It’s the brainchild of a few that has come together with hopes of making harmonious history in Calgary.
“All over the world, there is this notion that there’s a place where you go for music, not just a venue,” said Music Mile organizer Bob Chartier.
Chartier along with Meg Van Rosendaal have been working hard to sell the idea of a formal music district along 9th Avenue southeast. Starting Friday, it will stretch from Inglewood to the East Village.
“You know we walked down the street. That’s how we spread the word; we literally walked down the street and stopped in at every door,” said Van Rosendaal. “We said 9th Avenue, from the Blues Can to the new National Music Centre… that’s a mile.”
She said getting businesses on board was easy. Musicians were even easier.
“It’ll be a nice sort of one-stop shop to figure out what’s happening all the time,” said singer-songwriter Sonia Deleo .
She and Natalie Inga are a musical duo helping to launch the mile on Friday ahead of their two-week tour that starts in Lethbridge.
For them, the Music Mile promises to be an obvious place for them to be heard. No more searching for Calgary’s music scene. Tourists and residents alike will know where to go.
“If you’re sitting at home and you want to get out of the house and you’re like where do I go?… Chances are there’s something on the strip,” said Inga.
The dream was inspired by Mayor Naheed Nenshi’s challenge to Calgarians a few years back. In 2011, Nenshi asked Calgarians to think of three things they could do to make the city a better place. The Music Mile may have taken a few years to get going, but musicians are excited about its potential.
Gravity Espresso and Wine Bar will host a 12-hour musical marathon on Friday to help get the mile off the ground.
The initiative is being launched in the same year Mayor Nenshi declared the “year of music” in Calgary. The city will also host Canadian music awards Junofest in April.
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