This article was originally published on beingtheremag.com, an independent music and film magazine that ran from 2004 to 2007. It is presented here as part of the Being There Magazine archive.
By Adam Anklewicz | Being There Magazine, July 2005
Act: The High Dials
Venue: The Drake Hotel
Date & Time: Thursday, June 9, 2005 @ 1 am
*Ankle’s Best of Festival Pick*
It’s odd, at 1am, how much energy a band can have. Jumping around the stage and not stopping, The High Dials were incredible and having a lot of fun. Obviously influenced by The Beatles and The Byrds, The High Dials are going places quickly. Using NXNE as a vehicle to launch their latest album, War of the Wakening Phantoms, they were perfectly able to get the crowd into the show, and forget that 54-40 were up next… and then the bass player played sitar!
http://www.thehighdials.com
Night One
Act: Matthew Barber & The Union Dues
Venue: El Mocambo (Main floor)
Date & Time: Thursday, June 9, 2005 @ 11pm
*Ankle’s Best of Thursday Pick*
*Bloodiest Guitar Solo Award*
Toronto band Matt Barber & The Union Dues were absolutely amazing. His sound has become much more poppy than his previous work, and the full band helped fill out that sound. Barber had the stage presence, all smiles, he really enjoyed himself and that transferred to the audience very quickly. His guitarist, Peter Elkas was able to play a killer solo with a broken string and a bloody hand. With great musicianship, and stage banter, the show was one of the best of the evening.
http://www.matthewbarber.com
Act: Nathan Coles Outfit
Venue: The Gladstone Hotel
Date & Time: Thursday, June 9, 2005 @ 8pm
Coming out of the music scene of Guelph, Ontario, Nathan Coles Outfit started off the weekend wit some folk influenced rock. Obviously influenced by Ron Sexsmith, the band seemed uncomfortable on the stage and didn’t get across anything spectacular. They have good songs, but didn’t seem able to translate them to the stage. The songs weren’t great and one thing that kept them from keeping interest of the audience was that all the songs followed the same pattern. Oh, and check out Nathan Coles Outfit. A bit uninspired if you ask me.
http://www.nathancoles.com
Act: Elliott Brood
Venue: The Horseshoe Tavern
Date & Time: Thursday, June 9, 2005 @ 9pm
*Best Use of a Suitcase Award*
Do you really need a bass drum? Most people think so, but Elliott Brood don’t. They instead replaced the bass drum with a suitcase. Stephen Pitkin took place behind the drums while Casey Laforet and Mark Sasso took front stage, playing guitar and banjo respectively. Alt. country has been done before, but Elliott Brood take it farther and make it heavier than anything else in the genre. It definitely is not the sound you’d expect a band fronted by banjo would sound like, but you’re in for a treat. Their songs are great and this was a definite highlight of the evening. With the crowd dancing, and buying Laforet drinks to celebrate his birthday everyone was having a great time. Elliott Brood are definitely a band to keep your eye out for and you won’t be able to stop moving during their performance.
http://www.elliottbrood.ca
Night Two
Act: Valery Gore
Venue: Holy Joe’s
Date & Time: Friday, June 10, 2005 @ 8 pm
*Ankle’s Best of Friday Pick*
Watching those fingers fly is always a pleasure, and there is a passion in every note she plays and every word that she sings that has become rather rare today. Valery Gore’s songs are great and her musicianship is amazing. Working with both jazz and pop music in her songs, and an element of classical as well, Valery’s performance was moving and had a hint of epic proportions to it. Though she can still evolve as a songwriter, what she’s got is catchy and complicated at the same time. Playing most of the set with a band, once they left so she could do a couple numbers solo, it was quickly apparent that they weren’t necessary in the first place. Gore’s piano playing and vocals filled the room with sound and truly took the spotlight. Though a few minor fluffs happened, Gore was able to giggle them off which got the audience on her side quickly.
http://www.valerygore.com
Act: The Yoko Casionos
Venue: El Mocambo (main foor)
Date & Time: Friday, June 10, 2005 @ 9 pm
Don’t let the great name fool you; The Yoko Casionos are not as good as Yoko Ono. Everything you’ll hear in their show has been done before, they’re cheap imitation of The New Pornographers. While The New Pornographers have catchy tunes, The Yoko Casionos will leave you struggling to remember their songs.
http://www.yokocasionos.com/
Act: Primary Shapes
Venue: Holy Joe’s
Date & Time: Friday, June 10, 2005 @ 9pm
*Road Warriors Award: Farthest Distance Travelled*
Travelling all the way from Hong Kong for the NXNE showcase, this duo blew away the crowd that had packed into Holy Joe’s. After solving some technical problems that almost kept the show from going on, Chi-Wai Tang (vocals, keys) and Shing-San Wong (guitar) put on an acoustic version of their usual ambient electro-pop show. They connected well with the audience, and performed with excellent skill. Their songs are moody and have a great sense of lyrical and musical melody. I can only imagine what these two can do when they are “plugged in” for their full show. Definitely a duo to keep an eye on, there is great promise in the future of Primary Shapes.
http://www.primaryshapes.com/
Act: Oh No Not Stereo
Venue: Rancho Relaxo
Date & Time: Friday, June 10, 2005 @ 10 pm
Oh no, they’re still playing.
http://www.ohnonotstereo.com
Act: Laura Peek & The Winning Hearts
Venue: The Bagel
Date & Time: Friday, June 10, 2005 @ 11 pm
*Best Band In Uniform Award*
Laura Peek’s songs were good, but her vocals were mediocre at best. What made the performance the most interesting was the band’s clothes. This Halifax pop trio whose bio compares them to Rufus Wainwright and Belle & Sebastian proves that bios are usually wrong. They seemed rather uncomfortable on stage and were faced with a crowd more interested in their cheap beer and chatting.
http://www.justfriends.ca/peek
Act: Astrid Young
Venue: Fox & Fiddle
Date & Time: Friday, June 10, 2005 @ 12 am
Although Astrid Young may be a good singer, her songwriting is pretty terrible. If Young’s sounds familiar, it’s because you’ve heard her singing on records by her half brother, Neil Young. Perhaps talent comes from the mother.
http://www.astridyoung.net
Act: Shannon Weir & The Even Strangers
Venue: Holy Joe’s
Date & Time: Friday, June 10, 2005 @ 1 am
The perfect music for ending the night, Shannon Weir & The Even Strangers were playing catchy pop tunes mellow enough that it was appropriate for the time but alive enough that the audience wouldn’t fall asleep. They had a sense of humour and were really having a good time, the audience quickly followed.
http://www.shannonweir.com/
Night Three
Act: Friday Morning’s Regret
Venue: Gladstone Hotel
Date & Time: Saturday, June 11, 2005 @ 12 am
*Ankle’s Best of Saturday Pick*
Friday Morning’s Regret were definitely apart from everyone else I saw on Saturday night. Their influences are rather obvious, but their brand of country influenced indie-rock is definitely welcome. Their songs and performance were strong and Friday Morning’s Regret have the potential to go far. The packed room was excited and dancing. The atmosphere of Gladstone found the right band to show it off. The band were able to joke with the audience, play good music and insult Dave Matthews, all in a good night of entertainment.
http://www.fridaymorningsregret.com/
Act: Marnie Mains
Venue: Cameron House
Date & Time: Saturday, June 11, 2005 @ 8 pm
The Vancouver based Marnie Mains will definitely catch your eye with her very red hair. While the band seemed to be playing for their own pleasure, the audience loved the sugary pop Mains and her band were delivering. The songs were simplistic and the band had no problem, but Mains’ voice stood out and she fronted the band well.
http://www.marniemains.com/