Dote Magazine Issue 1

“I was thinking back to my high school days when I was going to open mics every other night with my mom, staying up so late on school nights just to play two songs and to try to get my music out there in some way. I remember feeling a little limited in the sense that I couldn’t ever perform anywhere other than a bar or coffee shop, and that’s part of starting out and paying your dues, but I couldn’t help but long for something a bit more special sometimes. So, it started out as me wanting to find young Calgarian musicians who were sort of in that same situation–just starting out, not a huge fan base, unable to book better venues–and give them an outlet,” Lindsay shares.

As it turned out, many of the young musicians that she had envisioned were, in fact, already playing some pretty great venues, so the project became less about her providing assistance to them and more about serious collaboration. Interested in collaborating with all kinds of artists, Lindsay decided to bring visual artists into the picture creating an ultimate night of arts and community – aka Lindsay Kupser and Friends: A Celebration of Calgarian Musicians and Artists. The night at the Leacock Theatre featured five musical acts, one spoken word artist, five visual artists, and Lindsay and her band.

“It was very far outside of my comfort zone for me to reach out to all of these musicians and artists who I, for the most part, didn’t know. I was pretty nervous that they were all just going to, kind of, ignore me or not take me seriously, especially because I’m this random girl who lives in Boston who no one in Calgary has really heard of for about four years,” says Lindsay of the big night. “Luckily, everyone was absolutely incredible, both as people and as musicians. Something just clicked and everyone was so open and humble, and I think everyone felt like it was a really special evening. We’re all genuinely friends now!”

When Lindsay isn’t busy with her non-stop musical schedule, she loves to indulge in her podcast addiction that is apparently “starting to take over her life”.

“I love the idea of being able to listen to insightful or sad or beautiful or funny stories and to learn more about human nature through other people’s experiences while I’m on the train or walking to the grocery store. What a great way to spend time that could otherwise be thought of as wasted! This American Life is a biggie for me, but I’m also very much into The Moth, Risk, RadioLab, Death, Sex, and Money, and The Memory Palace,” Lindsay shares. With recommendations like that, how could you not load up your smartphone for a year’s worth of podcasts.

A true Dote girl, Lindsay also loves to cook and spends a lot of time in the kitchen trying to master new recipes and taking cooking classes. While mastering the French macaron is her current goal, this multi-faceted talent is planning on taking art classes at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston to see how visual arts affects her music.