North by Northeast 2007, an indie music fest, rolled into Toronto and taking over 40+ venues and 400 bands over 4 days. Loaded with industry folk and scenesters, one can feel cynical and a bit intimidated. With so many artists it can be daunting, especially when it appears everyone knows who the ‘hot’ ones are to see. But let’s be honest, it all depends on what you’re looking for. Play it by ear, chat with others and enjoy the randomness of the festival. It’s all about finding out about new music and having a kick ass time doing it.
After checking out about 10 artists, here are a few that blew me away:
Hey Rosetta! - An east coast roots rock band from NFLD. Lead singer and songwriter John Mullane has an explosive voice that sounds like he’s been smoking, drinking and singing for 20 years, when he’s probably barely passing 25 himself. With elements of Matt Mays, Joel Plaskett and a bit of Counting Crows, HR! has got a repertoire of infectious emotional and comforting music that pulls you right in. Songs like The Simplest Thing and Into the Night evolve as they play them, changing tempos and dynamics to keep you on your toes. It’s like every song is a soundtrack to a movie climax. Good shit.
Justin Rutledge – a heartbreaker roots country singer/songwriter. During his set he described his music “drunken bastard ballad tunes,” and I couldn’t agree more! It was my first time seeing him perform live, and I’d have to say it was much better than the recorded CDs. He’s a terrific performer, entertainer and storyteller.
You Say Party! We Say Die! - As part of the CBC Radio3 sponsored evening at the Horseshoe, it appeared to be that YSP!WSD! was band everyone wanted to see. With both media and wristband lineups that went for miles down Queen and all the way up Spadina, I wondered if they would be worth the fight with scenesters to get in. I was a little hesitant after a lukewarm crowd reception at the Exclaim! Spring Fling festival with DJ Champion (but granted, they were given the kiss of death 8PM opening start). This time around it was absolutely incredible. Their suburban punk-rock sound had the crowd jumping, crowd surfing and even moshing. It’s not every day when you see the comatose Toronto crowd moving at an indie show. With Rogers contracts and major labels buzzing around, YSP will be going places!
King Sunshine – A local Toronto act, King Sunshine once again delivered a 40-minute rollercoaster 70s disco funk/groove party at the Gladstone. It took a few numbers to the crowd moving, but once the engine got going the crowd was hopping. The lead singer has got both the Whitney Houston power and Aretha’s soul and sass, enough to turn your 2 left feet back to the right foot!
Here are more photos/videos from other artists that week. ENJOY!
We will be posting some videos and photos from NXNE this year. Due to my computer, moving and a few ounces of laziness I haven’t had a chance to load all the videos yet.
Got snapshots from Jim Bryson, You Say Party! We Say Die!, Justin Rutletge, Pat Robitaille, and Hey Rosetta!, who were one of my top picks of the weekend.
The latest performer list at Hillside Festival 2007 has been posted. Some AMAZING new acts confirmed since tickets went on sale in May, such as Emily Haines, Besnard Lakes, Ohbijou and Rock Plaza Central.
The NXNE website has been revamped to include full streaming tracks from many of the artists peforming. It’s a good starting point to help you get a taste of who you’ll be seeing, and you can actually select bands to create your own little calendar. Neat.
Festivals like these are all about taking smart risks. Sure, you can only check out and support your ‘tried and true’ local indie bands, but you’ll probably see them popping up in a few weeks at the Transac, Cameron House or The Boat anyway. Conversely, randomly going to a venue on a whim can be disasterous – or gruelling if you’re the only chap in the audience (besides NXNE volunteers) and don’t have it in your heart to bail.
A good appoach is to balance it out – Find an artist or 2 you like each night and stay at that venue. That way you can support local talent (and get a guaranteed hit) but also see some new faces. It’s also a great idea to find international indie artists that you’ll probably never get to see live for a long time.
Here are some artists perking our interest, big and small. If you have others, please let us know!
Kathleen Edwards – powerful singer/songwriter up there with Sarah Harmer
Five Blank Pages – indie pop band that delivered a killer set at the recent over the top festival
The Ghost is Dancing – mega-ensamble band ala Broken Social Scene, but with theme parties on stage
A Northern Chrous – incredible ambient soundscapes equating to an out-of-body experience. Their new album lands us closer to indie pop land
Royal Wood – local folk singer/songwriter who plays weekly at Cameron House
Justin Rutledge – roots/americana artist that’s on the playlist of any folk singer/songwriter lover!
Hey Rosetta! – all the rage in the NFLD indie scene, recently profiled on CBCRadio – passionate lyrics and music that builds and evolves as the song progresses.
Peter Elkas – Exlaim! cover boy and all the rage these days in the folk/pop scene. Expect line ups for this guy.
Rock Plaza Central – a long standing alt-country that’s finnally getting traction. If you like Jon-Rae then you’ll like these guys
Pat Robitaille – a young and rising pop singer/songwriter from Windsor, with definite mainstream likeability
King Sunshine – 70s retro-funk/groove band guarantee to get you boogie dancing
Ohbijou – soft and melodic indie band from Queen West (Trinity-bellwoods park); a network of 20-something friends with musical talent forming a band and creating something truely grassroots and infectious music
Justin Nozuka – Acoustic soul artist from Bloor West village This kid is going places and is on his way to breaking through.
Neverending White Lights – Who’ll show up for their next gig? An alt-pop band comprised of guest singers for their music, it’s always a gamble on which surprise singers will show up!
Entire Cities – drunken kegger alt-country band from downtown Toronto. Grab a stubby and get stompin’
