Okay first of all, it's Friday! Weekend! Tonight's surely gonna pick up, right? Right? One thing I must mention - where was the Big Bus in all this? It was there last year, and I heard it was supposed to be there this year, but I didn't see the fancy double-decker bus filled with bullhorn-toting radio DJs ferrying festival-goers around town even once. Hmm! Hmmph even! Okay anyhow... here we go... on to a Friday night that was stupid-tame for a Friday night.

Stop # 1 : The Roxy for Void.

Only... there's NO ONE HERE. No band, no spectators, there's a bartender, but nothing looks like it's even vaguely approaching 'happening' so I take a trek to the washroom only to be disturbed by the large amount of flies in there. Ew, what?? Clearly the Roxy's major washroom renovation is a mere facade. I debate trying to run way down to Gaoler's Mews for the Danish bands that were showcasing there in what I can only assume would have a been a pretty cool set-up, just because it'd be a cool venue to watch bands moreso than because the bands are actually ones I take much merit in. But, it's too far to be feasible on foot, so I just hop to the next block...

Stop # 2 : The Cellar for Ryan McMahon.

It's been a while since I've seen this chap with a band - or more precisely, with a drummer. This is all good - McMahon's gravelite voice and personable nature make him so much of an instant hit. Yeah, I know the guy too, but I swear I'm not just being biased and silly - he really has a way of just being super easygoing and fun to watch on stage. Good classic rock n roll songs, nothing pretentious or showy - just solid stuff. Right on, even though the time slot is far too early, I mean, it's still light outside! Thankfully you can't tell in the Cellar.

















I don't even remember if I came up for a breath of air in here, but I do stay put for a bit.

Stop # 3 : The Cellar for Winston.

Possibly shaping up to be a night of ditching everything else and sticking it out with bands I know to a degree, I hang out at the Cellar catching up with folks while Winston prepares for a set. Tight, gentle pop songs with solid solid vocals pretty much sum up this project, which is now largely just Ryan Hauschild's own solitary creation. By the time he sets up though, my company for the night has arrived again and it's soon time to head off to see what the rest of the town is up to.









Stop # 4 : The Buffalo Club for Moneyshot

Off to the Buffalo Club, where Moneyshot was just in the tail end of a set. I swear these guys have a dramatic makeover every time I see them. I guess I kind of do too... hah. I stalked up to the stage with me camera in hand, while Tim Rodier was in the midst of addressing the quite large and attentive audience in front of him. He spies me and greets me with a somewhat surprised hello, waves abound from the others - this is the comfortable, sitting-around-the-fireplace vibe they have with the people who watch them. Except, they rock way more than sitting in front of the fireplace. They play loud, chunky, driving Canadian punk. I don't mean Sum 41 - I mean beer and leather punk. Gritty voices and charging guitars... and free CDs! They take donations but they generally hand out CDs to whomever wants one. Rodier offered one to me as well, though bassist Tyson Yerex had to set him straight and mention he'd already sent one. And then they careened into their set-ending hockey song, "Blades of Steel." This thing is a classic and should score every hockey movie ever made. Smiles all around the room, everyone was loving it.















Stop # 5 : The Buffalo Club for Whitfield

Again, I just stood around for a bit until Whitfield went on. These guys have big big things on the horizon for them - they played well and had their ethereal light show in full effect. Snazzy fellas - we're proud of 'em!



























Stop # 6 : The Cellar for Dan Mangan

This is sweet - Mangan's rustic voice pouring through the room, as he quite intimately sings to a small collection of people sitting on stools gathered up around the front of the stage. Hello, living room concert!





Stop # 7 : The Penthouse for The Februarys

Also quite sparse here today. I don't recall much of this set - we didn't stick around for too long.



Stop # 8: The Buffalo Club for the Broken Condom Babies

Again, not much time to hang out here, but these guys have a neat flair if for no other reason than their drummer is also their lead singer, and he positions himself at the front of the stage. Great indie-rock-pop musical stylings (and matching shirts!) that might unfortunately be hampered by a long and clumsy-sounding name that makes people think more of a comedy troupe than a proper rock band. They are awesome though!





Stop # 9: The Commodore for the Arctic Monkeys

This just got in the way I think. Also a non-NMW show that happened to occur at the same time, there was so much protocol, and of course band-late-hitting-the-stageness that I was frustrated before they even had a chance to try and prove that they're better than my mindset, their recordings, or their disenfranchised live set at Sasquatch! last year indicated. And what did I come away with after watching them play three songs? They have a neat-looking light show. They didn't take full advantage of the massive satellite-disc-shaped thingies at the back (think "lighthouse"), but they strobed us near to death, everything was bright and coming at you. Maybe this was to distract from the fact that they really just aren't a very good band. The audience was largely college kid types, with the clubgirls at the front of the barricade whining how jealous they were of us being 'up there' and could we get them a drink. What?? The guys in the band are wee Brits with nice British shoes, and they're moderately all right to watch perform, but nothing too special, and certainly not enough to make up for the fact that they are just noisy and aimless musically. Why? Why is this so popular? And I'm further annoyed just because this is such disposable music, all the pomp and circumstance surrounding them (the extra photo contracts and the guy with a flashlight hurriedly shooing us with yells out of the media pit while the last note of the third song was still hanging in the air, etc.) is made so utterly pretentious. Grrr!

























Stop # 10 : Roxyburger for sustenance

On a refuelling mission due to missed dinnertimes, Mr. Richter and I stop off at the Roxyburger to chow down on two separate orders of heart-attack-ingredient-laden fries. I still think it's pretty gross that we chose to eat bowls of gravy and cheese and sour cream here. And beer. Mmm energizing. This proved to be an entertaining stop, as the Roxyburger only can be, with a sudden commotion at the bar ending up being caused by a bartender who had perched on the bar, waving a rolled-up towel stuck in his pants at a patron who was seated in front of him. Oh, Roxyburger. I was also introduced to the mystery of the 6/49 shot. Smelled like doom, went down easy. Danger!

Stop # 11 : The Media Club for Hinterland

Also at the tail of their set, Michaela Galloway was shearing the air with her sharp, high-pitched voice and looking fancier than the Media Club tends to be in a puffy red gown. A good way to drift off into your night. We stuck around here for a bit while the Yoko Casionos set up, but did leave a bit to early to really see them. Shame!





On to NMW Saturday!

Elsewhere

By Andy Scheffler
Photos : Andy Scheffler
Published : June, 2007.