N2DS2W does NXNE: The 2015 Edition


What? NXNE is less than a month away? How did that happen?

Five years of covering NXNE? How'd that happen? Want a look back at all the music and shenanigans? We've collected links to all our NXNE posts here (or just click the NXNE link below our banner).

2015 has a lot to live up to; we saw a third of our top shows for 2014 at NXNE. Although the festival dates and schedule have been trimmed down, we predict no shortage of scheduling angst. Here are some of the artists and bands on our radar.

Aidan Knight: One of our top shows of 2013.
Babe Rainbow: We've always been intrigued by his music.
David Vertesi: We love his solo work as much as Hey Ocean!.
Etiquette: Graham Walsh + Julie Fader = worth seeing.
Frog Eyes: Original and charismatic.
Louise Burns: Glad we'll have the chance to hear Louise again (since they took away hosts at CBC Radio 3)
Mardeen: Fun and witty pop from Canada's East Coast. We're in.
Moon King: S2W's over the moon about this Toronto band.
Nancy Pants: Off the cuff garage rock with our friend Jeremy from Parlovr on the drums.
Odonis Odonis: Will this be the year we FINALLY see Odonisx2 at NXNE?
Pick a Piper: We only caught part of their NXNE set in 2013; can't wait to hear more.
Saukrates: Our NXNE hip hop fix.
Slim Twig: We love how NXNE always gives us a chance to see longtime CBC R3 favourites.
Tasseomancy: Mesmerizing, mystical and magical.
USA Out of Vietnam: Our secret patio friends from Montreal.

Show Alerts: The best of Canadian indie comes to Detroit

Fri., May 15
Great Lake Swimmers ~ Majestic Cafe
Hey Rosetta! ~ The Shelter

If you love beautifully crafted indie folk/folk rock, it doesn't get any better than Friday in Detroit. Our choice was a little easier than our last show conflict, as we saw Hey Rosetta! at The Ark in February. We last saw Great Lake Swimmers at a nearly sold-out show at The Ark as well-- in 2011. To help you make yours, here's how these two seminal and incredibly talented bands compare.


Great Lake SwimmersHey Rosetta!
Home baseTorontoSt. John's, Newfoundland
New album
            A Forest of Arms

               Kintsukuroi
On our top 10 albums of all time listLost ChannelsInto Your Lungs
Our favorite song"Your Rocky Spine"N2D: "New Goodbye"
S2W: "Black Heart"
Lead singerTony DekkerTim Baker
Violinist extra-
ordinaire
Miranda MulhollandKinley Dowling

Our take: It's absolutely impossible to choose a favorite here. Both bands are equally remarkable in all the right ways: voices you won't forget, melodies and poetic lyrics that take up permanent residence in your head and heart, musicianship that sets the standard for Canadian indie.