Music

The year was 1996. Duncan Sheik's "Barely Breathing" sat on the Billboard Hot 100 charts for a roaring 55 weeks and set his career in the right direction as his debut turned into a certified gold record. Sheik has created a loyal fan base following behind his five studio albums and greatest hits collection.

Royal Wood is ready to claim his seat among Canadian Kings of pop-noire Rufus Wainwright and Hawksley Workman. This multi-instumentalist composed, recorded and produced his most rich and dignified effort yet, A Good Enough Day. The accomplished musician is more than ready to back it up with tour dates this spring.

Some acts let an audience into their world during a live set. They bare themselves, exposing their beauty, talent and insecurities. Some have a story to tell of love, heartbreak joy and misery. Brenley MacEachern and Lisa MacIsaac are one of those acts. They're storytellers looking for willing ears and open hearts.

Until the first tremors hit last month, renowned Canadian rockers Finger Eleven were riding on a low profile, nearly dormant since their last quake in 2003. Now they're back and making noise with their lead single "Paralyzer" from their new release Them Vs.

Springtime my ass! I find it hard to believe that May is just a little over two weeks away. There was a small snowstorm last week for heaven's sake! With that said, Exclaim's Spring Fling tour might have sounded somewhat out of place (seeing as it's freezing), but one of four bands in the line-up, brought in some warmth from the west.

With a clear blue sky, yacht-riddled ocean bay, and countless amounts of breast implants as a visual backdrop, this week's column is being written from the balcony of a luxurious Miami hotel. That's right, M-I-Yayo - a very peculiar place. A lot of really tanned people wearing really tight shirts and drinking really expensive martinis served by a really good-looking bartender.

Inspiration is a funny thing; bizarre, erratic even. It is bewildering how this delectation comes to burn inside an song writer. What fuels them to compose, to conceive? Is this a creative flow of potent supernova juice? A revelation perhaps, transcending from the divine? This timeless inquisition is nothing new.

First and foremost, The Roots show at Metropolis last week was incredible. Having seen them several times before with disappointment, I was skeptical. But this time the performance was all love. On stage for nearly three hours, the legendary Illadelph crew went from playing their own classics to doing a 20-minute blend covering songs from Tribe to Lil Jon.

1. YOU SAY PARTY! WE SAY DIE! - Lose All Time 2. ARCADE FIRE - Neon Bible 3. BLACK LIPS - Los Valientes Del Mundo Nuevo 4. CURSED - blackout the sunrise ep 5. MODEST MOUSE - We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank 6. BESNARD LAKES - The Besnard Lakes Are The Dark Horse 7.

The press is calling Jason Kent familiar and they're right. Kent sounds like a voice you've been acquainted with for years. He is a familiar face that you've seen around the city. In one instant he is a wallflower, the boy next door and in the next, an alluring spark with an audacious smile.

Perhaps it's the bouncing of basketballs that developed Montreal producer Ghislain Poirier's own love for the bounce. But one thing is for sure: his relationship with the sport gave him his first acquaintance with hip-hop. "Hip-hop is the unofficial soundtrack to basketball.