Let's get the week started right, shall we? ► Buzz Bands LA presents tonight's installment of the Criminal Hygiene residency at the Bootleg Bar, where Moses Campbell, Dirt Dress and the Cigarette Bums support (and Liv Marsico does a DJ set). ► Serena Ryder , the Toronto-based singer behind hit "Stompa" and whose album "Harmony" is en route July 16, headlines the Troubadour. ► Torches roars into Week 2 of their residency at the Echo — tonight will feature Arcade Fire cover songs — supported by Infantree, Radars to [...]

Incoming: The Rolling Stones, KROQ Weenie Roast, Serena Ryder, Motorhead, Sara Bareilles, Bob Schneider, Gold Panda, Devendra Banhart, Andrew McMahon, Matt Costa, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., PAPA, Appleseed Cast, Andy Grammer, Richard Thompson, Buddy Miller & Jim Lauderdale, Seven Saturdays, Ariel Pink, Sonny & the Sunsets, Fabolous, Sea Wolf, Digitalism, Filligar, Big Boi, Quadron, the Black Angels, the Ocean Blue, the Warlocks, Schoolboy Q Above: Danish dance-pop duo Quadron , who count Jay-Z and Adele among their admirers, kick off this year's Saturdays Off the 405 series at the [...]
Filed under: Concerts and Tours , News , Exclusive , Awards CARAS The Juno Awards catch a lot of heat for being too predictable and too mainstream, but this year's slate of nominations -- and several of Saturday and Sunday's wins in Regina, Saskatchewan -- were yet more proof that Canada's Grammys are slowly getting their ear to the ground. Plus, you gotta a love a year in which Nickelback [...]

Ellingson is the the new project from Aaron Ellingson, one third of the Canadian band Young Empires . With this new project he tries out a new side of himself and it sounds really interesting. Really like his take on Bruno Mars' monster hit "Grenade" and how he turns it into something really good. The other remix from Ellingson in this first batch will be his take on Serena Ryder's "Stompa". We also know that a lot of things are in the coming and we will let [...]
We come across new artists each and every day, but are all acts worth making a fuss over? With You Be The Judge, we’re leaving it up to YOU, our readers. Should we keep tabs on these rising artists, leave their tunes behind — or at least let them stew a bit longer before we give them another chance? Serena Ryder might be a new name 'round these parts, but she's not new to the scene. With six studio albums under her belt, the singer-songwriter's already enjoyed plenty of success for [...]
You know there are some weeks there's a lot going on, but for some reason you just aren't feeling it? This is one of those weeks for me. There are plenty of shows, with some big names, but nothing that's inspiring me to leave my family for the night. ...this week: C2C, Apr 8 Jamie Lidell, Apr 8 Bobby Long, Apr 9 The Flatliners w. Joe Pug, Apr 9 Muse w. Biffy Clyro, Apr 9 & 10 The [...]

ONE TO WATCH SXSW 2013 Artist Toronto songstress and Juno Award Winner SERENA RYDER has earned her rabid following in her native Canada. She won her prestigious Best New Artist award in 2008 and it's taken this long for her to truly penetrate the American market. (This fact speaks more to the audience and the prejudice of the American market - than the quality of the material, I think [...]
Harmony may be the "order of the universe" as well as the title of her new album, says Canadian singer and songwriter Serena Ryder , but it's also, she adds, " the merging of symbiotic notes that join together to make the music louder, bigger." If you can wade past the cosmic hyperbole, it's wise just to focus on the "louder, bigger" concept when it comes to Harmony , Ryder's densely packed and diverse new album finally arriving stateside on April 30 via Capitol. The hip-shaking alt/pop and goose-bump inducing vocals are still very [...]

Canadian indie-pop-rocker Serena Ryder is back with a new album that sounds like an extension of her last album- a lot of emoting about the the little things in life. While there appears to be a little more variety in the songwriting department, the lyrical content revolves around relationships and the problems of the human condition. 'Stompa', one of the singles off of the album, is a little misleading. It's much more upbeat, both in terms of the lyrics and the actual tempo. If you're expecting the same vibe or aesthetic to carry through the rest of the [...]
Filed under: News , Exclusive , New Music , New Releases Serena Ryder Facebook Over the last 13 years Serena Ryder has carved out a career as a folk singer-songwriter, which is why our first taste of her new album, Harmony , might be a bit of a shock. Lead single "Stompa" barrels right out of the gates with electrifying guitars and a strut similar to The Black Keys [...]

New in Toronto Music rounds up recently released audio & video from local talent. WE WERE HEADS / TRASH FACTORY / NOVEMBER 30TH You know, I was ahead once but now I feel behind. Somewhat similarly, We Were Heads sound ahead while also sounding behind. What do I mean? Take "You Like the Shop, Pops?" It's fresh, it's cool but it also gestures to that '90s sound that all the kids are going crazy for — again — these days. Am I the only one who enjoys [...]

The new album Harmony is the story of one musician's transformation from gritty no-nonsense rocker into a conservative Adult Contemporary artist. That's the unfortunately trajectory taken by Toronto's Serena Ryder . Well for the course of the first half of the record anyway. Tracks like "What I Wouldn't Do" and "Fall" are blase mid-tempo numbers. They fail to put any focus on Ryder's growled 'don't piss me off' vocals. There's a smoldering intensity to "Call Me" which is completely doused by a needlessly bland drum machine. The strings and strange choice of [...]
Harmony may be the "order of the universe" as well as the title of her new album, says Canadian singer and songwriter Serena Ryder , but it's also, she adds, " the merging of symbiotic notes that join together to make the music louder, bigger." If you can wade past the cosmic hyperbole, it's wise just to focus on the "louder, bigger" concept when it comes to Ryder's densely packed and diverse new album. The hip-shaking alt/pop and goose-bump inducing vocals are still very much on display on Harmony (November 27, EMI Canada) [...]
Harmony , the new album from Canadian rocker Serena Ryder is set to come out on November 27th. You can pre-order the 13-track record now. Watch the lyric video for "Stompa" here:
Filed under: News , Exclusive , Pop Culture , Clash of the Cover Songs , Music Appreciation Band of Horses Facebook It's early afternoon, and Ben Bridwell and Bill Reynolds of Band of Horses are bellied up to the bar of Toronto's Dakota Tavern. With rusty revolvers and steer horns mounted to the barn-board walls, a parlour piano set up on the small stage strung with Christmas lights, and bar [...]
Harmony may be the "order of the universe" as well as the title of her new album, says Canadian singer and songwriter Serena Ryder , but it's also, she adds, " the merging of symbiotic notes that join together to make the music louder, bigger." If you can wade past the cosmic hyperbole, it's wise just to focus on the "louder, bigger" concept when it comes to Ryder's densely packed and diverse new album. The hip-shaking alt/pop and goose-bump inducing vocals are still very much on display on Harmony (November 13, EMI Canada) [...]
A long time ago in our galaxy I used to create monthly lists that I referred to as Best of the Month (BOTM). Along the way life became more filled and music gathering, curating, and dissemination became more and more pushed to the periphary. Today as I was cleaning up a personal hard drive I stumbled upon these tracks that at some point I thought worthy of being shared. So I'll just dump them here (mostly so I can empty that folder from the drive). Enjoy the music. mp3 : Cee Lo - Radioactive (Kings [...]
Filed under: Concerts and Tours , News , Exclusive YouTube (2) | Getty Images When recent Peterborough Collegiate and Vocational School graduates Kate Macdonald, 21, and Janelle Blanchard, 18, started covering some of their favourite songs and posting them to YouTube their main concern was getting attention to save the 184-year-old arts-focused Ontario school that's been slated for closure. What they weren't expecting was to find an ally in Neko Case [...]

Sunday was the last day for the Ottawa Folk Festival . The weather changed from hot to cold due to the incoming of Hurricane Irene. Luckily it didn't hit Ottawa but gutted parts of the USA. Mostly it was cool and windy. People braved the weather and came out to the workshops that happened at the festival. The workshops I attended were: Intro to Harmonica Cigar Box Guitar [...]