MUSIC PREVIEW: Alberta Grown, award winning
Loathe as we are to celebrate a granfalloon of musicians selected on the basis of where they live, you really can’t go wrong showcasing Alberta talent – can you? So while “Alberta” is technically not a musical genre, there’s certainly enough talent in this province to qualify for a star-studded variety line-up offered at the […]
Sheryl Crow is one hard-working single mother
When Sheryl Crow talked about being a mom at her show in Edmonton on Tuesday night, it struck a deep chord with her mainly middle class, mainly middle aged white audience. In short, soccer moms. Is the soccer over yet? Illustrating the virtues and challenges that modern motherhood entails, the 56-year-old singer showed a depth […]
PLAYBOT: Earnest goes to camp
What great news it is that the respected Edmonton theatre company Teatro La Quindicina has dramatized and condensed for the stage all of the Ernest movies – which starred the late Jim Varney and will now feature Jeff Haslam in the titular role. What? OK, got to read these press releases more carefully. It’s “Earnest,” […]
PLAYBOT: Les Miserables – oh, the irony!
Wasn’t Les Miserables originally a story about the devastating effects of poverty and injustice in early 19th Century France that resulted in the French Revolution? And now it’s a huge spectacular musical whose tickets only the wealthy can afford? Oh, the irony! That sound you hear is Victor Hugo rolling around in his grave – […]
REVIEW: Vance Joy to the World
If you would’ve told Vance Joy 10 years ago that he’d be playing Canadian hockey arenas one day, he would’ve said you were crackers. Because he’s Australian. “Crackers” is exactly the word he would use. It means crazy. But there he was at Rogers Place on Wednesday night – another worthy folk singer-turned-pop star playing […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: No Problem amps up doom
Edmonton’s punk rock pride No Problem have always been a bit dark – and in these dark times, what do you do but literally amp it up? The band’s new album Let God Sort Em Out – their seventh since 2010 – is a bold work filled with raging punk rockers interspersed with spooky bookends […]
INTERVIEW: Eamon McGrath imagines ‘Maritime Gothic’
It’s tempting to think that This Town Dies When Festival Season Ends is a song about Edmonton – seeing as songwriter Eamon McGrath was born and raised here. You probably think this song is about you, don’t you? But it’s not. We think we have it bad; take a trip to a typical town in […]
PLAYBOT: It’s Shakespeare time!
One point in favour of teaching Shakespeare in schools and putting on Shakespeare festivals every summer – if we’re still arguing about this – is that almost everyone knows Shakespeare. Sure, he came from a distinctly white male European point of view, but his stories persist to this day because, well, they’re good. Think of […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: A Sures thing
Ben Sures has made a lot of waves in Edmonton since he moved here from Winnipeg more than 20 years ago. Now ensconced as one of the leading lights of the local music scene, Sures never seems to do the same thing twice. He’s worked with a wide variety of musicians in a wide variety […]
Bryan Adams does it for you
It’s astounding that Bryan Adams hasn’t changed his shtick in almost 40 years – and can still fill hockey arenas. He’s not in Edmonton as often as some of the others, so that helps make it special. And aside from writing more hits to fill his canon, why would he change now? If it ain’t […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Weird Al dares to be original
Here, finally, comes the true test for “Weird Al” Yankovic – an entire concert based on his own songs. Wait, what? He has his own songs? A whole show? Like that polka medley he always does? More than that. True fans know Weird Al composes his own music – quirky stylistic homages that might as […]
FOOD: River City Revival House serves rock ‘n’ roll
Rage Against the Poutine made me angry. Instead of the expected cheese curds that squeak on your teeth (indicating freshness) was the surprise appearance from homemade Thanksgiving stuffing – which, like grandma on family holidays, dominated the otherwise perfectly-cooked house-punched French fries drizzled with rich bacon gravy, backed up by succulent flakes of pulled pork. […]
