We gratefully attended the opening of the 2024 run of Rock The Nation at Studio Bell - The National Music Centre, this past Friday night. Featuring an all-star lineup of Calgary based musicians, this is an incredible deep-dive into Canada's popular music from the 1950s onwards! Over the next 3+ months this production will run every weekend at Canada's National Music Centre - which just so happens to be a cornerstone institution here on The Music Mile. We sang and bopped along to classics like, "Sugar, Sugar", by the famed Andy Kim, to other classics like, "Sweet City Woman", from Calgary's own The Stampeders, and many other nods to legendary Canadian artists from the past to present day.
There is something special about a production like this - not only is Rock The Nation set to provide stable income for some incredible musicians, but it helps provide additional work for the many back of house, front of house and production teams that assist with making a show like this happen... and of course: most of those folks live right here in Calgary. That is something that is valuable right now in an ever changing economy and job front for artists and tech/production teams.
This is not just about stable jobs and economy growth within NMC, this also brings an incredible tourism opportunity that "The Mile" will benefit from. Programming like Rock The Nation allows families, friends, tourists, and anyone with a desire to be fully immersed in our Canadian pop history. And why not make a day of it?! Plan for a delicious brunch at any one of our fabulous Inglewood and East Village eateries, catch the show, and end the night with a cocktail, dinner and a show at The King Eddy, right across the street from the National Music Centre.
We invite you to come down and celebrate our diverse musical history, right here on "The Mile". More information can be found here: ROCK THE NATION!
Featured Musicians:
Lisa Julie Jacobs
Lisette Xavier
Kate Melvina
Zoe Theodorou
Ben Montgomery
Graham Ko
Matty McKay
Event Description:
About Rock the Nation
Rock the Nation is a celebration of over 50 years of Canadian music, featuring songs from the ‘60s to present day that inspired, moved, comforted, and challenged a country. It’s the soundtrack to generations and a musical reflection of a country’s evolution; a nation intent on building its own unique identity in a rapidly changing world. Experience it all live on stage, and journey through the decades by revisiting songs and music made famous by Paul Anka, the Guess Who, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Maestro Fresh Wes, k.d. lang, Avril Lavigne, Shania Twain, Drake, The Weeknd, and so many more.
Photos Captured by @frecklefacemediaco - our social media manager.
