Monsters of Folk headlined Massey Hall on Monday evening, dishing out a 29-song set showcasing their self-titled debut, intermixed with fan favourites by My Morning Jacket, Bright Eyes, M. Ward and even Conor Oberst's recent stint with the Mystic Valley Band.

Monsters of Folk (MOF) is made up of four prominent US musicians - Jim James (of My Morning Jacket), Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes, Mystic Valley Band), Matt Ward (She & Him, M. Ward) and Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes, Lullaby For the Working Class). Several decades of accumulated experience and creativity coming together to form one supergroup brings a classic debate to the forefront of my mind: the whole versus the sum of its parts. Having seen each of the parts individually before, I was brimming with anticipation for a glimpse of the whole.

Live music picks for WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 4 through TUESDAY NOVEMBER 10, 2009.

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 4 / DAN DEACON / THE GREAT HALL / 1087 QUEEN ST W / $10 / 19+
P4K-approved experimental indie-electronic artist DAN DEACON plays the Great Hall on November 4, joined by spastic experimental rockers NUCLEAR POWER PANTS. Deacon is a classically trained composer that serves up a high-energy mix of eclectic sounds using an array of keyboards, mixers and effects pedals. His live performances offer an up-and-close, sweat-soaked glimpse at his massive back-catalogue.
myspace.com/dandeacon
myspace.com/nuclearpowerpants

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6 / STEAM WHISTLE UNSIGNED SHOWCASE #12 / STEAM WHISTLE BREWERY / 255 BREMNER BLVD / $5 / 19+
Steam Whistle Brewery hosts the twelfth edition of their unsigned showcase, featuring some great local talent and culminating in a headline set from THE COAST. In support of his recently released 7" with KING KHAN, BLOODSHOT BILL will start things off right. GREAT BLOOMERS round out the line-up, with guest DJs spinning in between sets. 100% of proceeds from this dirt cheap show are donated to the Artists' Health Centre Foundation.
thecoastmusic.com
greatbloomers.com
bloodshotbill.com

Gregory Pepper and His Problems is an unusual, musical fella. I don't know him personally, but I was sent this picture of him and his cat, and his song topics range from being a john, to a fairly descriptive - and possibly accurate - song about building a boat. It's tough to pigeonhole his style of music, so I won't bother.

With two upcoming Toronto shows -- November 5th at Kensington's Teranga and November 7th at the Mod Club -- with the Islands, I decided to give Gregory (which is not his real name) a inquisitive phone call...

In this edition: memorial information for Taylor Mitchell, cryptic messages from newly-formed local indie "supergroup" Novels, Jim Guthrie scores new documentary film, Constantines announce tour support, Metric release new tunes (but not to Canada), Basia Bulat preps her new LP and more Broken Social Scene literature.

Plus: new music videos from The Ghost is Dancing and Great Lake Swimmers, as well as free MP3 downloads from Basia Bulat, Little Girls, Olenka and the Autumn Lovers, Hooded Fang, the Wilderness of Manitoba, & many more.

The Vanishers perform rockabilly - a genre I used to consider somewhat strange.

Four years ago, I would have sworn that the fusion of country, punk, and rock could never work on any level, but exactly four years ago something changed for me. While I was checking out a punk band at the Kathedral one evening, I ended up staying to check out the following act and it changed the way I will view rockabilly forever.

I met up with Paul Pengelly (vocals) and Paul McGrath (guitar) at Sneaky Dee's for a beer and to chat about how they ended up here, their new album, and the scene in Hamilton.

A couple of weeks ago, I was driving home from work and listening to CBC's Here and Now, when host Matt Galloway put on a track by a trio called the Good Lovelies.

I was instantly grabbed by their infectious three-part harmony and the sly wit of their lyrics. I wrote the band's name on my wrist and resolved to look them up when I got home. An hour or so later I had paid for and downloaded their album and scoured their website for tour dates in Toronto. Sure enough, there was one - an event called Zombie Prom at the Lula Lounge.