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Thank you, Canada!

Thank you Canada - seriously, Thank You! Who says nothing good ever comes from Canada? Our Canadian brothers and sisters deserve a hearty handshake for sharing the following musicians with us.

A tasteful melange of hard rock and prog, with a dash of metal added to intensify the flavor. Groundbreaking? Not really. One of the greatest bands in history? Hardly. But they did their own thing, they refused to be classified into any specific genre, and even a casual listen to them will prove that they were pushing for excellence. How good were they? Just ask number 2 on this list! They recorded with them, toured with them, and promoted them whenever they got the chance. If you've never heard them, check out "Universal Juveniles", my favorite Max Webster album.

You want unique? Try this on for size - a publicly lesbian Country and Western singer (from Canada)! Although, like many of my favorite artists, she refused to limit herself by genre, her first records were a brave (at the time) melding of classic C&W and rock, with just a touch of "torch" crooning. Later, she moved more in the direction of the "torch singer", but she was always uniquely KD. I could go on and on . . . and I probably will in the future. Check out "Absolute Torch and Twang", and her great covers album (with a theme), "Drag".

Do I have to explain this one? Name a genre - if Neil hasn't done it, he's probably working on it right now. He's got a crap voice, he's an adequate guitar player, and his worst albums are still better than 99% of the garbage the record industry throws at us. Why? Because Neil is an artist. He's got something to say, he believes in it, and he DOESN'T GIVE A DAMN WHAT YOU THINK! Oh wait - I hate lots of people that I could say the same thing about . . . what makes Neil different? He's not a WHINEY PUSSY (sorry, Billy Corgan).

Geddy Lee. Neil Peart. Alex Lifeson. You don't have to "like" them, you just have to acknowledge that they're better than you are. They're better than you'll ever be.

"Living in the Limelight,
The universal dream
For those who wish to SEEM

Those who wish to BE
Must put aside the alienation,
Get on with the fascination,
The real relation,
The underlying theme"

If you don't get it, you're on of those who wish to seem . . . POSER!

Because Margo Timmons is an angel and I want to have her children. Seriously, the Cowboy Junkies embody everything that CyberMonkeyDeathSquad believes in. They do things their own way. They refuse to compromise their art for bigger mainstream success. And they consistently deliver some of the best blues influenced rock you've ever heard. Every cover song they do becomes uniquely their own . . . how many bands can cover a Patsy Cline tune and NOT have you think of Patsy when you hear it? Some bands make great party songs, some make great driving songs, some make great songs to have sex to . . . EVERYTHING is better with a Cowboy Junkies soundtrack!

One of the greatest jazz pianists of all time. Where's he from? NY, Phiily, Detroit? What do you mean Montreal?!

I know, I know. How can they make this list when I left off people like Robbie Robertson. I wish I didn't like them, but they're one of those bands who sneak into your subconscious when you aren't paying attention.

Yeah they sound dated now, but in a time of synth pop hell, they were making good power trio rock.

Anyone who says screw you to the industry that many times and still comes out on top is all good with The Squad.

I think M.B. said it all.