It’s summer time. And of course, with wonderful weather comes the wonderful music festivals. Toronto doesn’t host Lollapalooza or anything (hell, we’re apparently not even hosting the Virgin Festival anymore), but we do have Summerworks and NXNE. Here’s a quick update.

Although the full NXNE lineup won’t be announced until mid-May, a brief teaser was recently released. The following have been confirmed so far by the organizers:

Aids Wolf
Angela Desveaux
Arizona
Awkward I
Benny Crespo’s Gang
Black Lips
Burning Brides
Experimental Dental School
Fake Blood
Film Noir
Health
Kill Krinkle Klub
King Khan & BBQ Show
Little Girls
Little Teeth
Matt and Kim
Midnight Peacocks
Mika Miko
Ninjasonik
No Age
Pink Noise
Svjata Vatra
The Coathangers
The Homosexuals
These are Powers
United Steelworkers of Montreal
Woodpigeon

NOW also reports that NXNE and Luminato will co-present Do Make Say Think, Final Fantasy, and Berlin’sRobert Lippok at Yonge-Dundas Square, performing a collaboration of a soundtrack to the 1919 silent film, “Tales of The Uncanny” on June 11. This event is free and all-ages.

Though no specific venues and dates are confirmed by NXNE, I was able to dig up that Fake Blood will be at Wrongbar on June 20th (via The Windish Agency).

Also, thanks to ‘For the Records’ for pointing out that The Black Lips, Burning Brides and Melissa Auf Der Maur will be playing a free show at Yonge-Dundas Square on June 18th; brought to you by MySpace Canada.

IHeartMusic will be holding a showcase at the Drake Hotel on June 18th, featuring Amos the Transparent, The Balconies, Black Hat Brigade, and Oh No Forest Fires.

Dan Burke’s NeXT-at-NXNE showcase will include Red Mass, The Zoobombs, Catl, The Golden Triangle, The Two Koreas, The Sedatives, “Pizza Party” DJs, Teen Anger, Hexes & Ohs, Revolvers, and the Mark Inside.

Other acts confirmed through various sources are: Ruby Jean and the Thoghtful Bees, Bass Lions, Dinosaur Bones, Megan Hamilton and Volunteer Canola, The Paint Movement, Alphabot! and Parlour Steps.

That is all I can rummage up for now. We’ll keep you posted!

Summerworks is also back this year and via Gracing the Stage, there will be a launch party on May 3rd at the Theatre Centre featuring Bob Wiseman, Nils Edenloff (of The Rural Alberta Advantage), and Foxfire. For more information, click here!

And last but not least, as mentioned at the beginning of my post, this year’s Virgin Festival appears to have moved to Orillia, Ontario. Someone tell me this is a joke. It’s also rumoured to be taking place on August 29-30, but with other festivals such as the Outside Lands Fest and Reading Festival, who the hell is left for V-Fest? Again…this has to be a joke, right? Let’s hope so. Read more about this mystery here.

Musically,
Melody