It comes but once a year and everyone has one. Some people lie about how many they've had, but it's considered rude to ask anyway.

It's official and they're not afraid to tell you: on January 17th, the Dinosaur Bones will be turning one year old and everyone's invited to celebrate with them at the Horseshoe Tavern.

I met up with two members of the Toronto indie band at Spadina's cheap-eats joint, the Red Room, to have a beer. While Branko Scekic -bassist- waited for CAA to fetch his keys from his locked car, Ben Fox -vocals/guitar- and I went over what the band has been up to in its early stages.

So, it's Monday night and I've officially missed the weekend. But five bucks for five bands is too good of an offer to pass up, so it's off to the Drake Hotel to check out what Roger and Gary have clearly enjoyed.

I'm not really sure what time to show up, but I have been informed that the weekend was packed solid with talent and people and I'd be doing myself a favour to arrive early. I get there in time to catch the first band: The Elwins.

Today marked the third annual edition of the CBC Radio 3 Bucky Awards. Last year's winners included Buck 65, the Weakerthans, Emily Haines, and -surprise- Feist.

For those who aren't familiar with the infamous Bucky Awards, let me break it down for you into three simple steps.
Step 1: Canadian musicians make Canadian music for the twelve month period of any given year.
Step 2: The staff of CBC Radio 3 selects musicians for various categories, including "Best Reason to Learn French" and "Best Band Name".
Step 3: Canadians vote online to decide the winners.

And, the winners are...

On the way to my cousin's place in Newmarket, the town of Schomberg always marked the halfway point of what seems like a long drive when you're five years old and have to pee. My family never stopped there, and we never saw the fair, but the town's sign will remain a distinct memory until I'm old and senile.

"Well at least you got to keep driving, that's where I had to stay," chuckles Nathan, the bass player for blues/rock band, the Schomberg Fair. Schomberg is where both he and Matt Bahan -lead singer/guitarist- grew up.

The Schomberg Fair does not group easily with the usual Toronto indie sound. They have a grassroots feel, coupled with a dark energy that booms from the depths of Nate's bass vocals. The lyrics are often down-in-the-dirt, but their music moves forward quickly, refusing to slow.

So, Nathan and I had a lot to talk about.

When the Library Voices came to Toronto last week for their gig at the Bovine Sex Club I knew that I had to be careful. When I was scheduled to meet the band at Shanghai Cowgirl on Queen St., I knew that I needed to be assertive and clear about what I wanted. So, when I was asked how many people in the band I wanted to speak with I nearly shouted:

"Just one please!"

The thought of having to interview ten people was too overwhelming for me. Too many voices -too many Library Voices. But then again, the image of ten people, in one band, on one tour, confined to one bus as they drive across Canada... that's like a Survivor challenge. That is commitment!

So, a couple hours before they were set to play with Provincial Parks, I was given Eoin Hickey-Cameron, the bass player in this large ensemble.

I have heard only good things about the three people that constitute The Rural Alberta Advantage (RAA) and even better things about their live performances. In fact, this is the second interview that this website has done in 2008 with frontman Nils Edenloff.

In March, Nils met up with us to discuss RAA's debut record, Hometowns, and to provide some background information on the band's beginnings and development. Now, he's back to talk about how the talented trio was selected as one of eMusic's two November bands to be profiled, and what, if any, impact that this has had.

We met in the Green Room, a dark Annex cafe, only accessible by a back alley that runs off of Brunswick Ave. It's a very student friendly environment, which is my way of saying that it offers an affordable menu of food and beverages. I ordered a Steamwhistle, because it reminds me of the keg parties I used to host and attend in my days of yore. Nils ordered a Creemore because it was what he wanted.

Then we got down to serious business, starting with an explanation of how RAA came to be selected by eMusic.