The Reverie’s third issue is a monumental showcase of the Calgary underground
By Daman Singh, Mia Gilje, March 23 2025—
If you’ve been around the city in the last year, you probably noticed a new kid on the print block — The Reverie. Maybe you’ve seen it in the stands getting the latest records from BlackByrd Myoozik or doing your volunteer shifts at CJSW. One thing’s for sure: you have not missed them and if you have, we’re so sorry that you missed out for so long.
Reverie has been covering the Calgary Underground scene for a while now, and has come up to their third print issue. Your lovely friends at the Gauntlet are here to cover the release. We spoke to co-founder and Editor-In-Chief Jess Arcand about herself, the project and what made her interested in the Calgary scene.
Arcand, a UCalgary Alumni, worked as a freelance journalist with BeatRoute and FREAK before she moved towards publicity with take aim media, where she works as a Senior National Publicist. She set up the Reverie as a place for emerging journalists and freelancers to have a launch pad that’s more open and accessible to build their portfolios.
For Arcand, Reverie is an outlet to put Alberta and its music scene on the map.
“I feel like [Alberta is] kind of the underliers of the Canadian music community. A lot of things are focused on like Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. I wanted to get another platform too for local artists here to feel like they can be on the cover of a magazine or be online and feel represented by their own community,” said Arcand.
The third issue of the Reverie is a testament to their beliefs. Not only is it a showcase of Calgary’s unique and emerging music talent, it is a document of so much creative talent that is present in the city.
The Reverie team consists of Arcand as Editor-In-Chief, Photography Lead Shannon Johnston and Digital Lead Kenn Enns as the core editorial team and is assisted by many contributing writers and photographers in the city.
“The dialogue is really strong between all of us,” said Arcand. “It’s more of a community and a collective.”
On the night of March 7, the Palomino Smokehouse was graced by three unapologetically original bands to celebrate the magazine’s third issue. The show opened up with the incredibly gifted Non-Ultra’s. Every part of their performance exuded pure passion. Their vocals filled the room, the dynamism being amplified by the addictive beat of the drums.
Committing to the experimental nature of the no-wave scene, they played a digital aerophone and a delicate, small egg shaker showing their willingness to step outside a traditional instrumental lineup.
After the riveting performance from the Non-Ultras came Parasian Orgy. Their skill as performers carried both within the music and outside, integrating a narrative story experience into their time on stage.
They walked on wearing pyjamas and colourful sleeping masks, while using the moments in-between songs to reminisce on childhood slumber parties. As for their artistry, lead singer Gwen Morgan was nothing short of a whimsical powerhouse. Her stunning vocals were matched by the entire band’s entrancing timbre. “Come Pretty Pump Sleep” served as an example of their use of dissonance in their favour, solidifying Parasian Orgy’s understanding of the rules of music and how to successfully break them. Continuing to defy the expectations of the crowd, they played a portion of their set with the masks covering their eyes — using only muscle memory and intuition to finish their exhilarating act.
The show had a smashing finale as Dial Up — the cover story for this issue of the Reverie — pushed the eccentric energy to another level. Tys Burger and EZ HD opened up the set with a vocal loop, which hooked the audience’s attention for the rest of the night. Their performance felt as if a scrapbook metamorphosed into a beat. It was DIY, punk and a hundred different components in one. In songs like “Killer Flowers on the Moon”, every musical aspect stands out on its own, each element carrying a distinct and striking sound that all manages to unite harmoniously.
Their melodic creativity was not the only thing keeping the audience on their toes. Dragged onto the floor was a table for arm wrestling, encouraging those in the crowd to get in front of the stage and become part of the entertainment itself. Even members of the band stopped mid-performance, slammed their elbows on the table and took audience engagement to another level.
Starting your own publication in such a saturated media landscape is not easy and it certainly hasn’t been for the team at Reverie. The publication runs without any funding so far.
“I learned how costly it is and how much it takes the support of many, many individuals to keep things going,” Arcand said. “It’s the trust with the artists that we work with.”
The new issue of the magazine is full of interesting stories and eye-catching visuals. Reverie is an artifact of the culture that Calgary as a city has. If you’ve already seen it and flipped through its pages, you’re already one step into the community. If not, grab a copy in the wild if you spot it, or support the publication by getting a subscription here.