So yes, it is Canada Day and it is the yearly ritual of a day off from work the celebration of Canada’s birth as a nation.  Let’s rejoice, shall we?

So more and more lately, Canada has been known for great music (especially in certain circles that I frequent in the music blogger world) and ritefully so.  But how well do you know Canada?  I don’t think many of you know too much about the nation of Canada as opposed to it being where half your recent iTunes playlists artists call home.  Lets cover some of the more/less facts of my home country.

1. We don’t believe in paper money under $5.00 – we have ridiculous coins for $1.00 and $2.00 currency.  Just picture our strippers in lesser predominant centres…not pretty.
2. Wayne Gretzky’s “token citizenship” was revoked upon a losing season with the Phoenix Coyotes…tragic, but needed…
3. Due to Montreal’s “acceptance of alternative lifestyles”, the first location of the aptly named “Dairy Queen” was in the province of Quebec!
4. Guinness was first created and brewed in Canada before making the trip “across the pond” as it just wasn’t working out.
5. We are aware of Celebrity, but we don’t make a big deal out of it…what works in L.A. or New York doesn’t work here – so stop it already, you are still just a douche with an entourage.
6. It has now been proven that Toronto, Ontario is in fact the actual centre of Canada (despite its location geographically).
7. Canadians find it perplexing that US (and even Canadian) artists will ignore a Canadian city to travel further and play in a Non-Canadian town that has 1/10th of the population.  Really??
8. Canada has established dominance in the “safety in numbers” musical genre – see: Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene, Woodpigeon and even Ohbijou.  I, in fact, play a vicious finger cymbal so I may already be in a band…
9. Kiefer Sutherland is NOT Canadian, but his father damn sure is.
10. We actually are fairly nice folks and do like locally brewed beer, the home hockey team and being part of a community…as long as we have HBO to go home to!

Okay not all the above are true, but I will let you figure out what is real.  How ’bout a little bit of a Canuck playlist today?  Support Canadian artists today folks, they will definitely appreciate it and probably take you to a pub to buy you a beer and watch the game if you had time.

“Frank, AB” – The Rural Alberta Advantage – VISIT THEM
“Crooked Things Straight” – Kensington Prairie – VISIT THEM/HER
“Road Regrets” – Dan Mangan – VISIT HIM
“No More” – Julie Doiron – VISIT HER
“Alfred” – Gordie Tentrees – VISIT HIM
“All of November, Most of October” – P:ano – VISIT THEM
“If You Ever” – Løzninger – VISIT HIM
“Here I Am” – Mojave – VISIT THEM

Hope you like the playlist, some good choons in there.  I am not saying this is a penultimate playlist from Canada, but just some good people that need to be heard (or heard more from).  Please do not hesitate to visit the tag “Canadian” on my side categories widget for more great selections from my fair nation.

~Smansmith