NXPO

Right in the heart of the Hyatt Regency Toronto on King, NXNE presents NXPO–a unique music-lifestyle exhibition. NXPO is completely free and open to the public – and fully licensed!

NXPO returns in 2010 with more exhibitors, a re-vamped Day Stage, and more bars. Meanwhile, take a look at 2009’s NXPO highlights:

NXPO Day Stage Lineup
Free music! Free fashion! Free tapings!

Thursday June 18

• noon – Explore Music with Alan Cross
• 1pm – Kill Krinkle Club
• 2pm – Rah Rah
• 3pm – PAPAGROOVE
• 4pm – The Details
• 5pm – Parlour Steps

Friday June 19

• noon – Explore Music with Alan Cross
• 1pm – Hank Pine and Lily Fawn
• 2pm – Pavlov’s Dogs Orchestra
• 3pm – Experimental Dental School
• 4pm – The So So Glos
• 5pm – Guitar Bomb
• 6pm – Tattoo Convention Fashion Show

Saturday June 20

• noon – Explore Music with Alan Cross
• 1pm – Holly Throsby
• 2pm – Fox Jaws
• 3pm – Grand Analog
• 4pm – The Daredevil Christopher Wright

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FILM @ the Hyatt Screening Room

Thursday June 18

• • Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace and Music: The Director’s Cut (120mins) -12:00PM
  • Ashes of American Flags: Wilco (88mins) – 2:30PM
  • Tattooed (100mins) – 4:00 PM
  • Dylusions of Grandeur (30mins) – 6:00PM
  • Lotuk (29mins) – 6:00 PM
  • Ashes of American Flags: Wilco (88mins) – 7:00 PM

Ashes of American Flags: Wilco

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POSTERS

Need a kick-ass printed poster for your wall? Need a designer for your next gig or release? We’ve got some amazingly talented poster artists displaying their wares at this year’s poster show. Their approach to design is varied, and their screening methods differ. Get a signed print from your favourite designer.

Here’s a sampling:

Michael DeForge (Toronto) – this guy is local, but hot Hot HOT!!! He gets into gallery shows all over, and his work would make a fantastic collector’s piece as he’s internationally known! www.kingtrash.com

Q&A with Michael DeForge

Name two of your favourite bands of all time: Lee Hazlewood and Prince.
Name two of your favourite visual artists of all time: Mark Newgarden and Jack Kirby.
What’s your claim to fame? Toronto’s classiest pompadour.
How’d you get into screen printing? I actually haven’t screenprinted myself in years! I usually hire out, or get my friend Jesjit to do my printing when I need it. When I used to print in high school, I had one of those simple screen kits with an exposure unit I made out of a pizza box, but since then I’ve never really lived in a big enough place to accommodate that.
Is screen printing dead? How can a whole medium be dead?
You would freak out if who asked you to do a gig poster for them? Prince! Doing artwork for Prince is my dream.

Mike Budai (Pittsburgh, PA) – super-popular artist with fantastic and cute-as-a-button design chops.
myspace.com/mikebudai    gigposters.com/designer/27206_Budai.html

Q&A with Mike Budai

Name two of your favourite bands of all time: The Party of Helicopters and The Smiths.
Name two of your favourite visual artists of all time: Seymour Chwast and Milton Glasser. If I could cheat a third, Hapshash.
What’s your claim to fame? Being elusive.
How’d you get into screen printing? When my Dad was transfered to the Kostanov Sulfur Mines in Argentina (from the old mines in Starrington, Montana,) there wasn’t much to do but ride monkey cars in the forest and screen print. After 3 years of doing the monkey car thing, I decided to take a break (actually, monkey cars were banned) and try printing. This was in or around 1983.
Is screen printing dead? I hope so. I dream of the day when it’s like one of those apocalypse movies and the loner outlaw guys find some dude in a cave or underground bunker who still knows how to fix cars or has a ton of ammo or something that gives the good guys and edge to win and start rebuilding the world. But instead of fixing cars or having tons of ammo, I’d be in that cave or bunker, and I’d be the only guy who knew how to print, and that would save the world. People would probably high five me, or at least say i was pretty cool. I might even look to see if anyone posted something about me on Craigslist’s “missed connections” page.
Two pieces of advice for anyone wanting to get into screen printing? Get ready to give up all of your free time and start deciding what flavor of ramen noodles are best. You are gonna be eating a lot of them. (A ramen tip: Taco Bell hot sauce – you figure out the rest.)
You would freak out if who asked you to do a gig poster for them? If I could be anywhere in time, Soft Machine (but only up to ‘73 or so. After that, eh…not so much.) Doing a Can poster would also be amazing. Cave (from Chicago) are currently destroying my mind. In the future, i think there will be a band called Proto Geology who everyone will be begging to do a poster for, and they’ll ask me. That’ll be a pretty sick day. I’m working on the art now, so it can be totally epic.
Words to live by? Don’t let the bastards wear you down.

Pedal Printing (Buffalo, NY) – collective that does a lot of very DIY-feeling stuff  pedalprinting.com

Q&A with Isaac Menge of Pedal Printing

Name two of your favourite bands of all time: The Ramones & Wilco.
Name two of your favourite visual artists of all time: Michael Sieben & Enrique Chagoya.
What’s your claim to fame? Monthly Vegan Thanksgiving, one’s just not enough!
How’d you get into screen printing? Printing merchandise for our own bands.
Is screen printing dead? Oh get out of here!
Two pieces of advice for anyone wanting to get into screen printing? Speedball Acrylic & Hing Clamps.
You would freak out if who asked you to do a gig poster for them? Neil Young.
Words to live by? Three (the international sign of friendship).