MUSIC PREVIEW: Edmonton Rocks
This weekend is punctuated by the 2019 edition of the Edmonton Rock Music Festival, which traditionally falls on the weekend after folk fest. The organizers are known for bringing in some of the best classic rock artists of all time, particularly in the Canadian vein, and often those who don’t tour regularly anymore but save their appearances for these special occasions.
This year is no different, with sets from The Odds (with such memorable songs as Love Is the Subject and King Of the Heap) and Sloan (Money City Maniacs is often listed as one of the best Canadian songs of all time) headlining Friday night’s lineup (which starts at 5 pm).
Saturday is no slouch either, with Darby Mills, Wide Mouth Mason (above), Pursuit Of Happiness (I’m An Adult Now, Hard To Laugh), and Haywire taking the stage in succession (the first band kicks off Saturday’s performances at 11:45 am). The night is capped off by none other than Rick Springfield, Greg Kihn, and Tommy Tutone joining forces. What happens when the performers of Jenny/867-5309 and Jessie’s Girl collide? Attendees are sure to find out!
Online tickets are only available until noon on Friday, head on over to their website for more information. Friday tickets are $65; Saturday is $90; a weekend pass will set you back $140. Tickets will be $10 more per day at the gate.
Friday 16
This Is Pop Festival – Edmonton’s very own This Is Pop Records is hosting a two-day music extravaganza, featuring eight bands on two nights. Friday’s lineup includes Vancouver punk act Sore Points and Halifax’s garage-punk stalwarts Outtacontroller, as well as Edmonton mainstays Real Sickies, Feminal Fluids, and Beach Towels. Calgary’s No Brainer is also on the bill. The Saturday night of this mini-festival features bands from Vancouver and Halifax again, with new wave-power pop act Autogramm, and the grunge-power pop stylings of Designosaur, respectively. Calgary bands Paradise and Strip Mall are also on the bill, as are local projects Wares, Screaming Targets, Fitness, and House Calls. Aviary, 7 pm both nights.
Burna Boy – Damini Ogulu, aka Burna Boy, is touring North America to support his newest release, African Giant, which came out late last month. The Nigerian Afro-fusion singer-songwriter is riding a huge wave of North American publicity, including being named Best International Act at the most recent BET Awards, and just recently being named Apple Music’s Up Next artist. Union Hall, 7 pm, $73 and up. BUY
Saturday 17
98 Degrees – This boy band out of Los Angeles, featuring brothers Nick and Drew Lachey, saw four of their songs rocket into the top five over the span of three years. From 1998 to 2000, Because Of You, The Hardest Thing, Thank God I Found You (with Mariah Carey and Joe), and Give Me Just One Night (Una Noche) pushed the band into the musical mesosphere. The band didn’t release another album after that until 2013, though, with a fairly lengthy hiatus punctuated by the odd show, mostly for special occasions. The band’s most recent album in 2017 was a Christmas release, so it’s hard to say if fans will hear anything from that album. River Cree, 9 pm, $58 and up. BUY
