Please enjoy this post as the launching point to all my NXNE 2017 coverage. Click the friendly links below to check out my photos from each performer that I caught this year, and enjoy some photos I took from around the Portlands site throughout the fest.
You can always count on Cold Specks to deliver her unique music with intensity. She certainly did not disappoint with her NXNE 2017 Portlands set that included some new, some old, all soulful, introspective and beautiful music.
My second NXNE has come to an end, including all of our coverage. I caught awesome acts that I knew I wanted to see, and a few that have proven themselves to me in the past. Of course, I also made some incredible discoveries. That's what a festival like NXNE is all about.
Check out a few choice pics that Roy Cohen and I captured. Please click through to the individual posts for more pics, thoughts on the performances and music from the artists.
Cold Specks performed at Lee's Palace on Friday June 17 as part of NXNE. She treated us to the stripped-down sound of her emotive dark soul tunes first solo with electric guitar and then accompanied.
Take a listen to some of her beautiful music:
"Blank Maps"
"Hector"
"Let Loose The Dogs", "Bodies At Bay", "Absisto", and "Living Signs" on KEXP
Cold Specks was the first artist to appear on the East Stage on the first day of TURF. She held the crowd in rapt attention as she and her band calmly delivered her emotive songs.
TURF announced its fantastic line-up a while back and has been adding more great acts to it. They've also announced a preview series of club shows (my pics of Northcote's fantastic show go up tomorrow).
Now they've announced the initial set of gigs for the Club Bonus Series that takes place after the main festival grounds at Fort York have gone to sleep. Straight from the TURF team, "The TURF Club Bonus Series, which runs September 16th – 23rd at the Horseshoe Tavern and Lee’s Palace, is a great opportunity to catch rising roots artists in a small club and see your favourite bands twice during the TURF weekend!" More show announcements coming July 14 and 22.
You can get in by buying a VIP Plus ticket for access to all TURF shows or individual tickets to the club shows. Individual Club Show tickets go on sale Thursday, July 9 at 10am.
The following shows are at The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern:
September 16 Cold Specks and Grand Analog
September 17 Fishbone, Sate and Les Hôtesses d'Hilaire
September 19 Elliott Brood, Ron Hawkins and Jim Bryson
September 20 Punch Brothers and Gabriel Kahane
September 21 Heartless Bastards and Kitty, Daisy & Lewis
Here are some tunes from these artists. I'm still reeling from the thought of seeing Fishbone at The Horseshoe.
