(Photo: Andy Nichols)

Who: Heather Blush and the Uppercuts

What: In the grand Calgary tradition of acts like Steve Pineo and No Guff, local trio Heather Blush and the Uppercuts specializes in classic songwriting. The vocals may be pure jazz, but the musicianship is equally suited to back porches, kitchen parties and swingin’ soirées.

When: Thursday, July 8 at The Ironwood Stage and Grill

What brought the Uppercuts together? 
I (Heather) met our original bass player, Shane Sutherland, at a songwriting contest. We got together to jam with Steve Hazlett, who had played in several other bands with Shane in the past. I was releasing a solo CD at the time, and had the boys play at my CD release. Things went so well that we released two more CDs as a band over the next five years. Shane recently left the band, and we have been fortunate to have Dale Ulan playing with us for the last few months.

Describe your sound.
Mix together Norah Jones and Tom Waits, with an extra dash of sass.

Why does Calgary need you?
Calgary, along with the rest of the world, needs music — for waking, sleeping, eating, breathing. We're a vital resource. Besides that, we are keeping a couple of Calgary bars afloat with our patronage — in a city of corporate and construction workers, we need musicians who can stay out late on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Where will you be in five years?
Hmmm, couple more albums under our belts, hopefully in the middle of a world tour.

What's your Stampede strategy?
Um, we generally leave town during Stampede and this year is no exception.  We let our pals on the country end of music take over for that stretch.

To be featured on Your Band Here, send an email to ybh.ffwd@gmail.com