NXNE 2008: Day 2 featuring Hospital Bombers, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Blood Lines & Fox Jaws

I wasn't sure if I was going to bother seeing the first few planned artist of my day 2 of NXNE, because the forecast was calling for a wicked thunderstorm to occur, starting at around 5 or so. However, 5:00 had come and gone and the sky still looked pretty good. So the wife and I figured, "How bad could it be?" We even had the 'should we take an umbrella conversation' and, for some reason opted with a resounding, "Naaahhhhhh...."

Amsterdam's Hospital Bombers were the first band that we caught and they were a delightful blend of folk and indie pop, with a little new wave thrown in for good measure. Since their name was lifted from a song about death metal by Mountain Goats, they like to joke around on myspace about being such an evil band, but nothing could be further from the truth. Jan Schenk's vocals remind me a little bit of Frank Black or Gordon Gano, but the songs are filled with really catchy keyboard heavy dance jangle. The new wave synths are also a nice touch, but what really made the band stand out for me was Susanne Linssen's mad violin skills. This helps to give them a slight pub band feel, adding a touch of originality. After they left the stage I could hear the crowds buzzing about them. The next day I was talking to someone who worked at one of the stands, and he said that all kinds of people were asking about where to pick up their CD's. And that's what NXNE is all about people!

Photos: Hospital Bombers @ Yonge/Dundas Square on flickr
Myspace: Hospital Bombers

Ted Leo is kind of an indie rock hero to many, having been in several punk bands before settling on his current outfit, The Pharmacists. He's actually been playing with one version or another of this band since 1999, accumulating a pretty solid fan base wherever he goes. Last year he released Living With The Living, which ended up on many people's year end lists.

Every Ted Leo CD tends to affect me the same way: the first song blows my mind, convincing me that this will be a solid rock 'n roll experience. The second and third song keep me in that mood, all headbang-y and throat scream-y. However, by about the 6th or 7th song I get tired and bored. This is because I don't personally hear a lot of variety in his material. This is why I find it very difficult to get through an entire Ted Leo album. Basically I could say the same about the concert. Right off the bat, Ted came out rockin', full of killer licks and rambunctious rock posing! That rock never ceased, not for a moment, as he pounded out face-melter after face-melter, much to the crowd's delight. One highlight was his introducing a little Daft Punk to the rock 'n roll proceedings, covering One More Time. I also enjoyed the show, and I'm glad that I got to see him, but I still found myself leaving early. I know when I've had my fill.

Photos: Ted Leo and the Pharmacists @ Yonge/Dundas Square on flickr
Myspace: Ted Leo and the Pharmacists

Turns out that leaving early ended up being a pretty good idea. We were heading up Queen Street to get some food when we started to feel a couple of raindrops. Anticipating that the rain might get a little bit heavier , we figured we'd wait for the streetcar to pick us up. Well no sooner did we snuggle under the bus shelter, when the heavens opened up, resulting in the worst thunderstorm I had ever seen hit the city. Lightning was crashing, trees were hit and falling down and cars were pulled over to the side of the road because visibility was nil. And there was me and my wife, huddled in the bus shelter without an umbrella. Fun.

Only not.

Eventually, the rain slowed down a little bit and we managed to avoid major drenchitude. We grabbed a bite at McDonald's (don't judge, NXNE is all about throwing caution to the wind. We did this two-fold since we went to the one on the corner of Spadina and Queen. If you've been there, then you know what I mean...)

Originally this was the point in the evening where I was planning on catching some legends, namely Julie Doiron and Evan Dando at The Horseshoe and then maybe zipping over to Lee's for Swervedriver. But I had heard a lot of buzz surrounding Blood Lines and the curiosity was killing me. So off to The Rivoli we went to check out this alterno-pop-rock act from Saskatoon. They made quite an impression last year as they were hand picked by The Dears themselves to accompany them on tour. After seeing their performance, I totally get the attraction. Looking spiffy in his black suit and red tie, lead vocalist Paul Ross was easily the straight man of the bunch, belting out the vocals in an ultra-hip fashion. Sultry and enticing is the best way to describe keyboardist Maygen Kardash, while drummer Barrett Ross and bassist S.J. Kardash displayed all of the rock star swagger they could muster. Barrett jumped onto the main floor a couple times, making his bass talk, so to speak. Listening to their tunes on myspace, I hear a little bit of a reserved shoegaze drone, but what I saw at the show was a full fledged unreserved garage band, one that I will definitely have to learn more about. After Ted Leo's performance, it was apparent that this evening was about the rawk!

Photos: Blood Lines @ The Rivoli on flickr
Myspace: Blood Lines

I did not intend on seeing Fox Jaws again, since I had already seen them several times before. But this time I was with my wife, and she still had yet to see them. So, since this was our anniversary weekend after all, (11 years), I thought that it would be downright criminal of me to keep her from such a sure thing of a live experience.

I've been told that I tend to gush when it comes to talking about my favorite bands. I don't want to mention any initials, but Pete Nema told me that. However, he didn't say it in a bad way; in fact, it sounds like he actually enjoys reading my gushing. Still I don't want to become one of the very fans that I claim to hate in my blog title. Therefore, I refuse to bore you again with the details of how unbelievably outstanding Fox Jaws are to see live. Also, I won't mention how it completely boggles my mind that they manage to step it up a notch every time that I see them. Nor will I get into how awesome it was to hear them bring back my favorite song (My Hands, My Plans) to their live show again. I will say however, that Dan Allen was on fire, jumping around the stage with guitar in hand like a man insane. But in a good way. Actually, come to think of it, all the band members seemed to take turns exchanging insanities, creating a rambunctious atmosphere that was incredibly contagious. OK, it was an awesome show!

A small part of me feels a bit sorry that I missed other acts that I wouldn't normally see, but ultimately, if NXNE is about seeing really good live music, then there would ultimately be no excuse for missing Fox Jaws. Oh, and may I add, gush gush gushity gush.

Photos: Fox Jaws @ The Rivoli on flickr
Myspace: Fox Jaws