By Amanda Hu
Midterms are upon us and stress is buzzing across campus. Luckily enough, there are some amazing shows to keep everyone sane enough to make it to reading break.
Cadence Weapon (Rollie Pemberton), the rapper that indie kids are allowed to love, hits the awesome Marquee Room on Oct. 2 with Woodhands. Pemberton is still riding on the accolades of his latest album, Afterparty Babies, and being signed to Anti- Records. Woodhands has also seen great success of late, headlining this year’s POP Montreal Festival and after their stop in Calgary, will head to the Halifax Pop Explosion for more awesomeness. The weekend also sees action as Juno artist Alex Cuba takes to the Grand on Oct. 4.
Folk favourite Iron and Wine visits the MacEwan Ballroom on Oct. 8 to impart guitar-driven tunes on eager listeners. Samuel Beam– the man behind the name– made a musical departure with The Shepherd’s Dog and fans are likely raring to hear this and some of his older material at the show. The subdued sounds continue when the Acorn shares headlining duties with Ohbijou at Broken City on Oct. 10. The groups will tour together until Nov. 29, so there are plenty of opportunities to catch up if you miss them now.
For those who need a little amp up and unadulterated gypsy fun, Gogol Bordello is coming to MacEwan Hall on Oct. 14. Those attending the show need to remember to dress as if they are P.T. Barnum’s main attraction.
The less circus-inclined can check out Calgary indie sweetheart Feist at the Saddledome on Oct. 18 with guests Hayden. Don’t ask her what kind of iPod she has. She won’t like it. If you’re looking to stick a little closer to campus, you can see Brad Hougham at the Eckhardt-Gramatte Hall as part of the music department’s Celebrity Series Concert performing “Lyric Baritone” on Oct. 17 and 18. The Saskatchewan native has a wide range of musical experiences under his belt, from adjudicating Kiwanis in Calgary to teaching vocal performance in Spoleto, Italy.
The Saddledome will play host to the ultimate show of ultimates on Oct. 19 with Neil Young and Death Cab For Cutie. After that epic show, everyone will probably need some time to wind down and will have a great chance with funk favourites Bedouin Soundclash and Hey Ocean! at Mac Hall on Oct. 24. Both groups made the trip out to Calgary in the past few months, so it’s likely that people are raring for more.
Our city’s indie prince, Chad VanGaalen will stop by the Marquee Room on Oct. 25 in support of his latest album, Soft Airplanes. The Subpop signee has been a busy boy, producing the critically acclaimed debut effort from Women in addition to his own work. There’s definitely some similarities when it comes to both projects’ aesthetics.
Throatsinging wonder Tanya Tagaq will bring her unconventional sounds to the Ironwood on Oct. 27. She’s received a lot of acclaim, channeling an Inuit tradition and bringing it to the mainstream, making her stop in Calgary definitely something to look forward to.