While hanging out at the Cannery, the members of A Pale Blue, Kellarissa, and Certain Breeds discovered exactly what kind of bait it takes to land " the deadliest catch" . Rebecca Blissett photo

Vancouver's new breed of musical mavericks..:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

By Adrian Mack, Gregory Adams, Jenny Charlesworth, John Lucas, Lucas Aykroyd, and Mike Usinger

A Pale Blue

If you 're lucky enough to have caught one of A Pale Blue 's two shows in 2008, there 's no doubt they left an impression on you. The five-piece group, fronted by Alberta native Brock Allen, recalls classic Canadiana such as the Band and Gordon Lightfoot, with a healthy nod to " Thunder Road" –era Bruce Springsteen and Exile on Main St.–era Rolling Stones. The group 's debut record, AM Gold, was originally conceived as a solo work for Allen, but the addition of keyboardist Shira Blustein, drummer Galen Rigter, guitarist Jon Reddit, and bassist Andy Bond has made Allen 's chugging, laid-back tunes sparkle.

Best local act, other than your own

" Bonkers. It 's the loudest atrocity ever. It 's kind of Jon [Reddit 's] thing. It 's just ridiculous and loud. It has to be someone 's else 's band? Okay—anything by Leah Abramson. We just played a show with Lord Beginner, and I really like them, too."

We just found Chad Kroeger 's platinum card. Where are we eating?

" The Afghan Horsemen [202–1833 Anderson Street]. Kebabs and veggie platters. Yes, sir!"

With apologies to Katy Perry, which local musician 's cherry ChapStick would you like to taste?

" Ashley and/or Amber Webber. You can 't argue with twins."

Tearing yourself away from your MySpace page can be hard. What gig this past year made you glad you did?

" I saw the Sadies at Richard 's on Richards [October 13, 2007] . It 's always a good idea to leave the house. It 's amazing to see what they do, and they do it so well."

We 've pulled some strings and you 're opening for your all-time favourite act. Who 's topping the bill?

" I 'd like to resurrect Townes Van Zandt and the original members of the Band as the backing band. They could play 'Columbine ' or 'Don 't You Take it Too Bad ', maybe."

Best club to spot hipster hotties in their natural habitat

" Ummmmmm… I really don 't know. Funky Winker Beans [35 West Hastings Street]? A hipster party? Probably on party buses? I don 't know. I 'm more than a recluse. I don 't get out much."

> Elaine Corden