I’m revisiting a few old posts to kickstart a series I never finished. As a lover of Canadian music, I found a list of the top 100 Canadian hits. The song holding down the 100 spot is by Honeymoon Suite. The original post continues with a few tweaks below.
Back in the hair band days of the 1980s, Honeymoon Suite was a card-carrying member of the genre. Formed in Niagara Falls, Ontario, in 1981, they had a string of hits on Canadian radio and had some success in the USA market. The band’s name and the place they formed share a connection, which is very witty. Their big highlight was performing the title track for the movie Lethal Weapon.
Love Changes Everything was released in 1988 and is on their album Racing After Midnight. The song reached number 9 in Canada, 13 on the US Rock and 91 on the US chart, all by Billboard. The band is still recording, and its latest release was in 2019, with a new album coming on February 16, 2024. The album title is “Alive”.
Get ready to rock to a live version of the tune; live is always the best.
Remember to support independent artists; you never know what you will find.
I decided to start a new series, sort of. I did something similar a few years back, but my urge to put stuff on paper (paper?) dissipated. Now, I am once more giving it a go. I have a sense of music patriotism and tend to want to highlight Canadian music. Might it be because I’m a Canadian?
To begin, I found a list. It is a living document with additions and deletions, so the rank number is a moving target, more of a placeholder for now. The point is that they are bands from Canada. You may end up surprised that some of your favourites are here and are from Canada.
First up is Thor. I am unfamiliar with them, but I’m going with the list and will likely find some bands I will love and some, maybe not so much.
Thor is a heavy metal band from Vancouver, BC. They have been recording since 1973 and have released 28 albums and 6 EPs. Their most recent release was in 2021.
As you can imagine, the band has undergone many changes in 50 years. Their Wiki page contains a full listing of past and present members. Lovers of the genre will likely know of many of them and the long list of guest artists appearing on their recordings. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor_(band)
I added the song “The Ultimate Alliance” from their most recent album, “Alliance.” I may not be their biggest fan, but I always enjoy and respect the talent it takes to become a recorded artist with a strong following.
Myles Goodwyn, a blast from my past, passed away on December 3, 2023, at 75. I say a blast from the past as the band he basically led, April Wine, was a big part of my life’s soundtrack. Not well known internationally, April Wine is a Canadian treasure.
He formed Apil Wine in 1969 with David Henman , Ritchie Henman , and Jim Henman. The band underwent many personnel changes over the years with Myles being there through it all until late 2022 when he retired from touring due to health issues. He left the band in March 2023.
His accomplishments were many and included the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, Canada’s Walk of Fame and the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. The band has recorded 16 albums, 15 compilations and 9 live albums. To my detriment, I never saw them live even though I had many opportunities. A regret for sure.
The memories attached to their volume of work are huge and plentiful. Their heyday was perfectly placed in my music timeline. He will be missed. I leave you with one of my favourites, and as always, a live version.
I recently had the pleasure of sitting down for a chat with The Mighty One’s front man, Tim Steinruck, and a great chat it was.
We started our conversation with a reference to a recent live interview on Kat Power Hits Radio, available at www.thedonpearsestudios.com . In that interview, I noted that I had been intrigued with his musical beginnings in Northern British Columbia. In adding to that I asked whether he had been self taught or did he have a music teacher.
He mentioned that he was totally self taught, except for some piano lessons. He elaborated, saying he basically cheated through his lessons as he was more comfortable learning by ear without wanting to learn the technical side of music. He’d bring his assignments home and have his father play it on the piano. He said he’d watch the keys he played and learned it that way. He always failed the technical exams but passed the performance side of the courses with flying colours.
Moving on, we started talking about how he moved into the world of music. His first band was formed in Fort St. John, B.C.. The band’s name was Black Gold, named after the oil & gas industry that is a major industry in the area. This happened when he was in grade 8. They played songs like The Cars tune “Just What I Needed”. The first song he learned to play on guitar was by Prism, “Take Me To The Captain”.
I then asked a question about something I’d noticed about the band’s name, TheMightyOne. Why no spaces? After a bit of a laugh, he answered with, the name was recently changed to The Mighty One because it was basically unsearchable on Google without the spaces. Good point Tim.
My next question is one I always ask. Who is your favourite musician? This is one I ask for myself (and the reader) as who better to ask that question of than another musician. It can lead you into something you’ve never been into before. He answered with his most influential being Van Halen, citing that he first heard them in school, in his classroom on one of those multiple headphone thingies that were in schools in the past. Eddie blew him away. His favourite musician, Dave Grohl, no argument there. He also mentioned Mammoth WVH, a band formed by Eddie Van Halen’s son, Wolfgang. I’ll be checking them out shortly. One thing I did not know was that it was named after his father’s first band.
We carried on and I found out that the best thing about what he does is that he is living a life of purpose. He went on to emphasize the importance of creating a legacy. Everybody has a skill and asked what the legacy is I wanted to leave behind. Very profound, I stopped for a minute as my brain digested what he was saying. I tried relating what he was saying to what we have accomplished, and it left me with some things to think on. I’m sure we need a follow-up just on this point alone.
We then got into what’s coming up for him and the band. It looks like he will be quite busy over the next while. He is participating in the Rise Up tour on Vancouver Island later this month. There will also be a spring tour in the USA and Mexico.
He is touring Norway with Viking Queen.This will be filmed by Norwegian TV and will become a documentary.Interesting story, he hooked up with them through a radio station in New Zealand. The power of the digital world and the opportunities for collaboration it presents are incredible. The Mighty One has also recorded a Christmas song in partnership with Viking Queen. The video of “Christmas In The North” is available to view below.
And to finish up, we talked about The Mighty One’s latest release, “Torch Of Rock And Roll”. A great album, one that has become an earbud mainstay for me. The title track is great and is an autobiographical tune of Tim’s life in music. The video for this is also available below.
The Cheat: Sam Roberts (Photo credit: Miss Emily Jane)
Great tune from a Canadian staple, The Sam Roberts Band. The song “Detroit ’67” is a 2008 release off their album “Love At the End of the World“. Great band with a great rock sound.
Jake Bugg is today’s featured artist and the song is “Two Fingers”. Jake hails from Nottingham, UK. The astounding fact, 18, yes 18. Catch this tune and tell me that this not a great song. Looking forward to more.
Neil Fallon, lead-singer of the American Hard Rock band, Clutch (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Was perusing some tags on my phone and came across his one by Clutch. This tune, “The Regulator” was used to close Season 2, Episode 8 of The Walking Dead. If you haven’t caught this series, I highly recommend it. I also highly recommend Clutch. About the only negative I can come up with is that their song “Electric Worry” was used as a celebration goal song by the Vancouver Canucks, and I have an intense dislike for that hockey team.
Joel Plaskett talking with fans at the 2011 Vancouver International Folk Music Festival (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I am going to make a statement here. I love Joel Plaskett. The guy is a one man songwriting machine. This tune is from 2009 and really highlights what Joel is all about. I’ll write a song and then we will have a blast with it. His music always hits the good time mark and is always presented in a very casual, this is me way. If you haven’t yet tweaked in on his music, do it now. One Canadian that deserves, no, demands a world-wide audience.
Aerial image of in Athens, Alabama, United States (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Hey y’all. How you been. I have enjoyed major summer and have barely had time to read and comment let alone post. Figured that this tune was a good segue to getting back on the keyboard. The Alabama Shakes are a band out of Athens, Alabama (not Georgia, nor Greece) with an outstanding album released in April of 2012. Instant classic???? I vote yes. Remind me of Black Keys with a dose of Sheepdogs.
Hope to post a few things in the coming few weeks, then get back on the beam full-time again in September.
A Girl Like You (Edwyn Collins song) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Lets dip into the past and visit the 90’s. Always liked this one. A Girl Like You was released in 1994 by Scottish artist Edwyn Collins and had great success in both the USA and the UK, reaching #4 on Billboard. The song (and artists) are classic one hit wonder material, meaning, an extremely talented musician with many good albums to his credit, caught he world’s imagination only once. Check out his other material.
