Kris Ellestad – No Man is Land
I’m not going to post a formal review of Kris Ellestad’s new album, No Man is Land, which is available for streaming right now for free. Kris is a good friend of mine, and that kind of bias is too hard to work around. But now that he’s officially releasing it to the public, I … Continue reading
Folk Fest announces lineup
The Calgary Folk Music Festival, the one weekend when the city’s hoola-hoopers, hipsters and suburban soccer moms come together as equals, has announced its 2010 lineup — and it’s a bit of an odd one. Soul legend Roberta Flack, indie-pop darlings Stars and protest-rock mainstay Michael Franti are nothing to turn up your nose at, … Continue reading
Forward Thinking: Kerry Clarke
Throughout 2010, Fast Forward Weekly is tapping into Calgarians to get their take on Calgary’s future. What would you be doing if you weren’t working at the Calgary Folk Music Festival? I once thought I wanted to work at the CRTC or the Canada Council, being their music officer. Or in radio, that’d be the … Continue reading
Savk — Savk (VK Records)
For his self-titled debut, former Beija Flor singer Stephen A. van Kampen (or, more briefly, Savk), has built a sound by stripping down. Without his previous band’s kaleidoscope of noise to distract, the spotlight is squarely on van Kampen’s pleasantly strained falsetto and his intricate guitar work. Opening track “I Can’t Wait” sets the pattern … Continue reading
Saw them last weekend: Yukon Blonde
Nothing ups expectations like a well-placed wave of buzz, and Yukon Blonde’s sets at CMW generated just that. So, naturally, a decent crowd assembled at the Palomino on Saturday night to check out CMW’s highest-ranked band. And, man, it’s not hard to see how they earned that title. There’s nothing particularly progressive about Yukon Blonde’s … Continue reading
Elevating Alberta’s music scene
Luka Symons ups the ambition at Epcor series Boosterism has become taboo these days. Somehow, cynicism is now synonymous with sophistication, and wholehearted support for anything — a band, a city, a system of government — is seen not as a sign of open-mindedness, but of naiveté. Either no one has told Luka Symons about … Continue reading
The consumption: Nov 12
Alright, “Daily” is probably going to be stretching things, but I’ll keep this as regular as I can. I haven’t really taken in all that much in the last four days anyway, but let’s keep this going: CONCERT: No More Shapes w/Beneath These Idle Tides and Free Nude Celebs: Weeds Cafe isn’t my favourite venue … Continue reading
Daily Consumption: More Nov. 5
CONCERT: Clea Anaïs w/Deadhorse: Nice to see the Marquee Room packed on a Thursday night; Clea’s idea to give away her new EP for free was also pretty brilliant. The sound didn’t really do justice to her cello-guitar-drums sound, as the loop peddles tended to get muddy, but it was clear enough that her and … Continue reading
Daily consumption: Nov. 2 and 3
I am going to attempt to make note of all of the movies I watch, CDs I listen to and so on for as long as I can keep up the habit. Likely, this will not last, but it seems worth a shot. Most of the CDs are on in the background while I work, … Continue reading
Various Artists – Sweet Treats: Live Sessions from CJSW 90.9 FM
On CJSW, variety is the name of the game. So it’s no surprise that Sweet Treats: Live Sessions from CJSW 90.9 FM (available for a minimum pledge of $120 at this year’s funding drive, from October 23 through October 30) is a more eclectic mix than most. The organ-based jazz of Sinistrio sits between the … Continue reading
The Consumption 