Browsing “Culture”

Left to Right: Jordan, Tyler, Alex & Marcel

From opening for Crocodiles and Dum Dum Girls to playing in the men’s change room at a local swimming pool.  The Nancees offer a sound that makes for a perfect backdrop to a beach party movie out of the ‘60s.  But don’t mistake these boys for a wholesome surf rock band, they get a kick out of causing a ruckus and have even lost a body part on the way.

The four and I met at a pub last week to talk about their upcoming album, Sled Island show, and the days of jamming in a condemned basement.

Calgary Is Awesome:  So I read somewhere that you guys all worked at a clothing store together.  How influential was retail in the formation of The Nancees?

Marcel Vollet:  I’m going to say not at all.  Tyler, Jordan & Alex all worked together, and Alex & I lived together.  Eventually we all got to know each other over drinks and stuff at our place.  And there was this Velvet Underground song, Sister Ray, that we loved, so we decided to just start playing it.  The house we lived in was on its way to getting knocked down by the city for some other development and the basement was this dirt dungeon blocked off by the city due to asbestos.  But we still used it as our jam space, afterward I’m pretty sure we all had a cold that lasted like 6 months.

Alex Judge:  The four of us were all guitar players too, and that wasn’t going to work so we divvied up the roles.  Tyler had last dibs so he got the drums and I got the bass.

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Dan Levy & Lainey Gossip take center stage at the SMUT Soiree.

Gossip is just plain fun. And nobody knows this better than celebrity culture experts Dan Levy and Lainey Gossip.  Between the two of them, Dan and Lainey have tons of insider knowledge on all the naughty and scandalous happenings in Hollywood and beyond. The pair were recently in town to host the SMUT Soiree, an evening of gossip, cocktails and trashy good times. It seemed like a bit of an oxymoron to me; a soiree is a classy affair whereas smut is much less so. “High-low, baby,” Lainey simply puts it. “It’s where class meets trash in an evening of debauchery, scandal, and intrigue,” Dan adds. Oh, the Kardashians would be so proud.

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Calgary’s known as a boomtown, and it’s about to explode. Sure, we’re known for economic growth and a bustling real estate market, but every June, it’s a different kind of boom that ignites the city. The sonic boom called Sled Island.

Like everything great about this town, Sled Island celebrates new directions with a nod to the past. If you spend the week rolling around downtown, you can’t help but hear some new, mind-blowing sounds, whether it’s from legends perfecting their sound over the last thirty years or a group of teens blasting retro-styley lo-fi punk rock. That’s what goes down, but there’s even more awesomeness when it comes to where it all goes down.

Check out these historically significant Sled Island venues:

#1 Legion

116 7 Ave SE

Built: 1919-1922

There’s nowhere in town with as much humble charm as the #1 Legion. What’s not to love about getting wicked with some of Sled’s most kick-ass acts while kindly old ladies bus tables ’til 3 am?

Photo credit: Castlefin

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When Jani Krulc reveals the title of her book The Jesus Year, she is often met with blank expressions. She’ll then explain that it refers to the 33^rd year of a person’s life which also was the last year of Jesus’ life. It’s supposed to the happiest and most meaningful for transition and growth.

“I became interested in The Jesus Year as a concept. It’s ironic that Jesus, and by Jesus I mean the historic, cultural figure, died 4 months into his own 33^rd year. I became interested in that irony and also the arbitrariness of it. For someone to say: this is the happiest year across the board for most people and also to say  this is the year that people should get it together, I’m not sure how useful that is. But for the characters in the book, most of them are at a crossroads of some sort where something will shift. And when there is that momentous occasion, which doesn’t have to be in their 33^rd year, something does shift for them and they have to make certain choices.

Jani’s debut book is a collection of short stories she has written within the past years. She has a BA (Hons) in English from the University of Calgary and an MA in English Literature and Creative Writing from Concordia University.

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Photo by Joanne Klimaszewski courtesy of the CBC

Name: Jian Ghomeshi
Occupation: Canadian broadcaster, writer, musician and producer
Website: Jian.ca and Q
Twitter: @jianghomeshi and @CBCRadioQ

It isn’t everyday when the interviewer makes the news but that’s becoming more and more the case for Jian Ghomeshi. Take for instance his interview with Joni Mitchell. It’s been the talk of Canada this week. A quick search of the news headlines and Jian pops up almost as much as his subjects.

Jian is the host of Q, a multi platform, and border breaking show that showcases Canada’s culture in a unique and refreshing way. It doesn’t matter if you listen to it on CBC Radio One daily, watch it on CBC-TV each Sunday, listen to it on SirusXM, on podcast or catch it on the web – the magazine show has something for everyone. If you’re not into the band currently on, tomorrow he might have your favourite entertainer on or a politician you just have to hear.

In fact, he has become such a popular staple in Canadian broadcasting that he has the power to get interviews no one else can – like reclusive stars Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen – and after a few minutes of talking with him, it’s easy to see why. He’s easy going and listens whole-heartedly. He’s a warm and charming conversationalist who is more than happy to sit and hear your stories whilst sharing some of his own.

Jian rolled into Calgary at the end of May with the CBC 2013-14 Season Preview bandwagon and we got a chance to sit down with him before the event. It was our chance to interview the interviewer and what a delight it was…

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Back row (L to R): Brendan, Blaine, Sarah, Nick, Sky, Marc, Angelo, Terry
Front row (L to R): Jen, Irene, Andrea, Alyssa, Amy
Bottom left pic: Sarah and Irene; Bottom right pic: Blaine and Andrea
All photos by Amy Jo Espetveidt, Quadrophonic Image

If you’re one Calgary Is Awesome’s loyal readers, you’ve likely noticed that our list of editors is growing as looooong as a Stampede breakfast line-up.  Back in April we went looking for new editors, and we’re delighted to introduce you to our new and beefed-up Team C.I.A.

Last week we all met up at Melrose Cafe and Bar for an editors party and photo shoot.  As per usual, nerf guns were fired and gangsta moves were showcased, but we still had lots of time for chit chat over ginger beef and beer.

You can see the bios of all of our team members here, and you can also read our blog posts by clicking on our faces in the column to the right there.  At Melrose, I took some time to learn a bit more about every editor – old and new – and ended up hearing about what they were up to this summer.  Here are their summer stories.

Marc
Marc just got engaged (!) and bought a house, and he’s looking forward to taking care of his new backyard and garden this summer.  He’s planting flowers and lots of veggies.  On weekends, Marc will be checking out Sled Island and Folk Fest, and of course, spending a lot of time in the mountains.

Angelo
Angelo just bought a condo, so he’s trying not to spend any more money.  That said, he’s tentatively planning to hike the West Coast trail by himself in September, although he hasn’t made a reservation yet.  So if that doesn’t pan out, he’ll probably go to California to train in Brazilian Ju-Jitsu.  Which sounds like the same thing anyway.

Otherwise, Angelo moderates a writing collective and he’ll be working with them to put together a zine this summer.

Amy
This summer Amy’s planning on doing a lot of hanging around the house, yeah.  She’s also planning some camping trips to Nordegg, which will involve chilling in her 1972 Skipper camper (with flames painted on the side), quadding, smelling really bad, and swimming in ice cold mountain water. Read more

You may have noticed a particularly Canadian Google doodle last week. It celebrated a defining step in the history of our country that would lead to the formation of our awesome city.

140 years ago—May 23, 1873—the seeds of Calgary were sown with the formation of the North-West Mounted Police (NWMP). Later, they’d become the RCMP, but in the 1870s, it was the NWMP who rode in and tamed the prairies.

Just like they do today, people in the 1870s headed west for the money. But it wasn’t oil that brought them here. It was whisky. Outlawed in the States, the ruthless, toothless, unscrupulous whisky traders moved north. Primarily gold prospectors and wolf hunters, living hard and chasing easy money, they supplemented their income swindling First Nations with moonshine and mash. They were not the type to be messed with. Drunkards and gunslingers. The type to massacre 24 Assiniboine men, women and children. Not the type of upstanding settlers the new Canadian government wanted on their land.

Canada was a brand new nation divided by the Great Lone Land between British Columbia and Manitoba. Prime minister John A. Macdonald needed a railroad through the prairies. And in order to build it, he needed peace. Spurred on by growing unrest, the NWMP made the great March West.

These guys were not in it for the money—paid a dollar a day or less. For them, it was about adventure, new experiences, and taming the the Wild West. In 1875, 50 members of ‘F’ Troop arrived where the Bow and Elbow rivers meet. They built a fort. It’s still there on the western edge of Inglewood. Right where the future city’s mayor, Constable George Clift King first set foot. Right where Inspector Brisebois named it after himself, and right where Commissioner Macleod renamed it after a pasture by the bay on the Isle of Mull. Fort Calgary.

Photo credit: MMDA 325 – INGLEWOOD

The Mounties drove out the whisky traders. They secured the land for the railroad, made it safe for settlers, and made peace with the First Nations. An enduring symbol of Canadiana, the mounted men in scarlet coats set out 140 years ago and started something great on the banks of the Bow.

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

I hear it a lot. “Calgary has no history,” they say. And they say it with conviction. Locals and visitors and transplants and émigrés.

How does a proud Calgarian respond? “Sure we do.” I’ll say, “You just need to look around.”

Calgary’s got a pretty awesome backstory. One-of-a-kind. It seems almost like an underdog story. Like we had to beat the odds just to be here.

Imagine coming here in the 1870s. Long before Alberta became a province. A century before +15s. Before health care and hospitals. It would take a cowboy kind of attitude to stick it out.

The first Calgarians were hard-ass people. They were innovators and entrepreneurs. Adventurers like Sam Livingston, the plucky Irish gold prospector who settled on the banks of the Elbow in 1876. He introduced new farming technologies to tame the frontier, and fought for his rights as a settler. Soldiers like Colonel MacLeod, who brought law and order to the West and gave Fort Calgary its name. And whisky traders like D.W. Davis, who gave up his illicit sales to become a respected cattle rancher and part-owner of the Calgary Herald. They all left their mark.

And there’s so many more. They struggled, survived and thrived here. They built a city from nothing. When it burned in 1886, they built it again. Names like Weadick, Deerfoot and Lougheed. Bad Black White Man, the Sundance Kid and the Hitman. The Big Four and the Famous Five. The CPR and the HBC built the 403. The YYC.

Calgary’s got plenty of history. It’s in the buildings, the streets, the parks and landmarks. Everywhere you go, someone went there before and left a story. You just need to look around.

Every Second Thursday of every month, there’s a crowd that gathers on the second floor of Pages Books on Kensington. If you walked in from the street you almost wouldn’t notice the crowd gathered upstairs and assume it’s a community meeting over some subject matter you couldn’t be concerned about.

That is until you decide to satisfy the inexplicable curiosity that overcomes you and you decide to walk upstairs to join the seated crowd, plugged in, listening to a reader reciting from their pages.

Welcome to a Flywheel reading. It’s a free event hosted by filling Station magazine. This reading series has been going on for almost 10 years since November 2003. It’s brought writers from various backgrounds and disciplines to Calgary’s cultural scene. For me, discovering the Flywheel more than two years ago made me grow as writer and connect with Calgary’s writing community. It also allowed me a way to discover local talent.

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