Photo of The Breeders by Chris Glass To all the slackers who swore they'd go to something CMW this week; to those who aspire to hear some maple-leaf music; and to the die-hard, loyal attendees; we have an announcement—tonight is last call. While a couple shows are saved for Sunday, this is the last full night to take in a few of the 500 artists in town, and what better way to finish it......

When the Polaris Prize gala went down last year, the music-loving public was mostly kept out: only musicians, music industry folk, and media were invited. Those who missed the gala missed not only the awarding of the $20,000 prize to Patrick Watson (who needed the cash because of a $16,000 bill his band just got for crashing a rental car), but also a great show, with six of the nominated acts––Watson, The Besnard Lakes,......

This week Musicologist will be checking out Regina Spektor at the Kool Haus, thanks to the insistence of a friend who pretty much exclusively listens to hip hop. The fact the he loves Spektor means she's gotta be good. It's sold out, but Musicologist never shies away from listing sold out shows—we all know there's always an (expensive) last-ditch way to get in if you're desperate. (Why does that sound dirty? We mean scalpers,......

Steve Jordan, founder of the Polaris Prize, discreetly passes a bottle of Smirnoff to an ecstatic post-victory Patrick Watson. Just before he opened his two-song performance at the Phoenix on Monday tonight as part of the 2007 Polaris Prize gala, Patrick Watson welcomed the crowd of musicians, industry folk, and media to "the battle of the bands." Two-odd hours later, and after quick sets from The Besnard Lakes, Joel Plaskett Emergency, Julie Doiron, Miracle......

This Monday, September 24, the winner of the second-annual Polaris Prize will be announced at a gala event at the Phoenix. There will be stars, musical performances, free food and drink, and, unfortunately, you are probably not invited. Given to the best Canadian album of the past year, and awarded solely on artistic merit, the $20,000 prize is getting handed to someone (probably Feist) at a media and invite-only event. (Torontoist was graciously invited, but......

Photo of Cadence Weapon by David Topping. Earlier this afternoon in the Drake Sky Yard, the shortlist for this year's Polaris Prize was announced. Established by Steve Jordan last year, the $20,000 prize "annually honours, celebrates and rewards creativity and diversity in Canadian recorded music by recognizing, then marketing the albums of the highest artistic integrity, without regard to musical genre, professional affiliation, or sales history, as judged by a panel of selected critics......

It seems pretty appropriate that we just had Groundhog Day, given that we're feeling a little bit like Bill Murray looking at the concert listings this week. Not only is there very little going on, but most of the bands who are playing seem to be here every week (Apostle of Hustle, The Tragically Hip, Hostage Life, Friendly Rich). Thus, we have nothing left to say about them! So if you've already seen these......

It's no wonder why Broken Social Scene are taking a "significant break" right now, aside from appearing at various festivals. It seems that all of the 1233 band members are busy working on their own projects at the moment, including lead guitarist Andrew Whiteman. On February 6th, Whiteman and bandmates are set to release Apostle of Hustle's sophomore album National Anthem of Nowhere on the Arts & Crafts label. To celebrate, the band will......