NXNE: Entire Cities One of the many reasons we Torontonians are lucky is due to the seemingly endless mass of people who choose to create here with us. They come from everywhere, and they come together. They provide the backdrop, the true soul of the city, and they do this with their art. Take, for example, Entire Cities, a self-described "Toronto Giant Country Band." The sprawling nine-piece has brought themselves, their music and their souls to our fair city — not to mention their brand of controlled chaos. "We're a dysfunctional family," admits Simon Borer. In 2006 he and neighbour Lauren Schreiber, who knew each other simply by, well, being neighbours, got together and created Entire Cities. In a hurry. "We had our first practice on April 19th," says Schreiber, "And played our first show on April 20th." The band has quickly grown and become a living, breathing cohesive entity, a community of sorts. "There're all kinds of different relationships that have formed out of this band; we're friends, neighbours, lovers, everything really." These key elements and relationships contribute to a diverse musical offering of fused country-twang, with elements of psych, punk and rabble-rousing beer-music. "We're wonderfully disorganized," says Borer, whose raw, abrupt vocals aid in bringing the different sounds together. "We're a really DIY band, and we just want to keep things independent." This off-the-cuff and highly original approach has caught on and allowed the band to grow and change in a manner that has caught the attention of several music types, including fellow Toronto twang-collective Rock Plaza Central who will be bringing Entire Cities to shows around the province. And that's not all that's coming up on the band's radar: not only are they playing a set at this weekend's NXNE, but always have a tour down east planned for later this summer. "We're very excited to play there. This is a brand new experience for us, and we want to enjoy everything about it. It's a great opportunity." And it's an opportunity to get their music out there. The band is constantly working and mixing things up. Though no LP info has yet been confirmed, the nine have "a lot of music" waiting in the wings, and are eager to get out and play it for people. "We really are a live band. We love playing on stage," Borer says with a smile. There is power in numbers. A diverse, important power that propels Entire Cities to do what they do, and create what they create. And that, of course, is what makes them what they are: they're a community; a collective of creatives; a city in themselves.