The snow must go on
Break out of the cold with Calgary’s winter festival
By Kennedy Enns, Publishing Editor
Big Winter Classic starts this Thursday in downtown Calgary taking over four venues including Dickens Pub, Last Best Brewery and Broken City.
Director of Big Winter Classic Adrian Urlacher says his not-to-miss-shows include:
Jay Som, a “bedroom fuzz pop with a live performance that is rumoured to blow minds.” He calls this show his “#1 pick and one of our most hyped shows without questions.” (Friday Jan 19 11:15 pm at the Gerry Thomas Gallery.)
Duchess Says, which he promises will be a “live and interactive show that will leave people on the floor.” The last time Duchess Says came through Calgary they played Broken City and had the entire crowd sit on the floor as the lead singer painted on faces. Urlacher calls it a “perfect, experiential performance.” (Sunday Jan 21 9:00 pm at Gerry Thomas Gallery.)
The last band he recommends checking out is The Wet Secrets. Urlacher calls them BIG’s, “not-so-secret headliner Thursday at Broken City. Alberta’s darlings that bring an amazing energy and are a local crowd pleaser.”
There’s also a few Mount Royal University students playing the festival including first year journalism student, Jackie Klapak, in her band Mademoiselle.
Klapak says, “I love this festival because it feels like a ‘palgary’ festival. It’s not as big or long as other festivals in Calgary which makes it feel really intimate. I love being able to support those that support me year round while also getting to rock out with larger acts that I obsess over from afar. I’m super nervous to be playing this because we’re still a fresh band and figuring out what we’re doing, but I’m also excited to showcase what we’ve got for this supportive and broad audience!”
Another MRU Student playing the fest is third year journalism student, Nathan Kunz, a member of the band The Night Terrors.
“BIG feels like a truly local Calgary festival. The energy at a place like Broken City when two bands are playing on two levels is so electrifying.”
Passes and individual tickets are still available at bigwinterclassic.com.
