PLAYBOT: Once upon a romance
He’s a street musician who’s starting to have doubts about his chosen career path. She’s a beautiful young passer-by who becomes his muse. What could possibly go wrong? Why, nothing, of course – aside from life and, possibly, love. In this multiple-Tony winning musical at the Citadel Theatre Sept. 22-Oct. 14, Julien Arnold and Ruth […]
Win passes to Edmonton Expo!
It’s fun to imagine that the celebrity guests at the Edmonton Comic and Entertainment Expo this weekend could come as their real characters – and have a battle! If Darth Maul (Ray Park) had a fight with Data (Brent Spiner), who would win? No contest. Phaser beats light sabre. Could Aquaman (Jason Momoa from DC […]
Vancouver brain drain Edmonton’s gain
Back in the day, artists left Edmonton in droves for the literally greener pastures of Vancouver – but now some of them are coming back. Two good examples, anyway. It counts extra if they’re women, right? “Yeah, of course it counts!” says stand-up comedian Kathleen McGee (above), who after four years living in Vancouver has […]
REVIEW: Sonic Field Day winners and losers
The thing about attending a modern rock festival, as opposed to a classic rock one, is that you can be sure that most of the band members you see on stage are the original band members. From the blatting boom of the Arkells to the incendiary political nu-metal of Grandson to the groovy electro-rock of […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Field Day Surprise Mystery Festival!
For radio listeners who tune in just for the tunes, SONIC Field Day is a great opportunity to see a band whose name you may not recognize (because you don’t stick around to hear the names of the bands) – and then experience the thrill of seeing them live for the first time and being […]
Foo Fighters postpone Alberta shows
Dave Grohl has performed with a broken leg – but the show cannot go on without his voice. Foo Fighters have postponed their date in Edmonton tonight (Tuesday, Sept. 4), and in Calgary on Sept. 6, due to their lead singer suffering “loss of voice” at their tour opener in Seattle last week. Grohl is […]
INTERVIEW: Grandson plays the rage card
The artist who calls himself Grandson is only 24 years old – and he’s already talking about the legacy he’s going to leave behind. As if it weren’t depressing enough to hear such fatalist talk from a millennial, listen to his music. Jordan Benjamin has already made a huge impact with his hit song Blood//Water. […]
EDMONTON RADIO: Are we losing our voices?
The sudden departure of Melissa Wright from K-97 after 20 years of service is not going to be another one of these Disgruntled Former Employee stories. “I don’t want to trash anybody,” she says. “I’m going to have to start looking for a job.” People in Edmonton radio get fired all the time – but […]
PLAYBOT: Fringe held over!
Well, that was fun. More than 133,200 tickets were sold to Fringe plays this year. Imagine if we could see those numbers all year. Time now to plug the Fringe Holdovers – worthy, proven, curated productions that will enjoy a few more shows in the coming week, while giving Fringe fans much-needed relief from the […]
RADIO: That’s enough, Africa!
You thought getting “Rick Rolled” was bad – now we’re getting Toto-ed to death. Radio listeners who came of age in the ‘80s tremble in fear over which old hit will be next to reawaken their dormant malignant brain worms after decades of remission. Wang Chung? Huey Lewis and the News? Mr. Mister? It hurts […]
FRINGE: 2 SCARY horror shows
Meet Daniel, a typical working man exhausted after a hard day at the office. Alone and sad, he tromps into his ratty apartment and slumps into his cheap armchair. He is lonely, restless, with only his memories to keep him company. So he has a cocktail, or two, as he does every night. He drinks […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Blues, brothers and sisters!
Will it be possible to eat a green onion cake at the Edmonton Blues Festival while simultaneously listening to Green Onions performed by Booker T himself? Might we offer the visiting organsmith a sample of Edmonton’s favourite festival food? The answer is, sadly, no: No one’s selling green onion cakes down in Hawrelak Park this […]
