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Check Out This Awesome Lineup:

Bios Prepared By Kyle Carpenter

Low Level Flight

Low Level Flight is the indie rock project of Canadian Idol winner Ryan Malcolm. However, you should expect a band that sounds less like Hedley and more like The Killers.

“It’s hard to pinpoint us to be honest,” says Malcolm. “We’re multi-genre if that make any sense.” [Laughs]

Low Level Flight has got some serious rock chops, and they represent the heavier, darker side of the tour. The band has evolved since the release of their 2007 debut, Urgency, and is currently working on their second full-length album, which is on track for a late September release.

“The direction of the band has definitely gotten a lot more precise,” says Malcolm. “We’ve been a band for about four years now, so we know each other a lot better, we know how we write together a lot better. We definitely took a lot more time on this album than the first one.”

The band recently shot a video in LA for “Exit,” the heavy-hitting first single from the upcoming album—think first-album Bloc Party kicked up to eleven.

However, for the andPOPandFriends, Low Level Flight is stripping it down and getting creative. “We’ll definitely get experimental,” says Malcolm. “[Drummer Brandon Merenick] will probably play an empty jug of whiskey or something, I don’t know.” [Laughs]

The band has played around with acoustic versions on their songs in the past, and they’ve recently released an acoustic version of “Quiet Rage,” which is available on iTunes. It’s nice to change it up a bit and show people the bare-bones, skeleton version of our album,” says Malcolm.

Tour Favourites: Fox Jaws, Amos the Transparent, Crush Luther. “We’ve known Crush for years, we love those guys.”

Low Level Flight is performing at all shows on the tour, starting on July 23.

http://www.myspace.com/lowlevelflight

Robyn Dell’Unto

Toronto’s Robyn Dell’Unto is a folk pop artist currently working on her first full-length album. If you can’t wait until the album’s September release, her delicate-yet-rich single “Ghost,” was recently released on iTunes.

Dell’Unto’s recording process emphasizes her abilities as a solo artist, while also striving to incorporate a variety of sounds and instruments as well. “We were just trying to play whatever we could that was in the room, and combined all of our guitars, all of our percussion, everything that we had,” says Dell’Unto.

While folk pop sounds straightforward enough, Dell’Unto isn’t about to be pigeonholed. “Some of the instrumentation on the record and some of the melodies aren’t typical pop,” says Dell’Unto. “I think my voice can boarder on folk or pop, so it’s riding that middle range between the two.”

Maybe Dell’Unto’s dynamic sound is a result of her drawing inspiration from a variety of places. “A couple years ago I started listening to a lot more pop, like Robyn. She came back with a couple records after being a teeny pop artist and they’re great,” says Dell’Unto of her influences. “And even Phoenix or a band like that with really great songs, and warm, inviting production.”

Dell’Unto couldn’t be more at home on the andPOPandFriends tour, as she has a passion for playing acoustic. “It’s perfect for me. If I can I’ll play solo, just me and an acoustic guitar,” says Dell’Unto. “I’m just excited to do it, it’s a really unique idea and in my mind it can’t really go wrong.”

Tour Favourites: Whale Tooth. “The tour is filled with bands that I love that I’m terrified of meeting.” [Laughs]

Robyn Dell’Unto is performing July 23-24, August 5-7, and 12/14

http://www.myspace.com/robyndellunto

Fox Jaws

Some bands never live up to their buzz. Those bands are not Fox Jaws.

The band—originally hailing from Barrie, ON—released their second album, At Odds (Or, Exercises In Separation While United In The Fall), late last year and is currently touring and working on new material.

From the distortion on rock tracks like “The Enabler,” to the harmonica bridge on the aptly-named “Karmonica,” Fox Jaws has a knack for the unexpected. While they might not have the easiest sound to classify, it’s maybe best thought of as a genre-blend of new wave and folk rock.

“There’s a mix of all of our collective influences, all blended together to make a concoction of a cacophony of sounds; something for everyone’s tastes,” says singer Carleigh Aikins. “Someone once said [we’re like] “My Bloody Valentine playing Neil Young covers,” adds guitarist Dan Allen.

Early in the band’s career, experimentation was the name of the game. For the andPOPandFRIENDS tour, they’re looking forward to getting back to their roots.

“When we first started out together we toted around clumsy organs and brought with us all sorts of goodies, like melodicas, accordions, harmonicas, twelve different African influenced shakers, toy xylophones, bows for guitars, and all that kind of stuff,” says Aikins. “I am looking forward to getting back into some of that playful experimentation for these shows; re-inventing the songs and finding a way to orchestrate them using new instrumentations.”

Tour Favourites: Amos the Transparent, The Balconies, Whale Tooth. “Whale Tooth are amazing—can’t wait to hear Elise’s voice acoustically and hear her renditions of their catchy tunes,” says Aikins.

Fox Jaws is performing July 23, 24, and August 5.

http://www.myspace.com/foxjaws

Everlea

Everlea “Wants to party as hard as Andrew WK,” according to a recent tweet from the band. They might be pop rock band, but they’re but that doesn’t mean they’re soft.

“We’re a melodic rock band with a heavy emphasis on groove and feel,” says singer and guitarist Justin Dube, who went on to say that their sound is characterized by “Pretty pumpin’ bass lines, really strong beats and then really catchy pop melodies on top.”

It all started in middle school. A couple of the boys shared the stage for the first time at a grade six talent show, before three of them formed a high school band (and even released an album). It’s all about history, and Everlea has grown into a tight-knit group with a clear focus.

Earlier this year, the band released an EP, In Bedrooms and Basements, and is currently working on their second full-length album.

“I’m really excited about it because I think it’s a pretty big difference,” says Dube. “The growth that we’ve had from when we were writing the songs that made up our first full-length, having just finished high school.”

Everlea are well-prepared for the andPOPandFRIENDS tour, as acoustic songs are already a staple in their repertoire. “I feel like a good song can stand on its own, with just an acoustic and vocals,” says Dube. “You can actually hear the singing, not like when you go to a rock show and you’re being blasted away by guitars.” [Laughs]

Tour Favourites: Crush Luther, Amos the Transparent, The Balconies, Low Level Flight. “I’m excited about everybody on the tour!”

Everlea is performing at all shows on the tour, starting on July 23.

http://www.myspace.com/everlea

Amos the Transparent

Amos the Transparent can do anything. Layered harmonies during dark, up-tempo post-punk? Check. Acoustic folk pop? Check. Full-fledged indie folk rock? Checkmate.

Acoustic is just the next notch in the band’s belt. “I’m really excited for [the tour] because the songs are rooted in folk,” says singer and guitarist Jonathan Chandler. “We get to strip away all the rock antic elements that we bring into them, [like] synths and all that, and perform the songs as they were written in my mind.”

The six-piece group came together in Ottawa as a group of friends (and friends of friends) and released their debut album, Everything I’ve Forgotten To Forget, in 2007. They’ve since released the five-song EP My, What Big Teeth You Have… and are working on their second full-length album.

“People go into endless detail about what there sound is like and how they write songs and the fact of the matter is they’re folk songs and we try to apply inside rock elements to them,” says Chandler. “When you’re recording you get a chance to fine-tweak each song to be exactly what it’s supposed to be and then in the live set we try to tie it all together into an energetic rock fest.”

For the andPOPandFRIENDS tour, Chandler and the band are excited to get back to the folk roots of the songs, and they might even play a few tracks from the upcoming album. “I don’t know what it’s going to be like [with] eight bands playing each night,” says Chandler. “The cool thing is there’s not much changeover, it won’t be too hectic, but it’ll be really interesting.”

Tour Favourites: Fox Jaws, The Balconies. “It’s the ‘andFriends’ tour, and it truly is, it’s a bunch of our friends.”

Amos the Transparent is performing July 23-24, August 5-7, and 12-13.

http://www.myspace.com/amosthetransparent

Crush Luther

Crush Luther is one of the most creative Canadian pop rock bands to emerge in the past five years. In fact, Luther Mallory could write this article himself and do a better job than I.

But it’s the music that counts. So what does Crush Luther sound like? “We tend to just go with pop rock,” says Mallory. “People get what that means enough to know that there won’t be any screaming involved and nobody in our band will be wearing a headband.”

Luther’s not one for comparisons, either. “False expectation is what we don’t want to be doling out to potential fans,” says Mallory. “[For example] ‘We’re like the Beatles mixed with Radiohead.’ OK, best of luck.”

One of their most unique songs is a piece of historical fiction called “The Cools.” It tells the story of a sixteen-year-old kid who rips up his girlfriend’s tickets to see her favourite band so she’ll see him play instead.

“The song is about [guitar player] Matt [Leitch]. He had a gal named Jen at the time,” says Mallory. “The events were made up, however. Both of the other bands mentioned in the song, Grand:PM and Mugshot, were real bands in Toronto that we used to tour with.”

Recently, the band has released a video for their single “28,” which features a young boy mouthing the lyrics in lieu of the band. “Our three-time director, Christopher Walters, wrote the treatment and directed the video with literally no involvement from the band” says Mallory. “You learn who you can rely on in this business and keep those people around.”

The band’s latest album, Some People Have No Good to Give, was released late last year, but the band shows no signs of letting up. “New material is always the focus. Touring is a consequence of the new material,” says Mallory. “I’ve got a solo record in the works and we’re going to be tracking Crush Luther demos this summer between jacuzzi parties and full-time YouTube addictions.”

Tour Favourites: Low Level Flight, Amos the Transparent, Everlea. “We’re playing a few acoustic shows with a bunch of great bands.”

Crush Luther is performing July 23 and 24, and August 12-14.

http://www.myspace.com/crushluther