ALBERTA SPOTLIGHT
A WEEKLY ONLINE CONCERT SHOWCASE THAT SHINES A LIGHT ON ALBERTA-MADE MUSIC.
With their witty sarcasm and gutwrenching honesty The Uppercuts will leave a lasting impression. Calgary-based singer Heather Blush is joined by fellow Uppercut, Captain Steve.
Aladean Kheroufi, an Edmontonian by way of Algeria, writes songs that are soulful and idiosyncratic. With glass-half-full stubbornness, he has a knack for turning heartbreak into melancholy party anthems.
Mariya Stokes can captivate a room with just an acoustic guitar and her voice. A seasoned performer, the Calgary-based country-soul singer has opened for acts including Trixie Mattel, Jann Arden, and Jocelyn Alice.
Astral Swans is a human song-maker from Calgary specializing in abstract narratives of lonerism, human frailty, and dread, all told with darkly comedic empathy, and helpless concern.
Lucette is the moniker of Edmonton-based artist Lauren Gillis, a soulful and emotive singer who self-describes her music as “country infused dream-pop”.
July 23rd, 2020
Edmonton based, award winning, transatlantic folk duo 100 mile house just released their fifth album Love and Leave You on Fallen Tree Records.
From Carstairs Alberta, country-swing entertainers The Polyjesters were conceived by brothers Jason and Sheldon Valleau in 1999 – they’ve been performing ever since.
Farhad Khosravi is Persian contemporary music composer based in Edmonton. A musical storyteller, he weaves east and west together through the alluring sounds of his santur.
In today’s cultural mash of simple melodies and bubblegum production, Red Deer’s Ryan Langlois is a barstool balladeer with an uncompromising rock-ribbed growl.
Best described as Ella Fitzgerald meets Fred Penner, Music with Mandy is a band of performers from Calgary that make jazz approachable for young children and their families.
July 16th, 2020
With a renegade spirit and luminous voice, Calgary‘s Jess Knights can traverse sultry ballads and raise-the-roof-off-the-church soul with ease.
Edmonton indie-folk songwriter Ian St. Arnaud wraps death, loss, and resilience in layers of humour and heart-on-the-sleeve honesty, punctuated by lalas and doot doots.
After close to two decades, Lethbridge singer-songwriter Dave McCann has locked himself firmly into hearts and minds of the Alberta music scene as one of the best untold songwriters working in contemporary roots music.
The Royal Foundry is an upbeat Alt-Rock band from Sherwood Park that makes catchy-singable music driven by raw guitar and tasty synths. Their music has been featured by Disney, Purina, MTV, and broken Top-40 radio.
Troy Kokol is a Calgary-based singer, producer, and award-winning songwriter with over 200 song credits to his name.
July 9th, 2020
With a confident voice and boundless energy, Edmonton based JUNO winner Celeigh Cardinal connects deeply with her audience through humour, passion and love.
Respect for tradition with the sophistication to shake it off. Edmonton‘s Altameda have evolved into a band with a bold, and unrelenting sound.
Hailing from Calgary, the charismatic troubadour Matt Blais plays modern roots-rock with a foundation in candid songwriting.
Nice Horse is a self-contained, all-female four-piece band from Calgary with two Canadian Country Music Award nominations and a wildly entertaining live show.
For Calgary‘s rap/hip-hop artist Sinzere, music serves as a vessel used to inspire people through cutting-edge lyrics, and deep cinematic sound.
July 2nd, 2020
An alternative country singer/songwriter hailing from Lethbridge, Leeroy Stagger pens songs dealing with life’s challenges and questions that are literate but down to earth.
Wyatt C. Louis is a Cree-Métis folk singer-songwriter, based in Moh’kinstsís (Calgary). His songs are built from soaring melodies, railroad-like finger picking and quiet, haunting vocals.
Edmonton alt-pop artist VISSIA draws on dance, R&B, rock and soul exploring our emotional heart-spaces with unquenchable curiosity and playful awareness.
Two decades ago it was a song about a bus route that brought Calgary hip hop duo Dragon Fli Empire out of the basement and into the limelight of Alberta’s hip hop scene.
Edmonton‘s AV (Ann Vriend) is known most for her virtuosic, soaringly powerful vocals, along with her multi award-winning abilities as a songwriter — and she ain’t too bad at the piano, either.