At this point, Broken Social Scene is at least as much an ideal in the hearts and minds of fans as they are a musical entity. The Canadian megagroup, formed in 1999 by Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning, has established a devoted following over the course of four LPs, the last three featuring the band's widescreen approach of bombastic, many-guitars-at-once jams and softer ballads with ethereal female vocals. The band has been the trunk from which many other successful artists - Stars, Metric, and Leslie Feist, to name a few - have branched off. All the while, Broken Social Scene have maintained a touring pace at odds with their stature (in reputation and in number), playing everything from outdoor festivals to concert halls with a revolving coterie of musicians. Ahead of their Friday show at La Zona Rosa, we rang up guitarist Andrew Whiteman for a chat about musical family dynamics, how a BSS record comes together, and the personal benefits of reading poetry. more ›

There was something electric in the air at Stubb's Thursday night, and it wasn't the sepia-tinged lightning to the East. Broken Social Scene was in Austin. "So what?", you shrug, "Austin gets a lot of terrific bands. What's so special about BSS?" Well, in founding member Kevin Drew's fawning overtures to the crowd, he said that BSS absolutely lurve Austin. It's their favorite place to play. In the world. And you know what? Like... more ›