If you love ‘em, so they say, set ‘em free. That, at least, is that rationale taken by fans of Secret Broadcast, a beloved once-local atmospheric rock act who’ve moved to greener — ahem, greyer — pastures in Toronto. As a parting gift, the band cut 2009’s Exploding Spiders, the record that landed the band considerable notoriety and incredulous reviews. (“The best thing that’s come out of Calgary since, well, ever,” writes the Georgia Straight. Tommy Chong is pissed.)

Fast forward to the present, and the band’s making its first appearance in Calgary — that'll be on Saturday, July 30 at the Marquee Room — since early 2010. And, as it turns out, they’re also armed with a batch of new songs from their upcoming album, Hungry Ghosts, set for release in September … Read More

Geoff Berner, when quizzed about the Calgary Folk Music Festival's workshops earlier this week, said it best: "There's a creative risk," he said. "It could be really good or really bad." Braids' Austin Tufts and Katie Lee, in an interview yesterday, reiterated the sentiment — they, unlike those predisposed to free-form jamming, felt they were a band whose music was calculated. For them, jamming with complete strangers was a question mark — as it always is for audiences.

So, there have been hits. There have been misses. And if there's a common narrative to 2011's workshops, it's that klezmer-oddball MC Socalled has been a part of this year's best. Here, according to myself at Fast Forward Weekly's James Wilt, are our top collaborations. In no … Read More

It's been a busy year for lassie-about-town Samantha Savage Smith. First, there was the release of her excellent Lorrie Matheson-produced debut, Tough Cookie, which drew acclaim from this very publication: Jason Lewis called her honeyed vocals a mix between "the sweetness of Zooey Deschanel and the gravity of Hope Sandoval."

Next came the news that Tough Cookie would get national distribution with the muscle of Broken Social Scene, thanks to Arts and Crafts. Spots at NXNE and Sled Island followed, quite naturally. Indeed, those next-Feist murmurs haven't yet stopped, and to top it all off, she's now been selected to play a full, hour-long set at the Canadian Consulate in New Orleans on Wednesday, July 6.

As the story goes, she was … Read More

Last week, Marquee Room co-manager Robey Stohart told Fast Forward Weekly's James Wilt that "there's more [hip hop] talent in Calgary than there's actual fan support... You don't know names of good artists because you

Stothart wasn't lying, although that hardly applies to local jazzy hip hop stalwarts Dragonfli Empire. Longtime scene faves, Cosm and Teekay brought their craft overseas to Europe, where they performed in France, Switzerland and Germany. Europe's only finding out how good Dragonfli Empire is — we knew all along.

Here's a whirlwind tour of sights, sounds and the new pals they met along the way. And yes, there are delicious snacks thrown in for good measure.

In retrospect, we’ll call it joy. In the present tense, it feels more like stress. Either way, it’s a hallmark of any large-scale festival: The inevitable schedule conflicts that come in deciding between two bands, two venues, one time slot.

Peter Hemminger touched on this very dilemma yesterday in deciding between Chali 2Na and Dum Dum girls. (That decision was aided, in part, by a Twitter sales pitch.) But yesterday was day one of Sled Island — and that schedule becomes busier and busier each day.

Need proof? Check out the matchups for today. Follow me on Twitter at @excitement.

8:00 p.m.: Zola Jesus at Central United vs. Maria in the Shower at Tubby Dog

This matchup is as eclectic as it comes: On one side, there’s the nu-goth of Zola Jesus, who is sure … Read More

So, we've already heard about Soundgarden's Calgary date. Next up? Calgarians-done-right Tegan and Sara, fresh off their Tyler the Creator beef, have announced two back-to-back shows on Thursday, July 8 and Friday, July 9. The only downside: Reserved seating, with VIP tickets going for $150 and civilian at $75.

It seems like just yesterday — actually, it was March — that a group of snarky music writers, myself included, created a false rumour about Soungarden playing at SXSW. (Hey, we spotted a Kim Thayil lookalike.) Yeah, it didn't go viral.

But let me assure you: This is no joke. Soundgarden has announced a Calgary date on its upcoming tour at the Scotiabank Saddledome on July 27. Whip out those XXL, Sam the Record Man-bought Superunknown shirts — or, if you don't have one yet (for shame), pick one up at the show. Feel free to feel the rhythm with your hands, but please, no Audioslave requests.

It's been forever since Bon Iver released For Emma, Forever Ago — 2007, to be exact. Today, however, in somewhat of a shocker, Justin Vernon and co. released the first single from their long-awaited eponymous sophomore effort — and it's called "Calgary."

As Peter Hemminger noted in his For Emma review, Vernon takes a notoriously "impressionistic approach" to his lyrics. Really, how much this song is actually about Calgary is yet-determined. (We're willing to bet Vernon took picked a random spot on the map and named a song for it.)

That? That's just Fast Forward Weekly's Katie Rankin sitting down to interview Shad on just what's making him so sleepy. Thanks to the folks at Lotus Leaf for the opportunity.

After the interview, Fast Forward Weekly's photo and design editor, Josh Naud, set out to commit Transit, Miracle Fortress and, yes, Shad's Republik performance to celluloid. (Digital celluloid, that is.) Battered, bruised and Pilsner-soaked as he may be, here are the results. Check Josh's Flickr for more. Or send Twitter death threats to @joshnaud.

TRANSIT

MIRACLE FORTRESS

SHAD

Hey strategic voters — think back to 2008. Remember voteforenvironment.ca, the site providing riding-by-riding guidance on how to prevent a Harper government? Some of you should. It had 440,000 visitors.

Well, it's back. Again due to the efforts of NOW magazine editor and co-founder Alice Klein, projectdemocracy.ca has been launched. Touting itself as a way to "amp up your vote" — really, it's to help you decide whether to vote with your party of choice or simply anti-Harper — the site compiles up to date, postal code-specific poll information designed to sink Conservatives in hotly contested ridings. (In their own hilarious words, ensuring an "acceptable electoral outcome.")

Here's how the site culls its data:

"The provincial average for … Read More