It's been awhile since I've been around on this here weblog. Brian's been holding the fort down for the better part of a month, but things are looking up. I see flowers. I smell the spring that never came to Cleveland. Additionally, I am very, very close to the commencement of summer vacation. Two months off and a lot of spare minutes at my disposal. I've missed you, blogosphere.
My vacation is shoring up pretty nicely, and this post essentially spins two plates at once. First, this is a far too long in arrears kickoff to what should (hopefully) amount to more consistent content for you, our beloved reader. Secondly, it is a amplified shout out to the first official business of my sun-drenched summer – NXNE is coming fast (June 13-19), and I'm revved to call the Canadian village my home throughout next week.
For our readership not in the know, this post serves as an intro to all things NXNE. This will be my first visit to the festival up north, but the boon for you is that I'll be covering it extensively here. Throughout this week, I'll post a few heads-up posts (many acts are making NXNE either a tour stop or a tour opener). The list of bands is absolutely daunting, even for a fairly music-immersed blogger. With SXSW, the American side of things rules the roost. For me, many of these Canadian acts are first-listens and that is exciting yet nearly impossible to unravel into any type of efficient schedule. Use the links below to see the lineup, sortable by venue, band, and even place of origin, via the nifty and way-cool "Schedulizer" feature. Seriously, if I could marry this thing, I would. Overall, this is like the northern version of SXSW, except Mounties are much nicer than cowboy cops. The other bonus is the proximity to Cleveland. I've also got links below where you can purchase your week-long wristbands and tickets for the higher profile shows of the week. Why not make the jaunt across the border with us? First Molson Dry is on me, folks. You can't get that shit in the states. A road trip should be on your radar.
As the festival wanders into its 17th year, the recipe remains the same. Smash literally as much independent music as possible into a 4 night bar crawl, complete with the style and flair of everything downtown Toronto has to offer. Mix in the film portion (entering it's 10th anniversary this year), a completely interactive portion with panels, discussions about all things digitally music oriented, and you have Canada's premiere music festival. We're stoked. For ticketing information, everything you need to know is HERE. The passes are set up via priority level. Essentially, wristbands get you entrance to any NXNE sponsored show, but for several of the more high profile shows, they don't guarantee you admittance. Even so, most of the ticketed shows are cheap. The full-on wristband, just like SXSW, is the real way to roll. Be on the lookout this week for some teaser posts of acts I've got on my schedule. While you're at it, please feel free to throw some options my way as I pick through this sea of unsigned and under the radar bands. I'll take your recommendations and run with them. Cheers all. Enjoy some MP3's below of a few bigger-name NXNE bands that are set to fling tunes through the bar sludge next week….
Be certain to catch AIDS Wolf whilst north of the border. They are the bee’s knees.