Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright (born 22 July 1973) is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter. Wainwright was born in Rhinebeck, New York, USA, to folk singers Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle (they divorced while he was a child). He began to play the piano at age six, and by age thirteen he was touring with his sister Martha Wainwright, mother Kate, and aunt Anna as the McGarrigle Sisters and Family.
Austra is an electronic band from Toronto, ON, Canada comprising Katie Stelmanis (principal songwriter), Maya Postepski, and Dorian Wolf. They débuted with the single "The Beat And The Pulse" (November 2010, One Big Silence), and their latest release is the remix album "Sparkle" (July 2011, Domino) . Their début album album, "Feel It Break" (May 2011, Domino), came after a long sequence of bands for Stelmanis, representing a near ten year musical progression performing as an artist, then fleshed-out by a full band.
Imaginary Cities are Rusty Matyas and Marti Sarbit. It all started at The Cavern. Winnipeg is known as the “Heart of the Continent.” In this beating heart on the prairies, there is always new music being made: in its clubs and basements, and in between work and life. Imaginary Cities was born in a club called The Cavern, in between sets. Their debut album, Temporary Resident, has been nominated for the 2011 Polaris Prize Longlist, and they have been gaining fans around the world for their renowned live performances, including a stint opening for the Pixies across North America.
Sam Roberts is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, based in Montreal, Quebec. His 2001 debut release, The Inhuman Condition became one of the bestselling independent releases in Quebec and Canadian music history. Born in Pointe-Claire, Quebec, he attended Loyola High School and McGill University. Roberts formed the band William in 1993. The band's name was changed to Northstar in 1996. Although the band gained some notice in independent rock circles, they couldn't break through to a national audience, and broke up in the late 1990s.
Owen Pallett (born Michael James Owen Pallett-Plowright, on September 7, 1979) is a violinist and singer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and winner of the inaugural Polaris Music Prize. On December 18th, 2009, Pallett announced that he would be retiring his old artist name, Final Fantasy, and would be henceforth releasing his material under his own name. Previous albums released under the Final Fantasy name are planned to be re-packaged and re-released under the new name of Owen Pallett.
3 Inches of Blood was formed in 2000 in Vancouver, Canada. Initially playing straight, eighties' style heavy metal in the vein of bands such as Running Wild and Judas Priest, before the addition of heavy vocalist Cam Pipes and the recording of their debut album Battlecry Under a Winter Sun in 2002 on the Teenage Rampage label. This release went by almost unnoticed until the band's UK distribution label decided to put them on as a support slot for a tour with platinum rock band The Darkness.
Think About Life have been causing panic on Montreal dance floors since just a little before they were personally invited by Wolf Parade (Sub Pop) to be their support act during last year’s North American autumn tour. Montreal’s best-kept secret is now coming out… on record.
There are at least two artists with this name. 1) A Canadian multi-talented musician / producer (born Jason Charles Beck, aka Chilly Gonzales), known for his MC & electro albums (i.e. "The Entertainist" & "Presidential Suite".), plus his comical live shows. He is able to play the piano, guitar, bass, drums & various brass instruments. In the 1990s, he was the leader of the alternative rock band Son before embarking on his solo career. Early in his solo career, he toured with Peaches (Merill Nisker) and the press nicknamed them the "Bonnie and Clyde of prankster rap.
Drawing on influences from old-time jazz standards, folk balladry and traditional country, Halifax Nova Scotia’s Jill Barber has become one of Canada’s most distinctive young voices. Jill is gaining acclaim and radio play for her new 2008 album " Chances" and her status as a 2008 double-Juno nominee and multiple East Coast Music Award winner for previous releases "For all Time" (2006) and "Oh Heart" (2004).
Amelia Curran is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She was born in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador and currently lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The National Post describes her music as “a bit like Leonard Cohen being channeled in a dusty saloon by Patsy Cline.” Curran started playing guitar and writing songs as a teenager and eventually dropped out of university in order to busk on the streets of St. John’s. That led to her first album release in 2000, and since then she has released four more.