Music

5 things to look forward to at Roundup MusicFest

Calgarians out enjoying the annual Roundup Musicfest

Festival season is gearing up for the summer and it all kicks off in a few weeks with the Roundup Musicfest on July 11th! The Roundup always delivers a boot-stomping good time for Calgarians who are ready to soak in the sun and enjoy some western hospitality. For those of you who have never gone, there’s a lot to enjoy. Here are a few things to look forward to at this year’s Roundup Musicfest.

Shaw Millenium Park

This venue is so awesome for an outdoor concert! I loved this change in location to View this Post

June 25, 2018

ATB Listens: Resonate

This may look like a slick music video for an up-and-coming artist, but there’s a twist. It’s part of a new branding campaign from Alberta banking institution ATB Financial. And boy, do I ever enjoy this song “Resonate” and it’s accompanying video ever so much. It speaks to me as an Albertan, as a Calgarian, and the common experiences we share in this lovely province. “Resonate” is described as an “Alberta version of Amazing Grace” which I find quite fitting with it’s wistful tones, sweet singing voice and melancholy feelings of home. The video plays off the View this Post

October 14, 2016

Inside Studio Bell

It’s been many years in the making but the beautiful musical space that is Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre is finally in its last touches and will be opening to the public July 1,2016. I was super fortunate enough to visit the facility twice over the Junos weekend last April to get a sneak peek at what’s to come. Calgary will soon be home to a truly world-class facility that will appeal to local and international audiences alike.

The vision

The inspiration behind the building was, well, obviously the music. The design is reflective of instrument View this Post

May 10, 2016

Songwriter’s Circle brings musical stories to life

A photo posted by Irene Seto (@heyseto) on Apr 3, 2016 at 11:28am PDT

Canada is blessed to have such amazing musicians that weave stories about our Canadian heritage and experiences. The Songwriter’s Circle brings together a small group of such artists to share their musical background and is known as the “gem” of the JUNOs weekend. This year’s edition brought Calgary boy Paul Brandt home to host the event. It was an eclectic group of JUNO nominee ranging from new acts like Autumn Hill and Ria Mae to established voices like Alex Cuba and Matt Good. The diversity worked View this Post

April 7, 2016

Emilie-Claire Barlow reimagines jazz at its finest

Getting an album made is an impressive feat for any musician. For Emilie-Claire Barlow, releasing her 11^th jazz album should have been a piece of cake, right? The Canadian jazz vocalist has grown and refined her musical sound over the years, but the process for her latest album was a long one in the making. Four years in fact! The album was a truly international project with musical arrangements written in Mexico, the orchestra recorded in Amsterdam, Barlow’s band playing in Toronto and some of the final vocals recorded before a small audience in Montreal. The end result View this Post

March 29, 2016

Patrick Lehman brings his eclectic soul sound to Calgary

The upcoming 2016 Junos Awards will be a weekend of many firsts for Patrick Lehman. It will be the first time the soul singer makes it out to Western Canada to visit Calgary. It will be his first chance to perform at a Juno week showcase and attend the awards show. And most importantly, he’s up for his very first Juno nomination for Best R&B/Soul Recording of the Year. I chat with the Montreal native about his new album, Butchy’s Son, and what he hopes to get out of this Junos weekend in Calgary.

Congratulations on your first View this Post

March 28, 2016

2016 Juno Awards Nominees playlist

Oh Songza, how I miss thee. Your successor Google Play Music is adequate enough I suppose, but I still miss your stick figure icons and simpler ways. One thing that I am loving is the playlist for this year’s 2016 Juno Awards nominees. The awards will be broadcast right here in Calgary on Sunday, April 3 and yours truly will be on hand to take in all the festivities. Squee!

In the meantime, I am brushing up on all my Canadiana jams by listening to this playlist non-stop. It has tunes from everyone from Justin Bieber, Alessia Cara, View this Post

March 23, 2016

MBF’s “I Wanna Make It With You”

Michael Bernard Fitzgerald is one of my favourite local artists. His latest single, “I wanna make it with you,” is an upbeat pop rock ditty that makes me yearn for summer and the open road. But alas, it is still winter in Calgary so I’ll just have to play this song on repeat. MBF’s newest album drops on March 11 so there will be even more songs to look forward to!

February 26, 2016

“Wild Things” Alessia Cara

Damn, this girl can sing. Alessia Cara is making her way up the ranks of the Billboard 100 these days and she’s on the cusp of greatness. You may not know her name yet, but you have probably heard her song “Here,” all over top 40 radio the past few months. The Canadian singer just recently sang with Taylor Swift and named one of CBC Music’s 25 under 25 to watch. Her next single “Wild Things” is what has me really excited as this is exactly the kind of jam that makes me enjoy music so much. So come View this Post

December 8, 2015

Twangy Jam: Coleman Hell “2 Heads”

Is it folk music? Is it rock? Dance? EDM? To be honest, I don’t really care as Coleman Hell’s “2 Heads” is just damn good. The genre-bending song mixed with Hell’s soulful vocals just makes for a twangy jam that will get your boots tapping and head nodding. Plus banjos! Yes, the banjos totally win me over anytime.