Highlights from the 2009 Halifax Pop Explosion festival, featuring Jenn Grant, The Acorn, Zeus, and more.

October’s X3 Artist of the Month, You Say Party! We Say Die!, taps into its collective heart.

On the spot at the 2009 Polaris Music Prize gala, featuring all the 2009 Shortlist Nominees: Elliott Brood, Fucked Up, Great Lake Swimmers, Hey Rosetta!, K'naan, Malajube, Metric, Joel Plaskett, Chad VanGaalen and Patrick Watson.

Last year's Polaris prizewinners (and nominees again this year), Patrick Watson and his cohorts are exceptionally creative musicians. Patrick shows us some of the ways his group tricks your ears into seeing.

"We've heard it all before. Indie musician takes mindless day job in order to pay the bills. Slinging hash, schlepping coffee, serving tables. Nothing new. But a musician who loves his day job - sometimes even more than the gigs he plays at night - now that's a story. And it was Grant Lawrence who tipped me off that Peter Elkas is, in fact, a dog-walker by day. Elkas started off by filling in for a friend, and eventually acquired the company and client base. Now, Canada's Sexiest Rock Star can be seen around Toronto walking a dozen dogs at a time. And when I was in Toronto, he let me tag along for this week's R3TV episode. And ladies...to answer some of the questions you've been asking: Yes, he's handsome. Yes, he's super nice. And yes, surrounding himself with animals makes him that much cuter. At least I can take comfort in the fact that his car smells like crap." ~ Jordan Kawchuk, Producer

"We love it when bands come to visit the Radio 3 headquarters. We love it even more when they take over and rock the place to shreds. That's the concept The Pack A.D. brought me when they asked me to shoot their new video for "Blackout." In it, they wanted to escape a painful interview (played to a tee by Grant Lawrence) and dance through the CBC halls with staff and fellow Pack fans, taking over the Radio 3 office space in the name of garage rawk. So one night, with a quick choreography huddle and a bunch of blank tape, we shot what will now become the official video for this great song. Here is the exclusive premiere on R3TV. Great working with you, Maya and Becky!" ~ Jordan Kawchuk

Never has there been a definitive guide to being a rock band. An authoritative how-to for musicians looking to make the most of a tour experience. Until now. Here - for the first time - is an unearthed educational film from The Dudes on how to party with limited means. The quality of the movie is poor, given all the years of neglect, but the message is still strong: drink fast, have a strong handshake, and always wrestle in your ginch.

As an Alberta boy myself, I grew up dissing our culture (or as the rest of the country often joked, our lack-of-culture). But after time, and a couple of moves away, I realized I can leave the prairies, but they will never leave me. Now I romanticize the very place I wanted to escape. That's exactly what The Rural Alberta Advantage is doing musically. And that's why I'm so thrilled they are July's X3 Artist of the Month. It takes big prairie-oyster-sized balls to be a Toronto-based band singing about a province many love to hate. But after one listen, you lose your cynicism and drop all stereotypes of oil, rednecks, money and meat. This band makes you want to be in Big Sky Country for the sheer beauty of it. And if that's not enough...damn if they don't make me long for the cheeseburgers and shakes at Peter's Drive-In. Enjoy the episode! ~ Jordan Kawchuk, Producer

"As I said to Grant Lawrence on the long flight home from Windsor, I think Phog Fest has been my favourite Radio 3 event yet. Maybe it was the crazy, intimate access I had on stage to shoot the bands. Maybe it was the over-the-top love the town showed for Canadian music. Or maybe it was the "celebrated" Windsor pizza - which tasted like, um, pizza from Windsor. Circa 1973... But the Phog Lounge - our Searchlight Winner of Canada's Best Live Venue - was the place to be last weekend, as it celebrated its victory by closing down the street and cranking up the volume. So join The Arkells, Holy F*ck and a string of other Phog-ites for one of the most enthusiastic afternoons for Canadian music this year." ~ Jordan Kawchuk, producer

"The bands were on fire...the indie camaraderie was high...and the food and drink plentiful. But... For me, the highlight of this year's NXNE Festival was hitting the streets with a microphone and Halifax hottie, Jenn Grant. And she didn't even use the mike to sing - that'd be too easy. Instead, she used it to wreak havoc on the Toronto sidewalks (and subsequently cause my camera to get punched by a drunk loogan afterward). So enjoy this year's look at NXNE and the red-headed singer who has a new career as a sh!t-disturbing host." ~ Jordan Kawchuk, Producer

To really understand June's X3 Artist of the Month, we'd need a 5-part documentary... and maybe a drink or two. But that's the fun of talking to Andrew Whiteman, the man behind Apostle of Hustle. He's almost as challenging and cryptic as the music he constructs - the kind of music that manages to meld layers of groove, beauty, ugliness, and whimsy into a truly unique act. Here he is - the artist of the month - in his own words. Enjoy the episode. Later this week R3TV takes you to NXNE for some very late night highlights...

In the heart of East Vancouver - across from a liquor store and a parade of bearded hobos - sits a an old building. And in the basement of that old building sit dozens of filthy, thin-walled rooms where bands pay to rehearse. And in that basement of rooms, sits a tiny closet space no bigger than a shower stall. This is where Japandroids practice. But it works for them. After spending an afternoon with this month's X3 Artists, I'm convinced that a space can influence a band's sound. Think about it - Japandroids wouldn't be Japandroids if they rehearsed poolside surrounded by palms. The stench, the claustrophobic air, and the empty beer cans in that room all contribute to the raw rawk this band spits out. So enjoy the episode, and say a prayer for my hearing to come back.

For some bands, agreeing on a single can be a head-butting task. But not if you're Metric. That's because "Help, I'm Alive" from the brand new Fantasies release, pretty much chose itself. And that's not all. It also became a cinematic, avant-garde video by a killer director - without them even knowing. Here on R3TV, Metric's Emily and James tell us just what happened. The moral of this episode? You don't pick the single. The single picks you.

Smart. Scrappy. Sexy. That's April's X3 Band of the Month. And the members of Thunderheist definitely suit their stormy name. True story... At SXSW this year, I was growing tired of asking worn-out bands the same questions about their Austin experience. So when I cornered Thunderheist on 6th Ave, I wanted something new to break the ice. In fact, it was right after their performance at Canada House - a show that was outright erotic and uplifting for the middle of the day - that I opened with this question: "Why does your music give me a boner?" It could have gone either way, but it was the perfect question for Thunderheist after all. From there, the interview was a blast. That intro - and the dirty answers that followed - are not part of this episode (I might post outtakes later). Instead, I wanted to highlight the duo talking about how much they fight together and just how big their award-winning video for "Jerk It" is quickly becoming. Enjoy the episode. I'll be in the cold shower.

R3 regular, Shane Nelken of the Awkward Stage drops by to discuss his newest passion, ventriloquism. Nelken's biggest claim to fame so far has been The Awkward Stage, but during an interview with host Tariq Hussain, Mr. Nelken took offense to the mention of his musical accomplishments.

You've seen the Junos they wanted you to see - Nickelback, champagne, flood lights, and um, Nickelback. But beyond the red carpet - for three days leading up to the big show - was a musical jackpot of indie artists taking over the streets and clubs of Van city. And this un-broadcast celebration of Canadian sound was the real winner of the Junos. So, this episode of R3TV takes a look at some of the many highlights of Junofest. Arguably the best roster of bands at one time this city has seen in years.

I ‘m lucky. Lucky to have been to SXSW for the fourth time now (the first 2 times were playing in a swing band in the 90's - but look where it got me). This year was unreal. The Canadians conquered. And my mission was to capture a greasy slice of it for y'all. This R3TV episode is probably my biggest - and the fastest editing turnaround yet - for you to taste what Austin is like, and to appreciate the Canuck invasion that always dominates that sweaty Texas town. Included in this awesome chaos: :: Performances from King Khan, Young Galaxy, Jenn Grant, Beast, Two Hours Traffic, and way more :: Hot Panda hawking their hot sauce to the pros :: More or Les working the street :: The Wet Secrets gals meating up Enjoy the episode... and stay tuned for extra SXSW action clips that we'll be publishing in the days to come...

X3 Artists of the Month, Malajube try their hands at recording an R3 promo with task master Vish, share their secret to recording their latest album, and talk about being cool in Japan. Plus their video for "Porte Disparu", which has left me with an almost overwhelming urge to go play Clue.

This week, R3TV begins a new feature that offers insight into our Canadian musicians. Each month, to coincide with the X3 Artist of the Month, we give you a snapshot of each honouree, and where he is artistically at this moment in time. Today, we publish a video conversation with K'naan - a man who went from learning English from rap records growing up in Somalia, to mastering the language and making words his art form, worldwide. Enjoy the episode. And look forward to K'naan's new record, Troubador - out later this month.

Ok, we know Canadian music is strong. But sometimes it's just nice to step away from the blog, the studio, and the tight Radio3 office and look across the world for proof. And that's just what Grant Lawrence did this winter. Camera in one hand, (bottle of Victoria Bitter in the other), Mr. Lawrence took the long journey to Australia to experience the festival circuit with Hey Rosetta!, Matt and Jill Barber, Hawksley Workman, Tegan & Sara and more. It was a worldwind tour through the clubs of Sydney, the Woodford Folk Festival, the Peats River Fest, and the waterways filled with tipsy houseboats. And besides bringing back great stories and amazing footage of a baby koala (which we'll be posting on youtube soon), Grant brought back a heartfelt appreciation for the love Australian audiences give our hard-working boys and girls. So enjoy the adventure. This episode features the new video "And You Give" from fellow traveller, Matt Barber. And the best part? No one uses the word "mate" or "barbie" the entire episode...