Broken Social Scene's sound could be considered a combination of all of its members' respective musical projects, and is occasionally considered baroque pop. It is characterized by a very large number of sounds, grand orchestrations featuring guitars, horns, woodwinds, and violins, unusual song structures, and an experimental, and sometimes chaotic production style from David Newfeld, who produced their second and third album.

Now, 10 years after Drew and Canning first started laying down ambient instrumentals in a Toronto basement for their debut Broken Social Scene release, "Feel Good Lost", that eternal question still lingers: What exactly makes a Broken Social Scene album a Broken Social Scene album?

For some, it's that omnipresent element of randomness and chaos which is a fine theory and all, except Forgiveness Rock Record was approached on arguably the most stable footing the band has ever had, built as it was around the core 2007-2008 touring line-up of Drew, Canning, drummer Justin Peroff and guitarists Andrew Whiteman, Charles Spearin and Sam Goldberg. For others, Broken Social Scene is defined by trippy, triple-guitar jams that slowly erupt into moments of brass-blasted rapture but while that observation may be supported by Forgiveness Rock Record's epic opener, "World Sick", it doesn't explain the manic, string-stabbed berserker pop of "Chase Scene", or the breezy, space-age-bachelorpad swing of "Art House Director". Then there are those who say the Broken Social Scene's sound is the result of producer Dave Newfeld's psychedelic studio magic; however, for Forgiveness Rock Record, the band decamped to Soma Studios in Chicago and Giant Studio in Toronto to work with one of their heroes, Tortoise/Sea and Cake drummer John McEntire, who punched holes in the textural haze and coaxed the band into delivering their most assertive, forthright performances to date. For a band that once sang "It's All Gonna Break" like it was a self-fulfilling prophecy, Broken Social Scene has never sounded more together.

Forgiveness Rock Record thus marks a clean break from the narrative that began with 2001's modest Feel Good Lost, accelerated rapidly with the international breakthrough of 2002's You Forgot It In People and then was nearly derailed with 2005's tumultuous self-titled release, recorded at a time when the band was flush with sudden success, but struggling to find the right tour-life/home-life balance. As the title not too- subtly indicates, Forgiveness Rock Record is about making amends for past mistakes, and songs like "World Sick" and the urgent rocker "Forced to Love" carry traces of the self-titled album's interpersonal anxieties. But primarily, the mood is one of acceptance and moving on and, by extension, of coming to terms with the differences between the Broken Social Scenes of 2002 and 2010. Conversely, the showcase of singer Lisa Lobsinger on perhaps the album's most thematically resonant track, "All to All", is a testament to the valuable role she's played as the band's regular on-tour vocalist since 2005, and the role she'll continue to play in forging the band's future.

Drew is careful to note at pretty much every concert Broken Social Scene plays, this is not about them; "We do this for you." Forgiveness Rock RecordForgiveness Rock Record. What ultimately makes Forgiveness Rock Record a quintessential Broken Social Scene album is not a matter of who produced the record or who plays on what song, but how the emotions and sentiments expressed within resonate through your own lives and loves.

In 2009, "This Book Is Broken" was published. Written by Stuart Berman, it details the band from its inception to its critical acclaim. In 2010, Bruce McDonald made "This Movie Is Broken", a movie about the band's Harbourfront show during the 2009 Toronto strike.

DMC Canadian Finals 2011
(Takes Place On: September 10, 2011)
We're on the move!

The 2011 Canadian National DMC Finals will now take place on Saturday, September 10th, 2011 in Hamilton, Ontario (Located at 242 James St. North, Hamilton, Ontario). We'd like to thank the organizers of the 2011 Hamilton Super Crawl for inviting us to be a part of their annual Art & Music Festival!

B.A. Johnston has released six albums and has spent the last eight years touring Canada on the bus. He's played in laundromats, laundry rooms, stag and does, church halls, legions, bars, bookstores and vegan cafes across this country. He has shared the stage with and supported acts such as The Constantines, Rheostatics, Immaculate Machine, Cuff the Duke, The Silverhearts, The Guthries and Joel Plaskett. He calls his music nerd rock at its highest point, dork lullabies and loser anthems. To learn more about B.A. Johnston or to check out his new record, "Thankyou For Being A Friend"

Please support me as I busk for War Child as part of Busking For CHANGE as part of James Street North Supercrawl, Saturday September 10th 2011. I will be joining other celebrated musicians to busk for change, and a whole lot more, on James Street North in downtown Hamilton

Money collected at each site, and through online donations, will support War Child, an award winning charity that provides humanitarian assistance to over 200,000 children and families affected by war each year. War Child works with children in some of the most devastated regions of the world to reduce poverty, provide education and to defend and fight for their rights.

With more than thirty wars raging around the world your support is greatly needed.

Please help War Child provide these children with the means to build a brighter future by donating on my personal Busking for CHANGE fundraising page.

Thanks for your support! We can’t do it without you!

Basia Bulat, originally from Toronto, Ontario, claims that she doesn't think she even realized the radio had more than one station until she was eleven or twelve years old. Since the age of three, Basia has been sitting on piano stools and trying to hammer things out. It started with her piano-teacher mum, but along the way Basia’s picked up guitar, autoharp, banjo, ukelele, sax and flute. In high-school her instrument was the upright bass – a lone girl among “eight-foot-tall guys, goofing off with the tubas”. There’s a sense of play that still suffuses her music, jostling under the songs of regret and love, want and joy. When her brother began in his teens to play drums with punk bands, Basia would be there with her demerara voice, joining happily in the jam. When she left for university in London, Ontario, musicians began to drop by her downtown apartment. Many nights were spent with these classically-trained friends, laughing and singing, and together they made a glad, bright noise.

Bulat's new record, "Heart Of My Own", was born after over a year of touring that took her across Europe, Australia, Canada and the United States several times over. When it came time to move ahead with the new album Basia said goodbye to the road, took the newly penned songs up in her arms and found a home for them on tape, reuniting with Howard Bilerman in Montreal.
Nearly all the songs on "Heart of My Own" were written while on the road: traveling between cities, crossing the Canadian prairies, searching for a place to stop in the Nevada desert, trailing through the Smoky Mountains, standing in the bright dusk of a summer night in the Yukon. Perhaps most surprising was the strong influence her short time in the Yukon had on this album. Basia spent five days and nights in Dawson City, where for the first time she experienced true silence. "I felt my mind was overwhelmed with ideas. It had been a long-time dream of mine to make it to the Yukon, so to finally accomplish that, and for it to be possible because of my music, was also a very overwhelming thing."

You have probably heard of ex-By Divine Right members spawning off into several well know Canadian bands (Broken Social Scene, Holy Fuck, Feist, etc). Now you can add another to the list.

COWLICK started one day in February 2006 when Dylan Hudecki (formerly of By Divine Right & Junior Blue) and his younger brother Jackson Hudecki (Alive & Living) recorded some improvised bed tracks in a studio out in the country. Since that time, COWLICK has made a name for themselves making intriguing records and videos, while playing memorable sets w/ bands like; the Coppertone, PS. I Love You, Don Caballero, Arkells, Hidden Cameras, The Reason, Huron and a host of others.

On their second album “WIRES” (released Aug/06/2010) COWLICK has honed their sound from the sonic mishmash of 2008’s “Eternia Hernia” into something more focused, song oriented, smart and sure of itself. While they take the stage as a 3 piece, they continue to find a little help from their friends on their records.  On “WIRES” the likes of Mitch Bowden (Chore), Lee Reed (Warsawpack), sister Kristen Hudecki, Terra Lightfoot, Jeremy Fisher & more, have provided their raw talents.

In perfect fashion, shortly after the cd release, Cowlick then released 4 wild viral videos, and at the end of 2010 "WIRES" wins the Hamilton Music Award for "Best Alt/Indie Recording of the Year". As a surprise to fans, Cowlick's then released their a free remix album "REWIRED" which is "WIRES" remixed by friends. It features DAVIDS, Straggler, E-Video, Kid Years, Slow Hand Motem and more.

Just out of the studio, they already have 4 videos in production for their upcoming ep. "Night Vision" which is presently being mixed.

Always drawing upon of bag of influences -- indierock, folk, psychedelia, hiphop, noise rock & experimental, COWLICK has created a unique body of work that is wildly unpredictable, solid, and bursting with ideas.

Wild intrigue. Dig it.

“Without risk there’s no reward,” says Dean Brody. “It’s important to be fearless. You need to be persistent. You can’t give up.”

Brody would know. If there’s one thing the Jaffray, BC born singer/songwriter has proven in his career, it’s that he’s not afraid to pull up stakes and risk everything to chase down his dreams. Fair to say that ethic is a good part of the inspiration behind the title to his new record, Trail In Life, the follow up to his 2009 self-titled debut, and first on Open Road Recordings.

“My life’s been kind of a trail – it hasn’t been one spot for thirty years – it’s been a bunch of different places, different memories and different friends. It’s about time passing and reminiscing,” Brody says of the album. “Songs about driving, good old times, good old days and growing up.”

But while Trail In Life may dwell on the good old times Brody remembers so fondly, his own trail in life and pursuit of a career in music has sometimes been a struggle – A ‘one step forward, two steps back’ story of perseverance, dedication and hope that, even if it’s not the focus of his latest batch of songs, lends depth to his music and lyrics. “We’ve moved so much and done so many crazy things,” Brody says, “but each leap of faith has been about the music, and they’ve all been big ones.”

First there was the move to Tennessee in 2004 after landing a 2-year deal with a Nashville based music publisher. Brody wrote plenty, and honed his craft relentlessly, but when the contract ran out he was forced to pack up and head home to Canada; taking shifts at the same sawmill he’d first worked at in high school, looking for permanent work as a miner and preparing to pack in his dreams for good. Instead, on the strength of an eleventh hour call from Nashville based producer and good friend, Matt Rovey and an offer of a deal with Broken Bow Records, Brody turned the car around and headed back to Nashville.

That second attempt at a Nashville career paid off big time: His self-titled debut, and lead single, ‘Brothers’, made an impact at radio in both the US and Canada. And although a waterskiing accident on the Potomac River during his first radio tour required him to undergo extensive reconstructive surgery, Brody persevered.

‘Brothers’ made the coveted top 30 in the US and had significant impact culminating in the surprise presentation and official ‘certificate of appreciation’ from the US Army for his songs’ contribution to the Armed Forces. It hit the top 10 in Canada, garnering multiple CCMA nominations in 2009, and taking home the award for Single of the Year. Both follow up singles, ‘Dirt Roads Scholar’ and ‘Undone’, went on to break the top 5 at Canadian radio and ‘Dirt Roads Scholar’ hit number 1 on CMT, becoming the most spun song by a new Canadian country artist in 2009.

“Everything was going great,” he says, but just when all the hard work seemed to be paying off a disagreement with his US label threatened his dreams again.When Brody made the tough decision to part ways with Broken Bow in September 2009, he found himself not only without a record deal, but unable to remain in the US legally to continue his work as a songwriter.

Once again Brody, his wife Iris, and their two young children made a move, relocating to the Nova Scotia’s south shore to regroup. Far from being beaten down by the struggle, Brody moved forward with new hope and energy, finishing up his second record, and landing a deal with Open Road Recordings.

You can hear Brody’s roots loud and clear on Trail In Life. Both the ones he first put down in rural BC and the ones he tried so hard to grow deep in Nashville. But you won’t hear the pain he felt from having them cut out from under him repeatedly. “I try and dwell on positive things when I’m writing. There’s a lot of me in these songs, but I’m also fascinated by other people’s lives and sometimes I’ll write a song and just put myself in somebody else’s shoes.”
Even when a song isn’t specifically about Brody’s own past, he has a singular talent for crafting stories so detailed you’d swear he lived every second of every line, and for telling them the way they should be told, up close and personal. And although Brody is sharing his stories with a wider audience now, that hasn’t altered his conviction that real life doesn’t play out under the lights, but in all the places we’ve come and gone from, the dreams we’ve worked so hard to realize and what we’ve learned along the way.

Recorded at the Castle Studios and Soundstage Studios in Nashville, Trail In Life includes performances by Nashville A-listers as well as members of Brody’s touring band, and channels some of Brody’s best loved, longtime country influences; Dwight Yoakam, Randy Travis and Alan Jackson among them. But this time out Brody feels he and returning producer, Matt Rovey, let his rock and roll side shine through more and credits Rovey’s talents in the studio as a major part of the success of the sessions. “Matt has so much experience; he can just stand back and see the big picture, whereas I get hung up on details.”

While that may be, it’s those details and the weight of truth they lend to Brody’s music that make his songs and performances so compelling. That, and a remarkable gift for telling both his own stories and those of the characters who inhabit his songs so vividly you can practically see their faces in front of your eyes and feel the road rolling by beneath you as you listen.

If there’s one constant in Brody’s music and stories, it’s romance – not the sugary candy coated variety, the real deal – the kind of love that’s lasted a long while and lot of miles. You can hear it on all out rockers like ‘Sunday Drive’, which takes listeners on a country road back in time to good times etched in Brody’s memory forever; on stories of summer love and autumn heartache like ‘Angelina’ and ‘Gypsy Girl’; and on more intimate tracks that explore the past and present of Brody’s life with Iris, like ‘Little Yellow Blanket’, ‘Kitchen Song’, and Trail In Life’s lead single, ‘Wildflower’. “Iris is a big inspiration for what I do and what I write. Everything I’ve been through she’s been through too and a lot of times she’s been through it feeling a whole lot more helpless than me.”

Still, for all the uncertainty that came along with every leap of faith – whether he’s recounting his own experiences with friends and family back in Jaffray on ‘People Know You By Your First Name’; stepping entirely into another person’s life for the upbeat ‘Roll That Barrel Out’; or blending his own past with the imagined pasts of others on the album’s title track – on Trail in Life Brody looks back on his life and struggles with fondness and goodwill rather than regret.

If the success of Brody’s first record was a kind of vindication for him, Trail In Life is a record his listeners can find a certain amount of vindication in them selves – A collection of songs that finds beauty and strength in the everyday things too often undervalued. Songs that linger on the moments between our most momentous victories and defeats, throwing into stark relief the simple struggles and small triumphs we all experience day in, day out, and celebrating them for what they are; the raw materials that all the best parts of life are made of.

While their moniker may elicit thoughts of a prehistoric past, Toronto indie-rock quintet Dinosaur Bones are nothing but forward-thinking, both with their musical ambition and continual growth as a band. Nowhere is this more evident than in the eleven tracks that make up "My Divider", their debut LP slated for release March 8th on Dine Alone Records.

With their sound originating in the bedroom of guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter Ben Fox, Dinosaur Bones have wasted little time of their young career pushing forward, turning plenty of heads along the way.

Attending university in Montreal, Fox was franticly penning songs without a proper outlet. A predicament with a simple solution, as he was sure the musicians who could help bring the idea of Dinosaur Bones into reality were back in hometown, Toronto. As the stockpile of songs continued to grow, Fox resolved to abandon academic aspirations, move home, and put the project into motion.

The band was a focused effort from the beginning, with each of the Bones having spent time in other acts. Says Fox: “It takes some time to figure things out the first time around, but our collective experience really helped us hit the ground running.”

It wasn’t long before the quintet was firmly rooted in Toronto’s indie pop scene, attracting significant attention within the city and well beyond. Shared bills with acts as diverse as Sloan, Man Man, Rural Alberta Advantage, Warpaint, Arkells, Handsome Furs, Crystal Antlers, and Plants and Animals soon followed, and feeding off this wealth of experience, the band continued to grow.

The core of Dinosaur Bones’ sound is perhaps what sets them apart from their peers. Though the band does indeed write in the realm of pop music, as Fox explains, the goal is to end up with something “original, creative, and most importantly, thoughtful.”

Like their recently released Birthright EP, "My Divider" was recorded and mixed by Jon Drew (Tokyo Police Club, Fucked Up, Arkells). Fans can expect more of the sound that Montreal’s HOUR weekly proclaims as “packed with feeling … whose delicate darkness almost belies its pop sensibility.” Should their profile continue to travel on the same tangent we’ve seen to date, it won’t be long before Dinosaur Bones is a name recognized – and a sound treasured from coast to coast.

Inhabiting the space that lies somewhere in between electro-ambient/drone, shoegaze, and krautrock. Hamilton's Electroluminescent has been creating warm and fuzzy soundscapes for over ten years.

Weaving layers of melodic guitar, synthesizers and percussion into a mass of sound that is familiar and inviting but is still just outside of an instantly definable space. With numerous releases on respected labels (Chat Blanc, Thisquietarmy, Black Mountain Music) most recently 2009 2s vinyl and download only full-length Measures .

The project began in a bedroom in early 1998 and stayed hidden away through three self released full lengths and four years. An opening gig with Surface of Eceyon finally brought Electroluminescent from the bedroom to the stage. Since then shows alongside artists such as Silver Mt Zion, Sianspheric, Simply Saucer, Early Day Miners, Holy Fuck, Below the Sea, Woodhands, Toshack Highway, A Northern Chorus & Polmo Polpo & across Ontario and Quebec as well as two tours of Europe have earned Electroluminescent a reputation as more than a studio project, a dynamic live act reinventing recordings into mesmerizing, 40-minute long epics that shift and change through rocking, rhythmic passages, to ambient explorations, to distorted feedback freak outs.

Hamilton's newest super group, Fry Truck is what happens when a group of talented singer/songwriters go for a joy ride, crash into a barn, and emerge out the other side holding banjitars, fiddles and pedal steel.

Fry Truck has already won the hearts and minds of local music fans and even critics, such as The Hamilton Spectator's Graham Rockingham who says "Fry Truck is going to take Toronto by storm!".

Members:

Mike Trebilcock - vocals / electric guitar

Hamiltonian Mike Trebilcock has been a staple of the local music scene for years now. Most might recognize him as the front man of the now defunct, Juno winning, (The) Killjoys. His debut CD, Shield Millions, shows Trebilcock embracing his folkier leanings, while maintaining his pop edge, and for the most part, he succeeds. Tunes like the mellow, funky "Today's Crossword", the country-tinged "Stacked Back To the Wishing Well", and the great reworking of "Dog Hill" (I love Kim Deschamps' dobro work) are fine indications of Trebilcock's talent and range. Trebilcock recruits the help of the areas finest musicians. Besides Deschamps (Blue Rodeo, The Cowboy Junkies), Carl & Tim Jennings (Freedom Train), Mike Daley (Uncle Violet), Sean Ashby (Sara McLaughlin), and Shelley Woods (Killjoys) are among those who support Trebilcock on the album's ten tracks.

Dave Pomfret - vocals / acoustic guitar

Dave Pomfret’s music career really began at the age of 13 when he received his first electric guitar from his brother Rick. That gift, along with days & nights of hockey, baseball & dreams of girls led Dave to form The Munday Nuns in the mid-80’s with Gene Champagne, Mike Trebilcock & Erkki Raid. “The Nuns” rocked the Hamilton music scene. Dave’s solo debut NO RUSH (Mike Trebilcock, Producer) has garnered significant critical acclaim & high praise from Hamilton’s music community. “On his first solo effort, Dave Pomfret demonstrates a mature songwriting craft that blends a rootsy grit with a natural pop sensibility.” – Graham Rockingham. 2009 Hamilton Music Awards Nominee for Male Artist of the Year & Folk/Roots Record of the Year.

Dan Medakovic - vocals / banjitar / accordion / madolin

One of Hamilton's most gifted songwriters, Dan's debut CD "Honeybucket" was compared by local critic Rick Taylor to the works of Dyan, and Van Morrison. Legendary songwriter Ray Materick hailed Dan as the "new voice to be heard" and says that Dan's music can "punch you in the head or in the heart".  Dan has directed most of his musical energy over the last decade to producing and co-ordinating local songwriter projects. His creation, The Design Hope Songwriter series CDs, have had airplay on CBC and have raised over $40,000 for homeless shelters.

Linda Duemo - drums / vocals / acoustic guitar

Linda began playing in bars at the age of 17, using her fake ID. By 18 she was an accomplished recording engineer working at legendary Grant Ave studios and working with bands such as The Rheostatics, Daniel Lanois, Tom Wilson, Gene MacLellan and others. After turning down job offers from several internationally acclaimed studios, Linda decided to retreat to a small fishing village off the west coast of Canada, and learn to write songs. During this time she discovered the music of Fred Eaglesmith and Willie P. Bennet. In a not-so-subtle ploy to learn songwriting shops from them, she became their live sound engineer. Soon she was performing herself alongside Willie, Fred, Colin Linden, Kelly Joe Phelps and others.

Chris Wheeler - pedal steel

Chris is perhaps Hamilton's busiest axe man. When not playing pedal steel with Fry Truck  he is busy playing in a number of bands and musical reviews. A truly gifted musician.

Matt Coleman - fiddle
Hamilton's most sought after fiddle player, Matt has recorded and performed with artists such as Canadian Winter, Shelley Adams, Ray Billing and now Fry Truck.

Carrie Ashworth - electric and upright bass guitar
Carrie is a graduate of the Mohawk College jazz program.  She keeps busy playing in a number of bands including Fry Truck, JP Riemens and the Bar Flies, Mean Old Hammer (which also featured Linda Duemo and Gord Lewis of Teenage Head).

If you’ve ever experienced a performance by the Hamilton Children’s Choir, you already know why they have a reputation for being one of the leading children’s choral programs. Going far beyond technical excellence, the choir consistently dazzles audiences with its focused sound, brilliant repertoire, and captivating stage presence. Guided by world-renowned artistic director Zimfira Poloz, you’d expect nothing less. Her character and passion shine through in the children’s performances; she and along with a talented Artistic Team serve not only as musical leaders, but also as wonderful and positive role models for the choristers.

This year finds Hip Hop in Hamilton in rude health. With rap icons such as Raekwon of the Wu Tang Clan, Large Professor and DJ Hi Tek sitting up and taking notice of the sounds coming out of Steel City, it would appear that the artists who call The 905 home, are on the right track. One of the hallmarks of The Hammer's scene these days, is a keen interest in creating a unique sound - which has led to praise for Hamiltonians, in both the national and international press.

As the scene continues to grow, SuperCrawl 2011 welcomes The Hamilton Hip Hop Allstars; an all star group of MC's, DJ's, producers and beatboxers who are making noise within the city limits and beyond. Not only will groups such as The Hi-Cats and Shing Shing Regime be performing the songs that have gained them acclaim, but the Main Stage will also see many of the artists on stage together for the first time. Hosted by Lee Reed and Kobi from Canadian Winter, this is sure to be one of the highlights of the weekend.
 

 
Shing Shing Regime
http://thewayofshing.com/
www.myspace.com/shingshingregime

Slur
http://www.getslurred.com

NiLLa
http://www.nillamusic.com

Hachey
http://www.soundclick.com/hashic

The HiCats
www.reverbnation.com/thehicats

The Phorce
http://www.facebook.com/thephorce

Lee Reed
http://leereed.ca

Canadian Winter
http://canadianwinter.bandcamp.com

Elley Jeeze
http://soundcloud.com/elleyjeeze/

Mac N Awe
http://www.myspace.com/macnawe

Jacques Greene is a 21 yr old producer/dj based in Montreal, QC.  He's been setting dancefloors ablaze around the world with a fresh modern house meets r&b sound.   Recently chosen by Radiohead to be one of the first producers(along with Caribou) to be featured on the upcoming remix album for King of Limbs.  Signed to Night Slugs and Lucky Me records.  

The road Halifax based singer/songwriter Josh Macumber sings about on the lead single from his debut album is one he knows every mile of, inside and out – From the smooth patches and the rough spots to the sudden twists and turns that can take your life away from right underneath you.

But Macumber's knowledge of the road doesn't come from watching the world go by from the comfort of a tour bus. It comes from his putting in over a million miles behind the wheel of a tractor-trailer. Miles you can feel falling away behind you on both 'That Road Won't Lead You There' and Macumber's ode to his 'old blacktop friend', Nova Scotia's Glooscap Trail, on '215'. More importantly you can feel the truth behind Macumber's songs, and the fact that he's lived every line of them back to front.

Macumber's life story reads a bit like a country song itself. Even as a child he was a bit of a nomad; raised by a single mom who worked three jobs to keep a roof over their heads while studying to be a nurse, Macumber went to a different school virtually every year. Even so, he says, he grew up feeling life was great and that he could achieve success in whatever he put his mind to. "I may have grow up in a 'broken home', but I was one fortunate kid. People just loved me, aunts, grandparents, strangers – everybody."

In a childhood characterized by near constant change, poverty and struggle, music was a constant. A force that shaped him since he was five years old; as he fell asleep to the singsongs at his grandparent's kitchen parties and watched his father, Al Macumber, play guitar as part of the band on The Tommy Hunter Show. "That's my first memory of my father – not with us in our house – on the TV. Music was always larger than life and I always used music to heal."

In high school he joined a local metal band and practiced guitar for hours in the 14-wide trailer the family lived in, but when he heard Alan Jackson's Here In The Real World, he traded in his electric for an acoustic guitar and never looked back. "When that came out I just started singing. I was hooked."

Still, he knew that living in a small town and playing guitar weekends wasn't going to take him far and that to find success he'd have to work for it. "Hard. Hard. Hard," he says. "I always worked. I laid floor. I framed houses. I painted. My very first job was at a car dealership, washing cars and delivering customers. Without my license," he adds. "It was a funny day when I asked for time off to go take my driver's test."

Even then the road called out to him. At age twenty, Macumber answered. Hitting the highway hard as a professional trucker, driving 320 days a year. "A hard ticket," he says, but peaceful in its own way and the place where he found his voice as a singer and began mining the raw material that would ultimately become this record – A set of songs and stories that take listeners down all kinds of roads. Some that lead to home and happiness and others that head straight to heartache. Songs that echo the best of times like 'Love Like This' and others that dwell on the worst of them, like 'Only A Memory' and 'I Know'.

After two years trucking all across North America and just getting by, Macumber and his high school sweetheart moved west looking for opportunity in Alberta's oil economy. A few years on he found himself with a successful business of his own, hauling fuel and supplies through the oil patch, up the Arctic ice road and to the diamond mines of the Yukon and NWT. "I was happily married, owned three trucks, three trailers and it was great."

Still, music called to him. "Back home people were doin' it, maybe on an amateur level, but I wasn't doing it at all. I was married to the trucking industry." With three employees holding down the fort in Alberta, Macumber headed east, planning to work two weeks on relieving his drivers out west, and two weeks off enjoying life off the road and feeding his heart and soul. But Macumber's heart and soul were about to take a sucker punch out of nowhere. And the good time country song his life was playing out like was about to go from happy to hurtin' in the space of few weeks.

"I was in a truck in Estevan, Saskatchewan, on my first two-week stint out west. That's when my wife called and told me she'd been seeing someone else and was moving back to Alberta to be with him. Now there's a country song," he says, laughing. "It all spiraled out of control really fast. As a driver you just sit and occupy your mind, but that can work against you if what you've got on your mind is what I was going through. I couldn't do it, and I tried, but I couldn't look at a truck, I couldn't go anywhere in one, so I let it all go."

Macumber sold his business and started a small excavation firm in Halifax, but rather than 'choke on the smoke of his past', he once again used music to heal. "I said 'that's it, I'm doing what I want from now on in my life' and started playing anywhere I could, to anybody who wanted to listen. Even if there were only two people in the place."

While the excavation business wasn't as lucrative as his previous gig, it led Macumber down a road that ultimately brought him to Nashville. "I'm not a contest guy, but an employee I'd hired to run my machine dragged me into one at CFDR 780 Kixx Country in Dartmouth, and the first prize was to sing at Tootsie's in Nashville. Well, I went in and won it." That created a bit of a problem, he explains, forcing him to choose between a 60k season on the ice road and a weeknight one off singing two songs at Tootsie's. "No contest," he says. He took the gig, sang his songs and was asked back four nights running – A decision made with the heart, not terribly different from the one he later made to take a one-off show with Barenaked Ladies, entertaining Canadian troops at CFB Petawawa, over a week long gig showcasing for a who's who of the country music industry at Nashville's 2009 Fan Fair.

Macumber's reception in Nashville soon prompted another career move, one some people might call dubious at best. "I sold the excavator and everything that was costing me money and said 'that's it, I'm going to have an album within a year'."

First though, he knew he had to generate his own material. "I didn't write anything when I was going through all the major stuff, but I knew I had it in me." In an effort to get it out Macumber picked up his suitcase, holed up in an apartment in a bat-infested house in Kingston, Ontario, and wrote…

While his raw songs had grit and heart and truth to spare, Macumber knew they needed some spit and polish to make it on the radio. Back in Nashville, with producer Gilles Godard on board – a deal brokered in part by Kixx 780's Frank Lowe – Macumber set about retooling his raw material with Nashville based songwriters Willie Mack and Ryan Roberts.

Less than a year after his debut at Tootsie's, Macumber found himself in the studio recording live off the floor with an impressive cadre of players: bassist Larry Paxton (Kris Kristofferson, Roy Orbison, Chet Atkins), slide guitarist Michael Johnson (the voice behind Bluer Than Blue and This Night Won't Last Forever), Keyboardist Michael Rojas (Big and Rich, George Jones, Hank Williams Jr.), drummer Mark Beckett (Vince Gill, Kenny Chesney, Charlie Daniels Band) and guitarist Richard Bennett (Neil Diamond, Mark Knopfler, Billy Joel). He also found himself being part of an historic musical event, Godard's bringing guitar greats John Jorgenson (Elton John, Barbara Streisand, Bonnie Raitt) and Brent Mason (Alabama, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson), to record together, face to face, for the first time on the studio floor.

"It was kind of a magic thing that happened," says Macumber. "They all came in there. Nobody knew who I was. They never heard my stuff before and I was just on cloud nine."

The result is a record that, like Macumber himself, speaks straight from the gut, but somehow manages to be cautionary and hopeful all at once. Music as genuine the man who performs it; a man who, in spite of it all, still gives everyone the benefit of the doubt in the hopes they're as well meaning as he is. "It may be gullible," he says bluntly. And perhaps it is, but it's also inspirational – Not just because Macumber has a way of looking at life that says he expects it to get consistently better, but because he's living, breathing proof it does.

Ask most musicians about the inspiration behind their latest magnum opus and, at best, you’ll get some barely thought out guff about wanting to emulate the Beatles/Kraftwerk/Miles Davis/insert any other exalted artist within the canon of popular music. At worst you’ll be confronted with shoulder-shrugging indifference: “Just listen to the music, man.”

Ask Junior Boys’ Jeremy Greenspan about what motivated the making of his and partner Matt Didemus’ fourth album, "It’s All True", and you’re soon basking in a multitude of cultural, geographic and gastronomic touchstones: namely Orson Welles, Howard Hughes, China, in particular Shanghai, Japan (the band, not the country) Banana Ripple ice cream, Carl Craig and analogue synths, but mostly Orson Welles.

But then Junior Boys, as their three albums to date (2004’s "Last Exit", 2006's "So This Is Goodbye" and 2009's "Begone Dull Care") attest, are not like other outfits. Musically, they marry everything from post punk, disco, techno, R&B and electronica with soul, dubstep, house, splintered pop and traces of world music into one cohesive whole. They are at once warm and inviting, yet ice cool; clever but instantly accessible; mercurial and utterly fascinating – all descriptions that go some way to defining their most comprehensive musical statement to date, "It’s All True".

And what of the album’s ostensibly confessional title? Well, again a Welles-like sleight of hand is at play. "It’s All True" was to have been a quasi propaganda film made by Welles during World War II in Brazil. In true megalomaniacal fashion the film went ridiculously over budget, it was never finished and is often cited as further evidence of Welles willfully squandering his valuable talents, which is something that can’t be said of Junior Boys. Believe us; it’s all true.

To learn more about Junior Boys, check them out online:

Website: http://juniorboys.net/

Live How You Live. It’s a sentence, a suggestion, an imperative statement. It’s also the name of a band. For four Canadian musicians, though, Live How You Live isn’t just the name of their band. They’re words to live by, words that describe the attitude that goes into their music and their career. Being unapologetically true to themselves is what Live How You Live are all about.

Live How You Live found their beginnings in a solo career by singer, guitarist and songwriter Carm Milioto. “Scenes from Then and Now” as a solo album, but during the recording he began to build a relationship with the musicians who would eventually evolve into Live How You Live. After a trip to Hollywood (and a gig at the world-famous Whisky a Go-Go), Milioto spent time writing in Venice Beach. The journey had changed his life and altered his perception of music; the new music he had written demanded out for a more muscular, less acoustic approach. He wanted the power of a full band behind him, and so he enlisted the work of Ryan Boyko (bass), Dylan Panton (guitar) and Todd Hornby (drums). The aptly-titled result, The Venice Sessions, was the vehicle that introduced Live How You Live to local audiences. It was a memorable introduction, too, solidifying a fan base immediately. The enthusiasm for the record excited the band, who decided to expend that energy by hitting the road in early 2009.

Still hungry and bursting with musical ideas, Milioto and crew decided to record a second album in the same year. Don't Stop Continue was released in October 2009. Don’t Stop Continue delves deeper into the group’s spirit, musical influences, and outlook. It features some of the band’s strongest material yet. “Stay” is a shout-along anthem “Stay” that combines a punky energy with the power of modern rock. The title track starts with melancholy before it bursts into a hopeful, catchy chorus. “From The Sky” sounds equal parts modern rock and ’50s balladry. Elsewhere – in fact, almost everywhere – the album rocks with roots in everything from classic rock to funk and soul. 

In 2009, LHYL – did nothing but hit the high notes. They were awarded Local Group of the Year (by Peoples’ Choice) at the 2009 Hamilton Music Awards, which showed how much love and support the group gets from the fans. They also won Musical Event of the Year for the Don't Stop Continue CD Release. The Venice Sessions was also nominated for the Rock Recording of the Year. It was a perfect cap on a year that saw LHYL perform over 70 shows, release 2 albums, tour the 401 corridor, play CMW and crack the Toronto market with three enormously successful “Party Bus nights” that saw fans from Hamilton packing Toronto’s legendary Horseshoe Tavern.

Taking the old-fashioned, hard-working route, LHYL continue to dig their way into the heart of the Canadian music scene. On April 16, they will officially release "The Venice Sessions" across the country for "Record Store Day", it will be available through Sonic Unyon Distribution across Canada. In between, the band remains in their hometown – and hometown proud to be a part of Hamilton’s noteworthy music community – writing material for their next release.
Live How You Live. Is there any other way?

To learn more about Live How You Live, check them out online:

The Cybernetic Orchestra is McMaster University’s laptop orchestra, an innovative electronic music ensemble now entering its third year of activity. The orchestra has performed in Hamilton, Montréal and Toronto – at TEDx conferences, at new music festivals, and myriad other events, alongside a growing roster of artistic friends and collaborators. The best way to learn more about what the orchestra does is to watch some of the videos posted under “News” on this site (esp.mcmaster.ca).

The orchestra is open to all members of the McMaster community (students, alumni, and employees) – the only requirement is a laptop (PC, Mac or Linux) and an interest in performing and listening to new, electronic forms of music. No software purchase or prior musical experience is necessary! All those interested in participating are hereby warmly invited to join us at our next rehearsal – contact orchestra director and Multimedia faculty member Dr. David Ogborn for more information .

Started at the beginning of 2009 modern field recordings was a way to validate the many break ups had and love letters written. a chance for the three of us to be honest with those around us and maybe help people that might be going through the same thing. noble? perhaps. emotional? a little. it was never our intent to wear our hearts on our sleeves that's just where we happened to find them.

You can only be what you can and our music is an example of that. just because we are not the clash or minor threat does not mean we don't have fire. just because we don't sing gospel in fields does not mean we're not spiritual. we think that holds true of all honest musical expression. that if you are true to yourself then anything you produce is a vehicle for change, for inspiration, for healing. 

We hope that at some point a person realizes that its okay to actually be the way they are feeling. even if that means yelling "you suck" at one of our shows. just get it out. whether its hugs or hate we welcome what you have to offer.... don't believe us? come on and test the theory.

There's something comforting about a band name that delivers exactly what you are expecting to hear. The band realizes the potential for a sort of kitsch status being inadvertently placed upon them. However those curious to dig deeper will quickly realize their conviction for delivering authentic and original hard rock tunes.


The band was formed in 2009 by Jon Harvey (Bass & Lead vocals), Jeremy Widerman (Guitar & Vocals), Brandon Bliss (Organ & Vocals) and Steve Kiely (Drums & Vocals) as somewhat of a side-project for their other more serious bands (The Reason, Saint Alvia). Quickly the original plan of getting wasted and playing sloppy rock got twisted into something new entirely. Everyone's influences gelled in a cohesive and exciting new take on all of the classic rock that had come before them. Quickly show offers piled up as well as festival slots and the band realized that they had something that was undeniably fun and exciting on their hands.


One of the most notable experiences came when the premiere of FUBAR 2 was rolling into TIFF on a flatbed truck driving through Toronto. The band was asked to come aboard to add their music to a mix of Terry, Deaner and dancing bikini babes. Needless to say a match made in rock n' roll heaven was quickly formed. Other memorable 2010 shows included two different appearances at the Sound Academy. One supporting Steel Panther and a second show for EDGE 102's Xmas bash with Die Mannequin.


Two EP's have been released since the band's inception. The first self-titled EP was recorded by Gus Van Go & Werner F (The Stills, Preistess, Hollerado) and was received with open arms and ears by eager fans in August of 2010. Eager to follow up the recording the band hit the studio and tracked “The Brown EP” with Eric Ratz (Billy Talent, Cancer Bats, Three Days Grace). The four songs it contains not only shows a firm grasp of the classic roots that enabled this group but also their ability to add in flavours of grunge and punk era greats they loved so dearly.


The band has quickly become known for their live show and the growing confidence on stage is now more apparent than ever. The constant show regiment and recording process is sharpening the band's delivery and there's no doubt that anyone still interested in original and authentic rock music will be compelled to pay attention.

"Self proclaimed "nature boy of the club" , Motëm's naturally expressive performances are renowned worldwide.   Whether he djs or performs his own tracks live, the energy and urgency he emits is unparalleled.
Motëm is characteristically hard to describe.  Lying some where in the nexus zone between Lunice and Diamond Rings, he is unique presence in the Canadian and World Musical Landscape.

The best way to understand Motëm is to witness one of his live performances and download his latest release, "The Forthcoming Mixtape" for free online via The Gebbz Steelo Boutique at: http://gebbzsteelo.tumblr.com/post/9363355772/the-forthcoming-mixtape-out-now-download-by
 

It’s all but inconceivable that J Mascis requires an introduction. In the quarter-century since he founded Dinosaur (Jr.), Mascis has created some of the era’s signature songs, albums and styles. As a skier, golfer, songwriter, skateboarder, record producer, and musician, J has few peers. The laconically-based roar of his guitar, drums and vocals have driven a long string of bands–Deep Wound, Dinosaur Jr., Gobblehoof, Velvet Monkeys, the Fog, Witch, Sweet Apple–and he has guested on innumerable sessions. But Several Shades of Why is J’s first solo studio record, and it is an album of incredible beauty, performed with a delicacy not always associated with his work.

Recorded at Amherst Massachusetts’ Bisquiteen Studios, Several Shades… is nearly all acoustic and was created with the help of a few friends. Notable amongst them are Kurt Vile, Sophie Trudeau (A Silver Mount Zion), Kurt Fedora (long-time collusionist), Kevin Drew (Broken Social Scene), Ben Bridwell (Band of Horses), Pall Jenkins (Black Heart Procession), Matt Valentine (The Golden Road), and Suzanne Thorpe (Wounded Knees). Together in small mutable groupings, they conjure up classic sounds ranging from English-tinged folk to drifty, West Coast-style singer/songwriterism. But every track, every note even, bears that distinct Mascis watermark, both in the shape of the tunes and the glorious rasp of the vocals.

“Megan from Sub Pop has wanted me to do this record for a long time,” J says. “She was very into it when I was playing solo a lot in the early 2000s, around the time of the Fog album [2002’s Free So Free].  She always wanted to know when I’d do a solo record. [Several Shades of Why] came out of that. There are a couple of songs that are older, but the rest is new this year. And it’s basically all acoustic. There’s some fuzz, but it’s acoustic through fuzz. There’re no drums on it, either. Just one tambourine song, that’s it. It was a specific decision to not have drums. Usually I like to have them, but going drum-less pushes everything in a new direction, and makes it easier to keep things sounding different.”

There is little evidence of stress on Several Shades of Why. The title track is a duet with Sophie Trudeau’s violin recalling Nick Drake’s work at its most elegant. ‘Not Enough’ feels like a lost hippie-harmony classic from David Crosby’s If I Could Only Remember My Name. ‘Is It Done’ rolls like one of the Grisman/Garcia tunes on American Beauty. ‘Very Nervous and Love’ has the same rich vibe as the amazing rural side of Terry Reid’s The River. And on and on it goes. Ten brilliant tunes that quietly grow and expand until they fill your brain with the purest pleasure. What a goddamn great album.

by Byron Coley

From collaborators Reid Paley and Black Francis (Frank Black of Pixies fame):

This album was recorded in two relatively short days this past September 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee. All first takes. 

We wrote the music for the songs in Paley's apartment in Brooklyn over three afternoons when Francis was in New York for a three day run at Joe's Pub. After which we each took half of the songs to finish off with lyrics, and Francis went off to meet what he sometimes likes to call "the old band" for another tour.  

A few days later, we were recording at Jon Tiven's studio in Nashville. We each sang lead on the songs we wrote lyrics for and sang backup on the others. We worked fast. Francis had Pixies shows each evening, so we had a curfew. Paley recalls finishing the lyrics to one tune literally a minute before cutting the vocal. The two of us on guitars, with legendary Muscle Shoals players David Hood on bass and Spooner Oldham on piano. Damn, those guys are good. 

Hope you dig the vibe.

Please support us as we busk for War Child as part of Busking For CHANGE as part of James Street North Supercrawl, Saturday September 10th 2011. We will be joining other celebrated musicians to busk for change, and a whole lot more, on James Street North in downtown Hamilton

.

Money collected at each site, and through online donations, will support War Child, an award winning charity that provides humanitarian assistance to over 200,000 children and families affected by war each year. War Child works with children in some of the most devastated regions of the world to reduce poverty, provide education and to defend and fight for their rights. 



With more than thirty wars raging around the world your support is greatly needed. 

Please help War Child provide these children with the means to build a brighter future by donating on my/our personal Busking for CHANGE fundraising page. 



Thanks for your support! We can’t do it without you!

Mumble On!

It’s not easy to label the kind of music Plants and Animals make, but it’s easy for it to feel instantly familiar. Maybe that’s because they record to tape, and their records sound like they could have been made in 1972. But for all their analog warmth, it’s also impossible to deny how raw and recent the songs sound, and harder still to find anything else that sounds quite the same.
Anyone who took their debut, Parc Avenue, into their home and hearts probably already knows this. Since that album was released in early 2008 the band has played over 100 shows, circling the Western world more than once, including appearances at the Pitchfork Festival in Chicago, Primavera in Barcelona, Central Park Summer Stage with the National, and even one night in Columbus opening for Gnarls Barkley, after Danger Mouse discovered Parc Avenue and invited them out. But regardless of where it happened, anyone who has seen the three of them perform live knows that their big sound isn’t some kind of studio wizardry.

Plants and Animals are Warren C. Spicer, Matthew ‘the Woodman’ Woodley, and Nicolas Basque, the product of a musical three-way between two boyhood friends from Canada’s East Coast, and a French-Canadian. As their name suggests, the band has been a creature of evolution from the start. Its first incarnation was entirely instrumental, with loose song structures that built sound around themes and came out like epic folk music. By the time Parc Avenue was complete, Warren was singing and some of the songs were even under four minutes.The only thing that has really remained constant from the beginning is the attention paid to detail in the recording process—whether it be editing tape with razor blades, or spending a whole day micing the drums.

Plants and Animals latest offering, La La Land, is louder, and tougher, but also showcases them their smoothest and most cohesive to-date. Inspired by a rediscovery of electric guitars, amplification and fuzz pedals, it takes us up and away from Parc Avenue’s Montreal-in-the-summer vibe, and out into the rock n’ roll ether. The album was recorded at the band’s home-base studio in Montreal, The Treatment Room, and at Studio La Frette outside Paris, a brokedown old mansion filled with vintage gear and a killer board in the cellar instead of wine.
Though plenty of wine went into the album. As Warren puts it, “the Paris stuff is like a nice Bordeaux and the Montreal stuff is more like a baked potato. Sessions in Paris ended by 10pm, sessions in Montreal by 6am.” Rum and cokes inspired the initial Treatment Room sessions in late 2008. The album’s first track, “Tom Cruz,” eventually came out of these late nights. As the Woodman tells it, “it was December, pre-Christmas, so we fuelled the session with rum and cokes. They made us feel like Tom Cruise. It gave us killer smiles and made our enemies wither.”
Ultimately it’s this sense of hilarious confidence that currently characterizes Plants and Animals, and also gives La La Land its cohesion. The Woodman’s drums sound bigger and groovier, Nic colours the album with extra guitars and keyboards like a mad painter, and Warren’s vocals have taken even more ambitious strides.
In many ways La La Land is just as eclectic as Parc Avenue, from California coast vibes to Montreal winters and Spanish trains. But there’s something more mature holding it all together now. As they might say in the movies, La La Land isn’t a place—it’s a state of mind. Plants and Animals have never been a band with much interest in posturing or unnecessary theatrics, but on La La Land the curtain isn’t just pulled back, it’s gone entirely.

Rah Rah's sophomore album, "Breaking Hearts" was recorded and mixed in Montreal by Kees Dekker (Plants & Animals) and was released on June 1, 2010 in Canada. It follows the widespread industry praise for 2008’s debut album, "Going Steady" and reinforces the increasing visibility that has accompanied Rah Rah’s relentless tour schedule. Rah Rah were crowned “Best New Canadian Band” and “Best New Alternative Band” by iTunes in 2009. The band has also been featured as Itunes Download of the Week and Starbucks Pick of the Week in Canada.

The band members share a collective mentality, taking turns taking the lead, both in songwriting and while on stage, and constantly switching instruments. The proud prairie rockers sing of the seriousness of art, poetry, love and politics, and contrast it with a stage full of confetti, pinatas, candy, and six friends loving life and having fun. But don’t let their fresh faces, confetti cannons and constant sugar highs fool you, Rah Rah are old souls. This young, seven-member ensemble artfully bridge sincerity with the absurd. Despite lyrics that touch on underwater sea creatures, stockbrokers, Saskatchewan (and now Montreal), and impressionist painters - their songs are built to break your heart. All this along with the melodic male/female vocals and diverse instrumentation (guitars, bass, drums, keys, violin, accordion, ukulele), ensures that a Rah Rah show will not disappoint.
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Rah Rah has had the pleasure of sharing the stage with the likes of DD/MM/YYYY, Library Voices, Minus the Bear, Cuff the Duke, Zeus, Holy Fuck, Elliott Brood, Wintersleep, Mother Mother, Malajube, Rural Alberta Advantage, Sunparlour Players and Young Galaxy to name a few.

They have also been lucky enough to play events like the Regina Folk Festival, Pop Montreal, Sled Island, the 2010 Vancouver Cultural Olympiad and NXNE.

Rebekah Higgs has changed since the shows where she placed paper-maché bunnies on stage. She’s a little different than the girl who would wade into shining pools in white dresses holding haunting helium balloons. Her music, in its youth, was based on the magic qualities in life’s experiences. An interesting maturation has occurred. Higgs has replaced her once youthful lyrics with the honesty and vulnerability of experience.

"Odd Fellowship" was produced by Brian Deck, who has worked with Iron & Wine, Modest Mouse and Califone. The album is a self-described psycho-doo-wop trip, incorporating motown, doo-wop, psychedelics, all encased by Higgs’ folk roots.

At times happy, often haunting, her voice is an instrument all its own. Sly and coaxing, everything is ethereal as Higgs’ voice is flooded over and over, layered by the Kaoss pad. Deck and Higgs performed the better part of every instrument on "Odd Fellowship", with guests Nathan Doucet, Chris Pennell, Jason Vautour, and Higgs’ nephew Easton. This album is a navigation through loveless territory at times, the wizened lens that comes with getting to know the night. But it is also hopeful. Never for a moment does Higgs forget about unconditional love. Darker emotions find an aloofness when combined with the clapping of happy hands. The arrangements are comforting yet disarming all at once. Songs “Little Voice” and “Asleep all Winter” evoke a dizzying nostalgia, while “Youth and Beauty” and “Drunk Love” are ripe for dancing or making out on the couch.

After a two year break from her solo career to front electro-glam band Ruby Jean, Rebekah Higgs has returned with a powerful and resonating album, lyrically and musically. It is obvious Higgs has had time to stare out more windows, take longer drives across the country, spend more time with children, meditate on when she’ll have some of her own, and perhaps even fall in and out of love a few times.

Like Ridley Bent's past records, "Rabbit On My Wheel" reads like a collection of short stories, showcasing the Western Canada based country artist's keen fascination for characters whose life on the straight and narrow rarely lasts past the nearest exit to a short, crooked road.

On Rabbit On My Wheel, the 2009 CCMA nominee and 7-time BCCMA winner's storytelling and songwriting chops are sharper than ever. But where Ridley's 2005 MapleMusic Recordings debut, Blam, and Buckles and Boots, his 2007 followup on Open Road Recordings, ranged far and wide across the continent, this time out Ridley sticks a little closer to his life at home and on the road in Western Canada.

While much of Ridley's new material is drawn from real life experiences he's gathered up on the road, "Rabbit On My Wheel" still has its share of shady characters, jackknifing tractor-trailers and whiskey-fuelled bar fights. And for those who identify strongly with Ridley's less reasonable characters - the ones who tend to prefer to stir things up with a pistol in one hand and a bottle in the other - there's The Blood Trilogy.

Simply put, whether it's love going strong but wrong in "Livin' With Her Ex", the straight up hooks of the album's title track, or the three way struggle between Junior Johnson, the whiskey and the wife, on lead single, "I Can't Turn My Back On the Bottle", "Rabbit On My Wheel" has everything listeners have come to expect from Ridley Bent and more - A smoking twelve-song set chock full of fast cars, fine looking ladies and fist fights that finds Ridley burning through a landscape of big country skies, with one hand on the steering wheel and one eye on the bottle every mile of the way.

Said The Whale formed in 2007 as a collaboration between songwriters Ben Worcester and Tyler Bancroft. The pair’s debut EP, Taking Abalonia, featured sunny west coast indie pop, with breezy harmonies, shimmering guitars, and lyrical tributes to their home city of Vancouver. In 2008, the album was re-released as Howe Sounds/Talking Abalonia, featuring seven additional tracks that stretched the band’s stylistic palate to include bubblegum folk (“The Light Is You”), thundering hard rock (“Last Tree Standing”) and gentle ukulele ballads (“The Real of It”). After several personnel changes, the group settled upon a five-piece lineup that includes bassist Peter Carruthers, drummer Spencer Schoening, and keyboardist Jaycelyn Brown. The quintet embarked upon a rigorous touring schedule, crossing Canada numerous times and landing high profile gigs at V-Fest 2008 in Calgary and the nationally televised Canada Day celebration on Parliament Hill.

The group is now poised to take the next step with the release of its latest single, “Camilo (The Magician).” With its gritty powerchords and sunny powerpop chorus, the single has already been dubbed the “song of the summer” by Grant Lawrence of CBC Radio 3. Produced by Howard Redekopp (Tegan and Sara, The New Pornographers, Mother Mother) and Tom Dobrzanski (Hey Ocean!, The Zolas), it will appear on the group’s sophomore album, Islands Disappear, due for release on October 13 via Upper Management/EMI. Unlike the west coast focus of previous releases, the new album draws on the experience of driving across Canada, from the van breaking down in Manitoba (“Dear Elkhorn”) to camping in Alberta (“Emerald Lake, AB”). With stylistic forays that include backwoods folk (“False Creek Change”) and danceable ukulele/glockenspiel rave-ups (“Goodnight Moon”), it’s the sound of a band coming into its own, delivering on the promise of its early recordings.

Name : Sara Lowes
Age : 27 Years Young
Eye Colour : Greeny-Blue
Height : 5ft 3 inches ( I think)
Favourite Smells : Fresh Bedding, Bacon, Christmas Trees (preferably smelt as individual smells)
Favoutite Authors : Kurt Vonnegut, Hunter. S. Thompson
Favourite Day : Sunday
Likes : Funny things, when a plan comes together, kindness in action
Dislikes : Chewing gum, unnecessary time wasting, arrogance, those who chew gum arrogantly
Funniest moment : Finding a Red Marble (ask Vicky)

Recordings so far:

“Tomorrow’s Laughter” Debut E.P
“Back To Creation” New Album Out Soon!

Also Appears On

“I’ve been waiting” – Collaboration with The Earlies
The Earlies – “These were The Earlies” and “The Enemy Chorus”
Micah P.Hinson – “The Gospel Of Progress”
Windmill – ” Racing Puddle City Lights”
King Creosote – “Relate The Tale”
Half Cousin – ” Iodine”

On the song “Night,” from Sean Rowe’s forthcoming ANTI-debut, Magic, the singer turns his rich, unnerving baritone to a moment of childhood innocence. Back then, he muses, you could fall “like a floating leaf,” and the earth would “look up at you and smile.” Rowe's deep, magical voice is nothing if not wise and experienced; he knows full well that after the innocence comes the fall. This ability to conjure dueling emotions – the elation of childhood versus the bruising of real life – marks the arrival of a skilled lyricist and songwriter.

“It didn’t really matter what I was listening to,” he says, “I would just listen to whatever I could find around the house, whether it was the Beach Boys or REO Speedwagon.” Getting lost in music was his survival instinct, a sort of “meditation,” as Rowe refers to it. In the kitchen, his mother would have to fight the melodies in his head for attention. “I’d just be in the corner, humming, making up songs,” he says, adding with a laugh, “I was a weird kid.” But his mother was used to a house full of melody. “Everyone on my mother’s side of the family played or sang, mostly big band era, the classics, but folk, too,” he says. “And my uncle was always giving me harmonicas, which I would sell for candy.”

For Rowe, an avid naturalist, his love for the wilderness dates back as far as he can remember—back to when he first fixated on the Native American images on his bed sheets as a little boy. He fed this fascination with trips to natural history museums with his aunt. “I would just go get lost in there,” he remembers. “I studied everything about Native American life and customs that I could.” These days, Rowe communes with nature on 30-day wilderness treks, for which he takes along nothing but a knife and the clothes on his back. “I feel sorry for people who are afraid of nature,” he says. "Magic" was recorded in the small upstate town of Troy, New York, in a studio above the space where Sean’s grandfather once ran an Italian restaurant. The recording process, as he describes it, was intimate and incredibly specific. Brushes of fingertips on strings, hushed breaths, even the darkness of the studio seeps its way into the record, enhancing its live, trembling feel. “I wanted to create an abyss, something to take you far away, a dark but familiar space for people to get lost in,” he explains.

Rowe’s honest and haunting songwriting have already earned comparisons to Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks phase, for his abstract lyric phrasing, and the way he crafts an experience of emotion, rather than telling a linear tale. Most powerfully he brings to mind Leonard Cohen, with songwriting which tends to build into powerful, yet vulnerable, cathedral-like monuments of sound. The song “American,” with its yearning strings and earnest piano bring chills and a catch in your throat.

"Magic" is Sean Rowe’s homage to what he believes in, to what he finds magical in the world. The themes of love, innocence, sex and nature prevail in its heartfelt, crafted songs. On the ambient, deeply resonant closer “The Long Haul,” Rowe’s voice crackles with life. “And I never hit the spring so hard/ a newborn song on an old guitar/ and I know what it means to be alive,” he sings. And like the most evocative, important works of art, "Magic" begs the question of its listener: What makes you feel alive?

This past year has been a very productive time for me and the Self Cynic project. It's been a time to both scale up and scale down how it is we do things. A time to prioritize what it is we hope to accomplish, which, after much confused debate regarding an ever-changing music business, we've re-confirmed is to write songs and record music. The word "success" is a complicated one; and never more so than when discussing the current music industry. But we're very proud of the sounds we've been creating lately, and the new collection of songs we have to share with you as a result. And our recent shows, decorated with enthousiastic faces, have been great fun. And that, in and of itself, seems a great success. We're also very excited about what's to come this year. The pieces have been put in-place that will allow us to continue exploring sonically, and to share our findings with you. Thank you exponentially for all your support and interest. Drop a line. We look forward to hearing from you sometime soon. -Matt

Please support us as we busk for War Child as part of Busking For CHANGE as part of James Street North Supercrawl, Saturday September 10th 2011. We will be joining other celebrated musicians to busk for change, and a whole lot more, on James Street North in downtown Hamilton

Money collected at each site, and through online donations, will support War Child, an award winning charity that provides humanitarian assistance to over 200,000 children and families affected by war each year. War Child works with children in some of the most devastated regions of the world to reduce poverty, provide education and to defend and fight for their rights.

With more than thirty wars raging around the world your support is greatly needed.

Please help War Child provide these children with the means to build a brighter future by donating on our personal Busking for CHANGE fundraising page.

Thanks for your support! We can’t do it without you!

New Hamilton folk-rock act, The Caretakers, released their debut album “Unfinished Thoughts (and other stories from the songwriter’s den)” steeped in their deep-rooted social and political advocacy. Unfinished Thoughts will help support War Child Canada with a portion of CD and online sales going to the organization. The band emerged from one of the original hubs of Canadian music—Hamilton, Ontario in 2007—although the original trio could just as easily have stepped off the stage of Café Wha? in Greenwich Village circa 1964. With folk music at their roots and the cultural grit of a working-class-city upbringing, Jeffrey C. Martin, Lena Montecalvo and Norm Van Bergen fuse rich Peter, Paul and Mary-style harmonies with REM-inspired melodies and swampy ‘70s southern rock grooves.

The Caretakers’ primary songwriter is Martin, who over the course of his career has gone from freelance writer to corporate writer to songwriter. A PR/marketing professional and college/university instructor by trade, he became disillusioned with the corporate world and began feeling contempt for what he describes as the “less-than-ethical mainstream public relations profession.” While Martin’s songwriting rips a page from the cold protest movements of the late ‘60s and ‘70s (evoking the dynamic tension between compassion and indifference), his songs are warmly wrapped in melody, metaphor and poetic prose.
   

"As the Caretakers get on their proverbial soapbox, there’s that definite ‘60s folk influences that permeates some of the protest feel to the songs on Unfinished Thoughts, but you could mix in some ‘70s southern rock or even early ‘80s new–wave/neo–psychedlia into the mix. Jeffrey C. Martin, Lena Montecalvo and Norm Van Bergen take stage front and centre, weaving some heavy social commentary into a tapestry of harmonies. Their name says it all – they write about issues that matter and they sing because their hearts are on their sleeves." — Ric Taylor, VIEW Magazine

What began as a barroom brawl, blossomed into a family of fast friends forged over a mutual love of folk, country, and roots music. The Dinner Belles call Southern Ontario home, and are all about good vibes and good times. Composed of singers and songwriters, the band mainly plays their own songs, but also has a large repertoire of country classics. They’re a new band, only playing together for just over a year, and they’re currently mixing their first record.

Some things take no thought, they just take heart. “Tonight Tonight”, the debut album from Toronto’s The Heartbroken might as well be a bandage for bleeding hearts and souls around the world. It is a visceral reaction to the blows of life and love, a moment to enjoy being on the ground, because you know you are going to be that much stronger when you get back up.

The Heartbroken recorded the album at The Tragically Hip’s famed and maybe haunted studio, which used to be an old coach house in Bath, Ontario. They walked in the door and didn’t leave until they finished nine days later and you can hear it all on the tape, every drop of love and life between them. The Heartbroken (Blake Manning, Peter Fusco, Damhnait Doyle and Stuart Cameron) had been friends for years and knew that the best times they ever had were sitting around the kitchen table, having a few drinks and playing songs, so they decided to write their own, go out, play and well, drink some more.

The Heartbroken started playing live with an acoustic residency at the Three Speed in Toronto and then on to the legendary Dakota Tavern (owned by Shawn Creamer of the The Beauties), where they stood up, plugged in and played so hard, they almost fell over. The Heartbroken wrote and produced “Tonight Tonight" and Stew Crookes (Hawksley Workman, Justin Rutledge) engineered and mixed the album. Whether they’re on guitar, piano, mandolin, drums, banjo, bass or monosynth, it doesn’t matter who’s playing what, they are lungs to heart and heart to blood.

"In some fashion we've been a band for a long time. Some might see the longevity of an ensemble our size as luck, or possibly a piece of happenstance, but to us it just feels inevitable. Many of us began playing instruments together. We collected some scattered thoughts of what we thought music might be, and eventually learned how to record those instruments. Truly, we’d have trouble telling you exactly when it started. However, we can easily tell you that we’ve gotten to do lots of exciting, fulfilling things under the The Rest moniker (this book), (these albums), (these videos), (this beer), (this label), (and more) - basically, we’ve been quite busy preparing our own recording, mixing, PR, artwork, etc. It’s a happy balance, but one that rarely feels sure-footed.

Just over five years ago we met Dan Achen, and under his patient (and occasionally impatient) tutelage, we unfolded to accomplish goals that had originally seemed to be mere pipedreams. We lost Dan earlier this year, completely devastating every one of us. However, the more we worked on our new record, "SEESAW", the more we realized that Dan's influence would continue to make itself felt for a long time to come – given his impact on the band, it would be impossible for it not to. In the spring we’ll have the new record ready for your ears, but in the meantime we’re excited to keep working, unravelling, resolving, refining, and starting all over again.”

Please support The Saints Are Coming as we busk for War Child as part of Busking For CHANGE at the James Street North Supercrawl, Saturday September 10th 2011. We will be joining other celebrated musicians to busk for change, and a whole lot more, on James Street North in downtown Hamilton.

Money collected at our site and through online donations will support War Child, an award winning charity that provides humanitarian assistance to over 200,000 children and families affected by war each year. War Child works with children in some of the most devastated regions of the world to reduce poverty, provide education and to defend and fight for their rights.

With more than thirty wars raging around the world your support is greatly needed.

Please help War Child provide these children with the means to build a brighter future by donating on my/our personal Busking for CHANGE fundraising page.

Thanks for your support! We can’t do it without you!

The Saints Are Coming

Based in Hamilton, Ontario, TURKEY Rhubarb is Dale Behnke (mandolin), Gerry Dion (guitar) and Paul Fralick (guitar). They sing in English, French and Spanish; and perform traditional children’s songs from North America, Mexico, Antigua, England, Scotland and Ireland. Dale, Gerry and Paul are great believers in diversity and singing in different languages is their way of supporting this value. They bring a fun approach to traditional folk tunes.

In Gerry’s words, the songs are unvarnished. They stand as they are and all listeners can respond as they wish. Dale says that the band is three seasoned guys who have not lost their love of music. In Paul’s words, the band brings a profound respect and interest in children to every performance. The band has been together for about 17 years; between them, Gerry, Dale and Paul represent 140 years of music experience. TURKEY Rhubarb has played over 550 concerts for children in the last 10 years, everywhere from the McMichael Gallery and the Toronto Library system to the Burlington Museum, the Métis Women’s Conference and Hamilton’s Festival of Friends. Dale, Gerry and Paul became TURKEY Rhubarb with their 1998 cassette album release (re-issued as a CD in 2003). Audiences always comment on their harmonies, multilingual tunes (English, French and Spanish) and Dale’s mandolin solos. Known affectionately as “tukie woobab” by one of their toddler fans and as The Rhubarb Boys by the children of Kilbride, Ontario, these children’s entertainers have gained a wide following. They have performed from Windsor to Montreal; from Niagara to Huntsville. TURKEY Rhubarb’s music is for dancing, clapping and singing along. Their harmonies, humour and sense of fun are worth a listen!

Dale’s music comes from his father, a tenor banjo player. Dale learned to play his dad’s banjo and formed a trio in high school where he also learned to play the clarinet. He picked up the mandolin shortly before getting together with Paul and Gerry in the late 80’s. Paul sang in a church choir (for 25 cents a week) and later played clarinet in high school. He taught himself to play ukelele at summer camp then moved on to guitar; in the mid-60’s, he was in a short-lived group, The New Folk Four. As a nursery school teacher in the 70’s, he sang all the time with the preschoolers in his care. Gerry, like Dale, traces his musical roots to his parents who had a group, Slim and the Golden Bar Rangers; they played venues along the St. Lawrence River from western Quebec to eastern Ontario. In his formative years, Gerry became part of the Golden Bar Rangers. Later, he was introduced to traditional Irish and Scottish music by his wife, Sharon FitzSimon and brother-in-law, Michael.

Songs such as "Saturday Night" and "Three Fine Mice" (from their first album, “TURKEY Rhubarb”) and "Chee Chee Cha" and "Tell my Ma" (from their second release, “Hello out there!”) have crossover appeal: they are enjoyed by children and adults alike. A new album of Christmas and Holiday tunes, “Soggy Mittens, Tingly Toes” was released in September, 2004. There are many Christmas classics on the disc as well as a poem and songs for the winter and festivals of light.

From Hamilton, Ontario comes Young Rival. This trio hails from a city most widely-known for its blue-collar work ethic - a quality that Young Rival have always proudly embraced. With a sound that is both raw and hazy, dark and melodic, this band delivers an undeniably unique brand of grit-infused, wildcat rock and roll. Their latest offering comes to us in the form of an amazing collection of songs, recorded in June 2009 by Polaris Prize winning record maker Jon Drew (Fucked Up, Tokyo Police Club, Arkells).

With shows and tours alongside The Sadies, Born Ruffians, King Khan and the Shrines, and Tokyo Police Club, as well as forthcoming remixes by Junior Boys, this young band occupies a unique - and important - position in today's indie landscape. They hearken back to a time where musicianship was primary; where a band's ability to collaborate and play well together was posited as the goal more important than any other. And yet Young Rival offer a sound that's both refreshing and current; delivering it with an uncompromising edge and swagger.

Critics have responded eagerly to Young Rival's efforts so far. Their self-released debut EP, recorded by NYC producer Emery Dobyns (Patti Smith, Battles, Lou Reed), was greeted with glowing reviews from press outlets across Canada, including 4 star write-ups in both major Toronto weeklies, NOW and EYE WEEKLY. Lead-off single "Your Island" rose to Number 2 on CBC Radio 3's weekly countdown and its video reached rotation on MuchMusic. Internationally, the band has received radio play on BBC Radio 2 and XFM in the United Kingdom, as well as features on trend-setting U.S. music blogs such as Stereogum and Pitchfork.
Young Rival's self-titled album was released in Canada in April of last year via Sonic Unyon Records.