He mans the skins for all sorts of material from Lab Coast and Samantha Savage Smith to various side-projects but local rhythm daddy Chris Dadge is equally talented at drumming up impressive lineups for his Bug Incision showcases. August brings not one but two experimental outings with the first hitting Emmedia on Thursday August 7.
Local guitarist Whitney Ota will perform alongside Vancouver’s Matthew Read for some skronked-out guitar and sax noise jams as Wild & Majestic. The show also boasts a solo set from Read along with a pair of duos in Chris Dadge and Jeff McGregor (who apply a background in jazz standards to something a little weirder) and Eric Hamelin and Scott Munro (of Fuck Off Dad and Viet Cong respectively). Rounding out the lineup is Fast Forward Weekly contributor Jeremy Curry who’ll DJ some tasty aural treats between sets.
Last year right before releasing his critically acclaimed Old LP Detroit rapper Danny Brown was scheduled to perform in Calgary. Due to some prior charges however he couldn’t make it into the country. He’s since performed all over Canada so hopefully the border guards will be a little nicer to him ahead of his show at Ten Nightclub on Friday August 8.
Danny Brown’s a lover of popping mollies as are the legions of young people who lose their minds to the peaks and valleys of bass at mainstream EDM concerts. That said in the last week nearly every major music festival has resulted in a death or two thanks to drug overdoses. With that in mind if you so choose to lose your mind in the PLUR vibes at the massive Chasing Summer festival (which sees Tiësto Hardwell Adventure Club and many more hit Fort Calgary on August 8 and 9) and if you so choose to augment your bass-face with some illicit substances please be careful and rave responsibly.
An arguably less in-your-face choice for the festival set is the return of Afrikadey! which returns to Prince’s Island Park on Saturday August 9. The family-friendly event returns with a predictably diverse lineup from conscious hip-hop group Arrested Development to contemporary African guitarist Diblo Dibala to beatboxer HeaveN Beatbox and many more.
If you’ve ever wondered just how far it’s possible to stretch the meaning of the word “indie” note that the world’s biggest “indie” band is headlining an “indie” show at an intimate little venue called the Scotiabank Saddledome on Tuesday August 12. Arcade Fire the millennials’ answer to U2 will bring their enormous stage show to Calgary where they’ll be joined by the frustratingly named tUnE-yArDs and Baltimore neo-classical electro wizardDan Deacon. I mean you’ve probably never even heard of these bands because they’re so indie.
Dan Deacon was recently here to play Sled Island but he’s not the only artist returning just over a month later. After appearing solo at the fest Killer Mike is back with his partner in crime El-P to perform as the seemingly unstoppable hip-hop duo Run the Jewels. The Fast Forward Weekly cover stars will perform at Republik on Wednesday August 13 where they’ll be joined by DJ and producer Amp Live of the group Zion I and Eligh of the beloved Bay Area hip-hop crew Living Legends.
