Louis Cza performs at CKXU’s Frighthall No. 1 Music Fest in Firehall No. 1 on Oct. 26, 2019.
It is dark and blood is splattered all over the bar. About half the room is covered in shadows, while the rest is littered with skulls and cobwebs. Louis Cza, also known as the Black Greek God, is leaning against the bar, looking completely unconcerned.
He’s standing on the top floor of CKXU’s Frighthall No. 1 haunted house, which doubles as a green room for musicians.
“It’s in my blood to make stuff that’s kind of vibey and people can feel a good vibe from it and really connect to it in one way or another,” says Cza, referring to the feelings he tries to create with his music.
The Calgary-based bar-back has a wide range of musical influences, which include anything from Chopin to ’70s and ’80s Nigerian funk to black metal.
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What is most important, according to Cza, is making music that creates a feeling in his audience and moves them.
His sound includes elements of hip hop and electronic music, but also call-backs to experiences from Cza’s past.
“I find nostalgia is my biggest inspiration. It’s a trip. I feel like that and just my ability to hear sounds in my head. Those are two of my biggest inspirations…nostalgia, growing up, things I was exposed to,” he says.
Louis Cza plays a set at CKXU’s Frighthall No. 1 Music Fest on Oct. 26. Cza was one of four artists who performed at Firehall No. 1 on the music fest’s second night.
This is Cza’s second visit to Lethbridge. During his first trip he performed a show and composed a song for an art project at the Southern Alberta Art Galley called the Impossible Blue Rose.
He says he does not tour a lot, but plays shows at home in Calgary.
“Their live performances tend to be really upbeat, very bouncy,” says Genna Bourchier, executive director of CKXU. “[He] really gets the crowd going… The stuff he actually puts online is a lot more down tempo, more mellow beats, a little bit darker.”
Although he exudes a confident demeanor, Cza says he gets nervous before each show.
“I was having tummy aches driving here, just because I’m anxious… I’m surprised because I’ve been on decently massive stages with thousands of people,” says Cza, adding the feeling melts away when he begins to perform.
Cza says he is very excited about his upcoming album, Stargazer, which will be released in the spring.
When the lights go out on his performance, the room is dimly lit and the cobwebs and skulls of the haunted house are back. The smoke dissipates and the atmosphere returns to university students drinking and talking, awaiting the next set.
The Frighthall is in its second year of scaring members of the community bold enough to enter its doors for a red tour.
“The red tours are really intense, super scary, full blast. Our actors just go completely ham,” says, Bourchier, adding there are yellow tours for people looking for a fun and less spooky version of the haunted house.
Fire Hall No. 1 was built in 1909, ceased operating as a fire station in 1974 and was recognized as a historic site in 1979.
