National Network for Equitable Library Service

Danko Jones may be a straight-forward rock band, but their story is anything but. They’re a band that has roots in many different music communities — the North American indie-rock scene, the Scandinavian garage-rock scene, the European metal scene — but belong to none of them.

The result of an extensive poll asking heavy metal fans to list their favourite high-octane albums, this compendium combines those survey results with Popoff’s original interviews with world famous rockers who reveal recording session secrets in addition to their own heavy classics and ear-splitting faves. When all of this is melded with Popoff’s unique and celebrated insights into the metal of yesterday and today, an essential resource becomes a rock-writing standard.

Long after his death, Glenn Gould still lures new listeners to his piano, connecting with them on a haunting, personal level. “He feels and you feel,” says young New York writer Nicole Spectre. “I can feel his pain and joy — it touches me. He speaks directly to me.”

This bestseller is now newly revised and updated Taylor Swift: The Platinum Edition gets to the heart of this superstar with albums and singles that head straight to the top of the pop and country music charts, a shelf full of awards, and millions of fans around the world.

With albums and singles that head straight to the top of the pop and country music charts and a shelf full of awards, Taylor Swift was Billboard's number one selling artist across all genres in 2008 — and all before she turned twenty. With her self-titled debut album in 2006, Taylor Swift rose to fame on the strength of her confessional-style songwriting on hits like 'Tim McGraw,' and her sophomore album Fearless spent longer at number one than any album had in a decade.

A vivid look inside the elite and cutthroat classical music world

When Patti Niemi was 10 years old, all the children in her school music class lined up to choose their instruments. Boy after boy chose drums, and girl after girl chose flute — that is, until it was Patti’s turn. From that point onward, Niemi devoted her life to mastering the percussive arts. Cymbals, snare drum, marimba, timpani, chimes: she practised them all, and in 1983, she entered Juilliard, the most prestigious music conservatory in the world.

Neil Peart is an internationally critically acclaimed, bestselling, and award-nominated author, and for more than thirty years has been the legendary drummer and lyricist for Rush, the most successful band in the history of Canadian rock music. Defying categorization, his books have earned a devoted readership by combining elements of memoir, travel writing, and social commentary with a thoughtful, musical sense of self-discovery.

There is no greater enigma than Rick Rubin working in record production today. As mysterious personally as the Buddhist religion he practices, Rubin has made one thing crystal clear: the records he produces are sonically and stylistically beyond reproach. MTV has called Rubin “the most important producer of the last 20 years,” while Rolling Stone ventured even further, deeming Rubin the most successful “of any genre.”

A forgotten musical and cultural history of drunks and miscreants, future country stars and political strategists. Perfect Youth is the story of the birth of Canadian punk, a transformative cultural force that reared its head across the country at the end of the 1970s. Bands like D.O.A., the Subhumans, the Viletones, and Teenage Head--alongside lesser-known regional acts from all over Canada--reshaped a dull musical landscape, injecting new energy and new sounds into halls, bars, and record stores from Victoria to St. John's.

A celebration of a beloved Canadian icon, featuring dozens of original interviews and exclusive photos