The Calgary Folk Festival Songwriting Competition 2009 - Best Song of Alberta

The competition was stiffer than the a Ronnette's beehive, but Doug Waite of the Bownesians, for the second year in a row, took the title of "Best Song of Alberta". Yeehaw!!

Winning the contest again means money to finish our CD and the opportunity to play at the fabulous Calgary Folk Festival once again (Leah is going to consume only throat lossenges for two straight weeks before the festival, as to avoid another embarrassing voice-losing incident like last year).

Here we are, fresh from "Bowness Garbage Day" where we played on the back of a trailor being pulled by a tractor, on the Ship and Anchor stage performing Doug's winning song "Alan Saved the Radio Station."

more photos from the night the girls took over the Palomino!

Happy, the Garter Girls and, of course, the fabulous Bownesians at the Palomino. Photos courtesy of Clayton Hansen.

more at audities...

late February...bownesian's percussionist Mike had to lay his tambourine trax... the session started well but soon devolved into mayhem as the pins in mike's (actually, Leah's!!!) tambourine began to, one by one, fly from the instrument... followed shortly by the little metal discs... like shrapnel throughout the studio... David burying his head in his hands, saying, 'glad u guys brought quality gear out...' as the tiny deadly dics flew mere inches from the $10K mic.

Friday the 13th at the Palomino...

...was anything but bad luck. Sherry-Lee and her handsome fellers, plus the Garter Girls burlesque troupe helped ensure that. Notice the enthusiastic facial expressions of the band members.

Some more photos from the recording. The whole thing happened 

over about 4 days - 4 

very long but incredible days (10 am to 2 am kind of days),so we were all a little frazzled by the end.  

The Bownesians went on tour on Saturday night. We left Bowness to take it on the road all the way to Centre Street, namely, the Studio Cafe.

Opening for the Appleman Collective, we were the crowd warmers and the Studio seemed like the perfect place to come in from the cold on a bloody cold night (-30 freakin' degrees!)

The Appleman's crowd were ready for some rhumba-ing once the Collective started, and I caoptured this video of the Appleman's gal and a friend dancing with wild abandon. As evidenced by the footage, a good time was had by all.

Oy vey, the next morning we were up with the birds heading over to the Bowness Community Centre's Community Association celebration. We mainlined coffee and made it through - and no clowns were injured either. This was a milestone.

Rosemary's doin the mambo...