MUSIC PREVIEW: They Might Be Giants stomp into Edmonton
The Gods of indie rock have smiled on Edmonton once again – They Might Be Giants is coming to town.
At the Starlite Friday night, this unusual band has spanned genres and decades with the sort of introspective, esoteric, insufferably quirky and intelligent pop music that’s so hard to pin down it comes unravelled in a stiff wind. They were huge with the indie rock crowd at colleges across North America, cult heroes before the term “indie rock” was coined.
Not a lot of “hits” here. OK, Birdhouse in Your Soul, the theme song for Malcolm in the Middle. That’s about it. Bands like this don’t go for hits. Partners John Flansburgh and John Linnell, who pioneered the “cool rock duo” thing before getting a full band together, have recorded a ton of material since 1986, including 20 studio albums, of which a half dozen are children’s albums. This explains a few things, sonically. They sound like an alternative rock band for kids who don’t want to grow up.
Advance tickets to this “evening with” show (no opening act) at 9 pm are $35. BUY
Thursday 18
Colter Wall – In a land of fake cowboys with their dumb trucks and watered-down American beer, this guy stands out … er, by not being like that. A real cowboy singer through and through, Mr. Wall is from Swift Current, Saskatchewan, and after impressive indie-country success with last year’s self-titled debut, it certainly fits that he’d call his follow-up Songs of the Plains. Hey, write what you know! Union Hall, 7 pm, tickets from $40
Gord Bamford – Look, another country show – is there a rodeo in town or something? While this cowboy is just as slick and mainstream and liable to sing songs about beer as his American brethren, at least it’s Canadian beer! Gord is Canadian, too, workin’ hard and droppin’ g’s since 2001 to become the man he is today: a deserving 16-time Canadian Country Music Award winner. Opening the show at the Cook County Saloon – now there’s a name you don’t see too often as a live venue anymore – will be Jojo Mason and Hailey Benedict. 7:30 pm, tickets $42
Friday 19
Black Mourning Light Metal Festival – The famed Belgian calligrapher Christophe Szpajdel – aka “Lord of the Logos” – is a special guest at this annual black and doom metal festival. It happens at the Rendezvous Pub Friday night and all day and night Saturday, plus “breakfast with the bands” Sunday morning. If you’re ever wondered why so many black metal band logos look like an undecipherable tangle of bones and sticks, Christophe is the answer. “Black metal as FUCK!” is what he says his clients want. The bands on stage Friday and Saturday include the Lucifer Project, Black Sacrament, Altars of Grief, and many more like-minded acts, a lot of them from Edmonton, where it is indeed Black Metal as FUCK. Full passes are $60 and on sale here.
READ: Interview with Lord of the Logos
Pharis and Jason Romero – With sweet voices and impeccable pickin’, this likable husband-and-wife bluegrass duo from the remote wilds of B.C. have developed such a lovely homespun chemistry that it won them a Juno Award in 2016. They’re touring now on their new album, Sweet Old Religion. Are they being ironic? Judge for yourself when they play the Arden Theatre. 7:30 pm, tickets $35
Saturday 20
Everlast – Jump up, jump up and get down! This rapper-slash-singer-songwriter made a name for himself with the group House of Pain and its jumpy Jump Around song that is now permeated into pop culture, and on his own, with his 1998 hit What It’s Like. His latest album sounds like full circle time: Whitey Ford’s House of Pain. Opening the show will be local First Nations rapper Rellik. Starlite Room, 8 pm, $32.50 advance
Evergreen – Echoey three-part harmonies over gentle grooves in songs evoking the great outdoors distinguish this local quartet, releasing its third recording, Whole, with a show at the Aviary. Cypress and Travis Matthews open the show. 8 pm, $10 advance
Dead Cells – This promising new punk band from Vancouver doesn’t waste any notes with its brisk, crunchy and catchy songs – few of them barely cracking the three-minute mark. Unusual venue for a punk show: The famed local strip club Chez Pierre. Also on the bill are Sister Suzie, Bleach and Sacrificial Rites. 8 pm, tickets $10
Monday 22
Foo Fighters – The New York Times called this band the world’s greatest cover band: “They don’t just cover songs, they cover entire decades!” or words to that effect – and the Foos’ mass infiltration into the rock mainstream reveals the truth of this. These guys are masters of pleasant, perfectly serviceable hard rock anthems, so many of them on the radio, with a likable, funny frontman Dave Grohl. While he did a tour with a broken leg last time, he lost his voice earlier this year and had to postpone a number of dates on their “Concrete and Gold” tour. This show at Rogers Place is the make-up, with The Joy Formidable opening at 7 pm. Previously held tickets will be honoured, or on sale from $94.
