NORTH BY NORTHEAST 2K8
The SIS Preview by Rusty Roberts

After last year's successful trip to the Great White North for Pop Montreal, this year we return to attend the annual North by Northeast festival in Toronto. Check out some of our friends who are playing, and some bands that we here at Stranded In Stereo thing might just be the next big thing.

I have never been to Canada. Hell, I have never been outside of the U.S. The furthest west I have travelled is Las Vegas, and I might make to California and the Northwest some decade. I've just never had the desire to, but I think one of these year's I'll travel to the Great White North. N0t just because it gave birth to the two greatest sketch comedy shows (SCTV and The Kids In The Hall), but because I want to go to North by Northeast. I've done South by Southwest, so I think it's only fair that I travel to it's geographical opposition. Take in the music, the locally brewed beers and to see what their equivalent of all the BBQ I can eat would end up being (fish? God, I hope not).

This year, the festival will be adorned by several names that ring a bell. There's the French Kicks, Evan Dando of Lemonheads fame, the currently on the road Swervedriver and our favorite Canadian band, Two Hours Traffic.

As always, we here at Stranded In Stereo want to give you the inside track on some of the bands that you might not know about quite yet so when they do blow up (because they will, we just know it) you'll already be filled with knowledge and be able to school someone at random music trivia.

Spies in Limbo: First of all, I just have a thing for the band's name. I always liked the phrse "in limbo" so it just works. But maybe the latter portion of the band's name comes from that song on Radiohead's Kid A because a song like "Ten Years" starts like something from Ok Computer but quickly switches gears in to Interpol's Turn On The Bright Lights. And lest we forget their jam "Sharon Stone" with its trickling and trembling guitars that harken back to post-punk finest hour.
[Thursday 06/12 10 pm @ Hard Rock Cafe //279 Yonge Street]

Cancel Winter: If I lived in Canada all of my life, I would suerly like to make like their band name as well and end the cold. But you know what, I bet it's what inspried this Toronto collective. Maybe they cancelled winter by hunkering down in a warm room and making introspective tales like "Stop The Lies" and the call and response of "The Starting Block". The band's show will be a special acoustic performance and definitely one not to miss.
[Wednesday 06/12 10 pm @ Supermarket //268 Augusta Avenue]

Cut Cut Shape: This band is actually not from Canada, but will be making the jaunt from Cambridge to make some new fans. They blend the Talking Heads with Nada Surf, Pixies with .. Cut Copy maybe? Either way, with this being the band's only show that is known of in the entire North American continent, I would definitely not miss them if I were you.
[Thursday 06/12 8 pm @ Neutral Lounge //349 A College Street]

Deep Dark Woods: Alt-Country hasn't sounded this good. Seriously. With band's lke Fleet Foxes and Band of Horses trying to bring that down home country feeling back, Deep Dark Woods are doing the same in their home town of Saskatoon. The guitars are delicate, the vocals deep and the organs chirp like crickets. Move aside, other "alt-country" acts, there's a new sheriff in town.
[Saturday 6/14 9 pm @ Cadillac Lounge // 1296 Queen Street W.]

Hollerado: Their logo on their MySpace pages mocks the infamous Wu-Tang one, but that doesn't mean they sound like Wu-Tang. They belt their vocals over loud racous guitars and tambourines signaling a return to the garage scene of the 1960s. It's like Mooney Suzuki gone DIY and much, much better.
[Saturday 06/14 11 pm @ Lee's Palace // 529 Bloor Street W.]

You can find more info on these bands and what else is happening at North by Northeast at http://www.nxne.com