The weather has been acting a little bit crazy lately. Snowstorms, rainstorms, warm weather – it starts to add up. Three McMaster University engineers decided to show how ridiculous Canadian weather has been lately, by canoeing in what they say a usually say is a generally dry area. I mean, it’s not THAT much water, right?
Hilary Duff announced on Twitter yesterday that she and her hockey player husband Mike Comrie welcomed a baby boy on Tuesday evening, named Luca Cruz Comrie.
The Disney star said both her and her Canadian Beau feel like the luckiest parents in the world. The couple already knew they were having a boy and revealed it in December.
Duff is only 24 but she’s already accomplished so much in her career, including acting, singing and penning a book. I’ve always admired how Duff has remained a positive role model for her fans, despite having so much fame at a young age.
Though there’s a possibility she’ll return to music, she told Us Weekly that she’s going to focus on being a mother: ”I think that after I have the baby I’ll want to sit still for a few months and learn how to be a really good mom,” she said. “And then there’s no reason why I can’t put a record out and tour… It might take a little while but I’m really excited about it.”
Justin Bieber is an international celebrity, but he still sees Canada as home. And if he ever has kids, Justin wants them to be Canadian.
He told TMZ, “I think it would be cool to get a condo out here (Los Angeles), but eventually I’ll probably want to move back to Canada and raise my family. Why? I dunno, I’m Canadian, I feel like I want my kids to be Canadian.”
He continued, “If you travel round the world and put a Canadian sticker on your bag, they’ll be nicer.”
You gotta give Justin credit, he doesn’t forget where he comes from.
As the MuchMusic Video Awards are quickly approaching (six days!), plenty of fans are eagerly awaiting their favourite artists to rock downtown Toronto in one of Canada’s biggest block parties of the year.
From Simple Plan to Fefe Dobson and Avril Lavigne, plenty of Canadian artists will be on scene to deliver some serious music. And we’re here to explore some of this year’s top artists and performers.
Let’s start with Down With Webster. One of the most anticipated bands of the night, the group is nominated four times for the 2011 MMVAS. The band formed in 1998 at their junior high in Toronto’s Beach community, and after more than a decade of writing, producing, playing shows and perfecting their craft, the band is now set as one of the hottest Hip-Hop Rock groups in Canada.
When the band released their first Gold record ‘Time To Win, vol. 1,’ they spawned three platinum singles, including the ever-so-catchy ‘Rich Girl$,’ three number one videos, and millions of hits on YouTube. Timbaland has even called them “the illest group I’ve ever seen live.” How’s that for success?
The band has since toured across North America, going on to share the stage with some serious heavy hitters like 3Oh!3 and the Black Eyed Peas. They even hosted MuchMusic’s ‘Spring Break 2010′ episode in Cancun, Mexico, and delivered an exciting performance last year at the 2010 MMVAs with a live marching band.
This year, Down With Webster returns to sweep some awards again, this time with their full length debut ‘Time To Win, vol. II’ scheduled to arrive this fall. The first single, ‘She’s Dope,’ is already a hit. You’ll have to wait to see what the band delivers on MMVA night.
Check out an interview we did with the group below, where we ask them what makes good pop music!
Enter our contest for a chance to win a wristband to the 2011 Muchmusic Video Awards.
Oprah Winfrey heavily endorsed Canadian ‘popera’ group ‘The Canadian Tenors’ on an episode of her show, ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show.’ Way to represent Canada, Oprah!
The group had been invited to appear on an episode billed as ‘The Next Best Thing,’ in which Winfrey introduced her audience to a hot new fashion designer, chef and singing group.
Winfrey also invited their idol Celine Dion, who was about to surprise them onstage as they sang their version of ‘Hallelujah.’ When it happened, the crowd went wild, and the tenors were stunned.
“The moment was so big that I kind of just lost reality,” Clifton Murray recalls of the February 2010 taping. “I just kind of glanced up at her face and it didn’t register for at least 30 seconds.”
The double whammy of a Dion/Winfrey endorsement catapulted the young group into stardom, generating an instant 10,000 Facebook friends and 50,000 CD sales.
Since then, they’ve been on a whirlwind of international tour dates, publicity stops and newfound fame.
“It’s just been a roller-coaster ride, it really hasn’t stopped since that day we appeared on ‘Oprah,’” says Murray.
It makes me so happy when Canadian artists get the recognition they deserve. Leave it to Oprah to make it happy – she’s a saint.
Canadian rocker Sam Roberts made healthy debut on the Canadian album charts this week. The montreal-born musician’s fourth full-length disc, titled ‘Collider,’ came in at No. 3 with sales of 7,000.
This album is his first new material since 2008′s ‘Love at the End of the World,’ which entered the charts at No. 1 in May of 2008 and sold 9,000 copies.
His other albums, 2006′s ‘Chemical City’ and 2003′s ‘We Were Born in a Flame,’ checked in at No. 3, and No. 2, respectively.
Closer to the top, Adele’s ’21′ sold 22,000 copies and took the No. 1 spot for a fourth straight week. Jennifer Lopez’s latest album ‘Love?’ sold 10,000 copies and remained at No. 2 in its second week of release. Adele is unsurprisingly still dominating the charts, and this take-over will continue thanks to her current sold out North American tour.
Comedy troupe the Lonely Island had their sophomore disc ‘Turtleneck & Chain’ premiere at No. 4, while Pascale Picard’s ‘Letter To No One’ came up one to No. 5.
It’s great to see Canadian musicians at the top of the charts. Roberts’ music represents everything and anything Canadian, so way to represent!
You have heard us talk about it before – the music business is getting tougher and its increasingly more difficult for artists to make a living. So why pursue this career path? Well for Ash Koley its for the love of the music. Ash Koley is a new wave band hailing from Winnipeg who are lighting up the airwaves. We had a chat about their sound and the changing music business.
Canadian funny man Martin Short’s wife, Nancy Dolman, has passed away at 58 years old.
JustJared has confirmed the death with Martin’s manager Marc Gurvitz. The cause of death has not been disclosed.
NEeMA is a musician that definitely brings something special to the industry. This Canadian artist is much more complex than your everyday pop sensation. Her album “Watching You Think” dropped in June of this year, and if you haven’t heard it yet, you should definitely give it a listen. The comforting melodies and sincere lyrics fill the entire record and without doubt this is a collection of music that should be applauded.
I caught up with NEeMA over the phone in her hometown of Montreal while she had a couple of days off from her cross-Canada summer tour. She was happy to be home and able to spend some time with her dog Elsa, whom a track off “Watching You Think” is even named after.
While talking with NEeMA, it became clear that she’s more than just someone making music; she’s on a journey of self discovery and has chosen to share her stories with the help of her musical talents. Between traveling the world, spending time with an isolated First Nation community in the deep north of Canada, and studying the complexities of relationships and love, it’s no question that NEeMA definitely has stories to tell.
Gentlemen, do you want to learn how to pick up women? Well there is no better source than a male pop star. So we spoke with Shawn Desman about his latest album “Fresh,” along with the keys to attracting women. He even gives us some tips on manscaping. What is that? Watch to find out about this very important skill.
We are lucky to live in Canada. Free healthcare, democracy, hockey and awesome music! The andFRIENDS tour going on right now is highlighting some of those amazing bands. Low Level Flight, Robyn Dell’Unto, Whale Tooth, Fox Jaws, Everlea, The Balconies, Amos the Transparent, and Crush Luther is the lineup we have put together. We spoke with Crush Luther about the andFRIENDS tour along with life on the road. You can also receive more info about the tour at http://www.andpop.com/the-andfriends-tour/
Shad is a perfect example of the amazing musical talent emerging from Canada. After financing his first album in 2005 from winning a radio contest, fast forward to 2010 and Shad has been nominated for numerous awards, and has just released his third album, TSOL. The new album has been getting amazing praise, placing Shad undoubtedly in Canadian rap royalty. Of course there is no secret Shad is a fan of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, so we couldn’t help but rap the opening theme song with him.
http://www.twitter.com/andPOPsideB I imagine you’ve heard of Zeus by now. The band hit the ground running when they followed up their acclaimed EP with ‘Say Us’, an unstoppable foray into 1970′s inspired rock and roll that landed the band a spot on the Polaris Prize long list. Critics have been very kind to the Toronto quartet, although they often emphasize the nostalgic sound. Wait, is that what I’ve done right here? I guess so, huh.
Faber Drive is an example of a band with a “do it yourself” mentality, who from the get go were dedicated to making Faber Drive a success. After years of hustling, Chad Kroeger recognized their talents and signed them to his own label, 604 Records. And these guys never rest as they are either always writing, recording or touring. And along the way they have developed some great relationships with other Canadian bands like Hedley, who nailed them with an awesome prank!
http://www.twitter.com/andpopsideb “We’re not good enough to play for longer than five minutes at a time.” That’s forgivable, considering they can do very, very well in those five. Tokyo Police Club has earned a great deal of praise, and, of course, attention. (They appeared on both Letterman AND Desperate Housewives!) Fortunately, they felt a bit less pressure while creating their latest album, “Champ”.
So much has already been said about this band, I’m not sure where to begin. Simply put, I love them. Their latest release, Forgiveness Rock Record, has once again impressed fans and critics alike – myself included. Needless to day, I was thrilled to catch up with Brendan and Justin over (mediocre) coffee.
Who says that really good movies can’t be Canadian? Not Jay Baruchel, who not only is Canadian, but has been cast in a number of Hollywood movies (Knocked Up, Tropic Thunder, Just Buried to name a few). With a great Canadian cast lead by Baruchel, The Trotsky is both dramatic and comedic. We were on the red carpet premiere to find out more.
Right now there seems to be a general celebration of bands that challenge and distort genre conventions. Why hasn’t Brasstronaut hit people’s radar? If you’re looking for a band that turns well-established genres upside down, one listen to Mt. Chimaera proves that the band is not only creative and talented, but able to create songs that are at once strikingly original, yet accessible. (Note that the music video used here is actually for an older song entitled Old World Lies.)
Plants and animals blew listeners away with their debut album, Parc Avenue, and finally the band has delivered a follow up. La La Land seems to expand upon the rock ‘n’ roll framework of its predecessor. The boys have turned their amps up to eleven (just kidding, ten is the standard maximum), and have fully embraced the “barbecue rock” within. I spoke to the charming Montreal trio during Canadian Music Week here in Toronto.
Big Tobacco wins again… but Fucked Up doesn’t seem too crushed about it. Their name was used without permission in a cigarette ad (see the scans at http://tinyurl.com/y5xf8hy ) and after a few years of legal battles, they have lost. But spirits still seem high. Ben and Sandy talked to me about the lawsuit, their Christmas single (listen at http://tinyurl.com/yz82dny ), and how they spent their hefty $20,000 Polaris Prize.
