Music

TORONTO (CUP) -- What if your favourite literary characters were real, and they started a rock band? Well, for Harry Potter fans wondering where they can get their next fix of Hogwarts-related goodness, the answer could lie in a little-known craze that has been going on under our noses for some time now: wizard rock.

Music is the art of thinking with sounds. -Jules Combarieu Tuesday, October 2 -Dirty on Purpose, Fujiya & Miyagi @ Lambi -Gary Husband and guests @ Theatre Maisonneuve Wednesday, October 3 -Lily Frost @ Main Hall -Thunderheist @ Coda Club -Magnolia Electric Co.

Jessie Baylin isn't like other girls. She isn't singing about the club scene, being sexy or the thrills and skills she may have to yank a guy's crank. The early twenty something songstress has an old heart, smoky vocals and a rich soulful folk rock sound to match.

Wait! False alarm. Rogers Wireless did revoke its sponsorship of Our Lady Peace drummer Jeremy Taggart's podcast/radio show but the corporation is back on board. It seems that business executives can take a joke after all. The drummer beat on the craze surrounding the Toronto International Film Festival creating unexpected noise and controversy.

WINNIPEG (CUP)--Record labels, especially indie record labels, are going digital, producing digital albums that would not be available in CD format in an attempt to avoid the high costs of manufacturing. It's a positive step for struggling indie bands eager to find greater audiences for their music -- regardless of the fact that it could be dangerous economically given the popularity of file-sharing programs such as Limewire.

TORONTO (CUP) -- "Times they are a-changing." -Bob Dylan As these words cut through the roughly tuned voice of one of the 20th century's most prolific political songwriters, the impact of current mainstream political protest music enters my mind. While the lyrical weight expressed by Bob Dylan and Joan Baez registered with the anti-war, peace-impassioned masses of the 60s and 70s, one must wonder: As we venture further into the 21st century, have these messages lost their capacity for change? The vocalized battle against a particular condition, government or action is nearly universal in scope.

"If I can't sing jazz, then I'd rather not sing!" exclaimed jazz sensation Sophie Milman over the phone lines from Toronto, a place that she calls home. Milman need not explain herself. Her passion for jazz is evident on her album Make Someone Happy. The 24-year-old Russian-born beauty's talent shines on this 13-track CD.

SASKATOON (CUP) -- If you ask the average music-listener what they think of country music, you'll get a handful of fairly standard responses: "It all sounds the same: whiney, uneducated, cheesy, depressing, twang-y." Everyone knows what they hate about country music, but what is it about the genre that draws in millions of people across North America? Dawn Worniuk, country music fan and program director of Saskatoon's FM country station Hot 93 thinks she has an idea.

"I've never known a musician who regretted being one. Whatever deceptions life may have in store for you, music itself is not going to let you down" -Virgil Thompson Tuesday, September 25 -This Quiet Army, Milimetrik, Ulrich Schnauss @ Sala Rossa -Suzanne Vega, Richard Julian @ La Tulipe -Longwave, Robbers on High Street @ Lambi -Ben Harper @ St-Denis Theatre Wednesday, September 26 -Iron & Wine @ Metropolis -Andrew Bird @ La Tulipe -Pierre Bensusan @ Lambi Thursday, September 27 -Fionn Regan @ Cabaret -Thomas Dolby & The Jazz Mafia Horns @ Petit Campus -Soulive @ La Tulipe -Roz Bell @ Metropolis Friday, September 28 -Hot Springs, Miracle Fortress @ Le National September 28 (cont'd) -Portugal, The Man @ Lambi -Jordan Dare, Sinden @ S.

The Misshapes are not misfits when it comes to the art world. The New York based trio (Geordon Nicol, Leigh Lezark and Greg Krelenstein) set up camp in the intersection of art, music and fashion. The Misshapes have hosted events for institutions like the Whitney Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art and for fashion icons Chanel, Calvin Klein and Versace.

There has been much hype surrounding the release of Kanye West and 50 Cent's albums that hit stores Sept. 11. According to Billboard charts, Kanye outsold 50 Cent by 127,000 albums on the first day of release. Both rappers were confident they would outsell the other.

If you're anything like me, you might be more than a little disappointed by the start of the new school year, that all-too-familiar feeling of responsibility that signals the end of everything summer. The Gillette Entertainment Group however, offered us the opportunity to enjoy one last chance at prolonging those summer days of mirth and music in the form of 2007's Osheaga Music and Arts Festival this past weekend.