If you could pick one sound that defines Canada, what would it be?
Swishy snowpants? The snapping of lobster claws? The cry of a loon echoing across your favourite lake? What about the satisfying squeak of cheese curds against your teeth?
In celebration of Canada marking 150 years since Confederation, we're asking Canadians in every corner of this country to submit their favourite Canadian sounds via video, audio or text, and tell us the story behind that sound.
All of the sounds we gather will be donated to the Department of Canadian Heritage as a sonic representation of Canada in 2017, so when future generations listen back, they'll know exactly what our country sounded like at 150. But that's not all.
CBC Radio 2 host and renowned beatmaster Rich Terfry will mix the sounds with scratches and beats. Plus, Walk Off The Earth, Kevin Hearn of the Barenaked Ladies, and other amazing Canadian musicians have signed on to use your sounds to create new songs that will debut on CBC Radio and on a brand new CanadaSound podcast with me as your host. The sounds and songs will also be shared across all social media platforms.
Listen to Walk Off The Earth cover Arcade Fire's "Wake Up" using your submitted Canadian sounds.
We'll take the best of those songs and turn them into a very Canadian compilation, with partial proceeds benefitting MusiCounts, a charity that puts instruments into the hands of Canadian kids.
Along with our CanadaSound partners at SOCAN, the Junos, MusicCounts and CleanSheet Communications, by the end of 2017 we're going to create the greatest Canadian soundbank ever — but only with your help, your sounds and your stories.
CanadaSound: be part of Canada's ultimate soundtrack.
