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DJ Fusion & Ausar Ra Black Hawk of the FuseBox Radio Broadcast- Backstage at Yonge-Dundas Square for NXNE's Free Outdoor Hip-Hop Closing Concert

(Sunday, June 16, 2013)

What's up everyone!

The complete FuseBox Radio Broadcast/BlackRadioIsBack.com family was out and about earlier this month, getting out of our regular area of the U.S. East Coast and heading up to Canada for the 19th annual North by Northeast (NXNE) Festival in Toronto, ON from June 10 - 16, 2013.

NXNE had a lot of great international independent & mainstream talent on the Music, Film, Art & Comedy ends doing their thing during the week and also provided some cool information & interesting viewpoints via their Interactive portion with various panels & presentations.

The best way I can describe NXNE is as Canada's version of South by Southwest (SXSW) without the extremely overpriced registration fees (seriously, this is crazy affordable for all that you get with actual quality known and unknown entertainment), hipster overload of folks who give more damns about getting their pic in a Tumblr fashion spread than any of the entertainment & hotel prices that are actually nearby where the action is that won't wipe out your checking account for a week.

After about 12 hours on a bus from Washington, DC for each of the crew traveling on different days (unofficial "official" U.S. to Canada bus of the FuseBox Radio, Megabus, got us there in one piece) due to an insane multi-day tropical storm running up and down the East Coast, it was basically a lot of nights of fun checking out all of the NXNE festivities possible & performing at a few events ourselves mixed in with lack of sleep and random movie/documentary/TV show watching via Netflix (since Hulu Plus and Canada don't get along too tough apparently) during relative quiet periods.

Here are some pictures (all taken by Mary Nichols aka DJ Fusion of the FuseBox Radio Broadcast), video & random observations during our North by Northeast adventures....enjoy! - DJ Fusion/FuseBox Radio

The 3 best things about North by Northeast that makes it worth the travel, money & time:

1. Unlike some music festivals which seem to spend more time hyping up the "big" music acts’ performances while just tossing some other random performers as filler in between their sets, NXNE actually achieves a nice balance between cool indie music acts and the more known mainstream/mainstream-esque folks.

You get a pretty nice balance of old & new school indie music blog favorites, Billboard 100 chart toppers & “I never heard of you, but damn, you got skills” of different genres on display throughout the week due to the event's curators being adventurous & dedicated to their roles.

That vibe also extends to all of the other talents in the festival’s mix too – it’s not hard to find something or someone that will catch your interest of a unique artistic or intellectual bent.

2. NXNE is a huge event, but in its own way, feels more intimate than claustrophobic as s***.

A lot of that is due to the multiple locations – from lounges, bars & stores to the clubs and huge Yonge-Dundas Square showcase space (essentially the Times Square of the area) – having really friendly and helpful staff everywhere ready to help with everything from directions, future event suggestions (which is needed considering the 1000+ music acts alone, much less everything else going down) and other biz happening around Toronto.

Their website & phone app are also above and beyond helpful in trying to figure out not just where to go to each day with all of the events, but to keep track of your schedule (since again, a lot is going on and sometimes, your best laid plans of where to go & why can sometimes go straight to hell can at least can at least get changed a bit more smoothly).

It’s also pretty cool that the majority of attendees we ran into seemed to be at NXNE’s various events simply for a good time checking out whatever was going down, from “secret” shows to free and paid events. The lack of snobbery of various music types was relaxing.

3. Toronto is just cool PERIOD & is highly slept on (at least in our corner of the States) for tourist business and culture.

Public transportation around downtown Toronto (excluding cabs) is pretty inexpensive & clean, especially if used to DC or NYC metro area prices & environments to roll through a major city.

Plus, if you dig around enough, there are some great food spots to eat that won’t break your pocket or digestive system – chain restaurants & local area spots - in different parts of the area.

There are also stereotypical tourist-type things to do for days in the area that are relaxing to get engaged in.

Pictures:

Canada + Downtown Toronto
Throughout the Week

Made it through the rain to cross the border into Canada (via Ontario)...

A beautiful sunny day post-breakfast/almost-lunch eats while touring the city...

Some cool Aboriginal American art at the Bay of Spirits Gallery in Toronto...

More cool Aboriginal American art at the Bay of Spirits Gallery in Toronto...

Even more cool Aboriginal American art at the Bay of Spirits Gallery in Toronto...

Really random fellow playing the bagpipes in Toronto while waiting for the bus....

Some cool graffiti around the Little Italy section of Toronto...

Some more cool graffiti around the Little Italy section of Toronto...

Hockey Hall of Fame...

The NXNE 2013 Gig Guide....

Where a ton of colorful Canadian money was spent on vinyl records w/the cool staff and whatnot there at Cosmos Records....

At Crawford Bar
Wednesday, June 12, 2013

The outside of Crawford Bar, where the magic happened....

The official NXNE banner at Crawford...

And the official NXNE lineup poster at the location...

The Crawford's Performance Stage....

Ausar Ra Black Hawk on the wheels of steel to open up the event...

Hip-Hop MC Anami Vice (& his pecs) rocking the mic....

R&B/Soul/Pop Songtress Madia Singing...

Santiago x The Natural kicking rhymes & R&B....

La-Nai & The Free People making the crowd move with Reggae, Funk & Soul...

Truth Universal controlling the crowd with Real Rap...

Extra Extra Read All About It...

DJ Fusion on the decks....

At Lomography Toronto

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Outside at Lomography Toronto...

View from the DJ Booth during sound check....

Racks upon racks upon racks (of cameras)....

Ausar Ra Black Hawk concentrating in the mix...

DJ Fusion taking a break in between some tunes...

Pics on pics....

At Yonge-Dundas Square (Backstage)

Sunday, June 16, 2013

The soon to be busy stage full of musicians in the Times Square of Toronto....

Getting the crowd warmed up & hype with some Hip-Hop tunes & breakbeats by Ausar Ra Black Hawk...

DJ Fusion on deck getting the crowd warmed up with some Hip-Hop & R&B mixes...

Mickey Avalon rocking it out during his set...

Deniro Farrar getting close and personal with the crowd during his intense performance...

Fat Tony mic controlling...

The Underachievers NOT living up to their namesake getting the crowd hyped...

Smif-N-Wessun loves the youth...

Joey Badass properly representing dope Hip-Hop with the PRO ERA movement...

Ludacris making the crowd move...

Literal blocks of folks in downtown Toronto moving with Luda...

Performance Videos:

The FuseBox Radio Broadcast Presents the #MusicOfTheUniverse #NXNE13 Showcase

(Official North by Northeast [NXNE] Music Showcase)

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

9 PM - Until

@ Crawford

718 College St W.

Toronto, ON

FuseBox Radio NXNE 2013 Coverage: Anami Vice (Live)

FuseBox Radio NXNE 2013 Coverage: Madia (Live)

FuseBox Radio NXNE 2013 Coverage: Santiago x The Natural (Live)

FuseBox Radio NXNE 2013 Coverage: La-Nai & The Free People (Live)

FuseBox Radio NXNE 2013 Coverage: Truth Universal (Live)

Yonge-Dundas Square (Downtown Toronto)

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Free Outdoor Hip-Hop Concert

12:30 PM - Until

FuseBox Radio NXNE 2013 Coverage: Mickey Avalon (Live At Yonge-Dundas Square)
http://www.MickeyAvalon.com

FuseBox Radio NXNE 2013 Coverage: Fat Tony (Live At Yonge-Dundas Square)
http://www.FatTonyRap.com

FuseBox Radio NXNE 2013 Coverage: The Underachievers (Live At Yonge-Dundas Square)
http://www.ElevatedNations.com

FuseBox Radio NXNE 2013 Coverage: Smif-N-Wessun (Live At Yonge-Dundas Square)
http://www.DuckDown.com

FuseBox Radio NXNE 2013 Coverage: Joey Badass (Live At Yonge-Dundas Square)
http://BadAssJoey.tumblr.com

FuseBox Radio NXNE 2013 Coverage: Ludacris (Live At Yonge-Dundas Square)
http://www.Ludaversal.com

Good Afternoon BlackRadioIsBack.com & FuseBox Radio Broadcast family,

We have the honor of representing again this year at the fantastic North by Northeast (NXNE) Festival in Canada from June 10 - 16, 2013!

We're not only bringing our regular Black Radio musical vibes to the masses this year on the wheels of steel at various locations in Toronto, Ontario but via representing on on a NXNEi (North by Northeast Interactive) panel & doing our regular round of press coverage of the music, film, comedy, art & other events going on that week for folks to stay tuned for!

Every event we're directly involved in will be listed & updated below...

Hope to see & build with some of our awesome international music loving family up in that area! ^_^

1. The FuseBox Radio Broadcast Presents the #MusicOfTheUniverse #NXNE13 Showcase (Official North by Northeast [NXNE] Music Showcase)

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

9 PM - Until

@ Crawford

718 College St W.

Toronto, ON

Featured Music Artists Representing Some of the Best Independent U.S. & Canadian Hip-Hop & Soul Music Performing Include:

Anami Vice (http://www.AnamiVice.com)

Madia (http://www.MadiaMusic.com)

La-Nai and The Free People (http://www.LaNaiGabriel.com)

Santiago x The Natural (http://www.SantiagoXTheNatural.com)

Truth Universal (http://www.TruthUniversal.com)

Music Provided By: DJ Fusion & Ausar Ra Black Hawk (formerly known as Jon Judah) of the syndicated FuseBox Radio Broadcast w/DJ Fusion & Jon Judah (aka Ausar Rah Black Hawk)

Facebook Event Page

2. Friday, June 14, 2013

3 - 4 PM

@ Hyatt Regency Toronto

370 King Street West

Toronto, ON

NXNEi (North by Northeast Interactive) Panel: "What's In A Label? Indie Hip-Hop Back From the Dead"

Featured Panelists:

Mary Nichols [DJ Fusion (FuseBox Radio Broadcast)]

Blake Carrington

Brenden Hewko

Ian Steaman

3. Friday, June 14, 2013

11 PM - Midnight

@ Johnny Jackson

587 College Street

Toronto, ON

DJ Set by DJ Fusion (FuseBox Radio Broadcast)

4. Saturday, June 15, 2013

2 - 5 PM

@ Lomography

536 Queen Street West

Toronto ON

All Vinyl DJ Sets by DJ Fusion & Ausar Ra Black Hawk (FuseBox Radio Broadcast)

5. Sunday, June 16, 2013
12:30 pm - Until

Yonge-Dundas Square
Toronto, ON

Special DJ Sets by DJ Fusion & Jon Judah (aka Ausar Ra Black Hawk) of the FuseBox Radio Broadcast for the closing free outdoor Hip-Hop concert for NXNE featuring Mickey Avalon, Fat Tony, Deniro Farrar, The Underachivers, Smif-N-Wessun, Joey Badass and Ludacris!

For More Information about North by Northeast (NXNE):

http://www.NXNE.com

What's up to our BlackRadioIsBack.com and FuseBox Radio Broadcast family!

It's been a while (due to a LOT of good things going on behind the scenes with FuseBox Media with some structural changes and projects) since we've written an article here on the site, but it's for a pretty great reason.

During the week of June 11 - 17, 2012, we were able to touch base with our musical Canadian family in Toronto for the yearly North by Northeast Festivals & Conference (NXNE).

Now in their 18th year of existence, this event puts on a ton of showcases featuring interesting international music artists all over Toronto, a film festival as well as offering up a lot of diverse discussion in panels during their NXNE Interactive portion.

Yours truly in Press/Media Mode during NXNE 2012

After being on the Megabus for over 10 hours & crossing the Canadian border into Ontario (broke balling, but it got me from the DC Metro area and back in one piece), I was pretty much in constant motion the second I arrived in the city of Toronto.

From running around to the numerous afternoon and nighttime musical showcases of Rock, Bluegrass, Hip-Hop, Electro and Soul throughout town, to spending an absurd amount of money in the fantastic record stores that seemed to be everywhere and the NXNE Record Fair, meeting up with folks to interview, getting ready to represent the FuseBox Radio Broadcast on the turntables and checking out the film festival and panels, sleep was basically not a real option.

Some of the Toronto Subway System....(WAY better to ride this, the streetcars & the buses to get around easily around town than dropping WAY too much money in cab fare)

Various Views & Blocks in Downtown Toronto

However, I can't really complain about that at all. I can honestly say whatever type of music that anyone would like was on display somewhere during NXNE - and even during some of the unrelated events in town, such as a Michael Franti & Spearhead show I literally stumbled onto happening for free in one of the city parks after attending one showcase.

Unlike some music festivals which seem to spend more time hyping up the "big"/mainstream music acts and just tossing some other random boring performers as filler in between their sets, NXNE was like an oasis of cool indie music in the middle of a sonic desert of Billboard Top 100 acts and hipster music blog audio.

NXNE is a HUGE event, but in it's own way, feels intimate.

The staff at the locations I attended - from free events, to "secret showcases" to spots with cover charges - were very friendly and helpful. It also greatly helped that majority of attendees seemed to just at NXNE it for a good time and to cop a good drink (or 6), some tasty eats and smoke cigarettes of tobacco and plant varieties. Poseurs and cornballs were at a low, thank the Higher Power.

There were some dope indie Canadian acts I was able to check out live (Tasha The Amazon, Rich Kidd, Tre Mission & Brasstronaut really stick out) as well as some fly talent from States I wasn't familiar with until attending this event (Brooklyn35 Collective, B L A C K I E, Gangstagrass) and was blown away by the joyful, energetic stage show of the dance rock crew Art Vs. Science.

"KMS: Jewish Negros"

The NXNE Film Festival portion I was able to check out as stellar. Film festivals by nature seem to be a crap shoot but looks like folks lucked with with these movies one was able to see.

Seeing the respective music documentaries KMS: Jewish Negros (startling film about an Ethiopian Jew Isreali Hip-Hop crew dealing with their music careers, race & class issues in Israel and more) and Fugitives: Wax Live (amusing story about Baltimore, MD Def Jam signee Wax - now signed to Def Jam & his misadventures in Canada trying to perform at a rap show) was both entertaining and enlightening.

Overall, if people are burned out by paint-by-numbers festivals or are getting a bit jaded by your favorite music/film festival of choice becoming too commercialized & dry, I'd HIGHLY recommend getting your passport in order and hitting up NXNE.

Good music, films, panels and people were in effect to build with while not totally destroying your budget for the next 6 month or feeling like any time was wasted - can't ask for much more.. I'm really looking forward to attending this cool event again in 2013.

Below, we have some video coverage of some awesome music groups we saw perform live at NXNE as well as various pictures & such...check everything out and enjoy!

And soon we'll also have an special edition of the syndicated FuseBox Radio Broadcast with DJ Fusion & Jon Judah highlighting some of the great musicians at NXNE 2012 via interviews & music!

For more information about NXNE, go to their official website at http://www.NXNE.com.

* The FuseBox Radio Broadcast was able to represent in artist mode on the turntables at a few events...including at Urban Outfitters and one awesome surprise opportunity during the closing day at Yonge-Dundas Square in between great Hip-Hop acts like Killer Mike, Action Bronson, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah & more)

Pop/Rock/Jazz Group Brasstronaut Performing At Yonge-Dundas Square

Video: FuseBox Radio NXNE 2012 Coverage: Brasstronaut (Live)

FuseBox Radio NXNE 2012 Coverage: Brasstronaut (Live) from Mary Nichols (DJ Fusion) on Vimeo.

Dance/Rock/Elctro Band Art Vs. Science Closing Out Their Performance At Yonge-Dundas Square

Video: FuseBox Radio NXNE 2012 Coverage: Art vs. Science (Live)

FuseBox Radio NXNE 2012 Coverage: Art vs. Science (Live) from Mary Nichols (DJ Fusion) on Vimeo.

Gangstagrass NXNE 2012 Showcase Pictures

Video: FuseBox Radio NXNE 2012 Coverage: Gangstagrass Showcase (featuring Folk Band I AM Love, Hip-Hop crew Brooklyn35 Collective & Bluegrass/Hip-Hop crew Gangstagrass)