Canadian Musician magazine showcases unsigned Canadian acts in our Showcase section. We publish this section online to help further promote Canadian artists.
Despite its progressive nature, punk rock is largely dominated by men; however, Ottawa’s Doll demonstrates clearly that women can hold their own as the face of a punk band.
Ragdoll Diaries is the band’s second album. With dirty bar rock forming the backbone of their sound, vocalist Christina Kasper’s singing is a throwback to ’90s grunge acts such as Hole or L7. The band’s rhythm section does a great job supporting Kasper’s vocals, which are certainly the centerpiece of the band’s music.
After releasing Inside the Dollhouse in 2009, Doll spent a few years touring much of Canada alongside bands such as SNFU, Danko Jones, The Creepshow, and others. It appears as though rubbing shoulders with some of the genre’s finest has rubbed off on the band, who demonstrate a more mature and confident style with their latest release than in previous work. If Doll is coming through your neck of the woods, you’d be remiss not to check them out.
CBC Radio’s Chris Martin might have said it best when he described The Command Sisters by saying: “Think of Taylor Swift, but there would be two of her, and she would have a lot more soul, mixed with the kind of sibling harmonies that would make the Rankins question whether they are truly related…”
The duo, comprised of teenage sisters Charlotte and Sarah, started small, but their brand of pop-injected country quickly started turning heads and they’ve been playing festivals and clubs all over North America for the past few years. It’s great to see young women taking an approach similar to Tegan and Sara by writing great music that doesn’t rely on the overt sexualisation of the performers. The Command Sisters’ music stands on its own. Their third album is due in March 2012, and I’d be shocked if they didn’t become a fixture of pop radio shortly after.
I would normally hesitate to endorse any band that delays recording a great album because they’re too busy playing ultimate Frisbee, but Toronto’s The Fires Of are good enough to get past that point.
Founding members Chris Hayward (vocals, guitar, bass) and Graeme Donnelly (vocals) have assembled a fantastic group of musicians, including Lisa Di Diodato (vocals, guitar, bass), Steve Canning (guitar, glockenspiel, bass), Peyton Leung (violin, percussion, didgeridoo), and Greg Heard (percussion, drums, guitar, bass).
The band creates rich and highly-texturized indie pop that’s as full of spunk as it is soul. With male and female vocals as well as a huge mix of instrumentation, there’s a lot going on in each of the band’s songs, and each stands on its own, making their 2010 self-titled LP one of the best under-discovered gems of Canada’s indie rock scene. Do yourself a favour and stop sleeping on this great band.
Halifax’s Classified might be trying to establish himself as the preeminent writer of hip-hop songs tied to our national identity, but Winnipeg’s Abstract Artform might just give him a run for his money.
The group, fronted by MC and producer Shea “Kid A” Malcolmson, fuses live jazz and soul-like music with vocal delivery familiar to fans of groups like Jurassic 5. Their “I Am Canadian” single from 2010’s His Story In The Making is a hit waiting to happen while other cuts share and celebrate life in a Prairie capital. Upcoming full-length As The Crow Flies is their second in as many years and the third since 2008’s Prairie Kid. The band’s work ethic has garnered them consecutive appearances at the taste-making NXNE festival, a 12-month stay on the Chart college lists, and a slew of other appearances and opportunities.
With easy flow, great instrumentals, and lyrics worth turning an ear to, Abstract Artform should be must-play material for any Canadian hip-hop fan.
With a kid on the way, this writer is consistently on the prowl for kid-friendly music that won’t drive parents crazy. The Money Bunch are a kids band, no doubt, but songs like “Poopie Diaper” (which is about inconvenient places for a kid to crap his or her pants) are funny enough for parents to be into and childish enough to make kids want to sing along. The band bills itself as “envirockumental,” and many of their songs attempt to instill some sense of environmental responsibility in their young and adult listeners alike.
While this type of music isn’t going to appeal to a large number of our readers, those with kids should be grateful for something other than the usual suspects to rock in the minivan on the way to soccer practice or daycare.
What: Alternative Punk
