Artist of the Day | BLUEBIRD TELEGRAPH
ARTIST OF THE DAY
24.01.2021
BLUEBIRD TELEGRAPH
LOCATION
Calgary, AB
GENRE
Indie
CURRENT MEMBERS
Laurie Anne Fuhr & Craig Galambos
With the current pandemic, the state of the music and touring industry has dramatically changed. Where were you when everything was brought to a halt?
Craig and I both play in the band Total Gadjos, which was about to host the weekly Ship & Anchor jam. What a disappointment to see everything get cancelled! But to be honest, the two of us have had a chance in the interim to hone our act further as a duo.
How has that affected your plans for the coming year? Did you have a tour planned, upcoming album release?
Our plans for the duo kept getting put on hold as we upheld our previous commitments; we both worked several jobs before COVID, and, in addition to Total Gadjos, I had begun playing with Shona Rae again in her new project Bona Fides, and Craig was playing with a metal band called Animosity and in a gypsy jazz group.
What have you been doing to fill/make the most of your new-found free time at home? How are you supporting your mental health through all of this?
We ended up being invited to do some online shows, learning more about technology like OBS Studio and Zoom. I wrote a song called Ain't Gonna Work that fantasizes about most of society choosing to reassess their priorities and work from home even after COVID; the song was a self-fulfilling prophesy, we were both laid off from our main jobs. I had the opportunity to play with a French Canadian outfit called Olga and record a TV special for RDI which was quite amazing. The recording engineer who did the Total Gadjos EP, Nick Caron, recorded a live session of original songs with us, and we've been getting mileage out of sharing them. It's all lit a fire under us -- and between us -- when it comes to our own music. When the restrictions are over, we hope to keep our duo our main act... I would love to do some touring to folk venues and living rooms on the home show and folk club circuit. And a mechanically-sound, camperized touring van with a cute name. Our progress, and these dreams, are helping us through mentally.
How are dealing with the Covid second wave?
Trying not to get worried about it... and to rehearse a lot before everything resumes. We plan to come back stronger than ever. I think we're already miles ahead of where our music was before the pandemic. Songwriting and poetry have been consuming me in the best way.
Favourite Starlite Room Moment?
There have been many, but we hope to make our favourite moment happen in 2021 by playing there -- with Bluebird Telegraph as a full band, or with Total Gadjos!
Do you have a message for everyone at home reading this?
Let your imagination and creativity lead you through the darker days. Also -- please support your local musicians and venues in these times. We hope to make it through and be together in music again!
If you would like to be our next ARTIST OF THE DAY please email us at:
