It's really unfortunate, but there are a ton of music acts up here in the Great White North that deserve so much more recognition and success than they are able to get. One of the nice things about living here (or bad things, depending on who you talk to), is that it is literally law that TV stations, radio stations etc, hell, even our football league, have to have certain quota's of Canadian content.
I don't know the exact numbers or technicalities of how it all works, but I believe on a standard radiostation, 30% of the music played has to be Canadian.
Some people might think this is silly, or socialist or something, but I personally think it's a neccessary evil. Unfortunately, we live immediately next door to a big huge mass media exporter, the US. We are swamped by US culture and media at all times. Were it not for the CRTC (Canadian Radio and Television Council I think is what it stands for) setting quota's, we would long ago have lost any sort of Canadian identity or values.
Also, some bands can even get funding from the Canadian government to help with recording or promotion costs etc. The same applies to film makers and other forms of media. There is a lot of subsidization going on.
So my basic goal of this post is to hopefully open up a few eyes (ears?) to some of the great music they are missing out on, because MTV won't play it. I will just do an alphabetical list of some of the highlights of the Canadian music scene. All these bands are rock/metal type bands, as those are what I am in to. Feel free to add your own acts if you want. This post is gonna be long, so get a drink or move on
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Big Sugar - a wicked band led by guitar god Gordie Johnson. Kind of a jazzy/bluezy/regae kind of sound, good stuff. They are incredible live, as Gordie is a god on guitar. Side note: Gordie Johnson played on several songs on the Stevie Ray Vaughn tribute album, as he kicks ass. Good songs to check out: Groundhog's Day (the one with Johnny Lang singing is good), On The Scene, Ride On, I'm a Ram.
Big Wreck - technically not Canadian, as only the singer/guitarist Ian Thornley is from Toronto, the rest are from Boston. A good heavy rock band, heavily influenced by Zeppelin. Another incredible live act, Thornley could be up there by himself and it would be just as good. Songs: Ladylike, The Oaf (My Luck is Wasted), That Song (catchiest song title ever).
Danko Jones - a three piece rock band, really heavy on riffs and lyrics about how sexy he is. These guys might be able to break into the US market because Danko has the look about him that will help with video play. Never seen them live, I would imagine they are good, they have been around as an Indie band for years. Songs: Bounce, Sound of Love, Lovercall.
David Usher/Moist - David Usher is the lead man of Moist, a slightly heavier/soft rock band (hard to explain). He has released two solo albums that have done very well. Apparently he is massively popular in Thailand, as he is half Thai. I am surprised he hasn't penetrated the US market yet, as he seems to make girls wet on the spot (image is everything). Both are spectacular live, as Usher has an incredible voice for both loud music and soft. Songs: Silver, Resurrection, Black Black Heart, St. Lawrence River.
Edwin - former front man for I Mother Earth, now solo (he has never release his last name). He now does riff heavy pop rock basically. I am again surprised that he hasn't gotten big in the states, women LOVE this guy, and he could whup Enrique's ass. A large number of his songs involve being high. Songs: Superhoney, Alive, Trippin'
Finger Eleven/Rainbow Butt Monkeys - I still haven't figured out how they went from a funk/metal band RBM, to Finger Eleven, a slightly gothic metal band. Whatever though, as their music in both is pretty damn good, and again they absolutely ROCK live. I think they are starting to get a bit of exposure finally, which is good to see. Songs: Above, Drag You Down, Suffocate.
Headstones - Heavy Rock/Punk band that has been kicking serious ass for years now. They just released their newest album which is damn good. Again an excellent live band, I saw them on Halloween and the place went insane when they jumped into "Black Betty" by Ramjam in the middle of the show. I can't say enough about how good these guys are. Songs: Tweeter and The Monkeyman, Cubically Contained, Smile and Wave, Cemetary.
Holly McNarland - not a huge fan of her, as for some reason I basically don't like any bands/acts with female vocalists. Not sure why. However I do much prefer her to other female "alternative" acts like Alanis Morrissette etc. Songs: Elmo, Numb.
I Mother Earth - These guys were doing their own semi-rap metal before it was the thing to do, with their debut Dig in 1993. Just a damn fine album with Edwin singing/screaming. Kind of a heavy metal/slightly funky album (the bassist rocks). Their second release went a little more poppy, and things fell apart from there, with all their videos centered on Edwin and his seckcie thighs and pecs. Musically it was good for the most part. Their third album they got a new singer, the album sucked, however their live show got a lot better. Haven't heard from them in three years, but the first two albums are among the best I own. Songs: No One, Levitate, Songburst & Delirium, Earth Sky & C, Summertime in the Void.
Matthew Good Band/Matt Good - pretty straightforward rock music, with socially conscious lyrics from time to time. Matt Good is a well known arrogant prick, he is kind of Canada's answer to Noel Gallagher in a way, hence why the band has since broken up after 4 or 5 damn fine albums. His solo album is coming up in the new year, and it is looking to be very good. Songs: Weapon, Under the Influence, Symbolistic White Walls, Alabama Motel Room, Apparitions.
Nickelback/All their clones - so yea, you are probably sick of them! Well too fucking bad, since there are roughly a cubic assload of imitation bands coming out of Alberta and BC as we speak! Say hi to Theory of a Deadman, Default, Rake, and whoever else is riding on their coattails. Chad Kroeger has spotted a lot of those bands and helped them get contracts etc, and produced songs/albums etc, hence the similarities. While I am not a big fan of any of those bands, I think it's good for music in general, as I would rather some 13 year old is buying Nickelback over Justin Timberlake's new solo album, no matter how dreamy he is.
Our Lady Peace - another band that has made at least a little headway into the US market. I still don't think they have made an album anywhere near as good as their release, Naveed, but they have all at least been listenable (except for the second one, Clumsy, good god that one was annoying, AYAYAYYYYIIIIIIEEEEEE). Spiritual Machines is a very very good album, although I think they were kind of trying to go for the Radiohead vibe a little too blatantly there. They are only so so live however, as Raine Maida seems to have a problem singing in key. He can hit the high notes fine, strangely enough, it's everything else. Also, Raine needs to learn to shut the fuck up from time to time, as it is very rare to hear a musical space without him wailing. Songs: Hope, Denied, In Repair, Innocent, Not Enough, Stealing Babies.
Rush - so yea, I don't think anyone has mentioned them here recently, so allow me to elaborate...
Sam Roberts - Only has one EP to his name so far, but I think big things can be expected of him. Kind of pop rock, really damn catchy. Songs: Brother Down, Don't Walk Away Eileen
The Tea Party - possibly one of the most talented 3 piece bands around right now, they are incredible live and in studio. For their second album, Edges of Twilight, they used over 60 different instruments. There are lots of Eastern influences in their music, although lately they have also been using electronic stuff as well. Jeff Martin is an incredible guitarist and singer, and could be Jim Morrison as well (he freaks out when asked in interviews about it). Very very intricate music, and incredible live performances where it can take them 45 minutes to finish a song off, as they jump from one song to the next and back again, and toss in various covers all throughout. Songs: Sun's Going Down, Sister Awake, The River, The Raven, Cathartik, Lullaby.
The Watchmen - pretty straight forward rock music, at least until their last album, which took a HUGE departure into electronica stuff, although it was very good as well. Spectacular live performances, the singer Daniel Greaves has an incredible voice. When he did a 5 minute solo a few years back, several people in the audience were outwardly crying, and everyone was visibly moved by it. Very very good band. Songs: Stereo, Brighter Hell, Keep It Together, Incarnate, Boneyard Tree.
The Tragically Hip - now, this is hard to explain to people outside of Canada. There is this mythos around the Tragically Hip that is completely unexplainable and baffling. They basically represent all that is Canadian, I don't know how to explain it. They have been around for a long time now, and continue to be the best live band around. Even people who dislike their music grudgingly admit they enjoy them live. If the band wanted, Gordon Downie could call in sick and the crowd could do the singing for them, their music is so pervasive among people 18-30. Their more recent albums have not been all that great, as they are starting to slow down a lot and play more soft or strange music. Basically The Hip (I know it's an awful name, but somehow it works) are the most successful Canadian band, within Canada, ever. Almost all of their albums sell 500K to a million copies (that's the same as selling 5-10 million in the US), and have done so for over 10 years. They repeatedly sell out arena tours, and do outdoor festivals for 30-60K people. Songs: New Orleans is Sinking, Nautical Disaster, Cordelia, Fully Completely, basically any song off of their earlier albums.
Wide Mouth Mason - Another really really good three piece band, sort of a bluezy jazzy funky kind of sound, and the singer has a quite high pitched voice. Their albums are pretty good, however I never liked them all that much till I saw them live this summer. They are the kind of band that, even if you don't know their songs, you will end up singing along and clapping whether you want to or not, not sure how they manage it. Songs: Rained Out Parade, Bootleggin', Scratch (don't know their previous two albums, just their most recent).
And that's about it for bands I would strongly suggest
