Canadian Bands We Love
In honour of Canada Day, the Lucid Forge writing team has put together a list of the Canadian bands and musical acts that mean a lot to us. Some you may know, some you may not, and others might surprise, but the point is to reinforce the fact that musical talent in this country is rated second to none. So please enjoy the list and Happy 142nd Birthday, Canada.Sarah McLachlan
By Adam A. Donaldson
I guess it was near the end of high school that I really got into Sarah McLachlan. It was that point where you can stop pretending that you’re into all the things labelled hip because school’s almost over and you don’t have to worry about going with the flow anymore. (Yeah, the Hip was big in my high school.) It was also around the time of Surfacing’s release, McLachlan’s best-selling album to date, and one that still gets a fair bit of rotation in my personal jukebox. Songs like “I Love You” and “Full of Grace” are just overflowing with emotion that it’s a wonder anyone can really listen to them without welling up, and that album’s lead single “Building a Mystery” has a kind of romantic whimsy I still enjoy 12 years later. A lot of female singer/songwriters have come up in the ranks, but to me, Sarah McLachlan remains incomparable.
Teenage Head
By Andrew Skinner
Their spastic image, where punk and disco were absent from suburban Canada, was compulsive dynamite, or a rite of passage even. I heard rumours of riots when I was just a kid and I remember the hallowed room of my ancient brother’s new worship. Excited apprehension of the “disgusteen” years ahead of girls, booze, cars, chaos, cottage, vomit and bop. They were our Ramones and were embraced by legions of teens, and being Canadian then there was no escaping it or them. Then, 15 years later, I saw Teenage Head in a small rural bar, purely by chance.
Rush
By Barrett Hooper
The music of Rush is like the soundtrack to a lazy heady summer party, not a Kim Mitchell patio lantern party but an out in the middle of nowhere kind of party like those kids in Dazed & Confused go to. Where people drink and smoke up and make out and get punched out and climb water towers and watch the sun come up from the 50-yard line before hitting the road to buy tickets for their favourite band.. It’s synths and sci-fi and copious amounts of herb. Lots of herb. Paul Rudd and Jason Segel rocked out to Rush in I Love You Man, becuase they knew, you know? Rush – prog-rockers Geddy Lee, Neil Peart and Alex Lifeson – were influenced by Zeppelin and Cream and Deep Purple and The Who, and they influenced Metallica and the Smashing Pumpkins and the Foo Fighters. They knew the power of more cowbell and how to bang a gong, as T Rex would say. And yeah, they’ve been around a long time and none of their new stuff lives up to the old, but damn that old stuff still rocks, “New World Man,” “Tom Sawyer,” “Limelight,” “Closer to the Heart” and on and on. To paraphrase Matt McConaughey’s Wooderson, that's what I love about these Rush songs, man. I get older, they stay the same age.
Propagandhi
By Rachel Rain Packota
Twenty-three years together, five albums, a handful of demos, and a plethora of controversy along the way, Propagandhi is still as politically resolute and tough as a Winnipeg winter (their home-base). With walk (and rock) to back up their talk, they are one of the few hardcore acts around respected by both independent and label bands alike. Devoutly animal-friendly, anti-fascist, gay-positive, and pro-feminist, you will see kids of all races, classes, and sizes at their shows. Ladies, you can mosh in a Propagandhi pit without fear of being crushed, molested and slandered. Oh, and they rock extremely hard! Broken Social Scene
By Nadine Bachan
BSS are much more than a band – they are a unique musical collective. These gifted artists brought together a dynamic collection of sounds and influences, meshing beautifully to form the heart of Canada’s indie rock talent. Totalling nineteen members, the collective is comprised of both solo performers and members of existing bands – Kevin Drew, Brendan Canning, Emily Haines, Leslie Feist, and Jason Collett are among them. With tracks both fully instrumental and featuring vocals from several members at once, their songs are the likes of nothing ever heard before. BSS’s sophomore release, You Forgot It in People, earning them the Juno for 2003’s Alternative Album of the Year and was hailed one of the best Canadian records of all time by many critics. BSS has been established as a huge success in Canada and have made massive waves across the globe.
Bryan Adams
By Emily Santos
“Eighteen ‘til I die” – words I live by, made famous by my favourite Canadian singer, songwriter and rock star: Bryan Adams. They were not only words to a catchy melody but lyrics that defined one generation and continue to inspire generations after. Bryan Adams first made his mark on Canada in the early 80s and he has continued to leave his imprint on the world with his powerful and personable songs. Adams’ music is truly the soundtrack to my life. Prom night’s “There Will Never Be Another Tonight,” high school graduation’s “Open Road” and the ballad that made me believe in love, “Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman.” Who would have thought the boy at the five-and-dime would motivate millions to never say no, try anything twice and to live life young at heart.
Hugh Le Caine
By Sebastian Frye
An underrated aspect of Canadian music past and present is our electronic musicians. In the history of pioneering electronic music, one name is critical to the field and that’s the Thunder Bay-born Hugh Le Caine. A scientist by trade, Le Caine's true love was to create "beautiful sounds." He developed the now iconic Electronic Sackbut and envisioned a studio where all instruments would work together. An instrument to Le Caine was like a living thing. It was crucial to him to emphasize the touch sensitivity, musical expressiveness, and playability of his inventions. While not exactly a musician, Le Caine’s composed several pieces including "Dripsody," which was constructed entirely from a drip of water. These experiments remain compelling to this day and bring to mind a quote of Le Caine’s from 1966: "What a composer of electronic music needs most is not an understanding of the apparatus, but a new understanding of sound." Esthero
By Lisa M. Knapp
With Canada Day just around the corner, all of us Lucid Writers were asked to write a bit about our favourite Canadian artists, and I chose Esthero because I have adored for as long as I can remember. She has always been a huge inspiration for me, from her music to her creative artistic side; Esthero is practically heaven sent for me. She’s so much more than a simple over night success and her fans will always adore her. From funk to soul to hip-hop and even rock, Esthero is a bit of a secret to those who don’t know of her and a gem for those who do. From “That Girl” to “Heaven Sent,” Esthero’s voice lifts me away to a place where I can’t help but be inspired and can’t help but get creative. Though I have not seen anything released by her personally since 2005 that doesn’t mean she has disappeared. Esthero still takes part of the musical world she loves and how couldn’t she, she was practically born with headphones on.
Ron Sexsmith
By Catherine Kustanczy
Why do I love Ron Sexsmith? He’s a skilled tunesmith, first and foremost. From this quiet man pours forth some of the most beautiful music I’ve ever heard. “This Is How I Know,” from his latest album, last year’s Exit Strategy Of The Soul, is a perfect example of the seemingly-effortless sound Sexsmith is such a master of. Part Bill Withers, part Paul McCartney, with a dash of Stevie Wonder, Sexsmith is a master of the hum-able tune. The lyrics themselves are a perfect hymn to the impenetrable faith that circles and revolves on the album: “from the ashes of a broken home / I sent a message to the great unknown / the music on the radio came to set me free / this is how I know you hear me…” He knows what works sonically and verbally, and he instinctively understands how those pieces fit together, but he doesn’t shove his talent in your face, either. And that’s the other part of his charm: his humility. I’ve run into Ron more than once socially, and he’s been adorably shy and soft-spoken. There’s no starry grand-standing or sunglass-wearing self-importance with Ron Sexsmith. The only hint of star-biz came with the snazzy gold jacket he wore during his Massey Hall gig this past winter. Smiling at the crowd, and giving shout-outs to his daughter and girlfriend, he looked comfortable by the show’s end, not in a starry, look-at-me way, but as a man deeply grateful for his fans –and his gift. That’s a real musician –precisely what Ron Sexsmith is.
