Club hits sour note

More bands allege unfulfilled gigs, prizes; bar vows to fix situation

Published: July 28, 2009 5:42 a.m.

Last modified: July 28, 2009 12:43 a.m.

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Six additional frustrated bands came forward after Metro Calgary’s exclusive story last week on Cowboys allegedly failing to deliver contest prizes to winning bands.

The overwhelming response came after Metro spoke with Catherina Miranda and Atomic Aura, two musical talents who were allegedly told they would open for big name acts at Cowboys during the Stampede after winning the Cowboys Star contest.

Local band Inner City Elegance claimed they were initially told they would also be up for a $5,000 prize opening for Collective Soul, but after two months of competing, they were told two days before the finals there wouldn’t be a cash prize or an opening spot for Collective Soul.

“After months putting effort into this competition, we ended up deciding not to play in the finals, because we knew it was pointless and we felt disrespected,” the band said in an e-mail.

Another band, Sultan Pepper, said they were frustrated with the treatment they received from the popular nightclub during the contest.

“I don’t think they care about local music at all, I think it’s a publicity stunt. They treated us horribly and it’s obvious they don’t care,” band member Travis Martin said.

Scarlet Lee, a spokesperson for Cowboys’ parent company Pennylane, defended the contest, saying it has run successfully for several years with prizes always coming through in previous events.

“I’m not sure what happened, but we want to do everything we can to rectify the situation.

It’s unfortunate it happened but we want to focus on fixing it now,” Lee said.

Lee is not certain where this series of contests went awry, but said the club wants the winning bands to contact Cowboys so they can work something out.

“We really care about local musical acts and we have always come through in the past. This is an isolated, unfortunate incident this year,” Lee said.

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