It is entirely possible that The Mark Inside’s new EP False Flag may never have seen the light of day. Myself and the rest of the band—Geoff Bennett, Gus Harris, and Reade Ollivier—have had to struggle a long time to get this out to you and to get where we are today. But I think we’ve come out the other side stronger, self-possessed artists (yes I am willing to label ourselves as such) content to live and die by our collective sword. We have lived this music inside and out and mean every word, beat and note of it.

Since 2008, The Ultimatemost High have been cruising around the golden horseshoe giving club goers a crash course in savage rock ‘n’ roll.

Modernboys Moderngirls are either punk rockers who play soul music or soul musicians who play punk rock. nfluenced by the likes of Elvis Costello & The Attractions, the New York Dolls, Otis Redding and crates upon crates of classic soul and punk records, Modernboys Moderngirls are a 21st century garage soul band.

In the fall of 2009, they released their self-produced debut, ten song album, I Might As Well Break It.

In the line of indie pop bands from the east like Metric or Feist, Stars delivers beautifully crafted songs.

Craig Smith possesses a warmth and honesty that permeates everything he touches, everyone he meets, every song he sings.

I guess fast folk is a good definition because you can see Ripper’s love for punk in his modern folk rock. He has been a solo artist for a long time and as a one man band he has achieved some success all around the country leaving many friends on the way. Eugene Ripper comes often to Vancouver to play and in this occasion he will be joined by Carmen Country and Lizard Jamboree. The Fast Folk Underground is coming to Vancouver to the Railway Club this Tuesday 28th. I am going to be there so you better buy me a beer.

Although he learned piano, guitar, and saxophone at a young age, John O (as his friends call him) was more into playing dress-up with his cousin Lisa while dreaming of a life beyond the Toronto suburbs where he was born. Of course, being the only kid on the block that wanted to pair a ballerina tutu from the tickle trunk with hockey gloves didn’t always make things easy. As he explains, “when I was in high school I never really identified with that macho jock attitude but because I played on the basketball team I couldn’t hang with the goths and punks either. Let’s just say I spent alot of time alone trying to figure myself out.”

I met Jimmy Hayes from Harlan Pepper at 88.1 FM CKLN in Toronto just last week. He was fresh off a bus from a show.

Wildlife is a power pop band with strong elements of rock and soul. I just found out about these guys and while I don’t know much about them, I am kind of hooked on their MySpace page right now. I think I’m going to have to buy their debut album “Strike Hard, Young Diamond” which went up on itunes yesterday.

In April 2009 Graydon James had a band, but no album. By August, he had an album but no band. He also had a two-week east coast tour booked, culminating in a CD release show in his home base of Toronto. The fledgling singer-songwriter, who released his debut solo EP in 2007, had spent the past three months arranging and recording his sophomore release: a harmony-driven, roots-based, hyphen-inducing double-album of 40 songs titled “goodnight, young novelist” that tackled heartache, small towns, Canadian fame, and dropkicks with equal aplomb. Now, looking down the double-barrel of a CD release tour, he needed a band to bring the recording to life.

The Schomberg Fair’s music grapples with the inclination to destroy oneself, the desire to be saved, and the hope of better things ahead. The band itself was born out of the near destruction of the musical ambitions of lead singer, guitarist/banjo and primary songwriter Matt Bahen. At 24, Bahen cut off all of the fingers from his left hand in a work accident, and had them reattached. While recuperating, he reconnected with high school friend Nathan Sidon, and the two bonded over their mutual appreciation of pre-war blues. It was as Bahen regained movement in his digits, and with the addition of drummer Pete Garthside’s thunderous beat and high lonesome vocals harmonies that The Schomberg Fair was born resulting in electrifying music and performances that breathe new life into Rock, Gospel and Roots music.

Having received accolades from Rolling Stone, My Bloody Valentine, and NASA’s mission control, transatlantic space-rock orchestra The Flowers Of Hell release their third album, “O”, through Optical Sounds via Outside Music on November 16. The release is a 45 minute classical-meets-shoegaze track that comes on a double-sided CD/DVD, with a regular stereo mix on the CD side and a 5.1 surround sound mix on the DVD side, along with a live concert film and various special features.

The band was formed in 1999 and independently produced and recorded their first two albums, Nothing and Nowhere and Violet. Through both of these high-demand releases, as well as their highly acclaimed and beautifully atmospheric website, the band obtained a large and loyal fan base throughout the world. Due to their independent success, in 2005 they were approached by European record label Repo Records (followed shortly by Metropolis Records in North America) and the band began its steady climb to reaching a much wider audience with the 2007 release of the acclaimed and wildly popular Walking With Strangers.

The Caretakers music speaks to your heart and mind. They are the real thing. Not packaged. And that’s probably what’s so appealing about them.

The Strumbellas have been blowing the doors off of clubs and festival stages across Southern Ontario.