Music

Hangman Pencil Co. release their album, As Dark As It Seems at the Ironwood Stage & Grill May 31. For information, visit ironwoodstage.ca

Festival Hall, the 200-seat venue owned and operated by the Folk Festival Society of Calgary — the same people who bring you the annual summer Folk Music Festival — officially opened in January 2013 after some “soft opening” events the year before.

Three years of filming, 24 global locations, hundreds of whales including humpbacks, belugas, narwhals, orcas and sperm whales, and the world-renowned expertise of explorer and photographer Brian Skerry and Academy Award-winning filmmaker James Cameron have all gone into making the National Geographic series, Secrets of Whales.

Alberta singer/songwriters John Wort Hannam and T. Buckley come together in a new duo. Years ago, at a now-defunct songwriting contest jointly produced by the Calgary Folk Fest and The Ship & Anchor, master songwriter John Wort Hannam first heard Calgary’s T. Buckley (Tim), who would become his future writing companion in their duo The Woodshed.

Leonard and Joni: The Untold Love Story, at the Jube. Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen are two of Canada’s most iconic and beloved singer songwriters, each of whom mined their own biographies for their songs.

Heartstrings & Honky Tonks comes to Studio Bell. Across North America’s grain belt, an endless supply of songs drift from radios at roundups, fairs and during miles of open highway, marking the passage of time as those miles and events repeat perennially to an evolving soundtrack.

Lund’s 10th studio album is a DIY winner. With his latest album, Alberta treasure Corb Lund returns to familiar themes like card playing, war (think Horse Soldier!), and Western capers.

Shows That Will Thaw Your Cold Heart. The Calgary Folk Fest’s Block Heater takes place February 15 to 17, featuring 12 events, seven venues, and 27 artists.

Thinking about the past while building the future. There’s a sense of optimism glaringly evident in “Your Friendly Neighbourhood Rapper” KTheChosen, also known as Thabo Chinake.

Dean Clarke and Rob Faust PHOTO: ROB FAUSTInfluential Calgary DJ’s love of music, love of life will be sorely missed. (Ed. Note: In August, Calgary lost one of its pioneering DJs, Dean Clarke.