FFWD Weekly
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| MUSIC Preview Once every three years the Indie Music festival bangs, twangs, glides, slides and croons its way back to Alberta. This year the Alberta Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is combining the All Indie Weekend with its Annual ARIA Awards Show. Three days of workshops, performance clinics, and panels covering such topics as distribution, radio play and promotions. Three nights of showcases by Western Canada's best independent recording artists including but not limited to Kybosh, Bull Simple, Big Yellow Van, Pushing Daisies, Al Brandt, Eli Barsi, Thirsty, Soft, Shem and The 400. And it's all happening right here in Calgary. Is this a sign that the winds of change are finally blowing through the Edmonton-based - and some say Edmonton-centric - ARIA? Maybe, maybe not. Rumor has it an ARIA member recently called up a Calgary music promoter to ask for the goods on "Hoo-eh-vos... Ran-chair-ose??" and "some band called Zuh-cker Baby?". ARIA has an overall membership of 260 people. Only 56 of those members are from Calgary. When it comes to nominating and voting for Alberta recording artists, things are bound to be a little skewed. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel: Maryanne Gibson, the new executive director of ARIA. "It's a new day for ARIA. And my board is behind me all the way," says Gibson, who is pushing for a provincial rather than an "Edmonton vs. Calgary" view of the Alberta music scene. "This age-old fight is coming through the age-old people. We need to think of our industry, think of our artists and rally behind them regardless of where we or they are from," she says. Gibson admits that the bulk of the driving force behind ARIA has been from Edmonton and insists that if Calgary wants to support their artists, they've got to have a voice in how ARIA is run. The only way to do that, Gibson says, is for more people in Calgary to get involved in the Alberta music scene by becoming ARIA members. Calgary may not be well represented within the association itself, but it is certainly well represented when it comes to nominees. "Calgary artists are not missing from the ARIA Awards, it's just perceived that they are missing," says Gibson, pointing out that this year there are just as many, if not more, nominees coming out of Calgary and other parts of the province than out of Edmonton. Calgary artists David Thiaw and Sabor Tropical are both local favorites nominated for Best Specialty Artist(s) of the Year. Thiaw will be running a drum clinic as well as performing in the Indie showcase. Rob Bartlett of the local Sundae Sound recording studio makes his presence felt as a nominee for both Record Engineer of the Year and Record Producer of the Year for his work with Scatter the Mud. Last, but not least, members of the relatively unknown Calgary bands (ahem) Zuckerbaby and Huevos Rancheros will be appearing up close and personal in various panels and seminars throughout the three-day event. |
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