then it's a living hell. As a veteran of many a Yonge Dundas Square show, I'd like to share some handy tips straight from the trenches. 1. If you don't like crowds don't go. Even if you promised your dying best friend [...]
Venerated Toronto record label Arts & Crafts celebrated their 10th birthday in the only way they've ever known how: by bringing everyone together and seeing what happens. And by everyone, I mean everyone: not only did most of the entire label's active roster play the inaugural edition of the festival, but flagship band Broken Social Scene broke their "indefinite hiatus" for a one night airing of their seminal 2002 album You Forgot It In People . Many of the label's up-and-comers also had their chance to shine early on in the day, with stellar sets by [...]
The roster of Toronto bands at NXNE 2013reminds one that life isn't all sunshine and lollipops. Sometimes tough decisions have to be made, particularly during festival season. North by Northeast is no exception. The math will never add up. Hundreds of bands. Five nights. One body (yours, most likely). What do you do? Well, let me try to help by suggesting some amazing (and local) bands you should check out. No time-turners required. DIANA | Thursday, June 13 | The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern (10pm) This local band has been making [...]
This Week in Music rounds up the latest news, releases and concerts coming to Toronto. IN THE NEWS Ludacris replaces Big Boi at NXNE When it was revealed that Atlanta rap legend Big Boi would have to pull out of his NXNE show due to a knee injury, a lot of people were understandably disappointed (myself included). This week, event organizers announced that another Atlanta rapper would be taking his spot - none other than [...]
Billy Idol played Casino Rama on Thursday, so I decided to make the trip up to Orillia to see the show, since he's somehow not playing Toronto on this tour. Was it worth the trip? There seems to be a growing trend for mostly older bands to do the casino circuit in lieu of playing in nearby big cities. This is the first time I decided to check out a show there. I had hoped to take my girlfriend to Rama by way of a two-hour scenic motorbike ride, but [...]
Severely inclement weather has a way of making one question the very purpose of whatever activity has brought you out to bear through it in the first place. This is particularly relevant as it pertains to live music - if a few thousand people pay to suffer through a freezing cold rainstorm on a beach just to see a couple of bands, well, those bands better ensure they're giving their all and then some. Thursday night's soaked festivities at Echo Beach put this pressure on two bands known for their subtlety and gradual refinement, rather [...]
Wednesday night at the Molson Amphitheatre was a glittering tribute to sex, love, and peace on earth: American rapper Pitbull was joined by the reigning Gonzo of pop, singer, song writer, and reality star Ke$ha. Though a quarter of the crowd were between the ages of say, eight and 16, penis costumes, sexual innuendo and not-even-innuendo were as abundant as glitter and booty shorts. It was an outrageous party in the most choreographed of ways. Check out this slideshow for a visual recap of the event . [...]
As NXNE 2013 approaches, it's hard to imagine what a Toronto summer would look like without the annual influx of bands, artists, filmmakers, media, and comedians (media and comedians, because one is not like the other). Yet once upon a time in 1995, North by North East launched as a smaller, three day Canadian version of Austin's South by South West festival. Festival organizers had no idea how huge it would grow. Now, the week-long NXNE reigns as one of Canada's biggest festivals. And while the bookings are less [...]
Don't look now, but the 2013 edition of the Luminato Festival , which runs from June 14 - 23, is just over a week away. This annual celebration of the arts, now in its seventh year, always has a strong focus on music, and this year's is no different. In fact, it features one of the stronger lineups of artists in recent memory, many of whom will be performing free concerts throughout the week. Yes, free - Luminato is truly a festival that gives back to fans of music and art in general. With [...]
Breakout Toronto Bands features local artists that we think you should give a listen to. Who is he? SlowPitch is Cheldon Paterson, a DJ-turned-turntable artist, instructor at east end DJ school Off Centre , and lover of sci-fi who moved to Toronto from Ghana when he was four years old. He currently lives in the city's west end, where he's been crafting his sound and vision full time. SlowPitch has been around for about three years and is Paterson's newest musical endeavor: [...]
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