Get down with U Fest
Your handy guide to MRU’s back-to-school bash
Nathan Ross
Arts Editor
Photo: ©iStockphoto.com/AarStudio
Summer’s over, and school is back in session. After getting spoiled with summer festivals such as Sled Island and the Calgary Folk Fest, Mount Royal has one last little festival treat for students with its annual U Fest.
On Sept. 13, Down With Webster, Michael Rault and Calm Asa Coma are the acts for the university’s annual welcome-back party.
First up will be local act Calm Asa Coma, who have rocked Calgary for the better part of the last 10 years. The band has been quickly making a name for themselves outside Calgary after releasing their sophomore album In English this summer.
Having opened for established acts like The Arkells, Mother Mother and Metric, Calm Asa Coma received their biggest boost when they won X92.9’s Xposure content in 2010, and they are an opening act worth seeing. Editor’s song pick: Light Up.
The middle child of U Fest’s lineup is Michael Rault. If you haven’t heard the name before, don’t beat yourself up. He’s currently residing in Toronto, but Rault is coming back home again to Alberta to perform at Mount Royal on a lengthy tour promoting his new EP, Whirlwind.
Between that and his 2010 release MA-ME-O, Rault covers a lot of different styles of music. He describes himself as covering everything from “garage,” to “blues,” to “R&B”, but you should judge for yourself exactly what kind of sound Rault produces. Editor’s song pick: She’ll Cut You Down.
Finally, Down With Webster are poised to close out the night on a very positive note. After 10 years of putting on explosive, energetic live shows, the band finally decided to record some of their songs in 2007 with their own self-titled debut.
Following that up with their album Time to Win, Vol. 1 proved to be a critical step in helping the band avoid the one-hit-wonder label. Instead, the only label they got was on Universal Motown, securing the band’s future. This allowed comfort and security for the six-piece rap-rock boy band as they followed that up with the predictable-by-name-only Time to Win, Vol. 2.
Along the way, Down With Webster has matured into a group that has earned two Juno nominations while maintaining the fun that their music brings. Editor’s song pick: Grind.
The show is only $10, which is only time you’d get to see these three bands for that price. Doors open at 4:00 p.m., and there will be a barbecue, bungee run and more to accompany the music.
U Fest itself is all ages, but the event is licensed for those looking to welcome back school with a cold one. For tickets, stop by Copywrite in Wyckham House.
