Canadian content – Five for Friday

I’m Canadian and proud of it. Here are a few artists that rock my world. I’ve included many songs.. feel free to sample… there’s something for everyone. 1- The Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive (inextricably linked) The band was formed in Winnipeg (or Winterpeg as it’s also known up round these parts…) back in 1960 and has evolved much over the years… They were the first Canadian Rock Band to have a number one single in the U.S. (WOOOOO!) with the classic ‘American Woman’. It was to one of the two number one hits they would have in the States. Back in the day, the driving force behind The Guess Who was Burton Cummings (vocals and keyboards) and Randy Bachman (guitar). They gave the band a harder driving sound and brought a sweet blues and jazz influence to the music. BestAudioCodes.com BestAudioCodes.com Differences lead Randy to leave the The Guess Who in 1970 during the recording of ‘The Way They Were’ and he then formed the hugely successful Backman-Turner Overdrive. BestAudioCodes.com BestAudioCodes.com 2- RUSH… A band made up of some of Canada’s (if not the world’s) best musicians.. Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and of course Neil Peart (IMHO the best drummer alive today – and my daughter’s current idol). The journey began… From hard rock and blues (heavily influenced by bands like Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple)… BestAudioCodes.com To progressive rock, and story-telling… BestAudioCodes.com Geddy Lee’s synthesizers became ever more present during the 80s… Neil incorporated electronic drums and percussion… I grew up to this… BestAudioCodes.com BestAudioCodes.com On Valentine’s Day the holy trinity announced the new Album would be called ‘Snakes and Arrows’… to be released… Neil.. drumroll please.. March 1st! With a tour this summer.. oh boy oh boy oh boy! 3- Sarah McLachlan Sarah possesses one of the most beautiful and haunting female voices today. She was the founder of Lilith fair, a tour that celebrated and showcased female talent. Her music sets a tone of sensual abandon and prepares for endless nights of pleasure, passion, and that sweet slow burn… BestAudioCodes.com BestAudioCodes.com Her cover of the Beatles classic Blackbird is worth a listen… She recorded it for the film ‘I am Sam’. 4- The Tragically Hip Canadians have a love affair with the Hip… They’re part of our National Fabric. Just Another Roadside Attraction… Gordon Downie, the lead singer for the Hip has a habit of going off into improvised versions of their songs in concert. Gord likes to tell little stories to the music. They’re actually quite entertaining. BestAudioCodes.com BestAudioCodes.com On March 6th, their latest CD ‘World Container’ will be released nationally in the U.S. I love Bubbles… 5- The Barenaked Ladies (BNL) My list this week wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t include them… Americans will, by listening to their ‘If I had a $1000000’, learn that it’s Kraft Diner.. and not Kraft Macaroni and Cheese… (FYI if you go to a concert the boys frown upon the throwing of said dish). BestAudioCodes.com The band was formed by Steven Page and Ed Robertson. The two became fast friends after going together to a Bob Dylan concert where, because the show was, in their opinion ‘lame’, they started improvising as music critics and came up with ‘Barenaked Ladies’ as an imaginary name for Dylan’s band. Soon after, Ed was supposed to play a gig, the band he’d been in no longer existed, and when the promoter called to confirm and told him the band’s name had changed to ‘Barenaked Ladies’. He called Steven up, told him what he’d said and would he want to join him, they played the gig and the rest is history. BestAudioCodes.com Barenaked Ladies - Sound of Your Voice Hope you enjoyed a trip around Canadian Content… there’s more.. for another time… Love you all more than my luggage! Hugs, smooches and gropes!