Plex

20 tracks deep and packed with social commentary, abstract
production, and jab-filled lyrical gymnastics, the debut from this
Canadian MC is not to be taken lightly. While the beats bounce,
resulting in a mood that is often ostensibly propulsive but also
mellow, the rhymes stay on message, tackling subjects both global and
local. "The Way It Should Be" rides a scrappy guitar riff and a
vintage bass groove, featuring lyrics that come hard at politics, war,
and religion. It's heady stuff, but he doesn't get ahead of himself.
The rhymes are well-plotted, and even though the topics are a bit
grandiose, it just works to make the urgency of the words that much
more apparent. "Better Days" brings in the synths, questions the state
of modern music, and lays out the need for a change. It's one of the
many calls to action on this CD, and one of the many well-executed
points of focus. Prepare yourself for some motivation in motion. And
some fun.

CD BABY - CD Baby

Celebrity Profile
Q & A with Doug “PLEX” Bedard
Movie Entertainment
March 2009

]Canadian hip-hop artist Doug “PLEX” Bedard has taken his experience of growing up on the North- side of Edmonton and turned it into a message
about surviving adversity and ultimately rising to the top.

Living in a duplex through adolescence, people began to refer to him as "Doug from the Duplex" eventually shortening the epithet to Plex. With a
distinct ear for music and a hunger to be a part of the scene, Plex and a group of artists from the Edmonton area formed the renowned hip-hop group Won 18. As a member of Won 18, Plex has opened for Run DMC, Xzibit, Ice T, The Guess
Who, Choclair, Kardinal Offishal, K-Os and more. Set to release his first solo album Brainstorm in 2009, Plex is also the award winning host and producer of “The Plex Show” on Aboriginal Voices Radio, which can be heard at 9:00 p.m. (local time) every Friday on AVR Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto and Ottawa.

This month, Movie Entertainment had the opportunity to sit down with Plex to talk about life in the music industry, what inspires him and more.

Inspiration…
I'm inspired by knowing I can always do better. I can be amazed by something I've created and think there is no way on Earth to top it. But I always manage to bring more each time I sit down and just let the music take shape. When I try to
force music out of me, I usually end up with something that never sees the light of day. I'm inspired by knowing there are people that my music has touched. When other people connect to my words and actually get what I'm saying, or sense the sarcasm or tone in certain songs, I feel inspired to continue. When
a person quotes my lyrics, it means somebody's paying attention - and artists can be such attention hounds.


Best advice you’ve ever received?
To try not to take things personally. I say 'try' because I still struggle with it. It's very hard for me to not be defensive when someone is just sharing his or her opinion. Sometimes a person can say a dozen nice things
regarding an artist's work, but that one critical remark is all the artist hears. It's very common.

What (object) can’t you live without?
Does oxygen count?
Life in the music industry…
Is all glitz and glamour...No.... It requires hard work and sacrifice. There are easy paths to success, but they're as common as winning the lotto. An artist can go a lot further by diversifying into related fields. For me, being an
artist comes first, but radio offers more stability and ultimately gives me the freedom to create. It's all clockwork.

The biggest misconception of…
Torontonians is that we think Toronto is the center of the Universe. Everybody knows that Edmonton is the center of the Universe. Go Oilers!

What quality do you most admire in a person?
Reliability. I find a lot of people make excuses and I don't care for it. I remain busy, but I always make time to respond to emails and meet deadlines and I respect anyone who does the same.

Motto…
Just to live life to the fullest. Find what makes you happy and do whatever it takes to keep it. And just teach peace.

About making the new album…
I am probably the most excited and equally nervous I have ever been in my life. To open your heart and put it to song and leave it to the world to pick apart gives me this anxious feeling in my stomach. But at the same time, I'm very relieved to let it go. After a year and a half, it's finally done and I can move on to record my next project. I am very lucky to have had the support of the artists that are featured on the album. Moka Only was very easy to work with. The variety of producers and musicians add to the diversity of the overall sound.

Favourite actor…
I really like Robert Downey Jr. I thought his Iron Man performance was better than Heath Ledger's Joker. But I've recently started liking a Canadian actor named Callum Keith Rennie. I first noticed him in the most recent season
of HBO's Californication. Since then, I've noticed him in everything. Hard Core Logo, X-Files and even a small part in Little Criminals, which I loved. I have this habit of watching movies and television and pausing it to look up an actor on IMDB and finding out every little thing about them. I was impressed when I found out Callum Keith Rennie was from Edmonton.

Favourite musician…
Oddly enough, some of my favorite musicians are also peers. I think it's because I get to watch them nurture
their songs from early on, until they become what they eventually become. I really look forward to the release of
George Leach's new album. He's an amazing blues guitarist who hasn't released anything since 2000. But what I've heard is better than most of the stuff I hear in Canada. There is a group based out of Toronto/Brooklyn called Hero. These dudes are crazy good. And by crazy good, I mean, better than good. As a fan, I have always been into Stevie Wonder, Prince, Michael Jackson, etc.. I also grew up with young parents AND my grandparents. So I listened to everything from late 70's rock to Hank Williams. I usually listen to 80's stations depending on which city I'm in.
- Movie Entertainment Magazine

By Francois Marchand, Edmonton Journal
June 20, 2009


EDMONTON - Growing up in the northeast Edmonton community of Beverly, ¬aboriginal rapper Doug Bedard, a.k.a. Plex, learned first-hand the perils of gangs, addiction and racial profiling.
“One of the memories from my teens is being randomly stopped by police and told to get on my knees and empty my pockets,” he recalls. “If that happened to me tomorrow, I could adjust and live
with that. But when you’re 13 years old, you really don’t know what they’re doing or what they’re about.”
Life on “the Ave” wasn’t always easy, and Bedard quickly succumbed to the desire to escape. He found solace in music, expressing his anguish and concerns through hip hop.
Nine years ago, Bedard formed the landmark Edmonton-based hip-hop act Won 18, with whom he ended up opening for the likes of Run DMC, Xzibit, Pharcyde, Black Sheep and The
Hieroglyphics.
Still, despite the group’s relative success and the strong bond he felt with the rest of his team, Bedard felt he had to leave his demons behind and look for a better place to focus on his budding solo
career.
“I was an alcoholic, a drug addict,” says the 33-year-old. “I really had a tough time coping.”
Three-and-a-half years ago, a cleaned-up Bedard left Edmonton for the concrete maze of Toronto, where he is now running his own production company and studio, New Leaf Entertainment, home
to the likes of War Party and up-and-coming R&B artist Leemai.
“I started getting more focused on music and getting a lot more gigs, and based on the geography of where my bookings were, Toronto just seemed like a natural fit. Plus, I met my girlfriend while
doing the Aboriginal Achievement Awards in Edmonton, and she has no ambition to leave Toronto.”
While busy working on a number of projects — including producing the award-winning Aboriginal Voices Radio program, The Plex Show, and hosting youth empowerment workshops —
Bedard’s solo turn as Plex is gathering steam.
Plex’s debut album, Brainstorm, released this weekend at the Starlite Room, is already garnering rave reviews for its polished, melodic beats and strong philosophical message.
A simple cursory listen reveals an album oozing with Edmonton references.
“I don’t think I focus too much on (specific places),” Bedard contends. “There’s maybe a couple of tracks that do that, but those are the songs especially made for Edmontonians or anybody who
grew up in the area. I find a lot of the stuff I talk about are universal issues.”
From pop culture to racial politics to family issues and relationships, Plex dishes out his past and lays bare his soul, making Brainstorm an album that easily transcends genres, nationalities and
borders.
His battle with issues surrounding aboriginal families and addiction have become the focal point of hip-hop workshops. Once in awhile, he admits, old demons resurface in the form of a kid who is
dealing with the same problems he had to confront when he was younger. “But I think the fact that I’m a little less emotional about it makes me more of an asset in helping change it.”
© Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal

- The Edmonton Journal