From A to Z: the Zunior Boxing Day Sale


We're a little bah humbug about the holidays-- we don't even exchange gifts-- but one thing we do look forward to is the Zunior Boxing Day sale (Mon., Dec. 26). It's the perfect opportunity to stock up on albums either missing from our collection or that we failed to grab at a show during the year.

Zunior, "the source for independent digital music in Canada," provides a way for independent artists to distribute their music directly. "No middleman means more freedom... lower prices for you... with more money for the artist."

Most albums are usually $8.88 ($2.00 more for digitally perfect lossless). On Boxing Day, you can buy high-quality MP3 albums for only $4.44. All albums come with complete artwork, are completely unrestricted and use no DRM. So whether you're looking for the latest by Adam & the Amethysts or Zeus, the Zunior Boxing Day sale is the gift that keeps on giving. Need a last minute present? Zunior has digital gift certificates.

Oh Come All Ye Faithful







Phog Lounge presents The Unquiet Dead, R.Y.E and George Manury for a Christmas Eve celebration of music and friends.


Whether you're into the religious experience, the Santa experience or somewhere in between, Christmas is always a great time of year in Windsor because so many old friends come home for the holidays to visit family (by day) and rekindle friendships at night.


This Christmas Eve, the unquiet dead want to have a special Christmas Eve performance in the intimate walls of Phog Lounge. Just us and about 60 friends.


We'll be joined by special guests R.Y.E. and George Manury


Tickets are $5 at the door and it's 19+


There is also a collection box at Phog accepting donations of used winter clothing, new socks & underwear, non-perishable/fresh food items, all being gathered for the Windsor Youth Centre.
(via The Unquiet Dead's FB page)

Dirty. Sweaty. Fun. Catl.





CATL & THE DAKOTA RING IN THE NEW YEAR!
 

       WHAT:    catl  New Year's Eve Party!
       WHEN:    Saturday, December 31, 2011
       WHERE:  The Dakota Tavern, 249 Ossington Ave., Toronto
       COST:     TBA

Can a night be both classy AND sweaty? You bet your sweet maracas it can. Drop by The Dakota Tavern this New Year's Eve and send 2011 off the catl way: with a hard drinkin' n' dancin' BLOW-OUT to the slammin' tunes of your favourite R&B trio.

This New Year's Eve party promises to be a spectacular event replete with special guests, sexy midnight countdown and the friendliest/most fearless barstaff this side of the Yonge Street corridor!

Catl have a lot to look forward to this year. With the recent addition of new drummer Andrew Moszynski, the band has pushed their performance to a new level of intensity. 2012 will also see the band release their highly anticipated third full-length record Soon, This Will All Be Gone. And as always, catl promise to deliver gallons of sweat and tequila-fueled, dance-floor mayhem.

Admission TBA. No advanced tickets, just come by early enough to get yourself on the right side of the party.

Helloooooooooo 2012!


(from a catl press release)


CBC Radio 3 Bucky Awards Find Windsor/Detroit



Go NORTH to Detroit, SOUTH to Windsor founders named
CBC Radio 3 Top Fans of the Year

Dearborn, Mich.—December 13, 2011—Along with Canadian indie bands and artists they have been privileged to support, Russ Gordon and Cathleen Hagan were honoured as Top Fans of the Year by CBC Radio 3 in the 2011 Bucky Awards.

CBC Radio 3’s annual year-end Bucky Awards celebrate the best of Canadian indie music voted on by listeners in categories such as “Best Live Act,” “Best New Artist,” “Most Canadian Song” and more (see complete list below). Internally, CBC Radio 3 staff choose a Lifetime Achievement honoree—this year famed musician and producer Ian Blurton—and a Top Fan of the Year. For the first time, two fans were selected: Russ Gordon and Cathleen Hagan, founders of Go NORTH to Detroit, SOUTH to Windsor (N2DS2W), a music blog that promotes Canadian indie music in the Windsor/Detroit area and beyond.

“We met through Radio 3 and started N2DS2W because of Radio 3, with the purpose of increasing awareness of Radio 3 and the music we love,” says Hagan. “Because of all that Radio 3 does for Canadian indie, we feel that N2DS2W is our way of giving back.”

“While we are very honoured to be awarded a Bucky from CBC Radio 3, it's really not about us,” says Gordon. “It’s about the bands that we support and go see. It’s about the CBC Radio 3 hosts and bloggers and all the friendships that have developed. We are a part of the greatest and most unique global community on the planet. It really is all about the music that brings us together.”

2011 Bucky Award winners:

Best New Artist: Braids
Best Reason to Learn French: Coeur de Pirate, “Adieu”
Best Live Act: Arkells
Best Lyric: Hey Rosetta!, “Welcome”
Best Vocals: Austra, “Lose It”
Best New Band Name: Oh No Yoko
Most Canadian Song: Elliott BROOD, “Northern Air”
Sexiest Artist: Dan Mangan
Best Song: Dan Mangan, “Rows of Houses”
Lifetime Achievement: Ian Blurton
Top Fan of the Year: Russ Gordon and Cathleen Hagan



About N2DS2W: Go NORTH to Detroit, SOUTH to Windsor (www.n2ds2w.com) was founded in July 2010 and now receives more than 3,000 page views a month from around the world. Our goal is to make N2DS2W the most comprehensive site that promotes, fosters awareness of and helps Canadian indie musicians and bands coming through the Windsor/Detroit area and beyond through show announcements and reviews, a show calendar and more.

Contact:
N2D Media Group
248.421.6476
contact@n2dmediagroup.com
www.n2dmediagroup.com

The 'Keet Tweets for the week of Dec. 13



What's Bob the Budgie been chirping to on CBC Radio 3 lately?

Black Mountain - "Wilderness Heart

Shred Kelly - "Goodbye July"

The Barmitzvah Brothers - "All The Things You'll Need" (from their new album, Growing Branches)

The Zolas - "Snow"





Soundtrack for the Season




Want to share your love of Canadian indie music this holiday season? Download Ho Ho Ho Canada III from our friends across the pond, the Line of Best Fit, and slip it into the CD player with the Vince Guaraldi and Bing Crosby. It's a wonderful-- and free-- compilation that features some of our favourite Canadian indie artists, including The Mountains & The Trees, Slow Down, Molasses, The Wilderness of Manitoba, Al Tuck, Malajube, Kellarissa and more. Makes a great stocking stuffer, too.

Yort Party!

We often write about the CBC Radio 3 community and how unique and special it is.
This is a perfect example.



Show Review: 1, 2, 3, 4







One fair in Michigan, U.S.A. and one Phest in Windsor, O.N.T. equaled a satisfying serving of music in two countries for N2D back on Sat., Sept. 17-- even if our work schedule did cut the buffet short.




We're still not sure how Hey Rosetta! from St. John's, NL, ended up playing at the bustling DIY Street Fair in Ferndale, Mich. We were just happy to see one of our favourite bands twice in one year, meet fellow R3 blogger michelka (we are big fans of her artwork; check it out) and sip a little mead. With the sunset for a backdrop, Hey Rosetta! delivered a show every bit as good as the one in June and to a wider audience. Overheard: "Who are these guys? They're really good."






















While Ferndale was showcasing more than 50 Detroit area bands and one band from NL, Phog Phest 3 was showcasing one Detroit band-- the High Strung-- one band from Winnipeg-- Grand Analog-- and some of the best of Windsor's indie music scene, including hometown hero headliners, Elliott BROOD.














We arrived in time for a chat with Grand Analog's personable and articulate Odario Williams before his set, who entertained us with a great story about sneaking into a Pink Floyd concert in Winnipeg when he was in his early teens. His skills as a raconteur carried over on the stage and established a solid rapport with the enthusiastic crowd, despite the fact Grand Analog hasn't had a new release since 2009's Metropolis is Burning. We'd love to hear more of the band's dub/R&B-inflected hip hop like "Electric City," which Williams turned into a group sing-along. Yes, music makes the world go 'round.






























Phog Phest 3 marks the fourth time we've seen Elliott BROOD, and every time they've delivered 100 percent. You never get the feeling that they've written it all down for the audience one too many times, and the Phog Phest audience sure didn't appear to be tired of banging pots, pans and cookie sheets. The BROOD's newest album, Days Into Years, is folkier than their previous efforts but has resonated with listeners in a big way. The band is up for two CBC Radio 3 Bucky Awards-- Most Canadian Song for "Northern Air," and Best Vocals for "When I Get Old." Winners will be announced this Weds., Dec. 7 beginning at 2 p.m. EST.














































Photos: Russ Gordon/N2D Images

Show Alert: Sadies, Sunparlour Players and more

Thurs., Dec. 8
Capitol Theatre, Windsor
w/ The Locusts Have No King and Field Assembly
$15 advance tickets, available at the Phog Lounge and Dr. Disc in Windsor
$20 at the door


Although there are still some good shows coming up in December in the Windsor/Detroit area (see our calendar), in general the season is winding down for the winter as bands take a break from touring. That makes Thursday's lineup at the Capitol one of the last "premium" shows of 2011 stacked with Canadian indie talent. So treat yourself to an early Christmas present and don't miss:

The Sadies (Toronto)-- these alt-country rockers have one of the best reputations around for amazing live performances. Together since 1998, they have six full-length albums in their discography, including 2010's Polaris short-listed Darker Circles. Listen.



Sunparlour Players (Toronto)-- we love this band and Andrew Penner's unique take (and vocals) on alt-folk/rock; Wave North spent a lot of time in our CD players this past year. We're looking forward to hearing old favourites and new songs from their latest album, Us Little Devils (released in October) performed live. Listen.

The Locusts Have No King (Windsor)-- an already great bill got even better when we saw The Locusts on it, as we've been waiting more than a year to finally see them again (no fault of theirs, just kept missing their shows). Show review from Oct. 2010  Listen.

Field Assembly (Windsor)--on his Facebook page, singer/songwriter L. Adam Fox describes Field Assembly as "often dark interpretations on conventional and abstract North American folk music." Listen.

2011 BUCKY AWARDS GALA


Bucky Awards 2011











The 2011 CBC Radio 3 Bucky Awards Gala will be broadcast live on Wednesday, Dec.7th.
Join Grant Lawrence Live from 11am to 2pm PT -- 2pm to 5pm ET to hear all the winners.

Here are the categories:

    Best Song
    Most Canadian Song
    Best Vocals
    Best Live Act
    Best Reason To Learn French
    Best New Artist
    Best New Band Name
    Best Lyric
    Sexiest Artist
    Best Video
    Lifetime Achievement
    Top Fan




Show Alert: Decidedly D-Sisive

D-Sisive w/ CityReal and d.structo
Fri., Dec. 2 @ Windsor's Phog Lounge





From enjoying roasted chestnuts, costumed carolers and bonfires as we stroll the historic streets of Greenfield Village during Holiday Nights, we'll be taking a hip hop forward into the 21st century for a second visit from Toronto's D-Sisive Fri., Dec. 2 at the Phog Lounge. He's back with his second album of the year, Run With the Creeps-- decidedly grittier than Jonestown 2: Jimmy Go Bye-Bye-- and tour-mate Cityreal (Vancouver).









D-Sisive ~ Russ Gordon/N2D Images

N2D Did Movember

Thanks for donating to a great cause. I might keep it.


Is it really worth taking a month to raise awareness and money for the often ignored issue of men's health, specifically prostate cancer?

Yes. Yes it is. And we thank all of you who donated to the cause.

We here at N2D congratulate our own writer/stuntman/photographer Russ Gordon who threw his face into the ring as a member of the prestigious CBC Radio 3 #Movember team. The team raised $7400 as this goes to post. Not too bad, eh?

Don't stop now. Get involved. Stay involved.

Get checked. It's YOUR ass, don't just sit on it.

Show Alert: Austra w/ Young Galaxy and Tasseomancy


Tues., Nov. 29
The Crofoot - Pike Room, Pontiac

Tasseomancy's Ulalume is available
as a waterfall candle + vintage matchbook
+ digital download package.

Hopefully you don't feel broke from all that Black Friday consumerism, because you'll want to Feel It Break tomorrow night (Nov. 29) as one of the year's best lineups of Canadian indie talent plays Metro Detroit. Tasseomancy (Toronto) opens with otherworldly, label-defying music from their August album, Ulalume, then join headliner Austra ("ow-stra"). Fronted by powerhouse vocalist Katie Stelmanis, few bands in Canadian indie this year have generated as much buzz as Austra (Toronto). Their debut release Feel It Break was barely out a month before making the Polaris Prize short list, and went on to strong short list contender.





We're also looking forward to another opportunity to see/hear Montreal's Young Galaxy (2010 @ Call the Office), who've had back-to-back albums on the Polaris long list: Invisible Republic and this year's Shapeshifting. With Young Galaxy, you don't just get buzz, you get The Buzz in My Flesh.






Show Alert: That's Just Swell

Current Swell
Fri., Nov. 25 - London Music Hall Lounge
Sat., Nov. 26 - Villains Beastro, Windsor
Sun., Nov. 27 - Paddy Flaherty's, Sarnia
*All shows with Michou

Currents in a river can run stronger than the surface suggests, until you wade in and find yourself going for a ride. Fans of Victoria, B.C.'s Current Swell have been flowing along to the band's eclectic rootsy rock music for more than five years. Now, after winning the top prize of $100,500 last week in Vancouver's PEAK Performance Project and with a month-old album that reached #1 on iTunes Canada singer-songwriter charts, Current Swell is poised to break the surface. And that's just swell with them.

"We're pretty stoked," said vocalist and lead guitarist Scott Stanton about winning in an interview with N2DS2W on Sat., Nov. 19. "There's an insane amount of buzz in town. I haven't stopped smiling."

That buzz hits London, for the first time ever Windsor, and Sarnia this weekend as Current Swell play back-to-back shows with Windsor's Michou (who took home Artist of the Year from the 2011 Verge Music Awards). "We're really excited for our first Windsor show and playing with Michou," said Stanton. "Sarnia has drawn the biggest crowd for us out east, almost like a hometown show. We played a smaller bar and it was packed with fans who knew all the words to our songs."

Stanton said fans were already singing along to songs off of the band's fourth album, Long Time Ago, at shows immediately after its release in Canada on Oct. 25 (U.S. fans will have to wait until January). "The response has been unbelievable," he said, even though despite its title, Long Time Ago is a departure from its predecessors. "In the past, we jumped all over the place as far as genres, reggae, blues, folk rock," Stanton explained. "This one is different in that it's very cohesive. We wrote a lot of songs, then distilled them down to five we knew had to be on the record, and then picked the rest to make it the most cohesive. We're very proud of it."

As they should be; the album is thoughtfully and beautifully crafted, with a mellow front porch-music vibe that sheds the surf-rock label frequently used to describe their earlier work. Stanton said he and songwriting partner Dave "Davers" Lang are most partial to the emotionally-charged "Brad's Song" (see video below) written in memory of a friend who passed away. "Family and friends remember a loved one who's died by looking at pictures," Stanton said. "I get to remember Brad every time I sing that song."

Veterans of Canada, U.S. and Australia tours, Current Swell has opened for Bedouin Soundclash, K-OS, K'Naan, Ron Sexsmith and even the Beach Boys. They've played on stages at the Ottawa Bluesfest, the 2010 Olympics, Junofest and Rifflandia. Far from peaking, Stanton says "We put tons of thought into what we'd do with the money" from the Peak Performance Project. "It was simple for us. We knew we wanted to invest it back into the band and push our music around the world."

Current Swell is: Dave "Davers" Lang (guitar and vox), Scott Stanton (guitar and vox), Aaron "Ghosty" Wright (bass), Chris "Chrispy" Petersen (drums) and Dave St. Jean (percussion, trombone; not touring with the band due to other commitments). Additional tour dates: Nov. 30 @ Nicky Zee's, Fredericton, NB; Dec. 1 @ Baba's Lounge, Charlottestown, PEI; Dec. 2 @ Pavilion, Halifax, NS; Dec. 3 @ Manhattan's, Moncton, NB (all shows with Michou).

Show Alert: Phog Lounge becomes the House of Wax


It's crystal clear to us: Windsor's Phog Lounge becomes the House of Wax tonight (Fri., Nov. 18) as one of our favorite performers, Wax Mannequin, brings his unique vocals, lyrics and delivery of progressive pop/folk back to Canada's Best Live Music Venue. We love his quirky show and his fifth full-length album, Saxon (2009), even more.

Also playing:

B.A. Johnston (Hamilton). We're not sure how to describe Johnston, but we're pretty sure "conventional" won't be one of the adjectives we'd use. Check out some of his album song titles on his website.

Blues guitar wunderkind Kess Carpenter

If you can't make it to Windsor, Wax and B.A. Johnston will be at the Black Shire Pub in London tomorrow (Sat., Nov. 19).



Crissi Cochrane CD Release Party





Songbird Crissi Cochrane is set to release her new EP, Pretty Alright, this Fri., Nov. 18 at FM Lounge in Windsor. Gin and tonics will be on special, Crissi will be giving away her trademark cupcakes and there will be prizes.

Pretty Alright, the six-song follow-up to 2010's Darling, Darling, was produced by Crissi and Michou frontman Mike Hargreaves and mastered by Michou bandmate Stefan Cvetkovic.

From Crissi's CBC Radio 3 artist page:
"Opening with the daringly bold "I Won't Try To Break Your Heart" and flowing into warm and intimate songs, Pretty Alright proves Crissi is a dynamic vocalist - by turns vivaciously energetic and unassumingly sweet. The home-recorded EP emanates a warm, quiet confidence, making it the perfect complement to autumn and winter months."



Mike Hargreaves and Mary Stewart open.







Bucky Awards 2011


CBC Radio 3 presents the 6th annual BUCKY AWARDS.

The Buckys are nominated and voted on by listeners and honour the very best in Canadian independent music released during the current calendar year.

#BuckyAwards is the official hashtag.

Vote HERE for the categories below.

The bottom 2 nominees in each category will be eliminated on Friday, November 18. 
Voting will continue until midnight PT on Sunday, November 27.


  •     Best Song
  •     Most Canadian Song
  •     Best Vocals
  •     Best Live Act
  •     Best Reason To Learn French
  •     Best New Artist
  •     Best New Band Name
  •     Best Lyric
  •     Sexiest Artist
  •     Best Video

The 2011 CBC Radio 3 Bucky Awards Gala will be broadcast live on Wednesday, December 7 during Grant Lawrence Live  from 11:00am to 2:00pm PT - 2:00pm to 5:00pm ET.

Show Alert: Memoryhouse and 1/3 of a Mouse

Monday, Nov. 14

Mister Heavenly @ The Crofoot's Pike Room
w/ Mr. Dreams and Burning Ponies

Memoryhouse @ Magic Stick Lounge
w/ Indian Guides

Maybe you'd like to keep the weekend going. Maybe your weekend never got going, and you want to make up for it. For either case, we prescribe one of the two great-- and very different-- Canadian indie shows in Metro Detroit tonight, Nov. 14. You know you want to go.

Put together one member of Islands and the fabled Unicorns (Nick Thorburn), one member of Man Man (Honus Honus/Ryan Kattner) and one member of Modest Mouse and The Shins (Joe Plummer) and you get a supergroup: Mister Heavenly. You also get some super heavenly music as a result. They only had three ground rules: a) Keep it short; b) Keep it simple; and c) Keep it rooted in some semblance—harmonic, lyrical—of classic doo-wop. (from the Mister Heavenly website).


Put together a musician inspired by the neo-classical and modernist modes of the past century (Evan Abeele) and a photographer-videographer who focuses on the blurred boundaries of the moment, of memory, and of what will manifest (Denise Nouvion) and you get Memoryhouse (Guelph). "Their music seeks"-- and indeed finds-- "this blending of the contemporary with the forgotten, the traditional and the technological, the visual and the aural, within the sonographic landscapes of pop music. Listen.

Show Alert: Imaginary Cities are real

Fri., Nov. 11
Phog Lounge, Windsor
CJAM Pledge Drive, $7 minimum donation at the door

w/ Child Bite (Ferndale, Mich.) and Menos Mal (Windsor)


It's not your imagination: add Imaginary Cities to the growing list of notable bands coming out of Winnipeg. In less than a year, the duo's debut Temporary Resident (Feb. 2011) has climbed campus radio charts, landed on the Polaris Prize long list and won Pop Recording of the Year at the Western Canadian Music Awards. If you hear a little Motown in their bright alt-pop infused with soul and R&B, it might be because vocalist Marti Sarbit used to sing in a Motown cover band; jack-of-all-instruments Rusty Matayas is an alumnus of The Waking Eyes, and also plays with The Weakerthans. A night of great music for a great cause.