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 The Nix Dixons ( http://www.myspace.com/thenixdicksons) are a Calgary rock band.

 .... The Nix Dicksons didn’t grow up in the suburbs. Their dads’ weren’t accountants and their moms didn’t drive SUV’s. The Nix Dicksons grew up in small towns, catching tadpoles and climbing trees in places where boys could be boys. They grew up with firm morals and a blue collar work ethic. If Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn listened to the Pixies and the Beach Boys they would have grown up to be a lot like the Nix Dicksons.  People dig the Nix Dicksons. They’ve been spun all over in places like Austin, Texas on a show called This Great White North, charted with their debut demo Working on the Weekend at 16 on the CJSW’s Top 50 Countdown and keep getting emails from this nice DJ in Mexico City who tells them to come down and play some shows. They have shared the stage with acts like Molten Lava, Passenger Action, Maybe Smith and The Lions. They have been featured on websites like Indie Calgary, Nuvo Press and Punk Radio Cast.com. Bassist Tanner Holthe finished 2 in the Best Newcomer Category and 3 in the Best Song Category in the 2009 Calgary Folk Music Festival Song Writing Contest.  The Nix Dicksons are the most entertaining live band around. They throw space shows with rocket ships and cardboard planet cut-outs. They have video montages of 80’s cartoons which project on the back of the stage. They have balloons galore and bubbles and party hats for people who stand in the front row. They have sing-a-longs and dance offs and they welcome anyone and everyone to come join the show.  It is 100% true that in January 2009 guitarist Rob Wikstrom passed out, got diagnosed with a brain tumor, took a few months off, underwent a successful surgery and got right back on stage...because you can’t keep a good man down.

The Lions ( http://www.myspace.com/thelionsrockband) As ferocious, commandeering, loyal, and lethal as their namesake, The Lions are not merely a band; they are a rock n roll extravaganza, a double-barrelled attack on a world gone stale.
Having taken over the local airwaves, performed countless shows, and toured western Canada endlessly to further their cause, The Lions are preparing to claim their rightful spot in the lineage of great rock n roll bands as they prepare with their full length album ‘Live, Love, Laugh.’
For ‘Live, Love, Laugh,’ the quartet explore a world beyond the pop sensibilities of their forbearers. The album begins with the familiar rock of ages that has brought The Lions acclaim regionally and internationally; a uniquely derivative take on rock n roll for the everyman. Songs like ‘Birds & Bees,’ ‘Magic,’ and 'Screaming Gun,' stand tall against anything released since the days when the Gallagher brothers still had their nasal septums.
‘Red Roses,’ a haunting tale of spoiled fame, marks a fork in the road for the band, as The Lions turn their amps down to ten and put the full range of their musical abilities on parade. ‘Lonely Lover’ is dirty blues, the likes of which has gone largely unseen since Mick, Keith, et al. were rolling with Andy Warhol, while ‘Little Red Robin’ makes up for a lack of lyrics by creating tangible warmth throughout the shoulders and spines of listeners.
The Lions began half the world away, Darren and Chris grew up in the same neighbourhood in Dundee, Scotland, and united ten years later in the arctic tundra of Calgary, Canada. Formed infamously during the morning after the night before, the band was initially christened Black Ocean, but the sobering light of day convinced the lads that naming their band after a pint of Guinness wasn’t necessarily the greatest idea. Chris's sister Liz was awarded the drummer's stool due to her imposing physicality. The Lions they became, and rock history marched on.
The band admittedly wears influences like Oasis, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zepplin and The Stone Roses on their sleeve(s); rather than attempt to reinvent the wheel, they let the rock, much like the good times, roll.
There have been some dark days, and a number of lineup changes, Justin has more than picked up the slack as the newest bassist. The band has persevered through it all, releasing their self-titled EP in 2005, and in 2008 they released their first LP: ‘Sounds Familiar.’ Recorded in less than 15 hours, and mixed and mastered in less than a week, the album contains the trademark bluesy riffs and fantastic harmonizing that give The Lions their unique sound. ‘Sounds Familiar’ was quickly followed up with their second EP, ‘Rock n Roll Lounge’ which is available for free download on their official site. They're also featured on a Scottish compilation called 'Destitunes' that was recently released throughout Scotland.
Recognized locally, nationally, and overseas as a band that has paid their dues, The Lions are writing new songs at a feverish pace, touring incessantly, and preparing to take the next logical and inevitable step. Local magazine FFWD has recognized them for their longstanding dedication to the local music scene. Tanner Holthe from Beatroute magazine thinks they are unstoppable. 'Screaming Gun,' the first single off of 'Live, Love, Laugh' was featured on Alan Cross' Explore Music show. The Lions won X92.9 FM Calgary's Xposure 2009, then having conquered their hometown, the band jetted off to play the NXNE festival in Toronto. Overseas, Jim Gellatly of BBC Radio 1 applauds the sound of the band and thinks they're 'fucking hilarious,' and contemporary rock legends Black Rebel Motorcycle Club have given The Lions their seal of approval.
Besides being a brilliant rock band, The Lions are also rock n roll altruists, upstanding young role models for the next generations of rockers. Using their live platform and established name, the band relish the opportunity to expose other local top shelf musicians to live audiences. They’ve taken the responsibility to build a community of inclusiveness and encouragement in a music scene that is marred in exclusivity and delusions of grandeur.
Much like making love or knitting, The Lions get better and better with practice, and ‘Live, Love, Laugh’ marks the next stop for the band along the path of inevitability.