Despite Some Big Setbacks, Calgary’s All-Ages Music Scene is Promising

All photos courtesy of author

At just over 110 years old, Calgary is one of Canada’s youngest cities. It’s a place that’s been able to boast a burgeoning economy even with the recent recession; a diverse and multicultural population; and Naheed Nenshi, who was dubbed “the best mayor in the world.” It’s also home to an ever-growing music and arts scene that doesn’t seem like it’s slowing down anytime soon, especially considering that Calgary ranked second in the world in terms of the growth rate of the number of children aged 14 and under (18.4 per cent), with the median age being a notably young 36.4 years. But for such a young and growing community, it seems that the city still struggles with establishing a proper all-ages music scene.

New Black—Calgary’s oldest dedicated all-ages venue—closed down in 2013, leaving the city with only two locations dedicated to live all-ages music: The National Music Centre and Tubby Dog. With a growing population and only two music venues to accommodate the influx of bands, the scarcity of venues makes it difficult for prospective artists to immerse themselves into the local music scene. “When you’re young, you definitely need that outlet — especially a safe place to play and enjoy music with friends; It’s sad that it’s so heavily regulated by the city,” admonishes Kaleem Khan of Shaani Cage. “I remember hosting a show,” recalls Liam O’Neill Gordon, founder of Tiny Beast Collective. “The police came and shut it down when right next to us was a bar who had people that were twice as loud as us, and they didn’t do a thing. It’s like they don’t trust the youth.”

Although cafes offer open mics and a few shows here and there, it isn’t the same as performing on a stage — the atmosphere is quite different, too. “Things get tougher when you’re young and you don’t have a place to channel that creative energy,” says Khan. “You’re more likely to go to a house show [which are also difficult to plan and organize, occurring sporadically at best] — but those are unregulated and lack any proper supervision.” While that might seem cool, unregulated environments for the youth aren’t always the safest.

For Megan Kirk, artist and co-owner of Tubby Dog, she explains the problem is just a part of a continuous cycle. “The all-ages scene has always gone through ebbs and flows in this city,” she says. “What used to be a problem is that everybody just wanted to get out of Calgary,” she says. “You know, you’re young, angsty, and you see all these bands in Vancouver, Montreal, and Toronto blowing up. So, as soon as you hit that age where you can leave, you do it and you go and become part of another scene and the rest of the younger kids are left to pick up the pieces.” And, while that might not seem to be that big of a problem, the lack of resources and the sudden burden of carrying the responsibilities of their predecessors, according to Kirk, was one of the main reasons why many venues in Calgary are left in disarray, existing for at least a year or two before vanishing.

Vandalism and underage drinking also pose a major problem for many establishments hoping to cater to the all-ages crowd. “Obviously it’s the fault of the people that attend those shows who behave in that manner, but that’s part of the age group as well. It’s a learning curve for everybody growing up.” Aside from the support from the community, a big reason why Tubby Dog is continuously able to host all-ages events is due to the fact that much of their revenue comes from food sales, meaning they don’t need to be a venue to be financially successful—an issue that plagued the New Black. “It’s a labour of love,” she says of hosting the rare show. “The all-ages scene has a sweet spot in my heart. It means so much to me because it was a place you could go and fit in; It’s an [environment] where you can be who you wanted to be and hear what you wanted to hear.”

Although venues are sparse, initiatives such as Pint-Sized Collective, and Tiny Beast Collective, ran by people who seek to develop and improve the all-ages scene, are spearheading the growth of new, emerging young artists. Through booking shows, hosting events, offering a recording space, as well as giving them access to numerous other resources that they normally wouldn’t have access to, the scene is already experiencing an improvement. “These kids, they’re the future,” says Gordon. Like Kirk, he has also been heavily involved with Calgary’s music scene for quite some time. “Because of their age, they can use these resources that I offer much more efficiently than I can. I mean, it’s pretty hard for a 14 year old to get a Tascam [recording device].”

“If you give the youth resources and the trust that they normally wouldn’t have, they’re capable of doing something good,” he says.

While issues regarding underage drinking, vandalism, as well as the scarcity of dedicated all-age music venues poses a significant problem Calgary’s music scene, the cycle is starting to flow, albeit gradually. Initiatives such as Tiny Beast Collective are providing the resources that the scene so desperately needs in order to grow and flourish. And, while the National Music Centre and Tubby Dog are the only all-ages venues available — for now — it doesn’t seem like they’re going away anytime soon. The only thing we can do now is be optimistic, and maybe lend a helping hand too.

Nikki Celis is a journalist based in Calgary, Canada. - @celisnikki