Desert Boots

You know you’re listening to something creative when you can’t stick a genre on it. There is no way to pin a neat little label on it that seems satisfactory, even if you cram on any number prefixes and suffixes like “post” or “core.” This seems to be the case with Calgary’s Desert Boots. - Beatroute

"...and up-and-coming shit-disturbers like Desert Boots and Miesha & the Spanks, the scene is more vibrant than it has been in years and the festival is more than willing to step up." - FFWD Weekly

Three years since the festival’s creation, it’s difficult to imagine a Calgary without Sled Island. In its first year, the festival brought immediate international attention and legitimacy to the scene by importing attention-grabbing acts like Japan’s Boredoms. This year, though, the festival is relying less on heavyweight headliners and putting the burden of success onto the shoulders of the local scene. With veterans like The Dudes and Hot Little Rocket, internationally acclaimed artists like Chad VanGaalen and Women and up-and-coming shit-disturbers like Desert Boots and Miesha & the Spanks, the scene is more vibrant than it has been in years and the festival is more than willing to step up. - FFWD Weekly

A group of Hinton-born musicians may no longer live in town, but their hearts are still in their hometown.
The four-person ensemble, Desert Boots, is made of four local young men who, though playing together for only a year, produce a sound more indicative of a band four or five years in the making. With Mario Casagrande on guitar and vocals, James Lea on guitar, keyboard and vocals along with brothers Austin Höhn on drums and Perry Höhn on bass, Desert Boots -- named after a popular brand of 1980s footwear -- delivers a rockabilly-influenced sound.
"We call it boot rock," said Casagrande. "It's more or less our brand of rock and roll."
Though the band members all live in Calgary now, they perform in Hinton as often as they can.
"We just like to play shows in Hinton because we all grew up there and we like to give back to the town that raised us," said Casagrande. "That's where the heart is."
In spite of their short time playing together, Desert Boots has a lengthy catalogue of original songs.

"We've got enough songs for about two CDs," said Casagrande.
The band intends to put out a full-length CD as soon as they find the time for the studio, he said. Though the band is a first for Casagrande and Perry Höhn, they keep up well with Austin Höhn and Lea, who are more experienced musicians that have been playing multiple instruments for more than a decade.
"They're the ones that are the real all-around musicians," said Casagrande. “They’re both super-talented guys.”
The band formed spontaneously about a year ago when a mutual friend booked them a show at a bar, said Casagrande.
"She booked us a show and we didn't even have a band," he recalled. "So we just told Perry he was going to play the bass."
In spite of being new to the instrument, first-time listeners would think Perry Höhn had been playing for years.
"He just keeps getting better," said Casagrande.
Though the group is still in its formative years, the band members plan to stick together as long as possible.
"As long as our friends are out there and our heart's in it we’ll keep doing it," said Casagrande. "It can be hard work, but that's what life is."

- hinton parklander