Formed in 1998 by Bengali-rooted Rosina Kazi and her life partner, Barbados-born Nicholas Murray and later joined by Ugandan-born Ian De Souza, LAL proves incessantly hard to define.

StudioFeed first sat down with Rose, Nic and Ian in April of 2012. With their self-titled release, “LAL,” set to debut at the Garrison in Toronto on May 18, we here at StudioFeed thought that we had a straight forward shoot in store; film the band, talk about the record and culminate in the record release party at the Garrison. But then we actually got to know the members of LAL, and that whole plan went out the window.

LAL has been described as a “music making magical mushroom, the visible flowering part of a much larger organism, connected with very fine but infinitely resilient roots.” They are “obsessed with making music but more obsessed with using the making of music as a way to materialize ways of being together, fostering a sharing of resources, ideas and, at bottom, maintaining a tenacious hope that persists despite the frightening world we live in.”

Sit back. Take 15 minutes. LAL is what Independent Music is all about.

To purchase LAL’s most recent record, visit lalforest.bandcamp.com

Visit LAL online // Facebook // Twitter

While touring across Canada and Europe, Kamau became disillusioned with the “music industry,” and decided to put his musical projects on hold in order to complete his studies at York University. However, a number of recent releases have signified Kamau’s return to music, the most recent of which is his full-length album, One Day Soon, which was released in the fall of 2011.

For more information on Ian and his music, visit his website at:
www.iankamau.com

Purchase One Day Soon
Follow Ian Kamau on Twitter

Check out StudioFeed’s interview with Ian above, or download our full-length audio version from the Soundcloud player below.

But what does 20-years of making music look and feel like? How do you sustain that commitment to your craft and dedication to the city of Toronto when other musical hubs like Montreal or Berlin beckon? Oskan provided StudioFeed with unparalleled access into his 20-year journey of making music in Toronto: the changes, the struggles and the long overdue recognition.

Check out Arthur in the video above.

Learn more about Arthur Oskan and listen to A Little More Than Everything
Purchase Arthur’s Juno-Nominated Album
Check out Thoughtless Music

Special Thanks to:

Dave Rout // Curt Martin // Gerald Belanger //Jeff Van Harmelen

Since the release of that album four years ago, experiences on the road and in the studio have guided the band towards more focused goals; the latest being to complete their newest seven-inch record at The Barn Window studio before embarking on a tour of the North American east coast.

Rob Janson, the band’s lead vocalist and guitar player, notes that “we’re not a young band anymore…we can’t be making the same mistakes.” Similarly, drummer Matt Meyer expresses that Sandman struggles with the same problems that so many indie bands face, namely that “there are so many bands out there, and there are not a lot of spots, and a lot of people contending for [them].” Despite being a part of an extremely competitive music market where resources are very limited, Sandman Viper Command doesn’t plan on calling it quits any time soon; a testament to their dedication to writing music and being a part of a family.

Bassist Aaron Harvey

Catch Sandman Viper Command live at the Horseshoe Tavern on May 25th in support of the release of Feel is Good.

Check them out online at:
http://sandmanvipercommand.com/
http://facebook.com/sandmanvipercommand
https://twitter.com/#!/sandmanvc

The group, who describe their sound as “melding together influences of rock, pop, and soul,” released their self-titled LP in August 2011 and are currently busy with a variety of musical projects, including recording new material and adjusting to a recent line-up change.

Check out our exclusive glimpse behind the scenes of the creation of the Paint Movement’s “Caught In The Act” video, which is currently in post-production and expected to be completed in the coming months.

Visit the Paint Movement online at thepaintmovement.virb.com/

One group of researchers in Toronto is trying to find out.

The SMART Lab is an interdisciplinary research team based out of Ryerson University that are concerned with questions at the intersection of mind, music and technology. In this particular study, researchers conduct a test to answer the most fundamental question as outlined above: is music truly effective in regulating our mood? And if so, what types of music are most effective in regulating how we feel?

We want to hear from you. Join the discussion below and tell us why you listen to music.

To learn more about this research visit the SMART Lab online at:
ryerson.ca/smart/

If you’re a music lover living in Toronto, there’s a chance you’ve seen Jon play, you probably just don’t know it. Jon is one of Toronto’s busiest freelance upright bass players, and Jon describes the life of the working musician by saying it “looks like a day job, which is something so many musicians dread.”

But as the unfulfilled dreams and short life span of so many bands lead players to give up their craft and move on to more traditional careers, Jon is still honing his skills, playing music and paying the bills. You’re bound to see him lugging his bass around town at some point, he’ll be doing so for years to come.

Check out more of Jon’s work Online

Special thanks to The Rex & David French’s Bloomsday band

Complete with a mobile studio that includes computers and analog synthesizers, Liam’s cottage “retreat” album may not result in music that fits common preconceptions of this type of a project. Liam hopes to marry the electronic sounds of his isolated, sonic explorations with his more organic musical ideas (which he has composed chiefly through acoustic guitars and vocals).

Liam gave StudioFeed an inside look into his cottage studio space, as well as discussed many of the differences and influences of being in such a rural environment in comparison to his life in Toronto. Though LUM gave us a preview to some of the tunes he has been recording (audible in the video above), the album is yet to be completed.

LUM’s new album is expected to be finished in the fall of 2012, though Liam has yet to title the project or confirm what label it will be released on. Check some of LUM’s online resources to keep up-to-date; the anticipation of the completion of this project’s end will continue to build until its release.

Hear the full-length interview with Liam in the Soundcloud player below, and check out the LUM related links below for updates regarding the album’s progress.

Check out LUM Online:
Bedroomer Collective
Download LUM’s Boys Choir EP for free
Music video for “I Am Alone” by LUM
LUM on Soundcloud

Check out Lido on the net:

http://www.facebook.com/lido.pimienta,
http://www.myspace.com/lidub
http://soundcloud.com/lido-pimienta

Special thanks to David Dacks and the folks at the Music Gallery for giving us access to their facilities.

Download StudioFeed’s full interview with Lido below.