Northwest CanCon

Your monthly update on what’s moving and shaking on the Canadian music scene, in brief:

• Under the heading of “The same, but different”: Just when we’d gotten used to calling her Issa (right), the artist formerly known as Issa, formerly known as Jane Siberry, has changed her name back to Jane Siberry. After about three and a half years as Issa, Siberry said in an email to fans “all i know is ‘it is time’.” A year ago she talked with Northwest CanCon about changing her name from Jane Siberry to Issa.
• Hawksley Workman has two new albums on the way but to keep things kosher, Meat and Milk will be released separately. The former comes out tomorrow. Milk is due later this spring.
• You Say Party! We Say Die! is finally returning to the United States, after being banned for five years for trying to cross the border without the proper documentation. They kick off their U.S. tour right here in the Pacific Northwest with dates in Seattle (Mar. 9) and Portland (Mar. 10). Their third album, XXXX, will be released stateside February 9.
• Great Big Sea’s Sean McCann (right) has a solo album coming out. Lullabies for Bloodshot Eyes hits the stores February 23.
• Also in stores February 23 (or Jan. 26 in Canada) is the new album from Woodhands. You can get a taste of Remorsecapade in the video for the track “CP24″.
• You can also expect a new album from Barenaked Ladies in 2010. Coming March 30 (a week sooner in Canada), All In Good Time will be their first release since the departure of Steven Page last year. Out now, the first single, “You Run Away,” seems to be a direct reference to Page’s exodus. Listen here.
• Rush‘s Neil Peart recorded a new rendition of The Hockey Night In Canada Theme for TSN. Check it out here. It will be available on iTunes tomorrow. The custom drum kit used for the session will be donated to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Th-th-th-that’s all for now, folks!