Drinking on the patio of a Toronto bar, the Rural Alberta Advantage sit underneath a mural touting Big Rock Beer: "Alberta's Other Natural Resource." The irony of the ad is not lost on drummer Paul Banwatt, 28, multi-instrumentalist Amy Cole, 30, and singer-guitarist Nils Edenloff, 30.

"To be honest, I didn't expect this to go beyond my living room," admitted Broken Social Scene guitarist Charles Spearin Wednesday night at Toronto's Music Gallery, where he debuted the Happiness Project.

Though the weather outside Sound Academy was frightful Saturday night, a packed crowd seemed delighted by the Canadian indie flair of Toronto's annual Jingle Bell Rock concert.

Clad in stovepipe Levis and a Mario mustache, Torche frontman Steve Brooks seemed more likely to get his ass kicked at Lee’s Palace's experimental-metal showcase last night (July 14), let alone take the stage.

What? Heartbreak chatter, specifically stories told about our last doomed relationship (and the exes that remain on our couches), sound like lyrics penned by Aimee Mann -- caustic, clever, with a pervading undercurrent of thoughtful sensitivity.

What's the Deal? Space rock was born in Rugby, England in 1990 with the demise of Jason Pierce's previous band, Spaceman 3.