Gearing up for NXNE
Wednesday, June 11, 2008 | 04:17 PM ET
Now in its 14th year, North by Northeast is one of Canada’s leading independent music festivals. Along with conference and film components, this year’s edition will bring over 500 musical acts (ranging from up-and-comers like Justin Rutledge and We Are Wolves to seasoned vets like Evan Dando and Teenage Head) to 40 venues in downtown Toronto. CBCNews.ca music columnist Sarah Liss will be hitting the clubs till the wee hours and documenting her rock ‘n’ roll adventures in blog format. Check here for Sarah’s daily updates from the festival.
I have never given birth, but in my limited experience, the exhausting annual mix of music and mayhem that is North By Northeast is as close as I’ve come to the rollercoaster described by post-natal moms. It may seem like a mere rock fest on the surface, but NXNE comprises a gruelling combo of physical and emotional labour shot through with occasional glimmers of euphoria.
Like childbirth, NXNE is often too overwhelming to contemplate when you’re in the thick of it, and it’s altogether more pleasant with the help of chemical substances (caffeine and booze for the most part, though I’m sure an epidural wouldn’t hurt). My fuzzy recollections of NXNEs gone by leave me looking forward to this year’s massive club crawl, even if rationally, I know I shouldn’t. (Never in my life have I encountered foot pain akin to the agonizing ache that comes from watching 25 bands at 14 clubs over the course of seven hours.)
In preparation for the 14th annual version of North By Northeast, I’ve put together a list of specific things I’m excited about at this year’s rockstravaganza. Here they are, in chronological order:
NXNE Town Hall (Thursday, 2:30 pm, MTV Masonic Temple)
The idea of a summit to discuss the state of the music industry may seem a bit cheesy, but since the folks at NXNE came up with the concept a few years back, it’s actually been one of the most interesting and innovative aspects of the festival. Rarely do so many minds from disparate parts of the business come together and just… discuss stuff, in a context that reminds you that pop music is still a means of building community.
‘Mo Wave showcase w/ Rough Trade, Hidden Cameras (Thursday night, 9 pm, Phoenix)
For all their aesthetic differences, queer Canrock icons Rough Trade and twee orchestral folk ensemble the Hidden Cameras share an ability to infuse their music with subtly subversive politics. This showcase is a great effort to build bridges between generations of artivists.
Jian Ghomeshi interviews Thomas Dolby (Friday, noon, Holiday Inn Regency B/C)
The Q host and longtime T.O. music scenester puts his toothy grin to work interrogating electronic music pioneer Dolby. Synths will fly.
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists (Friday, 9 pm, Yonge-Dundas Square)
Wiry firecracker Ted Leo is one of the few dudes still married to honest, workingman’s punk rock. The New Jersey native’s politicized anthems have a stunning energy – he’s perfected a Clash-style mishmash of punk, ska, reggae and Celtic drinkin’ songs. Leo and his band are also playing Thursday night at the Mod Club, but this free, outdoor, all-ages gig will likely be more electrifying.
Young & Sexy (Friday, 11 pm, Sneaky Dee’s)
Because they’re adults with Real Jobs, dreamy Vancouver pop band Young & Sexy rarely tour. They brought the house down at NXNE ’02 with a transcendent cover of the Velvet Underground’s I Found a Reason, and though they’ve never dazzled me in quite the same way since, I’m still looking forward to seeing how they interpret the progressive-rock tunes on their recent The Arc album.
Evan Dando (Friday, midnight, Horseshoe)
You know you’re a ’90s icon when you get immortalized in a Barenaked Ladies song. Back in the heyday of grunge, Evan Dando fronted a great alternative rock band called the Lemonheads. He also dated a pixie-like indie-rock poster girl named Juliana Hatfield; their relationship was one of the romances celebrated in the Barenaked Ladies tune Jane. Evan and Juliana have long since split, but he kept making music and resuscitated the Lemonheads, who released a surprisingly good album last year.
The Death Set (Friday, 2 am, Bovine Sex Club)
This electro-punk duo ditched their native Australia and settled in the States — specifically, nouveau indie mecca Baltimore — because they figured they’d have more opportunities to break out with their sweaty, shouty brand of synthcore. If they can convince people to dance after last call on a Friday, I’ll believe the buzz around them is justified.
Maestro Fresh Wes vs. Fab Five Freddy (Saturday, 1:15 pm, Holiday Inn Regency D)
Legendary Brooklyn-born graffiti artist, filmmaker and hip-hop thinker Fab Five Freddy gets grilled by Canadian hip-hop groundbreaker Maestro. Backbones will slide.
Hercules & Love Affair (Saturday, 12:30-2 am, Wrongbar)
According to trend-spotters, disco’s back with a vengeance. This Brooklyn crew, who make silky, squelchy, campy disco-house that owes a debt to Arthur Russell, are partly to blame. I can’t wait for them to make Parkdale’s Wrongbar feel like New York’s notorious Paradise Garage dance club.
We Are Wolves (Saturday, 1 am, El Mocambo downstairs)
I didn’t much care for this band of bilingual Montrealers when I saw them live in the past, but after listening to Total Magique, the awesome dirty dance-rock record they released last year, I’ve decided to give them another chance.
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