MUSIC PREVIEW: The Stream Must Go On!
Alberta’s own Corb Lund (below, right) is still scheduled to play live and in-person at the Jubilee Auditorium on Monday, May 4. They’re still selling tickets – but like many events upcoming, no one really knows what’s happening and what’s not.
Meanwhile, undaunted, our cosmic cowboy is staging a live-stream concert on Instagram Live – just by himself from his home near Calgary, at 5 pm Wednesday, March 25, and at the same time on Friday, March 27.
Known for combining the best of both city mouse and country mouse wisdom, and a penchant for post-apocalyptic pondering (his song Gettin’ Down on the Mountain is basically a list of things you should know how to do to survive “when the oil runs out”), Lund is weeks away from the release of his latest album, Agricultural Tragic.
He’s not only artist doing live stream shows. There are literally hundreds to choose from as this COVID-19 lockdown continues.
Of course it’s going to be weird. Live streams are not even close to the experience of attending a live concert. It may be helpful as you watch to remember that most of them are happening in real time. No retakes. (That Metallica Monday thing? These are PRE-recorded concerts being RE-streamed. DOESN’T COUNT!) For extra authenticity, dump a beer over your head, and take all the money out of your wallet and burn it. Better yet, donate it to the artists. They need it.
The biggest online Canadian music festival this weekend is the Diesel Bird Digital Music Festival – “a live concert from a safe social distance” – Saturday and Sunday, March 28-29, starting at noon each day. It will stream on Instagram Live. The rootsy, country-ish bill includes Big Sugar (top photo), Wide Mouth Mason, Terri Clark, Edmonton’s own Dungarees, and Carolyn Dawn Johnson, plus a metric tonne of singer-songwriters in what looks like more 50 different acts. Presumably they’re each going to be playing from their respective homes – so the directors are going to have their hands full wrangling 50 different live streaming events over two entire days.
(Now might be a good time to get your Internet tech updated. Step 1: Sign up for Instagram and Facebook, if you haven’t already. You can always delete them later.)
Coming soon from Edmonton artists:
Ben Sures – Friday, March 27 at 6 pm on Facebook Live. A versatile singer-songwriter-author-artist gifted with a wry sense of humour, Ben will play an hour-long set on location at the Riverdale Recorders studio, with sound by Scott Franchuk, “and my back up and far away singer Stephanie Suchy” on vocals and percussion. There is a donation option.
(Members of) the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra – Thursday, March 26 at 2 pm (Facebook Live), from the Winspear Centre, with principle cellist Rafael Hoekman, and conductor Jeremy Spurgeon on piano in a real legit power duo.
Celeigh Cardinal Trio – Friday, March 27 at 1 pm, (Facebook Live) – This firebrand rock ‘n’ soul singer and her band (right) will be playing live (from home) and premiering a new video.
Starlite Sessions with Sticks and Stone – Wednesday, March 25 at 7 pm, from the Starlite Room. You can’t go wrong with an online marimba concert. Something different. Check the Starlite Sessions website for updates and announcements of future live streaming events.
FemFolk UK – While based in the UK, hence the name, this platform is dedicated to featuring the music of female, non-binary, trans and intersex artists worldwide. They’re doing two daily Facebook Live streaming concerts March 26-April 3, 8 pm and 9 pm mountain time, featuring a number of Edmonton artists, including Maddie Storvold, Billie Zizi, Stephanie Urquhart, and more. The Western Canadian acts have been curated by local singer Mallory Chipman, granddaughter of the late Tommy Banks. FemFolk UK is donor-supported, too.
There are a number of good resources for finding live stream concerts. For particular interest to Edmonton, there’s a great new website called Yeg Streams that just popped up a few days ago. It’s run by local musician Dave Von Bieker, who like so many musicians suddenly found himself with no source of income.
“This site is part of how I’m ‘making lemonade,’” he says on his FAQ. All services on Yeg Streams are free – and once again there’s an option to donate.
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