Kris Demeanor joins The Ruminants and Magnolia Buckskin at Broken City on Friday, January 2 for a night of rootsy goodness

Happy New Year’s! If you’re living your life properly, you’ll spend the bulk of the next week resting and recuperating after a hard-fought 2008. This certainly seems to be what the music scene is doing, as Calgary concerts are largely on hold for the coming week. Still, if you look hard enough, there’s always something going on.

Roots-rock fans would do well to head to Broken City on Friday, January 2, when The Ruminants, Kris Demeanor and Magnolia Buckskin convert the venue into a good ol’ honky-tonk. Well, maybe not so old — Magnolia Buckskin’s gorgeous harmonies and acoustic instrumentation wouldn’t have been out of place in Emmylou Harris’s heyday, but Demeanor’s got a decidedly modernist bent to his singer-songwriter storytelling, and The Ruminants only use country music as a jumping point to whichever genre suits their fancy at that particular moment. If you’re booked on Friday, fret not — Demeanor’s playing another show on January 10 at The Marquee Room, and Magnolia Buckskin will be at The Ironwood Stage this Saturday, January 3. Ruminants fans, well, get it while you can.

Those who prefer their music on the whimsical side should wander over to the Beat Niq on Saturday, January 3. There you’ll witness a set by Calgary’s finest purveyors of video game jazz, The Runaway Five (not to be confused with THWOMP!, Calgary’s finest purveyors of video game rock). Taking their name from the classic Super Nintendo role-playing game, Earthbound, the Five have dedicated themselves to exploring every aspect of gaming music, from the hard-driving tunes that backed Megaman 2 to the lighthearted cruising tune that is Super Mario Kart’s “Koopa Beach Theme.”

Saturday also sees Edmonton’s F&M join our own Key to the City for a night of atmospheric Albertan rock. F&M know how to make the most of their minimal songs, placing Ryan Anderson’s low, raspy vocals front and centre and concentrating on a sombre atmosphere. Chris Vail’s Key to the City packs in a bit more bombast, but their songs can be every bit as morbid — the band is reportedly wrapping up a concept album about monsters. It’ll be a low-key evening, but after last year, that might just be what you need.