It is no secret that Hamilton is one of Canada’s biggest and best music cities and has been for decades.
With its gritty steel-town roots, working-class ethos, and underdog spirit, Hamilton has produced more than its fair share of musical talent over the last five decades.
Hamilton isn’t just a place where musicians get their start - it’s where many artists build lifelong careers, drawing from the city’s deep cultural well, strong community, and support for the arts. To catch you up at a glance, here’s what went down, and what’s still rockin’.
The 1970s: A Tradition of Music Emerges
The foundation of Hamilton’s rich music legacy in this era was laid in the 1970s with acts like Crowbar, whose classic anthem "Oh What a Feeling" remains a Canadian rock staple.
Around the same time, Ian Thomas emerged with polished songwriting chops, scoring hits and eventually penning songs recorded by Santana and America, and-most importantly to this writer-he wrote the theme song for his brother Dave Thomas’ cult classic, and one of my favourite movies of all time, Strange Brew.
The psychedelic pioneers Simply Saucer blended proto-punk and experimental rock in ways that were decades ahead of their time, their influence only fully appreciated years later.
Folk icon Stan Rogers, though more closely associated with the Maritimes, was born in Hamilton and brought national attention to the region’s songwriting prowess.
Then there’s Jackie Washington, the jazz-blues singer and guitarist who became a mentor to generations of musicians and remains one of Hamilton’s most cherished musical sons.
The 1980s: Punk, Rock, and the Rise of the Underground
In the 1980s, Hamilton’s rough edges gave birth to a thriving punk scene. The most notable band to rise from the era was Teenage Head, who captured national attention and remain iconic in Canada’s punk history. Their raw, wild, high-energy shows embodied Hamilton’s restless and gritty spirit.
The Forgotten Rebels, The Florida Razors, The Dik Van Dykes, and The Shakers all followed with similar ferocity, establishing the city as a rock-and-roll and punk-rock stronghold.
Hamilton’s classical music scene, dominated by the city’s long-running Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, also got a boost with the founding of the Brott Music Festival in 1988 by legendary conductor Boris Brott, which went on to become Canada’s largest orchestral music festival.
The 1990s: Grunge Sonic
This decade clearly brought the noise! Fuzz pedals and tube amps set to 10.
Flannel-wearing alternative rock acts Junkhouse, led by the gravel-voiced, perpetually illustrious Tom Wilson – who would go on to form Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, Lee Harvey Osmond, and several other projects.
Bands like Killjoys, Shallow North Dakota, Sianspheric, and Tristan Psionic – the latter co-founding legendary local indie label Sonic Unyon Records – expanded the city’s sound, pushing into shoegaze, grunge, post-rock, and noise.
The 2000s: A City on the Verge
The 2000s saw a diversification of sound and style.
Junior Boys brought Hamilton into the electronic-indie pop conversation, while Caribou (Dan Snaith) became an international star in the experimental indie scene as well.
Diana Panton, known for her elegant jazz vocals, earned multiple JUNO Awards and global recognition.
The Marble Index, The Reason, and Young Rival gave indie alternative rock a Hamilton edge, while acts like Orphx, Inflation Kills and Counterparts kept the experimental, math-rock, and hardcore scenes vibrant.
The folk-rock and singer-songwriter community blossomed with Jeremy Fisher, Jacob Moon, and Tomi Swick.
One of the great stories of this era is Harrison Kennedy, who toured with Chairmen of the Board in the ’70s and reinvented himself decades later as a blues powerhouse, earning multiple JUNO nominations and international blues awards.
The 2010s: Hamilton Goes National
The 2010s were another turning point, when Hamilton’s music scene wasn’t just respected locally, it started dominating the national conversation.
Leading the charge was Arkells, whose stadium-ready sound and political edge made them one of Canada’s top bands. They also became ambassadors for the city, proudly championing Hamilton on every stage, even naming their debut album after our infamous downtown mall, Jackson Square.
Monster Truck, with their hard-rock revivalism, gained international exposure, while duo Whitehorse took their sultry, cinematic alt-country rock across the Americana circuit.
Terra Lightfoot emerged as a powerhouse vocalist and guitarist, and Steve Strongman continued to blaze blues trails across the country.
Electronic pop artist Jessy Lanza broke international ground with her futuristic diva R&B, while underground heroes TV Freaks, prankster BA Johnston, politically inspired performers Mother Tareka, and anarchist rapper Lee Reed, kept the DIY scenes alive and vibrant.
Dinner Belles, Harlan Pepper, and The Dirty Nil kept alt and CanRock grounded in Hamilton blood, sweat, and tears.
Supercrawl, launched in 2009 and championed by Sonic Unyon’s Tim Potocic, became the cultural epicentre of Hamilton’s festival music scene. It evolved into a massive street festival that attracts hundreds of thousands of attendees every year-where huge acts, locals, and newcomers share stages, and where the city’s diversity is on full display.
The 2020s and Beyond: The Next Waves
Hamilton music continues to evolve. The 2020s have introduced a wave of genre-bending artists: Zoon, whose "moccasin-gaze" sound bridges shoegaze and Indigenous music; Ellis, who crafts dreamy, emotional alt-pop; and LT the Monk, a U.K.-born, Hamilton-based rapper infusing hip-hop with jazz and funk.
Acts like Dan Edmonds, Capitol, and Logan Staats (winner of CTV’s The Launch) are shaping the decade’s sound.
Emerging in the mid-2020s are names to watch: cute, an enigmatic, intriguing, and artsy act gaining buzz; CQ (Coszmos Quartette) with their blend of folk, chamber pop, and R&B; Duckai, Onglish, Josh Ross, Public Health, and Golden Feather, each staking new sonic territory and drawing fresh audiences to the Hamilton scene.
In Closing: The Infrastructure of Sound
Hamilton’s music story doesn’t end – it keeps evolving. Today, 100+ live venues keep the city buzzing, from intimate spots like Mills Hardware to larger stages like Bridgeworks, The Music Hall, and the newly renovated TD Coliseum. Local record shops like Dr. Disc, Into the Abyss, and Revolution Records, plus studios such as Catherine North, Threshold Recording Studio, and Boxcar, continue to nurture the next wave of sound.
It’s a city where an artist can grow, experiment, fail, succeed, and thrive. What makes Hamilton so special isn’t just its talent - it’s the way that talent is supported, nurtured, and celebrated. Whether you’re an indie rocker, a bluesman, a jazz pianist, or a bedroom beatmaker, Hamilton offers space to grow. The sense of community, the history of defiance and experimentation, and the blue-collar honesty baked into the city’s bones all combine to make Hamont a true music city.
The next 50 years look bright… and LOUD! Just the way we like it!