The Canadian music scene from coast to coast to coast
By Cristina Naccarato
Lance Writer
October 17, 2007
 Southern Ontario folk are spoiled by the large amount of touring bands that pass through our little cities, but other Canadian cities from coast to coast to coast may not be as fortunate as we are. This past Tuesday at Phog Lounge, I got the chance to meet up with West Coast band, The Cape May from Calgary, East Coast band, Jon McKiel from Halifax, and Windsor’s own, What Seas, What Shores, and hear about their different perspectives of the Canadian music scene from three different areas of Canada.
Jeff McLeod, drummer of Calgary’s Indie Folk Rock band, The Cape May described the prairie provinces as “a big chasm.” It’s much harder for them to tour out west than it is in Central or Eastern Canada because accessibility plays a large factor.
Although they do receive a strong audience response from their part of the map, the response isn’t nearly as powerful as it is further east. “Calgary doesn’t have a huge emphasis on the arts. It’s more of a money-oriented, business related society, where as in Central Canada or in the Maritimes, the arts are more important.” McLeod says that “In Central and Eastern Canada, we are born fans. The crowd gets into our music right away.”
The East Coast scene as described by Jon McKiel seems to be much busier than out West. McKiel, a resident of Halifax, has spent time living in Calgary. While out West he did a bit of touring through Alberta and British Columbia, and in comparison to the East coast, the fans are mostly drawn to the bar for the bar itself.
In regards to the Maritime scene, “Everything is more closed in, which makes our music scene a lot busier,” states McKiel. Like Windsor, in Halifax, you’re likely to be able to find a show every night of the week. McKiel adds that “Some weeks are much slower than others, but we keep ourselves pretty busy.”
As described by bassist Josh Kogon, “Every city in Central and Eastern Canada is different and the crowds react differently. Some cities don’t have touring bands pass through them every night, so when they hear a band is playing, even if they don’t know who they are, they’ll show up just to listen.” McKiel adds, “We’ve never had a bad experience in Windsor.”
Kyle Marchand, guitarist of Windsor’s, What Seas, What Shores agrees with Kogon. Marchand states, “It all depends on the night of the week you’re playing as well. Weekends are naturally busier because people have less things to worry about.”
Having toured in Halifax, Marchand mentioned the size of the venues being larger in size as well as drawing a natural fan base. What Seas, What Shores focuses more on the bar scene when they tour, because they find the crowds to be much more respectful to quieter music than they would be at an all ages event.
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