so, while day four wasn’t the last day of the NXNE festival, it was for me. day four would not prove to be as jam-packed full of bands as the previous two days, mostly because i was tired, and because while a few of the events piqued my interest, nothing really stood out (although i would’ve liked to have gone to the silver dollar room that night, as i heard from various sources that it would be nuts).

yessir, saturday was solely about the sonics. these legendary proto-punk/garage rockers were in town, and played the young and dundas square stage. while their stage banter was just about as embarrassing as watching your father trying to make jokes for a similarly large group of people, their music was nothing but on-point, brimming with the same level of testosterone-fuelled intensity that has been distilled in their infamous catalogue. they got off to a rough start, as the bad jokes and the “you’re our favourite audience, ever!” comments wore a bit thin, but they were easily forgiven and only slight blemishes on an otherwise pristine set. screaming through everything from “strychnine” to “psycho” and even “louie, louie,” the sonics easily hit all the right notes (pianist/vocalist gerry roslie and guitarist larry parypa were both particularly good), and it was an awesome way to end my first NXNE experience.

according to saxophonist rob lind, the sonics will be heading into the studio this year to record a new album! it’d be really cool if they took that opportunity to maybe work with some of the people they’ve influenced over the years, mark arm and iggy pop come to mind as obvious choices, but i bet someone like jack white would jump at the chance.

yesterday started off with a trip to sneaky dee’s to catch a performance of atlanta’s coathangers. i was welcomed by a free glass of rum and coke and the catchy, playful tunes of the all-female band just starting into their set. their songs are all pretty silly and irreverent, but that’s not to say that they shouldn’t be taken seriously; rather, their tightly-wound post-punk practically demands it—they screech and harp at some of the most mundane topics imaginable— making them all the more endearing when they yell “STOP STOMPIN’ AROUND!!!/ STOP STOMPIN’!!”

i then made my way to lee’s palace, where i remained for the rest of the evening. mika miko were the first to hit the stage, and to my surprise, were a fantastic live act. i didn’t have them pegged to be horrible, but i wasn’t sure what to expect either. they tore through their new songs with a raw sound only matched by early punk bands like the germs, and even threw in a great rendition of the ramones’ “commando,” which fit right in alongside their original material.

the dead science followed, and although they had a decent set, they were definitely not the right type of band to be playing at such a show. everyone else who performed that night played very reductive, almost primitive styles of rock, with the dead science leaning more towards art rock. no age certainly toy with atmospherics, but while many of their songs rely on the kind of noise also employed by bands like sonic youth and my bloody valentine, their song structures never drift far from the straightforward power-pop of bands like the nerves. what also hurt the dead science’s reception was their singer’s vocal performance. sounding like a cross between david bowie and brian molko doing their best to sing a show tune, sam mickens certainly intrigued, but he had poor projection, so it was often difficult to hear or understand him. given that their songs often took very cacophonous turns, it’s a shame his voice could not really compete. had he been able to sing over the racket, i think it would’ve made for a much more profound experience. i’ll definitely check out their recordings though, i think their music might lend itself better to that medium.

with the black lips’ cole alexander now watching from the side lines, no age started their set with the classic “everybody’s down” and proceeded to do what they do best: cause utter destruction. the audience responded in the only way they knew how: with a surge of energy that went unparalleled for the rest of the night. no age are great to see live because they pour so much of themselves into their performances that it’s hard to not want to return the same kind of exuberance. that night they also treated the audience to two new songs from their forthcoming EP— they sounded like standard no age fare, but i’ll reserve my judgements until after the EP is released.

the king khan and BBQ show were the “surprise” guests of the night, and played a similar set to that of the night before. this larger venue, however, was a much better setting for the band’s dirty, sexy garage rock and songs like “too much in love” and “fish fight” were obvious highlights. also, khan was covered in gold body paint this time.

- ironic mullets (1)

- nautically-themed hats & accessories (2)

- girls wearing gigantic plaid shirts (1,000)

- king khan sightings (3)

if only i had some foresight, i would’ve brought a camera with me to document these findings.

[note: i'll add more to this later. the end needs to be fleshed out a bit more.]

prior obligations and a lack of interest in any of the bands (aside from jaguar love and patrick wolf) that played on wednesday night kept me from exploring what NXNE had to offer on day one.

on day two, however, things got off to an early start as i headed to NXNE HQ to pick up my wristband around noon. there i got to see alan cross hold a panel discussion for his “explore music” show. the panel consisted of some guy from vice records and cole alexander from black lips, who was entertaining to say the least. their discussion revolved around a rather beaten-to-death topic — “the state of the music industry”— but nevertheless it was cool to see alan cross do his thing, and quite entertaining to see his lack of control over the hyperactive alexander.

later that day the real fun would begin as i travelled to young and dundas square to catch melissa auf der maur, and officially pop my NXNE cherry. auf der maur’s 40-minute set (the standard) was pretty solid, split between old and new material (although leaning more favourably to the former) and drew quite a large crowd. the newer songs drifted into generic radio-rock territory at times, but they were still grounded by catchy riffs and auf der maur’s awesome stage presence.

next, i sped along to the horseshoe, where i decided that for better or for worse, i would plant, as the two acts i wanted to see there were on at 12am and 1am, and having heard about the notorious lines outside the horseshoe tavern during NXNE, i didn’t’ want to risk not being let in. my first impression, however, had led me to believe that i had made a huge mistake.

i had not heard of the three artists that were to play prior to midnight, and the first of those three, spookey ruben, was terrible. while i was listening to his songs, which featured titles like “superpoke” and such lyrics as “welcome to the house of food/ open up a box of cake,” i wondered what i had got myself into. he and his band-mates played a weird kind of “fun” music, something like a cross between early bare naked ladies and cake; you know, the kind of band that could only have been famous in the 90s, or maintained a fan base through the internet. this morning, as i told my girlfriend about how terrible the band was, she directed me toward this, and it all made sense:

apparently they were slightly famous in the 90s, getting regular rotation on muchmusic and everything.

next on stage was the burning hell, a darkly comedic band from peterborough, on, who attempt to be just as “fun” as spookey ruben, but actually succeed and do so in spades. the key to their success is their witty take on the macabre subject matter that dominates their songs, which creates a unique balance; the burning hell will be the first to tell you that your death is inevitable, but they’ll say it with a smile and will be dancing with you all the way to the grave. a few of the songs reminded me of something you’d hear in the nightmare before christmas, as they used their more folksy leanings to evoke a slightly gothic kind of sensibility, which their humour works to cut-through and subvert. they got everyone in the horseshoe moving and laughing, but they were only the beginning of the party.

the united steelworkers of montreal played next, and much like their label mates the burning hell, they draw on a much older kind of music, recalling southern gothic country music, and use that approach to channel a much more intense and foreboding mood.

finally, the king khan and BBQ show arrived, and were welcomed by a packed tavern. at this point everyone was already hot and sweaty, but the turban-clad khan and BBQ managed to get the crowd moving with a renewed energy and spirit. they were joined up on stage by jared swilley of black lips, and a female vocalist i’m unfamiliar with (any help here would be great).

HEALTH got off to a late start, much to the dismay of many in the crowd, but they won them back quickly with the chaos they unleashed afterward. their set included a few new songs from their upcoming release GET COLOR, the definite highlight being “die slow.”

animal collective/grouper @ sound academy – may 16, 2009

i wasn’t planning on going to see animal collective last night, but a couple of friends of mine offered me an extra ticket of theirs last-minute, and i decided to go against my better judgement. it’s been well documented that i’m not the biggest fan of animal collective’s more recent work, but i thought the concert would be a good opportunity to see how the songs from merriweather post pavillion held-up live, and a chance to expose myself to a side of the band i had never seen.

grouper opened, and while i like her music, i don’t think she was well suited as an opening act. she has the psych-folk element to her music that makes her a logical connection to the headliners, but last night’s audience was made up of people wearing keffiyehs soaked in LSD who had no interest in droney psychedelic music with no beat to it. also, the abysmal sound at the sound academy made grouper’s set a little more unbearable than it would’ve been otherwise— a fact made clear by the large hissing noise emanating from the PA system that was audibly distinct from the effects grouper was employing on stage. those factors didn’t help anyone who actually tried to enjoy grouper’s set, as anyone disinterested with her performance carried on as if nothing was happening. medium sized venues like the sound academy just don’t have the same kind of intimacy required for an act like grouper. i could see a band like high places having a better chance in that kind of setting.

animal collective took the stage shortly after grouper, and started things off with “chocolate girl,” a song that i was unfamiliar with, but one that helped set the mood for the evening quite well with its throbbing bass and avey tare’s often explosive vocals. i had heard that animal collective were playing some of panda bear’s songs on tour, but i was nevertheless surprised when “comfy in nautica” was played next. that moment was probably a personal favourite, and it was well received by others as well, but nothing could compare to the utter frenzy that took place when people heard the opening bars to “my girls.” overall their set was pretty diverse and not too MPP-heavy. it also stayed at a pretty constant pace, with minimal amounts of psychedelic noodling. frankly, they could’ve jammed away all they liked if they had simply ditched the “trippy” visuals that bombarded the audience at every opportunity. while i certainly enjoy the visual component of concerts, the 4:20/dorm room wall poster styled kaleidoscopic lightshow hurt their cause more than it helped. it felt like they were catering to the drug aesthetic more than necessary. yes, i know you’re a psychedelic band, you don’t need to show me.

it was unusual being at a concert for a band i really didn’t care for, but i enjoyed myself more than i thought i would. i also found it interesting to witness the different groupings of “stans” varying from the utterly devout, the plaid indie rocker, to fans who only cheered for the MPP songs (not sure where i fit in there). on a related note: this experience didn’t shed new light on the MPP material, however, it did make me more curious to mine more of animal collective’s older records.

kayo dot/stephen brodsky/siberia @ wrongbar – november 20, 2008

two weeks ago i saw stephen brodsky play at wrongbar and aside from the minor setbacks (being kept outside in the cold by the wrongbar’s staff, the opener’s set going far too long) it was a great show. i didn’t stay for kayo dot’s set but that was due to the time they actually hit the stage and the fact that i really only cared to see stephen brodsky.

local band siberia started things off in a rather cliché manner: armed with v-neck t-shirts and dramatic poses (perfect for photography!!) the band played through what sounded like a number of explosions in the sky covers, interjecting them with odd moments of stop-start-punk riffs… maybe i’m just tired of the whole “post-rock” genre at the moment, or maybe i’m just done with the tired “slow-build” formulae that seem difficult for post-rock bands to really escape. either way, siberia didn’t show me anything new, and they really didn’t seem excited or energetic until the last song of their set, when the drummer started to pretend he was exhausted and started knocking over his drum kit as he played. that’s when they really started giving it their all and actually seemed worthwhile to watch. their set got noisy and chaotic, and had it consisted of just that one song, i would’ve loved it. too bad their set was actually an excruciating 50 minutes.

then stephen brodsky got on stage! with a microscopic set-list in-tow (the fact that i can remember all of it is a testament to how short it was) mr. brodsky played to a small group of devoted fans. promoting his new album the black ribbon award as well as the even-newer (with a bit of afterbirth still on it) thing or thong rider EP, he still managed to perform one song from each major project that he’s been involved with, save for kid kilowatt. “man of the mountain” set the pace for the evening, as he did a slower, more relaxed version of it— an apt choice given the lack of instrumentation. i kept itching to hear the songs at faster tempos, but he wouldn’t have really done justice to them, lacking a full band. regardless, it was exciting to see a survey of his catalogue and the energy in the room between the few of us who were there and brodsky reflected that. he regaled us with neil young anecdotes, a buddy holly cover, and a encore!! it was the first encore of the tour for him, and for me, it was the first time i’ve ever seen or wanted an opening band to play one. i really wish i was into bootlegging, because this show was a gem. please come back to toronto soon, stephen brodsky, because we clearly love you.

set-list:

man of the mountain
oh boy
new moon
rainbow no more
kid defender
lima bean
magnified

deerhunter/times new viking/braids @ lee’s palace – november 12, 2008

seeing deerhunter live added an extra sense of movement and life to their catalogue, as there was certainly a more propulsive aspect to their music during their stint @ lee’s palace last wednesday. new songs like “never stops” and “nothing ever happened” bounced and pulsed with an impressive life and fervor. the band’s set was mainly comprised of material from their recent album microcastle, but they still managed to fit in a few older favorites, including the always-enjoyable “fluorescent grey.” *

despite this livelier-sounding version of deerhunter, i found the audience’s reaction to the music to be a bit too passive. now i’m not one to talk since i’m your standard concert-going-head-nodder, but when i go to shows, usually other people make up for my lack of movement with their own exuberance. that wasn’t the case this time— although, to be fair, the members of the band weren’t really active either, especially when comparing last night to some photos and videos i’ve seen of prior deerhunter performances. this show seemed quite low-key, with deerhunter’s own rhythm guitarist, whitney petty, taking a seat a good two-or-three times from what seemed like boredom.

regardless of the lack of performance that night, deerhunter still played an excellent set, and did a great job with the new songs. i would definitely recommend catching them this tour, if at all possible.

openers braids (formerly the neighborhood council) were definitely one of the most surprising moments of the night, as i had never heard of them prior to the show and had no idea what to expect. i’ve had a lot of bad luck with opening bands, but they were quite good. their songs sounded sunny and optimisitic, but were patient and expansive like a younger, more deerhoof-inspired version of the most serene republic. you can check out their music and info here and here.

the second band to play were times new viking, and they were boring. their performance had quite a bit of energy to it, but it was their songs that were really lacking a certain je-ne-sais-what… especially following braids’ performance, which was quite moving.

* (i don’t have a full setlist… i have a terrible memory. if anyone could provide me with one, it’d be much appreciated).

all photos by inastral.

NO AGE

no age/ high places/ abe vigoda @ the horseshoe tavern – july 16, 2008

i was thrilled to be able to see no age play when they came to toronto this past july , they definitely put on a great show.

abe vigoda opened with a blurry set of their blend of “tropical punk.” sounding like vampire weekend on a strict diet of animal collective and sonic youth (which is another way of saying: “sounding like vampire weekend but interesting”), abe vigoda’s set was energetic and noisy to say the least. they were highly entertaining, but i really didn’t connect to much of what they played. their songs weren’t really discernible, but i think i benefited from having heard abe vigoda’s new album skeleton days before the show, because some of the melodies were more apparent to me than they would have been had the show been my first listen. overall i wouldn’t say abe vigoda were anything special, despite the rave reviews their record seems to be getting; they constantly sounded as though they were trying to play over each other and had their songs not been grounded by their excellent drummer, i wouldn’t have had any clue as to what was going on.  in fact, none of the instruments were distinct, save for the drums. so while they did have an energy to them, that energy was lost on me as the songs seemed aimless and boring.

HIGH PLACES

when brooklyn’s high places had taken the stage, the atmosphere of the show took a completely different turn. people were dancing, yelling, having a great time, all for a boy and girl in front of a a digital drum pad and a mess of other electronics (not to belittle high places). their set was fantastic, there was something mesmerizing about the way in which mary pearson delivered her nursery-rhyme like-lyrics, never having to compete with the thundering drums or whatever else rob barber was coming up with. pearson’s tiny sing-song voice makes for an interesting counterpoint to the rather bassy and elaborate compositions of barber.  it was incredible to see him multi-task, being in charge of manipulating the drum sounds with his own live drumming, as well as fiddling with the countless knobs in front of him. what leapt from the speakers was something that resembled a fusion of dancehall, reggae, steelpan, pop and electronic music. the bass from each song was so powerful, i could feel it in my chest. at the same time, beer bottles crashed down from their ledges, and pearson continued to sing along to it all. they are a awesome force, and definitely a band to watch out for.

no age were in top form and although they had their fair share of flubs (like on “teen creeps”), the attitude they have toward their performance makes screw-ups perfectly acceptable. not that they’re lazy or unprofessional, but technicality is clearly not a reason why they play music. they had fun, that much was clear, and they made it their mission that night to make sure the audience was having a great time too. the set they played was a good mix of old and new, drawing from both weirdo rippers and nouns and all of the songs sounded spot-on. they also played a couple of covers in their encore (an encore i really wasn’t expecting… the horseshoe is pretty small… so any attempt to “go offstage” just seems kindof silly): a misfits song, and another song by a band whose name i didn’t catch and probably don’t know.

it was really gratifying to hear them tear through songs that i constantly listen to, particularly the song “here should be my home,” which addresses concerns of community, and displacement. before i had gone to the show, i was kindof worried that it would be just a hipster heaven and really uncomfortable, but from the small community they brought with them, to the larger community they formed while they were in town, no age created a really fun and open environment, free from the elitisms usually associated with “indie” music.

buck 65 & cadence weapon, april 23 2008, hamilton, ontario
(image courtesy of emerging design & photography)

buck 65/cadence weapon/skratch bastid/??? @ call the office, april 26 2008

cadence weapon’s performance this past saturday at london’s call the office made for an excellent show, despite the audience’s general disinterest in anything that wasn’t buck65. alaina and i arrived a little late, so we didn’t hear much of the first set, nor did we manage to catch the name of the performers, though they were pretty good from what we heard. skratch bastid was on next and his set was loud and energetic– consisting mostly of funk tracks and heavy beats– while his turntabling skills set the bar high for the performances that would follow.

shortly after, cadence weapon and the coonskin-cap-wearing DJ weez l took the stage and opened the set with a rousing version of “real estate,” a song from the newly released afterparty babies. much of the set-list featured songs from that album (“in search of the youth crew,” “house music,” “messages matter,” “unsuccessful club night” and “we move away”), and the duo delivered them with spot-on accuracy, looking and sounding comfortable in their surroundings. although the music’s lack of volume was off-putting at first, cadence made up for it with his boisterous stage-presence and faultless exchange with weez l. mr. weapon directed most of his attention to getting the crowd moving, since they seemed hesitant to actually dance to his music. jumping in and out of the audience as he rhymed and encouraged people to let loose and go nuts, helped to get his enthusiasm to slowly catch on, showing that there’s a passion driving him along with his wry wit and intelligence.