Watching Les Claypool’s performance at Mac Hall was outstanding. More than a musical band, they bring life to the stage with a variety of funny face masks. The year-long tour is in support of his critically acclaimed latest masterpiece OF FUNGI AND FOE . The band is comprised of Les Claypool on bass/vocals, Paulo Baldi on Drums (Cake), Mike Dillon on Percussion (Ani Difranco), and Sam Bass on Cello (Deadweight). That’s right, no guitarist. Sounds amazing with everything from penny whistles, dobro basses to a vibraphone to mix it up. Check out www.lesclaypool.com to hear or buy his tunes.
Slayer and Megadeth, what a head banging experience! The last time I saw Slayer was at Mac Hall. Canadian Carnage was at the Dome. The Sound was better, yet less intense due to the seats. Those guys won’t ever sell out the Dome but the average age of the hardcore metalhead is on the rise. Purhaps that is why they picked this location, so the oldies can sit,drink and rock out to the music. Well I should clarify ‘drink’, for this show beer taps were closed by 8:30pm. Pretty retarded, Revenue was definitely lost there. Overall the show was rocken.
On June 20th I had a blast at the Atlantic Trap & Gill. (3828 MacLeod Trail SE) It was a superb location for my best friend’s 30th. The food was really good. Specializing in fresh traditional East Coast seafood & pub fare along with the very best East Coast brews. I ordered the Halifax Donair. It was huge and spiced to perfection. The Live Band was Claymore.
Claymore is a Calgary based, World Celtic band. It is comprised of four Calgary area musicians, who share a passion for Canadian and World Celtic music. They were a really nice to see. They have a new album ‘Spot On’ that had a upbeat tempo, easy dancing music. I look forward to going again.
What a great experience! The night at the Laugh Shop began with opener ‘Kvon’, one hilarious comedian that Kennedy spotted at a stand-up gig in Vegas. You would never guess that Kvon picked up comedy 3 short years ago. He has a ton of funny material. To view his profile go to www.myspace.com/kvoncomedy add your email to his guest list and you will score free tickets the next time he is on tour.
Jamie Kennedy was outstanding. He made me laugh so hard. You can watch some videos www.myspace.com/jamiekennedy I can’t wait to watch his new ‘Heckler, everyone’s a critic’ DVD. As you may already be aware, Jamie’s girlfriend is super stunning Jennifer Love Hewitt. At the end of his stand-up she came on stage and said hi. We then got a autographed shirt and a cool photo to remember the awesome night by. I had a chance to tell Jamie how much he rocked and Jennifer how gorgeous she is. Such a modest and sweet millionaire. I want to make a point to thank FFWD Weekly for this experience. Winning the draw saved me the money I needed to buy merch to go meet the cool stars. If you are looking for a detailed listing of all the bars in Calgary, check out www.ffwdweekly.com/venues/bar-restaurant
I had the rare chance to watch Rahzel or Rahzel M. Brown, also known as the “Godfather of Noyze,” perform at the Mile One Urban Tavern. He is the most amazing beatboxer. Modest yet oozing with unbelievable talent and mastered skill. His ability to simultaneously perform the beats and lyrics without skipping is jaw dropping. The atmosphere was chillen with a late 20’s average and male dominant crowd. I suspect the special entertainment drew in a different crowd for a Sunday. I noticed a poster advertising salsa nights on Thursdays which might be worth checking out. The staff was very friendly. The bar was priced at the average $5.50 a beer, no food available. Overall I had an awesome time. After the show was done, Rahzel walk down off the stage and just started talking to his fans. I could tell he enjoys what he does very much. Rahzel’s partner in crime, New York’s DJ JS-1 has been touring with with Rahzel since 1998, touring over 35 countries, 5 continents and over 125 world-wide cities. He is extremely talented, knowledgeable and friendly.I will be sure to pick up his new album released this month; DJ JS-1 & Large Professor -- Like This,“No Sell Out” Ground Original 2. It would make my day to be able to see these guys again.
“Self medicating 4 years” was the theme of the night at The Broken City. Very talented comedians were under the spot light, entertaining many of us. I enjoy a good laugh. It’s a great stress reliever. My only disappointment of the night would have been to the few patrons who neglected to respect the general mannerism and etiquette of attending a comedy show. That is the luck of the draw when alcohol is a factor. Madi was a great server nevertheless.
The Monday Night Comedy Show has been in operation for 200 shows as of April 20th, 2009. James hosted the night and the comedians who appeared were; Stephanie Foley from Vancouver, Donovan Deshner, Darrell Mack, Stan Tossin (not sure if that is the correct spelling) The headliner of the night was Richard Leed. The midnight movie was “Planet Terror”. I am sure it scared the pants off many who stayed to watch it.
The Broken City was recently rated #12 in the whole country for the best live music venues. Check it out!
I was entertained by various Indie artist on April 12th. Los Morenos was the highlight of the night with an energetic vibe and featured guest ‘Black Rose’ rhyming some of the fastest lyrics I have ever heard. A seated environment made it easy to drink and enjoy the music from local talent. Dressed casually in jeans I fit into the late 20 to mid 30 range. I had to drink slower than I like to due to the drink price. $6.95 for my usual rye and coke is steep before a tip. This is the case where I would switch up my usual drink for the one on special. Much to my disappointment, there was no special. Kinda like a trendy place you don’t have to look or be trendy at, just have a trendy wallet. This makes for a comfortable and clean environment. I will go again to try the food. I didn’t get the chance but it smelled like a first class restaurant. I was expecting that deep fried bar food smell, but to my new knowledge The Vicious Circle is a fully functioning day lounge as well. I was told the 3 man instrumental band, Los Morenos will be there for many Sunday nights to come with various guests. I will definitely check them out again, next time I will warm up with drinks before I arrive and a hungry belly! 6 -- 9pm is 2 can dine for $20 sounds like a great deal to me. Doors close at midnight so the work week isn’t off to a rough start.
On Monday, April 6th I found The Broken City located at 613-11th Ave SW. A relaxed pub setting and ample seating made it simple to feel as ease. 20’s & 30’s with a fair mix of gender, there to chill out. They had the best sweet potatofries and friendly staff. I am on a constant quest for the best fries, and I think I found them. $5.25 Rye and cokes with a option of $4.75 Pints on special. Not bad at all. The highlight of the night was the local amateur comedy show, which started at 8. I was not aware so I missed out So I am going to check out there big event on April 20th, on time. I will post that later.
At 11:00 the lights were dimmed a big screen was pulled down at there stage where live bands would play. The room got quiet and we all sat back and drank while watching a cheesy horror movie “The Evil Dead”. I must say it was very unique. I enjoyed my self and encourage others to experience a Monday night at The Broken City to help free you from the regular pub setting.
Cheers!
So I am going to check out there big event on April 20th, on time. I will post that later.