there is one thing that i liked what the hip's gord has done in music. when he played with the sadies, on cbc radio 1. where they covered iggy pop's search & destroy. must say, that was pretty sweet cover. but the rest of the show was, boring!
I was at the Saturday Massey Hall show, and it was pretty great as far as I am concerned. I totally gained a new appreciation for their new album. They played a huge variety of stuff, broke it down for a very chill return from the intermission, and Gord's antics and dancing were just one of the highlights for me. His in between song banter was not overdone, and helped the whole evening have a story...and a sense of flow. The band was especially tight, and I have to disagree about the drums and guitar being a sore spot. I actually noticed the drums as being especially good. I also thought the keys were a great addition, and added a lot to old classics like New Orleans is Sinking.
I highly recommend making it out to one of their shows, it is very worthwhile.
Barrie, Ontario 08-05-1992 x Toronto, Ontario 08-18-1993 Barrie, Ontario 08-22-1998 x Toronto, Ontario 10-05-2000 Toronto, Ontario 09-19-2005 x Toronto, Ontario 05-10-2006 Toronto, Ontario 08-13-2008 (Ed Solo) x Toronto, Ontario 08-21-2009 Toronto, Ontario 09-11-2011 x Chicago, IL 07-19-2013 Buffalo, NY 10-12-2013 x Ottawa, Ontario 05-08-2016 Ottawa, Ontario 09-03-2022
I highly recommend making it out to one of their shows, it is very worthwhile.
Why the hate?
this is pearl jam board, not a hip board. i've seen 'the hip' a few times, one being a sleeper set when they opened for the rolling stones in moncton. i just find it funny this band get's so much air time play then many talented bands out there.
this is pearl jam board, not a hip board. i've seen 'the hip' a few times, one being a sleeper set when they opened for the rolling stones in moncton. i just find it funny this band get's so much air time play then many talented bands out there.
tragically hip ...
Fair enough. You are certainly entitled to an opinion.
And this thread does need to be moved to the other music forum
1996: Toronto
1998: Barrie
2000: Saratoga Springs
2003: Buffalo, Toronto
2005: Kitchener, London, Hamilton, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto
2006: Toronto x2, Cleveland, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Gorge #1
2007: London, Dusseldorf, Vic, Lolla
2008: WPB, Tampa, DC, MSG x2, Hartford, Boston x2, Beacon
2009: Toronto, Chicago x2, Seattle x2, LA #3&4, San Diego, Philly x4
2010: Cleveland, Buffalo, Hartford
2011: Montreal, Toronto x2, Hamilton
2012: Missoula
2013: London, Wrigley, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Hartford, Dallas, OKC
this is pearl jam board, not a hip board. i've seen 'the hip' a few times, one being a sleeper set when they opened for the rolling stones in moncton. i just find it funny this band get's so much air time play then many talented bands out there.
tragically hip ...
Fair enough. You are certainly entitled to an opinion.
And this thread does need to be moved to the other music forum
Agreed. Catchy songs that all sound basically the same, is what I noticed at the show.
funny. they are a band that - while having some similar sounds throughout - have demonstrated a willingness to develop new and interesting styles consistently. From their beginnings as a nice straight-up rock band to their more mature efforts on Fully Completely, to the drastically different Day for Night...and it goes on...that is only about half way through their catalogue. They have definitely been unafraid to try new things...and that includes their latest effort. You can not like them, and that is fine - but to say they have ''catchy songs that sound the same'' is just not true.
And, demetrios...there are a lot of great bands for sure...but at this point it is like asking why any extremely popular Canadian talent gets a lot of airplay...it is because they have a large following. They have a large following because they are talented - even if you don't dig it, you have to admit it. I have only seen them twice - a couple weeks ago, and about 12-14 years ago. Both times I was very impressed...and both were in very different venues - huge outdoor venue and Massey Hall.
Barrie, Ontario 08-05-1992 x Toronto, Ontario 08-18-1993 Barrie, Ontario 08-22-1998 x Toronto, Ontario 10-05-2000 Toronto, Ontario 09-19-2005 x Toronto, Ontario 05-10-2006 Toronto, Ontario 08-13-2008 (Ed Solo) x Toronto, Ontario 08-21-2009 Toronto, Ontario 09-11-2011 x Chicago, IL 07-19-2013 Buffalo, NY 10-12-2013 x Ottawa, Ontario 05-08-2016 Ottawa, Ontario 09-03-2022
Please don't say Tragically Hip is equivalent to Pearl Jam! They are NOTHING live compared to Pearl Jam, and don't even come CLOSE to their studio works.
You're nuts. The Hip easily rival PJ's live show, and their albums compare pretty well to PJ. Both have their weaker albums with plenty of misses, both have moments of shee genius. And both have the rowdiest, rockingest live shows out there.
interesting this whole HIp thing with this new board. On the old board the tragically hip thread, was THE longest running thread about another band. whenever they get mentioned on this board, the haters come out. strange.
IMHO, the hip do rival pearl jam shows for me. they are both different experiences but both amazing live bands. id give the edge to pearl jam on a few things and give the edge to the hip on others.
and i've got to say, benjs "Catchy songs that all sound basically the same"? you could not be further from the truth with these guys.
worthless, day for night is THE best. Gord's writing is much more organic than Ed and pearl jams a whole. Gord is constantly writing about natural things and nature and telling GREAT stories.
I've got 5 shows coming up within the month, that'll put me at 17. so maybe im biased. i like the way the setlists are looking, but yeah the massey hall ones were just okay.
Van '98, Sea I+II '00, Sea '01, Sea II '02, Van '03, Gorge, Van, Cal, Edm '05, Bos I+II, Phi I+II, DC, SF II+III, Port, Gorge I+II '06, DC, NY I+II '08, Sea I+II, Van, Ridge , LA III+IV' 09, Indy '10, Cal, Van '11, Lond, Van, Sea '13, Memphis '14, RRHOF '17, Sea I+II '18, Van I+II, Vegas I+II '24
Please don't say Tragically Hip is equivalent to Pearl Jam! They are NOTHING live compared to Pearl Jam, and don't even come CLOSE to their studio works.
You're nuts. The Hip easily rival PJ's live show, and their albums compare pretty well to PJ. Both have their weaker albums with plenty of misses, both have moments of shee genius. And both have the rowdiest, rockingest live shows out there.
Good to see an American standing up for the Hip
Are you going to the two shows at the Vic this week?
1996: Toronto
1998: Barrie
2000: Saratoga Springs
2003: Buffalo, Toronto
2005: Kitchener, London, Hamilton, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto
2006: Toronto x2, Cleveland, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Gorge #1
2007: London, Dusseldorf, Vic, Lolla
2008: WPB, Tampa, DC, MSG x2, Hartford, Boston x2, Beacon
2009: Toronto, Chicago x2, Seattle x2, LA #3&4, San Diego, Philly x4
2010: Cleveland, Buffalo, Hartford
2011: Montreal, Toronto x2, Hamilton
2012: Missoula
2013: London, Wrigley, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Hartford, Dallas, OKC
Please don't say Tragically Hip is equivalent to Pearl Jam! They are NOTHING live compared to Pearl Jam, and don't even come CLOSE to their studio works.
You're nuts. The Hip easily rival PJ's live show, and their albums compare pretty well to PJ. Both have their weaker albums with plenty of misses, both have moments of shee genius. And both have the rowdiest, rockingest live shows out there.
Good to see an American standing up for the Hip
Are you going to the two shows at the Vic this week?
No :( I moved out of Chicago this week... I miss it already. Toledo Ohio can't compare. I am going to see them in Detroit this weekend though. I couldn't afford 2 shows though, so I'm only going one night.
Just listened to Fully Completely and Day For The Night. They seem alright, digging the guys voice more and more, reminds me of Live and Our Lady Peace.
Just listened to Fully Completely and Day For The Night. They seem alright, digging the guys voice more and more, reminds me of Live and Our Lady Peace.
Any other records i should check out?
Phantom Power is my personal favorite and the album that I heard first and got me hooked... might want to give that one a spin!
The Tragically Hip are as good as Pearl Jam. There, I said it.
These 2 bands have more in common than not.
# 1 would be the rotating setlists
# 2 they treat their fans with Respect
# 3 their music rocks
# 4 their live shows are incredible
# 5 two great lead singers
# 6 Gord has as many good lines/lyrics as Eddie does(both absolutely brilliant!)
I'm sure I'm missing some others...
Gotta agree that their songs simply don't all sound the same, just like PJ!
Finally...Trouble At The Henhouse is THE ONE for me
I hated the Hip in high school. Mostly because they were so wildly popular with the jock crowd and, being the angst-ridden teenage anti-jock, was against anything remotely popular (how very different I was ) I justified my hatred by saying that all they ever wrote about was Canada...as if that was a reason to hate them. :roll:
As an adult, I love them. Honestly they write really good songs and great music. But I've seen some live footage, and Gords stories seem off-putting somehow.
The Tragically Hip are as good as Pearl Jam. There, I said it.
These 2 bands have more in common than not.
# 1 would be the rotating setlists
# 2 they treat their fans with Respect
# 3 their music rocks
# 4 their live shows are incredible
# 5 two great lead singers
# 6 Gord has as many good lines/lyrics as Eddie does(both absolutely brilliant!)
I'm sure I'm missing some others...
# 7 Pearl Jam has NAIS, the Hip have NOIS. hahahha
Van '98, Sea I+II '00, Sea '01, Sea II '02, Van '03, Gorge, Van, Cal, Edm '05, Bos I+II, Phi I+II, DC, SF II+III, Port, Gorge I+II '06, DC, NY I+II '08, Sea I+II, Van, Ridge , LA III+IV' 09, Indy '10, Cal, Van '11, Lond, Van, Sea '13, Memphis '14, RRHOF '17, Sea I+II '18, Van I+II, Vegas I+II '24
Just listened to Fully Completely and Day For The Night. They seem alright, digging the guys voice more and more, reminds me of Live and Our Lady Peace.
Any other records i should check out?
I recommend Phantom Power and the new album, We Are The Same.
Just listened to Fully Completely and Day For The Night. They seem alright, digging the guys voice more and more, reminds me of Live and Our Lady Peace.
Any other records i should check out?
I recommend Phantom Power and the new album, We Are The Same.
Agree with this post; also next stop Road Apples and Day For Night
SLC 11/2/95, Park City 6/21/98, Boise 11/3/00, Seattle 12/9/02, Vancouver 5/30/03, Gorge 9/1/05, Vancouver 9/2/05, Gorge 7/22/06, Gorge 7/23/06, Camden I 6/19/08, MSG I 6/24/08, MSG II 6/25/08, Hartford 6/27/08, Mansfield II 6/30/08; Eddie Albany 6/8/09, 6/9/09; Philly 10/30/09, 10/31/09; Boston 5/17/10
I thought the world...Turns out the world thought me
By JIM FUSILLI
TORONTO -- The Tragically Hip has everything you'd want in a rock band: smart, distinctive songs; a sound to call its own; a live show that jolts the audience from its seats; and, in Gordon Downie, a front man who's been compared to Mick Jagger and Michael Stipe. The Hip's only problem: The band is Canadian.
Which isn't much of a problem in Canada, where the quintet is widely acknowledged as the country's best rock band. The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences honored two of their 12 discs with Juno Awards for best rock album of the year; another, 1996's "Trouble at the Henhouse," was voted album of the year, regardless of category. Eight Hip albums reached the No. 1 slot on the Canadian charts the week they launched. The band has a star on the Canadian Walk of Fame and was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
Tune In
Listen to a full song off the new album "We Are the Same" by Tragically Hip:
But "we can't draw flies in the States," the 45-year-old Mr. Downie said when we spoke earlier this month in a dressing room at Massey Hall, before and after one of the Tragically Hip's six shows here tied to their fine new album, "We Are the Same" (Rounder). Not that the band needs the approval of American fans. But it would like, and deserves, a bigger audience.
It's a mystery to me why the Hip haven't succeeded in the U.S. Many Canadian musicians have: the Arcade Fire, Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, Rush and Neil Young, to name a few. The Band, which created the prototype for what's known today as Americana music, was 80% Canadian; only drummer Levon Helm was born in the U.S. Further, were live rock a competition, the Hip would bulldoze just about any contemporary group that trod a terrain that accommodates the Smiths and Bruce Springsteen. I'd compare them to the Hold Steady -- but the Hold Steady don't quite measure up. Stand in the audience among the Hip's fans and you sense that they're right: This is a band to believe in, which is about the highest praise a rock group can inspire.
And yet no traction in the U.S., despite repeated touring, an appearance on "Saturday Night Live" back in 1995 and a slot at Woodstock '99. Maybe it is because of their devotion to their homeland: Whereas Mr. Cohen earned his international acclaim as an expat coming out of New York's 1960s folk scene and Ms. Mitchell and Mr. Young for the most part reached a wide audience out of California, the Hip are Canadian born and based, proudly so.
"For 20 years we've been beaten with both sides of the stick," said Mr. Downie, who writes the band's songs. "We're told our success in Canada is due to some nationalistic cheerleading. But I have no interest in perpetuating or galvanizing old myths about this country."
Yet he cites Canada, its cities and natural beauty, with unabashed affection in his songs. "It was considered quite risky to use Canadian place names in songs, especially in commercial pop," he said. "I wasn't the first to do it by any stretch -- and those who did it were considered brave, as if they were eschewing an American brass ring in favor of a Canadian ideal. But music is meant to flow anywhere you want. Music isn't stopped at Customs."
The Hip, which includes Rob Baker and Paul Langlois on guitar, Johnny Fay on drums and Gordon Sinclair on bass, have tried to cultivate an American following since they began their career some 25 years ago. Talk about grinding it out: Mr. Downie recalled a show in Hoboken, N.J., to which the band drew five people. Once a turnout in Harrisburg, Pa., was so tiny that the Hip considered inviting the attendees onto the tour bus. "There were more of us than them," he said. (They're touring the U.S. through mid-June; see thehip.com for dates and locations.)
America is an important market to them, not merely because of size. "We go down there because that's where the music we play came from. It's from the Mississippi Delta by way of England -- the Pretty Things, the Stones. That's our music, maybe with a Canadian coat of paint.
"If we were told we couldn't go to America anymore, we would be heartbroken," he added. "We're not trying to replicate our success up here. We go to America to work. We're not tourists."
During our conversation, Mr. Downie seemed incapable of a thoughtless answer. Had I known him better -- or at all -- I might say he grew melancholy when he pondered the band's relative lack of success in the U.S. How different he seemed on stage the night before. For all the Jagger/Stipe comparisons, he's like no other performer I've ever seen.
While singing with fire and bravado, Mr. Downie prances, staggers, goosesteps, squats and swings his arms like an ape, tries a bit of flamenco dancing and wields the mike stand like a majorette. He dedicated one tune to the pope and referenced Flannery O'Connor in the intro to another. Then there are those white handkerchiefs that he waves, wears as a veil, uses to mop his shaven head, flings into the audience, and trades for cell phones and cameras -- which he returns. The audience seems to cherish those pieces of cloth as if they were spun from gold.
For its part, the band goes about its business with industry: On the night I saw them, Mr. Fay boomed away on the big rock numbers and deftly worked an intriguing collection of hand drums during the unplugged set. Mr. Baker played a few notable solos; one was so enticing, I resented the distraction of Mr. Downie's showmanship. The high points came early and continued, but the reading of "Morning Moon" from the new album was magic, an intense yet tender respite from raging rock. It was the kind of moment no one who loves rock and pop, no matter where they reside, could resist.
Mr. Fusilli is the Journal's rock and pop music critic. Email him at <!-- e --><a href="mailto:jfusilli@wsj.com">jfusilli@wsj.com</a><!-- e --> or follow him on Twitter@wsjrock.
Ok i've listened to about 4/5 albums now and i just don't see whats that amazing, they had a few cool moments but meh. But i would def check them out if they played here.
Ok i've listened to about 4/5 albums now and i just don't see whats that amazing, they had a few cool moments but meh. But i would def check them out if they played here.
Personally speaking I find some cds need to get absorbed organically over time...maybe you've heard the cds only once or twice(or?) but personally speaking I find lots of music that I don't initially like hits me later after many repeated listenings...but um yeah seeing the band play live can certainly help and sometimes it's the one missing piece that pulls it ALL together
For a lot of Canadians the hip is like the background music of our formative years. It was always playing on the radio, camping in Algonquin, drinking around the fire...it's good music. I do think a lot of the love for the band has to do with the countless Canadian references, like the article said.
I agree with the above poster...the music grows on you.
For a lot of Canadians the hip is like the background music of our formative years. It was always playing on the radio, camping in Algonquin, drinking around the fire...it's good music. I do think a lot of the love for the band has to do with the countless Canadian references, like the article said.
I agree with the above poster...the music grows on you.
(ps...Rush suck)
Okay, now we have a thing called a problem.
Rush are one of the finest bands to grace this planet, they are all extremely good muscians and they just are so damn good!
Ok i've listened to about 4/5 albums now and i just don't see whats that amazing, they had a few cool moments but meh. But i would def check them out if they played here.
Personally speaking I find some cds need to get absorbed organically over time...maybe you've heard the cds only once or twice(or?) but personally speaking I find lots of music that I don't initially like hits me later after many repeated listenings...but um yeah seeing the band play live can certainly help and sometimes it's the one missing piece that pulls it ALL together
Good luck!
but yes music does grow, so true, i said the new manics album sucked but now im digging it slowly and a same with a bajillion other bands as you have just stated. But if a band is really really really really good they will slap me in the face first time round ;p
Ok i've listened to about 4/5 albums now and i just don't see whats that amazing, they had a few cool moments but meh. But i would def check them out if they played here.
Did you get 4/5 albums at once? I can't think of a single band I've ever tried that with where it stuck... the albums inevitably blur together and you notice a few highlights and go "meh" to the middle tracks. I had the same reaction when I first got into Afghan Whigs and Twilight Singers... I wanted to ditch the albums or just compile a best of. It's too much material to swallow at once. Luckily, I forced myself to delete everything from my ipod except those albums until I'd had a chance to really absorb them.
And their live show is a must. Like PJ, the albums may sound good, but not particularly mind-blowing to an outsider. It's the live show that truly demonstrates the power of the band.
Ok i've listened to about 4/5 albums now and i just don't see whats that amazing, they had a few cool moments but meh. But i would def check them out if they played here.
Did you get 4/5 albums at once? I can't think of a single band I've ever tried that with where it stuck... the albums inevitably blur together and you notice a few highlights and go "meh" to the middle tracks. I had the same reaction when I first got into Afghan Whigs and Twilight Singers... I wanted to ditch the albums or just compile a best of. It's too much material to swallow at once. Luckily, I forced myself to delete everything from my ipod except those albums until I'd had a chance to really absorb them.
And their live show is a must. Like PJ, the albums may sound good, but not particularly mind-blowing to an outsider. It's the live show that truly demonstrates the power of the band.
Just been listening to everyones recomendations on here, so yeah its around 4/5 albums just once. Really want to see em to try and understand what everyones about!
Comments
I highly recommend making it out to one of their shows, it is very worthwhile.
xToronto, Ontario 08-18-1993Barrie, Ontario 08-22-1998
xToronto, Ontario 10-05-2000Toronto, Ontario 09-19-2005
xToronto, Ontario 05-10-2006Toronto, Ontario 08-13-2008 (Ed Solo)
xToronto, Ontario 08-21-2009Toronto, Ontario 09-11-2011
xChicago, IL 07-19-2013Buffalo, NY 10-12-2013 x Ottawa, Ontario 05-08-2016
Ottawa, Ontario 09-03-2022
this is pearl jam board, not a hip board. i've seen 'the hip' a few times, one being a sleeper set when they opened for the rolling stones in moncton. i just find it funny this band get's so much air time play then many talented bands out there.
tragically hip ...
EV
Toronto Film Festival 9/11/2007, '08 - Toronto 1 & 2, '09 - Albany 1, '11 - Chicago 1
And this thread does need to be moved to the other music forum
yep!
funny. they are a band that - while having some similar sounds throughout - have demonstrated a willingness to develop new and interesting styles consistently. From their beginnings as a nice straight-up rock band to their more mature efforts on Fully Completely, to the drastically different Day for Night...and it goes on...that is only about half way through their catalogue. They have definitely been unafraid to try new things...and that includes their latest effort. You can not like them, and that is fine - but to say they have ''catchy songs that sound the same'' is just not true.
And, demetrios...there are a lot of great bands for sure...but at this point it is like asking why any extremely popular Canadian talent gets a lot of airplay...it is because they have a large following. They have a large following because they are talented - even if you don't dig it, you have to admit it. I have only seen them twice - a couple weeks ago, and about 12-14 years ago. Both times I was very impressed...and both were in very different venues - huge outdoor venue and Massey Hall.
xToronto, Ontario 08-18-1993Barrie, Ontario 08-22-1998
xToronto, Ontario 10-05-2000Toronto, Ontario 09-19-2005
xToronto, Ontario 05-10-2006Toronto, Ontario 08-13-2008 (Ed Solo)
xToronto, Ontario 08-21-2009Toronto, Ontario 09-11-2011
xChicago, IL 07-19-2013Buffalo, NY 10-12-2013 x Ottawa, Ontario 05-08-2016
Ottawa, Ontario 09-03-2022
You're nuts. The Hip easily rival PJ's live show, and their albums compare pretty well to PJ. Both have their weaker albums with plenty of misses, both have moments of shee genius. And both have the rowdiest, rockingest live shows out there.
dude Fully Completely and Day for Night are the places to start.
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IMHO, the hip do rival pearl jam shows for me. they are both different experiences but both amazing live bands. id give the edge to pearl jam on a few things and give the edge to the hip on others.
and i've got to say, benjs "Catchy songs that all sound basically the same"? you could not be further from the truth with these guys.
worthless, day for night is THE best. Gord's writing is much more organic than Ed and pearl jams a whole. Gord is constantly writing about natural things and nature and telling GREAT stories.
I've got 5 shows coming up within the month, that'll put me at 17. so maybe im biased. i like the way the setlists are looking, but yeah the massey hall ones were just okay.
Are you going to the two shows at the Vic this week?
No :( I moved out of Chicago this week... I miss it already. Toledo Ohio can't compare. I am going to see them in Detroit this weekend though. I couldn't afford 2 shows though, so I'm only going one night.
Any other records i should check out?
Phantom Power is my personal favorite and the album that I heard first and got me hooked... might want to give that one a spin!
These 2 bands have more in common than not.
# 1 would be the rotating setlists
# 2 they treat their fans with Respect
# 3 their music rocks
# 4 their live shows are incredible
# 5 two great lead singers
# 6 Gord has as many good lines/lyrics as Eddie does(both absolutely brilliant!)
I'm sure I'm missing some others...
Gotta agree that their songs simply don't all sound the same, just like PJ!
Finally...Trouble At The Henhouse is THE ONE for me
The new cd/shows are killer+
As an adult, I love them. Honestly they write really good songs and great music. But I've seen some live footage, and Gords stories seem off-putting somehow.
# 7 Pearl Jam has NAIS, the Hip have NOIS. hahahha
I recommend Phantom Power and the new album, We Are The Same.
I thought the world...Turns out the world thought me
They're Hip, but Canadian
By JIM FUSILLI
TORONTO -- The Tragically Hip has everything you'd want in a rock band: smart, distinctive songs; a sound to call its own; a live show that jolts the audience from its seats; and, in Gordon Downie, a front man who's been compared to Mick Jagger and Michael Stipe. The Hip's only problem: The band is Canadian.
Which isn't much of a problem in Canada, where the quintet is widely acknowledged as the country's best rock band. The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences honored two of their 12 discs with Juno Awards for best rock album of the year; another, 1996's "Trouble at the Henhouse," was voted album of the year, regardless of category. Eight Hip albums reached the No. 1 slot on the Canadian charts the week they launched. The band has a star on the Canadian Walk of Fame and was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
Tune In
Listen to a full song off the new album "We Are the Same" by Tragically Hip:
But "we can't draw flies in the States," the 45-year-old Mr. Downie said when we spoke earlier this month in a dressing room at Massey Hall, before and after one of the Tragically Hip's six shows here tied to their fine new album, "We Are the Same" (Rounder). Not that the band needs the approval of American fans. But it would like, and deserves, a bigger audience.
It's a mystery to me why the Hip haven't succeeded in the U.S. Many Canadian musicians have: the Arcade Fire, Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, Rush and Neil Young, to name a few. The Band, which created the prototype for what's known today as Americana music, was 80% Canadian; only drummer Levon Helm was born in the U.S. Further, were live rock a competition, the Hip would bulldoze just about any contemporary group that trod a terrain that accommodates the Smiths and Bruce Springsteen. I'd compare them to the Hold Steady -- but the Hold Steady don't quite measure up. Stand in the audience among the Hip's fans and you sense that they're right: This is a band to believe in, which is about the highest praise a rock group can inspire.
And yet no traction in the U.S., despite repeated touring, an appearance on "Saturday Night Live" back in 1995 and a slot at Woodstock '99. Maybe it is because of their devotion to their homeland: Whereas Mr. Cohen earned his international acclaim as an expat coming out of New York's 1960s folk scene and Ms. Mitchell and Mr. Young for the most part reached a wide audience out of California, the Hip are Canadian born and based, proudly so.
"For 20 years we've been beaten with both sides of the stick," said Mr. Downie, who writes the band's songs. "We're told our success in Canada is due to some nationalistic cheerleading. But I have no interest in perpetuating or galvanizing old myths about this country."
Yet he cites Canada, its cities and natural beauty, with unabashed affection in his songs. "It was considered quite risky to use Canadian place names in songs, especially in commercial pop," he said. "I wasn't the first to do it by any stretch -- and those who did it were considered brave, as if they were eschewing an American brass ring in favor of a Canadian ideal. But music is meant to flow anywhere you want. Music isn't stopped at Customs."
The Hip, which includes Rob Baker and Paul Langlois on guitar, Johnny Fay on drums and Gordon Sinclair on bass, have tried to cultivate an American following since they began their career some 25 years ago. Talk about grinding it out: Mr. Downie recalled a show in Hoboken, N.J., to which the band drew five people. Once a turnout in Harrisburg, Pa., was so tiny that the Hip considered inviting the attendees onto the tour bus. "There were more of us than them," he said. (They're touring the U.S. through mid-June; see thehip.com for dates and locations.)
America is an important market to them, not merely because of size. "We go down there because that's where the music we play came from. It's from the Mississippi Delta by way of England -- the Pretty Things, the Stones. That's our music, maybe with a Canadian coat of paint.
"If we were told we couldn't go to America anymore, we would be heartbroken," he added. "We're not trying to replicate our success up here. We go to America to work. We're not tourists."
During our conversation, Mr. Downie seemed incapable of a thoughtless answer. Had I known him better -- or at all -- I might say he grew melancholy when he pondered the band's relative lack of success in the U.S. How different he seemed on stage the night before. For all the Jagger/Stipe comparisons, he's like no other performer I've ever seen.
While singing with fire and bravado, Mr. Downie prances, staggers, goosesteps, squats and swings his arms like an ape, tries a bit of flamenco dancing and wields the mike stand like a majorette. He dedicated one tune to the pope and referenced Flannery O'Connor in the intro to another. Then there are those white handkerchiefs that he waves, wears as a veil, uses to mop his shaven head, flings into the audience, and trades for cell phones and cameras -- which he returns. The audience seems to cherish those pieces of cloth as if they were spun from gold.
For its part, the band goes about its business with industry: On the night I saw them, Mr. Fay boomed away on the big rock numbers and deftly worked an intriguing collection of hand drums during the unplugged set. Mr. Baker played a few notable solos; one was so enticing, I resented the distraction of Mr. Downie's showmanship. The high points came early and continued, but the reading of "Morning Moon" from the new album was magic, an intense yet tender respite from raging rock. It was the kind of moment no one who loves rock and pop, no matter where they reside, could resist.
Mr. Fusilli is the Journal's rock and pop music critic. Email him at <!-- e --><a href="mailto:jfusilli@wsj.com">jfusilli@wsj.com</a><!-- e --> or follow him on Twitter@wsjrock.
Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page D9
Personally speaking I find some cds need to get absorbed organically over time...maybe you've heard the cds only once or twice(or?) but personally speaking I find lots of music that I don't initially like hits me later after many repeated listenings...but um yeah seeing the band play live can certainly help and sometimes it's the one missing piece that pulls it ALL together
Good luck!
I agree with the above poster...the music grows on you.
(ps...Rush suck)
Okay, now we have a thing called a problem.
Rush are one of the finest bands to grace this planet, they are all extremely good muscians and they just are so damn good!
but yes music does grow, so true, i said the new manics album sucked but now im digging it slowly and a same with a bajillion other bands as you have just stated. But if a band is really really really really good they will slap me in the face first time round ;p
Did you get 4/5 albums at once? I can't think of a single band I've ever tried that with where it stuck... the albums inevitably blur together and you notice a few highlights and go "meh" to the middle tracks. I had the same reaction when I first got into Afghan Whigs and Twilight Singers... I wanted to ditch the albums or just compile a best of. It's too much material to swallow at once. Luckily, I forced myself to delete everything from my ipod except those albums until I'd had a chance to really absorb them.
And their live show is a must. Like PJ, the albums may sound good, but not particularly mind-blowing to an outsider. It's the live show that truly demonstrates the power of the band.
Just been listening to everyones recomendations on here, so yeah its around 4/5 albums just once. Really want to see em to try and understand what everyones about!