Baroque indie band Picastro have flown the Toronto flag worldwide for over ten years now. They have a very moody, introspective sound thanks to lead singer/songwriter Liz Hysen. Her haunting melodies stick with you long after the record ends and her thought-provoking lyrics leave you with lots of questions.

Picastro are signed to Polyvinyl Records - the very influential indie label that is home to breakthrough acts like Of Montreal, Architecture in Helsinki and Asobi Seksu. Their distinct, lo-fi recording approach is refreshing to hear and it reminds me of all the great lo-fi bands I loved in the 90's.

Their three full-lengths (2001's Red Your Blues, 2005's Metal Cares and last year's over-looked gem Whore Luck) have taken them across North America and Europe several times over - perhaps with the help of their high profile collaborators Jamie Stewart (Xiu Xiu) and Owen Pallett of Final Fantasy.

But don't give those cats more credit than they deserve for Picastro's success. This has happened too often online and Liz would like to put an end to it. I spoke to her about the two huge misconceptions that surround her band among other things, including the effect of rain on produce.

Keep reading for the complete interview.

The four dedicated souls in local indie rock band Howl literally live their art. They all moved into a house on Delaware Avenue and set up a basement studio for rehearsals and recordings. They also started putting on acoustic shows in their garage. How cool is that?!?

Paper Bag Records has had a solid year - You Say Party! We Say Die! and Woodhands went all the way to Beijing for crying out loud! Well, rockabilly punk Slim Twig might be the next big export for Paper Bag. He's got a lot going for him: an artistic urban upbringing in a house full of filmmakers, a main role opposite Ellen Page in Bruce McDonald's film The Tracy Fragments, and two solid EP releases (Derelict Dialect and Vernacular Violence).

Paper Bag has decided to release both EPs as a single LP and Slim Twig will celebrate this with a big show at The Music Gallery Saturday night. I spoke with Slim about his upbringing, his aspirations, and his fascination with fire and brimstone.

Although I have been into the local club/party scene for over ten years, I attended only my third mega party at the Guvernment when I went to their annual Labour of Love event Sunday night. What lured me to it this time? I had fun at Decadence back in March and was interested in catching MSTRKRFT again, in addition to a long list of impressive DJs in at least seven different rooms. And so the labour began.

Live remix band Keys N Krates have been mashing up music to new heights since I first talked about them back in February. They have played all over Western Canada, down the US West Coast and they even rocked some parties after the Juno Awards.

Their biggest audience though seems to be on YouTube. DJ Jr-Flo (a former Canadian DMC Champ), Matisse (keyboards) and Tune (drums) have taken full advantage of their band's visual strengths and their YouTube channel gets heavy traffic with some of their more popular performance clips drawing nearly 10,000 views.

Their last show in Toronto was a sell out. They play this month's edition Shuffle at Revival this Friday night. I spoke with Matisse about the crazy shows they've played out West, their new mixtape project, and converting Lindsay Lohan.

Keep reading for the complete interview.

Oshawa's crown princes of alt-country Cuff The Duke have been living the high life lately. After releasing Sidelines of the City - their third full-length on Hayden's Hardwood Records last October - they toured venues big and small across North America, as themselves and as Hayden's backing band.

Perhaps their greatest accomplishment was opening for Blue Rodeo at Massey Hall? I was curious about that and about what secret "guests" might be joining them on stage for their two shows at the Horseshoe this weekend.

My very first Call & Response was with lead singer Wayne Petti last June about his debut solo record. So I guess he's the C&R MVP. Congrats Wayne!

Keep reading for the complete interview.