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It was April 2016 when Tom Phillips and the DTs played their first Honky-tonk Tuesday at the Blues Can, starting an eight-year residency that has attracted a large number of regulars to the Inglewood venue.
On Tuesday, Feb. 20, Phillips and his backing band – which features Tim Leacock, Thom Moon and Shaye and Sydney Zadravec – will be on hand to play the first and last sets but will also be honoured by several local musicians who will cover Phillips’ tunes.
“Tuesday nights at the Blues Can has never waned,” says Teena Wilson, who books live music for the Blues Can and created Honky-Tonk Tuesday for Phillips and the DTs. “It’s always been supported by the public and the fans. Even people who don’t even know they like country music, they come across these Tuesday nights and have become steadfast fans. I know people who are ballroom dancers who come to dance on Tuesday nights.”
Wilson says she has wanted to show appreciation to Phillips and other long-serving musicians for a long time. But recent news that the venue will be closing, at least at that location, due to the new owners redeveloping the site, has made her more determined to honour those who have contributed to the venue and Calgary’s music scene in general.
In late January, The City of Calgary erected a sign outside the building looking for public feedback for a new development by Battistella Developments, which has proposed a mixed-use, four-storey building that will include retail on the ground level and 30 dwelling units. No closing date has been announced for the Blues Can, although owner Greg Smith said it could be as early as the fall.
Phillips has been one of the city’s top songwriters for decades and has played a number of residencies over the years, including his current stint on Sunday afternoons at Mikey’s on 12th. He has released many albums and written favourites such as Gravity of Ruin, Neon Rain, Downtown Cowboy, Debts to Pay, Play Hank Williams ‘Till I Die and Ribbons and Bows, which was covered by Grammy-nominated American blues-Americana singer-songwriter Eric Bibb in 2004. In 2007, Phillips released a soundtrack for Giller Prize-winning author Will Ferguson’s novel, Spanish Fly.
Wilson is a second-generation fan of Phillips’ music.
“My mom and all her girlfriends, 15 to 20 years ago, used to follow him around to all his jams,” she says.
She says she did not have trouble finding a full roster of musicians eager to pay tribute to Phillips and perform his songs. Those participating include Matt Masters, Black Perry Cherry, Reverend Frank McShane, Keane Eng, Kit Johnson, Garth Kennedy, The Lovebullies, The Shameful Hussies and Ian Grant.
Honky-Tonk Tuesdays start at 8 p.m. at the Blues Can.