We The North By North East

On Thursday, I was at The Dakota Tavern for a NXNE "curated" show. Likely a combination of The Raptors playing to win the NBA Championship and a bill of unknown acts kept the crowd sparse.

Until I saw her support Rich Aucoin for his new record, I haven't seen much of Robin Hatch since her days with Dwayne Gretzky and Sheezer. In the interim, she has played with acts like Our Lady Peace and RAA. But for her recent solo effort, Hatch has released an album of experimental piano. It was interesting to listen to typical experiences like a break-up or other personal crisis (as outlined by Hatch) transform as purely instrumental pieces.

My favourite set of the evening was Sure's brand of punk pop. They made songs about doing MDMA and drinking alone at home fun and not too self-pitying. It helped that their laissez-faire and droll banter between numbers kept things upbeat.

The final act was a synth-pop outfit called Bunny composed of musicians from other bands. Definitely, I heard some sweet bass groove and punchy drums. But there was something a little odd with guitar and vocals that was a bit off-kilter. I'm not sure I want weirdness when I just need to bop along.

As for the game, hosts The Elwins had set up a projector showing it next to the stage. As one band pointed out, it was ok to cheer for The Raptors during their set. They'll just pretend that people were just really into their songs. Everything worked out: the team won the championship and everyone was happy.