User:Bearcat/Canadian alternative rock

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an outline for a future article on Canadian alternative rock. It will not be moved into article space until substantially expanded.

Contents

[edit] 1970s/early punk

Separate article on Canadian punk?

[edit] 1980s/New Wave

[edit] 1980s/media

[edit] Og Records/It Came from Canada

[edit] Nettwerk

[edit] Late 1980s

In part due to Canadian content regulations, which meant that Canadian radio stations needed a regular infusion of new Canadian artists, some of the more easily marketable Canadian alternative rock bands in the late 1980s, such as Cowboy Junkies, 54-40, The Grapes of Wrath and The Pursuit of Happiness, were effectively "fast-tracked" into the mainstream. All of the above noted bands quickly became Top 40 stars in Canada, but were labelled as alternative, and restricted largely to college radio, in the United States. This "fast-tracking", however, did not result in alternative music becoming immediately acknowledged as a commercial force. Instead, the bands largely bypassed being considered alternative artists within Canada.

Among the most influential bands to remain purely underground phenomena in this era were Deja Voodoo, a garage punk band from Montreal, and Skinny Puppy, an industrial band from Vancouver. Deja Voodoo were noted for using unorthodox promotions, such as an annual barbecue and the It Came from Canada compilation series, to promote and develop a sense of community among their fans, while Skinny Puppy are to this day hailed as one of the most influential creators of the industrial music genre. Each was, in turn, the most prominent band within a larger subculture: Montreal's garage punk scene also included The Gruesomes, Ray Condo and His Hard Rock Goners, Ripcordz and The Asexuals, all of whom recorded for Og Records, while Vancouver's electronic dance scene, centred on the Nettwerk record label, also included Moev and Front Line Assembly.

The shortlived punk band Slow achieved notoriety in 1986 when their show at Expo 86 devolved into a riot. A notable censorship controversy also surrounded the punk band Dayglo Abortions in 1988, when their label Fringe Product was charged with distributing obscene material after a Nepean police officer's daughter purchased the albums Feed Us a Fetus and Here Today, Guano Tomorrow. The label was eventually found not guilty on freedom of expression grounds.

Other artists who first came to prominence during this era, but would reach their peak influence in the early 1990s, included Sarah McLachlan, Spirit of the West, Sons of Freedom, Doughboys and The Tragically Hip.

[edit] Early 1990s

As in the United States, 1991 proved to be a pivotal year in the evolution of alternative music in Canada. The Lowest of the Low's album Shakespeare My Butt briefly became the bestselling independent album in Canadian history, eclipsing the previous record set by The Shuffle Demons' Streetniks, but it in turn was outsold within a few months by Barenaked Ladies' The Yellow Tape. Ironically, although Barenaked Ladies have sustained a long and successful career and The Lowest of the Low broke up within a few years, Shakespeare My Butt remains one of the most influential albums in Canadian history. It was named one of the ten best Canadian albums of all time in three reader polls by the Canadian music magazine Chart, and has been acknowledged as a major influence by later bands such as The Weakerthans.

The Tragically Hip (Road Apples), Spirit of the West (Go Figure), Crash Test Dummies (The Ghosts That Haunt Me) and Sarah McLachlan (Solace) also released their commercial breakthrough albums in 1991. 13 Engines also scored a modest success with A Blur to Me Now, Rheostatics released their first nationally distributed album, Melville, and Odds scored their first chart hit with "Wendy Under the Stars", although these bands would all become more influential later in the decade.

Also in 1991, Sons of Freedom's Gump debuted at #1 on the Canadian campus radio charts, ahead of Nirvana's Nevermind (which debuted the same week at #2).

Notably, however, although American alternative rock was popular on the Canadian charts in the early 1990s, the Canadian alternative bands of the era tended to be more influenced by British alternative. Spirit of the West's new rockier sound, for instance, had been strongly influenced by Morrissey and The Wonder Stuff. Bands such as Teknakuller Raincoats, Rymes With Orange and Acid Test were primarily influenced by the Madchester sound of Happy Mondays and The Stone Roses, and Sloan, who emerged in 1992 with Smeared, were strongly influenced by shoegazer bands such as My Bloody Valentine and Ride.

[edit] mid-1990s

Post-grunge begins to emerge: I Mother Earth, Our Lady Peace, Matthew Good Band

[edit] late 1990s

[edit] 2000s

Possibly a separate article on Canadian indie rock instead?

also Slowcoaster and Grand Theft Bus could be included in Indie Rock? - Addionne (talk) 18:54, 18 March 2008 (UTC)