Many people (at least those of us here) are talking about the recent surge in Canadian music on the global stage. However, some of us have always known about the great music that comes from the Great White North, and so I wanted to start a thread to celebrate it.
I will start things off with something like this:
PS As always, bonus points are on offer for every response you get that says “I didn’t even know they are Canadian.”
This was one of my favourite albums from a few years ago. Excellent alt-country. They put on a great live show as well.
My favourite Canadian artist.
Thanks for the suggestion. I can honestly say I have never heard of him! I will try to queue some up next.
Colter Wall is from Swift Current, Saskatchewan. A couple of his songs have made it to movies]TV: Yellowstone, Peanut butter falcon, and Hell or High Water. He has been signed by Rick Rubin (producer of Johnny Cash’s American Recordings). Colter is highly thought of by Steve Earle. I met him. Nice guy. Our conversation resulted in a particular song making it onto his last album. Western Swings & Waltzes.
I’ve been keeping up with the Canadian Jazz Scene for awhile. These are two of my many favorites. Recently I attended a virtual Jazz concert series in Vancouver via Zoom featuring four popular bands. I don’t live anywhere near Canada.
The Guess Who, Paul Anka, Stan Rogers, Gordon Lightfoot. So many great Canadian acts over the years that I totally love.
I would be curious to know what it is about the Canadian jazz scene that interests you to follow it from afar?
I’ve attended the the Djangofest Northwest which is held on Whidbey Island in Washington. They usually feature bands from Canada, the US, South America and Europe. Once I got a good taste of the Pacific Northwest Jazz scene, I kept looking into other bands. My favorite Jazz radio station is located in the Seattle/Tacoma area which frequently plays music from the Pacific Northwest.
Amelia Curran, Dennis Ellsworth, Krista Detour, Stephen Fearing, Lynn Miles are just a few of the great Canadian artists we have either hosted or seen live in recent years.
I’ll add Christina Martin and her husband Dale to that list… Kelly Sloan too… she was great.
I moved to Canada coming on for 10 years ago and have tried to discover Canadian artists. There are so many outstanding Canadian acts (leaving aside those from the 60s/70s/80s/90s era) that are probably not well known outside of Canada (or probably even in the country). Here’s a list of some that I have discovered and really enjoy:
Big Rude Jake.
Bruce Cockburn, Joni Mitchell and kd lang are three in my library that come immediately to mind. Neil Young probably doesn’t qualify any more.
Obviously Justin Bieber goes without saying.
Here’s a group that is a far cry from the traditional Canadian singer-songwriter:
Pitchfork reviewed this for the first time a couple of months back and gave it 9.5/10.
Seeing Stephen Fearing when he was recording an album at Rega I came across his band.
To sit right in front of him as he performs an old song Beguiling Eyes is sheer magic.
I stumbled on this guy via Roon radio and have been enjoying since. Glad to hear he’s a nice guy as well, sounds like a purchase or two is in order.
He’s a genius. Not to everyone’s liking, not even to me always… but still, a genius…
Perhaps the nicest person in the world… Born in the US, living in Canada…
Have a look at this documentary… , if it’s available in your area.
A new recording was released this summer:
