Your Band Here - Jordan Klassen

Posted by Peter Hemminger in Stranger in the Alps

Jordan Klassen

(Photo: Andy Nichols)

Who: Jordan Klassen

What: Richly arranged indie-folk, heavy on melody and glockenspeil.

When: Klassen is releasing his new EP, St. Brigid, at the Marquee Room on Wednesday, August 18

How did you get started as a musician?
In grade 8, my mother forced me to take band class. I rocked the trombone. And also, I hated it. I made a pact with her that if I could quit, I would start guitar lessons. My guitar teacher was this '80s hair metal fellow who wore polyester shirts unbuttoned halfway down. I remember he said once "You're not too bad at this music thing, don't give up on it." Around that time I started writing songs, and loved it a lot.

How would you describe your sound?
I usually tell people that it's indie-folk. I'm not sure how accurate

Add comment more in Music Previews | posted Aug 17th, 2010 at 1:57pm

Saw Him Last Night: Van Morrison

Posted by Peter Hemminger in Stranger in the Alps

Before I got to the Jubilee, I'd already been well warned that Van Morrison isn't the most, er, social performer. He has a habit of going on stage promptly, avoiding banter altogether and walking away before the crowd can even notice he's gone. All of that happened last night, but none of it took away from the performance at all.

It helps that Van's band is ridiculously skilled and impossibly tight, and more than able to breathe life into classics like “Into the Mystic” and “Moondance.” The set could've done with a little less soloing (or at least more variety in the solos, instead of having every instrument solo on every song in the same order), but at the same time, you can hardly blame Van for wanting to show … Read More

Add comment more in Music Features | posted Aug 6th, 2010 at 3:40pm

Your Band Here - The Throwaways

Posted by Peter Hemminger in Stranger in the Alps

The Throwaways

(Photo: Andy Nichols)

Who: The Throwaways

What: Lots of bands borrow the three-chords-and-a-hook sensibility of The Ramones, but very few do it with the pure glee of The Throwaways. Every bit as memorable as the disposable pop and punk that inspired it, The Throwaway's more upbeat numbers are sunny day music at its sunniest, but even at its angriest, it's somehow hard not to smile.

When: Friday, August 6 at Broken City, with The Nymphets;
Tuesday, August 17 with Spastic Panthers and Autistic Youth

What brought The Throwaways together?
Candy, pizza and crappy punk records.

Describe your sound.
A teenage junk food high -- fast, short and full of sugar.

Why does Calgary need you?
To keep the Brentwood Pizza Hut in business. Mushroom + tomato + feta … Read More

Add comment more in Music Previews | posted Aug 6th, 2010 at 3:12pm

Folk Fest: Day Three

Posted by Peter Hemminger in Stranger in the Alps

St Vincent

(St. Vincent, confused during an "all the wrong notes" jam)

Folk Fest: Day Three

Last night’s Swell Season set was a bit of a bummer, but allow me to express my complete satisfaction with today’s festivities. No “wtf” moments, no prima donna nonsense, just perfect weather, good music and an incredibly fun art installation.

I am, by nature, a lazy man, so starting off a Saturday folk fest by 10:30 a.m. seemed ambitious. So it was that I didn’t get there until 11:30, just in time for the start of the “Insider Trading” workshop, with Timber Timbre, St. Vincent, Sunparlour Players and Library Voices. The exceedingly poppy Voices were a bit of an odd duck in this lineup, which mostly focused on mournful acoustic numbers and general sadness, but they were aware … Read More

Add comment more in Music Features | posted Jul 25th, 2010 at 1:29am

Folk fest: Day 1 & 2 megamix

Posted by Peter Hemminger in Stranger in the Alps

Let's make this quick, because St. Vincent and Timber Timbre are playing a workshop in a few minutes, and I think I would regret missing that.

Thursday:

Too much dashing around meant not enough time for band-watching. I got to catch a bit of Library Voices' opening set, just enough to catch a few glimpses of the band's all-white outfits and get a taste of the exhuberant pop that they seem to channel so easily. But, I needed to duck out for Natacha Atlas and Stars, so the only other band I catch is the Avett Brothers. I'd been a little worried that a good chunk of the crowd would be there strictly for Stars, but it looks like the Avett Bros have gotten a lot bigger than I realized in the last year or so. Maybe it's because of the uber-catchiness of … Read More

Add comment more in Music Features | posted Jul 24th, 2010 at 11:14am

FFWD

Your Band Here - Jordan Klassen

Saw Him Last Night: Van Morrison

Your Band Here - The Throwaways

Folk Fest: Day Three

Folk fest: Day 1 & 2 megamix

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