by Carey Rutherford Kerry Clarke has been working the Calgary Folk Festival shop for so long we felt it indiscreet to ask her how many years it HAS been. Instead we asked for her take on a most interesting aspect to the first day of this year’s midwinter folkfest: the Block Heater; “We’re...

by: Carey Rutherford Bet you’ve never been in a Canadian Standoff before, have you? It’s like a Mexican Standoff, but, more . . . Canadian. It started out innocently enough: Bruce Cockburn was hanging a plaque in Calgary‘s National Music Centre, as part of his Canadian Songwriters Hall of...

by Carey Rutherford Vincent Ho is an Ottawa-born classical composer who currently teaches at the University of Calgary and, incidentally, has works being performed and premiered ALL OVER the place, in a happy demonstration of how it’s Good to be Busy. While having lunch at The Palomino, at...

by Carey Rutherford This story is all about creating and supporting your community, musical or whatever it may be. Jared Clark, founder and enthusiast of the Fireside Music monthly events, held in this city, tells us: “My Dad started folk clubs in the cities where we lived: being a...

by Carey Rutherford “True North Canada 150th Celebration World Premiere” is a title evocative enough to slow most interested Canadian listeners for at least a moment or two, and the additionally interesting bit is “The CPO offers a fully immersive, digital concert experience for audiences...

by Carey Rutherford Don Dixon is an idealist, and Ms. Paige is a pragmatist. There we go: personalities of the 2017 Reggae Fest captured in two separate adjectives. Oh Wait: whaddya mean, people don’t work that way? “‘Waiting in Vain (For You)’ was the last Reggae recording that I have put...

  By Carey Rutherford “The Journey Begins . . .” Cary Chang starts his musical exploration on the Habitat – Living Sound stage with these words, simply organizing the soundscape he’s creating into a trip with direction, unexpected treasures, curated experiences, and a buffet of...

by Carey Rutherford Okay, okay, okay . . . While I was interviewing Cécile Doo-Kingué after what was apparently a very satisfying opening blues set at the Winnipeg Folk Festival, one of the headliners of that set walked past and wished her well, and they spoke of perhaps connecting in...

by Carey Rutherford May was Asian Heritage Month in Canada, did you know that? Well, you missed it! Unless you actually took in one of the events they organized around the city through the Asian Heritage Foundation, who describe themselves on their website as: “a non-profit, non-governmental...

by Carey Rutherford “I’m Shotgun Jimmie, and I play all the instruments at once . . . I play drums with my feet, and I’ll play guitar and bass at the same time . . . which is not the way I’m going to be presenting myself in Calgary.” After this statement of simple fact, Shotgun and I discuss...