ATTENTION ALL COWPOKES, COUNTRY MUSIC WEEK IS HERE
COUNTRY MUSIC WEEK
When: Sept. 7-10
Where: Venues around Saskatoon What: It’s a good time to be a country music fan in Saskatoon. Country Music Week is here and the city is overrun with opportunities to see a show and maybe even meet a few country stars. How about the Rise & Shine panel at the Radisson Hotel on Sept. 9? The event features five female country acts, including Twin Kennedy and Tenille Arts, for performances, meet and greets and refreshments. And it’s free! As someone who blew my entire summer budget on pizza and patio beers, free sounds pretty good right about now.
If you’re not into that you could also crash the WAX Records rooftop bash at the Crazy Cactus (performers include Jason Blaine and Alee) or the Open Road Recordings Motel Flamingo party at the Capitol Music Club. The Capitol is also hosting a show on Sept. 8 with Ryan Laird and Kendra Kay with Lisa Moen and Jen Lane. Tim Hicks is playing the Rock’n Country Cabaret at Prairieland Park on Sept. 8. Feeling overwhelmed? Visit ccma.org for more info and try not to get FOMO (fear of missing out) if you can’t get to everything.
NOSAJ THING
When: Sept. 13
Where: Amigos
What: Admittedly there aren’t many country albums in my collection. One of my friends is a huge Shania Twain fan. She thinks I judge her music choices. She thinks I’m a music snob. I think she’s probably right, even though I try to be open-minded. My musical tastes are typically more in the realm of R&B, pop and alternative (did I just date myself?). I’m also in a bit of a hip-hop phase (a phase that’s going on 17 years and started with OutKast’s song Bombs Over Baghdad). Los Angeles musician Nosaj Thing is playing a show in Saskatoon. If you’re not familiar with that name you might be familiar with people he has worked with including Kendrick Lamar and Chance the Rapper. He’s released three of his own albums and his latest, Parallels, comes out this week.
NEW SWEARS
When: Sept. 9
Where: Amigos
What: Are you really a Canadian band if you haven’t made a hockey-themed music video? New Swears’ clip for Dance With the Devil might be the bloodiest addition to the tradition to date. Don’t worry, the whole thing is “good, old-fashioned clean hockey” that ends with a sportsmanlike handshake. The Ottawa garage-punk band’s latest album is And The Magic of Horses. Punk bands love to talk about their “crazy live shows” but I wouldn’t be surprised if these guys live up to that hype.
FAITH HEALER
When: Sept. 10
Where: The Capitol
What: My feet will be on the CCMA Awards green carpet on Sunday night, but my heart will be at this show. Faith Healer is an awesome project by Edmonton’s Jessica Jalbert. I got an early listen at the band’s new album Try ;-) and it is well worth a listen. You know those people that are just effortlessly cool? Faith Healer is the musical equivalent of that (even though I’m sure the album took a great deal of hard work).
I admire effortlessness because I’m pretty sure the word EFFORT is tattooed on my head in capital letters. Enough about me though, let’s give Jalbert the floor: “The last album had a lot of flowery ’60s flourishes,” she said in a release. “This time, we wanted to simplify it and just do some straight-ahead songs. Focus on the song itself rather than all of the production.”