Out of the garage and into the spotlight
Bands battle for the title of Garage Wars chump, er, champ
MUSIC PREVIEW
GARAGE WARS FINALS
Thursday, March 28
Liberty Lounge (MRC)
If you wish you could shut down that painfully loud band that lives down the block, practises day and night and makes your dog howl, you just may find them at Garage Wars 2002. Most beginner bands stay hidden away in dank spaces, fine-tuning their rock glory for only their neighbours to hear. However, it's that time of year when bands come out of their basements and garages to meet fame and new fans... or perhaps just a cantankerous noise bylaw officer.
The intra-campus Garage Wars is back after a four-year break. In the late ’90s, organizers ditched the contest after watching other bars develop similar events. These bars would drag out competitions to fatten the number of beer drinkers in their establishments, and it didn't take long for local bands to start complaining about feeling exploited. This year, the University of Calgary, Mount Royal College and SAIT decided to swoop back into the action to reintroduce an element of legitimacy to the event. At the same time, they'll be scouting out potential talent for their live music venues.
John Bowers, who books bands for Mount Royal College says that Garage Wars is an opportunity for the post-secondary institutions to be involved with local acts.
"We are cognizant of the local scene and we want to help it," he says. "These are the best venues – campuses are the best venues to get started in. You have to play them to go anywhere in this country, right?... You have to do it and this is an opportunity to get these people out of the garage, on the stage and out there. Let's see if they have it."
Folkies Tegan and Sara were the last winners of the contest. After watching the tremendously enthusiastic response of judges and audiences alike, Bowers and Greg Curtis (programs director at the University of Calgary Students’ Union) went on to do four sold-out shows with the twin sisters. Eventually, Tegan and Sara landed a record deal and have since relocated to Vancouver.
Another benefit of Garage Wars is that it allows music lovers to see Calgary's up-and-coming talent – everything from punk rock bands to singer-songwriters – without paying a huge cover charge.
"It's fun because you get a nice variety of things," says Bowers. "If you're looking for something new, this is something new. It's not the same act playing at the same club for the 15th time. You get to see six different acts for five bucks – what's the argument there?" |
