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

resonate

to have particular meaning or importance for someone
to affect or appeal to someone in a personal or emotional way

This may look like a slick music video for an up-and-coming artist, but there’s a twist. “Resonate” is part of a new branding campaign from Alberta banking institution ATB Financial. And boy, do I ever enjoy this song written by Ben Spencer and sung by Alex Vissia.

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 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