Sloan at MuchMusic’s Snow Job ’97

Well, here we are: “Spring” 2017 in Newfoundland and the snow is still floating from the sky on a Sunday afternoon. Nevertheless, as our ol’ white frenemy tends to outstay its welcome each and every year, we can only allow ourselves to act agitated and should refrain from showing any sort of surprise (fool me once, y’know?).

As a glass-half-full publication, we’ll just deem this snowy episode as an appropriate backdrop for some pieces of found footage as we jump back 20 years to revisit MuchMusic’s inaugural Snow Job festivities in Steady Brook, Newfoundland in 1997.

From the mid-90’s to the early millennium, Snow Job was a yearly broadcast special from MuchMusic in which they offered a truly Canadian alternative to the beach-bumming antics of the American spring break celebration. With an event name that was either an edgy sexual innuendo, or an obscure GI Joe reference, MuchMusic would pick a frosty location every March to claim venue to a dominantly Canrock showcase in front of an audience of bobbing toques and puffy jackets. 20 years ago, that location was Marble Mountain Ski Resort on Newfoundland’s west coast: the home of Snow Job ’97.

Considering the alumni of Snow Job performers include a whacky array of acts including Shaggy, Crazy Town and Hooty & The Blowfish — Snow Job ’97 had a pretty solid 90’s rock lineup.

Check out some of the SJ’97 footage including performances (and ski hill adventures) with Sloan, Wilco, I Mother Earth (just prior to Edwin’s departure) and Collective Soul.

Oh, and check out this hilarious 20 year old thread from a google group called “alt.music.canada” where people critique Snow Job 97′, and debate whether Newfoundlanders know how to mosh or not.