Don’t miss Ben Wilkins playing LIVE on The Morning After Show on December 27th at 11:30 AM on 101.9 FM www.citr.ca
But this credo stuck with Ben Wilkins, and provided influence for what will surely be one of the most remarkable debut albums of 2011. His self-titled full-length utilizes his vast array of influences and experience, creating a timeless and incredibly flushed-out debut that brings to mind the ‘70’s, a time when grand and orchestrated pop music was celebrated.

Distorted guitars, sauntering and reverberating bass, tunes are just-barely containing an explosive amount of energy underneath itself – and that tension is nothing less than thrilling.

Redrick Sultan’s live show is an intensely high energy affair. Their music combines catchy melodies with intricate arrangements, avante-noise with beautiful party grooves, and all the while keeping each show unique with an intuitive improvisation that grew organically from 9 years of playing with each other. With an over-riding sense of musical exploration and adventure, Redrick Sultan is a band that keeps you on your toes.

Is it safe to dance? You bet it is. For the first time in 2 decades Montreal’s New Wave Group Men Without Hats are going on tour in Canada. The group that brought us such iconic hits as The Safety Dance and Pop Goes The World will kick off the “Dance If You Want Tour” in Victoria on May 6th and then make their way through the Rockies for six not to be missed shows. More Canadian dates to be announced soon. The 1980’s group led by original member Ivan Doroschuk reformed in 2010 to perform at Rifflandia and then blew the socks off of their Club Deville SXSW showcase this past March to rave reviews.

Christopher Mansfield is Fences. Don’t let the brevity of that sentence deceive you; it contains universes

Paolo Brian and The Steamclocks are releasing their first full length album Blue & Gold on March 31st. This group formed in 2009 when Paolo wrote and presented a few songs to some talented musicians and friends Alex, Dan and Mike thus forming the Steamclocks. With Influences like The Beach Boys, Paul Mc Cartney and Paul Simon, Paolo writes warm lyrics and creates these pop rhythms that makes you feel good.

On the surface of their current record (about which Grassia and Azzolini say is their best work), one can easily hear the classic ‘Golden Dog’ sound and feel the familiar frantic bop and bounce that has always been their calling card.

Well well well, we The Planes here by cancel our rock membership and resign as The New Normal. It all started a while back, we used to be a 5 piece with Graham on keys then for really really good reasons he had to leave. We kept rocking under the name The Planes for the next year and loved and lost Chris on bass and had him replaced with a cooler guy named Brad.

A highly collaborative atmosphere is what brings Hands & Teeth’s artful fusion of pop, classical composition, angular guitar rock, lush vocal arrangements and inventive rhythms to life.

“Doing music professionally was never the plan, but I love to sing. I went to University, got a degree, got a job, and I still felt incomplete. I started singing at open mics, and soon other artists asked me to sing harmony for them. Then I started writing, picked up a guitar, and soon enough I was performing my own songs. The market is packed with people like me so it’s a gamble, and mother culture keeps ticking so what do I really want to do? This road is intimidating on the best of days, but it’s my dream job, and there’s so much satisfaction when I remember how lucky I am to be doing my dream job. This is my gift and hopefully my inspiration to others.”

A colorful art-rock pop explosion tied together with infectious melodies and harmonies. Pushing the boundaries of the pop genre with conviction and bold intensity

Kieran Strange is a pop-rock artist, originally from southern England, who has travelled to Canada to record her first demo and EP. Her passion to bring a message of self-acceptance through music is apparent in how she communicates with her fans, always encouraging them to share their talents with the world via YouTube just like she has done. “So many people tore me down and said I’d never make anything of myself, never succeed in music, and I’ll be damned if I’m ever gonna let anyone else feel that way,” she says, of the way she supports her fans and other musicians like her.

A three piece dream pop act from British Columbia, Canada

Hailing from Vancouver, Canada, Clockmakers take the melodic pop of Canadian bands such as The Stills and Tokyo Police Club, add the toe-tapping dance floor appeal of synth-heavy artists like Passion Pit and Julian Casablancas, and stir in the ambience of European groups such as Radiohead and Mew.

As was noted by one reviewer at music website Ronatron.net, Clockmakers “have the potential to be the next indie-darlings of the Vancouver music scene.”

The band released their self-titled debut EP in June 2010. From the spirited rush of “On The Lake” to the moody atmospherics of “A Portrait of Ourselves as Ghosts”, the disc finds Clockmakers toying with elements of indie pop, shoegaze, and more, topping it off with reverb-laden vocals reminiscent of indie favorites Fleet Foxes and Grizzly Bear.

The band is based in Vancouver, BC, Canada, but their music has been played, downloaded and sold throughout the world, particularly overseas in mainland Europe and the United Kingdom. Their style is described as Classic Rock / Pop / Psychedelic. The band has had some good reviews in the past.”Lonely Fool” was released as a single, and then included on their 2004 debut release “The First One”, which went on to win the “2005 Best Album” award from the International On-Line Music Awards an award it received after over 15,000 ballots were cast.