I should have said England in my post, not the UK. The Scots, Welsh and N. Irish would probably hiss at the thought of Radiohead - that English monolith - being their national representative.

I think I can safely say no one has ever captured Canadas "**** it" spirit than my man, the legend, K Dot O Dot!



Look at this beauty. Look at him.

My vote goes to early jazz and ragtime bandleader James Reese Europe to represent the US. If you can say two things about American music of the 20th and 21st centuries they would be that (a) it is by-and-large the product disparate musical traditions fusing with each other, especially African with European, and (b) it has been massively exported and imitated around the globe. In a lot of ways James Reese Europe can be seen as an early focal point of both of these things. Aside from the fact he's simply one of the great early jazz talents, he is a key figure in American musical history in that his band was the first jazz/proto-jazz band to play Carnegie Hall—thus helping introduce jazz music to a more mainstream white American audience—and also the first jazz/proto-jazz band to perform in Europe (in 1918), thereby opening the door to many, many decades of American musical exportation.

didn't she sing a song or two on Murder Ballads also?

it's weird to me that you would choose Nick Cave to represent Australia...and being from Melbourne! :)

^i thought this was the Australian national anthem :)

She just sang with him on "Where the wild roses grow".
But what a performance!

I'm gonna have to go with RUSH as the quintessential Canadian band.
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pu.../rush_2604.jpg

Just like the nation the band just keeps on ticking, they've been around seemingly forever but never really in anyone's face. 44 years and still going strong is quite an achievement for any band, let alone one of their technical caliber. From humble beginnings they made attempts at success and rather than crumble when their label put pressure for that possibility for success to start paying back commercial dividends they strengthened their resolve and forced the industry to respect their position with their landmark 2112 album. Their styles are almost as varied as the cultures and people who populate the great white north (can't really think of any hip-hop experiments from the group though).

Virtuosos in their own rights and well recognized by their peers and fellow musicians the individual members of the band come across as very laid back and down to earth. No haughty attitudes and airs of superiority, they let their music be the star of its show rather than forcing their egos. It's like how Canada will forever be in the shadow of the USA but we've got a nicer reputation, not based on boastful claims, but from how people perceive our actions and society.

The other thing that really makes it feel Canadian to me is the proggy-psychedelicness for lack of a better term. Even in big cities there's not that much to do in comparison to an equally populated American city, and I think a major factor in that is the Winter. Our Winters are long and harsh, they limit the outward opportunities, and if you happen to be a snowbound musician it's the best time to beef up your chops and develop your own style, really though what else is there to do? I think that forced natural solitude in their formative years reflects itself well within the introspective metaphysical lyrics that dominates the majority of their work.

We're an innovative nation, we struggled to colonize a new world, we stepped up when our motherland called for help, we continue to strive for a better tomorrow, not just for ourselves but for everyone because we all deserve it. RUSH's musical career really encapsulates that, their innovation, their drive, their resolve, their hope for a better future. It's all there in their music.

Mr. Dave, excellent write-up for Rush/Canada. That's what I'd like to make out of mine:

Tom Waits/USA

But I'm going to have to edit it in, because I'm logging off. Yes, I probably should have just waited til tomorrow to post at all, but I didn't want to forget.

On Twitter DJ Shamann told me K.O. is working on some new projects :)

this must of been the dude trash talking to me on Xbox last night :P

Hello.

I will go with John Lennon - England/UK.

He somewhat overshadowed the other three parts of the band (McCartney, Harrison and Starr / Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland). At one point he was on top of the world, but after a period of time he gradually withdrew from the limelight. He had a good comeback with Double Fantasy (Falklands) but then died. The UK isn't dead yet, although Scotland may be independent in a few years time ;)