About two months ago, I got this crazy idea that I would apply for Media Accreditation for the North By Northeast Music Conference in Toronto.  I thought, "Hey, I've got a web site. They're  looking for Internet publications, I'm all over this ".   It was a spontaneous thing, filling out that form.  But with a click of my mouse, the information was speeding toward the powers that be.  Sure that I would be discovered for the fraud that I am, a non-revenue web site with, for the most part, a sole contributor, I didn't have much hope that my application would be accepted.  I didn't give it another thought.

Well, lo and behold, about two weeks before, I receive an email confirming the acceptance of the application of On That Note for NXNE Media Accreditation.   A Media Kit soon followed, and as quickly as you could say Rolling Stone, I was now a legitimate member of the press! 

Still, I felt that it would be no time before I was uncovered as a scam.  With my homemade business cards, fresh off my HP Deskjet, I arrived at the Holiday Inn on King in Toronto, cowering behind the likes of real media types like Canadian Musician and NOW Magazine.  I sauntered over to the press registration table, expecting to be laughed out of the joint, but was processed without a glitch.  I was now holding the holy grail, a Press Laminate that would gain me entrance to every club on the circuit, and a whole lot more, I was about to find out.

Let me give a bit of background on NXNE.  The sister of Austin-based South By Southwest, this Toronto industry festival is in its 4th year.  A scaled down version of the Austin event, NXNE hosted over 400 bands at 26 venues over three nights, with additional events on the Wednesday before and the Sunday after.  Unlike SXSW, this event truly caters to the unsigned band.  There were no big draws or heavy hitters to insure massive crowds.  There were some local favorites, a few bands on the up and up, like Rusty and Starling, but the majority of bands were virtually unknown, if by no one else but me.  The representation was primarily Canadian, but NY, the midwest US, as well as international havens all had thrown their musical hat into this mix.

Without a doubt, I got to see some of the best bands under the most ideal circumstances, literally no crowds.  The 360 Club always had a seat and Ted's Wrecking Yard on Thursday at 1am offered my party virtually a command performance by   Toronto's own JP Wasson (and this here's my) Band.  I'm torn, because obviously for this festival to survive, it will have to draw a bigger audience, but I really loved the intimacy of the venues.  Some shows were SRO, but for the most part, this was a hassle free weekend, clubs were easy access and these media passes were like gold.

Let me elaborate.  A member of the press, especially at shows of lesser audience participation, is not only entitled to some meaningful chats with band members (I love that shit), but it is virtually a ticket to enough free CDs to start my own DJ gig.   At first, I thought it was a novelty, like Girlpope was just being nice by handing me a free copy of their disk "Cheeses of Nazareth", but when the OUI.73 manager walked up to me and handed me their "Princess" CD, without as much as a bat from my eye or a coy smile, I knew I was on to something big.  It became a game of "let's see how many CDs I can get without having to ask for one."  I scored big with final tally 12 CDs and two cassettes.  Thanks to all the bands for their generosity and  conversation.  You gave me my 15 minutes as a real industry type.

As the days and nights ran together, I made my best attempt to try and capture some of the feeling of each band, really try to do a good job on this report.  But, as I look back over my notes, I see the potent Canadian beer had rendered my handwriting to hieroglyphics.  In the true spirit of the festival, I tried to approach each band as if I were considering signing them. 
indicates one of my hot picks.

Without a clue, we started off on the first night at Club Shanghai with Priya Thomas from Montreal.  OK, so we got mixed up on the nights and thought it would be a band called the Harlots, but we stuck around for Priya and enjoyed her set of lulling guitars and wailing vocals that reminded me of both Cranberries and Mazzy Star.  Next stop was The 360 where we spent the majority of the rest of the evening.  First up there was Boy Wonder, a power pop band with female lead singer/lead guitarist.  Some songs reminded me of girl groups from the 60s, but influences of Letters to Cleo and Juliana Hatfield (all Boston-based) and possibly a bit of Veruca Salt were evident in this combination of childlike vocals and strong guitar.  Later, I chatted briefly with one of the guitarists and was surprised that he had been influenced by Brian Wilson (but hey, who isn't?). 

So, we popped out to the Reverb to catch the end of Mr. Henry's set, which I liked alot.  I thought they had a nice combo with the five piece group that offered slide guitar and harmonium and strong clear vocals in lead singer, not to mention he was an adorable presence on stage with his plaid flannel shirt, looking more like one of my North Carolina cronies than the New Yorker that he is.  They had a good pop feel with country influences much like Sister Hazel, giving them a sound that is much in demand with today's pop music consumers.

Back to The 360 for Girlpope  from Buffalo.  These three guys unleashed a high energy punk sound with cute songs like "song about girls" and "(hey, let's hear it for) the single girl".  The most impressive element of this act was their attempt at banter.  Both bass and lead guitarist had a cute sense of humor with the ongoing theme of "entertainment value" for the evening, stopping in between songs to see if the audience felt that they had received their $100 worth, mixing in references to Canadian currency. They introduced one song as "not having written it yet".  They looked cool on stage in suit or tux and seemed to be having a good time with the 20 or so people in the crowd.  Afterwards, they were very friendly and fun to talk to, and as I mentioned earlier, initiated my quest for free stuff.  I have to apologize to the drummer for making him promise to see a Barenaked Ladies show to see how they manage their charming banter.  It was not meant to be a slight to them, as they did some of the most entertaining discussion of the festival.  I just always recommend Barenaked Ladies (see BNL Corner).  Next up at The 360, OUI.73 was a good band, punk style, heavy guitars, also from Buffalo, NY.

Our last stop on Thursday, topping off a night of loud music and extensive indulgence in Molson, we dropped in on JP Wasson at Ted's Wrecking Yard.  Mentioned earlier, we were literally the only people in the house, but were treated to some great hard driving songs in what I guess is currently being described as Y'allternative, sort of a new wave rockabilly.  They were funny (This Here's My Band, repeated several times), had lots of energy, and tons of charm.  These Toronto boys did such a great job on the country thing that they would fit right in in  Texas without missing a step.  Memorable tunes were "She's Moving On", "First Thing Tomorrow," and "Has Been, Never Was", I'm giving this group "Hot Pick" status for Thursday night.

Sometime during the night, we dropped in at Twiggy's to catch Moxie, which we affectionately referred to as "The Vomit Girls" (NXNE program comment "these women juggle songs about vomit and insomnia with social commentary.")   From Bayville, NY, this band offers several lead singers with diverse styles that gives great breadth to their sound.  Heavy pop stylings and guitars are the trademark, and with songs like "Put It In", they should be drawing a bit of attention soon.

Not a bad one in the bunch for Thursday.  After nursing the hangover on Queen St. with some intense shopping, Friday night started out with dinner at Queen Mother (good Thai) and then on to Rivoli for 4-Star Movie.  Their punk style was pretty amateurish and unmemorable, probably due to poor sound.  Disappointed, we hopped over to the Horseshoe Tavern for some of Australian Paul Kelly's set.  With an obvious larger audience than other acts we had seen, we had become spoiled by our intimate performances, so we couldn't handle the cramped quarters and the "too much drums" in the mix.   Two strikes so far, we head back to old standby The 360 for Renann from Toronto with a Sam Phillips sound. 

Sonipath from Long Island was a hard rock (almost metal) band, not usually my thing, but this one was special.  Their personnel consisted of the typical scary types on guitars, but the unique style of their lead singer, DJ Moran, was what made this band.   With rap style vocals and movements, this guy reminded me alot of the Jay character (friend of Silent Bob) from Kevin Smith movie fame (Chasing Amy, Clerks...).  A tall lanky fellow with long hair and strong Long Island accent, he delivered one of my favorite songs of the weekend, "WWW." with all sorts of web references and the tag "Where Do You Want to Go Today?"  DJ was cool enough to chat a bit and give me not one, but two CDs.  They had just won the Long Island band competition for best hard rock band and seem to be enjoying some local radio play.   This group combined lots of elements that I hate (Faith No More/Living Color style, funky bass line, etc.) and turned it into something that I loved. 

Rosavelt from Cleveland was next, but we've already had a band like them, called The Replacements.  Their set was good, but their demeanor a bit dark.  Notable tune was "Carp and Bones", about Fly Fishing.  We started off the midnight hour with "a million evil pennies" from Toronto, but quickly tired of their lead singer who went a bit overboard with the straw hat and striped shirt to look like a real hick.  We hurried over to Lee's Palace catching the end of Groovy Religion and most of Rusty's set, both Toronto bands and obviously local favorites.  Both of these bands were loud, you can see the Tragically Hip influence, but didn't get me too excited.   Probably my lack of testosterone.

So with a day left of good Canadian hospitality, we started out Saturday with gusto.   Our first stop at Club Shanghai was Blisterine from Vancouver.  Reminding me a bit of another Vancouver band, the Odds they at times sounded like the Beatles and others the Replacements, even covering Valentine.  Cute singers with cute lyrics delivered songs like "Gratitude" , "Disappointment Drives My Car", and "TV Guide".  Weak vocals are holding this band back.

Rushing over to Graffitti, we were bound to catch Collin Seals, a babe that I had met in the elevator at the hotel earlier in the day, having an intellectually stimulating conversation about who was the real star of South Park (I said Cartman and he said Chef, ok we're both right).  This tall, dark, handsome, and smoothly charming young man originally from San Antonio, now living in LA to make the break, offers great country folk songs about TX ("You Go to Hell, I'm Goin' to Texas) and Drinkin ("Another Broken-Hearted-Whiskey-Drinkin- Song") and the title track of his CD, the sensitive "Fortune's Own Boy".  He reminded me a lot of Robert Earl Keen, a TX mainstay in the folk country market, and when I told Collin that after the show, his reply was "Oh, that's pleasant".  Not sure if that was a thank you or a f--- you.  I hope the former, it was definitely a compliment.  He had a nice way with the crowd and made me laugh when he introduced one song as "it would be a country song except it's got the word 'denouement' (for the literally challenged, pronounced day-new-ma) in it."   He also sang a song about "Underage Southern Women" and said he had to sing it now before he got too old and it would just be real sick.

So finally, the night is winding down and I am psyched for the band that I had been anticipating all weekend, Starling.  Recommended to me by Ed Robertson of Barenaked Ladies, far be it from me to question Ed's taste, I knew this would be a hot one.  I was not disappointed.  This group of three guys from Ottawa offer a rocking pop sound that is very modern, yet offers strains of twangy guitars and really unique vocals by lead singer and songwriter, Ian Lefeuvre.   They have such a unique sound that it would be hard to categorize.  Definitely in the Canadian realm of The Odds, but also with some Brit pop influences, and maybe some Jellyfish, they offer great songs "Don't Deflate" (which I am listening to right now), "Celibate", "Die Hard Crush" (I've had my share), "Delusional", "Homely", and "Earnest" (ok, so I like them all).  At the Reverb this night, they had a large audience (including none other that Mr. Robertson himself) that was really into the set.  Having met Yvonne Matsell, booking agent for Reverb, after the set, this band is going places.  New York music lovers can catch them at Tramps in the City during the month of June. Starling, come to Texas!!! Starling is my pick for the entire festival and I will make a concerted effort to follow them (as well as my other "of note" picks) over the next year to see if I have any ear for picking the hits. Keep checking the "What's New" section for these updates.

So another festival comes to a close.  While I was nervous about my participation at the outset, during the conference, I realized that I was in exactly the right place.   Independent bands are what this is all about, so independent publications are also welcome, encouraged, and hopefully helped out.  Maybe I didn't make all the right connections, work any big deals, or even gain a single hit (to the site) as a result, but I had an excellent time, got to do all my favorite things: listen to great music, talk to cute guitarists, and score free stuff.  Kudos to the NXNE staff for making this a well organized, well run, entertaining event.  Thanks for making me feel like a media big shot for a few days. You just can't beat that Canadian hospitality.  Do I have to wait a year for the next one?

On that note, I'm outta here...

C

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Last updated: May 02, 2001