The 2013 edition of POP Montreal is just about a month away, happening Sept. 25-29 in venues across the beautiful Quebec metropolis. We’ll have a preview of the festival in our Sept./Oct. 2013 issue, but in the meantime, the fine folks working tirelessly behind the scenes to make POP really pop gave us the inside scoop on some of the soon-to-be-well-known breakthrough artists selected to showcase at this year’s festival.

It’s a mighty diverse list of styles, but one that’s already led to some repeat listens around our office, so do check them out. (And where did these Look Vibrant fellas come from. Wow.)

Without further ado, have a look at the Poppers’ picks:

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Once again, thanks to the team at Audio Blood, Dine Alone, Goldenvoice, and to all of the bands that played for one hell of a day of music, despite the weather. Check out more of Bart Nowak’s work at: www.nowakimages.com.

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A few more of Bart Nowak’s shots from Edgefest 2013. Thanks to the crew at Audio Blood for the love and to all of the bands that played for one hell of a day of music, despite the weather. Check out more of Bart’s work at: www.nowakimages.com.

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Canadian Musician and photographer Bart Nowak (nowakimages.com) were out at Edgefest 2013 in Toronto yesterday which, despite a bit of rain, ended up being a pretty great day of music. Here are a few shots of Monster Truck’s manic main stage set.

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Welcome to a new regular series from Canadian Musician contributor Jeff Gunn. In addition to his own solo career and a line of guitar method books called Hidden Sounds, Jeff is also the guitarist for acts such as Emmanuel Jal and Kae Sun. In this edition of “A Conversation With…”, Gunn speaks with Dan Kanter, musical director and guitarist for international superstar Justin Bieber.  www.jeffgunn.ca.

I clearly remember a conversation I had 10 years ago following a rehearsal when I posed a question to a young guitarist: “What are you going to do after university?” With absolute certainty, he responded: “I am going to be a rock star.”

The conviction in his voice stuck with me all of these years. That young guitarist was Dan Kanter, 10 ten years on, he has realized his dreams, playing the world’s greatest venues from Wembley Stadium to Madison Square Garden as both guitarist and musical director for Justin Bieber.

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Big thanks to regular and righteous (in the TMNT-kinda way) contributor Kristian Partington for checking in from this year’s edition of Ottawa Bluesfest. Check out some of the festival’s philosophies and features in Kristian’s article, “Songs of the City,” from the July/August 2013 issue of Canadian Musician. And thanks to Daniel Partington for the rad shots of Alice in Chains.

There’s background music in life – songs that mark eras of growth, which, in the present moment, can transport us to different points of time upon the chronology of our upbringing.

Then there’s the music that shapes us in our entirety – the formative music that burrowed into the core of our being at different points along our path and, in many respects, defines who we are.

These songs, the artists who create them, and each of the thousands and millions of people who listen are drawn together through a sort of a gravitational force, an almost magnetic attraction, and once in a while the necessary stars align and we can witness these three entities – song, artist, and muse – come together in the same space and time.

A place like Ottawa’s RBC Bluesfest is where these sparks can fly. Thousands upon thousands descend upon the city every summer to take in a virtual smorgasbord of live music. Yes, there is plenty of blues to be found, but there is no one genre that dominates the stages set out upon the LeBreton Flats outside the National War Museum. This is a festival for all music lovers.

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Welcome to a new regular series from Canadian Musician contributor Jeff Gunn. In addition to his own solo career and a line of guitar method books called Hidden Sounds, Jeff is also the guitarist for acts such as Emmanuel Jal and Kae Sun. In the first edition of “A Conversation With…”, Gunn speaks with longtime Peter Gabriel guitarist David Rhodes. Look for more soon. www.jeffgunn.ca.

Picture this – sitting across a table from a world-class guitarist in a small pub in the West English countryside who happens to be one of your all-time favourites and who you used to watch and listen to on Peter Gabriel’s Secret World Live DVD as a 15-year-old aspiring musician. The guitarist in question is none other than David Rhodes.

Most of us know Rhodes from his role as Peter Gabriel’s guitarist over the years. His unique guitar style has been a key component of Gabriel’s ever-evolving atmospheric sound. He played on such hits as “In Your Eyes,” “Red Rain,” “Biko,” and many more. Initially, Rhodes opened for Peter Gabriel in his band Random Hold (Polydor Records) and it was during this period that Gabriel invited Rhodes to record with him on his third solo album, Peter Gabriel (1980). Rhodes began to regularly tour and record with Gabriel thereafter.

Beyond Gabriel, Rhodes has carved out a well-rounded career recording with such acts as Loreena Mckennitt, New Order, Paul McCartney, Roy Orbison, Talk Talk, and Scot Waller as well as a contributing to a plethora of other sessions. Most recently, he has released an album simply titled Rhodes, which also features drummer Ged Lynch (The Charlatans/Peter Gabriel) and bassist Charlie Jones (Page and Plant).

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CM correspondent Kristian Partington is back with a two-part series profiling three Canadian bass players in three Canadian bands at different stages of their careers, all working with the same passion to propel their acts as high as they’ll go. The shots here are by Kristian’s brother, Daniel Partington. Thanks for reading!

During Toronto’s NXNE festival, 29 bars in downtown Toronto stayed open until 4 am. The Dakota Tavern was one of them. I was there on June 13th, the night bassist Todd Menzies and Willhorse delivered their final Ontario performance on a tour that brought them across the country.

Late bar service and a pile of music fans hopped up on adrenaline was a dangerous mix for me on the first leg of a journey that would eventually land my brother/photographer and I at the Freedom Hill Amphitheater outside of Detroit with 10,000 bikers and the other two friends I had in mind for this tale of three bass players.

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CM correspondent Kristian Partington is back with a two-part series profiling three Canadian bass players in three Canadian bands at different stages of their careers, all working with the same passion to propel their acts as high as they’ll go. Thanks for reading!

Backyards, Legion Halls & NXNE With Willhorse

This tale of three bass players began about a month ago as a 1973 Detroit Diesel engine carried the frame of an old-school tour bus and a band called Willhorse down Maple-lined Queen Street in little Norwood, ON to park in front of my house.

Actually, the tale began many years ago under different trees across town, but I’m not sure there’s enough space here for the many stories that led to this particular adventure, which began in my backyard and ended in a suburb of Detroit with Art of Dying, Three Days Grace, a few thousand bikers and I on a sunny June Saturday.

Willhorse, Art of Dying, and Three Days Grace all have deep roots in Norwood. At Toronto’s Dakota Tavern in the midst of my bass player adventure during the Willhorse NXNE showcase on June 13, 2013, I saw Ralph James, the Founder and President of the Agency Group’s Toronto office. Ralph knows Norwood well, and he told me over a couple of pints that, per capita, this little village on the highway between Toronto and Ottawa must churn out more musicians than anywhere.

I had to agree.

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Canadian Musician correspondent Kevin Young was out and about in his hometown of Toronto during the 2013 edition of NXNE. Here are some of his experiences.

The best laid plans…
I had a list of the shows I wanted to see. I swear I did. First on that list was Whiskey Epiphany at Rancho Relaxo. I’d never heard of the band, but with a name like that, well, any fan of the brown water would be tempted to check them out.

Now, having listened to the band online, I wish I’d seen them.

But that night the weather wasn’t cooperating. Because it was pissing rain, because I was getting around NXNE by bike and because I was literally seconds from The Horseshoe when the rain really started coming down, I chose to throw out my previous plans and wing it.

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