andPOP - Pop Culture With Substance

At andPOP we spend a lot of our time thinking about deep philosophical questions. What’s the meaning of life? If a tree falls in a forest and nobody is around, does it make a sound? If your Birthday falls on Valentine’s Day does that mean you get double Birthday Sex? Well the last question we found an answer from Jeremih, who is the expert on Birthday Sex. And good for Jenn as her Birthday is on Valentine’s Day. Watch to find out more.

When you think Daughtry understandably American Idol comes to mind, however there is more to the story. Daughtry is a band that actually makes music that people want to listen to, and more importantly music that people actually want to buy! That is no small accomplishment in this day in age. So we caught up with the boys to talk about music, life, G.I. Joe’s, but NOT American Idol.

We have some exciting news. In our continual conquest to be a next generation multi platform media company, we are pleased to announce andPOP will be on the radio starting Friday September 18th @ 5pm on XM Canada’s Laugh Attack Channel (channel 153). The show will feature the uniqueness of the website but on the radio (yes an amazing concept). So you can listen to some interviews, here us banter about the entertainment biz, and also be introduced to some unique characters like Euclid Laframboise. Euclid will be on the show while he also makes a living building coffins out of Thule racks. Watch the vid and you will understand.

Fully animated video for Amos The Transparent’s newest single Lemons (aka Big Fish Little Pond) by uber cool animation studio Digital Henchman. Vote for them in the XM Verge Music Awards! http://www.thevergeonline.com/vma/

The Dodos! This was an interview that I was extremely excited for. The two-piece (now a three-piece) is releasing their highly anticipated album, “Time To Die,” this fall. Last year’s album “Visiter” garnered a great deal o…f praise for its aggressive – albeit beautiful – tunes. It was great to chat with the band and hear all about their upcoming album, and I’ve also included some video of their set. Check out myspace.com/thedodos if you like what you hear.

Officially one of the funniest interviews of the year. I mean what else could it be when a group renames the interviewer “DJ BJ”. Really fun guys with some interesting stories about being on the road and being surrounded by ladies. We do apologize for the shaky camera work for Jenn’s intro that was also out of focus. We think our camera man was drunk or high when this was filmed.

Passion Pit are a lesson in modern romance. Ever since I heard their backstory – lead singer Michael Angelakos crafted the EP Chunk of Change as a Valentine’s Day gift for his girlfriend – I knew they would be more to me than just a fling in my musical lifetime. But I never imagined my first close encounter with them would pan out like a fairy tale of its own.

The show was sold out when my companion (I’ll call her Merv) and I arrived at Zaphod Beeblebrox, Ottawa’s go-to live music club. It was shocking enough that a band this sought-after detoured so far into Canada, and even more surprising that the resident’s of Ottawa had enough forethought to buy advance tickets. Not about to give up on our night, Merv and I stuck it out in line until a lush pair of hipsters were escorted from the premises, freeing up some elbow room for the two of us.

The timing could hardly have been more perfect: Passion Pit hit the stage the moment Merv and I were safely inside. They played “Moth’s Wings” and “The Reeling”, and captured the layered essence of their recordings by cramming the stage with a drum kit, synthesizers and more than one stringed instrument. Angelakos sauntered about the clutter, exuding a sort of romantic sex appeal that comes only from a hairy-chested twenty-something singing love songs in falsetto. He hardly spoke a word to the crowd until he announced the last song, “Sleepyhead”, and yet the crowd was hanging on every pulse of the music.

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One of the most successful Canadian bands in recent memory is back with their fourth studio album, Billy Talent III. Do they feel any pressure with this album given the multi platinum success of their other releases? And what do they think about today’s record business? Jordan found out.

Apostle Of Hustle, the latest project from legendary musician Andrew Whiteman. Dan caught up recently with Andrew to talk about the new Broken Social Scene book, life in AOH, and how he didn’t have his first real job interview until he was 30.

Draco Malfoy (or Tom Felton, whatever you prefer) sits down with Jordan to discuss the newest release from the Harry Potter franchise, Harry Potter and the Half-Blooded Prince. Also take note to the cool Harry Potter storefront created in downtown Toronto where we filmed the interview.