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.

Olenka Krakus is Polish but has Vancouver ties, having lived and played here for a long time she left a lot of friends here. She was born in Poland but grew up in Canada. Now she resides in London Ontario but she played the Biltmore on a visit to Vancouver with a stellar line up that included members of Aunts and Uncles and Like Animals Again who also played the show. Olenka and the Autumn Lovers formed in early 2008. has a sound that mingles a strong Eastern European influence with elements of North American country and folk music. The band’s diverse instruments (cello, violin, accordion, trumpet, saxophone, lap steel, mandolin and glockenspiel) provide a unique musical backdrop to Olenka’s sophisticated, often narrative, form of songwriting. Influenced by her memories of Communist Poland and by the country’s folklore, Olenka investigates themes of social injustice and personal responsibility, populating her songs with melancholy outcasts from both Polish and Canadian landscapes.

Hailing out of the small village of Dunster, tucked away in the mountains of Canada BC, comes rock/roots folkstress Sasha Lewis. Possessing a powerful range and presence Lewis has honed her distinctive songwriting abilities into a unique style that arises out of her life story. With edgy vocals and thoughtful lyrics, she hits all the right emotions and pulls at the heart strings. Having a strongly developed background within her craft she has attracted a genuine and ever growing fan base of supporters who have followed her since the first strum on her guitar and stroke of her pen.

Janus Metz’s Armadillo might be a tremendous shock to the few innocent souls and simple minds who believe that soldiers from countries like Denmark (or Canada among many others) go to Afghanistan just to distribute candies to hungry children or other aid to families in need.

Playlist for the Planet
David Suzuki wants you to write a song!
The 20th anniversary of the David Suzuki Foundation is coming in September. To celebrate, they are launching Playlist for the Planet, which brings together some of Canada’s finest songwriters and performers

Black & Berardi worked for the next few years on the bands development and songwriting. After countless demos and club dates to fine-tune the material, the band was starting to show results. The music soon became an outlet allowing them to air their views on the social landscape and its changing tides. The sound was also taking on a new shape. Experimental pop textures were infused with timely subject matter, (always with a tongue-in-cheek delivery) yielded refreshing results, such as their first single and video I SHOT THE MONKEY on their self-titled, debut album. Mackenzie First’s music had now evolved into their very own distinct brand. Bassist Julien Bedard and drummer Graham Leduc to completed the quartet when they joined the band.

We started making noises in a concrete basement on the wrong side of the railroad tracks in Victoria, Canada six years ago, and we had a lot of conversations with each other through many songs. Some of these conversations were long and sad and unsure of what they were about. Some of them were many voices talking at once but understanding each other perfectly and saying the same thing in different, unconscious ways; and after this type of conversation we would quietly get into our cars and drive back across the tracks and feel a beautiful buzzing in our heads.

Bullets in Overdrive (f.k.a. KJB Agents and Kid Hevy) have been around since early 2000, playing shows with State of Shock, Art of Dying, and even Hedley at a very young age.

As the band has matured, so has their sound. The band’s creative writing has caught the attention of producer Dan Swinimer, also the drummer for Jet Black Stare. You can find that they range from solid rhythms to delicate harmonies with songs like “Hard to Breathe” and “Strip Away”. With the help from Dan, the band has been able to bring their talent to new levels and more opportunities.

Every Tuesday at 11:30 AM at 101.9 FM or www.citr.ca you can also podcast the show at the station´s website or listen here http://playlist.citr.ca/podcasting/audio/20100105-113627-to-20100105-130706.mp3

Next show The Rekkening and on the 19th Aunts and Uncles playing LIVE! Also next show I will have tickets to give away, I mean cool tix.