At age fourteen, Faber’s dad bought him a drum kit, which Faber promised to practice on every day. “Coming from a family of seven kids, this was a huge deal,” he remembers, “seeing as how my dad could barely even afford to feed us.” Faber may not have kept his promise, but that’s because he put down the drumsticks to become front man and founding member of Faber Drive, one of Canada’s hottest young bands. After beating out more than 500 other artists from across Canada to take first place in a radio competition, Faber Drive started opening for notable acts such as Nickelback, Simple Plan and Hedley. With the release of their pop-punk infused debut album Seven Second Surgery, Faber Drive hit 1 on Much Music, saw 3 top 10-radio singles and was nominated for the Juno award for Best New Artist in 2008.

When Faber Drive decided to submit a song to Vancouver radio station 99.3 The Fox's battle of the bands last year, their goal wasn't to win the contest. They weren't even sure they were good enough to enter. In fact, when front man Faber brought his band's CD to the station on the deadline day for submissions, he came close to giving up and going back home. "I actually got back in my car and pulled away," he says. "Then I decided to go back, so I turned the car around and I got up in the office just before it closed and handed in the disc."

It was the best move of the band's career. The station chose the song, "Sex and Love," as one of the 20 best submissions out of more than 500, then played the song on the radio in a head to head contest against the other qualifiers. Soon, Faber Drive (then called simply Faber) were in the top 10, and, after live competitions at local clubs, they won 1st place and were voted the best band in Vancouver.

The Latency is the newest breed of band that will make you stand up and notice with blistering riffs and soaring melodies. Hailing from Maple Ridge BC, the Latency was formed two years ago when guitarist Ryan Stead and bass player Matthew Gendron met singer/guitarist Brandon Lehti at a local show that featured each of their respective bands on the bill. With all but one of the members just turned 18, they display a maturity and technicality well beyond their years.

The Latency's long awaited debut EP "CHOMP!!" was released on July 1st, 2008, followed by a two week supporting slot with Universal Records Recording Artists Hedley. Produced by Tommy Mac from Hedley, the album is the culmination of months of collaboration and writing.

Singer/guitarist Brandon Lehti brings melody to the madness with pop-infused vocal hooks over hard and heavy riffs. Guitarist Ryan Stead balances out the pop with metal infused riffs and technicality, while bass player Matthew Gendron locks down the low end. Jonny Wiebe, drummer extraordinaire, is the newest member.

The goal of the band is to make music that inspires and connects with their audience in the same way that music has inspired and connected with them. This is especially relevant as Brandon and Ryan both come from broken homes, where music was and still is their means of escaping the turmoil and expressing the emotions that threaten to tear them apart, all while maintaining a positive attitude and a sense of hope. Their hope is that those in similar situations can identify and that Brandon and Ryan's experiences can provide a sense of hope to those in similar situations. It is this raw honesty and emotion that allows them to form such a deep connection with their fans. Brandon's lyrics also range from intensely personal meditations on heartache and loss to more universal themes about who we are, what our place is in the world today and the importance of being aware of the state of the world today. "The ultimate honor would be if someone listens to a Latency song, and is inspired to make a positive change in their life."

The Grammy Award winning, Platinum-album selling, New Jersey super-group, Naughty By Nature, has nearly a twenty-year track record of creating the hits and party anthems that have become the soundtrack to our lives. Their music has smashed through mainstream barriers all while remaining true to the sound, message and grit of the hood. And now, these three kings of the HipHop anthem have formally claimed their titles and named their forthcoming reunion album, “Anthem Inc.” in celebration.

Few groups in music can boast a near twenty-year career that has been both consistent and history making. Naughty By Nature, the Grammy and American Music Award winning rap trio, initially called “New Style”, began performing at talent shows and were discovered by fellow New Jersey native and then-emerging HipHop artist, Queen Latifah. Eventually signing the group to her management company “Flavor Unit Management”, Latifah helped them land a deal with Tommy Boy Records.

Naughty By Nature’s self-titled debut album was released in 1991 and quickly assaulted the music charts with the instant classic #1 hit “O.P.P.”. The group quickly became crossover stars, while maintaining their ghetto sensibility. To date, their success and longevity as a HipHop group has been unparalleled. These three “Kings of The HipHop Anthem” went on to produce their follow-up albums that have become part of America’s HipHop legacy: “19 Naughty III”, “Poverty’s Paradise“ and “Nature’s Fury”.

As the marketing genius behind the group, Vin Rock developed Naughty Gear, one of the first HipHop inspired clothing lines. When he got a hold of the worldwide web, he mastered it with www.NaughtyByNature.com, further developing and expanding the reach of the Naughty brand. Throughout this time, Treach and Vin Rock continued to tour and perform around the world. In 2002, the duo struck a deal with TVT Records and produced their last album, IIcons.
Fast forward to 2008… After years of steady touring and itching to get back in the studio, both Treach and Vin agreed, that in order for the next album to have that authentic sound and feel of Naughty By Nature, they must reunite with DJ Kay Gee. At this same time, VH1 bestowed their coveted “HipHop Honor” to the group as innovators of our culture. Joining the ranks of Big Daddy Kane, Rakim and Eazy E., the group received their “HipHop Honors” in October of 2008.
The group continues to tour globally, ripping stages from Australia to Canada and New Jersey to South Africa. Naughty By Nature is on their A-game and have no plans to stop anytime soon. In this next endeavor, they are completely independent and totally in control of their brand. Still setting trends, the group recently struck a deal with media- giant Microsoft, to cross promote their new single “Get To Know Me Better” with the release of the “HTC Touch Pro 2 Windows Mobile device”.

Karl has established himself not only as a talented songwriter, performer and producer, but also as a successful entrepreneur and businessman. He has recorded and released two albums previous to Nightlife – Face Behind the Face and Bite the Bullet, and has amassed an impressive list of accolades around the world including Top 5 records in Japan, Lebanon, Egypt, Czech Republic and Dubai. He was also voted one of the World’s Most Influential Arabs by ArabianBusiness.com’s Power 100 (2009). His accomplishments in Canada are no less impressive, his single “Africa” was certified 3X platinum, and secured the 1 spots on MuchMusic (video), the Adult Contemporary Charts (radio) and iTunes influential Pop chart (sales). The rest of the world has clearly taken notice, as Nightlife has already been released in the Middle East and Japan, with Australia, Europe and the United States to follow.

Karl Wolf is a lover, not a fighter. Not for him the aggressive macho stance of so many current urban artists. Beneath the suave and smart-dressed exterior beats the heart of a man unafraid of letting his vulnerable side show, as is illustrated vividly on Nightlife. The album features such soul-searching songs as the gentle ballad “Jealous” (“forgive me for protecting my heart”) and his odes to love lost, “Gone With The Wind” and “Hurting.” On “Love,” Karl issues a heartfelt plea for peace, declaring that “Together we can change this world around and you know it.”
Giving his lyrics real resonance and authority are the facts of Karl Wolf’s personal life story. He was born in war-torn Lebanon and raised in Dubai before moving to Montreal with his family when he was 16. Karl may now have achieved the international stardom he has worked for so diligently, but he’s not about to forget his roots.

That is the theme of “My Ethnicity,” a song of which he is especially (and justifiably) fond. On the track, Karl repeats the sage advice of his father: “Don’t forget where you came from, don’t forget who you are.” To Wolf, the song is about “making people proud, making them realise you don’t have to be a particular race to be accepted in this world. We are all beautiful, we’re all peaceful. Maybe this can change the perception of people around the world.”

He can now be found readying his debut artist album which includes collaborations from the likes of Lil Jon, Rivers Cuomo, Sky Ferreira, Kid Cudi, Blaqstarr and the mysterious [[[zuper blahq]]] who can be found on the lead single “I’M IN THE HOUSE”.

Also involved in fashion, Aoki has developed lines for KR3W Apparel, Supra Footwear, headphones for WESC, headwear with NEFF, bags with Burton, & a brand new mens/women’s range with his sister Devon. Check out DIM MAK COLLECTION to buy tee shirts & hoodies and read on his blog on here that he keeps up to date. Hailing from Los Angeles you can check most of his antics up on his partner in crime, The Cobrasnake’s website, www.TheCobrasnake.com.

Emes and Grimes met in the late nineties and discovered a shared interest in funky breaks and baggy pants. Emes at the time was moonlighting as a deejay while working full-time as a geologist for an oil company. Grimes, a former snowboarding prodigy (he's on the inside cover of the very first Transworld Snowboard mag) was toiling in a skate/show shop. Joined by a love of imposing their musical tastes on others, the two started playing records out together.

Before long they had launched Hai Karate, a weekly Thursday smash-up that's still going strong. Now in its tenth year, Hai Karate is a free-for-all dance party that borrows a little from each of the scenes that shaped the Smalltown sound - community hall punk rock, block party hip-hop and early nineties rave.

The long-running night is now hosted at HiFi Club, the Calgary nightspot that the Smalltowners opened with a partner in 2005. The HiFi is but one part of the indie empire that Emes and Grimes have built in their homeland. They also own a record label (Bigfoot), a record store (Phonics) and a clothing store (Giant 45).