Wednesday, 24 February 2021
Nandos - The Montessori Files (2021)
Tuesday, 23 February 2021
Antisocial Club - 7 Songs/Live at CJSW (2020)
Medicine Hat's Wasted Wax has been putting out a pile of great stuff in recent years (don't sleep on their Spastic Panthers comp or the new ep from River Jacks spin off Quit It!), and somehow we missed grabbing a copy of this posthumous tape from Antisocial Club last year. Oh, yeah, we know why we missed this - the pandemic.
The A side of this tape was recorded in 2007 with Casey Lewis; the B side is from CJSW circa 2005. In some ways the trio's brash punk feels like it's absolutely from that era, but in other ways it kind of feels timeless. Antisocial Club is a juggernaut, with songs crashing through at breakneck speeds, clocking in at two minutes max. Amazing.
The physical tape is limited to 50 copies, available via Wasted Wax; downloads are at the Antisocial Club bandcamp.
Monday, 22 February 2021
Yankee Yankee - Segments (2014)
Last year, before things went goofy and live music became a non-thing, Whitney Ota had just started performing his improvisational electronica under his own name, rather than as Yankee Yankee. Po-tay-toe, po-tot-oe. This is an excellent, evolving set of synthesis that really makes us yearn for the return of live music (especially Bug Incision shows).
It looks like the Unit Structure Sound Recordings distro is gone, but you can grab the download via their bandcamp.
Sunday, 21 February 2021
XV Olympic Winter Games Organizing Committee - Come Together In Calgary
Well, here's a random tape from the shelves at Hot Wax. What? Who? Why? These are all questions we have. In general, but also specifically about this tape. We haven't been able to figure out who the authors/artists behind this is - all we know is that this tune was dubbed the official theme of the 1988 Winter Olympics. Says the Canadian Encyclopedia:
The official theme song 'Come Together in Calgary,' first recorded in 1981, was re-recorded in 1988 and incorporated into the film score of Calgary 88: Soon the Glory Begins. The LP Dream on the Horizon: A Tribute to the Olympic Spirit featured Rik Emmet of Triumph, Liona Boyd, and Alex Lifeson of Rush, and was produced by Keith Elshaw (Chartwell WSC-331).
That doesn't really help us. Are these three versions the re-recorded versions or the 1981 versions? Who knows.
Ah, well - relive the glory here.
Saturday, 20 February 2021
Gordie West - My Calgary Home
There was great debate in the CCPS offices about whether to label this tape as Miscellany, as it wasn't recorded (or released?) anywhere near Calgary. But it looks like Gordie West was born and raised near Calgary, and returned here in the 90s after spending the late 70s and 80s in the UK - where we think this tape is from.
West bills himself as the Calgary Cowboy, and this tape shows why - while he's playing the tunes of country legends like Wilf Carter and Gene Autry (with a few of West's own tunes in the mix), he's managed to find a pile of songs that, well, reference Calgary. Which we totally appreciate - keep an eye out here in coming weeks/months for dives into both Calgary-themed songs AND songs that exploit the Calgary Stampede. The odd part of this is the amount of chorus pedal on the electric guitars.
Friday, 19 February 2021
Josef - Just Because... (1997)
Thursday, 18 February 2021
Ivan Daines - Ivan (1981)
Here's a fun thing that we didn't know existed until we found it in a local record store's crowded cheapo room... we knew this was released on vinyl (our copy is signed by Mr. Daines!), but it looks like this is also a Doug Wong Music cassette release - which we think is a fairly rare thing. We'll go down a Doug Wong Music rabbit hole later, though...
Ivan Daines is a rodeo star-turned country musician - that Calgary Stampede poster is the legit 1981 item, with Daines on a bucking bronco.
Wednesday, 17 February 2021
Karen Cunningham - Songs By Karen Cunningham (1991)
Ah! We're not through the Sundae Sound content! We actually have stuff from TWO MORE BOXES in the wings. But first, we're going to catch up with a few tapes that have come into the CCPS collection in recent months. And the first of those was, well, recorded at Sundae Sound (and produced by Rob Bartlett)!
We tried to find out a bit more about Karen Cunningham, but kind of hit a dead end - other than ads for her and her band playing around town at venues like the Highlander Hotel's Royal Scot Ballroom. Also, our scanner could not process the neon green paper this cover is printed on - we could have taken a photo, but we're lazy. And Gene's no help with this one - he says this tape makes him want to go listen to early Kirsty MacColl Records.
Monday, 15 February 2021
Various - Sundae Sound Sampler
Well, the time had to come. We're at the end of the tapes from Sundae Sound. We really thank Rob Bartlett for reaching out to us, this has been really fun and weird to go through.
So we're going to end with something equally fun - this is a sampler tape from the studio - 15 minutes of snippets of tracks they recorded, intended (we assume) to showcase their abilities. It's pretty great - pop, country, rock, metal, new wave... this covers it all. Just like that studio did.
Sunday, 14 February 2021
Larry Lee and Straight Clean and Simple - Larry Lee and Straight Clean and Simple (1993)
Ah! We can tell you something about this Sundae Sound tape! It's by Larry Vannatta, who is a proven songwriter and was awarded songwriter of the year by the European Country Music Association (ECMA) in 2011. He is a two-time Canadian Juno nominee and was nominated for best male artist and fan choice award by the Association of Country Music in Alberta. Yes, we DID steal that from his youtube page!
Saturday, 13 February 2021
Paul Faber - Paul Faber (1998)
We swear we're going to be able to do something other than post tapes we have no info for... someday. But, we have nothing on Paul Faber, so today is not that day.
Sigh.
Friday, 12 February 2021
Melody Dawn - Melody Dawn
Ah, another day, another letdown of a post from the CCPS. We couldn't find anything about Melody Dawn either.
Well, at least we're being consistent.
Thursday, 11 February 2021
Jack Jackson - Jack Jackson
We're kind of letting you down with a few of these Sundae Sound tapes. Who is Jack Jackson? Why did he make this gospel country tape?
We have no answers, just downloads.
Wednesday, 10 February 2021
Kristopher Bonnett - The Oldest Trick In The Book
Next up! Kristopher Bonnett and a one-track tape (same song both sides) - we can tell you NOTHING about this one, sadly.
At least we've got the download.
Tuesday, 9 February 2021
Kickstart - Kickstart (1998)
Monday, 8 February 2021
Myrol & Myrol - Myrol & Myrol (1992)
Sunday, 7 February 2021
Various - Alberta Dreams (1990)
Saturday, 6 February 2021
Various - A Cure For Christmas
Thursday, 4 February 2021
Wild Rose All-Stars - Wild Rose All-Stars (1992)
Of all the genres of music we're always surprised to hear in Calgary, Dixieland jazz is the surprising-est. Maybe it's the vast difference in our climate from New Orleans'? Anyways, this of standards and favourites by the Wild Rose All-Stars is the spiritual if not literal successor to the Westmount Records nugget New Orleans North. Oh, did we tell you that the CCPS collection has started to reach across all years, genres, and formats? It a storage and cataloguing crisis in the making.
But don't let that distract you from this tape!