Canada

Spoon @ Oya Festival 2007 (more photos) The annual Øya Festival is happening August 11th-15th in Oslo. If you can’t get from NYC to Norway, don’t worry — its lineup includes many bands that will or have recently played in the NYC area…

“This is an epic time for Metric! has achieved Gold status in Canada within the first few weeks of its release and it is thanks to the incredible support of our loyal fans…

Malajube @ Oya Fest 2007 (more photos)English Canada isn’t exactly a model of tolerance when it comes to franco-pop, but here the intricate pop of was taken to heart by a nation’s worth of critics and indie-rock fans, scoring Malajube a nomination on the first-ever shortlist for the Polaris Music Prize later that year…

“It’s not just a clever name. Slim Twig is also a comically accurate description of this emerging rocker’s appearance — tall and gaunt, with a jet black pompadour, pencil-thin moustache, starched-white button-down shirt and tight black pants, the avant-crooner carries himself like Tim Burton’s idea of a Nashville star…

DOWNLOAD: Shad – I Don’t Like To (MP3) “…Shad‘s a far better rapper than Kanye West.” A last minute addition to the BrooklynVegan party at Pianos during CMJ 2008, rapper Shad was one of that hazy day’s highlights and a definite crowd pleaser…

Smashing Pumpkins @ United Palace (more by Chris La Putt)Ticketmaster Entertainment Inc was hit with a C$500 million ($410 million) lawsuit in Canada on Monday, alleging the company broke the law by reselling tickets at inflated prices…

people watching Holy Fuck DJ @ Lollapalooza 2008 The Canadian music press is aflutter with the news that the conservative-led government cut off funding to a program designed to promote Canadian music abroad…

Miracle Fortress @ the 2007 Polaris Awards (CRED) Miracle Fortress, Sunset Rubdown, Basia Bulat, Handsome Furs, The Acorn, The Besnard Lakes, Tokyo Police Club, Patrick Watson, The Weakerthans, Land of Talk and Neil Young are among the list of 33 hot Canadian bands this year…

The 2007 Canadian Polaris Music Prize winner will be announced on September 24, 2007. Canadian resident BrooklynVegan Mike discusses the nominees, and who he thinks might walk away with the monetary prize…