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EVENTS

Metal Queen Management Music Fest 2008 Top Left - head draw for the event, Fidget, Top Right - headliner Exciter, Bottom Left - head cases, Bobnoxious, Bottom Right - head Metal Queen, chief and bottle washer, Betty MQM's 2008 Phoenix Concert Theatre rocked hard for the house-party size crowd that paid their $25 in advance, $30 at the door afternoon and evening of big-hair sound. The line up was pop-punk to death metal to straight ahead De Lorean ride back to 1985 Heavy Metal, to afro-world beat. I am not a metal guy but I appreciate that these weren't light-weight music talents. Several of you have commented on how I poked fun at Montreal's Psychotic 4 by panning them in print; they took it pretty well, so I invited them into our studio to have a few laughs, rock out and celebrate the music to which they have devoted their life. Many an IndieCan insider (male and female) own hair spray and apply it with pride so I don't get away with any "more sophisticated than thou" elitist crap around here. I don't go to enough of these types of shows to know if there is demand for this music. The bands I know, Bobnoxious and Fidget generally draw a crowd, but said crowd all know they can wait a couple of weeks and see them somewhere else for $7. I assume that being at The Phoenix means there was some expectation of a larger crowd. I think like the beer commercial goes, people who like metal, like it a lot and "those" people, if they were here, they would have liked it. We got some great photos. We had a good time. I can only assume the event was a bust but I don't pretend to know why. Performances were top-rate, the look and talent was there, and what a cool poster! Taking it on the chin and wallet in the same day isn't fun for anyone who works hard to create opportunity in the music business. I don't know what the winning formula is. Let's blame all the "May Be Attending" RSVPs from FaceBook that couldn't get the $30 together. But seriously, it looks to me like Metal Queen Management is only one or two slight adjustments from drop D-Shangri-La. I hope they keep at it. Their cold-blooded satin-worshiping hearts are in the right place.  SEE MORE OF WHAT YOU MISSED   Hillside's 25 Summer Music Festival Gueph, July 25-27, 2008 What makes Hillside Music Festival one-of-a-kind on planet earth? Let's start with their "mission statement": To create and present music-focused events and projects within a non-commercial, environmentally responsible framework while engaging a diverse multi-generational community and volunteer base. The 5000 tickets for people permitted on the island are, in recent years, sold out, well before the line up of artists is fully announced. Many Hillsiders are seasoned veterans and they just trust Sam Bajal, Artistic Director and the rest of Team-Hillside to deliver a high-quality weekend of events and music. There is camping, there are workshops, family activities, 1000 volunteers, HILLSIDE PHOTO GALLERIES Random Gallery I including Broken Social Scene, Spiral Beach, Sun Stage workshops, Bell Orchestre and more Random Gallery II, people watching, back stage, fans, exhibitors, artists and IndieCan folks being goofy Friday Night as seen by Gayle, Hawksley Workman, The Abrams Brothers, The Cowboy Junkies, Drums, drums, drums Saturday as seen by Gayle, Bourbon Tabernacle Choir, Spiral Beach, Po Girls, The Sadies and more... Sunday as seen by Gayle,  The Acorn, Kids doing Kids Stuff, Chocolate, Hayden and more... Main Stage as seen by Wendy, Elliott Brood, The Sadies, Sue Foley, Hayden and more... Lake Stage as seen by Wendy, Mr. Something Something,  The Akron Family, Rae Spoon, Justin Rutledge, Jenn Grant + + Island Stage as seen by Wendy, The Acorn, Plants and Animals, Mandibles, Spiral Beach, The Sunday Gospel Hour and more...    Four stages going constantly for most of the day. Several of this years' performers were last years volunteers. Airick Woodhead of Spiral Beach has "been going to music festivals since he was 2 weeks old but Hillside is special. Rolf Klausener of The Acorn said to the packed Island Stage audience that he has many time been out there dreaming of being on that stage. He also said to his Hillside volunteer friends that he'll see them again next year at the late night drum circle in volunteer village. Broken Social Scene who closed the show took the time to say that they travel to festivals all over the world and there is nothing just like Hillside anywhere. Artists are rarely spending their entire weekend camped out in the hotel or sitting back stage, schmoozing with industry. They are in the audience, being music fans for a good part of the weekend and chatting with the patrons, fan to fan. Workshops are one of the idiosyncrasies of Hillside where artists for different acts are put on a stage together with little direction other than to entertain the audience. Fans are treated to once-in-a-life time musical experience, not likely to be repeated. On the Sun Stage Saturday, David Woodhead, Danny Michel, blues artist Sue Foley and Land of Talk's Lizzy Powell were cast on to the stage together and fans were the first to hear the latest on Sue Foley's book on women and guitar, they got to see Danny Michel, covering Peter Gabriel and improvised Pong and Asteroid sounds to David's bass playing - all part of an impromptu 80's music debate, while Liz and Sue traded guitar leads. Good Brothers, Roxanne Potvin and Jason Colett Sunday morning, followed by Bell Orchestre (Arcade Fire and friends),   Plants and Animals, Culture Rejects, The Acorn, Mandibles and more on the Island Stage. While on the Lake Stage, The Akron Family, Burning Hell and an unplanned IndieCan Joe on percussion and back ground vocals, Jenn Grant and unbilled friends (hear Jenn and Kinley on Episode 95 of IndieCan Radio), Justin KIDS KORNER IndieCan's Little Drummer Girl, Jazmine Hurmuses reports on Hillside from her own vantage point of the Rainbow Stage and the rest of the kids area, kite flying, music, swimming and more fun than grown ups could know. Full Youth Reporter report, pictures and such RIGHT HERE Rutledge. who finished his set by dismissing his band and climbing up onto a picnic table in the middle of the audience and shouting out the words for the audience to sing along  - which they did with great enthusiasm and it all ended on the Lake Stage with The Sadies and Po' Girl doing originals and Johnny Cash Sunday night. Twenty five years of Hillside represents an entire generation and this year we celebrated two-generation families as did organizers. Margaret and Bruce Good (The Good Brothers) gave birth to two of The Sadies (pictured below) and throughout the weekend these two acts performed separately and together. Hey Gayle, thanks for introducing me to Margaret, what a celebrated career she has had and it looks like she has left a noble legacy. IndieCan will talk to Margaret Good about her musical life for a show coming to you soon. David Woodhead not only has he given Canada and the world his contribution to 150 records as a performer, engineer and producer, he is father to one half of Spiral Beach, brothers Airick and Daniel. David not only performed solo and a la workshop, he was Hillsiding as a fan right to the end, delighting in sharing his artsy photos of Broken Social Scene that he was taking from back stage. Another Gayle Hurmuses introduction, Derek Andrews, Executive Director or The Guelph Jazz Festival, talked to us about a new World Music conference that will kick off in the fall of 2009 in Toronto. We'll be sharing that interview with you on an upcoming IndieCan Radio show. IndieCan Radio will be featuring some Hillside on Episode 94 and 95 and more commentary will be coming soon. Listen to 94 now if you like. Jenn Grant will be live at IndieCan for 95 along with artist and organizer interviews. Radio page for more....   July 3rd to 13th 2008 is the real Nations Capital Marathon for music fans. BluesfestOttawa brings 300,000 music fans and about $22 Mil which may make this music festival only second to Government spending as a stimulant to the City of Ottawa. This is one of North America's biggest music festivals and don't let the name "Blues" fool you. The true-blue were here to play like Johnny Winter, but welcome Snoop Dog and Don Maclean to the main stage as well. For this assignment, IndieCan goes with a veteran and goes commando - no greasing palms or all-access gala life, Jenn Martin greace the elbows and intertwined with her wrist-band peers to bring the 'real' fan's perspective: The 2008 Ottawa Bluesfest just wrapped up from a whirlwind eleven days jam packed with stellar music for every interest, tasty eats, gorgeous weather (mostly), and an overall great vibe. This year marked the 15th anniversary of the festival and the line up of acts kept me stage hopping constantly. So much to see, hear and experience I wanted to split myself in seven pieces - one for each stage, and one for food and socializing. I did my best to take in as much as humanly possible, by careful co-ordination of the start times for each performer and some fancy manoeuvring, I even found time to grab some good grub before having to run again. I love the variety of food options Bluesfest always offers and try as much as possible, but have a hard time not having the same meal a few times once I've found my favourites - hence the case with the Pad Thai and Indian butter chicken with rice. For quick cheap munchies, there were samosas, Jamaican patties, pizza and the like, but the doughnuts and caramel corn were sinful treats as well as the ice cream that was always so convenient along the pathways. There were plenty of choices to keep my stamina up for sure. When all was said and done I managed to catch 113 acts at the festival that I was able to listen to and photograph, and another ten or so I only got there in enough time to catch the end of their last song. Other than some futile crowd surfing attempts that were quickly thwarted by security, every crowd I was a part of was polite, controlled and very accommodating in my pursuit of great photos from the front of the stage, no matter what time during the set I was squeezing in. The few less than pleasant responses surprisingly came from people in an older age bracket, which was contrary to what I was expecting. Akon's set was outstandingly intense with the younger audience crammed in tighter than sardines, jumping, bouncing and swaying to his beats as a unified crowd, but was assisted on my journey to the front with nothing but smiles and a few followers who figured they'd tag along behind me because they knew where I was headed with my camera in hand... Top: Elliott Brood, Guitar Shorty, Fergie Bottom: Great Big Sea, Don MacLean, Stars   With so much seen (with as wide musical interests as myself), it's hard to pick just one favourite, or even ten for that matter. I thoroughly enjoyed everything I saw from the local indie acts right up to the big name performers, with the exception of Brian Wilson only for the fact that he appeared little more than comatose. There are so many that stood out in each genre, where to begin? I'm a blues girl at heart so I'll start there…I took in some amazing blues greats with Keb' Mo', The Blind Boys of Alabama, Boz Scaggs, Bernard Allison, and Taj Mahal. Guitar Shorty and Otis Taylor got up close and personal with their audience involvement by disappearing off stage and re-appearing in the thick of the crowds. The Wailers stole the show the first Sunday drawing a larger crowd than I think any of the planners were expecting, and while Johnny Winter is a fraction of his former self, laid down some licks on axe like only he could, and managed to give The Wailers some fierce competition. Despite the humidity, I got covered by goose bumps from the power of Shakura S'Aida's voice; and Lucinda Williams, Shelby Lynne, Bettye Lavette, Kathleen Edwards, Becky Abbott, Amanda Reahume, Jully Black, Feist, Fergie, Joan Armatrading, and Donna Summer all owned the stage adding some dynamic, estrogen fuelled performances. There were so many entertaining acts - I rawked out with The Plain White T's, Wintersleep, Weatherthans, Tokyo Police Club, Metric, Primus, Three Days Grace, Matt Mays and El Torpedo, Matthew Good, Sam Roberts, The Tragically Hip, Zappa Plays Zappa, and The Black Crowes. I danced my heart out to Elliot Brood, United Steel Workers of Montreal, Balkan Beat Box, Mr Something Something, Eli Paperboy Reed, and JJ Grey & Mofro - where my friend and I claimed a space for bustin' some moves. I got my fix of harmonica for the next little while; it appeared randomly in some sets, but I needed more, so made sure to see Jason Ricci and Steve Marriner, which although different styles, I'm mesmerized by the sound of harp. Michael Franti put on a great performance and had the whole audience feeling fellowship and love while singing along with Hey World and Say Hey. Great Big Sea definitely had tremendous sized kitchen party and satisfied my taste for down home Celtic music. What else? There was Steely Dan, Don MacLean, Stars, Widespread Panic, James Taylor, The Cooper Brothers, Canned Heat, Wyclef Jean, Snoop Dogg - the list goes on and on, something for every taste, even some gospel shows on the second last day to make up for hedonistic Bluesfest living leading up to that point. Then, if a full day or evening at the very least wasn't enough music to experience, there were the after parties held at Ottawa's Legendary Rainbow Bistro, which featured some of the Bluesfest artists - but for a longer performance to enjoy. This was my time to put the camera down and tear up the dance floor! I had to catch Jason Ricci again, and grooved to MonkeyJunk, Lil' Dave Thompson, and The Bluesrunners although some of my die hard friends made it there every night. All in all, a terrific Bluesfest experience which I like many others are going through withdrawal from now, and the only regret is that I didn't pitch a tent down by the river to be able to see absolutely everything and still get some sleep. Ah well, it's an idea for next year. See What Jenn Martin saw: FIRST 117 PICS  The Toronto Pride Stage was host To Hunter Valentine, Jully Black and Shitt Hottt from T.Dot, Saskatchewan's Jeffery Straker and Montreal's Mad June to name a few. Hear from Pride artist's as part of Episode 91 of INDIECAN Radio  Toronto Pride Fans Welcome Melanie C (no relation to our own Joe C despite the name sake). Melanie C was finishing up her Canadian tour . Soon we'll have more artists and Jenn and Wendy's "photo-journalism" of what over 1 Million flocked down town to see; the 2008 Toronto PRIDE Parade unabashed and in all it's glory. Jenn's musical coverage includes Mad June, Jeffery Straker and more  HERE Wendy's musical coverage includes Shitt Hottt, Jully Black and more  HERE Pride Parade Part I  HERE    Pride Parade Part II  HERE North By North East, June 2008 in Toronto Hearing all about NXNE on IndieCan Radio: Episode 91, Vancouver's THE PAINTED BIRDS live at IndieCan Episode 90 God Made Me Funky, Public, Hello Beautiful, The Pack AD Episode 89 Dan Mangan "live at IndieCan" Said The Whale, Rebekah Higgs, The Blood Lines, Carole Pope, Episode 86, Julie Doiron, Ember Swift, Tin Bangs, Mad Staring Eyes North by Northeast 14 struck Toronto June 12-15, 2008. For four days 100,000 frolicked in the humidity and rain to be entertained by some of the worlds best emerging artists and some legends in music. Five hundred erformers on stages at 40 of the city’s coolest clubs + in store performances, park performances, B.B.Q performances and random jams in The Holiday Inn and Toronto speak-easys. The Film Festival screened the year’s best music-related cinema. The Conference brought music celebs to Toronto for in-depth interview sessions in hope of the future of the music business revealing itself to us.        Above: Mad Staring Eyes, U.K. Dundas Square, Galaxie Rising Star winner, Major Maker, The Conference Picture Gallery from Jenn Martin Random Picture Gallery on NXNE 2008 IndieCan Wendy Thursday IndieCan Gayle Gallery Thursday IndieCan Gayle Gallery Friday IndieCan Gayle Gallery Saturday Getting Wet For North By Northeast And so it begins: Who didn't get wet if you were doing the club-to-club NXNE routine this week? IndieCan has a broad collection of Alice Cooper - wet T-shirt contest pics of delegates and wrist-band holders but we'll spare the innocent. We remember the great-white north of CMW 2008 and for North By, Mr. Weatherman (Rebekah Higgs reference) had to get into the act again with lightning and torrential rain. Wednesday night kicks off the summer festival at Palais Royale with a media and insider starting gun for schmooze-a-thon 2008. Fun enough I suppose - no rain anyway; caught us with a few conversations on our "things to do" list. Enough of that; on to the music.... (continued) above: Hello Beautiful (top left) Rock 'n' Roll on the Road Saunders/Pope (top right), Pontificating on the future 101 (bottom left), How many Larua Barrett appearances were there? (bottom right) above: Fox Jaw, Tina Lina, Dave Acari, Blood Lines Vancouver's Hey Ocean was at The Riv with Jon and Roy of Victoria so I thought IndieCan kicked off the Left-coast slanted festival there. Jon and Roy is a two-some with a mandolin and bass playing side-kick that helps out with a few tunes. Is there now a White-Stripes-genre? I know there was Death From Above before hand and maybe others I am omitting. From Folk to Garage-punk, a few that I know are Jon and Roy, Julie Doiron and Dick Morello which, depending on who's behind the kit might be called Dou or Blue Heeler, Halifax's The Superfantastics - a pop duo, and Vancouver's The Pack AD, Becky Black (Guitar/Vox) and Maya Miller (Drums) with their 70's jam-band sound. It really makes sense as a traveling band. Two bands - one van, limited backline - very practical. Anyway, Jon and Roy are compelling and a packed house loved them. Hey Ocean is a band I learned about on my first trip to Vancouver to record our podcast - the first ever "Vancouver Indie Scene." Here's the chronology - NXNE 2006 I meet Dan Mangan who say's "I wish we had something like this (IndieCan) in Van, man." I say, "Oh really - just how much do you wish you had something like this in Vancouver?" "Lots" he replies. "OK," I say, "Find me someone who will put me up in a studio to do an interview or two and record a band live off the floor. I'll fly out, and we'll get it started and then the music community in Van can keep it going." That's how episodes 20 and 21 came to be. The Flairs were the first Van-band we recorded in Toronto and guitarist Ginger Flair was to co-host and set up a lively band for us to record. Our first ever Toronto Indie Scene show had industry insider Moe Berg (Indie Hall of Fame, author, Pursuit of Happiness, producer) and to kick off Vancouver I wanted 54-40's Neil Osborne. So I called then True North publicist, Sue McCallum and she got me the interview and some 54-40 tickets at the Commodore Ballroom. I toured local haunts like the Roxy and Backstage and made contact with some myspace friends and I had amassed a good collection of CDs. Tom Dobrzanski keyboard player for Lotus Child engineered our show(s) out of his studio Vertical Studio and I asked him if he had any CDs hanging around. Hey Ocean had been in his studio and this song "Eskimo Kisses" ended up on one of those first Van-shows. So, this was my first time to see them live and I liked it so much I decided to have them in studio for a "live at IndieCan" session - coming soon. Choclair came up and jammed out a tune with the band. I think we appears on their latest record. Hey Ocean deserves to be a buzz-band - no soft spots in terms of singing or musicianship. A good attitude and some strong songs are going to take them a long way. There isn't much of a thought out performance, but they are a good looking 3-guy, one gal troop with good hair - maybe that's enough. If it's all about the song, no problem. I loved the show. If they want to reach out for what is cheaply bandied around here as "the next level," Hey Ocean songs scream out to be delivered in an animated and creative way. I would love to see what Tom Jackson could do with this band. Anyway, it's worth the money - go see them. A Goldie Locks tale of Venue mis-matches at NXNE - this one is too big, this one is too small, this one is just right! Pictured Above is 1/2 of the 2008 Town Hall Learned panellists. This event is a think-tank of the hottest and sharpest North-By-Delegates. Alexisonfire's George Pettit moderated. Allison Outhit, Exclaim!, Jenna Miles, Punkradiocast.com, Gord Lewis, Teenage Head, Mope Dean , Promoter, Nanci Malek, Publicist, Sid McCain, EMI Music, Steve Jordan, Polaris Music Award, Eric Alper, Koch Entertainment, Shauna deCartier, Six Shooter Records, Chris Budd, Indiemusicfilter.com, Alan Cross, Edge 102.1, Cam Carpenter, Cool Planet Entertainment, Brian Hetherman, Curve Music, Bob Harris, BBC Radio 2, Damian Abraham, Fucked Up, Jay Malinowski, Bedouin Soundclash, Joel Carriere, Bedlam, Grant Lawrence, CBC Radio, David O'Coy, Fused Magazine, Kevin Wierzbicki, Rocknworld.com, Evelyn McDonnell, Freelance Writer, Jason Scott Buhrmester, Inked Magazine, Michael Mollura, Music Collection Magazine, Caspar Llewellyn-Smith, Observer Music Monthly, Ben Conoley, Punknews.org, Melissa Auf Der Maur, Artist, Chris Stevenson, Soundproof Magazine Last year it was standing-room only for the marathon of much wisdom which was held at Much Music studios, walking distance from the conference Hotel, Holiday Inn on King. This year it was CTV's turn to host and it was held at the beautiful Masonic Temple on Yonge and Davenport. There were barely more audience members than panellists. And get this - there was free food! Even "feed them and they will come" is no defence against Location, Location, Location. The information was great. For those who attended it was informative and more personal than ever. It's like having a panellist for every 1.5 attendees. The questions were good. Maybe it's better to inspire one than entertain 10,000 but you can't escape the fact that this event was a bust. Another case of misplaced crowd planning was the Thursday night Rough Trade, Hidden Cameras and Ember Swift Show. IndieCan touched on that on our index page, but more people deserved to see this show and the performers, for the first-class show they put on, deserved the buzz of a sell-out. For all the line-ups around the Horseshoe Tavern and the bust which was NXNE at The Phoenix this year, it begs the question - if the Horseshoe line-up and Phoenix line-ups been reversed, what would the outcome be? Who if anyone is to blame for left waiting in the rain Horseshoe crowds and the house party-size crowds at The Phoenix this year. 200 fit in The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern. 1,000 fit in The Phoenix. Things that make you go…. Hmmmmnn. The other odd-ball was Kathedral and Holy Joe's of the corner of Bathurst and Queen. The crowd at The Reverb on the second floor always seemed just right. First floor Kathedral was almost like a Bingo hall right after no-smoking legislation hits town and Holy Joe's on the third floor was sometimes so packed I couldn't see who was performing. Lost opportunities for sure - but I am glad it isn't my job. HELLO FROM JOE @ NORTH BY : This year's greatest accomplishment: In one day (Friday) I was able to record three great Vancouver acts without so much as spending a single carbon tip-toe on planet earth. Dan Mangan, The Painted Birds and Hey Ocean will all be "live at IndieCan" soon. This years greatest find: The Pack AD and Said The Whale from Vancouver and Hidden Cameras (it's true - I am the only known Canadian indie fan who has never seen The Hidden Cameras... I have made my amends). My favourite bands to share with listeners and friends: Mad Staring Eyes, The Brown Hornets, Black Mountain Bay (Krief), God Made Me Funky, The Painted Birds, Hey Ocean, Dan Mangan, Hello Beautiful, Public, Tin Bangs, The Stand, Big Rude Jake, Modern Boys Modern Girls, The Cockroaches. Best music advice all weekend: I was at the Town Hall and I found a few gems of information. I was at several panels - some fair, some pointless. Too often I see a treasure-chest of expertise assembled and the wisdom they could share is high-jacked by the panel topic - something to do with pontificating about what the future might be or should be. I can get that from a bar tender or cab driver with the same blind-dart-throw chance of accuracy. For my money, when we assemble 50 to 100 years of collective experience together, lets get them talking about what they know - not what they think or speculate. I will take real life examples over "what if" scenarios any day. Especially if I am getting up before noon, after going to bed at 8 AM. So the best career-building advice came from another left-coast new friend, Adaline. She was telling me that if she is going to panels to network and wants to make an impression with a particular industry personality, she contacts them ahead of time to introduce herself, let them know that she will be attending their presentation and invite them and she may invite them out for coffee afterwards. This sets her apart from all the others that just show up and push a business card or CD in their face afterwards. Profound, and simple - I wonder if that was a carefully protected competitive advantage. Oh well, Adaline, if I have just given away your dearest secret, my replacement advice is show caution to whom you chat with at illegal booze cans at 6:00 AM during music festivals. See More GOD MADE ME FUNKY form Episode 9o of IndieCan Radio

OH CANADA - Canadian Music Week  March 5 - 8 2008 Galleries, commentary and details below. Jeff Healey Remembered right here

NEWLY ADDED FROM CMW 2008: photos: Wendy L Rombough See the Indies Awards Performances Part I  Indies Awards Performance Part II Check on Andre Skinners picks this year on the Reviews Page by clicking here! HEY ROSETTA! are part of an "XM THE VERGE CHANNEL52" live to air fromThe Gibson Show Room at CMW 2008. Hey Rosetta is one of the feature CMW artists featured on our CMW Review Show (Episode 75) on our Radio Page. See it all, feel it all (Hey Rosetta pics) THURSDAY @ THE SAVANNAH ROOM was one of the hidden treasures of CMW. A full house packed the murderrecords showcase at THE SUPERMARKET around the corner, and why not. CBC had a good crowd at the Montreal artists showcase around the other corner at The ELMO and TATTOO ROCK PARLOUR had people lined up waiting to get in for Grady and the rest of The Agency showcase. But it was a modest but appreciative crowd that found thier way passed the manding and manic crowds and into the Savannah Room for what a five-star showcase of talent: Ruut from Baltimore, The Good Lovlies from Toronto-East, Kyrie Kritmanson from Ottawa/Regina, The Ease Down from Monteal and Halifax's Down With The Butterfly. Spend some time with these artists and you'll see what I mean -- If you weren't there, you missed something. As the snow was swirling around the streets of Toronto, a little magic was swirling around this little nook and cranny of College/Spadina. See Pictures Here - Enjoy! photos: Wendy L Rombough   Harvard Broadcasting and X992.9 presented ALBERTA Exposed! Thursday at The Silver Dollar. Secret Broadcast, Jane Vain & The Dark Matter, The Rocky Fortune and Hot Little Rocket performed. OH, Alberta - IndieCan was there for Secret Broadcast and The Rocky Fortune - Feast you eyes - See it all here!  photos: Wendy L Rombough   Jeff Leake, XM Satellite Radio hosts The Indies Suzie McNeil - Favorite Pop Artist or Group Neverending White Lights win Favorite Rock Group Saturday March 8th: XM Satellite's Leake and Kelowna held court at the Royal York for the annual Indies Award Gala (Click to see). To give more people a chance to see this glorious event Neill Dixon's CMW team moved the event from the traditional time of Wednesday night to Saturday which did see the biggest audience in history Also, moving the event to The Canadian Room in The Royal York Hotel turned out to be an inspired move seeing as this was the stormiest CMW ever. A trip to The Docks would have been a test for all of us. Hall of Fame Inductees for 2008 were Ron Hawkins, Spephen Stanley, David Alexander, Lawrence Nichols and Dylan Parker; who make up THE LOWEST OF THE LOW, a 90's alternative band that morphed from the previous moniker, Popular Front. The first record, "Shakespeare My Butt" came out in 1991, which held the title of best-selling indie release in Canadian History to that point. Three more records would follow in 1994, 2001 and 2004. There was at least one break-up and reunion. I was fortunate to be at the last ever Queen Street West show in history, December 4, 2007 at The Horseshoe Tavern (many thanks to IndieCan's Gayle Hurmuses for bringing me out). Queen West was where it all began and in November 2007 the announcement came that Lowest of The Low would be no more. Congrats on your induction, boys. Photos below courtesy John Frazer - jawnyef@vif.com More Indie Awards Pics by John Frazer    More Indie Pics  Gallery I    Gallery II   One of the shows that some got turned away from was the Murder Records Showcase at the Supermarket which closed with Sloan. SEE IT Friday March 7th: Finding new music, new friends, taking Canadian winter in stride is all part of the CMW experience. Suffering through the "I want to be here and here and here all at the same time syndrome" is something that even self-awareness is no cure for because Canadian Music Week is so deep in great music. The great thing is it's hard to get it completely wrong. North, South, East, West - any direction you take in Toronto this week leads to great 2O hour day of education and entertainment. Sleep would have to come later.     Left to right above, XM's Kelona hosts "Live from The Gibson Show Room" ,  Dale Russell of The Student's Alliance of Student Songwriters talks to Tom of Lotus Child at the Reverb during the BC Music-Georgia Straight showcase.,   Vesta Varro record for an upcoming "live at IndieCan" session ,   Hey Rosetta are two timers Friday Night as the played the XM showcase and then again at The Legendary Horseshoe. Thursday March 6th: Music fans waited in line to get into the at-capacity Tattoo Bar to see Grady finish the night strong. This encore performance even had the arms-crossed industry types hooting and hollering like kids at an amusement park. Big Sugar was remembered in home-town Toronto with a raunchy rendition of "Digging a Hole." Our own voice of Ottawa Indie Scene, Woodstock who was with the band at the Barrymore's show in the nations capital two days earlier was heartbroken to know the improved "Spirit of Radio" breakdown by Rush wasn't actually a tribute to her, but was part of the bands set. Disappointed that she'd been duped, Woody is still pleased to report that Grady will be live at IndieCan later this spring. Around the corner in Kensington at The Supermarket The Murder Records showcase had a capacity crowd loving every minute of it. Sloan closed the night in Kensington and shared some new tunes to what will be the 9th Sloan studio album (Click for pics above). Sloan pics are coming soon. IndieCan also took in The Montreal showcase at The Elmo, Down With The Butterfly, Kyrie Kristmanson, The SuperfantaThe Ease Down, Good Lovlies and a whole lot more. We'll have more coverage coming soon. FOR MORE GRADY PICS: CLICK HERE photos Wendy L Rombough

Wednesday March 5th: While Industry talked about the Millennial's ( the "demographic" born between 1982 and 2002), considering why they aren't called the "Y" Generation anymore and what gadget Millys use (Can I use "Millys?" It's just a matter of time before it gets a nick name. How do we like Millys?) and what young folk want and how to sell it to them and what rotfl means, and why this generation feels they are so special, the rest of us had a quick laugh and got ready to ROCK. And so, the CMW gets off to its start as opening-nighters pose for CMW crowds. Audience in State of Shock as lead singer Cam Melnyk shares an intimate moment with his own camera man and his own camera man alone. While Geriatric-Rock was the order of the day at The Guvernment with Ace Freely doing his "this is how it was done in the '70's" thing; at the Mod Club Theatre, at least the Millennial's were invited to perform on stage. State of Shock, Three Star Seed and Bleeker Ridge got CMW rolling - for those of us who aren't Kiss Army retirees. State of Shock handlers kept the band away from our microphones and questions so we will leave you with the colourful poetry offered by the bands committee-of-expert- bio writers: "What is it about the West Coast? Could it be the water that flows from the snow pack on the North Shore Mountains? Perhaps it’s the fresh breeze off the Pacific or the herbs that grow in the lush forests surrounding the Lower Mainland. Whatever it is it’s true to say that the 604 area code has produced some of the most successful rock acts in recent, or even ancient, memory. BTO, Loverboy, Trooper, Bryan Adams, Default, Theory of a Deadman & Nickleback come to mind without any effort or research. Well another name is about to be added to that list, State Of Shock." Alright then, maybe the band couldn't have represented themselves in a more heart-felt way than this, the prose of pros but I think you know I wouldn't have shoveled this crap your way if I had any alternative. I mean what was that about "...perhaps it's the fresh breeze off the Pacific or the herbs that grow in the lush forest." Geeez - what herbs have these copy writers been smoking? Interestingly enough, look at all the 70's and 80's references. The authour spent more time likening SOS to their parent's record collection than this bands contemporaries. I guess it's not the the Mellenials running these majors or psudo-indie labels. I mean name me one person under the age of 25 who would compare a band to Trooper or Brian Adams that wasn't making fun of them? Sounds to me like the old guard baby boomers (and isn't that generational name tag starting to sound just a little bit creepy?) are still guiding their ships with sleepy fond memories of the sea of money they use to make off those 70's and 80's bands. I will say this about the bands handlers - the bands hair was perfect. I did meet SOS band mates in the Gibson Lounge and they are likeable and personable every day artists that, given a chance, you couldn't help but want to help them along in their career. Why they made this corporate packaged sell out, I don't know. I thought they made their own case without it. If they all have cars and houses paid for, I take it all back and I will pay money to go to their seminar on " how to make it in the music biz." But if they aren't quite there yet, I would have to ask them what it is costing them to have these words put in their mouth to represent them.  More CMW details Right Here

photos Wendy L Rombough

Xavier Rudd's rig, Paul Murphy of Wintersleep is a guest on Episode 72 of IndieCan Radio. Above - Wayne from Cuff The Duke, Roxanne Potvin and Bocce. More Pictures from the Main Stage. Behind the scens at Hillside Inside

COCA 2007 - WINDSOR  Click for more PICs from Windsor Hear COCA host Megan Carbone talking to IndieCan (epidsode 63) Hear some of the featured bands on IndieCan Radio (episode 61) November 1st to 3rd 2007 Windsor Ontario was the "Border City Rocks" home to COCA (Canadain Orgization of Campus Activities) regional conference. Meghan Carbone of U or Windsor Students' Alliance hosted the conference with help from committee members including others from Universtiy of Windsor as well as Mowhawk and Algonquin Colleges and McMaster University. Campus delegates attended ed-sessions by day and sampled a strong short-list of entertainers by night that included , singer/songwriters, bands, comedians and some circus guy who drove nakes and stapes into his head - Yes, campus life doesn't get any better than this. The Mission District from Montreal were part of the Friday night line up at the Roxy. Saturday at the Chubby Pickle featured a number of acts including Cort Delano form Calgary. Toronto and southern-Onatario were also well represented including local bands Inoke Errati and Mic Lords & Sauce Funky. See it all here. Click on the shows to the right for more.

IndieCan Report for Halifax POP Exposion

Still groggy from the 16 to 20 hour days at Indie Week in Toronto (See commentary below), Doug and I geared up for the 20 hour drive to Halifax for the 15th anniversary of Halifax POP Explosion. I would later learn at a panel on the festival history that over a decade and a half this rose has been "by another name" and cancelled one year. There has never been a single staff member for HPX which I would think makes serving as a director more of a "tour of duty" than any free lunch. But anyway, I get away from myself, as far as this story goes, I am not there yet.

On the eve of IndieWeek back in T.Dot, Doug and I watched the sun come up as we put the final touches on Episode 59 of IndieCan Radio. As many of you may well know now, Andre, my original co-host is back in the saddle and he was on deck to retrofit Episode 60 while I was in Halifax. I got this web site as up to date as I could, put up some galleries of The Toronto Independent Music Awards and Indie Week and picked through my cleanest dirty cloths, we double checked camera and recording equipment and off we went. 2,000 km away, accommodations in Halifax awaited us, compliments of Down with the Butterfly guitarist Kris Pope and drummer Jason Burns.

After a pit stop in Ottawa, Doug and I hit the road and around 2 AM hummed and

Check Out Picturs of Day 1 and Day at HPX including The Superfantastics, Besnard Lakes, I See Row Boats and more Check out Doug Graham's Images of HPX including Pride Tiger, USWM and more Give me the GRAND FINALE including Eric's Trip, Mother Mother, Miricle Fortress and more

hawed over getting a cheap room or another XL Coffee and push on through. Coffee it was - it seemed almost too easy with two drivers. The words to my own song "Toronto to Miami" came to mind as the sun rose: "As sleepy night gives way to early light/ That's the 'heart-break hill' of marathon driving/ Highway lines swerve, focus blurs as all five senses are colliding/ Exhaustion drowns, I roll the window down/ Oooh the sweet slap of fresh air/ I've crossed five state lines and it dawns on me/ Hey, there's no more snow out there…" 8 AM found us at Halifax's out-skirts and I was astonished to learn they have rush hour on the east coast. I was having none of that - we side-tracked to Peggy's Cove where I treated Douglas to one of Nova Scotia's treasures. 40 pictures each, a deep breath of ocean air and back to Halifax. I needed breakfast, Doug needed a nap, and I was waiting for a reasonable hour to call Matt Charlton who had arranged media passes for Doug, me and a reporter to be recruited later. My itinerary was a few numbers written on the back of a receipt which seemed to make Doug even more nervous than when I was driving with my knees at 140 km/h, talking on a phone and looking for a new CD. I found the Hotel, got registered, found some internet connectivity and got a note from Kris about where I could find a key to get into his place. Nap time.

Tuesday night: Before I get started I want to say that what I cover isn't intended to be "the best of" it's just what I got to for what ever reason. Tuesday's game plan was to settle a debt. Back in Toronto a few weeks earlier I was interviewing Julie Doiron at the Polaris Music Award Gala (Click on REVIEWS page for more on Polaris or RADIO to hear Julie Doiron on Episode 58) and she was quite enthusiastic about her pending Blue Heeler tour with Halifax's The Superfantastics. There was a Toronto gig booked at The Boat in Kensington Market, I said I would endeavour to get out and see the show, turned out I was double or triple booked (not so unusual) and HPX was the last gig of Maritime-Stripes tour (that being my own "White Stripes" comparison to the minimalist guy on guitar, gal on the kit routine that was the Blue Heeler/ Superfantastics tour.

The Superfantastics play as Blue Heeler watch at HPX

Earlier in the evening I had been to the XM Satellite Radio New Music Stage at The Seahorse. Vennt I just don't pretend to get although the crowd was into it. Be Bad was a little more my style and I would like to hear a whole set of theirs but I did have what felt like a promise to keep at The Attic. Husband and Knife were finishing as I arrived. And a night of the Oedipus-Drum-ius began, with the aforementioned two bands and Toronto's Dana Snell closing the night as she would count out the beats for The Bicycles.

About this whole minimalist thing; when I first heard the White Strips I thought, "that's cool, I like it, but the main-stream will never buy into it." What I don't know about Pop Culture you can write a book on. Call it POP CULTURE. Remember I am the guy who watched ½ an episode of "Survivor" said, "This is a 'reality' as professional wrestling. No audience will allow themselves to have their intelligence insulted like this - reality TV won't last a second season!" I don't come by the nick-name "the king kong of dead wrong" for nothing. So I didn't see the White Stripes stardom coming at all. As for back to reality - October 16, neither Dick Montello and Julie Doiron (Blue Heeler) or Matthew MacDonald and Stephanie d'Entremont of The Superfantastics sound like The White Stripes, nor do they sound like each other. Both sets seemed to end too soon for me. There is a wit and fun in the song writing and a lack of pretentiousness (something we hold out as dear and noble in Toronto) in the performances. The future for this musical niche - I know enough not to make a prediction. I do hope it lasts long enough that I get to see this duo of duos again.

The Bicycles are the Pop-Pop of T.Dot. I saw them open for the Exclaim/Mint Records anniversary tour last summer which included the New Pornographers. I tend to like more edge, less smiling in my culture but I am here to report that the crowd peaked for the Bicycles set and they were totally into it. I confess that the sleepless night of driving the night before had me hankering for a walk home to funky North Halifax flat.

As Wednesday morning came shortly on the heels of Tuesday night, I found that articulating coherent sentences was a little out of my league for the time being. I spent the day finding the downtown library which, as I recall from my last trip to Halifax, was a reliable source for internet dependent folk like me. I got through a couple dozen of the list of 200 urgent things I need to do and that's not too bad. I had promised some "15 Years of HPX documentary producers that I would talk to them and I did. Not only was this a bad day to quit sniffing glue, but… well good luck editing something coherent from what I had to offer.

Evening draws near and I decide I wasn't going to spin my tires from venue to venue

I See Rowboats at the Marquee

so I parked my music whorin' ass at The Marquee Club for I See Rowboats, Laura Peek and The Winning Hearts and Montreal's The Besnard Lakes. I would have got off my ass to check out Hell's Kitchen but there was nothing going on there Wednesday. Just being at the Marquee was great. This room has some history and I can see why everyone bitches about the compromised sightlines from all the columns but I get by with less in a lot of our Toronto venues. What a night of music - just what my soul and ears needed. I See Rowboats was a clever blend of traditional roots music with alt/Rock transmission driving it. The musicianship of this quintet bordered on intimidating although I am quick to say that's my weary insecurities acting up. There's nothing about the East-coast music community that even wants to be intimidating. In fact this set foreshadowed the theme for the week as several of the bands friends jumped in to play choir - the theme of the week being that artists collaborate, communicate and celebrate each others music and achievements like no other music community I have come to know in Canada. Although I See Rowboats was only playing their 13th gig at HPX they were totally for real. Doug and I would later interview the band which we'll be bringing to you soon. But in the mean time, keep an eye out for this young band coming to a venue near you - go see them. Laura Peek, our host Kris had been bragging on you and you lived up to your hype. Doug and I both liked the "Three Dog Night" look that the band was sporting - go team Peace and Free Love.

The Besnard Lakes light up The Marquee Club

Jase of the Besnard Lakes told me that it feels like he barely remembers life before touring the CD, "The Besnard Lakes are the Dark Horse." which earned them a Polaris nomination. In fact, to tell you what kind of band these soldiers are, the night before the Polaris Award Gala they were at a gig in San Francisco. They flew in for their performance at the award ceremony and were back in Portland for their next tour stop the following night. They were in Toronto - in Canada - for less than 12 hours and back they went, three time-zones away. A couple of the band mates were suffering a wee bit of the grip. They tried to start a rumour about monkey bites which only amused the crowd. These guys (oh, and gal - sorry Olga) rocked the place silly and were called back for an encore. A fine way to treat guests with a cold, but I concur - Encore!

If you want to sneak a peek at the final chapter, IndieCan was at the sold out last night back at the Marquee Club which was live to air to CBC Radio 3 featured Vancouver's Pride Tiger and Mother, Mother. From Montreal, Land of Talk and Miracle Fortress and the 15th anniversary special finalized the night and the festival - Eric's Trip re-united for a ten show tour which finished October 20th at Halifax POP Explosion. Eric's Trip who's first cassette hit small patches of planet earth in 1990, found their way to early indie label Sub Pop Records and they enjoyed some world-wide notoriety. The band's demise was 1996 by some counts but rumours persist of performances and recordings up to and including 2001. Eric's Trip played the first ever Halifax POP Explosion, or what ever they called it then but it was in Halifax, it was a festival and it was 1993, a fond memory not lost on 2007 Executive Director Waye Mason or many of the HPX powers-that-be alumni. IndieCan was able to re-connect with Mother Mother (featured on Episode 50) and we were keen to hear about road stories since we had them live at IndieCan as part of the Hillside Music Festival near Guelph, Ontario. if you like. Episode 59 through 63 will be full of HPX highlights including interviews with Executive Director Waye Mason, the Besnard Lakes....

Gawk at Rock Pics now

 

Darryl Hurs of Indie Week photo: Wendy L Rombough

The 4th Annual Indie Week saw suspense building as we waited to see who this years big winners will be. Here's a quick look at some of what's gone on in the first days. CLICK ME FOR DAYS 1 & 2 CLICK ME FOR THURSDAY AND FRIDAY PICS

IndieCan congratulates Darryl Hurs and all the hard working volunteers as well as the sponsors who had the foresight to get behind this great event. To the bands that participated, IndieCan wishes you could have all won. We didn't see any soft spots in the showcase nights and we made some new friends and it was great to see some old friends recognized for the great artists they are. In the end there were two winners - one from the Elmo show Saturday night and one from The Horseshoe. Durham's Hello Beautiful and Limerick Ireland's Vesta Varro who both won prize packs worth $5,000 each. Shown here are Hello Beautiful, one of two winners of 2007 Indie Week - Ireland's Vesta Varro were the other winners. See what was included in the prize pack on the IndieWeek Prize Page. IndieCan would also like to recognize the other finalists for their outstanding performances and contribution to a great music festival. From Toronto, The Free Press, Eden Ants, Methodology, Bombay Doors, Trophy, Sons and Lovers and Breadfan. From

Guelph, Lifestory:Monologue, from Hamilton, Matthew de Zoete, from Ottawa, The Amanda Rheaume Band, Larry Babgy from California and Juxtaposse from Buffalo NY. As organizer Darryl Hurs says, "We want this to be an opportunity for every band to watch, listen and discover which we hope ever band feels they benefited from. Someone has to win and we try to create prizes that help give bands the next step in helping their career. What band doesn't need cash, recording time, equipment and publicity? If we can look back a few years from now and say, hey, we helped make a difference or we contributed in some way to a bands ultimate success, what ever that is for them, then that's what will be rewarding for me and the sponsors." INDIE WEEK is proving that the newest festival on the Toronto block won't settle for being the bronze medal winner to CMW and NXNE. IndieWeek is developing an indentity of it's own. More Pictures coming your way soon. Visit our Facebook and Myspace to have your say.

photos Wendy L Rombough

THE CANADIAN MUSIC CAFE at 2007 The Toronto International Film Festival

The Canadian Music Cafe - We bring it to you!	As part of The Toronto International Film Fest, Canadian music talent is showcased over three days
Tony Dekker of The Great Lake Swimmers talks to about his upcoming tour.	Day One at Music Cafe features The United Steel Workers of Montreal, Oh Susanna, Skye Sweetman, Chris Colepaugh and The Cosmic Crew + The Great Lake Swimmers

The Man who put the "EX" in XM Satellite Radio, Cam Carpenter announces he is leaving the project he helped launch.	Cris Tetter, organizer, talks to us on Episode 55 of IndieCan Radio
Day 2 of the Cafe features Jessica Rhaye, Lily Frost, DK Ibomeka, Jarvis Church and The St. Aliva Cartel Day 3 was Justin Rutlidge, Hunter Valentine, Simone Wilcox, Die Mannequin and The Cansecos	CLICK  for DAY 1 PICS CLICK  for DAY  2 PICS CLICK  for DAY  3 PICS

Episode 55 of IndieCan Radio will begin our coverage of The 2007 Music Cafe at TIFF with organizer Chris Tetter a preview of artists and Toronto's SAM HELL. Be sure to click and the hundreds of great pics, front-row-centre and back stage

THE AGELESS TIMELESS FESTIVAL OF MUSIC AND LIFE

What Hillside Music Festival regulars know if you're guaranteed quality in the music and a unique music watching and listening experience. How about being there for Emily Haines (Metric)'s last solo performance, plus seeing her up close and personal doing spoken word. How about Juno Award winner Ron Sexsmith taking the open stage Sunday night after you got to see him on the small stage in a songwriters circle and jamming out with Blackie and The Rodeo Kings and other feature musicians to "The Night They Drove ol' Dixie Down/" Why was Danielle Duval his favourite showcase. How about The Dears, Mother, Mother from Vancouver, Two Hours Traffic from P.E.I., Ohbijou, The Golden Dogs and dozens of other artists and spoken word artists from Canada and around the world. Hillside even has Juno award winning Emcees. Michael Wrycraft is an award winning CD designer who's work is on display at The Museum of Modern Art in NYC. We'll be talking to Michael in the weeks ahead. 

Mother Mother who was one of the Hillside fan favorites were "Live at IndieCan" guests of ours athe rural Escarpment Sound Studio. We look forward to bringing you that set and interview as part of Episode 50 which we will call THE HILLSIDE INDIE SCENE. Check out Music and More - an IndieCan pictorial trip that captures the whole experience at Hillside including the workshops, drum circles, vendors, the camping life, family life, on-stage, back-stage and in the crowd. Thank you Hillside for letting IndieCan be a part of it. "You can't be every where" and even with our team of four this years offering was so deep, we couldn't get all that we would have liked. To those artists we didn't get to, it's only because we hope to see you again soon.

HEAR ABOUT HILLSIDE: Check out Episode 49 of THE TRONTO INDIE SCENE

Joe's Hillside Pics: Click for Pics.

Gayle, a Hillside veteran captures the weekend experience in images. Click for Pics

WORLD BEAT: One of the many musically enriching experineces was to catch some of the weekend performances of Vieux Farka Toure and Jah Youssouf. Jah plays an African lute called the n'goni and Hillside was his first North American appearance. Singing songs in both French and his native African tongue, Youssouf was a favorite, both during his main stage showcase Satruday afternoon plus what seemed endless planned and impromptu trips to the stage to jam with Sam Turton, Eliza Gilkyson, Madagascar Slim, Ron Sexsmith, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings and so many others.

Vieux Farka Toure is son to Grammy winning Ali Farka Toure who as a farmer and guitar player, colaborated with Ry Cooder to create Talking Timbuktu, a 90's recording that I lent out for a Bruce Cockburn CD and I have never gotten back. I have my friend Mady Macdonald to thank for introducing me to both Hillside and Talking Timbuktu late last century. A debt that can never fairly be repaid. Vieux was part of the Sunday evening main stage which included Ron Sexsmith and Ani DiFranco. Man, is his music good for the soul. He also was part of "Gourds and Guitars" showcase with Jah Youssouf and you'll also find him showing up in many of our music workshop pictures. This music is medicine for psychic damage and the memories of these two men's music will be with the Hillside faithful for life.

THE INSIDE SCOOP FROM THE STREETS OF TORONTO: Here's another connect the dots for you. And no, this isn't an "it's all about Toronto" commentary, it just takes the peaceful confindes of somewhere like Hillside to get some of the great scoops. Sebastien Grainger (drummer for Death From Above 1979) owns Giant Studios with Metric's Jimmy Shaw. Don't worry, I'll work that fact into this story. Not long after DFA 1979's Jesse Keeler and Sebastien parted ways, Sebastien Grainger et Les Montagnes was born.

I first saw this act at NXNE as part of the CBC Radio 3 - SIRIUS Satellite showcase and I really loved it. In talking to Sebastien back stage, I mentioned how I liked the show and how surprised I was that other writers seemed who were DFA 1979 fans seemed like they were longing for more of the same. "Oh" quipped Sebastien with what seemed to be an un-trusting glance at the business card I gave him, "I really don't read anything people write about me unless a friend drops it in front of me." No way - I wonder how he resists Googling himself at least every once in a while. Friends Leon Taheny (Germans) and Nick Sewell (Illuminati) are the afore mentioned "mountains" that make up the rest of the band. Like a tired cliché I couldn't help but asking, "So, when can we expect the new recording to be finished?" "Finished? How about started - Metric is still in our studio. They should be finishing up this month and then I could get started. Maybe this winter, maybe the spring - I don't know. I am not rushing it."

Both Taheny and Sewell were walking around with bandaged hands before the Saturday set which made me wonder if they were accident prone or scamming handicapped parking, but by show time they were both good to go. The Lake Stage drum kit seemed to be taking more than it's regular beating all weekend and Les Montagnes were victims to a short delay while the techs worked away. Sabastien played up to the crowd and coaxed IndieCan's Gayle Hurmuses on to the stage for a spoken word segment with a musing he found in the bio for his band mates that was written up in the program. Hey - wait a minute: Sabastien, you told me you never read the press! Anyway, thanks for another great set. For anyone who doesn't dig on delayed gratification, check out Sebastien Grainger's myspace for some sneak-peeks/demos of the music he's working on for this new CD. For more, check out the NXNE coverage below.

Downsview celebrates Canada's birthday with 54-40 fireworks + 9 more bands

photos Wendy L Rombough

Canada Day at Downsview with 54 40 and friends

NORTH BY NORTHEAST COVERAGE - Toronto, June 7 to 10

The "Paper Bag Princesses" of Canadian music, Becky Ninovic, lead vocalist and Krista Loewen on vox and keys are teamed with Derek Adam on guitar, Stephen O'Shea, bass and Devon Clifford on drums to form YOU SAY PARTY! WE SAY DIE!, the midnight crown jewel of the CBC 3/SIUIUS showcase. For more in run-on-sentences, please read on. The line up wrapping around the corner of Spadina Avenue and Queen Street is all you need to know about what's the best promoted hot spot on NXNE Saturday - It's the live-to-air at The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern. As bassist Stephen put it, "We haven't seen crowd surfing for a while." If that's the competitive edge to give YSPWSD "crowd favourite" status then, we salute you. It was a fitting send off as these five Paper Bag recording artists are Euro-bound to tour for the rest of June and July. Make us proud, You Say (Is there a west coast writer that can help me out here - how do you abbreviate their name???) while your across the ocean and remember we love you too.

This was my first time seeing them. My expectations were high and I was favourably impressed. I see what the fuss is about and I will attempt to articulate it. It isn't catchy pop songs that don't' leave my head; it isn't the mastery of musical instruments beyond what I have seen before. What I saw was a band that connected with the crowd with sincere devotion to pleasing them and a quite confidence that the outcome was never in doubt. My only disappointment: during sound check I am sure I heard drummer Devo announcing that he just got body waxing done that left intricate impressions on back and chest. That said, I expected the shirt to come off. Not that body art is more important to me than music, but I am feeling now that I am such a looser for not getting the Abbotsford BC humour…. Damn Toronto L-7 that I am. YOU SAY PARTY! WE SAY DIE! Pictures…

Let's not forget the rest of the Saturday line up. The show opened with the deep in talent, UNITED STEEL WORKERS OF MONTREAL who Phil Klygo of Weewerk has been touting for some time. This was a fabulous heart felt set. In speaking with the gentle giant Gern after the show he said, "We were just having fun." And while their enjoyment was obvious, the rest of us were digging on the great songs and sound musicianship.

In the Death From Above 1979 after-live, Sebastien Grainger has risen from behind the drum kit to front Les Montagmes. Quoted as saying, "I don't want to make a cool record - I want to make a good record," Sebastien admits that his rise-to-fame band was somewhat preoccupied with how fabulous each part sounded. Sebastien Grainger and Les Montagnes ingratiated us with that which is good. I can't say it was un-cool, but you can see that there's no attempt to take over the pop charts. The performance was unpolished but hardly sloppy. We'll see what the pre-sold CBC 3/SIRIUS audience thinks, but don't get me wrong when I say this, Sebastien but that was really cool.

Two Hour Traffic from P.E.I., Halifax's In-flight Safety and Ohbijou from the 905 rounded off the night - All three deserving of a few words of praise, but I see that I am rambling.

More NXNE Photos by IndieCan Gayle

CBC's Galaxie Rising Stars Award of $3,000 Goes to a Proven Commodity

Story by Laura Byrd If you talked to anyone on the streets of Toronto Friday night, chances are they were going to the see the Handsome Furs, comprised of Dan Boeckner and Alexei Perry. The duo arrived from Montreal just twenty minutes before they hit the stage, and just in time to receive CBC's Galaxie Rising Stars Award, which was a check for $3,000. The duo was very thankful, and Boeckner promised that the money wouldn't be blown on coke.

Seeing the Handsome Furs live is a completely different experience from just listening to their album. Their music is simply made up of Boeckner's vocals, guitar, and a drum machine, but to see how it all comes together on stage is well worth standing in the seedy basement of the Comfort Zone. At times, both Boeckner and Perry were awkwardly leaning over a small table, arms tangled around each other, in order to achieve the infectious beats on the drum machine, and for Boeckner to reach his microphone. By the third song, the band settled in and had the crowd hooked. Although it seemed as if everyone and their mother showed up to see the pair, if you missed it, the Handsome Furs are definitely a band to look out for. If you check them out on myspace, you may also want to search Wolf Parade, another Montreal band that Boeckner is in.