Sunday, June 19, 2011
We were so thrilled to co-present such a fantastic showcase with our pals Two Way Monologues. While this event was not NXNE official, we wanted to end the festival with a bang! We are so thankful everyone who showed up, especially considering many people took off this last night of NXNE to recuperate. We were also up against some MMVA afterparties, so we’re thrilled so many people chose our own afterparty.
We especially thank Two Way Monologues for wanting to collaborate. We know Dan Wolovick and co. would’ve put on a fantastic show without us, so we are honoured to even be part of such an event.
The night started off with Toronto’s Good Times Running. It was still early, but the band had incredible energy. The band is comprised of Julian Bachlow (keys, vocals), Kathryn Kearns (guitar, vocals), Dave Tyson (bass, vocals), and Mike Legere (drums, vocals). The members switched instruments a few times, each having their turn at lead vocals. The set was a fun, energetic way to kick of the night. Oh, and a chicken mask made an appearance too.
Having seen HONHEEHONHEE the night before, I was already anxious to catch the band again. Considering their high level of energy, their musicianship is obvious, as they never sound at all sloppy. This Montreal 5-piece is deserving of your attention and the band is currently sitting on a home-made EP that they’re selling at shows before it’s formally released. Be sure to check out what HONHEEHONHEE has to offer. I promise you it’ll be tons of fun.
Toronto’s Dora Alexander played the first showcase we’ve ever presented and we were thrilled to have them on this lineup too. Alex Grant fronts the band, joined by Michael Succi (guitar), Christophe Brochard (guitar), Lawson Smith (bass) and Adrian Gagnon (drums). Their atmospheric rock is much louder as a 5-piece compared to their previous 4-piece arrangement, but, more important, the band only gets tighter with each performance. Having released their Travelers EP last fall, rumour has it the band is looking to take a recording break soon in order to give you all more music to love. We’re already excited.
The Elwins had the biggest turnout of the night, which shouldn’t be surprising considering their charming indie pop sound. The band is made up of Matthew Sweeney (vocals, guitar), Travis Stokl (drums), Nathan Vanderwielen (guitar) and the man with the stellar moustache, Feurd (bass). The pop flavour in Sweeney’s voice is distinct, while Feurd seems to have more fun on stage than anyone in the audience, regardless of how much fun the crowd is having. It’s hard not to smile watching this band. They certainly won me over pretty easily.
Armen at the Bazaar’s one-man show showcased Armen Bazarian’s talent. Bazarian’s experimental pop dance-worthy at times, but most of the time it’s just fascinating to watch him man his elaborate setup, including a laptop, in addition to guitar. Vocally, “Fire” was a particular highlight, but the whole set had me pretty enthralled. Armen at the Bazaar released an EP Noor earlier this year, which you can pick up for free from his Bandcamp and we recommend you do just that.
Switching things up a bit, No Breakup ended the night with an electro dance party. There were not that many people dancing, but there were certainly still some people taking advantage of the extended last call and enjoying the last set of the night.
Thanks to all the bands! You were all awesome and we were thrilled to spend the night with you.
buying shots for bands 
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