andPOP - Pop Culture With Substance

Vancouver-based band Hedley performed yesterday at the University of British Columbia.

Their home turf concert is part of the MTV The Leak Live tour, a series of free concerts across Canada promoting Hedley’s upcoming album, “Famous Last Words,” which will be released October 30. For those unable to attend, their first single, “She’s So Sorry,” can be heard on Hedley’s official MySpace page.

“Famous Last Words” is Hedley’s sophomore offering, following their 2005 self-titled album which earned the band platinum status, five hit singles, two Juno nominations, and the Much Music Video Award for Best Pop Video.

Charismatic and nudity-prone frontman Jacob Hoggard is confident about the new album, which was produced by former Treble Charger frontman Greig Nori. As Hoggard told MTV, “The main difference between this album and the last, was the amount of blood, sweat and tears that we put into this recording.”

Check out the rest of Hedley’s free tour at these locations:

Tomorrow: The SAIT Hangar in Calgary, AB at 12 p.m.
Friday: The UWO Talbot Bowl in London, ON at 7:30 p.m.
October 2: The Dalhousie Quad in Halifax, NS at 7 p.m.
October 4: The Concordia Loyola Downtown Campus in Montreal, QC at 5 p.m.
October 11: The Masonic Temple in Toronto, ON at 5 p.m.

Hedley, fronted by Canadian Idol alum Jacob Hoggard, will perform at the Canadian National Exhibition – better known simply as The Ex – on opening day, August 18.

Opening for Hedley will be Toronto-born pop/rocker Fefe Dobson.

The evening concert will be held at the Bandshell and is free with admission.

What else is going on at The Ex? Here are some other events to take note of:

-Graham Kerr of Galloping Gourmet fame will reveal culinary secrets on August 18, 19 and 20

-The TTC busker auditions will take place from August 18 to 20

-meet Argonuats alumni at Sportszone August 18 to 20

-the 10th annual Toronto Urban Music Fest goes down on September 1 and 2 with artists to be announced. Past musical guests have included Bilal and k-os.

-Yuk Yuks comedians performing every night from September 1 to 4

And of course, there’s so much more to do and so much food to eat. The Ex runs August 18 to September 4.

More info: theex.com

Hedley’s first studio album will hit stores on September 6.

Canadian Idol fans will recognize the lead singer as Jacob Hoggard, the quirky top-three finalist from season two.

The Abbotsford B.C. band’s first single, “On My Own” can be previewed at their website, www.hedleyonline.com. The song is expected to be released to radio on July 19 and will debut August 1st in music video form.

All other top five finalists from Canadian Idol’s second season have released albums. Winner Kalan Porter’s album, 219 Days, hit stores in November 2004. Theresa Sokyrka, Shane Wiebe and Jason Greeley have all followed suit by releasing solo albums since Canadian Idol 2 wrapped last summer.