Spygirl plays lush, melodic, elegant, and dark pop/rock. If Spygirl were a martini, they’d be equal parts sonic assault, naked duets and lush harmonies with a dash of drum & bass, and garnished with a twist of Canadiana - shaken vigorously, of course. If Spygirl were an outfit, you’d look geek-slick, full in all the right places and your ass would look hot.

Spygirl recently completed their second full-length album, pieces of evidence, slated for national release March 2008.

Spygirl was overjoyed to work once again with favourite musical wizard Tom Rothrock, who mixed a few songs on their 2000 self-titled debut. This time he came on board as Producer in full. Mr. Rothrock (who has also created records with some of popular music’s great recent innovators such as Beck, Elliott Smith, Elbow, Sloan, Badly Drawn Boy and James Blunt) helped the band create a spontaneous, relaxed and raw recording, due in part to his laid back mix of confidence, spontaneity, knowledge and love of music, and in part to recording much of the album live off the floor. The result is a group of songs that belong together, sharing a landscape that is lush, melodic, elegant and dark.

This is the band’s 12th year. The Vancouver-based 6 piece group was born out of a musical bond between founders Koralee Tonack (lead vocals, guitar) and Jane Gowan (trumpet, keyboards). The two initially formed Time Waits - the acoustically charming mother of today’s luscious pop child. The group included Jon Roper (guitar), performing mostly original songs written by Gowan. Several recordings were released on cassette. Now those are hidden away in boxes...somewhere. Eventually James Ong (keyboards) and Eduardo Ottoni (drums) joined, and with a fuller sound developing, the band released their debut CD entitled This Thin Disguise.

A collective desire to streamline the sound resulted in a less acoustic, more pop/rock sound. The viola da gamba and accordion, previously played by Ong and Gowan respectively, were abandoned in favour of keyboards, fender rhodes and trumpet. By this time other band members had begun contributing to the songwriting, creating excitement and freshness. As the direction of the music changed, so did the name, and the band’s self-titled debut (informally known as The Yellow Album) was recorded just as the transformation to Spygirl took place. The disc was nominated for a West Coast Music Award and also gained much positive media attention.

In 2005 Al MacInnes (bass) joined the band to add substance to the style. Now with a full line-up to carry the tunes, Spygirl released a 5-song EP as a precursor to the full-length album in August, 2005. The songs on this disc are homages to the band’s constant quest for the perfect pop epic. All the tracks from this disc were re-recorded on pieces of evidence.

Spygirl has toured in Canada and the UK, and plans to be out on the road again in early 2008 to support the new album.

•  Powerful voice. Melancholic sounds.
•  Hauntingly powerful
•  honey and sugar

Vancouver’s Whitfield recently completed their new album entitled “Well Behaved & Working For You”. The album was recorded over 2 intense weeks with producers The Glitter Twins at Oregon City’s Supernatural Sound, one of the most reputable studios in the North West. A handful of advance copies generated extraordinary reviews and interest in the group, and the CD release event was sold-out before the band hit the stage.

In the last few months, Whitfield has won ‘Best Pop/Rock Song’ at the 2006 Independent Music Awards (International), ‘Best of The Fest’ award at NewMusicWest 2006, ‘Peoples Choice’ award at Toronto Indie Week, and the ‘Best Alternative Group’ at the Toronto Independent Music Awards. The band also supported British multi-platinum group Athlete last year at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver.

Originally from the UK, singer Jobie Mallett united with drummer Sam Bastedo and bassist Josh McCulloch in Kamloops, BC. The trio then relocated to Vancouver where they found guitarist Jordan Irwin to complete the lineup. Since moving to Vancouver two years ago, Whitfield has exploded from modest beginnings into an act of international calibre.

•  hotness
•  Wow, nice.
•  If you love coldplay....
•  really reminds me of coldplay!
•  Polished sound

Plunkett: an English boy and an Italian girl.
Both Ian and Lara had a love for music from a very early age.
After studying music at Rome, writing and recording with the ambient project Ex Machina and alternative electro pop group Otero, Lara became a partner and A&R of the Dune Records, an independent italian label based in Florence.
Ian had always played in bands and after finally finding like minded musicians the electro pop/rock band ‘Pukromo' was born. In late 1999 Pukromo signed to Dune Records recording their debut album ‘Promise Me Kill Me' during 2000.
Life’s funny sometimes and although the label and band folded, Ian and Lara got together.
Frustrated by the mechanisms and ties of the music biz and tired of their ‘electronic’ past, they focused on their emotions, on themselves. Without any thought or the pressure of trying be anything other than that. Themselves.
In 2006 their debut album ’14 Days’ was released. An acoustic orientated, intimate album of alternative contemporary folk rock. The album received an unexpected critic and listener's acclaim through the internet leading them to being featured artists on some of the most important independent music sites throughout the world. Many of the songs have also since been used in two American independent films: Dave's Date (Forbidden Foot) by Natasha Guruleva (Accent Works) and A Hell Shared by Karl Rose (Current Production).
2008 sees the release of Plunkett’s second album ‘Folk Songs’. Contrasting its predecessor, although still remaining alternative contemporary folk rock, the sound and feeling of the album is much more direct with as much emphasis on the lyrics as on the music.

With a desire to only write songs and move people, Plunkett choose to remain independent artists and work outside of the mainstream music business.

Plunkett make Independent music for independent minds.

To know more about Plunkett and their upcoming releases visit their website www.plunkett-music.com.

•  Short and Sweet.
•  Simon and Garfunkle Like
• cool river

John Holowach started with music after he received Rob Dougan's Furious Angels and listened to both discs through and through. He remixed all the tracks on it and put together a remix album of it. Dougan has said that he likes all the remixes, and is flattered.

He debuted his first solo album, A Basement Of Broken Dreams online in January of 2005, and it hit hard. His work has been featured all over the internet in podcasts, vlogs, music features, and elsewhere. He has also been used for a story on Current.TV and in several documentary and narrative films (both feature and short).

Holowach remixes on and off now, but he is more prolific with his original music. He is a samplist, which means he takes clips from other tracks, songs, and sounds (mostly Creative Commons-licensed) and creates something new from them. Most of his albums can be found on the Internet Archive, and his most recent effort, Fallen Angel, is available on Audiobubble.

He is also a founding (and former) member of the international Creative Commons band Tryad.

•  cool beats
•  cool mellow
•  Strong Message/Tight beat...