Andrea Klassen Medicine Hat News

The stage in front of the bar isn't large. Though there's enough room for the standard drum kit, amplifiers, synthesizers and other accessories that accompany a rock band, the members themselves are rarely out of arm's reach of the crowd.

On a rowdier night, a tangle of college kids, 20-somethings, and a few older audience members jostle, sweat, cheer, and form the occasional mosh pit, sometimes spilling onto the stage.

The energy's nearly as high as the volume of the music and, oddly enough, it's not because of a band most Hatters will have heard on the radio.

Welcome to Indie Music Night at the Ottoman Lounge which has, unexpectedly, helped Medicine Hat become a sought-after touring stop on the Canadian music circuit.

Thomas DiNinno, a 21-year-old graphic design student, has been bringing independent Canadian bands to the city since he was in high school - first to Cape School's gymnasium, then the bar. He and Ottoman promoter Sean Davis say they get emails at least once a week from Canadian bands looking to stop in the Gas City, and the groups they're attracting are getting more and more well-known.

"I can't believe some of the music that's come through here,” says Davis. “It's becoming a bigger thing."

While bands like Attack in Black, You Say Party We Say Die and Wax Mannequin (all of whom visited the Hat in 2010) aren't typically heard on mainstream radio, they have substantial followings across the country and internationally and often turn up in music magazine listings of the “10 Best Albums You Haven’t Heard” variety.

And once bands have stopped here once, Davis says they typically want to come back.

“They love the room. It's small, it's intimate, it's got good sound."

However, while bands may love the city, it's still unclear if Medicine Hat loves them back.

Though Indie Night has seen strong, even sell-out crowds in 2010, DiNinno says as recently as last summer it was a battle to get people out to concerts.

"I'm going to blame the recession," he jokes, before turning serious.

"I think the music scene was really good two years ago. There was the Dog House and the Ottoman, and there was tons of bands coming through every week," he says. "And then it started going downhill, I think. Probably just too much for the city to handle. Too much stuff coming in and not enough interest."

And while Ottoman-staffer Davis is enthusiastic about the independent music scene's future in the city, even he admits crowds aren't always consistent, and booking newer, less established acts is like "rolling the dice."

For the moment, though, the constant stream of bigger acts is good news for at least one group.

Wade Hodgman, guitarist and lead vocalist for local band The Social Threat, says his fledgling punk band has benefited from playing on the same bill as established artists.

"I think the more people you play for, the more contacts you make," he says, adding when his group opened for You Say Party We Say Die, the B.C. band gave them tips on venues to play outside the city and contacts in the music industry.

Ceramics, magpies just a few of Esplanade's offerings

Andrea Klassen Medicine Hat News

Telecommunications-inspired ceramics and a work on the shadows of magpies are just a few of the offerings visitors to the Esplanade Art Gallery can expect in 2010.

Both local and internationally known artists will exhibit work in the gallery this year, on a variety of subjects.

"I think for Medicine Hat residents and visitors, throughout the year there's going to be something people with varying interests will enjoy," says curator of art Joanne Marion.

The gallery’s current exhibits, which run until April 11, feature work from local artists Laara Cassells and Dana Shukster.

Shukster — whose exhibit “Pre-Flight: Trace” features large-scale prints of magpie shadows — will also be designing the gallery’s billboard for the year, giving drivers headed along Dunmore Road a chance to experience art while commuting.

Cassells’ exhibit “e-strange” juxtaposes portraits of horses with paintings of modern youth, highlighting both the similarities between the two and the way modern technology such as cell phones can separate teens from their surroundings.

In April, the city’s annual exhibition of student art will see over 800 works from students of all ages fill the gallery walls. Running at the same time is a series of works by former Hatter Gordon Harper called “Nocturnes.”

The series of paintings features houses in Edmonton which have been scheduled for demolition, all painted at night.

“They're very mysterious,” says Marion. “You can tell that they're ordinary, residential homes, but there's something not quite right about them.”

As the Medalta International Artists in Residence program begins its summer session in June, the gallery will host three different exhibitions of ceramic work.

Harvey Fix’s “My Life in Communications” sees the 30- year telecom veteran fuse discarded bits of technology collected over the course of his career with ceramic art.

Meanwhile, exhibits on Folmer Hansen and David

Photo Courtesy of The Esplanade

Painted from a photograph of a soon-to-be-demolished house, Gordon Harper's "You Will Move on to the Other Rooms" is one of a series of oil paintings of houses at night on display at the Art Gallery from April 24 to June 5.

80 — REPORT ON SOUTHEAST ALBERTA 2010 ■ Celebrating our Community

Ross, and Luke Lindoe will give visitors a chance to see work from pioneering potters in Saskatchewan and Alberta.

Lyndal Osborne’s “ Or nam en ta , ” coming to the gallery in August, is a sculptural installation which raises

issues

Photo Courtesy of The Esplanade

about genetic engineering and the environment. Though the underlying issues are serious, the work itself is whimsical, using discarded objects including corn cobs and tea bags to create strange landscapes and surreal creatures.

Work from pioneering Alberta ceramic artist Luke Lindoe will be on display at the Esplanade Art Gallery June 19 to August 18. Historic works from Saskatchewan's Hansen-Ross Pottery will also be shown.

At the same time, local artist Ev Kleis will exhibit a series of paintings that attempt to capture the spirit of horses throughout history, including the animals she raises herself.

The Medicine Hat Photography Club will get its first major Esplanade show at the end of 2010, when club members will display various works centering around the theme of “people in the landscape.”

“They've been working as a club for several years, and it's just been growing in strength,” says Marion. “They're doing some really interesting work so we thought it's time they were able to present their work to the larger public at the Esplanade.”

Paired with them is a show by internationally known photographer Ed Burtynsky. “Residual Landscapes” features photographs of areas where humans have had a large, often destructive influence on the land, from the Sudbury nickel mines to Three Gorges Dam spanning China's Yangtze River.

"But the way he photographs them, they're just exquisitely beautiful,” says Marion. “So there's that conflict.”

Each art gallery show will also feature a reception, and the majority of this year’s featured artists plan to offer tours and talks about their work.

Photo Courtesy of The Esplanade

Laara Cassells' "Neither Kate Nor Phantom," is on display at the Esplanade Gallery until April 11. The painting is part of the local artist's "e-strange" exhibit, which highlights the effects of modern technology on youth.

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