Canadian | Musicosity

Canadian

The Kings

The Kings were formed in Vancouver, British Columbia and Oakville, Ontario, Canada. Original members were David Diamond, lead vocals, bass guitar and songwriter, Sonny Keyes, vocals, keyboards and songwriter, Max Styles, drums, and Mister Zero, guitar and songwriter. Visit http://www.thekingsarehere.com for up to date information on The Kings.

Artist Type: 

D.O.A.

1) Vancouver's D.O.A. were an early and extremely influential punk rock band. Formed in 1978, they quickly got down to business by releasing the Disco Sucks EP on singer/guitarist Joey Shithead's own Sudden Death label. Along with other early pioneers, they blazed the trail to a North American punk scene by putting out records and touring with virtually no existing 'scene' infrastructure to rely on. Early shows included clashes with audience members and police, and they can attest that police riots at punk shows were not strictly an LA occurrence.

k.d. lang

Kathryn Dawn Lang, OC (born November 2, 1961), better known under her stage name, k.d. lang, is a Grammy Award-winning Canadian singer and songwriter. She is regarded as one of Canada's foremost female vocalists, as well as a champion of legal equality for LGBT people. Her singing talent has lent itself to a wide range of genres, although earlier works, such as 'Angel With a Lariat' and 'Absolute Torch and Twang' (the last of which won her a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance) were predominantly country, with hints of jazz and salsa.

Artist Type: 

Imaginary Cities

Imaginary Cities are Rusty Matyas and Marti Sarbit. It all started at The Cavern. Winnipeg is known as the “Heart of the Continent.” In this beating heart on the prairies, there is always new music being made: in its clubs and basements, and in between work and life. Imaginary Cities was born in a club called The Cavern, in between sets. Their debut album, Temporary Resident, has been nominated for the 2011 Polaris Prize Longlist, and they have been gaining fans around the world for their renowned live performances, including a stint opening for the Pixies across North America.

Artist Type: 

Harlequin

There are (at least) three bands with this name: a Canadian classic rock band; a Swedish punk band; and a Medieval/Folk band from Tasmania. Canadian rock band: Harlequin was a Canadian rock band that formed in Winnipeg in 1975 and lasted until the mid-1980s. The original members of Harlequin were vocalist George Belanger, guitarist Glen Willows, keyboard player Gary Golden, drummer David Budzak and bassist Ralph James. Harlequin signed with Epic Records in 1979 and had a string of hit singles in Canada. Their biggest hit single is "Innocence" which topped Canada's charts.

Artist Type: 

Jason Collett

The best songs don’t just tell a story set to music – they capture a moment, encapsulate a feeling and draw in the listener, in a way that’s at once singularly personal and completely universal. When Toronto singer-songwriter Jason Collett was mulling over titles for his new album, the by-turns effervescent and elegiac Here’s To Being Here, he stumbled across a line in an anthology of poetry by his friend Emily Haines’ (Metric) late father Paul, a well-known avant-garde jazz poet.

Artist Type: 

Boy & Bear

http://www.myspace.com/boyandbearmusic From the moment you first hear Boy & Bear, you’ll know this is something special, something different. Rich harmonies, music that breathes, full of unexpected twists and imagination, a sophisticated timelessness. It’s the sound of an outfit that you’d think has been performing together for years, perhaps decades. Which makes it all the more incredible to discover the five players that make up Boy & Bear are all in their early 20s and their incredible five-track EP, With Emperor Antarctica, is in fact their debut effort.

Artist Type: 

Amelia Curran

Amelia Curran is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She was born in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador and currently lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The National Post describes her music as “a bit like Leonard Cohen being channeled in a dusty saloon by Patsy Cline.” Curran started playing guitar and writing songs as a teenager and eventually dropped out of university in order to busk on the streets of St. John’s. That led to her first album release in 2000, and since then she has released four more.

Artist Type: 

The Planet Smashers

Formed in 1994 in Montreal, Quebec, the Planet Smashers’ infectious pop infused melodies, rippin’ horn licks and killer live shows, quickly established them as the city’s “Kings of Ska”. They released their first album (“Self-Titled”) on Planet Smasher’s founder Matt Collyer’s own label STOMP Records and hit the road. By 1997 they were no longer a local band, but a national phenomenon, headlining shows across Canada and pushing their second record, “Atttack of The Planet Smashers” which reached 2 on the national college radio charts for 2 months straight.

Artist Type: