NXNE Friday
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Friday at NXNE featured:
NXNE Thursday
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You gotta love North by Northeast, the annual four-day music festival that hits Toronto in June. The weather was mostly good on Thursday, so venues were packed with lots of people having fun, and the streets outside were vibrant and alive.
Tonight, I saw:
- Your Favorite Enemies
- Adrienne Pierce
- Cancel Winter
- Dr. Draw
- People in Planes
- Alex Cuba
- Flash Lightnin
Million Dollar Youth Concert at The Opera House
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In his travels around the world, Jeremie Poirier witnessed appalling conditions in many countries. Shocked that the world’s youth were largely disadvantaged, he founded the non-profit organization Million Dollar Youth. The organization raises awareness and funds; the funds are used for learning opportunities for youths aged 16 through 30 to make a positive change in their lives and the lives of others.
This fund-raising concert was held in the historic The Opera House venue on Queen Street. It was an all-ages concert, but the place was still rocking with a set list which included Mandippal Jandu, Pat Robitaille, Peter Katz and the Curious, The Framework, and The Dunes.
Birds of Wales at Tattoo Rock Parlour
If you’re looking to meet women, find a Birds of Wales show. “Women love to look at lead singer, Morgan Ross,” as was written in the National Post. And love to look at him they do — they showed up in droves — I’d estimate 9 out of 10 in attendance were female — to see Ross and his band, Birds of Wales, play in Tattoo Rock Parlour on a Wednesday night.
Birds of Wales play a catchy mix of folk-rock that has garnered some significant attention over the last few years, including several European and UK tours, as well as a spot at the coveted Virgin Music Festival in 2007 at Toronto. They show a diverse musical range with their material, including the wittily lyricized The Fine Art of Ballet Dancing, featuring a soulful Ross singing over a swirling steel-stringed guitar. My favourite from their set had to be Philanthropist, a more upbeat and rocking tune that stands out against their more introspective work.
Livegreen Toronto: David Usher, Chantal Kreviazuk
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There was a hidden gem in Toronto last weekend: a free open-air downtown street concert, featuring David Usher, Chantal Kreviazuk, and Kardinal Offishall. The Green Toronto Festival was Toronto’s celebration of “everything green”. Yonge street was closed from Dundas to Queen, lined with green exhibitors displaying their environmentally friendly products and services; a bevy of Canadian artists were featured in Dundas Square, including David Usher, Chantal Kreviazuk, Kardinal Offishall, the Larra Skye Quintet, The Spoons, and Kellylee Evans.
Over the Top Festival 2008
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Live Indie music in a church? I found myself in St. Stephen-in-the Fields Church, at College and Bathurst, on a Friday night for day two of the Over the Top Festival. The festival, now in its seventh year running, features a series of all-ages concerts (as well as some films). Performing this night were Rebekah Higgs, The Wooden Sky, Will Currie and the Country French, Major Grey, and Laura Peek.
The Framework at the Drake Underground
This is the fourth The Framework show I’ve been to. From humble beginnings in the summer of 2007, The Framework’s popularity has snowballed — as evidenced by the large crowds and interest garnered at each of their monthly shows. Limiting themselves to only one live show per month, as not to “cheapen” their sound, seems to work well for all: the crowd buzzes with energy, and the band feeds off of it to deliver a captivating and entertaining performance.
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