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The Two Koreas: What Happens When a Band of Music Critics Play NXNE

Chromewaves Stuart Berman is the singer of Toronto post-punk garage-rock band the Two Koreas, who performed twice at this year's NXNE festival. He's also the online editor of Toronto city magazine The Grid, overseeing and contributing to their daily NXNE coverage. Spinner asked him to write about what it's like to experience NXNE from both ...

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SXSW: The Canadians Who Took Over Texas

Once upon a time, the term "Canadian music" was, for many Americans, a joke, delivered by Celine Dion, punchlined by Bryan Adams, and wrapped in a Loverboy headband. But like our socialized healthcare system, legal gay marriages, generous artist grants and 6-per-cent-alcohol beer, Canada's musical output has become a coveted commodity over the past ...

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Serena-Maneesh Says No Rock for Oil

When Spinner catches up with Emil Nikolaisen at an Oslo bar on the closing night of the by:Larm festival, the Serena-Maneesh frontman immediately apologizes for being a little tense and agitated. He's just arrived from a nearby awards ceremony where his noise-pop outfit was one of 10 Norwegian acts in the running for a substantial 800,000 kroner ...

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Best of by:Larm Fest's Rest: Five Scandinavian Acts You Need to Hear Now

While some may question the logic of hosting a multi-venue, club-crawl music festival in the middle of a Norwegian deep freeze, the organizers behind Oslo's by:Larm festival -- which wrapped up three days of boozin' and schmoozin' on Saturday night -- understand there's no better way to beat the mid-February chill than to cram into intimate venues ...

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HBO Making 'Boogie Nights'-like Movie About Music Industry's 'Spectacular Crash'

Much like North American music industry get-togethers SXSW and CMJ, Oslo's by:larm festival livens up its afternoon-seminar schedule with celebrity Q&A events. Among this year's guests of honour -- including Joy Division/New Order bassist Peter Hook, Undertones frontman Feargal Sharkey, Karl Bartos of Kraftwerk, Rough Trade Records boss Geoff ...

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Serena-Maneesh and Efterklang Double-Up at 4AD's by:Larm Showcase

Friday afternoon at by:Larm, a panel of music journalists gathered in an Oslo conference room to discuss their fate in the age of the blogger. More than just waxing eloquently about favourite records, the job description now includes 18-hour work days, video, podcasts and SEO-optimization. But music critics aren't the only ones in Oslo ...

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Creation Records' Alan McGee Says My Bloody Valentine 'Depress Me'

Each February for the past 12 years, Norway's by:Larm festival has showcased emergent Scandinavian artists to visiting international media and industry, hosting early-career sets from future breakout acts like Lykke Li and Ida Maria. But at today's festival opening Q&A address, it turned the spotlight over to Alan McGee, a 49-year-old ...

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