nxne magazine

nxne 2012 | 1

THE FLAMING LIPSBAD RELIGIONRAEKWON &

GHOSTFACE KILLAHMATTHEW GOOD

OF MONTREALNO USE FOR A NAME

PURITY RINGDEATH GRIPS

THE MENBLEACHED

A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERSGOOD RIDDANCE

METZCEREMONY

PLANTS AND ANIMALSTHE DEATH SET

YAMANTAKA//SONIC TITAN THE SADIES &

ANDRE WILLIAMSOBERHOFER

REIGNING SOUNDACTION BRONSON

2:54DUSTED

KILLER MIKEYOUNG MAGIC

FRIENDSDOLDRUMS

ODONIS ODONISMAC DEMARCO

BASS DRUM OF DEATHTHE HUNDRED IN THE HANDS

PORCELAIN RAFTEXITMUSIC

PHEDREVIOLENS

GRASS WIDOWEIGHT AND A HALF

DZ DEATHRAYS

music conquers all

festival | june 11–17

nxne 2012 | 2 nxne 2012 | 3

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9

musicnigh-on-all-you-need-to-know articles on and interviews with our picks of the nXne acts. featuring, deep breath...the flaming lips; raekwon & Ghostface Killah; Bad reli-gion; matthew Good; of montreal; no use for a name; Purity ring; unknown mortal orchestra; Death Grips; the men; Bleached; a Place to Bury strangers; Good rid-dance; metz; ceremony; the soundtrack of our lives; Plants and animals; the sadies & andre Williams; ober-hofer; reigning sound; action Bronson; 2:54; Yamant-aKa//sonic titan; Dusted; the Hundred in the Hands; rival schools; Killer mike; the Death set; Young magic; Hayes carll; friends; Bran van 3000; the Black Belles; Dol-drums; odonis odonis; mac Demarco; Bass Drum of Death; Porcelain raft; exitmusic; Phedré; violens; Grass Widow; eight and a Half; Dz Deathrays; jonathan toubin; art vs. science; B l a c K i e, the nils;

How to nXnethe basics: what, where, how and when. Why? We’ll leave that to you.

rewindPortraits of nXne as a younger festival, featuring feist, GZa, Pere ubu, Best coast, iggy Pop, Grimes, Dirty Beaches, cults, ty segall.

89

interactiveKnowledge is still power. educate yourself with articles on the analogue revolution, psycho-slack-tivism and the importance of earnest social media, and browse snapshots of all the nX-nei programming for a glimpse of the avant-”wider picture.”

filmWhere music is the star. alongside selected previews of film festival highlights, unearth a johnny cash treasure trove, salivate over a critic-satiating archers of loaf doc and get high with irvine Welsh’s latest flick, Ecstasy.

Editor tom KingArt Director stephen chester | Sub editor mike tanner | Advertising Coordinators courtney macDonald, sharon arnott

Contributors ryan Bigge, cameron carpenter, lucia mancuso, tracy ann Kosa, ambrose roche, marlon rodrigues, james topham, meghan WarbyPhotographers Phill Brennen, andrija Dimitrijevic, lisa marie Kruchak, albert lee, steve Payne

NXNE President michael Hollett NXNE Managing Director andy mclean Partnership Development embracePublished by noW communications inc. for north By northeast conferences inc. 189 church st, toronto, © 2012 north By northeast

77

the flaming lips

DZ DeathraysHooded fangB l a c K i e

On the CoverWayne coyne of the flaming lips surfs the crowd in his Zorb.© scott D. smith / retna ltd

nxne 2012 | 4 nxne 2012 | 5

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the most up-to-date schedule • slot-by-slot critics’ picks

nxne preview issue – june 7 / nxne festival guide – june 14

in print every thursday and online at nowtoronto.comfollow us on twitter – twitter.com/torontomusic

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tickets

infoNXNE VENUESMusic¢These bars have extended licences - serving until 4am 1 The Annex Live 296 Brunswick ¢2 The Boat, 158 Augusta3 Bovine Sex Club 542 Queen W ¢4 The Cadillac Lounge 1296 Queen W ¢5 The Cameron House 408 Queen W ¢6 The Central 603 Markham7 C’est What, 67 Front E8 Crawford 718 College ¢9 Creature’s Creating 627 Queen W10 Czehoski 678 Queen W11 The Dakota Tavern 249 Ossington ¢12 The Detour 193 Baldwin ¢13 The Drake Hotel 1150 Queen W ¢14 El Mocambo 464 Spadina ¢15 Free Times Café 320 College ¢16 The Garrison 1197 Dundas W ¢17 The Gladstone Hotel Ballroom

1214 Queen W ¢18 The Great Hall 1087 Queen W ¢19 Harbourfront Centre Redpath20 Hard Luck Bar 812 Dundas W ¢21 Hard Rock Cafe 279 Yonge22 The Hideout 484 Queen W ¢23 The Horseshoe 370 Queen W ¢24 The Hoxton 69 Bathurst ¢25 Lee’s Palace, 529 Bloor W ¢26 Mod Club Theatre 722 College ¢27 Monarch Tavern 12 Clinton ¢28 The NOW Lounge 189 Church ¢29 The Painted Lady 218 Ossington ¢30 The Phoenix 410 Sherbourne31 The Piston 937 Bloor ¢32 Rancho Relaxo 300 College ¢33 The Rivoli 332 Queen W ¢34 The Shop @ Parts & Labor

1566 Queen W35 Silver Dollar 486 Spadina ¢36 The Sister 1554 Queen W37 Sneaky Dee’s 431 College ¢38 Supermarket 258 Augusta ¢39 Unloveable 1415 Dundas W ¢40 Velvet Underground 510 Queen W ¢41 Wrongbar 1279 Queen W ¢

FilmA NFB Mediatheque 150 JohnB Royal Cinema 606 CollegeC Toronto Underground Cinema 186 Spadina

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SEE IT ALL IF YOU DARESweet deals for all the music, film and fresh thinking you can handle. Whether you’ve got all week or just one night, we’ve got something that fits:

5-DAy $50 the classic summer bracelet: looks great, guarantees no cover at all for nXne gigs & films and gets you in ahead of the ticket queue. save hundreds in cover charges as you choose from over 650 bands and 40 films. also includes the nXne record show at the Hyatt regency toronto and the nXne comedy showcase. Pick up a wristband at any official nXne venue, the Hyatt, noW magazine, dozens of toronto stores – and at Yonge-Dundas square during nXne mainstage concerts.

1-DAy $25 if you have only one night for nXne-ing, the 1-day wristband is your top choice. Buys you full wristband entitlements for the day & night of your choice. Film FEstivAl-oNly $25 for the serious cinephile. Guarantees no cover at all nXne film screenings for the entire 7 days of the festival.CovER CHARGEYes, you can pay single-venue cover charge. But why? if you hit just one extra club on your way home, or catch just one more flick, you’ll save by strapping on a festival wristband or pass.

PRioRity PAss $250(Students $125) Your Priority Pass gets you in ahead of the crowds at all nXne films and club showcases.only a Pass lets you dig fully into nXne music, film, and any interactive session from 2pm on each afternoon at the Hyatt regency – when the music-focused presentations are

scheduled at nXnei. iNtERACtivE PAss $349 (Students $125)for those who don’t want to miss a single presentation at our unique idea-fest exploring technology, trends, and the links between music, film, and digital interactive media. 3 days, all day long. (Music and Film access not included)

get wristbands from nxne.com and:sonic boom 512 bloor st. w | soundscapes 572 college st. | rotate this 801 Queen st. w | Kops records 229 Queen st. w | Play de record 357 Yonge st | sunrise records (3 locations): 336 Yonge st; 784 Yonge st; sheppard centre at Yonge/sheppard | t.o. tix Yonge-dundas square | nfb mediatheque 150 John st. | Long & mcQuade (8 gta locations, including bloor/ossington) | of a Kind 1037 college st. | now magazine 189 church st. | Queen Video (film festival wristbands only), 412 Queen st. w

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nxne 2012 | 10 nxne 2012 | 11

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2011

nxne 2012 | 20 nxne 2012 | 21

PROUD SPONSOR OF

musicnXne. 650 bands, 40 venues, 7 days. demystify the latest blog-hypers, catch up with some current favorites and indulge in a few of the most influential acts around. Leave it to the music gods and breeze from band to band, or rush around like a madman and catch everything your schedule allows. either way, we hope the following highlights help you make an informed decision, especially when the 4am late licenses are taking their toll.

have. Fun.

nxne 2012 | 22 nxne 2012 | 23

NXNE Resistance BS Ad 1 4/20/12 2:53 PM

in their former band the bleached sisters were part of the arts community centred around feted downtown Los angeles venue the Smell. For a few months at the end of the last decade, the club was the centre of the indie world’s attention. their all-girl act Mika Miko - alongside no age, heaLth, abe Vigoda and the Mae Shi - quickly rose from the all-ages, veg-an and alcohol-free diy scene to across the global press. they were a freewheeling five-piece with straight-up 1977 tunes played in a “the year punk broke” spirit and were pretty es-sential. after a string of scattered yet celebrated limited releas-es and a final hometown show - at, you guessed it, the Smell - on Jan 1st 2010 they broke up to focus on the honourable pursuits of work and college.Frontwoman Jessica and bassist Jennifer Clavin gave this all a miss, however, and instead poured their achy-breaky hearts into a new bubblegum project more in line with the recent wave of best Coast and dum dum girls-style pop California is producing. bleached finds the sisters harmonising on love and loss over a psychy golden summer soundtrack; as irrepressibly fun and ramshackle as their previous band yet tinged with high-school-vacation-falling-in-on-itself regret.■ The Silver Dollar / Thursday, Friday, Saturday, June 14–16

bleached blond ambition

2012 highLightSJune 11–17

nxne 2012 | 24 nxne 2012 | 25

There’s nothing quite as divisive on the band scene as those who are seen to “jump the queue.” While most acts slug away at their careers Sisyphus style, waiting for a big break, London sisters Hannah and Colette Thurlow - re-splendent in eyeliner, red lipstick and leather jackets in any of their press photos - posted a home demo to Soundcloud a year and a half ago and within months were touring with Warpaint and the Big Pink and had signed with labels on both sides of the Atlantic.

It’s probably for the best, then, that 2:54 - named in precise reference to their favourite second of their favourite Melvins song - have the talent to jus-tify their ascent. They make smouldering and hypnotic doom-rock that’s as se-ductive as it is arresting, referencing PJ Harvey’s spikier moments, the XX’s hormonal lust, QOTSA’s druggy drone and Florence Welsh’s adroit 21st cen-tury reappropriation of Kate Bush goth-pop.

Was it at all unnerving receiving so much attention right when you were just starting out? (Colette Thurlow) - It was exciting that the songs reached ears outside of our bedrooms. We have never rushed any aspect of the band. We took the time to develop properly and we’re still developing, still learning, finding our feet, and I don’t think that will ever change.

Seeing as you were kinda plunged in the deep end, what’s your opinion of the music industry so far? ?I guess it was pretty deep-end, but this is our first experience of all of this so we don’t know any different. Our experience of the music industry and the people we’ve met along the way has been positive and educational. The journey has been incredible - scary, inspiring, the works.

It seems to me you have a pretty unique dynamic, and I’ve read interviews where you say starting a band was almost a mistake. Could you imagine playing in a band without your sis-ter?Definitely not a mistake, I think what we’re trying to convey is that it’s been a natural process. We’ve been making songs for ourselves, for fun, forever. But, nope, we can’t imagine not playing together in a band.

How does the 2:54 point in the Melvins track make you feel? It’s more about the moment - we find it in lots of songs. It became a recurring theme, that we’d chat about songs we were listening to and be like ‘that bit, that bit when it goes...’ For us it was 2 minutes 54 seconds into the Melvins track because of the build, the choral frenzy, the doomy fade. Melvins have such a huge canon of work - there’s a lot left for us to discover there.■ Lee’s Palace / Friday, June 15

ART VS. SCIENCEIt’s one thing to be influenced by an act - but it’s quite another to leave one of their concerts and decide to form a band on the spot. For party-starting Antipodean electro-funk trio Art Vs. Science, Dec 22 2007 was the date; Daft Punk was the band; and I guess you can presume the swift arrangement was just chemistry.

■ The Garrison / Friday, June 15; Yonge-Dundas Square / Saturday, June 16

BASS DRuM OF DEATHin their own words…

“John plays guitar and sings and Colin plays the drums.”

“The songs are about drugs, try-ing to make it with religious girls, panic attacks, stealing stuff, mild to severe depression, Elvis appearing in your dreams and giving you ad-vice, gravity bongs and the devil liv-ing inside your brain.”

“This record is the soundtrack playing in your head when you’re fucked up and walking home in the middle of the night.”

For this Mississippi garage duo, never a truer press release hath spoken.

■ Wrongbar / Friday, June 15

2:54B L A C K I E Given his tag as a “one-man

noise ordinance violation” and the echolalia of distortion and compression covering his tracks, it’s possible you won’t give Hous-ton’s Michael LaCour his due.

If you can brave the dB lev-els, his “harsh-wave/don’t-

care” mishmash is es-sential stuff: the

sound of a post-millennial

Munch stretching the

anxieties of a 99%-er age. He’s blessed with both the technology and the will to join obtuse dots such as cutting-edge uK grime and bass music, Southern rap, thrash metal and digital hardcore with ease.

Despite this inclusive, polystylistic ap-proach, he’s not exactly the most diplomatic of musicians - carting his own sound system to shows to channel just a backing track and his vocals, and almost predictably skip-ping the label system with free online releas-es. But not many acts can touch his throw-down anytime/anywhere spirit, obvious everywhere – from the title of his 2011 EP True Spirit And Not Giving a Fuck down.

■ The Velvet Underground / Friday, June 15

VIOLENSYou’d think that Violens were aiming squarely at being the latest entry in the list of canonised and cool NYC bands - the Velvet underground, the Ramones, Blondie, Sonic Youth, the Strokes. Instead, they’re a refreshingly well produced and clean-cut cross between the frazzled sunshine-pop of the Byrds or Buffalo Springfield and British post-punks Wire and the Cure. With songs concerning “nightmares, the passage of time, speculations on spiritual messages and ac-counts of drug-induced hallucinations”, they also not only share the latter’s paranoid gothic streaks but the former’s breezy transcendentalism.

■ The Horseshoe / Thursday, June 14

THEIR TIME

IS NOW

Q&Anxne music

nxne 2012 | 26 nxne 2012 | 27

KILLER MIKEVeteran Killer Mike’s fiery, old-school Southern rap has earned him a reputa-tion as a larger-than-life personality armed with a loud, livid message and delivery to match. Aside from fre-quent collaborations with fellow Georgians Outkast, since his 2003 debut album Monster broke the top 10 he’s been almost exclusively an underground figure and one who’s not afraid to scream and shout about it. Sixth album R.A.P Music is out this spring and finds his tem-plate of gritty, sample heavy beats, stormy soul samples and domineering Ice Cube, Chuck D and Rick Ross-style hollering in finer form than ever before.■ Wrongbar / Saturday, June 16 Yonge-Dundas Square / Sunday, June 17

DZ DEATHRAYSThese thrash party-punkers from Brisbane, Australia sum up their band history as “started playing house parties, will most likely end at one” – which probably says more about them than anything else ever could.

A two-piece (not a bad thing for tour-ing – you can fit in a small car, share a bed, and sell more guestlist spots for cash) in the DFA 1979 loud and fast mold, DZ are like last night’s memories: slightly famil-iar, possibly painful and very, very fuzzy.

■ Wrong-bar / Fri-day, June 15

HAYES CARLL It’s amazing how far someone can come with just “degen-erate love songs.” A sixth-generation Texan raised in a

Houston suburb, Carll found early inspiration in Jack Ker-ouac and Bob Dylan and hit the road after leaving college. Ten years later and he’s now considered an equal with Amer-icana legends Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt. Carll reached the heady heights of #1 on the Americana charts with his 2005 Little Rock self-release, and 2011’s twangy country-rock opus KMAG YOYO was the most played Americana al-bum of the year.

■ The Horseshoe / Wednesday, June 13

REIGNING SOuNDLife’s probably not easy for a true rock and roll kid like

Greg Cartwright. Other bands can always sound heavier, get drunker, play faster, act moodier and cooler than you; some get up their ivory towers complaining about authenticity and

originality while others will cry “faker!” each time you bother to tune your guitar.

Cartwright must be used to the above and much, much more. A founding member of cult 90s acts Compulsive Gamblers and the Oblivians before

them, he’s a dyed-in-the-wool rock and roller who cut his teeth on his father’s British Invasion records

as a kid, cruised the 80s Memphis punk scene as a teen and toured the garage re-vival wave of the 90s to death.

Reigning Sound, his current troupe, started as a swaggering R&B, gospel

and soul group before honing their sound to a fuzzy pysch-pop. This rough and ready approach continued across subsequent records, countless tours and Rolling Stone acclaim be-fore Cartwright shifted his focus to solo and production work at points during the last decade. He’s now back at the altar again to – as his label puts it – “hail, hail rock ‘n’ roll and fuck your prefab garage.”

■ The Horseshoe / Friday, June 15

FACT- Jack White’s label Third Man signed the Nash-ville group. He produced their debut and every-thing from Cramps-style sound to the shrouded PR campaign and art-house wardrobe selection has the ex-White Stripe’s midas fingerprint laid firm.

- They don’t share much with the White Stripes beside a crunchingly antiquated guitar sound, but they’re definitely cut from the same dark cloth as the Dead Weather - White’s later project.

- Lead single “Honky Tonk Horror” is a apt overall description of their self-titled debut: wailing vocals and creepy carnival organ floating above the spindly arrangement and minimalist produc-tion; an unhinged collection of garage-goth songs soaked in melody and melodrama.

■ The Garrison / Thursday, June 14 The Horseshoe / Friday, June 15

Hell’s bells! It’s…THE BLAC K BELLESFICTION (via their PR)- Olivia Jean (guitar, vocals) began a solo surf rock band to cover any suspicions about her dab-bling in voodoo; her presence induces “nausea, vomiting, headache, vertigo and slurred speech”; her hat weakens the use of her morals.

- Shelby Lynne (drummer) was “unfortunately” born and raised in sunny California; spent a childhood holding seances alone; was kicked out of girl scouts for poisoning cookies.

- Ruby Rogers (bass) is rumoured to be a practis-ing witch; was sent to boarding school after her mother discovered a dead bird in her purse; enjoys “the dark” and “alienation”.

- Lil’ Boo (keys) was once a freshman class president and vaunted classical pianist; now she now spends her time slashing tires, breaking bot-tles and making boys cry.

See every band for $50Full details on page 4

nxne music

nxne 2012 | 28 nxne 2012 | 29

ACTION BRONSONRefreshingly free of self-absorption and pretense, Action Bronson makes stupidly fun retro-rap with what is fast becoming one of the most creative approaches in the game. His high-pitched, smooth NYC flow - politely - isn’t a million miles from Ghostface Killah and sits over harmless good-time beats heavy on jazz loops, breakbeat samples and witty one-liners. He does it very, very well, with all the loveable perma-delight of a kid in the world’s biggest candy store.■ The Drake / Saturday, June 16 Yonge-Dundas Square / Sunday, June 17

FRIE

NDS

THE COPPERTONEApparently it took a chance meeting between Amanda Zelina’s chops and ZZ Top’s lank haired Billy Gibbons in a Hollywood guitar shop for the soon-to-be frontwoman to realise she had the talent to form a band.

Why it took so long for someone to compliment her is anyone’s guess; Zelina has both Jack White’s electrify-ing way around an bottlenecking gui-tar riff and the rootsy, manic voice of the Kills’ Alison Mosshart. Fast-forward few years later, though, and the trans-fixing, talented Toronto songwriter is playing primal fuzzed out-blues so thunderous her heroes will prob-ably be able to hear the Coppertone’s set down Mis-souri way. Golden.


GRASS WIDOWThe archaic term “grass widow” referred to a woman whose lover was alive but absent at sea or at war – yet this all-girl San Franciscan trio aren’t missing anything at all. They’re feminine without being “girl-group,” and honey-soaked without being saccharine.

Listening to Grass Widow’s sweet but edgy tracks, it’s hard not to recall the Raincoats’ earnest but endlessly fun racket, but there’s also a lot in line with the more naive Beatles tracks and recent rainy 60s elegists Veronica Falls. All members contribute to the oddly enchanting off-key vocal lines, which tangle with the spindly, stop-motion guitars to form a sparse, pastoral sound.

It’s worth adding that their principles are pretty watertight too. They refuse to elect one of them as frontwoman, sharing songwriting and press duties between them; and they insist on only play-ing inexpensive - and wherever possible – all-ages shows. It’s almost humbling to see a band with such impeccable credentials; harking back to the old-school of the DIY underground.

■ The Garrison / Thursday, June 14

IVAN JuLIAN

It’s fair to say rock and roll lifer Ivan Julian has a free pass to do what-

ever he wants around an electric gui-tar, having been a founding member of NYC punk-folklorers the Voidoids

and a recording member of the Clash. Whether his glammy Hendrix-meets-New York Dolls solo project pushes the envelope as far as some of his previous collaborations did is

pretty irrelevant when he’s preaching from a position of such experience.

Watch - punks - and learn.

■ Bovine Sex Club / Thursday, June 14

A quintet of multi-instru-mentalists fronted by Samantha urbani and Lesley Hann - pals since school - Friends are five stunning-looking Brooklynites making an ESG or Tom Tom Club-style hot summer racket.

They formed after ur-bani’s home demos were heard when her soon-to-be bandmates were forced to briefly move into her Bushwick apartment while theirs was fumigated for bed bugs. Grabbing the best bits of new-wave, R&B, kraut, disco, afro-beat, soul, dance, dub and whatever-the-hell-else-they-fancy and whipping it up into a heady and humid poly-rhythmic pulp, they played their first show just six days later - and Friends, as the saying goes, were forever.

■ Lee’s Palace / Friday, June 15


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Forward-thinking Califor-nian thrash-punks Cere-mony are a crude, destruc-tive throwback to the earlier days of hardcore, when it was less a touring circuit and more a hideout for the miseries of the downtrod-den. They have both the wells of visceral energy needed to please purists and the ambitious, progres-sive bent necessary to stand out in a crowded genre.

After a few underground releases, their unpredict-able and thrilling third full-length Rohnert Park was a huge evolutionary step for-ward for the group. The re-cord’s slowed, sludgier dy-namics and pointed riffs recalled Pink Flag-era Wire more than Black Flag, and it immediately placed them in the scene’s same critic-ally revered, vital sphere as Pissed Jeans or Fucked up.

Shortly after they signed to Matador Records and released March’s Zoo.

It’s a lighter, more garage-y affair but carries on the same stylistic narrative; jag-ged, righteous and spitting with disillusioned rage at “ex-urban alienation and

confinement”. In the words of frontman Ross Farrar..

“The title Zoo comes from the idea that we’re all living in a world that has been heavily structured for us, by us, which feels strange because no other civilization has been so ex-tensive in fur-thering com-

fort, entertainment, schedule, and basic living. The problem being – with existing here on earth comes suffering, suffering that often sneaks up on us

as bewilder-ment, and with that suffering brings people who try to relate the state we’re in, in order to soften the blows.

There are songs on the record that sound fast, slow, eerie, full, or abrupt, each one different, but at the same time very similar. This is what reviewers call “comprehensive.” I suppose this record is our first sort of comprehen-sive sound-ing rec-

ord, in that – each song binds to one another better than we’ve done in the past.

Zoo isn’t a concept rec-ord, or any attempt at changing people’s minds, or exacting the world’s problems, it’s just a pursuit in trying to understand what it means to be a hu-man living in a world that sometimes seems too full of everything, because it is – it’s full of us, an extremely complicated people, and we’re doing all we can to live in harmony, free from whatever it is that closes us in, bars us, and cages the joy of being here.”

■ Wrongbar / Saturday, June 16 Yonge-Dundas Square / Saturday, June 16

The work of Doldrums - 21 year old Airick Wood-head - floats in a sea of chopped-up samples, disembodied vocals and tribal percussion. He is concerned with “the loss of the individual in an increasingly altruistic society,” “overhype” and “the plasticity of modern youth culture.” Ac-cordingly, his androgynous, alienated voice comes across mid-panic attack, while his tracks somehow manage to elevate classic pop mel-odies above a sample-saturated sound collage.

His current releases have combined the beauti-ful boudoir pop of contemporaries Atlas Sound, Panda Bear or How To Dress Well with Doldrums’ own genre-hopping tendencies. Track “Lost In My Head” - from his Empire Sound EP - stands as a frighteningly accurate self-diagnosis of his work as a whole; a new world for listeners to explore.■ The Drake / Thursday, June 14; The Garrison / Friday, June 15, Wrongbar / Saturday, June 16

PETER KERNELPeter Kernel should be a singer-songwriter, likely curly haired and fresh faced, singing parent-friendly maudlin folk about the tough upbringing he never had. Walk into a show expecting that - however - and you’d be in for a bit of a shock. They’re actually a carefree Swiss-Can-adian duo all wrapped up in DIY/riot grrl aesthetics and veering between growling Goo era-Sonic Youth noise-pop and tunE-yArDs’ freakish tribal outbursts.

■ The Garrison / Friday, June 15

CEREMONY

ODONIS ODONISInfluenced by new wave and industrial mixtapes passed down by frontman Dean Tzenos’ elder sisters, menacing Toronto-nians Odonis Odonis beautifully mine the darker trove of 80s and early 90s guitar rock. Their surfy take on Big Black, The Jesus & Mary Chain and The Pixies has a kind of shadowy im-pressionism - fidelity-shy but structured, direct and accessible - which uniquely colours but does not define their music. Re-cent album Hollendaze is a hypnotic, abrasive run through these influences with a nervy, spitting anger all its own. ■ Sneaky Dee’s / Friday, June 15

THE HuNDRED IN THE HANDS Formed in 2008, this Brooklyn avant-pop duo combine Moroder-style disco, minimal-house and post-punk’s frenetic spirit with the same carefree verve as James Murphy’s LCD Soundsystem pro-ject. It’s a spewed, mutant R&B held together by

Jason Friedman’s production - mainly deep, deep kicks and

tight-as-hell basslines - and the ghostly, ice-

cool vocals of Elea-nore Everdell.

■ Wrongbar / Thursday, June 14

DOLDRuMS

“It’s trying to understand what it means to be a human living in a world that sometimes seems too full of everything” Ross Farrar

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HOODED FANGLed by frontman Daniel Lee’s im-passioned vocals, Hooded Fang are a rough-around-the-edges in-die-pop ensemble at the forefront of a group of Toronto acts centred around the Daps Records imprint. Borrowing from 60s good-time garage at points - check the choppy chords and Hammond

swells on “ESP” or “Brah-ma” from their second Tosta Mista LP – and

from mid-period Kinks at others, Hooded Fang plays a riveting

brand of scrappy, surf-inflected rock and roll. They’re as beautifully

conceived, cohesive and charming as

their tunes are ram-shackle.

■ Silver Dollar / Friday, June 15

It took a calendar on the C-room circuit and a string of limited releases before The Men’s confrontational punk got the attention it deserved. Admittedly, with Fucked Up’s superb meta-opera LP and Danish teen prodigals Iceage’s debut, 2011 was a competitive time for any band vying for the critics’ “saviours of punk” mantle - but

many end-of-year plaudits ended rightly with The Men.The fact that three of the Brooklyn quartet - and yes, they’re all male - share

songwriting responsibilities allows the band to draw from a wide range of influen-ces. Like some graphic meltdown of a record store clerk’s own collection, their

“bash-your-head-in” sophomore LP Leave Home veered between destructive post-hardcore, doomy breakdowns, shoegazey post-punk and relentless krautrock

rhythms. This March’s Open Your Heart is a more classically structured and an-themic affair - equally recalling Tom Petty or The Replacements as it does Fugazi -

and looks set to break the band far beyond their DIY roots. ■ The Garrison / Thursday, June 14; Wrongbar / Friday 15

MENTHE

When X meets Y

RIVAL SCHOOLSFormed from the ashes of 80s and 90s hardcore bands Gorilla Biscuits, CIV, Youth Of Today and Iceburn, supergroup Rival School’s emo-tinted melodic-rock rode the wave of early 2000s alt-rock to serious success. Now a trio, their mix of discordant, Fugazi-style shredding and radio-friendly stadium rock has ma-tured over a seven-year hiatus. Last year’s Pedals comeback was worth the wait - as sharp and belligerent as 2001’s United By Fate but missing none of the melodic charm which had them labelled as “the new Nirvana” first time around.

■ Great Hall / Saturday, June 16

BRAN VAN 3000

Zany Montréal elec-tronic collective Bran Van 3000 formed in

1994 but were virtually unknown until 1997’s

smash single “Drinking in L.A” (don’t pretend you don’t know it). A

unlikely combination of stoned, mumbling Beck-

style rap and party-soul, the track lumped BV3000 in with MTV’s alt-rock crowd and was

a huge international hit. After a hiatus in the

early part of the last decade, the band

shook off their West Coast hangovers and returned to form with

Rosé, 2007, and 2010’s The Garden.

■ The Horseshoe / Thursday, June 14

.

DuSTEDAfter six years of constant touring with analogue-dance instrumentalists Holy Fuck, Brian Borcherdt has emerged from the tangled wires and broken drum machines with a dewy-eyed pop project. Haunt-ing, atmospheric and emotion-ally bare, Dusted draw on Women’s tantalizing, ele-giac lo-fi moments; “Candy Says”-era Velvet underground; and cav-ernous Microphones-style production. Some bands use reverb as a comfort blanket; Dusted use it as the world’s biggest can-vas. unmissably good.

■ El Mocambo / Thursday, June 14


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-

1197 DUNDAS ST WEST

TRANSFORMATIVE

The three members of Young Magic were guided together by providence from across the globe. Isaac Emmanuel and Michael Italia were on similar but separate travels across Europe and South America, both recording music while escaping their native Australia. Realizing they were chasing the same thing, they arranged to meet in New York - where they’re now based - and invited an old friend, Indonesian vocalist Melati Malay, to begin a new genre-hopping project.

This sprawling geo-narrative is pretty key to understanding the group. Debut album Melt was recorded in ten separate countries but is one intense sonic mélange which sounds like it came from a different planet. Although electronically sequenced - it’s very much the sound of guys hunched over their MacBooks - it has a unique and cha-meleonic organic groove and takes in West African rhythms, Flying Lotus-style neo-hip-hop and psychedelic 60s soul, melded together with lush, shoegazey textures. ■ Wrongbar / Thursday, June 14,

EIGHT AND A HALFEight And A Half is an indie-rock supergroup made up of former members of The Stills - Dave Hamelin and Liam O’Neil - and Broken Social Scene drummer Justin Peroff. Though April’s self-titled debut on Arts & Crafts didn’t do too much to disassociate Eight And A Half from the coffee-table indie scene they came from, it did take a more electronic approach to groundswell indie than either of their parent acts. Theirs is instead an arty synth-driven pop focusing on vulnerable, flesh-and-blood melancholy and kaleidoscopic soundscapes.

■ Yonge-Dundas Square / Friday, June 15

Jonathan Toubin is the most popular, prolific and highest-earning DJ of his kind in North America,

known equally for his “maximum rock and soul” 45rpm dance sets around the

continent and his formative New York Night Train club in Brook-lyn. He’d played 1200 sets of his hi-octane 50s-80s classics over the last 5 years, before a freak life-threatening accident in January (a taxi driver had a seizure and ploughed into a

sleeping Toubin through a ground-floor hotel room wall). Support came quickly from across the music community - in-

cluding a Yeah Yeahs Yeahs benefit concert - and he made a mir-

aculous recovery. Now, as befits some-one who was reported to have made a

“gotta have my records” request in his emer-gency ward, he’s thankfully back in the vinyl

groove again.

■ Wrongbar / Saturday, June 16

JONATHAN TOuBIN

YOuNG MAGIC

Everyone who knows The Nils loves The Nils. Formed in 1978 by a then twelve-year-old Alex Soria and his brother Carlos, the Montréal power-punks are regularly name-checked by acts such as Superchunk, Meat Puppets and Jawbox as a very early in-fluence. Although The Nils played shows from the early 80s on-ward, they only released two EPs and a single album before breaking up in 1994. Alex’s suicide in 2004 didn’t stop the re-maining members from reforming for 2010’s critically acclaimed The Title Is The Secret Song and - if fortune swings back in their favour - they should be rightfully heralded as pioneers for a second generation. ■ Bovine Sex Club / Thursday, June 14THE NILS

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These underground favourites have developed from light, clas-sically arranged baroque-pop purists into a full-blown rock and roll group. 2008’s Parc Avenue was a masterpiece, ambitiously blending prog, post-rock and folk influences into slow-burning anthems and intimate ballads. Subsequent albums have moved beyond this enjoyable but typically Montreal, Wolf Parade and Arcade Fire-style pop into a beefier, backboned sound – as on February’s The End Of That. The stoner-speed, beard-stroking tracks have been replaced by an aggressive, riff-heavy swampy sound ripe for live performance. This recent blooming suggests that Plants And Animals are now ripe to grow out from beneath their adopted town’s collectivist-indie shadow.■ Yonge-Dundas Square / Friday, June 15

THE SOuNDTRACK OF OuR LIVESFormed in 1995 “on a mission to prepare the world into the next density of mankind,” hype-survivors The Soundtrack Of Our Lives - like fellow Swedes the Hives - rode out a giant wave of hyperbolic press in the early noughties intact to be-come one of indie’s most enduring acts. They don’t look far beyond the 60s and 70s - cf. The Stones, Pink Floyd and The Who - for their

musical inspiration, yet uniquely draw back on centuries of early philosophical, Hermetic tradition for their imagery and lyrical ideas. This mysticism is only furthered by the fantastic, shamanic beard of frontman Ebbot Lundberg, a heavyset cross between Iggy Pop, Jim Morrison, and Erik the Red. Album-wise, breakthrough record Behind The Music was nominated

for a Grammy in 2001 and is a fantastic run through classic psych-rock. This April’s Throw It To The Universe continues on the same de-fiant and joyously rocking path, sounding like prime-period Oasis spaced-out by some 13th Floor Ele-vators zen. ■ Yonge-Dundas Square / Saturday, June 16

PLANTS AND

ANIMALS

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print • online • mobile

We cover entertainmentlike no one else.read toronto Sun

Montreal-based Mac DeMarco – it seems - has the magic touch. His previous group Makeout Videotape - which played an epoch-defining 3am set at the Garrison last NXNE - had built up a solid reputa-tion as fantastically sloppy live and sloppily fantastic on record before breaking up late last year. His new project, which was quickly signed to NYC’s tastemaking Captured

Tracks label, is the real dan-gerously good deal.

You could say there’s a unique beauty in the faux-rock star posing or the quasi-ironic lyrics - cf. “Baby’s Wearing Blue Jeans,” “One More Tear To Cry,” and “Rock and Roll Night Club” - but really it’s all just about his in-credible songs. Caught up somewhere between Girls’ 60s influenced cry-for-help-

indie, Ariel Pink’s weirdo-stoner-pop and the street level, glammed-up singer-songwriter tradition of Jona-than Richman and David Bowie, DeMarco’s tracks are svelte and sexy rock ‘n’ roll tinged with weight-of-the-Western-world-on-his-shoul-ders melancholy.■ The Drake / Wednesday, June 13 The Garrison / Thursday, June 14 Silver Dollar / Saturday, June 16

MAC DeMARCOLove’s last titan


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NXNE_FP_CARAS_2012.indd 1 4/19/2012 3:08:14 PM

This Pitchfork approved Asian-Can-adian duo fuse Western and Eastern sounds into a yin yang of hauntingly sweet pop melodies and doom metal atmospherics. YAMANTAKA//SON-IC TITAN dub themselves “Noh-wave”, in reference to the oft-atonal post-punk fissure no-wave and Noh, the classical form of Japanese music-al drama.

Their theatrical, psychedelic live shows feature a backing cast of cos-tume designers, artists and lighting techs alongside drummer Alaska B and singer Ruby Kato Attwood and explain much of their appeal. Add to this an outstanding eponymous debut album and a worldly concoction of influences and they’re pretty much everything - progressive, idiosyncratic, playful - you could ever really want from an “experi-mental act” in 2012.

YAMANTAKA//SONIC TITAN

What can fans expect from your live show? And how important are the contributions of any additional members who may join you to your

vision of the band?(Ruby Kato Attwood) An unassuming concert-goer could possibly, inadvertently become a part of the performance spectacle. The spe-cialized skills of each member are integral to the operation of the multidisciplinary projects our collective undertakes. the prevalent cultural symbols in our work are are representation of members from different backgrounds.

With an unlimited budget, what would your perform-ances look like?Our goal is to create an octopus like structure, with each tentacle taking care of separate projects simultaneously. If we were to have lots of money, we would create a line of cultural fusion food prod-ucts, stuffed toys and action figures out of reclaimed and environ-mentally friendly materials, large visual and multimedia installa-tions, maximalist films, and minimalist clothing. We would take our experimental theater troupe on the road, and found the laboratory for all of our processes. ■ The Garrison / Friday, June 15

Q&A

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for more info visit us at WWW.BREAKOUTWEST.CA

join us in regina

BREAKOUT WEST 2012SEPTEMBER 27th - 30th

Festival • Conference Western Canadian Music Awards

The dream-pop genre is in an pro-ductive, if overcrowded, place. Though M83’s Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming and Beach House’s Teen Dream remain the genre’s recent high-water marks, there are plenty of acts – e.g. Memoryhouse, Still Cor-ners, Asobi Seksu - quietly and uniquely combining influences like Cocteau Twins, Sigur Rós, and Wil-liam Basinski to produce fine work of their own. One of these acts is Porcelain Raft, the solo work of Mauro Remiddi.

Ageing well at 37 - leading Pitch-fork to call him “an indie George Clooney” - Remiddi is an Italian who has an impressive musical CV. Over the last quarter century, he has per-formed gypsy Klezmer music with the Berlin Youth Circus; written film scores (including one for the 1997 Italian short La Matta dei Fiori); re-interpreted traditional music in North Korea; and played piano for an Off Broadway tap dance show. Now settled in New York, he has begun

For the third year, NXNE is proud to present a com-edy showcase as part of the festival programming. Run in conjunction with Comedy Records, we’ll have a full programme of stand-up and sketch acts. Bring a towel for Friday and Saturday nights - both will also feature special 2am strip and filthy comedy sets which could get messy. No cover with NXNE music wristband.

Acts include The Boom’s high-energy sketch troupe; underground funnyman Garrett Jamieson and his dark, obscurist skits; acclaimed conversational comedian Mark Debonis; the sardonic Tim Nasiopoulos; the booming baritone of K Trevor Wilson; Monty Scott’s intellectual, sur-realist wit; laugh-a-minuter Keith Pedro; YouTube stars Rick and Chuck’s faux-rap; the pant-wettingly funny Desiree Lavoy; and dry Comedy Records owner Barry Taylor.■ Comedy Records present… Comedy showcase at Creatures Creating / Wednesday, June 13 – Sunday, June 17

Comedy showcase

PORCELAIN RAFTto draw on this diverse experience with his melancholic Porcelain Raft project.

It’s the sound of a lonely soul waking bleary-eyed from a deep sleep, smoothing the gap between the unconscious and reality with blushes of reverb, a wispy, andro-gynous voice and sweeping ar-rangements. Given his worldly roam-ings to date it’s likely Remiddi will turn his attention to other projects with time, so you should catch these fleeting moments with him while you can. Appreciate him for what he is now: a dreamer with his head in the clouds, flying too close to the sun.

■ The Drake / Wednesday, June 13

Garrett JamiesonDesiree Lavoy

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Controversial by design, Death Grips are a hardcore hip-hop group from Sacramento, California, more than likely to push your primordial flight-or-fight buttons. They play a sprawling, super-aggressive style of experimental hardcore with a dark streak, making Odd Future’s bizarro-rap look like a sycophantic teenage joke. Even more bizarrely this spring they signed to Epic Records – lead-ing major label and contracted home to the annual winners of The X Factor.

MC Ride - the de facto leader of the trio, which also includes drum-mer Zach Hill of math duo Hella - is key to the group’s vision. Rapping out his megalomanic inner mono-logue with the commanding and cynical cadence of RZA, he brings out the brutal energy of the group’s sparse, 808-led beats and bass drones in every raw note. The overall effect is an para-noid combination of lo-tech industrial, gothic ghettotech and a Bomb Squad-style wall of sound.

Their astonishing yet alienating second record Ex-military, a concept album about a re-

turning veteran struggling with PTS, received huge critical ac-claim when dropped last April. It’s hard to pick out especially disturbing moments from what is a relentlessly bleak experi-ence, though ‘”Beware” sets the tone with a haunting Charles Manson quote and, during the heady rush of standout track “Guillotine,” Ride tells the listener to “tie the chord kick the chair and you’re dead.” Epic debut The Money Store dropped this April to identical acclaim.

Almost as if to add to the maniacal quality of their records, Death Grips clearly do have a sense of humour. Exmilitary was hosted for free download on their website alongside an

iTunes link sneering “if that’s your thing”; track “Spread Eagle Cross The Block” cheekily

samples both Link Wray and the Beastie Boys; and elsewhere Pet Shop Boys’

“West End Girls” gets an OTT re-work.

Like the albums, this para-dox is jarring, but as shock therapies go Death Grips are pretty life-affirming.■ Wrongbar / Saturday, June 16

Creature’s Comfort

DeATHGRIPS

Agit-hoppers have the X factor

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UnKnOWn MORTAL ORCHeSTRA

From the bedroom to the graveAgainst the everything-in-the-red style of the current lo-fi trend, Ruban Nielson’s unknown Mortal Orches-tra home recording project favours a AM airwave-friendly sound more comparable to outliers like Ariel Pink or Atlas Sound than crunchy Garagebanders Wavves. His is a mellower, “setting-sun” pop sound, deep in references to 60s psychedelia.

Nielson was formerly a guitarist in New Zealand’s experimental noise rockers the Mint Chicks, who were known primarily for onstage chainsaw wield-ing, destroying PAs and lighting rigs, and once hos-pitalizing their fans when part of a old venue col-lapsed when the band was playing too loud. He moved to Portland, Oregon and began the uMO project with producer/bassist Jake Portrait and drum-mer Julien Ehrlichin in 2009. Despite Nielson’s initial

ambivalence about live gigs, interviews or photos, the online press were quick to pick up on some early Bandcamp demos - including album standout “Ffunny Ffriends” - and the following year uMO were signed alongside Yuck, Crocodiles and Smith Westerns as part of cult label Fat Possum’s DIY rock renaissance.

The acclaimed eponymous debut album is richly unpredictable and rewarding, equally influenced by Captain Beefheart and the Beatles. It was recorded at Nielson’s home studio and laced with falsetto howls buried in a warm analogue production. The band was soon touring globally to support the al-bum. And on their tour bus - you hope - was an “a musician’s bedroom is for recording” bumper sticker.■ The Horseshoe / Thursday, June 14

Thessaloniki, Greece17–21 October 2012www.womex.com

World & Jazz Networking Trade FairShowcase FestivalConferenceNetworkingFilm MarketAwardsvirtualWOMEX

* G

UID

E R AT E *

D E A D L I NE

24 AUG

2012

www.londonmusicawards.com

congratulates YOU and the NXNE for celebrating emerging artists

and major-label headliners, music fi lmmakers, and

digital interactive innovators, who are bridging the gap between

technology and the arts!


and major-label headliners, for music fi lmmakers,

and for digital interactive innovators bridging the gap between technology and the arts!


and major-label headliners, music fi lmmakers, and

digital interactive innovators, who are bridging the gap between

technology and the arts!

TheThe


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Electro-punks The Death Set burst out of Baltimore - via hometown Sydney and latterly Brooklyn - late last dec-ade with all the self-proclaimed “Ritalin and Sunny D-induced” energy of Licensed To Ill period Beastie Boys and Minor Threat’s boom-bap thrash power.

Their debut album Worldwide aptly gave founders Johnny Siera and Beau Velasco the excuse to take their party across the continents. Although the record re-ceived mixed reviews, they picked up a pretty infamous reputation as a exhilarating and raw live band along the way. Last year’s Michel Poiccard had a fuller, bas-sier sound but wasn’t a huge departure from their blitz-krieg-pop roots - as the tracklisting suggests (17 in 35 minutes compared to their debut’s 18 in 25). One big change, though, was the shift from a brash, hedonistic viewpoint to deeply personal subject matter.

Much of the album is a love letter to Velasco, who was tragically found dead in his studio in 2009 after a

period battling drug addiction. Strangely for the group, even the trashy Death-Set-by-numbers tracks like “It’s Another Day” seem to exude as much existential ennui as more clearly sentimental cuts “I Miss You Beau Velasco” and album closer “Is It The End Again?” It’s pretty apt that the record’s partystarting opening cry of “I wanna take this tape and blow up ya fuckin’ stereo!” is a posthumous sample of an old Velasco recording. With the Death Set still going loud, fast and chaotic as ever without him, you feel that the band continuing this direction is the best way possible to pay tribute.

■ Wrongbar / Friday, June 15 Bovine Sex Club / Saturday, June 16

THE DEATH

SET …stayin‘ alive

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Now with 56 locations nationally, including925 Bloor Street West, Toronto, 416.588.7886

Sales . Rentals . Repairs . Lessons . Trades In-Store Financing . Print Music . Clinics

TRE MISSIONAs a grime* MC with an East London accent, Toronto born and bred Mission’s a bit of an anomaly in his own continent. Despite this geo-graphical disadvantage his super-tight and playful flow has already hooked him up with uK scene don Wiley, which is seemingly a rite of passage for any serious urban act looking to make it that side of the planet. With a big 2012 planned it really doesn’t take too much im-agination to see him following Dizzee Rascal - the scene’s only real crossover star - and climbing the pop charts both sides of the pond.* A uniquely British sub-genre of urban music which distils choppy hip-hop and garage rhythms down to an aggressive, ultra-minimal and bass heavy core, FYI.

■ Yonge-Dundas Square / Sunday, June 17

This New York City duo – married couple Aleksa Pal-ladino and Devon Church - make an abstract, transatlantic cross between post-rock and trip-hop which recalls Radiohead’s Kid A, Sigur Ros and God-speed You Black Emperor! They explore “themes of loss, both personal and universal, the destruction of nature and the destruction of our own nature” over rhythmic electronics and arrive at an engrossing and operatic sound which avoids the normal pitfalls –ie. being boring - associ-ated with the genre. This summer’s debut album Pas-sage is intriguing and goth-tinged, sounding like it’s been torn from a page of an occult thriller.

■ Wrongbar / Thursday, June 14

EXITMuSIC

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Sometimes – listening to today’s radio R&B - it’s pretty easy to forget that original rhythm and blues was a pretty out-there movement. And in the first wave of that movement, Detroit’s Andre Williams was as swaggering, dirty and genuine as it got. He cut his first records in the 50s;

worked at Motown, Chess, Fortune; pro-duced Ike Turner, Parliament, Ed-

win Starr, Stevie Wonder; and - since recovering from a

few decades of poverty, alcohol and drug de-pendency - stepped up to garage rock, record-ing with the Dirtbombs, Jon Spencer and Jack White.

Andre’s now in his seventies, and his drawl-

ing vocal style is as lived-in as ever. Though hits like 1957’s “Jail Bait“or anything from 1998’s Silky (reasonably called “the sleaziest album ever”) might not stand up to much of a contem-porary moral critique, the swampy tracks are musically as strong as ever.

Among his many collaborators are Toronto’s much-loved The Sadies. They’re still pretty weird and hard-living - “like crawling into a dark hollow in Appalachia and waiting for the LSD to take effect,” apparently - but work from a set of more straight-forward country-tinged, blues-y influences. Enough so, in fact, to hook CBC and more mainstream fan-bases without compromising their retro roots.

Performing together on 1999’s Red Dirt and this year’s Night And Day, they deliver a raw, gritty slice of raunchy-rock steeped in musical his-tory and fronted by a true original.


ANDRE WILLIAMS & THE SADIES

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METZ..on finally making first baseAs their name suggests, Toronto’s own Metz are short, sharp and to the point. They play minimal post-hardcore with more than enough of a grasp of melody and dynamics to appeal to the more casual listener.

Having been on the live circuit since relocating from Ottawa in 2009, their chaotic performances have quickly gained repute as some of the city’s best. And, if a fraction of their on-stage energy translates to their forthcoming debut, a crossover to the precariously fey mainstream indie world - à la toast-of-the-town homeboys Fucked up - wouldn’t be out of their reach.

Confrontational without being contrived and contorted without being convoluted, the hyped trio are working rapidly outward from a pretty rare niche and are one buzz band certain to induce violent shaking.

Why no debut album yet? Alex Edkins: It’s been a work in progress. We didn’t want to rush things and regret it later. We took our time and made the record we wanted to make. We are really excited about how it turned out and are currently firming up a release date.

Given the wait, surely you owe us a description? Who did you work with? We were very fortunate to work with a bunch of amazing people on this record. After demoing the record with Leon Taheny (Dusted, Rit-uals, Bruce Penninsula) we spent a week in a barn with Graham Walsh (Holy Fuck) recording the bed tracks. We came back to Toronto and recorded vocals and overdubs with Alex Bonenfant (Crystal Castles) at Dreamhouse Stu-dios. It was a real pleasure to collaborate with people whose work inspires us. Toronto is such a hotbed of talent and we tried to exploit that as much as possible. I would describe the finished product as the audio equivalent of the film Fitzcarraldo by Werner Herzog.

Any other cross cultural masterpieces you’d hazard a comparison to? None. We like to joke that making this record was like pushing a steamboat over a giant mountain.

How is it being a band very much suited to performing live at a time when - perhaps - that’s not as important to acts’ overall success as at any other point in the last 40 years? I think live performance is as important now as it ever was. If you can’t play live, you’re not gonna last. You might get some blog love for a minute, but that’s not what we’re about. We take great pride in our reputation of being an exciting live band. That being said, we stand behind our recorded material 100%. Our previous demos were us experi-menting and finding our footing - the LP is by far the best thing we’ve ever done.

What does it feel like on stage as Metz amongst the mayhem? It’s like getting knocked out for a minute and when you wake up your guitar is broken and you’re covered in sweat.

■ Wrongbar / Friday, June 15; The Phoenix / Saturday, June 17

Q&A

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OBERHOFERBrad Oberhofer is all caught up in the rush of love.

The 21-year-old perma-effervescent and his spiky indie-rock band (named after him “as per Bon Jovi”) make spontaneous bursts of emotion in pop form - the aural equivalent of mainlining pure joy. Having moved to New York City from his parents’ basement in Ta-coma, Washington, Oberhofer quickly formed a band to play his urgent Strokes-meets-

Sparklehorse tracks. The group subsequently signed to Glassnote Records and, ever since, Brad has been caught up in a press whirlwind.

With his anthems arena-sized, his cheekbones high, and the overall sentiment universal, for each of his broken hearts he sings about he’ll more than likely be breaking a hun-dred thousand more. And like that first lost love, he’s going to be very hard to forget.

■ Lee’s Palace / Friday, June 15; Yonge-Dundas Square / Saturday, June 16


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NXNE_FACTOR AD.pdf 1 18/04/2012 3:39:00 PM

PHeDRÉIt’s all smoke and mirrors with these “lovers from Monté Carlo, Monaco, raised in a cave of gold.” They surfaced early this year in an “explosion of glitter” from a “three-day threesome, binge of wine, fish and recording” and their quirky self-titled debut album was quick to garner them huge amounts of tastemaker coverage online. When we caught them live a few months back they were head to toe in body paint, hand-delivering hamburgers to the crowd and mak-ing a gargantuan, chopped and screwed synth-pop racket. Details are still suitably misty, so we got directly in touch with the act’s April Aliermo and Daniel Lee to try and find out more.

Why, how and when did Phèdre form? A couple of years ago we climbed Mount Apo in the Southern Philippine provinceof Mindanao. We had many cuts and bruises from our journey. We met a female Baylan of the Manobo peoples. She was a healer. A priestess. She kissed our cheeks and ran her fingers through our hair. Our wounds went away. She dressed us in fancy linens and married us.

Who’s in the band? Satan, Zeus, and Aphrodite. Sometimes their lovers and minions.

Why so much gold? Money can be burned. It can be replicated. Gold is ancient. Gold is here to stay.

What’s with the hamburgers? Jughead wears a paper crown.■ Sneaky Dee’s / Friday, June 15

Q&A

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of Montreal

...in TorontoThe psyche of Kevin Barnes, prolific principal songwrit-er of Georgia’s of Montreal, has always been pretty im-penetrable. Behind the concept albums and stage-per-sonas, he’s existed as some kind of fictionalized, quasi-genius all caught up in uniting intense musical ex-perimentation and his own lyrical flights of fancy around the basic tenets - catchy melodies, big choruses, Beach Boy arrangements - of traditional pop.

Over the fifteen years of the project, Barnes has cre-ated a sprawling body of work. Early albums Cherry Peel and The Bedside Drama are day-glo indie-pop; middle period highpoint 2007’s Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? mines themes of isolation, suicide and depression; and 2010’s False Priest is a provocative

R&B funk outré. Along the way, Barnes has always found ways to do the unexpected, whether performing live in the nude in Las Vegas, releasing an album - 2008’s Skeletal Lamping - in 10 different formats, or li-censing music to TV ads so the group can act in them.

True to form, this year’s Paralytic Stalks is a tantaliz-ing, fragmented reflection of the endless esoteric pos-sibilities of modern production. It’s sonically much deeper than Barnes’ previous records; there’s as much dissonance as there are hooks and the sound palate is so dense it’s on the verge of rupturing. Scratch below the surface, however, and - as for all of Montreal’s elev-en records - you’ll be richly rewarded

■ Yonge-Dundas Square / Saturday, June 16


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PuRITY RINGTrue love waits

The “futuristic pop project” of partners Corin Roddick - producer, formerly of Gobble Gobble - and vocalist Megan James, Purity Ring have quickly became one of the hottest acts around. Despite releas-ing just two singles last year, they’ve received a level of press coverage equalled only by the supernova building around fellow Canadian and 4AD signing Grimes.

Unlike the forced acclaim heaped on some buzz bands, Purity Ring’s stellar reputation is based solely on thrillingly original music. The songs blend the immediacy of 90s club R&B beats with the lush, atmospheric intimacy of contemporary dream pop. James’ soprano voice is strikingly clear and sits above a gloriously smeary production reminiscent of Clams Casino’s skewed, pitched-down hip hop and the icy synth arpeg-gios of the Knife. Their debut album is finally out this July. I guess, with just a handful of tracks enough to build up the hype to almost unbelievable levels, it paid Purity Ring to keep their tracks innocence.

Do you think there’s anything in the Canadian psyche - being just north of the world’s biggest cultural exporter, for example - that incubates acts who take left-field approaches? The Weeknd, Grimes, Crystal Castles, Fucked-Up, Holy Fuck etc..(Megan James) I would say our attitude is not because we’re Canadian. I would say it’s the internet that incubates us. The border is being blogged away, there’s a common misconception that we’re from New York or even the uK, but then nobody is surprised when we tell them we’re from Mont-real. Not even when we tell the truth, that we’re actually from an oil town in the prairies of Alberta..

When it comes to making music we’re not concerned with what is relative to other countries or sounds, it’s a matter of what comes out of us at a given circumstance or emotion. I don’t mean to get sentimental, but it’s music, it’s supposed to be appreciated because of the attitude and sentiment in it, not geographical origin or target market. That being said, I’m pretty excited about the music indus-try’s perspective on Canada right now, it’s definitely an area where our country is not lacking.

How do you find the transition into playing live considering how much of your sound comes from this production aspect? Our live set-up is constructed to sound and feel as comfortable as we are when we’re re-cording. It’s like we’re tricking ourselves (or just myself) into playing for people because for me it feels like nearly the same thing. For now we’ll just stick to our cloth and lights. Like, welcome to our living room.

What’s next for Purity Ring? An album and some photos. ■ Wrongbar / Thursday, June 14

Q&A

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Drown in sound with NYC’s loudest band

North America’s most recent attempt, after perhaps Black Rebel Motorcycle Club or The Strokes, to crack the “great rock and roll band” canon would be Brooklyn’s A Place To Bury Strangers. Like either band, they’re suckers for righteous, bold statements of both musical and quasi-philosophical rock-and-roll-as-raison-d’être intent. How-ever, they deal in very fuzzy, very loud shades of shoegazing grey, and are in-finitely more nuanced and inward in their approach.

Called “New York City’s loudest band” by The Village Voice, A Place To Bury Strangers are a dense and power-ful update of The Jesus and Mary Chain or My Bloody Valentine for the 21st cen-tury. Far from being loud just for the

sake of it, their sonic tendencies are in-stead a result of years of passionately and carefully cultivating their sound. Frontman Oliver Ackermann runs Death By Audio, a wildly unique guitar effects manufacturer. His clients vary from Kevin Shields to Trent Reznor and the Edge; and the pedals come with a “will destroy your equipment if not used cor-rectly” warning, which is a pretty good indication of the band’s sound itself.

Combining this sonic invention with years of touring and small-scale DIY re-leases before they started receiving attention, it’s clear the group have a re-freshing honesty and work ethic in place to back up their attempts at a genre-defining sound. ■ El Mocambo / Thursday, June 14

A PLACE TO BuRY STRANGERS

Having come from a DIY background, how do you manage your expecta-tions as one of the bigger indie bands

around? (Oliver Ackermann) That is funny, I don’t really think of us as one of the biggest indie bands around. At times I feel like throwing in the towel and not ever touring again because I feel like we are unappreciated. We get a lot of bad reviews and it really hurts person-ally. We spend so much time working on creating something really interesting and unique then people write it off.

Do you ever feel you’re compromising any-thing sonically by being so loud? We are so loud because we are not compromising what we want to do. The sounds that we make are made from the speakers being on the verge of destruc-tion; the vibrations then play off of the guitars and this creates our sound. The guitars I use have very little sus-tain and that point between where they sustain and don’t is where I play, and this is only achieved with an amplifier that is very loud.

So do you feel people overlook some aspects of the band due to this reputation?I think being described as very loud definitely distracts from other aspects of the band but I don’t care. If people are listening to music based on descriptions I think they probably aren’t listening to the music any-way.

Exploding Head verged on being surprisingly melodic. Can we expect a similar direction from your new album? The new record has a lot of melody on it as well. I have always been in love with melody and old pop music so it really does come through in our songwrit-ing. That being said, we really went back to the way we did the first record where we really didn’t give a fuck. We spent a lot of time on putting ourselves in dangerous situations - playing with knives, lighting amps on fire while recording, etc. - to give this album a feeling of danger and excitement.

Does the sound in your head when recording ever match what you’re able to lay down? Or is it completely impressionistic?I realized at some point that it almost doesn’t matter what techniques you use to record as long as the feel-ing is there. I’ve heard plenty of good songs recorded by kids on their four tracks with RadioShack mics.

Do you ever feel your music is stylistically nostalgic or referential? It must be referential because I am a person who likes things and my experiences must get retransmitted out through our music. We are creating music that we want to hear and we don’t focus on what other people think or would want, and I think this makes the cre-ation of our music pure. But don’t get me wrong, there is nothing like fucked-up crazy rock and roll so that is what we are here to make.

Q&A

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GOOD RIDDANCEFast punk with catchy melodies about person-al and political alienation, a handful of slower romantic songs and seven full-lengths on Fat Wreck Chords. On the face of it - and this isn’t helped by their stereotypical Californian skater/surfer boy look - Santa Cruz’s Good Riddance are as close to the pop-punk dic-tionary definition as possible. Scratch be-neath the surface, however, and you’ll find that those on the circuit widely regard them as urgent, seminal melodic hardcore heroes.

ESSENTIAl AlBUMA Comprehensive Guide To Moderne Rebellion (1996)

Taking pot shots at the gov-ernment, conformity, and the dark side of American dream with deadly accur-acy, their second album is as catchy as it is serious. The highlight of their early hardcore sound and the period’s thinking punk’s album, period.

NO uSE FOR A NAMETen albums of increasingly lighter and more melodic punk - and frontman Tony Sly’s recent duo of Stones-y acoustic rock - in and San Jose’s premier group show no sign of quitting. Since their 1995 crossover fourth album - Leche Con Carne - they’ve been one of skate-punk’s most dominant and omnipresent acts. Original power-punks the Descendents were their initial inspiration, but they’ve since ex-panded their oeuvre to include infectious, mid-tempo rock and teary slowies.

ESSENTIAl AlBUMThe Daily Grind (1993)

Their first for Fat Wreck Chords; twenty-two minutes of flawless punk with very little in the way of surprises. Tight and super fast, tread-ing the finest of lines between self-parody and self-pity. All killer - as the saying goes - and no filler.

KeeP THe

faithESSENTIAl AlBUMSuffer (1988)

Their third album is routinely referred to as “one of the most influential punk rock al-bums of all time” and - equally as big a milestone - their first both fully distributed and released by Epitaph. Despite suffering numerous line up changes, drug problems and a three year hiatus, it’s a short, sharp and sonorous fireball of creativity.

Bad Religion aren’t your typical punk rockers. Their buzzsaw guitars are straight from the Germs or Black Flag textbook but their chorus harmonies are surprisingly evocative - pure Bea-tles or Everly Brothers. This contradic-tion has come to define the group as one of history’s most successful and celebrated, but also as one perma-nently evolving.

It also goes some way to explain why, of all the Southern Californian hardcore bands of their period, Bad Religion have lasted the longest. Since 1980 they’ve maintained their underground credibility without re-sorting to churning out formulaic rec-ords or compromising their roots. In-flections of progressive rock, psychedelia and metal have crept into their core aggressive punk sound, but their boundless energy

and erudite, righteous lyrics have stayed constant throughout. If that wasn’t enough for their credentials, guitarist Brett Gurewitz is founder of Epitaph Records and the iconic label has released the majority of the band’s records since their 1983 debut album.

Even mainstream recognition, which came in the early 90s after years of prominence on the US underground scene, failed to change them. They’ve continued challenging complacency – both musical and moral – ever since, over the course of more than 5 mil-lions records sold.

Punk’s not dead, it’s just aged a bit. 80s and 90s West Coast legends congregate at Yonge-Dundas Square on Thurs 14 June. Hallelujah!

BAD RELIGION

■ Monster Energy present Bad Religion with Good Riddance and No Use For A Name at Yonge-Dundas Square / Thursday, June 14

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FESTIVALS | CONFERENCE | ETEP | EBBA

WWW.EUROSONIC-NOORDERSLAG.NL

Eurosonic Noorderslag is the key exchange and networking platform for European music, European artists, international music industry professionals and organizations.

EUROSONIC NOORDERSLAG 2012 IN NUMBERS:

Total visitors Eurosonic Noorderslag

(sold out) • 33,000

Visitors Conference (sold out) • 3,150

Nationalities • 41

Acts • 293

Media and journalists • 404

EBU radio stations • 28

ETEP festivals • 70

International festivals • 413

Number of stages Eurosonic • 34

Number of stages Noorderslag • 11

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MATTHEW GOOD …IS A REAL ASSHOLEThe one-time frontman of The Matthew Good Band, one of Canada’s most successful alt-rock groups, Good is the guy behind some of the most commercially successful music in Canada over the last 15 years. His big hits - “Hello Time Bomb,” “Weapon,” “Apparitions” - are universally recogniz-able to a generation, yet he has often been critical of the music biz itself (e.g., refusing to accept any of his three Juno Awards) and just as often, has seemed eager to re-in-vent himself and his own music.

Formed in the mid-90s, The Matthew Good Band came out of British Columbia with a radio-friendly modern rock sound that took over the airwaves across Canada and charted on Billboard in the united States. An early album – The Last of the Ghetto Astronauts – became Canada’s high-est-selling indie release ever, and by the end of the decade, the group was a staple on the Canadian alt-rock radio and concert scene, winning Junos for Best Rock Album and Best Group.

Good broke up the band in 2002, and has since re-leased a string of solo records allowing him to explore his interest in politics (he’s also a published author and blogger who comments regularly on human rights and uS foreign and covert policy) and exorcise some personal demons (2007’s Hospital Music touches on Good’s divorce, battles with bipolar disorder, and addiction to prescription pills). Lights of Endangered Species, his 2011 release, is stark and stripped-down – stylistically much different from his previous band’s catalogue.

Meanwhile, it’s hard to dislike the subversive image Good has developed since his project split. He has self-deprecat-ingly sold “MATTHEW GOOD IS A REAL ASSHOLE” shirts at his shows, refused to appear in some publicity photos without a gorilla mask, and – according to his web site – lives “with numerous goats, pigs, rabbits, ducks, chickens, dogs, his family, and a stable of notoriously sly horses.”

■ Sirius XM present Matthew Good with Plants And Animals and Eight And A Half at Yonge-Dundas Square / Friday, June 15

nxne music

Oklahoma psychedelic alt-rock band The Flaming Lips have come from humble indie

beginnings to achieve commercial success and recognition as one of pop’s most unique groups. Over the course of nearly thirty bizarre, surreal

and ever-evolving years, they’ve surfed the change from the traditional music industry struc-

ture to the accelerated, endless possibilities of the digital world, continually and carefully hon-ing their weird, sprawling impulses into a truly

original body of work.

LiPSthE fLaMiNG

Transmissions From The Satel-lite Heart (1993)

Their second album for Warner Brothers

after four on Californian indie label Restless. Features the band’s first and highest charting single, “She Don’t use Jelly,” and primed the band for future success.

The Soft Bulletin (1999)

Hugely acclaimed departure from the Lips’ previous

psychedelic alt-rock sound to their more accessible, delicate and intri-cately arranged latter-day identity. Routinely named amongst the dec-ade’s best.

Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots (2002)

Built on The Soft Bul-letin’s meticulously

produced sound with further elec-tronic and symphonic influences; the sound of Coyne’s melancholic introspections on an unfathomable modern world. Routinely named amongst the decade’s best.

Embryonic (2009)

Fearless, experiment-al double album and the group’s third masterpiece. Concur-

rently fantastically weird and an epic, euphoric consummation of the group’s quarter-century development.

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Did You Realize..? One band’s idiosyncrasies…

The Flaming Lips formed in 1983 when enigmatic frontman Wayne Coyne supposedly stole a collection of instruments from a church and enlisted his brother and friend to form a band. They released a series of al-bums and EPs before eventually signing to Warner Brothers and scoring a huge hit with 1993’s “She Don’t use Jelly” slacker anthem. The track’s absent, ironic tone and the band’s dyed hair and stoned expressions sat perfectly with a disaffected post-grunge MTV generation, and with it the band were set up for future success.

Except - at first - success didn’t come to them. They appeared lip-syncing on Beverly Hills 90210, had a track - “Bad Days” - on the Bat-man Forever soundtrack, toured arenas with grunge-lite flavour-of-the-monthers Candlebox and received acclaim for their two subsequent albums, yet remained nothing more than cult favourites.

Just as their career was stalling, their per-sonal lives turned upside down. Drummer Ste-ven Drozd’s hand was almost amputated due to an abscess caused by heroin use; bassist Michael Ivins was involved in a freak traffic ac-cident when a wheel fell off another car and crashed into his; and Ronald Jones, paranoid over Drozd’s drug use, left the band forever on a “spiritual odyssey.”

They finished this chapter of their career disaffected with standard rock music, stripped down to a three piece, meddling with sonic experiments.

It wasn’t until their turn-of-the-millennium albums - 1999’s The Soft Bulletin and 2002’s Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots - that they actually capitalized on their ob-vious potential. These releases received almost uniform acclaim and positioned the group as one of their gen-

eration’s most inventive and conceptually flawless. Centred around lush, manipulated beats, perfect or-chestration and expansive production, the two albums are matched by only the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds in im-agination and execution.

At the same time - as if by interstellar design – The Flaming Lips’ multimedia live shows grew to legendary, “festival favourites” status. Elaborate and transcendent-al spectacles, Lips sets now include spaceships, cos-

tumed dancers, puppets, large amounts of confetti and Coynes’ signature man-sized, crowd-conquering “Zorb” bubble. The stars

had aligned for the band, and they have been universally popular ever since.

Now one of the most respected and re-vered groups around - and therefore unique-ly allowed complete creative freedom (check the sidebar for their weirder accomplish-ments) - the band continues its sprawling son-

ic journey with this month’s The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends. Joining Coyne are collab-orators from across the musical gamut: Bon

Iver, Yoko Ono, Ke$ha, Nick Cave, Biz Markie, Chris Martin and Erykah Badu.

Brain-frying as ever, still deliciously silly and accomplished beyond belief, the album’s a tell-

ing reminder of their relevance. Who else in modern rock could command such a list of contributors? Furthermore, who could persuade them to provide their own blood to press into some runs of the vinyl? With their equally mood-affecting (cf. the impossibly poign-ant “Do You Realize?”) and mind-altering (cf. much else) sentiment, the Lips are cemented as The Grateful Dead and Neil Young of their generation: the last true touchstones of the American counter-culture.

After seven years on an independent label, they were signed by major Warn-er Brothers in 1990... after an A&R rep saw them nearly burn down a venue

with their pyrotechnic show. A taste, per-haps, of the fireworks to come.

In 1996 Coyne developed “The Parking Lot Experiment”: over 1,000 people gath-ered in a parking lot in Oklahoma City Mall and the band conducted forty cars

to playing pre-recorded tapes at the same time. Said an onlooker: “One tape may be nothing more than a drum beat, another, a woman reaching orgasm.”

1997’s Zaireeka album was split over 4 CDs intended for simultaneous listening.

Says Coyne: “It’s a kind of anarchy in art. It was like an art happening – you have

to bring four sound systems together. Sometimes you get great synchronicity;

other times, it sounds haphazard. You get to hear music in a whole new way.”

They also developed “The Headphone Concert” in 1999. Audience members were given receivers and headphones and the band’s front of house mix was

then transmitted on low-power FM radio, giving greater clarity to the band’s sound

while retaining the power of a live PA.

True to their by-now-zany reputation, the band recorded a “SpongeBob and Pat-rick Confront the Psychic Wall of Ener-

gy” track for The SpongeBob SquarePants movie. The ensuing video featured the band on set with the por-

ous, yellow, pineapple dweller.

In 2010 they released The Flaming Lips and Stardeath and White Dwarfs with Henry Rollins and Peaches Doing The Dark Side of the Moon… a track-for-

track remake of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon.

In the calendar year of 2011, they an-nounced a release per month, including

the Gummy Song EP (a seven pound skull made of gummy bear material, con-taining a uSB flashdrive loaded with 4 songs). The self-explanatory Gummy

Song Fetus EP also followed.

That same year, a 24-hour song, “7 Skies H3”, was released. It was pressed on 13 real human skull uSB drives and made available on an “never ending”

online stream. This was preceded by the shorter, but still 6-hour, “Found a Star

On The Ground.”

Wayne Coyne has spent the last decade traversing members of the audience on his “Zorb” bubble: “I don’t give a shit that it’s raining, and I don’t give a shit that I just ran into some bitchy woman

backstage — I’m here for you. And if you guys wanna rock, we’re gonna rock.”

The lips are The Grateful

Dead and Neil Young

of their generation:

the last true touch-stones of

the American counter- culture

■ Spinner.ca presents The Flaming Lips with The Sound-track Of Our Lives, of Montreal Oberhofer and Cere-mony at Yonge-Dundas Square / Saturday, June 16


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It’s been nearly twenty years since the Wu-Tang Clan revolutionized hip hop with their Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) debut. So iconic are the group’s core members that you could play a Beatles-style “who’s you’re favourite Clan member?” game. And Ghostface Killah and Raekwon - two of the best MCs in the busi-ness - would prove pretty popular choices.

Formed in the Staten Island - since renamed Shaolin Island by fans - borough of New York City, the group was lean and menacing at a time when the scene was either pioneering but sonically overblown (Public Enemy) or just plain block-party rockin’ (95% of the rest) Wu-Tang focused on gritty, streetwise beats and rhymes as violent as the esoteric kung-fu movies that chief producer and de facto group leader RZA sam-pled.

Laced with references to chess, Eastern philosophies and explicit, intense and surreal free-associative lyrics, it’s clear with hindsight that the Wu-Tang were undoubt-edly a bizarre collective to dominate a genre. It would be no exaggeration, though, to say they paved the way for the subsequent East Coast rap renaissance of Nas, the Notorious B.I.G and Jay-Z. Simply put, the Wu-Tang were the C.R.E.A.M of the crop.

They also turned the standard concept of a “musical group” inside out. Critically and commercially wiping the floor with the competition, the group laid down a manifesto - documented in RZA’s “The Wu-Tang Manu-al” – that included a plan to splinter into solo or smaller projects post-debut to maximize the profit they could make from the industry. With such obvious stars-in-the-

making as GZA and Ol’ Dirty Bastard in their ranks, this quickly proved incredibly successful; and it didn’t take Ghostface or Raekwon long to roll out their own material.

Ghostface, perhaps only second to Method Man, was the one Clan member with the most individual star quality: he was photogenic, had the most commanding flow and was a formidable producer in his own right. Raekwon, also, was plain domineering and a power on the mic, basically writing the gangster blueprint for rap don Rick Ross to follow while mostly continuing to use RZA’s nuanced, razor-sharp backing. Solo albums Fish-Scale and Only Built For Cuban Linx are rivalled only by GZA’s classic Liquid Swords as the best from the Killa Bees (the collective name for Clan members and affiliates).

Raekwon and Ghostface projects since have been sporadic – but they show the flashes of genius justifying their standing in the hip hop community. Raekwon’s Ice H20 label, which has a Toronto base, has seen him en-ter the business side of the industry, while Ghostface has tried acting for film. Their only albums of this dec-ade - Raekwon’s Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang and Ghostface’s Apollo Kids - were both timely, expert reminders of their irrepressible talents while trading on the identity of their earlier work. To paraphrase a track from the Wu’s debut, they definitely still “ain’t nuthing ta fuck wit.”

■ Intel presents Raekwon & Ghostface Killah with Kller Mike, Action Bronson and Tre Mission

Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993)

The Wu’s classic debut starts as it means to go on, with Ghostface and Raekwon handling the first two verses

on opener ‘Bring Da Ruckus.” The G-funk of third single “Can It All Be So Simple” is exclusively shared between them, and they seem to pop up every other bar throughout hip hop’s high-water mark.

Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban linx... (1995)

Raekwon’s solo debut is the keynote de-livery on money, crime and violence, and is mafioso rap’s bible. Measured

perfectly to RZA’s slower, polished beats, it’s so lauded that 2009’s equally acclaimed sequel Only Built For Cuban Linx... Pt. II was described as “the hip hop equivalent to The Godfather 2.”

Wu-Tang Clan - The W (2000)

Building on the same successes as their debut, the Clan’s muscular third album is full of lyrical jabberwocky and heavy with production sensei RZA’s nightmar-

ish, ambient fingerprints. Jazzy single “Gravel Pit” was a near-crossover hit and the record re-established them as genre giants.

Ghostface Killah - FishScale (2006)

His fifth album - named after slang for uncut cocaine - finds Ghostface both at the peak of street-storyteller powers and coming across as one of rap’s supreme

elder statesmen. Shying from RZA for the first time, the dreamteam production of MF Doom, J Dilla and Pete Rock sits perfectly with Killah’s oft-bizarre, super-smooth mediations on dope-peddling, pimping, and straight-up braggadocio. One incredibly addictive dosage.

RAEKWON & GHOSTFACE KILLAH

Wu-Tang Killa Bees bring tha ruckus to NXNE inna Shaolin style

ESSENTIAl AlBUMS

nxne music

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How will the future of media be defined? Ask NXNEi.By Meghan Warby, NXNEi Lead Curator

inter-active

After almost 20 years of presenting the world’s best live music, music-themed films, and music business experts, North by Northeast Music & Film has partnered with FITC, a leading producer of design and technology-focused conferences worldwide, to bring the freshest digital content to Toronto via NXNE Interactive (NXNEi). For musi-cians, filmmakers, marketers, public relations pros and community managers, NXNEi is a perfect mix of expert insights, useful case studies and straight-up inspiration. The unique four-day NXNEi experience includes over 80 presentations, full-day workshops, an im-mersive demo lounge and unreal parties. Music, film and interactive leaders connect with the hot-test tools, coolest companies and smartest agen-cies, creating an exciting hub in Toronto’s bustling downtown.The NXNEi daytime conference corrals inter-nationally-minded activists, artists, comics, com-municators, creators, and entrepreneurs. Speak-ers come with their A-game to hold the attention of attendees focused on success and innovation. Dream of hearing from the key catalysts in com-panies like Hootsuite, Radian6, Universal Rec-ords, CBC and SonicBids? Wake up and register for a hotbed of professional development and collaboration.

With bright minds from around the world, NXNEi keynotes never fail to deliver jaw-dropping take-aways. Always raucous, panel presentations give you a chance to fire off a burning question or watch sparks fly among competing authorities’ POVs. Glean tips from music, film and inter-active’s biggest brains, such as Fucked Up’s Da-mian Abraham, director of Ecstasy Rob Heydon, and Toronto Star columnist and professor Dr. Mi-chael Geist.Top themes this year include everyone’s favourite buzzword - transmedia; the omnipresent mobile platform; financing for artists and startups; and digital culture. Panels explore everything from technology’s impact on psychology to digital’s in-creasingly important role in social change and politics. From Epic Meal Time to Picnicface to the Jon Stewart of Iran - Parazit’s Saman Arbabi - the full spectrum of content creators and distributors shares knowledge at NXNEi.Brace your system for four consecutive nights of old-school networking in the form of unscheduled face-to-face interactions (quaint!). Fully charge your digital devices to capture all the ingenious quotes, contacts and creations. Prepare to ex-plore ideas so far off your radar that you’re blip-ping in places you’ve never blipped before. So what are you waiting for?

nxne 2012 | 78 nxne 2012 | 79

The NX LoungeThe Lounge is open to the public - which means you don’t need a wristband or a pass to get in. It’s located close to NXNE Registration and has something for everyone, not just NXNE artists and delegates. We’ll have a stage for live interviews with featured artists; directors and speakers from NXNE Music, Film and Interactive; exhibits from NXNE partners like PlaySta-tion; drinks; and much more.June 13, 14, 15, 9:00am–8:00pm.

On the nX LOunge StageNXNE Film InterviewsHear the stories behind some of the films playing at the festival. NXNE Film programmers give us a glimpse be-hind the screen as they interview standout 2012 direc-tors and producers. June 13, 14, 15, 3:00pm–3:30pm on the Lounge stage.

NXNE Music InterviewsNXNE’s slate of guest interviewers give voice to all the questions you’d ask if you had a chance to sit down with some of the music festival’s 2012 performers. June 13, 14, 15, 4:00pm–4:30pm on the Lounge stage.

NXNE Interactive InterviewsMiss any of NXNEi’s groundbreaking panels or presen-tations? Daily Interactive interviews give you a second chance at new-media enlightenment as we go even

deeper exploring cutting-edge thinking with the best minds in the business. Join Justin Kozuch, Research Lead at Pixel To Product and co-host of 49Pixels Live, on the NX Lounge stage for some informative interviews with some of our esteemed NXNE Interactive presenters.June 13, 14, 15, 5:00pm–5:30pm on the Lounge stage.

This attendee favorite delivers 5-minute presentations by diverse speakers on rapid-fire topics, including the creative life and making things.More details at http://bikehugger.com/builtJune 11, 12, 13, 1:20pm to 2:00pm.

Drawing its name from the Japanese term for the sound of “chit chat,” this unique event rests on a presentation format that is based on a simple idea: 20 images x 20 seconds. It’s a format that makes presentations concise, and keeps things moving at a rapid pace. Details at http://www.pecha-kucha.org/night/toronto/16June 14, 6:00pm–7:00pm

Also at the Hyatt, the first annual NXNE Record Show – a one-day, once-a-year chance to take in all the wonders of the vinyl medium. Presented and curated by historic Toron-to mainstay Kops Records, the show features a huge range of retailers and labels - Arts & Crafts, Vinyl Alibi, Of A Kind, Alleycats Music & Arts and many more - all of whom will be lining up their merchandise for you to explore, examine, and experience. And buy, of course. Remember, you can’t cuddle an mp3.

There will be plenty alongside the vinyl stalls to pique your interest in the world of records. You’ll find museum-piece artifacts from across the Kops archives, a kids’ station for youngsters to get their sticky fingers around some black wax, and first aid-style info on vinyl storage and mainten-ance. To soundtrack your crate-digging, there’ll also be a selection of DJs - including Brendan Canning (Broken So-cial Scene) – spinning for your aural delectation.

Get reacquainted with the black stuff at no cover with any NXNE wristband or pass, or $5 without. There’ll always be more money, there won’t always be more vinyl.

NXNE Record Show

TM

the nX Lounge is at the heart of the hyatt Regency toronto - nXne’s home base during the festival. the Lounge is the place to meet up, hang out, grab a drink and check out in-depth interviews and more.

record showsat, june 16 10am-4pm

hyatt regency, 370 king w. toronToNXNE.com

nxne interactive

nxne interactive

Social Media or Narcissism? Which is the Root Cause?Lucia Mancuso, president of brand awareness experts The Blog Studio and moderator for Psychology of Narcissism & How It Affects Brands on looking through the social media mirror.Is social media responsible for widespread narcissism, or is widespread narcissism why social media has rapidly expanded and be-come so popular? This question pops up with increased frequency on the web, in mainstream media and in the social media world itself.

The very nature of social media lends it-self to people sharing information about themselves and growing larger-than-life per-sonalities. A completely unscientific exam-ination of social media accounts tells us that the most successful are based around strong personalities. For instance, Lady Gaga’s account has the most followers on Twitter and, although she does some pro-motion on that account, she mostly writes about her day-to-day life. The account is es-sentially about Lady Gaga and mirrors her personality through describing what she’s doing. And it turns out millions of people are interested in hearing about the minutiae of Lady Gaga’s life.

For contrast, take a look at any of the corporate Twitter accounts out there, those representing a business as a “business.” Their avatar is the cor-porate logo, they tweet ex-clusively about the busi-ness - and there isn’t much personality. De-spite the fact that these accounts usually have

massive budgets and a team of marketing experts composing the Tweets and writing the strategy, they are marginally interesting at best. It’s no surprise that they never achieve the success of a per-sonality-driven account.

People follow Lady Gaga - but not their bank, airline, or favour-ite fast-food joint. It’s a forceful personality, with a dose of narcis-sism, that creates social media success.

The way the social media universe actually works rewards those with narcissistic traits. The more you speak about yourself, the more photos, Tweets and thoughts you share, the bigger the audience you’ll attract. Conversely, a social media account lacking personality is pushed aside. Many social media networks consist solely of opportunities to share the user’s life: Facebook for the most part, and Foursquare for sure. Fours-quare addresses the questions, “Where are you?” and “What are you doing?” - so to use the network you need to at least dip your toe into narcissistic waters.

Over time, as other forms of social media be-come prevalent, distinctions between narcissism and social media success may emerge. Until then, we’ll just have to accept that online interactions will revolve around the self-absorption of the per-sonalities involved - and if that’s rewarding narcis-sism, then so be it.

The social media universe actually rewards those with narcissistic traits

nxne 2012 | 80 nxne 2012 | 81

Don’t Blame the SlacktivistsI’ve always been skeptical of the idea of “slacktivism” – that combination of apathy and arrogance that allegedly afflicts younger generations. Like its 90s precursor, donor fa-tigue, it has always struck me as lazy excuse for charities that readily explains away an inability to generate meaningful engagement with young people.

Slacktivism reared its pampered head most recently in the aftermath of the video “Kony 2012,” made by the Californian advocacy group Invisible Children. By any mar-keting measure the campaign was a phenomenal success: over 100 million online views, over 3 million pledges of support and the title “most viral video ever.” But the video and Invisible Children also came in for some withering – and justified - criticism by academ-ics and development experts.

It was claimed that the video oversimplified a complex situation, that the film-makers had manipulated the facts to fit their preferred narrative and that they were willfully naïve in suggesting that viewers could change the course of human history by tweeting a link to their celebrity of choice. This last point, it was claimed, was a prime example of encouraging slacktivism.

But is that correct? The fact that millions of people did tweet the link doesn’t make them slacktivists; they were just doing what had been asked of them. This doesn’t look

to me like a generational problem, it’s simply basic psych-ology. There are many reasons people donate to char-

ity but one of the strongest motivators is the feeling that you have made a difference. If a charity offers you an alternate and easier way of getting that feel-ing – eg by retweeting Justin Bieber – most people will take it. Charities aren’t encouraging slacktivism,

they are the authors of it.

Of course, if Invisible Children’s campaign was an aberration, never to be repeated, then none of this would

matter too much. But only a few weeks after that video launched, my twitter feed started filling up with twibbons – that icon of conspicuous compassion – while a children’s organization that really should know better launched a campaign that actually asked people to “donate a ret-weet.” It seems that the lessons learned from Kony 2012

were not the ones you would have hoped – that the public is quite capable of understanding complexity

and that if there’s a picture out there of you posing with a Kalashnikov, it will go viral – but rather that vapid online noise is just as valid a cam-paign goal as real engagement.So next time you hear a charity fundraiser com-plaining about the problem with Millennials, ask them where they got their twibbon.

treat a generation as adults,

not twit-botsBy JaMeS tOphaM,

Director of Communications at independent

humanitariancharity Warchild

and NXNEi Music & Advocacy Online

panelist.

There’s Loose Change in a Mobile World Monetize your platform to move forward By Marlon Rodrigues, Director of Alliances at mobile platform developers Polar Mobile and presenter of the NXNEi Content Is King But Transactions Are Every-thing panel.

2012 is “The Year Of Mobile”, they proclaimed. Again.

Every year for the past decade was supposed to be the break-out year for mo-bile devices. The soothsayers and market optimists can’t be faulted for their dec-larations — through the recession, mobile device sales and service contracts were among the few products that did not face a market slowdown.

Mobile is clearly more than a casual social utility; it’s a primary way in which we expect to make contact with the world. People will pay for mobile – and this gradual con-sumer shift from fixed to mobile ups the ante for mobile en-ablers of all stripes: the developers, designers, financiers and marketers.

Mobile offers potent commercial potential: rich, flexible displays for merchandising, always-on connectivity and a payment infrastructure. Since processing transactions is no longer just the domain of electronic banking, and since oper-ating close to a transaction generates the greatest value – and since the technology already exists to participate – what are we waiting for?

The keys will lie in the user experience. Sure, concerns about bombarding the end user with offers will arise, as will the usual complaints that a mobile device is too small a win-dow to meaningfully promote and merchandise a product. But there’s nothing to be gained from not trying. Let’s get on with it.

nxne interactive

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we arenxne interactive

We make choices - thousands of them every day - about how much and how often we interact. Everyone has a threshold for social con-tact, a balancing act that depends on our need for privacy.

Information used to be collected on paper, the most sensitive stored in vaults. Now, the computer that houses our information is likely connected to thousands of others. The machine itself generates more information about us as we use it. This evolution represents a virtu-ally unlimited opportunity to learn: social networks, buying patterns and surfing habits provide mass quantities of data about human behaviour to aggregate, correlate and analyze.

It turns out we humans are a pretty predictable bunch. Earlier this year, Charles Duhigg wrote an in-depth piece for the New York Times on Target’s data mining practices. The highlight of the piece was an anecdote about an angry father whose

daughter had received targeted mailings for mater-nity clothing and nursery furniture. The local store

manager apologized. Calling a few days later to follow up, the father shared that he’d subse-quently discovered that his daughter was in-deed pregnant.

It’s unlikely that Target is the only com-pany with statisticians. For such companies, privacy is about the legislation that applies when they manage customer data. Privacy guidelines can be tackled the same way as other regulatory requirements: finding a bal-

ance between 100% compliance (probably impossible) and ignoring them completely until

there’s a problem.

The key legal control mechanism is consent. In Canada, PIPEDA (Personal Information and Electronic Documents Act) applies to companies like Target and Facebook, but not always in the way we might like.

Take a look at some of the myths and realities of consent.

Myth A company can’t use my data for marketing.

A company can prevent me from buying their product if I don’t supply my information.

Companies can use standard consent forms and processes.

A company owns my data once I give it to them.

I can only withdraw my consent in writing.

Consent only applies to some of my information.

Companies cannot share my information with other organizations.

RealityIf a company tells me they will, and I don’t specifically say no, they can.

Unless it’s absolutely necessary to provide the product, no company can com-pel me to give my information.

Consent (forms and processes) should vary depending on the situation and type of information.

I always have the right to withdraw my consent and ask to have my data de-stroyed.

Consent can be withdrawn at any time and in any format.

Consent applies to all of my information; including that which a computer gen-erated about me.

My information can be shared to the extent that is reasonable and required; for example, with police if requested by warrant, or with a service provider to provide me with the product I’m buying.

COMMODITYControl your data fingerprint and know your privacy rightsBy tracy ann Kosa, privacy advocate and doctoral student in Computer Science at UOIT, and presentor Did It Get Better? A Discussion On Cyber Bullying and Online Privacy at NXNEi.

It’s pretty clear from this list that a lot of these activities do not – or perhaps can not – happen in the design of a computer system. There are no privacy police though; enforcement happens when we complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (http://www.priv.gc.ca/index_e.cfm)

Computing is about connectivity and trust. Next time you go online, use your phone or turn on the GPS in your car, ask yourself if you trust the company behind the product or service you’re using. Do you know what information that company is collecting about you? Where it goes and who has access to it? If the answer is no, ask and complain. It’s a public service.

Despite being a dozen or so years younger than I am my 25-year-old friend Adam shares a surprising number of technological touch-stones with me. He’s a part-time DJ who only plays vinyl 45s and owns (and actually uses) a typewriter.

Adam’s predilection for analog media might sound anachronistic, or even sadly un-hip, but instead his anti-digital tendencies now put him on the cutting edge of a contemporary subculture. Everyone is familiar with the snub that fans can give their favorite band when the music becomes too mainstream. In the same way, a small but growing number of art-ists and culture mavens have begun express-ing their frustrations with the digitization of everything.

The limitations of a world where art and culture are no longer anchored to a physical object (the term for music, books and photo-graphs being converted into 0s and 1s is ‘de-materialization’) are clear. Spotify, for ex-ample, might be a tremendous service for music fans but likely unimpressive to someone with record shelves of cloud storage; and hard drives’ worth of photos or mp3s can easily be lost or wiped.

To escape this binary trap, during my resi-dency at the Canadian Film Centre Media Lab in December 2010 I began researching the emerging shift toward rematerialization. I dis-covered a company that prints posters of your Tumblr followers and another that can publish a book of your favorite Tweets . Even Lady Gaga, the high priestess of low culture, noted in a press release last year that her new Polar-oid mobile printer would ensure that precious images “will no longer die a death on your cell phone or digital camera.”

Drawing inspiration from these and other examples, my team at the CFC decided to cre-ate a physical manifestation of a digital ex-perience. What began as drinking straws in a cardboard box eventually turned into a proto-type for txt2hold, a service that debuted in

May 2011 at Maker Faire Toronto. Txt2hold takes any SMS forwarded to our system and, using a sentiment analyzer called Lymbix, re-turns you a net shape to print and build an ori-gami pyramid that’s colour coded according to the emotional content of the message. The idea proved so popular that for Nuit Blanche 2011 our team was asked to create a modi-fied version of the system that converted Twit-ter @replies into paper birds.

Since then I’ve seen numerous rematerial-ization projects, including BERG’s upcoming Little Printer and a hacked telegraph called Tworsekey that can send Tweets via Morse code. Even this piece in the print magazine you’re currently holding, which promotes a festival with a strong digital component, pro-vides further proof that paper can still do things that a streaming viral HTML5 jQuery pinterest-cushion cannot.

This does not mean, however, that the 21st century will be predominantly Amish, even if a Portlandia sketch joked that the latest hipster crazes involves a return to the 1890s (“Re-member when kids grew up to be artisan bakers and everyone had homemade haircuts and guys shaved with straight razors?”). In-stead, the future will be neither purely digital nor analog, but a messy hybrid of the two. To acknowledge the awkwardness of this fusing of the past and the present I’ve created a gloriously clunky neologism: “physidigital.”

Novelist William Gibson famously ob-served that the future is already here - it’s just not evenly distributed. The past, meanwhile, remains everywhere, and we shouldn’t be afraid to get physidigital by jamming an old cassette tape into a USB drive.

Even Adam, alongside his typewriter, owns an Android phone that allows him to remotely download and launch a torrent file on his home computer. He might be technologically eccentric, but that doesn’t mean he’s crazy enough to abandon all modern conveniences.

the Digital BacklashHow analog suddenly became cutting edge

By Ryan Bigge

Ryan Bigge is host of NXNEi panel

Let’s Get Physidigital: How To Convert

Online Memories Into Offline Artifacts

and a Toronto based technology journalist

and content strategist.

nxne 2012 | 83

CROWDFunDIng FueLSCrowdfunding is a new social ritual that enables the public to directly support notable projects in the creative, scientific, and entrepreneurial space. Built on a foundation of social media, this innova-tive funding solution has rapidly become a game-changer in new media, science, and the arts, fuelling “big change” in the creative class.Presenter: Brian Meece

StRategIeS FOR pItChIng neW CLIentSWhether it’s a cold-call, networking, or word of mouth, the “pitch” is crucial in establishing your relationship with pro-spective clients. Attendees will learn how to use social media, branding, research, and charisma to land the kinds of clients they’ve always wanted to. Presenter: Daniel Schutzsmith

2012: YeaR OF the peOpLe.There was a recent study showing that people don’t reTweet news organiza-tions, they retweet the journalists within. People are at the very foundation of the formation of trust and brands are recog-nizing this. It’s hard for brands to live in all the channels they’re expected to when they are inanimate objects, ideas – But when they have personality, or a person-ality, the connections come quickly. When people become brands, how do brands react?Presenter: Rosie Siman

anthROpOCene: the age OF hu-ManSHumans are now considered to be the greatest force impacting the geology of Earth. It is argued that we have had such a significant physical impact on Earth that our current era will be described as the age of humans. The question is if technological innovation—which is what brought us here—can also make the fu-ture planet liveable, or is technology not enough? Presenter: Christie Nicholson

BRIngIng DIgItaL StORIeS tO LIFe: tRanSMeDIa MeetS theatRe In ZeD.tOThe allure of transmedia is in the oppor-tunity to tell extended, immersive stories; but how can all those media fragments be spun together in a way that sticks with participants? The Mission Business is cur-rently addressing this question with ZED.TO, an 8-month story that plays out on-line, and in multiple performance events linked to arts festivals across Toronto.Presenter Davian Baxter, Chet Getram

CuLtuRe haCKIng YOuR BuSIneSSWhether you’re a start-up and just on the cusp of hiring your first official employ-ees, or an established small to medium business with a workforce of talented folks - defining a culture, hiring, inter-viewing, and maintaining that culture is no simple task. Get it right and you’ll have a stable of rock start team members and people knocking down your door for a job. Get it wrong and you’ll be in for a long hard slog. Presenter Andre Gaulin

DIgItaL StORYWORLDS: LIneaR StORIeS In a nOn-LIneaR WORLDStories have been spoken and written for generations, then we recorded them in audio and video and were happy with that for 100 years. Now we expect non-linear object oriented worlds, data vis-ualizations, augmented reality apps and geolocation to be part of the story. At least they do at the NFB Digital Studios. Presenters Loc Dao, Hugues Sweeney

DISaSteRS anD ReVOLutIOnS: SCeneS FROM the SOCIaL MeDIa tRenCheSSocial media tools and tactics are used for critical endeavours beyond business marketing and personal expression. However, they’re often brushed off as non-essential or entertaining playthings by media and society despite the proven ability to spread critical messages rapid-ly. We’ll discuss the democratization of communication and how civic/cultural changes are sparked and amplified de-spite attempts to thwart dissent. Presenter Dave Olson

ethnOgRaphIC anIMatIOn: 3D DeSIgn FOR MaRKetIng anD eDuCatIOnAnimation has proven to be effective at appealing to diverse consumers because studies have shown that people have a heightened emotional response to anima-tion. Learn how animation can be lever-aged as a key strategy in communicating human-centered research to decision makers, venture capitalists and customers.Presenter Kate Ertmann

InDepenDent ManuFaCtuRIng WIth SOCIaL MeDIaTen years ago, we had this idea to make a product that’d keep our coffee and chips fresher. Today people call that be-ing ‘a Maker’; back then we were just try-

ing to make a buck. This talk will share how our product ended up in the Space Shuttle, Antarctica, pantries, and Grand-ma’s loomsPresenter DL Byron

Let’S get phYSIDIgItaL: hOW tO COnVeRt OnLIne MeMORIeS IntO OFFLIne aRtIFaCtSNow that social media has become a black box recorder for countless emotion-ally significant moments, artists and brands are searching for ways to turn our digital milestones into physical keep-sakes. What is driving this newfound in-terest in physicality? Is it a reaction against the ephemeral nature of digital communication or simply the result of the online world bleeding into the offline?Presenter Ryan Bigge

LIVIng In the Map: aDVentuReS In MaKIng DetROIt a MORe uSeR-FRIenDLY CItYSince 2009 Jerry Paffendorf and friends have worked on a variety of creative crowd-funding, crowd-sourcing, and inter-active mapping projects in Detroit. It all started out with an experiment in “micro real estate”, and levelled up to new kinds of city-size maps and fundraising efforts that help people better understand and impact Detroit at the human scale.Presenter Jerry Paffendorf

neVeR aSK peRMISSIOn: 7 YeaRS OF pLaYIng In the StReetFor 7 years, Newmindspace has partied, played and pillow fought in the streets of Toronto and New York, spawning a movement that has spread to cities around the world. Beyond the fun and games lies the group’s most central prob-lem: without permits, the thousand-per-son events are technically illegal. How-ever, the duo’s simple message and social media savvy have allowed the Urban Playground Movement to spread across the globe to over 150 cities.Presenter Kevin Bracken, Lori Kufner

nIChe BLOggIng: MOnetIZIng YOuR ReaDeRShIpSeems every business has a blog these days but what about businesses where the blog came before the business con-cept? Many niche bloggers make a living with their blog being the main gateway to their customers. Join us for tips on monetizing your niche.Presenters Kirby Desmarais, Jennifer Hagler, Don Naylor

punK ROCK MaRKetIng: MaJOR-LaBeL DIgItaL In an Open-SOuRCe WORLDMajor labels have embraced an open-source world. Justin Erdman presents a handful of specific case studies on the process we use to come up with promos and tools, demystifying the major label digital black box and giving artists, man-agers and labels a snapshot of how to execute impressive projects on a limited budget and within limited time constraints. Presenter Justin Erdman

SIX MILLIOn StORIeSThe Royal Ontario Museum is Canada’s largest museum. It has over six million ob-jects in its collections, dozens of galleries, and hundreds of public programs. How do

inteRactive confeRence complete programnXnei brings you the fresh-est in interactive social con-tent. With over 80 presenta-tions listed below, nXnei bridges the gap between creators of all kinds and interactivity. Join us for three days of tech and social media exploration to learn how to boost ingenuity while enhancing your marketing and business efforts.

you manage that much content and make it both accessible and engaging to the public? How do you tell that many stories? Presenter Mark Farmer

the COnVeRSatIOn: pIOneeRIng tRanSMeDIa MaRKetIng & auDI-enCe BuILDIngDesigned to build a community and audi-ence for Sarah Polley’s film Take This Waltz, several months prior to its release, this user generated art gallery is an ex-perimental marketing campaign, a trans-media project that spans several plat-forms including web, mobile and live events. Creative Director Anthea Foyer presents a case study.Presenters Anthea Foyer, Shelley Simmons

the eLeMentS OF eXpeRIenCeExperience is a buzzword that many pro-fessionals and companies use. Often times, the term experience is used as a justification or basis in the design of a product or service at both a macro and micro level. But what is an experience? What constitutes a good one, and how do we measure it? What is the essence of an experience? And as designers, how do we design tangible experiences that resonate with somebody’s life? Presenter Charles Law

#ChaRItYFaIL10 nonprofit social media case studies. 10 signs you’re doing it wrong. Learn along with this charming panel as they tell you what’s wrong, why it’s wrong and give you strategies for improving your social media performances.Panelists Laura Bradley, Emma Jenkin, Holly Knowlman

a hYBRID appROaCh tO FILM FI-nanCIng & DIStRIButIOnWhile the hottest trend in film finance for micro and low budget films is crowdfund-ing, grants and traditional investor finan-cing still remain. A hybrid approach may now be the best financing plan. Join us in discussion on what your financing op-tions are, how to get donors and invest-ors interested in funding your work and determining what a good budget level is for realistic recoupment in today’s crowd-ed media market. Panelists Avi Federgreen, Byron Marin, David Miller, Moderator Jennifer Jonas

COMMunItY ManageRS: De-FenDIng YOuR BRanD anD CRe-atIng YOuR auDIenCeAs the role of social media continues to expand and evolve in online campaigns, Community Managers have become in-credibly valuable allies. This panel talks to experts in the field of community manage-ment and moderation services exploring the challenges involved in juggling their jobs as both professional Troll hunters and as purveyors of brand awareness. Panelists Claire Bradshaw, Dustin Plett, Alicia Cox Thomson Moderator Dana Herlihey

DatIng In a DIgItaL WORLDTechnology has progressed so quickly over the past few years that the thought of picking up a landline and asking someone out on a date seems positively quaint. Between texting, tweeting, meet-up apps, Facebook and online dating sites, romance has gone digital - for bet-

ter and worse - and social media has changed the rules of courtship.Panelists Stacie Ikka, Kimberly Moffitt, Sofi Papamarko Moderator Kim Hughes

DeSIgnIng the neW nORMaLDesign has the power to contribute richly to creating a new and better world. We discuss the many transformations that will need to take place if design is to fulfil its potential as a problem-solving discipline; the move beyond the design of products to the development of systems, finding the necessary balance between strategy and craft, facilitating more meaningful trans-disciplinary conversations and more.Panelists John Furneaux, Helen Kerr, Dave Watson Moderator Lionel Gadoury

DIgItaL VIXenS anD FeMaLe ZOMBIeS: FROM SCRIpt tO SCReen In gaMe WRItIng Story development in gaming requires the collaboration of the creative director, lead designer and the game writer. We explore the role of the game writer, what it takes to become one, and discusses some of the issues faced by the female game writer in character development. Panelists Emily Clare Afan, Marissa Ro-berto, Kimberly Ann Sparks Moderator Renee Robinson

DIgItaL WORKFORCe: eMpLOYee engageMent anD CORpORate CuLtuReFrom a start-up to a traditional business; defining culture, hiring top talent and maintaining an engaged workforce is no simple feat. We discuss workplace cul-ture, innovation in the workplace, fuelling collaborative teams and the realities of today’s work environment. Panelists Mike Dover, Andre Gaulin, Jennifer Bouyoukos Moderator Bianca Freedman

eaRnIng a LIVIng In the OnLIne MuSIC enVIROnMentPeople have always shared music and always will. Rather than continuing to en-gage in increasingly futile efforts to stop people from using new technologies to share music, the Songwriters Association of Canada believe this massive use of creators’ work should be licensed just as live performances and broadcasting, also initially considered infringement, were ultimately licensed in the past. Panelists Greg Johnston, Greig Nori Moderator Shannon O’Neil

FaCtOR – aSSIStIng CanaDIan MuSICaL CaReeRS In MORe WaYS than OneIn a time when news changes faster than the weather and friends come and go with the click of a button, it is more im-portant than ever to stay up to date with resources that can help you further your career in music. FACTOR is one of those resources and can assist Canadian Art-ists with financial support though various

grants and loans. Join FACTOR and ac-complished music industry guests for a discussion about what it takes to find funding at FACTOR and how the it can benefit you in more ways than just finan-cial assistance.Panelists Stefan Babcock, David Cox, Natalia Yanchak Moderator Brent Bain

FutuRe OF the MuSIC VIDeOWe all know video killed the radio star and it is said that the internet is killing the video star, but perhaps it is more a trans-formation than a death? The music indus-try is rapidly changing. MTV is no longer shows video clips, but reality shows 24/7, so musicians have to develop new strategies to maintain their fans’ atten-tion. Through a panel discussion we’ll ex-plore various ways artists have embraced technology through music videos, apps and art installations.Panelists Matt Coombe, Ciel Hunter, Vin-cent Morisset Moderator Stacey Horricks

gaMe On! SOCIaL tV & auDIenCe engageMentTV show fans want to connect with each other and interact in creative ways; whether watching a big drama, a reality show, or a live music event, ‘Social TV’ can be the glue that keeps fans connected with each other and the story unfolding on the screen. This session will explore the innovative ways content is mashing with social media and gamification to create new ways to engage mass audiences in the battle for eyeballs and social buzz. Panelists J. Joly, Paul Mcgrath Moderator Tessa Sproule

gRaFFItI gOeS gLOBaL: StReet aRt CuLtuRe thRIVeS OnLIneGraffiti is an art form that faces public debate on its legitimacy and value in cit-ies and communities alike. This one time underground movement, traded only amongst fellow writers via photo exchan-ges and homemade zines, finds a thriv-ing new home on the world wide web some 40+ years on. Panelists Evond Blake, Lisa Martin and others Moderator Joseph Wilson

hOW tO StaRt a StaRt-upToronto has become a lightning rod for new Internet startups. Everyday more and more web startups are getting founded by entrepreneurs tenured and new. How-ever, most abandon basic business pillars when building a venture in the digital economy. Not every start-up requires the same advice, but there a similar threads that apply to almost every company at-tempting to build a new digital product.Panelists David Crow, Michael Litt, Dave Senior Moderator Brian Pullen

hOW tO WIn at YOutuBeSome of the best brands, agencies, and companies have tried their hand at You-Tube with varying degrees of success. None have had much of any. The real triumphs have gone to new players in the digital broadcast game. This panel brings you face-to-face with these play-ers, the most successful YouTube entrepre-neurs and personalities in Canada. Learn from their victories, mistakes, insights and experiences as we discuss best practices for winning at YouTube.Panelists EpicMealTime, Alex Ikonnikov, Corey Vidal Moderator Guy Gal

inteRactive PaSS $349 (Students get in for $125) For those who don’t want to miss a single NXNE Interactive presentation: 3 days, all day long. nxne.com/tickets

nxne interactive

June 12–15

inteRactive confeRence complete program

inteRactive PaSS $349 (Students get in for $125) For those who don’t want to miss a single NXNE Interactive presentation: 3 days, all day long. nxne.com/tickets

nxne interactive

InFLuenCe? VS InFLuenCe!: What InFLuenCe ReaLLY MeanS anD hOW tO FInD ItAccording to Klout you should only talk to people with a higher Klout score than yourself if you want to increase your own score, but what does a high Klout score even mean? Anyone who really under-stands how Influence works knows that you can’t put a number on overall influ-ence. This panel will explain how to find the real influencers that you want to talk to as well as change your mind on what influence actually is.Panelists Christina Hug, Krista Neher Moderator Saul Colt

MaKIng SOCIaL gIVeaWaYS WIn-WIn FOR BRanDS anD FanSPeople love free stuff and brands love free advertising. With the right strategy and plan in place, online contests and giveaways can be a win-win for brands and online communities. Through real world examples, this panel will explore how community managers can leverage popular social networking platforms and partnerships with online influencers to get big results.Panelists Matt Juniper, Shannon Hunter, Cassie Stewart Moderator Lindsay Munro

MuSIC In tRanSMeDIa pROJeCtSExploring online, video games and multi-media projects from the music point of view Does music still drive campaigns the way it used to? Why are some brands are steering away from traditional 30 second TV ads and opting for online mood films instead? Why do brands choose the music they do? How do new technologies like apps and mobile de-vices fit into the music world? How is music being used to drive video games, pop-up concerts, interactive displays and the good ol’ fashioned TV ad?Panelists Dan Burt, Chris Galvin, Kate Ur-cioli Moderator Caitlin Veitch

neW Stage DeSIgnIf you’re going to watch a DJ spin or your favourite electronic performer cut up tracks off a series of gizmos and gadgets, chances are there will be visuals to ac-company the often one-man show. Stage design has risen above the homemade banners and simple light shows to events like Madonna’s Superbowl show. These are the creative visual artists and technical minds behind the mind-melting visual shows for some of the top DJs, electronic performers and bands on stage today.Panelists Jimmy Lakatos Moderator Jeff Waye

pLannIng FOR a pOSt-WeB WORLDWhen Chris Anderson wrote in WIRED that the ‘web is dead’ was he being pre-scient about a new world order or simply an alarmist? Is the changing digital land-scape creating a world where the web was simply an evolutionary stage? If we are not already, how soon will we see a transition and what will it look like? This

panel will debate the evidence, explore the challenges and discuss theories for how we can plan to deal with such a fu-ture.Panelists Alison Burnham, Jon Lax, Ken Seto Moderator Scott Suthren

pSYChOLOgY OF naRCISSISM & hOW It aFFeCtS BRanDSSociety spends increasingly more time online, watching and reading about strangers. Is peep culture creating more narcissists or simply helping us connect through the sharing of our intimacies? Do users share content that they are truly passionate about and believe in or do they simply share content that influences how others perceive them?Panelists Jason Howlett, Hal Niedzviecki, Cassie Stewart Moderator Lucia Mancuso

SOCIaL MeDIa In the CLaSSROOM - teaChIng anD LeaRnIng WIth DIgItaL teChnOLOgIeSToday’s students are digital learners in a world of ever-available connectivity, yet schools have been slow to recognize the potential afforded by social media plat-forms. Are tweeting, texting and Face-book the new dog-eared cahier and time-honoured textbook? What are the challenges faced by educators keen to bring classroom learning into the 21st century?Panelists Danika Barker, Royan Lee, Lisa Neale Moderator Shannon Smith

SOCIaL MuSIC MaRKetIng: BanDS, BRanDS anD FanSTechnology and social media have fun-damentally changed the way music is promoted, discovered and funded and how advertising reaches an audience. Lines that were once distinct have be-come more and more blurred. This dis-cussion will focus on new collaborations between bands, consumer brands and fans.Panelist Kerri Cockrill Moderator Panos Panay

the aRt OF MOBILe phOtOg-RaphYOver the past few years a new genre of photography has exploded thanks to the availability of the high-quality built-in camera of the iPhone. We’ll ask the panelists to share their inspiration, tips, techniques as they discuss the stories be-hind some of their favorite photos. And in the process, get a clearer picture of the trends, business and future of this bur-geoning art and technology.Panelists Dan Cristea, Peter Flaschner, Gobi Kim, Carlein Van Der Beek, Moder-ator Randy Matheson

the F WORD: FeeDBaCKYou’ve poured your heart and soul in to your work and proudly presented it to your team or your clients, and the re-sponse you got back was...not what you expected. Maybe you didn’t miss the mark, but they did? Maybe the feedback

you got was a little confusing? This panel of web design professionals will discuss The “F” word and how to deal with it.Panelists Jenn Lukas, Cassie McDaniel, Travis Schmeisser Moderator Brett Harned

the LISteneR: pOWeR SWItCh - a CaSe StuDYA “transmedia narrative” is a story that happens simultaneously on various plat-forms and the audience must engage with all of them to get the full story. This panel centres on the craft and challenges of spinning out a narrative that is multi-platform and multilayered for the digital sphere. Panelists Jarrett Sherman, Bobby Theo-dore, Karen Walton, Moderator Peter Mohan

the RISe OF the ‘aRtIStpReneuR’ & enteRtaInMent InDuStRY 2.0The line between amateur and profes-sional artists is blurring and entertain-ment industry stakeholders are losing control over who’s art gains popularity. Unsustainable industry business models have given rise to a new one: the ‘artist-preneur’. It’s anyone who sees their cre-ative production from initial concept to a finished, market-ready product; the syn-thesis of art and business.Panelists D-Sisive, Matt Fullbrook, Jayson Gaignard Moderator Alex Metcalfe

tO StReaM OR nOt tO StReaM, that IS the QueStIOnWith new streaming services popping up all over the world we are faced with some basic challenges. Should we give them our music? Is this the new panacea or just another tech thing trading in music?Panelists Darlene Gilliland, Ryan A.N. Guay, Ulrika Lindwall Moderator Jeff Rogers

unDeRCOVeR: hOW COVeRIng a hIt SOng anD uSIng YOutuBe Can heLp YOu FInD SuCCeSS!In todays DIY music business, there have never been more promotional vehicles to find success. However, the competition for the attention of the music industry and your potential audience has never been more difficult. So how do you get the attention of potential fans and pull them in to hear what you have to offer?Moderator Rodney Murphy

What’S YOuR eMpLOYeR BRanD? : hOW tO attRaCt anD RetaIn SOught-aFteR DIgItaL taLentAs more companies turn to social media in the search for their next, great employ-ees, job seekers are using Twitter, Face-book and LinkedIn to learn more about potential employers and their workplace cultures. The reason—top professionals often have multiple job offers to consider and likely base their final decision on whether a company’s values and culture align with their own. A panel of leading digital recruiters and employers will dis-cuss the importance of a good employer brand in both attracting and retaining top-performing interactive professionals, and how to create a great employer brand—even if you don’t have one now.Panelists Sharon Alderson, Felix WardeneModerator Chris Atchison

COntent IS KIng, But tRanS-aCtIOnS aRe eVeRYthIng...Digital content publishers are facing the daunting proposition of earning money from their mobile apps, when many of them never made meaningful money when in their first foray into digital – the desktop web. In these digital environ-ments, brands are attempting to reclaim mindshare by investing in social, online and mobile destinations. You will leave this presentation convinced that only 2 things matter: content, and content that leads to transactions.Presenters Sabaa Quao, Marlon Rod-rigues

StaRtup MaRKetIng: teCh-CRunCh IS nOt a MaRKetIng pLanA while back there was a viral video about two people talking over a water cooler and how his startup was going to get huge any day because it was going to appear on Mashable as well as Tech-crunch and that’s all you need to hit it big. This was funny because people thought it was true. In this talk by Saul Colt he will explain what actual goals and steps you need to be successful in the very different world of tech startups.Presenter Saul Colt

uSIng Data tO LeVeRage VIDeO aS a MORe eFFeCtIVe MaRKetIng tOOLJoin Michael Litt, the Co-Founder/CEO of Vidyard as he takes you on a journey through the contextual aspects of online video. Discover how to; build a content delivery framework around analytics, leverage video to generate more leads and optimize click through and digestion with optimized video thumbnails.Presenter Michael Litt

When the InteRnet Met COpY-RIght: the StORY OF the Can-aDIan COpYFIghtCanada has been embroiled in a dec-ade-long debate over copyright reform. As the latest round of legislative reforms head toward a conclusion, this talk will review the evolution of the “Canadian copyfight” and the newfound voice of user concerns. It will also examine the implications of Bill C-11 as well as tackle the simmering disputes in education, cre-ative industries, and international trade negotiations.Presenter Dr. Michael Geist

CReatIng MInD-BLOWIng uXUser experience has never been more important. Impressing a new user can be hard and you don’t get many second chances. This talk cracks open the core UX philosophies and helps you master the usability, user interface and inter-action hurdles, in your way, utilizing the latest front-end technologies. Presenter Darcy Clarke

DID It get BetteR? a DISCuSSIOn On CYBeR BuLLYIng anD OnLIne pRIVaCY.Our lives are more connected now than ever but with the opportunity for connec-tion comes the risk of harassment. This year in Ontario, we have seen a disturb-ing number of students who have taken

their own life after reporting that the ha-rassment they endured online is too much to bear. What can we do to keep teens safe online?!Presenter Tracy Ann Kosa, Moderator Anthony McLean, Kids Help Phone Counselor Maddie S

What MaKeS an IDea StICK?Do you ever wonder why certain cam-paigns take off and others die a slow death? There is a lot more behind the latest viral campaign then meets the eye. This presentation will take a look into the steps that are taken to, dare I say, guar-antee success (at least in the client’s eye) in a day and age where trying to get someone’s attention seems impossible.Presenter Mavis Huntley

pROJeCt ButteRFLY: eSCapIng the netWhat effect can learning about how so-ciable people interact in the real world have on the online space? We set out on a multi-city project, both online and in the real world, actively immersing our-selves in a variety of communities so that we could truly understand the elements that contribute to interaction and involve-ment. This immersive project seamlessly merged social psychology, digital an-thropology with cutting edge ethnog-raphy and is a collaboration between Toronto’s The Palmerston Group and Se-attle’s Cole + Weber United.Presenter Daniel Berkal

thIS DuDe aBIDeS: a COnVeRSa-tIOn WIth ROB heYDOn On eC-StaSY-InDuCIng InDepenDent FILMSJoin us for frank film talk with one of To-ronto’s most internationally-acclaimed filmmakers, Rob Heydon. A proud Toron-tonian, TIFF and Juno-award-winner and graduate of The Norman Jewison Can-adian Film Centre, Heydon will impart lessons from directing and producing over 100 music videos and commercials. In a spirited discussion, you’ll get the story behind his recent adaptation of Ir-vine Welsh’s popular novel ‘Ecstasy.’ Learn how he financed and produced a festival-favourite film without Telefilm or distributors’ assistance. Marvel at his juggling of four key roles: writer, produ-cer, director and casting director. Pose questions about his extreme documen-tary shoots with professional snowboard-ers, or his work with Woody Harrelson on ‘Go Further.’ Abide while he shares details of his upcoming feature doc about legendary Jeff “The Dude” Dowd, who inspired ‘The Big Lebowski.’ Or just sit back and enjoy.Presenter Rob Heydon

WeapOnS OF MOuSe DeStRuC-tIOnSaman Arbabi, co-host, co- creator and Executive Producer of Parazit (the ‘Daily Show of Iran’) will talk about evading censorship, challenging the oppressive Iranian regime and reaching the pulse of millions of young Iranians. Parazit, which is illegal in Iran, has quickly gained rec-ognition- becoming an international phe-nomenon. Saman Arbabi uses his signa-ture wit, street art style and anti-establishment attitude to reach his audience through Web steaming, boot-

leg DVD distribution, blogs and Face-book, all of which have driven the pro-gram further underground and contribute to its outlaw status and popularity. Sam-an will also unveil his latest project: Weapons of Mouse Destruction (WMD), the largest global art project against government Internet censorship that has ever been launched.Presenter Saman Arbabi

MaKIng the MOSt OF OuR MuSIC CItY: hOW tOROntO Can MOVe FROM gOOD tO gReatToronto is one of the most influential music cities in North America. Imagine what would happen if we actually had a plan. Beginning with the release of key recommendations from a study commis-sioned by Music Canada about how To-ronto can learn from strategies em-ployed in Austin, Texas, this panel will envision ways that Toronto could capital-ize on its music assets to accelerate growth of the industry. Panelists from the commercial music community and City Hall will discuss the economic im-pact of music in Toronto, existing bar-riers to its growth, and ways in which they can be overcome through collab-orative action. Speakers Nikki Rowling, Josh Colle, Jeff Cohen Moderator Graham Henderson

WORKSHOP: MaRKetIng FOR the ShY CReatIVe tYpeYou can make the world’s-best designs, but if no one sees them, you won’t get the recognition. It is a fact that marketing is just as important to the success of a creative business as the work produced. Find out how some of the most well known interactive shops have gained their notoriety. Presenter Daniel Schutzsmith

WORKSHOP: ShOOteR CuL-tuRePhotography is everywhere. We’re living a life of documentation and it has never been easier to capture a moment with our mobile devices and cameras for others to gawk at. This workshop focuses on the hustle and techniques to create amazing photographs from any given location and setting. Presenter Bram Timmer

WORKSHOP: SOCIaL MeDIa StRategYThe web appears to be one enormous, interconnected digital world. Upon clos-er inspection, it’s actually a world made of tens of thousands of distinct subcul-tures with their own languages, cultural norms, touchstones and unspoken rules of behaviour. How can we craft cam-paigns and messages that effectively convey our messages to the different cor-ners of the web we’re trying to reach?Presenters Michael Dolan, Lucia Mancuso

WORKSHOP: WORDpReSS FOR the StaRVIng aRtISt A full-day workshop designed to intro-duce non-techies (particularly artists and creative types) to the wonder of Word-press as a simple and robust platform for creating captivating (and potentially profitable) portfolio websites. Presenter Steve Palmer

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JUST BECAUSE IT WAS SHOT,DOESN’T MAKE IT A FILM.

PARCE QU’ON A PARFOIS ENVIED’UN PEU PLUS DE CONTENU.

TIRED OF CAT VIDEOS? VISIT NFB.ca

FATIGUÉ DES VIDÉOS DE CHATS? VISITEZ ONF.ca

Now in its 12th year, NXNE Film has grown from a cinematic sidebar attached to the music festival into a full-blown independent film fest in its own right. We take particular pride in having main-tained the stellar programming, personal touch, and intimacy of our formative years while growing our film slate, audience base and brilliant roster of visiting directors, producers, and actors with each festival. Fans, filmmakers, musicians and industry executives now look to NXNE Film for the most ex-pertly curated, wide-ranging, exciting music-themed films of each year.All screenings are free with any NXNE wrist-

band or pass. Or – if just film’s your thing, a Film Festival-only wristband is $25 – single admissions are also available.

film

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a chemical romancerob Heydon finally

drops EcstasyBy tom King nxne magazine editor

We’ve been waiting a long time for Ec-stasy. Numerous funding issues, an ori-ginal female lead’s cancer treatment and problems optioning the story from the book’s publisher all disrupted the project’s progress. Finally, eleven years after author Irvine Welsh – of Train-spotting fame - first met Toronto film-maker Rob Heydon to discuss the adaptation, the film has arrived.

The film follows the romance be-tween Heather (Kristin Kreuk) and Lloyd (Adam Sinclair) as they try to

fathom whether the growing chemistry between them is true love or purely amphetamine. Surrounding this is an intricate subplot on the power politics of club and gang culture; Lloyd is caught owing money to a career drug dealer and begins to question his in-volvements in the club scene. The story is along the same black comic - thrills, spills and pills – lines as Welsh’s cele-brated first novel/film but, fittingly for a film concerning the stimulant “love drug” rather than the depressant hero-in, has a much lighter tone.

“I want Ecstasy to be the most viscer-ally thrilling, emotionally exhilarating and life-affirming film,” says Heydon in the press release. “Many of the events are violent and shocking, but above it all I feel passionately this is a story of great hope, love and rekindling faith.”

Just as Trainspotting was a fantastic portrayal of an economically de-pressed 1980s Britain, so Ecstasy is a relevant look back at the “Second

Summer of Love” halcyon days of ear-ly 90s club culture. Heydon depicts it as euphoric and liberating, uniting dis-parate groups and separate individ-uals – like Heather and Lloyd.

To find out more about Ecstasy, we caught up with Rob Heydon himself.Do you feel the film could trans-late outside the UK as universal-ly as Trainspotting did?It is a love story, so we felt that it was more easily accessible by audiences. We have sold the film in 40+ countries

and the clubbing culture is global. Young people fall in love and go to nightclubs every weekend around the world.

i feel some of the success of that movie was due to the wider cul-tural experience – esp. Britpop and new Labour in the UK – of-fered at the time. also, is there anything similar happening right now that you hope the film could relate to?

The Iraq invasion is a reference point in this film. Scots are often recruited to fight on the front lines of the wars for the English - the Royal Engineers, the Highlanders, etc. – and also corrupt politicians who work for corrupt bank-ers who really control the global econ-omies behind the scenes. These are re-ferred to by Mr. Welsh as “The C*nts in Control.” The Occupy Movement has a similar point of view of working class Scotland and the unions have always

had. We just needed to find a way to make this experience of “living in inter-esting times” entertaining and interest-ing. Hopefully the film will engage audiences who will have conversations about the subject matter in the film.

How tough is it working when you know that many people will directly compare it to Trainspot-ting? equally, what are the posi-tives of this?

Any film about controversial “alterna-tive” and subversive subject matter has been incredibly hard to fund after the fallout of 9/11. We knew there was a huge market for Irvine Welsh’s books, electronic dance music culture and al-ternative lifestyles, but we just had no idea how huge.

Did you worry about glorify-ing casual drug use?

No, I think we give drugs a chance and try to portray a balanced view in the film. To quote Irvine; “If a film says ‘Say no to drugs’ you know it is going to be shit!”

What’s he like to work with? is any part of him like the characters in his books? Irvine Welsh is a quiet man, a brilliant genius and a total c*nt. I love him. I would work with him on another pro-ject any day, any time. He gave us the freedom to make the film we intended to make while adapting his novel, which is really the perfect match for any filmmaker - let alone a first-time writer, producer, director. I think at one point in his life, Irvine Welsh was all of the characters from Trainspotting. Now he only relives his past when back in Scotland, and through the therapy of writing about it.

“if a film says ‘Say no to drugs’ you know it is going to be shit!”irvine Welsh

Ecstasy D: Rob HeydonEcstasy is a dark romantic comedy based on the contro-versial book, a bestseller in over 20 countries, by Irvine Welsh. The film combines Welsh’s provocative characters and superb story telling with shocking thrills and dark comedy, taking us on a journey into a crafty, drug fuelled contemporary satire on modern culture. Shot in Sault Ste. Marie and Toronto, as well as Scotland and Amsterdam, the plot follows a romance between Lloyd and Heather against a background of clubbing and drug dealing. Lloyd’s emotional experience is at the heart of this film; every step he takes leads him deeper into the secret world of his faith and love, forcing him to confront himself and his own beliefs and prejudices. Using hand-held cameras, mixing up drama and real life, shooting fast to capture performance and the ever changing light, the film reflects the hypnotic essence of life that young people face today.

nxne fiLM

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Gorman Bechard is quickly becoming a favourite of NXNE Film. Last year the Connecticut-based filmmaker (and author, and screen writer) thrilled festival audi-ences with the Canadian premiere of his rock and roll documentary Color Me Obsessed: A Film About The Re-placements. He has a world premiere treat for NXNE this year with What Did You Ex-pect? The Archers Of Loaf At Cat’s Cradle.

We sat down with Gorman to dis-cuss these movies, all things music and what he’s working on next.

in Color Me Obsessed you let the fans do the talking and never interviewed the Replace-ments or showed them in perform-ance. With What Did You Expect? it is nothing but live archers of Loaf footage and band interviews. Why the two polar opposite treat-ments?I’m not a big fan of repeating myself, just as I always hate when a band puts out a record that sounds exactly like every other record they’ve released. Which is part of my attraction to both these bands - they were con-stantly changing, evolving, growing as musicians. They always kept us as fans on our toes and I love them for that.

Color Me Obsessed was original. It was a concept that had never been done before, and I truly doubt it would have worked for any other band in history. With The Replacements there was no way to have gone back in time and captured the original members on stage, and what little footage that does exist is poorly shot and just not that exciting.

When I discovered the Archers Of Loaf were reuniting for a tour, and after seeing two of

their shows in L.A., I knew this was some-thing that needed to be documented. They are one of the greatest live bands in his-tory but I also knew the film needed to be different from every other concert film that came before it. I wanted the audience to

feel as is if they were there, in the front row of an Archers show. As if Eric were sweat-

ing on them, as if they were in danger of their lives from Matt’s bass neck. As if their ears would

be ringing for days. I wanted this film to be in-your-face real.

As for talking to only the band…The concept was mainly to shoot a concert film. The interviews break up the songs nicely, give the view-ers a chance to catch their breath and fall in love with these guys as people.

What Did You Expect? The Archers Of Loaf At Cat’s Cradle D: Gorman Bechard Indie rock icons the Archers Of Loaf reunited in 2011, and during the course of their reunion tour played two legendary concerts at Cat’s Cradle in Chapel Hill, NC. Combining in-your-face concert footage along with rare interviews of the band, this film by director Gorman Bechard documents those concerts, and captures the ex-citement and explosive energy of what its like to see this extraordinary band perform live.

there are quite a few similarities between these bands. Why did you gravitate towards them?The guitars first and foremost. The two greatest guitar bands in history. The vocalists next. The energy. The songwriting. The sense of humour. The gorgeous pop melodies hidden behind a blissful wall of noise. The songs themselves. I often say “Web In Front” is the greatest song ever, and I do believe that. And if there’s a better ballad than “Here Comes A Regular” I have yet to hear it.

I still remember the first time I saw the Archers. I’d been looking for a replacement for The Replacements since they disbanded in July 1991. So this was a little over two years later, at a CMJ showcase at Tramps in NYC. They took the stage, and within thirty seconds I knew I had found my next favourite band. I still get goosebumps thinking about that moment. It was almost lifesaving for me. I had just about given up on the hopes that a new band could rock.

the bands you have documented seem fear-less, independent, innovative and immune to what critics have to say about them. are you the same way as a filmmaker?More than even I’d want to admit. I love biting the hand that feeds me. I’ve always said (a lot more recently be-cause of Color Me Obsessed), that I make my films for me. I won’t sign my name to a film now unless I believe in every frame. It’s been that way since I went com-pletely indie with You Are Alone (2005). When I came up with the idea to do Color Me Obsessed with no music and no band, I knew it was a crazy idea. I knew

it was probably impossible, but goddamn if that didn’t turn me on even more, and make me try even harder. You HAVE to make art for yourself. A simple look around at most mass releases, at most commercial music, and you can see immediately what happens when you try to make art for other people.

What’s in the pipeline for you? You’ll be one of the first to learn of this, but we are do-ing a rock doc on (Hüsker Dü founder) Grant Hart. It’s tentatively titled Every Everything, and will give Grant the fog of war treatment, with him as the only interview subject. The film will tell the story of his life, from his be-ginnings, through his days in the band and up to the present. You’ll hear about his influences, his obsessions, his loves, his passions, his art, his music, and every-thing in between, leaving no stone unturned. For the first time ever, you’ll hear everything about Grant Hart as told by Grant Hart - the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Gorman Bechard will once again be in attend-ance at NXNE, and we are thrilled to have him back. As an added bonus, Archers Of Loaf will also be performing at the festival. There’s a web-site set up for the Grant Hart film at www.every-everything.com and, if you are feeling the love like we are, throw a little money in the film’s Kickstarter kitty to make sure it makes it through production and to NXNE 2013.

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By Cameron CarpenterNXNE Film Festival Manager

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It’s not all Ecstasy, Archers and Cash. Here are further picks from the 40+ movies showing at NXNE Film...

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InHerItIng

casHJonathan Holiff’s new documentary is more than just another addition to the bottomless pit of archival footage dedicated to legend, man, myth and flawed mortal that is Johnny Cash. This film is a universal and troubling tale of the very real walls that parents can build around themselves... walls that not only obscure but hurt, confuse, confound, damage and exclude those the parents claim to love most: their kids.

Holiff‘s dad Saul had a pretty unique per-spective as the one-time manager of the ever-challenging Johnny Cash. It was Saul who was responsible for trying to impose and maintain an aura of professionalism during Cash’s in-tense periods of “doubt and faith,” addiction, self-destruction and much more. No small feat – and it’s fair to say the manager managed the unmanageable. This “professional” identity was so ingrained in Saul that he followed the same approach in raising his sons. Saul went all-in for this kind of control, even picking the boys’ outfits for family BBQs.

The real kicker to the film is that the parent-al wall in question has a cinematic equivalent - Saul kept his meticulously archived life locked, literally, in a vault.

Saul and Jonathan never achieved catharsis

in the form of a face-to-face, heart-to-heart mo-ment. But after Saul’s suicide (this is not a spoiler), Jonathan discovered a way to see his father as others had. It was the stuff of pulp novels or gim-micky Oscar-winner plots: the son found a key, the key opened a vault, the vault housed the life of the father. And this key presents us with the physical material for a professional, emotional and cinematic autopsy on the “father” of the film’s title.

There is much great music, oodles of exclusive visuals (stills and film clips) and - think panelled dens, tiki bars and vintage 50s and 60s décor - seamless re-creations of the past. With more plot points and twists than a Syd Field screenwriting seminar, the narrative is strong, exposing more faces of the multifaceted Man In Black himself than ever before. From the film’s perspective, it seems the drugs and drink weren’t the real cause of Cash’s professional self-destruction, but we’ll leave that for the film to explain…

Refreshingly, My Father And The Man In Black does not slip into the realm of tabloid. It’s an in-tense personal adventure with universal themes and appeal that just happens to feature one of 20th-century music’s great icons.

Thank you, Jonathan.

My father and the Man in BlackD: Jonathan HoliffA new documentary fea-turing Johnny Cash prom-ises to be unlike anything you’ve seen before. Writ-ten and directed by Jona-than Hollif, the son of Johnny’s former man-ager, Saul Holiff , the movie features huge amounts of unseen ma-terial. Father and son had been estranged for 20 years when Holiff committed suicide in 2005. Six months later, Jonathan discovered a storage locker his father had kept for 30 years. It contained audiotapes of phone calls his father had made with Cash, hundreds of letters and other personal memen-tos. Brought together from more than 60 hours of audio described as ‘eyewitness contempor-aneous accounts’ of what happened to Johnny and Saul, this film will likely rewrite much of the his-tory books.

By ambrose RocheNXNE Film Fest Programmer

Once In a Lullaby: the pS22 Chorus StoryD: Jonathan KalaferThe PS22 chorus from Staten Island became world famous after their YouTube videos went viral. In December of 2010, Holly-wood star Anne Hathaway visited PS22 as a surprise guest dur-ing the choir’s Annual Winter Concert and announced to the choir that they’d been invited to the Academy Awards – and that they would be singing the finale. This feel-good documen-tary follows PS22 to their big show at the Academy Awards, where creative differences, lost voices, and homesickness threaten their performance. Can these 5th-graders entertain the entertainment elite?

the Ballad Of hughD: Marco DiFelicePoet, musician, novelist and sculptor, Hugh Oliver may be an octogenarian, but he dreams the dreams of an 18-year-old. This is the story of a complete unknown trying to make it in the youth-obsessed entertainment biz, along with the rest of the up-and-comers out there. Centering on a golden day of record-ing at Canterbury Studios, The Ballad of Hugh is a heart-warming, inspirational documentary that sheds a hopeful, lyrical light on the realities of aging.

Disposable Film Festival 2012 Competitive ShortsD: Dr Carlton EvansSelected by MovieMaker Magazine as one of the world’s “cool-est film festivals,” the Disposable Film Festival supports and cele-brates the democratization of cinema made possible by new, inexpensive video technology. Disposable offers a legitimate forum in which the work of zero-budget and non-traditional film-makers is taken seriously and exhibited in theatres around the United States and internationally. Through workshops, competi-tions, panels, and other events intended to educate and inspire, the Festival promotes experimentation and innovation and helps build the track record needed for a new generation of film-makers to enter and change the industry.

Fugitives: Wax Live D: Shawn ThomsenOn August 20, 2010, Def Jam rapper Wax (still unsigned at the time) arrived in Toronto to play a series of shows, only to be turned away at the border. Fugitives: Wax Live recounts the story of those who literally smuggled the star into the country, the live performances he belted out on that day, and the legal repercussions suffered by all - simply to throw one most badass hip hop concert.

Down: Indie Rock In the pRC D: Andrew Field, Judy WillmontFrom underground clubs to outdoor concerts and festivals, Down documents the indie rock music scene in China today and features some of the hot-test bands in the PRC. Filmed and narrated by An-drew David Field, the film highlights the disenchant-ment of youths resisting mainstream society. It touches on universal themes of youthful alienation and freedom of expression, while also highlighting the power of music to bring people together.

going Deaf For nothing - the Story of a Rock ‘n’ Roll BandD: Susana HalfonFor years, Sacramento’s Magnolia Thunderfinger were a main-stay of the Sacramento music scene. There are a million stories; motorcycles ridden through clubs, instruments and bars aflame, altercations and fistfights. It’s the stuff of rock ’n’ roll legend, really. And like all legend, within lies a grain of truth. This is the story of the music business as seen through the life of a real band, a primer on Music 101 and a must-see for anyone inter-ested in music, rock ‘n roll, and 25-year-old piss.

My hometown / I Met the WalrusD: Jerry Levitan, Terry Tompkins / D: Josh RaskinThe seven minutes of My Hometown are written and narrated by Yoko Ono, produced and directed by Jerry Levitan and Em-my-winning Terry Tompkins of Eggplant, and features animation direction by Sharmil Haladeen and illustrations by Jerry’s daughter, Rebecca Levitan. The five-minute I Met The Walrus is the 2008 Academy Award-nominated animated short produced by Jerry Levitan. The film tells the story of a famous 1969 en-counter in which the then 14-year-old Jerry snuck in to a hotel room in Toronto, and, armed with a reel-to-reel tape recorder, interviewed John Lennon and Yoko.

happily Dysfunctional: the Story Of transistor 66 Records

D: Steve WardHappily Dysfunctional is the story of one of Canada’s

best kept secrets: a Winnipeg, Manitoba-based record label with a roster full of genre-defying artists and a renegade owner who refuses to acknowledge trends, fashions or market considerations. This is the story of Art MacIntyre and the happily dysfunctional family that comprises Transistor 66 Records. It’s a candid, in-

timate portrayal of an uncompromising soul, a person accustomed to fighting for others in their pursuit of artistic

purity.

KMS - Jewish negroesD: Moran IferganRappers KMS are black Israelis, Ethiopian Jews whose families came to the promised land expecting a land of milk and honey. Like immigrants in many lands, KMS encounter an almost casual daily racism, which they counter with their own aggression, re-flected in their music. They live in the large ghetto of central Is-rael. The film observes their daily life and catches the reality of black generation trying to find their identity in “white Israel.”

ages and Stages: the Story Of the Meligrove BandD: Brendan McCarneyAges and Stages takes a raw but heartening look at the frustra-tions of The Meligrove Band, one of the best but most over-looked bands in Canada. Follow the band ‘s three core mem-bers, who have been together for fifteen years despite weathering all kinds of colossal bad luck, legal wrangling, be-ing in the “wrong place at the wrong time” and the ever present feeling that it might just be time to hang it up.

embracing VoicesD: Elisa PaloschJazz luminary Jane Bunnett came back from the brink after fa-

cing depression, and the fear that she would never be able to make music again. The film follows Jane’s personal and

musical journey from Ontario to Cuba and then to the Canadian Rocky Mountains in Banff, as she pro-

duces her most ambitious CD to date. Yet the final Ju-no-winning recording is more than just a jazz album. It is a re-evaluation and reflection on her life and a tribute to the people that enable her to reconnect with her

music. This is the story of a musician who contemplates her relationships, her career, and growing old, both as an

artist and as a woman, while asking the universal question: what does it all mean?

Slaughter nick For presidentD: Liza Vespi, Rob Stewart, Marc VespiWhen a little-known Canadian actor accidentally discovers through Facebook that he’s been wildly famous in Serbia for almost two decades, he sets out to discover the reasons why. Slaughter Nick For President examines how Rob Stewart in-explicably became a symbol of freedom through the long-for-gotten TV role of Nick Slaughter in Tropical Heat (aka Sweating Bullets) during the non-violent Serbian protests which led to the overthrow of Slobodan Milosevic.

SeLeCteD hIghLIghtS

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last word

Fucked Up at Yonge-Dundas Square, NXNE 2011

PHOTOGRAPHED BY phIL BRennen

Love to listen.

SiriusXM is a proud supporter of Canadian music artists and invites you to discover emerging talent at NXNE.

Lighting up the airwaves tomorrow.

Lighting up the stage tonight.

© 2012 Sirius XM Canada Inc. “SiriusXM”, channel names and logos are trademarks of Sirius XM Radio Inc. and are used under licence.

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