Music

With Cassandra Ford's powerhouse vocals (reminiscent of an early Gwen Stefani and Save Ferris' Monique Powell) backed by the Kirkham brothers (Robbie on guitar, Chris on bass and Anthony on drums), together The Vincent Black Shadow is packing a punch with their debut album Fears in the Water.

Canadian heavy metal band 3 Inches of Blood's guitarist Shane Clark discusses a haunting rumour surrounding the bands latest album Fire up the Blades, heavy metal in the horror genre, his top five horror flick picks, and the Boogeyman. There is a rumour that your engineer saw a ghost in the studio while you were recording your latest album Fire Up the Blades.

Burlington, Ontario's punk/hellbilly foursome The Creepshow are known for their sing-along horror film/Halloween themed and inspired music. For those who missed their Halloween party at Foufounes Electriques last Saturday, guitarist/vocalist Sarah "Sin" Blackwood sets the mood with her Halloween essentials list and shares a personal nightmare.

The world of commercial music is cut-throat at best, and the chances of getting signed to a record deal for any band are slim-to-none. As a result, countless musicians have resorted to various self-promotion tactics, ranging from the straightforward, like having an attractive singer, to the downright weird, like cutting your body with broken glass (look up the name GG Allin: I promise you'll waste a whole afternoon finding out about the biggest nutcase rock has ever spawned).

Perry Farrell is justifably one of the godfathers of alternative rock. Farrell rose to fame in the mid-80s as frontman of Jane's Addiction and Porno for Pyros. He is also one of the founders of Lollapalooza. Over twenty years later Farrell formed another band, Satellite Party, and still has a relevant reigning position in today's music scene.

Ska/punk has been neglected for the past few years and here to bring back this fabulously up tempo and vigorous musical style are The Johnstones. The members, Ryan Long on drums and vocals, Jarek Hardy on guitar and vocals, Brent Marks on bass, Julian Warmé on trombone, and Rene Gillezeau on lead guitar, trumpet and MC, have been playing together for years.

Finger Eleven has been keeping it tight since 1995. The acclaimed rock quintet joined forces with Sum 41 and is currently on the appropriately named Strength in Numbers Tour. Finger Eleven vocalist Scott Anderson talks success and strength in numbers. How did two small words like finger and eleven come to have such colossal meaning? When we were looking for a name we were already in the studio working on our first record.

Cutting edge indie music might not be the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of Griffintown, but in the midst of this forgotten industrial neighborhood exists a hidden oasis of artistic creativity, Friendship Cove. Founded by musician Graham Van Pelt (Miracle Fortress, Think About Life) and artist Jack Dylan, the Friendship Cove has been host to some of the most interesting music in the city, having put on dozens of shows for bands and artists ranging from experimental synth-noise to whimsical folk pop.

It's Wednesday night and the Barfly on St. Laurent is packed. The crowd is mostly in their twenties. They dance, and cheer wildly between, and sometimes during, songs. But this isn't the latest indie band to come out of the Plateau. Instead it's something completely different.

"The guitar is just a wonderful instrument, it's everything: a bartender, a psychiatrist, a housewife. It's everything, but it's elusive." - Les Paul Tues., Oct. 23 -Johnossi, Nico Vega, Shout Out Louds @ Le National Wed., Oct. 24 -Balzac, Misfits @ Club Soda -Jesu, Tim Hecker, Torche @ Sala Rossa -August Burns Red, Darkest Hour @ Le National -Robbie Tucker, The Darling Demaes, Minagemini @ The Pound -Nicky Click @ Zoobizzare Thurs.

Four years may not be a long time, but in the world of electronic music it's an eternity. "If we were a rock band, I think you could say it's brief," said Xavier de Rosnay, in a thick Parisian accent. De Rosnay and Gaspard Augé form the French electro duo Justice.

Scott Normandy's first solo effort My Future My Past has everything going for it. The 11 track album is packed with honest lyrics and catchy hook choruses tightly wrapped in pristine pop/rock folk. Just think John Mayer minus the ego. "I put my heart and soul into each song.