Grimes is the alias of Claire Boucher, a Montreal-based, Vancouver native, artist. Grimes fuses contemporary instrumentation with classical vocal practices from around the world. She recently released a cassette titled Geidi Primes on Arbutus. MySpace
Steve Hill got an early 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. Following a tour that took him across Canada, France and Belgium, he returned to the studio in 1999 to record ‘’Call It What You Will’’.
Hot Hot Heat are an indie-rock band from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. They formed in 1999 as a synthpunk band with Matt Marnik, who eventually left the band, on lead vocals. Steve Bays (vocals and keyboards) took over lead vocals, significantly changing the band's sound. The rest of the band is currently composed of Paul Hawley (drums), Parker Bossley (bass), and Luke Paquin (guitar). Paquin replaced former guitarist, Dante DeCaro, while Bossley recently replaced bassist Dustin Hawthorne. The band's name was contrived by drummer Paul Hawley.
Imaginary Cities are Rusty Matyas and Marti Sarbit. It all started at The Cavern. Winnipeg is known as the “Heart of the Continent.” In this beating heart on the prairies, there is always new music being made: in its clubs and basements, and in between work and life. Imaginary Cities was born in a club called The Cavern, in between sets. Their debut album, Temporary Resident, has been nominated for the 2011 Polaris Prize Longlist, and they have been gaining fans around the world for their renowned live performances, including a stint opening for the Pixies across North America.
Metric is an indie rock band formed in 1998 at Toronto, Canada and based at various times in Montreal, London, New York City and Los Angeles. The band members are Emily Haines (vocals, synthesizers), James Shaw (guitars), Josh Winstead (bass) and Joules Scott-Key (drums). Initially Metric was a duo made up by Haines and Shaw, then in 2001 Winstead and Scott-Key joined the band. They took the name "Metric" in 1999 after a synthesizer beat that Shaw used on his sampler and as a reference to their musical precision. The group's music encompasses elements of indie rock, new wave and dance music.
Leslie Feist (born February 13, 1976) is a singer/songwriter from Amherst, Nova Scotia, Canada. She performs as a solo artist under the name Feist and also as a member of Broken Social Scene. Raised in Regina and Calgary, Feist got her start in music as the lead vocalist for a punk band called Placebo (not the more famous British band Placebo), who won a local Battle of the Bands competition and were awarded the opening slot at a Ramones concert. After five years of touring, Feist was forced to take time off from music to recover from voice damage.
There are at least two bands who perform under the name Dirt Farmer (1)Dirt Farmer is a rock band based out of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Roll up your swag. Dust off your denim. Burn your banjos and start a rock and roll band. That’s what Dirt Farmer have done. Hailing from Albury-Wodonga, the five-piece band have relocated to Melbourne. Formed in April 2010, brothers Stuart and Thomas Barlow, with friends Chris Wright, Nic Duplex and Patch Oram, met in high school and united over musical tastes.
Woodpigeon are a Canadian musical collective from Calgary, Alberta. The band's sound has been compared to Sufjan Stevens, Grizzly Bear, Camera Obscura, Simon & Garfunkel, and Belle & Sebastian, amongst others. Band leader Mark Hamilton's main lyrical influence is The Kinks. When asked about the band's name, Mark Hamilton explains: "I've always been in love with the word Woodpigeon for as long as I can remember. When you write it in cursive, it looks like a rollercoaster".
Singer-songwriter Martha Wainwright is the daughter of Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle, and the sister of Rufus Wainwright. She has frequently appeared on recordings by her family members, and has released several independent EPs. Her full length self-titled debut was released in 2005 by Drowned in Sound, followed in 2008 by I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too.
Formed in 1994 in Montreal, Quebec, the Planet Smashers’ infectious pop infused melodies, rippin’ horn licks and killer live shows, quickly established them as the city’s “Kings of Ska”. They released their first album (“Self-Titled”) on Planet Smasher’s founder Matt Collyer’s own label STOMP Records and hit the road. By 1997 they were no longer a local band, but a national phenomenon, headlining shows across Canada and pushing their second record, “Atttack of The Planet Smashers” which reached 2 on the national college radio charts for 2 months straight.