Author Archive

Left to Right: Jamie Konchak, David Rhymer, and Denise Clarke.
Photo courtesy of One Yellow Rabbit Performance Theatre

“What sort of shows do you take me too?” my date asked me jokingly (and somewhat awkwardly) as we watched three ladies on stage strike seductive poses across black leather couches.

But it wasn’t, um, that sort of date.  Rather, I had taken him to a local musical, Songs from Nightingale Alley, performed this past April by One Yellow Rabbit Performance Theatre (OYR).  I figured the show was a good pick for a quality night out – OYR had a good reputation, I’m a sucker for musicals, and, well, they promised the audience chocolate.

And did I ever pick right.  I absolutely loved Songs from Nightingale Alley – and not just because we got the chocolate.  The premise of the show was unusual – it was a performance of songs written by David Rhymer, using lyrics he had been collecting for years, “gathered from obscure books in libraries or discovered in dusty bookstores.  They are over 200 years old,” Rhymer explains in the program.

Most importantly, “they are, for the most part, songs written by and about prostitutes,” says Rhymer.

Hence the saucy singers sprawling across leather couches.

A month later, I was still thinking about the show – it had really stuck with me.  I think it had to do with how the performers truly brought the characters to life.  They gave me a sense of what it was like to be a prostitute two centuries ago – something I have, frankly, never thought about.  Unexpectedly, many of the songstress’ stories, their emotions, and their adventures closely resembled the mainstream contemporary love drama with which we are all familiar.

When I heard that OYR was planning to build on Songs from Nightingale Alley, I contacted Denise Clarke, the show’s Director of and one of its three singers.

C.I.A.: I absolutely loved Songs from Nightingale Alley.  Tell me about how you’re planning to build on it.

Clarke: Well, the show is not broken, as you know.  The audience really seems to like the format – including my introduction at the top, and the salon feel we created in the Big Secret Theatre.

What we’re going to do is fatten up some of the work you’ve heard.  Read more

What’s the best thing about Spring in Calgary?

It might be gardening. We’re indeed digging away at C.I.A. - I’m sure you’ve read our post on planting your first garden in Calgary.  And… look at MY babies!  (See below.  I had to show someone.  Thanks for caring).  They’re being planted this weekend.

What about biking?  I’ve been back on my bicycle for weeks now, which for car-free-me means my world has exploded and I can reach far-away things (like Montreal bagels at Elbow & Heritage – this weekend).   The chorus of tail pipes in my neighbourhood suggests that those other types of bikers are happy to be out too.

Exposed skin?  Yep.  Put away those parkas and pantyhose!  This city is so whack with the weather that when it is finally warm out, we all deserve to take the sundress or muscle shirt to the max.

However, if I had to pick the single best thing about Spring in Calgary, I would pick the CANADA GOSLINGS.  Seriously.  Check out this flock of fluffies I encountered on the shore of the Elbow yesterday:

I admit I was surprised to learn from the City of Calgary that geese are a “problem,” in a number of ways (Geese attacks! Calgarians slipping on geese excrement!).  But the goslings make it all worth it.  Here’s wishing that you all get to see some soon.

Nic Choquette-Levy and Eric Limacher of Engineers Without Borders Calgary

Calgary has more engineers per capita than any other Canadian city.  As such, many of my friends and other peers are engineers… and that means I’ve heard my fair share of self-deprecating engineer jokes (E.g. “You know you’re an engineer when your IQ is bigger than your weight”).

Aw.  Here at C.I.A. we love our local engineers, and this week we spent some time with a group of them who are volunteering their time to make Calgary a better place.

Nic Choquette-Levy and Eric Limacher are both engineers, and they play a leadership role in the Calgary chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB).  On Wednesday, April 24, they co-hosted a community event on “the Social Impacts of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR),” which brought together local EWB members, Calgary CSR experts, and some other curious participants.  C.I.A. spoke to Nic about what he and Eric are up to, what EWB does in Calgary, and what sort of help they need from the Calgary community.

C.I.A.: What are you doing with EWB in Calgary?

Nic: A number of us in Calgary have done development projects with EWB overseas.  However, here in Calgary we’ve been looking for ways to be more involved in our community.  The series of Calgary events we’ve organized about corporate social responsibility (CSR) is part of our attempt to help our members understand what sorts of social issues are facing the companies in our community.  Once they understand these issues, we hope that we can also give them some insight and tools that they can apply it in their work.

Our long-term aim is to enable more effective CSR initiatives from Canadian companies, especially those that work in developing countries. (In other words, we’re seeking to influence the Calgary and Canadian corporate community, and not just our members). While we have some experience in on-the-ground projects in African communities, we’re hoping to learn more about how companies here approach CSR and the systems that drive and influence their approach.

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Last month we posted some touching anonymous gestures of Calgary love that I ran across in my neighbourhood.  We also called out to you, lovely readers, to capture and send us the love surprises you’ve found your hoods.

And we love what we received!  Check out the pics below, lovvies.  XOXO :-*

Most lovey YYC yarn bomb EVER, on the pedestrian overpass near Bodhi Tree Yoga.  And what are those yarny balls on top – knitted stuffies?? Amazing. (photo credit: @imagineCALGARY)

This street-post-box-thing sends traffic signals, and other sorts of signals (photo credit: Irene Seto)

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Joon Jung, Owner and Manager of Cafe Bene

I spend a lot of time in coffee shops in downtown Calgary.  Likely to stave off boredom, I’m hyper-attentive to unusual coffee shop offerings.  (These have, for instance, included Artigiano’s asparagus breakfast wrap, various weird muffin flavours at Bumpy’s, and slimy aloe drinks at the Purple Perk).

Usually I just enjoy these discoveries and move on, but I feel compelled to share my most recent discovery.  Café Bene easily ranks at the top of Calgary’s weird and wonderful.

A non-descript office-building-café from the outside, Café Bene’s interior is unlike any coffee shop I’ve ever visited in this city.  In particular, visitors are greeted by motivational quotes and cute coffee poems painted on nearly all of the walls.  All décor is oozing with feel-good customer love.  My favourite?  The “Admiration of Coffee” wall poem (see below).  Or, wait, maybe the “Don’t worry, everything is going to be amazing!” statement on the washroom wall.  Amazing.

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Handwritten sign found on a Calgary street post.

“You make your own happiness.”

It was a handwritten sign, stapled to a street pole on 17th Avenue earlier this winter.  It stood out in the clutter of posters for concerts, theatre performances, and nightclub events, and its message stuck with me as I jogged past.

As I continued, I saw there were more signs, with messages like ‘you are beautiful’, and ‘hug a friend today,’ if I recall correctly.  No attribution, no website, no follow-up – just affectionate, thoughtful messages for passers-by.

That anonymous affection campaign along 17th Ave. was quickly covered up, but I hoped to see some sign of it again.  And sure enough, about a month ago, at the corner of 17th Ave at 7th Street, I found the poster shown above.  Whether it was posted by the same person or group as before, I will never know.  Regardless, I appreciated the sentiment, and the figurative offers of everything from “passion,” to “courage” to “understanding,” to passing Calgarians.

Two days later, most of the tabs had been ripped off, the offers presumably accepted.

Have you experienced an anonymous gesture of Calgary love in your neighbourhood?  Be it spontaneous public art, poetry, a yarn bomb, or something else creative and wonderful, we’d love to share it with our readers.  Tweet it at us @ciawesome or @agrantca, or send it along to andrea@calgaryisawesome.com.

My friend once awoke to find her tree all bikini-bombed and babelicious.

Photo courtesy of Jay Ingram

Name: Jay Ingram

Occupation: Author; Broadcaster

Website: www.jayingram.ca

Twitter: @jayingram

Jay Ingram is a hit with science and non-science folk alike.  You may know him from when he hosted CBC Radio’s Quirks and Quarks between 1979 and 1992, wrote for Owl Magazine (those of you in your thirties – think elementary school library), or contributed to various other science-related TV and radio shows.  Most recently, we’ve seen Ingram around town at The Walrus Talks as part of Calgary’s High Performance Rodeo and at events related to Beakerhead, a science and engineering happening which he co-founded.

Q: Tell us about your connection to Calgary and your current local projects (such as Beakerhead).

A: My partner Mary Anne Moser and I live in Bragg Creek.  Beakerhead (which is truly awesome) was her idea.  It’s a collision of art, science and engineering, and we are going to make Beakerhead happen on the streets of Calgary this coming September.

Q: We love when science and fun intersect!  Given your work to popularize science, can you tell us about a time when you had fantastic fun while teaching people about science? Read more

Photo courtesy of Clara Hughes

Name: Clara Hughes

Claims to Awesome: Six-time Olympic medalist in cycling and speed-skating; the only athlete in history to win multiple medals in both Summer and Winter Games; Officer of the Order of Canada; Winner of the International Olympic Committee’s prestigious “Sport and Community” award… eep!  So much awesome.

Website: clara-hughes.com

Clara Hughes is a big, big name in Canadian sport, but that’s is only one part of what makes her a Good Peep.  According to Clara, “success means a lot more than earning medals, it means having a voice and using the opportunity to reach out and help others.”  You may have seen her image recently on Calgary billboards and bus-shelters promoting Bell’s Let’s Talk campaign, or seen her inspire the crowd at High Performance Rodeo‘s The Walrus Talks on January 29, 2013.

When C.I.A. caught up with Hughes, we wanted to find out more about her community work and what she’s been up to lately, now that she is no longer a competitive athlete.

Q: Tell us about your connection to Calgary.

A: My first connection was seeing Gaeten Boucher skate in his last Olympic race in the 1988 Olympics.  But I was in Winnipeg watching it on TV.  But that moment changed my life, it’s where it all began for me.  Then I became a speed skater, over a decade later, and spent 10 years living and training in Calgary at the Olympic Oval.  I ended up in 3 Winter Olympic Games myself in that span. Read more

Chief Wilton Littlechild addresses a packed house at the 2013 Walrus Talks, Jack Singer Concert Hall, January 29.

As I was lying in bed the morning after the Walrus Talks, my phone buzzed with a text: “Thanks again for inviting me last night… ‘It’s hard to fly with the eagles when you’ve been out hooting with the owls!’”

It was one of the best quotes from the night before, and it made for an aptly timed text message as I contemplated heaving my groggy self out of bed.  But the Walrus Talks, and their mingly after-events, were unquestionably worth the morning-after sleepiness.

Like so many speaker events, the annual Walrus Talks assembled a set of presenters to address a range of subjects related to a single theme.  This year the theme was “performance,” and big names in Canadian culture (such as Dan Mangan, Jay Ingram, Clara Hughes, and Will Ferguson) shared their perspectives on performance as it related to sport, music, innovation, and even magic.

There were two things that distinguished this year’s Walrus Talks from the usual speaker event.  Read more

Photo Credit: Jonathan Taggart

Name: Dan Mangan

Occupation: Musician

Website: www.danmanganmusic.com

When we heard he was presenting at The Walrus Talks in Calgary on January 29, C.I.A. tracked down Dan Mangan for you, dear readers.  Based in Vancouver, Mangan is a two-time JUNO winner and Polaris Music Prize shortlist’er.  He’s also recorded three full-length albums, toured all over the globe with his band and has been a contributing writer for The Huffington Post Canada and The Guardian newspaper‘s Arts section.

Pretty impressive, yes.  But equally important is his high standing on my “Chill” playlist, the fun I’ve had at his concerts, and the cat photo above.

Here ya go Calgary: Dan Mangan.

Q: Tell us about your experience with Calgary.

A: Well, I have an interesting relationship with Calgary. I disagree with a lot of the politics that emerge from the city, but have met many wonderful people there. Our shows in Calgary are always a ton of fun, and I enjoy my time there.

Q: You’ve toured extensively throughout Europe, North America, and Australia.  How does Calgary compare?  Does anything about Calgary really stand out to you?

A: The cities of western Canada are young and unsure of what they are. There are a lot of cities in the world that are old and sweat-soaked and couldn’t change if they tried. Young cities, and the people who live in young cities, have an opportunity to really choose the character of their environment.

I will say this: people don’t visit ancient European cities to adore their subdivisions. I hope, for the betterment of Canadian heritage (and for betterment of life in general), that young cities like Calgary, Kelowna, Vancouver, etc. choose to be interesting and culture-filled places. In times of quick economic expansion in any city, a lot of decisions get made quickly and under duress.

My question for Calgary is this: What do you want the character of the city to be when the oil boom dies down and is no longer the primary impetus for growth?

Q: You’ve shared the stage with so many big names, from Cake to the Decemberists.  Tell us about a musician or band who has been particularly awesome to spend time with.

A: We’ve never played with Radiohead, but they’re my favourite band and many years ago I spent a wonderful, familial, relaxed morning with Colin Greenwood (bassist). He was such a gentleman. It was quite pleasing to see such grace at “the top”.

Q: What’s your favourite place to play music?

A: We have a lot of second homes (Calgary being one of them), but only one home, and that’s Vancouver.

Q: When I last saw you perform live, you received a lot of attention from lady fans.  Do you have any fun stories about all this female attention at shows?

A: Ladies be trippin.

Q: Okey dokey.  How about the future?  Let’s talk about that.  What does 2013 have in store for you?

A: I’m working on a film score currently and demo’ing a lot of new songs for our next album. We just toured relentlessly for about 7 years and we’re taking the year (mostly) off the road to recuperate and focus on other creative projects. The plan is to record a new album in the fall, which is exciting.

Q: What makes Calgary awesome?

A: Chad VanGaalen.

We agree – VanGaalen is a C.I.A. Good Peep too.  Big thanks to Dan Mangan for connecting with C.I.A.

Want more?  Check out this interview with Dan Mangan on one of our sister blogs, Vancouver is Awesome.