“Part of the general attitude in Canada is, unfortunately, the people coming out to see you – some of them go ‘Well they’re a local band; how good can they be?’ And it’s funny because when guys from the States come out and see these ‘local bands’ they go ‘Wow, these guys are fantastic!’” – John Rutsey, original drummer of Rush, 1973
Perhaps its no surprise Canadians have been traditionally modest about the quality of their local acts – they’re not called the most polite people in the world for no reason. But with Canada’s national day having just passed, it seems only fair to acknowledge the great bands from the great white north – particularly given that Justin Bieber and Nickelback constantly threaten to do undue harm to that reputation.
Here are nine Canadian groups who – much like Australia’s greatest guitar bands – have taken the rock ‘n’ roll of the US and UK and turned it into something the country can proudly call its own.
The Band
The Toronto group who had been the backing band of various frontmen in the early ’60s acknowledged this fact with their name, and rose above it with their first release Music From The Big Pink in 1968.
The Band took a more humble, subdued approach to singing and playing rock music, distinguishing them from many of their contemporaries.
The Guess Who
Driven by the powerful vocals of Burton Cummings and engaging guitar playing of Kurt Winter and Randy Bachmann, TGW found success in the US a number of times in the early ’70s, most notably with the ironically-titled ‘American Woman’.
Later in the decade, guitarist Bachmann would go on to achieve further success as part of Bachmann-Turner Overdrive.
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Neil Young and Crazy Horse
Neil Young was a gifted songwriter from his first album in 1968, but when he enlisted Danny Whitten (guitar), Billy Talbot (bass) and Ralph Molina (drums) to be his backing band for the follow-up Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, he became a gifted songwriter who could rock.
His on-and-off association with Crazy Horse over 45 years has gifted us many intense, extended guitar workouts, and allowed Young to stay in touch with his wild side alongside his day job as a folk troubadour.
Rush
For a time it looked like Rush would lose their way in the fashion so many ’70s prog bands did – falling victim to their own overleaping ambition in crafting lengthy songs with eclectic lyrics and experimental synths and time signatures.
But with Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures at the turn of the ’80s, they steered themselves back towards rock’s mainstream, settling on a happy medium merging the hard rock riffs and stunning musicianship of Led Zeppelin with the science-fiction and fantasy themes of Genesis and Jethro Tull.
The Toronto trio remain Canada’s most successful musical export ever – with over 40 million albums sold and third only to the Beatles and the Rolling Stones for most consecutive gold or platinum records – and each member ranks among the most accomplished to ever play their instrument.
April Wine
The band out of Halifax, Nova Scotia found much local success before going gold in the US with 1981’s The Nature Of The Beast.
The intense vocals, beefy guitars and jam atmosphere characteristic of April Wine’s songs are all hallmarks of the distinctly Canadian rock sound.
Annihilator
Canada’s answer to the US’ big four thrash metal bands took shape in 1984 in the capital of Ottawa when multi-instrumentalist Jeff Waters recorded the song ‘Annihilator’ with vocalist John Bates.
While Annihilator’ adhere to certain ’80s metal stereotypes such as big hair and horror themes, they offset this with just the right amount of grit and lyrics with original variations on the theme.
Their first two albums Alice in Hell (1989) and Never, Neverland (1990) are now considered influential metal records, and the band has enjoyed multi-million album sales and success worldwide.
The Tragically Hip
Like our own Cold Chisel, The Tragically Hip are well-loved mainstays on local rock radio, though they’ve never found great success overseas.
Their upbeat style incorporates blues rock and acoustic country in equal measure, and 9 of their 13 albums have reached #1 locally.
Three Days Grace
The Toronto group garnered widespread appreciation in the noughties for songs reflecting negativity and pain in everyday life – all driven home by Adam Gontier’s sensual vocals.
While the former made them a favourite with some in the Emo camp, the band eclipsed this characterisation with more aggressive tracks like ‘Animal I Have Become’, and by injecting hope into the negativity on songs like ‘Never Too Late’.
Arcade Fire
Arcade Fire seem to have reached that musical nirvana as an act that can do no wrong. No experiment with sound or length is too ambitious, no use of classic rock influences too tacky, none of Win Butler’s lyrics about dreams or escape too predictable in the indie genre.
With albums Funeral and Reflektor on many people’s ‘Best of’ lists, anticipation is enormous ahead of their next offering, set to be released in 2017.
