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Switching styles

Local Music Venues: Naked Cyber Cafe & Espresso Bar

Edmonton has a vibrant music community, especially in the downtown core. Though not many people are aware of live music venues beyond the huge stadiums that host well known and famous musicians like Marilyn Manson, Marianas Trench, Snoop Dog, Justin Timberlake, Garth Brooks and so on. But there is so much more that Edmonton has to offer. This photo essay is looking at one live music venue in particular; Naked Cyber Café and Espresso Bar.

If you’re looking for a music venue, you may find Naked Cyber Cafe and Espresso Bar. Though you’ll have to know where to look. The venue itself is a bit of a hidden gem just off of 104th and a bit away from the sidewalk.

Naked Cyber Cafe & Espresso bar sits away from the sidewalk, almost hidden from view

This hidden gem is a place for Edmonton musicians to jam, perform and get their names out there. Local musicians have amazing talent and local live music venues are where they perform. Naked Cyber Cafe And Espresso Bar is one example.

Naked Cyber Cafe and Espresso Bar is one of Edmonton’s live music Venues right in the downtown core

The cafe is a cozy little cafe filled to the brim with art. When you first walk in there’s a wall of cute colourful drawings, complementing the badass paintings hung up behind the stage. A black and white cut out of Elvis Presley is illuminated by a red neon sign reading ‘Naked’. Jalapeno lights frame the stage, lighting up the faces of the musicians. This venue is decorated as rather ascetic, which is a tribute to the range of artistry within their walls.

Neon lights illuminate a black and white cutout of Elvis Presley providing an artistic aesthetic.

Thursdays are their open mic night where anyone can come in and perform. They have a fully equipped stage, complete with sound equipment, lighting, and, of course, instruments. This Thursday it ranged from classical piano recitals to acoustic covers, to electronic music.

Here is a photo essay finished for a school project at MacEwan University. These photos were taken during the open mic this last Thursday showing the venue and the amazing artists that performed.

Open mic night allows a range of musicians to perform their music their way

There’s certainly more to come from Naked Cyber Cafe and Espresso Bar. Keep tuned for future articles on the venue and the artists that perform there.

Let me know what you think in the comments below!!

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Reviews

Starting a Music Blog about Covers and Parodies and other bizarre music

Switching Styles,  a music blog, all started during a car ride with my family, and I had the AUX cord.

“Not another cover,” groans my little sister, “Don’t you have other music?”

“Nope, not really,” I tell her unapologetically.

This is how it all started. My sister’s annoyance with my fascination for covers, parodies, and remixes. This publication started because of the sentiment, “tell someone that cares”. This fascination has led to a blog all about the different styles of various songs and artists from comedy to reggae, to metal, to anything you can imagine.

Switching Styles is a way to connect with others that love weird and obscure music.
When it’s all said and done, she does have to admit that there are a lot of great covers out there. Switching Styles is here to bring you content centered around covers and parodies. Switching styles is an online blog or online publication that follows the topic of music. It focuses on weird, obscure, random, topics and overarching music news in general. It’s a bit of a mixed bag. Focusing on music, this blog aims to bring interesting content and musical suggestions to its audience.

Why start a blog on cover and parody songs?

The short answer is that I like them enough to put them into a blog. I find them on YouTube, or I stumble upon them on Facebook. It interests me as a writer and a journalist, so I research them. I talk with people about them. The more I do those things, the more interested I get. I’m delighted by them, and I want to share that with people.

What’s the story behind the blog? The Long Answer?

The long answer starts with being an older sister. I grew up with a little sister. She’s annoying, but she’s my best friend. Anyway, we both have a love of music, but our musical tastes don’t always seem to mesh. We both like music that ranges from metal to rap, to reggae, to pop, and beyond. Though there’s a lot of chance for crossover, it doesn’t mean it happens often.

Thus, to avoid any hassle while driving anywhere, we would take turns controlling the AUX cord. Either you get to control the music, or you get to have the front seat. With the AUX cord, it’s a chance to show off new songs but also to hear the grumbling coming from the front seat. To be completely honest, both of us are guilty of this grumbling at one point or another. The main thing my sister complains about is the number of covers I have on my phone. For certain songs, I have numerous covers. For other songs, I don’t even have the original. This is her main complaint as she generally prefers the originals to the covers.

Later, I knew that I wanted to start a blog and asked my baby sister what I should write about. She was really helpful and said that I could write about anything my heart desires. Since that didn’t narrow it down, I knew I wanted to write about something that I care about, that I find cool, and that I spend time on anyway. Thus, covers seemed like a decent idea. The more I considered it, the more I realized that I could do it and enjoy it.

Music Blog Conclusion

The simple answer to the long story is that I started a blog about covers and parodies because I wanted to share them with people. I want to write about songs that are unique because they aren’t the original.

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