If there's one band SPIN.com never seems to grow tired of it's Metric. The Canuck indie-pop quartet's latest record, Fantasies, is tastier than a plate of Poutine, and now the band has skedded the second leg of their U.S. tour, beginning November 16 in Buffalo, NY.

Julian Plenti is actually Interpol frontman Paul Banks (who released his solid first solo album, Julian Plenti Is...

Metric's new album is called Fantasies, and as frontwoman Emily Haines strutted and spun across the stage at Seattle's Showbox last night, wearing a tight, gold-sequined dress, heads swivelled like a sprinkler, tracking her across the stage -- no doubt engrossed in fantasies of their own.

Two of hip-hop's biggest stars, Eminem and Jay-Z, took the stage earlier this week for a rare joint performance in L.A. -- and the two were making headlines on their own, as well.

Canada's most convincing Minister of Tourism: Metric's Emily Haines.

How has the economy affected this year's festival season?
HAINES: Everyone's thinking it's going to be really bad, but the results have been to the contrary. People are still going to concerts.
SHAW: Economic crisis fuels artistic movements. Maybe people don't go out to eat as much. Maybe they don't renovate their houses. But they end up needing more entertainment.