I'm going to age myself, but back in the day Calgary's music scene was pretty good for a small Canadian outpost. Joni Mitchell has already been mentioned, but there's a Calgary connection with Three Dog Night, Floyd Sneed being their drummer for a number of years. He was a terribly under rated drummer and a joy to watch.
Calgary produced a number of good bands during the 70s. 49th Parallel, Hammersmith, Painter, 451 (Degrees), Quest (Qwest) and Prototype all had radio play across North America. Graham Shaw and Ted Alexander were both really great local talents that saw success in the industry. Closer to the 80s you had Jim Foster and Fosterchild. Paul Janz and Deliverance had a Calgary connection. Can't forget Blvd in 80s. And you can't talk Calgary music without mentioning Jann Arden. Calgary has a great musical tradition, so it is great to see it continued by someone local to the board!
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The Calgary Cassette Preservation Society is dedicated to the digitization of analog recording artifacts by punk, new wave, rock, pop, etc bands of the Calgary region. The Calgary Cassette Preservation Society does not own the rights to any of the recordings we list or link to. These are being offered as a service to those who have lost cassette tapes in moves, weren't wise enough to pick up copies at the time or just like using up bandwidth. Or even just like looking at the j-cards. Whatever you're doing here, thanks for visiting.
Today is a sad one for CJSW and the broader Calgary music community. This morning, we all lost our friend and mentor, Allen Baekeland. Allen, a former CJSW Station Manager and programmer passed away after a battle with cancer.
Allen first walked into CJSW in 1976 and soon began programming a show focusing on the emerging punk and new wave scene that was taking the world by storm. To give further context, this was when CJSW was an on-campus-only phenomena and Calgary was a long ways away from the cosmopolitan epicentres of this new musical and cultural movement.
Fast forward to 1980 where Allen, who was CJSW’s Station Manager, locked himself inside CJSW’s studios to prevent the nascent University of Calgary Student Radio Society from being forced out of their space by the student government of the day. This event was a watershed moment for what would eventually become CJSW 90.9FM. Had Allen not been around to defy the rules, albeit at the expense of his job, it is highly doubtful that CJSW would have ever gained an FM license in 1985 or become the beacon for independent music and culture in Calgary that it has grown into since that fateful April day forty years ago. Calgary band, The Bownesians immortalized Allen’s defiant, modern-day folk heroism in song in 2009.
In 1984, Allen moved to Ontario where he volunteered at CJSW’s sister stations, CKLN and CIUT. Allen met his wife, Jennifer Norfolk while they were both volunteering at CIUT. Allen moved back to Calgary in 1995 and promptly began volunteering at CJSW again. It was not before too long that Allen began hosting The Boot Heel Drag, a show focusing on the best in country music. This show aired Tuesday nights from 1996-2002 on 90.9FM. Allen could still be heard from time to time over the past 18 years sharing his enormous knowledge and love of music on the campus and community radio station that he loved dearly. He was an active and valued volunteer at CJSW to the end, most notably by sitting on the 2019/2020 CJSW Programming Committee.
Simply put, Allen loved music. He was so knowledgeable in so many different genres and styles and had a gift in communicating that to listeners and his fellow CJSW volunteers. Anyone who had the opportunity to hear him host a radio show can attest to how deep his passion for music was. The same can be said for any shavetail CJSW DJ who was afforded the opportunity to learn about such hitherto unknown subjects like Studio One reggae, b-list UK glam or western swing from Allen. We are all so lucky that Allen shared his musical leanings so openly and in so many ways.
Additionally, it must be said that Allen was a very accomplished musician in his own right. He played with The Rembetika Hipsters, The Now Feeling, Lost & Profound, Tom Phillips and many more projects over the course of his remarkable life. Allen was such an adept and versatile player that he was equally at home on stage as a solo act or as a part of a band. He could play everything from honky tonk to psychedelic Greek music and all things imaginable in between. If that wasn’t enough, Allen was a deft songwriter who could just as easily do masterful interpretations of other artists’ songs.
Perhaps the most memorable concert I witnessed Allen play was at last summer’s Coalminer’s Retreat, which is an annual CJSW volunteer event. Allen had sent his regrets that he wasn’t going to be able attend a few days in advance, but ended up surprising us campers and all the patrons of the Last Chance Saloon with an enchanting concert in the badlands of Wayne, Alberta. That night, Allen did what he did best in life - he was sharing his love and talent for music with the world that is now a sorrier place with his passing.
To his wife, Jennifer, brothers Greg, Steve and everyone else who knew and loved Allen, we grieve this loss together. You all have our deepest condolences.
To Allen, thank you for everything you shared with us all during your time here. So long, friend...
Amazing resource on Calgary music history, and thought it might be of interest to some folks here if you haven't seen it before! Lots of radical rock + roll from Calgary during the 60's and 70's to dive into if that's up your alley, including everything from bands (the Esquires, 49th Parallel, etc) to venues, and the whole music scene.
Can anyone shed some light on New Wave bands in Calgary in the 80’s? I have been meaning to look thru the cassette preservation site to see if I can find some local inspiration.
Can anyone shed some light on New Wave bands in Calgary in the 80’s? I have been meaning to look thru the cassette preservation site to see if I can find some local inspiration.
Start with the Nex’d. Tau Ceti. The Cry. Funeral Factory.
I'm probably the only one but I loved local band Zuckerbaby, who actually made it pretty big for a local group. I still remember in high school or junior high the Calgary Herald printed a story about the band requesting fans to come to Beaverbrook High School to be in their new music video.
I was crushed I couldn't go as I had school that day and wasn't the type to skip yet.
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Beyond Possession was a pretty big band in the North American skateboard scene during the 80s. One of the craziest bands I’ve ever seen live. It was scary and exciting at the same time
Working on another project - can you help identify local artists (past and present) who are University of Calgary alumni? I have 5-6 names to start with, and I'm sure there must be many more.
The YYC music awards nominees list came out and I finally made it! My single "YYC Ruckus" is up for Rap Recording of the year, but enough about me, I thought you guys would like to see the list
