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Lonny Knapp

Contributor

Lonny Knapp is freelance writer and musician with a serious cycling problem. When not coaxing sentences onto a blank Word document, Lonny might be found picking tunes on his mandolin in a partied-out Queen West kitchen. www.lonnyknapp.com

Most Recent Post:
Dave Bidini: Rheostatics Icon Chases Gordon Lightfoot, Lands 'In the Rock Hall'
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Dave Bidini: Rheostatics Icon Chases Gordon Lightfoot, Lands 'In the Rock Hall'

Courtesy of Pheromone Recordings Rock music and literature usually inhabit separate ends of the arts and culture spectrum but Dave Bidini, founding member of seminal Canadian art-rock outfit the Rheostatics and current leader of the Bidiniband, is determined to bridge both worlds. The musician has authored 10 books -- including 'On a Cold ...

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Leonard Cohen: 'Old Ideas' Icon Celebrated by Rufus Wainwright and Others

Joel Sage, AFP/Getty Images If a cover is the highest compliment one songwriter can bestow upon another, then few songwriters command as much respect as Leonard Cohen. It seems like thousands of artists have interpreted his work, especially his signature late-career song 'Hallelujah' which Cohen once told the CBC could use "a break." With ...

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Jason Collett Heads Back to the Basement for His Annual Holiday Revue

M Barnes On stage, Broken Social Scene alumnus Jason Collett watches apprehensively as Canadian celebrity chef Michael P. Clive mixes brown sugar, nutmeg, sliced bananas, and a generous helping of rum in a sizzling saucepan. Moments later, he sets flame to the concoction generating a spectacular fireball. "Does anyone else smell burning ...

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Meaghan Smith Is Wishing for a 'Christmas Kiss' This Holiday Season

Nettwerk Records On stage at the Rivoli, a tiny club on Toronto's hip Queen St. strip, Halifax, NS, singer-songwriter Meaghan Smith does her best to inject Yuletide spirit into a room full of big-city hipsters. With only a single guitarist as accompaniment, Smith -- looking more Zooey Deschanel than Mrs. Claus in her high black boots and ...

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Broken Social Scene + Stills Refugees Hit the 'Refresh Button' With Eight and a Half

Arts & Crafts While killing pints at a cozy pub in Toronto's funky Kensington Market, Broken Social Scene drummer Justin Peroff reveals a bumper sticker slogan he thought up while touring with the storied indie rock collective. "I wanted to get one that said, 'My other band is a trio,'" he jokes with Spinner's RPM. At some point, it ...

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Gym Class Heroes Bounce Back After Singer Travie McCoy's Stomach Infection

Kevork Djansezian, AMA2011 This October, Gym Class Heroes cancelled their North American tour explaining that an undisclosed illness had sidelined singer Travie McCoy. Now, drummer and co-founder Matt McGinley reveals a combination of a persistent virus and a grueling tour schedule forced the hip-hop-inspired rock group to blow out the shows. ...

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William Shatner Goes Where No Man (Except David Bowie) Has Gone Before

Smith, Newspix/Rex Features Moments before William Shatner takes the stage at Toronto's Massey Hall, a large video screen flickers to life. Shatner, alone in a white room, sings 'O' Canada' in a way that only he can. Deadpan yet sincere, Shatner re-imagines Canada's national anthem as a politically-correct soliloquy while an off-screen ...

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