Musicians playing their hearts out to save Calgary's iconic 'Blues Can'

Online fundraiser helps Blues Can stay alive The Blues Can has been shut down for 14 months due to the pandemic. An online fundraisers hopes to keep them alive. Mark Villani reports.

CALGARY — Musicians are picking up their guitars, playing the keys and singing with soul to save one of Calgary’s most iconic hotspots for live bands and nightlife.

The Blues Can, located in the heart of Inglewood, has been shut down for 14 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but an online fundraiser hopes to raise enough revenue to keep the business alive.

“The struggles are obvious to everybody because we’re not allowed to have any business and we haven’t had full capacity since the pandemic began,” said Blues Can owner, Gregory Smith.

“The bills don’t stop but the income does, so you end up in a situation where you’re working a deficit so the financial support has kept up alive, but it still falls a bit short and nobody thought this would last this long.”

In an effort to keep his livelihood alive, Smith and his staff members create the ‘Blues-A-Thon’ – a three-day virtual fundraiser running Friday to Sunday featuring a 54-hour continuous pre-recorded live stream of blues bands and an on-line auction.

The marathon event is free to view on the Blues Can website where donations will also be accepted.

“We’re attempting to raise $50,000 and that will only see us to the fall, so if we fall short we’re only good until July maybe and then we don’t have any options.”

Smith opened the Blues Can in 2010 at the site of the old Ironwood Stage and Grill as a way to fill a void left by the closure of the King Eddy back in 2004.

The Eddy has since re-opened, but expanding the blues scene was always the goal to create greater engagement amongst local artists and fans of the music.

The lineup for the Blues Can fundraiser features some of Calgary’s key players in the music scene, including Peter and the Wolves, the Sadlier Brown Band, Amy Hef and Tim Williams just to name a few.

Local musician Tom Phillips is also participating in the fundraiser.

He says live music is essential for bringing people together and described venues like the Blues Can as a second home.

“People come down here every Tuesday or every Saturday for the jam and it is a real sense of community of people who love music and like to share it.

“It’s just the energy that comes from those people on stage and this place is just one of the nicest on earth and the sound is fantastic and clear as a bell.”

The Blues Can hasn’t held a live music event since March 2020, where upwards of 150 people would show up to support local bands, along with the local business.

ALBERTA LIVE MUSIC INDUSTRY IN NEED OF SUPPORT

A recent report released by Alberta-based West Anthem suggests the live music and touring industry in Canada is worth $3 billion and employs nearly 21,000 people.

The Canadian Live Music Association has also reported that up to 60 per cent of the hardest-hit venues across the country could close without additional financial support.

Some local Calgary venues that have already closed their doors include Ranchman’s, the HiFi Club and Oak Tree Tavern.

Other venues like the Ironwood Stage & Grill worry that they could be next, so they have adapted to share their music with community members in Inglewood through an event called ‘Iron Windows.’

Every Saturday and Sunday, the venue features a new musician from 2 to 4 p.m. that will play in the store front window so others can watch and listen safely behind the glass.

Owner Patrick MacIntyre says it’s a way to still present music and let others know that musicians still need support.

“I did this thinking that it would support local music, but I realized that I needed it, the musicians needed it and the community needed it,” he said.

“It means a lot and we’re being cautious so if crowds get too big, we get the musician to take a break but it shows that people do look forward to these sessions each week.”