Rock Against Boredom

Calgary has a long history of local music making, but at the tail end of the 1970s, the scene had become a bit, well, boring – mostly cover bands playing the hits to lounge patrons. But around this time, punk and new wave arrived in Calgary and set off an explosion. A few folks in Calgary’s suburban sprawl decided that the best cure for boredom is making your own fun and that the city was full of possibilities if you looked hard enough. Punk’s DIY attitude encouraged them to pick up instruments, write their own songs, play shows, and even make records – and not just punks, but a wide range of bands experimenting with new styles and genres.

The explosion happened in community halls, sketchy taverns, and entirely new spaces devoted to the new music, not only for local acts, but also a growing underground network of bands touring across North America. It happened in live shows, over the airwaves, and on the pages of local publications like Vox. Music was the focal point, but artists, poets, writers and others were also part of the scene. This scene would continue to mature and grow in the 1990s and beyond, but those ‘awkward teen years’ (as Mike Bell puts it) in the 1980s laid the foundations.

This map is far from comprehensive, but Calgary is fortunate to have local histories and archives like the Calgary Cassette Preservation Society where you can find out more and contribute your own knowledge.