Serena Ryder has already left an indelible impression in Canada, where her album If Your Memory Serves You Well has been certified Gold and contributed to her winning the 2008 Juno Award for Best New Artist.

For American listeners, this sets the stage for is it o.k., her full length debut for Atlantic Records on which Ryder paints a self-portrait that’s bitter in betrayal in “Sweeping the Ashes,” furious and yet not without affection in the hard-hitting “Little Bit of Red,” teasingly romantic on “Brand New Love,” struggling to understand another’s pain on “Hiding Place,” even careening through cascades of contradictory emotion, almost from one word to the next, on “All for Love.”
All of these moments Ryder brings to life with a performance that resonates in memory long after its last notes fade.

Having spent several years carving their teeth on the Canadian highways with the likes of The Sadies, Sloan, The Weakerthans, Calexico and Nick Cave, Toronto's CUFF THE DUKE have made the jump from indie-scene-darlings to bona-fide Canadian music icons. Their new album, and first scheduled for US release, Way Down Here was co-produced by Blue Rodeo's Greg Keelor in rural Ontario and features the band's most mature, captivating and impressive collection of songs to date.

CUFF THE DUKE started out in the small Ontario city of Oshawa before making the move to Toronto in 2002. Their debut album, Life Stories for Minimum Wage was released on Three Gut Records, at the time one of the most exciting indie-labels in Canada. Their second and third albums, Cuff the Duke and Sidelines and the City respectively, were both released on Hardwood Records alongside label mates Basia Bulat and Hayden.

As the title of the New York rocker’s Atlantic debut provocatively suggests, Star’s whole life has been building to this point. The songs on “11:59” play out in real time, the stories spin out in narratives that resonate with urgency and truth. Star’s often stripped-bare vocals give the songs an added resonance.

“There have been a million hopes and let downs to get here,” Star says. ”I don’t think you really choose the time as an artist, I think the time chooses you. This album is who I am.” And now that he’s here, as track “Right Now’ stresses, he is going to seize the moment.

Thoughtfully and meticulously created, “11:59” proves well worth the wait. Throughout much of the album, Star seamlessly melds traditional rock elements with captivating rhythms.

For “11:59,” Star partnered with producer Matt Serletic (matchbox twenty, Collective Soul), who artfully understood how to combine Star’s storytelling style with his modern sensibilities. “Matt and I created something special; we really put our different personalities together to make this record,” Star says. Howard Benson (Daughtry, My Chemical Romance) provided additional production to bring out his rock roots.

For more than half his life, Star has been a fiery performer. Born and raised in Long Island, N.Y., by the time Star was 14 he regularly traveled to Manhattan to play clubs, including the legendary CBGB’s.

Darren Criss was born and raised in San Francisco, California. He attended the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, from 2005-2009. It was in Ann Arbor, Michigan where Darren began wowing audience with his versions of Disney covers, oldies, pop hits and generally cool songs.

He plays Harry Potter in the parody play “A Very Potter Musical”. You can watch it here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmwM_AKeMCk