You know your song has become a bonafide cultural phenomenon when both Colin Powell and the Cookie Monster have covered it. The irresistible earworm “Call Me Maybe” was inescapable this summer, its ubiquity turning its co-author, Canadian singer and songwriter Carly Rae Jepsen, into a breakout star. The five times platinum “Call Me Maybe” has sold more than 9.1 million singles worldwide and climbed to No. 1 in more than 37 countries, including the U.S., where it spent a record-breaking nine weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. Although she’s been an established artist in Canada for several years — with a third-place finish on Canadian Idol, two gold singles, two albums, and two JUNO Award nominations to her name — Jepsen was virtually unknown in the U.S. when “Call Me Maybe” hit it big. Now she’s looking forward to showing the rest of the world what else she has in her bag of tricks with the release of her U.S. debut album Kiss, which showcases her rich, distinctive voice, heartfelt lyrics, and down-to-earth charm. “I just want people to enjoy it,” she says. “I hope it’s music that makes you feel happy and want to sing or dance along."

Having sold more than 200 million albums around the world, Celine Dion is one of the most immediately recognized, widely respected and successful performers in pop music history. During her spectacular career, Celine has been honoured with over 1000 awards. She is a five-time Grammy Award winner, including Album of the Year and Best Pop Album for Falling Into You (1996), and Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "My Heart Will Go On" (1998). Her recordings have won two Academy Awards: Best Original Song in 1992 for the title song of Beauty and the Beast (with Peabo Bryson), and Best Original Song in 1998 for "My Heart Will Go On" (from Titanic). She has earned seven American Music Awards, 20 JUNO Awards (Canada) and an astonishing 40 Felix Awards (Quebec). In 2004, Celine received the Diamond award at the World Music Awards, recognizing her status as the best-selling female artist of all time. In 2007, she was honoured with the Legend Award at the World Music Awards in recognition of her global success and outstanding contribution to the music industry.

Aubrey Drake Graham (born October 24, 1986), who records under the mononym Drake, is a Canadian recording artist and actor. He originally became known for playing character Jimmy Brooks on the television series Degrassi: The Next Generation. In June 2009, Drake signed a recording contract with Lil Wayne’s Young Money Entertainment. In November 2009, Lil Wayne released a statement announcing that Drake’s first studio album, Thank Me Later, had been completed. The album was released on June 15, 2010, and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. The album has since gone platinum. He released his second studio album on October 24, 2011 titled Take Care. Drake will release an R&B; mixtape sometime in the future and will release a collaboration album with Lil Wayne. Drake has worked with several other hip-hop artists such as Lil Wayne, Young Jeezy, Kanye West, Eminem, and Jay-Z. With the success of his mixtape turned EP So Far Gone, Drake has been nominated for several awards including Grammys, and was even selected to perform at the 2010 Grammy award ceremony. Drake has also won several awards, including two JUNO Awards in 2010 for New Artist of the Year and Rap Recording of the Year and one in 2012 for Rap Recording of the Year.

The list of Hedley accolades is long and includes the double platinum certification of their most recent release, Storms (2011). Current single "Kiss You Inside Out" went No. 1 at AC, Top Five at HAC and Pop, and is the band's biggest selling single to date. The band was awarded Pop Album of the Year at the 2012 JUNO Awards and had one of the most successful coast-to-coast Canadian arena tours of all time in early 2012. Their accomplishments also include consecutive double platinum certifications - Hedley (2005), Famous Last Words (2007) and The Show Must Go (2009); over 1,000,000 digital singles sold; four 2012 JUNO Award nominations; the 2010 JUNO Award for Video of the Year (“Perfect”); thirteen consecutive number one videos at MuchMusic; three Top 10 radio singles from Storms ("Kiss You Inside Out", "Invincible", "One Life"); four Top Ten radio singles from The Show Must Go (“Perfect”, “Cha-Ching”, “Don’t Talk to Strangers”, “Hands Up”); and being listed as one of the top 100 touring artists in the world of 2010 (Pollstar, October 18, 2010).

In 2012, Island Def Jam global superstar Justin Bieber returned to the front lines with his brand new single, "Boyfriend" and album, Believe. The release debuted at No. 1 on the Nielsen Soundscan Top Albums Chart, selling over 57,000 copies in its first week of release. This marked Bieber’s best one-week sales total to date and was also the biggest one-week sales total for any release so far in 2012 (as of June). Bieber’s combined album sales in Canada now total over one million. Believe, which debuted in 30 countries worldwide at No. 1, features the smash singles “Boyfriend”, “As Long As You Love Me” and Bieber’s new single, “Beauty and A Beat” featuring Nicki Minaj. Other guest appearances on the album include Ludacris, Big Sean and Drake. Believe is Executive Produced by Scott "Scooter" Braun and Usher Raymond IV; track producers include Max Martin, Mike Posner, MdL, Diplo, Hit-Boy, The Messengers, Zedd, Rodney Jerkins and Bieber’s vocal producer, Kuk Harrell.

Leonard Cohen is a master songwriter, musician, poet, novelist and visual artist whose stunning body of original work has touched the lives of millions with a career spanning six decades. His explorations of spiritual, interpersonal, romantic and political themes have impacted countless contemporary recording artists and writers. He has sold over 20 million albums worldwide and published 12 books, the most recent of which was 2006's Book of Longing, a collection of poetry, prose and drawings, which reached number one on the Top 10 Hardcover Fiction Books in Canada. Old Ideas, an album of 10 songs by Leonard Cohen, was released by Columbia Records on January 31, 2012. The album's 10 songs poetically address some of the most profound quandaries of human existence - the relationship to a transcendent being, love, sexuality, loss and death. Arguably the most overtly spiritual of the revered artist's albums, Old Ideas inspires commitment to a greater sense of compassion and decency.

Welcome to Ever After. A fairytale and a single, 54 minute track stitched from 12 discrete songs – the most audacious songs Marianas Trench has ever crafted. Ever After is constructed around a story written by lead singer Josh Ramsay himself and then finessed into an accompanying booklet. It’s an actual physical experience; a warm throwback to the album era when your music was more than a bunch of orphaned songs sitting on an endless iPod playlist. “All the songs live on their own as songs, but they also serve the purpose of telling the story throughout the record,” he explains. As for the seamless hour-long symphony he constructed, Ramsay adds, “I wanted to do that on the last record but as a writer I wasn’t ready. I had to step it up, which is also why I decided to produce Ever After on my own. If this is all going to tie together, then you really need to see it through yourself.” It’s insane and brilliant. It puts the cherry on top of Marianas Trench’s mad, multi-media vision. What Marianas Trench has done with Ever After is create the story and soundtrack to a dark Tim Burton rock opera that hasn’t been made yet.

With “Help I’m Alive,” Metric became the first band to have their first ever Top 20 hit on U.S. commercial radio without the backing of a traditional label. They’ve sold out arenas and headlined festivals. They've even performed at a private event for the Queen of England. For a band that had always been told they were “doing it wrong,” the Toronto-based quartet may have a model for making it work. If 2009's Fantasies was about escaping the familiar and exploring the world, Synthetica is about finding the courage to deal with your own reflection in the mirror. "It’s about facing what you know is true," Haines says. Since their last album, Metric created original music for Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Twilight-Eclipse and Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis. The band — Haines, Shaw, bassist Joshua Winstead and drummer Joules Scott Key — started work on Synthetica in November 2010 in Toronto. They were emboldened by their Fantasies' sales (500,000 albums and one million singles worldwide.) Synthetica is globally self-release on Metric Music International.

Michael Bublé’s holiday album, Christmas, includes such classics as “White Christmas” with a guest appearance by fellow Canadian Shania Twain, “Jingle Bells” with the Puppini Sisters, “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” and “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town.” In addition, Latin singing sensation Thalia joins Bublé on “Feliz Navidad.” The CD also features a new song “Cold December Night,” a Bublé penned original written for the record. Christmas was produced by David Foster, Bob Rock and Humberto Gatica and was recorded in LA and Vancouver. The album follows up his multiplatinum Crazy Love CD, which sold over seven million copies.

Few bands did more than Nickelback to establish the force of slick, commercially minded post-grunge in the 2000s. Led by vocalist Chad Kroeger, the band initially emerged in the late '90s as Canada's answer to Creed, prizing a blend of gruff vocals and distorted (yet radio-friendly) guitars. After a handful of singles failed to gain much traction in Canada, "How You Remind Me" caught hold in 2001, eventually topping the charts in several countries while gathering four Grammy nominations and four JUNO Awards. Creed imploded several years later, but Nickelback's popularity only grew as the decade progressed, effectively eclipsing those acts that had once informed the band's sound.

Dead Silence is the follow up to Billy Talent I, II and III and was recorded in three different studios in Toronto, Vancouver and Los Angeles. The album was produced by Billy Talent guitarist Ian D’Sa and is perfect proof of Billy Talent’s inner strength, focus and hard work ethic — character traits that have turned them into one of the most successful international rock acts of the past decade. Being together for almost 20 years and having travelled thousands of miles in vans, buses and planes turned the four piece not just into a band, but into a family - a tight brotherhood that will challenge and tackle any obstacle in front of them. Equipped with countless awards (such as multiple MuchMusic Awards, JUNO Awards, MTV Awards and even two of those rare German Echo Awards) and having played the biggest festival stages worldwide, Billy Talent are ready to take on their next mission: to complete their world domination.

You know your song has become a bonafide cultural phenomenon when both Colin Powell and the Cookie Monster have covered it. The irresistible earworm “Call Me Maybe” was inescapable this summer, its ubiquity turning its co-author, Canadian singer and songwriter Carly Rae Jepsen, into a breakout star. The five times platinum “Call Me Maybe” has sold more than 9.1 million singles worldwide and climbed to No. 1 in more than 37 countries, including the U.S., where it spent a record-breaking nine weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. Although she’s been an established artist in Canada for several years — with a third-place finish on Canadian Idol, two gold singles, two albums, and two JUNO Award nominations to her name — Jepsen was virtually unknown in the U.S. when “Call Me Maybe” hit it big. Now she’s looking forward to showing the rest of the world what else she has in her bag of tricks with the release of her U.S. debut album Kiss, which showcases her rich, distinctive voice, heartfelt lyrics, and down-to-earth charm. “I just want people to enjoy it,” she says. “I hope it’s music that makes you feel happy and want to sing or dance along."

The list of Hedley accolades is long and includes the double platinum certification of their most recent release, Storms (2011). Current single "Kiss You Inside Out" went No. 1 at AC, Top Five at HAC and Pop, and is the band's biggest selling single to date. The band was awarded Pop Album of the Year at the 2012 JUNO Awards and had one of the most successful coast-to-coast Canadian arena tours of all time in early 2012. Their accomplishments also include consecutive double platinum certifications - Hedley (2005), Famous Last Words (2007) and The Show Must Go (2009); over 1,000,000 digital singles sold; four 2012 JUNO Award nominations; the 2010 JUNO Award for Video of the Year (“Perfect”); thirteen consecutive number one videos at MuchMusic; three Top 10 radio singles from Storms ("Kiss You Inside Out", "Invincible", "One Life"); four Top Ten radio singles from The Show Must Go (“Perfect”, “Cha-Ching”, “Don’t Talk to Strangers”, “Hands Up”); and being listed as one of the top 100 touring artists in the world of 2010 (Pollstar, October 18, 2010).

Serena Ryder has made her most personal and ambitious album yet, Harmony– robust, passionate, optimistic, adventurous, haunting and addictive. Already the recipient of three JUNO Awards and two GOLD Albums, Serena chose with this record to experiment more freely with the different musical parts of herself that make up the whole. Serena ended up working with two different producers on this album - Jerrod Bettis (Gavin Degraw) and Jon Levine (Nelly Furtado); and the album was mixed by Joe Zook (Katy Perry). Serena, Jerrod and Jon even play most of the instruments on Harmony, which features hit singles “What I Wouldn’t Do” and “Stompa.” With her last album she had some great U.S. success including a Top 10 single and rave reviews in magazines such as Paste, Oprah, Elle and People. Serena counts among her many fans: Ray LaMontagne, Kevin Drew, Michael Ondaatje and Melissa Etheridge, who she opened the Genie Awards with in 2011 and has recorded and toured with.

The Sheepdogs built their name on hard work and determination. Having funded their first three albums and early years of touring on their own, this rock and roll band’s momentum began to build exponentially with the release of the 2010 album, Learn & Burn. The band would go on to win three 2012 JUNO Awards: New Group of the Year, Single of the Year and Rock Album of the Year. With a list of accolades this impressive, the band is on the brink of engaging fans on a wider scale. The Sheepdogs will do just that with the release of their new self-titled album, produced by The Black Keys’ Patrick Carney and Austin Scaggs, which will genuinely introduce them to the U.S. and beyond. Hailing from Saskatoon, SK, The Sheepdogs won an international competition in 2011 securing them the cover of Rolling Stone and making the group the first unsigned band to appear on its front page. The win, decided by 1.5 million public votes, also scored them a record deal with Atlantic, which offered up a new EP from the band, Five Easy Pieces, in August 2011.

Maroon 5’s fourth album, Overexposed, was released on June 26, 2012. Adam Levine has called the album the group’s "most diverse and poppiest album yet." On April 16, 2012, Maroon 5 premiered their new song, "Payphone," as the first single from Overexposed on the hit television show, The Voice, in which Levine is one of the judges and coaches. The song debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and features rapper Wiz Khalifa. Their second single, "One More Night," was released on June 19, 2012. It soon topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart, beating out PSY's "Gangnam Style," and stayed there for nine weeks consecutively, tying up with Carly Rae Jepsen's hit single "Call Me Maybe".

“We wanted to do something unashamed,” says Ben Lovett. “We’re confident and happy to be where we are as a band. Everything that’s happened with us has exceeded expectations and it’s all been a surprise. It’s all much bigger than what we were prepared for. So when we came to recording this record (Babel), we had a choice: to shy away from that, or to realise that people dig what we’re doing, and make something robust with that energy.” More than anything, there is a real sense of completeness to Babel – a satisfying wholeness and a kind of musical and lyrical wealth. The album’s romanticism is tempered by strength and vigour, its brawniness balanced by beauty. “I think there’s more subject matter on this album, and I think we’ve grown up a little bit,” says lead singer Marcus Mumford. “I feel like it’s more exposed, more naked. Ted (Dwane) always talked about wanting to make an album like a story,” he adds. "Not necessarily one that has a plot, but one that you can listen to from top to bottom and it makes sense. I think that’s what we’ve tried to do, and what we’ve done.”

Turn back the clock to July 2010 and auditions for the UK's X Factor were underway. Five young boys from various parts of the UK and Ireland had entered the competition with nothing else but a passion for singing and raw talent. Their names were Niall (from Westmeath, Ireland), Zayn (from Bradford), Liam (from Wolverhampton), Harry (from Cheshire) and Louis (from Doncaster) and they had all entered as solo artists. Arriving to their individual auditions, they were given the task of impressing the judges. And they did. But just not quite how they had imagined. It was during the Bootcamp round of the competition that Simon Cowell, Nicole Scherzinger and Louis Walsh had to give the boys the bad news that they hadn’t made it through as solo artists. They were devastated, but they were offered a suggestion. The judges wanted them to form a group; to learn to sing as a five-piece rather than individuals. The boys jumped at the chance and One Direction was born.

In November 2012, Stewart performed "Auld Lang Syne" from his Christmas album and his hit "Sailing" at the Royal Albert Hall for the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance which was attended by Queen Elizabeth II. Later that month, Stewart again performed at the Royal Albert Hall in front of the Queen during the 100th Royal Variety Performance, singing "When You Wish Upon A Star." On November 26, 2012, Stewart's recording of "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" reached the top of the Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart. Stewart has had the No. 1 song on this chart three times previously, the last being in 1993 with "Have I Told You Lately,” giving him the second-largest hiatus between number ones in the history of the chart. The song remained in the number one spot for a total of five weeks, tying it for the longest-leading holiday title in the chart's 51-year history. On December 10, 2012, Stewart was a guest singer on Michael Buble's television Christmas special, Home for the Holidays.

Swift's fourth studio album, Red, was released on October 22, 2012. She wrote nine of the album's sixteen songs alone. Nathan Chapman served as the album's lead producer but Jeff Bhasker, Butch Walker, Jacknife Lee, Dann Huff and Shellback also produced individual tracks. Red examines Swift's attraction to drama-filled relationships. She believes that, since writing the record, such relationships no longer appeal to her. Musically, while there is some experimentation with "slick, electronic beats”, “the pop sheen is limited to a handful of tracks sprinkled among more recognisably Swiftian fare." Rolling Stone enjoyed "watching Swift find her pony-footing on Great Songwriter Mountain. Her self-discovery project is one of the best stories in pop." The Guardian described Swift as a "Brünnhilde of a rockstar" and characterized Red as "another chapter in one of the finest fantasies pop music has ever constructed.” USA Today felt that the "engaging" record saw Swift "write ever-more convincingly – and wittily and painfully – about the messy emotions of a young twenty something nearing the end of her transition from girl to woman.” The LA Times noted the exploration of "more nuanced relationship issues" on "an unapologetically big pop record that opens new sonic vistas for her."

You know your song has become a bonafide cultural phenomenon when both Colin Powell and the Cookie Monster have covered it. The irresistible earworm “Call Me Maybe” was inescapable this summer, its ubiquity turning its co-author, Canadian singer and songwriter Carly Rae Jepsen, into a breakout star. The five times platinum “Call Me Maybe” has sold more than 9.1 million singles worldwide and climbed to No. 1 in more than 37 countries, including the U.S., where it spent a record-breaking nine weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. Although she’s been an established artist in Canada for several years — with a third-place finish on Canadian Idol, two gold singles, two albums, and two JUNO Award nominations to her name — Jepsen was virtually unknown in the U.S. when “Call Me Maybe” hit it big. Now she’s looking forward to showing the rest of the world what else she has in her bag of tricks with the release of her U.S. debut album Kiss, which showcases her rich, distinctive voice, heartfelt lyrics, and down-to-earth charm. “I just want people to enjoy it,” she says. “I hope it’s music that makes you feel happy and want to sing or dance along."

Having sold more than 200 million albums around the world, Celine Dion is one of the most immediately recognized, widely respected and successful performers in pop music history. During her spectacular career, Celine has been honoured with over 1000 awards. She is a five-time Grammy Award winner, including Album of the Year and Best Pop Album for Falling Into You (1996), and Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "My Heart Will Go On" (1998). Her recordings have won two Academy Awards: Best Original Song in 1992 for the title song of Beauty and the Beast (with Peabo Bryson), and Best Original Song in 1998 for "My Heart Will Go On" (from Titanic). She has earned seven American Music Awards, 20 JUNO Awards (Canada) and an astonishing 40 Felix Awards (Quebec). In 2004, Celine received the Diamond award at the World Music Awards, recognizing her status as the best-selling female artist of all time. In 2007, she was honoured with the Legend Award at the World Music Awards in recognition of her global success and outstanding contribution to the music industry.

The list of Hedley accolades is long and includes the double platinum certification of their most recent release, Storms (2011). Current single "Kiss You Inside Out" went No. 1 at AC, Top Five at HAC and Pop, and is the band's biggest selling single to date. The band was awarded Pop Album of the Year at the 2012 JUNO Awards and had one of the most successful coast-to-coast Canadian arena tours of all time in early 2012. Their accomplishments also include consecutive double platinum certifications - Hedley (2005), Famous Last Words (2007) and The Show Must Go (2009); over 1,000,000 digital singles sold; four 2012 JUNO Award nominations; the 2010 JUNO Award for Video of the Year (“Perfect”); thirteen consecutive number one videos at MuchMusic; three Top 10 radio singles from Storms ("Kiss You Inside Out", "Invincible", "One Life"); four Top Ten radio singles from The Show Must Go (“Perfect”, “Cha-Ching”, “Don’t Talk to Strangers”, “Hands Up”); and being listed as one of the top 100 touring artists in the world of 2010 (Pollstar, October 18, 2010).

In 2012, Island Def Jam global superstar Justin Bieber returned to the front lines with his brand new single, "Boyfriend" and album, Believe. The release debuted at No. 1 on the Nielsen Soundscan Top Albums Chart, selling over 57,000 copies in its first week of release. This marked Bieber’s best one-week sales total to date and was also the biggest one-week sales total for any release so far in 2012 (as of June). Bieber’s combined album sales in Canada now total over one million. Believe, which debuted in 30 countries worldwide at No. 1, features the smash singles “Boyfriend”, “As Long As You Love Me” and Bieber’s new single, “Beauty and A Beat” featuring Nicki Minaj. Other guest appearances on the album include Ludacris, Big Sean and Drake. Believe is Executive Produced by Scott "Scooter" Braun and Usher Raymond IV; track producers include Max Martin, Mike Posner, MdL, Diplo, Hit-Boy, The Messengers, Zedd, Rodney Jerkins and Bieber’s vocal producer, Kuk Harrell.

Welcome to Ever After. A fairytale and a single, 54 minute track stitched from 12 discrete songs – the most audacious songs Marianas Trench has ever crafted. Ever After is constructed around a story written by lead singer Josh Ramsay himself and then finessed into an accompanying booklet. It’s an actual physical experience; a warm throwback to the album era when your music was more than a bunch of orphaned songs sitting on an endless iPod playlist. “All the songs live on their own as songs, but they also serve the purpose of telling the story throughout the record,” he explains. As for the seamless hour-long symphony he constructed, Ramsay adds, “I wanted to do that on the last record but as a writer I wasn’t ready. I had to step it up, which is also why I decided to produce Ever After on my own. If this is all going to tie together, then you really need to see it through yourself.” It’s insane and brilliant. It puts the cherry on top of Marianas Trench’s mad, multi-media vision. What Marianas Trench has done with Ever After is create the story and soundtrack to a dark Tim Burton rock opera that hasn’t been made yet.

You know your song has become a bonafide cultural phenomenon when both Colin Powell and the Cookie Monster have covered it. The irresistible earworm “Call Me Maybe” was inescapable this summer, its ubiquity turning its co-author, Canadian singer and songwriter Carly Rae Jepsen, into a breakout star. The five times platinum “Call Me Maybe” has sold more than 9.1 million singles worldwide and climbed to No. 1 in more than 37 countries, including the U.S., where it spent a record-breaking nine weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. Although she’s been an established artist in Canada for several years — with a third-place finish on Canadian Idol, two gold singles, two albums, and two JUNO Award nominations to her name — Jepsen was virtually unknown in the U.S. when “Call Me Maybe” hit it big. Now she’s looking forward to showing the rest of the world what else she has in her bag of tricks with the release of her U.S. debut album Kiss, which showcases her rich, distinctive voice, heartfelt lyrics, and down-to-earth charm. “I just want people to enjoy it,” she says. “I hope it’s music that makes you feel happy and want to sing or dance along."

Deadmau5 is one of the world’s most respected electronic music producers of modern times. He has released four critically acclaimed albums: Album Title Goes Here, 4×4=12, For Lack Of A Better Name and Random Album Title. He was the closing performer at the 2012 JUNO Awards and the 54th Annual Grammy Awards as part of its first ever telecast performance highlighting electronic music. His ability to push the boundaries of his talent grows at an equal rate to his fan base, which counts over 6.7 million on his Facebook page. A major touring act, he has headlined Lollapalooza, Outside Lands, Sonar, Virgin Mobile FreeFest, Ultra Music Festival, Electric Daisy Carnival, sold out PETCO Park in San Diego and was the first Canadian to sell out the Rogers Centre in Toronto, as well as multiple consecutive nights at legendary venues like the Metropolis in Montreal, Roseland Ballroom in NYC, and the Palladium in Los Angeles. He recently appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone, marking him as the first electronic artist to do so.

Over the course of the past six years, two-time JUNO Award winner and acclaimed multi-platinum singer/songwriter, Johnny Reid has been inspiring many with his songs that stand the test of time as demonstrated by the success of his past three albums and DVDs – all certified platinum (or higher) in Canada and totalling more than one million units scanned. Nominated for a 2012 JUNO Award for Single of the Year and eight Canadian Country Music Association Awards, Reid released his sixth studio album Fire It Up in March, the follow-up to 2010’s certified double-platinum album A Place Called Love, which debuted at number one on the SoundScan Top 200 Album Chart and spent four weeks as the best selling album in Canada. Fire It Up finds Reid in the producer’s chair of an album filled with rock, pop, soul, country and everything in between. Reid has been the recipient of several awards, multiple Top Five radio singles and number one videos. In 2011, he was honoured with the Slaight Music Humanitarian Award due to his outstanding efforts on behalf of organizations such as the World Vision Foundation, Children's Aid Foundation, MusiCounts and the Make A Wish Foundation of Canada, among many.

In 2012, Island Def Jam global superstar Justin Bieber returned to the front lines with his brand new single, "Boyfriend" and album, Believe. The release debuted at No. 1 on the Nielsen Soundscan Top Albums Chart, selling over 57,000 copies in its first week of release. This marked Bieber’s best one-week sales total to date and was also the biggest one-week sales total for any release so far in 2012 (as of June). Bieber’s combined album sales in Canada now total over one million. Believe, which debuted in 30 countries worldwide at No. 1, features the smash singles “Boyfriend”, “As Long As You Love Me” and Bieber’s new single, “Beauty and A Beat” featuring Nicki Minaj. Other guest appearances on the album include Ludacris, Big Sean and Drake. Believe is Executive Produced by Scott "Scooter" Braun and Usher Raymond IV; track producers include Max Martin, Mike Posner, MdL, Diplo, Hit-Boy, The Messengers, Zedd, Rodney Jerkins and Bieber’s vocal producer, Kuk Harrell.

Leonard Cohen is a master songwriter, musician, poet, novelist and visual artist whose stunning body of original work has touched the lives of millions with a career spanning six decades. His explorations of spiritual, interpersonal, romantic and political themes have impacted countless contemporary recording artists and writers. He has sold over 20 million albums worldwide and published 12 books, the most recent of which was 2006's Book of Longing, a collection of poetry, prose and drawings, which reached number one on the Top 10 Hardcover Fiction Books in Canada. Old Ideas, an album of 10 songs by Leonard Cohen, was released by Columbia Records on January 31, 2012. The album's 10 songs poetically address some of the most profound quandaries of human existence - the relationship to a transcendent being, love, sexuality, loss and death. Arguably the most overtly spiritual of the revered artist's albums, Old Ideas inspires commitment to a greater sense of compassion and decency.

Dead Silence is the follow up to Billy Talent I, II and III and was recorded in three different studios in Toronto, Vancouver and Los Angeles. The album was produced by Billy Talent guitarist Ian D’Sa and is perfect proof of Billy Talent’s inner strength, focus and hard work ethic — character traits that have turned them into one of the most successful international rock acts of the past decade. Being together for almost 20 years and having travelled thousands of miles in vans, buses and planes turned the four piece not just into a band, but into a family - a tight brotherhood that will challenge and tackle any obstacle in front of them. Equipped with countless awards (such as multiple MuchMusic Awards, JUNO Awards, MTV Awards and even two of those rare German Echo Awards) and having played the biggest festival stages worldwide, Billy Talent are ready to take on their next mission: to complete their world domination.

Welcome to Ever After. A fairytale and a single, 54 minute track stitched from 12 discrete songs – the most audacious songs Marianas Trench has ever crafted. Ever After is constructed around a story written by lead singer Josh Ramsay himself and then finessed into an accompanying booklet. It’s an actual physical experience; a warm throwback to the album era when your music was more than a bunch of orphaned songs sitting on an endless iPod playlist. “All the songs live on their own as songs, but they also serve the purpose of telling the story throughout the record,” he explains. As for the seamless hour-long symphony he constructed, Ramsay adds, “I wanted to do that on the last record but as a writer I wasn’t ready. I had to step it up, which is also why I decided to produce Ever After on my own. If this is all going to tie together, then you really need to see it through yourself.” It’s insane and brilliant. It puts the cherry on top of Marianas Trench’s mad, multi-media vision. What Marianas Trench has done with Ever After is create the story and soundtrack to a dark Tim Burton rock opera that hasn’t been made yet.

With “Help I’m Alive,” Metric became the first band to have their first ever Top 20 hit on U.S. commercial radio without the backing of a traditional label. They’ve sold out arenas and headlined festivals. They've even performed at a private event for the Queen of England. For a band that had always been told they were “doing it wrong,” the Toronto-based quartet may have a model for making it work. If 2009's Fantasies was about escaping the familiar and exploring the world, Synthetica is about finding the courage to deal with your own reflection in the mirror. "It’s about facing what you know is true," Haines says. Since their last album, Metric created original music for Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Twilight-Eclipse and Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis. The band — Haines, Shaw, bassist Joshua Winstead and drummer Joules Scott Key — started work on Synthetica in November 2010 in Toronto. They were emboldened by their Fantasies' sales (500,000 albums and one million singles worldwide.) Synthetica is globally self-release on Metric Music International.

With more than 40 million records sold worldwide and countless sold-out tours, Rush – Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart – is not only one of the most inventive and compelling groups in rock history, but remains one of the most popular. The RIAA has certified Rush for the third most consecutive gold/platinum studio albums by a rock band, topped only by The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Rush released their 20th studio album, Clockwork Angels on June 12, 2012. The highly anticipated album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, matching the highest chart debut of the band’s career. In addition to their commercial success, Rush has also been recognized with a number of JUNO Awards and multiple Grammy nominations. Enjoying a recent pop culture renaissance, Rush made a rare television appearance – their first in over 30 years – on The Colbert Report and a memorable cameo in the film I Love You, Man. Most recently, Rush has been nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013. A Rolling Stone feature summed up the renowned rock trio’s continuing artistic vitality, observing, “it’s true that Rush doesn’t mean today what it did in ’76 or even ’96. It may mean more.”

The Sheepdogs built their name on hard work and determination. Having funded their first three albums and early years of touring on their own, this rock and roll band’s momentum began to build exponentially with the release of the 2010 album, Learn & Burn. The band would go on to win three 2012 JUNO Awards: New Group of the Year, Single of the Year and Rock Album of the Year. With a list of accolades this impressive, the band is on the brink of engaging fans on a wider scale. The Sheepdogs will do just that with the release of their new self-titled album, produced by The Black Keys’ Patrick Carney and Austin Scaggs, which will genuinely introduce them to the U.S. and beyond. Hailing from Saskatoon, SK, The Sheepdogs won an international competition in 2011 securing them the cover of Rolling Stone and making the group the first unsigned band to appear on its front page. The win, decided by 1.5 million public votes, also scored them a record deal with Atlantic, which offered up a new EP from the band, Five Easy Pieces, in August 2011.

Cold Specks is Al Spx from Etobicoke, Canada. Following early critical waves in the UK, with television performances on Later With Jools Holland and British media such as The Guardian, The Times, NME and more weighing in on the recent UK release of "Holland," Cold Specks is now making waves here at home following the 2012 release of her debut album I Predict A Graceful Expulsion, which was short listed for the prestigious Polaris Music Prize. Describing her sound as "Doom Soul", Cold Specks' music is steeped in the musical traditions of the Deep South. No wonder then that Al cites the Lomax Field Recordings and James Carr as influences along with Bill Callahan and Tom Waits. With a voice that evokes the 'spirit feel' of Mahalia Jackson and the visceral tones of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Cold Specks' sparse arrangements and chain gang rhythms stop you dead in your tracks.

Elisapie, who won the Ambassador Prize at the 2011 Teweikan Awards for her work throughout Canada, will release her second album, entitled Travelling Love, in autumn of 2012. “Love cannot be owned. It is something that is always moving, always flowing. That’s what I mean by Travelling Love,” explains Elisapie. Éloi Painchaud and François Lafontaine produced the album. With its organic pop sonorities, it is also a meeting between English and Inuktitut, the poetry of the north making a fascinating foray southward. Many collaborators must be mentioned, including singer-songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Manuel Gasse and Gabriel Gratton, who are also the rising “Polar Pop” star’s faithful touring companions. The album also features guitarist and songwriter/composer Brad Barr (The Slip, Barr Brothers), and Jim Corcoran co-wrote the lyrics to some songs. “I allowed myself to be impulsive, to create without fear. To accept one’s weaknesses and clumsiness, and to confront them, can sometimes be beneficial,” Elisapie confides. Travelling Love further explores the duality between sensitive woman and ferocious spirit that lives within Elisapie Isaac. This is the promise of a work that is sure to elicit many passions yet again.

Born in Vancouver, Claire Boucher came to Montreal in 2006. Her experience as a performer is deeply embedded in the illegal DIY loft culture of Montreal, where Grimes was one of the prominent figures in the scene surrounding Lab Synthèse. She developed in a scene where punk ethos and pop music collide, resulting in a distinct sense of community, religiosity and psychedelic revelry. Visions arises as Boucher’s fourth release in less than two years. Geidi Primes (2010), initially released as a limited 30 cassette run and free download, then followed by Halfaxa (2010) – arguably one of the first witch-house or lo-fi R&B; releases. On Darkbloom (2011), Grimes begins taking her first steps as a producer, bringing together the experimentation behind her early work and a cutting edge pop aesthetic. Her newest album, Visions, draws from genres like New Jack Swing, New Age, K-pop, Industrial and glitch. She describes her work as “the only means through which I can be fully expressive. It is both an ethereal escape from, and a violent embrace of my experience. Visions was conceived in a period of self-imposed cloistering during which time I did not see daylight.”

Nineteen-year-old Kira Isabella has over a decade of experience under her belt, performing her brand of up-tempo country music across Canada. She has been unstoppable since her first recital at the age of seven, when a fervent passion for belting out any song led her to enter every singing competition within driving distance from her hometown of Ottawa, Ontario. Her charming stage presence, bubbly personality and natural talents led her to win nearly every competition. An immersed student of her craft, dabbling in guitar and writing poetry and lyrics about love, life and boys, Kira delved into a variety of music, but it was when she discovered the likes of powerhouse country vocalists Shania Twain and Faith Hill, that she knew she was hooked on country. She began performing with Canadian country stars such as Jessie Farrell, Aaron Pritchett and Gord Bamford and by 2009, she was signed to Sony Music Entertainment Canada. Having just finished touring with Carrie Underwood, and debuting her album Love Me Like That, this is only the beginning of Kira’s success.

Critically-acclaimed Canadian ALT/R&B; trailblazer, The Weeknd and the initiative behind him, XO, have forged a strategic partnership with Republic Records (division of UMG) and Universal Music Canada. The artist/producer is set to release Trilogy, in stores and online November 13, 2012 as part of this high-profile partnership. Trilogy contains his highly lauded mixtapes, House of Balloons, Thursday and Echoes of Silence, all mixed and mastered for the first time. In addition to the 27 original cuts, both the physical and digital editions will feature new, unreleased material. It's an impressive collection and the perfect introduction to his enigmatic and entrancing sound. Last year, House of Balloons instantly stirred up unparalleled excitement from tastemakers. Complex extolled the mixtape as the "best album of 2011," and Pitchfork bestowed the "Best New Music" title upon it. Dominating year-end lists across the board, it claimed number five on Stereogum, number six on The A.V. Club, number eight on The Guardian (UK), and number 13 on Spin. Other praise came from MTV, BET, Rolling Stone, XXL, and The Source who even named him the "songbird of his generation."

Hey Ocean! is to many the quintessential West Coast band. With three Vancouverites at its core (Ashleigh Ball, David Beckingham, and David Vertesi), it’s true that their roots, their name, and many of their lyrics hark back to the pacific shores they call home. However, over the last six years they have earned a reputation as much more than just ambassadors of the Pacific Northwest and are gaining the reputation for being one of Canada’s best young bands. Debut single, ”Big Blue Wave” impacting campus and alternative radio now!

There's something comforting about a band name that delivers exactly what you are expecting to hear. This is a band hell-bent on answering the question, “what the hell happened to rock ‘n’ roll music?” Bells and whistles are absent in the name of classic riffs and powerful vocals. A tonal hybrid of the excitement of ‘70s rock melded with the best elements of what the ‘90s had to offer. Those curious to dig deeper will quickly realize the band's conviction for delivering original hard rock tunes built solely to get people excited about head-banging again. The band was formed in 2009 by Jon Harvey (bass and amp, lead vocals), Jeremy Widerman (guitar and amp, vocals), Brandon Bliss (organ and amp, vocals) and Steve Kiely (drums and amp, vocals) as a side-project for their other, more serious bands at the time. Quickly, the original plan of getting wasted and playing giant rock tunes 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.

The Pack A.D. have been growing inexorably since they signed to Mint Records. Drummer Maya Miller and guitarist/vocalist Becky Black stormed off the mean streets of East Vancouver with their debut album Tintype in hand and Funeral Mixtape following shortly thereafter, both released by Mint in 2008. Since then, the duo has unleashed their brand of tribal, blues and punk infected garage-rock across North America and Europe. Mint released their third album We Kill Computers in 2010, which cemented their place at the forefront of Canadian independent music on the back of dozens of glowing reviews and a few award nominations. Showing no signs of slowing down, the band’s fourth album, Unpersons, produced by the infamous Jim Diamond (The Dirtbombs, The Paul Collins Beat, The White Stripes) and released in September 2011, is going strong, having been praised by many in the media and embraced by mainstream, indie and campus radio alike.

Walk Off The Earth is an unconventional, multi-talented, five-piece musical phenomena that is currently taking the world by storm. Based in Burlington, Ontario (just outside of Toronto), their brilliant five-people-playing-one-guitar interpretation of Gotye's "Somebody That I Used To Know" recently exploded on YouTube garnering well over 35 million views in under two weeks. The massive fan response quickly drew attention to their collection of innovative songs and videos spanning their last five years and generated an unprecedented flood of media interest. New fans from around the world immediately fell in love with the band's organic, independent, sincere, honest and original songwriting, cover interpretations and beautifully filmed videos. For the past five years, the band has built a massive following of dedicated fans through their unique and heart-warming approach to songwriting, filming and constant, open interaction with everyone their music touches. Marshall, Sarah and Gianni's individual vocal stylings mesh seamlessly with Taylor's haunting harmonies and keys all the while soaring over melodic arrangements held together by Joel Cassady's driving and prolific percussion work. Their independent spirit, unstoppable work ethic and awe-inspiring creativity has catapulted Walk Off The Earth with only bigger and better things on the horizon.

Over the past two years, Yukon Blonde has earned no shortage of acclaim for its hook-heavy brand of pop-rock. But despite their love of vintage rock 'n' roll, the members aren't the kind of guys who cling to the past. After an intensive three-week writing retreat to a cottage in B.C.'s Comox Valley that saw the band pulling twelve-hour days, the band hunkered down at Burnaby, B.C.'s Hive Creative Labs studio with Colin Stewart (Black Mountain, Ladyhawk). Eschewing the analog tape of their past work in favour of a crisp, digital approach with synthesizer flourishes, the band agonized over tones and meticulously crafted 15 new songs. Entitled Tiger Talk, this sophomore album represents the next adventurous step in Yukon Blonde's career. Its ten tracks are short and punchy, as the band trimmed the fat and packed hooks and brisk tempos into streamlined arrangements. "Radio" assaults the speakers with a brash stomp worthy of early Elvis Costello, while "Oregon Shores" blends its bouncy rhythm and sunny vocal harmonies with an epic, face-melting guitar solo. Elsewhere, a robotic drum pattern anchors "Breathing Tigers," and "My Girl" taps into power pop greatness with its "whoa-oh" refrain.

Afie Jurvanen isn’t from the Bahamas. He’s a Finnish-Canadian from Barrie – a working class town in rural Ontario. But his chosen epithet is fitting. Since 2009, he’s been making music under the name Bahamas – writing songs about sunsets, love affairs, and making out with crooked smiles. Through simple arrangements, he charts an escape route from the snow belt to the coral reefs. His new album, Barchords, was released on February 7, 2012 to critical praise.

Arkells is an indie band originally from Hamilton, Ontario. Their band is named after the street on which they lived and would practice their music. In 2011, the band wrote and recorded their second album, Michigan Left, which was released on October 18 of that year. In 2012, Arkells won the 2012 JUNO Award for Group of the Year. In 2012, Arkells toured extensively. This included an American tour with The Maine and Lydia, and European touring with Billy Talent and Anti-Flag. They will also be supporting Lights during her upcoming American tour. The Arkells will also be on tour opening for the Tragically Hip for their 2013 Canadian Tour.

“I want to press reset,” Hannah Georgas sings in “Robotic,” a driving and purposeful song from her self-titled new album. And she’s done just that. A few years ago, when Georgas was first toting her guitar through the Vancouver music scene, she was known for her acoustic leanings. Then, the more intricate production of her nascent recordings, in combination with her luscious voice, helped raise inevitable comparisons to Canada’s most favoured musical export, Feist. But with Hannah Georgas, she’s found bold new ways to marry her essential singer-songwriter sensibility to elaborate studio soundscapes, while significantly upping the playfulness factor. It’s an album of rich, emotionally resonant synth-pop that isn’t afraid to walk a fine line between vintage new wave and contemporary ethereality, easily gliding from tongue-in-cheek come-ons to hauntingly emotional head trips. One thing you’ll never accuse it of being is robotic.

Voyageur is less of a departure than it is a journey, and like any transforming trip, it demands that we let go of any preconceptions about the destination. Edwards guides us through a house full of empty rooms, revealing the sadness behind a public smile and the numbness that follows broken expectations and the casual cruelties of love. And yet, this isn’t a bummer ride at all — it’s elevating. Releasing the album at the beginning of 2012 has lead to the most exciting year in Edwards’ career. With an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman shortly after release and a May appearance on Jimmy Fallon, Voyageur reached number two in the Canadian Album charts and number three in U.S. Folks Album Charts, by far her highest career rankings. The Ottawa singer won the 2012 ECHO Songwriting Prize put on by SOCAN for the tune “A Soft Place to Land,” co-written with John Roderick, and was also shortlisted for the Polaris Prize. The album celebrates the many pleasures of survival and reinvention, suggesting that an acceptance of life’s changeability is what will allow us to face the hardest of hard times — as well as the exhilarating longing and dislocation of the unknown — head on, with grace.

Leonard Cohen is a master songwriter, musician, poet, novelist and visual artist whose stunning body of original work has touched the lives of millions with a career spanning six decades. His explorations of spiritual, interpersonal, romantic and political themes have impacted countless contemporary recording artists and writers. He has sold over 20 million albums worldwide and published 12 books, the most recent of which was 2006's Book of Longing, a collection of poetry, prose and drawings, which reached number one on the Top 10 Hardcover Fiction Books in Canada. Old Ideas, an album of 10 songs by Leonard Cohen, was released by Columbia Records on January 31, 2012. The album's 10 songs poetically address some of the most profound quandaries of human existence - the relationship to a transcendent being, love, sexuality, loss and death. Arguably the most overtly spiritual of the revered artist's albums, Old Ideas inspires commitment to a greater sense of compassion and decency.

Chad Brownlee (MDM Recordings Inc.) has had a showcase year in the country music world, recently topping things off with a 2012 Canadian Country Music Award (CCMA) nomination for Male Artist of the Year, and announcing his performance spot on the live, national CBC TV broadcast of the awards show on September 9, 2012. Since the release of his new album Love Me Or Leave Me on February 14, 2012, the talented singer-songwriter has shown the industry that his place in country music is on the rise; quite literally as he was also the recipient of the 2011 Rising Star Award at the CCMA’s. With his mesmerizing live performances, in addition to his rugged good looks, Brownlee has increasingly been stealing the hearts of his fans as he continues to tour across Canada this summer. He recently announced a new partnership with the Tim Horton Children’s Foundation, visiting camps throughout Canada and leading music workshops with the campers.

Dallas Smith knows country music like he knows success. He knows what it’s like to sell millions of records, because prior to his breakout country solo debut album Jumped Right In and its smash first single, “Somebody Somewhere,” and the new “If It Gets You Where You Wanna Go,” the Vancouver native furnished the pipes for the rock band Default. Since their formation in 1999, the JUNO Award winners pumped out four albums, sold a couple million and paved the way for Smith to bring rock and roll power to his brand of energetic country. It’s not such a startling transition for Smith, who grew up listening to a staple of ‘90s and ‘00s country superstars, especially when he spent his pre-Default days toiling as a sheet metal worker. “I love both genres, and country music was always around when I was growing up,” says Smith, noting that his mother in particular would fill the family home with the sounds of The Judds, Reba McEntire, Garth Brooks and Brooks & Dunn among others. “I wanted to bring something upbeat to radio and something that’s fun to play live,” he says.

Midway through the title track of Dean Brody’s 2012 release, Dirt, you’ll find yourself wearing the kind of silly grin you may remember sporting the first time you stuck your fingers in the mud as a kid. Best get used to it – just like its namesake – Dirt’s going to stick with you. Then again, Brody’s music always does. The Nova Scotia based, B.C. bred singer/songwriter has a way of painting pictures with his lyrics that are so vivid, they tend to stay fixed in your mind’s eye just as long as the melodies he sets them to. This, Brody’s third full-length release, and the follow up to his hugely successful 2010 effort – Trail in Life – is no exception. On Dirt, Brody sings it like he sees it, and whether he sees two generations of family grieving by a riverbank, a .45 toting lady who picks up a random hitchhiker to share the burden of an all-night drive, or a drop-dead gorgeous Canadian girl in a toque, on your first listen, you’ll see them just as clearly.

Marking the band’s fifth studio effort, Roll (October 30) is a collection of 11 brand new songs, including the lead single “She’s My Kind Of Crazy.” The song is currently a Top 10 hit at radio and CMT, and is nearly gold on iTunes. Ten of the 11 songs were co-written by band members, including “She’s My Kind of Crazy,” (Brad Mates/Danick Dupelle with Bobby Pinson), and “Let It Roll,” which teamed up Emerson Drive with label-mates Doc Walker. “Let It Roll” was debuted on the 2012 CCMA Awards, live in September. It’s been over 10 years since Emerson Drive brought their first album into stores in May of 2002. That self-titled collection introduced the band with the debut hit single, “I Should Be Sleeping.” They’ve garnered dozens of nominations and awards since, including ACM, CMA, Grammy and CCMA nods, and receiving their first number one U.S. hit with the single “Moments.” They embarked on a full-scale Canadian tour in 2011 to support the release of Decade Of Drive, a hits collection that included the new singles “Let Your Love Speak” and “When I See You Again.” Emerson Drive plans to ‘Roll’ out a 2013 national tour.

Over the course of the past six years, two-time JUNO Award winner and acclaimed multi-platinum singer/songwriter, Johnny Reid has been inspiring many with his songs that stand the test of time as demonstrated by the success of his past three albums and DVDs – all certified platinum (or higher) in Canada and totalling more than one million units scanned. Nominated for a 2012 JUNO Award for Single of the Year and eight Canadian Country Music Association Awards, Reid released his sixth studio album Fire It Up in March, the follow-up to 2010’s certified double-platinum album A Place Called Love, which debuted at number one on the SoundScan Top 200 Album Chart and spent four weeks as the best selling album in Canada. Fire It Up finds Reid in the producer’s chair of an album filled with rock, pop, soul, country and everything in between. Reid has been the recipient of several awards, multiple Top Five radio singles and number one videos. In 2011, he was honoured with the Slaight Music Humanitarian Award due to his outstanding efforts on behalf of organizations such as the World Vision Foundation, Children's Aid Foundation, MusiCounts and the Make A Wish Foundation of Canada, among many.

Afie Jurvanen isn’t from the Bahamas. He’s a Finnish-Canadian from Barrie – a working class town in rural Ontario. But his chosen epithet is fitting. Since 2009, he’s been making music under the name Bahamas – writing songs about sunsets, love affairs, and making out with crooked smiles. Through simple arrangements, he charts an escape route from the snow belt to the coral reefs. His new album, Barchords, was released on February 7, 2012 to critical praise.

Voyageur is less of a departure than it is a journey, and like any transforming trip, it demands that we let go of any preconceptions about the destination. Edwards guides us through a house full of empty rooms, revealing the sadness behind a public smile and the numbness that follows broken expectations and the casual cruelties of love. And yet, this isn’t a bummer ride at all — it’s elevating. Releasing the album at the beginning of 2012 has lead to the most exciting year in Edwards’ career. With an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman shortly after release and a May appearance on Jimmy Fallon, Voyageur reached number two in the Canadian Album charts and number three in U.S. Folks Album Charts, by far her highest career rankings. The Ottawa singer won the 2012 ECHO Songwriting Prize put on by SOCAN for the tune “A Soft Place to Land,” co-written with John Roderick, and was also shortlisted for the Polaris Prize. The album celebrates the many pleasures of survival and reinvention, suggesting that an acceptance of life’s changeability is what will allow us to face the hardest of hard times — as well as the exhilarating longing and dislocation of the unknown — head on, with grace.

There is something quietly profound about listening to We Were Born To Glory, the
new record by singer-songwriter, arranger and producer Royal Wood. We hear
Royal celebrate life with the wisdom of a seasoned soul, tempered with a
youthful wonder. While the power of his last album The Waiting lay in its crystalline balladry, it only takes one listen to the delightfully up-tempo opening track “The Thick Of It” to
immediately realize Royal has turned a fresh new page. “This record represents a celebration of life and all the aspects of it,” he says. “Not just love and loss, but life on a grand scale - knowing that we are born as a seed of potential to be anything we want. Life is about balance but often we can get so caught up in the drama of every day interaction that we take for granted just being alive.” Royal Wood has laid the foundation of his career by writing honest music to much critical acclaim. With the release of We Were Born To Glory, he continues to win each fan through the intimate connection only a truly great songwriter
can make with his audience.

Serena Ryder has made her most personal and ambitious album yet, Harmony– robust, passionate, optimistic, adventurous, haunting and addictive. Already the recipient of three JUNO Awards and two GOLD Albums, Serena chose with this record to experiment more freely with the different musical parts of herself that make up the whole. Serena ended up working with two different producers on this album - Jerrod Bettis (Gavin Degraw) and Jon Levine (Nelly Furtado); and the album was mixed by Joe Zook (Katy Perry). Serena, Jerrod and Jon even play most of the instruments on Harmony, which features hit singles “What I Wouldn’t Do” and “Stompa.” With her last album she had some great U.S. success including a Top 10 single and rave reviews in magazines such as Paste, Oprah, Elle and People. Serena counts among her many fans: Ray LaMontagne, Kevin Drew, Michael Ondaatje and Melissa Etheridge, who she opened the Genie Awards with in 2011 and has recorded and toured with.

In his first apartment in the new city, Brad shared an adjoining wall with Sarah Page, a classically trained harpist from Montreal with a propensity for the experimental. Her melodies would seep through the cracks of the wall and into the music Brad was writing. A friendship developed and the brothers, with Sarah, began recording and performing around Montreal. Soon, the multi-instrumentalist Andres Vial was brought in to lend his wide array of expertise to the outfit, and they called themselves The Barr Brothers. Recorded in their makeshift studio in an old boiler room at the foot of Mount Royal, the ten song album The Barr Brothers (2010) was written over the course of the brothers’ time in a city full of strangers, lovers, old ghosts and new friends. Hushed Americana lonesome and future-primitive delta blues clear the path for West African polyrhythms and classical motifs. It’s all tied together by the commitment to the sources of the styles and their inherent connections to each other. Nominated on the Polaris Music Prize Long List in 2012 and in three categories at l'ADISQ 2012, the band performed on The Late Show with David Letterman in early January and have toured non-stop since the released of their first self-titled record.

“I want to press reset,” Hannah Georgas sings in “Robotic,” a driving and purposeful song from her self-titled new album. And she’s done just that. A few years ago, when Georgas was first toting her guitar through the Vancouver music scene, she was known for her acoustic leanings. Then, the more intricate production of her nascent recordings, in combination with her luscious voice, helped raise inevitable comparisons to Canada’s most favoured musical export, Feist. But with Hannah Georgas, she’s found bold new ways to marry her essential singer-songwriter sensibility to elaborate studio soundscapes, while significantly upping the playfulness factor. It’s an album of rich, emotionally resonant synth-pop that isn’t afraid to walk a fine line between vintage new wave and contemporary ethereality, easily gliding from tongue-in-cheek come-ons to hauntingly emotional head trips. One thing you’ll never accuse it of being is robotic.

Japandroids is a two-piece band from Vancouver, B.C. This 'band' started in 2006 and consists of Brian King on guitar and vocals and David Prowse on drums and vocals. Japandroids released their critically acclaimed debut album Post-Nothing via Polyvinyl in 2009. The boys toured extensively throughout 2009–2010, playing over 200 shows in more than 20 countries, and quickly gained notoriety for their extremely energetic live performances. Celebration Rock, the follow-up to Post-Nothing, was recorded at The Hive, the same Vancouver studio as Post-Nothing, with engineer Jesse Gander. Japandroids kept the ground rules they’ve always had for recording: no double-tracking guitars and no overdubs unless they’re absolutely necessary. The raw energy captured on Celebration Rock is well-balanced with a much bigger sound and showcases the band’s growth as songwriters. The album has quickly become one of the most critically acclaimed albums of 2012 with Pitchfork calling it "a rock record for the ages."

With “Help I’m Alive,” Metric became the first band to have their first ever Top 20 hit on U.S. commercial radio without the backing of a traditional label. They’ve sold out arenas and headlined festivals. They've even performed at a private event for the Queen of England. For a band that had always been told they were “doing it wrong,” the Toronto-based quartet may have a model for making it work. If 2009's Fantasies was about escaping the familiar and exploring the world, Synthetica is about finding the courage to deal with your own reflection in the mirror. "It’s about facing what you know is true," Haines says. Since their last album, Metric created original music for Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Twilight-Eclipse and Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis. The band — Haines, Shaw, bassist Joshua Winstead and drummer Joules Scott Key — started work on Synthetica in November 2010 in Toronto. They were emboldened by their Fantasies' sales (500,000 albums and one million singles worldwide.) Synthetica is globally self-release on Metric Music International.

In the five years since Said The Whale formed, the band's hook-heavy, pop-rock sound has propelled them to successes that include a nationally televised documentary, a JUNO Award victory, and a seemingly endless series of tours around the globe. In an age of overnight internet sensations, theirs is a true grassroots success story that has allowed the group — featuring dual frontmen Tyler Bancroft and Ben Worcester, drummer Spencer Schoening, keyboardist Jaycelyn Brown and bassist Nathan Shaw — to take its place among the Canadian indie rock elite.

Torquil Campbell and Christopher Seligman started the first record Nightsongs in New York in 1999. When starting to play live shows, they called in Evan Cranley, a childhood friend, to play bass. Cranley then recruited Amy Millan. The four of them then moved to Montreal and began to work on the second full-length album, Heart. In Montreal they met Patrick McGee, who became their drummer. Heart's success moved the band and for the next album, Stars rented a house in the Eastern Townships in the middle of winter. For a month and a half, the five of them lived together and wrote Set Yourself on Fire. It was recorded at Studio Plateau in Montreal and was produced by the band and Tom McFall. The record was highly received, scoring high points and incredible reviews. Set Yourself on Fire and their highly acclaimed live performances established them as one of the best bands in Canada. They followed up with In The Bedroom After The War (2007) and The Five Ghosts (2010), both albums also garnered great reviews. Their latest album, The North, released on September 4, 2012, debuted on the Billboard Top 200 at #48 and has already been received with wide critical acclaim.

You know your song has become a bonafide cultural phenomenon when both Colin Powell and the Cookie Monster have covered it. The irresistible earworm “Call Me Maybe” was inescapable this summer, its ubiquity turning its co-author, Canadian singer and songwriter Carly Rae Jepsen, into a breakout star. The five times platinum “Call Me Maybe” has sold more than 9.1 million singles worldwide and climbed to No. 1 in more than 37 countries, including the U.S., where it spent a record-breaking nine weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. Although she’s been an established artist in Canada for several years — with a third-place finish on Canadian Idol, two gold singles, two albums, and two JUNO Award nominations to her name — Jepsen was virtually unknown in the U.S. when “Call Me Maybe” hit it big. Now she’s looking forward to showing the rest of the world what else she has in her bag of tricks with the release of her U.S. debut album Kiss, which showcases her rich, distinctive voice, heartfelt lyrics, and down-to-earth charm. “I just want people to enjoy it,” she says. “I hope it’s music that makes you feel happy and want to sing or dance along."

In 2012, Island Def Jam global superstar Justin Bieber returned to the front lines with his brand new single, "Boyfriend" and album, Believe. The release debuted at No. 1 on the Nielsen Soundscan Top Albums Chart, selling over 57,000 copies in its first week of release. This marked Bieber’s best one-week sales total to date and was also the biggest one-week sales total for any release so far in 2012 (as of June). Bieber’s combined album sales in Canada now total over one million. Believe, which debuted in 30 countries worldwide at No. 1, features the smash singles “Boyfriend”, “As Long As You Love Me” and Bieber’s new single, “Beauty and A Beat” featuring Nicki Minaj. Other guest appearances on the album include Ludacris, Big Sean and Drake. Believe is Executive Produced by Scott "Scooter" Braun and Usher Raymond IV; track producers include Max Martin, Mike Posner, MdL, Diplo, Hit-Boy, The Messengers, Zedd, Rodney Jerkins and Bieber’s vocal producer, Kuk Harrell.

Hailing from Ottawa, Kristina Maria was born under a lucky star. In 2009, she met her producer and manager Vito Luprano, senior VP of A&R; at Sony Music and Celine Dion’s executive producer for 22 years. Thanks to this partnership, Kristina Maria co-wrote 11 of the 14 songs on her latest album with some of the industry’s biggest hit-makers, including JC Chasez (N’Sync) and some of Sweden’s most stellar writers and producers, who, collectively, have worked with Celine Dion, Madonna, Katy Perry, Britney Spears, etc. On April 10, Kristina Maria was finally able to ‘Tell the World’ about her first record. This album includes the number one hit singles, “Let’s Play” (almost Platinum) and “Our Song Comes On” (Gold), as well as the number two hit single, “Co-Pilot,” featuring Laza Morgan. Her French version of “Co-Pilot,” featuring Corneille, has more than 3,450,000 YouTube views and tonnes of airplay in Quebec and France. She even recently performed it before 200,000 people at the Tolerance of the Middle East concert in Morocco. Clearly, nothing can stop her now! Canadian Radio Music Award nominations: Dance/Urban/Rhythmic, HOT AC and SOCAN Song of the Year for her hit single “Let's Play.”

Nelly Furtado is one of those artists that represents the multi-cultural Canada we know and love. Canadian by way of Portugal - more precisely, the Azores - where her parents lived before immigrating to Victoria, Nelly's style is all over the map: High-flying pop, folk music inspired by her Portuguese heritage, and of course, club anthems. Having first gained fame with her debut album “Whoa Nelly,” and her first worldwide hit single “I’m Like a Bird,” Furtado has earned numerous awards and accolades for her music, including 2 Grammy Awards, 10 JUNO Awards, 3 MuchMusic Video Awards and a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame. She has recorded 4 English-language albums and a full-length Spanish album, and topped the charts with such hits as “Promiscuous,” and “Maneater.”

“Music is my hobby,” says Victoria Duffield. “To think that this can be my job is amazing.” Entertaining is not something Victoria has always wanted to do – it’s something she has always done. The singer, dancer and actor from Abbotsford, British Columbia, is not afraid of being in the spotlight, as proven by her spirited debut single for Warner Music Canada, “Shut Up and Dance.” The track, co-written by Victoria and Ryan Stewart (Carly Rae Jepsen, Suzie McNeil), is a brazen dance floor anthem introducing an exciting new artist. “I want people to listen to the song and get lost in it,” she says. “I want to share my love of dance through songs that people can connect with, through both lyrics and beats that can't help but make you want to dance.” Victoria is not just a musician, but also an accomplished actor/dancer. Her resume includes more than 30 movie and television show acting credits, including roles in Smallville, Supernatural, Cold Squad and The Haunting Hour. She began dancing at age two, and as she got older, found herself training 18 hours a week and competing across Canada and the U.S. She is professionally trained in jazz, hip-hop, tap, ballet, lyrical, contemporary and theatre.

Returning to that place where like-minded musicians communicate is to return to the wellspring of inspiration and creativity. With Big Wreck, that translates into an outpouring of rock music that is direct from the subconscious heart, and lives in the interplay of controlled horsepower and unbridled virtuosity. Propelled to international success with their 2x platinum award winning album In Loving Memory Of…, with ‘Albatross,’ Big Wreck is back to doing things the way they did in the very beginning; writing and recording without any outside influence, regardless of current trends. The result is 11 well-crafted tracks filled with intriguing timbres and powerful vocal performances that won’t disappoint the fans they earned in the early years, and is sure to inspire new ones. Albatross debuted at number five on the Top 200 SoundScan chart in Canada, hit #25 on the US Billboard HeatSeekers chart and garnered the band two CASBY Awards. Big Wreck sold out a slew of Canadian shows throughout 2012, becoming the first Canadian band to hit number one on the Canadian rock radio charts with the lead single “Albatross” in over a year, holding the number one spot for six weeks. The follow-up track “Wolves” charted top five at rock radio.

Dead Silence is the follow up to Billy Talent I, II and III and was recorded in three different studios in Toronto, Vancouver and Los Angeles. The album was produced by Billy Talent guitarist Ian D’Sa and is perfect proof of Billy Talent’s inner strength, focus and hard work ethic — character traits that have turned them into one of the most successful international rock acts of the past decade. Being together for almost 20 years and having travelled thousands of miles in vans, buses and planes turned the four piece not just into a band, but into a family - a tight brotherhood that will challenge and tackle any obstacle in front of them. Equipped with countless awards (such as multiple MuchMusic Awards, JUNO Awards, MTV Awards and even two of those rare German Echo Awards) and having played the biggest festival stages worldwide, Billy Talent are ready to take on their next mission: to complete their world domination.

With more than 40 million records sold worldwide and countless sold-out tours, Rush – Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart – is not only one of the most inventive and compelling groups in rock history, but remains one of the most popular. The RIAA has certified Rush for the third most consecutive gold/platinum studio albums by a rock band, topped only by The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Rush released their 20th studio album, Clockwork Angels on June 12, 2012. The highly anticipated album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, matching the highest chart debut of the band’s career. In addition to their commercial success, Rush has also been recognized with a number of JUNO Awards and multiple Grammy nominations. Enjoying a recent pop culture renaissance, Rush made a rare television appearance – their first in over 30 years – on The Colbert Report and a memorable cameo in the film I Love You, Man. Most recently, Rush has been nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013. A Rolling Stone feature summed up the renowned rock trio’s continuing artistic vitality, observing, “it’s true that Rush doesn’t mean today what it did in ’76 or even ’96. It may mean more.”

The Sheepdogs built their name on hard work and determination. Having funded their first three albums and early years of touring on their own, this rock and roll band’s momentum began to build exponentially with the release of the 2010 album, Learn & Burn. The band would go on to win three 2012 JUNO Awards: New Group of the Year, Single of the Year and Rock Album of the Year. With a list of accolades this impressive, the band is on the brink of engaging fans on a wider scale. The Sheepdogs will do just that with the release of their new self-titled album, produced by The Black Keys’ Patrick Carney and Austin Scaggs, which will genuinely introduce them to the U.S. and beyond. Hailing from Saskatoon, SK, The Sheepdogs won an international competition in 2011 securing them the cover of Rolling Stone and making the group the first unsigned band to appear on its front page. The win, decided by 1.5 million public votes, also scored them a record deal with Atlantic, which offered up a new EP from the band, Five Easy Pieces, in August 2011.

The Tragically Hip were formed in 1983 by five friends from Kingston ON – Rob Baker, Gordon Downie, Johnny Fay, Paul Langlois and Gord Sinclair. The Hip have sold millions of records worldwide, managing to enjoy both mass popularity and critical acclaim. The group released their first album, The Tragically Hip, in 1987 and have since released twelve studio albums, earning two diamond certifications and twenty #1 hits. They have won 14 JUNO Awards and were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2005. The Tragically Hip have also received the Order of Canada, as well as honorary degrees from the Royal Conservatory of Music. Known for their powerful, energetic live performances, The Hip have sold millions of albums worldwide and established a demanding concert itinerary, touring extensively in Canada, the U.S., Europe and Australia. The Tragically Hip’s 13th studio recording, Now For Plan A, follows 2009’s platinum selling We Are The Same.

Carol Welsman is an internationally acclaimed singer and pianist who has captivated audiences worldwide with her expressive vocal stylings and dynamic stage presence. Fluent in English, French and Italian, Carol blends languages and rhythms with a versatile repertoire including swing, Latin, R&B;, pop and jazz. She delivers a mix of classic standards and original compositions in a style that ranges from sensuous and warm to infectiously energetic. An elegant and sophisticated performer, this six foot blond beauty exudes confidence and charm and delights fellow musicians and audiences alike. Music is in her soul.

Diana Krall was born in British Columbia. She was raised in Nanaimo, a small community on Vancouver Island, where she began performing professionally at age 15 as a jazz pianist. In 1981, Diana won a Vancouver Jazz Festival scholarship to study at Berklee College of Music in Boston and, after a year and a half of serious study, she returned to British Columbia. Renowned bassist Ray Brown heard her playing one night in Nanaimo and convinced Diana to move to Los Angeles where she obtained a Canadian Arts Council grant to study with Jimmy Rowles. Jimmy encouraged Diana to explore her vocals to supplement her already blossoming piano skills. With several successful CDs to her credit, Diana has won numerous awards including a JUNO Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album (2000) and a Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Performance (2000). She received the Order of British Columbia in 2000 for being a good-will ambassador for British Columbia and epitomizing Canadian culture. The greatest talent in the jazz field to come along in a generation, she frequently acknowledges her roots in Nanaimo where she began.

Diana Panton's latest release, Christmas Kiss, is a delightful mixture of carefully selected chestnuts, obscure gems and new originals. This album is sure to become a seasonal favourite! "The quality and the mood of the music on this CD is very different from your typical seasonal disc; you don't have to play it only in December. Personally, I could listen to this recording all year long." (Guido Basso). Since her initial CD release, Panton’s career has been gathering steady momentum. Her ethereal voice and strong aesthetic vision have garnered her numerous honours, including two previous JUNO Award nominations, two Silver Disc Awards in Japan, a host of Canadian and U.S. indie nominations, as well Top 10 sales chart success in Taiwan and Hong Kong. Her work has been consistently praised by listeners and music critics alike for its unique vocal delivery, exceptional song selection, quality musicianship and audio fidelity.

Two-time JUNO Award nominee and critical darling, Elizabeth Shepherd’s genre-bending soulful jazz has established her as a mainstay on the international jazz circuit, playing legendary venues like Tokyo’s Cotton Club, London’s Jazz Café and the Hollywood Bowl. Her first full-length album of standards, Rewind charts new territory for the songstress as she puts her stamp of originality on songs – some familiar and some undiscovered from the American songbook. It wasn't until Elizabeth became pregnant with her daughter while on the last leg of her 14-month tour that she realized she would not be able write enough original, new songs for an album that was due to her label in Japan, so she decided to record songs that she had grown up with. She wanted desperately to connect with something that was always a constant in her life while she was in the midst of what is arguably the most significant life change a woman will ever have – motherhood. After the album was finished and her daughter Sanna was born, Elizabeth realized that motherhood, and Rewind, turned a new page for her personally, and musically.

Un premier album tout en français pour Emilie-Claire Barlow. Au départ un projet de compilation des chansons en français qui se trouvaient dans le catalogue de la chanteuse torontoise. Puis, en réécoutant le tout, toutes les chansons sont réenregistrées avec de nouveaux arrangements et six nouvelles pièces ajoutées pour compléter le tout. Incluant les nouvelles chansons - Petit matin (Sylvain Lelièvre), Croissants de soleil (Ginette Reno), La belle dame sans regret (Sting) et La plus belle pour aller danser (Sylvie Vartan) en plus d’une magnifique version en duo avec la pianiste Julie Lamontagne de Comme je crie, comme je chante (Pauline Julien).

Hailed as “the next big thing in the jazz world” (City news), “sophisticated and accomplished” (The Toronto Star), as well as “genius” (La Presse, Montréal), guitarist and composer Alex Goodman has established himself as a major force in the jazz community. He has toured extensively and has performed at such prestigious venues as the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, Massey Hall and the CBC’s Glenn Gould studio. Upon completing his Bachelor of Jazz Performance at the University of Toronto, he was honoured as the first jazz musician to have been awarded the William and Phyllis Waters Graduating Award for the “student deemed to have the greatest potential to make an important contribution to the field of music.” The Alex Goodman Quintet was also a finalist in the 2011 Grand Prix de Jazz competition at the Montreal International Jazz Festival. Alex is also an accomplished composer with over 100 original compositions and two film scores to his name. Alex has performed with international jazz stars such as Tim Ries and Ron Westray of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, as well as Maria Schneider and John Patitiucci while a student at the University of Toronto.

Allison Au is a Toronto-based saxophonist, flautist, composer and arranger. The Allison Au Quartet has been featured at Toronto's major jazz clubs. The group was awarded the TD Jazz Fellowship Scholarship in 2011 and the Alfred and Phyllis Balm Scholarship in 2012 to attend the Winter Music Creative Residency at the Banff Centre. As a contemporary ensemble, the quartet focuses on Au's original repertoire. Au is constantly intrigued by new sounds and textures, and strives to emanate a sense of exploration and discovery in her work. She aims to create musical templates that sound fresh, unconventional, yet engaging and thought-provoking. Allison has been earning recognition both nationally and internationally. As a composer/arranger, her work has been featured with Hilario Duran's Latin Big Band (Canada), Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist Roberta Gambarini, Blue Note recording artist Ruben Hein, The Metropole Orkest (The Netherlands), The WDR Big Band Orchestra (Germany), the Filarmonica 900 del Teatro Regio and Torino Jazz Orchestra (Italy). The recipient of a 2011 Ontario Arts Council Popular Music Recording grant, Au produced her recent release The Sky Was Pale Blue, Then Grey. The album features Allison Au (alto saxophone), Todd Pentney (piano), Jon Maharaj (bass) and Fabio Ragnelli (drums).

Clarinetist François Houle has established himself as one of today’s most inventive musicians in the diverse musical genres he has embraced: classical, jazz, new music, improvised music, and world music. He has also developed his own unique improvisational language, virtuosic and rich with sonic embellishment and technical extensions. Whether performing works by Mozart or Messiaen, appearing as a featured soloist with orchestra, leading his new international 5+1 ensemble, or embracing live, interactive electronics, François demystifies music for audiences everywhere. A sought-after soloist and chamber musician, he has commissioned leading Canadian and international composers and premiered over a hundred new works, as well as composing a clarinet concerto (recorded with Turning Point Ensemble for the Atma label). He has also performed with Standing Wave, Bozzini Quartet, and Fibonacci Trio and released more than a dozen recordings, earning JUNO Award and West Coast Music Award nominations. Twice listed by DownBeat as a “talent deserving wider recognition,” and hailed as a “rising star” in DownBeat’s 2008 Critics’ Poll, he has collaborated with jazz greats Dave Douglas, Anthony Braxton, Benoît Delbecq, Myra Melford, Marilyn Crispell and Joelle Léandre among many others. Extensive touring has included appearances at major festivals across Canada, the U.S. and Europe.

Ever since he first picked up the saxophone at the age of 10, Joel Miller knew he wanted to be a jazz musician. His father was a classical composer and professor at Mount Allison University in New Brunswick, and Miller grew up in a house filled of music. Miller's career took shape in 1996 when he produced his first album, Find a Way and was awarded the coveted du Maurier Grand Prix Jazz Award at the 1997 Montreal International Jazz Festival. Since then, Miller has had numerous concert appearances as a leader all across North America, Mexico, Europe, Japan and India and proved to be an important voice on the international jazz scene. His recording career spans 15 years, beginning with his debut album, Find a Way (1996), followed by Playgrounds (1998), Sky Beneath My Feet (1999), And Then Everything Started To Look Different (2001), Mandala (2004) and Tantramar (2008). Released in 2012 on Origin Records, Miller's critically acclaimed album Swim has been topping the jazz radio charts across North America. Joel Miller has performed and recorded with Ingrid Jensen, Geoffrey Keezer, Matt Wilson, Ben Monder, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Denzal Sinclaire, Michael Buble, The Glenn Miller Orchestra and Henry Hey.

Rafael Zaldivar was born in Camagüey, Cuba. Coming from a family of musicians, he started playing percussion and piano at age 10 and pursued his undergraduate studies at the Superior Art Institute of Havana. Moving to Canada at age 22, he obtained a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Montreal and a Master’s degree at McGill University within three years. During his musical career, Rafael has had the opportunity to learn with the great Barry Harris, Kenny Barron, Greg Osby, and to play with the excellent Steve Coleman, Francisco Mela and Danilo Perez. He has also had the pleasure of meeting the great Herbie Hancock in Havana, where the two men shared a highly instructive conversation on the subject of music. Nowadays, he performs in various concert halls and at festivals around Canada.

Brian Dickinson (pianist, arranger, composer, author, educator) was born October 17, 1961 in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. He arrived on the Toronto scene in 1979 and has remained active in Toronto venues ever since performing with the crème de la crème of the jazz world including Pat LaBarbera, Kenny Wheeler, Jerry Bergonzi, Kirk MacDonald, Randy Brecker, Lee Konitz, Dave Liebman, Michael Becker, Dave Holland, Kieran Overs, Maria Schneider, Steve Gadd, and Sonny Fortune. Now head of the keyboard department at Toronto’s Humber College, Dickinson is a graduate of the Humber Music Program and holds a Master in Music (with distinction) degree from the New England Conservatory in Boston. He is the author of a respected book on ear training, entitled The Ears Have Walls (published by Advance Music of Germany). As a leader, Dickinson has released six records including the JUNO Award-winning In Transition.

Much has been written about the accomplishments of jazz impresario Cory Weeds. He has been called "the hardest working in jazz business" and "one of the most important producers of Vancouver and Canadian Jazz.” It is, however, his accomplishments as a saxophonist that he is most proud of. Weeds releases records at a ferocious pace, and why not? Every record he puts out gets met with critical acclaim continent-wide. He has released five records a leader: Big Weeds (2008), Everything's Coming Up Weeds (2009), The Many Deeds Of Cory Weeds (2010), Just Like That (2011) and now Up A Step (2012). All five records have received favourable reviews and have graced the JazzWeek Charts in the U.S. Up A Step made it to number four, which beat his previous high of number six for Everything's Coming Up Weeds. His latest effort also got a four-star review in the November, 2012 Downbeat Magazine. 2012 will be another big year for Weeds, including a release from The Night Crawlers of which he is a founding member, and a CD with his quartet, with guest, Steve Davis. Weeds is a fiery improviser with no frills and gimmicks. He swings hard.

The DYTP 8 is a dynamic jazz octet featuring co-leaders and multiple JUNO Award winners Dave Young (bass) and Terry Promane (trombone) performing original compositions and arrangements by Terry Promane, Dave Young and Rick Wilkins. In addition to well-crafted originals, the octet pays tribute to the music of Duke Ellington, Horace Silver, Dizzy Gillespie, and Charles Mingus. The octet has gained a strong reputation in the jazz community as a powerful ensemble featuring Canada’s most prolific improvisers - Kevin Turcotte (trumpet), Mike Murley (tenor sax) Vern Dorge (alto sax), Perry White (baritone sax), Terry Clarke (drums), and Gary Williamson (piano). Dave Young is a gifted jazz and classical player performing with the Edmonton and Winnipeg Symphonies, as well as the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra. As a jazz artist, his collaborations include Oscar Peterson, Clark Terry, Zoot Simms, Oliver Jones, Rob McConnell, James Moody, and Cedar Walton.
Terry Promane is the Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Toronto and is best known for his work with Rob McConnell, Mike Murley, John MacLeod, and Kirk MacDonald. The band’s past performances include the Toronto Downtown Jazz Festival, The Festival of Sound (Perry Sound Ontario) Hugh’s Room, and numerous appearances at the Rex Jazz Bar.

Murley, Bickert, and Wallace

In 2002, this trio released Live at the Senator, winning that year’s JUNO Award for best traditional jazz album. Test of Time, a recording of previously unissued studio material was released on Cornerstone Records in fall 2012. Currently active as a leader in various formations from duo to septet, Mike Murley also maintains a busy schedule as a sideman and jazz educator (University of Toronto). He has played on 10 JUNO Award-winning recordings and was named saxophonist of the year eight times by the Jazz Report Awards/National Jazz Awards. Ed Bickert has toured internationally with Milt Jackson, Ray Brown, and most significantly, Paul Desmond. His collaboration with Desmond produced four critically acclaimed recordings, one which was nominated for a Grammy Award and two which received five-star ratings in Downbeat. In 1996, he was honoured by the Governor General of Canada for his outstanding contributions to the performing arts, and invested as a Member of the Order of Canada. He retired from active playing in 2000. Toronto born bassist Steve Wallace has played with such international luminaries as Clark Terry, Harry ‘Sweets’ Edison, and Zoot Sims, and has recorded and toured with some of the biggest names in Canadian jazz including Rob McConnell and Oscar Peterson.

Baritone saxophonist Shirantha Beddage is a nationally recognized performer, composer, arranger and educator. He has performed extensively across the United States and Canada with his quartet, and he currently performs and records with numerous Toronto musicians such as Nancy Walker, Alex Dean and Bruce Cassidy. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree (D.M.A.) in Jazz Studies from the Eastman School of Music (Rochester, New York), a Master of Music degree in Jazz Studies from William Paterson University (New Jersey) and a Bachelor of Music degree from Toronto’s Humber College, where he now serves as head of Theory and Harmony in the Music department. Shirantha Beddage’s exciting new CD, Identity (2012) is available now on Addo Records. His quartet, featuring Dave Restivo (piano), Mike Downes (bass), and Mark Kelso (drums), is heavily featured on a variety of Shirantha’s original compositions, reflecting a complex mix of emotional states and moods. The record also features special guests Nathan Eklund (trumpet) and Larnell Lewis (drums). Shirantha’s first album, Roots and Branches (2007), featuring his original compositions, is distributed internationally through Jazz Excursion Records and iTunes.

Five Alarm Funk is a horn powered, percussion fuelled sonic and visual assault. For more than nine years, the band has brought their relentless and unforgettable live show to clubs and major festivals across Canada and the United States. The group on stage is an unstoppable orgy of energy that feeds off of the sweat-soaked delirium of the dance floor. Ten musicians perform intricate and airtight arrangements with “dance” moves and full on head-banging. Choreographed arm movements coincide with melodic climaxes while the four percussionists create a true spectacle to behold. Each member of the band is a self-contained music machine, and Five Alarm Funk is proof that when it comes to laying down the perfect groove, the more the merrier. The fourth studio album, Rock the Sky, was released in May 2012. As the name implies, and the epic Pegasus on the cover attests, Rock the Sky has the band embracing their rock influences. “Iron Pegasus” is Iron Maiden meeting Tower of Power in an Egyptian bazaar, while “Wash Your Face” evokes Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock fighting to the death. The funk is not forgotten in “The Critic,” with heavy baritone sax propelling a slow and sexy groove.

Calgary-born computer programmer and drummer Hugh Sicotte and Prince Albert, Saskatchewan-born pianist Jon Ballantyne met in Brooklyn in 1995 at a jam session in Jon's apartment. The two musicians immediately hit it off musically, and have played and recorded together ever since. With extensive backgrounds in jazz improvisation, these musicians exemplify the open-minded nature of the generation of jazz musicians born in the 1960s, many who have been equally informed by music other than jazz, their whole lives. Hugh has collaborated with some of the most adventurous artists in music: Dave Douglas, Bill Carrothers and Kevin Hayes. His interest and growing expertise in computer generated music and computer programming (as well as computer generated 3D graphic design), began in the ‘90s and continues to this day. Jon was a member of the great saxophonist Joe Henderson's quartet in the ‘90s and has also played and recorded completely free improvisations with fellow Canadian pianist and innovator Paul Bley. Jon's interest in and study of 'new music' of the electronic kind became invigorated in New York, when he began to regularly tune into the program Afternoon New Music, broadcast daily on the revered Columbia University radio station, WKCR.

Ian McDougall is well known in Canada and internationally as a trombonist, composer, arranger, and educator. He was born in Calgary and has lived in Vancouver, London, England, Toronto, and Victoria. He was lead and solo trombone with Rob McConnell's Juno and Grammy- winning Boss Brass for 20 years, and since moving back to the west coast, has produced over 6 CDs as a leader, featuring a duo, quartet, quintet, sextet, 12-tet, and big band . He is Professor Emeritus of the University of Victoria, where he received a distinguished alumni award in 2004. In 2008, he was honoured to receive the Order of Canada. He writes music not only in the jazz genre, but also classical, and his works have been performed by the Vancouver Symphony, the CBC Chamber orchestra, Ottawa's Thirteen Strings, the Vancouver Chamber Choir, the Lafayette Quartet, the Phoenix Choir, the Boss Brass, the BBC Big Band, and many others. Awards have included Best Big Band at the National Jazz awards, the SOCAN established composer award, a Juno award for his writing and leading of the Brass Connection in 1982, along with many Juno nominations.

The Pugs and Crows is an instrumental band that performs original music, evoking a shifting range of sonic colours and ambient soundscapes. The ensemble's unique, cinematic sound is due in part to the creative instrumentation of violin, double bass, guitar, piano, and drums. The band is extremely adaptable, having shared stages with punk, indie rock, jazz, and classical ensembles. In 2010, the group received the Galaxie Rising Star Award for their performance at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival. In the following year, they were a main stage act at both the Vancouver and Halifax International Jazz Festivals. The band made its first appearance at the Vancouver Olio Festival (a partner of NXNE) in 2011. In addition, the group recently participated in the world-renowned Jazz and Creative Music Workshop at the Banff Centre for the Arts under the direction of Dave Douglas. Recent highlights for the band include the release of their second independent recording Fantastic Pictures as well as an opening performance for Bill Frisell at the 2012 Vancouver International Jazz Festival. About to embark on their second tour within Canada, Pugs and Crows are thrilled to be taking their tunes east to new audiences and especially to be performing at the Mundial Conference and National Arts Centre.

The eclectic, astounding and sometimes mystifying Ratchet Orchestra continue to attract attention with the release of their third recording, Hemlock. Recorded by Godspeed You! Black Emperor bassist Thierry Amar and released on the Vancouver label Drip Audio, The Ratchet Orchestra is a who's who of Montreal's edgiest musicians. Director Nicolas Caloia's compositions provide a structure to showcase fierce talents like Tom Walsh, Jean Derome, Lori Freedman, Sam Shalabi, and Christopher Cauley. The Ratchet Orchestra has existed since the early 1990s, when Caloia started experimenting with improvised chamber jazz. In 1998, the size of the band began to swell for a legendary birthday tribute to the inspirational SunRa and it has continued expanding to its current membership of 30 strong. This band makes a powerful sound but is not designed to be a demonstration of force, rather, it embraces human frailty. The Ratchet Orchestra does not resemble a sports team or an army – its members do not have to march in perfect formation. They are pirates, not the navy. The group defies reason.

Nearly four years after the release of her debut album, Amylie has become a strong and inspiring woman. Her new album Le Royaume is original and refreshing. Produced by Antoine Gratton, this album, filled with strength and energy, provides the same pop and soul sound from Mes Oreilles. Amylie offers a sound, a voice, a soul, and sunshine for the spring!

Avec pas d’casque began as a duo, made up of Stéphane Lafleur and Joël Vaudreuil, who recorded a self-produced album in 2004. Two years later, the band got signed to Dare To Care and released its first album, Trois Chaudières de Sang, an effort that members also recorded entirely at home. Nicolas Moussette joined on lap steel guitar and bass as the band started to perform live more. The album caught the attention of critics and was nominated twice for the 2006 ADISQ Awards, including for Country Album of the Year. The trio released Dans la Nature Jusqu’au Cou in the fall of 2008. In 2009, Avec pas d’casque received two more ADISQ nominations, including Singer-Songwriter of the Year, and won the Best Folk/Country Album of the Year at the GAMIQ Awards. The band returned in 2012 with Astronomie. As a natural continuation of the preceeding effort, the new album explores the highs and lows of human nature through strong imagery. Recorded during the summer and fall of 2011 and mixed by Mark Lawson (who worked with Timber Timbre, The Unicorns, and Arcade Fire, among others), Astronomie certainly comes off as the band’s most accomplished and polished album to date, both in terms of lyrics and arrangements. It also marks the arrival of new member Mathieu Charbonneau (previously involved with The Luyas, Torngat) on baritone.

Winner of the 2010 Festival de la Chanson de Granby, Lisa LeBlanc, Acadian who composed her first pieces in 2007, comes from a family of music lovers. Outstanding guitarist and a promising singer-songwriter, Lisa LeBlanc has also played at numerous festivals. Exposing her true show-woman-ship, this young artist has already played close to 300 shows in Canada and Europe, including the FMEAT, Coup de Coeur Francophone, FrancoFolies of Montreal, the Festival d'Été de Québec, Francofolies de La Rochelle and Les Francofolies de Spa to name a few. Her debut self-titled certified gold album was mainly written from the heart of Rosaireville, her native village of 40 people in New Brunswick, in Granby during her studies at l'École Nationale de la Chanson, as well as in Montreal, where she has been living since 2011. Lisa LeBlanc's irresistible charm is the result of her unique and original style that she describes as folk-trash mixed with her lyrics that can make people laugh as much as destabilize them!

Louis-Jean Cormier, singer and founder of Polaris Prize Winners, Karkwa, launched his first solo effort with Le Treizième Étage (The Thirteenth Floor), a more personal album made with many friends in his personal studio.

Ever since the release of her debut self-titled album in 2009, co-produced by François Lafontaine and Louis-Jean Cormier (both of Karkwa), singer-songwriter Marie-Pierre Arthur has become one of the key figures of the new chanson québécoise. Winner of the SPACQ's Prix André Dédé Fortin, handed out to the emerging singer-songwriter of the year and of the Prix de la Chanson populaire SOCAN for the song “Pourquoi,” she also received three nominations at l'ADISQ. With songs such as “Elle” and “Droit Devant” charting across Quebec, Marie-Pierre was in high demand, receiving invitations to perform at events such as Osheaga, Francofolies de Montréal, M for Montreal and the NCC Canada Day show in Gatineau. February 2012 marks her comeback with her second album Aux alentours, produced by François Lafontaine. Nominated on the long list for the 2012 Polaris Music Prize, Aux alentours was also released in France on Polydor last September. She won the Prix Félix-Leclerc de la chanson 2012 and has recently been nominated at ADISQ for Female Artist of the Year, Album of the Year - Pop, Songwriter of the Year, Album of the Year - Critic's Choice and Album Artwork of the Year.

The Stella and Sam Album, Featuring Emilie Mover features 14 original songs inspired from the award-winning animated television show, including the much-loved theme song. Emilie Mover originally hails from Montreal and grew up between Toronto and New York City. The daughter of jazz saxophonist Bob Mover, she soaked up a musical childhood and began singing professionally with her father at the age of 13. Not long after, she began playing guitar and dabbling in songwriting. Living in Toronto in the early 2000s, she began working at the Tranzac Club in Toronto, often performing these songs for the clientele. Since then, she has enjoyed the success of playing alongside greats such as Richie Havens, as well as being featured in numerous commercial and television spots, including Grey’s Anatomy and The Ghost Whisperer. She currently splits her time between New York and Toronto, playing, touring, and recording.

After years of writing songs while making a living as a musical stand-up comedian, Helen Austin's move to Canada in 2002 was the catalyst for her musical career. Ten years and six albums later, Helen is a prolific songwriter with many TV/movie placements, awards and competition wins under belt, the most recent being a John Lennon Songwriting Contest Grand Prize win. Helen brings her quirky humour to her music, as well as the ability to tug at your heartstrings with her more serious songs, and the melodies stay in your head long after you have heard them. Many of the songs on Helen's past albums have appealed to adults and kids alike. Always Be A Unicorn is Helen's first collection of songs written specifically for young children but in a style that won't drive parents crazy.

Entouré d'une douzaine de musiciens issus de différents groupes de la scène musicale québécoise, les pièces d'Henri Godon voyagent à travers plusieurs styles : le jazz, le traditionnel, le swing. Des arrangements surprenants et une section de cuivres éclatés sont aux profits des chansons bien ficelées de l'auteur. Tantôt drôles, tantôt poétiques, les textes s'inspirent du quotidien des 5 à 11 ans et sont chantés et racontés dans un langage qui est loin d'être enfantin. Henri Godon n'a aucune prétention éducative. Il convoque plutôt la famille à un véritable party autour de ses chansons. Des cuivres, de la guit'électrique, de la batterie, du plaisir, de la chanson à texte… ne cherchez pas le sens, amusez-vous!

Award-winning singer-songwriter Jennifer Gasoi is quickly making a name for herself in the world of children’s music. Jennifer has a unique gift for writing and performing upbeat, intelligent, jazz and world based children’s songs that adults love too. The lyrics are clever, the melodies catchy, and the rhythms undeniably danceable. Jennifer has built an exceptionally loyal fan base in Montreal and has just launched her new album at the historic Rialto Theatre to an enthusiastic all-ages crowd. “My whole body loves this music!” - Nicholas (a five year old fan at the show). Since releasing her debut album, Songs for You, the response to Jennifer’s music has been extraordinary from kids and adults alike. Jennifer’s debut CD was nominated for a 2005 JUNO Award for Children’s Album of the Year! Jennifer was also awarded a coveted 2004 Gold Parent’s Choice Award and was nominated for Outstanding Children’s Album at the 2004 Western Canadian Music Awards. “Seems there’s a huge appetite out there for intelligent, creative music aimed at kids.” –Sook Yin Lee, CBC Radio. Through her music, Jennifer hopes to inspire kids (and adults) to live from the heart, stay true to themselves and follow their dreams.

Marlowe & the MiX is a Canadian kids pop music band with groundbreaking, original songs and an MTV style. Targeting the three to tween audience who feel that they've "outgrown" kiddie music but whose parents find Top-40 radio "too racy," Marlowe & the MiX entertain today's kids with an age-appropriate, flashy, rock concert feel. Created by accomplished singer-songwriter Marlowe Stone after identifying a gap in kids music, Marlowe & the MiX have now released their first full-length CD, One Dancefloor, to rave reviews. Described as "Free to Be You & Me meets Black Eyed Peas," One Dancefloor takes children's music to exciting levels of writing and production. Each track mixes Stone's "family-friendly" pop writing sensibility with rock musicians, rappers and young talent. Produced by Canada's Chris Perry, the single "Life is a Rollercoaster" has already won two international awards for Best Children's Song (Independent Music Awards, John Lennon Songwriting Competition Finalist). Young families love Marlowe's live, sell-out shows where fans are her "All-Stars" and she showcases youth-related causes. Marlowe Stone is a Celebrity Ambassador for Kids Help Phone, which commissioned her to write a "jingle" for release in 13,000 schools nationwide. The jingle is the bonus track on One Dancefloor.

The Amici Chamber Ensemble has been at the forefront of the Canadian chamber music scene in the past 25 years. Founding members, clarinettist Joaquin Valdepeñas, cellist David Hetherington, and recent addition, pianist Serouj Kradjian invite some of the finest musicians to join them in eclectic programming and projects, at the same time celebrating friendship through music; hence the name Amici. Some of the many renowned artists who have performed with Amici in their renowned concert series at the Glenn Gould Studio are James Ehnes, Isabel Bayrakdarian, Shmuel Ashkenasi, Russell Braun, Michael Schade, Jaime Laredo, André Laplante, and James Sommerville. Amici Chamber Ensemble has commissioned and premiered over 20 works by Canadian composers, among them Allan Gordon Bell, Brian Cherney, Malcolm Forsyth, Jacques Hétu, Alexina Louie and Jeffrey Ryan. Amici’s recordings have placed them firmly among the world's best chamber ensembles and garnered AMICI a JUNO Award (for Among Friends), and several JUNO Award nominations – most recently, a 2011 JUNO Award nomination for their latest ATMA Classique disc, Armenian Chamber Music. Two recordings of Olivier Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time highlight their critically acclaimed discography. The 2012-2013 Celebrating Through Collaboration will feature a very strong line-up of collaborators and innovative programming.

Angela Hewitt is a phenomenal artist who has established herself at the highest level, not least through her award-winning recordings for Hyperion. Her series of all the major keyboard works of Bach has been described as “one of the record glories of our age.” Her discography also includes recordings of Beethoven, Chabrier, Granados, Messiaen, Rameau, Ravel, Schumann, the complete Chopin Nocturnes and three discs of Couperin. Born in Ottawa into a musical family, Angela Hewitt began her piano studies at the age of three. At the age of nine, she gave her first recital at Toronto’s Royal Conservatory of Music where she later studied, going on to learn with the French pianist Jean-Paul Sévilla. She won the Viotti Competition in Italy and the Toronto International Bach Competition, and was a top prizewinner in the Bach competitions of Leipzig and Washington DC, as well as the Dino Ciani Competition at La Scala, Milan. She was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2000. She was also awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2006. She has lived in London since 1985 but also has homes in Canada and Umbria.

“These are the men who put brass music on the map. With their unbeatable blend of virtuosity, spontaneity and humor, they brighten the rosters of concert halls, international festivals and orchestra series throughout the world. Their numerous recordings, frequent television appearances and tireless efforts in the realm of music education have resulted in vast new audiences for the art of the Canadian Brass.” - Washington Post. Five tremendous brass musicians — each a virtuoso in his own right — form the legendary Canadian Brass. With an international reputation as one of the most popular brass ensembles today, Canadian Brass has truly earned the distinction of “the world’s most famous brass group.”

James Ehnes was born in 1976 in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. He began violin studies at the age of four, and at age nine became a protégé of the noted Canadian violinist Francis Chaplin. He studied with Sally Thomas at the Meadowmount School of Music and from 1993 to 1997 at The Juilliard School, winning the Peter Mennin Prize for Outstanding Achievement and Leadership in Music upon his graduation. Mr. Ehnes first gained national recognition in 1987 as winner of the Grand Prize in Strings at the Canadian Music Competition. The following year, he won the First Prize in Strings at the Canadian Music Festival, the youngest musician ever to do so. At age 13, he made his major orchestral solo debut with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal. He has won numerous awards and prizes, including the first-ever Ivan Galamian Memorial Award, the Canada Council for the Arts’ Virginia Parker Prize, and a 2005 Avery Fisher Career Grant.

Triple Forte was born in late 2003, and was an instant success: the trio performed over 35 concerts in its first active season, and immediately drew rave reviews for its high musicianship, dashing virtuosity and liveliness on stage. Tours have now taken them through Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, Manitoba, and the Maritime provinces. In its few years of existence, Triple Forte has already recorded several broadcasts for CBC Radio, showcasing an already wide-ranging repertoire. Mr. Wood has eight solo and violin/piano CD recordings on many labels. He is a Professor of Violin at the University of British Columbia. Yegor Dyachkov appeared with major orchestras in such cities as Antwerp, Geneva, Montreal, Rio de Janeiro, Toronto and Vancouver, and has performed at numerous international festivals in Évian, Kronberg, Lanaudière, Ottawa and Tanglewood. A national and international prizewinner, David Jalbert has won two Opus Awards (from the Conseil Québécois de la Musique) and was the 2007 laureate of the prestigious Virginia Parker Prize of the Canada Council for the Arts. He is now a Professor on the Piano Faculty at the University of Ottawa.

Knighted by the Republic of Italy for his contribution to music, Antonio Peruch pursues his vision of the accordion as an exciting classical concert instrument. His Logos Futura accordion, built to his specifications in Italy, helps him achieve this vision. His debut Logos Futura CD features the World Premiere recordings of three landmark concerti he commissioned—Malcolm Forsyth’s Concerto for Accordion and Orchestra (Peruch’s live 2001 world premiere performance with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Grzegorz Nowak); Violet Archer’s Pensieroso; and Allan Gilliland’s Concerto for Accordion and String Orchestra. He recorded the Archer and Gilliland works with Cuba’s prestigious Camerata Romeu chamber orchestra, conducted by Music Director Zenaida Romeu, and gave the Gilliland world premiere performance with them in Havana. He has performed with several chamber ensembles and as concerto soloist with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, the Victoria Symphony Orchestra, the Sooke Philharmonic Chamber Players, and the San Diego Jewish Community Center Orchestra. Peruch’s upcoming CD releases include Loving: The Music of Astor Piazzolla and Homenaje al Tango, the only monographic CD of Daniel Binelli’s music—both recorded with New York-based Uruguayan pianist and tango specialist Polly Ferman and Cuba’s Camerata Romeu.

The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO) was founded by the Vancouver Symphony Society in 1930, largely through the efforts of arts patron Elisabeth Rogers. Two previous unrelated orchestras had operated under the name the "Vancouver Symphony Orchestra," the first of which was formed in 1897 by Adolf Gregory and lasted for only one season. The second VSO was formed in 1919 by conductor Henry Green and was led by F.L. Beecher (President) and Mrs. B.T. Rogers (Vice-President). That orchestra existed for two seasons before financial strains and the disappearance of Green forced the orchestra to cease activities in 1921. The VSO and Maestro Tovey won the 2008 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (with Orchestra) for their recording of the Korngold, Barber, and Walton violin concerti, featuring Canadian violinist James Ehnes. The recording won a 2008 JUNO Award for Classical Album of the Year (large ensemble).

James Ehnes was born in 1976 in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. He began violin studies at the age of four, and at age nine became a protégé of the noted Canadian violinist Francis Chaplin. He studied with Sally Thomas at the Meadowmount School of Music and from 1993 to 1997 at The Juilliard School, winning the Peter Mennin Prize for Outstanding Achievement and Leadership in Music upon his graduation. Mr. Ehnes first gained national recognition in 1987 as winner of the Grand Prize in Strings at the Canadian Music Competition. The following year, he won the First Prize in Strings at the Canadian Music Festival, the youngest musician ever to do so. At age 13, he made his major orchestral solo debut with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal. He has won numerous awards and prizes, including the first-ever Ivan Galamian Memorial Award, the Canada Council for the Arts’ Virginia Parker Prize, and a 2005 Avery Fisher Career Grant.

Already recognized around the world for his poetic and mature playing, 17-year-old Jan Lisiecki has received several awards, including the 2010 Révélations Radio-Canada Musique and the 2011 Jeune Soliste des Radios Francophones. At the age of 15, he signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon, his debut album Mozart’s Piano Concertos Nos. 20 and 21 being released in April 2012. Born in 1995 in Calgary to Polish parents, Jan has performed throughout the world, including such hallowed venues as Carnegie Hall (New York), Salle Pleyel and Salle Cortot (Paris), Suntory Hall (Tokyo), and the Warsaw Philharmonic Concert Hall. He performed for Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth and an audience of 100,000 on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Jan performs frequently for various charity organizations, including the David Foster Foundation, the Polish Humanitarian Organization, and the Wish Upon a Star Foundation. In June 2008, he was appointed a National Youth Representative by UNICEF Canada. Having graduated from high school at age 15 in January 2011, Jan is studying for a Bachelor of Music at the Glenn Gould School of Music in Toronto on a full scholarship. His second album, featuring the works of Frédéric Chopin, will be released on Deutsche Grammophon in 2013.

Led by Music Director Jeanne Lamon and founded in 1979, Tafelmusik is considered “one of the top baroque orchestras in the world” (Gramophone). The orchestra performs over 50 concerts a year at home in Toronto, tours extensively around the world, has released 80 CDs and has received nine JUNO Awards. Tafelmusik is one of Canada’s foremost cultural ambassadors, and in 2011/2012 performed in festivals and concert halls in Germany, USA, Australia, New Zealand, France and in Canada. It was a Sony Classical producer who was the matchmaker of Tafelmusik with conductor Bruno Weil. Weil appointed Tafelmusik as the orchestra in residency at Germany’s Klang und Raum Festival for 19 years, both have toured the world together, and have created a number of recordings together. In 2012, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra celebrated a successful international launch of its own multi-platform recording label, Tafelmusik Media. As well, Tafelmusik Media is creating access for young people through the digital concert hall, Tafelmusik’s Watch and Listen site, and a large presence on YouTube. Tafelmusik Media is sowing seeds for the orchestra’s future growth in recording, broadcasting and touring, as well as building audiences around the world.

The Elora Festival Singers (EFS), an all-professional Grammy and JUNO Award nominated chamber choir, was founded in 1980 by Noel Edison as principal choral ensemble of the Elora Festival. In 1992, the Elora Festival Singers was incorporated as a separate organization to manage its year-round activities. Since 1997, the choir has been the core of the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and the Toronto Mendelssohn Singers, and is the choral ensemble-in-residence of the Elora Festival for four weeks each summer. Through regular concert series, recordings, broadcasts, and touring, EFS has established a reputation as one of the finest chamber choirs in Canada and beyond, contributing to the musical life, not only of the community, but on an international stage. With eight releases on the NAXOS label, the EFS are known for its rich, warm sound and clarity of texture. The choir is renowned for its diverse styles, for its commitment to Canadian repertoire, and for its collaborations with other Canadian artists.

The Canadian baritone Gerald Finley has established himself as one of the leading singers and dramatic interpreters of his generation, performing at the major opera and concert venues of the world, in a wide variety of repertoire. As a multiple Gramophone Award winner for his Hyperion recital recordings with Julius Drake – Songs by Samuel Barber (2008), Schumann’s Dichterliebe (2009), and Britten’s Songs and Proverbs of William Blake (2011) – and as a Grammy Award winner for John Adams’ Doctor Atomic (2012), his recording legacy is much acclaimed. Gerald Finley’s work in opera has been founded on Mozart (Glyndebourne, Salzburg, Vienna, Met, Covent Garden), as well as championing new repertoire, most notably in premieres as J. Robert Oppenheimer in John Adams’ Doctor Atomic and as Howard K. Stern in Mark-Anthony Turnage’s Anna Nicole. His concert recording work is equally prestigious, including Britten’s War Requiem and Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony. He has also premiered new works by Turnage, Saariaho, Philips, Picker and Lieberson. Gerald Finley began singing as a chorister in Ottawa, Canada, and continued his musical studies in the United Kingdom at the Royal College of Music, King’s College, Cambridge, and the National Opera Studio.

Canada’s superstar soprano Karina Gauvin has impressed audiences and critics the world over with her luscious timbre, profound musicality and wide vocal range. The Globe and Mail calls her “one of the dream sopranos of our time.” The Sunday Times in London also wrote, “her glinting soprano, bright-edged yet deliciously rounded and sensual, is used with rare understanding for character.” On the operatic and concert stage, she has performed with conductors as diverse as Charles Dutoit, Kent Nagano, Semyon Bichkov, Roger Norrington, Alan Curtis, Christopher Hogwood, Helmuth Rilling, Andrea Marcon, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Bernard Labadie, and Christophe Rousset. Also active as a recitalist, she has collaborated with several chamber music ensembles and with pianists Marc-André Hamelin, Michael McMahon and Roger Vignoles. In addition to Karina Gauvin’s solo discs produced by the ATMA label, many of her recordings have been nominated for a Grammy and have won prizes at the JUNO Awards and OPUS Awards. More recently, her characterization of Manlio in Vivaldi’s opera Tito Manlio on the Naïve label with the Accademia Byzantina was called “riveting” by Opera News. With Il Complesso Barocco under Alan Curtis, she has sung in concert and recorded Handel’s Ezio, Tolomeo and Alcina for the Deutsche Grammophon.

In 2000, contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux became the first Canadian to win the First Prize and the Special Prize for Lieder at the Queen Elizabeth International Music Competition in Belgium. Winning these prestigious awards opened the door to an immediate international career, allowing her to perform in recital and in concert with the world's greatest orchestras. On stage, she performs works of Beethoven, Berlioz, Debussy, Gluck, Händel, Haydn, Honegger, Koechlin, Mahler, Monteverdi, Mozart, Rossini, Verdi, Vivaldi and Wagner, as well as masterpieces from the French repertoire. She sings regularly in the greatest theatres in the world: Berlin and Vienna Staatsopers, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Paris Théâtre des Champs Élysées, Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, Brussels' Théâtre de la Monnaie, Munich Staastoper, London Covent Garden, and under the direction of the greatest conductors, such as Alan Curtis, Fabien Gabel, Daniele Gatti, Pavo Järvi, Bernard Labadie, and Kurt Masur.

Led by Music Director Jeanne Lamon and founded in 1979, Tafelmusik is considered “one of the top baroque orchestras in the world” (Gramophone). The orchestra performs over 50 concerts a year at home in Toronto, tours extensively around the world, has released 80 CDs and has received nine JUNO Awards. Tafelmusik is one of Canada’s foremost cultural ambassadors, and in 2011/2012 performed in festivals and concert halls in Germany, USA, Australia, New Zealand, France and in Canada. It was a Sony Classical producer who was the matchmaker of Tafelmusik with conductor Bruno Weil. Weil appointed Tafelmusik as the orchestra in residency at Germany’s Klang und Raum Festival for 19 years, both have toured the world together, and have created a number of recordings together. In 2012, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra celebrated a successful international launch of its own multi-platform recording label, Tafelmusik Media. As well, Tafelmusik Media is creating access for young people through the digital concert hall, Tafelmusik’s Watch and Listen site, and a large presence on YouTube. Tafelmusik Media is sowing seeds for the orchestra’s future growth in recording, broadcasting and touring, as well as building audiences around the world.

Since coming together in Toronto in 1993, the Gryphon Trio has firmly established itself as the world’s leading piano trio. With a repertoire that ranges from the traditional to the contemporary and from European classicism to New World jazz and popular song, the Gryphons are committed to redefining chamber music for the 21st century. Both literally and figuratively paying homage to Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time, Canadian composer Alexina Louie’s Echoes of Time forms a prelude to a three-part evening which culminates in a performance of the Messiaen. Louie’s single-movement score uses fragments of Messiaen’s Quartet as a springboard for invention, echoing musical textures, harmonies, rhythms and Messiaen’s modal scales along the way.

Denis Gougeon is among the most active composers on the Canadian scene. He has more than 90 works to his credit, ranging from solo to orchestral works. The Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec (OSQ), la Société de Musique Contemporaine du Québec, le Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, Radio-Canada (OSM), Percussions de Strasbourg in France, and the Oslo National Ballet of Norway are among the many artists and associations to commission his works. In 1989, Denis Gougeon was appointed by conductor Charles Dutoit, composer in residence for the Montreal Symphony Orchestra – the first appointment in the orchestra’s history. He has received the Prix Jan V. Matecek in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2007 for the most concert and radio performances of his works throughout Canada. In 2001, he was appointed composition teacher at the Faculté de Musique de l’Université de Montréal. In March 2007, he won the JUNO Award for “Clere Vénus” as the Classical Composition of the Year. In Shanghai, May 2009, he won National Section of the Présences/Shanghai Spring Festival Competition and in May 2010, he won the Grand International Prizes of the Présences/Shanghai Spring Festival Competition.

Howard Leslie Shore is a Canadian composer, notable for his film scores. He has composed the scores for over 80 films, most notably the scores for The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, for which he won three Academy Awards. He is also a consistent collaborator with director David Cronenberg, having scored all but one of his films since 1979. He has also composed a few concert works including one opera, The Fly, based on the plot (though not his score) of Cronenberg's 1986 film premiered at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris on July 2, 2008; a short piece, “Fanfare” for the Wanamaker Organ and the Philadelphia Orchestra, and a short overture for the Swiss 21st Century Symphony Orchestra. Shore is a three-time winner of the Academy Award, and has also won three Golden Globe Awards and four Grammy Awards. He is the uncle of film composer Ryan Shore. Shore serves on the Board of Trustees at his alma mater, Berklee College of Music.

R. Murray Schafer has achieved an international reputation as a composer, an educator, environmentalist, scholar and visual artist. Born in Sarnia, Ontario, in 1933, he was raised in Toronto. In 1980, he was awarded the Prix International Arthur-Honegger; in 1985, he received the Banff CA National Award in the Arts and in 1987, he became the first recipient of the $50,000 triennial Glenn Gould Award. Schafer holds honourary doctorates from universities in Canada, France and Argentina. Yehudi Menuhin praised “his strong, benevolent, and highly original imagination and intellect – a dynamic power whose manifold personal expressions and aspirations are in total accord with the urgent needs and dreams of humanity today.”

With music described as “evocative” by The New York Times, Canadian-born Vivian Fung has distinguished herself as a composer with a powerful compositional voice, whose music often merges Western forms with non-Western influences such as Balinese and Javanese gamelan and folk songs from minority regions of China. New projects in the current 2012-2013 concert season include commissions for an orchestral work for Chicago Sinfonietta under Music Director Mei-Ann Chen, a new string quartet for the Banff International String Quartet Competition, a new work for piano for the International Beethoven Project in Chicago, a gamelan work, “Kreasi Mekanik Mainan” for Gamelan Yowana Sari at Queens College, and “Gamelan Grunge” for Contact Contemporary Music in Toronto. In September 2012, Naxos Canadian Classics released the world premiere recording of Vivian Fung’s Violin Concerto, Piano Concerto Dreamscapes and Glimpses for prepared piano, featuring Metropolis Ensemble conducted by Andrew Cyr, featuring violinist Kristin Lee and pianist Conor Hanick.

Classified was born Luke Boyd and has sold more than 70K records and been the recipient of 4 (nominated for 10) East Coast Music Awards. Self-Explanatory was released in 2009 and featured the JUNO-nominated hits “Anybody Listening?” and “Oh, Canada.” After a decade of touring and independently releasing his music, the artist suddenly found himself sharing a JUNO stage with Justin Bieber and Drake. He’s recorded with everyone from Maestro Fresh Wes to Joel Plaskett and only signed with a major label with his last disc. Handshakes and Middle Fingers is a musical hip-hop album about balance. Through boom-bap beats, catchy choruses and dirty drums, Classified uses his unparalleled wit, lyrics and diction to examine the fine line between mainstream success and the underground. “I didn’t get involved with any of this to become a rap star. I’m more about a hard-hitting beat and lyrics than ever wanting to become a celebrity.” With Handshakes and Middle Fingers, Classified might just prove that he’s able to do both things.

After six years in the game, JD Era has become a staple artist in Toronto before and after becoming the first artist signed to Wu-Tang Clan’s Raewkon’s ICE H20 Canadian-based label. His innovative methods have helped him expand his fan base well beyond the border and overseas. With millions of views on YouTube, blogs, and an overall steady online following, this Toronto artist is truly proving that he is one of Canada’s best lyricists and ghost writers. Since being named Champion at the Marc Ecko Freestyle Competition, Era has performed alongside artists like Nas, GZA, Kardinal Offishall, Drake, Method Man, Red Man, Raekwon, Rick Ross, Busta Rhymes, Gucci Mane, The Clipse, Mac Miller, Termanology, Curren$y and Freddie Gibbs. He was nominated for two DJ Stylus Awards and took home the hardware for Best Rap at the Toronto Independent Music Awards. His freestyle prowess was highlighted once again when he was crowned the winner of the TAG Records’ Survival of The Freshest Competition. In addition, his late summer street release, Coming to America was nominated as Best Mixtape for Flow 93.5’s Real Frequency Award. With five solid mixtape albums under his belt, JD Era’s catalogue continues to grow.

After four and a half straight years of opiate abuse, followed by a year taking back control of his life, Madchild of Vancouver based Swollen Members discovered his personal sanctuary in the arms of his music. Clean from drugs for the first time in his adult life, Madchild removed himself from temptation by walking away from his previous social life and bunkering down in his home studio, secluded from the outside world. For the next 10 months, Madchild feverishly wrote and recorded his first ever solo album, Dope Sick.
Dope Sick was inspired by Madchild's battle with addiction and offers fans an open look at the cold realities of drug abuse. The album shows Madchild back on the top of his game, spitting venom like a caged beast on everything from his addiction and his recent ban from the United States, to the current state of hip-hop. Not only is Dope Sick a story of triumph over adversity, but it has allowed Madchild to be reborn creatively. Unshackled from the chains of his past indiscretions, Madchild has confronted his darkest demons and used them as a source of inspiration to create one of the most insanely captivating hip-hop releases of 2012.

As one of Canada’s most successful and influential hip-hop artists, Wes “Maestro” Williams was selected to be the guest speaker for the former Governor General of Canada’s Summit on Urban Arts when Her Excellency visited Vancouver, B.C. Wes has received two JUNO Awards and his albums have reached gold and platinum status. His signature song “Let Your Backbone Slide” remains the only Canadian hip-hop single to ever go gold. He is one of Canada’s premier multi-media personalities. Already a JUNO Award winning recording artist and Gemini Award nominated actor, Wes is also the author of the critically-acclaimed book, Stick To Your Vision. Endorsed by the former Governor General of Canada, Michaëlle Jean, as a “plan for action,” the book shows individuals how to define their vision, how to achieve it, and what to do once they are there.

As solo artists, Rich Kidd and SonReal have both made a tremendous impact in the Canadian hip-hop scene. Rich is The People's Champ, a hero in Toronto, and a sought-after producer. His We On Some Rich Kidd Shiiiiit mixtape series has become a highlight of the summer for hip-hop heads across the country. Son is also multi-talented. The Vancouverite's fluid mixture of singing and rapping is instantly recognizable, and he has a gift to create catchy hooks. That said, his complex bar structures and double time rhymes prove that, underneath the pop sensibility, he's still an MC's MC. Son has dropped four critically acclaimed mixtapes in the last two years, helping breathe new life into the hip-hop scene on the West Coast of Canada. As individuals, they were able to make an impact on the Canadian hip-hop scene. As a unit, their ambitions are even larger. Their 10-song debut album was recorded in Hollywood, and their first video “Money Money” – shot in a century old mansion outside of Toronto – is in rotation on MuchMusic. The Closers are ready to shut down shows around the globe and lead the next generation of Canadian hip-hop artists to new levels of success.

She first tapped into her creative energy while fronting a punk band in high school.
However, her vision became refined upon relocating to Los Angeles in 2009. Becoming exposed to the city's burgeoning club scene, Anjulie embraced the sounds of electronic music and incorporated them into her very own style.?As she cultivated this sound, Anjulie signed to Republic Records and found a home to be completely creative and uninhibited. While working on her album, she cemented a career as an in-demand songwriter, penning tunes for the likes of Chris Brown, Laidback Luke, Fefe Dobson, and Cassie. She also landed high-profile song placements on The Vampire Diaries, Air Canada flights, and MTV's The Hills and The City. For her third single, "You and I," Anjulie teamed up with Italian super producer Benny Benassi (Madonna, Chris Brown). On the song, a vulnerable acoustic guitar gives way to a shimmering refrain that's immediately unforgettable. Her forthcoming album realizes her vision completely though. She enlisted the likes of Swedish House Mafia and Swizz Beats to put their stamp on different tracks, and it's got one surprise after another. "I'm always interested in being disarming," she declares. "I want to find the truth and draw it out in other people. I think that's what separates me…I'm not afraid to go there."

Dragonette have collaborated with several house DJs for releases, to varying degrees of success. Although Basement Jaxx's 2006 song "Take Me Back to Your House" only featured Sorbara on vocals, it was promoted by the band as a Dragonette collaborative. The band have since recorded several tracks with French DJ Martin Solveig, including "Boys & Girls" in 2009, "Hello" in 2010, and "Can't Stop" and "Big in Japan" in 2011; all of these tracks appear on Solveig's 2011 album Smash. Dragonette would go to win the JUNO Award for Dance Recording of the Year for "Hello" in April 2012. In 2010, the band also collaborated with Kaskade on "Fire in Your New Shoes" and with Don Diablo on "Animale." On June 21, 2012, Dragonette announced the title of their upcoming third studio album, Bodyparts, which was released on September 22, 2012. The album's lead single "Let It Go" was released on April 2, 2012. "Rocket Ship," a track from the album, was made available as a free download on the band's official SoundCloud page. The album's second single, "Live in This City" was released on August 7, 2012.

Felix Cartal is a Canadian electro producer associated with Dim Mak Records, who made his full-length album debut in 2010 with Popular Music. Hailing from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, he initially established himself with remixes of Moving Units' "Crash 'n' Burn Victims" and Dragonette's "Take It Like a Man" in 2007, not to mention unofficial remixes of MSTRKRFT, Britney Spears, Ashlee Simpson, and others that circulated in the music blogosphere. In 2009, he made his debut on Steve Aoki's label, Dim Mak Records, with the four-track Skeleton EP. Later that same year he was featured on the label sampler Dim Mak Dance Compilation, Vol. 1: Evolution. Cartal made his full-length album debut the following year with Popular Music. "Drone," featuring vocals by Johnny Whitney of the Blood Brothers, was released as the lead single. Meanwhile, Cartal increasingly established himself as a DJ, touring the North American club scene, and releasing freely downloadable mixes on the Internet.

Tricky Moreira has been a key figure in the Toronto music scene, playing local and international events across Canada, USA, Asia, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and Europe. With over eight prestigious awards in broadcasting, producing, and DJing, Moreira’s technical knowledge and ability to manipulate music and sounds through turntable tactics, brilliant programming, music production and vocal arrangements has enabled Moreira to be recognized worldwide for his talents. Tricky’s multi-award winning, internationally acclaimed radio show, This House will keep you intrigued as you catch an earful of skilfully mixed house/dance music. The show features special guest DJ sets and interviews with some of the music industry’s international stars. This House has been heard on airwaves in Toronto on Flow 93.5 FM, Rogers Digital TV CH932, online at UDJ.com, in France on Radio-Klub France, in Russia on APEX FM, in the United Kingdom and in Germany on Noganic FM. Moreira's now radio podcasts lay host to over 120,000 subscribers. Moreira is the recipient of a Canadian Urban Music Award for remixing Jully Black's "Sweat Of Your Brow" (Dance Remix).

Vita Chambers is ready to take on the dance/pop world with her new single 'Fix You'. Vita toured with Justin Bieber at age 17, and is co-managed by Stevano of U.G.O Crew of Toronto & Los Angeles. Born in Vancouver, and raised in Barbados, Vita was also discovered by the same producers who found Rihanna just a few years prior. Soon after her discovery, she was signed to Motown Records. Following the departure of Motown's president who had signed her, Vita started a new journey that brought her back to her Canadian roots. After being nominated for a Canadian Radio Music Award, for U.G.O Crew's 'Change’ featuring Sean Kingston, Stevano was asked to help pen a radio hit for Vita, but Vita Chambers was determined to find her own sound and lane, so he agreed to help her do just that. Now both based in Toronto, the two have formed a new team around Vita's drive. The band will be doing shows across Canada, and launching a single and video to re-introduce the shining star to a world of waiting fans. The Justin Bieber tour and Motown signing were just the beginning. Stay tuned!

This Canadian-born triple-threat (singer/songwriter/performer) loves to share her talents and has an enthusiasm for music that is unparalleled. Her charming attitude and charismatic personality have helped propel her career and reach milestones that most artists struggle to achieve in a lifetime – opening for Kanye West in Singapore, being hand picked to perform for the Queen, headlining the opening ceremonies at the 2010 Winter Olympics, winning multiple JUNO Awards, penning songs for the likes of Missy Elliot, Nas and Destiny’s Child, as well as performing alongside artists such as Jay-Z, Sean Paul, Kardinal Offishall and Alicia Keys. There is no question as to how she has achieved the status of “Canada’s Queen of R&B;,” a title given to her by her fans and peers. Her new, soon to be released album, entitled (8)IGHT, boasts a fresh, energetic and soulful sound – something that has been described as “the future of soul.” Traditionally, Jully is from the school of R&B;, with influences like Lauryn Hill and Tina Turner. She has combined these sounds with the super futuristic beats and rhythms provided by the album’s sole producer, YoungPete Alexander and the funky, creative writing and arrangement skills of Luther Brown.

Over the past few years, Kreesha Turner has toured the world, sharing stages with the likes of Katy Perry, Shirley Bassey and Lady Gaga. Her debut album, Passion, garnered two number one dance hits on the Billboard Top 100 Singles Chart and the single, “Bounce With Me” attained numerous high-profile synch placements including television’s The Hills, Entourage and Desperate Housewives, major motion pictures and successful commercial campaigns for Nikon, Nike and Kit Kat. She’s been dubbed “the Canadian Rihanna” by some and compared to Duffy by others, but after the release of her latest album, Tropic Electric, you may agree that Kreesha Turner is more likely to defy comparison than invite it. Her latest creative endeavour is a striking musical blend that is Tropic Electric in both form and function – an album that fluidly combines R&B;, electronica and pop that’s reminiscent of her 2008 debut, but adds elements of dancehall, reggae and worldbeat that pay homage to her Jamaican heritage. Kreesha is the featured vocalist on Wally Lopez’s new single/video, “Keep Running The Melody” and is the official female face and spokesperson for Marc Ecko’s clothing line/campaign.

The maturity Melanie Fiona displays on The MF Life is underscored by her remarkable versatility and cosmopolitan panache. The album showcases a stunning mix of vibrant new sounds from a host of A-list R&B; producers and songwriters, each partaking of the originality that has made Fiona a sought-after collaborator by everyone from Cee-Lo Green (“Fool For You”) and John Legend & The Roots (“Wake Up! Everybody”) to reggae superstar Stephen Marley (“No Cigarette Smoking (In My Room)”) and UK rapper Tinchy Stryder (“Let It Rain”). “The MF Life is definitely less retro-sounding than my first album,” says Fiona, who credits her parents, Guyanese émigrés to Canada, with giving her a solid foundation in the time-honoured classics of Sam Cooke and Stevie Wonder, among other greats. The transformative impulse is one Fiona relishes. “Making the leap from Canada,” she explains, “I was recognized for two things: being a powerful vocalist and an emotional storyteller. It’s clear to me that with those traits in place, the sky’s the limit. I think if listeners feel that they can believe what you’re singing, they’ll stick with you no matter what you try.”

With a platinum debut album, a sophomore JUNO Award-winning album for Best R&B;/Soul Recording, chart-topping singles and videos, movie roles and international accolades under his belt, singer/dancer/songwriter/producer Shawn Desman is poised to launch his highly anticipated fourth album. From the moment he released his self-titled debut CD in the fall of 2002, Shawn Desman has enjoyed phenomenal success. His album spent an incredible 49 weeks on the SoundScan Top 200 sales chart and produced two Top 10 singles and two number one videos. Desman’s visibility then soared to even greater heights after the subsequent release of his sophomore album, Back for More, which produced a number one hit single, three Top 10 hit singles, and also garnered him a JUNO Award for Best R&B;/Soul Recording. His high-energy, infectious single, “Let’s Go,” exploded onto the Top 40 radio chart after just one week, peaking at number one, proving he is a superstar entertainer worthy of all the critical acclaim and destined to be at the forefront of the global music stage.

Critically-acclaimed Canadian ALT/R&B; trailblazer, The Weeknd and the initiative behind him, XO, have forged a strategic partnership with Republic Records (division of UMG) and Universal Music Canada. The artist/producer is set to release Trilogy, in stores and online November 13, 2012 as part of this high-profile partnership. Trilogy contains his highly lauded mixtapes, House of Balloons, Thursday and Echoes of Silence, all mixed and mastered for the first time. In addition to the 27 original cuts, both the physical and digital editions will feature new, unreleased material. It's an impressive collection and the perfect introduction to his enigmatic and entrancing sound. Last year, House of Balloons instantly stirred up unparalleled excitement from tastemakers. Complex extolled the mixtape as the "best album of 2011," and Pitchfork bestowed the "Best New Music" title upon it. Dominating year-end lists across the board, it claimed number five on Stereogum, number six on The A.V. Club, number eight on The Guardian (UK), and number 13 on Spin. Other praise came from MTV, BET, Rolling Stone, XXL, and The Source who even named him the "songbird of his generation."

Ammoye’s name is inspired by the Italian word for love. That’s what goes into her music, and it’s how audiences respond to her wherever she goes. Rooted in the reggae music of her native Jamaica, Canada’s 2011 Reggae Music Award winner for Best Female Artist effortlessly glides from reggae to dancehall and dub, to gospel and soul, to hip-hop and R&B; with breathtaking ease and presence. Her phenomenal new single and video, “Radio” is currently taking over the airwaves and social media, having already charted in the UK on Galaxy Gold Radio. Two of her songs, “Best Friend” and “Catch Up” were featured on MTV’s 2010 Winter Olympics special, Over The Bolts. Ammoye proudly represented Canada at the World Expo in Shanghai and recently featured prominently at several events marking the 50th Anniversary of Jamaica’s independence. Over the past several years, Ammoye has been consistently performing at high-profile events and festivals in Canada and around the world, touring and sharing the stage with A-list artists such as Michael Bublé, Ziggy Marley, Freddie McGregor, Byron Lee & The Dragonaires, Beres Hammond, Beenie Man, The Heptones, Gyptian, Richie Spice, Demarco, Frankie Paul, Joshua Nazuka, Ken Boothe, Serani, Easy Star All-Stars and Exco Levi.

Elaine “Lil’Bit” Shepherd, born in Bahrain, began performing at a young age. In 1997, she immigrated to Vancouver, B.C., Canada with her family, where she continued to develop her musical talents, transferring and blending the sounds of her origins with the West Coast Canadian vibes she met. Blessed with a confident voice and creative ability, Lil’Bit is recognized as “the little girl with the big voice,” as her iconic, sweet tone is pleasantly alluring and draws a listener into her world of dramatic presence and passion. Lil’Bit began seeing regular rotation on community airwaves across Canada, and in June of 2010, Lil’Bit received The Most Promising New Artist Award at the RMAA’s. This award – a milestone in itself – ultimately foreshadowed her acceptance of the most prestigious award in the Canadian Music Industry: in 2011, Lil’ Bit received a JUNO Award for Reggae Recording of the Year, an honour that she received graciously. Elaine “Lil’Bit” Shepherd’s accomplishments speak for themselves but her voice speaks louder, as she continually evolves as a professionally-minded strong woman and as a relentlessly passionate artist. Her sound is bold, and her humble frame exaggerates the beauty her soul speaks, making Lil’Bit a Canadian icon worth following closely.

Exco Levi was born Wayne Ford Levy on June 7, 1981 in Manchester, Jamaica and grew up in Clarendon, Jamaica. Exco's musical tastes include the late Garnet Silk, Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, as well as contemporaries like Sizzla Kolonji. With their influence, he has developed his own unique sound that emanates deep respect for the musical icons who have paved the way for Reggae Music. Exco Levi quickly took hold of the Canadian reggae music scene after immigrating to the country in 2005, showing his range and musical intellect through songs like the Canadian Anthem, "Oh Canada," the nostalgic "Sweet Jamaica" and the love ballad, "Same Ole Words." Presently, he works with Penthouse Records and has released two singles: "Mr. Hammer" with NCF and the hit song, "Bleaching Shop" on the Penthouse label, which won Best Reggae Recording at the 2012 JUNO Awards. Both songs have received major airplay locally and by DJs overseas. He just completed recording with reggae diva, Marcia Griffiths for release on her album and was in Germany in March for a series of shows with Silly Walks Sound System, one of the leaders in reggae in Germany. Exco Levi is well on his way to becoming a household name.

In 2007, lead singer Jesse-James Cameron formed Makeshift Innocence. Canadian born, Cameron spent three seminal years in Negril, Jamaica, where he fell in love with the tones and feel of reggae music – music that now infuses the group’s reggae, rock and roots sounds with authentic Caribbean flavour. In 2010, Tammy Amstutz joined Cameron to create a formidable live show. The two songwriter-performers are regularly backed with drums, guitar and organ. Known as one of Western Canada's best live acts, they have sold out several shows from 2010 to 2012. Makeshift Innocence have also toured extensively, including 2012 stops in most major cities in the U.S. and Germany, while 2013 will see the band tour South Africa for the first time, along with an extensive tour across Europe. With original songs such as “One Love” and “All You Need is Love,” they share an inspired message that finds an audience around the world. 2012 highlights include performances at the opening of the 100th Anniversary of the Calgary Stampede, an international showcase at Musexpo in LA, and a gala EMMN (European Music and Media Night) performance in Hamburg, Germany which lead to requests for several European tours and promotional appearances.

Melanie Durrant is a seasoned veteran who embodies real artistry through her very unique, edgy and soulful music style. Born and raised in Toronto, Melanie attended the Earl Haig School of the Arts. She trained at the Royal Conservatory of Music and worked on an eclectic array of projects before becoming an “alternative hip-hop soul” artist. Citing influences that range from the soulful swoon of Minnie Riperton, to the hard-knock of Aerosmith, to the “mercy me” melodies of Marvin Gaye, the radiant singer-songwriter has no problems crashing through the wall of sound. She has received multiple accolades though out her career, including a MuchMusic Video Award for her single “Where I’m Going” and Stylus Award for Single Of The Year for her song “Bang Bang” featuring Kardinal Offishall. In addition to performing her own shows for audiences across Canada and the U.S., Melanie Durrant has shared the stage alongside Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Jill Scott, Common, Sean Paul, as well as many of Canada’s top artists. Melanie has performed and done interviews with MuchMusic Canada, MTV Canada, Star Daily, and CTV Network.

Formed in 2001 by Kiwizenz-Tawagun a.k.a. David Dorian Boulanger, BURNT-Project 1 established its heart-beat in the music community, creating a cultural mosaic of music with its two previous albums, The Avenue and Hometown. BURNT-Project 1 pushed through the scene and became recipients of a Western Canadian Music Award and the 2005 JUNO Award for Outstanding Aboriginal Recording of the Year. After eight years of writing and three years of recording, BURNT-Project 1 has released The Black List. The only one of its kind, sticking its neck way out there to say, “welcome everybody to this event, things are about to electrify, the ghosts in the back are gettin’ down, so everyone be good this time!” BURNT-Project1 has their feathers out and their moccasins tied tight. The Black List has everything imaginable on their musical palette, from horns to Latin percussion, from DJ turn tables/samples to traditional whistles. A melting pot of tribal, funk, jazz, blues, rasta-man reggae and rock makes the new voice of reason in BURNT-Project 1 echo across Turtle Island.

Born on Canada's Wikwemikong Native Reservation, joined to the land and the real stories of everyday people, Crystal Shawanda's country roots run deep. In 2007, Nashville music-business legend Joe Galante signed Crystal to RCA Records/Sony Music Nashville. Crystal's first single, "You Can Let Go," was the fastest rising single in Canadian BDS History, reaching Top Five in Canada and Top 20 in the U.S. Her 2008 album, Dawn of a New Day, was Billboard's highest charting album ever by a Native American, selling over 400,000 copies. CMT aired a six-part documentary, Crystal: Living the Dream. In 2009, after five hit singles and a tour with Brad Paisley and Dierks Bentley, Crystal was named CCMA Female Artist of the Year. In 2010, Crystal toured Canada with Reba McEntire and performed for 55 million people at Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York. In 2012, Crystal launched her own label, New Sun Records, and released her second CD, Just Like You, on April 24. She has released three singles in Canada and been touring constantly in support of her new music. 2013 looks to be a great year and starts off with a performance beside the White House on Inauguration Day, January 21.

You can call Winnipeg’s Don Amero one of the hardest working independent musicians in showbiz today. Since leaving his job as a hardwood flooring installer five years ago, the singer-songwriter has toured coast-to-coast, headlined concerts, presented at festivals, performed with the symphony, and played national television. Don’s musical style has been likened to John-Mayer-meets-Keith-Urban. His three albums (Change Your Life, Deepening, The Long Way Home) have generated six awards – Male Entertainer of the Year (2012 APCMAs), Best Country Song (2012 Indian Summer Music Awards), Aboriginal Recording of the Year (2011 Western Canadian Music Awards), Best Folk Recording (2011 Native American Music Awards), Aboriginal Songwriter of the Year (2009 Canadian Folk Music Awards), and Male Artist of the Year (2009 Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards). Heart On My Sleeve is Don’s fourth album, and a self-produced labour of love. It was released October 24, 2012, at an “intimate and international” house concert streamed live online at APTN.ca. Don Amero has a way of captivating audiences of all ages with his powerful vocals, percussion-style guitar play, and engaging storytelling. His story inspires, and his message is one of encouragement, positivity and beauty. He continues to impress wherever he goes.

Two-time JUNO Award nominated Donny Parenteau set the record for most nominations and wins at The Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards with seven and five, respectively. He has received five Canadian Country Music Award nominations, including one at the 2012 awards. This summer, he performed on Parliament Hill for Canada Day, during both the noon and evening shows, and appeared on CTV’s Canada AM. Donny’s current album Bring it On features a duet with Jully Black, and a remake of Streetheart’s “Snow White” as a duet with their lead singer, Kenny Shields and featuring their guitarist Jeff Neill. The first single, “Can’t Afford to Love You” is by far his fastest rising single to date. Donny Parenteau refined his skills while touring with Neal McCoy as his fiddle and specialty instrument player for 12 years.

Metis artist, Janet Panic writes beautifully crafted songs, from clever finger picking guitar melodies to cheeky turn of phrase. In the past two years, her captivating solo and band performances have been seen on four telecasts on three different national networks: Global, CTV and APTN. Produced by Jeff Dawson (Dan Powter, Kelly Rowland, The Dudes, State Of Shock), Ms. Panic's new single, "Sweet Music” is the latest addition to her delectable music storytelling. This B.C. based singer-songwriter has been casting her spell over an ever-expanding fan base on the strength of her great songs. She was nominated for a 2011 Canadian Folk Music Award and for an Aboriginal People's Choice Award in 2011 and won best Folk Album at the APCMA's in November 2012. A polished and engaging performer, Ms. Panic is earthy and unpretentious – drawing you onto her stage with raw charisma. But at the end of the day, the thing you will remember is the songs – and her name.

With the release of Hunter, Hunter, the much-anticipated follow-up to War Brides, Amelia Curran journeyed both home and further afield than ever before. In front of an adoring hometown crowd in St. John’s, NL, Amelia received her first JUNO Award for Roots and Traditional Album of the Year in April 2010. The album and artist also received a total of four ECMA nominations, 4 Music NL awards, 3 Music NS awards, a spot on Exclaim’s Wood, Wires & Whiskey coveted year-end and a place on the 2010 Polaris Long List. A cross-Canadian folk festival favourite, Amelia has also toured with The Skydiggers, Luke Doucet and others. Hunter, Hunter solidified Amelia’s reputation as an heir to Leonard Cohen’s songwriting throne. Now, with Spectators, Amelia Curran makes bold advances beyond folk horizons.

Indie music meets Occupy on Annabelle Chvostek’s Rise, a rousing celebration of recent grassroots uprisings in Canada and around the world – complete with casseroles, a “peoples’ chorus” and a cover of Peter Tosh’s “Equal Rights.” The one-time Montreal underground artist, who went on to write chart-topping roots songs and play New York’s Town Hall as a member of the Wailin’ Jennys, shows off a whole other side of her musical personality on Rise, as compared to 2008’s Resilience – the album that introduced her fearless innovation and beguiling indie folk sound to a massive, post-Jennys audience. Where Resilience was a plaintive album that showcased Chvostek’s originality in contemplating matters of the heart, Rise is joyful, anthemic, and unabashedly political, revealing Chvostek’s passion for social justice work and musical activism. Call it protest music for the indie generation or a soundtrack for the Maple Spring. Rise was produced by ex-Rheostatic Don Kerr and mixed by Grammy and Oscar nominee Roma Baran. It features guest vocals by Cockburn and Oh Susanna, guitars by David Celia, and percussion by Debashis Sinha of Autorickshaw and Minor Empire.

For his latest studio album, Cabin Fever, Alberta native Corb Lund spent ample time in a cabin he built with his uncle, writing and reflecting. What came from that reflection is a series of songs that range from the rocking "Gettin' Down on the Mountain" to the humorous "Cows Around." Lund is a fourth-generation cowboy who started rodeo-ing as a youngster and won his first trophy at age 11. Holding on to that nostalgia while embracing the city life, Lund and his band headline Canadian country and folk festivals, as well as gigging at New York City nightspots and America’s finest honky-tonks. But his Western heritage stays with him, no matter where he roams. “My whole life is sort of a dichotomy between being a cowboy kid and living in a city,” says Lund. “I guess that informs my music too.” On Cabin Fever, that split personality burns bright.

Old Man Luedecke isn’t afraid to put his neck on the line. His latest album, Tender Is The Night, goes beyond his beloved solo, banjo-driven folk tunes. Driving a Nashville band from beginning to end with his recognizable voice, this is an artist honing his cunning lyrical flair – tenderly pushing the boundaries of his storytelling with his unique mix of folk, bluegrass and pop hooks. Old Man Luedecke has a penchant for language. Based in Chester, Nova Scotia, the award-winning roots singer-songwriter’s latest album, Tender Is The Night, gives nod to F.R. Scott Fitzgerald’s famous novel, a title lifted from John Keats poem, Ode To A Nightingale. With skilful precision and a storyteller’s heart, Luedecke’s narrative-driven folk songs are playful, coy, and soul-warming. Rich in metaphor, heart and instrumentation, Tender Is The Night muses on love, art and purpose. After touring the globe, winning multiple JUNO Awards, and becoming a father to twin girls, Luedecke has finally found confidence in himself and his art. Tender Is The Night is a balancing act; a collection of songs artfully crafted and tenderly performed.

Rose Cousins finds insight in solitude and strength in numbers. Supported by a thriving Halifax music scene and welcomed by an equally vibrant Boston community, her new album We Have Made A Spark was made in the spirit of community and collaboration.
Rooted in authenticity and conviction of voice, from the opening track, “The Darkness,” to stark piano ballad, “Go First,” you feel as though Cousins sings for you, about your life. It is that sincerity that leads some to comparisons to our most beloved songwriters, and yet, her passionate delivery is distinctly, Rose. From writing songs from a tiny cabin without electricity on a New Hampshire island, to the stage of one of her many international tour stops, her lone voice reaches out to listeners, all of us surrounded by our own forms of darkness, and charges us to have the courage to forge ahead.

Elliott BROOD have always been time travellers. The Toronto trio writes songs steeped in history that feel very present. They’ve done their share of actual travelling, too, these musical troubadours, acoustic guitars and banjos slung over their sharp suits as they barnstormed across Canada and beyond. For Days Into Years, it was century-old stories encountered an ocean away that brought them closest to home. Days Into Years is Elliott BROOD’s third full-length recording, the follow-up to 2008’s Polaris Prize short-listed Mountain Meadows. Like its predecessors, including 2006’s JUNO Award nominated Ambassador, it mines real history to connect songs that are deeply personal in a cinematic, narrative way. Unfolding like a series of movie scenes, it looks to the future by starting with the past. Days Into Years presents these reflections as a celebration of life – a love letter both to the rural Ontario landscape and the memory of a departed friend whose spirit now resides there. Recorded with co-producer John Critchley at Green Door Studios in Toronto and Avening Town Hall in rural Ontario, the album showcases a more amped up Elliott BROOD that will put the knell to the “death country” tag that described their early work.

Tony Dekker has spent the last decade entrancing listeners with his unforgettable voice and compelling song writing. Great Lake Swimmers have long been a word-of-mouth favourite in their home country of Canada, for whom critical mass was inevitable. They’ve been regarded as a national treasure by the CBC, with Lost Channels (2009) topping the charts at CBC Radio 3 and on the iTunes Singer/Songwriter Chart. In the U.S., Lost Channels debuted at #10 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart and was a favourite among influential bloggers and NPR staff. Lost Channels was also nominated for a 2009 JUNO Award and made the Polaris Prize short-list. The band has received public endorsements by the likes of Feist, Robert Plant, NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams and cyclist Lance Armstrong. The latter two have both raved about the band on their personal websites; the former have handpicked the band to open shows and whole tours. Josh Groban has been known to open his show with a Great Lake Swimmers cover, and the band has shared the stage with such varied artists as Calexico, Sarah Harmer, Bela Fleck & The Sparrow Quartet, Hayden, Goldfrapp, and Bill Callahan of Smog.

Since its founding in 2002, Le Vent du Nord have become compelling Francophone ambassadors, winning critical acclaim and audience adoration across Europe and North America. The quartet has performed well over 1,000 concerts, racking up several prestigious awards including two JUNO Awards, a Canadian Folk Music Award, and Artist of the Year at the North American Folk Alliance Annual Gala. In addition to their traditional repertoire, the group exhibits great finesse and flexibility, appearing regularly on Canadian, American, French, and UK television and radio, and participating in a wide variety of special musical projects. They’ve collaborated and performed with Harry Manx, Väsen, The Chieftains, Breton musical pioneer Yann-Fañch Kemener, Québecois roots legend and master storyteller Michel Faubert, hip Scottish folk band Breabach, and the trans-Mediterranean ensemble Constantinople. The new album, Tromper Le Temps, evokes often forgotten episodes of Québec’s history with provocative texts and poetic descriptions destined to endure throughout the ages. A way to fool time…while there is still time! It is a concert that stirs emotions and touches the heart and soul.

Sensitive singer-songwriters beware: this ain’t your meemaw’s country music. Lindsay-bred, Toronto-based, The Strumbellas bring wheat field harmonies and arena-ready thunder to every show. Folk wisp and country twang are nowhere to be found as the six-member band pounds out a bluegrass-inspired indie rock that rivals punk and hardcore for sweat, blood, and ruckus. The band’s debut album, My Father And The Hunter, recorded at Blue Rodeo’s studio, The Woodshed, is a beautiful harmonious dichotomy between melancholy heartbreak and blow-the-barn-doors-off spunk. Stomps, hollers, claps and gang vocals unabashedly abound as the songs weave their stories throughout the album. The band has received rave reviews from across the country, both for their album and for their live show. The Hillside Festival was a glorious highlight for them this year.

The Wooden Sky has grown exponentially throughout the years -- both physically and figuratively. Spanning three records, countless tours, and dozens of collaborators, the group's development over the past decade can be used as a measuring stick in the Southern Ontario scene they've helped to curate. Their reverence-turned-subversion of accepted notions in American-based music have made them tireless innovators, consistently finding new wrinkles within a genre as broad as it seems ageless. The group's commitment to consistent re-examination and reinterpretation led to a newfound depth in arrangements apparent on the highly anticipated Every Child a Daughter, Every Moon a Sun. The key to the Every Child...'s success is the enormous but very organic space you feel between instruments, mingling with an open and honest form of storytelling, and the intuitive interplay between bandmates. Enveloped in a warm, rich bed of support behind the emotionally naked vocals, the dissonance lingering amongst the recording is breathtaking. Shifting from lilting, finger-picked folk ballads and rustic, sepia-toned country twang to skipping indie rock and contemplative ruminations on days gone by, they create a secret world where memories return as ghosts. On this rich tapestry of atmosphere and salvos, the past is never far behind.

On the verge of 25 years since the release of his debut, Colin James has released his 15th record, aptly titled Fifteen, which takes this six-time JUNO Award-winning Saskatchewan artist back to his full-blooded rock roots. Produced by his longtime associate, Joe Hardy (ZZ Top), it features hit singles “Stone Faith” and “I Need You Bad,” along with co-writes with Ron Sexsmith, Gordie Johnson (Big Sugar), Tom Wilson (Blackie & the Rodeo Kings) and Thomas “Tawgs” Salter (Lights). Colin has topped the charts as a pop vocalist, recorded an acclaimed blues album and led the swing revival with his Little Big Band, which he both fronted and produced. He has performed for the Queen, had the fastest-selling album in Canadian history, enjoyed International success, been mentored by Stevie Ray Vaughan, performed with the likes of Bonnie Raitt, Lenny Kravitz, Carlos Santana, Mavis Staples, Buddy Guy, Mick Fleetwood and The Chieftains, sold multi-platinum many times over and continues to sell out shows coast to coast. Along the way, Colin has written memorable hit songs and given us distinctive covers of timeless classics, with his newest album Fifteen teasing that the best is still yet to come.

It's the Autumn of Love! Jack de Keyzer’s Electric Love. The follow up to 2010 JUNO Award winner, The Corktown Sessions, Electric Love is a musical powerhouse of virtuoso rock/blues guitar, catchy songs and sterling production, making it one of de Keyzer’s strongest releases to date. Guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer, Jack de Keyzer is a two-time JUNO Award winner, seven-time Maple Blues Award winner, Great Canadian Blues Award winner (CBC) and first place winner of the International Song Writing Competition. Playing an average of 180 dates per year, Jack de Keyzer rocks the blues and audiences everywhere he performs across Canada and internationally. The late great Jeff Healey called him “Canada’s finest blues guitarist” and Bob Dylan was quoted as saying, “if de Keyzer was from Chicago, New York or LA, he’d be famous.”

Shakura S’Aida — pronounce her name “Shack-oora Sigh-ee-da”— began performing as a young girl. Her first steps into music began with a Toronto community band called Mystique, which found her belting out tunes alongside Deborah Cox. She then became the lead singer in a 13-piece world music band, Kaleefah, that would later be nominated for a JUNO Award. As a solo artist, Shakura’s career has spanned genres and countries and taken her to some of the most noted stages in the jazz world. She’s performed at the Apollo Theatre in New York, has been featured with such legendary artists as Jimmy Smith and Ruth Brown, sung backup with Patti Labelle, and is equally at home singing material with a Ray Charles tribute band, or presenting a one-woman show of the music of Nina Simone. Shakura’s long-simmering career initially moved into high gear in 2008 with a triumph at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, when she earned the runner-up position, competing against more than 100 bands from more than 20 different countries.

Steve Hill got his start as a professional guitar player at the age of 16. By the time he was 20, he was already doing more than 200 gigs a year, which lead to the success of his first album in 1997. The album was voted Best Canadian Debut Recording by Vancouver’s Real Blues Magazine, who also proclaimed Hill to be the best young blues guitar player in North America. Since then, Steve Hill has toured across Canada, France and Belgium with Ray Charles, BB King, Jimmie Vaughan, Buddy Guy, Johnny Lang, ZZ Top, Tragically Hip and Jeff Beck. In 2012, Hill released the album Solo Recordings Volume 1. Probably his rawest album ever, it features Hill not only on guitar and vocals, but also on bass drum, hi-hat, shakers and whatever he can do with his feet at the same time that he plays guitar and sings! Recorded live in the studio (with no overdubs), it’s the sound of a man that has lived through a lot. Fifteen years after his first album, you can hear and feel a maturity that can only exist out of experience.

There are reasons why Canadian blues artist Steve Strongman was the 2011 Maple Blues Award winner for Guitar Player of the Year. There are reasons why Steve Strongman consistently packs venues across Canada for his performances. There are reasons why in the last three years, Strongman has performed at major blues festivals in Rio de Janeiro, France, Switzerland, Mexico City, Memphis and Canada, including two appearances at the famed Montreal International Jazz Festival, four appearances at the Mont-Tremblant International Blues Festival, and the Ottawa Blues Festival. Charisma. Verve. Passion. Unbridled talent. Beyond Strongman’s talent as a songwriter, guitarist and front man is his ability to engage his audience and deliver an outstanding performance at every live show. With his inimitable guitar playing and soulful vocals, Strongman delivers incredible performances with power and passion. His new offering, A Natural Fact, has been released to rave reviews here in Canada and internationally. Steve Strongman has a way of stirring a crowd that evokes the emotion, maturity and authenticity of classic blues themes. His music speaks for truth and passion, and offers hope for the soul in the face of hard times in a way that leaves audiences hungry for more.

Colin Bernard is a Christian rock artist based in Ottawa, Canada. His band consists of five others; his wife, Monica Bernard, Dan Woods, James Richer, Frankie Coleman and Jared Jost. Colin released his debut EP, “Hold On,” in January 2012 to excellent reviews. He has been nominated for Best New Artist of The Year at the Canadian Gospel Music Awards and his first single, “Hold On” went to number one for three weeks on the Canadian Christian Radio Chart. Influenced by a variety of artists, Colin has managed to maintain a distinct sound that punches through with lyrics as profound as the melodies are memorable. Colin writes collaboratively with his brother Joel Bernard. Their lyrics have been characterized as meaningful, personal and never boring. The EP, “Hold On” was recorded and produced by Ed Cash and Scott Cash out of Franklin, Tennessee. They have produced other greats such as Chris Tomlin, Kari Jobe and Canadians Starfield.

Plato said, “be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle.” International rock artist Manafest (Chris Greenwood) knows the saying well; his uphill climb began at age five when his father committed suicide. Years of childhood insecurity and fear gave way to a promising skateboarding career, but then an injury took that away, too. Music soon filled the void, and it would prove to be a perfect fit. Putting words to driving rhythms gave Chris a way to be a visible light for other people wrestling with their own junk: strained relationships, betrayals, loss, broken dreams. He knew plenty about getting through the past and working toward the future. Since 2001, Manafest has battled his way into the business – playing a thousand shows in nine countries, winning an armload of industry awards, and gaining recent victories like his first number one hit, “Bring the Ruckus.” 2010’s The Chase blew up in Japan, quadrupling sales of previous efforts, but it looks like 2012’s Fighter is going to be the real knockout. Produced by Adam Messinger (Justin Bieber) and Seth Mosley (Newsboys), Fighter vents the Toronto native’s losses and draws hurting people toward inspiration like never before.

Three-time JUNO Award nominees (2008, 2009, 2011 Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the Year), Newworldson rocketed to international fame after the release of Salvation Station and an invitation to join the Newsboys on the GO Tour in 2007-08. Further recognition followed with the success of their first hit single, “There Is A Way,” peaking at number two on the Billboard Music chart for Christian Songs, reaching the number one spot at Christian radio in Canada, the UK and Australia, and helping to garner three of seven awards in total from the Gospel Music Association. In 2012, Newworldson released their fourth album, Rebel Transmission, which cracked iTunes’ top 10 for Christian/Gospel albums in the U.S. and Canada, and scored another top-three single with “Learning To Be The Light,” a song that remained on U.S. Christian radio charts for nearly a year (Billboard peak: number three – Christian Songs on March 24, 2012). Rebel Transmission received critical acclaim for “its willingness to take its music down musical avenues not commonly traveled by artists of faith” (crosswalk.com) and celebrated by fans for its effortless fusion of pop, roots, and Motown era horn arrangements by the Chops Horns (Alicia Keys, the Police).

In less than a year, The City Harmonic went from being virtually unknown to international acclaim. One of the best-selling new bands in Christian music, The City Harmonic continues to gather acclaim following the release of their first full-length album, I Have A Dream (It Feels Like Home) and the release of their break-out song and radio favourite, “Manifesto.” Gathering three GMA Canada Covenant Awards in 2011, including New Artist of the Year, and one Covenant Award in 2012, the band also garnered a GMA Dove Award nomination in the U.S. for New Artist of the Year. Released in October of 2011, I Have A Dream (It Feels Like Home) hit number one on iTunes in Canada, number six on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart and never left the top four on the iTunes Christian/Gospel U.S. chart in its debut week at retail. The digital single for the song “Manifesto” has sold well over 100,000 copies and is the only song from a new artist in 2011 to break into the top 10 of the SoundScan Top Current Digital Singles sales chart as its companion music video has been viewed on YouTube by over 1.7 million people.

Since their formation in Peterborough, Ontario in 1997, Canada’s favourite modern rockers, Thousand Foot Krutch, have gathered a continuously escalating highlight reel that includes best-selling albums, five top Active Rock hits (including “Let The Sparks Fly,” “Rawkfist” and the top 20 smash hits “Fire It Up” and “Move”), plus a slew of soundtrack slots. In fact, the group has literally infiltrated every facet of pop culture, from ongoing ESPN placements, to various NASCAR, MLB, NHL, WWE and NFL airings (including the 2010 Super Bowl), along with the GI Joe movie trailer, WGN-TV’s Smallville, and EA Sports’ NHL 2010 and 2013 video games. Lighting up the stage with its raw energy on 2012’s Rockstar Energy Drink UPROAR Festival in the U.S., TFK independently released its five-star acclaimed The End Is Where We Begin in April, which claimed the band’s highest ever chart position at number one on the Hard Rock, number three on Alternative and number 14 on the Billboard Top 200 charts (U.S.). As sales continue double-digit percentage growth over the band’s previous best-selling album, Welcome to the Masquerade, TFK breaks down barriers with the help of their fans.

Alexis Puentes (born 1974), better known by his stage name, Alex Cuba, is a Cuban-Canadian singer-songwriter who sings in Spanish and English. He has won two JUNO Awards for World Music Album of the Year; in 2006 for Humo de Tabaco, and in 2008 for his second album, Agua del Pozo. In 2010 he won the Latin Grammy for Best New Artist. Alex Cuba is a rebel. "When it comes to creativity, I need to go to places I've never been before," he says. With the wanderlust of a world traveler, the Cuban-Canadian singer-songwriter explores new sonic spaces on Ruido En El Sistema/Static in the System. Following the compass points of rock, soul, pop, and Latin-funk on his fourth album, Cuba continues his journey as a critically acclaimed independent artist who's charted his own destiny across the world stage while earning a growing legion of devoted listeners at each new juncture. As rebels are often wont, Alex Cuba views his music as a liberating force. It's a quality that is transmitted through the artist's songs and has made him a fascinating exception to the staid rules of category.

Danny Michel, multiple JUNO Award nominee, treasured songwriter, David Suzuki-approved green strummer and quiet do-gooder comes to Six Shooter Records as a long time label favourite. Danny’s new album, his 10th, Black Birds Are Dancing Over Me, dives into the waves of Belize’s musical deep, featuring Mayan guitar, turtle shells, donkey jaw-bone, and traditional Garifuna segunda and primero drums. The album cultivates lush rhythms and sounds, the perfect backdrop for Michel’s eloquently buoyant songwriting style. To make the record, Danny relocated from the Golden Horseshoe to the foothills of the Mayan Mountains in Benque Viejo del Carmen. There, he teamed up with members of the Garifuna Collective, who formed The Benque Players in the studio, and pioneering producer Ivan Duran at StoneTree Records, a label/studio that has been instrumental in bringing the Belizean sound to the world. The album has been connecting in immediate and powerful ways – industry maven Larry Leblanc has called it “one of the finest musical works of our time. This is a career album.”

JUNO Award nominated Jaffa Road is an acclaimed Toronto based world music group made up of some of Canada’s most exciting and innovative interpreters of inter-cultural music. Recent winners of a John Lennon Songwriting Award, Jaffa Road was also named Best World Music Artist at the Toronto Independent Music Awards. Their debut was nominated for a JUNO Award and featured on CBC’s Canada Live. Singles from their sophomore outing have caught the ear of CBC producers and selected for Here & Now’s Song of the Week, and also an industry nod from OCFF, winning the prestigious Songs From the Heart award. Named for one of the oldest streets in Jerusalem, Jaffa Road unites cultures and nationalities as it winds its way towards the port of Jaffa. Hebrew, Ladino, English, Arabic and French lyrics blend with Sephardic, Arabic and Indian music, intertwined with jazz, electronica, and dub. Theirs is music on a mission – peace through an unparalleled musical experience that, just like the road they’re named for, brings us together as one people. Jaffa Road is the entrancing vocals of Aviva Chernick, the rare musicianship of Aaron Lightstone (oud, guitar, synthesizer), Chris Gartner (bass), Jeffrey Wilson (percussion), and Sundar Viswanathan saxophone/flute/vocals).

Lorraine Klaasen, eclectic performer extraordinaire, is the daughter of the famous South African singer, Thandie Klaasen, one of Nelson Mandela's favourite singers and an indisputable South African legend. Born and raised in South Africa, she has called Montreal, Canada her home since 1979. Lorraine's dynamic stage presence and showmanship have captivated fans of world music, jazz and African music throughout North America, the Caribbean and Europe for many years. In fact, Klaasen is a virtual embodiment of cultural diversity. Performing in English, French, Swahili, Zulu, Xhosa, Lingala, Greek and Hebrew, as well as over twelve African dialects, audiences are spellbound by her winning combination of humour, charisma and savoir faire. Musicologist, singer and choreographer, Klaasen is highly adept at conveying emotion through movement and dance – an integral and distinctive expression of African song.

Canada's hardest-working super-group, The Souljazz Orchestra, have been perfecting their signature sound for over a decade now: a percussive explosion of soul, jazz, afro, Latin and Caribbean rhythms, driven by majestic horn-drenched melodies, all backed by an arsenal of overheated, primitive keyboards. The multicultural collective returns at full throttle this year with Solidarity, a dynamite new collaborative album released by UK-based Strut Records, featuring a range of unique artists connected to the group through Canada's vibrant underground scene, yet hailing from a variety of backgrounds, from Senegal to Brazil to Jamaica and beyond. These guests were the catalyst for memorable artistic exchange, where the group remained rooted in rhythmically rich musical traditions of the past, but kept their eyes firmly on the future, pushing the boundaries of soul, jazz and tropical styles with a fresh set of heavyweight new songs, unified by an underlying message of positive social change. Now celebrating their 10th year, The Souljazz Orchestra continue their impressive run of memorable albums. Meanwhile, as a live unit, years of relentless touring have formed the Ottawa-based combo into an in-demand fixture at venues and festivals worldwide.

In a career as a music and entertainment producer that has, as of 2012, spanned 41 years, Bob Ezrin has worked on recordings with artists including Alice Cooper, Kiss, Pink Floyd, Lou Reed, Roberta Flack, Peter Gabriel, Dr. John, Nils Lofgren, Kansas, Rod Stewart, Berlin, Hanoi Rocks, Nine Inch Nails, The Jayhawks, 30 Seconds to Mars, The Darkness, Jane's Addiction and The Deftones. He produced a live TV extravaganza to reopen the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, starring Green Day and U2. He has also worked on an album and live opera with L'Orchestra di Piazza Vittorio from Rome, Italy.

Multiple JUNO Award winner and Grammy Nominated producer Gavin Brown has written with and/or produced a variety of acts like Three Days Grace, Billy Talent, Thornley, Metric, Sarah Harmer, Stereos, Tea Party, Skillet, Hoobastank, Barenaked Ladies and The Tragically Hip's latest release, Now For Plan A. Brown is based in Toronto, Canada and Los Angeles, California. Having worked with a variety of acts, Gavin is best known for both his ability to develop and break young artists, and his ability to make career records with already successful acts. He is attributed with developing Three Days Grace, Billy Talent, and The Midway State. He is also acclaimed for his success with alt-rock act, Metric. Gavin co-wrote the first two Three Days Grace records. He is well known for hits like "I Hate Everything About You", "Pain" and "Never Too Late" which went on to sell millions of records. He also found Billy Talent and produced two records with the band, Billy Talent and Billy Talent II. In April 2004, Brown was awarded the JUNO Award for Producer of the Year, for the Billy Talent and Three Days Grace albums. He produced the Cancer Bats record, Birthing The Giant, which went on to have success in Canada. Brown also produced important Canadian records for Thornley and The Tea Party. He has also collaborated with successful rock acts like Theory of a Deadman, Halestorm, and Thousand Foot Krutch.

James (Jimmy) Shaw is a founding member of Metric as well as an original member of Broken Social Scene. He was born in England but grew up in Ontario. A multi-instrumentalist, Jimmy attended the Julliard School of Music but left in his final year to start Metric. He produced or co-produced three of Metric's first four albums and is the sole producer of Synthetica. Jimmy co-owns Giant Studios in Toronto with Death From Above's Sebastien Granger.

Josh Ramsay, lead singer of Marianas Trench, burst onto the Canadian music scene in 2006 with the release of the first Marianas Trench album, Fix Me. Extensive touring, creative online marketing, and a knack for making great music videos (not to mention the amazing music) helped to build a solid and loyal fan base. The band delivered Masterpiece Theatre in 2009, which included five charting singles, and then came Ever After produced by Ramsay. The record is a 54-minute track stitched from 12 discrete songs. Ramsay has also thoroughly established his versatility, producing radio smashes for artist Carly Rae Jepsen’s number one hit single and five-time Canadian platinum "Call Me Maybe," which was co-written by Josh, Carly and Tavish Crowe. Other produced tracks include platinum single "Hit Me Up" by Danny Fernandes, Girlicious, Suzie McNeil, hip-hop artist Anami Vice, pop act Faber Drive, country artists Jessie Farrell and Melissa Rae Barrie, as well as all three Marianas Trench albums either produced or co-produced.

Kevin Churko has emerged as one of the music industry’s leading engineers/producers. Saskatchewan-born but currently residing in Las Vegas where he works out of his private studio, The Hideout, Churko has worked with some of the biggest names in music, including Shania Twain, Ringo Starr, and The Corrs. He co-wrote and co-produced Ozzy Osbourne’s latest two albums, Black Rain and Scream which included two U.S. number one singles and has gone on to produce and co-write records with Five Finger Death Punch, In This Moment and Hinder. Churko has received three Engineer of the Year JUNO Awards for his engineering work on Black Rain, Simon Collins' U-Catastrophe and Scream. He was also nominated for two JUNO Awards for Producer of the Year for his work on Black Rain, as well as In This Moment's The Dream and Modern Science’s debut album. Churko has received three SOCAN Number One Song Awards from SOCAN.

Eric Ratz is a record producer/engineer with almost 20 years of experience. His credits include Big Wreck, Billy Talent, The Reason, Cancer Bats, Theory Of A Dead Man, Thornley, Sarah Harmer, The Tea Party, Sarah Slean, Ryan Malcolm, Matt Mays, Out of Your Mouth, Danko Jones, Gov't Mule, Big Sugar, Great Big Sea, Crush, Weeping Tile, Enrique Iglesias, Gavin Creel, BandCamp, Chris Duarte, Harem Scarem, Ashley MacIsaac, Thousand Foot Krutch, Moxy Fruvous, Forgotten Rebels, Acid Test, Sacrifice and Skydiggers.

Joby Baker is a British-born, Victoria-based producer/engineer musician who owns and operates Baker Studios. He has produced and/or engineered, played, mixed and mastered albums and singles for a variety of artists, including Cowboy Junkies, Alex Cuba, Toni Childs, Kuba Oms, Andy Maize, The Paper Boys, Tal Bachman, Mae Moore, Bill Johnson, Db Clifford, The Bills and The Marc Atkinson Trio. Albums that Joby has produced and engineered have garnered numerous awards and nominations; Tillers Folly – IMA Award, Mae Moore – CMFA Awards, Bill Johnson – JUNO Award nominee and WCBA Award, Alex Cuba – two JUNO Awards and Latin Grammy Award and two nominations. Baker produced Kuba Oms recently released album that includes the charting single Electro-love. Baker has worked alongside Tchad Blake, Peter Erkstine, Tony Maiden, Mick Glossop and Toni Childs.

Kevin Churko has emerged as one of the music industry’s leading engineers/producers. Saskatchewan-born but currently residing in Las Vegas where he works out of his private studio, The Hideout, Churko has worked with some of the biggest names in music, including Shania Twain, Ringo Starr, and The Corrs. He co-wrote and co-produced Ozzy Osbourne’s latest two albums, Black Rain and Scream which included two U.S. number one singles and has gone on to produce and co-write records with Five Finger Death Punch, In This Moment and Hinder. Churko has received three Engineer of the Year JUNO Awards for his engineering work on Black Rain, Simon Collins' U-Catastrophe and Scream. He was also nominated for two JUNO Awards for Producer of the Year for his work on Black Rain, as well as In This Moment's The Dream and Modern Science’s debut album. Churko has received three SOCAN Number One Song Awards from SOCAN.

Producer/mixer/engineer Mike Plotnikoff has had a hand in some of the biggest and most important rock albums of the past two decades. A native of Canada, Mike began his career engineering albums from seminal rock bands like Aerosmith, Van Halen, Kiss and the Scorpions. But it wasn’t long before Mike took on the role of mixer as well, mixing albums for The Cranberries, Delerium, Yes and Motley Crue. In the early 2000s Mike began engineering and mixing projects with Grammy nominated producer Howard Benson, starting with the breakout album Satellite from P.O.D. The collaboration between Benson and Plotnikoff has since lead to some of the most successful albums of the past decade, including albums by Daughtry, Kelly Clarkson, Papa Roach, Flyleaf, All American Rejects, My Chemical Romance, Theory of A Deadman and Hoobastank. As Mike’s career has progressed, he has also come into his own as a producer, producing albums by Drowning Pool, Noise Therapy and the hugely successful album 15 by Buckcherry.

Randy Staub is one of the most prolific rock mixers of the last decade. Staub has worked with some of the largest names in music, including artists such as Nickelback, Bon Jovi, U2, Cher, Celine Dion, Avril Lavigne, Iggy Pop and many others. He’s been nominated for the JUNO Award for Recording Engineer of the Year nine times, winning in 2002 for his work with Nickelback on the tracks “How You Remind Me” and “Too Bad.” Staub got his start when he was offered a job at A&M; studios in Los Angeles, but being Canadian, he had to wait for his immigration papers to arrive. As he waited, producer Bob Rock offered Staub a job engineering a project he was working on, and then asked Staub to come work with him full-time at his Vancouver studio. Staub declined, as he was already scheduled to go to LA., but Rock persisted and finally Staub conceded forming the Rock/Staub duo which led to a long string of rock masterworks, including Metallica’s self-titled album. Staub still lives and works out of Vancouver and continues to work with emerging and legendary artists such as Evanescence and the reformed Alice In Chains.

Andy Dixon was born and raised in Vancouver, B.C. in 1979. His involvement in the DIY Punk music scene started at the early age of 12 years with his first band, d.b.s. Being the member of the band with the highest artistic inclination, he began doing all of the design and illustration work for the band. This work garnered outside clientele and gradually, freelance design morphed into Andy's day-time profession. Andy is a multidisciplinary artist; from fine art painting to digital design and video, to experimental music (under many monikers including Secret Mommy, Caving and his own name.)

Wildly diverse in his artistic pursuits, Justin Broadbent's resume is as impressive for its range as for its quality. Whether its his astounding photography portfolio, his video blogs, his credits as a director of films and music videos, his posters and CD packaging designs or his Left Field clothing line, this Toronto artist has developed a well-deserved world-class reputation.

Passionnée depuis toujours d’images anciennes, Marianne Chevalier se consacre depuis plusieurs années à l’illustration. Suite à des études en design graphique et en arts visuels, son travail se voit récompensé par plusieurs prix canadiens, américains et européens. Ses œuvres combinent recherche iconographique, collage et dessin afin de donner une dimension moderne et mystérieuse à ses personnages. En 2011, elle fonde l’Atelier Tricorne avec Vincent Gagnon (Vigg) et fait également partie du duo Bellebrute.

Multidisciplinary artist Marie Pierre Daigle progressed from Fine arts to studying glass and then contemporary textiles. She now creates unique works that combine all these techniques. Marie Pierre is a member of the board of directors of the Conseil des métiers d'art du Québec. She is an active participant in forging the future of Montréal's artistic community.

Mathieu Houde has been nominated for two JUNO awards previously in 2006 and 2008 for his work on “À La Station C” by Ariane Moffatt, and “2X2” by Pierre Lapointe.

Philippe Allard created the concept for the album design along with the photography and illustrations.

Susan Michalek has spent the better part of a decade working in the music industry designing album packaging and promo items for some the biggest acts in Canada. From a whopping five JUNO Award nominations, two of those shiny, clear JUNO statuettes came home with her. Susan's strength is her versatility. Her work ranges from whimsical to leading edge, depending on the artists she conspires with.
Simon Paul started his career in animation before setting his sights on graphic art. An adept illustrator, he has worked with a mélange of artists, indie and mainstream alike, from Skinny Puppy to collaborations with The Tragically Hip (which has earned him a JUNO Award nomination). His fervour for design has also lead him to work closely with Subconscious record label, where he has provided some kick-ass CD and merch products.

Director X (formly known as Little X) was born and raised in Toronto, Canada, and is of Trinidadian and Swiss descent. Moving to New York City, he became the protégé of pioneering hip-hop director Hype Williams. X has been noted for directing high-budget, visually distinctive videos for popular music artists including Nelly Furtado, David Guetta, Nicki Minaj, Kardinal Offishall, Sean Paul, R. Kelly, Usher, Kanye West, Jay-Z, Ludacris, Swizz Beatz, Alicia Keys, John Mayer, Rihanna, LL Cool J, Brandy, Diddy and Korn. His work has been nominated and awarded by the MTV Music Video Awards.

Born as an only child to Italian immigrant parents, Margaret Malandruccolo grew up in a little automotive town in Canada, quickly developing a fondness for cars, rust and scrap metal. Her parents instilled in her a love for travel, great food and wine, and a life behind the lens. Romance is the strongest trait in her film and photography work, given the love for her Italian heritage. She has a cinematic approach to conveying emotion, an incredible technical background in lighting and camera work, and a sincere connection with her subjects. Her signature style uses bold colours and dramatic lighting, while stealing a glimpse into the often hidden emotional world of her subjects. Climbing the ranks through photography, camera assisting, editing and cinematography, her sacrifices and years of workaholic stress paid off in working with exceptional talents such as Avril Lavigne, DJ Tiesto, Tony Ward, Renee Russo, Colm Wilkinson, and Dwight Yoakam, directing numerous number one videos throughout the U.S., Europe and Canada, as well as establishing such advertising clients as Canon Cameras, General Motors, Hyatt Hotels, Puma Sportswear, and Molson Beer. Now living in Los Angeles (but getting back to New York and Toronto as often as possible), Margaret furthers her photography work in advertising and entertainment while embarking upon more film projects. She has directed over 60 music videos, won two JUNO Awards and two CCMA Awards among numerous others. She returns over and over to her still photography roots, grounding herself in a focused chaos.

Born as an only child to Italian immigrant parents, Margaret Malandruccolo grew up in a little automotive town in Canada, quickly developing a fondness for cars, rust and scrap metal. Her parents instilled in her a love for travel, great food and wine, and a life behind the lens. Romance is the strongest trait in her film and photography work, given the love for her Italian heritage. She has a cinematic approach to conveying emotion, an incredible technical background in lighting and camera work, and a sincere connection with her subjects. Her signature style uses bold colours and dramatic lighting, while stealing a glimpse into the often hidden emotional world of her subjects. Climbing the ranks through photography, camera assisting, editing and cinematography, her sacrifices and years of workaholic stress paid off in working with exceptional talents such as Avril Lavigne, DJ Tiesto, Tony Ward, Renee Russo, Colm Wilkinson, and Dwight Yoakam, directing numerous number one videos throughout the U.S., Europe and Canada, as well as establishing such advertising clients as Canon Cameras, General Motors, Hyatt Hotels, Puma Sportswear, and Molson Beer. Now living in Los Angeles (but getting back to New York and Toronto as often as possible), Margaret furthers her photography work in advertising and entertainment while embarking upon more film projects. She has directed over 60 music videos, won two JUNO Awards and two CCMA Awards among numerous others. She returns over and over to her still photography roots, grounding herself in a focused chaos.

Sean Wainsteim went to art college to build robots that would chase people around galleries. When he left, he was making films. Since then, Sean has worked with global brands like Nike, Gatorade, Sony, Budweiser, Nickelodeon, The Sopranos and The Rolling Stones, created TV shows for IFC, History Channel and MTV2, launched a boutique animation/FX company, played major world festivals with his films and shot across the Americas, India, Europe and Japan. Sean also survived an airplane crash. Even thought it was a pretty cool crash, he received no awards. Currently, Sean is developing narrative and documentary feature projects. He has garnered many awards including over 20 world Gold Design awards, advertising awards, an ECMA, a JUNO Award nomination and multiple MMVAs highlighted by the 2011 MuchMusic Video Award for Director of the Year.

WeWereMonkeys began in 2007 a.k.a Mihai Wilson created an insane stream of consciousness stop-motion animation for Malajube’s Le Crabe, which was nominated for the 2007 MTV People’s Choice Video Award. He successfully followed this with the production of a second video for Malajube’s Ton Plat Favori, which was featured in the 2008 Independent Music Video Festival. The 2009 video for Land Of Talk’s ‘It’s Okay’ was featured in Stash 63. Mihai has as a love of invention and of experimenting with new techniques and technologies. He is very hands-on with his work, and diverse skillsets allow him to play almost all roles in producing a video. From 3D rendering to set construction, photography and illustration, he does it all. He believes working with multiple mediums leads to entirely new ideas and creative processes. More recently WeWereMonkeys directed "Little Talks" for the band Of Monsters & Men getting over 40 million clicks on Youtube and was nominated at the MTV Music Video Award in the Best Art Direction Category.

Andrew "Andy" John David Keen (born 1969) is a Canadian documentary filmmaker. In addition to making the JUNO Award-winning Escarpment Blues, Keen made the Gemini Award-nominated documentary Seven Painters, Seven Places and Know Your Mushroom. In the summer of 2011, Keen directed and produced the feature documentary Bobcaygeon (2012) about Canadian rock giants The Tragically Hip and their riotous concert in Bobcaygeon. Shawn Marino has previously won a JUNO Award for his work with the team that produced The Tragically Hip's Hipeponymous DVD, and has been nominated for Hedley's Try This At Home DVD. Bernie Breen started his career in music 25 years ago. He has handled the careers of many talented artists. Today, Bernie is successfully supporting and developing some of the most talented individuals in the country. His current roster includes The Tragically Hip (co-managed with Patrick Sambrook), Matthew Good, actor/musician Hugh Dillon, producer Colin Cripps, and newcomers Gentlemen Husbands. Patrick Sambrook is the President and Founder of Eggplant Entertainment, one of Canada's premier artist management companies. Mr. Sambrook manages the careers of award-winning recording artists Sarah Harmer, Kathleen Edwards, Arkells, and co-manages The Tragically Hip with Bernie Breen.

Exhibiting versatility, adaptability and creativity, Ben Knechtel is paving his way as one of the top Canadian music video directors. With Knechtel’s eye for a story, broad experience with behind-the-scenes content creation for some of the world’s biggest acts (Nickelback, Nelly Furtado, Hedley), and years of experience as a New Media Producer for successful 604 Records (Marianas Trench, Daniel Wesley), it wasn’t a question of if Knechtel would evolve to become one of the most sought after music video directors in Canada, but when. Cue Carly Rae Jepsen’s explosive, chart-topping hit, “Call Me Maybe” – the third music video Knechtel has directed for Jepsen. The three-time MMVA-winning music video for “Call Me Maybe” is a prime example of Knechtel’s comedic, visionary eye taking an addictive song, and creating a video worthy of going viral. And it has; currently sitting at over 200 million views worldwide on YouTube, Knechtel’s direction for “Call Me Maybe” has inspired thousands of viral memes across the globe.

Directors/producers Pierre and François Lamoureux coined the phrase "where art survives technology." Their films have won a Grammy, two Emmy, two JUNO, two Gemini, a multitude of industry and technical awards, sold millions of copies on BluRay and DVD and aired all around the world. The Lamoureux brothers have directed and/or produced concert films and music documentaries for Rush, The Who, Harry Connick Jr., Slipknot, Rihanna, Deadmau5, The Pretenders, Zappa Plays Zappa, Branford Marsalis, The Tragically Hip, Billy Talent, Pat Metheny, Joe Satriani, The Cowboy Junkies, Ben Harper, Willie Nelson, Peter Frampton, Judy Collins, Deep Purple and others. Both Pierre and François hold Bachelor of Music degrees from McGill University, where they studied jazz, classical and electronic music.

Scot McFadyen is a multi-award winning, Grammy nominated filmmaker living in Toronto. Scot studied creative writing at the University of Victoria. Prior to co-founding Banger Films, Scot worked as a music supervisor and soundtrack producer on many film and television projects including Gingers Snaps, Siblings, Queer As Folk, and cult hit FUBAR. Scot’s first feature documentary, Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey, won a Gemini Award for Best Writing in a Documentary and was released theatrically and on DVD in over 40 countries. The success of Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey, and its follow up, Global Metal, allowed Scot to grow Banger Films into one of Canada’s best-known documentary filmmaking operations. Scot’s films include Iron Maiden: Flight 666 which won the audience award at SXSW and a JUNO Award, and Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage which won the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival Audience Award, won a JUNO Award and was nominated for a Grammy. Banger Films’ first TV series, Metal Evolution, premiered on November 11, 2011 and was the number one show on VH1 Classic (USA) and MuchMoreMusic (Canada) and is currently airing on networks around the world. Scot has also directed several live concert videos with blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa, Motörhead and Rush.

As founder and creative director of FrameBlender, Tim Martin has experience across the board in media production. He has gained an impressive resume coordinating and directing multi-camera live productions, directing single-camera scripted programming, editing and post-production supervising, and designing workflow implementation. With a strong technical background in design, film, photography, programming, audio production and IT system design, Tim is known for having a deep understanding of all aspects of film production and for being able to effectively communicate his ideas to all team members. In 2006, Tim began collaborating with Sympatico.ca to develop, produce and deploy branded content experiences within the Music Channel of the Canadian Portal. This initial contact turned into a three-year collaboration. As a technology innovator, Tim continues to lead the way in creating world-class tapeless production and post workflows, including designing and implementing Canada’s first tapeless workflow for the National Film Board’s theatrical documentary The Bodybuilder and I (2007), as well as the Canadian Film Centre’s interactive film Late Fragment (2007). In 2010, for his work on the music DVD The Trews: Friends and Total Strangers, Tim received his first JUNO Award Nomination for Best Music DVD of the Year.

Crystal Castles is an experimental electronic band which formed in 2003 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and consists of producer Ethan Kath and vocalist Alice Glass. They are named after the lyrics, “the fate of the world is safe in Crystal Castles” and “Crystal Castles, the source of all power,” both from the theme song for She-Ra’s fortress. They are known for their melancholic, lo-fi sound and their explosive live shows. Their debut album was included in NME’s Top 50 Albums of the Decade. On March 18, 2008 they released their debut album on Last Gang Records entitled Crystal Castles. This album reached #47 on UK Albums Chart, number six on US Top Electronic Albums, #13 on US Top Heatseekers, and #32 on US Independent Albums.

While Caribou has been touring the globe throughout 2012 in support of Radiohead, Dan Snaith has fallen deeper into his love affair with the dance floor to bring us a full-length release as Daphni. The first Daphni album of shape-shifting works is titled Jiaolong. Throughout Caribou’s ongoing world tour, Dan has been hitting club nights in each city, DJing into the wee hours in search of that sweet spot. “DJs have the potential to blindside you,” Snaith says. “During the time I was making the Caribou album Swim, I’d fallen back in love with moments in small, dark clubs when a DJ puts on a piece of music that not only can you not identify, but that until you heard it, you could not have conceived of existing.” Inspired to work in a completely different way – setting aside the meticulous compositional rigors and musical layers that underpin Caribou songs – Dan Snaith, as Daphni, reaches out for a more feminine, fluid energy and seeks instant gratification. Jiaolong sits easily with the kinetic likes of Theo Parrish and Floating Points and is sure to be seen as one of the best records of 2012, both in the dance community and beyond.

Born in Vancouver, Claire Boucher came to Montreal in 2006. Her experience as a performer is deeply embedded in the illegal DIY loft culture of Montreal, where Grimes was one of the prominent figures in the scene surrounding Lab Synthèse. She developed in a scene where punk ethos and pop music collide, resulting in a distinct sense of community, religiosity and psychedelic revelry. Visions arises as Boucher’s fourth release in less than two years. Geidi Primes (2010), initially released as a limited 30 cassette run and free download, then followed by Halfaxa (2010) – arguably one of the first witch-house or lo-fi R&B; releases. On Darkbloom (2011), Grimes begins taking her first steps as a producer, bringing together the experimentation behind her early work and a cutting edge pop aesthetic. Her newest album, Visions, draws from genres like New Jack Swing, New Age, K-pop, Industrial and glitch. She describes her work as “the only means through which I can be fully expressive. It is both an ethereal escape from, and a violent embrace of my experience. Visions was conceived in a period of self-imposed cloistering during which time I did not see daylight.”

Purity Ring is a Halifax/Montreal-based duo comprised of Corin Roddick and Megan James. Their debut album Shrines was released by Last Gang Records on July 24, 2012. Purity Ring make lullabies for the club, drawing equally from airy ‘90s R&B;, lush dream pop, and the powerful, bone-rattling immediacy of modern hip-hop. Megan’s remarkable voice is at once ecstatic and ethereal, soaring wistfully above Corin’s intricately chopped drum programming, trembling sub-bass, and skewed vocal samples. Despite the band’s young age (Corin is 21; Megan, 24) and short gestation (they formed in late 2010), Purity Ring have delivered one of 2012's most assured – and anticipated – debuts with Shrines. Indeed, Shrines feels like anything but a first record – its vocal hooks are inescapable, its lush production futuristic and sophisticated but also as pristine as anything on pop radio. The record's 11 tracks trace a unique aesthetic universe that is carefully crafted and fully realized – deftly walking the lines between trap-rap exhilaration and otherworldly rapture, pleasure-center pop and diaristic emotion, childlike dread and total self-possession. Purity Ring's is a universe that invites exploration and demands revisiting.

Trust is the alter ego of Toronto artist Robert Alfons. Formed in 2009 along with collaborator Maya Postepski, Trust released its first singles, "Candy Walls" and "Bulbform," on Brooklyn-based Sacred Bones Records in 2011 before signing with Arts & Crafts for the 2012 release of debut full-length, TRST. Since 2011, Trust has performed with DFA1979, Crystal Castles, Austra, Balam Acab, Glass Candy and Hercules and Love Affair and garnered glowing praise from top international critics at Pitchfork, VICE, The Guardian UK and many more. Trust's tales of lust, wax, and erotomania carry along on a dense, black vapour of speed, space and tears. Trust is a pop hit factory buried deep in the mud.

Since first turning heads with 2006’s Birthing The Giant, the Cancer Bats (lead vocalist Liam Cormier, drummer Mike Peters, bassist Jaye Schwarzer, and guitarist Scott Middleton) have seen both their audience and array of influences steadily expand in new directions, and Dead Set On Living is the culmination of the latter. The release brings yet another dimension to the Bats’ menacing style of thrash-tinged hardcore rock, but fear not – the very core of what the band does best is here, and here in a big way. DSOL is undeniably the most metal-tinged offering from Cancer Bats to date. Tracks like “R.A.T.S.” (featuring guest vocals from Rob Urbinati of Sacrifice) and “The Void” are laced with the gritty, sludgy groove that first emerged on cuts from 2008’s Hail Destroyer and was refined on parts of 2010’s Bears, Mayors, Scraps & Bones, while the blistering “Old Blood” roars with the riot-inducing speed and aggression so familiar to the band’s fans. Still, whereas Bears had a much darker tinge, DSOL strikes a tighter balance between the opposing forces and brings listeners closer to the light at the end of the tunnel by encouraging them to push through peril.

Thrash-inspired Doom Metaller’s CASTLE released their second album, Blacklands, on September 11th on their new North American label, Prosthetic Records. Blacklands – which was produced by Billy Anderson (Cathedral, Sleep, Neurosis) – was described by Metal Hammer UK as being “a tough alloy of purest classic metals — doom, thrash, epic and power — charged with arcane mysticism.” The album artwork was done by Russian symbolist painter, Denis Forkas Kostromitin. CASTLE were formed in 2009 and released their debut album In Witch Order via the German label Van Records (The Devil’s Blood) in the spring of 2011. The album brought light to the newly formed band and gained them the title of Metal Hammer Norway’s Album of the Year as well as Roadburn Festival’s Newcomer of the Year. The band, which consists of Elizabeth Blackwell on vocals/bass, songwriter Mat Davis on guitars/vocals and Al McCartney on drums, is currently on a 35 city North American tour. CASTLE has recently been confirmed to take part in next year’s instalment of the prestigious Roadburn Festival, where they will perform alongside the likes of Electric Wizard, Godflesh and Sigh. The annual event in Tilburg, Holland, will take place April 2013.

Epicloud, the monumental 15th studio album from visionary singer/guitarist/producer Devin Townsend, contains the infectious anthem “More!,” the cabaret-worthy “Lucky Animals,” the rhythmic electronica of “Save Our Now,” all the way to the meditative “Divine.” Epicloud draws on a wide range of influences to create an album that celebrates optimism in humanity, whilst simultaneously remaining absolutely crushing. A wide variety of textures and moods makes Epicloud a very fitting follow-up to the emotionally-varied prior Devin Townsend Project albums. Townsend is no stranger to musical diversity, and 2011 saw him complete a four-album cycle – Ki, Addicted, Deconstruction and Ghost – of which no two releases sounded similar. Yet, Epicloud takes his love of multiple genres to a new level. “I’ve rarely done the same things twice,” Townsend says, “but as I’ve grown as a musician, one of the things I've learned is that it should be possible to make different genres 'play ball' with each other while illustrating a common theme.” Epicloud is a time in the creative cycle of Townsend that is unique and very specific. It celebrates the music of his past while looking forward to the future.

The Roman legion Ex Deo continues its unstoppable campaign with the new musical opus Caligvla. Under the leadership of the charismatic and vocally talented commander Mauriozio Iacono (also the frontman of Kataklysm), the band once again dedicates the album to the rich history of Ancient Rome and focuses particularly on the brutal and bloodthirsty time of Emperor Caligula. Fitting the historic content, the long player turns out to be a merciless and furious metal machine, with bombastic soundtrack parts and a phenomenal orchestra providing the finishing touches to this masterpiece. The driving rhythms match the steps of a marching army ready to conquer the world! Nobody and nothing is strong and brave enough to resist the might of Caligvla! Rome will be victorious – long live Epic Roman Metal!

Woods of Ypres was formed in 2002 by David Gold, Aaron Palmer, and Brian McManus. The trio released the first Woods Of Ypres demo, Against the Seasons: Cold Winter Songs from the Dead Summer Heat, the same year. The fourth Woods of Ypres album, Woods IV: The Green Album, was released in November 2009. Exclaim! called it "the band's most amorphous and powerful creature so far." All of the band's albums have been released on independent labels. Woods of Ypres was thought to have broken up in 2010 due to frontman David Gold's move to Kuwait for financial and occupational reasons. However, that was refuted by Gold himself. In October 2010, it was announced that rumoors of the band's split were entirely false and that Woods of Ypres had signed to Earache Records. On December 22, 2011, David Gold died at age 31 in a car accident near Barrie, Ontario. Woods of Ypres' fifth and final album, Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light, was released February 27, 2012.

It’s taken him rather longer than he might have expected, but singer-songwriter Adam Cohen has grown up. The son of the legendary Leonard Cohen, all his life, Adam had sought an artistic space beyond the reach of his father’s looming shadow. But in January 2007, at the age of 34, Adam Cohen owned up to his legacy, when, on stage in Barcelona, Adam sang Leonard’s classic song, “Take This Waltz” in Spanish. This lead to Adam embracing his family legacy with his newest album, Like A Man. Intimate, romantic, yet shrewdly reflective, Adam’s songs on Like A Man evoke something of his father, just as in any child you can discern the echo of the parent. But there is Adam’s own unique and distinct voice and perspective too — a plain-speaking style freighted with disarming candour. “Like A Man is steeped in my recognizing that I am in the family business. Despite my efforts to carve out a different identity, really, I belong to a long line of people who have embraced their father’s business. To have my father pronounce that I have world-class love songs on my record — Like A Man and What Other Guy — is a deeply gratifying compliment.”

Tom Barlow, a three-time JUNO Award nominee, is no stranger to the world of performing. 2011 has seen him reconnecting with co-writer/producer Malden and producer Tags to create his sophomore album, Burning Days. This reinvigorated partnership has led to an incredibly strong album that highlights the team’s ability to create socially conscious lyrics within tracks that boast catchy pop melodies similar to the pop-rock hybrid that launched Barlow into the spotlight on his debut album. The past success of his self-titled major label debut album – an album that garnered him two Top 10 radio singles (“Walk Away” and
“Married by Elvis”) – has earned Barlow a place on the Canadian stage. Not only did his debut album earn him three JUNO Award nominations, it also led him to team up with his favourite Toronto-based musicians to form the ‘60s-garage rock band, The Beautiful Unknown. If the past few years have taught Tom Barlow anything, it’s that there continues to be a need for socially conscious music.

Having sold more than 200 million albums around the world, Celine Dion is one of the most immediately recognized, widely respected and successful performers in pop music history. During her spectacular career, Celine has been honoured with over 1000 awards. She is a five-time Grammy Award winner, including Album of the Year and Best Pop Album for Falling Into You (1996), and Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "My Heart Will Go On" (1998). Her recordings have won two Academy Awards: Best Original Song in 1992 for the title song of Beauty and the Beast (with Peabo Bryson), and Best Original Song in 1998 for "My Heart Will Go On" (from Titanic). She has earned seven American Music Awards, 20 JUNO Awards (Canada) and an astonishing 40 Felix Awards (Quebec). In 2004, Celine received the Diamond award at the World Music Awards, recognizing her status as the best-selling female artist of all time. In 2007, she was honoured with the Legend Award at the World Music Awards in recognition of her global success and outstanding contribution to the music industry.

Starting her musical career two decades ago, a mature and wiser woman emerged from the acclaimed Rankin Family. Still called “the voice of” the renowned group, she came to sing with a depth and breadth that comes only with years of life and experience. All the Diamonds (produced by Jamie Robinson) departs from the Celtic/Trad for which she’s been known, but doesn’t abandon it completely. The writers range from Bruce Cockburn and Amelia Curran to Mark Knopfler and Steve Earle – songs chosen not only for their beauty, but for their personal resonance. All the Diamonds was recorded in September of 2011 at the historic Studio H in Halifax with Kevin Breit and Jamie Robinson on guitars, Jamie Gatti on bass, and Kim Dunn on piano. Raylene has shared the stage with luminaries like Archie Fisher, the Chieftains, and David Francey. Most recently, she toured nationally with Susan Crowe and Cindy Church as part of the Rankin, Church and Crowe Trio. Raylene died on September 30, 2012, leaving this beautiful legacy.

What images come to mind when you hear the word ‘TENOR’? Well chances are, after you hear the brand new album “Lead With Your Heart” from the exhilarating Canadian quartet ‘The Tenors’, your impressions of that word will be redefined, refreshed and enlivened. In their short career, they have performed on The Oprah Winfrey Show (with Celine Dion), for Her Majesty The Queen during her Diamond Jubilee at Windsor Castle, the live broadcast of the 2011 Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, at the opening ceremonies of Vancouver’s 2010 Olympics and for the NBA, MLB, and NHL All-Star Games. They have rubbed shoulders with presidents and prime ministers, princesses and even shared a private tea with HM The Queen. They have shared the stage with Sarah McLachlan, Neil Young, Paul Anka, Justin Bieber, Paul McCartney, Brian McKnight, David Foster, and Natalie Cole among others, in venues from Bangkok to London, and New York to Israel. They have been hailed as musical ambassadors and Canada’s national treasure. The group released the chart-topping album, Lead With Your Heart, in late 2012.

Born in Alberta, lang was first drawn toward music while she was in college, attracted to the music of Patsy Cline. She became acquainted with Cline's music while she was preparing to
star in a collegiate theatrical production based on the vocalist's life. Soon, lang immersed herself within Cline's life and music and decided that she would pursue a career as a professional singer. With the help of guitarist/co-songwriter Ben Mink, she formed a band, named the Reclines in tribute to Patsy Cline, in 1983, and they recorded a debut album, Friday Dance Promenade. A follow-up album, A Truly Western Experience, was released in
1984 and led to national attention. In 1985, she won the Juno Award for Most Promising Female Vocalist, accepting the award wearing a wedding dress. She has won eight Juno Awards.

All of the Canadian attention led to the interest of a number of American record labels. Sire signed lang in early 1986, and she recorded her first record for the label later that year. The result, Angel with a Lariat, produced by Dave Edmunds, appeared in the fall of 1986. As she was recording her second Nashville album in 1987, lang performed a duet with Roy Orbison on his old hit "Crying," which was recorded for the film Hiding Out. The single was released at the end of the year and was a hit, marking her first appearance on the country charts.

Shadowland, her second Sire album, made her debt to Patsy Cline explicit. Recorded with Cline's producer, Owen Bradley, the album became a sizable hit, both in modern country and alternative music circles, which led to it going gold. The following year lang released the harder-edged Absolute Torch and Twang, which increased her mainstream American country audience, in addition to being a college radio and Canadian hit. Lang won a Grammy -- Best Country Vocal Performance, Female.

Before the release of her fourth album, Ingénue, lang declared that she was a lesbian in an interview in The Advocate, which was a risky proposition, since Nashville's industry was notorious for not accepting people who fell outside of the margins of the mainstream. Ingénue was a set of adult contemporary pop that owed very little to country. Its first single, "Constant Craving," became a Top 40 American hit and won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female, leading the album to platinum status in America, Britain, and Australia; it went double platinum in Canada.

It wasn't until 1995 that lang delivered All You Can Eat, her full-fledged follow-up to Ingénue. All You Can Eat continued the pop direction of its predecessor, showing no traces of country. Lang continued to follow her pop-oriented instincts on 2000's Invincible Summer, while embracing traditional popular standards on 1997's Drag (a collection of songs about smoking) and in her duet with Tony Bennett on his 2001 set Playin' with My Friends: Bennett Sings the Blues.

In 2004, after lang's contract with Sire Records ran its course, she signed with the artist-friendly Nonesuch imprint and recorded Hymns of the 49th Parallel, a collection of tunes by Canadian songwriters. Reintarnation, a compilation of her Sire years, was released in 2006, and lang unveiled her first batch of original material in eight years with 2008's Watershed. Lang's third Nonesuch album, the country-centric Sing It Loud, arrived in April 2011.

While Larry LeBlanc has been an influential figure in Canadian music for almost five decades, he is also recognized as one
of the leading music industry journalists in the world. He has been extensively quoted on music issues in hundreds of
publications including Time, Forbes, the London Times, and the New York Times.

Larry began his career in the mid-60s writing primarily on Canadian music for the Ajax News Advertiser, RPM Music
Weekly, Canadian Teen, Teen Weekly, Hit Parader, and the Toronto Telegram. During the ‘70s, Larry was writing about
Canadian acts for such international publications as Rolling Stone, Melody Maker, Record Week, Sound, Side One,
Crawdaddy, Zoo World, Circus, and Zigzag, as well as Maclean's, Toronto Star, Today's Generation, Beetle, Grapevine back
home.

Larry has had his own music program on Toronto radio stations Q107, CKFM, and CJCL, and has worked extensively at
CBC Radio, including being the music producer for “Morningside” and “Dayshift” programs. He has been a regular music
commentator on “Canada A.M” for 35 years, and has been featured on numerous CBC-TV, CTV, YTV, MuchMusic, and
Newsworld programs in Canada as well as VH-1, and Entertainment in the U.S.; and BBC in the U.K.

1981 – 1991: He was co-founder of the late Canadian music trade, The Record.

1991 – 2007: Canadian bureau chief of Billboard magazine from 1991-2007, Larry was also the Canadian editor of its late
competitor Record World, 1970-1980.

Larry was the associate producer of the 1996 four-CD box set “Oh What A Feeling,” and co-executive producer of its
follow-up “Oh What A Feeling 2” in 2001. The two comprehensive retrospectives of Canadian music raised $5.2 million for
Canadian charities.
He is co-author of the 2010 book “Music From Far And Wide: Celebrating 40 Years Of The Juno Awards.”

Present: Senior writer of the weekly U.S. entertainment trade CelebrityAccess overseeing the influential profile series, “In
The Hot Seat.” Larry has acted as a consultant for Metrolyrics, The Canadian Competition Bureau, The Canadian Private
Copying Collective, The Canadian Association of Broadcasters, and the Neighbouring Rights Collective of Canada.

2013: Larry is celebrating his 50th year writing about Canadian music.

JOBS YOU LIKELY DIDN’T KNOW LARRY HAD:

1965-1968: Ajax News Advertiser - Wrote weekly music column for community paper.

1966-1970: Toronto Telegram - Wrote a regular column in After Four, the paper's youth supplement.

1967-1971: Canadian High News - Began as a freelancer at the monthly publication and became Editorial Assistant in 1969.

1968-1971: Hit Parader. Canadian Editor - Provided profiles and news coverage on Canadian music artists for the monthly
American publication.

1974-1975: Muntz Tape Guide. Editor - Wrote music features for the monthly publication distributed to Muntz Tape
customers in Canada.

1986-1988: Network - Consulting editor and feature writer for the Canadian bi-monthly magazine distributed by the "Sam
The Record Man" retail chain.

1991-1995: World Entertainment News Network - Canadian editor of the daily syndicated print and audio news service
based in London, England, reaching 18 countries daily.