This playlist spotlights some artists from Calgary and surrounding areas. Like the city, you will find diversity of genres, styles and people.

Calgary has been a wonderful springboard for our software. We are keen to watch it grow and continue to spread to new regions of North America.

Looking forward to a prosperous 2023, and hopefully by the end of this year, we’ll be putting playlists together of artists from multiple regions. Happy listening!

Find it on Spotify and Apple Music

Artists featured:

• Alexanne
• Ava Wild
• Caitlin Goulet
• Carly Reirson
• Carolyn Harley
• Chase Morgan
• Dan Duguay
• Devin Cooper
• Duke Domino
• Elle McAndrews
• Emet
• Emily Slaney
• Emily Triggs
• Gisela Romero & Esteban Herrera
• Gukie
• Heather Blush
• Jay Bowcott
• Joal Kamps
• John Rutherford
• Jon Chavez
• Jon MacAulay
• Jordan Clermont
• Justine Giles
• Justine Vandergrift
• Kayla Williams
• Kenna Burima
• Marcus Trummer
• Matt Blais
• MEEKS
• Melody Stang
• Nancy Laberge
• Natalia Chai
• Natalie Inga
• Nicolette Erika
• Nolan Compton
• Ollee Owens
• Pluvelle
• Ruth Purves Smith
• Sidney May Weich
• Sonia Deleo
• Steve Jevne
• The Rondel Roberts Band
• Two Late to the Party
• Tyson Ray Borsboom
• Zenon

The post 2022 Calgary Artist Playlist appeared first on Stagehand.

With contributions from Wyatt C Lewis, Amy Bishop and Matt Beatty, the playlist is jam-packed with seasonal gems from Stagehand artists from Calgary and further afield.

While Matt Blais’ “Christmas Without You” encapsulates the isolation experienced by many during the holidays (data from YouGov found that one in nine Americans spent their December holidays alone last year), Ellen Doty’s fifth annual giveback campaign saw the jazz artist collaborate with folk-soul singer TAYLR on “Glad You’re Here”.

Launched in partnership with Monogram Coffee – who created a custom coffee roast to compliment the song – each bag of coffee comes alongside a digital download and a $10 donation to The Mustard Seed, allocated by Monogram, Doty and charity partner ATB Financial.

Mariya Stokes’ “Christmas, Arizona” details a 16-hour road trip to crash an ill-fated festive wedding, whereas Terrell Edwards channels A Charlie Brown Christmas with a cover of “Christmas Time Is Here”, by Vince Guaraldi.

Other contributions include OLLEE OWENS, A.Y.E., Zacarias, Scarlett Butler, Carolyn Harley, Mike Plume, Beppie, Jay Gilday, Howells, Sara-Mae Dafoe, The Bobby Tenderloin Universe, Marlaena Moore, Brian Doerksen, Carly Reirson, Dara Shindelka, Jerry Proppe, Paul Jensen and Heather Blush.

Check out Stagehand’s full “Winter Holiday Playlist” on Spotify or Apple Music.

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You can listen on Apple or Spotify.

Stagehand helps bring opportunities to artists everywhere, and today we give thanks to the region where Stagehand was born and the amazing artists that call it home. 

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How long has DITWR been going and what made you decide to build a studio?

In one form or another, the studio has been in existence for 18 years. The 1st ten years it was called Sympul Studios. We then rebranded with the idea of possibly being a record label. Which is why it’s called Dog In The Window Records.

Did you train somewhere to learn how to run a studio, have you ever worked at another studio?

No, I trained at the school of hard knocks. I never set out to be the world’s best engineer. I learned from people who had good training. I’ve always been community oriented. My first partner Dustin Symes trained at Craig Learmont’s studio in Three Hills. He taught me Pro Tools. I’ve watched tons of videos and am constantly learning. Pretty much taught myself through trial and error. That said, I owe a lot to Dustin Symes.

How has business been during the pandemic?

Well I haven’t been touring or playing with bands, which before always kept me busy. I have been spending more time in my studio. At first, everyone was waiting for the music to come back, including myself.  I started reaching out to people that I admire or whom I’ve worked with before. Asking if they wanted to do a record. Sometimes just playing the role of encourager gets musicians to come in. I have been busy. I try to make 4 to 6 projects a year. Last year I did 5 and this year, I’ve already done 3. The work has been more experimental compared to other years. People have the time to muck around more.

Who are some of the artists that have recorded at DITWR?

Bebe Buckskin has been here quite a bit in the last 5 years. She’s now recording at Muscle Shoals, Tom Olsen has done a couple records here, Tim Buckley and Mariel Buckley both did earlier recordings here, Trina Nestibo made a great kids record here, as did Dan Duguay from Dan the One Man Band, Kenna Burima, Cal Wiltse, Ellen McIlwain… When Rob Smith closed his Rocky Mountain Studio, I was the benefactor of a lot of his clientele.

What’s the most difficult part of running a studio?

Finding the balance between profit and making good art. It’s a multi level thing. Many clients are spending their own money, so it’s my job to balance the economics and the quality of the product. I’ve never relied on getting grants, I probably should have, but it hasn’t been a priority. Finding clients that fit is important. I pretty much have chosen the people I want to work with. If it hasn’t been a good fit, I’m happy to decline the work. I don’t want to be working with someone just to make a dollar.

Is this a one person operation or do you have support?

It probably looks like it a lot of the time, but I have some great support. Dustin Symes as I mentioned earlier, has been a  supporter from the start. John Heals, who is a long time member of our music community. John has worked at Long & McQuade for 30 years, and has endowed the studio with really spectacular equipment. There’s no way that without John’s help, I would have the gear I have now. I visit some top tier studios, and when I look at their gear I say “yep, I got one of those, and one of those and one of those…” They may have 2 or 3 of them, but I at least have one! Craig Learmont is another one who has been helpful and I look to him for advice. Jonathan Lagore is a great musician as well as producer. He probably knows Pro Tools better than I do!  He’s working as a producer in my studio right now with a prominent Calgary artist. Like I said, I’m very community minded and I seek creative feedback from many different sources.

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Listen to the podcast

Watch the video

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Apple Playlist – Spotify Playlist

Stagehand was a part of the inaugural Chinook Blast, a mid winter roundup designed to energize the downtown core and celebrate the local arts community. As with all things during a pandemic, it was not without its challenges! We began organizing our part in the festival last fall. We were asked to have artists performing on Stephen Ave, beside fire pits, from mid January until the end of February. Initially we called it “Bold & Cold Street Performances”.

Once it was decided that the festival was going to be delayed in starting and that drawing a crowd by singing outdoors wasn’t going to work, we briefly entertained having artists playing in store front windows along Stephen Ave but that too was kiboshed due to restrictions. We finally agreed upon was an online streaming initiative which was nearly pandemic proof!

We jumped on the online streaming idea early in the pandemic when we ran the “Clean Hands. Clear Heads, Open Hearts: Online Concert Series” in March, April and early May of 2020. Clean Hands, was a simple operation which involved dropping off an iPhone, external mic and tripod off at the homes of numerous Calgary artists who then performed for 45 minutes. It was at that time that we really got the tipping functionality of our platform working. Artists were paid an honorarium plus they made tips from the viewing public. It turned out to be a great success.

For the next version of  the online concert series, which we aptly named “Fatigue Fest”, we decided we wanted to include various live music venues who, like musicians, are struggling at this time. Live music was and is still not allowed in public spaces (except churches, but that’s another story). We asked selected venues if we could live stream from their stages during times when they were closed. All venues were enthusiastic and we enlisted The Ironwood Stage & Grill, The Blues Can, Mikey’s on 12th, Broken City and Asylum for Art.

For the artists we put out a call through Stagehand and received over 100 talented applicants. The festival ran from February 11th to February 27th and consisted of two or three 30 minute shows per day. We hosted 30 artists with a wide variety of genre’s including Country, R&B, Blues, Roots, Rock, Classical, Jazz, Electronica and more. Featured artists included: Justine Vandergrift, Brettyn Rose, Scarlett Butler, Sonia Deleo, Angela Wrigley, Hello Moth, Justine Giles, Jay Coda Walker, Devin Cooper, Eileen Kosasih, Mitch Belot, Taylr, Zenon, Two Late to the Party, Wyatt C. Louis, Erin Ross, Aaron Young, Howlin’ Pete, Rob Skeet, Mariya Stokes, Mike Watson, Michela Sheedy, Marcus Trummer, Jory Kinjo, Clinton St. John, Hayden McHugh, John Wort Hannam, Tim Williams, Gisela Romero and Tom Phillips.  The 30 minute format was perfect as it gives you a sense for the artist but it’s not fatiguing (haha).

Here is a playlist on Apple and Spotify with a sample of the artists that were part of the fun!

The post Fatigue Fest Playlist appeared first on Stagehand.

Listen here for Spotify and here for Apple

We have compiled a playlist of love songs that criss-crosses genres, everything from Hip-Hop to Hillbilly Ballads, Jazz Standards to Guitar-Heavy Jams this playlist has it all! 

Sit back and enjoy just under 2 hours of songs that lend themselves to dance and romance… if you need to be hit right in the feels, press play, open a bottle of something delicious, and cozy up by the stereo.

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At Stagehand, we are always thinking about artists and businesses and creative ways to connect the two. An initiative that caught our attention was the “East Track Mind”. (easttrackmind.com). It was created to help keep Canada’s East Coast music alive. They created Spotify playlists with hundreds of songs, and are encouraging retail shops to play them. Their website states:

The goal of ETM is to increase support for our local musicians and give them a strong home base as a launching point for future success. By having East Coast music play from Spotify in our local shops and businesses we are increasing the amount of people that hear it and become familiar with it. We want everyone to connect with our musicians through the project, thus creating more loyalty, pride and ownership of our music scene by our public. Look up our playlists on Spotify under “East Track Mind”

Do we really need to hear Billy Joel’s “Uptown Girl” when we go into a store? Is it going to make us spend more? I don’t think so. Imagine you are in a store and you hear an unfamiliar song and you think “this is really good, I wonder what artist this is?” Now with a voice command to your phone, you can find out in seconds what the song is and who the artist is. Maybe you discover a local artist you didn’t know about. And who knows, maybe one day you’ll get a chance to go down to your local cafe or club, and see the artist perform.

In the spirit of that idea, we have created a playlist of Alberta artists for you to enjoy. Maybe you’ll discover an artist in your neighbourhood that inspires you.

The post Welcome to Alberta Playlist appeared first on Stagehand.

The time is right to make real and lasting change for the Arts. 

The Arts industry was facing some serious challenges long before COVID added to the malais.  Traditional arts institutions’ leadership position has eroded, funding is a perpetual challenge and what there is must be spread over more numerous and diverse recipients. On top of all that, global content providers like Netflix insidiously threaten to homogenize local arts and culture.

However when I step back from the daily challenges, I am optimistic about the future. 

Douglas McLennan, the founder and editor of the ArtsJournal talks about Restorationists vs. Opportunists in his blog post, Arts: Rebuild What? And Why? Post-pandemic, Restorationists want things to go back to how they were while Opportunists look at this as a chance for meaningful change.

It is easy to talk about effecting change, but what does that really mean? 

It may be helpful to look at what disruptive change has looked like in other industries. 

One of the biggest industry disruptions I have personally experienced is in hotel accommodation. We have visited New York City many times, and initially we would stay in hotels. Now we almost exclusively use Airbnb to stay in other people’s apartments. One of my most memorable stays was in a tiny apartment in Hell’s Kitchen. It may not have been as luxurious as some hotels, but it was a unique experience and it made me feel like a real “New Yorker”.  So how is it that an Airbnb host can suddenly compete with the multi-billion dollar hotel industry?  

Airbnb uses technology to empower its users. 

Through Airbnb, anyone with a room to rent has access to a marketplace of customers needing accommodation, and technology has made it easy for them to market their product, manage their bookings, and transact business with customers. The consistency and data that exists in the platform builds confidence for users
.      

Creating a culture of empowerment 

Let’s look at an example of how technology can be used to empower the Arts. In 2019, the Calgary International Airport (YYC) wanted to launch a music program, and not just a few performances during special occasions, they wanted live music to be part of the daily experience. From humble beginnings, the program grew to over 1,600 performances in the first year. Live music brought culture into the airport, it improved the overall experience for travellers and it provided new paid performance opportunities for artists. YYC was able to do this despite having no music industry expertise or budget to hire music bookers. 

YYC used Stagehand as the technology platform to gain access to a network of local artists and an intake process that allowed a selection committee at the Airport to collaborate on decision making.  Selected artists were treated like partners and asked to complete various onboarding requirements (like security) which enabled them to function independently. Next, artists were empowered to schedule their own performances which automated the time consuming tasks of booking, cancelling, and re-booking performances. The platform monitored the schedule, artists confirmed performances when complete and the airport made approvals so that automated payments could be processed.

What was perhaps most satisfying was to watch how YYC listened, learned, gained confidence, and innovated. Before long, one stage had grown to four, passengers were two-stepping to musicians playing on baggage carousels, and artists were jamming with visiting superstars. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive and the best artists took it upon themselves to adapt to the environment and entertain or soothe passengers depending on what the moment called for.  In short, YYC had a new set of skills and tools that they were excited and empowered to use to improve their business.

What can we learn from this?

The key is to deploy technology in a way that removes barriers and empowers new participants in an industry. Artists represent a limitless inventory of skills that can activate any location but access to this talent is daunting unless you are already “in the business”.  Sadly, this industry often does not have the budget to pay middlemen or experts so this wealth of talent remains inaccessible to most. If there was easier access and greater confidence in this talent, think of what is possible at shopping malls, hospitals, seniors homes, public transit or office tower lobbies and public spaces.

I have been told that the old paradigm for the arts represented a “culture of control”, where various large and well established institutions were viewed and trusted as the leaders in arts and culture. The internet changed that by dismantling barriers and empowering a new generation which in turn sparked a proliferation of new and diverse work.  This boom in innovation is a blessing and a challenge for government and industry leaders who are doing their best to support the old and the new but lack the tools and data to deal with the complexity.

Digital infrastructure has a central role to play in enabling this new and diverse world of the arts. Infrastructure isn’t as sexy as being a front line presenter but done right it will aggregate and empower an industry that is rich in talent but short on opportunity.

Stagehand builds digital infrastructure that enables a “culture of empowerment” where new types of presenters can work with artists in new and innovative ways.

For more information or to get started using Stagehand, visit www.stagehand.app or contact info@stagehand.app.

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Sonia describes her younger self as a “shy extrovert.” She always loved music, but it took some coaxing to get her out of her shell and singing in front of an audience. Ultimately, her involvement in the church choir (as the youngest member) and musical theatre throughout junior high and high school is what helped her to find her voice.

Since then, Sonia has become an unstoppable force, pursuing her love of music and performing in many different settings such as Cornerstone Music Cafe, Gravity Espresso & Wine Bar, and the Ironwood Stage & Grill.

One setting Sonia never expected to perform was at the Calgary International Airport.

“I’d never seen music in airports or heard of such a thing, but when I heard about it, it was a hard yes for me immediately. I love the airport, I love people and I think the airport just has so many stories—there are so many reasons to fly somewhere!”

Sonia continues to write and release new music, many of her recent themes focused on finding hope in times of chaos, or in her words, “pointing your face towards the sun.” Her music reflects her optimism about the current challenges artists are facing. In some ways, Sonia says she is grateful for how the pandemic has strengthened the sense of community between local musicians.

“We all felt this same vulnerability and it feels like we all have to lean on each other a little bit and we have to be a community. I hope that I’m right and I hope that we don’t lose sight of it.”

Visit Sonia’s Stagehand profile to learn more about her.

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