Nu Music Nite on 2009-12-22

Immerse yourself in the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto. Your host, Gary Duke brings you performance highlights from the Nu Music Nite Christmas Spectacular with bands, Order Of Good Cheer, Hellerado, and The Arkells who play a smokin' Motown Set. Enjoy!

Direct links to MP3 for Episode 5 (Nu Music Nite on 2009-12-22)

Tiny link: (for twitter and facebook posts, etc) http://tinyurl.com/ylnwryy
Full link: http://media.libsyn.com/media/scenesfromtheshoe/shoe_episode_0005.mp3

Nu Music Nite on 2009-12-15

Immerse yourself in the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto. Your host, Gary Duke interviews Domenica. This episode includes performance highlights from bands, Domenica, Stuck On Planet Earth, The Shanks and Prince Perry. Enjoy!

Direct links to MP3 for Episode 4 (Nu Music Nite on 2009-12-15)

Tiny link: (for twitter and facebook posts, etc) http://tinyurl.com/yk42393
Full link: http://media.libsyn.com/media/scenesfromtheshoe/shoe_episode_0004.mp3

Check out tonight's Dec 22 Nu Music Nite XMAS party bash, feat. the Arkells doing Motown party favourites!, Hellerado- fresh back from an extensive tour of China- and the Order of good Cheer.

Domenica on tonight's lineup - 8:40pm

For those of you that may have missed Domenica's killer set the last time they played Nu Music Nite a few months back, you really must come down early in time for their 8:40pm performance tonight (Dec 15)! The singer has a killer range and sumptuous voice that mesh wonderfully with the band's tight aggressive rock chops.

Also on the bill tonight are Stuck On Planet Earth, The Shanks, Prince Perry and The Weirdies.

Nu Music Nite on 2009-12-08

Immerse yourself in the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto. Your host, Gary Duke interviews Daylight For Deadeyes. This episode includes performance highlights from bands, Van Scott, Union City, Daylight For Deadeyes and Elos Arma. Enjoy!

Direct links to MP3 for Episode 3 (Nu Music Nite on 2009-12-08)

Tiny link: (for twitter and facebook posts, etc) http://tinyurl.com/yb9zalc
Full link: http://media.libsyn.com/media/scenesfromtheshoe/shoe_episode_0003.mp3

Nu Music Nite on 2009-12-01

Immerse yourself in the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto. Your host, Gary Duke interviews members of Shotgun Wedding Band and Sixxxer (with a shout out from some fans). This episode includes performance highlights from bands, Royal Canoe, Shotgun Wedding Band, The British Columbians, and Sixxxer. Enjoy!

Direct links to MP3 for Episode 2 (Nu Music Nite on 2009-12-01)

Tiny link: (for twitter and facebook posts, etc) http://tinyurl.com/yehj2uf
Full link: http://media.libsyn.com/media/scenesfromtheshoe/shoe_episode_0002.mp3


Previous episode:

Nu Music Nite on 2009-11-24

Your host, Gary Duke interviews Finger 11 Guitarist James Black, who talks about his alt-country side project, "Blackie Jackett Jr.". This episode includes performance highlights from bands, The Ascott Royals, Blackie Jackett Jr., Future History and The Deadly Hopefuls. Enjoy!

Direct links to MP3 for Episode 1 (Nu Music Nite on 2009-12-01)

Tiny link: (for twitter and facebook posts) http://tinyurl.com/yeq6x6d
Full link: http://media.libsyn.com/media/scenesfromtheshoe/shoe_episode_0001.mp3

It's here! It's here! It's here!

Subscribe now to Scenes from the Shoe - the audio podcast!!!

If you don't use iTunes, you can enter feed URL into Google Reader by clicking this icon:


If you use a different RSS reader, you can paste the feed url into the subscribe mechanism: http://scenesfromtheshoe.libsyn.com/rss.

If you do have iTunes, you can subscribe now in iTunes by following this link!


Hit "Subscribe" and you're done!

Note: the iTunes store may not always display the most current podcast but if you subscribe to the podcast and Sync the podcast using iTunes it should still download the most current episode not showing yet in iTunes store. Wierd. But true.


Woo-hoo.

About the audio podcast, episode 0001, from November 24, 2009:

Immerse yourself in the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto. Your host, Gary Duke interviews Finger 11 Guitarist James Black, who talks about his alt-country side-project "Blackie Jacket Jr.". This episode includes performance highlights from bands, The Ascott Royals, Blackie Jackett Jr., Future History and The Deadly Hopefuls. Enjoy!

There will be much more to come!

The blogspot site you are reading at the moment will remain up just to house the remnants of the video blog.

Cheers, and "See you at the 'Shoe!"

Gary Duke

Attention passengers

Although I may post the interview later on if I have time, today's video highlights post will be delayed, possibly one week, until next Friday morning.

Apologies to those who are waiting.

Let me explain...

I love going to Nu Music Night every Tuesday night. But the video editing and uploading for this blog have become too time consuming for my packed life. Instead of every Tuesday being my Horseshoe night, every Thursday night is now, too with hours on end of editing. Sometimes more than was spent at the Horseshoe on the Tuesday prior.

I started this video blog simply to share part of the experience, attract others to the Nite and to document the evenings for later reflection. I feel I have accomplished that in the eight weeks that I've videoed.

If the blog is to continue, it would likely return, perhaps next week-- perhaps in a few weeks from this day, as an audio podcast.

No writing, just audio. My voice, that Nu Music Nite Sound, and the voices of the bands and fans. It may- no- it will be much more authentic. Sound can be captured in 360 degrees with incredible fidelity that video cannot match with current technology.

Plus, as is said in the field of videography, The picture is just information. The audio carries the emotion. And trips to the Shoe are all about emotion.

Thank you for your attention :)

Cheers,

Gary

Check in tomorrow

Check in tomorrow morning (Friday) for the sights and sounds from this week's Nu Music Nite, including a post-gig chill-out with Walter Mitty & The Realists.

Cheers!

Gary

Let's go to the 'Shoe

Holy cow it's going to be a freaking awesome night tonight, hot on the heels of the upcoming Canadian Music Week!

Bend Sinister at 9:00pm — Sounds like Joe Jackson playing prog rock!
Machetes at 9:45pm — "dive bomb", riot grrrl punk rock
Dean Lickyer at 10:30pm — Steven Tyler ought to be proud ;D
Walter Mitty & The Realists at 11:15pm — "ferocious" Irish energy
Daydreams For Dollars at 12:00pm — alternative acoustic

W-O-W! See you there!

Cheers,

Gary

Nu Music Nite on Tuesday, March 3, 2009

More heavy rock bands! Two hard rock bands start the night. Then it gets a little freaky...

Let's go back in time, shall we, to this week's Nu Music Night at the Horseshoe Tavern.

The night begins with the pulsating rock of Distorsis:



From weathered to the unfettered-- next to take stage is the sandswept, prog-rock sound of Frail Fragment:



Lenny of Frail Fragment joins us in the basement to banter about his personal views on love and war. And record-making, too:



Also on the bill tonight is Moondog Uproar. They play us a solid, brash sock-hop dance-rock:



The 11:40 closer is always a crap shoot. Tonight's countryish closer, the Low Heroes, has its moments but we could do without the strained vocal ad-libs:



The combined variety of experience, influences and inventiveness that the bands collectively give us each Nu Music Nite is something unique that I haven't experienced on a consistent, weekly basis anywhere else but at the Horseshoe. Kudos to all bands putting themselves out there on that time-honoured stage :)

I'll look out for you next Tuesday at the Horseshoe Tavern!

Band websites:

Distorsis
Frail Fragment
Moondog Uproar
Low Heroes

Cheers,

Gary

See you tonight?

Tonight's free EDGE 102.1 Nu Music Nite roster is chock-full of rock:

Distorsis at 9:10pm — Looking forward to hearing 'Free' live!
Frail Fragment at 10:00pm — Rage Against' meets Alice in Chains?
Moondog Uproar at 10:50pm — Rock!
Low Heroes at 11:40pm — Let's check 'em out too.

See you at the 'Shoe!

Check in on Friday to take in the sights, sounds and stories.

Gary

Nu Music Nite on Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Outstanding night at the Horseshoe Tavern.

Join me for a trip back in time to this week's Tuesday nite!

We begin our journey into Nu Music Nite with a cool piano/drums duo, The Lovely Killbots, whose sound can get really jazzified:



The night moves on and Clothes Make The Man take stage to deliver approachable, gritty rock worthy of getting up and dancing to:



Ross and Ryan from Clothes Make The Man graciously join us in the basement for a jovial chat that includes some fightin' words from Ross for David Clayton-Thomas of Blood, Sweat & Tears!



We move back upstairs for a very tight, loud and flamboyant performance care of Winnipeg's Inward Eye:



Inward Eye is kind enough to talk to us downstairs, where we learn about these three young brothers, and some of their experiences being signed to a Sony label, such as withstanding input like, "Can you make it coooola"?!



The night is capped off by Guelph's Evil Genius. With big, soulful vocals and a tight blues rock style, this young band has a sound that reverberates beyond their years:



A great end to a great night. Thanks to all the bands that hauled their gear out on that cold Tuesday night to play their hearts out!

See you next time at the 'Shoe!

Band websites:

Lovely Killbots
Clothes Make The Man
Inward Eye
Evil Genius

Cheers,

Gary

Looking forward to posting tomorrow morning

Tuesday yielded some great, toe-tapping performance clips and also informative interviews with Clothes Make The Man and Inward Eye. Check in usual time, the "Friday morning after" (tomorrow morning) for it all!

Warm up at the Horseshoe!

Being in an emerging band is partly about working without pay, week in and week out, with a blissful, blind optimism. The optimism wanes a teeny bit tho when you gotta play to an empty house because the weather is bad, and yet you managed to haul all sorts of heavy shit down in that same weather and still put a smile on your face!

On the other hand, all we need to haul down tonight are our witty bitty cell phones, that we can use to text our friends and tell them how cool the performances are :)

Lovely Killbots at 9:10pm — piano and drums duo, wow!
Clothes Make The Man at 10:00pm — "hook heavy 90's rock"
Inward Eye at 10:50pm — cf. "Clash", "The Who"? Let's see for ourselves!
Evil Genius at 11:40pm — "riff-heavy rock" from Guelph

So, see you tonight at the 'Shoe! I'll be there! Will you, too?

Check in on Friday to take in the sights and stories.

Gary

Nu Music Nite on Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Part of the charm of Nu Music Nite is that more than not, you get a mix of styles. And fans of one band and their style get exposed to a different sound that they may not have come out to experience. In terms of those fans that don't just come for their one band and then leave, that is.

Ahem.

This week some lighter bands open and close the night, and some heavy rock gets sandwiched in between!

First up is Don Vail who bring us ultra-sweet vocal harmonies delicately laid atop a bed of shoegazing guitar. In spite of a bit sterile pulse, the sound is big and open:



Right. Ready to rock out now is Oshawa's Suckershot with precision cast, feel good heavy metal. Haven't been treated to fist-in-the-air metal riffs here in a good long while. All of their fans are there to cheer them on.



Despite Suckershot's flawless execution, wonderful riffs and positive lyrics, the stage vibe came off as, "hey, it's just another hardworking day, punching in at the clock". Thankfully, the heckles of their dedicated fans added a partyish element to the proceedings! Thanks fans!

Left Turn City drops in now to shift the night up a notch. As singer Eric paces around the stage, he looks happy and the vibe is lively. The band's crowd of enthusiastic fans are bopping and even moshing, and the tunes sound fresh:



Jerry and Eric of Left Turn City are nice enough to join us in the basement to talk about their recent recording and hopes of making a career of the music:



Thanks guys. Keep positive and good things will come!

Closing the night is the bright, jingle-jangle rock of The Assistants. The lights during the whole night have been Valentine red (no that's not a camera issue, the lights were really that red). Let's take in the sweet dance-hall sound of The Assistants:



...A good showing from a band with a lot of promise. Hey drummer, you did great, but whack those drums a fair bit harder in future shows to punch it up a bit. No need to be afraid-- they won't hit back!

That's all for this week!

Have a great weekend and see you at the 'Shoe on Tuesday!

Band websites:
www.myspace.com/donvail
www.myspace.com/suckershotmusic
www.leftturncity.com
www.theassistants.net

Cheers,

Gary

See you in a few hours...

Hope you'll be coming down to the Horseshoe Tavern tonight to experience this week's Nu Music Nite in person:

Don Vail at 9:10pm
Suckershot at 10:00pm
Left Turn City at 10:50pm
Assistants at 11:40pm

See you tonight at the 'Shoe!

Come back on Friday to take in the sights and stories.

Gary

Nu Music Nite on Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Had a great experience at this week's Nu Music Nite. All the bands were entertaining and this week there was a spectacular closer that totally blew me away!

The evening starts with Follow The Accident: the heaviest band I can remember seeing at a Nu Music Nite:



Follow the Accident appear to have fun and, reportedly, are living up to their name. Let's listen to the guys talk about their stage mishaps and their party room slash studio space:



Thanks very much guys!

Approaching the stairs up to the main level, we spot two friends chilling on the dark basement bench. They are Katie and Jayne, locals who are gracious enough to share their opinions about dancing in Toronto's rock bars and attending Nu Music Nite:



Time to head upstairs for the buzzed-about band, Waxbills, who delight a crowd of fans with spacious, no-frills rock and roll:



Next in line are The Caraways, of whose "sweet harmonies" I'd read about earlier, online. Well the lead vocalist's voice does have a lovely wisp and clarity. A backing singer to harmonise with live at a future show would really be sweet. The mood is artful, playful and mondo relaxed:



Now, the closing act at Nu Music Nite is usually a crap shoot. Which made it all the more unexpected when mohawked mastermind, Roman Dane and his handpicked tribe of star musicians ignite on stage at 11:40pm to deliver arena rock replete with outstanding drums, shimmering piano and one hurricane of a voice:



Roman is shy to talk on camera. So off goes the camera and we sit down together on the dark basement bench and chat. The time is now 1am-ish, and staff are tidying up noisily around us. Roman talks excitedly about the music and the stellar band he has assembled:



I much appreciate you taking the time to chat so late in the evening, Roman! All the best.

That's a wrap for this week.

I hope to see all of you next week's for Nu Music Nite!

Band websites:

www.myspace.com/followtheaccident
www.thewaxbills.com
thecarawaysmusic.com
www.myspace.com/180560459

Cheers,

Gary

Hope to see you tonight!

What makes Nu Music Nite so special? Four fresh indie rock bands each week, that are happy to take the stage of the legendary Horseshoe Tavern.

You think you know what a band will be like from listening to a few tunes on MySpace, or even from a show last year? Think again. Bands are constantly reinventing themselves, shifting their line-ups, and growing from experience and maturity.

Live performance is often unpredictable and surprising. At Nu Music Nite, you get to experience bands that are often at meaningful touchpoints in their lives.

All this is offered up fourfold at the 'Shoe each Tuesday.

Tonight's Nu Music Nite line-up:

Follow The Accident at 9:10pm
Waxbills at 10:00pm
The Caraways at 10:50pm
Roman Dane at 11:40pm

See you at the 'Shoe!

Come back on Friday to take in the sights and stories.

Cheers,

Gary

Nu Music Nite on Tuesday, February 3, 2009

This week's Nu Music Nite was astonishingly fresh and varied. I had high hopes, as I mentioned. They were met, and then some.

We enter the night's round of performances with Sunlit Ambush. This Toronto band is heavily influenced by the axe-duelling AOR and metal bands of the 80s. These guys have serious fun on stage:



AJ and recent band recruit, "Benj" join us afterward to reflect on the Horseshoe Tavern, Sunlit Ambush and several 'sub-genres' of cock rock:



More joviality comes our way in the form of La Casa Muerte.

Not since Brian Jonestown Massacre have I witnessed a band with a dedicated tambourine player. Singing in English and Spanish, La Casa Muerte is happy, unrefined and totally refreshing:



Wow. Fun. Here's hoping La Casa Muerte sticks around and continues to evolve!

Now, are we ready for Rikers? Good rockin' kids from Peterborough, these guys have serious potential and it is amazing to hear a new band with an old fashioned romantic rock sensibility:



We join Ryan and Russ after Rikers' performance to discuss this newly-formed band and the advantages (and challenges) of promoting oneself online:



And friends, this magic night closes as soul-stirring redemption rock sounds flow from A Sea of Gold & Burgundy:



'Twas a wonderful nite. Until next week, keep sending me comments on Scenes from the Shoe and consider dropping in (for real) to the Horseshoe Tavern to say hello, down a drink or two and celebrate the incredible and *free* indie extravaganza known as Nu Music Nite!

Band websites:
www.sunlitambush.com
www.myspace.com/lacasamuerte
www.rikersmusic.com
www.seaofgoldandburgundy.com

Cheers!

Gary

High hopes for tonight's Nu Music Nite

I have high hopes for this week's Nu Music Nite at the Horseshoe Tavern.

Tonight, we are promised a bevy of versatile bands. As is often the case with Nu Music Nite, these bands seem to share a common thread that unites the experience from the opening band to the closer.

Let's hope tonight's thread is a densely-layered musicality with a splash of the fantastic:

Sunlit Ambush at 9:10pm
La Casa Muerte at 10:00pm
Rikers at 10:50pm
Sea Of Gold & Burgundy at 11:40pm

All four bands are yours to take in, perhaps over your favorite brew. And no cover, too!

Check in Friday morning for the Scenes from the Shoe video digest :)

Cheers!

Gary

Nu Music Nite on Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Nu Music Nite was a bit of a disappointment this past Tuesday. There were just three bands instead of the usual four.

And the one that canceled was the star attraction, The Mark Inside. Bummer.

However, the first act, Montreal's Final Flash treats us to some garage rock with a destitute trot and a southern twang:



Next up was a young, 50s-inspired band, The Superstitions. Vibrato-soaked vocals nicely pierce through the jumpy pop. Lots of merry fans jig across the floor. Guitar was sometimes sloppy but so is influence, Neil Young. Fun times:



Following a rosy performance, The Superstitions' singer, Nyssa and guitarist, Matt give us an unintentionally funny interview as they often undercut each another like siblings (they aren't):



That was too much fun. You guys are just too cute together! Best of luck.

As for the closing act, too bad it was Hamilton's Beyond A Wonderland. I'm really sorry, but I am trying to find something good to say about these guys. Supremely monotonous vocals and stage non-prescence kill what could have been a tolerable closer.

The unusually short clip here is all I could bear to post (sorry B.A.W., better luck in future, perhaps you can turn things around):



Alas, that's it for this week's folks. Win some lose some as 'they' say. Too bad Mark Inside cancelled. Thanks go out to the saving sonic graces of The Superstitions and the quirky Final Flash.

Hey, you! Why not join us in person for awesome grab bag that is Nu Music Nite at the Horseshoe Tavern next week, beginning Tuesday 9:10pm! Then relive those magic moments here, at scenesfromtheshoe the following Friday :)

Band websites:
www.myspace.com/finalflash
http://www.sonicbids.com/TheSuperstitions3
www.myspace.com/beyonda1derland

Check next week's listings and more at the Horseshoe's website.

See you next time!

Cheers,

Gary

Check back on Friday morning for the complete report from last night's performances :)

Nu Music Nite on Tuesday, January 20, 2009.

Tuesday January 20, 2009, bore gifts for our Inaugural post in two ways: first "Scene's from the Shoe" gets treated to five bands cranked in that fabulous, Horseshoe Tavern soundspace. For firkin' free. Holy cow!

And, that same day Barack Obama takes office as the new president of the superpower next door!

This week's Nu Music Nite also included a surprise pre-show showcase by Montreal's "The Lost Fingers". And Chris Stopa, singer from Public, graciously gave us a warm and insightful interview from the basement floor of the 'Shoe.

First band up for Nu-Music Nite was Mississauga bubblegum punk band, Planet 4. Here they are working hard on the crowd during their cover of Boomtown Rats' "I Don't Like Mondays"...



Spouting lines like "We are so awesome" to the crowd, you have to wonder if these guys are caricaturing the high-school bands that they emulate, or if they are truly that much in love with themselves!

Following this act is Public. Not much had I heard about them. Anna, a friend of the band I met after their performance, points out that their band name is pretty much Google-proof. True! Ha ha.

Watch with me as Public leads into a snappy chorus that will nest inside your head for days...



Lucky us: following the performance, Chris retells his favorite Horseshoe Tavern experience watching band, Cat Power's extremely shy singer perform--"ushered [in] through the crowd in a winter coat and a hood"--at the Horseshoe many years ago. We're also enlightened on Public's affairs:



Thanks for the interview, Chris! Awesome.

Next up is Wank Punter (that really hurt: typing that horrible, horrible band name) that seems to be borne off a "hey wouldn't it be a hoot if we..." dare during a break at the studio. Ladies and Gents, it's Stan Bush meets Sammy Hagar meets Howard Stern (and Sideshow Bob) in a pressure cooker:



Now, if only I can get that hook out of my head. That ultra-cheesy pre-chorus--"Sweet Mary-Lou, she meant the world to me..."--eek! This band, along with two, mostly naked go-go dancers they periodically summoned on stage, brimmeth over with an out-of-place nerdicality. This ensemble would, however, fit in perfectly at the Whisky A Go Go.

And... ta-da, closing Nu Music Nite, my friends, was the Von Ericks band:



I would have more to say, but at the moment I'm transfixed on that star-shaped and jingly object.

Signing off for this week's post is the hot Montreal band, Lost Fingers. We saved the first for last. The band was finishing a showcase for the bigwigs earlier the same evening, before the start of Nu Music Nite.

Here is Lost Fingers, sanding all the edges off of AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long".



Thanks for visiting Scenes from the Shoe!

Come back next week.

Band websites:
www.planet4music.com
www.publicmusicnyc.com
www.wankpunter.com
www.thevonericks.com
www.thelostfingers.com

And please, do share your comments, share this blog with your friends and family, and drop me a line via my Profile if you'd like to say something directly ;)

Gary

The legendary Horseshoe Tavern, Est. 1497. Located in downtown Toronto, Canada. Listen for the off-camera streetcar :)