Calgary

Calgary Songs Project to build retrospective mixtape

In celebration of its 30th anniversary, the High Performance Rodeo wants you to submit your favourite songs penned by Calgary musicians over the last 30 years.

Public asked to submit favourite songs by Calgary artists from last 30 years

From left: Jann Arden, Feist and Paul Brandt have all called the Calgary area home. (Canadian PRess/YouTube)

Calgary musicians Jann Arden, Paul Brandt and Feist have all churned out big hits over the last three decades.

  • What's your favourite Calgary song? Leave your pick in the comments section below.

But have you ever heard of Skinbarn? The Calgary punk band recorded the song Another Day in the '90s, which got a fair amount of airplay on local radio stations.

Though more obscure than Insensitive or Mushaboom, the tune could still make the final cut of the Calgary Songs Project.

"There's just like, all this music, that — even though I've been a part of this scene since the early 2000s — I'm learning a lot," local musician Kenna Burima said in an interview with CBC Radio's The Calgary Eyeopener.

She and Arif Ansari of the Calgary Cassette Preservation Society are curating a playlist of 30 songs written by Calgary musicians in the last 30 years.

The project celebrates both the 30th anniversary of the High Performance Rodeo and local talent from different genres, gender and culture.

Calgary musician Kenna Burima is one of the curators of the Calgary Songs Project. (Submitted)

The public is being asked to submit their favourite songs, and Burima says you should just "go with your gut" if you're having a tough time narrowing things down.

The mixtape will be revealed in January on the opening night of the rodeo, and that evening Burima will perform a medley of the 30 songs on the Calgary Tower's carillon bells.

"I think it's important to have pretty much the largest instrument in Calgary, the carillon, play the music of Calgarians," said Burima.

A recording of the playlist will ring from the tower during the lunch hour on weekdays throughout the month of January and Calgary bands will do covers of the songs at a wrap-up concert at the Royal Canadian Legion #1.

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