Big in Canada

In part one of a two-part exploration into professional Canadian rock band Metric, Mac and Laura go long on their Cancon field trip to the Metric and Sam Roberts Band show in Toronto. From there they set the scene for Metric's reluctant, yet clinical rise to Canadian rock royalty.Also discussed: Three Strong Words: Polaris Music Prize Edition, JUNO President and CEO Allan Reid and his awe-inspiring hair, t-shirts, s-o-c-i-a-l-i-s-m, Metric's popularity, their early days, Anthems For a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl and much more.

The Sky story has it all: triumph, tragedy, nepotism, confused aesthetics, too-fast-fame, a vast web of connections and one incredible song. But by the time this Quebec duo had peaked, it was, pretty much, already over (with all due respect to Karl Wolf). Also discussed: Three Strong Words, new music, Avril auto-tune accusation controversy, "Lean on Me" by ArtistsCAN, recording guitars one chord at a time, celebrity chefs, things girls liked at the turn of the century, phat bass, songs about America and much more.

Matt Bobkin and Adam Feibel are back to talk about their book In Too Deep: When Canadian Punks Took Over the World (out today!) . We get into artists like Alexisonfire, Gob, Skye Sweetnam, City & Colour, Avril Lavigne and Silverstein and discuss how as a whole this scene is greater than the sum (41) of its parts.Also discussed: Barenaked in America, Jay Malinowski's wedding, roller hockey, landscaping, hats, getting heavy on the radio, the close-knit nature of the 905 scene, writing books and much more.

Billy Talent arrived fully-formed, just in time to convert a generation of Canadian pre-teens onto the promise of punk. Matt Bobkin and Adam Feibel, authors of In Too Deep: When Canadian Punks Took Over the World, are on the pod to explain how this band of Mississauga misfits helped bring hardcore into the mainstream.Also discussed: "Young & Dumb", David Crosby, 60s California pop/00s Cancon pop punk connections, Pezz, Big in Germany, gateway music, At the Drive-In, not knowing who At the Drive-In is, enunciation, guitar heroes, suburban bands vs city bands and much more.

Manitoban man of mystery Remy Shand was poised to be big everywhere. But was it all too much, too fast for this soul savant? We consider the career of an artist that was both ahead of and before his time.Also: other songs about California by Canadians, Oakville rock city, magical boxes of vinyl, high school jazz bands, soulful jazzy teenagers, home recording, one-man bands, the Grammy Awards, how to disappear completely and much more.

Pack your bags, sunscreen and small town dreams because this week, we are going to "California" with one of the 7 wonders of Niagara, Wave. How did two boys from the Falls manage to write one of the best songs about going to California of all time? We trace this confusingly branded and magically signed pop duo's short but impactful trip to the Golden State and back.Also discussed: potentially fake origin stories, compilations, letters as words, anonymous pop music, sponsored tours, are Wave a boy band, big hits from small towns and much more.

Johnny Payne and James Younger of Impossible Way of Life join Mac and Laura for a journey back to the late 1970s. We discuss the ultimate double A-side by Oakville's own, The Kings and find out how a powerful Canadian super producer wound up working with and breaking this band of goofs.Plus: more 3 word band names, Mark Carney + Down With Webster, defining Cancon classic rock, our theme song, Helicopter Canada, the act of switching into glide, layin' pipe, Bob Ezrin, the transition heard round the world, the Heatwave festival, "clown" and much more.

Tween/teen grunge-rockers Serial Joe (somehow) went from a basement in Newmarket, Ontario to rocking out at Woodstock '99. Mac and Laura try and figure out how that happened and wonder, is it all a mistake? Also discussed: YTV’s System Crash, Big Shiny Tunes 4, The New VR, Edgefest, evil doctors in Cancon music videos, and much more.

Kiki, we love you. Keshia Chanté redefined Canadian R&B before she could even get her driver's license. Mac and Laura discuss her career, her hits and what made her such a game changing figure in Canadian R&B.Also discussed: The Canadian Football League, the soft sounds of 90s R&B in Canada, teen stardom, the 2005 Junos, nerds, Cancon band names, Director X, scene building, becoming the circuit and Chanté's not-yet-famous ex-boyfriend, Drake.

We take a big sip from our red solo cups and dive into the life and times of rap party rockers Down With Webster. But beware: the floors are sticky, the morals are questionable, the neon is bright, the outfits are bad and there are so many dudes in this band.Also discussed: walk-on and walk-off songs when becoming Prime Minister, Shrode, being in a band in middle school, MySpace, fan interaction, music that impresses adults, Franklin the Turtle, emo plus rap equals pop, the dying days of Cancon and MuchMusic, meeting the moment and more.