It won’t come as a surprise for you to know that I’ve never been to a Death Row Records party, but I can imagine what it would have been like. The venerable rap label, started by endlessly incarcerated Suge Knight and hip-hop legend Dr. Dre, played a major role, if not the biggest part, in gangsta rap’s popularity. It’s no secret that guns, drugs and dubious characters played a big role... 

Three days before the Olympics began I had already lost count of how many times I heard I Believe. The song, sung by 16-year-old Montreal phenom Nikki Yanofsky, must have been on three or four times a night, so you can understand, after 11 days of speed skating, hockey and skiing, just how deeply lodged that track (and its equally epic variations) is in my head. We can debate whether or not the... 

With just a couple weeks left in the year, every music fan is likely busy compiling a list of the decade’s best records. But we can’t forget how good 2009 has been. There was Sonic Youth’s infectious The Eternal, La Roux’s electro pop debut, Grizzly Bear’s harmony laden folk on Veckatimst and the list goes on. But five Canadian records really stood out. Not only are these better than many... 

It’s been five years since Melissa Auf der Maur — the Montreal-raised Hole and Smashing Pumpkins bassist — released any solo music. It wasn’t supposed to take this long, there was some music ready to go, but the faltering music industry held her back. “I have literally been busy fighting lawyers and record companies,” she says on the phone from a small town in upstate New York. Basically,... 

Rock Central Plaza is more literate than your average indie act. They’re led by a twice-published author who wrote an entire album about robot horses and their latest effort was inspired by a William Faulkner novel. While Toronto’s vibrant music scene has produced a number of big name indie bands — Broken Social Scene and Feist to name two — you’d be hard pressed to find... 

If there’s any doubt whether or not the Jonas Brothers are still one of the most sought after bands in the world, just look at their travel schedule. “We’re en route to the New York airport, then going to Madrid, then London and then to Texas,” says Kevin Jonas, the oldest member of the musical family. “And then we’re with you guys.” It’s that last stop that thousands of Toronto teens... 

David Silverberg is your typical music fan. The Toronto-based writer buys about seven albums a year and goes to shows every six weeks. Or at least that’s what he did until the recession forced him to take a hard look at how he spends his cash. “I’m definitely buying less music and going to less concerts,” he says. “I can put my money towards more applicable things. Concerts are nice... 

“I’m feeling this depression,” said Montreal and New York-based musician Martha Wainwright in December, before embarking on a Canadian tour. “No one’s buying records anymore; we’ll have to go back to the life of a touring artist in the 30s, where they’d sleep upright on a school bus and go from town to town.” While Wainwright might be joking about the school bus, she’s dead serious...