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CBC
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
Superfans gather to hear resurfaced tape of Nirvana's now-famed Calgary concert
Social Sharing Stacy Krisa was only a year old when Nirvana played Calgary's Westward Club 34 years ago, but on Thursday, she got to experience the next best thing: a listening party for a resurfaced bootleg tape from the now-famed show. "This is the best night of my life," she said, overcome with emotion. "Like actually, I'm not even kidding. I might cry because I love Nirvana so much. "Honestly, tonight felt like I was at an actual Nirvana concert." The tape, played at Calgary's Ship & Anchor pub, was recently uncovered by Nirvana super fan Mike Jenkins, first reported by CBC News. Jenkins found the tape at a Calgary collectors' show and learned it was a copy of the original. That tape was recorded on March 4, 1991, by Jason (Jay) Pay on his father's Dictaphone "I kind of stood at the back of the room and just watched everyone enjoy it, and I really didn't expect everyone to enjoy a bootleg so much," Jenkins said. He played a big part in organizing the event, and to accompany the tape, he compiled a video, which featured footage of past Nirvana concerts. "Usually when something like this comes up, it just goes on the internet, and you know that's out there and people are sitting at home listening to it and [can] skip through it," Jenkins said. "But tonight was really about taking the time, listening to the music and experiencing what happened back in Calgary in 1991. And I think that's really special with the way it was set up … the speakers blasting and everyone enjoying." The concert's set list included: Love Buzz, Sliver, Dive, Floyd the Barber, Breed, Scoff, About a Girl, School, Swap Meet, Been a Son, Negative Creep, Blew, Lithium, Molly's Lips, Territorial Pissings, Spank Thru and possibly the last live performance of Mr. Moustache. The quality of the tape, heard in public for the first time at Thursday night's listening party, was way better than expected, said Arif Ansari of the Calgary Cassette Preservation Society, one of the party's sponsors. "It was a really, really great night. It was so fun to see the audience just going like bonkers over that." True to the spirit of Pay's original recording, Ansari manoeuvred through the crowd with a Dictaphone in hand, capturing people singing along to the 1991 bootleg. "Jay recorded the set on a Dictaphone like 34 years ago. So I'm like, well, what if I record 'Nirvana live at the Westward: Live at the Ship & Anchor' on a Dictaphone?" On a plain memory lane Mike Bell, author of the substack Sound Up YYC and former music reviewer for the Calgary Herald and Calgary Sun, was at the now-famed concert. Nirvana performed at the Beltline venue mere months before releasing one of the best-selling albums of all-time, Nevermind. Though the show has now reached legend-status for many in Calgary, Bell said he didn't actually remember it as "anything spectacular," adding "it was just another rock show." I went to hundreds of [shows] at that time, be it at the Westward Club, be it at the Republic, the Night Gallery, all of those. And, you never know, right? You never know what's going to be big," Bell said. But then you see Nirvana and you go, 'Wow, you know what? I was pretty lucky to see that.'" In keeping with the promise that Pay had made to Kurt Cobain to never sell the tape, Jenkins and the organizers kept the event free for all to enjoy. The event was also a fundraiser for the Distress Centre Calgary and BAM! Camp Calgary. Come as you are Along with the folks who lived through Nirvana's prime, a younger generation of die-hard Nirvana fans also got to experience the show at Thursday's listening party. Ashton Terry wasn't even born yet when the Seattle band took the Westward Club stage, but he said he's been a fan since he was five, hearing Nirvana's songs through his father. He described the opportunity to hear the tape of them playing in Calgary as "just beautiful." "Of course, there's the rock aspect to it where you just want to, like, dance, you want to bob your head and all that," he said, after the party. "But if you think about it, like, you're seeing Kurt Cobain in his prime of passion, you know, before the fame got to him, before all the tours, all the money got to him. It was before he blew up. So you're seeing his true passion, the reason why he made the music he did." While Thursday's event was for folks over 21, the Ship & Anchor is hosting another listening party for the tape on Saturday, May 31, for all ages at 5:30 p.m.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Superfans gather to hear resurfaced tape of Nirvana's now-famed Calgary concert
Stacy Krisa was only a year old when Nirvana played Calgary's Westward Club 34 years ago, but on Thursday, she got to experience the next best thing: a listening party for a resurfaced bootleg tape from the now-famed show. "This is the best night of my life," she said, overcome with emotion. "Like actually, I'm not even kidding. I might cry because I love Nirvana so much. "Honestly, tonight felt like I was at an actual Nirvana concert." The tape, played at Calgary's Ship & Anchor pub, was recently uncovered by Nirvana super fan Mike Jenkins, first reported by CBC News. Jenkins found the tape at a Calgary collectors' show and learned it was a copy of the original. That tape was recorded on March 4, 1991, by Jason (Jay) Pay on his father's Dictaphone "I kind of stood at the back of the room and just watched everyone enjoy it, and I really didn't expect everyone to enjoy a bootleg so much," Jenkins said. He played a big part in organizing the event, and to accompany the tape, he compiled a video, which featured footage of past Nirvana concerts. "Usually when something like this comes up, it just goes on the internet, and you know that's out there and people are sitting at home listening to it and [can] skip through it," Jenkins said. "But tonight was really about taking the time, listening to the music and experiencing what happened back in Calgary in 1991. And I think that's really special with the way it was set up … the speakers blasting and everyone enjoying." The concert's set list included: Love Buzz, Sliver, Dive, Floyd the Barber, Breed, Scoff, About a Girl, School, Swap Meet,Been a Son, Negative Creep, Blew, Lithium, Molly's Lips, Territorial Pissings, Spank Thru and possibly the last live performance of Mr. Moustache. LISTEN | Jason (Jay) Pay talks about recording Nirvana at the Westward: The quality of the tape, heard in public for the first time at Thursday night's listening party, was way better than expected, said Arif Ansari of the Calgary Cassette Preservation Society, one of the party's sponsors. "It was a really, really great night. It was so fun to see the audience just going like bonkers over that." True to the spirit of Pay's original recording, Ansari manoeuvred through the crowd with a Dictaphone in hand, capturing people singing along to the 1991 bootleg. "Jay recorded the set on a Dictaphone like 34 years ago. So I'm like, well, what if I record 'Nirvana live at the Westward: Live at the Ship & Anchor' on a Dictaphone?" Mike Bell, author of the substack Sound Up YYC and former music reviewer for the Calgary Herald and Calgary Sun, was at the now-famed concert. Nirvana performed at the Beltline venue mere months before releasing one of the best-selling albums of all-time, Nevermind. Though the show has now reached legend-status for many in Calgary, Bell said he didn't actually remember it as "anything spectacular," adding "it was just another rock show." I went to hundreds of [shows] at that time, be it at the Westward Club, be it at the Republic, the Night Gallery, all of those. And, you never know, right? You never know what's going to be big," Bell said. But then you see Nirvana and you go, 'Wow, you know what? I was pretty lucky to see that.'" In keeping with the promise that Pay had made to Kurt Cobain to never sell the tape, Jenkins and the organizers kept the event free for all to enjoy. The event was also a fundraiser for the Distress Centre Calgary and BAM! Camp Calgary. Along with the folks who lived through Nirvana's prime, a younger generation of die-hard Nirvana fans also got to experience the show at Thursday's listening party. Ashton Terry wasn't even born yet when the Seattle band took the Westward Club stage, but he said he's been a fan since he was five, hearing Nirvana's songs through his father. He described the opportunity to hear the tape of them playing in Calgary as "just beautiful." "Of course, there's the rock aspect to it where you just want to, like, dance, you want to bob your head and all that," he said, after the party. "But if you think about it, like, you're seeing Kurt Cobain in his prime of passion, you know, before the fame got to him, before all the tours, all the money got to him. It was before he blew up. So you're seeing his true passion, the reason why he made the music he did." While Thursday's event was for folks over 21, the Ship & Anchor is hosting another listening party for the tape on Saturday, May 31, for all ages at 5:30 p.m.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bootleg tape uncovered from Nirvana's sole Calgary tour stop in 1991 – months before they skyrocketed to fame
On March 4, 1991, a young Calgarian with his dad's Dictaphone (a small cassette recorder) in hand headed to the Westward Club, now the location of Hotel Arts, where a Seattle grunge band was scheduled to play. Jason (Jay) Pay who had just turned 18, had no way of knowing that the band — Nirvana — was only months away from skyrocketing to fame with one of the best-selling albums of all time, Nevermind. In the middle of a Calgary snowstorm, Pay and his group of friends made up much of the small crowd there to see Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl. Pay recorded the show on his device. "I think it was probably one of the last shows where they had to pack up their own gear," Pay said. Little more was publicly known about that Calgary concert — until now. A copy of that tape was recently uncovered, 34 years later, by Nirvana enthusiast Mike Jenkins, who was on a mission to find evidence of the now historic concert. He found it at a recent Calgary Music Collectors Show. "It's amazing to hear it," Jenkins told the Calgary Eyeopener. "You can really hear that tension building and that intensity of Nirvana." The set list included: Love Buzz, Sliver, Dive, Floyd the Barber, Breed, Scoff, About a Girl, School, Swap Meet, Been a Son, Negative Creep, Blew, Lithium, Molly's Lips, Territorial Pissings, Spank Thru and Mr. Moustache. As Pay recorded the concert on his Dictaphone, the red light on the device gave him away to the bassist, Krist Novoselic, who kept yelling at Pay from the stage. He was swearing and telling him to stop recording, Pay recalled. Wanting to get permission, Pay approached Cobain after the show. "Krist was kind of pissed, but I went to Kurt Cobain and he was like, 'you're pretty cool.'" "He said: 'We didn't play any new songs. It's OK, but please just don't sell this.… I don't want to see this in stores." Now 34 years on, Pay has kept his promise. Friends Geoff McFetridge and Silas Kaufman were with Pay that night and can be seen in a photograph of the concert that has resurfaced on social media. The photo looks like it was shot from the stage, but who took it remains a mystery. However, it has brought back fond memories for the group. "It was like a blizzard, like it was pounding snow … and it was a Monday night," said McFetridge, who was in college at the time. "I got in my pickup truck and drove down to the show in a snowstorm." He said the "full emotional theatrics of Kurt Cobain" were on display. Despite the small crowd size, the band didn't hold back. "I've mentioned the show to my kids," he said. "It's probably one of the more, like, maybe the greatest show I ever saw, but definitely memorable because, you know, I didn't know who Nirvana was." Kaufman, who was in the front row, remembered getting his head stepped on by Cobain. "Better than an autograph," he told Eyeopener host Loren McGinnis. Pay recalled drummer David Grohl performing with the flu that night, "so he was opening the door in between songs and puking into the parking lot," he said. McFetridge remembered Cobain smashing his guitar at the end of the night — likely a copy of a Fender Jaguar. "It was like a weird guitar, but like, imagine … he had to find one of those guitars and then he smashed it to pieces in Calgary and there's like 40 people there or whatever," McFetridge said. "It's really dedication." Looking back on the photo, McFetridge, who is now a graphic artist and painter in Los Angeles, said he feels so grateful for his friends — Pay, who now lives in Vancouver, Kaufman, an illustrator and teacher at the Alberta University of the Arts, and their other friends there that night. So how did Jenkins find a copy of Pay's bootleg recording? A die-hard fan of the band, Jenkins made a flyer to increase his chances of finding this coveted tape he'd only heard rumours about before. After sharing the flyer and talking to different vendors at the Calgary Music Collectors Show in April, he connected with Heather Smith, daughter of Larry (Legs) Smith, who used to own a record store called The Attic. "My dad was really well known for his love of bootleg recordings," she said, noting he was fascinated by the lore of those concerts. "When Mike approached our table kind of inquiring about this show … my sister and I both were like, wait, I've seen that," Smith said. "And then we kind of dug around in the items that we brought and just happened to find one. "I thought Mike was the perfect owner." The tape came with a letter written by Larry, who died last year. In it, he said: "If one listens closely, the rage and frustrated urgency of Kurt's vocals are enough to warrant a listen. I felt the intensity and musical chemistry of something special happening when I was there that night. It is hard to describe" Larry got a copy of the original recording from Pay a couple of days after the concert, when Pay traded him for a record. As for the original tape, Pay still has it, and doesn't intend to sell it. Jenkins said he's working with the Calgary Cassette Preservation Society to arrange a celebration for the found tape. "It's a show that is legendary for, you know, a lot of people claiming to have been there. But you know, not that many people actually were. For it to actually (be) recorded is pretty fantastic and unique and spectacular," said the society's Arif Ansari. "It's a great kind of snapshot of the band just before they got really, really big, and a really unique thing that they came through Calgary and played a club that size.... I think that's really exciting."
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Orion Commences $3M in Turnkey, Energy-Efficient LED Lighting Retrofits and Electrical Infrastructure Upgrades for Federal Agency
MANITOWOC, Wis., Feb. 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Orion Energy Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: OESX) (Orion Lighting), a provider of energy-efficient LED lighting and controls, electric vehicle (EV) charging station solutions, and maintenance services announced today that it has commenced on-site LED lighting installation for a federal government agency. Project purchase orders to date total approximately $3 million, with future potential for an expanded project scope. The project is expected to be completed in the first half of Orion's FY'26. Orion is providing a turnkey solution for a facility in the Southeastern United States, including the installation of Buy American Act (BAA)-compliant LED lighting retrofit systems, significant upgrades to the facility's electrical infrastructure, and project management services. This project will greatly enhance the facility's energy efficiency and achieve their modernization initiatives. 'We are proud to build upon our longstanding 20+ year relationship working with this Federal entity to improve the energy efficiency of their facilities,' stated Mike Jenkins, CEO of Orion. 'This project builds on our long-standing work in the government sector, providing energy-efficient solutions that enhance workplace environments and safety. Our team is excited to contribute to the facility's extensive remodel by delivering top-tier, BAA-compliant LED lighting systems and critical infrastructure upgrades.' This contract follows Orion's continued service to government entities, including a $9.6 million LED lighting retrofit project in Europe for the Department of Defense. About Orion Energy Systems ( provides energy efficiency and clean tech solutions including LED lighting and controls, maintenance services and electrical vehicle (EV) charging solutions. Orion specializes in turnkey design-through-installation solutions for large national customers, with a commitment to helping customers achieve their business and environmental goals with healthy, safe and sustainable solutions that reduce their carbon footprint and enhance business performance. Orion is committed to operating responsibly throughout all areas of our organization. Learn more about our sustainability priorities, goals and progress here or visit our website. Safe Harbor StatementCertain matters discussed in this press release, are 'forward-looking statements' intended to qualify for the safe harbor from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements may generally be identified as such because the context of such statements will include words such as 'anticipate,' 'believe,' 'could,' 'estimate,' 'expect,' 'intend,' 'may,' 'plan,' 'potential,' 'predict,' 'project,' 'should,' 'will,' 'would' or words of similar import. Similarly, statements that describe our future plans, objectives or goals, including business relationships with government customers, are also forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause results to differ materially from those expected including, but not limited to, the risks described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Shareholders, potential investors and other readers are urged to consider risks and uncertainties carefully in evaluating the forward-looking statements and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements made herein are made only as of the date of this press release and we undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. More detailed information about factors that may affect our performance may be found in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available at or at in the Investor Relations section of our Website. Except as required by applicable law, we assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statements publicly or to update the reasons why actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in any forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future. Twitter: @OrionLighting and @OrionLightingIRStockTwits: @Orion_LED_IR Investor Relations Contacts Per Brodin, CFO William Jones; David Collins Orion Energy Systems, Inc Catalyst IR pbrodin@ (212) 924-9800 or OESX@ Sign in to access your portfolio
