Punchbuggy 
Hometown: Ottawa, ON
Members: Andrew Kieran (vocals, guitars), Darren Hore (bass, vocals), Adam Luedicke (drums), Bryan Curry (guitars, vocals) and occasionally Ian MacDonald (keyboards)
Music: Speed New Wave, with a dash of power pop
To Contact: Paula Danylevich, HYPEmusic (905) 275-9613

My Norwegian Cousin, Punchbuggy's third album, is a progression from their first two skate-punk releases. "[It has] a fuller, more complete sound," explains bass player Darren Hore. "You can slowly see the progression [in the previous two albums], where we're sort of achieving what we want to, but [we weren't] quite getting there." Some of the credit belongs to producer Mark Berry (The Headstones, I Mother Earth), who "knew how to achieve the fuller sound."

Another difference is the songwriting. "All four members used to write songs, so the records were pulled in four different directions," Hore adds. On this record, everybody participated, but Andrew did most of the writing. It gave us a central focal point, so we could concentrate on the consistency of the record." The result is a diverse, but consistent, more commercial and broadly appealing album that should bring Punchbuggy the attention they deserve.

Women Ah Run Tings 
Hometown: Toronto, ON
Music: Caribbean- and Latino-influenced soul/R&B/hip-hop/reggae/funk
To Contact: Lady Luscious, Reggae Dance Hall DJ; MC Luscious, hip-hop MC, R&B vocals, drums, guitar; MC Spice, Rap/hip-hop MC; Tini, R&B vocals; La Bomba, hip-hop MC, electric bass.

Music doesn't get much groovier than Women Ah Run Tings, a charismatic soul/R&B/hip-hop band of five women from Chilean, Guyanese, Jamaican and Nigerian backgrounds. This high-energy quintet has become a favourite in the Toronto scene for their boundary-breaking music that contrasts the street life of Caribbean and Latino culture with the urban realities of North America. The songs are "basically our life experience," says Lady Luscious, "Speak the truth as you see it." The five, each a respected solo musician in her own right, contribute a great deal to community groups, including Mayworks Women's Festival, Redwood Women's Shelter and Anti Racist Action. Their self-titled album was recorded in one day at Audio Lab, then mixed the next day at Chemical Sound.

For the "We Are Woman" video, Lady Luscious and La Bomba went to Jamaica. "We shot part of it in a schoolyard," Lady Luscious explains, "because it's about everyday struggle, so we thought that would really fit the song, to include children in school, learning." A VideoFACT funded follow-up, "MC Flavor", is forthcoming.

Glamour Puss Blues Band 
Hometown: Moncton, NB
Music: Contemporary blues
Contact: Ron Dupuis, 1261 Ryan St., Moncton, NB E1C 8Z4 (506) 852-3496

Although each member of Moncton's Glamour Puss Blues Band has been in the music industry more than 20 years, their first album together was only released last summer.

Veteran producer Hayward Parrott (Bryan Adams, Beau Dommage) spotted the Glamour Puss Blues Band at the 1997 East Coast Music Awards, literally moments before the band won the Media Choice Award.

Recorded in four days of April 1997 at Solar Audio in Halifax, the self-titled album contains 14 tracks, almost all first- or second-take. Parrott mixed the entire album in two 11-hour days ("He was really tired," explains drummer Dupuis).

They followed their 1998 EMCA nomination for Best Blues/Gospel band with performances at a flurry of summer festivals, including the Montreal Jazz Festival and dozens of blues gatherings throughout Quebec and the East Coast. The band is currently at work on a second CD, scheduled for release in April 1999.

Credit: Sarah Chauncey is a Toronto-based freelance writer.

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