MUSIC PREVIEW: Ghost brings Swedish spookypop to Edmonton on Death tour
For a band few people have ever heard of to suddenly appear in Edmonton’s biggest indoor concert venue is worth noting.
The band Ghost plays Monday, Sept. 23 at Rogers Place. It’s a smaller-sized concert bowl, but still. Several thousand fans who already know this theatrical Swedish hard rock band are expected to turn up – with a lot of the rest of us scratching our heads, saying, “Who?” Ghost, man. Ghost. They headlined at the Starlite Room in 2013 and haven’t been back since. Until now – on the “Ultimate Tour Named Death.”
For those not in the know, or old, these guys are sort of like the Daft Punk of hard rock, with a little GWAR thrown in. “Cardinal Copia” is the frontman (formerly Papa Emeritus), the rest of the band are known as “Nameless Ghouls.” They toy with Satanic imagery. Their songs aren’t particularly spooky. They’re catchy. They’re filled with smooth gothic vocal harmonies, and a nice antique organ sound over crisply driving riffs. It’s spookypop.
Already huge in Europe, Ghost hit the North American charts in 2016 with a song called Square Hammer, and again last year with Rats. Canada has been slow to follow. You don’t hear much Ghost on Edmonton radio, except for the Bear sometimes. So in a way Ghost is one of these “cult” successes, like Tool, say, or back in the day, Pink Floyd: Arena-level acts that usually didn’t get – or need – radio airplay.
Opening the show Nothing More. 7:30 pm, advance tickets from $31
Thursday 19
A Symphonic Evening With Corb Lund and Ian Tyson – These kinds of touching generational bonding experiences almost always bear fruit. And these guys are perfect together – Ian the Corb of the past, Corb the Ian of the future, kindred spirits in real Alberta country a far cry from their American bro-thren. They’ve been working together a fair bit, both live and on record, and this evening featuring the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra is expected to be an unforgettable experience. Hope they’re recording it for prosterity! Winspear Centre, 7:30 pm, SOLD OUT
Friday 20
Buffy Sainte-Marie – She’s the stone-cold for-real deal: Singer, songwriter, political activist, decades of experience, won more awards than you can name, except we can name two: An Oscar (for a co-write on Up Where We Belong in 1982), and the Polaris Music Prize for her 2015 album Power in the Blood. She’s 78 now, and still going strong. Some artists get better with age. Winspear Centre, 8 pm, advance tickets from $37.
Rhye –Michael Milosh is an electronic musician and a classically trained cellist – don’t see that combo every day, and in his band Rhye we seem to get both sides of the artist in a sultry smooth modern R&B experience. Chill night expected at the Myer Horowitz Theatre. 7 pm. Tickets from $33.50.
Saturday 21
Hewson Grey – How’s this for a little nepotiz? Two of the guys in this band have written stories for GigCity (Caleb Bradley and Stuart Bobbin), we featured them in a LISTEN HERE episode, and now here’s a plug for their free afternoon show at the Black Dog – one of our favourite and most loyal advertisers. Coincidence? Probably. But that’s what happens in the Edmonton music scene. If you’re dedicated and you stick around, sooner or later you’re going to run into yourself. 4 pm, NO COVER
Harvest Moon Music and Art Festival – Top-hatted Juno-winning folk-singer Bill Bourne leads an eclectic bill at the Sewing Machine Factory, hosted by the Leaky Shack Travelling Road Show, along among other musical acts and visual artists. 7 pm, $10 at the door, all proceeds to the MS Society of Canada.
Sunday 22
Alone I Walk – Technically it should be “Together We Walk” because there are two guys in this rising Winnipeg power pop duo: guitarist-vocalist Franky Courcelles, and drummer-vocalist Pascal Courcelles. The great thing about being a duo is that you can do almost anything you want – alone together. With Nicolas Rage in support. Buckingham, 8 pm, $10 advance
