Posted on June 17, 2011
By Mike Ross
Front Slider, Music
Rarely have the words “THE SHOW MUST GO ON” meant so much as they do for the promoter of the Utopia Music Festival. Dale Plourde, after working on this weekend’s Edmonton Pride Festival event for the past year, suffered a mild heart attack three days ago. Friends quickly revived him and he was rushed to […]
Posted on June 15, 2011
By Mike Ross
Culture, Front Slider, Music
If Vancouver didn’t want it or need it anymore, why would Edmonton have any better luck hosting New Music West? “We’ve got to try, right?” says Dave Johnston of Union Events, which is handling the band showcase portion of the festival, happening July 21-23 at venues around Edmonton. “It’s an experiment. If it works, great, […]
Posted on June 14, 2011
By Mike Ross
Front Slider, Music, TV and Radio
If there’s anyone in Canada who deserves to be called a superhero, it’s Tom Jackson. He’d laugh it off and deny it, typically, but there is no escaping the evidence: Wherever there’s a crisis, wherever there are people in dire need, this aboriginal singer-actor is ready fly in and save the day. The latest quest […]
Posted on June 13, 2011
By Mike Ross
Culture, Front Slider, Lit
Minister Faust used “Kush” to describe the African quarter of Edmonton long before it became the buzzword for pretty much any strain of high grade marijuana. The Kingdom of Kush was an area near present-day Somalia – the Horn of Africa – around 1,000 B.C. So all you potheads can stand down. The Alchemists of […]
Posted on June 10, 2011
By Mike Ross
Music
Getting the fuel to run our Hummers and hairdryers often involves going to some remote wilderness, kicking out or buying off the people who live there, sucking the goop out of the ground and making such a big mess out of the place that nobody will ever want to live there again. Who’s to blame? […]
Posted on June 9, 2011
By Mike Ross
Culture, Music, Theatre
You can take the “gay” out of gay pride, but you can’t … complete this sentence without getting into trouble. That the Edmonton Pride Festival doesn’t have the word “gay” in its title is a little bothersome. It seems like another step in the neutering of the English language – suggesting there may be a […]
Posted on June 8, 2011
By Mike Ross
Music, The Latest
“My parents were eccentric,” explains Gurf Morlix on his unusual given name. There’s not much more to tell. Sure, there were problems. Not as much as the boy named Sue, but there was a bit of childhood taunting, maybe, raised eyebrows and dumb questions, and it’s hard to introduce yourself in a loud bar. But […]
Posted on June 6, 2011
By Mike Ross
Comedy, Front Slider
Let’s play the race card again. As long as there is racism in the world, comedians of race will play the race card. Stand-up comics are expected to be honest, right? Gilson Lubin is no exception. While the Caribbean-Canadian comic fits right in with shows like the Def Comedy Jam, where the audience is mostly […]
Posted on June 4, 2011
By Mike Ross
Comedy, Front Slider
As Edmonton’s own Lars Callieou awaits his first Comedy Network special, Friday, June 10 at 10:30 p.m., there’s only one thing he’s nervous about: “I haven’t see it yet. When you guys see it, it’ll be the first time I see it. I’m not nervous. Maybe I should be.” He’s too busy to worry. Having […]
Posted on June 3, 2011
By Mike Ross
Family, The Latest, Theatre
In a time where every single thing that touches our children’s lives is sanitized and bubble-wrapped for their protection, it’s refreshing to find a piece of entertainment that doesn’t sugarcoat the story. Such rare wonders can be found the International Children’s Festival, simply the best entertainment bet for your dollar you’ll get all year. It’s […]
Posted on June 3, 2011
By Mike Ross
Front Slider, Music
So long, U2. Thanks for the “concert of the decade.” Now it’s time for the next concert of the decade: Supertramp at Rexall Place on Sunday night (June 5). We need another decade. Tell you what: Let’s consider 2011 up to U2 in Edmonton on June 1 the ‘10s, and everything here and after as […]
Posted on May 31, 2011
By Mike Ross
Culture, Film, TV and Radio
Message to the Hobbit Oilsands Hoaxters: The goal of shedding light on the environmental situation in Fort McMurray may be a worthy one – but it does not justify the means of screwing over one guy. Forget politics. We’re talking identity theft. The guy in question is local film producer Josh Miller, who is annoyed […]
