Big in Canada

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PATREON FOR MORE BONUS EPISODES LIKE THIS ONE, MUSIC RECCOMENDATIONS AND MORE. In the late 90s, tens of Canadian men banded together to sing, dance, gel their hair and try to make it big with their songs of fantasy and insecurity. These are the ones you DON'T remember. Plus, some Xav, Rush and Alexisonfire t-shirt talk.

We say goodbye to the summer months with Vol. II of our seasonal gab. We talk about our interview with Dave from Wave, the real origins of stomp-clap, Raine Maida and Chantal Kreviazuk's new marriage memoire, the rebroadcast of the final Tragically Hip concert and Mac's recent experiences at the Alexisonfire Crisis 20th anniversary show and the PUP The Dream is Over 10th anniversary show. Music is good!

In the late 90s, Dave "Dwave" Thomson was a 20 year old Brock University student who worked at Sunrise Records. But with a mega-hit in his back pocket and bandmate Paul Gigliotti by his side, everything was about to change. Dave joins us for the definitive retelling of Wave's road from Niagara-region Oasis cover band to major label hit-makers. And yes, he answers the question that we at Big in Canada have been dying to know: had he been to California before writing one of the all-time great songs about California? Also discussed: Marker Starling, Somewhere Out There Satellite Radio Conspiracy, Stomp Clap origins, and more.

TO HEAR THE EPISODE BECOME A PATREON! THANK YOU! In the late 90s, tens of Canadian men banded together to sing, dance, gel their hair and try to make it big with their songs of fantasy and insecurity. These are the ones you DON'T remember. Plus, some Xav, Rush and Alexisonfire t-shirt talk.

In the late 70s, Carole Pope and Rough Trade's campy, sexy and provocative live show made them a Toronto staple. But when "High School Confidential" took over the airwaves with its at-the-time shocking line about jean-creaming, they broke nationally and paved the way for generations of queer artists. We dive into the legacy of Rough Trade and review the new documentary Antidiva: The Carole Pope Confessions. Also discussed: uncomfortable funkiness, the JUNOS in the 80s, Peaches, Jann Arden, kd lang, sketchy documentary timelines, David Bowie, Xav's big soon-to-be hit, stomp clap history, nostalgia, dissatisfaction and much more.

In this special Big in Canada Big Book Club episode, Laura is joined by Edmonton-based professor and author Brian Fauteux to discuss his latest book, Music in Orbit: Satellite Radio in the Streaming Space Age. Laura and Brian explore the cosmos and chat about satellite radio's arrival in Canada, its impact on the Canadian music landscape, the current state of Sirius XM Canada, and much more. Music in Orbit is out now via the University of California Press .

Now that we've done episodes on each of the most infamous Y2K Canadian boy bands, it's time to RANK them. We consider the look, the song, the talent, and the legacy of B4-4, soulDecision, Wave, Sky, McMaster & James, and The Moffatts. Which band of boys will capture the heart of Big in Canada? Also discussed: The Tragically Chip ice cream, Weighty Ghost as the first stomp-clap song, Angine de Poitrine (again!), and more.

It's hot! And to celebrate, we have a gab about Shania Twain's retreat to the Horseshoe Tavern and the arms of Canadian music critics, Mac's experience seeing Angine de Poitrine open for Jack White at the Bud and finally we react to the Polaris Prize Short List (the PPSL) and the change in how the winner will be chosen this year.

TO HEAR THE FULL EPISODE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PATREON Alex Porat, Adam Rodway, Preston Pablo, Alex Samson...are these real people? Do you know them? Have you heard their songs? We dive deep to discover what all these random people sound like and find out what it takes to make a Top 40 CanCon hit in 2026.

HAVE YOU SEEN OUR PATREON? Paul Murphy, singer and guitarist of Wintersleep, is here to discuss the Nova Scotian origins of the band, playing shows wherever they could, the early 00s Halifax music scene, his voice, the weight of Weighty Ghost, writing about America, nostalgia, and much more. Wintersleep's new record Wishing Moon is out now via Dine Alone Records. Also discussed: UFOs, Mac and Laura's love of Wintersleep, "51st State", Mustique, The Tragically Hip's various brand partnerships and much more.

It's 1984 and you are watching MuchMusic. Metal is ascendant. You are 14. A video begins to play. "Metal Queen" Lee Aaron is holding a sword as tall as her, wielding a voice twice that size. "Is this metal?", you wonder. It doesn't matter - you submit to the will of your new Queen. Also discussed: metal, songs as boner metaphors, being sexy vs. empowering, hard rock trend chasing, the impossible 80s, The Friendly Frog Freak Show, Voices in Public, Zohran loves k-os, rockin hard and much more.

Before becoming the Paula Abdul of Canadian Idol, Sass Jordan was known for her huge voice and bluesy disposition. But the further she leaned into the sleaze, the closer she got to Canadian reality television fame. Not everyone can be Robert Johnson at the crossroads. Also discussed: YouTube channel maintenance, cover bands, posting your Ls is CanCon, Xav at Shawarma Fest, Bündock, Taylor Hawkins, appropriation, blues, internalized misogyny and much more.

As Ryan Malcolm went from singing in an oldies cover band with his dad to becoming the Season 1 winner of Canadian Idol, he experienced first hand what it was like to be inside the guts of major label CanCon. Despite being the people's champ and having a number one hit single for several months (!), his place in the industry, as he tells us, came with an asterisk. Also discussed: reel estate, nature, Mile End Kicks, the PPLL, Canadian Idol, World Idol, recording "Home", screaming fans, wanting to win, Low Level Flight and much more.

TO HEAR THE FULL EPISODE VISIT OUR PATREON As the World Cup takes over Toronto and Vancouver, we discuss the Boi-1da album that was maybe supposed to feature Tragically Hip remixes but now just includes a rather drab cover of Ahead By Century that will surely soundtrack the montage of Team Canada highlights once they are eliminated. It also features CanCon artists known and unknown. We talk about words that rhyme with "tryna", the Bishnoi gang, electric circus, buisness solutions, Bell Let's Talk, jock jams and much much more.

McMaster & James check all the CanCon boy band boxes. And while they never reached the ubiquity of some of their contemporaries, their lone album might be the best boy band album this country ever produced. Woah woah woah yeah yeah yeah. Also discussed: the Bounce, tributaries, Sook-Yin Lee, the tyranny of "oh baby", songwriting, Canadian Idol, music videos, choruses and much more.

Today we are joined by multidisciplinary artist, musician, filmmaker, actor, journalist, broadcaster, Canadian icon, Sook-Yin Lee to talk about her time as a MuchMusic VJ, “democratizing the playing field”, and her new album 72RHR - out now via Hand Drawn Dracula. Also discussed: clowns, DNA, squatting, secret labs, Eyeball Theatre, Moses Znaimer, Vancouver's punk scene, making art, CanCon, phones, fighting, ghosts and much more.

Raised in Edmonton and Jamaica, Kreesha Turner bounced into the spotlight after winning the nation's most notorious radio-sponsored talent competition. Dubbed "the Canadian Rhianna", she scored a big hit with "Don't Call Me Baby" and was poised for a long career. Her second album, the very good Tropic Electric , didn't produce any hits and the wheels fell off. Why does this always happen? Also discussed: queer country, ghosts, Alexisonfire videos, the Shrode Innocent Controversy, the Tenors, Chantal Kreviazuk's presence, the Shawn Desman-Taylor Swift controversy, the Bounce, marching bands, the club and much more.

In this wide ranging catch-up episode, we debrief our live show, discuss Drake's big three-album rollout, breakdown the Jackson-Triggs Summer Concert Series 2026 and the FIFA Fan Festivals and breeze through the other five or so Our Lady Peace albums. Which is all a warm up to talking about I'm Going to Break Your Heart, a documentary about, for and by Raine Maida and Chantal Kreviazuk and their journey to "Europe" to make an "album" and "save" their marriage. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PATREON, GET GOOD STUFF!

TO HEAR THE FULL EPISODE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PATREON! For FIVE dollars a month you get acess to our Bonus Feed, a monthly playlist of new Canadian music and maybe even some gifts! Experience (or relive!) the magic of Big in Canada's live debut at The Burdock Music Hall in Toronto as part of Departure Fest.

Johnny Payne, musician and co-host of Impossible Way of Life, returns to the show to chat with Mac about his new album Dazzle Me and what it would take to become big on Vancouver Island, where the dream of the 90s is alive. Also discussed: mask to music ratio, AI, community, reggae, building, sounding Canadian and much more.