Colin sez - Pencil Storm is not a political blog, but rock n roll acknowledges no borders and you cannot hide bad music behind protective tariffs. And when the two biggest hosers in the history of the USA have taken control of our “democracy” and have declared war on our friendly neighbors to the North, we felt it important to share an abbreviated list of some of the many things we love about Canada. And to show we aren’t taking this too seriously, we aren’t even going to mention how jealous we are of Canada’s spectacularly successful health care and anti-gun violence policies.
One thing is for sure, King Don and Elon Nutz have never listened to a single song of Canadian rock n roll in their entitled lives. In fact, I suspect they have never listened to any rock n roll. I mean, just look at them?
Jeremy, Ricki and I are all chiming in, but I will start with the lowest-hanging Canadian can of Labatt’s of all…..
Has there ever been a better bill than the Toronto Rocks show? Rolling Stones, AC/DC and Rush, among others?
I was always mesmerized by this album cover from Chilliwack. I would look at it every time I was in the record store. But I never bought it. Later, with the invention of the internet, I learned they were from Canada.
Ricki and I disagree mightily/wholeheartedly on this next band, but “Say Goodbye” is a jam and Watershed once had the balls to perform it in front of a room of hipsters at Stache’s in Columbus when we were 18. Our local credibility never recovered but I stand by this tune, Mike Levine’s look, and Gil Moore’s love of homemade pyrotechnics.
As a kid in elementary school, every viewing of “Just Between You and Me” on the brand new MTV brought tears to my eyes as I tried to suck up the courage to tell my 4th grade classmate Tami I had a huge crush on her. I never could manage the courage but I still remember the song and the feeling it gave me.
OK, it’s not rock n roll, but I must acknowledge that my all time #1 favorite professional athlete is Toronto native Joey Votto. We still have a huge Votto fathead on a wall at my home. Seriously.
Ricki C. here - My favorite Canadian band of all time was The Dudes (aka All The Young Dudes, until Mott The Hoople said, “Uh-uhh.”) who were really only three-quarters Canadian. Their leader - Bob Segarini - was from Northern California band The Wackers, who had a big hit in Montreal in 1974 or so, went up there to promote it, wound up falling in love with the city and moved to Canada. (As I would like to do right at this very moment.) The Wackers split up when some of the members got homesick for California. Segarini and bass player “Kootch” Trochim stayed in Montreal and put together a Canadian supergroup of sorts; David & Richie Henman on guitar & drums from April Wine, guitarist Brian Greenway from Mashmakan, and second drummer Wayne Cullen from the last version of The Wackers after their original drummer was the first to return to California.
Sadly, I can’t really recommend The Dudes’ 1975 Columbia Records album to anyone. It’s simultaneously overproduced AND underpowered (NOT a winning combination OR an easy task, but producer Mark Spector pulled it off.) The Dudes were comprised of three guitarists, a bass player & double drummers, multiple talented songwriters & lead singers, and Spector totally dropped the ball. The Dudes were the quintessential “They shoulda released the demos.” rock & roll band. Luckily, some of those demos are available on YouTube and we’re happy to have ‘em.
Take it away, Jeremy…….
Canada holds a special place in my heart. There’s no other way to put it.
I lived in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for just a few short years, but they were the most formative of my life, and somehow, I apparently picked up the dialect in that time, because to this day people south of the Straits of Mackinac regularly ask me “Are you from Canada?” when they hear my accentuated “oooo”s and “aaaa”s like Frances McDormand’s character in Fargo.
After moving to Detroit, Toronto and Montreal were seemingly unachievable goals, only known as exotic cities listed as tour dates on the backs of t-shirts sold by punk and metal bands. A few years later I was releasing records on a Canadian record label, Mag Wheel Records, and crossing over the Detroit River at least annually to play Toronto, London, Montreal, and various cities in-between. In October I added Vancouver, BC to that list.
My Canadian friends are now among my best, and just this last year I somehow latched on to an amazing music scene with a giant heart in the tiny city of Tillsonburg, Ontario. In July I’m playing an incredible festival there with some of my earliest influences and favorite bands, including Greg Norton of Hüsker Dü, ALL, Jon Snodgrass, Drag the River, and many more. Life is crazy, and Canada is awesome.
My contribution to the playlist are my two favorite Canadian punk bands from the ‘80’s-’90’s and my new favorite Canadian band. The Nils and Doughboys were both based out of Montreal, and the scene they spawned is one of legend. Led by Alex Soria, The Nils had amazing songs and a blue-collar-cool-factor that was offset by bad luck, bad decisions, and bad habits. Their self-titled album from 1987 is among my favorites of all time. The Doughboys were there too, but without the bad luck, decisions, and habits that plagued The Nils, they reached some greater heights with multiple U.S. tours and a brief foray into the alternative music boom of the early-mid ‘90s.
My first exposure to the Doughboys was when they opened for ALL at a nasty little Detroit punk dive in 1988, and when I played Vancouver in October, I traded albums and memories with their drummer Brock at my show there. As if that wasn’t a crazy-enough full-circle moment, I’ll be playing a festival – in Canada - with ALL in a couple months. Brock is now a friend, his band SLIP-ons is my fave NEW Canadian band, and their song GRAY$TONE is about Detroit. Again, life is crazy, and Canada is awesome.
Politics suck, and my feed is consumed by hate for the policies of the US by my friends across the border and my domestic friends too, in an overwhelming anti-Trump/Musk ratio. Those are the circles I run in. While I’ve made a concerted effort to keep my own views more private in recent years and avoid the toxic doom-scrolling and pointless screaming into the ether, I feel compelled to reinforce to my Canadian friends that there are a hell of a lot of people on this side of the river who share their concerns. The whole thing just sucks when all you wanna do is make, see, support, and facilitate the world of rock & roll. xx
