Singer Veronica Raine sharing a taste of her talent and music at a live event. Raine was playing at The Slice Bar & Grill in Lethbridge. Photo by Angie Wiebe.
The crowd watches and listens as the sound of music fills the room. Up on the stage is a lone singer sharing their creations and talent with everyone. This is a familiar site at many different venues across Lethbridge. The arts and entertainment scene is an important part of every city. It shows the culture and hidden gems within the community. Lethbridge has multiple places for live music and events such as The Slice Bar & Grill, Owl Acoustic Lounge and Honkers Pub & Eatery.
The Slice Bar & Grill, more commonly referred to as the Slice, has been in Lethbridge since 2005. They have been hosting live music events and open jams since then. They host all genres of music from country, rock, pop, heavy metal and many more. Artists come on stage with originals or covers of any songs they wish to play. Many different bands play on their chosen days, or they host open jam nights for anyone who wants to come play. Derek Hoyle, the manager at the Slice, says music is an art just like painting and sculpting. He says the crowd who comes to these shows really depends on the genre and it changes from event to event.
One of the artists who plays at the Slice is Veronica Raine. She has been singing and writing songs since she was 13 and has been performing for equally as long. She does gigs throughout Lethbridge and also travels to Calgary to perform. She says there is also a great scene in Calgary for entertainment and live gigs. Raine has approximately 100 songs that she wrote and rotates through about half of them in different shows. She performs live whenever she gets the chance and says she loves to see how this entertainment industry has changed.
“The scene in the last five years has grown a lot,” says Raine.
Though not every night is the same, there’s at least always something happening multiple times a week at one of the many venues.
Owl Acoustic Lounge is similar to The Slice, but they don’t only host music events. They also have poetry, comedy, trivia and all sorts of other events for the community to attend. Raine says she has a special connection to the Owl Acoustic Lounge because of her experiences there when she was younger. Since the Owl Acoustic Lounge allows minors until a certain time, she has been going there since she was young. Being able to perform there at such a young age among other artists left a big impact on her.
The music community has come together with all the live events hosted in Lethbridge. Raine says it’s a great for community building and she loves to see the same people at all the events and get to know them through it.
With all the different artists and talented people in the community, events often show a taste of everything and let people share their talents with everyone.
“I think it’s such an opportunity of growth for us,” says Raine.
There are many hidden gems in Lethbridge and as these places grow, more people will begin to find them. New bands are always emerging and the scene will continue to grow in Lethbridge and provide positive opportunities for the community.
