NXNE, Vol. 1

Mother Mother

The Boat

9pm

Mother Mother took the stage right on time for this, my first show of this years NXNE festival. Started off with the first track “Dirty Town” and set the tone for the rest of the set. Harmonies were perfectly in line. The crowd was in it, and the band was together. What a great time…. OH and to boot, they sell Labatt 50 for 4 bucks a bottle, 4 BUCKS! So yeah! I stood on a chair in the back of the venue and could only see the vocalists. But, just by sound alone Mother Mother started me off on the right foot. Mother Mother is truly a band not to miss.

4.5/5

Les Breastfeeders

The Boat

10pm

Well now were at the second band we saw that night, Montréal’s francophone anti-ninjas, Les Breastfeeders. As soon as they took the stage you could tell these cats like to rock. The energy by this band along can take them places, fans of the Hives or Eux Autres could really enjoy these guys. Unfortunately the just started to sound the same after a while. NXNE only slots bands for 45 min tops for sets, and if I can’t stay focused for that duration, you might need less energy and more talent. By no means, a waste of time, but I wanted more than this. Still 50’s for 4 can’t complain. So this was our last show @ the boat. We decided to head a block north and check out…

3/5

Grand Theft Bus

The Supermarket

11pm

I had an old roommate who loved this band. He was from the east coast, they’re from the east coast, you do the math. (Just kidding SJ)Although they lacked in performance, these guys had a great sound to them. We were only there to check them out and move on for we had a fairly packed night of shows. We took in about 5 songs, enjoyed their set and headed to “Sneaky Dee’s” to check in with SB and head off to the Holy Joe’s” for this band BM wanted to check out, but later.

3.5/5

The Ghost Is Dancing

Sneaky Dee’s

11:45pm

We stumbled into “Sneaky Dee’s” to check out how SB’s venue. As we entered the show, “The Ghost Is Dancing” was finishing their slot. I’ve seen these guys before and was quite excited to find we had caught them in time. I only saw 2 songs, but I could tell they had been working hard on their performance. The last song featured a great sock out by their geek next door front man and straight off the pirate ship violinist. I was really glad to have seen these guys and will continue to attend shows. If you don’t know them yet, try introducing yourself before everyone else does. Only 2 songs, but 2 unforgettable songs.

4.5/5

Revival Dear

Holy Joe’s

12pm

We left “Dee’s” and headed to Queen St. to check out a new band to me. When we got there, we head upstairs and seen some guy on stage, looking like quite the pussy, singing songs about being a pussy. BM and I were quite confused. Revival Dear’s profile had us set up for something quite different. BM asked a fellow patron about our predicament and he then exposed that we wanted to be one floor up. WE TOOK OFF, as I cornered after the stairs; we walked into a small room with several couches set up church style. The band was playing at floor level surround by a decent set of stacks. BM and I noticed some people left the front couch, so we planted our asses down there and cheers a fresh 50. Revival Dear is like the best bar band (with obvious exceptions to the rule.)I’ve seen in a while. Really you could transcend their sound to match a lot of different genres. A little country, a little southern rock, and a lotta piss and vinegar. Really these guys would win best new to me band of the festival. I asked the lead female vocalist for their set list (I had a little crush), She said they didn’t have one, but she told me to check them out at another slot a day later, she’d have one for me then. Well I never went, maybe next year? After these messages… will be right back.

4.5/5

Wooden Stars

Sneaky Dee’s

1am

BM and I Left the show and headed to meet AM. After we hooked up, BM had to exit the party and get some rest for work. AM and I then went to see Ottawa old souls, the Wooden stars. We arrived a bit late and SB already left on his Revival goose chase. The Wooden Stars were about a third through the set and they were playing their usual long walk home style rock. I knew that they were back together after a few years out of the Canadian indie spotlight. You can tell the Wooden Stars have been playing for a while, by their perfect timing, but they never pulsed up their set. They left me feeling more full then satisfied. I am glad to see then sticking with it, but a more youthful attitude would have made the difference. But they concluded their show and we went off to hit Lee’s for the 3am set of the infamous….

3/5

Blue Rodeo

Lee’s Palace

3am

AM and I needed a little pick me up, so we went hammered to the “Pita Pit”^TM. After slurring through our order, we head out side to chow down. Oh and it was really funny when they had finished mine and AM was choosing hit fillings, his last selection was hot sauce… it then hit me that I had forgotten the hot sauce and hailed out “OH FUCK YA! HOT SAUCE!” The kind gentleman then proceeded to place a health portion on mine. Any who, now back to our story. We finished our “Pit” stop and headed to Lee’s. We entered a two-thirds full room. The crowd was loosely distributed, so AM and I were able to get so close enough that I could have easily spat on all, but two members of the band… wait I'll start part II with the rest of the rodeo.

See Ya Then