Let’s start this one with a disclosure: I’m not that big into music.

I enjoy music very much (especially as a background for writing), but I pretty much listen to the same stuff I listened to 10 years ago.  Every once in a while a new song gets thrown in (have you guys heard Imagine Dragons?  Demons and Radioactive are my new faves) but I’m not even close to the same level that normal people are on.

When I went to Toronto it was NXNE.  This didn’t mean much to me (although I’m very curious about St Vincent and would like to hear her music), but when my friend suggested that we catch an afternoon of music in the park I was up for it.

For starters, the weather was gorgeous:

Also, my friend knew these bands and I trusted her taste.  Thirdly, it was free.

The music was in the “dog bowl” area of Trinity Bellwoods Park (named because it’s shaped like a bowl and is an off-leash area).  It didn’t make for the best acoustics – especially if you were sitting off to the side in an attempt to hide in the shade, which kept shrinking as the day went on and the sun climbed higher in the sky.  None of the acts were miked, but that just made the whole thing more… charming.  It was very relaxed, very comfortable, and a nice way to spend an afternoon.

Plus, I learned about some new bands:

• Hands & Teeth
• The Gramercy Riffs
• …and others that I did not write down the name of…  (bad blogger – no cookie for you)

Another great thing was that a bunch of friends showed up (including someone I hadn’t seen for 10 years).  Yeah, definitely a nice way to spend an afternoon.