Big in Canada

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.

We (sort of) watched the Junos so you didn't have to. We dig into the big winners, the best performances and the fake awards. Cancon is alive and well at the Juno Awards.Also discussed: Sum 41, Anne Murray, Nemahsis, Michael Bublé, Peach Pit, Deantha Edmunds, Good Charlotte, old punks, international achievement and of course, our friend, Tate McRae.

Before she changed the words of "O Canada" at the Big Game, Chantal Kreviazuk was, somehow, kinda everywhere. A solo artist, writer of '00s pop smashes and scene setter for the most significant Canadian hip-hop album of all-time. How the hell did this happen?Also discussed: soundtracks, vowel sounds, hockey, influencing Avril, piano, Raine, Chantal's "Canadian career", bad album titles, Christian music, and much more.

Oh Jann-ada. Mac, Laura and certified Jann Fann Dorothea Paas discuss the beauty, the humour, the sacred and the profane of one of Canada's greatest Adult Contemporary Musicians/Comedians, Jann Arden.Also discussed: The Launch, Jann the sitcom, singing in bars, anti-capitalist art, stage banter, 90s production, songwriting, humour, Mk.Gee and ML Buch, Calgary, horny Christians and much more.

Mac and Laura chart the rise, fall, and enduring legacy of Sugar Jones, the winners of Popstars (Canada) Season 1 and Canada's foremost turn-of-the-century girl group. Also discussed: a little more Moist, reality TV, bad dudes on reality TV, the cruel music industry, the pre-Idol scaries, girl groups v boy bands, the hangin' r&b vibes of Sugar Jones, pre-internet silos and much more.

Moist are one of the luckiest Canadian bands ever. Arriving on radio during the dog days of grunge, this band of dudes has gone platinum many times over (in Canada) and remain a mainstay of rock radio (in Canada) over thirty years later. But one question remains: who the hell is choosing to listen to this? Marlaena Moore, who's new album Because You Love Everything is out now, joins the show to dive deep into Moist. Yuck!Also discussed: small world Cancon, David Usher, David Usher's good looks, David Usher's bad lyrics, 90s Canrock dudes vs. 90s Canrock women, returns on investment, scale, David Usher's solo career, AI and much more.

Known feeler of song and host of CBC's Commotion, Elamin Abdelmahmoud joins the show to talk about Kingston, Ontario's foremost rudeboys, Bedouin Soundclash and what makes their unforgettable track "When the Night Feels My Song" a modern Cancon standard.Also discussed: Ska, Queen's University, Kingston's music scene, campus radio, musical influences, Canadian white reggae, one-hit wonders, fedoras, what it means to sound a mosaic and much more.