Big in Canada

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.