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The Tony Award-nominated actor heating up Broadway

Canadian troubadour Patrick Watson is a world-weary traveler. The title of last year's excellent album, Wooden Arms, was even inspired by a forest he visited in Eastern Europe while on tour with the band Cinematic Orchestra (Wooden Arms is also the name of his backing band, but as for why the naming happened after four years of being eponymous, Watson explains as: "We're not very good at naming things.") So with all this traveling it's a bit of a mystery why the Polaris prize-winning artist isn't more known Stateside. Well, maybe it's because you don't know what the Polaris prize is (a prestigious music prize in Canada that comes with $20,000 cash money). Or maybe because his layered, cinematic pop isn't easily categorized into a genre that gets radio airplay, unless you count NPR. Or maybe because after playing in bands since high school, this month's 11 dates will be the longest he's headlined in the U.S. We spoke to Watson about his experiences touring, using crazy instruments on stage, and unintentionally making people cry at his shows.

Everything Gossip’s Nathan Howdeshell (a.k.a. Brace Paine) says is charming. It’s not necessarily the content of his words, but that it’s all tinged with an appealing drawl, the result of his Arkansas upbringing. So it’s sweet when he says that “fuck” is his favorite curse word, or when he tells me that if he could he would eat at McDonalds every day. And it’s even sweeter when he divulges his affinity for smoking pot after a long day because, well, yeah. Nathan and his band swing through New York tonight when they take the stage for the first time at Terminal 5 with openers MEN and Apache Beat. But first, he spoke with me about his online ventures, tonight’s show, and what he has planned for the end of the world.

School of Seven Bells have Interpol to thank for their togetherness. Alejandra Deheza laughs when I suggest this, but really, it’s sort of true. The New York trio made up of Benjamin Curtis, Alejandra, and her twin sister Claudia, met while supporting Interpol on tour -- Ben with the band Secret Machines and the Deheza twins with On! Air! Library!. As Alley tells it, she was enamored with the way Ben played guitar, watching him every night, and amazed that no two nights were ever the same. And though they didn’t leave their respective bands to start School of Seven Bells until a couple years later, the rest, as they say, is history. And so I stand by my suggestion of sending the boys in Interpol some flowers.

Here's why we love Santigold: She used to front a punk band in Philly named Stiffed, she can work out a tiger-print leotard, and she changed her name and you don’t even care why. This week, she and her fiancé Trouble Andrew took over Terminal 5 with Amanda Blank, and this summer Santi does the Euro festival thing, closing it all out at Lollapalooza in Chicago. For a woman this busy to take the time for our humble Pop Quiz, well, it's an honor.

It’s fair to say that the power-punk trio The Thermals have major credibility. It was Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie that handed their demo to their first label. They just made the move from Sub Pop Records to Kill Rock Stars. They live in Portland. It’s also fair to say that, after seeing The Thermals headline Bowery Ballroom last month, I have a girl crush on bassist Kathy Foster. She’s adorable, her band covers Nirvana, and she has no problem playing in a short dress. Catch Kathy, Hutch, and Westin live as The Thermals are currently on tour in support of their fourth record Now We Can See , and have just been added to the Pitchfork festival in Chicago this summer. But first, check out Kathy’s answers to our Pop Quiz.

You may have already been exposed to the charms of Anya Marina and not been aware of it. The Michigan-born, Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter has not only had her songs featured on television shows like Grey's Anatomy and Gossip Girl, but has also had an acting stint in the film 100 Girls, a role which the pixie chanteuse had to appear in sans eyebrows. Her sophomore album, Slow & Steady Seduction, Phase II, was produced by Spoon’s Britt Daniel and Louis XIV’s Brian Karscig and, with Marina’s breathy vocals and sharp lyrics, is best enjoyed with a snuggle companion and a glass of something tasty in hand. Marina is currently on tour with The Virgins and Lissy Trullie, but she took some time out to talk with us about getting topless while recording, her Roman Polanski-inspired video for the single "Move Me", and gender play when covering T.I.’s “Whatever You Like.”

The Crystal Method could have named themselves after methamphetamine or some lucky lady that band members Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland both had a thing for. Either way, it’s a name that has stuck around, with their Grammy-nominated electronica music being heard everywhere from clubs to video games, to the theme from the TV show Bones. The boys from Vegas are back this week with their first studio album in five years, Divided by Night, which not only has Matisyahu guesting on the first single “Drown In The Now,” but also features vocalists Emily Haines (Metric), Jason Lytle (Grandaddy), and Justin Warfield (She Wants Revenge). The duo is currently on tour (check their MySpace page for dates), but Ken graciously took some time out to tell us about his love for Big Bird and give us ideas on places to have sex in our drug-free and dance-tastic Pop Quiz.

If you’re looking for a mellow soundtrack to rock you to sleep, you could always try the debut album Magnolia by The Wooden Birds. However, be aware that while the latest project from Andrew Kenny (American Analog Set, Broken Social Scene) draws you in with folky beats and a rhythmic pace, it is also unexpectedly chilling, enlisting help from songwriter David Wingo (scorer of David Gordon Green films) and hypnotic harmonies by vocalist Leslie Sisson. The band started as a concept by Kenny two years ago, with the album released May 12 on Barsuk Records. First, though, the Austin-based Kenny told us about his love for boobs, his affinity for the channel TBS, and having his dreams realized at a bar in Brooklyn in our airborne (but in no way rigid) Pop Quiz.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard of Tinted Windows, a supergroup starring Taylor Hanson, Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne, James Iha of the Smashing Pumpkins, and Bun E. Carlos of Cheap Trick. Since their album came out late last month, they’ve been playing some gigs, but fielding more questions. How did this come about, inquiring minds wanted to know. Really, though, the band isn’t such an absurd concept. Schlesinger and Hanson have been acquainted with each other since the MMMBop days, and Schlesinger and Iha founded Scratchie Records together. The three visualized who they wanted as their ideal drummer, and came up with Carlos, who accepted the invitation. Shake it up, pour it out, and you’ve got the joyous, tightly crafted pop of Tinted Windows. There. All the questions seem to be answered, but we wanted to know more. So we asked Adam Schlesinger to take our Pop Quiz, and he complied, even giving us a shout-out. He’s being totally truthful here, right?