Filmed in her basement apartment à la Wayne’s World, Raina invites bands over for the ultimate anti-interview where baking cookies, making arts & crafts and playing homemade board games are not out of the question. Her lastest episodes featured the babes of Chains of Love who engaged in a titillating game of marry, fuck, kill, while Papermaps debuted their culinary masterpiece ‘The Olympic Sized Triple-Double Decker Avocado Caramelized Vegan Grilled Cheese Speciale‘.

You can like Rain’s World on facebook, follow her on twitter @rahrahraina or check in at Rain’s World homebase for new episodes and updates of all her zany adventures. Here are her hilarious answers to our 20qs:

1. What is your dream of happiness?
Being able to afford to hire a person to play with my hair. All the time.

2. Blonde or Brunette?
I’ve been both. Right now, I’m blonde, but as far as in the opposite sex, I seem to lean towards brunettes. Are dudes with brown hair still called “brunettes?”

3. What is the quality you like most in a person?
The thirst for adventure! Let’s jump in a pool and then watch ‘Gone With The Wind’ until we pass out. In the morning? Order pizza. To our bed. Extra large.

4. What do you fear most?
This is embarrassing. I am terrified — and I mean, panic-attack-grade-terrified — of asteroids hitting the earth. Oh? You’re afraid of spiders? You’re afraid of public speaking? How about CATASTROPHIC GLOBAL DEVASTATION? TSUNAMIS! AEROSMITH’S “I DON’T WANNA MISS A THING” PLAYING ON EVERY RADIO STATION?! Yeah, I thought so.

5. 808s or 909s?
Nine is my favourite number. What’s with the 0′s? Is it bad that I don’t get this question? 42.

6. What’s your biggest regret?
That I will never have an authentic Mexican accent. Have you ever heard Salma Hayek? My god. I wish. But it will never, ever happen.

7. What’s your fav bar or club in the world?
I will always love Sneaky Dee’s. Those nachos, the vibe, the decor. Plus you’ll always run into someone you know, and they’re open forever.

8. What’s the one thing you can’t live without?
Cheese. I tried it once, and it didn’t work.

9. What are the 3 musicians dead or alive you’d like to see perform?
Easy #1 – Talking Heads. David Byrne, if you’re reading this, please be my best friend.
#2 – Kurt Cobain in Nirvana.
#3 – The original Sublime – with Brad Nowell, while lying in the sand under a palm tree.

10. What is your favorite decade in music?
I’m pretty happy here. Honestly, it’s incredible that everyone with a great musical idea can put it on the internet  and I can listen to it, judge it, and then make a video of myself singing it and post it on YouTube.  It’s amazing. We are so lucky.

11. If you had to choose, would you rather go blind or deaf and why?
Blind. BLOUND. That’s what I think the past tense of “blind” should be. Like, “OH NO! A STICK GOT IN MY EYE! I’VE BEEN BLOUND!”

12. How old is too old?
5 billion years is about as old as I’d like to get, because that’s when the sun is going to explode. Don’t really wanna be around for that.

13. Where do you see yourself in 15 years?
Living in a squatter city in an RV in California. Look up Slab City. I’m working on it.

14. Who’s your hero?
Tom Green! Everyone thinks he was a frat-humour dork who humped a moose, and everyone is WRONG. He was a fucking genius who pioneered social, observational humour. His stand-up comedy is insightful and incredible. He is the Andy Kaufman of our time – way fucking ahead of everyone. I could go on all day about this, but that’s for another time.

15. What’s your favourite colour?
Red.  Because it starts with an ‘r’ and it was Raphael’s colour in the Ninja Turtles.  Incidently Raphael from the Ninja Turtles was my first crush.

16. What song could you live without ever hearing again?
Nothing Else Matters by Metallica. Way too long, overwrought, boring garbage. And James Hetfield’s voice drives me mental.

17. Metallica or Madonna?
I’ll take Madge. See previous question.

18. What’s your most hated vice?
I don’t hate any of my vices, moderation is the key.  Laziness, though, is a pretty big one of mine.

19. Who is the most tragic figure in history?
Gary Busey.

20. What are the top three live shows you’ve seen in your life?
LCD Soundsystem. I cried.
Arcade Fire. I danced.
Hollerado. I learned to shoot a confetti cannon.

While our own gem of a country has its fair share of renowned festivals, PinkMafia is looking to broaden your horizons and help guide you to the awesomeness that awaits you in this big, beautiful world. Our festival guide will help you find the very best in rock, hip hop, electronic and even metal, whether you wish to stay local, cross the boarder, or skip across the pond.

Since it’s still early in the year most festivals have only released a few headliners (like The Stone Roses who are trying to break the record for most festivals headlined in a single year) to bait potential goers. No problem! Check out the previous line-ups to gauge if they typically book artists you’re in to. I would also highly recommend adding Festival Outlook (via Consequence of Sound) to your “favourites” for the most exclusive breaking news and updates on the World Wide Web.

C A N A D A

Photo by Courtney Lee Yip

Flaming Lips at Osheaga 2011

Slacker Canadian Music Week
Where: Toronto, ON
When: Mar 21st-25th
Artists: Slash, The Temper Trap, Passion Pit, The Apache Relay
Official Website: http://www.cmw.net/

North by Northeast
Where: Toronto, ON
When: June 11th-17th
Artists: TBA – last year featured The Dodos, J. Mascis, Middle Brother, Dawes
Official Website: http://nxne.com/

Sled Island
Where: Calgary, AB
When: June 20th-23rd
Artists: Feist, The Hold Steady, Andrew W.K., Grimes

Official Website: http://sledisland.com/

S.C.E.N.E. Music Festival
Where: St. Catharines, ON
When: June 24th
Artists: TBA – last year features Cancer Bats, Dead and Devine, The Flatliners, USS,
Official Website: http://scenemusicfestival.com/

RBC Royal Bank Bluesfest (the festival formerly known as Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest)
Where: Ottawa, Canada
When: July 4th-15th
Artists: TBA – last year featured The Flaming Lips, Rise Against, Metric, Yukon Blond
Official Website: http://www.ottawabluesfest.ca/

Edgefest
Where: Toronto, ON
When: July 14th
Artists: Death From Above 1979, Young the Giant, Library Voices, Hacienda, Indian Handcrafts, The Coppertone
Official Website: http://www.edge.ca/concertsandevents/edgefest.aspx

Hillside Music Festival
Where: Guelph Island, ON
When: July 27th-29th
Artists: TBA – last year festured Shad, Rural Alberta Advantage, Dan Mangan, Sweet Thing, Hollerado
Official Website: http://hillsidefestival.ca/#/home/

Osheaga Festival
Where: Montreal, QC
When: Aug 3rd-5th
Artists: TBA – last year featured Elvis Costello, Death Cab For Cutie, City and Colour, Bright Eyes
Official Website: http://www.osheaga.com/en

Heavy MTL + Heavy T.O
Where: Montreal, QC
When: Aug 11-12th
Artists: TBA – last year featured Kiss, Motorhead, Billy Talent, Godsmack, Rob Zombie, Slayer
Official Website: http://www.heavymtl.com/fr/ and http://www.heavyto.com/

Other Festivals Of Note:
Pride Toronto: June 22nd-July 1st
Scotiabank Caribbean Carnival Toronto: July 10th-Aug 6th
Pop Montreal: Sept 19th-23rd
Halifax Pop Explosion: Oct 16th-20th
M For Montreal: Nov 14th-17th

U S A

Sashquatch! Music Festival 2011

Arcade Fire at Coachella 2011

Noise Pop
Where: San Francisco, CA
When: Feb 21st-26th
Artists: The Flaming Lips, Built To Spill, Sleigh Bells, Archers of Loaf
Official Website: http://2012.noisepop.com/

South by Southwest
Where: Austin, TX
When: Mar 13th–18th
Artists: Chairlift, The Apache Relay, Veronica Falls, Friends, Tennis, YATCH, Zola Jesus
Official Website: http://schedule.sxsw.com/2012/

Coachella
Where: Indio, California
When: April 13th-15th and April 20th-22nd
Artists: The Black Keys, Radiohead, Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg
Official Website: http://www.coachella.com/

Austin Psych Fest
Where: Austin, TX
When: Apr 27th-29th
Artists: Brian Jonestown Massacre, Black Angles, The Black Lips, Woods
Official Website: http://www.austinpsychfest.com/

Crossing Brooklyn Ferry Fest (Curated by The National)
Where: Brooklyn, New York
When: May 3-5th
Artists: The Walkmen, Beirut, Sharon Van Etten, Twin Shadow, The Antlers, St. Vincent, Atlas Sound
Official Website: http://crossingbrooklynferry.com/

The Bamboozle
Where: Asbury Park, New Jersey
When: May 18th-20th
Artists: Bon Jovi, Foo Fighters, Skrillex, Blink 182
Official Website: http://2012.thebamboozle.com/

Hangout Music Festival
Where: Gulf Shores, Alabama
When: May 18th-20th
Artists: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jack White, Wilco, The String Cheese Incident
Official Website: http://lineup.hangoutmusicfest.com/

Sasquatch! Music Festival
Where: George, WA
When: May 25th-28th
Artists: Jack White, Beck, Bon Iver, Pretty Lights, Girl Talk
Official Website: http://sasquatchfestival.com/

Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival
Where: Manchester, TN
When: June 7th-10th
Artists: Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Phish, The Beach Boys, The Avett Brothers
Official Website: http://lineup.bonnaroo.com/

The Governors Ball Music Festival
Where: Randall’s Island, New York
When: June 23-24th
Artists: Beck, Passion Pit, Modest Mouse, Duck Sauce, Fiona Apple
Official Website: http://governorsballmusicfestival.com/

Camp Bisco 11
Where: Mariaville, New York
When: July 12th-14th
Artists: The Disco Biscuits host again, lineup TBA – last year featured LCD Soundsystem; Cut Copy, Wiz Khalifa
Official Website: http://www.campbisco.net/

Lollapalooza
Where: Chicago, IL
When: Aug 3rd–5th
Artists: TBA – last year featured Eminem, Coldplay, Muse, My Morning Jacket
Official Website: http://www.lollapalooza.com/

Other Festivals Of Note:
**SOLD OUT** Ultra Music Festival: Mar 20th-25th
Forecastle Festival: July 13th-15th
Pitchfork Music Festival: July 13th-15th
Outside Lands Music Festival: Summer 2012
CMJ Music Marathon: Oct 16th-20th

E U R O P E

San Miguel Primavera Sound

Sziget Festival

The Great Escape
Where: Brighton, UK
When: May 10th-12th
Artists: Friends, Grimes, We Are The Ocean, Com Truise, The Darcys
Official Website: http://escapegreat.com/

Pinkpop Festival
Where: Landgraaf, Netherlands
When: May 26th -28th
Artists: The Cure, Bruce Springsteen, Mumford & Sons
Official Website: http://www.pinkpop.nl/2012/

San Miguel Primavera Sound
Where: Barcelona, Spain
When: May 30th – June 3rd
Artists: Björk, Jeff Mangum, Franz Ferdinand, Yo La Tengo, Girls
Official Website: http://www.sanmiguelprimaverasound.es/cartel

Open’er Festival
Where: Gdynia, Poland
When: July 4th-7th
Artists: Björk, Franz Ferdinand, Justice
Official Website: http://www.opener.pl/en

T in the Park
Where: Balado, Kinross-shire, Scotland
When: July 6th-8th
Artists: The Stone Roses
Official Website: http://www.tinthepark.com/content/

Roskilde Festival
Where: Roskilde, Denmark
When: July 5th-8th
Artists: Bruce Springsteen, Wiz Khalifa, Bon Iver, Björk
Official Website: http://roskilde-festival.dk/

Sziget
Where: Budapest, Hungary
When: Aug 6th-13th
Artists: The Stone Roses, Friendly Fires, Crystal Fighters
Official Website: http://www.sziget.hu/festival_english/-press/performers_2012

Øya Festival
Where: Oslo, Norway
When: Aug 7th-11th
Artists: Refused, The Stone Roses, Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires
Official Website: http://oyafestivalen.com/

Reading + Leads Music Festival
Where: Reading and Leads, England
When: Aug 24th-26th
Artists: Foo Fighters, Green Day, The Prodigy
Official Website: http://www.readingfestival.com/ and http://www.leedsfestival.com/

Bestival
Where: Robin Hill Country Park, The Isle of Wight
When: Sept 6th-9th
Artists: New Order, Sigur Ros, Friendly Fires, Justice, Two Door Cinema Club
Official Website: http://www.bestival.net/

Other Festivals Of Note:
The Isle of Wight Festival: June 22-24th
INmusic Festival: June 29th-30th
The Festival Internacional de Benicàssim: July 12th-15th
Exit Festival: July 12-15th
Pukkelpop: Aug 16th -18th

S O U T H  A M E R I C A

Lollapalooza Chile 2011

Lollapalooza Chile
Where: Santiago, Chile
When: Mar 31st – April 1st
Artists: Foo Fighters, Arctic Moneys, MGMT, Skrillex
Official Website: http://lineup.lollapaloozacl.com/

Sónar
Where: Sâo Paulo, Brazil
When: May 11th-12th
Artists: Justice, Bjork, James Blake
Official Website: http://www.sonarsaopaulo.com.br/en/what-is-sonar.html

A S I A

Fuji Festival 2011

Fuji Rock Festival
Where: Niigata, Japan
When: July 27th-29th
Artists: Radiohead, The Stone Roses
Official Website: http://www.smash-uk.com/frf12/

*Headlining photo from CBC Radio 3, taken by Stephanie Keating

“Don’t follow me, I’m following my bliss.”

Over 4,300 km’s and less than four days recovery from last week’s NXNE, I found myself on the edge of the country – literally, on gorgeous Vancouver Island for Radio Contact’s second annual Tall Tree Music Festival. An epic reunion with some very dear friends, along with an excuse to party to west coast music while taking in one of the most magnificent views in the world, was enough to apply for next year’s accred already.

Just a short 2 hour drive from Victoria, BC, Port Renfrew boasts breathtaking ocean views, and home to Canada’s oldest (and maybe tallest) Douglas Fir. So hey, let’s get naked and dance around it! With a lineup including Aidan Knight, Kuba Oms, and Vince Vaccaro, why would we keep our clothes on?

Naturally, we cut it down and carved Pink Mafia into it.*

This guy’s into it.

Our campsites were scattered around the perimeter of Brown’s Mountain, each area naturally sectioned off with broom & brush. Facing the mountain were two modest stages creating a natural amphitheater.

Mindil Beach Markets

The return to nature that this generation is slowly embracing has branched out into music as well, creating a fairly successful platform for many festivals around the world. From heavy hitters like Coachella to the budding MTK festival in East Hampton, you can’t bat an eyelash without hearing about a new reason to get your groove on in the out-of-doors. The debate is, how respectful are these gatherings in the long run, when the area is clearly being ‘raided’ by human touch – which I delicately say when I really mean, we shit, piss, and throw garbage all around.

Tall Tree is another story however. The organizers of the fest are directly involved with the Port Renfrew Chamber of Commerce and the Ancient Forest Alliance. Basically, the latter ensures the protection and sustainable development of old-growth forests including Avatar Grove, an old-growth stand just outside of Port Renfrew. The hard working Radio Contact team busted their balls getting together the party of the summer, and stuck around after to make sure not a single can was left behind.

The boys of Radio Contact Productions

Woodpile arts collective joined in this year, creating interactive art exhibits around the mountain.

We met so many incredible people on Brown’s Mountain, we wondered how Victoria was surviving with out all the good vibrations. We woke up the first night in a little bit of shock to our surroundings but Jeremy quickly swooped us away into the warmth of a fantastic mug of Bailey’s & coffee.

This is Jer a few hours later.

Tall Tree is completely non-profit and gives back proceeds to the community. All workers (Hustlers!) volunteer their time in trade for a compensated ticket.

Victoria’s Higher Ground Clothing Gallery sponsored the event and a ramp was specially built just for the fest.

Thank goodness for Steven’s tent, which was more like a home extension and leather workshop outside of his VW van. Feather headbands were just the tip of his iceberg of talent. Check out more of his work here.

Fight in the Fields

The Tyler Harvey Band was amazing, and brought us all together with a cover of R. Kelly’s Ignition.

My camera couldn’t capture the two black baby bears or the true majesty of the eagles that constantly hovered over us, but I promise you it didn’t hurt the overall effect this magical place had on a city chick like me.

I have been to hundreds of concerts and many festivals, but there was something truly unique about our time overlooking Port Renfrew. Maybe it was the people, maybe it was the music, maybe it was our million dollar view, but what I know for sure is that Pink Mafia will be going back next year.

**No Douglas Fir’s were harmed in the reporting of this event.

All photos © Courtney Lee Photography 2011

Thankfully, I tried to take it pretty easy on Nigel Dennis, Todd Miller, Mike Brown, Aaron Vincel and Ashwin Deepankar who had just driven in from Cornwall, Ontario (where they had stayed over night via their trip from the States) to play NXNE.

So here is the straight goods from A Lull:

File alongside: Yeasayer, Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear?

The skinny: A Lull have been on tour for awhile both on and off festivals. They’ve been through the good, the bad and the ugly. For example, while in Pittsburgh – one of the band members got struck by lighting and lived to play the show. Now that is rock & roll. But in all reality, A Lull tells me the greatest thing about getting to play festivals (such as NXNE) is the general atmosphere and acceptance of different genres. Oh, plus – when they travel to Canada, they get to have Sesame Seed Pizza, which is pretty rad.

Must hear track: Weapons for War

What to expect from their shows: The band tells me that not only do they put on an energetic live show but they have a very unique sound. They try to make each and every single show different from the others.

Favourite band they’ve seen live while touring: Group of the Altos – apparently this is a group of 11 people and they put on a hell of a show. A Lull said, “It’s an experience not to be missed”. Group of the Altos is from Millwaukee and the AV Club has described them as, “a surly high-school orchestra”.

Photos by Lucia Gracia

I kicked off  Thursday night with the grand opening of GUESS’ brand’s new 5,000 square foot retail space, it was a vibe great the space filled with familiar faces chatting, sipping wine and munching on tasty nibblets.

FLARE magazine partnered with GUESS for the launch we were treated to an exclusive musical performance by Keshia Chanté (who was also celebrating her BDAY) all while browsing and of course shopping for some delightful pieces.

CANFAR was also in the house with every five dollar donation giving you 20% off your purchase… I’m all about shopping for a cause you don’t feel so guilty.

After that I took the long walk two steps down to Ultra Supper Club Lounge for the YYZ LIVING magazine issue launch, can we say insanity. First off the line was outrageous even more so cause I don’t do lines, but what was the kicker was the line upstairs to the Rooftop patio for the YYZ launch was just as bad if not worst than the one outside… if went down you definitely weren’t coming back up. It was good times as always bumping into the usual suspects.

Friday was a pretty awesome day for us in twitterverse if you follow @pinkmafia4life, you would’ve noticed amongst the NXNE madness we had an amazing giveaway. The lovely ladies at Broken Heel Diaries @BHDiaries were gracious enough to bestow upon us a pair to tix for a contest giveaway to their VIP event BHDSuites- the BHD Experience/Gifting Lounge. Since this was a hot ticket, I wasn’t about to give ‘em away for nothing… so I decided on trivia questions.

Saturday as we were hitting the pavement for Luminato and NXNE… all I could think about was the BHD Suites, and how I much I wanted to be there. We all know I’m late but always on time, finally I made it!! BHD Suites was packed all day with all the Toronto industry insiders, celebs, and socialites… I felt at home. The BHD crew had everything under sun , refreshments, entertainment and most important any amazing vibe.

The Converse & Marcus Troy –  Music Lounge featuring airbrush artist Stephane Theriault (thats right everyone go customized chucks) was smashing.

Not mention Marcus is a sweetheart we had quite the conversation we instantly clicked (the beginning of something great I know).

BHD Suites was fully equipped with bloggers, and social media darlings all over, especially The Bench Lounge with HustleGRL & Casie Stewart.

I was all about the gifting lounge which featured items from Beyond The Rack, Bench, Little Burgundy, Blo, Joico, LINE Knitwear, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Hibou and Davids Tea.

The best part for the ladies hands down had to be the The Blo and Coco & Lowe – Tea & Beauty Lounge.

Our winners truly had a blast and came home with tons of goodies she sent me a message saying  “Thanks so much for this experience! I appreciate it!

Hats of ladies for providing the ultimate experience, please please please make this an annual event.  S/O to Naphatli McKenly for the photos. P.S. thanks a bunch for my lovely goodie bag, it tickled me pink!!

The despair set in as I realized the MMVA’s, and the Field Party were approaching and I had nothing to wear… at the tenth hour my fashion fairy came to my rescue for the  big day.

First stop on the MMVA train was Tryst for the 9th annual Field Music Video Party, I was totally excited to see all my industry peeps, celebs, and socialites all dolled up!!

Candy Coated Killahz

Over the years, this party has been the place to be and I know why… the atmosphere was great  we nibbled on made to order paninis from Queen Margherita Pizza, and guzzled back shots of  Hypnotiq and PAMA all while chatting the music industry’s most eclectic and celebrated people.

The lovely gifting lounge was filled with goodies from Foxy and Bauhaus Jeans, Breakfast Club of Canada, The Body Shop, Me To We, TOMS Shoes, Magnum Ice Cream, SOOS Jewellery, Green & Black’s, SoHo Metropolitain.

The media sponsor for this year’s event were our homies from Dose.ca, they were on site conducting live interviews and doing their thing as usual.

Dose & PinkMafia

Blo Blow Dry Bar,  Salon Daniel & Nars Cosmetics were on-site to keep all the ladies super fresh and fly… I can’t lie I got a touch up as well, shoot it’s a long night. The boys had the Playstation lounge equipped with DJ Hero 2 set-up, plus two PlayStation Move kiosks with Tiger Woods and MLB11: The Show.

Do Dat Entertainment brought some hot entertainment for this year with a burlesque performance choreographed by Carla Catherwood.

Paul & Lorraine of FAZE Mag w/ Karine for Karyzma Agency

After the Field Party was the after-party, my newly formed crew of Shaun from B.A.D. PR, Cory Lee & Shannon Kook of Degrassi, iSH and of course our bed buds Miranda Furtado of Dose.ca made the walk to Ultra. WOOT, WOOT!!! Let’ the PARTAY begin.

As for what really went down I can’t tell you much as the crew decided to order bottles of Belvedere… and we all know how that goes!

Let’s just say I had to call in sick the next day.

The road to recovery is a rough one, and just as I was about make the journey here comes the UGG Fall/Winter 2011 Preview, we know I can’t turn down a lovely night filled with wonderful friends, cocktails and of course shoes.

Traci Melchor

Stereos

Being that its a preview I wasn’t allowed to take pictures and plastering them all over, but what I did see is a HUGE surprise from UGG… Sequins, excess fur, sneakers, trapper hats, studs… ok, I’ll stop you get the point, not the typical UGG collection. I’m impressed to say the least!!

Folks, put a fork in me I’m done!!

XXOXX

Pinkie

The ladies of Pink Mafia divided, concured and complied our favourite moments of the festival, so have a look won’t ya?

Kate, Katie and Courtney’s NXNE Picks: 
Words by Kate Masewich
All photos © Courtney Lee Photography 2011

Passes in hand, we officially started our week on the Bellevue patio for some folkin’ incredible performances by two of my new favourites Emma Hill and Revelstoke who both brought tears to my eyes for the first of two Audio Blood showcases for the week.

The Nevado Records showcase provided an instant surge of energy upon entry to the Rivoli with a cover of the Ramones debut album performed by The Meligrove Band with bass player Michael Small on vocals for the very first time totally killing it. The Paint Movement and Library Voices each kept the energy levels high, but Yukon Blonde wins my vote for best performance of the night which subsequently took my voice for the rest of the week.

Thursday was going to be a long ass day so we wasted no time and headed to the fantastic space on Queen St. known as the Analogue Gallery for an afternoon of amazing music and Argentinean BBQ courtesy of Slapback Media.

We were really digging Ireland’s Meet the Blue and the acoustic set by Forest City Lovers. We wanted to stick around to see Modernboys Moderngirls, The Elwins and Neil Quin (Zeus) but it was off to the rooftop for Audio Blood’s #ABDOESNXNE annual bash. Of all the parties we attended, this was my favourite for the great performances by The Balconies, Sandman Viper Command and Hands & Teeth, not to mention all the amazing people in the Audio Blood family. In fact, we had such a good time we missed the The Verge’s rooftop party that we also heard was wicked fun.

Instead of going to The Dodos & Deerhoof show at the Phoenix as planned we made our own ‘secret show’ on the patio of Terroni’s with friends for some much needed nourishment which oddly turned into one of two delicious Italian meals (the other at Mercatto). Call it carbo loading, I guess.

Our bike brigade then peddled to the Silver Dollar for some heavily debated performances by Crocodiles and Dirty Beaches where 1/2 our group dug Crocodiles but not Dirty Beaches and vice versa but all unanimously enjoyed an ass-kicking set by Chains of Love. 7/11 taquitos and Cash For Life brunch to follow.

During NXNE there is no such thing as sleeping, I mean not really anyways. Friday we rolled out of bed for some Hyatt rooftop pool QT with The Balconies then headed to Bellwoods for a Stella with the totally rad Enjoy Your Pumas. I’d been dying to try the Jager snow cones I was promised at the Jagermeister & Exclaim! Annual BBQ Bash and they were good…by the end.

If I had to pick a favourite night for shows it would have to be Friday, not because of the bands per say, but for the company kept at each show. Indian Handcrafts completely slayed at El Mo and Paper Lions literally had the floor bouncing at Sneaks.

I’ve talked about how much I dig Heavy Cream before but I’ll say it again: their slot at the Comfort Zone totally rocked. I happened to hear Powers as I was leaving so I popped in to catch the last bit at the Silver Dollar and I’m really glad I did. Sneaks had a huge swarm of people trying to get in all night so we headed back for an aggressively sweaty and outrageous set by Sheezer to “end” our night of shows.

Chains of Love+ Ronnie’s = the best Saturday morning topped off with some vintage shopping in the afternoon with Loom. DOM apparently cancelled last minute and I had no idea so when we got to YDS we were surprised to see The Coppertone  instead. They ruled and Amanda Zelina is a mega babe as per usual. We stayed to check out Cults where Katie almost had to use her first aid training to save a life.

Because we had already experienced so, so many amazing shows in what seemed like an eternity, we thought we’d chill out at the Braids and Chad VanGaalen show at The Great Hall. Braid’s just blew us away especially since singer Raphie played through food poisoning and still sounded better than I ever could.

We missed the boat for BrooklynVegan’s jam with Ty Segall but when it was announced he was the “secret guest” at Bovine later our chilled night was debunked. We beat out the throngs of people who showed later to have a beer with Russ Tiffin  the photographer behind the amazing True Believers book who shared his polaroid’s from the Sharks and Hot Water Music show at the Opera House earlier that night. I was bummed to have missed Sharks until we ran into the band on the street who were enjoying a quick meatball sub.

After putting our bodies through hell all week anyways, it only made sense to ride that wave all the way to the Horseshoe for an awesomely energetic 3AM performance by the Commandeers. If you’ve seen them before it was no shock to see Nathan’s shirt pop off 2 chords into to first song. Last stop was the new New Ho King for a Shanghai sunrise.

Sunday in the park was the perfect way to end our NXNE experience after some Hot Beans with Neon Windbreaker first, of course. The wonderful men of Young Lions Music Club and Humble Empire who joined forces to organize the Live in Bellwoods shows deserve a standing O/shots for life for the ensemble of talented bands we got to enjoy entirely for free. Sunday was spent with the insanely talented Hands & Teeth, a unique “cover” of The Time’s ‘Ice Cream Castles’ by DD/MM/YYYY, some crowd participation with Jess Hill, bubbles and Megan Bonnell and some good things that came to those who waited for Teenage Kicks.

*A special photo set of the final day of Live in Bellwoods will be published on Courtney Lee Photography later this week.

Ama’s NXNE picks
Words and photos below by Ama Scriver

I had not heard much about The Postelles prior to attending their show at the Garrison on June 15th. But what I had heard on the NXNE site was poppy and delightful. Plus, The Postelles show had been showing up on many “Must See” lists through out the city, so I knew this show would be one not to miss. Boy, was I glad I didn’t. With their catchy hooks and surf-rock retro guitars, the boys did an amazing job of sound funky fresh, excited and familiar. I think the two things I loved best about the performance was the band cover of Elvis Presley’s Hound Dog to much fanfare (see video here) and Jonathan Dekel (of Neon Windbreaker fame) singing vocals on their final song. Excellent performance, that wholeheartedly made me a fan.

The secret performer for Wednesday night at the Garrison was Montreal based psych-rock band Suuns. The performance was haunting and deep. Yet it gave off something almost evil. While I liked what they were doing, I wasn’t totally in love withwhat they were doing. They are almost confusingly eclectic at times (with synths and guitars and moody vocals) but I just didn’t feel captured. Enraptured. Whatever you want to call it, really. It seemed though I might have been the only one feeling that way. Maybe it was me.

I was really excited to finally get a chance to see Pick A Piper. I mean, this is kind of like a Canadian supergroup comprising of Caribou’s Brad Weber, Angus Fraser of Tenthof May, ex-Winter Equinox Dan Roberts and Clint Scrivener. Not bad, if you ask me. What made me kind of sad was that the audience kind of cleared out once the band took the stage. Not their fault, at all. They were played a shitty ass time slot. Wednesday at 1AM. BOO. But Brad Weber remarkable energy and the group’s amazing set let rewarded those who stuck through with them to the end of their set. One thing to note about Pick a Piper – their sound is VERY similar to Caribou. But really, is that a bad thing? I would think not.

So I had never seen Sandman Viper Command previously.  But thanks to the team at Audio Blood Media, I was able to check them out at their Rooftop Party on Thursday. This four-piece from Burlington have got a serious sound to them with California sound. They provided epic jams to a great afternoon. Next up were The Balconies. This Ottawa come Toronto band know how to put on a serious show. But that might have a lot to do with Jacquie Neville’s searing vocals and intensity on-stage. The Balconies are clearly one of the hottest Canadian bands to watch right now and this performance (on a rooftop under a clear blue sky) cemented why. If they are in front of a big or small audience, they are enjoying themselves on stage and loving the music they are making. Steve Neville and Liam Jaeger (the other member of the Balconies) compliment each other so well. With one part mature/gutsy vocal sound, funky base vibe, thrashy guitar and intricate drums – The Balconies provide something unique.

Everyone who is anyone was at Wrongbar for Fucked Up’s 1AM performance, including the media elite, socialites and punk kids. Packed to the very back of the room, these local hardcore heros shook Parkdaleto its core with its crowd swallowing mosh pit., which some looked absolutely frightened by. Damian Abraham mounted the stage and kicked off 30 minutes of sweat soaked insanity sending everything from bodies, beer and shoes flying. The band kept up  providing the audacious score against the summer heat. For those that missed this set, sucks to be you.

I have heard that Modernboys Moderngirls rock out like nothing out during their sets.  Upon arrival at the El Mo on Friday, there were maybe 20 people in the venue during their set. Couldn’t blame them. It was 9PM, which is still early by Friday standards. Anyways, Modernboys Moderngirls started their set, and I can indeed confirm that they rock out like the devil has taken them over. They play amazing rock and roll that would indeed win anyone (including any of the 20 people in the venue) over and did. Glad I finally got to see them live, considering I’ve heard much buzz about them in the last little bit.

After Modernboys Moderngirls kicked out the jams, Language Arts dialled things back a bit. The way I would describe things would be a bit folksy, a bit pop but all rock. Frontwoman Kristen Cudmorerap-sings and classical-guitars her way into everyone’s hearts. The swift-tripping lyrics of the singer are matched with upright bass, drums and keys. Language Arts are beautiful, melodic and really good.

Can I just say one before I launch into this review: Lee’s Palace was a goddamn shit show. I knew before I got in things would be a bit tangly inside. But I can honestly say in all my years of going to festival shows this was the most packed I have ever seen Lee’s. Yes, that is kind of crazy. Well, the lineup was STACKED.  But back to Dum Dum Girls. While the beginning of the set started off with a bit of sound trouble, the girls with their steely expressions got the crowd rocking to their jangly mix of 60s girls Brit Pop and loud rock. The set was good, not great. But good. Between the packed venue, sound troubles and what seemed like a more-than-rushed set, it kind of made for a lack oomph that one would come to expect in their normal stage shows. Alas, still happy I caught it.

After finding out that Neon Windbreaker were going to be the “special guest” at Bovine that evening and hearing they had some lineup changes, I made my way over to see how the night was going down. I came in to find a bustling Bovine and a great band from Brooklyn playing. Back to Neon Windbreak, their sludgy half punk / half experimental / half doom-rock with epic raffage, hard-fast rhythms and the wailing of Eric Warner made for an awfully entertaining show. Eric kind of reminded me of a man possessed. I heard mixed reviews from the crowd. It’s the Bovine, what do you expect. However for myself, I know that I personally liked it. Totally reminded me of my old punk days. Thanks guys!

If you don’t already know The Dodos from their unique approach to soundscapes (or their Miller Chill beer commercial) Logan Kroeber helps fill you in on all you need to know to love them – just in time for their show tonight!

The band: Meric Long and Logan Kroeber + a second touring guitarist which they swapped with the vibraphone

File alongside: Born Ruffians, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Fruit Bats

The skinny: From San Francisco, CA, The Dodos have been playing their jam band-style rock since early 2005, building more than just buzz; establishing a name for themselves in the indie world. ‘No Color’ the band’s fourth album was released March 15, 2011 and features the much adorned chanteuse Neko Case. Logan explains that the inclusion to have her on the album was very organic, “We toured all last summer with the New Pornographers all over North America and just sort of got to know her. We finished our tour with them at Lollapalloza and Neko came out and sang some songs with us and I think after Merick told her we were going to record our next record and just asked her, plain and simple and she just said yes.”

Must hear track: ‘Black Night’

Favourite song to play live: “I use to really like the last two songs together, but I really like ‘Going Under’ as well.”

Favourite new band area band: From San Francisco: “There’s tons but one that I’ve heard about for awhile but just started getting into is The Sandwitches. I’ve only been listening to recordings but when I get home I’m going to pick up their records. They’ve got like freaked out guitars and duo female harmonies that are spooky but still tuneful.”

At NXNE you’ll find them… Playing with Deerhoof of course, but after “we’re going to run around the city after the show and catch a few bands. After NXNE we’re heading back to play a show July 3rd show with Neko.”

Grab this free download of ‘Don’t Stop’ and then bike to the Phoenix as fast as you can for their show tonight.

Words by Kate Masewich

Crawford

718 College St.

NXNE is taking over the basement! Wednesday 2 am brings us a Moombahton party with the always fabulous Lucie Tic (she can also be found at Wrongbar on Thursday – see below). On Thursday after NXNE go back to High School: 90′s Hip Hop and RnB until the wee hours of the morning. Kinda like a house party you would’ve gone to had you been a gangsta kid in Brooklyn before the turn of the century.
Friday is Andrew All Good in the basement with Scott Wade upstairs, and on Saturday you can get your groove on after 2am with Roots Rock Reggae. Sunday is Soul Bomb (we think that one is pretty self explanatory).

Cherry Cola’s

Friday and Saturday get yourselves out after 2 to see Rival Sons, the kind of band whose members make you wish you could be them. Long hair, leather pants/dark denim and serious guitar rift? Yes please.Bovine Sex Club

The Bovine is hooking every one up with some bangin’ DJS and seriously sexy flyers. Wednesday is hi Hat records’ 10th Anniversary party, and DJ Eric Von Eric will be on duty. Thursday and Friday’s late night line up will have DJ Vania on deck. Saturday will bring along DJ Ian Blurton ( C’mon, Change of Heart ), and Sunday will be handled by DJ Rebels – Fathom, Faryl, Doug Carter and Riviera. This year’s line up is dangerously delicious. Plus, check out sister bar Watusi on Ossington for 4 am drinking and dope DJs.

Wrongbar

Thursday is Now Magazine’s Showcase, with Fucked Up, Light Fires and Lucie Tic. Friday is the Panache Showcase with Ty Segall, Talk Normal, and Odonis Odonis. Saturday brings us The Agency Group Showcase: Torro Torro w/Billy The Gent,  Barletta, and Mtl’s The Sonixx. (Oh, and did I mention Diamond Rings is going to be on board as well?Yeah. Thought you’d all like that)

PS – guestlist giveaways will be going on for every night of Wrongbar’s  4AM lie up, so email your name to gustlist@wrongbar.com for a chance to get in for free.

And remember, a lot of these places are within 10 to 15 minutes of each other so in the 2 extra hours you have to play, you can make it to more than one a night!

Have fun kids.

Frontman Travis Trevisan took a few moments before getting into Toronto to speak to me about the album, life of the road and their upcoming NXNE show.

Amanda from Pink Mafia: “So tell me, how has life been on the road. You have been touring quite extensively with Ghost.”

Travis from Tape Deck Mountain: “It’s been a very warm reception.”

Amanda: “So tell me, since you’ve been on the road – what has been one thing you haven’t been able to live without.”

Travis: “I’m going to have to say Tapatio Hot Sauce.”

Amanda: “Ha. That does seem pretty essential.  So I’ve noticed that you have really taken to using Tumblr to promote the band and keep in touch with fans.  Do you find this is a way to offer something exclusive to your fans or give them something different.”

Travis: “I’ve been using social media since the days of Friendster and Live Journal. From a musical perspective, I  view it as another way to spread your sound. I could see it as being harmful to bands when they abuse it and use it in spamful manner.”

Amanda: “That’s very true.  I really loved the video you released for the single, Scantrons Can you tell me a little bit more about how you came up with the concept.”

Travis: “Our friend Zach Passero was responsible for all the ideas. We just stood in front of a green screen.  You can watch the video here”

Amanda: “So since you’ve been touring a lot, have you had time to work on any new material?”

Travis: “We have. We are working on a new album, it’s a lot more raw and lively than our past material.”

Amanda: “That’s great.  You looking forward to NXNE?”

Travis: “Totally!  I’ve only ever been to Canada on a layover and my grandmother was born in Canada.”

Remember to check out Tape Deck Mountain at the El Mo on Thursday June 16th or check them out here: www.myspace.com/tapedeckmountain

PinkMafia presents #PopUpNXNE

We want you in the flesh and around Toronto for #PopUpNXNE! This year we’ll be hanging with the festival’s hottest bands and want you to get in on the action. We’ll be popping up all over the city with interviews from Hands and Teeth, Indian Handcrafts, Chains of Love, and many more. So come join us! Snap some shots on your smartphone and hashtag it #PopUpNXNE on Twitter! And for live festival coverage All week long follow @PinkMafia4Life.

I’ve sifted through the talent-packed schedule (honoree Brian Wilson purposefully not included) and picked the top showcases each night to help you maximize the most awesome per capita. Wristbands and tickets are still available; click here for details. Check it out and choose your own NXNE adventure.

WEDNESDAY JUNE 15th

NXNE Presents…GO FOLK YOURSELF…Love, Audio Blood!
Where: Bellevue (on the patio)
Performances by: Emma Hill , Revelstoke, Charlotte Cornfield, Brett Caswell
Click here for facebook event

NEVADO RECORDS @ NXNE 2011
Where: The Rivoli
Performances by: LOOM, Megan Bonnell , The Meligrove Band, The Paint Movement, Library Voices and Secret Guests
Click here for facebook event

NXNE Presents: Chuck Ragan (Hot Water Music)
Where: El Mocambo (main floor)
Performances by: Chuck Ragan, Cory Branan, Dave Hause, Joey Cape & the Bad Loud, Kevin Seconds

THURSDAY JUNE 16TH

NeXT@NXNE presents CROCODILES
Where: The Silver Dollar Room
Performances by: Crocodiles, Dirty Beaches, Chains of Love, Sports, Elvyn, Purple Hill, Mittenz, Sandman Viper Command
Click here for facebook event

NXNE Presents: Deerhoof
Where: Phoenix Concert Theatre
Performances by: Deerhoof, The Dodos and Gauntlet Hair

The Windish Agency NXNE Showcase
Where: The Horseshoe Tavern
Performances by: No Joy, Old World Vulture, PS I Love You, Royal Bangs, Suuns, The Luyas

Fucked Up NXNE: Now Magazine Showcase
Where: Wrongbar
Performances by: Allie Hughes, Anagram, Fucked Up, Jennifer Castle, Light Fires, Lucie Tic, Tanika Charles & The Wonderfuls

FRIDAY JUNE 17TH

Young Lions presents NXNE: Sheezer, Great Bloomers, Paper Lions & more
Where: Sneaky Dee’s
Performances by: Rouge, Sheezer, Great Bloomers, Paper Lions, Ruby Coast, Gramercy Riffs, Enjoy Your Pumas, Sandman Viper Command

The MuseBox presents: NXNE Rock Showcase
Where: The Comfort Zone
Performances by: Heavy Cream, The Hoa Hoa’s, My Skin Against Your Skin, The Vandelles, The Young Things, Little Foot Long Foot
Click here for facebook event

NXNE Presents: Dum Dum Girls
Where: Lee’s Palace
Performances by: Bombs, Cults, Dirty Beaches, Dum Dum Girls, Superhumanoids, Writer

NXNE Presents: Ty Segall
Where: Wrongbar
Performances by: Julianna Barwick, Odonis Odonis, Prince Rama, Pujol, Secret Cities, Super Vacations, Talk Normal, Ty Segall

SATURDAY JUNE 18TH

Audio Blood & White Girl Records’ Official NXNE Showcase!
Where: Sneaky Dee’s
Performances by: Emma Hill, Brett Caswell & The Marquee Rose, Whale Tooth, Hands & Teeth, The Dirtymags, The Balconies, Give us the Daggers, Invasions
Click here for facebook event

Sirius/CBC Radio 3 Showcase @ NXNE!
Where: The Horseshoe Tavern
Performances by: Teenage Kicks, Hooded Fang, Jenn Grant, Dinosaur Bones, One Hundred Dollars, Wildlife, Commandeers
Click here for facebook event

Flemish Eye / Weird Canada NXNE showcase
Where: The Great Hall
Performances by: BRAIDS, Chad VanGaalen, Duzheknew, Grimes, Jennifer Castle
Click here for facebook event

NXNE Presents: Hot Water Music
Where: The Opera House
Performances by: A Wilhelm Scream, Hot Water Music, Mockingbird Wish Me Luck, Sharks

It’s ok to have a mid-day sway and there are certainly enough parties to help you do so. Maximize your time outdoors; work on your tan, listen to music and have some drinks at a few of these seriously awesome parties below. Note: some require an RSVP or can only be attended if you win; read the details closely so you don’t look like a dick.

THURSDAY JUNE 16th
Slapback + NXNE Presents: Analogue Gallery Argentinean/Spanish BBQ
Where: Analogue Gallery
When: 2-7PM
Performances by:Meet The Blue, Forest City Lovers, Neil Quin , The Elwins , Modernboys Moderngirls, The Paint Movement
Click here for facebook event

XM Verge Rooftop Party
Where: Skybar Lounge
When: 4-6pm
Performances by: Hollerado, Dinosaur Bones, Washington, Zeus
Click here for facebook event and Guestlist instructions

FRIDAY JUNE 17th
Jägermeister and Exclaim! Annual BBQ BASH
Where: Cadillac Lounge
When: 3:30PM – 8:30PM
Performances by: The Artist Life, Young Rival, Bleeker Ridge, Monster Truck and more
Click here to enter for a chance to win entrance to this exclusive, invite-only industry party

Timothy Alexander McCready + Hand Drawn Dracula Present: the 159 Manning BBQ 2011
Where: 159 Manning
When: 12:30PM – 11PM
Performances by: Ladies of the Canyon, the Third Mind, Fields of Fur, No Gold, Choir!Choir!Choir!, Ell V Gore, Buck 65, Biblical, Burning Love, the Vandelles, Julie Fader
Click here for facebook event

SATURDAY JUNE 18th
M for Montreal & Brooklyn Vegan present Bruise Cruise at North by Northeast!
Where: docking at 207 Queens Quay West
When: 1:30 – 5 PM
Performances by: Ty Segall, Young Governor (Ben from Fucked Up), Uncle Bad Touch, Jesuslesfilles
Click here to register

On-going during the week there are some fantastic FREE shows with spectacular line-ups at Young-Dundas Square and our beloved Bellwoods Park. The best part? The number of schedule conflict eliminations!

Live in Bellwoods: the NXNE Picnic Series v. 2011
Where: Trinity-Bellwoods Park
When: Each day from 2 – 5PM
THURSDAY: International Zombies of Love, Zachary Lucky, Bellewoods, Modern Superstitions, Graham Wright & the Good Times Band , Whale Tooth
FRIDAY: Charlotte Cornfield, Freedom or Death, Doldrums , Enjoy Your Pumas, Olenka & the Autumn Lovers, The Balconies
SATURDAY: Slow Down, Molasses, Lake Forest, Sweet Thing, Allie Hughes, Forest City Lovers, Harlan Pepper
SUNDAY: Revelstoke, Hands & Teeth, DD/MM/YYYY, Jess Hill, Megan Bonnell, Teenage Kicks
Click here for facebook event

NXNE takes over Yonge-Dundas Square:
THURSDAY: Descendents, Fucked Up, METZ, OFF!, Rusty
FRIDAY: Diamond Rings, Land of Talk, Stars
SATURDAY: The Burning Boyz, Richard Duguay (of Personality Crisis), Nightbox, Gentlemen Husbands, DD/MM/YYYY, Dirty Beaches, DOM, Cults, Men Without Hats, Devo

Hope ya’ll have a blast on your NXNE adventures! Follow the ladies of Pink Mafia @pinkmafia4life throughout the week for all things NXNE. We’ll have updates on all the parties, secret shows/special guests, plus our exciting #PopupNXNE interview series – more on that Monday.

Words by Kate Masewich
Headline photo of the Commandeers by Courtney Lee Yip: http://courtneyleephotography.com/

Mutek Montreal June 1-5th

Highlights: Four Tet, Gold Panda, Plastikman
Line-up: CLICK HERE

North by Northeast June 13-19th

Highlights: 3 nights at Dundas Square for free, featuring: Descendents, then Devo, then Pharcyde + Digable Planets. So good it hurts
Line-up: CLICK HERE

Sled Island Festival June 22-25th

Highlights: Alberta Cross, Buzzcocks, Deer Tick, Jeff the Brotherhood, The Raveonettes, Of Montreal
Line-up: CLICK HERE

Montreal Jazz Festival June 25th-July 4th

Highlights: Return to Forever IV, Paco de Lucia, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Average White Band, BootsyCollins, Robert Cray Band. Unlike the Ottawa and Toronto editions, Montreal also features Sade, Theophilus London, Jaga Jazzist, Leif Vollebekk, Esperanza Spalding, John Legend.
Line-up: CLICK HERE

Ottawa Jazz Festival June 23rd-July 3rd

On top of most of the above highlighted artists the Ottawa version features Coeur De Pirate, Ohbijou and Shad.
Line-up: CLICK HERE

Toronto Jazz Festival June 24-July 3rd

Once again, Toronto share the big jazz names the other two festivals have but this one features Aretha Franklin and Reggie Watts.
Line-up: CLICK HERE

Tall Tree Music Festival June 25-27th

Full line-up: Aidan Knight, Current Swell, Espionage, Johnny Galactic, Jon and Roy, Listening Party, Mindil Beach Markets, Marris Otter, Quoia, The O’Darling, The Racoons, The Sunset, Velvet, Vince Vaccaro

Cisco Ottawa Blues Fest July 5th-17th (Yes, it’s like a month)

Highlights: Peter Frampton, Soundgarden, The Tragically Hip, The Black Keys, My Morning Jacket, M. Ward, The Roots, Karkwa, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros and the list goes on, and on: CLICK HERE FOR FULL LINEUP

Quebec City Summer Festival July 7-17th

Running simultaneously with the Ottawa Blues Fest, expect an over lap in artist but in addition add Elton John, Metallica and Cut Copy.
Line-up: CLICK HERE

Winnipeg Folk Festival July 6-10th

Highlights: Little Feat, Blue Rodeo, Jeff Tweedy, Dawes, Tegan & Sara, Mountain Man.
Line-up: CLICK HERE

Edgefest 2011 July 9th

Highlights: Arkells, The Weakerthans, Tokyo Police Club, Michou, Hollerado, The Sheepdogs, Dinosaur Bones, Sandman Viper Command.
Line-up: CICK HERE

Vancouver Folk Festival July 15-17th

Highlights: Samantha Crain, Buck 65, Elliot Brood, James Townes Earle, Imaginary Cities, Joel Plaskett Emergency.
Line-up: CLICK HERE

Heavy T.O and Heavy MTL both running June 23-24

It really just comes down to Rob Zombie (Toronto) vs. Kiss (Montreal).

Hillside Music Festival July 22-24

Highlights: The Dears, Dan Mangan, The Rural Alberta Advantage, Hollerado, Grimes, Hooded Fang, Gobble Gobble, Lost in the Trees, Shad, One Hundred Dollars, Braids, Charlotte Cornfield.
Line-up: CLICK HERE

Osheaga July 29-31st

Highlights: The Tragically Hip, Elvis Costello, The Flaming Lips, Sam Roberts Band, Beirut, Manchester Orchestra, Death From Above 1979, Kid Cudi, Jamie XX Line-up: CLICK HERE

Halifax M Fest August 7th

Highlights: Broken Social Scene, Diamond Rings, Hey Rosetta!, Surfer Blood, Ted Leo & The Pharmacists
Line-up: CLICK HERE

Shambhala Music Festival August 5-8th

Highlights: Shrillex, Gobble Gobble, Zed’s Dead
Line-up: CLICK HERE

Live At Squamish August 20-21st

Highlights: Metric, Weezer, Black Mountain, Major Lazer, Shad
Line-up: CICK HERE

So pack some clean undies kids and hit the roads this summer! I’ll have a road trip playlist for ya’ll undoubtedly to follow, but I strongly recommend bringing a copy of the Easy Rider Soundtrack. Happy Trails! x

Words by Kate Masewich

First up: The fervently rockin’ Royal Bangs from Knoxville, Tennessee.

Listed as one of Spin’s 5 Best New Artists for April and currently touring Europe with Cold War Kids and The Walkmen, Royal Bangs were in town earlier this month to play a show at The Drake and while their manager was tracking down their van that had been towed, I spoke with Ryan Schaefer, Chris Rusk and Sam Stratton about Patrick Carney, their new album Flux Outside and their favourite spot to hang ten in Knoxville.

Things started picking up for the band after they reassembled in 2008 when they were contacted by blues-rock deity Patrick Carney via MySpace to be signed to his label Audio Eagle Records (home also to his own side project Drummer). While these days you can’t throw to first without hearing The Black Keys (Blue Jays reference!), Ryan Schaefer explains that it took them awhile to make the connection as they initially didn’t really know who he was. “At that time they were pretty big, but not nearly nearly as big as they are now. We were mostly just excited to have a label interested in our music. At that time, that was the impressive part and we didn’t figure out until later who he was.” 

Trying to pigeonhole their sound is pointless because they draw from such a large pool of influences. Their tight execution of booming percussion, piercing hooks, Bowie-glitz synths and sweaty Southern-rock on their third album Flux Outside [Glassnote Records], leaves you craving more of whatever this unknown is. Ryan explains that it wouldn’t be the first time someone has had difficultly placing them neatly into a genre, “I think that almost everyone that has written about us so far has a really hard time with it too. It’s always strange to me that it sounds like people are trying to come up with some kind of catch-all and some of the weird labels they apply are pretty bizarre. I guess it’s a compliment in itself that at least it’s not a knee-jerk genre. I don’t always agree with what they come up with but I guess it’s kind of irrelevant.”

Royal Bangs have worked hard to hone their skills to excel in both their recorded material and live performances, each very different than the other, so they understand the importance a venue can lend to their sound. If you find yourself in Knoxville and you’re looking for the best spot to catch live music, Sam Stratton says the place to be is the Pilot Light: “Well, they only serve beer and it’s cash only but that’s where we would always play.” Ryan adds, “We have kind of a soft spot for the Pilot Light because it’s really the only good music club that we have [in Knoxville]. But it’s a great music club, lots of experimental bands.” 

They’ll be back in June so be sure to add them to your list of bands to check out and keep your ears open for a remix of one of their songs by another NXNE artist that will be popping up soon. Spoiler Alert: it’s awesome!

Have a listen to ‘Fireball’ and check out their performance on Letterman from earlier this month.

Words by Kate Masewich

Thank you for flying Tight Air flight 339 to Big Sex. Where you have no seat belt and ageism is finally a thing of the past…

Maybe it was Cut Throat Britva guitarist Zaddi Pesino smiling your way, or simply meeting Menno and his lovely new fiancé Annie that wound your karma maker for the night, but nothing quite says ‘special snowflake’ like learning the best kept rock and roll lifestyle secrets from the best kept rock and roll lifestyler himself, Mr. Serb Superb.

If you’ve been to birthday parties at the Boat before, you know this one was by far the best.* The bar was to the tits with cats for a night of exceptional music and good times. Highlights included: Huffing wine in the alley, Clothes Make the Man’s fire starting Bon Jovi cover, ‘Nightime/Anytime’, and a flake or two of confetti. You should be glad you were there because it’s nights like these that remind you just how great Toronto can be.

*The Untold City’s summer birthday jam party at the Boat became a whole lot more important to me with the announcement of a) a Constantines hiatus yesterday, and b) the Casby Awards nominees. By far one of the best Canadian bands of our lifetime and towing along with them sounds from the young bucking Arkells, our Golden Horseshoe boys will surely carry on. But suffice to say, the Constantines will be missed and I hope their paths weave again soon AND bouillon to the Manotick boys, sitting pretty with 4 nominations this year! ~KLV

Photo Credit: Courtney Lee Yip

Warpaint w/ Javelin @ Wrongbar

Ok, so granted not every show you pay your painstakingly hard earned cash to attend is going to go off without a hitch, sometimes you really think somethings got to give. A classic case of bait-and-switch. We’re promised a stacked bill with Warpaint, Javelin and Beach Fossils so it’s pretty safe to say it’s going to be fantastic, no doubt. Then things slowly start to change. First it’s announced that Bassmentality(with Juan Bassman no less) is scheduled to make it’s Wednesday night debut starting around 11; meaning it’s going to be an early show. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it just means that bands will stay true to their allotted set times and scheduling (read: no encores). I can live with that. Then Beach Fossils mysteriously disappear from the line-up, allegedly loosing their passportswhich is a total bummer, but again I can live with that. Luckily the ’give’ part came with vengeance and I was served up a healthy dose of badass with a side of NY.

Javelin was up first and I felt as though I was partaking in a archaeological dig into layers and layers of sounds. Known to be a flint of sorts in igniting a party, their shows are BYOB – the B standing for boombox, naturally. Their concept of broadcasting their shows via FM transmitter alone should be enough incentive to check them out. I didn’t catch any boomboxes, ghetto blasters or jamboxes in the crowd but not everyone can pull off the look like Julian Casablancas can. Their music is an anomaly. They erase the lines of distinction between genres and produce an undefinable sound. Their mixtape of a setlist kept the audience engaged if for nothing more than to hear what was coming next. This Brooklyn duo was full of good vibes that bounced around stage amidst their boomaatats. Minus the one rather limber gentleman in the front, the vibes weren’t reciprocated until their final track but the crowd was definitely left wanting more. Or maybe they were confused.

After a very short break we were whisked away to the sunny west coast by four total babes who restored my faith in all-girl bands entirely. Warpaint are phenomenal. Sure, it helps to have the considerable backing of oh, I don’t know say John Frusciante, but these ladies can definitely stand on their own 2 feet. Equal parts talent and looks, their arrangements can go from simple to complex in an instant. They bounce vocals that are both airy and sultry back and forth. Their songs are lackadaisical yet profoundly meaningful. They had the audience eating out of the palm of their hands; entirely captivated in a dream-like trance. Their sound came pouring out the speakers and lazily floated down to be readily absorbed. While their set was disheveled in comparison to the one played at NXNE earlier this year, the ladies took breaks between songs for pow-wows to sort themselves out which further cemented their darling status and made them that much more endearing. Together on stage they each individually exude talent and their collective arrangement allows them the flow freely while casually exchanging giggles.

Missing from the set was “Billie Holiday” off the 2009 released Exquisite Corpse EP but a chilling rendition of “Burgundy” more than compensated for it. Instead of covering all the tracks off the EP they heavily favoured their new material which utilizes the full band. Stella Mozgawa on the skins is an excellent addition. Playing now as a quartet, their sound seems complete and it is definitely working to their advantage. I highly encourage you to check out their first full length to be released in the fall.

The set was raw and beautiful and I was completely swept up in their mystique. ~Kate Masewich

After this year’s NXNE, I’ve decided that I want my life to only consist of going to fun parties and drinking and eating for free. Seriously. Do you know how awesome free beer is? Because, it’s awesome.

My photographer Steph and I headed over to London Tap House on Friday for an “exclusive” Exclaim! bbq. After waiting outside due to the venue already being at capacity (FYI–it opened at 3, was at capacity by 3:30pm) we headed up to the rooftop patio for a seriously wicked party. Upstairs, the party was packed with record executives, bands and socialites from Toronto’s music scene.

In addition to being hosted by the Jagerettes (imagine Suicide Girls if they were legitimately employed), the party featured a pig roast, live music, dunk tanks, and my new favourite: jager snow cones. Yum. Though the sun was totally blistering, they kept us cool with icy treats.

After trying to dunk the guy in the deer costume, and being “iced” by a record company guy, we proceeded to watch The Flatliners play an amazing acoustic set on the roof. I somehow missed the phase of my life where listening to them had been a ‘thing’ and had actually never heard anything by them before. I must say, they’ve got a new fan.

Needless to say, it was the perfect way to kick off our weekend of NXNE.

Diamond Rings & Katie Stelmanis @ Wrongbar, June 18th

Oh. Em. Eff. Gee. Actually. For those who know me, you know I love me The D’Urbs–they’re my boys and I love to support. Diamond Rings, lead singer of The D’Urbervilles’ John O’Reagan’s gender-bending side project, however, could be my new favourite thing to come out of Toronto.

Friday, he released his 12″ single for “Wait and See” at Wrongbar as part of NXNE. Diamond Rings has blown up. Last summer, his famous “All Yr Songs” Pitchfork-favourite blew people away, and from his show on Friday, it’s clear that nothing is going stop him from reaching the top. Ladies and gentleman, it could be Bowie re-incarnate.

After a mind-blowing opening from Katie Stelmanis and her army of talented Torontonians, John O’ took to the stage in his regular Diamond Rings fashion. Complete with some amazing gold leggings, blue glitter & infamous unicorn banner–the man commanded our attention when he put on a giant headress (which, you may recognize if you’ve seen the “Wait & See” video that came out last week).

The performance was absolutely beautiful to see. Diamond Rings conjures up emotions that make you want to dance, laugh, sing, and depending on if you saw his heartwrenching closer on Friday, cry. After dedicating his performance to his family for all their love and support in helping him release the 12″, he played a teary rendition of the song that started Diamond Rings before the glittery manifestation he is now.

If you haven’t had a chance to see Diamond Rings (or Katie Stelmanis for that matter, that woman has the voice of an angel!) you need to. They are two of Toronto’s rising talents, and they deserve our full attention.

The Raveonettes @ Yonge & Dundas Square June 19th

I have waited since I was 14 years old to see The Raveonettes. Don’t get me wrong, I love Iggy, but when I made my way down to Yonge and Dundas on Saturday, I had my heart set on The Raveonettes.

As you’ll have read from the other Iggy review, the crowd was just wild. Completely packed. We barely were able to lift our arms to get photos because it was so crowded. But hot damn, it was worth it.

The Raveonettes are potentially one of the best bands I’ve seen live. They’re such babes. They’re so European. They’re just so, so cool. Their sound echoed and reverberated across the packed square, throwing people off by the sound. You rarely encounter bands who use feedback like an instrument. And well, that’s kind of their signature move.

Seeing them play amidst their heavy duty fog machine, hearing their sultry voices–it’s modern day rockability chic at its finest. They were the perfect opener for Iggy Pop and The Stooges, and they played a full set which I was really pleased with.

Though they didn’t play some of the key tracks I was really hoping to hear, my heart was won over by finally getting to see those Euro-babes live.

The Good Stuff:

I love that the movie was produced and narrated by the Stones, themselves and wasn’t made with a bunch of half-true facts told by third-party sources. Since I hate most documentary-biographical films, this was a nice change. It also came out while they’re all still alive, and doesn’t include any soundbites. When I say it was narrated by the band, I mean they were involved from start to finish.

The Bad Stuff:

Honestly, I don’t really have anything bad to say about the film. I think it was well-made, nicely put together and had great footage and photos from a period we don’t see many from.

I highly recommend this film to any Stones buff. Just remember, it’s not a general doc on the band, but strictly about their experiences recording An Exile On Main Street. 5/5!

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Gregg Gillis (stage name Girl Talk) is a laptop artist from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania who specializes in sample based remixes, by using at least a dozen elements from any song you can think of, to create a new one. I got to speak with Gregg before his show about his music and his not so new obsession with collecting Air Jordans. You can find my interview on Embrace’s site coming soon.

Keys ‘n Krates:

Kidstreet:

After a quick introduction and Girl Talk chanting, in a grey hoodie and sweatband Gregg steered away from the chit chat and let his mashups do the talking. Gregg plunges right away into a various selection of cuts from “Night Ripper” and “Feed the Animals” and getting people to come on stage to party with him and his toilet paper throwing sidekicks. There was plenty of new samples thrown into the mix to keep his mashups fresh, hearing songs from the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, Major Lazer, Phoenix etc.

The night was sweaty, dance-filled and very exhausting. I think I was a little bit over dressed for that night and decided to wear the most uncomfortable (but cute) heels ever. I’ve never been to a Girl Talk show before and didn’t know what to expect. I chose style before comfort and it was clearly a big no-no. While I was at the side of the stage complaining about how much my feet hurt, I watched the crowds jammed right into each other, elbows flying, and the temperature go sky high as the Sound Academy got ridiculously sweaty. Everything looked so much fun as there were big beach balls bouncing around, confetti everywhere and people crowd surfing etc I was kicking myself for the stupid heels decision.

I went into this thinking it was going to be kind of lame because, honestly, the trailer does not do it justice at all. So here’s my review.

The Good Stuff:

Well, to start it’s an indie movie, so kudos to the fact that you’re most likely the only one who’s seen it. Congratulations! You’re now the coolest movie-goer you know. No, seriously, this movie was pretty chill. It jumps right into the drama within the first five minutes, and it keeps a steady pace of it throughout the hour and half it takes before it finishes. The lead actor, Tygh Runyan, is friggin hot as are most of the male characters in the movie, actually, most of the women are hot, too, so gays, straights, everyone can enjoy the eye candy! And ps, the actor who plays Sam, Hrothgar Mathews, reminds me SO much of John Dunsworth from Trailer Park Boys during certain parts of the film. Please tell me if anyone else feels the same way!

The Bad Stuff:

Alright, so I found Sarah Lind to be insanely annoying in this movie. At the dinner party, Grace pretty well gets verbally sexually assaulted by her boss and his wife who want to have an orgy of sorts with her and Trevor. Sarah, who plays his wife Audrey, is supposed to be a complete bimbo, which she played well, but she also came off as possibly the most annoying thing I have ever laid eyes on in a movie. I haven’t seen her in anything else, but she’s appeared on The L Word, amongst other things, so I’m sure she’s a great actress, and I hope it was just this role that made me want to drill screws into my eyes.

Overall, I’d probably give this movie a 4/5. It was really good, but I can’t see it as being something that would appeal to everyone. I liked it a lot, and if you’re into independent film, or just a film-buff in general, I think it might appeal to you, too. Enjoy!

FOR MORE ON WHAT’S PLAYING AT NXNE, CLICK HERE.

If you are a Dirty Projectors fan and saw tUnE-yArDs‘ show last November, you may remember them blowing the Opera House away. Most likely, if you saw them that night last year, you were there with me on Sunday.

However, if you aren’t familiar with the jill-of-all-trades wonder-woman, Merrill Garbus, aka tUnE-yArDs, GET familiar. I have never seen such energy at the Horsehoe before. Garbus was the main attraction, but with the help of her backing band (including her there were three drummers on stage) I felt transported to another world of music I have never experienced before.

Bottom Line: If you love seeing a front-woman absolutely tear apart a crowd with top-of-her-lungs singing to the beat of tribal percussion, and have a human pulse, go see them every chance you can get!

Words and Photo: Courtney-Lee Yip

THE BALCONIES, HOLLERADO, MELIGROVE BAND AT THE CN TOWER: NXNE OPENING NIGHT JUNE 16, 2010

“I kind of just felt like going by my real name.” Crystal clear and glimmering with self-content, Sally Seltmann is back with a valiant and charming new record from down under. Warming the pop waters as the classically inspired New Buffalo, “Heart That’s Pounding” is the third album from this delicate songwriter. And with the same cascading organs and sweeping winsome as before, Sally is stronger, wiser and in a place of her own.

“ I was hiding behind a name before and now I’m comfortable with where I am in my life. It feels like New Buffalo was a just one of my musical projects.”

Hailing from the most tropical of the commonwealth nations, Sally is beach blonde as Regina is metropolized. “I think its pretty engrained in me to think more about classically arranged music, but I still play around with some electronics and things.”

Orchestral and fringing upon waltz, “Set Me Free” is a colloquial ballad of independence. Shaping the voice that sets this project apart from her previous work, while opening track and first single “Harmony To My Heartbeat” and danceable “Dreaming About Change” weep with pop maturity and are catchy as hell.

“I’m quite interested in women being seen as strong and powerful without trying to be like men. I would hope that comes across a little bit in my music.”

Whether a motion of solidarity, romantic devotion or other, Sally’s name change brings to light the relationship with her husband, Avalanches guitarist Darren Seltmann. Currently playing drums on her North American tour, the two continue to sculp their musical parallels and look forward to co-production in the future.

“I used to try to be really musically independent from Darren, but now I just really enjoy working with him. We both love music and we’re both really creative with other sorts of things in our life too, so why not.”

To date, and beguiling commonality, Sally is the brain behind Feist’s 2007 award winning anthem, “1,2,3,4″. At a time in her career when songs were plentifully scripted, Sally thought it was a song  “that she might like to sing, it was a time when I was writing a lot, and it wasn’t very hard for me to let it go. I feel really lucky that she liked it.”

A chivalrous approach to the gleaming fixtures of contemporary pop music,  “Heart That’s Pounding” is a Joni Mitchell pop fusion and behind this awe inspiring folkloress, is a classical persuasion of challenging and tasteful arrangements that damsels the world’s most fruitful distresses.

Catch Sally this Friday at Supermarket as a part of The Agency Group NXNE Showcase. And follow @pinkmafia4life this week for a chance to win a copy of “Heart That’s Pounding” available now through itunes and at the online Arts & Crafts store.

Words Katherine Alicia Snack

Wednesday June 16

If your weekend warrior status starts on a Wednesday, the Bovine Sex Cub is starting off the after hour splendor at 2AM on Wednesday with performances by Victim Party, The Decay, The Cavaliers and DIY it up. We can’t make any promises but there’s a good chance that Eagles of Death Metal are going to make an appearance after they hit Cherry Cola’s of course.

Thursday June 17

For a big night of electro-disco fun check out Junior Boys at The Social, “In the Morning” was the blitzed to the point of swaying  summer song for ’09 so be ready to hear even more body bashing beats (FYI, they are supposed to go on at 12:30AM, so this is technically NOT a 2-4 but still pretty dope). Toronto’s own TAPEDECKBROS will bet at El Mocambo. Let the ass shaking commence.

Friday June 18

Friday night is big jam night so should plan on hitting as many spots as you can. Duo Torro Torro are hitting up Gladstone Hotel Ballroom (3AM).

Dakota Tavern is featuring a “special guest” which in my books usually means something rad and too big too announce because it’ll screw up their much bigger show wink wink.  HUORATRON  will be at Wrongbar late night for the Last Gang showcase. Choosing your venue is just a matter of personal taste.

If there’s one piece of news that has blown my mind it’s ED effing LOVER at The Drake along with DJ Fase and 84.85. If you’re unfamiliar with Ed Lover, he is the king of 90′s hip hop (he hosted Yo! MTV Raps) and scroll down for his recent Youtube fame.

Wherever you end up going throughout the night, a good bet is to do last call at the Bovine, the guest hasn’t been listed as of yet but every year they have the best mix of well-mannered city (read: not morons from out of town or the dreaded suburbs) and local as well as bigger out of town artists co-existing/mingling in boozy bliss.

Saturday June 19

For final wrap up we’re giving you two pieces of advice: One: Don’t start too early, this is an endurance sport not a relay. Two: check out one of these two for guaranteed satisfaction.  Classixx (LA) + Hatchmatik at the Drake.

Bassilicious PARTY LIKE US RECORDS are throwing AC Slater, B. Rich, and Udachi all under one roof at The Social. It’s sure to be one of the biggest events of NXNE

If you make it til Tuesday without a 3 day hangover. Gold star.

Click on the image below for the downloadable version: