andPOP » Interviews

Chris Brown’s New Year’s Resolution – No Interviews

andPOP Staff — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 21:15:08 +0000

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What are common New Year’s Resolutions? To lose weight, exercise more, or quit smoking. But in Chris Brown’s case, his resolution is to avoid interviews in 2012.

Tina Davis is Brown’s manager, and she explained it to Billboard. “[The goal for 2012 is to] not have him do interviews but to concentrate on performing and recording,” said Davis. “It was something we set a while back. We’re not trying to be rude, selfish or disrespectful to anyone in any way. If people are going to judge anything, judge him for his talent. He signed up to sing and entertain. Not talk about his personal life.”

That’s probably a good idea. Although Chris did do a lot of interviews in 2011, they generally didn’t end well. So Chris is going to keep questions to a minimum, and focus on music. Good idea Chris.

Nick Carter LIVE Interview Streaming Today

Michael Levine — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 16:07:58 +0000

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Get down, get down and move it all around because Nick Carter’s dropping by the andPOP studio today at 12:30 p.m. (Eastern Time).

Our favourite Backstreet Boy will sit down on the famed red couch with Jordan and since it’s live, anything can happen! Tune in today at 12:30 here on andPOP.

This wont be the first time Nick’s given a little love to andPOP. In August he chatted with Jordan about the release of his second album, I’m Taking Off. You can watch the hilarious interview here.

Don’t forget to take a longer lunch break tomorrow to catch Nick live in our studio by going on andpop.com at 12:30 and clicking the watch live link. Be there or be square!

Getting Laid on Vans Warped Tour 2011

andPOP Staff — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 13:24:47 +0000

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It’s that time of year again – it’s Warped Tour time. We caught up with Warped in Toronto, where we spoke with 3OH!3, D.R.U.G.S., The Ready Set and more! We also ask a pressing question – what’s each band’s policy about bringing girls on the bus. Some interesting answers. Enjoy!

Live Interviews With Janelle Monae, Emily Osment, Alyssa Reid and Courage My Love

andPOP Staff — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 16:30:36 +0000

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We are broadcasting live from Canadian Music Week today with some pretty huge interviews! We have Janelle Monae, Emily Osment, Alyssa Reid, Courage My Love and more! The schedule is below and you can watch us live throughout the day, you never know what will happen:

11:30 am – Jane Bunnett (interviewed by Mediazoic deejay Larry Green)
12:00 pm – Courage My Love
12:30 pm – Emily Osment
12:45 pm – Alyssa Reid
1:15 pm – Jackalope
1:30 pm – Amos The Transparent
2:00 pm – Billy The Kid
2:45 pm – Crash Karma
4:15 pm – Janelle Monae

Live streaming video by Ustream

Broken Social Scene Presents ‘This Movie Is Broken’

andPOP Staff — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 22:44:58 +0000

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Broken Social Scene really are a creative group. What other band could turn a free concert into a movie about a love story? “This Movie Is Broken” centres on a free outdoor gig in 2009, and within that concert, a love story of two friends who become lovers. We had the amazing opportunity to speak with Bruno (Greg Calderone)n Caroline ( Georgina Reilly) and Brendan Canning about making the film.

The Last Airbender Cast Interviews – Jackson Rathbone and Nicola Peltz

andPOP Staff — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:07:43 +0000

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The Last Airbender could be the box office hit of the summer (and yes we know it has some fierce competition). So what’s the story about? We will let the official studio synopsis explain:

“Air, Water, Earth, Fire. Four nations tied by destiny when the Fire Nation launches a brutal war against the others. A century has passed with no hope in sight to change the path of this destruction. Caught between combat and courage, Aang (Noah Ringer) discovers he is the lone Avatar with the power to manipulate all four elements. Aang teams with Katara (Nicola Peltz), a Waterbender, and her brother, Sokka (Jackson Rathbone), to restore balance to their war-torn world.”

So it has an awesome cast, awesome director (ever heard of M. Night Shyamalan?) and a cool story. Could be a recipe for a hit!

Dragonette’s Martina Sorbara, As Unique As They Get

Jeremy Singer — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 03:26:09 +0000

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Martina Sorbara’s music career has been like one one-night-stand after the next.

The lead singer of Electro-Pop group Dragonette has been involved in many projects – both as a solo singer and in group settings – but she has yet to be part of a follow up album – until now.

Dragonette’s second album Fixin to Thrill, was released last month, and Sorbara’s feeling of the album’s completion is sublime.

“It’s a huge deal for me,” Sorbara, 31, tells andPOP. “Just putting out a second album is kinda like a milestone. I just think that every time we finished a song, that was a big high point for myself.”

Following the solid reception the band received in Canada and the UK for their 2007 debut album Galore, which earned them a Juno Award nomination for Best New Group, the four-person group -comprising of Sorbara on vocals, Bassist Dan Hurtz, Guitarist Chris Hugget and Drummer Joel Stouffer- approached their sophomore album like any other.

“We were pretty focused on moving on where we left off,” says Sorbara, “and trying to make a cool follow-up.”

With a musical style resembling the syth-folky textures of MGMT, Dragonette was formed in 2005 by -now married couple- Sorbara and Hurtz. Martina laughs at the aspect of working with a spouse, and admits that her greatest gift can also sometimes be a curse.

“It’s challenging,” says Sorbara, “because we wrote most of the album in our basement studio in London, ON, so you’re locked inside with your husband 24/7. There’s moments where it gets intense, because there’s no feeling of ‘Ok, I’m just going to go home now to my family,’ because it’s always there.”

“But believe me,” adds the artist chuckling, “It’s been way more fun than I thought it would be. The album is a lot more serene than the battles that went along with it. But the hysterical battles brought us to where we needed to be.”

The Canadian-native describes the finished product as “a mouthful,” mentioning that it’s also “aggressive, yet emotional at the same time- still holding the story-telling aspect.”

And as a songwriter, storytelling is one of Sorbara’s favorite pieces of the album’s puzzle- it gives her the chance to take what inspired her and inspire everyone else.

“I guess I like taking a topic that means something to me,” says Sorbara, “and be able to say an interesting take on it that’s never been done before. It would be a story that’s familiar to people, but I can go and put it in a unique language. A unique angle, that’s what gets me to write.”

Only, there’s one small obstacle in the way.

“I have almost zero discipline as an artist,” she says laughing.

“So if I’m not having fun, then I’ll just go and ride my bike or something.”

But Sorbara’s figured out a sure-fire way to keep herself content when boredom strikes. No doubt riding on the bus for the next two months with all the guys during their Fixin to Thrill tour across Canada, the US, Europe and Australia – can get a bit overwhelming.

Her fix?

“I love to knit,” she says. “I love to create, that’s how I shut out the world.”

A sweater or scarf was the first assumption. But that was quickly corrected.

“Dude, I’m so much more advanced than that,” she raves. “I’ve knitted dolls, a lion, a sheep, a poodle…and they all have names. And another thing I did was a full double sided queen size blanket; took me two years.”

Continues the singer, “this year, I’m gonna knit a pig. It’s the only way. I need something to show after sitting on my ass doing nothing. The boys watch movies, and I knit.”

“Though there’s one rule above the rest,” she says that her husband made.

“There’s no knitting in bed.”

Dragonette’s 2009 Canadian Tour Dates:

Waterloo, Ontario- October 7, 2009- 8:00 pm

Toronto, Ontario- October 8, 2009- 8:00 pm

Winnipeg, Manitoba- October 12, 2009- 8:00 pm

Calgary, Alberta- October 14, 2009- 8:00 pm

Edmonton, Alberta- October 15, 2009- 8:00 pm

Vancouver, British Columbia- October 17, 2009- 8:00 pm

Victoria, British Columbia- October 18, 2009- 8:00 pm

Polaris Music Prize On Side B – Want $20 Grand?

Dan Busheikin — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 03:57:16 +0000

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Canadians: Want a quick 20 grand? Make an amazing album.

The Polaris Prize awards $20,000 to the Canadian artist or group that creates the best album of the year, based solely on artistic merit. Sales don’t count, marketing doesn’t count. The ten nominees – Elliot Brood, Fucked Up, Great Lake Swimmers, Hey Rosetta!, K’Naan, Metric, Joel Plaskett, Malajube, Patrick Watson, and Chad Vangaalen – all attended and performed at the Polaris Prize Gala, so I made sure to snag a few interviews before the award was given out.

The winner of the $20,000 prize? Well, check out the video and I’ll tell you.

Virgin Festival Day 1 Toronto 2009

andPOP Staff — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:41:03 +0000

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Quite arguably one of the biggest events of the year, Virgin Fest again for 2009 was amazing. On Day 1 Jenn had a sit down with Thunderheist, Grizzly Bear and Paolo Nutini. She also found Waldo from “Where’s Waldo” and learned how to poll dance. Look out for Day 2 coming soon!

All-4-One Bringing Back R&B With No Regrets

Michael Levine — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 02:32:15 +0000

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It’s been 13 years since All-4-One’s peak popularity in the 1990′s- winning at the 1995 Grammy Awards and having their hit single I Swear certified by the ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) as one of the greatest love songs of the 20th century.

But now on the verge of resurfacing to the music industry and releasing their most successfully expected album to-date No Regrets on September 15, the four-man R&B band is ready to bring back a piece of work that caters to all.

“This record is a lot more exciting,” singer Jamie Jones tells andPOP. “We had a ton more leeway in the production and the writing, and just having the opportunity to make the record we wanted to make.”

“When we we’re making it, we agreed that regardless of the reception, we’re proud of it, and we’re happy with this body of work.”

Adds singer Delious Kennedy, “If we fail, we would like to fail because of what we did -our choices- and not because of the decisions of a record company.”

Now signed with Peak Records/Concord Music Group, the band formally dubbed as “The Dukes Of R&B” filled the the rave-reviewed sixth studio project with “multiple albums in one,” says Jones. Picture every last drop of R&B musical energy in their blood, squeezed into a final compilation- representing their entire careers.

“We went ahead and tried to make a record of a little bit of everything we are. We’re old school, we’re new school, R&B, Pop. So this is the first record in our opinion that really encompasses all the different styles that we are over our whole career. There’s gonna be a bit of everything for all our fans.”

At the peak of the album, according to Jones, is an heavy R&B sound like My Child. While I Love That Girl brings a Mo-Town vibe, and Perfect shows a bit more of the new-age sound. But a special track this time around is When I Needed An Angel, which was written after the band teamed up with Donate Life America- a foundation that tries to get more people to sign up as organ donors.

Says Jones, “Their concept really inspired us. It’s always fun to sing and do what you wrote, but even better when you have a message to say.”

Compared to previous albums, fellow singer Tony Borowiak admits there’s not one song he didn’t like. “There’s songs on our last albums where I just wanted to skip over, but there’s not a single song like that this time, I enjoy every single one. I think that’s the thing that everyone’s gonna see.”

During their first two studio albums All-4-One (1994) and And the Music Speaks (1995), the band coasted through fame with their hit singles I Can Love You Like That, which was Grammy Award nominated, and I Swear, which was Grammy Award winning- and also rode the no. one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for eleven straight weeks in a row.

They we’re often coined as a “Boy-Band,” along with groups like Boyz II Men. But the guys see themselves as more old school than that.

“Before boy-bands came out we were just a musical group,” explains Jones. “But all of a sudden at one point, people just started saying we’re a boyband. We are a singing group man, and we’ve always been from day one. When The Temptations and New Edition and guys like that came out, they we’re just singing groups.”

But following label rifts, the band took a downward spiral turn and fell into a musical limbo, releasing three albums in 1999, 2001 and 2004- which didn’t attract much popularity at all. Since then the band resorted to the international scene, performing in South East Asia for a while, in cities such as Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Seoul, Bangkok and Shanghai.

Though, don’t think there was any need for ice breakers after stepping into the studio after all those years.

“It’s still feels pretty normal,” says Borowiak. “We just went into the studio and had the same chemistry with each other, we’re great friends.”

The band had the fortunate opportunity of showcasing the single My Child in a world premiere performance in Las Vegas early in the summer. The result? A standing ovation.

“Truthfully it was one of those things where we just couldn’t wait to get back in the swing of things,” says Kennedy. “It was a great reception and singing the harmonies of the chords felt really good.”

And with post-release aspirations consisting of reintroducing themselves to the world, Jones sums up what we can expect from the group who’ve been gone for way too long. “You’re gonna see a different four individuals,” says Jones, “as far as mature and relaxed individuals- not stressed. You’re gonna see that we just had a great time putting together this record overall.”

“We know we still have the ability to make something special.”

andPOP Is Hitting The Satellite Radio Waves With XM Canada

Robert Ostfield — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 04:33:25 +0000

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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.