North by North East - Toronto

This post is a little over due, however, for the Tororontonians / GTA-ians who have not heard of the NXNE Music and Film Festival a week ago, you missed out. A spectrum of selected small-time bands performed at some of the best venues in Toronto. The festival seems to be a spin off from South by South West, an apparently incredible music festival and conference that takes place annualy in Austin, TX.

This was my first year participating and I must say I was very pleasantly surprised. This is a great opportunity to hear an array of music that you may love but have not heard before. Their website www.nxne.com allows you to browse through the bands performing, getting a teaser of the music and also giving you a great idea on what type of style they have. So even though you may not know most of the bands, you know what you are getting yourself into.

Our night began at Bathurst and Queen . This was probably the safest bet. There were venues all over Toronto from Eglinton and Scarlett, to the Distillery. We chose the prime hub where we were able to visit at least five different venues within a 2 km walk.

Pros:
- Free parking.
- Gotta love Queen Street.
- Cost of unlimited venues for Friday Night- $25
wrist band.
- Wristaband got you in anywhere - hassle free,
no line ups
- Every one hour on the dot at each venue the bands changed. I must say the organization was great.

What would I do differently:

Research more before heading out. You have an opportunity to really learn about new music out there that appeals best to your tastes, if you do not seek out the venues that offer it, you will be left slightly unfulfilled.

Pictures:

TopLeft: Soundboard at 'SuperMarket', Kensington Market
MiddleRight: Posing in front of graffiti, Dina and Krzysiu (Happy Birthday Krzysiu!), Kensington Market
BottomRight: Krszysiu doing a handstand in the middle of the road, Kensington Market, 2:30 am, random strangers joining in just at the right moment
Map: Our route.