I Heart the Music: Your Online Source for Live Music Reviews and Interviews in Toronto!

Considering it was “technically” day three for NXNE, you may find it odd that I should call this post “day 2″. The reason is that “day 1″ was such a write-off (for me it consisted of the opening night party and watching one of the worst acts ever at The Drake, which I refuse to name, before I decided to pack it up and call it a night). Thursday, June 18th was PEACE DOT LOVE, a festival promoting and supporting local anti-violence initiatives in Toronto that consisted of a plethora of amazing Toronto acts. This festival also happened to be  sponsored in part by iheartthemusic, so it was lots of work (but we always have room for pleasure). Thus bringing me to Friday, June 19th, the official start to my NXNE experience. The night went something like this: Yonge & Dundas Square – Hard Rock Cafe – Yonge & Dundas – Lee’s Palace – home. Not that much travel, but I needed to ease into the week slowly.

I decided to start the evening with heading to Yonge and Dundas Square to catch East Coast sensation In-Flight Safety perform. After releasing their latest album, We Are An Empire, My Dear, back in January, I was stoked to be able to see them perform live in Toronto. The crowd in attendance was definitely full of fans and it was nice to see people from all walks of life and ages out to see the show.

Next it was a mad rush across the street to the Hard Rock Cafe (a venue that I was entirely not familiar with) to see Ottawa pop/rock group Benefit of a Doubt perform. These guys just recently came off a tour with Norglen and are a band that I have been personally loving for quite some time. Having not been able to catch them during CMW in March, I made sure I was in attendance for their NXNE appearance. Unfortunately for them (and the rest of NXNE attendees) the venue was a huge hindrance. It was like the Hard Rock was the uncool kid that no one wanted to go near. The only people present were clearly there for the food and not the music. This did not, however, faze the foursome on stage as they rocked out harder than most bands we saw that week who played to sold out shows. They opened the show with what I was told was a band favourite to play, “We Are The Broken”, which saw lead vocalist Chase’s voice hit notes that I wouldn’t dare attempt. The overall feel in the room shifted as they began to play. People became mesmerized by their stage presence and forgot about their plates. Chase played barefoot, the band headbanged in unison and they all looked like they were having an awesome time! This band shows no signs of slowing down and I predict they will only get better and bigger.

After their set we didn’t have to venture too far to see the next act, which was Wintersleep who was playing back at Yonge & Dundas Square. This was a show that could not be missed as they rarely venture to Toronto (since they are too busy touring the world). Although my height caused viewing difficulties, I managed to take note of their keyboardist literally balancing on one leg while he playing (impressive to say the least). Everyone was singing along to the well-known tunes and I literally have nothing else to say except that there could have been a bit more stage presence. After seeing the first two bands of the night perform, Wintersleep was a bit of a let down in that regard. However, it was still great to see them live and we managed to grab some awesome shots for your enjoyment!

The last stop of the night was Lee’s Palace to catch one of the hot ticket acts of the week – L.A. duo No Age. Before they were about to go on we managed to catch the last few songs of Seattle group The Dead Science. They are described as “creative experimental pop” and honestly, that is precisely what you get. With a drummer, a guitarist and a guy that appears to play the cello like it is a guitar, their sound is anything but conventional. The lead singer alternated from a high pitched soprano-type voice to a soft whisper (which was a little bit distracting at times) and managed to sing on his toes! The highlight was their technical skill. The drummer banged on the drums without a hitch and the cello player literally rocked out as hard as anyone could on a classical instrument. I would suggest checking them out if only to see (perhaps) where the future of music is taking us!

There was so much hype surrounding the two guys that make up No Age that I was pretty excited to see what it was all about. I know that this band has a very loyal following so I don’t want to piss anyone off… but, I must confess that I did not enjoy it one bit. Although they were engaging as an act, I could hardly make out what Dean was saying and Randy appeared to be in his own world on the guitar. The crowd were clearly MASSIVE fans and they created probably the biggest mosh pit that Lee’s has seen, which continued for the entire duration of their set. I believe that at one point Dean revealed that he just puked in his mouth and then swallowed it. I’m not sure if that is what turned me off the most or if it was the amount of kiddies around me snorting lines. Two thumbs down from me.

Norglen is an indie pop group from Alberta whom may not be a band that you have heard of… yet. But with a 16-date spring tour almost under their belt, a video for their single “Miss You Yet” and a debut album due out in August, any anonymity left shall surely disappear as their name becomes a staple on your iPod. Founding members Andrew Doll (vocals & guitar), Brendan O’Byrne (bass & keys) and Joel McCann (drums) have been good friends since childhood, growing up together in rural Alberta. With the recent addition of Hugh Allen and Hiro Okhibu and a move to Toronto, this group is all set and ready to release their debut album, A Long Way From the Truth, which blends ’80s pop rock with a current indie rock vibe. While Norglen was on the road, iheartthemusic was able to get some words in with drummer Joel to talk about the Toronto connection, touring and why as a band they went South of the border first…

iheartthemusic: You guys grew up in Alberta, and your name also pays homage to the street you grew up on, has growing up in the Prairies had influence on you musically?

Joel: Definitely, I think it’s unavoidable. Your upbringing affects your life, which in turn shapes your music in many ways. Lyrically, our songs are about experiences that have come from our upbringing. I also feel being raised in what I guess you could call a “remote area” has shaped our sound.

iheartthemusic: You have since moved to Toronto and I noticed that on both your MySpace and bio sheet that you are considered a “Toronto-based” band. Was there any reasoning behind this?

Joel: Yes. Since moving to Toronto the band has really come full circle – Hugh has joined us from Ireland, Hiro has joined us from Tokyo, and we all came together in Toronto; a city that is so multicultural. We really feel the band is what it is today upon us all meeting and living here in Toronto.

iheartthemusic: You have been fairly popular on the West Coast of Canada and are now breaking into the Southern Ontario and Quebec scene. Have you noticed any major differences between the two areas in terms of musical tastes or trends?

Joel: Definitely! Toronto/GTA being so big and diverse you do see many different cool, unique scenes, many of which do not exist in a place like, say, Edmonton. Obviously in Quebec you have the francophone scene, which you really do not see much of out West.

iheartthemusic: Something that I found different about your band was the fact that you signed to an American label first. Why did you not go the Canadian route?

Joel: To be honest, we were not seeing much interest from the Canadian industry. We wanted to go with a company that were truly behind the band and into the music regardless of location.

iheartthemusic: Let’s talk about the video you JUST released for the single “Miss You Yet”, how did you come up with the concept for that?

Joel: One day we were all brainstorming ideas and concepts for the video with the directors. We really wanted to do something big, cool, and unique. Our manager Mark actually came up with the concept since he had been to an airplane graveyard in Arizona. He had always remembered it being a cool and unique setting and it turned out to be a perfect idea for a video.

iheartthemusic: We wanted to know which truth you were referring to when you came up with the title for your forthcoming album A Long Way From The Truth?

Joel: “A Long Way From The Truth” was the last song written and recorded for the record. We were actually still working out the track while in the studio. The song itself is about a specific situation and we just felt that that song really tied the recording experience and record together and decided to title the album after it.

iheartthemusic: You worked with some heavy hitters in the music industry for this record, what was the recording process like working with such talented people?

Joel: Amazing! Everyone we worked with, Mark Trombino [Blink182], Chris Fudurich [Jimmy Eat World], all found a way of getting the best out of the band and the songs. We learned a lot working with such talented people.

iheartthemusic: You are currently on tour to promote and celebrate the release of your single and video for “Miss You Yet” but I noticed there is no Toronto date, why is that?

Joel: Actually the Toronto date was sort of the kickoff date to the whole thing. It went down a month before we headed out; on April 3rd at Revival. It was a great show! We will be playing more than a few times in Toronto this summer.

iheartthemusic: What is the thing that you look forward to the most while on tour?

Joel: Playing live every second night, I love performing!

iheartthemusic: What do you like the least?

Joel: McDonalds & Dennys! Unfortunately they are the only places that seem to be open 24hrs.

iheartthemusic: Any funny tour stories you care to share?

Joel: Hmmmm I could, but instead everyone should head over to our website and follow the stories as they happen.

check out their MySpace for tour dates in your city!