Right now, I'm living in Kingston, Ontario - Canada's first capital, home to Canada's first Prime Minister (Sir John A MacDonald) and the first maximum security penitentiary. It's not exactly cultivating an exciting music culture like Chicago or LA. But, Kingston is home of a great Canadian band: The Tragically Hip, or The Hip if you're into that whole brevity thing.
The Hip playing in Aspen, Colorado in 2007
The Hip were formed in 1983 and at the time consisted of Gordon Downie (vox and guitar), Rob "Bobby" Baker (guitar), Gord Sinclair (bass), Johnny Fay (drums), and Davis Manning (sax). The members had all been friends since high school in Kingston together and started their musical career playing in Baker's living room. The name, which is fairly unique, was taken from a skit in Michael Nesmith's movie Elephant Parts (1981). The Hip played a lot of local venues in the Ontario area until they were discovered by MCA in 1986. In 1986, Manning left and John Langlios filled Manning's place playing guitar.
I have yet to find a Hip song that I don't like in some, way, shape, or form. Their music changes as the band grows up, their first albums having bluesy hints to them and their later albums more rocky. One of my personal favourites is "Bobcageyon" from 1998's Phantom Power. "Bobcageyon" won a Juno award in 2000 for Best Single of the Year. To critics, the Hip really hit their stride and artistry in the albums Fully Completely (1992) and Day for Night (1994), the latter of which helped them secure a spot as the musical artist for an SNL epsiode with the help of Dan Aykroyd, a fellow Canadian who also lives in the Kingston area.
The Hip's newest album Now For Plan A (2012)
Since their formation, The Hip boast 12 studio albums, two live albums, 9 No. 1 albums, and 14 Juno awards. In 2002, The Hip were inducted into the Canadian Walk of Fame in Toronto and in 2005 they were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. Their most recent album, Now For Plan A, was released in September 2012 and debuted at #3 on the Canadian charts.
For those of you in Kingston, think about buying tickets to go to their show in February at the K-Rock Centre. And for those of you who can't make it to a show near you, just listen and appreciate the fantastic music that is made by The Tragically Hip.
Website: www.thehip.com
Twitter: @thehipdotcom
