Punk Canada

No Pistols, Stooges, or Ramones here — only pure, 100% dynamite, homegrown punk, kicking off (as only we could) with D.O.A's hardcore classic "General Strike." Led by Joey "S**thead" Keithley, the outfit has been cited as a core influence by bands worldwide. Meanwhile Sum 41 represents the cream of the pop-punk contingent.

Although you can argue that brevity is the soul of punk (short, sharp, straight-to-the-point cuts), Ripcordz have consistently christened albums with outlandishly long names: It's Never Too Late to Annoy Your Parents appeared in 2000, a full two decades after the Montreal band's formation, and produced the splendid "Muc Police."

Canadian punk has faced the onslaught of time and the vagaries of public taste with incredible resilience, hence the late-'90s formation of All Systems Go! from the remnants of the Doughboys and Big Car Drill: The outfit marked a tight alliance of Montreal with West Coast U.S.A. in the pile-driver harmonies of "All I Want."

The overwhelming impulsion towards defiance drives our Punk Canada Essentials, which combine the best of our nation's hardcore and pop-punk heritage in one incendiary playlist. Every band tells a story, from movement stalwarts the Subhumans (who shared the activist, leftwing leanings of D.O.A.) to the short-lived, furious grindcore of Winnipeg's Swallowing S**t, whose radical stance drew a protest from Christians during a 1997 concert, after which the band splintered into other outfits (including Propagandhi). Formidable.