NXNE 2006

Elizabeth Shepherd Trio @ NXNE 2006

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By James Simons (CHARTattack) June 14, 2006 4:30 pm
Background/Composition: The Elizabeth Shepherd Trio sounds like a bunch of jazz hooligans robbing Starbucks: they rush in with a bang and then speed out with your biscotti in their mouths. Grade: 72 Comment: For a Sunday Brunch-style jazz trio, these guys actually rock pretty hard, shaking up their soothing muffin-and-mamosa music...
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NXNE 2006
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Jason Falkner @ NXNE 2006

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By James Simons (CHARTattack) June 14, 2006 4:30 pm
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA Background/Composition: One guy, one guitar, a load of tight power-pop ditties. Any questions? Grade: 73 Comment: After recently recording with Sir Paul McCartney, L.A. songwriter Jason Falkner hit Toronto with no more than an electric guitar and a batch of catchy songs. While the show wasn'...
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NXNE 2006

Amy Millan @ NXNE 2006

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By James Simons (CHARTattack) June 14, 2006 4:30 pm
Hometown: Toronto, ON Background/Composition: After an underwhelming stripped-down performance at Reverb the night before, Stars frontwoman Amy Millan called out a menacing posse to give her new country-tinged solo album justice. Grade: 76 Comment: Backed by Paso Mino, Dan and Jenny Whitely and enough other...
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NXNE 2006

Melissa McClelland @ NXNE 2006

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By James Simons (CHARTattack) June 14, 2006 3:00 pm
Hometown: Toronto, ON  Background/Composition: Fronting a tight five-piece band, Melissa McClelland slides easily from cocaine-fueled country rock to polite and pretty musical curtsies. Grade: 81 Comment: McClelland's music was cool, catchy, confident and pretty much any other complementary descriptor that...
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NXNE 2006

Femme Generation @ NXNE 2006

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By James Simons (CHARTattack) June 14, 2006 3:00 pm
Hometown: Toronto, ON Background/Composition: Toronto four-piece Femme Generation put on a sweaty post-punk, post-apocalyptic dance party. Grade: 95 Comment: This is what house parties in hell must sound like: pounding drums, can-opener guitar riffs and some hypnotic frontman cackling like a crazed breakfast...
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NXNE 2006

Do Right Soundsystem @ NXNE 2006

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By James Simons (CHARTattack) June 14, 2006 3:00 pm
Hometown: Toronto, ON Background/Composition: Toronto hip-hop collective Do Right Soundsystem combine freestyle and written rhymes with impressive turntablism for an old-school party music that rocks the collective body. Grade: 84 Comment: This is the way live hip-hop should be: discernable rhymes, turntable flexing...
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NXNE 2006

Jason Bajada @ NXNE 2006

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By Rob Kingston (CHARTattack) June 13, 2006 11:30 am
Background/Composition: Solid singer/songwriter who blends all flavours of pop together. Grade: 83 Comment: Bajada never fails to deliver. There's a unique sense of performer in him that immediately comes out on stage. He also gets the rock show formula. Some hard-hitting, gripping tunes paired with some softer stuff that required a...
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Jason Bajada

Tacoma Redd @ NXNE 2006

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By Stephanie Joudrey (CHARTattack) June 13, 2006 11:30 am
Background/Composition: They're a straight-forward rock band who pulled off the genre with some style. Grade: 80 Comment: Tacoma Redd made radio rock interesting during their set by having just enough of their own sound to not blend in with every other band out there. The lead singer's voice is completely original and they've got the...
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Tacoma Redd

Toolshed @ NXNE 2006

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By Stephanie Joudrey (CHARTattack) June 13, 2006 11:30 am
Background/Composition: Three white rappers and a DJ spinning behind them. Grade: 69 Comment: Despite the poor turn up these three rappers were good and their humour about the sparse crowd (a handful of people) only made them more likeable. Achievement of Rock 'n' Roll Expectations 80-100: Exceeds skill and knowledge expectations, i...
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Toolshed

Stare Into The Sun @ NXNE 2006

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By Rob Kingston (CHARTattack) June 13, 2006 11:30 am
Background/Composition: Standard rock trio have a darker sensibility to their sound. Grade: 74 Comment: Star Into The Sun were a solid but not spectacular trio who will probably never make it to rock 'n' roll superstardom. They're probably good enough to become popular in their hometown. Achievement of Rock 'n' Roll Expectations 80-...
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Stare Into The Sun

Cauterize @ NXNE 2006

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By Stephanie Joudrey (CHARTattack) June 13, 2006 11:30 am
Background/Composition: A fivesome playing that type of pop rock that you hear on the radio all of the time. Grade: 84 Comment: Cauterize are a good band. They're solid and have their act together enough to be a "big" band. Unfortunately, after three of four songs it starts to sound like everything else out there....
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NXNE 2006

Wheatmonkeys @ NXNE 2006

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By Stephanie Joudrey (CHARTattack) June 13, 2006 11:30 am
Background/Composition: Candy-coated, pop-laden cute-as-a-button pop-punk from the prairies. Grade: 72 Comment: Fourty-five minutes of super-sweet pop-punk is little much for the final hours of NXNE. They burst out of the gates strong, but they lacked the stage energy of the bigger bands in the genre. Although the songs were still...
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NXNE 2006

Lights On @ NXNE 2006

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By Rob Kingston (CHARTattack) June 13, 2006 11:00 am
Background/Composition: Two lead vocalists pair up in this foursome to deliver solid piano-infused rock. Grade: 81 Comment: Easily the biggest surprise for me at NXNE this year. By combining solid guitar riffs and solos with the heavy piano-driven melodies, they had the folks at Crowbar hanging off every note and moving to the rhythm...
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NXNE 2006

Elemeno Peas @ NXNE 2006

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By Emma Sadowski (CHARTattack) June 13, 2006 11:00 am
Background/Composition: A fun and full sounding nine-piece funk and soul band armed with a massive horn section, bluesy bass guitar and everything in between. Grade: 80 Comment: Elemeno Peas can make any rainy day bright as their attitude to the music they play is nothing but rainbows and sunshine. They put on an upbeat show that got...
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NXNE 2006

My Latex Brain @ NXNE 2006

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By Leah Collins (CHARTattack) June 13, 2006 10:30 am
Background/Composition: Three grimy electro-punks who hate George Bush and love to thrash. Grade: 78 Comment: It might not be immediately obvious through all the weird-out political barking, echoing sci-fi samples and scrambled (through countless distorter pedals) bass, but the object of the evening was to shake the audience's punk...
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NXNE 2006

Sara Johnston @ NXNE 2006

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By Christine Estima (CHARTattack) June 13, 2006 10:30 am
Background/Composition: Ex-Bran Van 3000-er tries her hand at a softer side of rock/pop. Grade: 70 Comment: She's having troubles eparating herself from her influences, and that's immediately apparent. She needs more invention and experimentation to leave a mark on our collective consciousness. Achievement of Rock 'n' Roll...
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NXNE 2006

Fairfield @ NXNE 2006

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By Emma Sadowski (CHARTattack) June 13, 2006 10:30 am
Background/Composition: This band play heart breaking rock ballads, but underneath are hints of blues and country. Grade: 80 Comment: Toronto rockers Fairfield put on an impressive performance. Lead singer, Casey Marshall's shrill vocals rang through The Rivoli, capturing the attention of the packed audience. Achievement of Rock 'n'...
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NXNE 2006

My Darkest Days @ NXNE 2006

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By Emma Sadowski (CHARTattack) June 13, 2006 10:30 am
Background/Composition: Poppy hard rock to cry your eyes out to. Is life really that bad? Grade: 75 Comment:Lacking in originality musically is the major pitfall of this Ontario band. Yet, they have a strong live performance and are capable of rocking the socks off their audience. Achievement of Rock 'n' Roll Expectations 80-100:...
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NXNE 2006

Bowman And The Broke Ass Rock Stars @ NXNE 2006

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By Stephanie Joudrey (CHARTattack) June 13, 2006 10:00 am
Background/Composition: A strange blend of hilarious rock: think Arrogant Worms meets Moxy Fruvous meets Bowling For Soup. Grade: 64 Comment: Definitely interesting and humourous to watch, it was almost hard to take this band serious as they sang about fat sluts, superpowers and girls' boyfriends. They were a good filler, but it's...
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NXNE 2006

Crush Luther @ NXNE 2006

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By Stephanie Joudrey (CHARTattack) June 13, 2006 10:00 am
Background/Composition: A funky, pop rock fivesome that your girlfriend or mother would completely approve of. Grade: 92 Comment: Lead by Luther himself, these guys broke all genre boundaries, creating a set that was memorable and fun to watch. They seemed comfortable doing everything from hip-hop to metal to their true genre of...
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NXNE 2006
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