andPOP » montreal

Interview: New Cities Kill the Lights But Not the Nightlife

Natalia Buia — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 16:10:40 +0000

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The day after their second album, Kill the Lights, was released, New Cities stopped to chat with andPOP about the one thing people struggle with the most: balancing business with pleasure. Lead singer David Brown and synth player Nicolas Denis said they were well-behaved on the eve of their big release. They just had a nice dinner with close friends. Somehow we’re not buying it.

“We went to bed early. We’re hardcore like that,” Nicolas says, adding that, for the band, early means 3 a.m.

There’s no denying these six Montreal pop-rockers can morph into quite the party animals when on tour. To keep themselves from burning out, they try to squeeze in as much snooze time as possible.

“I’m sleeping a lot in the van, but I’m not the one that drives the most!” David reveals.

“People think it’s non-stop partying, but when you have to drive six or seven hours a day and have to do a show… for a singer, it gets to be a lot.” Nicolas says.

The band admits they get their admirable tech guy, Jeff, to do most of the driving. Jeff seems to be quite the MacGuyver. It was once reported he saved two of the band members from being attacked by wasps on stage.

“It sounds way more epic online!” Nicolas jokes.

When the band isn’t fighting off winged insects or screaming girls on stage, they’re surprisingly tame. Prior to recording their sophomore effort, which is out now, the band took eight months off to write songs. Talk about dedication. But the band shortly fell into a routine and what better way to break a routine than a spontaneous trip to the island.

“We started writing stuff at our apartment and at some point we went to Barbados,” David says. “We wrote the saddest track ever in Bardados. But we didn’t use it!”

The front man explains they planned on writing more on the Caribbean Island than expected, but as soon as the sun started setting by 6 p.m. the band felt a little less motivated.

Luckily for them, with the help of L.A. production group The Matrix, the band penned 12 catchy, danceable songs now playing at a bar near you.

Now, the band must focus their energy onto something more fun: playing shows. The guys never fail to charm a crowd with their insane stage presence.

“We move around a lot on stage. When you’re lining a tour, you’re definitely playing for more than an hour,” David says, alluding to the fact that he may have moves like Jagger. Alas, he tells andPOP it’s too early in the morning to show off his best moves – the interview was conducted at 9 a.m.

In the meantime, their music videos are enough proof of how lively they can bex. Just wait until their newest video, The Hype, starts playing everywhere. David says they shot the video a month ago and we can expect it to be in high rotation come October 10.

Lil Wayne Attacked With Pepper Spray in Montreal

andPOP Staff — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 19:02:59 +0000

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Lil Wayne’s party suffered a pepper spray attack in Montreal last night. The party had to be evacuated as a result.

TMZ reports the incident happened at a club called La Mouche, where he was hosting an after party for his show.

Apparently some guy snuck into the backroom and unleashed the chemical into the air ducts. Everyone was evacuated from the club.

Weezy seems to be in good spirits nevertheless. His rep said he’s “okay and gearing for his next stop in Toronto.”

Britney Spears Gives Pauly D Some Action

andPOP Staff — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 13:38:49 +0000

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The Situation gets endorsement deals, and Pauly D gets free lap dances. Seems kind of fair. Britney Spears gave Pauly a free lap dance during her show in Montreal last night.

Pauly was obviously intimated and embarrassed, but undoubtedly he had a good time.

“Wow Got On Stage With@britneySpears And She Gave Me A Lap Dance !!!!! #DJPaulyDSwagg” he tweeted along with the picture.

andPOP Presents ‘Something New’ – Jordan and Korey Visit Montreal

andPOP Staff — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 21:01:39 +0000

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Montreal has become a home and muse for many of the country’s renowned musical acts. Jordan and Korey take an impromptu trip to uncover the magic behind one of Canada’s most prominent artistic tastemakers.

Interview: The Complexities of NEeMA

Jacob Morris — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 16:21:39 +0000

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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.

“I find being on the road a really great way to write,” she says. “Writing for me is like a kind of meditation exercise.”

NEeMA is also more than just a skilled lyricist; she’s also quite the poet—something that comes through in her music. She told me that writing is essentially how she studies the world, and her findings are clearly found in each of her songs.

“It’s like I get these really strong feelings about something,” she says, “but, you know, it’s hard sometimes to figure out what those feelings are about, you just kind of are filled with emotion or something, and then writing becomes like a process of untangling those deep feelings for me.”

“I write to try to get to the root of things; like to try to really get to the core of something. To try to untangle what’s there,” she said, “it’s all the things that move me; all those exterior things that make a strong internal movement in myself, I then try to explore what those things are.”

NEeMA’s music is far more complex the sort of over-commercialized pop that seems to dominate the musical landscape these days and it’s clear that she brings something unique to the industry. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that NEeMA had multiple answers—most of which seemed to relate quite well to the complexities of life—when I asked her what is behind her music.

“My own questioning, my spiritual search,” she told me. “I love meeting people, I love culture,” continuing, “all those things inspire my music somehow.”

Inspiration is one thing, but putting it all together and creating a piece of music is another, but NEeMA has that covered too. She has also worked with some very well-known names in the industry; “Watching You Think” was produced with the help of Leonard Cohen and Pierre Marchand.

Commenting on working with the two big names, NEeMA told me, “It was inspiring, it was incredibly educative, and on so many levels, I mean just to watch how they work, to see how they live, it was a real blessing.”

NEeMA is truly a wonderful Canadian artist and has so much to offer the world of music with her ability to deconstruct the complexities of life in ways which put your mind at ease, if just for the duration of the album. Definitely give her music a listen if you have the opportunity!

Premiere of ‘The Trotsky’ – Proof Good Movies Can Be Canadian

andPOP Staff — Fri, 14 May 2010 12:03:59 +0000

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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.

Plants and Animals Interview on Side B – BBQ Rock

Dan Busheikin — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 04:00:49 +0000

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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.

Interview – Jay Baruchel Is In The League

Ilan Mester — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 15:44:25 +0000

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He may be out of her league in a movie, but Jay Baruchel is definitely in the league of young, successful actors. He’s worked with Clint Eastwood in the multi Oscar-winning “Million Dollar Baby” and shared scenes with fellow Canadian Funnymen Seth Rogen and Michael Cera — and those are only three of his nearly 30 acting credits.

Earlier this year, Baruchel proved that a 5 can date a 10 in the comedy vehicle “She’s Out of My League.” Now, he has the No. 1 movie at the box office with “How to Train Your Dragon,” an animated 3-D movie he co-stars with a CGI fire-blower.

While he’s already accomplished a lot this year, let alone throughout his acting career, Baruchel hasn’t reached his ultimate goal — one that doesn’t involve comedy. The 27 year old hopes to direct horror films.

Although “Dragons” is far from a gory horror flick, Baruchel still had a blast making the animated movie. In fact, his character Hiccup is one of the closest characters to himself that he’s ever played. Even his mother was blown away by their similarities.

“We’re both kind of outsiders who both march to the beat of our own drum… when I was a kid, Hiccup’s age, all the other kids would be outside, you know, playing some sport in the park or whatever. I was always the one to stay inside, writing stories,” said Baruchel on the phone from Montreal.

“Dragons,” is set in the world of Vikings and tells the story of Hiccup, a boy who tries to train a dragon in a time where dragons are slain by humans. It features Gerard Butler and Craig Ferguson in all their Scottish glory (including accents).

“They get to talk how they talk, I get to talk how I talk. I’m just psyched that I got the chance to do my Scottish accent. For one little line I got to do my impression of them,” he laughs. “Any time I can do any kind of accent is always fun, but I just find it hilarious that I found myself in a movie surrounded by Scottish people”

To help establish a bond with the dragon, Baruchel recalled on the bond with his pet. “What’s amazing, I find the dragon looks suspiciously like a cat, he behaves just like a cat…I’m an animal lover and I have a very very close bond with my cat so I’ve often said that this movie is a classic boy and his cat story,” he shared.

Baruchel got to meet some of his cast mates during shooting in Los Angeles and New York. However, he voiced most of his scenes in Montreal. Many actors make the move to L.A. as soon as they start making movies in Hollywood — Baruchel is an exception. He keeps coming back to Montreal, where he was raised.

“It’s just my home and my heart and I live with two guys that I’ve known since I’m 14 and I live about three or four blocks away from my mother in the house I grew up in and my little sister,” he said of Montreal. “But also, more than anything I’ve also pretty much my whole life, I’ve felt a strange connection to this city. I love everything about it. But the best way I can articulate this is whatever guys like Scorsese and Woody Allen feel for New York City, that’s what I feel for Montreal.”

This summer, Baruchel will make the move from comedy to action star with Disney’s live-action remake of “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.” He’ll be dealing with a new dragon and starring alongside Nicolas Cage, who unlike Baruchel, is no stranger to stunts.

“I definitely got my ass kicked a bunch,” admits Baruchel, who got to do some of his own stunts for the film. “I got thrown around, I got my butt kicked quite a bit…I mean, the dragon is computer animated but all the stuff blown up around me is real. Yeah, that was a pretty crazy movie to make.”

Ultimately, his goal is to pen and direct horror films. “Horror movies are my life,” Baruchel revealed. “That’s my life’s work. That’s what I want to do for the rest of my life, direct horror movies in Montreal.”

He’s working on writing a project he hopes to release within the next three years. But for now, Baruchel will have to settle on being a leading man.

Osheaga Music Festival 2009: Behind-The-Scenes

Jeremy Singer — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 21:44:14 +0000

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Having just hosted a Jazz and Comedy festival only a few weeks ago, Montreal was once again the pearl of Canada this past weekend with the undeniable success of the Osheaga Music and Arts festival- a two day event filled with performances beginning at 1:00pm all the way until 11:00pm.

As Saturday would feature notable acts such as Jason Mraz, The Roots, K’naan, The Stills, Girltalk and above all, the grandmaster Coldplay, andPOP decided to venture down to La Belle Province for day no. 1.

But something funny happened by the end of our trip. Not only did we go from being pale skinned to maple brown sunburned, but we also went from being a concert reviewer to a behind-the-scenes explorer.

With four different stages and acts scheduled at similar time slots, we had to pick and choose which musical path our day would lead towards.

This is our story.

2:30 pm- I begin my journey in Hell’s Kitchen. Beautiful sunny day in Montreal, but sweltering 30 degree Celsius heat. For some reason though, the crowd seems to want to stand through it for acoustic rock performer Donavon Frankenreiter at the Mountain Stage. The musician and also pro surfer gathers a trickling crowd with an immediate groovy set- reminiscent of longtime pal Jack Johnson.

Part of that next batch of sunshine tune-fellows like Johnson, Ben Harper, Matt Costa and G. Love, Frankenreiter ignites the festival’s spirit with his variety of catchy soothing numbers- most notably It Don’t Matter, which leads fans into a massive chant. A laid-back Frankenreiter even lets a lucky fan help him belt out the chorus, sending the crowd into rave cheers.

Truly a man of the festival.

3:15 pm- Onward to something completely different- British electro-pop duo La Roux. Though the up-and-coming part of the program, the group still manages to make a sharp impact. The whole crowd jives to their hit single Bulletproof- from their recently released 2009 debut album self titled La Roux.

4:00 pm- I decide I want to interview Coldplay. Yes, just like that. But with a concert reviewer ticket, you basically just get that- a free ticket to review the show. So, if I’m gonna get my chance for a sit-down with Chris Martin, I’m gonna need to get behind the scenes. After a macho security guard- we’ll call him “Arnold Schwarzenegger” -prohibits me from entering the VIP/Backstage area, I decide to make an upgrade.

Off to the media tent to do my shpiel, and back with the little blue bracelet I need.

A few nods and wrist checks later, and I’m slowly making my way to a field of tents, tour buses and trailers hidden away, behind the two main River and Mountain stages, from the crowd.

Hungry, I enter a large tent filled with a delicious spread for everyone backstage. Though I quickly realize inside, I need to have an additional bracelet. Since the security guard doesn’t notice me, I decide to snag a water bottle instead.

Gotta keep hydrated, safety first.

As I exit the tent, I head toward a tent filled with a bunch of media personnel on laptops. Next tent, La Roux singer Elly Jackson.

Relaxing on a white couch in her technicolor leotards, pale complexion, and crazy ginger hairdo, the 21-year-old has definitely carved out her own niche in not only the festival, but all of Britain.

5:25 pm- I head back out to the main area to catch the last few tunes of Eagles of Death Metal on the River Stage. Promoting their latest record Heart On to a sizable crowd, the two man group finish the set with their emphatic hit single Wannabe In L.A.

5:45 pm- Heading backstage again, I stumble upon an ecstatic Eagle of Death Metal frontman Jesse “The Devil” Hughes. In total bliss, the 36-year-old rocker comes strolling down the stairs shirtless, with that thick mustache, and long shaggy hair.

Despite his scary trucker appearance, Hughes is one of the most enthusiastic and friendly performers I’ve seen during a post-show.

“God, I love my job man!” he says smiling, before heading for a bite to eat. “That’s it, It’s the best!”

6:00 pm- I trek further, listening near the media tent to alternative rock band Elbow’s crowd pleasing performance. The group has kept for the most part a low profile during their career, but that was not the case at Osheaga. They were here to make their mark, and did so with their climatic One Day Like This.

6:20 pm- Jason Mraz is due next on stage in 10 minutes. Promoting his latest album We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things, Mraz is one of the festival’s more notable names, primarily due to the success of his Grammy nominated breezy single I’m Yours. Heck, even his album too- which has broken into the top ten of so many international music charts.

Suddenly an ATV rolls up behind me, and off steps the acoustic bluesy genius himself.

Mraz is a simple man, but then again affects to the masses. Dressed in dark blue jeans, a white T, and his well-known fedora hat, the 32-year-old strolls with a coffee in hand toward some shade on a bench under a tree.

6:30 pm- Let it be known that despite his shy appearance, Mraz is as suave and animated as they get. Grabbing a black and white fender-strat guitar as he hits the River Stage, the artist begins dancing to his rhythm, swaying his knees in-and-out like some Elvis Presley impersonator.

As he works the crowd like a showman, Mraz switches to his more comfortable tool- an acoustic guitar -and begins an energetic The Dynamo Of Volition.

An amazing acoustic set later of The Remedy, and Mraz then releases the highly anticipated feel-good vibe hit single I’m Yours.

“This is sort of a hippie song, so I want everybody to just relax and get their summer bugaloo on,” he says in a low smooth voice. An even bigger delight was the surprise transition into Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds, where Mraz had everyone’s heads and arms bopping side-to-side. It was the perfect soundtrack for that point in the day: sun shining, a breeze brushing through crowd, middle of the summer. Even Mraz felt good about it, as he tells andPOP backstage after his performance.

7:45pm- “I had a great experience,” he says, as he relaxes in a field overlooking a pond, outside his trailer. “We’re really honored to have this opportunity, it’s been a fantastic day.” Though The Roots are now blaring their jazzy hip/hop melody out in the front, back here Mraz is enjoying some peaceful quality time with his band on a picnic table. And with him, instead of an acoustic guitar, is a Nikon D60 camera- which he’s trying to capture a picture of a sedentary groundhog with.

“I just got the Nikon recently, so far it’s been good,” he says after carefully trying to sneak up on the creature. “We’re all just basically enjoying ourselves.”

Adds percussionist Toca Rivera who sits on the grass taking in some rays, “It’s beautiful weather, great music, what more can you ask for.”

Hmm…maybe a sit-down with Coldplay?

8:15 pm- I venture further into the forest path, walking past the trailers and tour buses of Elbow, The Stills, The Roots and Donaven Frakenreiter. On the way, Roots drummer Questlove is being given a lift on an ATV somewhere, and Elbow’s lead singer Guy Garvey is seen heading into the band’s trailer.

Fifteen feet later and I stop at a much more secluded trailer- I venture near to see who it belongs to. Outside of the holding, a few security guards stop me before I go any further, informing me it’s for Coldplay.

Boom.

Without thinking, I tell them I’m here for the band. They give me a puzzled look, but go and ask the manager, which obviously turns out to be a no-go.

Hoping to catch a glimpse of the four-man British rock band when they come out to walk to the main stage, I’m told that they won’t be out for another hour.

8:30 pm- So I decide to see the status of our mash-up Picasso Greg Gillis, also known as Girltalk, who’s set to perform at the same time-slot.

Of all the rough luck for a guy. Not a surprise he would only draw 500 out of the 30,000 audience total for the night.

Off of his latest masterpiece Feed The Animals, Gillis is in his one-man trailer- which is side by side to rapper K’Naan. He’s hard at work preparing for tonight’s set at the MEG stage, which was reserved for the majority of the electro-based performers.

8:45 pm- A 53-footer truck makes its way down the road behind the main stages carrying all of Coldplay’s custom stage pieces- part of which would include a separate circular platform that would be placed in the middle of the audience for the band to use later on in their set.

9:10 pm- I hear music playing, and nervous, I ask one of the set-up crew if the band has started yet. He chuckles and replies that when Coldplay goes up there, “you will know it.” After briefing me that the experience will be nothing short of spectacular, he gives me a heads up that they’re going to be opening up with Life In Technicolor, and that there will also be a couple of entertaining tweaks during the performance- including dozens of giant yellow crowd balloons for Yellow and a cover of Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean.

Sounds wicked.

9:15 pm- Night has fallen, easing the heat outdoors. The entire field filled to capacity is eagerly waiting for the band’s arrival. The music stops and a shadow-screen silhouettes the Grammy award winning band members who twirl sparklers- before then jamming right into Life In Technicolor.

Highlights of the first half of the set include a laser-accompanied Clocks, sing-a-long anthem Fix You, an entertaining Yellow- yes, dozens of bright yellow balloons bounce all over the audience -and above all, a turbo-charged Chris Martin who dances around the stage from left-to-right in his classic Napoleon-meets-American Apparel-style jacket.

“Merci beaucoup, mes amis,” he says to a screaming crowd.

Personally, hearing the violins begin to hum to their hit single Viva La Vida, with drummer Will Champion manning the kettles, was quite the epic experience by itself. And it’s obvious that Montreal was all smiles. Even, the energetic Martin points out how perfect the night is: fireworks on the right, an August moon on the left and a prime performance in the center.

Osheaga hit jackpot this year. No argument there.

But there was still plenty of juice left in the Coldplay tank, as the band suddenly makes its way single-filed through the crowd to the custom circular stage in the middle- only big enough to have the band standing back-to-back.

There they perform a slew of acoustic sets, including a cover of Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean, before then heading back to the main stage to round-up the show.

11:00 pm- As the fairy-tale winds down, leaving 30,000 civilians preparing for hours of congested traffic on their way home, I decide to take one last chance to possibly see a glimpse of the band backstage. Only when I arrive there, I’m greeted with two police cars and four sleek black Escalades which pull up for each band member.

Obviously you’d like to hear that Martin and his crew come prancing off stage, we become best buddies and they invite me for a brew.

For some odd reason, they reluctantly did not. Go figure. The doors close shut and they disappear into the night with their impressive police escort.

But, at the end of the 10-hr day, was the sunburn, first phase of dehydration, and mental/physical exhaustion worth it?

I think so.

Virgin Festival To Debut In Montreal In June

Eva Lam — Sat, 09 May 2009 00:00:36 +0000

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The Black Eyed Peas, Simple Plan, New Kids on the Block and Hedley are among the performers for the first-ever Virgin Festival in Montreal this summer.

The event, which will be staged at Parc Jean-Drapeau on June 19 and 20, will also feature the New Cities, “Canadian Idol” winner Eva Avila, Akon, Live, LIGHTS and Divine Brown. More acts are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

One organizer described the city as the perfect place to bring the event. “Montréal is a natural host for Virgin Festival,” said Jacques Aube, vice president and general manager of Gillett Entertainment Group, in a statement. “The city has an eclectic, thriving music scene, and tons of festival-loving fans.”

Tickets go on sale Saturday; check out the Virgin Festival Canada website here for more information.

The Virgin Festival is going coast-to-coast across Canada this year, with plans also to debut in Nova Scotia, as well as return to Ontario, B.C. and Alberta. While host cities and lineups for those festivals have yet to be confirmed, organizers say they expect to welcome more than 300,000 fans across the country to the events.

Last year’s Virgin Festivals took place in Calgary and Toronto. A festival was also planned for Vancouver, which played host in 2007, but organizers cancelled it after they weren’t able to secure top acts.

Coldplay, Beastie Boys To Headline Montreal Festival

Eva Lam — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 00:59:22 +0000

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The Osheaga Music and Arts Festival will return to Montreal this summer with two huge headliners: Coldplay and Beastie Boys.

The fourth installment of the annual extravaganza will take place at Parc Jean-Drapeau on Aug. 1 and 2, with the Brits headlining on Saturday and the Brooklyn MCs closing the festival on Sunday.

Other confirmed performers include Arctic Monkeys, the Roots, the Decemberists, Girl Talk, Jason Mraz, Lykke Li, the Ting Tings, Josh Ritter and Elbow.

Canadians are well-represented in the lineup, from Toronto’s Crystal Castles to such locals as Rufus Wainwright, Beast and Parlovr.

Tickets go on sale Friday at noon; for more information, check out the Osheaga festival website here.

Coldplay and Beastie Boys have also been announced as headliners for this year’s All Points West festival in New Jersey. Although the event overlaps with Osheaga, scheduling conflicts have been averted by scheduling the Beastie Boys for July 31, fellow headliner Tool for Aug. 1 and Coldplay for Aug. 2.

Pam Anderson’s Diva Behaviour in Montreal

andPOP Staff — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 08:16:33 +0000

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Pamela Anderson isn’t making herself any friends in her native country.

The Canadian bombshell infuriated the owners of the Opera in Montreal this past weekend by breaking a contract with them.

Anderson was set to walk the red carpet, speak with journalists and host a contest. She was also to pocket $100,000, reports Perez Hilton.

Unfortunately, Anderson’s diva behaviour got the best of her. She snubbed the media, though the agreement was to speak with each journalist for five minutes. She didn’t end up hosting the contest, and never went inside the room that was filled with flowers at her request.

Anderson reportedly spent most of her time relaxing on a leather couch.

M.I.A. Moving To Montreal?

andPOP Staff — Tue, 27 May 2008 09:25:41 +0000

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Rapper M.I.A. may be moving to Montreal when her American visa expires in June.

Because her father was once a soldier in the Sri Lankan terrorist organization Tamil Tigers, she doesn’t expect her visa to be renewed.

“Basically at the moment I can choose between Montreal and London,” she told Baby Baby Baby magzine. “My mum’s like, ‘I want you here!’ I haven’t seen her in, like, forever, so I have to choose between my mum and Montreal.”

She said that she’s been making the most of her final U.S. concerts, and that Kanye West has offered to marry her to keep her in the country.

She was previously barred entrance to the States in 2006.

Hedley Kicks Off Free Canadian MTV Tour

andPOP Staff — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 13:14:55 +0000

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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.