Welcome to Friday, friends. What a better way to start your weekend than with a playlist of good, authentic Canadian tunes? This week we decided to bring you a list of five bands from B.C. that you may have not heard of…and who aren’t from Vancouver (’cause everyone can name more than one of those). B.C. is huge and there are a number of bands coming out of other areas of the province.
First up on your playlist is Kelowna indie rockers Ladyhawk. Known for maintaining a solid rock sound, nested somewhere between lo-fi and hi-fi, this foursome blasted on the scene in 2006 and have been a regular on the Canadian touring circuit ever since. They have four full-length albums under their belt and after recording the last one, titled No Can Do, in 2012 (in a barn – no less), the group said they found a new direction.
Also from Kelowna on our Friday playlist is indie-prog-rockers We Are the City. This threesome has been slowly growing over the three years since they won $150,000 in a radio contest in Vancouver. Their first two albums received minor attention, and were likened to be a “less rambunctious” version of Born Ruffians. Their third album Violent, which was just recently released, is getting more attention and more praise indicating the band has finally grown up.
Originally hailing from Victoria (though they are currently based out of Montreal), Shapes and Sizes are a pop band that can list melody-making as their greatest strength. Producing a sound that is similar to what you would get from “old-school” indie rockers like Pavement and Sebadoh, Shapes and Sizes add more to it, throwing a few more voices into the mix.
The prog-rockers You Say Party call B.C. home and are proud of it. These guys have been through a lot, including the loss of their original drummer Devon Clifford to a brain hemorrhage in 2010, but they have managed to bounce back each time and continue to make music that more often than not spawns a dance party in your living room.
Making waves on the Canadian hip-hop scene, SonReal may be “Vancouver-based” but is from the Vernon area, so he still counts for this list. Producing tunes faster than you listen to them, SonReal has established himself as a leader in the circles of “new-school” hip hop and has had the opportunity to work with a number of national and internationally acclaimed producers.
To listen to the entire play list, check out our YouTube Channel.
Photo: Supplied, Tony Bannister