NXNE 2012

With 650 bands set to perform over 7 days with an additional 40+ films set to air, NXNE 2012 is upon us Toronto!  The awesomeness of this festival is contained in one week's worth of "music, film and interaction".  I am hoping to make more of this festival this year and really try to see as much as it can offer.  I must admit the last few years I have been grabbing a spot on the patios for a beer and to watch the headlining acts (side note, it's still pretty awesome to get an overhead view of Sloan and Iggy rockin Dundas Square!), but not for 2012!  And just in case you didn't happen to see the lineup for this year:

Now in its 18th year, North by Northeast Festivals and Conference (NXNE)has become the Canadian festival destination for emerging artists and major-label headliners, for music filmmakers, and for digital interactive innovators bridging the gap between technology and the arts. Seen as the most anticipated summer music event in Canada, NXNE Music, NXNE Film, and NXNE Interactive are an essential gathering for artists, industry, and fans. We’re based in Toronto, but bring a global perspective to our programming. NXNE’s mission is to:

- provide a forum for the best new music, in which fans can catch emerging artists – tomorrow’s stars – and today’s most popular acts at intimate club venues

- screen the year’s most exciting music-themed films

- explore and develop common ground between the creative industries and the interactive world

- present Toronto with an annual marquee tourist destination festival by showcasing international headline performers at huge free outdoor concerts

In all, NXNE runs 7 days and nights, draws over 300,000 attendees, and generates an annual economic impact of more than $47 million on the city of Toronto.

For five days and nights, NXNE Music offers the hottest music and the freshest music-related ideas—all within a few km of each other. NXNE 2011 presented over 625 international, national and local acts at 50 official festival stages in downtown Toronto’s famous club district.

Many performers have played NXNE on their way to major worldwide breakthroughs. Hotly tipped buzz bands and soon-to-be-discovered gems join international touring acts, making NXNE eclectic and exciting. Festival alumni include:

Iggy and The Stooges, Stars, De La Soul, DEVO, Fucked Up, Descendents, The Raveonettes, The Pharcyde, Broken Social Scene, Mudhoney, Feist, X, Digable Planets, Les Savy Fav, GZA, Matt and Kim, Dinosaur Jr., Deerhoof, Eagles of Death Metal, No Age, Kid Cudi, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Black Lips, Japandroids, Sufjan Stevens, Dodos, HEALTH, K-os, Warpaint, Cold Cave, Best Coast, Thee Oh Sees, Kid Sister, Surfer Blood, The Sonics, King Khan & The Shrines, Diamond Rings, Swervedriver, Peaches, Ron Sexsmith, MC5, Television, The Soundtrack of Our Lives, Sloan, New York Dolls, DFA 1979, Buzzcocks, The Dears, The Cool Kids, Wavves, Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, Men Without Hats, Monotonix, Man or Astroman?, The Soft Pack, AA Bondy, Avi Buffalo, Dillinger Four, Mika Miko, Pere Ubu,The Duke Spirit, Evan Dando, My Morning Jacket, Golden Triangle, These are Powers, Japanther, The Death Set, Ninjasonik, Youth Brigade, Redd Kross, We Are Wolves, The Homosexuals, Billy Talent, XDS, Tyvek, Pterodactyl, Aids Wolf, The Stills, Blue Rodeo, Great Lake Swimmers, Fake Blood, Hidden Cameras, Hercules & Love Affair, Mooney Zuzuki, Apostle of Hustle, Peanut Butter Wolf, Money Mark, Bran Van 3000, Sheek Louch, DD/MM/YYYY, Brant Bjork, Alejandro Escovedo, Silversun Pickups, Lightspeed Champion, Mr Lif, Xavier Rudd, K’naan, Kathleen Edwards, Rock Plaza Central, Freeway, and thousands more.

(Yonge-Dundas Square 2010 by Phil Brennen)

The Yonge & Dundas Square performances always seem to grab the most attention and the bigger acts, since its looked upon as the big media sensation of NXNE.  Here is what will be going down at the Square over the course of the NXNE weekend:

Thursday, June 14:

Trouble Andrew (5:00 PM-5:40 PM)

Slaves On Dope (6:00 PM-6:40 PM):

No Use For A Name (7:00 PM-7:40 PM):

Good Riddance (8:00 PM-8:40 PM):

and of course, who can forget...

Bad Religion (9:00 PM-11:00 PM):

***

Friday, June 15th:

Eight And A Half (7:30 PM-8:10 PM):



Plants and Animals (8:30 PM-9:10 PM):



and of course...


Matthew Good (9:30 PM-11:00 PM):

***

Saturday, June 16th:

The Burning Boyz 12:00 PM-12:40 PM
Brasstronaut 1:00 PM-1:40 PM
Parlovr 2:00 PM-2:40 PM
Ceremony 3:00 PM-3:40 PM
Art Vs Science 4:00 PM-4:40 PM
Hollerado 5:00 PM-5:40 PM
Oberhofer 6:00 PM-6:40 PM
of Montreal 7:00 PM-7:40 PM
Portugal. The Man 8:00 PM-8:40 PM


The Flaming Lips 9:00 PM-11:00 PM

***

Sunday, June 17th:

Austin Renfroe 4:00 PM-4:40 PM
Tasha The Amazon 5:00 PM-5:40 PM
Tre Mission 6:00 PM-6:40 PM
Action Bronson 7:00 PM-7:40 PM
Killer Mike 8:00 PM-8:40 PM


Raekwon & Ghostface Killah 9:00 PM-11:00 PM

For those looking to pick themselves up some passes for the event(s), click here to purchase individual tickets or combo packages.  You can check out (below) the venues that will be hosting these fine artists over the course of this festival:



- The Annex Live
- The Boat
- Bovine Sex Club
- The Cadillac Lounge
- The Cameron House
- The Central
- C’est What
- Crawford
- Czehoski
- The Dakota Tavern
- The Detour
- The Drake Hotel
- El Mocambo/El Mocambo Upstairs
- Free Times Café
- The Garrison
- The Gladstone Hotel Ballroom
- The Great Hall
- Harbourfront Centre Redpath (day stage)
- The Hideout
- The Horseshoe Tavern
- Lee’s Palace
- Lot 100 (comedy venue)
- Mod Club Theatre
- Monarch Tavern
- The NOW Lounge
- The Painted Lady
- The Phoenix Concert Theatre
- The Piston
- Rancho Relaxo
- The Rivoli
- The Rochester
- The Shop @ Parts & Labor
- Silver Dollar
- The Sister
- Sneaky Dee’s
- Supermarket
- Unloveable
- Velvet Underground
- Wrongbar

(Ty Segall @ NXNE 2011 by Andrija Dimitrijevic)

If you are looking to pick up tickets/wristbands for the festival...


Here is a list of retailers selling them:

- 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 only, 412 Queen St. W)

So grab yourself some swag, a wristband and a good time and meet me downtown for the festivities!  I'm sure you'll be able to spot myself and the other 300,000 other folks taking part in this awesome event!

(Queue for Dirty Beaches @ Lee’s Palace, NXNE 2011 by Andrija Dimitrijevic)

***

So I got off the bus this morning (Thursday, June 14th) and decided to take a walk around what would be the site for possibly one of the greatest punk shows of the summer!  Check out the photos of the hard working crew for our entertainment purposes:

@ 1:30 in the afternoon on my lunch.  The venue is really starting to take shape and of course the BEER TENT HAS ARRIVED! haha

I apologize to all the readers who wanted to see some kick ass photos from Bad Religion, Good Riddance and/or NUFAN.  Unfortunately, when you don't have an official press pass for these kinds of events, decent photo taking can be pretty difficult, considering hundreds poured in as NUFAN hit the stage last night.  Nonetheless, I showed up at the Square to watch the final few songs of Trouble Andrew and got some great photos from Montreal's Slaves on Dope.  Here are a few of the shots:

To see the rest of the photos from the set, check out AFGM Facebook.  Now onto round two tonight...