As promised, I’m reporting on the mayhem going on at street
level during Calgary’s first ever encounter with the Junos. The first night of JunoFest activities was incredible. Here’s
the play-by-play of the evening:
After my chat with Lisa Christiansen on Friday, I made my
way over to the Imperial Ballroom in the Hyatt Regency Hotel. On my way up the escalator I exchanged a
hearty hello with Mayor Bronconnier who had just finished addressing the local
and visiting celebrities, glitterati, music industry types, and journalists.
Among the most fashionable attendees, I spotted juno nominees
Corneille and Patrick Watson, there was also music courtesy of Lindsay Ell.
Around 8 P.M. I headed over to the Stampede Corral rink
where the puck had already dropped in the 5th Annual Juno Cup (The
NHL Greats vs. The Rockers). Watching players like Tom Cochrane, Chris Murphy
(Sloan) and gravy (Shout Out Out Out Out) charge the ice against Doug Gilmour
and Paul Coffey was an absolute hoot.
During intermission, Jim Cuddy challenged Lanny MacDonald to
a “sing-off” where they both crooned Blue Rodeo's “Try”. Although Jim sounded
better, the crowd roared in approval of Lanny's version (which wasn’t half
bad).
Next, I blasted down to The Stetson to hear
local guitar heroes Gunther and Secret Broadcast. They delivered new tunes and
lots of energy. At the show, I met Saskatoon’s Ultimate Power Duo (actually a
trio). They told me an unfortunate, but good humoured, anecdote about how they
were held up at the border on their way to SXSW this year.
Pictured above is UPD’s Amber expressing what it felt like
to be stuck in Minneapolis, MN for countless hours. To her right is UPD’s Bren,
possibly impersonating a difficult border official.
I made my way back to the reincarnated Republik just in time
to catch a few songs from Juno nominated Wintersleep. I think their live show
has come a long way since I first saw them about three years ago. The crowd was equally delighted.
The Republik was crowded and sweaty, but it was nothing
compared to the stifling heat in the basement of The Palomino where Luke
Doucet, wearing his guitar instead of his goalie mitts (such as he was at Juno Cup), shut the evening down. The
western flair of the venue definitely emphasized his twangy guitar tone.
What a great start to the weekend. The madness continues
tonight! Another post tomorrow.
Stay tuned as Grant Lawrence posts LIVE from the Juno's tonight. With Blackberry in hand, Grant will be reporting the winners as they are announced.
