By Becca Lemire
For all of you out there who got down with NXNE and all that it had to offer Toronto on a Thursday night (like the secret Japandroid show), sleep in, take a cold shower later and put your party boots on for what will be one of the best weekends of your year. Starting it off at midnight are The Rival Boys playing at the Painted Lady (218 Ossington Ave, just south of Dundas). If you haven’t already heard or heard of them, they’re one of those bands that have been around the local circuit for several years, rotating between Lee’s Palace, The Garrison, Rancho Relaxo, and everywhere in between, building a solid fan base, internet followers, and a rep. But they truly deserve more fans, bigger shows and some props for putting on a hell of a live show that is not to be missed. Word is slowly spreading and I wish these hometown heroes all the best. The Rival Boys consists of trio Lee and Graeme Rose, (brother and sister, vocals, guitar, bass, violin) and Sam Sholdice (drums) and they play together onstage like a well-oiled Benz: hard, fast rock with perfectly timed moments of deafening silence for effect, paired with slow romantic anthems and powerful vocals from Lee, front woman of the band. They’ll be playing some new songs and old favorites, and they’re getting ready to record their LP this summer after almost selling out they’re EP released in spring ‘09. A few copies will be for sale tonight. Listen to a track or two on their MySpace www.myspace.com/therivalboys before adding this show to your roster. Happy music-ing everyone! This weekend is gonna be a massive blast.