PS I Love You Sonic Warriors"There isn't a movie called Death Dreams, is there?" Paul Saulnier asks over french fries and pints, hours before PS I Love You play their Canadian Music Week gig. The bearded 'n' bespectacled singer/guitarist for the Kingston, ON band is about to learn that the title he's given his new...
Cancer Bats Live Through ThisInside a laser light-filled bar just off of Austin's manic Sixth Street, Cancer Bats are ripping through the final set of the night, a 1 a.m. SXSW showcase for their British management. The evening's lone heavy band, their monstrous wall of amps and haggard hesher vibe work in stark contrast with...
Grimes The Accidental Pop StarNo matter how tech-savvy she appears when producing music, conducting live performances or directing music videos, Claire Boucher refuses to join the 21st century and own a cell phone. "If I had a phone I would literally be answering the phone and text messages all the time," she explains from her...
Lamb of God New Year's Resolution"I've done a lot of shit in my life; a lot of crazy shit, a lot of cool shit, a lot of stuff that I'm not so proud of and I wouldn't change any of it," says Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe. Several years ago, Blythe found some notoriety after he got into a gnarly, drunken fist fight with his own...
Waiting on The Weeknd"Can't believe I made it, but I made it that's for sure." "The Party & The After Party" (House of Balloons) On an unseasonably warm Sunday evening in November, local Toronto radio station Flow 93.5 FM has scored somewhat of a coup ― an exclusive live in-studio with Toronto's own...
Tom Waits The Bad And The Beautiful"The amount of time that you spend on anything should not, and will never, directly correspond to how important or interesting it is," Tom Waits says. "A moment of inspiration will far surpass spending six years on something." Most fans of Waits would surely concur, and in large part prefer it...
Feist New Beginnings"I didn't want to play music anymore. I needed to think maybe I was gonna open a bookstore or learn how to surf and never come back." It was 2008 and Leslie Feist, Canada's indie pop darling (and occasional Broken Social Scenester) was ready to quit being Feist. For seven years the road was...
Beirut Independence DayEven as Zach Condon was releasing his 2009 double EP March of the Zapotec/Holland, the founder, singer and songwriter for Beirut already knew what his new record, The Rip Tide, was going to sound like. "I knew the moment I finished those EPs that this was what I was going to do...
Odd Future Teeth of the StormNo one in the last 18 months has garnered as much attention, controversy, buzz and hype as the Odd Future collective. At the same time, few acts in music history have been as challenging to get a grip on. Odd Future is not its biggest voice, Tyler, the Creator. The presence of out lesbian Syd Tha...
Bon Iver Imaginary PlacesI just don't give a shit if I make a record that everyone hates if I love it." Justin Vernon, aka Bon Iver, is a few weeks from launching his highly-anticipated second album, the eponymous Bon Iver, Bon Iver. It's been four years since he self-released For Emma, Forever Ago, a...
Black Lips Raw Meat and Human Skulls"We're getting pulled over right now by the French police. I think it might be a drug bust, but no worries, we're clean. We cool." Having an interview with Black Lips derailed by a random police interrogation in a foreign land isn't really a surprise. In fact, it only confirms the legend. When...
Miracle Fortress Solitary ManIf Graham Van Pelt could shelter himself from the music industry in the cosy confines of his home in Montreal, QC, the musician's life would suit him just fine. But as someone who's toured the world and released critically acclaimed albums with two bands should know, putting yourself out there is...
Timber Timbre Behind the MaskTimber Timbre are happiest when visually represented by spooky, blurry and otherworldly images that evoke their music. But as their popularity grows, demands like photo shoots increase, so the band have taken a break from rehearsals to convene in the faded 19th century glory of Toronto's Great Hall...
PJ Harvey War Stories"I don't really think of myself as much of a musician." Coming from the mouth of Polly Jean Harvey, those words are a startling admission. Considering the distinguished career she's led over the last two decades, it's impossible not to disagree. One glance at the instruments Harvey has employed...
The Decemberists Barnstorming"After this record, we're going to take a nice long break." Colin Meloy isn't ready to call it quits with his indie rock band the Decemberists, but after a decade together he's looking ahead ― which means tying up some loose ends in the form of the band's sixth album, The King is Dead....
Diamond Rings Glam By Design"Who wouldn't want to paint their face? It's the reason that kids go to the summer fair. You can become Batman or a Ninja Turtle. It allows you to embody this identity that is more than your constituent parts, it's this thing that takes over." John O'Regan is an avid face painter. It's a...
Deerhunter All Access"I just peed," Bradford Cox informs me over the phone from his Atlanta residence. "Man, you're getting to experience everything about me today." It's more than an hour into our conversation and it's been more revealing than expected. Over the course of our chat I will disturb Bradford on a Sunday...
Land of Talk Finding A Voice"I'm sorry, I'm so soaked!" Elizabeth Powell apologizes as she approaches and immediately leans in to greet me with a hug despite the fact that, just moments before, the skies emptied a sweltering hot summer's worth of pent-up precipitation over downtown Toronto. Bounding through the downpour into...
Scott Pilgrim's Musical Little LifeClick here for your chance to win a CD copy of the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World original motion picture soundtrack. Scott Pilgrim will knock you on your ass. His superpower? Being awesome. Thanks to Bryan Lee O'Malley's six-part graphic novel series, the 23-year-old slacker musician...
The Gaslight Anthem Signature SoundThe Gaslight Anthem aren't carrying their past with them anymore. With two albums in successive years (their debut Sink or Swim in 2007 and the career-altering 2008 release The '59 Sound), the rock'n'roll punk-tinged quartet heard the comparisons countless times over. And they weren't...
POP & ROCK: Beach House - Bloom
"There isn't a movie called Death Dreams, is there?" Paul Saulnier asks over french fries and pints, hours before PS I Love You play their Canadian Music Week gig. The bearded 'n' bespectacled singer/guitarist for the Kingston, ON band is about to learn that the title he's given his new...
Inside a laser light-filled bar just off of Austin's manic Sixth Street, Cancer Bats are ripping through the final set of the night, a 1 a.m. SXSW showcase for their British management. The evening's lone heavy band, their monstrous wall of amps and haggard hesher vibe work in stark contrast with...
No matter how tech-savvy she appears when producing music, conducting live performances or directing music videos, Claire Boucher refuses to join the 21st century and own a cell phone. "If I had a phone I would literally be answering the phone and text messages all the time," she explains from her...
"I've done a lot of shit in my life; a lot of crazy shit, a lot of cool shit, a lot of stuff that I'm not so proud of and I wouldn't change any of it," says Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe. Several years ago, Blythe found some notoriety after he got into a gnarly, drunken fist fight with his own...
"Can't believe I made it, but I made it that's for sure." "The Party & The After Party" (House of Balloons) On an unseasonably warm Sunday evening in November, local Toronto radio station Flow 93.5 FM has scored somewhat of a coup ― an exclusive live in-studio with Toronto's own...
"The amount of time that you spend on anything should not, and will never, directly correspond to how important or interesting it is," Tom Waits says. "A moment of inspiration will far surpass spending six years on something." Most fans of Waits would surely concur, and in large part prefer it...
"I didn't want to play music anymore. I needed to think maybe I was gonna open a bookstore or learn how to surf and never come back." It was 2008 and Leslie Feist, Canada's indie pop darling (and occasional Broken Social Scenester) was ready to quit being Feist. For seven years the road was...
Even as Zach Condon was releasing his 2009 double EP March of the Zapotec/Holland, the founder, singer and songwriter for Beirut already knew what his new record, The Rip Tide, was going to sound like. "I knew the moment I finished those EPs that this was what I was going to do...
No one in the last 18 months has garnered as much attention, controversy, buzz and hype as the Odd Future collective. At the same time, few acts in music history have been as challenging to get a grip on. Odd Future is not its biggest voice, Tyler, the Creator. The presence of out lesbian Syd Tha...
I just don't give a shit if I make a record that everyone hates if I love it." Justin Vernon, aka Bon Iver, is a few weeks from launching his highly-anticipated second album, the eponymous Bon Iver, Bon Iver. It's been four years since he self-released For Emma, Forever Ago, a...
"We're getting pulled over right now by the French police. I think it might be a drug bust, but no worries, we're clean. We cool." Having an interview with Black Lips derailed by a random police interrogation in a foreign land isn't really a surprise. In fact, it only confirms the legend. When...-s.jpg)
If Graham Van Pelt could shelter himself from the music industry in the cosy confines of his home in Montreal, QC, the musician's life would suit him just fine. But as someone who's toured the world and released critically acclaimed albums with two bands should know, putting yourself out there is...
Timber Timbre are happiest when visually represented by spooky, blurry and otherworldly images that evoke their music. But as their popularity grows, demands like photo shoots increase, so the band have taken a break from rehearsals to convene in the faded 19th century glory of Toronto's Great Hall...
"I don't really think of myself as much of a musician." Coming from the mouth of Polly Jean Harvey, those words are a startling admission. Considering the distinguished career she's led over the last two decades, it's impossible not to disagree. One glance at the instruments Harvey has employed...
"After this record, we're going to take a nice long break." Colin Meloy isn't ready to call it quits with his indie rock band the Decemberists, but after a decade together he's looking ahead ― which means tying up some loose ends in the form of the band's sixth album, The King is Dead....
"Who wouldn't want to paint their face? It's the reason that kids go to the summer fair. You can become Batman or a Ninja Turtle. It allows you to embody this identity that is more than your constituent parts, it's this thing that takes over." John O'Regan is an avid face painter. It's a...
"I just peed," Bradford Cox informs me over the phone from his Atlanta residence. "Man, you're getting to experience everything about me today." It's more than an hour into our conversation and it's been more revealing than expected. Over the course of our chat I will disturb Bradford on a Sunday...
"I'm sorry, I'm so soaked!" Elizabeth Powell apologizes as she approaches and immediately leans in to greet me with a hug despite the fact that, just moments before, the skies emptied a sweltering hot summer's worth of pent-up precipitation over downtown Toronto. Bounding through the downpour into...
Click here for your chance to win a CD copy of the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World original motion picture soundtrack. Scott Pilgrim will knock you on your ass. His superpower? Being awesome. Thanks to Bryan Lee O'Malley's six-part graphic novel series, the 23-year-old slacker musician...
The Gaslight Anthem aren't carrying their past with them anymore. With two albums in successive years (their debut Sink or Swim in 2007 and the career-altering 2008 release The '59 Sound), the rock'n'roll punk-tinged quartet heard the comparisons countless times over. And they weren't...
