Music Mile YYC, Mo Gravy Records, and the Inglewood Business Improvement Area (BIA) invite you to the first night in their Snow Melter festival: Flyfest - A Musical Tribute to Marvin “The Fly” Kee.
The musical event on April 27 will feature live performances in the evening, along with a daytime mural unveiling that captures the vibrant venues of Calgary’s Music Mile and an unforgettable denizen who played them. As a bass and guitar player in a long list of Calgary bands spanning a myriad of genres, from flamenco to soul and funk to punk, Kee was a notable figure in Alberta’s music
scene since he started performing in the late 1980s. He died in March of 2023 of cancer.
“Marvin was a friend to everyone in the arts community and a cat that inspired and entertained hundreds of thousands of music fans over a 30 year career,” said Scott Morin, Music Mile VP and Juno Award-winning producer. “I met Marvin when I guested with his first band, the legendary High Rollers, in 1992. We shared a love for soulful and funk music and especially the music of Prince. Like so many people in Calgary, I considered Marvin one of my best friends and his loss has been felt deeply by so many of us. Marvin was the unofficial music ambassador of Music Mile. For that reason, we have organized this special Flyfest celebration as a part of the Snow Melter weekend that is being produced with the Inglewood BIA. We hope this will be the first in an annual tradition.”
Flyfest: A Musical Tribute to Marvin “The Fly” Kee will bring together many of Kee’s musical collaborators and friends to perform live in his honour, including Sargeant X Comrade, La Mosca, Vududes, and the Ex-Boyfriends. The day will begin with an unveiling of a mural by artist Alex Kwong, which immortalizes the past and present of Inglewood’s music scene, followed by a New Orleans-style jazz funeral march led by Delirium Street Party Brass down 9 Avenue SE to 9 Street SE where the mini music festival portion of the event will take place.
Snow Melter’s Flyfest schedule on April 27:
3:30 pm to 4:00 pm – Music Mile will reveal a stunning new mural design, conceived and painted by Calgary artist Alex Kwong at 1209 9 Avenue SE (outside Jams Diner)
4:00 - 4:30 pm – Acoustic Performances by Ainsley Christine, Sydney Zadravec, Chris Van Keir, and Sonal Jogia
4:30 pm – Jazz funeral march led by Delirium Street Party Brass to corner lot of 9 Avenue and 9 Street SE
5:00 pm – Sargeant X Comrade
5:45 pm – La Mosca
6:30 pm – Deicha & The VuDudes
7:15 pm – The Ex-Boyfriends
“Building Calgary’s arts and culture scene has been a real grassroots endeavour by numerous dedicated and passionate individuals over many years,” said mural artist Alex Kwong. “It’s an honour for me to have a small part in celebrating the history of Music Mile and commemorating a true icon of the Calgary music scene with this mural painting. It captures key landmarks of Music Mile, while paying tribute to one of the stewards of music in Calgary. Marvin Kee remains a bright light for us all and this will be captured in the mural we are unveiling.”
As part of this community celebration of Kee’s life and music, the first single from Kee’s Flytrap LP, entitled “Can U Dig It?,” which he was recording until his death and has been completed posthumously, will be released on April 26. The full album will arrive on Mo Gravy Records later this year. Stay tuned for more details on the single.
Flyfest: A Musical Tribute to Marvin “The Fly” Kee will happen on April 27 as part of Snow Melter, the Inglewood BIA’s free outdoor winter music festival, running April 27-28 at the corner lot of 9 Avenue and 9 Street SE. The festival will include licensed bars, fire pits, and conclude with JazzYYC’s Jazz Walk on April 28.
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