BS: Is there a 'Canadian' style?

Subject: RE: BS: Is there a 'Canadian' style?
From: Willie-O
Date: 12 Jul 00 - 11:35 AM

Re: Alice's post. I have a notion that Western music is different from other types in distribution and boundaries. Notably, that the border between Alberta and the states to the south is pretty culturally porous, and always has been. Ian Tyson is once again my example--even though he's a Canadian icon, he's even more a western artist in a biogeographical way that makes the national border irrelevant.

Doesn't surprise me that fiddle tunes would be similarly shared. There's a lot of similarity between New England and Ontario fiddle & accompaniment styles too.

W-O

Subject: RE: BS: Is there a 'Canadian' style?
From: InOBU
Date: 12 Jul 00 - 11:34 AM

Excuse the jokes, (including the one from Guest on my wife's computor!). I agree with the good and bad generalising about Canadian music. Infact, I play a lot of Canadadian music, (in responce to the origional post) I play Quebecoius tunes, a lot of Scotish stuff from Nova Scotia as well as the English song tradition from Nova Scotia, and even a few Innu songs I picked up fighting against the human rights abuses in Canada leveled at American Natives. (Yup, generally a kind and caring society, but a few rough edges - some that are quite rough) We have to remember that Canada, often looking south at the violent barbarians on their boarder, has a few mea culpas to atone for the actions of their army in Africa, torturing civilians, but I still try and get my wife to move there... it still has a lot more rational government than the US. Even in places like Quebec, where you expect a domence of Norman and Breton music, there is a thriving south American music tradition, a lot of Chileans moved there after the US screwed up their nation. So, Willie O excuse the bit of fun, you guys have some great music up there, Let's sing a round of Barreett's Priveteers and have a LaBats.
PS I really do like moose pie.
Larry

Subject: RE: BS: Is there a 'Canadian' style?
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Jul 00 - 11:22 AM

That Larry is some Joker, eh?
Aw Damn, Alison! You put the moose pie right on top of my Ian and Sylvia records! eh?

Oh Canada!

Subject: RE: BS: Is there a 'Canadian' style?
From: Willie-O
Date: 12 Jul 00 - 11:16 AM

Davey, I'm as nationalistic a Canadian as they come, but we're not as self-effacing as we used to be. Part of the proof is that we are always going around explaining to the Yanks how modest we are even though the UN says we have the best country in the world to live in--year after year. That's getting embarrassing! When we talk about it that much we're not being it any more. (OK, maybe I'm being a typical Canuck here.)

Also we have this simplistic notion of Americans as you outlined above. The US has lots of diversity in its population and their opinions and its kind of silly that we go around stereotyping them--also a media-propagated notion. (For Example, I heard a CBC interviewer describe Molly Ivins as "the last liberal in Texas", which is just plumb ignorant. Texas has lots of ropers, ranchers, roughnecks and rednecks but also lots of smart independent -minded thinkers, immigrants, a big New Age scene, hippies, the Austin music scene and the Kerrville Folk Festival which is my experience there.)

Its kind of fun to go down there and sing trad (and contemporary) Canadian material, which they don't know--your point is quite correct on that score.

Getting down to the thread title question, Canadian music has been vaguely but truthfully characterized as having "a sense of space." Fewer big bands, more lone folkies or duos, driving long ways from gig to gig, a tendency towards economic migration, it shows in songs like Four Strong Winds, Make and Break Harbour, Summer Wages (OK I'm an Ian Tyson partisan), and I don't know, Jane Siberry or Kim Stockwood (the ironic outside observer thing).

Y'know what I mean eh.

W-O

Subject: RE: BS: Is there a 'Canadian' style?
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 12 Jul 00 - 11:10 AM

Steven,

Reminds of Neil introducing a song either at Woodstock or on Four Way Street.

"Here's a song that's guaranteed to bring you down, it's called 'Don't Let It Bring You Down"

Subject: RE: BS: Is there a 'Canadian' style?
From: InOBU
Date: 12 Jul 00 - 11:09 AM

Deffernce, eh?
What can you say, eh?
All the best (eh?)
Larry.... .... .... .... eh?

Subject: RE: BS: Is there a 'Canadian' style?
From: Alice
Date: 12 Jul 00 - 11:08 AM

The local fiddle players here play alot of Canadian tunes, so the American musician repertoire is one more of regional and personal choice, I think, (but then, I'm in Montana, close to Canada).

Alice (the parenthetical)

Subject: RE: BS: Is there a 'Canadian' style?
From: GUEST,Steven Sellors
Date: 12 Jul 00 - 11:02 AM

I find that many Canadian musicians are not afraid to be "down".

Some "big time" show biz examples would be Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen and Neil Young.

Steven "I like to use quotes" Sellors

Subject: Is there a 'Canadian' style?
From: Davey
Date: 12 Jul 00 - 10:54 AM

In the 'Pics of Rick Fielding' thread, Guest I guess asked about a perceived difference that Canadian performers appear to have (in their music? performing style?) I'd like to share some thoughts and get some feedback..

I think it's partly due to our cultural differences. Canadians tend to be modest, somewhat self-effacing, and not prone to tooting our own horns. Americans are more gregarious, very steeped in a sort of 'rah-rah' nationalism that's fostered by the media and through the school system. Americans,therefore, sometimes come across as more agressive and can sometimes appear pushy.

These are generalizations, I know, but they arise out of discussions I've had with various people. I attend a yearly music camp known as The Woods. A few years ago Bennet and Lorraine Lee Hammond were on staff. Towards the end of the camp, Bennett mentioned that we have a great and a caring society here. I asked him how he could tell that by spending a week with us, and he replied that a community of 70 people is like a microcosm of the whole society, reflecting that society's attitudes.

This is, of course, highly subjective and only one opinion.

Another difference is in subject matter, as we focus on our own history and create a body of music around that theme, rather than sing American traditional songs, not that there is anything wrong with the American traditional songs, since I, and many other Canadians sing and play them regularly. On the other hand, I don't know of any American performers who are playing and singing traditional Canadian music. There's my $.02, so let the discussion begin, and be nice..'BG'

Davey... (:>)