Win Gene Simmons tickets!
To boldly go where no man has gone before! That should correctly read, “To go boldly where no person has gone before.” Doesn’t have quite the same ring to it – and anyway it doesn’t matter because we’re talking about Gene Simmons today. The KISS bassist is just one of the many celebrity guests at […]
PLAYBILL: Respect for Soul Sistas
One of the things the Mayfield Dinner Theatre has going for it is its artistic director Van Wilmott – whose gifts are brought to full fettle in the season opener Soul Sistas, depicting the lives and music of Aretha Franklin and Tina Turner. No word if they’re going to touch on their reported feud. And […]
INTERVIEW: Yes by any other name
Shall we do this again? Who’s in the band? No, not the Who. Yes. What? The name of the band. Am I supposed to Guess Who? No, it’s Yes, it’s them. Them is playing? No, Them broke up a long time ago. The band is Yes. Oh, I love The Band. No! Not The Band. […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Lionel Richie king of soft soul
If you think it should be Lionel Richie opening for Mariah Carey at Rogers Place on Friday night instead the other way around, all you have to do is go to the scoreboard. Before Mariah was ever born, Richie had paid his dues as a member of the 1960s soul band The Commodores, known for […]
REVIEW: Guns N’ Roses best cover band ever
Here’s a sign you may be about to see a good concert – when the band rehearses in your town the day before the show. What an honour. People living in the Commonwealth Stadium area were reportedly treated to the echoing din of Guns N’ Roses running through Glen Campbell and James Brown tunes on […]
PLAYBOT: Fringe held over!
Fringe or death?! Oh, you choose death? Well then, death by Fringe! It only feels like death. It’s just withdrawal pains after another Fringe come and gone: 2,000 plays in 200 venues over 20 days, so do the math. I am PLAYBOT. I don’t do math. I make jokes and rewrite press releases. Also poetry: […]
The Royal Foundry melts down genre
Edmonton’s next big thing is getting a little tired of being pigeon-holed. If you want to call The Royal Foundry anything, call them a pop band – and if you’ve been paying attention to pop radio you’ll know it encompasses all genres of music: Rock, folk, punk, electronic dance, jazz, Latin, Caribbean, hip hop, classical, […]
FRINGE: Drag deity does deadly Devil
Mike Delamont: The Devil By Mike Delamont, Victoria, Venue 37 (La Cite Francophone) Veteran comic Mike Delamont has once again elevated stand-up comedy into a high art form at the Edmonton Fringe festival. In contrast to his other hit show, God is a Scottish Drag Queen (returning to Edmonton in October), this time he’s that […]
3 Fringe ZOMBIE MUSICALS
Evil Dead: The Musical By Straight Edge Theatre, Edmonton, Venue 36 (La Cite Francophone) You know fandom has gotten completely out of hand when the fan fiction is as good if not better than the original work it’s supposed to be inspired by. For those who don’t know, Evil Dead is a campy low-budget 1981 […]
REVIEW: Beck where it’s at in Edmonton
If you’re expecting the unexpected at a rock concert, is having it fulfilled still a special thing? What if the focus of your high un-expectations does something surprisingly normal – like rocking out four-on-the-floor with a great rock band for a rockin’ old school rock concert at the Jubilee Auditorium, for instance – and says […]
2 SCARY Fringe plays
The scary thing about trying to see a scary play at the Fringe is how few truly scary plays there seem to be. So many comedies, so much improv, so many real life dramas – scary enough – and oh, so many musicals. Yet there are chills to be had if you look. Just be […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Forever Rock
Classic rock is on its way to becoming the new classical music. Think about it: Life is a Highway will be remembered long after it’s been forgotten as “that cool Rascal Flatts song.” Melodies will become more famous than their composers. Quick: Who wrote Raise a Little Hell? Took you a second, didn’t it? In […]
