These artists offer something different
ON THE GROUNDS
The Calgary Stampede is obviously the perfect time and place to get your fill of country music. But if you are growing tired of the mainstream strains that sound like they were cobbled together by a Nashville marketing committee rather than a songwriter, check out one of the country's most authentic and singular talents, Mariel Buckley, on the Stampede Summer stage Saturday at 2 p.m.
The Calgary native, who took home a $100,953 cash prize as the winner of Project WILD in 2019, defies easy categorization. But there are hints of classic country, country swing and alt-country throughout her dark tunes. Pick up her 2018 sophomore disc Driving in the Dark while you're at it.
STAMPEDE BLUES
Where can you catch the blues during Stampede? The same place you catch the blues every other time of the year: Inglewood's The Blues Can.
You couldn't do better than catching a matinee show by Tim Williams and his band on Saturday at 3 p.m. To say you'll receive an education in the blues sounds too stuffily academic for Williams' entertaining shows. But his encyclopedic knowledge of the genre's history is part of the fun and his virtuosic command of various stringed instruments is stunning.
OFF THE BEATEN PATH
I've had the Angela Wrigley Trio's debut, You Don't Know What Love Is, on repeat for the past couple of weeks. On Saturday, Wrigley, bassist Derek Stoll and drummer Dave Lake will mark the official release with a show at the Ironwood Stage and Grill. Wrigley's expressive voice is powerful, whether applied to standards such as the title track or a jazzed-up version of Incubus's Drive.
THE FINAL PARTY
For those Stampede troopers who have survived the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth thus far and are still raring to go, Nashville North awaits. Australian-born, Alberta-raised country singer Gord Bamford has long since graduated from the raucous roadhouse and honky-tonk circuit that he cut his teeth on years ago. But you can still sense some of that grit beneath his neotraditional leanings, particularly on new songs such as the twangy, outlaw-celebrating Hag on the Jukebox. He closes it all out Sunday at 8:30 p.m.