What: Folk Singer/Songwriter
Where: Toronto
Visit: www.facebook.com/shawnacaspimusic

Despite the success of artists like Leslie Feist, Tegan and Sara, and Emily Haines – or perhaps because of it – it’s not easy to carve a presence for one’s self as a female folk artist in Canada. That said, if anyone deserves a shot, it’s Toronto’s Shawna Caspi.

Caspi has been releasing music steadily since dropping her 2005 effort Trip The Light, but it’s clear that she’s devoted a lifetime to her craft. The songs off her third effort, 2012′s Skyline, are beautifully crafted tales backed with rich and layered music, incorporating classical sounds played on violins with finger-picking folks, creating fascinating final products. She’s been known to play on VIA Rail’s Skyline Car, which travels from Halifax to Toronto, a gig that comes as no surprise as her music is perfectly suited to a trip along Canada’s landscape with scenes passing by in a blur and plenty of time to spend with one’s thoughts.

The best thing about Caspi’s music is that there’s never just one thing to focus on. One moment demands attention to her lyrics, which play poetically with life’s everyday moments, while another moment demands the listener’s attention turn to her impressive musicianship.

What: Alternative Rock
Where: Victoria, BC
Visit: www.facebook.com/
secondhandhabit

Victoria’s Secondhand Habit are nothing if not rookies in the Canadian music scene. Formed in 2010, the quartet looks young enough to still be stuck in high school and, while still a little rough around the edges, shows the kind of promise that might make listeners believe they’re going to be Canada’s next great indie band. The songs found on their 2011 debut effort Badass are a throwback to mid-‘90s alt rock, a genre that’s getting renewed credit via recent throwbacks and irony-free tributes.

Badass’ title-track is equal parts Tripping Daisy and Everclear with a heavy focus on narrative lyrics. The theme continues throughout the album with the band showing a lot of potential for becoming a Treble Charger-like presence, but for now they’re trading closer to Simple Plan waters with a PG-13 attitude. If they can focus on being a little less geared towards middle schoolers and a little more realistic and bitter, they could earn a very rewarding place on the Canadian alternative music landscape.

What: Jazz/Jam
Where: Toronto
Visit: www.myspace.com/wpbe

The Worst Pop Band Ever might not have a name that screams confidence, but their blend of improvisational jazz and indie pop makes them stand-outs in a scene that gets little attention in popular music circles. While they’re often compared to acts such as Medeski Martin Wood and Bad Plus, they say that they prefer to think of themselves as “the ugly love child of Radiohead and Miles Davis.”

Sexy, right?

WPBE have released five albums, most recently the Sometimes Things Go Wrong EP (recorded live at The Cellar). Prior to that they released PPF Neighbourhood, a benefit for victims of the earthquake in Haiti.

Of course, the band can most often be found on the road, playing festivals such as the TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival, NXNE, the Wreckhouse Jazz Festival, and the Ottawa Jazz Festival. They have also played in clubs and on stages across the country on their own.

While jazz might not be the most popular type of music on playlists these days, if anyone can make the genre break through to a pop-loving mainstream crowd, it could just be The Worst Pop Band Ever. Ironic, no?

What: Country Rock
Where: Lucan, ON
Visit: www.riverjunctionband.com

This column has been painfully neglectful of country over the years. It’s time to apologize and show we mean it by featuring The River Junction Band.

The Lucan, ON group plays rock-tinged new country that focuses on country living and having fun. The band has spent the last few years entertaining packed crowds at summer festivals and fairs across the continent. They picked up the award for Best Country Act at the 2010 Toronto Independent Music Awards and played a packed showcase during the 2011 edition of Canadian Music Fest. They’ve also played bigger stages, opening for top acts including Toby Keith, Travis Tritt, George Canyon, and others.

New country isn’t always the kind of genre that lends itself to discovering new talent before it’s all over the radio. Do yourself a favor and look into The River Junction Band before they’re all over the place so you can say you knew them before they were famous, and try to catch them at a festival this summer while you’re at it.

Listen to: The River Junction Band – Never Lasts Long Enough

What: Hip-Hop
Where: Oshawa, ON
Visit: www.mickyredeyez.com

Oshawa’s Micky RedEyez (his mom calls him Micky Fernando) is a throwback to the golden era of hip-hop where rhymes were more about living life, having fun, and playful wordplay than they were about gloating and posturing.

Need an example? His latest single “Backpack” is a three-and-a-half minute tribute to his carryall that’s as catchy as it is witty. The song is backed with a DIY video that looks homemade but catches the spirit of the aspiring rapper perfectly. We’re used to this kind of independent approach being prevalent in rock and punk music, and it’s a refreshing one. With acts like Jurassic 5 and Shad having already embodied this ethic masterfully, it’s interesting to see another player emerge looking to add his own signature to an established tradition.

RedEyez has spent much of his career to date dropping mixtapes and appearing on compilations, but his latest effort, dubbed The Micky RedEyez Experience, is his chance to show Canada’s hip-hop community what he can do with an LP worth of material. We know we’ll be anxiously waiting.