always a higher priority in French Canada, there continues to be a
strong interest in music, but that industry has been hit hard by the
collapse of physical sales as well. Having no access to the rest of the
nation’s touring and sales markets makes matters worse.
So they look to where language isn’t a barrier, which is in
Europe. French Canadians have had a regular run of success on
the continent since the ‘50s and ‘60s with singers such as Gilles
Vigneault and Félix Leclerc earning as much praise abroad as at
home. As artists in English Canada start looking more and more to
Europe as a new or alternative market, Francophones got there first
and are still making the trek.
Lisa LeBlanc of tiny Rosaireville in New Brunswick found out
what a little European success can mean. Her self-titled debut
from 2013 showcased a new kind of sound that took Acadie, then
Quebec by storm. “Trash folk,” she called it, singing in Chiac with lots
of English slang thrown into the lyrics, including plenty of swear-
ing and lots of humour. She could play her banjo like a woman
possessed, or belt out a country tear-jerker. The major Quebec TV
shows loved her and she was soon playing all the major showcases
and festivals.
“The album just kind of worked,” says LeBlanc. “We had some
great press, and we were really lucky.” Then she started doing shows
in Europe and watched the album take off. She saw sales climb to
140,000 units. Even though the music was filled with phrases and
references that didn’t translate all that well, European fans knew
what they liked.
“We have such a beautiful following in France and in Swit-
zerland and Belgium,” she says. “Some people are like, ‘Hey, I heard
your song on the radio in France the other day.’ And for me, that’s
totally weird, because I feel like such a black sheep going there, you
know?”
It’s just another example of Canada doing well in the global
marketplace, according to Kane. “A song can come from anywhere
and start from anywhere. I’m seeing more and more C anadians be-
ing willing to take the chance, and going, ‘Okay, I’ve got to go start
making something happen in Germany. That’s where I’m going.
I gotta go start making something happen in the Far East. That’s
where I’m going to go.’”
At many Canada 150 events, Indigenous people are being rep-
resented and given a voice. There seems to be at least an attempt
to follow the spirit of the Truth and Reconciliation report in a public
Lisa Leblanc
way, and many Aboriginal performers and groups will take part. The
music industry can even point to stars – A Tribe Called Red, Tanya
Tagaq, and a resurgent Buffy Sainte-Marie. But Indigenous artists are
still battling to be heard after years of being mostly ignored in the
media, in the live music scene, and in the recording industry.
Music historian Kevin Howes found much of the Aboriginal
recording history of the past 50 years lying in Canada’s vinyl trash
heaps. Howes has spent the past 20 years travelling the country,
searching through the thrift stores, Sally Anns, and used shops,
crate-digging to find obscure and unsung Canadian music. In the
boxes of dusty 45s, he took note of all the Indigenous music he was
finding and started paying attention to the quality and cultural signif-
icance of much of it.
Already the producer of the highly regarded Jamaica to Toronto
series of albums, Howes turned his attention to these obscure re-
cords. In 2014, the two-disc collection Native North America, Vol. 1 was
released, featuring 23 artists such as Willie Dunn, Lloyd Cheechoo,
and Shingoose. It took a U.S. label, Light in the Attic, to release this
mostly Canadian-based set.
C A N A D I A N M U S I C I A N • 41