Rihanna shines bright like a diamond
Funny how Rihanna didn’t talk about playing Edmonton on 4/20 – seeing how it’s no secret she’s into weed. Maybe because in such a tightly-scripted Cirque du Diva spectacular there’s no room for empty patter about ridiculous redundant weed holidays. Maybe for some people, every day is 4/20. Who cares? Can’t we be mature about […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Cheap Trick class act
For all the complaining from members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, they still get to stick “Member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame” to their names – and that’s no cheap boast. Speaking of which, Cheap Trick – member of the Rock […]
Fuzz Kings rock Dad Punk
What happens to punk rockers when they reproduce? We get more punks, maybe. There are a number of other answers to be found right here in Edmonton. Some punk-parents add hyphens to their names, become singer-songwriters, country-folk musicians. Many look forward to the day they can take their kids to see the bands they once […]
Insane Clown Posse invading Edmonton
To name them is to know them: Insane Clown Posse – and they are coming. Beware. Clowns are scary, gangsta rappers are scary – how can you possibly go wrong? This infamous duo of grease-painted Detroit rappers will perform at the Union Hall on Saturday, July 9. Tickets are $37.50 and are on sale as […]
Iron Maiden blows mighty wind in Edmonton
Aside from sports, there is no better place for male bonding than a heavy metal concert – and there is no band with a bigger testosterone cult following than Iron Maiden. Why this is so remains a mystery. Perhaps it has something to do with nerd culture. Maiden is basically a horror comic set to […]
Twenty One Pilots a stress relief in Edmonton
The huge impact Twenty One Pilots has made on young people was proven beyond a shadow of a doubt in Edmonton on Thursday night. These guys are the new real deal. It behooves old people to pay attention. A full house of teenagers and 20-somethings at the Jubilee Auditorium know this music by heart and […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Iron Maiden fantasy
What is it with British metal bands and their sinister fantasies? Demons, dragons, wizards, watery tarts distributing swords as a system of government, dead albatrosses hung around the necks of doomed sailors foolish enough to have shot the wrong bird – it’s not like the British people don’t have enough real violent history that they […]
Family business: The Raven Age opens for Iron Maiden
Let’s get this straight off the top: The Raven Age would not be opening for Iron Maiden if guitarist George Harris weren’t the son of Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris. This is rock ‘n’ roll nepotism at its finest. The proper response is: Yeah, so what?! “Of course that’s how we got on the tour,” […]
INTERVIEW: Coleman Hell and his Monster hit
It’s too early to say if Coleman Hell is a one-hit wonder. Then again, anyone who owns a wireless radio must’ve heard his hit 2 Heads about 1,000 times before they even knew who the hell Coleman Hell was. This is typical of the current climate of a music business that breeds one-hit wonders. We […]
Juno Awards celebrate star power
If you were Rip Van Winkle and sealed in a time capsule for the last 20 years, you might find the Juno Awards a bit different than you remember. More star power. Jann Arden is still there – but she’s the host! A competent host she was, too, at the show from her hometown Calgary […]
Marianas Trench not so deep
Hearing the high-powered candy-coated pop-rock-hyphenated anthems of Marianas Trench at Rexall place Friday night and finding it all so strangely familiar, it’s easy to imagine there exists a sinister cabal of songwriters responsible for every hit you hear on the radio. Not so far fetched, is it? Linda Perry, Max Martin, Paul Anka, and Diane […]
Loudon clear on daddy issues
Loudon Wainwright III does not care to get into a discussion of his children’s songs about him. His son Rufus wrote one called Dinner at Eight that deals with the age-old struggle between fathers and sons. “So put up your fists and I’ll put up mine, no running away from the scene of the crime,” […]
