Last week, our buddies at Exclaim! caught up with Beams. The Toronto band is one of the 1000+ acts hitting NXNE 2013. Get scheduling - but keep in mind there’s plenty more to come.

Preview Beams below, pick up your NXNE pass/wristband, and – if you like what you hear – head to The Central at 12 am on Friday, June 14th.

Beams “How Wonderful” on Exclaim! TV (link)
By Matt Bobkin

Recently, Toronto-based Beams came by the Exclaim! office to perform a song from their debut album, Just Rivers, out May 14th.

The seven-piece self-described “art-country indie folk rock band” lived up to their classification, demonstrating a tight performance despite their size. They featured a wide variety of instrumentation including a lap steel, singing saw, mandolin, and banjo, pulling them off with vigour to deliver a strong rendition of “How Wonderful.”

Filmed by Roberto Granados-Ocon | Audio by Nash Bussieres | Edited by Matt Bobkin

Matt Berninger talks to NXNE about The National’s live show.

Recently we sat down with the baritone to talk about new album Trouble Will Find Me, Toronto memories, and lots more. That new album? It also took home the Best New Music designation from Pitchfork. Below, Berninger gives us a teaser of what to expect from the live show.

The National play NXNE on Friday, June 14th with a free concert (presented by Deezer and Collective Concerts) at Yonge-Dundas Square. The hit the stage at 9:30 pm.

More to be announced. Stay tuned for more of the interview and for full scheduling details. For now, head to the Schedulizer and start planning your festival + pick up a pass/wristband to see it all.

Interviewed by Sarah Rix | Photo by Kate Killet | Filmed by Jacob Morris | Filmed & Edited by Matt Shore

Settle in: Yonge-Dundas Square is about to get a lot more baritone.

Our Friday, June 14th, 2013 headliner @ YDS is THE NATIONAL.

NXNE, Deezer, and Collective Concerts present The National at Yonge-Dundas Square. We’re talking a big, free show with the Brooklyn-based favourites. You’re going to want to be at NXNE for this: 14 years in and they’re on their sixth studio album, with a string of consistently strong releases behind them and no shortage of critical acclaim.

Preview what’s in store from their live show with a stream of the new album, Trouble Will Find Me, ahead of its May 21st release via 4AD. Rolling Stone has details.

NXNE also had the chance to sit down for an interview with The National’s singer + lyricist, Matt Berninger. We’ll have the full interview soon but you can check out a teaser below.

• Prep yourself for the big show with more on The National (link)
• This is what six hours of “Sorrow” sounds like (link)
• Matt Berninger tells NXNE about the live show (link)

The National play Friday, June 14th at Yonge-Dundas Square (YDS) at 9:30 pm. Stay tuned, more scheduling details TBA.

Click here to find out who else is playing NXNE 2013 – and remember to pick up your pass and wristband to see 1000+ bands & artists (plus even more Film, Comedy, Art, and Interactive.)

We hope you’re ready for Yonge-Dundas Square to feel larger than life.

Our Sunday, June 16th, 2013 headliner @ YDS is BIG BOI.

The perfect way to celebrate Father’s Day. The former “outkast” is now one of the biggest names in hip hop, and he’s bringing a free show to NXNE. Genre-bending collaborations and an instantly recognizable style have helped cement his place on the rap map. (Please note Big Boi’s rhymes are clearly much, much better than ours.)

• More gigantic facts on Big Boi here (link)

Big Boi plays Sunday, June 16th at Yonge-Dundas Square (YDS) at 9:00 pm.

5:00 pm – Mickey Avalon
6:00 pm – Fat Tony
7:00 pm – Smif N’ Wessun
8:00 pm – Joey Bada$$
9:00 pm – Big Boi

There’s more to be announced for NXNE 2013, but you can make a start on your schedule now. Remember to pick up your pass and wristband to see 1000+ bands & artists (plus even more Film, Comedy, Art, and Interactive.)

You know what Thursday at Yonge-Dundas Square means, right? As is our tradition – it’s punk night. We’re talking a whole lot of rowdy. Come ready to scream, shout, and mosh (or hang near the sides if that not your thing) and enjoy the free show in the heart of downtown Toronto.

Our Thursday, June 13th, 2013 headliner @ YDS is SOCIAL DISTORTION.

For over three decades, Social Distortion has churned out an impressive music catalogue on their own terms – taking their time and their own assured approach. You don’t even need to be a punk fan to appreciate the legendary SoCal rock n’ rollers. While the four-piece is often understandably categorized as “punk,” they’ve released enough material to fill any number of genre classifications.

Social Distortion play Thursday, June 13th at Yonge-Dundas Square (YDS) at 9:00 pm. Head to the schedulizer for more details.

6:00 pm – Imperial State Electric
7:00 pm – The Flatliners
8:00 pm – Old Man Markley
9:00 pm – Social Distortion

Click here to find out who else is playing NXNE 2013 – and remember to pick up your pass and wristband to see 1000+ bands & artists (plus even more Film, Comedy, Art, and Interactive.)

Oh, so you want to know who’s headlining NXNE on Saturday, June 15th at Yonge-Dundas Square?

What’s a festival without a little suspense? You’re going to have to stay tuned for this one. (No, that wasn’t an evil cackle. We don’t know what you’re talking about…)

Don’t just sit there and twiddle your thumbs though. Click here for some of the 1000+ artists who will be playing NXNE 2013. Also remember the summer’s best accessory: the NXNE pass or wristband – your ticket to all the Music/Film/Comedy/Art/Interactive your body can handle over the course of seven sleepless days & nights.

Behind the Beat (link) at NXNEi presented by Kobo
Keith Harris, music producer/songwriter of legends & Black Eyed Peas drummer, talks more than just that Boom Boom Pow.

Who: Keith Harris, music producer
What: 18+ years experience with monster acts and music legends
Where: Chicago native, global resident
Why: He bleeds music: he’s produced legends like Michael Jackson, writes Grammy-winning singles, and has some serious chops on keyboard/drums

Three Facts:

• Graduated from Berklee College of Music where he met Richard Frierson (Bad Boy) and got started.
• On top of MJ, Keith’s written songs for Earth, Wind & Fire, Mariah Carey, Estelle (the award-winning ‘American Boy’) and tons of major artists.
• He not only produces the BEP franchise, but also plays session keyboard on several albums AND drums for the band on tour.

What to See:

• Keith getting ready for a Black Eyed Peas show
• Great episode of ‘In My Element’ featuring Keith Harris
• Photos

There are three ways to get up close with Keith Harris at NXNE…

At his interview:

• Behind The Beat: Keith Harris, American producer, song writer and Black Eyed Peas drummer (more)

At his panel presentation:

• Tomorrow Never Knows: Producing Music in 2013 (more)

Or if you hurry, you can get tickets his exclusive SOCAN workshop:

• SOCAN Emerging Songwriters Workshop with Keith Harris (Black Eyed Peas) (more)

Follow Keith Harris at @kharris2047 • Follow @NXNEi
Get your tickets for NXNEi now: http://nxne.com/tickets

Planning your days and nights via the handy dandy schedulizer? We’ve got plenty of recommendations – especially if you want to just park yourself at a venue and take in a showcase. We’ll be posting some highlights. First up…

Our friends at Moosehead are giving you a good reason to hit the Bloor-Danforth subway line. The lager geniuses are hosting a night of great Canadian indie rock with PEI’s Paper Lions, Nova Scotia’s Wintersleep, and Toronto’s own Dinosaur Bones. 

Saturday, June 15th @ The Danforth Music Hall
8:00 pm – Chains of Love
9:00 pm – Paper Lions
10:00 pm – Dinosaur Bones
11:00 pm – Wintersleep

Presented by Moosehead

More information over here & pick up your NXNE pass or wristband for the full festival experience.

Andrew Hunter, the new curator for Canadian art at the AGO, was recently interviewed by NXNE Art festival director Kate Hollett. The AGO’s permanent Canadian Collection, one of the largest in the country, comprises close to 16,000 artifacts.

Hunter will be at NXNE as an Interactive panelist. He’ll be speaking on “The (In)Significance of Canadian Art,” alongside Hollett and The Power Plant curator Sarah Robayo Sheridan. The panel will explore links between nationalism, nationality, and the arts and look at the connection between country and canvas. You can find a preview below, however, with Hollett and Hunter discussing Canadian art and the relevancy of nationality in the art world. They also shared some tips for emerging Canadian artists.

Their NXNEi panel takes place on Wednesday, June 12th from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm at the Hyatt Regency E. Head to the schedule for more information and remember to get a pass to see all the Interactive offerings on Art, Music, Comedy, Film, and the Digital World.

The Ebb and Flow of Canadian Art

Does nationality shape identity? Surprisingly the new AGO Curator for Canadian Art  says not necessarily… “For some [artists], it’s irrelevant,” says Hunter.

He feels that for most artists, there’s an ebb and flow to their identities – particularly with the importance of being Canadian, or at least the idea of what Canada is.

“There are moments it’s the absolute most important thing for people, and there are moments when it’s more of a burden than anything [else], or it becomes irrelevant,” Hunter says. “The mistake would be to approach it and say absolutely it means this.”

As for labeling just what Canadian art ‘is,’ Hunter won’t commit to a definition. He says there isn’t one single narrative of Canada.

He feels the experiences of those on the East Coast, West Coast, Prairies, and Arctic all tell different stories and narratives. They’re all Canadian, but they’re also distinct from one another.

“It’s a constantly evolving and changing conversation.”

For Hunter, it is more important to keep the conversation going – probing and questioning just what makes art ‘Canadian’ – than to settle on a definition that, in his eyes, would be imperfect.

“What I want to do is … push those boundaries so it’s not just: ‘the Canadian narrative is this,’” he says. “I think there’s a strong need to move the conversation more to the public about what is Canadian.”

It’s this shift – the idea of bringing the public into the conversation. Socially based interaction is pure Hunter and represents much of what he plans on bringing to the AGO.

“We’re successful, and the work is good and strong and interesting, when the public is engaged with it.”

Having the public engaged and talking about art is the benchmark by which Hunter measures the relevancy of Canadian art.

As for the current state of the union, Hunter lays things out frankly saying, “arts and culture has to work harder to be connected and engaged.”

He doesn’t see art occupying the same sort of public space that it once did.  The era of art appreciation being something of a civic duty has passed.  Now, people engage with art because they have a genuine connection with the work.  This presents an additional challenge for curators and artists, who must battle against the multitude of messages and media that compete for the public’s attention, particularly those in lower age brackets.

“There’s a real disconnect for younger generations,” Hunter says. “They don’t want to connect to this national narrative; they don’t have a clear idea of what it means to be Canadian… My job is to convince everybody that the stuff I’m interested in is important to everybody and it has to be embraced and valued.”

The solution, then, is to combat the negative perceptions the public may have about art – chiefly that it’s pretentious, inaccessible, and difficult to understand.

Making art a sort of open dialogue with the patron is just one way he intends to boost accessibility.  Hunter sees language as one way to get people involved and thinking about art.

“They disconnect when the language becomes too dense and obscure that they can’t connect with it,” he says.

This doesn’t mean that any and all objects and images should be accompanied by lengthy, plain-text descriptions of what they are and what they mean, just that jargon and inaccessible academic text should be avoided if the goal is to connect with the broader public.

Hunter says it’s important, for artists and curators, to understand your audience and consider how they will interact, or want to interact with your work.

“You have to be considerate of what’s important in society,” he says. “You have to be a participant n the issues that are really relevant in the community.  It’s important that institutions not just reflect what’s going on, but participate and be engaged and be a bit more humble.”

Hollett winded up the interview asking Hunter for advice for emerging artists.

He stresses the most important thing is to keep an open mind.

“Be open, try to be someone that’s always learning, every day is another learning adventure,” Hunter says. “There’s a lot of opportunities to work in the arts all over the country, and working through the arts can get you all over the country. I’ve worked everywhere but the high eastern Arctic!”

He notes it’s important to always be critical and questioning. Art that isn’t challenging, either for the artist or audience, is boring. Don’t let that happen to you.

Hunter finished by stressing the importance of learning to be a good collaborator.

“Success in the arts doesn’t come from a strong bold individual,” he says. “The people that do well and survive are those who respect and know how to work with other people.”

It also may help to be a little bit nuts, but you didn’t read that here.

Justin Vasko for NXNE Art. For more on NXNE Art, check out the schedule.

Photos from the AGO Canadian Collection

We hope you’re all enjoying your long weekend and the warm weather. End it right by watching The National on television. Okay – not the Mansbridge version.

The NXNE headliners are on The Late Show with David Letterman. The show starts at 11:35 pm on CBS. Will he give them a handshake at the end of their performance? Safe money’s on yes.

If you haven’t yet heard the stream of the new album, Trouble Will Find Me, it’s released everywhere tomorrow and it really (really) is worth picking up. They’re also on The Colbert Report on Wednesday for an interview + performance. That’s going to be a good one.

And stay tuned: we’ll be posting our interview with vocalist Matt Berninger very, very soon.

The National play a free show for NXNE on Friday, June 14th. They’re at Yonge-Dundas Square at 9:30 pm.
Find the full schedule here + pick up the hottest summer accessory, a NXNE 2013 pass or wristband.