Calgary’s Dragon Fli Empire — the DFE — is def. They know it too. Hook-laden “D-E-F” is a local crowd favourite, the audience shouting along with emcee Tarik Robinson, a.k.a Teekay, as DJ Cosm spins in the back. But the big brassy emcee behind the DFE used to be a shy, unassuming high school band… Continue reading Yo!: The Secret Origin of the DFE
Month: July 2009
Spun: The Perms
The Perms new album Keeps You Up When You’re Down does the exact opposite — it keeps you down when you’re up. It’s a shout-out to those who grew up with braces and glasses that were to big for their faces. Keep You Up is the kind of music featured on teeny bopper movies like… Continue reading Spun: The Perms
Spun: Pictures of Then
In the era of overwrought and over-arranged pop music, it’s nice to have a little bit of uncomplicated Americanized Brit-pop. With And the Wicked Sea, Minnesota-natives Pictures of Then don’t try to shoot for the moon with epic instrumentation and high-minded orchestration but strip their arrangments down to just make some nice rock ‘n’ roll.… Continue reading Spun: Pictures of Then
Spun: Math the Band
Sugar-shock electro-punkers Math the Band have crafted a tight, 25-minute party record with a loud noise assault that’s sure to keep the neighbours up all night. The boyfriend and girlfriend duo of Kevin Steinhauser and Justine Mainville have a small cult following in the eastern United States and hopefully with Don’t Worry can further attract… Continue reading Spun: Math the Band
Finding salvation in the one dollar record bin
There’s something magical about the independent record store, or at least that’s the message behind Brendan Toller’s I Need That Record! With interviews featuring Ian MacKaye and a multitude of men and women working in the trenches of local record stores, the film is an interesting, if slightly amateurish take, on the slow death of… Continue reading Finding salvation in the one dollar record bin
Sixth Potter beautiful but lacks punch
By Ryan Pike
It’s been over a decade since J.K. Rowling introduced the world to a pre-pubescent wizard and eight years since the first time Harry Potter and his friends hit the big screen. In the intervening years, the characters (and actors) have grown up and the filmmakers involved have refined their craft. The sixth Potter film, Harry… Continue reading Sixth Potter beautiful but lacks punch
Sidebar: If Fox Opera were a videogame…
Drummer Noah Rabinovitch, who has a tattoo of Samus from the Metroid video game series on his arm, is an avid gamer. He’s even teaching bass player Keith Rodger how to play Street Fighter. When questioned about what kind of video game Fox Opera was, he paused for a second. Noah Rabinovitch: If Fox Opera… Continue reading Sidebar: If Fox Opera were a videogame…
After longstanding feuds, Fox Opera resurges
Fox Opera used to hate each other. They’re better now. After a year or two of drunken shows and loutish sets, including lowlights like breaking their own equipment, throwing milk crates at one another in the Marquee Room at a show no one attended and getting put in choke holds by the Stetsons’ sound guy,… Continue reading After longstanding feuds, Fox Opera resurges
Sled Island’s success due to Calgary’s culture
After Sled Island’s third year in Calgary, it appears that the festival has finally honed in on a formula for future success. The perfect way to describe Sled Island was explained by Colin Newman on Jian Ghomeshi’s Q radio show: Sled Island is a culture festival, as opposed to a music festival. This year, more… Continue reading Sled Island’s success due to Calgary’s culture
Bucking broncos and stomping hooves
Photos by Geoff MacIntosh.