If there’s been any silver lining to a years-long pandemic and enforced isolation, it’s been extra time for pastimes that bring us comfort and escape. On top of all the great music that we’ve covered in the last twelve months, many of us have also taken solace in books, both old favourites and new discoveries. As we get set to mark a year of living under lockdowns, we’re sharing our personal reading list of books about Canadian music and musicians or written by musicians themselves.

Have Not Been the Same: the Canrock Renaissance 1985-1995 by Michael Barclay, Ian A.D. Jack, and Jason Schneider (ECW Press)
During my early twenties, I spent a year writing a master’s thesis on Canadian music, and at some point, I was directed to what was described to me as “the definitive tome” on Canadian music, Have Not Been the Same: the Canrock Renaissance 1985-1995 by Michael Barclay, Ian A.D. Jack, and Jason Schneider. Have Not Been the Same is a comprehensive (and enthralling) look at the evolution of the Canadian music industry and the rock, folk, and punk acts and labels that emerged during the decade. • Laura Stanley

The Subtweet by Vivek Shraya (ECW Press)
If anyone knows anything about pivoting, it’s Vivek Sharya. Released mere weeks after the COVID-19 pandemic declaration in 2020, her novel The Subtweet never got treated to the kind of fanfare and roll-out it fully deserved. Still, The Subtweet managed to find an audience that universally adored its characters, two musicians working at what seemed like opposite ends of the industry that find their lives, careers, and destinies inextricably intertwined thanks in large part to the novel’s unofficial character: social media. The Subtweet is a nuanced and layered story that explores relationship dynamics between artists, the music industry, their audiences, technology, and social media. All levels of threads connect these characters and the world around them, and what I loved about Shraya’s storytelling process is that she is less concerned with unravelling those threads and more focused on following them through the tangle. • Jim Di Gioia

First Spring Grass Fire by Rae Spoon (Arsenal Pulp Press)
Rae Spoon is a much-celebrated and recognized figure whose music over the last twenty years has been both heartbreakingly honest and heart-meltingly beautiful. As an extension of their explorations on growing up queer in a highly religious household in Alberta, First Spring Grass Fire sits comfortably next to their albums like My Praire Home and Armour while showcasing a whole new level of artistry and expression from Spoon. Presented as a series of interconnected short stories that zig-zag across the border between fiction and biography, Spoon’s eponymously named protagonist takes readers on a harrowing and heartfelt coming-of-age journey. It’s a story that will be familiar for anyone who’s ever struggled to find their place, their people, and their purpose in the face of adversity from a society that’s intent on excluding them. • JD

Perfect Youth: The Birth of Canadian Punk by Sam Sutherland (ECW Press)
Perfect Youth sends you on a journey across the country in the 1970s and 1980s when punk scenes were emerging in every town. This book exposed me to hidden gems and urban legends from all the places that I've lived. Through extensive research and lots of interview tapes, Sam Sutherland gives us a picture of the birth of DIY scenes all over Canada. • Mackenzie Smedmor

Buffy Sainte-Marie: The Authorized Biography by Andrea Warner (Greystone Books)
Andrea Warner’s Buffy Sainte-Marie: The Authorized Biography is an astonishing look into the astonishing life of one of the greatest Canadian musicians of all time. Centred on Warner’s personal interviews with Sainte-Marie, this biography is a fantastic read. Whether you’re familiar with Sainte-Marie or not, you’ll close the book with a deep love and appreciation for her. And, as a treat, the book’s forward is written by Joni Mitchell. • LS

Music Lessons by Bob Wiseman (ECW Press)
As a blogger for more than a decade now, I can appreciate how ideas percolate and bubble up to your consciousness at the most inopportune times. I’ve never been disciplined enough to capture random thoughts in a single place (like a notebook or diary) the way Bob Wiseman has. Using his social media feed for years now, Wiseman has made public all the anecdotes, stories, and lessons from his life as a musician, composer, educator, and student. Collected in non-chronological order under the title Music Lessons, Wiseman’s wisecracks, witty observations, and breezy voice is the perfect literary accompaniment for life in lockdown and disjointed timelines. Pick it up and flip to any page, and you’re sure to find an entry that satisfies what it is your spirit craves, whether that’s a story to make you laugh out loud or an essay that makes you look inward for meaning in your own existence, Wiseman’s Music Lessons is the perfect textbook for how to find the balance and interconnection between all of our various selves. • JD

 

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