While all of the drama happening last year, including riots, elections, protests and Covid -19, has made a lot of people feel unsafe,  it inspired local rock band Fawns to focus on those feelings for their new three song EP “Unsafe” which is officially released, May 14 on all platforms. 
 The band, including lead singer/ guitarist Mercedes Fawns, guitarist Richard Charlton, keyboardist Cliff Westcott, drummer Chris Morden and bassist Gabi DeLuna wrote most of the new music in 2019, but recorded it last August at the Farm, outside of Lethbridge with Matthew Rederberg in the short pocket between Covid health restrictions with Matthew Rederburg.
“We were working on nine or 10 songs, but these three were the most ready at the time,” said keyboardist Cliff Westcott over Zoom with most of his band mates.
“They’re also the songs we felt worked best together,” added Morden. Charlton noted they also work great as upbeat  songs for summer.
“This EP is  meant to be played loud in the car. They feel like summer,” Charlton said.
“It sounds best loud. This is our big, arena rock album,” he continued.

Though the songs sound big and loud, lead singer Mercedes Fawns said the lyrics are serious.
 She wrote the lyrics to all three songs “ Astraphobia,” “Resist” and “Unsafe.”
“All of these songs are really close to my heart,” she said, adding they were some of her more political songs.
“When I wrote ‘Resist’  there were riots happening in the United States, Covid and protests here. And Jason Kenney was cutting education and health care. So the song is about  using your critical thinking skills to question why these things are happening,” she said, adding the songs are also more complicated musically.

“There‘s a lot more guitar textures,” she continued, adding the band wrote the songs collaboratively.

“ I’d bring in a really simple acoustic  guitar version of the song and Cliff or Chris or Richard would build on it. For example, I’d come up with lyrics and maybe Richard would contribute a guitar riff or melody. This is the first group of songs that we built from the ground up, collaborating as a band so it’s really been exciting,“ she said.

“Mercedes gave us a lot of freedom to play our own  parts,” said Cliff Westcott, noting he also got to play some guitar on the album.
“So we have some duelling guitars,” he said.
“It was 100 per cent collaborative.  Every band member gets a spotlight and gets to be the focal point of the band,” Charlton said.

Lethbridge‘s drag community is making waves with their short film/ music video Moniques on 4th.
 “It’s one third short film and two third music video,” summarized producer and  Hatchap productions general manager Nick Bohle who co-directed the film with first time director Erica J Barr.
“It’s really Erica’s baby. I just helped make her vision come alive on screen. She did a great job,” Bohle said.

“ Mama Didi can’t find a dress to wear to her music video launch, so she goes shopping in town until Alberta’s crazy weather whisks her away to a magical land where all her fashion dreams come true,” Bohle summarized.

The short film features a who’s who of Lethbridge’s drag and theatre scene including New West Theatre’s Katie Fellger and Erica Hunt, Francheska Dynamites and Jay Whitehead and Kathy Zaborsky’s  popular drag characters Didi D’Edada and her brother Castrati. Richie Wilcox and Aaron Collier play prominent roles on the film while Charlie Christensen, Danielle Wintrip, Katt Panic, Jamie Johnson and Deonie Hudson make invaluable contributions behind the scenes.

Aaron Collier produced the Jay Whitehead penned song.
“It a disco/ dance song that has a lot of ’80s and ’90 influence,” Bohle described.

Casa is planting the seeds of a new fundraiser to support local artists as they “Pop into Spring”

Local artist Alexis Bialobzyski decided to try her hand at pottery as she spearheaded the fundraiser, featuring 21 pinch- pots and plants you can buy for $20 beginning Monday, May 17. They have all been named  with plenty of music themed plant puns like “Pot Plant in the City,”.“Safety Plants, ” “Unskinny Plot” “ Wake me Up Before you Grow Grow” and “You Light Up My Leaf.”

“We‘ve been closed since December, so it’s been hard for artists to gather, but everybody wanted to help out,” said Kelaine Devine, Allied Arts Council Communications manager.
“It’s just a little  fundraiser so we can afford artists fees for our exhibitions and pay them a living wage. Usually we’d be having a lot of fundraisers ” she continued.
She noted Bialobzyski decided to had fun designing the pots in a variety of different styles and themes from abstract to political.