NXNE 2009

Japanther @ NXNE 2009

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By Sarah Kurchak (CHARTattack) June 22, 2009 3:29 pm
Background/ Composition: Japanther are two guys on drums and bass who sing into bright yellow phones. They're like a poppier, more melodic Death From Above 1979, but with samples and songs about skipping school and funny grade school rhymes instead of songs about doing it. Grade: 95 Comment: From the guys to their songs to the crowd to the...
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Street Pharmacy @ NXNE 2009

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By Sarah Kurchak (CHARTattack) June 22, 2009 3:23 pm
Background/ Composition: Street Pharmacy are a reggae/pop/rock four-piece with an arsenal of hit-worthy songs. They might just be the second best thing to come out of Welland, Ont. Grade: 81 Comment: Back in the day, these here report cards used to have a section that assessed a band's potential for future world domination. If that still...
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Metz @ NXNE 2009

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By Zack Vitiello (CHARTattack) June 22, 2009 3:18 pm
Background/ Composition: If you've got hair, whip it around. Metz are a Toronto-based trio that make experimental post-punk music that borders on the realm of hardcore. It's the shit that leaves your neck stiff the next morning. Grade: 82 Comment: In what looked like a cross between a living room and an industrial warehouse space, Metz played...
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Metz

Crystal Antlers @ NXNE 2009

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By Zack Vitiello (CHARTattack) June 22, 2009 2:59 pm
Background/ Composition: This much-hyped Long Beach, Calif. six-piece refuse classification. They tamper with various elements of punk, psychedelia and prog-rock. The resulting tunes are at once urgent and calamitous, yet expansive and epic. Grade: 86 Comment: Even in the middle of a rainy afternoon, Crystal Antlers held nothing back. They put...
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Crystal Antlers

Little Girls @ NXNE 2009

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By Zack Vitiello (CHARTattack) June 22, 2009 2:46 pm
Background/ Composition: This Toronto quartet take their cues from early '90s post-punk and shoegaze and make noise-pop devoid of any intelligible hooks or substance. Grade: 59 Comment: Frontman Josh McIntyre plays in several bands — including Pirate/Rock — and Little Girls are currently receiving the brunt of the local buzz. But after...
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Dustin Bentall @ NXNE 2009

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By David McPherson (CHARTattack) June 22, 2009 2:35 pm
Background/ Composition: Bentall comes from some fine musical pedigree (father is Canadian rocker Barney Bentall) and uses this DNA to his advantage. But his musical genes have more in common with Gram Parsons and The Flying Burrito Brothers than his dad's penchant for more middle-of-the-road rock. Bentall was backed by a kick-ass band that...
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Gurf Morlix @ NXNE 2009

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By David McPherson (CHARTattack) June 22, 2009 2:28 pm
Background/ Composition: This veteran Texan is known more as an ace producer of Americana and roots musicians (including Canada's own Romi Mayes), but he recently decided it was high time to hit the stage himself. Grade: 87 Comment: Morlix had the shoulder-to-shoulder Dakota crowd mesmerized and hanging on his every word. Morlix sang songs of...
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Romney Getty @ NXNE 2009

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By David McPherson (CHARTattack) June 22, 2009 2:23 pm
Background/ Composition: Getty is a gritty soul singer based in Collingwood, Ont. who's kind of love-child of Hank Williams and Loretta Lynn. She was joined by a pair of guitar slingers she refered to as my "right and left hand men." Grade: 82 Comment: These were sorrow in your suds kind of songs. Getty played a tight set of mainly...
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Scott MacLeod @ NXNE 2009

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By Evan Dickson (CHARTattack) June 22, 2009 1:58 pm
Background/ Composition: This proud Calgarian braved the sparse, indifferent crowd along with a bass/drums/guitar/lap steel backing band. Grade: 60 Comment: Scott MacLeod took me back to all the half-assed bar bands back in my home town singing about — what else? — hard times on the prairies. Every small town has a barroom country band like...
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Entire Cities @ NXNE 2009

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By Evan Dickson (CHARTattack) June 22, 2009 1:52 pm
Background/ Composition: Entire Cities is an appropriate name for this sprawling group of locals. They really filled the modest Mitzi's stage with two guitars, banjo, drums, bass and flute. Grade: 90 Comment: Entire Cities finally woke up the sleepy table-bound audience at Mitzi's Sister. They have to be the loudest folk band in the city. (The...
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Michael Rault @ NXNE 2009

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By Evan Dickson (CHARTattack) June 22, 2009 1:47 pm
Background/ Composition: This baby-faced solo player delivered the blues with every ounce of feeling his skinny soul could muster. Grade: 81 Comment: Are they shooting a prequel to Backbeat? With his mop-top hair and classic rockabilly blues tunes, Michael Rault reminded me of a 15 year old John Lennon cutting his teeth on "Long Tall...
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Matthew De Zoete @ NXNE 2009

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By Evan Dickson (CHARTattack) June 22, 2009 1:43 pm
Background/ Composition: This soft spoken singer/songwriter lacked the force of personality to subdue the chatty tables at Mitzi's Sister. Grade: 78 Comment: The jock hicks from the preceding band carried on loudly while the lone acoustic guitar man from Hamilton sang his quiet tunes. I started to feel like he was the underdog in some Revenge...
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Jack Marks @ NXNE 2009

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By Evan Dickson (CHARTattack) June 22, 2009 1:37 pm
Background/ Composition: The singer/songwriter from far off Claremont, Ont. brought a backing band that included a double bass and a guy who switched between harmonica and mandolin. Grade: 75 Comment: Jack Marks and his band of plaid shirts sounded like a cross between solo folk Bob Dylan and later electric Bob Dylan. He really had a Dylan...
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Said The Whale @ NXNE 2009

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By Jessica Lewis (CHARTattack) June 22, 2009 1:32 pm
Background/ Composition: This Vancouver band creates blissful and delicate pop rock when they're not taking kudos from Perez Hilton or getting pulled over by the police on 4/20. Grade: 91 Comment: These guys (and girl) provided a jam-packed set of great harmonies and showed diverse songs that touched on blues, pop and rock. Achievement of Rock...
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The Dudes @ NXNE 2009

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By Jessica Lewis (CHARTattack) June 22, 2009 1:26 pm
Background/ Composition: This four-piece band from Calgary are the underdog who just scored. They've been around since 1996, but only recently has their spunky blues rock started turning more and more heads in Canada. Their third album, Blood Guts Bruises Cuts, was released June 2. Grade: 92 Comment: This is the only time it's legit to say...
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The Lovely Feathers @ NXNE 2009

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By Scott Bryson (CHARTattack) June 22, 2009 1:19 pm
Background/ Composition: This Montreal quintet were in town celebrating the release of their latest full-length, Fantasy Of The Lot. According to their bio, their energetic pop "almost ruled the world" back in 2006. Grade: 89 Comment: It can't be easy to employ that amount of energy that close to sunrise. "Long Walks,"...
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Hot Panda @ NXNE 2009

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By Scott Bryson (CHARTattack) June 22, 2009 1:14 pm
Background/ Composition: This Edmonton-based four-piece have an EP and a full-length under their belts. Their long-player, Volcano... Bloody Volcano, has been tearing up the charts since its release. According to their bio, Hot Panda are touring Ghostbusters-style, in a refurbished 1977 ambulance. Grade: 91 Comment: The Horseshoe crowd was...
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Ruby Coast @ NXNE 2009

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By Scott Bryson (CHARTattack) June 22, 2009 1:02 pm
Background/ Composition: This pop-tastic fivesome are the pride of Aurora, Ont. They've recently finished high school, crafted an EP with Tokyo Police Club's Dave Monks and they're looking for a label. Grade: 88 Comment: The Ruby Coast's set was threatened from the very start when they discovered, after going live to air on the CBC, that their...
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DD/MM/YYYY @ NXNE 2009

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By Scott Bryson (CHARTattack) June 22, 2009 12:56 pm
Background/ Composition: They don't care how you pronounce their name ("Day Month Year" seems to be the prevailing method) but they do care whether or not you join their frenetic ride. These five Toronto lads like their music hard and fast. Grade: 90 Comment: DD/MM/YYYY brought a huge pile of red, helium-filled balloons to the stage...
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DD/MM/YYYY

Woodpigeon @ NXNE 2009

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By Scott Bryson (CHARTattack) June 22, 2009 12:43 pm
Background/ Composition: This soft-pop collective from Calgary just had their latest disc, Treasury Library Canada, long listed for the Polaris Music Prize. They're beloved at home and also recently caught fire overseas. Grade: 78 Comment: Things started slowly but finished with a bang. Woodpigeon faded out amidst an uncharacteristic wave of...
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