Check this thing out. There are more details in the Wall Street Journal – check the link: http://blogs.wsj.com/scene/2013/10/10/giant-eggplant-brings-music-hope-to-tsunami-affected-japan/

Adrian X

Canadian Musician contributor Jeff Gunn is back with the third installment of his “A Conversation With…” series. 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 Adrian “X” Eccleston, guitarist and musical director for Drake.

Regardless of the medium, be it athletics, science, or entertainment, every once in a while you meet an individual whose accomplishments not only make you aware of just how high the bar is really set, but leave you with the inspiring thought that through hard work you too can make it all the way to your own mountain top.  For me, it was on a sunny afternoon in August at an Irish pub in Toronto when I met one such musician – Adrian “X” Eccleston.

X is a Grammy Award-winning musical director, guitarist, and artist in his own right.  He has performed on the MTV Video Music Awards, JUNO Awards, Jimmy Kimmel, Ellen, Saturday Night Live, The Late Show with David Letterman, and Jay Leno’s The Tonight Show. He has performed with a collage of artists including Drake (with whom he won a Best Rap Album Grammy for his guitar contributions on Drake’s Take Care), Amanda Marshall, Jacksoul, Serena Ryder, The Weeknd,  and Kylie Minogue, to name a few.

When talking about music with X, what immediately struck me was his attention to musical detail when describing the facets of being a professional touring and studio guitarist.  X describes how he developed a strict musical discipline at a young age by practicing relentlessly in order to gain a competitive edge.  He began performing in guitar competitions with the American Guild of Music at the age of 9.  From grades 4-12, he went through the prestigious Claude Watson School for the Arts program at Earl Haig Secondary School in Toronto where he developed a strong sense of creative musicianship and a passion for performance, which would eventually lead him to study jazz performance at the University of Toronto.

X is clear that performing music is a life long journey – there is no short road to success.  Following university, he began performing with Esthero, Divine Brown and others before landing a spot as the touring guitarist for Kylie Minogue, most notably, on her X Tour in 2008-2009.  This tour would take him on a full blown global arena tour.  X points out that he was asked to perform on this particular tour after receiving a call four years after first making contact with Minogue’s management – a point which encouraged him to remind guitarists and all touring musicians that “you really never know when you will get that call.  So be ready for it – it could be the next day or four years later, in my case with Kylie Minogue.”

X is currently on tour with Drake as his guitarist and musical director. He joined Drake as his guitarist during the recording sessions for Thank Me Later (2010) and went on to perform on the Away from Home (2010), Lightdreams & Nightmares (2011) and Club Paradise (2012) tours.

Beyond Drake, X has the first of three solo guitar albums, Soulgazer, coming out with Universal in October 2013. I had the opportunity to ask X some questions about music, guitar, and the Toronto music scene …

JG:  Which guitarists have had the biggest influence on your guitar performance?

X:  My inspiration for playing guitar has come from many incredible solo players and band affiliated players – you know, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Slash, The Edge, Jeff Beck, Wes Montgomery, Jimi Hazel and Vernon Reid from Living Colour. In Toronto, I have been watching Kevin Breit play for years. He is an incredible guitarist. Also, on a more personal level, a local friend and musician named David “Soulfingaz” Williams was a mentor for me and has had a huge impact on my playing and understanding of music in general.  I came up having the honour of playing many gigs with him and I always play as if he is listening to me to this day.

JG: How would you characterize your style of guitar performance?

X: I always strive to create and deliver emotional guitar playing.  Every time I play, it is an emotional exploration of the moment, the day, the tour, the show I am in…

JG: What does your guitar warm-up entail?

X: I make sure I am both physically and mentally prepared for the show. Physically, I stretch my arms and legs – all muscles I will use during the show.  It is important to be mentally prepared for a show – focused on the musical exploration about to unfold. I jam on progressions and zone in on solo passages I will be performing during a show. Also, during the sound check, I take a lot of time to consider my position on the stage relative to my amp in order to create various kinds of feedback that I will be using throughout the show.

JG: Which guitars and pedals do you primarily use live and in the studio?

X: I use my Gibson – Les Pauls and Flying Vs both live and in the studio along with Mesa Boogie amps, T-Rex Engineering, Dunlop, Empress Effects (Compression), and some Voodoo Lab pedals. I have a really cool pedalboard filled with all the sounds and tones I need for tour.

JG:  What have been some of your most memorable performances?

X:  Drake’s OVO Fest – in fact every Drake show since 2010!  Performing for over 100,000 people at Glastonbury in 2004, the Hollywood Bowl with Kylie Minogue, playing on Kylie’s 2008/09 X tour, and this past spring performing with Leona Lewis at the Royal Albert Hall for two nights. I have also had the pleasure of sharing the stage with some great artists alongside Drake including Eminen, Jay-Z, Nas, Justin Timberlake, and I am so speechless still to have performed for Stevie Wonder and Sade.

JG:  How important is music education to you?

X:  I am a huge supporter of music in schools. I attended the Claude Watson School for Performing Arts and got used to the whole arts scene early. Music education should also mean studying sounds and songs that you like and figuring out how the guitarist would make those sounds – what pedals they used, what amps, what techniques, etc. The biggest part of music education is LISTENING. You should really listen to a song and decipher the sound on each part – studying the way the guitarist played his/her part in the recording.  Also, as a guitarist, I want to connect with young guitarists and share my knowledge with them through workshops, which I plan to do at music stores during my free days on Drake’s fall tour.

JG:  Tell us about your new solo album, Soulgazer.

X:   Soulgazer is an instrumental album with 11 tracks.  Let me start by saying that this album is not what you would expect from a solo guitar album.   It is a mix of rock n roll, hip hop, and reggae.  The album plays sort of like a movie soundtrack.  I wanted to make the melodies something singable. The name Soulgazer is in tribute to my friend and mentor David “Soulfingaz” Williams.  I received a FACTOR grant to make the album and it comes out with Universal Records in October 2013.

JG:  I am going to ask a question that I think is important for guitarists to consider: What are your career goals?

X:  I have achieved many of my goals the past few years. One of my future goals is to create and release three solo albums. The first of the trilogy, Soulgazer, comes out in October as I mentioned.  Another goal is to start talking to younger musicians and share my musical knowledge and experience with them through a series of guitar workshops – this is something I hope to do more of in the future.

JG: What advice do you have for up-and-coming guitarists?

X:  Always prepare and be at your best at any show because you never know who may be in the room listening.  Play like Prince is walking into the room to listen to you – something that actually happened to me once here in Toronto.  Learn and practice as many different genres of music as you can.  The more versatile you are as a guitarist, the better off you will end up because you will be open to more opportunities. And punctuality is a big one – be on time for rehearsals and meetings.  Lastly, be aware of your energy level – keep it light and positive.

JG:  What is it about Toronto that is currently churning out so many great guitarists who are landing big arena or stadium tours?

X:  In order to survive in Toronto’s music scene you have to play many different styles of music.  There isn’t much racial feedback here in Toronto compared to other cities in the US and elsewhere. Toronto is very multicultural and this means you get to play and be accepted in any genre of music – you are not contained in one style or the other.  Right now it is an exciting time to be a musician in Toronto.  It is the right time right now.  In other words, yes – you can be from Canada and thrive as a professional touring guitarist.

As all good things do, our conversation and the pints before us came to end but my last question has lingered in my mind since.  Is there something truly special about Toronto?  Does the multicultural nature of Toronto cultivate a creative environment where musicians and audiences alike will inevitably be exposed to worlds of music right here at home?  Based on my world travels and musical experience, I can quite confidently say “yes.”  All of the guitarists interviewed in this series so far have been guitarists from or currently living in Toronto – Adrian X, Dan Kanter, and Kat Lucas (coming soon), not to mention Ricky Tillo and Donna Grantis.  They all immersed themselves in Toronto’s music scenes and eventually landed the cream of the crop gigs.  Like X expressed to me, I also look forward to the next generation of Torontonian guitarists who will blow up the world stage.

Adrian X is not just a great musician to watch perform, but he is what I would call a musician’s musician in that he conveys both in conversation and musical performance the most important elements of being a musician – to be ever creative, ever expressive, and ever emotional.  Be sure to check out X’s new album Soulgazer and look out for X on tour with Drake from late 2013 into early 2014.

Jeff Gunn is a Toronto-based guitarist who has toured with Emmanuel Jal, performed with DMC, Swizz Beatz, and Kae Sun, and opened for Peter Gabriel, K’naan, and Feist. His new series, Hidden Sounds: Discover Your Own Method On Guitar (Book 1-4) with Mayfair Music Publications is now available for purchase in hardcopy and eBook formats at www.jeffgunn.ca and www.mayfairmusic.com. Jeff is endorsed by D’Addario Canada, Godin Guitars, Levy’s Leathers Guitar Straps, and Planet Waves. Follow Jeff on Twitter @jeffgunn1.

Songs of Darkness at the Rialto Theatre

Candice and Laura seem to have fared well on the final day of  POP Montreal 2013. Big thanks to Candice, Melanie, and Laura for the updates from one of our favourite events of the year, and cheers to the POP staff for yet another great edition. See you all in 2014…

After Saturday’s endless fun, we had to ease into the last day of the festival. POP Montreal Day 5 led us to a night filled with Songs of Darkness.

We headed to the Rialto Theatre for a collaborative concert featuring some of Montreal’s finest musicians, among them: Patrick Watson, Ariel Engle and Andrew Whiteman of AroarA, Sarah Page of The Barr Brothers, Laurel Sprengelmeyer aka Little Scream, Hans Bernhard, and a few more special guests.

Attending a Patrick Watson show is like going to visit an old friend. It’s comforting – and inspiring to see how much they’ve flourished since you saw them last. Patrick Watson always engages the crowd with his goofy stories in between songs. That night, he was amongst many friends, both on stage and in the audience.

Songs of Darkness was a mix of each artist’s original material and chosen covers (of darkness). Truly, it was not as depressing as it sounds. It was more of a discovery of how these emotions affect music and the passion it gives songwriters.

Little Scream included her song inspired by “nights stalking old acquaintances’ Facebook profiles only to find their mugshots.” Eden Sela, a song about moving to Montreal in her 20s, being reckless, and the depression that soon followed. Andrew Whiteman (a Broken Social Scene founding member) and his new Montreal-based duo dedicated its set to a close friend dealing with serious health issues.

Patrick Watson and Sarah Page sang a Blind Willie Johnson song, “Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground.” Sarah Page´ played a Billy Bragg song, “Black Wind Blowing.” Lil’ Andy performed Leonard Cohen’s “Democracy” and his own song, “On My Way To Heaven Anyhow,” written in a church on Saint Denis.

Two best covers of the night? Leif Vollebekk joined his friends for his cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Atlantic City” and Sarah Page, Leif Vollebekk, Joe Grass, and Patrick Watson sang Nirvana’s “Lithium” – the clear crowd favourite.

With so many talented musicians, we were delighted to have a lengthy concert. All joined together in the end to perform James Carr’s “Dark End Of The Street.” As an encore, Patrick Watson returned to play his beautiful song “The Great Escape” – an uplifting end considering the tone of the night.

POP MTL 2013 shaped up to be everything we had hoped, and more. With so many epic performances seen and new bands discovered, we are rounding out our Fall playlists. Big thanks to our friends at Canadian Musician for this unforgettable experience!

Calvin Love

Candice and new partner-in-crime Laura Julien had quite the night Saturday, Sept. 27th, at POP Montreal 2013, taking in a pretty varied list of artists. And good on them – that’s exactly what these kinds of festivals are for…

POP MTL Day 4 was eventful, to say the least, and we couldn’t have asked for better weather. We headed to POP Headquarters to pick up our swag bags and perused the edgy art installations. As we were leaving, we caught Killer Mike and his crew zooming by in their giant  Navigator. It would only be a matter of hours until we saw him perform.

Next destination was Arbutus Headquarters, a Montreal based record label that promotes bands such as Blue Hawaii, Sean Nicholas Savage, and formerly, Grimes (our favourite performance at POP 2012). They were host to a secret show with main guests Calvin Love, TOPS, and Dent May. En route, we spotted Cadence Weapon (a popular Montreal-based hip hop artist) coming to support his friends. It seemed to be the “usual crew” in attendance from our city’s music loving scene. We all enjoyed the afternoon’s cheery melodies in the sun blazed loft space.

Foxtrott

After that, we had to refuel at Nouveau Palais, Montreal’s best late night burger spot and also host to many POP DJ sets throughout the festival. The night’s main event was approaching and we were off to the Belmont for the SOFA KING RAW x POP MONTREAL SHOWCASE II.

Black Atlass

Foxtrott, Marie-Hélène L.-Delorme’s solo project, set the tone with sticky electro-pop melodies. She was accompanied onstage by a french horn player, which made for quite t

he unique contrast. I didn’t know you could make a French Horn sound badass, but she did it with great success. This beat-making gal has serious similarities in looks and sound to Tune-Yards’ lea

ding lady. I was convinced it was her little sister, but upon further investigation, was proven wrong. I wonder if Merril Garbus knows she a Montreal based doppelganger?

Black Atlass was next to hit the stage, our most anticipated artist of the evening. His set was delivered with exceptional flare. He had some serious swagger – all of the ladies were swooning!

Montreal’s Alex Fleming brought a sensational new sound to the scene. The singer-songwriter’s self-titled EP was recorded in his parents basement in London, ON in 2011. After recently signing a contract with Brooklyn-based Fool’s Gold Records, Louis Vuitton contacted him to license his latest single, “Paris” – blend of classical piano, electronics, and Fleming’s soulful voice. With front-row spottings at the DIOR HOMME runway show in Paris and countless magazine features, there is no doubt this 19 year old is on the major rise.

Tommy Kruise continued the momentum with his ninja tunes. He’s a local celebrity on the trip-
hop/southern trap scene and a definite crowd pleaser. His music always promises a great, sweaty dance party. This skater-turned-DJ and producer derives influence from anything (rap to downtempo to emo to punk) and proves that you shouldn’t deny any style.

Tommy Kruise

We couldn’t stay for his full set as we were off to the VICE party to see the last half of Killer Mike’s performance. We caught a stellar rendition of Killer Mike and Big Boi’s banger, “In The A.” It was a rowdy hip-hop loving crowd at Cabaret Mile End that night. In between songs, Killer Mike was either praising his wife (who was hanging backstage) or proclaiming how epicly great this day was in Montreal. I couldn’t agree more. It was unreal, as far as typical Saturdays go.

Killer Mike

Seoul

Candice and Mel report from Day 3 – Friday, Sept. 27 – of POP Montreal 2013…

POP MTL Day 3 promised another night of musical mastery. We were off to Metropolis for another sold out show: Seoul x Wild Nothing x Local Natives.

First up was Montreal based Seoul, a mashup of whimsical ambient/pop music. The trio (Dexter, Nigel, and Julian) are about to release their debut album I Become A Shade. Their songs had an airy Toro Y Moi vibe. Mid-set, the lead singer reminisced about seeing Metric play at Metropolis at age 14. He had hoped one day he could “get into pyrotechnics like that” and thanked POP for his “living the dream” moment.

Next to take stage was Virginia’s Wild Nothing, a dream pop/indie rock band comprised of Jack Tatum (lead singer), Nathan Goodman (guitar), Jeff Haley (bass), and Jeremiah Johnson (drums). Wild Nothing’s set consisted of songs from their two albums, Gemini and Nocturne, as well as their more recently released EP, Empty Estate. The crowd’s momentum was building thanks to the band’s catchy synth-pop tunes. Dreamy island music entranced the crowd – are these the new Western Beach Boys?

Wild Nothing

The headliners, LA indie rock band Local Natives, were up next and the crowd was booming. They hit the stage with a bang. Their catchy beats and sweet groove had the audience captivated. Local Natives band members Taylor Rice (guitar, vocals, bass), Kelcey Ayer (vocals, keyboards, percussion, guitar), Ryan Hahn (guitar keyboards, mandolin, vocals), and Matt Frazier (drums) were constantly switching instruments, adding to their collaborative edge. Switch-ups between the lead vocalists brought a rich dynamic to their sound. Their stage presence was infectious and you could tell they were genuinely excited to be back in Montreal, where they wrote their latest album, Hummingbird.

Local Natives

Local Natives

Metropolis’ epic light show was mind blowing. The music was accompanied by intense visual beauty. There was so much to love about this performance. For their last encore song, Local Natives wanted to try something different. They played an acoustic version of “Who Knows Who Cares” – something they had only tried once, in the streets of Paris, three years ago. We were left in a dazed haze of contentment.

Local Natives

Portugal the Man

Canadian Musician‘s Montreal correspondents, Candice Dugas and Melanie Cheung, were back out for another night of the 2013 POP Montreal festival. Here’s the latest:

Day 2 of POP MTL brought us to the Virgin Mobile Corona Theatre, one of our favorite venues in the city. It was a sold out show for headliners Portugal the Man. There was a substantial lineup outside, with many eager concert goers determined to stake out their spots. We settled into front row balcony seats for optimal viewing of the light show to come.

Montreal’s How Sad, comprised of Katie Lee (previously of Braids), Harris Shper, Nick Scribner, and Rowan Cornell-Brown, opened with infectious energy. Previously Goose Hut, the new band name evolved from a joke on their choice of profession. “You’re a musician? Oh, how sad…”

Their set was a contrast of upbeat pop music with dark lyrics. Shper, the lead singer, spent most of his time pulling at his hair and flailing his arms. Needless to say, he was passionate about his songs. Most impressive was the standing robot-dancing drummer, definitely a crowd favorite. Having just released their first EP, Indian Summer, in August, the quartet will surely be one to watch over the next year.

Montreal’s How Sad

After How Sad’s set, the crowd was anxiously awaiting Portugal the Man and their turn on stage. The air was buzzing as we listened to various Beatles covers belting out of the speakers.

Suddenly, the lights dimmed and The Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody” recording blared. It was the perfect introduction to Portugal the Man’s dramatic entrance.

The show opened with their catchy single “Purple, Yellow, Red & Blue. The entire show had an explosive, powerful energy. Psychedelic animations projected onto their backdrop of large cut-out mountain-shaped screens. John Baldwin Gourley’s distinctive, high pitched vocals carried us through their solid, lengthy set. The band played songs mostly from their latest album Evil Friends, a collaboration with producer Danger Mouse that dropped in June. They also made sure to include hits from their previous album, In the Mountain In the Cloud.

Portugal the Man

They closed the show by once again playing “Purple, Yellow Red and Blue.” As an encore, they delighted us all with a cover of The Beatles’ “Helter Skelter,” though the highlight of the night was their rendition of Etta James’ “I’d Rather go Blind,” which showcased a softer side to Portland’s psychedelic indie rock band.

Having missed Portugal the Man at Osheaga 2012, we were happy to be redeemed.

How Sad

San Fermin @ POP MTL 2013

It’s sophomore year for these two POP correspondents, Candice Dugas and Melanie Cheung, and we are confident about this year’s prospects. The POP Montreal 2013 lineup is looking fierce and these girls are armed with Canadian Musician media passes. We’re fashion designers turned part-time journalist/photographers (and forever music junkies at heart) and we are ready to divulge our discerning musical opinions.

The exciting thing about this festival is not necessarily the big names that it brings to the city, but the emerging up-and-coming bands that we have yet to discover. The POP MTL roster guarantees a sneak-peek of what to look forward to musically in the year to come.

Day 1 sent us to church…

Eden Sela

We headed to the Church of St. John the Evangelist, known to MTL locals as the “red roof” venue. The high ceilings, stained glassed windows, and aged acoustics provided an ethereal backdrop for the performances.

Ex-Montrealer Eden Sela opened the show with her balmy vocals, accompanied by an aloof keyboard player, and performed a mix of experimental, soul, and gospel songs. She switched back and forth between two microphones – one calm and airy, the other angsty and disgruntled. It was a split personality of sounds and we struggled to catch the harmony of the two.

San Fermin

Let’s be honest, we came for the main event: San Fermin. We landed the best seats in the house – front row, centre. John (the trumpet player) joked as they were setting up that it would be too loud for us at this proximity. We kept our seats, as we intended to have the “maximum experience” – a motto Melanie lives by.

San Fermin just released their self-titled debut album and POP Montreal was the first stop on their tour. Their travelling band consists of eight members: Allen Tate (vocals), Rae Cassidy (vocals), Rebekah Durham (vocals/violin), John Brandon (trumpet), Stephen Chen (saxophone), Ellis Ludwig-Leone (keyboard), Tyler McDiarmid (guitar), and Mike Hanf (drums).

San Fermin

Ellis Ludwig-Leone is both the keyboard player and composer of all the tracks on the album. His lyrics hint at themes of nostalgia, triumphs of love, growing pains, and coming of age.

The band describes their musical genre as a compilation of post-rock, chamber-pop and contemporary classical vibes. The result is a unique infusion of Ludwig-Leone’s classical influence (he has a background in musical studies at Yale), Allen’s booming baritone vocals, and Rae’s sweet melodies.

San Fermin

When the first song starts, Tate’s voice demands your attention. His vocals have an uncanny resemblance to those of Matt Berninger (The National), while the female vocals are as alluring as those of Amber Coffman and Olga Bell (from Dirty Projectors). The compilation of trumpet/saxophone/violin/keyboard/drums parallels Sufjan Stevens’ sounds.

It is difficult to pick out a stand out song as their set (and full album) is a well-rounded collection of musical greatness; it’s not riding on catchy hit singles. Best songs of the night: “The Renaissance,” “Sonsick,” “Casanova.” Surely this band is one to look out for in 2013 and beyond. We felt incredibly lucky to catch this intimate show before the explosion into stardom. There is no doubt this fresh-faced Brooklyn based band (with plenty of Canadian ties) is on the rise. Music buffs should watch out for their cleverly named Vanna White (white tour van) coming to a nearby city.

San Fermin

After their set, we picked up a San Fermin band T-shirt and gave John (the trumpet player) tips for some great late night poutine spots.

We returned to our seats for the last act of the night, Saltland. Rebecca Foon’s soothing voice was accompanied by layers of cello on her loop machine. She was later joined by Aaron Lumley on double bass. Rebecca dedicated a song to her mother, who is currently doing meaningful work in Toronto, coordinating music programs for inner-city kids.

Saltland

Foon’s eerie cello sounds were a somber contrast to San Fermin’s upbeat songs. We were in a content sleepy state and ready to wrap up a successful first day at the festival.

More to come…

This is pretty awesome - especially because this approach is far more widespread these days… http://imgur.com/a/p0tKn

Canadian Musician dropped by the Mod Club in Toronto on Aug. 15 for the 18^th annual Honey Jam Artist Showcase. Needless to say, the 20-strong list of young female artists from all over Canada had something for everyone. From the hip-hop of Little T (who is only 14 years old!) and Lola Bunz to the self-penned folk of Cape Breton, NS’s Lauren Marchand and country  styling of Megan Rose, the night showed the unbelievable breadth of Canada’s female talent.

Honey Jam Founder and Phemphat Entertinament President Ebonnie Rowe told the crowd, “This group of young women as been the most enthusiastic, most involved, unbelievable group that we’ve ever, ever had. All the Honey Jam alums are very special but there was something about this particular collaboration of girls and I don’t know what it is. They have so much energy, so much dedication, and so much appreciation for what Honey Jam has done.”

Rowe asked the participants to write to her and share what their experience was like and Rowe chose to read of those comments, stating, “During this process the girls and I have become great friends and I thank you for this. We always remind each other that we are all soul sisters and we all support each other through everything. Not only through music-related situations, but because of Honey Jam I have meant plenty of girls that I have grown to realize will always have my back and I will always have theirs.  I’ve never really had a real support team before so I thank Honey Jam for that.  Thank you for surrounding me with a group of beautiful, talented, kind ladies that I have grown to love… the Honey Jam artists are indeed a family I had no idea that this is what would happen.”

It was a touching sentiment and one that showed the power of shared music. But this night was about the performers and performances and the diversity in the crowd and on the stage showed the music has no cultural borders. Hip-hop fans enthusiastically cheering for folk singers and vice versa. It was great to see.

While Honey Jam is not a contest but a showcase of talent, there were some prizes given out. For her efforts promoting Honey Jam and the great character she showed taking another very young artist under her wing, Domanique Grant won a prize pack that included a copy of Music Directory Canada (courtesy of Canadian Musician), cosmetic products, CDs, and tickets to see Maroon 5. As well, the Honey Jam Hookup prize pack, which included $5,000 for Yamaha equipment, went to Phoenix Pagliacci.

There were also two big prizes involving outstanding performance opportunities. The first prize, the chance to perform at Canada’s Walk of Fame’s Emerging Artist stage in September went to Jordan Alexander and Jessica Wilson. The second big prize of the night, the opportunity to travel to and perform in Barbados as part of Honey Jam Barbados, went to jazz performer Megan Rose.

The night’s events were hosted by Much Music VJ Lauren Toyota. Proceeds from this year’s event are going to the YWCA to help fund its programs for women and girls.

For more information on Honey Jam, go to www.honeyjam.com.     

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:

Look Vibrant
http://lookvibrant.bandcamp.com
“These guys could be the greatest band in the world. Get in early. Trust me.”
Daniel Seligman, Co-Founder & Creative Director

WAGWAK
http://wagwak.bandcamp.com
“Because they’re the best thing to come out of Korea since kimchi.”
Aaron Smith, Financial Officer & Ticketing Director

Foe Destroyer
http://foedestroyer.bandcamp.com
“From Austin/Philly. Rad “nerd grunge thrash pop” with uniquely awesome vibes.”
Eileen English, Listening Session Coordinator

Cakes da Killa
http://mishkanyc.bandcamp.com/album/the-eulogy
Everything about Cakes is big – big sound and big lyrics to match a big personality. It’s gritty but fun. See how much I like fun? FUN!”
Marie-Pier Gagnon, Media Relations Assistant

koko
http://koko1.bandcamp.com
“This local punk band has got a lot of heart. Behind their rough garage sound lies a strong sense of melodies and compelling stories.”
Demi Begin, Programming Assistant

CRi
http://crimusic.bandcamp.com
“What you would want to listen to at 5 a.m. after dancing all night under the stars.”
Sarah Shoucri, Media Relations Manager

Beta Frontiers
http://betafrontiers.com
“Nebulous in terms of adhering to a genre, these Toronto kids have a sound laden with bouncy synths and slightly harsher, sassier vocals all mixed together into a mighty fine lo-fi pop/electro/hip-hop whole.”
Tim Forster, Symposium Assistant

Dorothea Paas
http://dorotheapaas.bandcamp.com
“Prolific maker of fuzzy bedroom pop recordings with the Joni Mitchell pipes and intricate songcraft to back it up.”
Tessa Smith, Puces POP Director & Espace POP Manager

Pat Jordache
http://patjordache.bandcamp.com
“They’re just great! And really nice guys, too.”
Hilary Leftick, Executive Producer

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