I was recently visiting Buffalo for work and stumbled
across a Toronto radio station. Not only was it playing surprisingly good
music but I learned something new. Did you know that The Band was 80%
Canadian?
For a country with a relatively small population, our
neighbors to the north have delivered the music world some notable
musicians: in the 1960s, we met Neil Young and in the 1970s RUSH blazed
a trail thru North America. With both of these entities crossing
geographical borders in popularity, I started to wonder why some
artists/bands are popular in some markets, but not in others. I know,
I know, I can already hear my friend Jay-Ro calling me out on the Tragically
Hip, but I still decided to dive into this subject.
Lack of success in markets but not in others, makes me
think of the phrase “Big in Japan”. Historically, this used to
describe western based musical groups who achieve success in Japan but not
necessarily in other parts of the world. For example, the band Cheap Trick,
which had been known as the "American Beatles" in Japan achieved
widespread success with their multi-platinum live album ‘Cheap Trick at
Budokan’. The band had previously struggled to break in the mainstream
American market with their earlier albums.
Arcade Fire’s Reflektor Tour stopped at CONSOL Energy
Center in Pittsburgh, in March 2014 and was only half-full, but then
the band drove north to 2 sold-out shows at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto a
couple of nights later. Yes – hailing from Montreal certainly played a
role in that but there are other bands in the same boat. Hedley is
a Canadian pop-rock group originating in Abbotsford, British Columbia who have
won/been nominated for Juno Awards in the double-digits but have never had any
success south of the border. But that does not mean things are not
happening in Canada!
Although New York continues to be some of the most
trendsetting cities in the world, Toronto is also trending. Similar to
New York and London, Twitter has even given Toronto its own “trending topics"
section. Personally, I have been trumpeting the talents of City &
Colour, but unless the lead vocalist/guitarist Mr. Dallas Green is performing a
duet with Pink,
they are flying under the radar as well. Or you can see for yourself this
November & December when they are on tour. Some notable dates
are Wednesday, November 18 at the Hollywood Palladium in Los
Angeles; Wednesday, December 2 at Stage AE in
Pittsburgh; Thursday, December 10 at Terminal 5 in New York City
& Friday, December 11 at Echostage in Washington DC.
With all of the musical resources that exist on the internet, you would think physical borders would be erased and more attention would be spent on listening to the music rather than inspecting passports. But maybe it is just the opinion that Canadians are more humble?
Thanks for reading.
