Archive for September, 2010

Ever wonder what the soundtrack of your life might sound like?

In these critically acclaimed short films you can follow a Japanese bluegrass artist who bares his heart and soul for the love of music, and fall head-over-heels for songstress Betty B and her band The The’s, or drop in on one of Paris’ busiest record stores, take a peek inside Chad Vangaalen’s studio, and find out what kind of music animated killer bees like to work to.

Musical Moments plays @ the Globe theater this Thursday, September 30th, 9:30 pm.

www.calgaryfilm.com

Did you know that the 1948 oil well blowout at Leduc was Alberta’s largest ever oil spill? It wildly spewed for six month and created a spill 5 times the size of the Exxon Valdez spill off Alaska in 1989. And like the more recent BP Gulf spill, endless attempts were made to stop the flow, including stuffing feathers, cement and cotton seeds down the well. The archival film footage at the Glenbow is totally stunning.

They’ll be showing a selection of Esso service station television commercials from the late 1950s, from the Imperial Oil Archives. Imperial Oil sponsored Hockey Night in Canada, and the “Happy Motoring Song” used in the commercials was also the Hockey Night in Canada theme music until 1968. All sorts of aging baby boomers will recognize the music at once and will probably be able to sing along.

The third offering is a silent movie from 1925 called “Petroleum, Alberta’s Newest Industry”. They won’t have a piano player providing a musical background, but will have David Finch as host giving a blow by blow account of what is happening. David writes the weekly history column in the Herald, and is an expert on oil history in Alberta.

Make sure you don’t miss this incredible evening of film and history.

There back!!!  The Wooden Sky returns to Calgary with their pals Yukon Blonde!  And you wanna go don’t you?  Well its pretty simple, email justin@calgaryisawesome.com with your name, number and the golden rule and you will be entered into a ticket giveaway draw!

Trying to nail down the disparate genres explored by the Wooden Sky isn’t an easy task. When pressed, the band tosses out tags like “folk rock”, but the words don’t hint at the nuances in their sound. Since 2003, the Toronto collective has been pushing the limits of folk and country, adding pieces of outside influence and slowly growing their own unique sonic aesthetic. It’s all led them to If I don’t come home you’ll know I’m gone, a massive undertaking that sweeps through rock and roll subgenres with the deftness of the Allman Brothers, the songwriting focus of Wilco, and the experimental sonic cacophony of the Flaming Lips. It’s a career-defining record, grown and built organically over months spent living, writing, and recording in cramped apartments between Toronto and Montreal.  (Union Press Release)

Market Collective is doing an artist series poster and is looking for submissions!  For the month of  October, create a hand drawn image with dimensions no more than 6 inches long and 5 inches high. The theme should be anything Fall or Halloween related. Get creative!

To submit your poster send an email entitled “October Poster Image” with your image to info@marketcollective.ca. All submissions must be in by October 1st so hurry!

The image that is chosen will be featured on the poster with the artist’s name, and the artist will be given a 50.00 gift certificate for Kensington Art Supply. Good luck!

It pays to be disloyal. Coffee lovers around the city can rejoice!  10 local independent cafes have banded together to encourage you to enjoy your favorite grind at any one of their shops. Enjoy the best coffee this city has to offer!

To pick up a Disloyalty Card you can stop by any of the participating coffee houses:

Bumpy’s
Caffe Beano
Caffe Crema
Caffe Rosso
Communitea
Deville
Insomnia
Java Jamboree
Kawa
Phil & Sebastian

So there is a downside – the Program doesn’t launch until late October. But worry not, you can learn more about the program at the Coffee Disloyalty Program website and get your taste buds ready for all the coffee it can handle. The caffeine high and jangled nerves will be worth it.

And the mall just keeps getting bigger.

Chinook Centre keeps on growing as they open the doors to their brand-spanking-new expansion on September 29th.

Many people are loathe to find themselves at the mall: the busy crowds, the overwhelming number of stores to go through, the lack of parking (why people haven’t figured out to park at the back of Chinook is beyond me). But in addition to more parking, the expansion will feature exciting new retailers and some local favorites to be added to the Chinook directory.

Shopping fanatics can look forward to spending their dollars at: Abercrombie & Fitch, Apple, Bench, Calvin Klein, Burberry, Forever 21, Fossil, Harry Rosen, Marciano, and Michael Kors just to name a few. Coffee lovers can enjoy a Phil & Sebastian brew, dessert fans can indulge in cupcakes from Bliss, and the hungry folks can make their way to new restaurants such as Chop or the Flatiron Restaurant & Bar. Other stores to make it to Chinook by Christmas will include Armani Exchange, Urban Outfitters, and Anthropologie.

Now, you may be ready for the Chinook expansion, but is your wallet?

It’s going to be a night of fiction, fashion, and fun – the Fictionista’s reading series is coming to Calgary on September 29th at the Auburn Saloon. Four great female writers will be on hand to share readings from their novels. Adding to the fun will be  the shoe couturiers from Luna Blue who have selected a pair of shoes and a handbag to match each book (think of it like wine and cheese pairings, but with books and accessories instead!).

After the readings, guests can enjoy decadent truffles from Choklat, a signature FICTIONistas cocktail (or three!), and the ultimate sale: books, bags, and shoes.

The Calgary event will feature four authors: Yasmin Ladha, author of Blue Sunflower Startle, Tanna Patterson-Z, author of Butterflies in Bucaramanga, Rachel Wyatt, author of Letters to Omar, and Patti Grayson, author of Autumn, One Spring.

This free event take place tomorrow night at 7PM. See you at the Auburn!

It’s time to put on those heels and strut on down to Eau Claire Market to check out Alberta Fashion Week.  Runway events will take place on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday nights and of course, will be followed by fabulous after parties after each show as well as additional parties on Friday and Saturday night.  Having outgrown their former home at the BR&, director David Robert Politi sees this as an opportunity to make AFW bigger and better than ever.  “With more than 400 volunteer applicants this month and sold out shows all last season, we knew a larger setting for all those of style is just what the Week needed to accommodate a sought-after fashion experience.”

Designers to keep an eye on at this year’s fashion week include Pout Clothing, Hillberg & Berk, Peeko Apparel and Madame Wolf to name a few. And for those who love their fashion but can’t make it down to the event, AFW will be livestreaming each night’s festivities to viewers online.

To get in on the glitz and glam, purchase your tickets at www.albertafashionweek.ca/events.

C.I.A. TICKET GIVEAWAY!

The film festival is in full swing and there’s still one week left to check out some ground breaking cinema!  We’ve got 5 pairs of tickets to give away to the short film program YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT which plays Monday, September 27th at the Globe @ 7:00 pm. If you’re interested just e-mail charlene@calgaryfilm.com.

In YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT you can catch a Spike Jonze produced film called Higglety Pigglety Pop! featuring the voices of Meryl Streep and Forest Whittaker, as well as the latest from filmmakers Félix LaJeunesse & Paul Raphaël called Tungijuq which played at Sundance this year.