Nero in the Citizen today

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Nero reuinte for two shows next month

The Ottawa Citizen

Published: Saturday, December 16, 2006

Ottawa's instrumental jam stalwarts nero are reuniting for two shows at Maverick's next month.

It's been more than two years since nero finished a North American tour, and the shows Jan. 12 and 13 will be played in the same space in which the band played its first live gig.

Nero guitarist Dave Lauzon will open the Jan. 12 show with a set of his solo material. Elbeejay, a new trio including nero drummer Jay McConnery, will open the Jan. 13 show. Tickets are $15, or $25 for the two shows. Maverick's is at 221 Rideau St.

[lara]

awesome!

would that be lynne saxberg making herself useful?

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there is no byline to the piece, if three sentences can be called a 'piece.'

what's the beef with saxberg? (i have a couple, just wondering what yours were )

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[lara]

i want her job?

[traveler]

Saxberg and I where pioneers on the scene back in 1987-96, we booked shows. Velvet told us of a new band called nero. We took a chance as we always did in those days and booked them for new years. Lyn likes nero and is a big boost for our scene. Take time to get to know her, she is very helpful. kitkat- ask her for a foot in the door at the citizen she will help you.

[zero]

I like Elbeejay as a name. I'd probably have a band called DeeFdubya (David Foster Wallace).

[Velvet]

Saxberg and I where pioneers on the scene back in 1987-96, we booked shows. Velvet told us of a new band called nero. We took a chance as we always did in those days and booked them for new years. Lyn likes nero and is a big boost for our scene. Take time to get to know her, she is very helpful. kitkat- ask her for a foot in the door at the citizen she will help you.

100%. Lynn is great.

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Saxberg and I where pioneers on the scene back in 1987-96' date=' we booked shows. Velvet told us of a new band called nero. We took a chance as we always did in those days and booked them for new years. Lyn likes nero and is a big boost for our scene. Take time to get to know her, she is very helpful. kitkat- ask her for a foot in the door at the citizen she will help you.[/quote']

100%. Lynn is great.

99% of the time I agree. But check out her piece a month ago praising the new and upcoming bands of Ottawa in the 'Big Money Shot' contest. And her Yo La Tengo review where she spent two paragraphs contemplating the graffiti in the washrooms at Babylon.

She does a ton of good writing, but a few real stinkers linger in my brain longer than the good ones. My problem I guess.

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[traveler]

Thats her job -she's a critic. Your not suppose to agree with her on everything.

[bouche]

in the same space in which the band played its first live gig.

is this accurate? I thought they did stuff in Westboro. If the first live gig was on Rideau, wasn't it upstairs at the old Whipping Post...before Cafe Dekcuf?

[traveler]

no- not accurate.

[lara]

Saxberg and I where pioneers on the scene back in 1987-96, we booked shows. Velvet told us of a new band called nero. We took a chance as we always did in those days and booked them for new years. Lyn likes nero and is a big boost for our scene. Take time to get to know her, she is very helpful. kitkat- ask her for a foot in the door at the citizen she will help you.

Kind of "If you cant beat 'em join 'em!" Definitely a sensible suggestion. I'll give it a shot.

[Pablo Sanchez]

in the same space in which the band played its first live gig.

is this accurate? I thought they did stuff in Westboro.

As a band we felt Westboro was a little limiting and thought we better venture downtown.

[NewRider]

I'm hypnotized by traveler's avatar!

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Thats her job -she's a critic. Your not suppose to agree with her on everything.

Band battle rejuvenates music scene

Lynn Saxberg, The Ottawa Citizen

Published: Tuesday, November 28, 2006

In some battles of the bands, the bands lose money on registration fees and ticket sales while the organizers rake it in. That's not the case with Live 88.5's Big Money Shot.

By the end of the year, the fledgling Ottawa radio station will have handed out nearly a half-million dollars to a handful of worthy local bands. So far, after three semi-final rounds, Loudlove, Donkeypunch and Tim's Myth have each received a guarantee of $50,000 in gear and services.

They're also eligible to move on to the grand final, which carries a payout of $300,000.

That's right. Three hundred grand. Kinda makes the $20,000 that came with the Polaris Prize look like chump change.

But let's make it clear the bands don't get a huge whack of cash all at once. They get to sit down with the radio-station folks and figure out where to spend it.

"Essentially we have $50,000 worth of capital and we get to choose what we want to purchase with it, as long as it's music-related," says Brad Alford, singer-guitarist of Donkeypunch.

"We're not blowing it all on coke and hookers, we're going out and spending it on gear and recording stuff."

The big bucks are part of the alt-rock station's groundbreaking commitment to developing talent. Looking for an edge in the increasingly competitive process of getting a radio station licence, Newcap Radio, which owns Live 88.5, pledged $6 million worth of Canadian talent development over seven years in its application to the CRTC.

Most broadcasters channel their talent development funds through the radio industry's Starmaker Fund, which awards grants to acts it deems deserving Canadawide. Live 88.5 is believed to be the first Canadian radio station to redirect a significant portion -- $550,000 a year -- to developing independent talent in its own community. $450,000 of it goes to bands, the rest is operating expenses.

To be eligible, a band has to live within 100 kilometres of Parliament Hill, fall into the genre of alternative rock and not be affiliated with a major label or have had funding from FACTOR (the Foundation to Assist Canadian Talent on Record).

More than 100 bands answered this year's call for submissions, says Lee Wagner, Live 88.5's director of Canadian talent development.

Wagner oversees the program and co-ordinates the judges, who have included the station's on-air staff and representatives from Canadian record companies. Since the competition began on Canada Day, more than 40 bands have competed in three rounds. He's seen every minute of the action.

"It just blows us away," Wagner says. "We didn't realize there was that much good talent. It's actually really, really exciting."

Musicians say it's adding excitement to the Ottawa music scene. "It's monumental," says Tim Smith, bandleader of Tim's Myth. "Everybody's very excited about it right now, just to get the recognition and have some eyes turn their way. This is just one competition but it's really ruffled Ottawa's feathers and there's going to be a lot more people looking at the Ottawa music scene for talent."

Donkeypunch singer-guitar Brad Alford says it helps give legitimacy to original bands, especially because they also get radio play on Live 88.5. Thanks to the radio exposure, his band has seen traffic increase on its web site, Myspace accounts and at gigs.

"This contest has done a lot for Ottawa independent music," he says. "It's going to open the door for us, I hope, to get outside of Ottawa a bit. We want to expand and grow our audience. Ottawa's a great place but now that we've seen what local radio's been able to do for us, we'd like to see what happens with regional radio, provincial radio and beyond."

On Dec. 15, the three round-winning finalists (Donkeypunch, Tim's Myth and Loudlove) will compete for the grand prize at the new Capital Music Hall. They're up against two other bands, to be determined by listener voting at www.livelifelive.fm. Any band that competed this year is eligible for a wildcard slot.

The competition will take place again next year.

I figure there's something wrong when bands that nobody has heard of get far in contests like these. Emergenza anyone?

It's a gimmick promotion. I wonder why none of Ottawa's good bands signed up? Hmm.. It's a giant promotion for the radio station, and Saxberg gave them a free ad disguised as journalism.

Here's another one. Find the show review within.

Babylon is fine, but some bands need barrymore's

Low ceiling, small stage too tight for Yo La Tengo's expansive sound

Lynn Saxberg, The Ottawa Citizen

Published: Tuesday, October 03, 2006

You could see the sweat pour off indie-rock icons Yo La Tengo as they crammed themselves and their gear onto the stage at Babylon Club on Sunday to perform music from their ambitious new disc.

"We're a little cramped up here," singer Ira Kaplan said, carefully picking a path through the gear to switch keyboards.

With his wife, Georgia Hubley, on drums and James McNew on bass, onstage real estate was at a premium.

Conditions weren't any better in the crowd, where almost 350 fans stood shoulder to shoulder as the band played.

The New Jersey rock trio has a cult following among music geeks, and the show had been sold out for weeks. Babs, which is basically next door to Barrymore's, holds a decent number of people and has a great atmosphere, but its disadvantages are a low ceiling and small stage.

You could tell Yo La Tengo doesn't often play clubs like that -- they came equipped to blow the roof off a bigger room. In addition to Hubley's drum kit and the two keyboards, there was a ton of sound equipment and at least a half-dozen guitars next to the stage, plus a hospitable guitar tech who was nice enough to share his space with me.

That was a pretty good vantage point to observe the workings of this semi-legendary band. Over two hours, they veered from sunny pop to dreamy ballads to feedback-laced freakouts, switching instruments and trading vocals.

But I had to sympathize with those at the back of the crowd, where it was impossible for anyone under six-feet tall to see any of it. During the quieter songs, all you could hear was chattering.

intermission of review

Don't get me wrong -- Babylon is definitely one of the top five clubs in Ottawa and owner Adam Kronick has the smarts to welcome shows such as Yo La Tengo and KRS-One (the hip-hop legend plays tonight) -- but it wasn't the first time I found myself wishing an act had been booked at Barrymore's.

After all, Barrymore's has been the setting of many historic events during the past couple of decades of Ottawa's rock history. A former theatre and strip joint, it has a seedy charm, and over the years has hosted memorable, pre-fame gigs by the likes of U2, REM, The Dave Matthews Band, Nickelback, Bryan Adams and The Tragically Hip, to name a few.

Despite recent years of decline, Barrymore's is one of the few spots in town that's earned the right to call itself legendary. With a roomy stage and tiered seating, it used to be considered one of Canada's world-class club venues.

But Barrymore's is not available on Sundays because of Eighties' Night, the cheesy DJ event that involves disco balls, a bubble machine and hits of dubious quality. It's so popular that people line up for hours to get in.

Part of the reason for its popularity is that it's known to be a good place to meet a person of the opposite sex, especially on long-weekend Sundays. Here's a sample quote, overheard on the sidewalk the other night: "You told me we'd get laid at Barrymore's on Sunday."

As a live-music fan, this situation drives me nuts. Babylon is big on atmosphere and street cred, but if I had to choose between seeing a sold-out show at Babylon or Barrymore's, I'd rather go to Barrymore's, where one is actually able to see the stage.

Thursdays are also off-limits for music promoters at Barrymore's, when the club hosts an almost-as-popular Retro '90s DJ night. Although Babylon has its own popular Sunday retro event in Mod Night and a fun Thursday feature with the Soul Jazz Orchestra, Kronick knows his is a late crowd, and is happy to accommodate early shows.

Anyway, so there I was in line for the bathroom at Babylon (grungy as usual, with two stalls were out of order), contemplating this conundrum of the Ottawa music scene and trying to find meaning in the scrawled messages on the wall. It wasn't looking good: Smurfs are Asexual, Tom is Hot, Don't Say No to Mommy, I Dated Chef Boyardee and something poetic about self-righteousness dying tonight.

oh yeah, yo la tengo... forgot

As Yo La Tengo rocked, loud enough that I still needed earplugs, two things hit me. First, I wouldn't have seen them if not for Babylon. And second, the swaggering title of their disc, I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass, suddenly made sense.

How come? Because it fit with the graffiti.

Sometimes she gets it right, but these two she missed the mark by a long shot.

[bouche]

As a band we felt Westboro was a little limiting and thought we better venture downtown.

That is the ultimate opening of an official rockumentary. I love it man!