# Do Americans Know These Ubiquitous Canadian Pop Musicians? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 24, 2005, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-know-these-ubiquitous-canadian-pop-musicians/337051 "2005-12-24T04:11:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2005, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-know-these-ubiquitous-canadian-pop-musicians/337051/81 "2005-12-26T06:58:58Z")
Some hip Canadian should make a similar list of _current_ Canadian indie music and see how we stack up. As I’ve read this thread I’ve come to realize that I know songs by more people than I thought, but a band has to be pretty stand-out for me to know the artist name if the single came out before I was in high school. ☹ (I didn’t care for music until then) I lack a deep appriciation for 70s or 80s music. ---
**Author:** ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2005, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-know-these-ubiquitous-canadian-pop-musicians/337051/82 "2005-12-26T19:04:21Z")
38 over all, 37 if you remove Nick Glyder who I only heard about on some vh1 one hit wonder show my roomate was watching the other day. sadly a large part of this list is only alive thanks to cancon, who the hell would willingly put Aldo Nova Bryan Adams Celine Dion Corey Hart Nick Gilder Paul Anka Snow or Triumph on the radio today? seriuosly, Aldo Nova? one sorta hit in the 80’s that was everything bad about 80’s rock wrapped up in one video? ug, government should stay the hell out of music and for that matter so should big corporate money grubbers. given the choice and the opportunity a good dj will sell tons of music, just because it isnt the latest pop crap doesnt somehow make the money any less spendable. ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2005, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-know-these-ubiquitous-canadian-pop-musicians/337051/83 "2005-12-26T19:12:25Z")
> [@fishbicycle](#): > > If you like Mitchell at all, I urge you to get all the Max Webster albums. They are all worth repeated listens. Just watch out for the monkey bars Declan ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2005, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-know-these-ubiquitous-canadian-pop-musicians/337051/84 "2005-12-26T19:28:42Z")
> [@Critical1](#): > > \ > ug, government should stay the hell out of music and for that matter so should big corporate money grubbers.\ I read a great quote from Jann Arden (who is incredibly eloquent, if you hadn’t figured that out already 😉 ) that went something like, “Music and the music industry go together so badly that they make oil and water look like lovers.” With any luck, the internet will take music out of the hands of the corporate money grubbers and make a direct link between artists and enjoyers. Tough poopies, Sony/Arista/BMG/A&M/Geffen et al. ---
**Author:** ![J\_String](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ce73a5/32.png) [@J\_String](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/J_String)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2005, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-know-these-ubiquitous-canadian-pop-musicians/337051/85 "2005-12-26T20:01:38Z")
I’m surprised no one’s mentioned Voivod… Anyway, the singer for Dream Theater (James LaBrie) is Canadian. Does DT get much airplay up north because of this? ---
**Author:** ![vl\_mungo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc8723/32.png) [@vl\_mungo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vl_mungo)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2005, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-know-these-ubiquitous-canadian-pop-musicians/337051/86 "2005-12-26T20:06:10Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Some hip Canadian should make a similar list of _current_ Canadian indie music and see how we stack up. > > As I’ve read this thread I’ve come to realize that I know songs by more people than I thought, but a band has to be pretty stand-out for me to know the artist name if the single came out before I was in high school. ☹ (I didn’t care for music until then) I lack a deep appriciation for 70s or 80s music. Hip… no not hip, but I have a quick list of some indie Canadian bands that are vying for your attention as we speak (some have already been mentioned)… [Arcade Fire](http://www.arcadefire.com/) - probably our biggest up and comers [Black Mountain](http://www.thewaxmuseum.bc.ca/jwab/) - also on their way… opened for Coldplay on their last tour [Buck 65](http://www.buck65.com) - leading light of Canadian hip-hop [The Constantines](http://constantines.ca) - indie rockers who have done numerous American tours [Dandi Wind](http://www.dandiwind.com) - big in Europe, from what I hear [Death From Above 1979](http://www.deathfromabove1979.com) - extensive American touring [The Doers](http://www.thedoers.com) - recorded an album with former member of The Minutemen, Mike Watt on bass Godspeed You Black Emperor - seem to have some recognition factor outside of Canada Hot Hot Heat - international charting with a song called “Bandages”. [The New Pornographers](http://www.thenewpornographers.com/) - actually, probably better known at this point than Arcade Fire [The Sadies](http://www.thesadies.net) - perhaps better known to Americans as Neko Case’s sometime backup band. Tegan and Sara - College rock favourites The Weakerthans - big on Canadian campuses… don’t know about elsewhere [Wolf Parade](http://newmusiccanada.com/genres/artist.cfm?Band_Id=11211) - Toured with Modest Mouse… recorded with Modest Mouse’s Isaac Brock … well, they’re not _complete_ longshots, hopefully. ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2005, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-know-these-ubiquitous-canadian-pop-musicians/337051/87 "2005-12-26T23:36:43Z")
> [@AThingWithFeathers](#): > > I have no idea who Paul Anka is, but I think it’s hilarious that by “People of a “Certain Age”,” most would assume that meant older, and yet you included Nelly Furtudo (whom I know of because she was pasted all over the cover of YM and one or two other mags around 2001), and Sarah McLachlan who I consider very 90’s. I also like Gordon Lightfoot mostly because of my mother’s cds, but I didn’t realize the average person would remember him, nor that he is Canadian. > > I also think Rush should be on the first list, but that’s just my opinion. Also the Tragically Hip aren’t _that_ obscure, are they? I know of them and have New Orleans is Sinking on my computer, and I’m nearly five years younger than Lisa-Go-Blind. Heh, allow me to clarify about the second category. I was referring to a)people who were more-than-casual music listeners OR b)listeners of a “certain age.” I didn’t mean to imply that everyone in both of those categories would know all the people on the list. I included the second group because many of them are few-hit wonders from 20-30 years ago. Younger folks are likely to know the songs but may not know who the artists are. (I don’t know how well I’m explaining myself, but I’ve at least given it a try.) Oh, and [Paul Anka](http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:yza9qj2bojaa~T1) ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2005, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-know-these-ubiquitous-canadian-pop-musicians/337051/88 "2005-12-27T05:54:55Z")
These two I brought up, so you know I know them. [Arcade Fire](http://www.arcadefire.com/) [Death From Above 1979](http://www.deathfromabove1979.com) [Black Mountain](http://www.thewaxmuseum.bc.ca/jwab/) - haven’t heard of them [Buck 65](http://www.buck65.com) - haven’t heard of them [The Constantines](http://constantines.ca) - heard them, but not a fan. [Dandi Wind](http://www.dandiwind.com) - haven’t heard of them [The Doers](http://www.thedoers.com) - haven’t heard of them Godspeed You Black Emperor - I’ve heard a couple songs by them, but apparently didn’t like them enough to save on my hard drive. Hot Hot Heat - I was fully convinced for a couple days that “Bandages” was a new song by The Cure, but soon figured out my error. [The New Pornographers](http://www.thenewpornographers.com/) - have heard them, but can’t name any songs. [The Sadies](http://www.thesadies.net) - haven’t heard of them Tegan and Sara - “Walking with a ghost” is rather catchy, but I haven’t heard other songs by them that I liked yet. The Weakerthans - - haven’t heard them but I’ve heard the name (I _think_they were listed on a “best of 2005” list recently featured on AOL). I like the name. [Wolf Parade](http://newmusiccanada.com/genres/artist.cfm?Band_Id=11211) - haven’t heard them, but have heard **of** them. I’ve got at least 3 songs by them I haven’t heard yet. Looks like Moist and Treble Charger are Canadian too. And while hunting for place info on bands I just discovered that members of a band I like are from a town in NH that I’ve never heard of, heh. My picks for “look up random band to see where they’re from” has reliably produced either bands not from the US (but not from Canada either. Mostly the UK or Australia/New Zealand) or from the US Midwest. Hmmm. I guess both groups sound different enough from people here to prompt that sort of guessing pattern. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2005, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-know-these-ubiquitous-canadian-pop-musicians/337051/89 "2005-12-27T11:34:52Z")
I’m going to piggy-back on this thread and ask how many of these Canadian artists _ **Canadians** _ have heard/heard of. I’m already assuming most Americans won’t have heard of most of them, though some gained a small measure of attention. > [@](#): > > Autour de Lucie > blueVenus > Meryn Cadell > Holly Cole > Dalbello > Kathleen Edwards > Emma-Lee > Feist > Figgy Duff > Gogh Van Go > Emm Gryner > Sarah Harmer > The Henrys > Veda Hille > Rebecca Jenkins > Jane Siberry > Jorane > Lily Frost > Mary Jane Lamond > Tara MacLean > Natalie MacMaster > Ashley Maher > Dayna Manning > Holly McNarland > Mecca Normal > Mary Margaret O’Hara > Rose Chronicles > Sarah Slean > Kristy Thirsk > Nan Vernon > Kathleen Yearwood Love here for Tegan and Sara. I forgot about them. ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2005, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-know-these-ubiquitous-canadian-pop-musicians/337051/90 "2005-12-27T20:52:27Z")
From **vl\_mungo** ’s list: I’m a big fan of **The Arcade Fire**. I have the first **Hot Hot Heat** album (it’s just OK, but “Bandages” is an awesome song). I keep meaning to buy albums by **The New Pornographers** (brilliant singles) and **Wolf Parade** (I’ve only heard “Shine a Light,” but I really like it). I know “Romantic Rights” by **Death From Above 1979**. Some of my friends are into **The Weakerthans** , **Tegan and Sara** and **Godspeed You! Black Emperor**. I have heard of **The Sadies** , **The Constantines** and **Black Mountain**. I don’t know of **The Doers** , **Dandi Wind** or **Buck 65**. ---
**Author:** ![Treviathan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/838e76/32.png) [@Treviathan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treviathan)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2005, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-know-these-ubiquitous-canadian-pop-musicians/337051/91 "2005-12-27T22:43:37Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > I’m guessing you might not recognize all the songs from the titles, but you would have to have never listened to Canadian pop music to have never heard any of these songs. Okay, _now_ I recognize Nick Gilder, A Foot in Cold Water, The Original Caste, Rough Trade, and The Payola$ (for “Eyes of a Stranger,” but none of the others). In fact, the pastor in our Catholic high school would occasionally play “One Tin Soldier” over the intercom in place of our morning prayer. I always thought that song was by some American folkie. The rest still remain a mystery. ---
**Author:** ![Treviathan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/838e76/32.png) [@Treviathan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treviathan)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2005, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-know-these-ubiquitous-canadian-pop-musicians/337051/92 "2005-12-27T22:53:28Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > I’m going to piggy-back on this thread and ask how many of these Canadian artists _ **Canadians** _ have heard/heard of. I’m already assuming most Americans won’t have heard of most of them, though some gained a small measure of attention. **Acts I’ve heard:** Meryn Cadell Holly Cole Kathleen Edwards Feist Emm Gryner Veda Hille Sarah Harmer Jorane Mary Jane Lamond (she’s the one who duetted with Ashley MacIsaac on “Sleepy Maggie,” right?) Tara MacLean Natalie MacMaster Dayna Manning Holly McNarland Sarah Slean **Acts I’ve heard of:** Gogh Van Go The Henrys Jorane Jane Siberry Mary Margaret O’Hara Kathleen Yearwood **The rest:** Autour de Lucie blueVenus Dalbello Figgy Duff Rebecca Jenkins Lilly Frost Ashley Maher Mecca Normal Rose Chronicles Kristy Thirsk Nan Vernon **A few other Canadian female acts I might add to this list:** The Be Good Tanyas Neko Case Damhnait Doyle Kate Maki Nathan Ember Swift Wild Strawberries ---
**Author:** ![threeorange](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@threeorange](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threeorange)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2005, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-know-these-ubiquitous-canadian-pop-musicians/337051/93 "2005-12-28T11:13:29Z")
**Autour de Lucie** is not from Canada. Like the Coneheads, they are from France. And I can’t believe this thread has gone on for nearly two pages and noone has mentioned **Chantal Kreviazuk**. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2005, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-know-these-ubiquitous-canadian-pop-musicians/337051/94 "2005-12-28T11:24:04Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > The Tea Party Dutchman here. I just scanned this thread to see if anyone had beaten featherlou over the head for missing this great band in his initial list, and I see I’ve been beaten to it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![thwartme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@thwartme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thwartme)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2005, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-know-these-ubiquitous-canadian-pop-musicians/337051/95 "2005-12-28T18:43:43Z")
As a Canadian, every band/artist on the OPs list is at least familiar as a name to me, although I may have to think a while to match them up with their hit(s). But really, I’m just dropping in to recommend that anyone not already familiar with the Tragically Hip give them a chance. The album “Fully Completely” is a good place to start. Great band, and a fantastic live experience. And for the more eclectic, check out the Lowest of the Low. Even here in Canada, these guys have never gotten the recognition or success that they deserve. Although I understand they’re really popular in Buffalo. I once caught a WIVB newscast that referred to them as “Canada’s answer to the Beatles.” I’m sure that was news to most Canadians… thwartme ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2005, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-know-these-ubiquitous-canadian-pop-musicians/337051/96 "2005-12-28T18:47:10Z")
> [@fishbicycle](#): > > Larry Gowan has been the lead singer of Styx since about 1998. Yes, Styx. From Chicago. I’m sure he has never had to play a strip mall or a wedding. One of the most riveting performances I have ever witnessed was him singing “Good Golly Miss Molly” alone at the piano, at The Diamond Club, Toronto, 1987. The guy could flatten you, just with his voice! It was about that time (latter half of the 80s anyway) that I saw Gowan at the Kingswood Music Theatre, near Toronto. Great show, and terrific music–I particularly recall him doing “Criminal Mind” all alone on the stage, just him and his piano and his voice. Wow! But one thing puzzles me, **fishbicycle** , and maybe you’d know: I seem to recall Larry Gowan not wanting to have much if anything to do with taking his music to the US–he wanted to make it big at home in Canada without having to get the approval of the American listener, as it were. As you mentioned, he is now with Styx; something I also heard some years back. What happened to change his mind about playing the US, do you know? ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2005, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-know-these-ubiquitous-canadian-pop-musicians/337051/97 "2005-12-28T18:57:58Z")
Sarah Harmer and Sarah Slean are pretty big in Upstate New York. You can’t find their CDs in stores, but the Rochester indie station, 90.5 WBER, plays them very regularly. ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2005, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-know-these-ubiquitous-canadian-pop-musicians/337051/98 "2005-12-28T19:06:02Z")
**Spoons** , I didn’t know Larry was the new Dennis DeYoung until I saw a flash video of Styx doing “I Am The Walrus” from their latest album. I said, “Hey, that’s Larry Gowan! What’s he doing with Styx?” So I went to their website, and it said he’s been with them for a number of years now. I don’t know what made him decide to go south of the border. Perhaps it’s because he’s got older and there isn’t much of a market for his music in Canada anymore. If Bruce Cockburn or Murray McLauchlan or Gordon Lightfoot put out a new album, do they get any airplay? I doubt it. At the very least, Larry can be noticed this way. He is an excellent keyboardist and singer, and I would actually like to hear him doing early Styx, like “Put Me On” or “Mademoiselle” or “Sing For The Day”. I’d like to see how he stacks up. I imagine he can hold his own on DeYoung’s material with aplomb. The website did say that Styx does play “A Criminal Mind”, a song that will forever be associated with Gowan. So if anybody in the US hears them do it, the question is, are any of Gowan’s albums still in print? ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2005, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-know-these-ubiquitous-canadian-pop-musicians/337051/99 "2005-12-28T19:21:10Z")
I knew exactly half, 39. A couple of comments. I know you were shooting for really well-known Canadian artists, but I’d like to throw in a plug for Fred Eaglesmith. Also, I have fond memories of how I found out about Great Big Sea. In 1998 or 1999, I went to see Squeeze at a bar in Frederick, Maryland. The opening act was Great Big Sea. Nobody in the crowd had any idea who they were, and they had the chutzpah to walk onstage and sing a sea chantey, a capella, as their first tune. It was great! They won the crowd over instantly. ---
**Author:** ![threeorange](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@threeorange](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threeorange)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2005, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-know-these-ubiquitous-canadian-pop-musicians/337051/100 "2005-12-29T11:15:06Z")
I don’t think that **Neko Case** is Canadian, either; I think she’s a Merkin who lived in Vancouver for a while. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-know-these-ubiquitous-canadian-pop-musicians/337051.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-know-these-ubiquitous-canadian-pop-musicians/337051.md?page=6)