Where: St. John’s

What: Crust Folk

Visit: www.rockandroots.com

Who knew folk music could be so exciting?

While The Mountains & The Trees may play as a group from time to time, for all intents and purposes, the collective is the brainchild of St. John’s, NF’s Jon Janes.

The band’s use of banjo, guitar, mandolin, harmonica, bells, and drums comes together to create lovely lo-fi folk that could only have occurred thanks to artists such as Hayden, Iron & Wine, and Julie Doiron, who showed that it’s completely possible to be young and hip while still wanting to write music that fits best in a log cabin next to a wood stove or by a campfire on Victora Day long weekend.

At times, the band’s songs are extremely minimalist, while at others, a full range of instruments and vocal harmonies work their way in. At first listen, one can’t predict what direction a song will take. What’s great is that this adventurous quality persists through repeated listens.

The Mountains & The Trees have to date released two recordings – 2006’s Paper Or Plastic EP and 2007’s The Document. Janes also threw together a free promo EP called Hop, Skip & A Jump to coincide with the 2009 East Coast Music Awards.

Ben Conoley is a freelance journalist living in Fredericton, NB. He has written for chartattack, Exclaim!, Alternative Press, and more. Ben is also a proud member of the Polaris Music Prize jury.

Where: Vancouver

What: Pop/Rock

Visit: www.carmenandcamille.com

If Carmen and Camille’s 2009 single “Shine 4U” did not make an appearance on your summer playlist, it’s time to get a head-start on planning for next year by adding the Vancouver duo to your must-hear list.

Twin sisters Carmen and Camille burst onto the scene with their 2007 debut, Two. The album caught on with the MTV crowd, getting plays on The Hills and TRL. Press recognition of the album landed them a television show, which is currently in development. They followed-up Two with 2009’s digital EP, Don’t Play Me Out. In between releases, Carmen and Camille filled time touring, which they do as a six-piece.

Carmen and Camille, who write their own music and lyrics, aren’t the typical TRL fluff one might expect. The duo writes their own music and lyrics, with the end result being great indie pop/rock jams, the perfect music for a sunny summer day, or at least a day when one might want to conjure up the spirit of summer. Sure, they may not win over many indie-rock purists who refuse to listen to anything but 30-something year old men with beards, but who wants to invite them to the party anyhow?

Where: Montreal

What: Hip-hop

Visit: www.mdoto.ca

As a member of Montreal’s long-running hip-hop favourites, FAMN, M.O. (his birth certificate reads Morgan Little) is using 2009 as an opportunity to kick off an exciting solo venture.

If hard work is what it takes to get one recognized in the hip-hop scene, M.O. should have no problem propelling his name up the charts. In 2003, readers of the Montreal Mirror voted his group FAMN into the 10th position in the paper’s annual readers’ poll. Four years later, FAMN had claimed the poll’s number one spot. Their progress was fueled largely by heavy gigging and six independent releases.

M.O. is now ready to tackle the scene on his own. His video for “99 Problems (But My Kicks Ain’t One)” – a play on Jay Z’s similarly-named hit – is a checkmate in viral marketing. M.O. has been teasing fans with weekly tracks and has issued a mix tape (Better Late Than Never) in the run-up to his debut record, Vicarious, which dropped this fall. Expect the album to be musically ambitious, while on the lyrical side, M.O. provides self-reflective tales of his own experiences in life and as an artist. The album will also include a DVD featuring music videos, interviews, and live footage.

**Photo Credit for C &C – Aaron Veale**