What: Pop/Rock

Where: Toronto

Visit: www.sonicbids.com/
matthewgenovese

If anything can be said of Matthew Genovese, it’s that the Toronto-born singer/songwriter has a work ethic that would be hard to beat. After graduating from Boston’s Berklee College of Music, Genovese Loved from Toronto to Los Angeles to team up with producer Justin Gray. Working together, they managed to release Change, a six-song EP, before getting back to the drawing board to write a full-length.

Along the way, Genovese worked with vocal coach Roger Love (John Mayer, Gwen Stefani, The Beach Boys) to further develop his vocal abilities. Genovese says that after his lessons, his vocals had improved to the point where he felt it necessary to re-record the vocals on all the songs they had already finished. East To West is the final product of Genovese’s work. Now that it’s done, he’s excited to share his radio-ready pop rock with the world. Fans of Coldplay, Kings of Leon, and John Mayer should find lots to like in his music.

 Listen to Matthew Genovese – The Walls…

What: Singer/Songwriter

Where: Vancouver

Visit: www.jesshill.ca

Jess Hill is a Vancouver-based singer/songwriter whose mix of blues, roots, and rock provides an atmosphere that’s both intimate and elegant, appropriate for both coffee houses and theatres. With intricate and delicate guitar that’s backed with piano, banjo, organ, and slide guitars, there’s a great deal of depth to Hill’s music.

Her 2006 debut, Road, was released to a positive response from critics. She made it as a top 20 finalist in the 2010 Peak Performance Project hosted by Vancouver indie radio station The Peak 100.5 FM, giving her the drive needed to create her newest album, Orchard. Hill says she was reaching for a more ethereal and fantasy-tuned mood with her new recordings. While I might not know exactly what that means, I can attest to its strength. Orchard places Jess Hill on a pedestal among Canada’s great female singer/songwriters.

 Listen to Jess Hill – Stagger…

What: Singer/Songwriter Rock

Where: Saint John, NB

Visit: www.pennyblacks. bandcamp.com

Saint John, NB’s Penny Blacks have quietly been making a name for themselves in the east coast indie rock scene. 2008′s Regret, Regret showed the band, led by Jason Ogden, as one with a ton of promise. Their live show also proved to be one of the best to come out of the region in years.

While the seven-piece band has been working away at a full-length for a few years now, Ogden, the group’s driving force, grew tired of waiting and put together a five-song EP to tide fans over until the release of the full-length in September 2011. Gold Standards is pure lo-fi bliss that sounds as though it was recorded on  a lazy afternoon in Ogden’s bedroom, perhaps with the haunting feeling of a hangover lingering not too far in the distance. While a full length is what we really want, Gold Standards is a welcome appetizer to hold us over.

 Listen to Penny Blacks – Splinter Kiss…

What: Alternative Rock

Where: Toronto,  ON

Visit: www.benhur.ca

Benhur’s songs might seem like radio-ready alternative rock, but beneath the surface there’s some rich and highly-textural things going on. It’s a sound that one wouldn’t expect from a band with but a single EP under their collective belt (2009’s Tryst).

Benhur began in Toronto when frontman and main songwriter Ben Nissan finished law school and decided that working 80-hour weeks at a Bay St. law firm might not be what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. Nissan confesses that he tried practicing law, but at work, making music was always on his mind.

So Nissan put away the suits, rounded up some likeminded musicians (Danilo Baracho on bass, Steve Frize on lead guitar, and Mateus Macedo on drums) and started writing. The EP had play on some commercial radio stations as well as overseas radio and the band complemented the coverage by playing at a number of Toronto’s best-known clubs. The band recently re-entered the studio and is writing a handful of songs to release as singles. This summer, they’re hoping to play some of the many great music festivals happening across the country. Fans of U2 and Coldplay should be sure not to miss the chance to see them if they make it through their town.

 Listen to Benhur – Our Escape…

What: Hip Hop

Where: Brampton North,  ON

Visit: www.promofm.com/ibkredible

 Ibukun Akingbola was born in Nigeria and moved to Toronto’s Rexdale neighbourhood in 1995 where he grew up immersed in hip-hop culture. He started writing songs at 10 years old and today, the 19-year-old calls Brampton home and performs under the moniker I.B.Kredible.

 His songs play like recipes for pop music success with high production values and lyrics common amongst rappers such as the chart-topping Drake. With slick production, well-managed samples, and tight, consistent lyrics, Kredible’s songs should have no problem fitting into playlists at clubs, gyms, and on music television.

 His first single, “My Life is a Movie” was recorded with his group StacDeck Music. Kredible says: “’My Life Is A Movie’ represents a direct description of what the song is about and what it means. When people hear about the song, I want them to be able to view the lyrics as though I was telling the story of their lives.”

It’s this balance of pop accessibility and honesty that makes Kredible stand out from other independent hip-hop acts. “My Life is a Movie” or “Gettin’ High” play like they already belong on top-40 radio. And while many might be quick to brush off the pop side of hip-hop, there’s no denying that the masses love it; so why not root for one of our own to succeed?

 Listen to I.B.Kredible – Martian (Feat. Jay-1Der & Haviah Mighty)…(Warning: Explicit Language)