As most people know, Henotic is closing its doors, but it’s going out with a bang this weekend with the 3rd leg of the Wyrd Alberta traveling tour, Mammoth Cave Fest! Over 30 bands playing on all levels of the old fire hall!
So just because Henotic is closing shop, that doesn’t mean that live music in Lethbridge is dead. That’s why I am giving away 2 tickets ($30 value) to my faithful readers! You have up to 3 chances to win, and it’s easy!
Last year, the rooftops of Henotic were rocked from Mammoth Cave Fest, a live music extravaganza of elephantine proportions. It’s back for 2010, so I got in touch with maestro Paul Lawton to learn more!
This is the second time around for Mammoth Cave Fest. Tell us about it.
Last year was a pretty important one as far as the Lethbridge music community – studios opening left and right, local bands popping up left and right and getting signed (latest – Fist City who got picked up by Cleveland, Ohio’s Deadbeat Records, a great/storied punk rawk label), so we decided to celebrate last may by holding a giant party – Mammoth Cave Fest. That was such an astonishing success that we knew then and there that we would make it into a yearly event.
This year, we decided to team up with friends we made in Calgary (Sled Island) and Edmonton (Aaron Levin, who runs the weirdcanada.com website and who shared a common vision with his Wyrd Fest in Edmonton that was held last fall and which featured Myelin Sheaths and The Moby Dicks). Last November (post Wyrd Fest I), Aaron and I decided we should try and combine our two festivals, helping to both offset the costs and to help lure touring bands to come to Alberta (with the promise of three nights in a row of full houses). We got Sled Island’s Zak Pashak on board to help with Calgary and we spent the next few months assembling some of Canada’s very best fringe music acts.
Chris Adeney, known to most as Wax Mannequin, is one of my favourite Canadian musicians (besides Leeroy Stagger and Bryan Adams). Though I haven’t seen many bands lately, his shows make me suffer The Slice at least once a year. And that time is almost at hand, as he comes to Lethbridge on March 31 as part of his “Hear Some Evil” tour with The Burning Hell.
Wax Mannequin was born in the smoke and industry of Hamilton; a damaged, underdog town; a perfect breeding ground for strange, variant things. Incorporating folk, scrappy prog-metal and a tireless creative ethic, Wax infused his local influences with road-broken experience to forge something unsettlingly new.
While at the fashion show last Friday, I discovered a cool Lethbridge DJ who goes by the moniker of Sleepy Head. Evangelos Lambrinoudis is his real name and he spins electro-experimental beats, or something like that. Just listen:
Hey, does anyone remember Suede and that time Lady Gaga played there? Yeah, I heard that show lasted about 20 minutes. 20 minutes of AWESOME. Look what I dug up:
It’s almost like I was there, staring at her crotch.
My friend Leeroy Stagger emailed to let me know that Kevin Kane (Grapes of Wrath) is playing with the Necessities at Henotic tonight at 9:30PM. It’s Friday, so come start your weekend right!
I came across this great song by The Rural Alberta Advantage the other day. It’s called “The Dethbridge in Lethbridge.” Just listen:
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To listen to more of their music, head over to CBC Radio 3.
I’ve previously written about my friend Leeroy Stagger, who had recently been touring Germany to promote his album, "Everything is Real."
An insider source, DL, posted an iTunes-ready live recording of Leeroy Stagger & The Wildflowers, from when they played at Laboratorium in Stuttgart on October 23, 2009.
You can get the free tracks here (they’re amazing quality). And if you like what you hear, I suggest you support independent music and buy one Leeroy Stagger’s albums!
Also, his wife is a great hairstylist and she’s cutting my hair today. Just thought I’d throw that out there.
Danny Michel, who produced Leeroy Stagger‘s album “Beautiful House,” will be playing at The Slice tonight at 9:30PM. Last night, Leeroy joined him on stage, so if you’re lucky lightning might strike twice again!
Last year, the rooftops of Henotic were rocked from 
Chris Adeney, known to most as 
My friend 
Danny Michel
