I managed to see more than 30 bands at this year's festival. For the most part, I stayed for full sets, though I got in late to a small handful of them. Here's the complete rundown, from start to finish: WEDNESDAY J. J. Ipsen @ The Drake Hotel (Underground) -- nice, but the wrong setting The D'Urbervilles @ The Drake Hotel (Underground) -- love these guys Lioness @ The Drake Hotel (Underground) -- Vanessa Fisher is a great lead Woodhands [...]
This is gonna be a quick one. A few local(ish) bands, and one Ottawa band (that Toronto loves) are playing the Horseshoe on Saturday night. The headliners are Modernboys Moderngirls , a garage-y pop-rock group. I saw them play nearly two years ago when they were a large ensemble. They've trimmed their size and refined their sound since then, and I've heard only good things about their performances. Also on the bill are Everything All the Time , a band that produces chilled-out, groovy dance tracks that are impossible not to move to. Then there's Ottawa's The [...]
I am home and done with NxNE 2009. Missed Ninjasonik, but saw Candy Coated Killahz. Skipped out on GZA at Yonge & Dundas Square. Something was up at the El Mo, so no Rah Rah for me. But headed to Rancho for Mardeen and Brent Randall & his Pinecones. Then to a busy Rivoli for Diamond Rings (!) and some of PS I Love You. Caught part of Wax Mannequin's set and ended it all with La Casa Muerte, both at Sneaky Dee's. All the bands were good and I really enjoyed myself. Uh... I need [...]
Oops. I was exhausted yesterday; 3 days of late-into-the-night show-hopping caught up with me, and I wanted to do nothing except stay home and sleep. Plus, it was raining, dampening my enthusiasm for all things NXNE even more. Making it to Rolly's Garage for the Daps Duo / No Shame afternoon show was important to me, though, and I managed to get myself organized enough to get there for Laura Barrett's lovely set. After dinner at home and a failed attempt at napping, I decided to skip the shows I had planned, [...]
Friday was insane. From start to finish: brunch at Aunties & Uncles, Green Go, interesting conference session, Black Hat Brigade, dinner, annoyed by Little Italy festival, Parlovr, Zeroes, Dinosaur Bones, Mika Miko, The Sadies, These Are Powers, Mark Berube & the Patriotic Few, biking home in the rain, collapse. I got to interview Matthew from i(heart)music , Burn Planetarium , Justin and Bryan from Black Hat Brigade , Sari and Simone from Audio Blood Media , Michael , Zack from The So So Glos , Evan Dickson from chartattack.com , concert promoter Mark [...]
Oh man, Thursday was crazy. I started by getting my pass then headed off to the Town Hall meeting, which was interesting in several different ways. Then I walked over to see Dinosaur Bones at Sunrise Records. I did some interviews, and got to see a few songs by Spiral Beach, playing outside to a good crowd at Yonge-Dundas Square. Since I was with some friends, I decided to follow them to the Arts & Crafts showcase at the Courthouse. We got there, got stamped, went out for a quick bite to eat, then back to the Courthouse for Zeus. [...]
Wednesday night I only made it out to two venues---the opening party at the Berkeley Church (free drinks!) and then the Drake Hotel for the Sonic City party feat. Woodhands, Lioness, The D'Urbervilles, and J. J. Ipsen. Oh boy, what a party. I got mini interviews with a handful of people, and will do more the rest of the festival. These will be gathered together in a special podcast a couple weeks from now. Ouff, I am wiped. But here's what I might do tonight ! THURSDAY (18 June) [...]
Jen and Tyler welcomed Lauren Schreiber (of No Shame ) to the podcast for a special NxNE preview episode! We tell you some secrets, give you show suggestions, provide tips on how you can make the most of the festival's 5 days, and play songs from 9 great bands. This one is chock-full of insider info and tips, so take a listen before you make any decisions about what to do and see this Wednesday through Sunday. Featuring songs by The Sonics ("Psycho"), Boys Who Say No ("No I Won't"), Sleepless Nights ("Allyson [...]
Here's what I aim to be doing the first night of the NxNE festival . I'll let you know about Thursday and Friday and Saturday and Sunday over the following days. My schedule for those days will change as I cross some bands off my list, get recommendations, and etc. This year I've got a pass so I want to take in as much of the festival as possible, including LOTS of music---including free concerts that you can go see even if you don't want to pay cover or get a wristband---and some of the conference. No movies for [...]
This week Tyler and I visited La Casa Muerte 's practice space, talked to the band, and were treated to a special performance. We chatted with Ireek Sofakia (Bo), Charlie (Bobby), Link (Brandon), Hank Bukkake (Henry), Bentzen (Matt Gilbert), and lead vocalist Namico about how the band came together, their musical compadres in Toronto, their DIY record label ( FABRik RECordS ), all the other bands they've played and play in, and the importance of community for them. Featuring songs by La Casa Muerte ("All the Wrong Moves"), Hollerado ("Juliette"), Proof of Ghosts ("I'm Coming [...]
Welcome to my weekly roundup of inexpensive indie(ish) musical happenings in downtown Toronto, all for $10 or less. If I'm missing something you think I should list, or you have any comments, let me know. I star (*) shows that most interest me. Like this list? Join my Facebook group to get my weekly Toronto indie music listings. Subscribe to my weekly podcast (or download the episodes) here , or through iTunes . Or just listen to the latest [...]
Tyler and I have hosted only a few bands on the podcast in the year we've been doing it, and we've enjoyed each one. The band I had the longest experience with before we got to interview them is Great Bloomers . I first saw them play back when they were performing songs off their first EP ( Great Bloomers , 2007), a couple times more, and then was thrilled to make their CD release show at the Horseshoe this year where they showcased songs off their debut full-length ( Speak of Trouble ). The band is heading off [...]
Like this list? Join my Facebook group to get my weekly Toronto indie music listings. Subscribe to my weekly podcast (or download the episodes) here , or through iTunes . Or just listen to the latest one, and all the other ones, at Zygiella . Make sure to check the rest of my blog for show reviews and photos, giveaways, and downloads. Welcome to my weekly roundup of inexpensive indie(ish) musical happenings in downtown Toronto, all for $10 or less. If I'm missing something you think I should [...]
Featuring Flotilla ("Charlie, I'm Through"), Clara Engel ("Appetite for Pain"), Evening Hymns ("Sentimental Reasons"), The Darling DeMaes ("Girl Soldiers"), The Lovely Feathers ("Lowiza"), and Jordaan Mason & the Horse Museum ("Bird's Nest"). Tyler and I realized that we've already done a year's worth of podcasts! The first one covered the last week of May 2008. So here's to the start of year 2. Thanks so much to everyone who's listened! Listen at Zygiella Download the podcast [...]
Jordaan Mason & the Horse Museum have their debut full-length, Divorce Lawyers I Shaved My Head , ready to share with the world. Jordaan Mason sees himself as a misfit in the local music scene. But as one of the hosts and organizers of the Oxford Hotel presents performance series, he's a misfit that's connected to a lot of local and touring acts who work better in backyards and inside homes than they do in bars or clubs. The musicians I most associate with Jordaan are ones he already collaborates with, including Guelph's [...]
Like this list? Join my Facebook group to get my weekly Toronto indie music listings. Subscribe to my weekly podcast (or download the episodes) here , or through iTunes . Or just listen to the latest one, and all the other ones, at Zygiella . Make sure to check the rest of my blog for show reviews and photos, giveaways, and downloads. Welcome to my weekly roundup of inexpensive indie(ish) musical happenings in downtown Toronto, all for $10 or less. If I'm missing something you think I should [...]
Montreal band Flotilla 's second full-length album, One Hundred Words for Water , is full of musical surprises of the best kind. Flotilla is hard to pin down, genre wise. Some tracks are solidly indie art-rock, but there's a jazzy flavour underlying the whole album. Add a bit of cabaret, folk-rock elements, a dash of electronica, nonstandard time signatures, and occasional mid-song mood changes, and you've got Flotilla. Veronica Charnley's vocals are the standout element, but the inclusion of harp lines throughout—a classical harpist is one of the band's four regular members—also differentiate this band from others. Sonic [...]
This starts today! I am working the door at the Central tonight, will be at Rancho Relaxo Friday night, will party at Sneaky Dee's on Saturday, and Sunday will see me working the door at Rearview Mirror in Kensington Market. The whole thing's pay what you can, but I hope that you can afford to pay at least $5. There are some great bands playing these shows. Have you listened to this week's podcast yet? Tyler and I talked to Keith Hamilton, the man behind the PPMF . All the details about that are here [...]
This weekend I took in the Over the Top Festival . From start to finish, I saw: Ghost Bees, Timber Timbre, The Ghost is Dancing, Clues, Woods (in-store), Bayonets, Tune-Yards, Think About Life, Oh No Forest Fires, Five Blank Pages, Tiny Masters of Today, The Guest Bedroom, The Budos Band, and Green Go. I could conceivably have seen a few more acts, and I suspect some people did. Still, that's a lot of music. The Ghost Bees / Timber Timbre lineup—I missed headliner Baby Dee—is one I've noticed before, but I had never seen them play together. [...]
A few different people have asked me recently what are my favourite bands. I have so many, but I think my two most played bands are the amazing Great Lake Swimmers and the fantastic Born Ruffians. These are followed closely by the Acorn. I will love Cuff the Duke forever and always. And while were in the folky genre, I love Basia Bulat (esp. live), Forest City Lovers, Ghost Bees, $100, The Wooden Sky, Timber Timbre, and The Weather Station. More poppy stuff that I think is awesome includes The Rural Alberta Advantage and Two Hours Traffic. Amos the Transparent [...]
Narratives
iamamiwhoami: kin - Teaser
Album Review: alt-J – An Awesome Wave
Azealia Banks – ’1991′ & ‘Van Vouge’
Big Boi & Theophilus London (feat. TRE LUCE) - 'She Said OK'
