mc2 Posted January 6, 2010 Posted January 6, 2010 After reviewing all of the above Canadian bands.....I STILL say that there is some strange "thing" common to all of their music that makes them "sound Canadian." I can't put my finger on it but it's there. Maybe I'm more aware of it from 10 years as a radio DJ on the NY/canadian border and having played that club circuit. You could usually spot a new Canadian band as soon as you played the record. Again, something I cannot describe exactly but it's there. That's not to say Canadian bands suck or anything...they just have something different. Maybe it's something in the vocal (an accent?) or "Canadian endings" as we used to call the repeating false accents at the end of Canadian rock songs, especially live ones. BTW....For a long time, Canada had a law that forced the bulk of Canadian radio (and TV maybe) airplay of musical acts to be by Canadian artists. Hence the flood of a lot of releases that came out of Canada that may not have been all that great. Some sort of self-development/support of the Canadian arts. I think that was still in effect into some of the 80s or so? Definitely during the 70s. That said....a few other Canadian acts not named yet: Goddo (who I especially liked) Max Webster (which bassist Billy Sheehan did a stint in between Talas breakups...but it must not have gone well because neither Sheehan nor Maz Wbster EVER mentions it) Toronto (an iside joke on the Toronto/Buffalo/Rochester circuit back then because half the band was actually from the US.) Lady (decent early all-female major label act) Loverboy (good example of that "Canadian thang" that I cannot exactly describe. And no, it's not headbands
zorrow Posted January 6, 2010 Posted January 6, 2010 Not mentioned so far: James LaBrie (Dream Theater's singer) is Canadian. Martyr is a good metal band from Quebec: http://www.myspace.com/martyrcanada Erik Mongrain, also from Quebec, is a hell of a guitar player: Steve Hill, guitarist from Montreal, plays some serious blues-rock. Here he is, slidin' it:
diablo175 Posted January 6, 2010 Posted January 6, 2010 Sarah Machlachlan (sp?)Gordon LightfootTriumph-Austin+1 on Triumph! How about April Wine?
diablo175 Posted January 6, 2010 Posted January 6, 2010 Bare Naked Ladies, Lighthouse, Crowbar, Platinum Blond, Martha and the Muffins, Nash the Slash, he played in bandages and sunglasses, beat buckehead by 25 years, Alanah Miles, Alanis Morrisette. Moxy, Trooper, Loverboy....I could go on forever. Oh yea Finger 11 Rough Trade (Yes that is a Woman) lesbian themed music 30 years ago of, but then again they allow nudity on tv too. I've been living in the US for 15 years and I still haven't found better bands than Blue Rodeo and The Tragically Hip My first albums I played along with were April Wine, My first big concert was April Wine Don't forget Stompin Tom Connors Damn I forgot Sas Jordan!! she rules My bad. I missed your listing April Wine already. But that Rough Trade chick in the youtube video looks like Tim Currey's Dr. FrankenFurter from Rocky Horror Picture Show
esquared Posted January 6, 2010 Posted January 6, 2010 Oh Yeah..... eh!+1 Blue RodeoBare Naked LadiesMathew GoodIt is true, that most just become part of the larger North American scene that I dont remember that they are Canadian.
elduave Posted January 6, 2010 Posted January 6, 2010 My wife and I have a thing where when a new (or old) band we hear for the first time impresses, we assume they're Canadian, and often are. There *is* something about Canadian bred rock. I think it's maybe a bit more cerebral, polished and melodic than most US/UK stuff. Some of my favorite Canadian bands/artists (off the top of my head):OddsConey HatchBryan Adams
unfun75 Posted January 6, 2010 Posted January 6, 2010 WeakerthansGreat band!Other punk/hardcore/deathcore Canadian bands:PropagandhiShotmakerIon DissonanceDespised IconI SpyProtest the HeroAnd did anybody mention Shania Twain?!?
Ted Posted January 6, 2010 Posted January 6, 2010 Love Triumph, and really rocked first with Rush when I was in 7th Grade!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ranger Posted January 6, 2010 Posted January 6, 2010 American truckers don't like Canadien truckers. We're talking about the Drivers of the Big Trucks. Smei-truck folks, full time drivers. I do a lot of miles dragging my boat around the midwest and beyond and I always have the CB on channel 19. The other day I told my dad that the truckers from america only bad mouth the canadien truckers and in turn the guys from canada never talk on the radio, even if they should report threatening road conditions and cops. My dad just gave me that look, accross his tea, as I saw the obvious.Beaten down but smart folks rarely step forward for another lick unless there's a very good reason.Hah, um, some of them might play, you know, like guitars, um, or at last ij the family,.l.,;lkm[7rd,h;97tvofi875d94exb
GusS Posted January 7, 2010 Posted January 7, 2010 man, so many crap bands mentioned (eg. finger eleven - barf). those of you into great songwriting, check out the deadly snakes, active between '96 and '06. http://www.myspace.com/thedeadlysnakes
sonic1974 Posted January 7, 2010 Posted January 7, 2010 Man if you want a great Canadian band, just check my band out! ha ha. But seriously, maybe there is something to the Canadian sound. As a Canadian myself, I don't recognize it as much as an American would. One thing, you can usually tell when it's Francophone rock, even before they start singing in French. Can't exactly explain why.
specialk Posted January 7, 2010 Posted January 7, 2010 Chilliwack.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MifVhq4KIEE
ajoso Posted January 7, 2010 Posted January 7, 2010 Everyone should own a copy of Big Sugar's "Hemivision" - one of the best rock albums of the 90's. And if you're American and didn't hear them at the time - too bad for you. Grady's pretty good too - even though they are now 3 Canadians in Texas. Ndidi Onukwulu's 1st record "No I Never" was pretty darn cool too. Other great local bands were The Phantoms (who were one of the best rock bands I've ever seen, but never cut a record that captured their greatness) and Edmonton's jump blues faves The Rockin' Highliners.P.S. Nuts to Loverboy and all that 80's AOR crap!!! (But that's just my opinion)
blackfbiv Posted January 7, 2010 Posted January 7, 2010 man, so many crap bands mentioned those of you into great songwriting, check out the deadly snakes, active between '96 and '06. http://www.myspace.com/thedeadlysnakes Uh, speaking of... Oh well, diff'rent strokes, right?
gorch Posted January 7, 2010 Posted January 7, 2010 Loverboy was a favorite of mine when I was young. I, first, met them on a festival 1982 that was called Rockpop in Concert. I didn't know they still perform.Just found that Wikipedia even maintains a Canadian band list.I don't know they were mentioned already. The Crash Test Dummies are Canadian as well.
GaryT Posted January 7, 2010 Posted January 7, 2010 How about Jay Black from "Jay and the Americans".But for R+R I kinda lean toward Neil Young and Randy Bachman
specialk Posted January 7, 2010 Posted January 7, 2010 Jerry Doucettehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-G4onYzITc
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