Canadian musicians worth listening to

Why is it that the only Canadian groups/"artists" who ever seem to get any airtime are the ones who shouldn't?
I'd be interested to find out about some more groups I might not know, so maybe we can share a little? Here are some of my favourites (links to an example):

These are from a couple of different genres, so give them a chance before you assume they're all alike.

Great Big Sea - The Old Black Rum (because I'm a Maritimer at heart)
Hawksley Workman - Jealous of Your Cigarette
Philosopher Kings - Hurts to Love You
Our Lady Peace - Life
Melanie Doane - Adams Rib Sorry, this was the only non-live video I found
Arrogant Worms - The Vegtable Song (the group with a song to offend everyone)
Spirit of the West - Home for a Rest
Joel Plaskett Emergency - Nowhere With You
The Guess Who - Share the Land (they also wrote American Woman)
Men Without Hats - Safety Dance (full) same thing, not full, but with the best music video ever (bringing it back to the '80s)
Matthew Good Band - Strange Days

Dutch Mason, brilliant Jazz musician - Can't find anything of his on youtube, but my favourite by him is Linda Lou

and because no list of good Canadian musicians would be complete without them:
The Tragically Hip - Ahead by a Century
Bare Naked Ladies - One Week (sorry about the video)
Leonard Cohen - Suzanne (He wrote Hallelujah, sung by Rufus Wainright)

oh, and I suppose I should include these guys, although they're not to my taste:
Finger Eleven
Default
Sarah McLachlan

Who've I left out?

Stompin Tom Connors

I absolutely loved the first version of 'Helene' - Roch Voisine

I have the 25th Anniversary Juno awards 4cd set "Oh, What a Feeling" in my car and listen to it all the time. They've since come out with newer versions for the 30th and 35th anniversary. I think a few people might be surprised that some of them are Canadian. It really is a "must have" imo. (yeah, ok... I'm old )

Disc 1
The Guess Who, "American Woman"
Lighthouse, "One Fine Morning"
Crowbar, "Oh, What a Feeling"
Steppenwolf, "Born to Be Wild"
Sweeney Todd, "Roxy Roller"
Downchild Blues Band, "(I Got Everything I Need) Almost"
Powder Blues Band, "Doin' it Right"
Trooper, "Raise a Little Hell"
Chilliwack, "Fly at Night"
Triumph, "Magic Power"
Saga, "On the Loose"
A Foot in Coldwater, "(Make Me Do) Anything You Want"
Burton Cummings, "Stand Tall"
Bachman-Turner Overdrive, "Takin' Care of Business"
Rough Trade, "High School Confidential"
The Pursuit of Happiness, "I'm An Adult Now"
Martha and the Muffins, "Echo Beach"
Cowboy Junkies, "Misguided Angel"
Parachute Club, "Rise Up"

Disc 2
Rush, "Closer to the Heart"
Loverboy, "Turn Me Loose"
Bryan Adams, "Cuts Like A Knife"
Corey Hart, "Sunglasses at Night"
The Payolas, "Eyes of a Stranger"
The Jeff Healey Band, "See the Light"
Colin James, "Just Came Back"
Kim Mitchell, "Patio Lanterns"
Honeymoon Suite, "New Girl Now"
Glass Tiger, "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)"
Maestro Fresh Wes, "Let Your Backbone Slide"
Bruce Cockburn, "If I Had a Rocket Launcher"
Barenaked Ladies, "If I Had a Million Dollars"
The Tragically Hip, "New Orleans is Sinking"
Tom Cochrane, "Life Is a Highway"
Moist, "Push"
Alanis Morissette, "You Oughta Know"

Disc 3
Anne Murray, "Snowbird"
The Guess Who, "These Eyes"
Stampeders, "Sweet City Woman"
Five Man Electrical Band, "Signs"
April Wine, "You Could Have Been a Lady"
Mashmakhan, "As Years Go By"
The Poppy Family, "Which Way You Goin' Billy?"
Motherlode, "When I Die"
Blood, Sweat and Tears, "Spinning Wheel"
The Band, "The Weight"
Ocean, "Put Your Hand in the Hand"
The Bells, "Stay Awhile"
Frank Mills, "Music Box Dancer"
Skylark, "Wildflower"
Ian & Sylvia, "Four Strong Winds"
Leonard Cohen, "Suzanne"
Valdy, "Play Me a Rock 'n Roll Song"
Murray McLauchlan, "Farmer's Song"
Ian Thomas, "Painted Ladies"
Terry Jacks, "Seasons in the Sun"
Andy Kim, "Rock Me Gently"
Hagood Hardy, "The Homecoming"
Edward Bear, "Last Song"

Disc 4
Céline Dion, "Where Does My Heart Beat Now"
Roch Voisine, "Hélène"
Gino Vannelli, "I Just Wanna Stop"
Alannah Myles, "Black Velvet"
Jann Arden, "Could I Be Your Girl"
k.d. lang, "Constant Craving"
The Rankin Family, "Fare Thee Well Love"
Gordon Lightfoot, "If You Could Read My Mind"
Neil Young, "Helpless"
Dan Hill, "Sometimes When We Touch"
Anne Murray, "You Needed Me"
Rita MacNeil, "Flying On Your Own"
Luba, "How Many Rivers to Cross"
Blue Rodeo, "Try"
Robbie Robertson, "Showdown at Big Sky"
Sarah McLachlan, "Hold On"
Crash Test Dummies, "Superman's Song"
Northern Lights, "Tears Are Not Enough"

Laura Fabian



She's originally from Europe, but lives in Canada now.

we had a similar thread about 3 years ago, I cannot seem to find it.

was also a great list of talented people

OH MY GOD!! Roch Voisine! I'd completely forgot he existed! hahaha

I am more a country person
Carolyn Dawn Johnson
Amanda Stott
Paul Brandt
Doc Walker
The Wilkinsons
Hawg Wylde
Terri Clarke
The Joyner Brothers
Michelle Wright
Jason McCoy

Then the East Coaster- Ashlyee MacIssacs

Loreena Mckinnet

Joni Mitchell?

anybody but NOT Celine Dion...

We used to have to listen to Roch Voisine in French Immersion classes...

Maestro (Fresh-Wes) was the hip hop guy before K-os
Sloan (Halifax's Seattle)
Thrush Hermit (Joel Plaskett's old band)
Inbreds (Kingston's answer to the White Stripes, before the White Stripes)
Kathleen Edwards (Lucinda Williams north)
Scratching Post (Underrated metal band)

Leonard Cohen, Arcade Fire... thats all that comes to mind that I am aware are canadian.

Blue Rodeo & Jim Cuddy
The New Pornographers & Neko Case
Broken Social Scene
Sloan
The Constantines (i think)
The Band
and Neil Young

regards
P

The New Deal:

Gone Gone Gone
Technobeam (live at Langerado 2008 in Florida)
Deep Sun (also at Langerado 2008)

Loreena McKennitt has a beautiful eery voice, and a damn good harpist too!

Feist is great

@liutaia...OH MY GOD!! Roch Voisine! I'd completely forgot he existed! hahaha

sorry about that, I guess I'm older than most here...first heard him when I lived in France back in the late 80's...hmmmm

My wife loves Garou. I appreciate his voice but his music is too soft for my taste.

Some of my faves to add to the list...
Delerium
Billy Talent
Econoline Crush
Headstones (Picture of Health is an absolute classic)
54-40
Esthero
Gob
Matthew Good
Rose Chronicles
Thornley

I quite liked The Tea Party. But they apparently only had any success in Canada and Australia.

This women is fantastic

Dalbello

@Hazza: Yep, like the Tea Party too. Saw them in concert quite a few times. Best song: 'The River' off their Splendor Solis album.

That is most likely as Canada has Canadian Content laws for TV/Videos and Radio... so, you do hear more homestuff at home than on the international market. I am always happy when I am home and my brother always has CD's for me of the newest Canadian stuff.

Propagandhi.
Voivod.
Stars.
Tokyo Police Club.
Death From Above 1979.
No Means No.

Probably forgotten a few, but here goes:

Arcade Fire
The Dears
Tokyo Police Club
Hot Hot Heat
The Stills
Zumpano
The Weakerthans
Limblifter
Age of Electric
Wolf Parade
Sunset Rubdown
Handsome Furs
Stars
Born Ruffians
Apostle of Hustle
Metric
Black Mountain
Frog Eyes
Swan Lake
Islands
The Unicorns
Destroyer
Wide Mouth Mason
Blinker the Star
The Fembots
Death From Above 1979
The Joel Plaskett Emergency

Oh yeah, and the Constantines are definitely Canadian, to whoever was unsure about that.

Two more for the list:

One of my favourites, Susan Aglukark who sings in English and Inuit.
Hina Na Ho (Celebration)


Live performance at the 2002 North American Indigenous Games in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Amazing Grace - in Inuit (a cappella)



And another favourite song by a Canadian gal

Shania Twain - Any Man of Mine


edit: oops, sorry... embedding disabled, but it is available on YouTube

let's not forget post punk pioneers Skinny Puppy, and Frontline Assembly

another hometown girl, Chantal Kreviazuik she married a guy from Our Lady Peace.

we had the same thing in our french immersion class, all the girls were a bit twittery about him and the teacher had a great laugh telling them he was gay.

another Canadian great Glen Gould



Another Canadian great that is a little less known by my generation the Rheostatics

Rufus Wainwright is a half-er.

and punk pioneers Joey Shithead and the DOAs

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Is this what you were talking about?

Leonard Cohen

I always love how you can hear him hum/sing along

@iain
yeah, thanks. I tried to delete that, but got back too late.

I liked a band called "Big Wreck" who i think were Canadian.

Some of the early Godspeed You Black Emperor! was amazing. Got a bit same-y after a while. In a similar vein, I was also partial to a little Do Make Say Think, back in the day.

Tom Cochrane is worth another mention.

Rush, has it been listed? I have a patient that flies to the US often on business, and he makes his appointments to coinceide with Rush concerts. Last month he was in Boston for the concert, and work!

You Say Party! We Say Die!

Well, even though everybody on TT seems to hate my musical tastes, I'll post this anyway. Deborah Cox - she's got a bloody fantastic voice. Absolutely great.

..and although I purposely didn't mention my hero Celine Dion because I knew I'd get abuse, I have to tell you that Deborah Cox actually used to be a backing singer for my mate Celine.

I just love Diana Krall, one of the greatest Jazz singers/composers around!
but that what makes Canada so great, everything goes!

Eleanor Rigby and Showem

k.d. lang

Diana Krall = crazy cool.

I Mother Earth

You sucking up, a bittle?

Sam Roberts

(Particularly 'We were born in a flame')

Most of these have probably already been mentioned but my favourites:

Our Lady Peace
The Tea Party
Tragically Hip
Moist
Econoline Crush
I Mother Earth (Edwin)
Zuckerbaby
Jann Arden
Big Sugar
The Odds
The Guess Who
Default
Moxy Fruvous
Matthew Good
Crash Test Dummies
54-40
Cowboy Junkies
Blue Rodeo
Nickelback
Treblecharger
Sum41
Headstones
Wide Mouth Mason
Lighthouse
The Watchmen
Hawksley Workman
Sam Roberts

BTW Big Wreck is a great band but unfortunately not Canadian.

Absolutely, Diana Krall is truly amazing. I have four of her CDs.

I'm looking forward to next Friday (July 11th) as I have tickets to see her at the Zitadelle in Berlin Spandau. It's an outdoor venue so I hope the weather is nice.

I saw her about 8 years ago at Montreux and really enjoyed that concert.