2008 PROGRAMMING

Throughout Symposium, our Green Room space remained open and filled with lounge vibes — food, coffee, records and books. Escape POP madness and come feed your belly and brain!

Special Highlight: Max Lawrence's stunning synthesizer installation at the Main Hall. It was shaped like a lion's head.

Puces POP Presents Show & Tell

Video Performance by Brendan Reed

Storytelling in Craft Artist Talk by Amber Goodwyn

Vernissage

Featuring Farha Dharsi, Shnon Gerard, Amber Goodwyn, Kandis Friesen, Logan McDonald, Allison Moore, Brendan Reed, Marc Simard, and Vanessa Yanow. Come see the ways craft techniques can be incorporated into contemporary artwork at a curated art exhibit hosted by Puces POP at the Green Room. While you're there, get information on upcoming skills-building workshops on wool felting, screenprinting, contact mic building, and puppetry.

electroniques maison
Circuit Bending Vernissage

Curated by Gambletron and gmackrr.

An exhibition of hand-made electronic instruments.

DIY Home Recording Studio Workshop

co-presented by Blue Skies Turn Black

Find out how to convert any room in your house into your own recording paradise, with musician/producer Howard Bilerman (Hotel2Tango, Arcade Fire, Godspeed You! Black Emperor) — DIY and on a budget.

Internet Police and Net Neutrality

Curated by Walter McDonough and the Future of Music Coalition

with

Patrick Watson - Artist
Keith Serry - Canadian Music Creators Coalition
Alain Brunet - technology Journalist, La Presse
Anthony Hémond- Telecommunications Analyst, Union des consommateurs
Anne Legacé-Dowson - NDP MP candidate, journalist

Recently, the Federal Communications Commission determined that Comcast violated United States law when it restricted Bit Torrent traffic, interfering with lawful peer-2-peer file sharing. Before the end of this month, the CRTC is scheduled to rule on the dispute between Bell Canada and the Canadian Association of Internet Providers regarding Bell's throttling practices that slow down connection speeds of p2p software.

Net Neutrality is one of the most controversial subjects concerning the future of the Internet. What is Net Neutrality and what consequences does it have for creative artists? What constitutes reasonable network management and what are the appropriate policies for ISP network maintenance? Join us for this discussion with the Washington DC-based Future of Music Coalition.

I Will Survive: Indie Strategies Panel

co-presented by Blue Skies Turn Black

with

Moderator: Matt Earp aka Kid Kameleon — XLR8R, Surya Dub SF
Julie Doiron — Eric's Trip
Meyer Billurcu — Blue Skies Turn Black
Elliot Aronow — rcrdlbl.com
Fabricio Nobre — ABRAFIN (Brazilian Assoc. of Indep't Festivals)
Brendan Reed —villavillanola.com, Clues

What was once the recording industry, is now the music industry.

How does an indie system work differently than mainstream or corporate industries, and how much do they overlap? What role (if any) does copyright play?

This is a candid talk with local and international innovators about changes in the digital age, creative new revenue streams, file-sharing and community.

A Conversation with Irma Thomas

Aretha, Etta, Dionne, Gladys, Irma. The legendary New Orleans' Queen of Soul is up there with the best of 'em. Irma is a true soul survivor. She was a single mother of four at 19, a performer at “coloured” clubs for $4-a-night, and was once fired from her day job for answering too many requests for songs, instead of waitressing. Forty-eight years after her first recording, Irma boasts a loyal backing band (some of which have been with her for over 20 years), a recent Grammy award, and stage time with the likes of James Brown and John Lee Hooker. Describing her best songs as those that come directly from the heart, her voice resonates with gospel influence and the best of Mary Well's rasp — but always with a grace, sincerity, and energy that's all Irma.

Sampling, Creativity, and Open Source Culture Listening Session +Sampling, Creativity, and Open Source Culture Discussion

with

Moderator: Tina Piper — Centre for Intellectual Property Policy (CIPP)
Larisa Mann — DJ Ripley, WireTapOnline, Surya Dub SF
Matt Earp — Kid Kameleon, XLR8R, Surya Dub SF
Ruby Ashtar — Student-at-law
Risa Dickens — Indyish.com

Sampling is not a recent phenomena. The traditions of blues, jazz, and folk grew from a kind of open source culture, one in which pre-existing musical frameworks were reworked. In 1970s Jamaica, songs were deconstructed with pre-digital hardware with the resulting "versions" — called dub — being distinct in sound and feel.

If creativity builds on the past, is originality a fantasy? How is it that some are cast as pirates and thieves, and others as victims? What role do race, gender, income, and geography play? And who actually benefits? This panel will examine the history, use, and future of this discourse and its effect on creativity. The listening session will serve to trace layers of sampling, borrowing, and the evolution of musical "meme."

Move to the Music: International Markets and Festival Circuits

with

Moderator: Andrew Rose — Secret City Records
Fabricio Nobre — Goiania Noise Fest, Brazil
Matt Sonzala — SXSW, USA
Wim Wabbes — Etoiles Polaires, Belgium
Bonnie Dalton — Laneway Music Festival, Australia
Lisa O'Hara — High Road Touring
Amy Butterer — Billions Booking Agency
Johan Gijsen — Tivoli, Sweden

Representatives of music festivals from around the world will discuss their approaches to programming, as booking agents tell the story from the other side. Hear directly from them about the state of the industry, how artists come to their attention, how music moves, and what’s available to Canadian independent artists.

TALK THIS WAY! Q&A Fair

with

Mark Kates — Manager (MGMT), former Geffen A&R (Nirvana, Sonic Youth, Beck)
Steven Himmelfarb — Booking Agent (Tokyo Police Club, Final Fantasy, Beirut)
Stacey Mitsopulos — Entertainment Lawyer
Catharine Saxberg — Executive director, Canadian Music Publishers Association
Lauren Schreiber — Toronto Promoter (No Shame)
Jonathan Achtman — Merchandise
Bob Van Heur — Le Guess Who Music Festival (Netherlands)

Offering festival attendees the unique opportunity to sit down with experts to ask specific questions pertaining to career and interest. On the floor, we'll have tables set up with funding, media, marketing, legal, and publishing experts, as well as local independent promoters and invited international delegates who can expand upon the specific scene and market that they represent.

Anatomy of a Song: Hearts, Soul, Guts & Skeleton

in collaboration with the Songwriters' Association of Canada

Moderator: Don Quarles of the Songwriters Association of Canada
Cori Bishop aka Elyse Weinberg
Katie Moore
Adam Waito (Miracle Fortress, Adam & the Amethysts)
Andy McLelland (L'il Andy)

Come learn about song composition with local and visiting musicians, including Cori Bishop (better known to psych rock fans as Elyse Weinberg, Neil Young collaborator and underground folk icon).

Keynote Presentation by Lydia Lunch

co-presented by Galerie La Centrale Powerhouse

Lydia Lunch is a fucking legend. Perhaps best known as the former lead singer for Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, but she is also known for her provocative performances that have served to inspire other generations of powerful women musicians. She often engages with subject matter related to violence and sexuality. Her body of work has included various recording projects with bands such as the Birthday Party, Einstürzende Neubauten, and Sonic Youth.

This No-Wave pioneer, singer, and poet will present excerpts from her recent work Ghosts of Spain, followed by an open Q&A session.

Rap Culture: From Motherland to Ghetto to Township and Back

with

Moderator: Nantali Indongo — Nomadic Massive
Rap journalist Charles "CZA" Sweet II
Filmmaker Femi Agbayewa — In God's Own Country
Shadrach Kabango aka Canadian MC Shad K
Sebastien Tetrault — Bande a Part, United States of Africa

An in-depth discussion with artists, promoters, and thinkers from the African and American hip-hop scenes. In rapidly urbanising African societies with a majority youth demographic, rap represents hope for the future, providing a means for creative-self expression, community, and education.

What can we learn from the "multiple personalities" of rap as it has existed and continues to evolve in different communities and socio-economic conditions? What are some key points of convergence and divergence in the exchange of subject matter, styles, and symbols? How does this contribute to a debate about the future of rap?

Film Score as Genre

with Jem Cohen — Keynote speaker
Moderator: Matt Silver — Who is KK Downey?
Josh Dolgin — aka Socalled
Alicen Schneider — VP, Music Creative Services NBC
Mark Slutsky — Film Critic, Montreal Mirror
Jamshed Turell — McGill University

Once treated as an afterthought, film score is now regarded as the final interpretative dimension of the filmmaking process. The intersection between music, narrative and the linear structure of cinema is increasingly treated with scrutiny and interest. This panel will examine the creativity, contracts, relationships, and ethics of working in this industry.

[Rating 0.0] Music Journalism Panel

with

Moderator: Sean Michaels — Said the Gramophone, McSweeneys.net
Douglas Wolk — SPIN/New York Times/Rolling Stone/Pitchfork
Nina Sudra — Vice Magazine
Patrick Baillargeon — music editor, VOIR
Matt Earp aka Kid Kameleon — XLR8R, Surya Dub SF

Here's where we're at in 2008: there are millions of bloggers, millions of bands, millions of MySpace pages, and a handful of music magazines. In a world where music-bloggin' is easier than learning guitar, where any kid can pick up her keyboard and tap out some thoughts on dubstep, where Harp, No Depression and (for a time) Arthur magazines were forced to close their doors, where is - and where should - music journalism be headed? This panel will explore what it means to write about music in today's YouSendIt world. Figuring out where and how the best writing can happen - online & print, pro & am, glib & verbose. What are the differences between fans, bloggers, journalists, critics, shills, and press-release-writin' PRs? How can journalists take advantage of available digital tools? What's inspiring? What's not? Can blogs "sell out"? And in the age of iTunes' "Genius" playlists... are we doomed?

Thinking Outside the Beatbox

with

The Persuasions — Legendary acapella kings from Brooklyn, N
Nomadic Massive's Butta Beats (Montreal)

“These guys are deep sea divers. I’m just a fisherman in a boat.” That's what Tom Waits had to say about acapella legends The Persuasions. Come gain an awareness of vocal percussion from different cultural and historical perspectives, drawing connections to the greater context of world music.

Learn to use your voice in this once-in-a-lifetime workshop! Participants will learn to create a rhythm in which each is responsible for a sound or melody. The success of this workshop relies heavily on ones ability to reference different cultural styles and musical genres.

I'm a lady, I'm not a man, MC is my ambition: The Herstory of Hip Hop

co-presented by Galerie La Centrale Powerhouse

with Sister Nancy (reggae pioneer)

Moderator: Waahli (Nomadic Massive)
Roxanne Arsenault (aka Donzelle, Montreal)
Eternia (MC, Toronto)
Tali (Nomadic Massive)

If hip-hop represents a historic voice against oppression, then why are women within this culture subject to insult, hyper-sexualization, and exclusion? What are the real and creative implications of this? What role do larger socio-econimic factors play? And where is the line drawn between exploitation and marketing within the music industry and media? Most importantly, this discussion will delve into the proud tradition of MCing that many women have pioneered and continue to champion.

Improvising Community

with

Moderator: Mark Molnar (Kingdom Shore, Why We Fight Magazine)
Matana Roberts (Jazz Saxaphonist, Brooklyn, NY)
Eric Lewis (Improvisation, Community, and Social Practice, McGill University)
Peter Burton (Suoni Per il Popolo, Avant Garde & Experimental Liberation Music Festival)
Gambletron (Thundrah)
John Heward (Murray Street Band)

Artists from different musical and social backgrounds discuss: Why improvise? How does one come to be an improviser? How does one navigate genre differences? Discussion, followed by a workshop performance, with Q&A and a live silk-screening demonstration with original street artist Brian Gormley.

Contact Mics Workshop

Learn how to turn household objects into resonant conductors of amazing noise. Build your own contact mic!

Bring-Your-Own-Toys (BYOT) Circuit-Bending Demonstration and Workshop

Bring your Speak and Spell, vintage Atari parts and learn how to turn them into instruments! Custom gear-makers show their wares and discuss experimenting with found objects, field recording, and other spontaneous and improvised activities.

Master Class with Jem Cohen

co-presented by Film POP and the National Film Board

Come learn from the man who has made his home at the intersection of music and film. Jem Cohen is a New York City-based filmmaker known for his portraits of urban landscapes and collaborations with music artists. Cohen's work includes feature film CHAIN and documentary Instrument, a portrait of the band Fugazi. Other works: Lucky Three; about the late Elliot Smith; Chain X Three, a three-channel installation; and a concert film of Dutch band The Ex, Building a Broken Mousetrap. Cohen has also collaborated include Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Sparklehorse, REM, Miracle Legion, and Blonde Redhead.

 

2008 Highlights

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SISTER NANCY

Sister Nancy is the original reggae star! Her 1982 single “Bam Bam” is an anthem, and her voice has dominated the dancehall scene for over three decades. She is one of the first Jamaican reggae MCs to have a successful international touring career; not to mention, one of the only women MCs from Jamaica who boasts global recognition.  She will be speaking on a panel on gender and hip hop, the subtitle of which comes from her lyrics, as a tribute to her role as a pioneer — I'm a Woman, I'm Not a Man / MC is my ambition : The Herstory of Hip Hop.

 

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JEM COHEN

Jem Cohen is a New York City-based filmmaker known for his portraits of urban landscapes and collaborations with music artists. Cohen's work includes feature film CHAIN and documentary Instrument, a portrait of the band Fugazi. Other works: Lucky Three; about the late Elliot Smith; Chain X Three, a three-channel installation; and a concert film of Dutch band The Ex, Building a Broken Mousetrap. Cohen has also collaborated include Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Sparklehorse, REM, Miracle Legion, and Blonde Redhead.

Check out these excerpts from Cohen's Lost Book Found:

 

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IRMA THOMAS

Aretha, Etta, Dionne, Gladys, Irma. The legendary New Orleans' Queen of Soul is up there with the best of 'em. Irma is a true soul survivor. She was a single mother of four at 19, a performer at “coloured” clubs for $4-a-night, and was once fired from her day job for answering too many requests for songs, instead of waitressing. Forty-eight years after her first recording, Irma boasts a loyal backing band (some of which have been with her for over 20 years), a recent Grammy award, and stage time with the likes of James Brown and John Lee Hooker. Describing her best songs as those that come directly from the heart, her voice resonates with gospel influence and the best of Mary Well's rasp — but always with a grace, sincerity, and energy that's all Irma. 

Join us for A Conversation with Irma Thomas, a keynote interview by Toronto DJ Andy Williams.

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CORI BISHOP

Perhaps best known to psych rock fans Elyse Weinberg, Bishop moved from Toronto to LA in the late sixties. She began hitting the folk circuit, playing shows at such well-known venues as the Troubadour, and landing an appearance on the Tonight Show. After a successful debut album in 1968 and a follow-up featuring Neil Young, Bishop left the music world. With a new name and career, she was living in Oregon when Andrew Rieger of Elf Power approach her to re-release her first LP. Released in 2001 on Rieger's Orange Twin Records, Elyse marks the second coming of Cori Bishop, now performing as Baby Cori & the Buds. Symposium is excited to have Bishop taking part in the Songwriting Workshop, in collaboration with the Songwriters Association of Canada.

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LYDIA LUNCH
Lydia Lunch is perhaps best known as the former lead singer for Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, but she is also known for her provocative performances that have served to inspire other generations of aggressive women musicians. She often engages with subject matter related to violence and sexuality. Her body of work has included various recording projects with bands such as the Birthday Party, Einstürzende Neubauten, and Sonic Youth. Her Keynote Presentation is our only ticketed event, so please be sure to reserve a spot.

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THE PERSUASIONS

Acapella music is one of the universe's great gifts to aching hearts, and the Persuasions are in turn one of acapella's great gifts to the universe. For more than 45 years they have sung all the parts of a song, lows and highs, sweets and sours, crisscrossing the world with doowop, gospel, and shamalamadingdong. Springsteen once opened for them, and they for Ray Charles, Bill Cosby, and even Frank Zappa  -  who signed them. They've sung the songs of Sam Cooke and U2, Zappa and Dylan, the Drifters and the Proclaimers. Now they come to Pop with an exclusive program, an old - fashioned groove, and too many fingersnaps to count.

Join The Persuasions for our Workshop and Presentation entitled Think Outside the Beatbox.

 

 

 

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SYMPOSIUM 2008 PARTICIPANTS

Femi Abgayewa, born in Ibadan Nigeria, is a graduate of the Media Studies Master's program at Concordia University. In God's Country (2007) is Femi's directorial debut. This year, he partnered with William Noelle II to launch Real Livin’ Films, an African movie production company.

Jonathan Achtman deconstructed seven years of retail business development experience to co-found The Cardboardbox Project, a business that directly supports artists. The CBP proudly works in the Montreal music community, and beyond, providing a business infrastructure that relates directly to merchandising — an important source of revenue for independent artists. Currently CBP provides merchandise for Wolf Parade, Stars, Land of Talk and Plants and Animals, among others.

Roxanne Arsenault, obsessive and excessive, is a collector of pass-times and alter-egos. Her projects include Donzelle, electro-rap unit, working as artistic coordinator of La Centrale Galerie Powerhouse, her CISM show as Violette Vilaine, and  front woman for rock band, Les Temps Liquides, not to mention, being Montreal's resident kitsch specialist.

Elliot Aronow is co-founder of RCRD LBL, the world’s first ad-supported online music label/blog network, where he works as the Creative Director and VP of A and R.

Reuven (Ruby) Ashtar is a recent graduate of the McGill Faculty of Law’s integrated B.C.L./LL.B. program. He has contributed to World Intellectual Property Organization studies, served as co-founder and editor-in-chief of the McGill Journal of Law and Health, and written on digital sampling and fair use. Currently, he is a student-at-law at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP’s Toronto office.

Patrick Baillargeon is the music editor for the Montreal weeky Voir.

Howard Bilerman is co-founder of Hotel2Tango and has recorded more than 250 records for artists including Godspeed! You Black Emperor, and Arcade Fire and The Dears, as a drummer he has worked with bands including Arcade Fire, Thee Silver Mt. Zion Orchestra and Vic Chestnut.

Meyer Billurcu is co-founder of Montreal promotions company Blues Skies Turn Black.

Cori Bishop, perhaps best known to psych rock fans Elyse Weinberg, has reentered the music world a thirty year absence. Her debut album Elsye, originally released in 1968, was re-released in 2001 on Andrew (Elf Power) Rieger's Orange Twin Records.

Alain Brunet has been a columnist with La Presse since 1984, and has been on the lookout for new trends in music ever since.

Peter Burton grew up listening to hardcore in the early '80s and was inspired by its self organization and fearless creativity. He believes that improvised music offers a similar challenge to a staid and deadly status quo. That is why he is happy to work for experimental and avant garde music festival Suoni Per Il Popolo, which presents this kind of music.

Butta Beats. Beatbox, rapper (English and Spanish), freestyler, multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, singer, songwriter, draughtsman, painter, bombass chef, social worker and educator, crack-pot philosopher, audiophonically pleasing, Nomadic Massive member.

Amy Butterer has been with the Billions Corporation for over a decade, working her way up the ranks to booking agent and tackling various duties within the company along the way. She holds a Master of Arts Degree in Arts, Entertainment & Media Management from Columbia College Chicago, and a BA in Music with a concentration in vocal performance.

Jem Cohen, a New York-based filmmaker, has made over 35 films built from his own ongoing archive of street footage, portraits, and sound. He has worked with Patti Smith, Fugazi, Terry Riley, Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Elliott Smith, Sparklehorse, R.E.M., Jonathan Richman, and Blonde Redhead, among others.

Bonnie Dalton is a music programmer for Laneway Festival, described by Pitchfork as “Australia’s most insurgent and unique pop music event”. She is also a band manager with Lunatic Entertainment where she represents Little Red, among others.

Jan De Vroede is an international manager for Katuaq Greenland Culture House, Member of Chilly Friday, (Greenland’s most popular rock band), and programmer for arctic cultural events including Festival Etoiles Polaires.

Julie Doiron has been performing since she was 18, with Eric’s Trip, the Wooden Stars, The Tragically Hip, and others. She currently lives in Sackville, NB.

Risa Dickens is the co-founder and artistic director of Indyish.com, a website that relies on open source programs and ideas to showcase member artists with an online boutique, video and podcasts, a monthly live show, and an artists group blog. She is the author of No One Knows Everything: The Crisis in Public Opinion (2008).

Josh Dolgin, aka Socalled, is a musician, photographer, magician and writer based in Montreal. He performs and records widely with a crew of mixed-up freaks and geniuses from around the world, including Killah Priest, Susan Hoffman-Watts, Frank London, and Irving Fields.

Anne Lagacé Dowson is an award-winning CBC Radio host of Radio Noon and Home Run on Radio One. She has produced C'est la Vie and guest hosted Cross Country Checkup and As It Happens. She is currently running as the NDP candidate in Westmount—Ville-Marie. 

Matt Earp (aka Kid Kameleon) has been mixing, mashing, and maximizing bass genres for over 10 years. He is a champion of outsider music styles and eclectic mixing techniques rooted in a core of hip-hop, jungle, and dub. He has shared the stage with Squarepusher, Dizzee Rascal, The Bug and Warrior Queen, Ghislain Poirier, Flosstradamus. DJ C, and Ripley, to name a few. He has monthly column called “Basic Needs” in XLR8R magazine.

Eternia, a Juno-nominated MC, has toured extensively in Canada, the US, Australia, and most recently Europe. Her 2007 release, "Where I'm at — The Setup," is her third full-length album.

Kandis Friesen is an interdisciplinary artist, DJ, and musician based in Montréal, working with sound, video, electronics, photography, interactive sculpture, fibres, and public installations. She is actively engaged in fostering environments for skill sharing and autonomous media and arts production in social justice and arts communities.

Lisa Gamble Improvised electronic spackle from bends to funny acoustic squaks... kids toy collection gone evil. Funny robot voices... fun to watch. Lisa Gamble is one part of Gambletron.

Amber Goodwyn is a multidisciplinary artist living and working in Montreal. In addition to creating short films, she also edits the smut zine Lickety Split and formerly co-hosted the radio show called Audio Smut. She holds a BFA in Film Production (with Distinction) from Concordia University, is a member of the Double Negative film collective and plays in the rock band Nightwood. Currently, Amber is creating a 16mm film loop about sea monsters and is co-organizer of Slow Dance Night.

Anthony Hemond is a widely published lawyer and analyst in the field of telecommunication policy and regulation, broadcasting, and Internet privacy. He works with the Union des consommateurs (Consumers' Union) and has been involved in Ontario-Quebec's class action lawsuit against Bell Canada regarding internet throttling.

John Heward is the founder and leader of the Murray Street Band. He is one of Canada's most respected and best know visual artists and improvisers, having performed and recorded with the likes of Steve Lacey, Joe McPhee and Paul Bley.  His visual art can be seen in a number of major museums, galleries and collections, including the Quebec National Museum of Fine Arts, which has a permanent study collection dedicated to his work. 

Steven Himmelfarb is a booking agent with the Billions Corporation. He represents artists in North America and sometimes beyond with his roster of 25+ acts that include: Tokyo Police Club, Final Fantasy, Hayden, and Beirut, etc. Chicago-headquartered Billions, with existing agents also based in Seattle, Portland Bloomington and Toronto, is celebrating its twentieth year of operation. Among its exclusive clients are The Arcade Fire, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Sufjan Stevens, Vampire Weekend, Neko Case, Silversun Pickups and Oscar-winning duo The Swell Season.

Nantali Indongo, aka Tali, is a member of Nomadic Massive, a Montreal-based collective of independent hip-hop artists. She is also co-creator and animator of Hip-Hop Sans la Pop, a youth-oriented workshop series that has toured Montreal schools, community centres, and art spaces, as well as Canada at large.

Shadrach Kabango, aka Shad K, is a Juno-nominated Canadian hip hop artist currently up for the Polaris Prize for his newest album, The Old Prince. Born in Kenya to Rwandan Parents and raised in London, Ontario, he is currently working towards an MA in Liberal Studies at Simon Fraser University.

Mark Kates was A&R at Geffen for ten years, bringing in during that time Nirvana, Sonic Youth, and Beck, among others.  He is now the manager of MGMT and Wild Light.  

Maximilian Lawrence is a founding member of Space1026, an artist run interdisciplinary collective focusing on silk-screening, painting, audio/video production and graphic design. He is also a member of Philadelphia art collective Vox Populi.

Eric Lewis (McGill University) is interested in the intersection of the aesthetics, metaphysics and ethics of improvised music. He is presently completing two book manuscripts entitled, Other Worlds—Towards a Philosophy of Jazz, and Intents and Purposes—Improvisational Practices in the Arts. He also plays trumpet in Montreal’s flourishing improvised music scene.

Larisa Mann (aka DJ Ripley) is a PhD candidate in Jurisprudence and Social Policy at UC Berkeley Law School, and resident DJ at SuryaDub San Francisco.

Walter F. McDonough is the founder of the Future of Music Coalition and an attorney whose current clients include The Dresden Dolls and Mission of Burma. He is a professor of copyright law at Suffolk University Law School, and serves as a board member for the United States Performing Society Sound Exchange as well as the Alliance of Artist and Recording Companies.

Sean Michaels is a writer and music critic living in Montreal. He has contributed to publications including The Guardian, The Observer, The Believer, Paste, Plan B, and Pitchfork, and writes columns for the National Post and McSweeneys.net. In 2003 he founded the strange music blog called Said the Gramophone.

Stacey Mitsopulos is one of the founding partners of Taylor Mitsopulos Klein Oballa, a Toronto entertainment law firm that represents a host of indie artists including The Dears, Broken Social Scene, Wintersleep, Basia Bulat and Death from Above 1979.

Mark Molnar is an Ottawa musician who plays in a variety of groups, including Generator and Rakestar. He also performs solo violin and cello sets consisting of the music of Iannis Xenakis, Helmut Lachenmann, Morton Feldman, Elliot Carter, and Brian Ferneyhough. He is currently completing two albums of string music.

Katie Moore cut her teeth on old-time country music at the Wheel Club and Sunday Nights at Barfly. She plays in various Montreal-based bands, including Socalled, a hip hop/klezmer group; country-folk ensemble Timber!, and Montreal’s bluegrass fancies Yonder Hill.

Emilie Mouchous' solo music project is Gmackrr. She uses her voice, laptop (Max/MSP, PD), silences, Korg MS-10, fingers, Doepfer knob controller, bird calls, National Geographic, old Yamaha, and bent toys, and tries to turn them into an alive thing.

Sister Nancy is a dancehall DJ and singer. She has been known to the world as the first original dancehall female MC with her dominating voice for over three decades on the dancehall scene. Her song "Bam Bam" is known around the world as a reggae anthem.

Fabrício Nobre is the president of ABRAFIN (Brazilian Association of Independent Festivals), an institution that congregates 33 Brazilian festivals. He is the director of label Monstro Discos, and head director of Monstro Productions, which produces Goiânia Noise Festival and Festival Bananada. Nobre is the leader singer of metal band MQN.

Lisa O’Hara was a promoter and talent buyer for the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco and the Troubadour in Hollywood prior to becoming an agent at High Road Touring. .

The Persuasions are an a cappella group who began singing together in Brooklyn, New York in the early 1960s and went on to produce numerous albums covering a wide range of musical genres. The Persuasions have enjoyed recognition from musicians outside the doo-wop or gospel community, from Frank Zappa (who helped get them their first record contract) to Joni Mitchell, the Grateful Dead to Tom Waits.

Tina Piper is an Assistant Professor of Law and member of McGill’s Centre for Intellectual Property Policy.

Don Quarles, a composer, songwriter and event producer of over 20 years, sits on the National Advisory Board of FACTOR and the music industry's National Training Advisory Committee for the Cultural Human Resources Council. He is the Executive Director of the Songwriters Association of Canada and the proud father of three great musical kids. He continues to write and perform, mostly with his family band The Family Quarles.

Brendan Reed is the founder of independent label and online record store villavillanola.com. He also plays in the band Clues.

Matana Roberts is a dynamic saxophonist, composer and improviser, who tries to expose in her music the mystical roots and spiritual traditions of African American creative expression. Matana is an avid freelancer on a wide array of artistic projects, and has played alongside some of the most intriguing creative sound visionaries of this time period. She currently resides in New York City.

Catherine Saxberg is the executive director of the Canadian Music Publishers Association.

Keith Serry is founder of the Canadian Music Creators Coalition, an organization that aims to give Canadian artists a say in the development of the laws and policies that affect their careers and livelihoods, particularly in the area of copyright. Keith has also worked as a freelance music and pop cultural correspondent for CBC Radio One's Definitely Not the Opera. Currently Keith is a student-at-law whose research is focused on the intersection between Net Neutrality and Canadian competition law.

Alicen Schneider leads the NBC Universal Television music department, acting as VP of Music Creative Services. She is the music supervisor for “Heroes,” “Lipstick Jungle,” and “Monk” as well as for select NBC Agency promo and marketing campaigns (including all Olympics marketing, the NFL on Sunday Night and corporate partnerships for Fall launches).

Lauren Schrieber founded her Toronto No Shame concert series in the spring of 2007 and has since played hostess to a slew of Canadian artists, including Plants and Animals, Think About Life, Slim Twig, Woodhands and Laura Barrett. A Montreal ex-pat, Lauren honed her skills during daylight hours at Paper Bag Records, Paquin Entertainment, and as in-house music programmer at Toronto's Drake Hotel.

Matt Silver co-founded the Montreal based production company Kidnapper Films in 2000. In 2007, along with writing and performing in the indie film Who is KK Downey?, he also served as Music Supervisor where he was able to design a soundtrack of predominantly Montreal artists. The experience has aged him terribly.

Mark Slutsky is the Film Editor of the Montreal Mirror. He is also an independent filmmaker, writer and photographer, most frequently in cahoots with Automatic Vaudeville Studios, a totally awesome Montreal-based movie magic factory.

Matt Sonzala booked his first show in 1989 when he was 16 years old. He currently books tours for Southern rappers, hosts a radio show that focuses on independent music, and 9-5s it at the SXSW Music Festival. He’s a celebrated music journalist whose work has appeared in The Source, XXL, Peace, Pound, and High Times.

Nina Sudra comes from a music industry background and has been with Vice Records for 4 years.

Charles "CZA" Sweet II is a journalist with Basic Magazine and author of The Monday Polly, an internationally syndicated column that addresses the issues and concerns of the hip hop community. He has written for Dallas Observer, Ballerstatus and Electronic Beat, and is a graduate of the University of Texas at Dallas.

Sebastien Tetrault is the co-writer of feature documentary United States of Africa.

Irma Thomas is a Grammy Award-winning soul and rhythm and blues singer. She is known as the "Soul Queen of New Orleans."

Jamshed Turel is a doctoral candidate in music theory at McGill University.

David Tysowski is the manager of National Promotion at Arts&Crafts.

Bob Van Heur is an agent and promoter with Amsterdam-based Belmont Bookings and programmer for Le Guess Who Music Festival, which takes place in the Netherlands and focuses on Canadian bands.

Waahli is an MC with Montreal hip-hop group Nomadic Massive, and DJ and founder of What's Cookin Fridays at korova, one of St-Laurent's longest running DJ nights.

Wim Wabbes has been music programmer at the Arts Centre Vooruit in Ghent, Belgium, since 1987. He also organizes the Etoiles Polaires Music Festival, which this year focuses on the Montreal music scene, and is a board member for the Flemish Music Information Centre.

Adam Waito is based in Montreal where he plays with Miracle Fortress, Telefauna, and Adam & the Amethysts.

Patrick Watson is a Montreal-based Polaris prize winner and Juno-nominated singer-songwriter.

Andy Williams is an educator, jazz archivist, DJ, and radio host. His latest project, Jazz Diaspora, brings together his skills as an educator, researcher, communicator and producer with his personal passion for music as an educational tool.

Douglas Wolk writes about music and comics for Pitchfork, Blender, Rolling Stone, the New York Times, the Believer, Salon, the Washington Post and elsewhere. He is the author of "Live at the Apollo" and the Eisner Award-winning "Reading Comics: How Graphic Novels Work and What They Mean." He lives in Portland, Oregon, USA.