Rusty Reed’s House of Blues to get facelift, new name
Area blues fans may have noticed that Rusty Reed’s House of Blues is GONE – the namesake of the local harmonica master stricken from the marquee as his beloved blooze can revamps itself as NOLA (as in New Orleans, Louisiana) Creole Kitchen and House of Music. The grand re-opening will be Aug. 25. New owner […]
GIGGLE CITY: J. Chris Newberg comes out from behind his guitar
Unlike rock musicians, stand-up comedians don’t have anything to protect them from the audience, no instrument or prop to hide behind. Well, unless they’re a prop comic or something. A guitar may be a prop, too, or a crutch. Either way, comedian J. Chris Newberg has been relying on his six-string less and less over […]
Gene Simmons shoots his mouth off at the River Cree
As a member of Generation Nothing – that awkward demographic group who came of age between Generation X and Baby Boomers and had naught but KISS and Peter Frampton to soothe them through the horrors of disco – I can keep silent no longer. Gene Simmons: Please shut the f*** up. You used to be […]
TRUE TALES: Edmonton’s Cap Ex, Wide Mouth Mason, and a Billy Gibbons bender
When Wide Mouth Mason opened for ZZ Top in 1997, they were treated as little more than fans granted a photo op at the backstage meet ‘n’ greet. It was a little different when the two bands toured together last summer. They went on a bender – which is the spark that created Wide Mouth’s […]
FOOD: Thanh Thanh’s break elicits mournful sighs
Vietnamese spring rolls, barbecue beef satay, spicy Thai soup, lemongrass chicken with coconut and hot peppers, better make that two orders, cubes of beef, shrimp in black bean sauce – and Vietnamese iced coffees all around. You order the coffee first so the espresso can have a chance to drip into the sweet cream by […]
GIGGLE CITY: Comedian Paul Sveen helps those battling cancer
The healing powers of humour are well-documented. Laughter releases endorphins, nature’s opiates, and allows humans to face tragedy with a little less fear. It’s a cliché to say that comedy is just tragedy plus time, but like a lot of cliches, it’s true. Of the various “types” of comedy gigs Paul Sveen does, that every […]
Living With Lions tells FACTOR where to stick their 13 grand
Now this is fortuitous. We were just having a friendly debate about government arts funding and along comes Living With Lions to play the Pawn Shop on Friday night. This is the Vancouver punk band at the centre of the storm of controversy surrounding its new CD, “Holy Shit” and its allegedly blasphemous artwork, which […]
EDMONTON RADIO: Holy S***! Pepper & Dylan win!
And the funniest morning radio show in Edmonton is … (drum roll, hush from audience) The Pepper & Dylan Show on Virgin Radio 104.9 FM! (Cough, wind blowing) Surprised? Me, too. I thought Garner Andrews from Sonic 102.9 FM would win, or maybe Terry, Bill and Steve from K-97, but nope, it’s THOSE two guys […]
