I listen to a range of music that strikes some people as a little odd. And just as odd, sometimes, are the stories about how I came to find that music. This takes me back to the mid-'90s and a Canadian webcomic.
A buddy of mine who lived up north of Toronto had kind of a fun little webcomic that has long since dropped off the internet, but back then he was going strong. Several of the characters named a couple of Canadian bands, and never having heard of them, I presumed that the bands were made up. But no — he assured me, Great Big Sea and Moxy Fruvous were real. So I checked them out; I was intrigued, having known of few Canadian acts other than Rush, and that led me to look more into the Canadian music scene.
Nowadays, my Canadian music list is pretty extensive. So, here, in no particular order, are four of my favorites that you may never have heard of — and Rush, who I did save for last, because... Well, Rush.
Harmonium: Un Musicien Parmi Tant D Autres. Harmonium was putting out music in the '70s and is (obviously) a Quebecois group. My favorite of their songs, 1974's "Un Musicien Parmi Tant D Autres" (A Musician Among Many Others), is a fun one, seven and a half minutes of great instrumentals and great vocals — in Quebecois French.
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Moxy Früvous: Video Bargainville. An oddball, 1990s Toronto-area indie band, Moxy Früvous did a lot of covers (such as the Roadrunner theme and "Shoehorn with Teeth") and also some of their own stuff, like concert mainstay "King of Spain." But these were the years of video stores when we could "pay one price for two," and that's the theme of the 1993 tune "Video Bargainville." Nostalgia!
Great Big Sea: Donkey Riding. Great Big Sea hails from Newfoundland, and in addition to their Newfie accents, bring a modern spin to some great old traditional sea chanties, like "Lukey's Boat" and "Barrett's Privateers." But they also did some modern and even some cross-over tunes, combining elements of both old and new — and one of those songs, from the 2000 album "Road Rage," is the rollicking "Donkey Riding."
Rush: Tom Sawyer. I struggled with this one. Rush had so much great talent, not to mention the best drummer ever (Neil Peart stands alone), and produced so many great songs that it's hard to choose. But in the end, I went with a song that got a ton of radio play back in the day, that being 1981's "Tom Sawyer."
It's a common jibe to claim that Canada is "America Lite" or "America's Hat." But Canada has produced some great — and some not-so-great — musical acts. Check out these artists, look for more of their stuff, and you'll probably find a few hours of musical enjoyment.
Any suggestions for any future five-song Friday afternoon posts? The comments are yours!
