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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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. ...

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 ...