Do You Like Canadian Music?

In 1991, the Violent Femmes asked, "do you like American music?" But what about Canadian music?

As opposed to the so-called "British invasion" of the 1960s and subsequent decades, one doesn't often hear about Canadian music, specifically. In the U.S. there is a Bloomington, Ind.-based record label called Secretly Canadian. Could the name be an homage to our talented neighbors to the north? And with our cultures so close in proximity to each other, did you even know the following artists were from Canada?

Feist

Thirty-two year old Nova Scotia native Leslie Feist debuted in the U.S. with her 2005 album "Let It Die," but it wasn't until the spring of 2007 that she gained mega-exposure with her hit "1234." Apple used the song's video in an iPod Nano commercial, and thereafter, the song went to No. 8 on the top ten list, predominantly on the strength of downloaded purchases on the Internet.

In April 2008, Feist was awarded five Juno Awards, the Canadian equivalent of the Grammy, in the following categories: songwriter, artist, pop album, album and single of the year. Her music has been described as "swoony indie lounge pop" by Rolling Stone, and the New York Times referred to her as "a restless polymath with a catalog of great songs and a voice like carved steam."

Her genres span from punk to folk. Not content to stick to one genre, Feist often performs with Canadian "supergroup" Broken Social Scene, a Toronto-based, 19-member group, most of whom also have their own bands. And on Aug. 11, she'll perform on Sesame Street's 39th season premiere, where she'll tweak the lyrics of "1234" for her younger audience. "One, two, three, four, monsters walking across the floor," is a preview of what you can expect from that performance.

Feist will perform a free concert in New York City's Bryant Park this Friday, July 25. For complete coverage of her performance and for a list of other upcoming shows, Click Here.

Rush

This rock group formed in Toronto in 1968 and broke onto the American music scene in 1974 with their self-titled debut album, and, 40 years later, they're still rocking. Members Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart, who are on tour this summer with their 2007 release, "Snakes and Arrows," have amassed 24 gold and 14 platinum albums in their career, including the 1981 quadruple-platinum "Moving Pictures." In a July 2008 appearance on "The Colbert Report," where they played what many people consider their defining song, "Tom Sawyer," Colbert noted that it was Rush's first appearance on American television in 33 years.