Posted On: Oct. 27, 2021
Back To Live: Calgary
BreakOut West is thrilled to be Back To Live! After more than a year off-stage, musicians are finally returning to live performances and BreakOut West is celebrating with a five-week series of concerts, speaking engagements, and digital content from some of the best the western Canadian music industry has to offer.
Join us in Calgary at the Palomino for this free event featuring performances by Mariya Stokes, Wyatt C. Louis, and Selci! Also, arrive early for a discussion about the return to live music in Winnipeg!
RSVP for back to live - Calgary
Schedule
6:00 PM - Doors
7:00 PM - Back to Live Conference
8:00 PM - Wyatt C. Louis
9:45 PM - JayWood
Performers
Wyatt C. Louis
Wyatt C. Louis is a nêhiyaw singer-songwriter based in Moh'kinstsís (Calgary, Alta.) on Treaty 7 Territory. Louis has made an impact on the eclectic city with songs built from soaring melodies, railroad-like finger picking and quiet, haunting vocals. Dark, rustic tales meld folk and soulful blues to tell tales of love, loss and the journey home. Louis’ 2020 release, 'Dancing with Sue' evokes the feeling of nostalgia, and yearning for the times in our lives where we feel the happiest and most free. Captured effortlessly through warm tones and colourful songwriting. The song is the first piece of a debut record. This year, CBC’s Reclaimed included them on the Indigenous Artists to Watch in 2021 list.
Selci
An artist who makes music that is just as moving as the message, Arlo Maverick’s cerebral rhymes are an expression of his own struggles and realities. Weaving brainy wit into his wordplay and far-reaching influences from soul to drum'n'bass and trap to jazz, Maverick’s music explores race, relationships, mental health, and his personal reflections on the current state of the world. Central to Edmonton’s hip-hop scene as a founding member of underground rap crew Politic Live, Arlo Maverick continues to navigate his own evolution as a solo artist, while also acting as a big brother and mentor to those coming up in his community. A multiple Western Canadian Music Award-nominated artist, Maverick has charted on national U.S. and Canadian campus radio, and garnered praise from outlets, such as CBC, PopMatters, Exclaim, Hip Hop Canada, Edmonton Journal, and VICE in 2017 for his quest to save Edmonton’s overlooked rap scene. In the last four years, Maverick has also taken his music abroad to showcases in countries such as the Netherlands, England, Estonia, South Korea, and Wales.
Mariya Stokes
If Kacey Musgraves and Meghan Trainor had a country-soul love-child, the result would be Calgary, Canada-based Country Music Alberta's two-time reigning Female Artist of the Year, Mariya Stokes. From hosting the 2020 CMAB Awards Show alongside the legendary George Canyon to playing guitar and opening for Ru-Pauls Drag Race superstar Trixie Mattel, Stokes always appears where you'd least expect her. Stokes' 2019 feel-good debut,"Hands on My Body," pushed country music boundaries with an R&B feel and sex-positive lyrics. Her second single, "Christmas, Arizona," landed in the Top 100 on the BDS Canadian Holiday Chart and was followed by a vulnerable, heart-wrenching ballad: "Rebound." Released in October 2020, “Rebound” was featured across Canada as the "Next Big Thing" on the Casey Clarke Country Countdown and has over 100,000 streams on Spotify. Her current single, "Break My Heart," is a laid-back, pop-country feminist anthem produced by Juno Award-winners Spencer Cheyne and Justin Kudding. A seasoned performer, she has opened for Doc Walker, Jocelyn Alice, and Jann Arden and was one of three artists selected to work with 19-time CCMA winner Terri Clark at National Music Centre's RBC Master in Residence program in 2019. In addition, Stokes' was the 2019 runner-up in Project WILD, a country-focused artist development program run by WILD 95.3 FM (Calgary) and Alberta Music.
Speakers
Christine Rogerson - Alberta Music
Christine Rogerson has been working in the music industry in various capacities, professional and volunteer, for nearly twenty years! Christine is the interim Executive Director for the Alberta Music Industry Association, representing and serving the Alberta music community through the management of the organization’s programming, advocacy, and export initiatives. Most recently, Christine was a Festival Manager for Live Nation Canada and responsible for the management and production of festivals including Chasing Summer, Round Up Music Festival, Oxford Stomp, and Center of Gravity. Prior to Live Nation, Christine managed the national operations for Union Events, Canada’s largest independent concert promoter, and aided the company in achieving key developmental milestones including its expansion to four offices across Canada, enhancing the programming capacity and launch of festival properties, and growing the staff team and operational capacity. Before Union Events, while working as the Senior Manager of Programming and Venues at the University of Alberta (Students’ Union), Christine ran for and successfully joined the Alberta Music Board of Directors. In this capacity, she served on the Board for eight terms, including three terms as President. She also joined the Board of the Western Canadian Music Alliance and has served for 14 years. Christine has been proud to contribute to many events, sit on committees and focus groups, speak on conference panels, mentor and spend time with emerging artists and industry, consult and assist on grant applications, and generally give back to an industry that has given her so much in her career.
Stephanie Hutchinson - Chronograph Records / YYC Music Awards / Arts Commons
Stephanie Hutchinson is the Vice President and co-founder of JUNO Award-winning independent label Chronograph Records. With 15+ years’ experience in the music industry, her skillset is comprised of label operations, artist management, grant writing, public relations, marketing strategy and execution, booking, finance and business development. She has worked with artists such as Laila Biali, Poor Nameless Boy, PEAR, 100 mile house, as well as a jazz roster of 25+ artists. She also runs the Presenting portfolio at Arts Commons, Canada’s third largest arts centre, and is the Program Director and Producer for the YYC Music Awards.
Amanda Burgener - Curbside Concerts
Amanda is the co-founder of Curbside Concerts, a Calgary-based company that delivers live music right to your sidewalk. With a mandate for equality, safety, and mental health, Curbside Concerts has kept live music in neighbourhoods, and local musicians working throughout the pandemic and beyond. In the first year of business, Curbside has seen incredible growth, media attention, and even award nominations from YYC Music, WCMA, and Music Cities International. Most importantly, they have paid out over $250,000 to music workers in Canada. With a background in the Arts (BMus from University of Calgary), events, and local business management, she combines creativity with a desire to uplift her community. A citizen of the Métis Nation of Alberta, Amanda has roots not only in her home province, but across Canada as well. She is proud to foster inclusiveness and an Indigenous lens in her company.
Shawn Petsche - Sled island Music & Arts Festival
Shawn Petsche’s split life as festival manager for the Sled Island Music & Arts Festival, guitar player for Calgary rock & roll bands Napalmpom, Self-Cut Bangs and Sequiturs (and formerly The Adam Brown out of Montreal) and ex-life as visual arts and marketing coordinator for the Pop Montréal International Music Festival suggests he's somehow found a way to do what he loves.
Beni Johnson - 10@10
As a culture builder, Beni Johnson was recently awarded Calgary’s Top 40 Under 40 class of 2015 by Avenue Magazine. He has developed some of the most respected and unique cultural entertainment experiences in the urban arts community, including Say Word, REWIND Party Series, Feedback Friday and the Obsidian Awards. He is most recognized for his work as founder of the 10 at 10 showcase, Calgary’s biggest platform for hip hop music and culture but as an artist, his rap group “The Humble Giants” was recently selected as one of only a handful of Canadians to perform at SXSW (South by South West). Motivated by his own personal mantra, “let’s build”, Beni Johnson has built communities for enthusiasts and artists of all disciplines to meet, collaborate and, above all, celebrate the positive spirit that a true growing city embodies.