Musical Crash Course with Dave

In the comments on Natasha's Father's Day post, one person mentioned that they hadn't heard of The Tragically Hip or Stan Rogers. I figured this was a situation that needed to be addressed ASAP, so I'm jumping in with a blog post about these Canadian music icons.

Natasha wanted me to point out that when we were getting to know each other (i.e., before we started dating), she was not especially familiar with The Tragically Hip. I was so surprised by this that I immediately made her not one, but two, mixed CDs of The Hip's music, and took her to a concert not long afterwards. In return, she made sure that I was able to identify a range of flowers beyond roses, tulips, and chrysanthemums.

From The Hip's last tour.

Dave attended the concert in Hamilton.

The Tragically Hip

The Tragically Hip were a classic Canadian rock band from the 90's (and beyond). They mixed Canadian culture, history, and poetry with solid rock music (and some blues and folk songs, too).

Sadly, the lead singer, Gord Downie, was diagnosed with an incurable form of brain cancer in May, 2016. The band embarked on a final cross-Canada tour that summer; their final show (in their hometown of Kingston, ON) was broadcast across the country, and was attended by the Prime Minister. Gord died the following fall, after battling cancer for over a year.

Here is a small sample of their music (Click on the titles for YouTube links to each song.):

• New Orleans is Sinking (1989): One of their first hits, with a classic blues feel
• Courage (1992): A solid rock song, always a crowd favourite
• Grace, Too (1994): This video is from their final tour in 2016, and gives a sense of the "live in concert" experience. I was able to go a number of their shows over the years, including one during this tour.
• Ahead by a Century (1996) A laid-back, "campfire in the summer" kind of song
• Bobcaygeon (1998): A folkier song, telling a story set in a small town in Ontario
• Lake Fever (2000): This song weaves a bit of Toronto's early history (a cholera outbreak in the 1830's) with elements of a more typical love song.
• Chancellor (2001): This is from one of Gord's four solo albums (Coke Machine Glow), and is easily my favourite of his solo songs.
• In a World Possessed by the Human Mind (2016): This is from the band's last album, which was released shortly after Gord's cancer diagnosis was announced. 
• Finally, here is a (mostly different) list of 10 essential songs from CBC (similar to NPR)

A few other facts about the Hip: although they never got beyond "cult following" status in the US, they performed on Saturday Night Live in 1995, and were part of the lineup for Woodstock in 1999. They also played for Queen Elizabeth when she visited Canada in 2002.

In addition to their musical careers, the band was also active in various charitable causes, supporting environmental concerns and raising awareness of indigenous issues.

The Hip's last concert in Kingston, ON was broadcast across Canada.

Many cities set up public viewings and we attended the one in our city.

Stan Rogers

Stan Rogers was a Canadian folk singer who was particularly well-known for his songs celebrating Maritime culture and history. Many of his songs tell the stories of ordinary people, and his powerful baritone voice gives these stories a sense of drama and heroism.

Like Gord, Stan's life was cut tragically short; Stan died in a plane crash in 1983, at the age of 33. His music has been a staple of folk festivals and coffeehouses ever since.

Here are a few of my favourite songs (Again, the titles are links to each song.):

• The Mary Ellen Carter: Probably the most energetic and inspirational song about a shipwreck you will ever hear
• Barrett's Privateers: Another rousing sea shanty, with a memorable chorus 
• Sailor's Rest: This has been Rachel's go-to lullaby since she was a baby
• The Field Behind the Plow: This song focuses on the struggles and hopes of prairie farmers
• 45 Years: This is a more straightforward love song, but still has Stan's trademark intensity
• Northwest Passage: This one, which has become one of the kids' favourite songs, describes the search for a water route from the Atlantic Ocean over northern Canada to the Pacific. The vocal harmonies in this song are fantastic.