Sloan

While the early 90’s grunge scene in Seattle set the tone commercially for a new era in music, there was a similarly subversive thing happening on the east coast of Canada led by a quartet of multi-talented musicians who captured the heart of Halifax with their blend of pop smarts, fuzzed-out guitar licks, Dylanesque streams of consciousness, and acute blasts of power pop. Legendary rock band Sloan built their identity on a synergistic collision of skillsets from each multi-talented band member, all of whom contribute to songwriting and vocals. For live performances, they switch instruments accordingly, but most commonly you will see Chris Murphy on bass, Patrick Pentland on lead guitar, Jay Ferguson on rhythm guitar, and Andrew Scott on drums.

The now Toronto-based outfit is known for being a primary instigator for the Canadian East Coast alternative scene. During their 30-plus year career, they have amassed a catalogue of over 250 songs, north of 30 singles with airplay on Canadian radio, nine JUNO Award nominations, and a JUNO Award for Best Alternative Album in 1997 for One Chord to Another, which remains their best-selling album. Memorable hits like “The Good In Everyone”, Everything You’ve Done Wrong”, and “The Lines You Amend” highlight the iconic compilation.

With 13 studio albums to their name, Sloan continues to churn out consistently compelling content, which began with 1992’s Smeared and continues with 2022’s Steady which features singles such as “Spend the Day”, “Scratch the Surface”, and “Magical Thinking.” In 1996, Chart! magazine’s reader poll ranked Sloan’s second album, 1994’s Twice Removed, the best Canadian album of all time. They were also named one of Canada’s top five bands of all time in a CBC critics poll.

Listen to Sloan HERE