NXNE Day 3: Dora Alexander and Indian Handcrafts

I’ve been told good things about Dora Alexander. That is, I hadn’t heard bad things. But when I heard them play at Velvet Underground that night, I can understand how they’ve kept a positive reputation. The plaid-wearing indie rock group managed to keep me captivated, at least for the first three songs. It was at that point I remember I was supposed to be taking notes so I could write this later, but I was more than pleasantly surprised with what I was hearing.

Multi-instrumentalists have a prerequisite of being talented and well-polished, and Dora fits the bill. Rotating your entire band every song can be time-consuming, and can needlessly take away from strong performances, and keeping the crowd’s attention is something worth respect.

Sound engineer nerd alert: impressive snare drum sound. The talent backing the band is just as important as the band itself.

But one thing that usually confuses me is the use of drum loops and samples. A four-piece of multi-instrumentalists shouldn’t need to press a button to play the music for them. I understand the wanting to achieve specific sounds, but I’ve always felt that more intimate shows should not have pre-recorded accompaniment.

But I digress, Dora Alexander is a talented band with brilliant songwriters, and anyone who saw them or will see them was and is in for a treat.

Next up, performing at El Mocambo, heavy-tone garage rock duo Indian Handcrafts. Think DFA1979 having sex with the Black Keys.

“This is a love song,” spoke the drummer before rocking my face off. I’m sure that most of the people at the show were there to see the Rusty reunion, but it’s still great for a band like this getting the good audience they deserved. Even Ian D’Sa (Billy Talent) showed up.

Indian Handcrafts played a solid set, and it’s obvious they care about their music. I suggest you see them whenever you have the chance, if not for solely for the fact that I am convinced they will be bring a battle axe on stage in the next short while. This is not speculation, they said they want to, and I’m all for it.

At 11pm, I was supposed to see A Horse And His Boy perform at Hard Luck, but they never showed up. It’s an unfortunate event for everyone there, as I’ve worked with them in the past, and any who would have seen them during NXNE would have had a great privilege. Fingers crossed the band will still be around come next year, as I’m not 100% on why they failed to make either of their scheduled showcases. You should check them out anyway, though. Have a listen at http://ahahb.com

Left wanting, I headed back towards Velvet Underground, only to stop short at Bovine Sex Club to see Cunter. Yup. I’m think I’m done for the night.

For the uninformed: Cunter (formerly Hunter, until a potential lawsuit) is actually a hardcore punk super-group, featuring members of Moneen and Alexisonfire. Stop being offended and go have a listen.