Thursday At NXNE 2009

Here's what I did last night at NXNE:

Melissa Auf Der Maur @ Yonge-Dundas Square: Look, someone's got to say this: She's hot, smart, a positive female role model for the rock world, a proud Canadian, and a fascinatingly artful person. She shouldn't, however, be allowed to have her own band to front.

Burning Brides @ Yonge-Dundas Square: Acceptably heavy two song sample before heading to The Courthouse.

Timber Timbre @ The Courthouse: I thought it was going to be awesome that NXNE/Arts & Crafts were appropriating The Courthouse for rock 'n' roll. I was wrong. Wednesday night was a guest list fiasco and this night I watched on, appalled, as the venue security "face controlled" a group of middle age dudes (not skids, either) who wanted to get in to the show by making one do a sobriety walk along the sidewalk and asking all the others for ID. Apparently they were VIPs, too... they just didn't look the part.

Anyway, I suspect Timber Timbre were awesome, but I could only zero in for a couple songs because of the unprecedented level of douche-talkers in the back half of the room. Any negative attribute or stereotype you could ever assign to an A&C brand audience was on display during this set and it was a ruiner.

I'm hoping for a Timber Timbre redo show in a bayou cabin or a cave or under a giant willow tree at sunrise or something — which I know would be incredible — to wash this taint away.

The Black Lips @ Yonge-Dundas Square: I think I've figured out The Black Lips' appeal. Twenty years of hip-hop to rap rock to nu metal to alternative to electronica means the kids are at least two generations removed from old-fashioned, genuine, classic rock 'n' roll in its traditional sense. So when they see it they start throwing shit and invading the stage and losing their minds because they can't fucking deal.

It's kinda cute, but the Lips aren't as awesome as they are the beneficiaries of the "in the absence of anyone else..." rule of music success.

Natalie Portman's Shaved Head @ El Mocambo downstairs: This is the band that the music teacher at a Fame school would create using the prized students she wanted to succeed.

Foul Mouth Jerk @ Bread And Circus: He wasn't actually that foul or that much of a jerk, but he got cut off before his last song, which was apparently the norm because...

D-Sisive @ Bread And Circus: D-Sisive also got his set cut. So your marquee local name and Polaris-nominee got three songs and a crowd singalong of the "Ninja Turtles Rap" before he got off the stage.

Manafest @ Bread And Circus: Watched one song of his mostly because I was stunned that D-Sisive was over so quickly. But then it was man-a-fuck outta there.

Elephant Stone @ Supermarket: This is pretty much The High Dials reconstructed with the bass player now as the frontman doing added sitar jams over shoegaze Brit-pop. Basically, if you think Brian Jonestown Massacre's Give It Back album is awesome you'll eat this up. Anyone else will be bored.