Plaid to Plaid: Making the Transition from Sled Island to Stampede

Indie meets Cowboy with Cuff the Duke

Now that the final notes of Sled Island have faded away into sweaty soggy memories, it’s time to start planning your musical transition.  Stampede is just around the corner.

So hang up your rain slicker and put your lime green lace-ups out to dry.  Trade in your Flak bike helmet for a Smithbilt cowboy hat, your dayglo for fringe, and catch up on your sleep while you can.  You’ve got just over a week to debrief from the rain-soaked glory of Sled and ease into pancake mode.  Time to break in those cowboy boots.

If there is one band that can easily bridge the shift from hipster heaven to cowboy culture, it’s Cuff the Duke.  The Oshawa natives who have a foot firmly in both the indie rock and alt-country camps will play the Palomino Smokehouse on Saturday, July 7, as part of the Stampede line-up.  These multi-instrumental road warriors, with strong ties to the likes of Blue Rodeo and the Hylozoists, have been winning hearts everywhere since the release of their genre-bending, high instrumental 2002 debut, Life Stories for Minimum Wage.  Currently touring their fifth album,  the Juno-nominated Morning Comes, Cuff the Duke continues to captivate the Canadian psyche with their blend of rootsy heartbreak and experimental instrumentals, and with the instantly recognizable vocals of frontman Wayne Petti.

Cuff the Duke are the perfect band to launch you into a decidedly downtown Stampede vibe.  Go see them!

Cuff the Duke
Palomino Smokehouse
109 - 7th Ave SW
Saturday, July 7, 2022

Tagged as: Calgary, cuff the duke, downtown, live, music, the palomino