NXNE Music Festival

Indie Rock Legend J Mascis Signs on for NXNE Celebrity Interview

NXNE Music Festival — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 14:27:34 -0000

Dinosaur Jr. to play set at Phoenix Concert Theatre
TORONTO - April 16, 2007 - Not many musicians can say they influenced an entire musical genre. Even fewer can say they were instrumental in launching a new one. But J Mascis, founding member and frontman for indie rock animals Dinosaur Jr., can say he did both. And us? Well, we can say we've snared the notoriously elusive bandleader into answering some questions at an extremely rare speaking engagement on Friday, June 8.

The 13th annual North By Northeast Music Festival and Film Conference, Canada's "Best New Music" festival, is excited to announce that J Mascis, not known for his love of the spotlight, has signed on for a celebrity interview on Friday, June 8, from noon in conference rooms B and C at the Holiday Inn on King (370 King W.). Mr. Mascis will be interviewed in an intimate setting by 102.1 The Edge radio personality Dave Bookman. As host of the Indie Hour (Wednesday nights, 11 pm), Mr. Bookman is an integral part of the Canadian indie music scene. Holders of a delegate badge (on sale online at https://www.nxne.com/reg) can attend this very special interview.

We can't think of a better place for an indie rock legend such as Mr. Mascis to share his vast musical experience than at NXNE, a festival that continues to be instrumental in introducing the best in indie music to the world. The festival runs from June 7 to 10.

Not only did Mr. Mascis bring the art of the guitar solo to punk rock, but Dinosaur Jr.'s style - their furious mix of punk, metal and rock - is universally acknowledged as the trail blazing sonic precursor for the grunge movement. The Dinosaur Jr. sound would eventually set forth a course that would launch a thousand bands, most famously Nirvana. Mr. Mascis monolithic, blistering guitar solos are one of the highlights of Dinosaur Jr. albums, and a feature still more frequently associated with hard rock than with indie.

In conjunction with Mr. Mascis's interview, Dinosaur Jr. will be performing a set at the Phoenix Concert Theatre (410 Sherbourne) on Friday, June 8. One hundred NXNE delegate badges and/or wristbands will gain admission to the show. Doors open at 6 pm. Tickets cost $34.50 and are on sale at Ticketmaster (414-870-8000), ticketmaster.ca, Rotate This (416-504-8447) and Sonic Temple (416-222-2004). The opening bands are Uncut and Awesome Colour.

This is a rare chance to catch one of the most influential bands of the indie rock movement. Formed in 1983, Dinosaur Jr.'s distinctive sound is characterized by their extensive use of feedback and distortion. The group not only influenced the indie scene, but also infiltrated popular culture. Their songs have appeared in several skateboarding videos, including Blind's Video Days, Toy Machine's Jump Off A Building and Alien Workshop's Memory Screen, and Mr. Mascis recently designed a pair of Nike skate shoes using the band's signature purple and silver colour scheme.

The original, and most highly regarded line-up of Dinosaur Jr. dissolved 1989 in a spectacularly nasty and well-documented fashion. Their totally unexpected, and extraordinary, reunion came about in 2005 when the original members Mascis (guitars, vocals), bassist Lou Barlow and drummer Murph shocked fans and came together in support of the re-issue of the bands first three records. The success of these shows snowballed and the band kept going, playing to sold-out audiences across the globe. They plan to release Beyond, the original line-up's first new album of original material since the 1988 classic Bug, on May 1st on Fat Possum Records.

Mascis carried the Dinosaur Jr. moniker with him (with various lineups) until he retired the name in 1997. Since then he has been a music producer, film composer, playing both solo and with his band J Mascis + the Fog. More recently Mascis went back to playing the drums (as he did with Deep Wound, the hardcore precursor to Dinosaur Jr.) forming the 70s-inspired hard-rock project Witch. Mascis launched Witch in 2006 with long-time friend Dave Sweetapple and co-conspirator Kyle Thomas of the New England avant-folk outfit Feathers. Witch's eponymous debut (on Tee Pee Records) is a superb slab of stoner rock that recalls the best of Sabbath at their Ozzy-fronted pinnacle. He has also appeared in such films as Gas Food Lodging (1992), Grace of My Heart (1996) and Things Behind the Sun (2001).

Glastonbury

NXNE Music Festival — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 16:28:09 -0000

Bob Harris and BBC Radio2 to Broadcast Live from NXNE

NXNE Music Festival — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 16:02:02 -0000

HARRIS TO BE KEYNOTE SPEAKER
One of the greats of British contemporary music broadcasting…still an independent champion of great music," says Radio Times

TORONTO - March 28, 2007 - Legendary musical tastemaker Bob Harris thinks NXNE is the place to be. And who are we to argue? For more than 35 years, his voice has been a beacon to listeners trying to navigate their way through the vast, dark void of mediocre music. So when the award-winning music journalist said he was packing his keen sense of sound and heading to NXNE to search out cutting-edge artists and bring BBC Radio 2 listeners the best in new music from Canada's "Best New Music" festival, we couldn't have been more excited.

"That's right, the 13th annual NXNE Music Festival and Film Conference, being held June 7-10, is proud to announce that Bob Harris will be broadcasting his two shows, "Bob Harris Saturday" and "Bob Harris Country," live from the festival for BBC Radio 2. In addition to being one of the festival's keynote speakers, Mr. Harris will also be commandeering a venue (TBA) for a "Bob Harris Presents" evening, with some of his favourite Canadian artists performing live. The session will be recorded for broadcast as part of his Saturday radio show.

This is a fantastic opportunity for Canadian talent to send their sounds crashing across the Atlantic and into the homes of a whole new audience. The fact that Mr. Harris "can't begin to tell you" how excited he is to be making this journey points not only to the abundance of Canadian talent that is out there but also to the very important role NXNE plays in presenting it to the world.

"Having championed Canadian music in the UK via two major radio documentaries, I am really looking forward to bringing BBC Radio 2 to Toronto to broadcast live from NXNE. I feel excited by this further opportunity to introduce the diversity of Canadian talent to the British audience. I am deeply impressed by the ethos of a music community which I feel is as creative and vibrant as any in the world," Mr. Harris says.

NXNE Managing Director Andy McLean is equally excited to be having his friend and fellow soccer fan at the festival. “Having the legendary Bob Harris and the BBC Radio 2 team broadcasting from NXNE is a massive boost for the festival and Canadian music in general. Bob has rightly identified Canada as a hotbed of musical talent that is ready to be exposed to the rest of the world. It’s going to be an amazing NXNE summer in Toronto with Bob Harris, BBC Radio 2 and Man U as champions — see you soon Bob!”

Mr. Harris first established himself during his seven years as presenter of "Old Grey Whistle Test" on BBC 2, recognized throughout the 1970s as Britain's premiere television music show. He went on to become a radio fixture in both the UK and the United States and has won many broadcasting awards, including three Sony Bronze Awards for Music Broadcaster of the Year and Music Program of the Year, and the Radio Academy/PRS award for Outstanding Contribution to Music Radio. The British newspaper Mail on Sunday called him "a national treasure."

"Bob Harris Saturday" is broadcast from 11 pm to 2 am in the UK (6pm to 9pm EST), while "Bob Harris Country" airs on Thursdays from 8 pm to 9 pm in the UK (3pm to 4pm EST).

Submissions Now Open

NXNE Music Festival — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 20:24:05 -0000

MUSIC SUBMISSIONS If you wish to submit your music for showcase consideration, please do so through Sonicbids. Just click http://www.sonicbids.com/nxne2007 to go directly to the NXNE Promoter Drop Box.

Sonicbids enables you to get a press kit to anyone electronically.
# Create your EPK� (Electronic Press Kit) in 20 minutes or less
# Email your EPK� to anyone, anywhere and save time & money
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FILM SUBMISSIONS Do you have a film that you wish us to consider for screening during NXNE 2007? Simply send your film EPK through Withoutabox. Click on http://www.withoutabox.com/login/4547 to go directly to the NXNE Promoter Drop Box.
A Withoutabox film EPK allows you to target film festivals and competitions all over the world.

If you are having any concerns or difficulties with the processes above, please feel free to contact the NXNE offices.