NXNE 2012, Day One (Jun. 13): meets, greets and beats

We hadn't been in the city 24 hours before we'd made a new friend from Germany, enjoyed a conversation with a double amputee panhandler, hugged countless CBC Radio 3 blogger friends and heard three great bands.

Hello, NXNE 2012.















Our first trip to the band buffet was for Ottawa's Loon Choir, whose members include Radio 3 blogger kidcauley on violin. Despite the fact that they started off their set with "Nowhere to Go," from their just-released album Fire Poems,we think this band is definitely going somewhere good. Their lively art pop/rock reminded us of a double layer cake: two violinists, two guitarists, two keyboardists (on a Yamaha and a Korg), frosted in the middle by bass and drums and on the outside by main vocalists Derek Atkinson (who delivers lyrics with the intensity of a Baptist preacher) and Nicole Yates. Loon Choir is no boxed mix-- they are a from-scratch gourmet treat. Our pick for song most likely to be a hit single from Fire Poems? "Bison."

We caught up with Fernie, B.C.'s Shred Kelly next,  fresh off traveling across Canada with Tracks on Tracks. One of our top shows from 2011, we've been telling everyone about them ever since, and pretty much everyone who got to hear their "stoke folk" either on the train or at the Tracks on Tracks showcase earlier that evening, told us what we already knew: they are a rollicking good time. They played a few songs off of their new album, due out next month, and they're just as stoked as Goodbye July. We'll be saying hello to them in mid-July when they return to Windsor's Phog Lounge.

















It's always a scramble for bands with only 20 minutes between sets, and, well, shit happens. Unfortunately it happened to Saskatoon's We Were Lovers, the charming and talented  duo of Elsa Gebremichael and Ash Lamothe. After two false starts of one of their most popular songs, "Partners in Crime," a monitor overload left Gebremichael with less volume than she liked. It bothered her more than us; We Were Lovers still managed a solid set of electronic dance/pop, and Gebremichael's voice still soared, both reasons we were happy to have the opportunity to see them again after their show in 2010 at the Phog.



Photos: Russ Gordon/N2D Images

Where N2D will be at NXNE 2012

We're less than a week away from the start of NXNE, Toronto's northern sister festival to SXSW: seven days of music (650 bands), interactive and film (40). This year, in addition to meeting up with even more friends and CBC Radio 3 bloggers and listeners, N2DS2W has added some interactive sessions to our "North by" schedule. Here are some of our picks and plans beginning Weds., Jun. 13. We've learned to play things by ear (tres apropros for a music festival, no?), so you'll see multiple bands in some time slots. You can check out all of these bands at CBC Radio 3 and their listing on the NXNE site. If you're attending and haven't already, check out the NXNE new and improved Schedulizer.

Weds., Jun. 13

2 p.m. - Interactive session: Punk: A Not so Unbiased Take on How it Shaped All Modern Music (Speaker/Panelist Damian Abraham, lead singer of Fucked Up)

3:15 p.m. - Interactive session: Living In The Map: Adventures In Making Detroit A More User-Friendly City

8:15 p.m. - Shred Kelly @ Gladstone Hotel (Tracks on Tracks showcase, $15 without a wristband)

9:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m. - We'll be on The Boat for Loon Choir, Knock Knock Ginger and We Were Lovers


Thurs., Jun. 14

2 p.m. - Interactive sessions, The Rise of the 'Artistpreneur' & Entertainment Industry 2.0 (Speaker(s)/Panelists: Alex Metcalfe, D-Sisive, Matt Fullbrook, Jayson Gaignard)


8:00 p.m. - Boxer the Horse @ El Mocambo

9:00 p.m. - Ben Caplan & The Casual Smokers @ Horseshoe, Stella Ella Ola (Hollerado members' side project) @ Velvet Underground, Hooded Fang @ Horseshoe


10:00 p.m. - Bishop Morocco @ Rivoli, the weather station @ Great Hall

11:00 p.m. -  Papermaps @ Rancho Relaxo, Spookey Ruben @ Great Hall, Gold & Youth @ Rivoli

12:00 a.m. - Dusted @ El Mocambo, Jenny Berkel @ Free Times Cafe

1:00 a.m. - Julie Doiron @ Great Hall, Bran Van 3000 @ Horseshoe, Creature @ Painted Lady


Fri., Jun. 15

8:00 p.m. - The Unquiet Dead @ Cadillac Lounge, Erin Passmore @ Dakota Tavern, Octoberman @ Gladstone Hotel

9:00 p.m. - Goose Hut @ Silver Dollar, Bidiniband @ Horseshoe

10:00 p.m. - The Danks @ Dakota Tavern, Foam Lake @ Rancho Relaxo, Hooded Fang @ Silver Dollar, Two Koreas @ Velvet Underground

11:00 p.m. - The Provincial Archive @ Painted Lady, Elephant Stone @ Dakota Tavern, Parlovr @ Silver Dollar

12:00 a.m. - Brasstronaut @ Gladstone Hotel

2:00 a.m. - Cobra & Vulture @ Cameron House


Sat., Jun. 16

2:00 and 3:30 p.m. - Masia One and Gregory Pepper & His Problems @ Harbourfront Red Path Stage


9:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. - Poor Young Things, Special Guest, The Lumineers, Young Empires, catl, Fast Romantics and Mad ones @ Horseshoe (CBC Radio 3 Showcase)

10:00 p.m. - Jeans Boots @ The Central

11:00 p.m. - Little Foot Long Foot @ Bovine Sex Club

We Were Lovers offer free single from upcoming album and announce North American tour dates.

In addition to announcing dates for a North American tour this fall, We Were Lovers have made "We've Got It," the first offering from their anticipated debut album (due out Spring 2012), available for free. Download the single, here:

MP3: "We've Got It" by We Were Lovers: http://pigeonrow.com/WeWereLoversWeveGotIt.mp3

We Were Lovers' (WWL) dancey beats, swirling atmospheric guitars, and dynamic synths convey a wide array of moods and themes, as strong female vocals wrap stories of love and loss around catchy melodies.  Ash Lamothe and Elsa Gebremichael have mastered a pop balance infusing electro, dreamy, rock and disco elements.  Known for their high energy live show, this duo's undeniable connection radiates from the stage. WWL will be touring across North America this October / November surrounding their showcase at Halifax Pop Explosion, previewing material from their upcoming album, due in the spring of 2012.


OCT. 06 - WINNIPEG, MB @ THE PYRAMID
OCT. 07 - THUNDER BAY, ON @  THE OFFICE
OCT. 08 - SAULT STE MARIE, ON @ TBA
OCT. 09 - SUDBURY, ON @ TOWNEHOUSE TAVERN
OCT. 10 - TORONTO, ON @ HORSESHOE TAVERN
OCT. 11 - TORONTO, ON @ RANCHO RELAXO
OCT. 12 - PETERBOROUGH, ON @ THE SPILL
OCT. 13 - KINGSTON, ON @ THE MANSION
OCT. 14 - OTTAWA, ON @ LIVE LOUNGE
OCT. 15 - MONTREAL, QC @  CFC
OCT. 18 - MONCTON, NB @ TBA
OCT. 19 - CHARLOTTETOWN, PE @ TBA
OCT. 20 - HALIFAX, NS - HALIFAX POP EXPLOSION @ THE SEAHORSE 11:30 PM
 OCT. 22 - FREDERICTON, NB @ THE CELLAR
OCT. 24 - PORTLAND, ME - TBA
OCT. 25 - BOSTON, MA @ TBA
OCT. 26 - HAMDEN, CT @ THE SPACE
OCT. 27 - NEW YORK, NY @ TBA
OCT. 28 - NEW YORK, NY @ PIANOS
OCT. 29 - PHILADELPHIA, PA @ DANGER DANGER GALLERY
OCT. 31 - PITTSBURGH, PA @ BELVEDERES
NOV. 02 - DETROIT, MI @ TBA
NOV. 03 - TOLEDO, OH @ THE O TAVERN
NOV. 04 - CHICAGO, IL @ TBA
NOV. 05 - MINNEAPOLIS, MN @ TBA

Via: Matt Charlton, Pigeon Row (506) 540-1156 | matt@pigeonrow.com

NXNE announces additions to lineup

Best tweet we saw that day: "NXNE gets Fucked Up."

And Allie Hughes, the Handsome Furs, Matters (formerly the D'urbervilles), Diamond Rings, We Were Lovers, Ox, and more. These are some of the latest additions from the CBC Radio 3 roster of artists performing at NXNE. No schedules are available yet (Fucked Up is playing a free show at Younge-Dundas Square), but you can view the list of musical artists here.

Scroll down for more photos.

Allie Hughes

We Were Lovers

Photos: Russ Gordon

Show review: Rah Rah, We Were Lovers, James O-L and the Villains

Rah Rah

Tom Lucier of Windsor's Phog Lounge puts together some really interesting and amazing shows. The lineup on Tues., Oct. 26 was possibly the most diverse: an acoustic version of alt folk/rock, a dance club music duo from Saskatoon and some of the best power pop to come out of Regina.

James & Steve O-L

Windsor-based band James O-L and the Villains are regulars at the Phog. However, like the Rheostats the previous week, we got a pared down version-- just James O-L and his brother Steve O-L, both on guitars. If you want to check them out with their full roster, you can download their latest album, Alive at the Colch, for free at their MySpace page.


We've seen a few people cut loose and dance at the Phog, but for the most part it's more of a head nodding and toe tapping crowd. Despite a filmy indigo curtain with their name in silver sequins emblazoned on it for a backdrop, We Were Lovers couldn't quite get the dance club vibe going. Certainly not the fault of lead singer Elsa Gebremichael and partner Ash Lamothe. Their talent-- Elsa has a powerful and lovely voice-- enthusiasm for their craft is obvious, and their music would improve the playlists at any urban club in the U.S.




Okay, we're going to try really hard not compare Rah Rah to another Regina band with an expansive cast of musicians, an equal ability to write and perform imaginative, fun and charming sing-along songs, superb vocal harmonies and numerous singles from their latest album in heavy rotation at CBC Radio 3. No language barriers here: Rah Rah's tentacles and their sophomore album, Breaking Hearts, will wrap themselves around your ears and won't let go. We don't know what's in the water in Regina, but it sure produces some great pop. There is one thing Rah Rah has the other band doesn't: RoboCat for a "manager."

Photos: Russ Gordon

RoboCat: Rah Rah

Show review: The Locusts Have No King and Olenka & The Autumn Lovers

After some time off to catch our breath following September's ridiculously sublime lineup of shows, we belatedly began celebrating Rock-tober last Wednesday with a great evening at Windsor's Phog Lounge (we are back again tonight, Oct. 26, for Rah Rah, We Were Lovers and James O-L and the Villains, review to come).

Instead of the Rheostats from Sarnia to kick off the evening-- no, not the RheostatICs-- we got the Rheostat, as it was just band member John Pilat and his guitar. Pleasant enough, but hardly the opportunity to review the band.

Windsor-based The Locusts Have No King have been on the Phog bill several times this year and we'd heard the, uh, buzz, and now we know why. We debated how to describe them on the way home, and came up with quirky punkabilly, although with his full dark beard and glasses and slightly nasal vocals, lead singer David Dubois is more folk class than thrash. If you want to check them out yourself, The Locusts Have No King are opening for Nightwood at the Phog next month on the 24th.

"Oh my god," someone gasped when Olenka & The Autumn Lovers launched into "Odessa" from their new album, And Now We Sing. The outburst was a reaction to the beauty of the vocal harmonies of Olenka Krakus, violinist Sara Froese and cellist Kelly Wallraff. They're so good the band devoted two songs to "just the girls." "People like it when just the girls sing," Krakus commented with charming naivete. "I don't know why. What's wrong with boys?"


Not a thing, as drummer Daniel Mancini, the versatile Blair Whatmore on guitar, mandolin and lap steel and Simon Larochette on trumpet solidly supported the girls. The band's sound and songs might be inspired by the old country, but there's nothing dated or staid about this oom-pah-pah powered folk/country/pop. Like St. Patrick's Day when everyone is Irish, everyone's a little Polish when Olenka & The Autumn Lovers are in the house. (Photos: Russ Gordon)