Preview
ALBERTA SESSIONS: ALBERTA SONGWRITERS ON STAGE
March 22 to 26
Engineered Air Theatre (Epcor Centre)
What does Alberta sound like?
This used to be an easy question to answer. Roots and country music have had a long history on the Prairies. However, with new folks moving to Alberta every day, our province’s cultural community is continually evolving.
The artists who choose to call our province home are reflecting the real Alberta advantage, and their impact on the local music scene has not gone unnoticed. Homegrown musicians have started to buck tradition and our province is benefiting from its newfound diversity.
The Epcor Centre for the Performing Arts hopes to change people’s perception of our province’s music with the Alberta Sessions, their annual songwriters series.
The idea for the Alberta Sessions was struck upon eight years ago, when the programmers at what we now call The Epcor Centre decided to create a concert series focusing on the art of songwriting. The sessions were initially scheduled to take place over the course of a year and represent songwriters from all over Canada.
For financial reasons, the series had to limit the number of Alberta musicians taking part, but John Rutherford, director of music programming at Epcor, couldn’t help noticing all the talent emerging from his own province. An idea to include more Alberta artists quickly evolved into a series devoted exclusively to provincial songwriters.
"I would say the Alberta sound is a reflection of what we’re seeing in our community – an increased diversity," Rutherford says. "There are many artists who are bringing sounds and instruments and musical traditions from other parts of the world into Alberta and that’s quickly becoming a big part of the influence and the inspiration and the energy source of musical performance."
The sessions have built a reputation as being a platform for up-and-coming songwriters. In the past, roots and country artists have dominated the concert series, but this year’s lineup is the most eclectic to date.
"I think I’ve made more of an effort to realize that the songwriting community goes a lot further than the folk and roots (music scene)," Rutherford explains. "I made a bigger effort to unearth and find a more diverse profile of what Alberta songwriters are about today. The scene is constantly morphing, so you have to continue to be a part of it and involve yourself and engage in it."
This year’s lineup includes indie queen Kara Keith (Falconhawk), reggae artist Ibo, acoustic-pop singer Anita Athavale and one-man band Chad VanGaalen, in addition to the roots scene’s usual suspects. Rutherford hopes that the new additions will help attract larger crowds to the series – from the youngest indie-rock kid to the oldest country-western music fan.
Caribbean artist Ibo is happy to be included on the bill this year. Best known for being the longtime frontman for the reggae group Strugglah, the singer (originally from the isle of Nevis) has been a major part of our city’s growing music scene.
"There’s always that syndrome of your own not supporting you. You usually get more enthusiasm out on the road," Ibo says. "But what I like about Calgary is that the whole music scene has grown in the last five or six years."
Ibo believes that the sessions are a great way for local musicians to reach out to new audiences as well as an opportunity to meet other songwriters and form a stronger local community of artists.
"It will be good to get everybody together," he says. "To try and hook up with some other (songwriters) because we’re just trying to expand on our (art form). It creates more growth and more support from the people."
Athavale is also looking forward to playing the same stage as her local contemporaries. She says that songwriting, by nature, is a very isolating process and the sessions are a great way to make connections with other musicians.
Athavale has been part of the local music scene for more than eight years, since moving to Calgary from Ontario. She is a perfect example of an artist who has chosen to make Alberta her base.
"We have so many more people immigrating here and if they’re musicians, they’re going to want to create a cultural home for themselves," she says. "They become part of the traditional scene."
She admits that she’s tried for years to be included in the songwriters series but never fit in with the previous folk and roots lineup. She says that it’s no coincidence that her application was finally accepted this year.
"I’ve been sending John Rutherford demos and albums over the past four or five years and he kept track of that and at this point he felt he wanted to include me," Athavale says. "It’s nice in your own community to be recognized as someone who contributes to the sound of where you live. I don’t play country music or roots music and it speaks volumes that this year, I’m able to become part of the sessions. Everybody is contributing and unique and I’m proud to be a part of it."
No one is more surprised about being included in the Alberta Sessions than synth-pop indie rocker Kara Keith. Her band Falconhawk, which has received national attention for their 2004 release Hotmouth, has carved out a huge local fanbase, but Keith admits to being a little perplexed when first getting the call.
She explained to Rutherford that she wasn’t a roots singer, but after looking over the list of the other participants, it all started to make sense. A classically trained pianist, she is looking forward to playing solo for the first time in front of a new audience and participating in an event that tries to encompass all facets of Alberta’s music scene.
"The indie scene is so insular, so something like the Alberta Sessions is great because it allows people who wouldn’t normally have access to my music (to) get the opportunity to (hear it)," she says.
Rutherford says he purposefully mixed up the evening showcases to include different genres of music. For example, Kara Keith will perform the same night as veteran country singer Cal Cavendish and Ibo will be performing on the same evening as Celtic roots performer Maria Dunn.
Rutherford admits that at first, people might not understand the logic behind the scheduling, but he hopes it will provide a great introduction for music fans to sample all the local talent.
"I’m looking forward to seeing how that gels together," Rutherford says. "Most of the shows are a mixed bag of tricks. It’s not all one night of country-roots guys and another night of all the electronic indie bands. I’m excited to see all the Alberta artists working together and meeting each other and hearing how this will be reflected in our songwriting community."
The performances at this year’s Alberta Sessions will be recorded for future radio broadcast by both CKUA and CJSW. There will also be a number of free events such as daily lunchtime concerts at Play in TD Square, Songwriters Circles and the Alberta Sessions After Party. |
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