REVIEW: Black Sabbath kicks ass in Edmonton
Whether lapsed Catholics or apostate Protestants, fans of all religious persuasions gave roaring approval to the solid, reliable shift that Black Sabbath put in at the doom metal factory on Tuesday night. It wasn’t hard to see why 18,000 Edmonton fans flocked to see these metal legends get their hands dirty at Rexall Place. When […]
REVIEW: Great concert? Yes!
About 2,000 Edmontonians took a trip to a parallel rock ‘n’ roll universe for the duration of the Yes concert Monday night at the Jubilee Auditorium. Lucky for fans of the band – now spanning six decades since its inception in 1968 – this is exactly what they came for. How many bands in 2014 […]
COMMENT: 2013 a grim year for taxes, sports, labour unions
Beyond death and taxes, end-of-the-year review lists seem to have become de rigueur in the information age. At the very least they serve as good reminders not to forget history lest we be doomed to repeat it. Or maybe we will anyway. If you weren’t paying attention over the last 12 months, don’t fret, for […]
EIFF REVIEW: Thanks for Sharing a sober look at sex ‘addiction’
If God allowed us to pick our addiction, who wouldn’t pick sex? No matter how many times you do it, you’re probably not going to get cirrhosis of the liver, bad skin, rotten teeth or lung cancer, provided you take the appropriate precautions. All you get out of it is a nice happy little rush […]
EIFF REVIEW: Punk rock doc a homage for fans only
Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead was once asked what it meant to play music outside of mainstream tastes. His brief and poignant response perfectly captures the ethos of Filmage: the Story of the Descendents/All: “It means you’re f—ing broke.” Screening Oct. 1 as part of the Edmonton International Film Festival, Matt Riggle’s documentary pays a fawning, […]
SONIC BOOM: What’s My Age Again?
At what point does modern rock become classic? You can be sure that none of the 13,000 fans at Northlands Park on Sunday evening were contemplating this pop culture question as two of modern rock’s most geriatric acts Blink-182 and Weezer headlined Sonic Boom 2013. They were too busy rocking out. Whatever the actual ages […]
FRINGE: Redheads have more fun!
If you’re not already a sucker for redheads, you will be after seeing Rebecca Perry in her creative and original one woman show “Confessions of a Redheaded Coffeeshop Girl” (Venue 42) at the Edmonton Fringe. Perry plays Joanie, a 20-something girl stuck working at a Toronto area coffee shop and trying to figure out her […]
FRINGE: The Tenant Haimovitz will mess with your mind
The first 15 minutes or so of The Tenant Haimovitz (Venue 1) makes about as much sense as Middle Eastern politics does to a New World man. A writer named Daniel – “it’s pronounced Dan-ee-yell” – rents an apartment only to discover he already has roommates which may or may not be figments of his […]
FRINGE: The madness of King Ludwig
Calgarian Kyall Rakoz looks barely out of high school and he’s already pulled off what should become a Fringe success with his one man show “Ludwig and Lohengrin.” (Venue 10) As playwright, director and star, Rakoz tackles the story of King Ludwig II of Bavaria, a controversial figure in German history, and not just because […]
FRINGE: Moscow Stations anything but life affirming
Actor Clayton Jevne is so flawlessly believable as a decrepit drunk that you can almost smell the booze on him. Listening to him talk for 80 excruciating minutes is even worse. In “Moscow Stations” (Venue 7), adapted from a novel by Russia’s Venedict Yerofeev, Jevne delivers a stellar performance as Venya, a pathetic and completely […]
FRINGE: Innocent When You Dream a whale of a tale
Viewers shouldn’t be surprised to learn that the playwright, actor, puppeteer and ukulele virtuoso behind “Innocent When You Dream” (Venue 2) hails from Austin, Texas – one of the few great American cities that openly declare pride in their apparent weirdness. The Fringe is known for weirdness, so Zeb West’s unique tale of tails, a […]
FRINGE REVIEW: Forget Me Not a disturbing masterpiece
Sometimes humour can help the mind grasp a disturbing topic. “Forget Me Not” (Venue 10) is an intelligent and gutsy comedy by Rob Gee that underneath the superficial comic presentation takes a subversive detour into the dark side of institutionalized care, asking the audience to consider if patients in such facilities are receiving quality care […]
