Here's Sara and her bands of merriment

Last week I had the pleasure of being invited to an event being thrown by the lovely Sarah Erickson, a local-ite who plans, publicizes and covets special events in Calgary through her company Sparrow Tree Productions. The event she was putting on was actually a mini-concert in some house in a certain neighborhood in the city.

Awhile back we mentioned that Calgary was known for having various punk rock houses, where random bands would throw an impromptu shows. Well, the good news is, house shows aren’t as rare as you would think in Calgary and they’re not just for heavy music lovers. Actually, the one I attended was mostly folk music with some spoken word thrown in for good measure.

“I feel like house shows are quite common here in Calgary,” says Sarah. “They offer a really different type of experience to viewers rather than a club or a pub, because the venue is so intimate. I hope that we’ll see more house shows pop up in the future, that would be amazing.”

The performance house was full of strangers, who were friendly and excited to be there something you don’t always see when you’re out at larger venues. The line-up included some unique Calgary inspired tunes and spoken pieces performed by local and national up and comers such as Steve Brockley, Sarah Burton, Robbie Banks, Rueben Bullock and Shea Alain. Somehow Steve Brockley actually managed to have a full stand-up bass as part of his ensemble in the tiny living room where they played.

The performances were so incredible, that I actually forgot I was in Calgary and then remembered and was really excited that we have this available in our city and that I was just a short distance from my own house.

If you want to get in on the action you’ve got to find Sarah, or perhaps start your own house show and let me know when your next gig is.