It is an even busier week than usual in Lethbridge thanks to some high profile events happening on the weekend, July 26-29.
 The 2012 Alberta Summer Games kick off in Lethbridge, July 26 with opening ceremonies at the Enmax Centre featuring special guests, Vancouver based group Delhi 2 Dublin.
They are stoked about opening the 2012 Summer Games in Lethbridge, July 26 in the Enmax Centre, but it won’t be the first high profile gig that have played.
 Their music combines a lot of different influences including hip hop, electronica plus Irish and Indian folk music.

If you are going to be at any of the event, pause for a breath of air and listen to a variety of Lethbridge musicians who will be playing throughout the weekend at each venue.

 Another big event takes place in the Enmax Centre, July 25 with Creedence Clearwater Revisited, who play July 25 with special gusts, Double Jack. Creedence Clearwater Revisited features original CCR bassist Stu Cook and drummer Doug ‘Cosmo” Clifford with lead singer/rhythm guitar player John Tristao, lead guitarist Kurt Griffey and keyboardist Steve Gunner.  Tickets for the show at $65. it is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m.

 If you like your blues mixed with your rock, then Winnipeg’s Romi Mayes with lead guitarist Jay Nowicki will be performing at the Slice, July 28. They have just released their first official video for “Lucky Tonight,” the title track off their latest CD.

Lately they have been staying close to home however she and guitarist Jay Nowicki have been far from idle. They have been playing a plethora of gigs around Manitoba and have just released their first official video for their song “Lucky Tonight,” the title track off their latest CD.
There is a $10 cover for the show, which will begin at 9 p.m.

Ottawa based hard rock/ grunge band Project Mars are enjoying their first tour across western Canada with Riding Shotgun.
 They stop by the Front Row Pub, July 28.
“ So far, it’s been a lot of high energy shows. It will be a high energy rock show that will be well worth coming out to,” said guitarist Jason Connolly from tour stop in Medicine Hat.

“It’s been a challenge. We’re in Saskatoon last night and before that we were in Timmins and North Day. I must have driven 12 straight hours,” he said.
“It’s been challenge. We got put up in a hotel tonight. But before that we were staying in a tent in the middle of a thunderstorm and before that I slept in the car,” he said.

“But it’s been nothing but fun,” he said, adding it is exciting to tour with Riding Shotgun, who have also never toured out west.

 I’ve never been out of Ontario and Quebec,” he said.

“ But what’ve noticed is the hospitality. The further west we go, the better the hospitality gets. People have been really good to us. There has been a great vibe,” he continued.

 They will be releasing their debut CD “Don’t Hold Back”  in mid-September.

Winnipeg blues/folk  guitarist and singer Romi Mayes has been staying close to home for the past few month, but she will be coming back to Lethbridge on July 28 to play the Slice. But she and guitarist Jay Nowicki have been far from idle.

“Manitoba has been really good to us. Last year was crazy, so in addition to having family here that we wanted to spend time with, we have a video we made in the spring but we had to be home for,” said Mayes.

“Luckily we ended up getting a lot of gigs close to home.”

The concept for the new video for “Lucky Tonight,” the title track of their most recent album has been  on Mayes’ mind for a long time — about a year, but because they are constantly on the road, they never had time to actually do it.

“We]re only doing four tour this year instead of a thousand,” Mayes chuckled.
“ I was afraid it might  turn out to be one of these dead ideas,” she said.
  The concept was both Jay and Romi pick up somebody after a gig, but it turns out the two people they picked up were actually a couple. They wanted to include a  lot of their friends in the music community in the shoot.

“Originally Corb Lund was supposed to do it and a lot of other friends like Hayes Carll. We thought it would be cool to fly them in for the shoot, but we just couldn’t make it work for scheduling,” she continued.
“ So we polled Winnipeg about who we should have in it.”
She was surprised by how many people volunteered.

With two-thirds of scrappy garage rockers the Stellar Radio Choir touring overseas  as Broken Down Suitcase, bassist Todd Menzies got bored and decided to form another band — the southern rock outfit Willhorse which comes to  the Owl Acoustic Lounge, July 26.

“It’s a little different than the Stellar Radio Choir, it’s more southern rock and blues like the Rolling Stones and the Allman Brothers. It’s good stuff. It’s the stuff I grew up on,” he said.

While waiting for Stellar Radio Choir band mates Ben Caldwell and Eric Larocque to return from touring Europe, last September Menzies started jamming with people in town and eventually ran into drum and double guitar trio Whiskey Highway and was happy to lend his bass.
 “We still play a few old Whiskey Highway songs,” he said.

“ We started playing together and we just clicked,” he said.

They have gigged a lot around B.C. and Alberta and just completed a 12 show in 15 day tour which was supposed to take them to Swift Current until their bus broke down in Banff.