This took over a month of chasing people to put this together, so I hope it's worth it. If all goes well, this will become an annual addition to the Giraffecycle family of fine products. Before we kick this shindig off, though, I will answer a few short questions you may have.
How did you put together this list? I asked several young music industry professionals from around Atlantic Canada to submit a list of their favourite Atlantic Canadian bands from 2007. I asked for up to ten bands from each person, and calculated the results based on the number of votes for each artist. Over 50 artists in total received votes, which is a testament to the strength of the region’s music scene.
What criteria did you use? I did not put limits on the people who submitted lists. The artist did not have to release a CD or tour substantially to receive a vote. However, every artist that ended up in the top ten released records and toured in the last year. Go figure.
Anything else I need to know before I read this list? This isn’t supposed to be a definitive list of the region’s top artists, nor is it supposed to represent every province and/or genre. It doesn’t even come close. Hopefully, however, this top ten will start a dialogue about our Atlantic Canada’s rich music scene, and introduce people to some of the lesser known artists that landed on the list.
Let's begin, shall we?
10) Jordan Croucher Nova Scotia’s urban scene is not as celebrated as its Celtic and independent communities, but artists like Jordan Croucher are helping change that. Croucher raised his profile in a big way in this year, releasing the critically lauded No Dress Code and touring the country alongside Classified, Chad Hatcher and DJ IV. With an ECMA nomination for Best Urban Single (“Selfish Times”), expect to hear a lot more about Croucher in 2008. www.jordancroucher.com
9) Jon McKiel Jon McKiel won The Coast’s 2006 Best of Music award for New Local Artist, and seems poised to join the ranks of the region’s top artists in 2008. The Amherst native spent the last year criss-crossing the country supporting his 2006 self-titled EP and his 2007 full-length The Nature of Things, which was recently released in the United States by California-based label Wednesday Records. www.jonmckiel.com
8) The Superfantastics The cutest band in the East Coast is also the most creative. From homemade snap bracelets on the merch table to amazing self-produced indie videos (see the ECMA nominated “Tonight Tonite” for proof), the duo has a serious DIY work ethic. It also doesn’t hurt that the band’s debut album Pop-Up Book is a boisterous blast of Halifax indie pop. The band’s upcoming EP, set for release in February 2008, should only further cement their status as one of the region’s top artists. www.thesuperfantastics.com
7) Rich Aucoin Rich got an amazing amount of mileage out of his Personal Publication EP in 2007, supporting the disc with a summer long, cross-country bicycle tour while simultaneously blogging about his adventures in The Coast. The disc is a pop gem on its own merit, but borderlines on genius when synched with Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch who stole Christmas (YouTube it while you still can). Aucoin will be hard pressed to top his meticulous musical madness in 2008, but we can’t wait to see what he has in store for us next. www.myspace.com/richaucoin
6) Julie Doiron Doiron’s returned to her roots on Woke Myself Up, recording with Rick White and performing alongside Eric’s Trip bandmates Mark Gaudet and Chris Thompson for the first time in ten years. The reunion paid dividends, as the disc received rave reviews and was shortlisted for the prestigious Polaris Music Prize. Consistently overlooked by ECMA voters, Doiron is up for two in 2008 (Best Female and Best Alternative) and has a serious chance of taking home at least one. Hopefully she’ll get the long overdue recognition she deserves. www.juliedoiron.com
5) Joel Plaskett The crown prince of the East Coast music scene had a monster 2007, launching Ashtray Rock to universal praise and picking up numerous awards and nominations in the process. Industry love of this magnitude is generally suspect (anyone remember Crush?), but Plaskett manages to toe the mainstream line without losing his indie appeal. How, you ask? By writing some of the best rock tunes our region has ever heard. Ashtray Rock is solid gold from start to finish, with “Fashionable People” standing tall as 2007’s best summer song. www.joelplaskett.com
4) Share Share’s first two albums hinted at brilliance, but Andrew Sisk’s genius wasn’t fully realized until the release of Pedestrian. The addition of Nick Cobham and Kyle Cunjak into the musical fold resulted in countless memorable musical moments, and served to accentuate Sisk’s already superb songwriting. Touring with a revolving group of musicians that includes members of The Sleepless Nights, All of Green and Grand Theft Bus, expect this music to be widely shared (pun sadly intended) in 2008. www.myspace.com/andrewsisk
3) Wintersleep With “Weighty Ghost” climbing the video and singles charts, it’s just a matter of time before the East Coast’s biggest band gets even bigger. While this doesn’t sit well with every Wintersleep fan – CBC columnist Tara Thorne noted that the song was “not fucking awesome, which makes me laugh because idiots are going to buy it assuming that's what Wintersleep sounds like” – you can’t deny that Welcome to the Night Sky was one of the most ambitious rock albums the East Coast has ever produced. Haters, take note. www.wintersleep.com
2) Dog Day This is one of those stories where the band has to build a following outside the region for the East Coast music industry to take note. All it took for Dog Day was an international record deal (Tomlab) and successful tours across Canada, the United States and Europe before the praise started to roll in. Whatever. Like Julie Doiron, Dog Day will keep doing their thing, putting out brilliant indie pop albums like Night Group while leaving the awards and praise to those other bands. www.dogdaymusic.com
1) Jenn Grant Grant would have made this list based solely on her beautiful orchestral pop album Orchestra for the Moon, which was met with universal praise and launched her to the forefront of the East Coast music scene. Even more impressive, however, was Grant’s marked improvement as a live performer. Backed by the Night Painters, an all-star lineup that features members of Down With The Butterfly, Great Plains and The Heavy Blinkers, Grant has been blowing away audiences across the country, landing tours with The Weakerthans and Hayden in the process. A total package. www.jenngrant.com
Honourable Mention(s) in 10 words or less
Two Hours Traffic – Joel Plaskett protégés knock out audiences with Little Jabs. www.twohourstraffic.com
Tom Fun Orchestra – Best live show in Atlantic Canada. No Joke. www.tomfun.ca
Don Brownrigg – Halifax sideman comes into his own with Wander Songs. donbrownrigg.com
Got To Get Got - “destroying audiences with their live show.” - Matt Charlton, Pigeon Row Publicity www.myspace.com/gottogetgot
Ok, that's it. Stay tuned for the Best Atlantic Canadian musical happenings of 2007!
Upcoming SJ shows:
Sunday, Sep 5:
Wooden Wives, Girls Would Kill, Shinjuku Mad @ The Brickhouse, TBA, TBA, 19+
Harvesting the Arts Festival with Wet Grow Light, EarthBound Trio, Mike Macdonald, Mike Biggar, Kristina Trites, Josh Peters and True Grit Country, Quonset , December Fall Out, Meka, Girls Would Kill, Meatus, Matt Soucy, Kevin Facey, Mitch @ King Square, 10AM, FREE, All Ages
Friday, Sep 17:
Wooden Wives, Hospital Grade, Union of the Snake (HFX) @ Sun Star Lounge, 10:00pm, $5, 19+
Thursday, Nov 18:
Penny Blacks, Clinton Charlton and the Formers, TBA @ The Blue Olive, 8PM, TBA , 19+
