the winter in canada are an alternative rock and roll punk band hailing from Kingston, Ontario. Led by Mark Deen on lead vocals and guitar, the band is rounded out by Eric Valdez on drums and Steven Carquez on bass. Known for their energetic live performances and dynamic sound featuring blistering guitar riffs, moving basslines, and pulsating grooves, the winter in canada deliver moments of elemental fury and periods of calm texture in their music.
Formed as a home recording project by Mark in 2016 with the release of “a new way to find people…”, the winter in canada became a full band in 2018 when Mark moved to Kingston, Ontario. Since then, the band has played local shows and music festivals in the area, such as the Homegrown Music Festival, and the Spring Reverb Music Festival, and even participated in the Kingston Film Festival with a short performance video.
During the pandemic, the winter in canada has been hard at work on new music that explores Mark’s experience as a first-generation Canadian and touches on themes of connectivity, agency, equality, anxiety, and late-stage capitalism through the lens of capitalist realism. “One of the worst things about the politics of the past 30 years is that the rich have forgotten to be afraid of the poor” – Eric Hobsbawm (British Historian). They are planning to release the self-titled second album in 2023.
The band name, the winter in canada, was chosen in an attempt to find a common signifier in these times of fractured reality and truth. “Without facts, you can’t have truth. Without truth, you can’t have trust. Without trust, we have no shared reality, no democracy, and it becomes impossible to deal with our world’s existential problems…” – Maria Ressa (Filipino/American Journalist/Activist). When people mention the winter in canada, it is usually in regard to a common feeling or experience. It is important to remind people that common experiences and a shared reality still exist.
Their music has been praised for its confident songwriting and enthusiasm, with reviewers noting their powerful voice, powerful songs, and blazing guitar work. “the winter in canada make me feel warm,” says Josh Scott of CFRC 101.9 FM, while Anthony LaLota of hidden-sound.com writes that “the songwriting is confident and the enthusiasm is undeniable.”
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