Between June 13 and June 19, 2011, the 17th annual NXNE festival rocked Toronto. 650 national and international bands from a wide range of genres took over 50 festival stages in downtown Toronto. While large crowds rocked out to Devo, Men Without Hats, f**ked Up, and alike at the open air concert stage at Yonge and Dundas Square, music lovers also gathered in the many live music venues in Toronto to discover new talent from around the world. Here is a selection of bands that came to impress:

Toronto band Vas Vega played a set of their melodic rock music. Vas Vega is comprised of Jordan Holman and Mark LeRoy, who create beautiful soundscapes with piano driven music, guitar and vocal harmonies of the two singers. On June 28, 2011, Vas Vega will be premiering their first video for their song THE LIVING DEAD, which is a very memorable catchy tune with an underlying sadness that makes the song very special. Last year, the band spent in London, UK, to record with Chris Potter who has previously worked with The Verve, U2, and the Rolling Stones. Watch out for music to be released from this band in the future and if you have a chance to catch them live, you are in for a treat.



Vas Vega


Vad Vega


Vas Vega

Switching gears, Toronto’s The Schomberg Fair put on an incredibly energetic show, playing a mix of folk, punk and gospel. The banjo is an integral part of many of their songs, so is singer’s Matt Bahen’s vocals that stand in stark contrast to bassist Nate Sidon’s baritone back-up vocals. The trio plays highly energetic music that is fun to watch and invites to dance along to their tunes. Originally the band is from a rural farm town called Schomberg and their name is inspired from Schomberg’s rural agricultural fair. The Schomberg Fair tour extensively across Canada, so if you have a chance, go and see them live and get inspired by this unique folk-blues-punk-rock music.



The Schomberg Fair


The Schomberg Fair


The Schomberg Fair

Another rather unique mix of genres presented Seattle’s Super Geek League while playing Soul Metal. This marriage of soul and heavy metal is brought together by the singer’s Mowtown voice, a horn section, and heavy metal instrumentation by the rest of this ten piece band. The stage at the Bovine Sex Club was very crowded and the energy that came from the stage was incredible. The band played impeccable music and offered something for the eyes as well while wearing elaborate costumes and interesting sun glasses. For an extravagant show in which you hear two genres mixed that usually do not get mixed very often, Super Geek League is a band to check out.



Super Geek League


Super Geek League


Super Geek League

All the way from Germany came the Thees Uhlmann & Band. This band presented guitar driven rock music, with piano and German lyrics. The music is very catchy, so that the audience had no problem getting into the music, even though only a few understood the lyrics. But for the record, the lyrics were very good and a centre piece of the band’s well-crafted songs. Front man Thees Uhlmann had fun entertaining the audience by saying. “In Germany I am a professional joke maker.” Thees said in a convincing tone and smiled while telling one of his jokes: “Where do lustful elderly Canadian men go for vacation?” … drumroll… “Viagra Falls!” The audience enjoyed Thees Uhlmann’s jokes, his dance style, and the band’s music very much. Thees Uhlmann & Band are currently back in Germany, but if they come back to Canada, they are a very enjoyable band to watch!



Thees Uhlmann & Band


Thees Uhlmann & Band


Thees Uhlmann & Band

Brooklyn, New York’s rock band Extra Arms delivered an impressive performance of their melodic rock music. In their live performance, each band member showcases their musical talent while building in extensive instrumental parts, building soundscapes that captures the audience’s attention. The band is scheduled to release their debut album soon. Songs like RACE TO SLEEP or BEST DISGUISE IS NO DISGUISE give a good indication that the album is something to look forward to. This band should be checked out by friends of melodic rock who like to immerge into interesting musical soundscapes.



Extra Arms


Extra Arms

When Toronto rock band Dora Alexander hit the stage, it did not take long until their music captivated the audience and left them with nothing else to do but to dive into the atmospheric soundscapes this band creates. Impressing instrumentation and Alex Grant’s vocals are a perfect match that gives this band a well-rounded sound that is captured on their recorded songs, but also translates very well into their live performance. Check them out live and be prepared to get drawn into the world of Dora Alexander.



Dora Alexander


Dora Alexander


Dora Alexander

NXNE 2011 was once again a great festival and showcased many talented bands from Canada and across the world!

Edited by melintoronto - Jun.26.2011 at 12:44pm