What:

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:

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:

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?

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

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.

Canada’s singer/songwriter scene is jam-packed with legends and legends in the making. Winnipeg’s Scott Hinkson has been trying to work his name into that picture since 2003, and his 2011 effort One Beside Two could easily find him doing just that.

Of course, Hinkson is no rookie to the Canadian music scene. He used to play in Far Gone as well as Snooper before giving the solo career a shot under the moniker Talent Show Finalist. As a result, his current work can be described as a well-rounded singer-songwriter approach to ‘90s Canadian alt-rock such as that from I Mother

Earth and Matt Good. His alt-rock musicianship is paired with lyrics that wouldn’t be out of place in a folkier setting, offering a fresh take on the popular style that’s worthy of some attention.

After picking up a number of awards and playing showcases across Canada, Hinkson is hoping to spend the rest of 2012 doing what any other lifer does: playing his music and hoping that people take notice.

Listen to:  Scott Hinkson – Simpleton

What:

Despite its progressive nature, punk rock is largely dominated by men; however, Ottawa’s Doll demonstrates clearly that women can hold their own as the face of a punk band.

Ragdoll Diaries is the band’s second album. With dirty bar rock forming the backbone of their sound, vocalist Christina Kasper’s singing is a throwback to ’90s grunge acts such as Hole or L7. The band’s rhythm section does a great job supporting Kasper’s vocals, which are certainly the centerpiece of the band’s music.

After releasing Inside the Dollhouse in 2009, Doll spent a few years touring much of Canada alongside bands such as SNFU, Danko Jones, The Creepshow, and others. It appears as though rubbing shoulders with some of the genre’s finest has rubbed off on the band, who demonstrate a more mature and confident style with their latest release than in previous work. If Doll is coming through your neck of the woods, you’d be remiss not to check them out.

Listen to: Doll – Plastic Lies

CBC Radio’s Chris Martin might have said it best when he described The Command Sisters by saying: “Think of Taylor Swift, but there would be two of her, and she would have a lot more soul, mixed with the kind of sibling harmonies that would make the Rankins question whether they are truly related…”

The duo, comprised of teenage sisters Charlotte and Sarah, started small, but their brand of pop-injected country quickly started turning heads and they’ve been playing festivals and clubs all over North America for the past few years. It’s great to see young women taking an approach similar to Tegan and Sara by writing great music that doesn’t rely on the overt sexualisation of the performers. The Command Sisters’ music stands on its own. Their third album is due in March 2012, and I’d be shocked if they didn’t become a fixture of pop radio shortly after.

Listen to: The Command Sisters – The Distance

What:

I would normally hesitate to endorse any band that delays recording a great album because they’re too busy playing ultimate Frisbee, but Toronto’s The Fires Of are good enough to get past that point.
Founding members Chris Hayward (vocals, guitar, bass) and Graeme Donnelly (vocals) have assembled a fantastic group of musicians, including Lisa Di Diodato (vocals, guitar, bass), Steve Canning (guitar, glockenspiel, bass), Peyton Leung (violin, percussion, didgeridoo), and Greg Heard (percussion, drums, guitar, bass).

The band creates rich and highly-texturized indie pop that’s as full of spunk as it is soul. With male and female vocals as well as a huge mix of instrumentation, there’s a lot going on in each of the band’s songs, and each stands on its own, making their 2010 self-titled LP one of the best under-discovered gems of Canada’s indie rock scene. Do yourself a favour and stop sleeping on this great band.

Listen to: The Fires Of – Memories In Flight

What: Hip-Hop

Where: Winnipeg

Visit: www.abstractartform.com

Halifax’s Classified might be trying to establish himself as the preeminent writer of hip-hop songs tied to our national identity, but Winnipeg’s Abstract Artform might just give him a run for his money.

The group, fronted by MC and producer Shea “Kid A” Malcolmson, fuses live jazz and soul-like music with vocal delivery familiar to fans of groups like Jurassic 5. Their “I Am Canadian” single from 2010’s His Story In The Making is a hit waiting to happen while other cuts share and celebrate life in a Prairie capital. Upcoming full-length As The Crow Flies is their second in as many years and the third since 2008’s Prairie Kid. The band’s work ethic has garnered them consecutive appearances at the taste-making NXNE festival, a 12-month stay on the Chart college lists, and a slew of other appearances and opportunities.

With easy flow, great instrumentals, and lyrics worth turning an ear to, Abstract Artform should be must-play material for any Canadian hip-hop fan.

Listen to Abstract Artform – I Am Canadian