North by Northeast
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North by Northeast (or NXNE) is an annual three-day live music festival and music conference in Toronto, Ontario held the second weekend each June.
It began in 1996 and was patterned on the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. Each year, three-dozen music venues host hundreds of bands from Canada, the United States and all over the world. Each music venue hosts five bands a night (9PM onward), and the majority of the venues are grouped along downtown Toronto's Queen St. West, College St. West, and the Bloor St. Annex.
The music conference at NXNE runs for two at the Holiday Inn on King Hotel which serves as Festival HQ for the three days. NXNE delegates, panalists and bands playing the festival are able to participate in discussions, songwriter round tables, keynotes, demo listening and peer critiquing, legal clinics and the very helpful peer mentor sessions. The NXNE conference attempts to foster a professional environment where musicians, artists and music industry reps can network and share ideas within their field.
A film festival was added in 2001 to run concurrently with the weekend music festival and industry conference, in conjunction with the National Film Board of Canada. Films are primarily music related documentaries and videos.
North by Northeast is a volunteer driven music festival. The dedication and enthusiasm of NXNE volunteers caught the eye of Andrew Loog Oldham (the 2002 keynote speaker), who remarked that NXNE volunteers reminded him of why he originally entered into the music business.
NOW Magazine is a major sponsor, and its owners hold an ownership interest in the festival.
NXNE celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2004.
[edit] North By North East 2007 Highlights
NXNE 2007 takes place this June 7 - 10, and the first announced keynote speaker will be Bob Harris from BBC Radio 2 in the United Kingdom. BBC Radio 2 will broadcast a 'Bob Harris Presents....' evening at a Legendary club on Queen St. West live from NXNE, with several up and coming Canadian independant bands performing. About 35 Toronto venue's will participate in NXNE '07.
The NXNE 2007 Film Festival will premiere the first screening of 'Glastonbury', a look behind the famous outdoor musical extravaganza. Glastonbury is a film by acclaimed British director Julian Temple.
