SIRIUS Canada, the country’s leading satellite radio company, has announced the launch of its national SIRIUS Face the Music Tour.

This Name That Tune style challenge will test Canadians’ music trivia knowledge at kiosks appearing at some of this summer’s hottest events as well as online, with the highest scorer winning an ultimate concert experience for two in New York or Los Angeles.

Kicking off with a media charity challenge at the SIRIUS Satellite Radio Stage at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre, the SIRIUS Face the Music Tour will test Canadians’ knowledge of artists and song titles from a wide variety of music genres, from the 1960s to today.

The tour will also highlight SIRIUS’ great entertainment value including sports, news, talk, entertainment and commercial-free music content. Additionally, Canadians can play along online at home at www.facethemusictour.com.

“Music lovers are often also music trivia buffs, and we love the idea of putting them to the test in this fun way,” said Janet Langille, Vice President, Marketing, SIRIUS Canada Inc. “The SIRIUS Face the Music Tour not only challenges Canadians’ musical knowledge, it also allows them to discover new artists and genres they might not be familiar with and gives them a chance to win amazing prizes. It’s also a great introduction to all the other great sports, news, talk and entertainment content available on SIRIUS.”

Those competing in the SIRIUS Face the Music Challenge, whether at a kiosk or online, will be faced with music-related questions on everything from 60s Pop Hits and 80s Hair Bands to Canadian Indie and 60s and 70s Country.

The SIRIUS Face the Music Tour 2009 will make stops at: Ottawa’s Canada Day Celebrations, the Calgary Stampeders home opener on Canada Day, the Collingwood Elvis Festival, the Merrit Mountain Music Festival, the Edmonton Grand Prix, Whistler’s Mountain West Music Fest, and Live Nation Concerts among others.

For more information, please visit:

Face the Music Tour Official Website

2008 is sure to be a year like no other for POP Montreal. This year’s festival will feature artists like the legendary Burt Bacharach and New Orleans Soul Queen Irma Thomas, alongside poetic-punk troubadour Nick Cave, the seminal and brilliant WIRE, and the godfathers of experimental electronic psych Silver Apples.

POP Montreal International Music Festival takes place October 1-5, 2008.

Also appearing will be the single most important benchmark for a cappella music, Brooklyn’s The Persuasions, and other stand-outs including Canadian rap legend, Michie Mee, upstarts like Black Kids, Ratatat, Dan Deacon and The Dodos, as well as Hot Chip, Dark Meat, Great Lake Swimmers, Beach House, Vetiver, T. Raumschmiere, Teki Latex, Ste Catherines, Liam Finn, and reclusive Neil Young collaborator Elyse Weinberg (she’s awesome, Google her, or check her out on eMusic.)

In addition to all the amazing music, there will be a specially commissioned composers series with, among others, original pieces by Socalled, performed at porn theatre Cinema L’Amour. This year, POP introduces its very first gear exchange and record shop, the enigmatic art of Mingering Mike and also…Kids POP!

POP…OR POOP?

You can also participate in the fun now, by voting for the SIRIUS Fan Choice award.

The top 3 artists with the most favorable pop-to-poop ratio (more pop, less poop) will be playing the SIRIUS Satellite Radio stage during the festival. Just click on the widget below to vote POP (woo! i like this!) or POOP (not so much):

KIDS POP (NEW THIS YEAR!)
This year, kids and youth can explore Montreal’s innovative cultural scene at Kids Pop. A variety of shows, demonstrations and workshops will be offered that connect artists with young folks in order to share skills, encourage artistic expression and enjoy Montreal’s cultural offerings.

PUCES POP
In its 4th year, Puces Pop is a DIY festival that celebrates independent creation. It features a marketplace of handmade goods, a record sale and gear swap, a series of free arts & crafts workshops and a mini-seminar on business skills for self-employed artists. And it’s all kicked off by a fashion show with a $2000 prize!

ART POP
The Visual Arts component of Pop Montreal, Art Pop’s purpose is to showcase fun and exciting artists that resonate with the youthful energy of its musical counterpart. Look out for some wild technologies, superheroes, Japanese copycats, French activists, teenage passion, digital vandalism and crazy good times in general. And cute cats, too.

SYMPOSIUM – Talk Music to Me!
A music conference like no other: all programming is artist-driven, interdisciplinary, and reflective of Montreal’s diverse and lively culture. They will be bringing together a discerning and savvy force of thinkers and artists to present panel discussions, keynote interviews, listening sessions, as well as hands-on workshops and round-tables.

FILM POP
More musically inclined than ever before, with Paris’ Vincent Moon’s views on All Tomorrow’s Parties, workshops on writing music for film, rockabilly the 514 way, NFB 3-D reveries, and some headlining surprises, you’ll definitely want to be watching more attentively during this 5th edition of Pop’s cinematic offspring.

POP MONTREAL 2008 CONFIRMED ARTISTS:
Burt Bacharach, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Hot Chip, The Persuasions, Dan Deacon, Ratatat, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Cori Bishop (aka Elyse Weinberg), United Steel Workers of Montreal, The Dodos, Liam Finn, Wintersleep, Dark Meat, Headlights, Playdoe, Dabaaz, Kim, Eric Belanger, The Veils, WIRE, Black Kids, St Catherines, Vetiver, Silver Apples, Thomas Function, Julie Doiron, Chad Van Gaalen, Dominique Grange & Jacques Tardi, Great Lake Swimmers, Katie Moore, Socalled, Woodhands, You Say Party! We Say Die!, Sam Shalabi, Gatineau, Jason Collett, Chocolat, Irma Thomas, Wedding Present, Evangelicals, Beach House, Jana Hunter, Cex, Teeth Mountain, Teki Latex, D’Urbervilles, Michie Mee, and so much more…

Passes on sale now and tickets for individual shows also available.

For details and updates, please visit:

Pop Montreal Official Website
Pop Montreal MySpace