Bird MAN (Music Appreciation Night). What is a MAN? It is an opportunity to get together with other music enthusiasts and be exposed to music that you might not otherwise know about. In other words, it's awesome.

I first started coordinating MANs with the Calgary Culture Club several years ago, but the true origins of my music appreciation events goes back to high school. My grade 10 drama teacher was a very cool guy, and one thing he would do is spend the first few minutes of every class playing some kind of interesting or unusual music for us and we would lay about on the floor just listening... and then we'd talk about the music... and then we would go on with drama class. If Steve Carney, who taught drama at LTCHS in Red Deer in 1981/1982 happens to see this, please contact me. I'd love for you to know that your class had this impact on my life!

The Culture Club music appreciation events are meant to be a similar experience, although we usually sit rather than laying around, and we often visit and socialize during the music (unlike in grade 10 drama class).

All attendees submit up to 12 minutes of music that they enjoy and would like to share with others. Often the events have a theme, and sometimes they don't. When we have a theme, it might be genre-specific (ie. Blues MAN), it might be instrument-specific (ie. Sax MAN), or it might be more open to interpretation (ie. Perfect MAN, Hoochie Koochie MAN or Mystery MAN). The point is to share music you enjoy with others who you think would appreciate the opportunity to discover it. It's not a test! Choose music that you would like to share. If we have a theme, try to choose music that fits your interpretation of the theme.

On the night of the event, we'll convene at our home to share some snacks and listen to everyone's music submissions. We can accommodate up to 8 local folk, and up to 8 more will be allowed to attend "virtually". To attend virtually, you must submit your music by the cut-off the same as everyone else and all music submissions will be shared. Only the songs submitted by the people who attend in person will be played at the event (in the interest of time).

Arrive at 6:30PM for introductions and to get settled in. We'll start the music at 7:00 with a quick round-robin to introduce our songs, then we'll listen to the music selections.

Our home is small, and the atmosphere casual. We'll be sitting or laying around the living room while we listen. Bring a pillow or cushion if you like for maximum comfiness.

Everyone must contribute 8-12 minutes of music for the event.