With finals coming up in the next few weeks and The Interrobang's publication year ending, I would like to announce that this article will be my last as part of The Interrobang team. It's about Gentleman Reg, a Toronto-based artist who is currently signed to the Arts and Crafts record label.

It's also a fitting way to see myself out - not only are Arts and Crafts Canada's most successful independent label around, but they have always been supporters of myself as a campus media writer - whether that means helping to set up interviews or sending advance copies of albums.

As a brief aside, it is of some personal importance to acknowledge their dedication in promoting quality independent music that their whole team truly believes in. I have had the privilege of working with dozens of record label representatives and publicists throughout my time here in London, and I can say without hesitation that few share the same passion for their work that Arts and Crafts does.

That passion is in part due to the business model itself, which is set up on more a collective basis. Reg Vermue, a.k.a. Gentleman Reg, was quick to learn this as one of A&C's newest acquisitions.

“There is definitely a family aspect to the label and that's why we're on [it]” he said to me, over the phone.

Reg was signed recently, after working for several years as a completely independent artist. His old label, Guelph-based Three Gut Records, folded in 2005, and little was certain of his future.

“When [Three Gut] folded, that was the first time I really ever experienced that... everything was up in the air,” he explained.

Three Gut labelmates Cuff the Duke and Constantines were fairly quick to find new homes, but lacking the same reputation, Reg found it harder to find the same security. Still, he was determined to continue on.

“I've certainly had disappointments in terms of how my records have been received - the lack of growth that they've gone through, or limited shelf-life or whatever,” Reg said. “I'm in my 30s now and I've dropped out of school, [but] this is the thing I excel at and am most interested in. I don't know what else I would do, really.”

So, without funding from a record label, Vermue went back into the studio where he recorded the 11 songs that make up Jet Black, his latest, and most well-received album to date. He shopped it around to various labels, and several took interest immediately.

Reg's new work is more confident than ever — hooky indie-pop songs with a slightly brooding undertone. From electronics-based (and perhaps even club-worthy) “We're in a Thunderstorm” to “Rewind,” a dark duet that repeats the maxim “there's no point in going back when a masterpiece is crumbling”, Vermue's writing exudes a certain poignancy that's tough to place. It comes from the way he writes lyrics: part autobiography, part fiction and part unconscious thought.

“A lot of songs can be about many things in one song, and even within one line” he said. “There's a certain amount of stream of consciousness that makes it into the lyrics that sometimes doesn't relate to the subject matter but it sounds good, or rolls off my tongue easily, so in that sense I'm not always aware of it, whether it's fiction or not.”

And though many songs deal with his personal life, Vermue makes sure to keep that emotional connection in check.

“I don't break down and start crying ever, in the middle of a song” he laughed.

Still, his life has garnered interest for several reasons. The first, and most obvious, is Reg's appearance. His impeccable style is a subject of its own, but the skin underneath the clothing causes heads to turn for its stark colouration.

Born without pigment, Vermue's skin is nearly fair to the point of albinism; people, Reg said, can see him coming from blocks away because of his bright blond hair, which extends to both his eyebrows and goatee. He even portrayed an albino character in John Cameron Mitchell's film Shortbus, which was noted in particular for its use of sex as an artistic medium.

Many of the film's main characters are also sexually ambiguous, or, like Reg himself, openly gay. It's something he addresses with frankness, particularly in some of his older work like “The Boyfriend Song,” through which he first met and worked with Kevin Drew, Broken Social Scene frontman and Arts and Crafts co-owner.

Drew directed and helped film the video for Reg's song, an experience that would later come back to aid him after Three Gut's collapse. In fact, Arts and Crafts was one of the first record labels to express interest in his career.

Reg remembers when he was label-less, not so long ago.

“It was interesting finding a new label. There were lots of different options and things I could have done and this is ultimately the one I chose, and it was the best one.”

Now, with the added stability of a label, Gentleman Reg has been able to concentrate solely on his art. Since Jet Black's official release, Vermue has ramped up his touring, both as a headliner and support act.

“In a lot of ways, we're still the opener, because this is our first record out in the US, and Europe and lots of places in Canada. Sure, we can headline shows in Ontario, but that doesn't seem like enough for me....” he said. “[Still,] there's a whole other satisfaction when you do play for an audience that doesn't know you and you do win them over.”

Gentleman Reg's concert at Call the Office on April 29 will be one of many headlining shows to come, and any indie-rock fan out there should go check it out.

But on a final, personal note, I would just like to thank everyone and anyone who has taken the time to read my weekly article. Please continue to support independent music in London!