Friday NXNE Part 1
OK City OK @ The Silver Dollar
They’re from Tokyo and they play this kind of funky rock music. Eventually I have to mention the frontman is a regular old white guy who seemed to imply he used to live in Toronto (or had some kind of familiarity at least) so I’ll just throw that out there. He was the weakest link in the band, too, unfortunately. His vocals seemed strained at times, and wasn’t as strong as the band backing him, who were pretty bad-ass. I hereby decree all female bass players are required to keep their hair long and headbang with vigour. This always looks awesome and is hot. The drummer kept it simple but bashed his drums with force, and the violinist guy actually broke a string on his violin, which tore part of his bow apart. The guy didn’t even stop, just tore off the loose gut and kept going. This is also awesome.
Too bad their lead singer looks like a mid-30’s guy doing his Lenny Kravitz impression. Still, overall, they were likable. Some good tunes, and they’re fun to watch (they seem to have a lot of fun playing, which is infectious).
Action Makes @ The Silver Dollar
Dressed-up Toronto 20-something hipsters play vaguely bluesy, country-tinged rock, come off looking mildly smug, and the dance-kids jump up and down. To be honest, I’m getting more than a little sick of this formula. I’m not an authenticity nazi, but… well, maybe I am. This shit just sounds contrived. Maybe I’m wrong, I don’t know.