Matt Mays & El Torpedo: "Cocaine Cowgirl"

By Michael J.W. Stickings

For some music tonight, let's head back to 2005, and to one of the finest Canadian rock songs of the decade, "Cocaine Cowgirl" by Matt Mays & El Torpedo, off their self-titled album.

Mays was born in Hamilton, just down the QEW from Toronto, but grew up in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, home also to a certain hockey player named Sidney Crosby.

El Torpedo is no more, but Mays -- official site, Wikipedia entry -- continues on, and, in addition to the album mentioned above, I recommend his low-key iTunes Session, released just last month, stripped-down versions of some of his best songs, including this one.

I assume that many of you have never heard of him, given that the readership of this blog is predominantly American and that he isn't well-known down there, but he's well worth getting to know.

Enjoy.

Oh, let's do another one. Here's "City of Lakes" from his 2002 solo debut. It's so very Canadian.