Alexis Normand, bilingual singer-songwriter from Saskatoon who sings jazz-folk music is looking for a gig in town. Why don’t we help her out! From her email:

I am in the process of booking a tour out west and would like to make a stop in Medicine Hat. I am looking for any suggestions for venues that I can contact in order to book a show in October. I stumbled across your website and figured you may have some suggestions.

I’ve tried the Ottoman Lounge and am finding it difficult to get in touch with someone. Are there any other venues of this type in the Hat that you can recommend?

Here is a quick description of my music (to give you an idea):

Warm folk ambiance sooths the palate while the sweet aftertaste of jazz lingers… Valued and acclaimed as one of Saskatchewan’s few, the bilingual singer-songwriter, Alexis Normand, has entered the world of indie-folk music with the release of her debut recording in January 2010. Her versatile and suave voice, soothing piano arrangements and Latin-influenced guitar rhythms are quickly making her one of Western Canada’s most talked about francophone emerging artists.

You can contact Alexis Normand through email or through her MySpace.

I have already posted about All the Colours of the Spectrum, but what about the main event? This year it taking place over the following dates:

• Friday 4-10PM (June 4th)
• Saturday 11AM-10PM (June 5th)
• Sunday 11AM-4PM (June 6th)

The main Spectrum event contains a huge amount of art, sports, dance, music, food, festivities and other performances (including the magic of Trevor Moore). In fact, I think this post has been tagged with the most categories a single post has ever received. The following is a list of stage performers (which are free, by the way):

Friday, June 4th

4:00 – 4:45 – German Harmony Band
5:00 – 5:45 – Amy Nelson
5:45 – 6:30 – The Magic of Trevor Moore
6:30 – 8:00 – Scott Ward – Hypnotist
8:15 – 9:15 – Kool Ray and the Hip Kats

Saturday, June 5th

11:30 – Amy Nelson
12:00 – Walk a Mile in her Shoes
12:30 – Amy Nelson
1:00 – Medicine Hat’s Got Talent
2:00 – Dance Connection
3:00 – Master’s Extreme Makeover
4:30 – 5:30 – The Straight Jackets
5:30 – 6:30 – Blacksmith Jones
6:45 – 7:45 – The Magic of Trevor Moore
8:00 – 10:00 – Jazz – Lyle Rebbeck

Sunday, June 6th

12:00 – Gas Town Riot
1:00 – Medicine Hat’s Got Talent
2:00 – Dance Connection
3:00 – Quintet

Besides performances, there’s also a ton of other activities and events to keep you busy: THE JUMP – Read the rest of this entry »

Erin Ross will be playing the Ottoman Lounge Saturday, April 24th live at 9PM. $5 cover at the door. Her music can be described as Blues and Acoustic (with a little bit of Country on the side). She has been quite busy lately in support of her recordings – she plays on average over one hundred shows per year!

http://www.myspace.com/erinross
http://www.erinross.ca/

Erin Ross is an accomplished recording artist and performer. Having spent many years honing her skills and refining her craft, Erin delivers something that is energetic, dynamic and fresh.

In 2008 Erin released a vinyl single “Sweet Thing.” It charted on CJSW for 6 weeks, peaking at #10 overall. It also won attention from CKUA Alberta Public Radio, CiTR in Vancouver, CJSR in Edmonton and CKXU in Lethbridge. Erin’s music has also been featured regularly on the CBC in Calgary and has found its way onto Mountain Radio in Blairmore and CIDO in the Creston Valley.

Mojave will be playing live at the The Ottoman Lounge Thursday September 17th. The show will have a $5 cover charge and will start at 9:30PM (even though the poster says 8PM). They are currently touring to promote their latest album, “Crows Funeral”, so you can expect to hear quite a few songs off of it. Thanks for supporting the Live Music at The Ottoman Lounge.

Mojave at Ottoman Lounge – Medicine Hat News article by Gillian Slade
Facebook Event
Official Website

Blurb About Mojave:

Officially formed in early 2007, Mojave started as a side project from two members of Vancouver hard rock bands, Damsel Fly and Latitude. Having already spent a few years writing songs together, LJ and Paul had an entire album ready to record by the time their bands called it quits. Mojave’s sound draws from the bands previous rock background, but is softened with classical elements like viola and violin. Bringing the sound together is an eclectic mix of percussion. At the forefront are female vocals with delicately intertwined acoustic guitars – weaving melodies, telling stories.

Ben Disaster, an Edmonton-based acoustic-punk artist is currently seeking a gig in the Medicine Hat area from the 19th to the 20th. Ben’s music can be described as what punk music would sound like with no other instruments besides a good ol’ acoustic guitar; that, and slower melodies. His music reminds me much of Justin Sane’s (of Anti-Flag) solo work. Ben’s message to us on MySpace as follows:

Hi guys and Girls, My name is Ben I am a folk singer from Edmonton. I have been booking a tour through out western Canada will be leaving in less then a week. I had some problems with some pending shows and now i have a few days open. I am touring with my friend Dylan Thomas from Vancouver.

We are touring together and playing separate set and also combining sets. We are both pretty mellow guys and keep a positive atmosphere.

We will be in the Area of Medicine from the 19th to the 20th. I am wondering if you might know of any places that would book us last minute or if there are any open mikes that we could check out. at this point we are just looking for something to do even if it’s playing a back yard BBQ. If you could get back to me I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Cheers
-Ben

Dylan’s stuff is a little bit more indie-rock-ish with a folk twist but they suit each other quite nicely. Please contact Ben via his MySpace.

Ben Disaster @ MySpace
Dylan Thomas @ MySpace

James Murdoch Band will be playing Live at The Ottoman Lounge tonight on Friday, July 3rd starting at 9:30pm.  Thank you to everyone for supporting the Live Music at The Ottoman Lounge.

Check out James Murdoch at www.myspace.com/jamesmurdoch

A little bit about James Murdoch:

Western Canadian Music Award winner and four time nominee, James Murdoch has performed across North America. His forthcoming CD, “Wondering Where The Rush Has Gone”, will be released June 9th, 2009. Murdoch’s previous release, “In Transit”, which was produced by Hawksley Workman, won Best Album Design and was nominated for Album of the Year and Video of the Year at the 2008 WCMA’s.

Kirby, also known as John Kirby, is a talented Canadian folk artist and will be playing at The Ottoman Lounge, March 19th, and again on April 17th. Kirby has toured Canada solo three times in 2008 in support of his second release “The Good Fight EP”. Now, on this tour, he has 32 separate dates all across Canada.

The Good Fight EP Cover

Listening through some of his online stuff and even downloading his full set of releases; yes that’s right, you can legally grab all of his music (including demos and other stuff) in good ol’ MP3 form right off of his website here – he seems to be a very talented folk artist in the traditional acoustic singer-songwriter fashion, reminding me of John Mayer in my limited scope. Lots of his music seems depressing or more introspective on a basic level, but as one commenter put it, Craig Webster, on his blog,

“On the surface, you might think songs like “Defeat” and “Lost Loved Ones” are songs of sorrow and despair, but you’d be wrong. Instead, they are songs about overcoming your obstacles, and they show the listener that no matter how bleak life and its situations might look, there is an optimistic way to look at it.”

I think I would tend to agree with him, especially when viewing his first video single “The Good Fight” (shown below).

Videos and links after the jump!

THE JUMP – Read the rest of this entry »

Blake Jones, Thee Hoolies, and The Stolen Organ Family Band will be playing Tuesday (February 17th) night at The Ottoman Lounge starting at 8:00PM. Collectively they will be bringing you a mix of indie and acoustic rock, while The Stolen Organ Family Band pushes more into the more experimental/psychedelic side of things. There is a $5 cover charge as per usual.

Blake Jones, Thee Hoolies, The Stolen Organ Family Band - Poster

Blake Jones @ MySpace
Thee Hoolies @ MySpace
The Stolen Organ Family Band @ MySpace

Thee Hoolies Live at The Exchange (September 2008)

This Tuesday, November 25th, get ready for some rock with a touch of experimental. Both bands have a lot of variety. The Summerlad and Kava Kava are playing at The Ottoman Lounge, hosted by Young & Pretty Folk Music Association, starting at 8:00PM.

The Summerland w/ Kava Kava Poster

The Ottoman Lounge
502 South Railway St. Se
Medicine Hat, AB

Thursday, November 25th, 2008
8:00pm – 11:00pm
Tickets: $5

The Summerlad - Eyes Artwork

The Summerlad is:
Arran Fisher (bass, guitar, floor pedals, Kord Poly 800II)
Dean Martin (drums, Microkorg)
Garret McClure (vocals, guitar, vocoder, Yamaha Electone)

With that mix of synthesizers you can tell it’s gonna be crazy. The Summerlad is from Calgary and their music can be described as an eclectic mix of indie, psychedelic rock, and noise – much a long the same lines as Godspeed You! Black Emperor (the length of their songs confirms the comparison).

Kava Kava (Paige Sierra Photography)

Kava Kava is Jay Bowcott, resident of Medicine Hat. Kava Kava is more a long the lines of acoustic and soft rock mixed with other elements such as beats and piano. Kava Kava fronted by Bowcott is not to be confused with the other Kava Kava band out there. Kava Kava is supposedly is a herbal relexant that was banned and used to treat insomnia – a fitting reference?

THE JUMP – Read the rest of this entry »