He involved himself with Canadian collectives like Broken Social Scene and Hidden Cameras, the latter of which allowed him to openly express his own gay politics, but ultimately turned the most heads as a solo artist. Recording under the name Gentleman Reg with a crack team of studio musicians (including the Unicorns' Jaime Thompson and future Arcade Fire bassist Tim Kingsbury), he debuted in 2000 with The Theoretical Girl. Make Me Pretty and Darby & Joan followed, as did an appearance in the 2006 film Shortbus. Gentleman Reg then inked a contract with Arts & Crafts in 2008, issued the Little Buildings EP in November, and readied the release of another full-length record. Recorded in Ottawa and issued in February 2009, Jet Black marked Gentleman Reg's first release for the label. ~ Andrew Leahey