The Christmas Carol Project: The UNTOLD story
Spend 20 years with eight other musicians immersed in blithering holiday wholesomeness and you’d come up with some twisted ideas about Christmas, too. The Christmas Carol Project is an Edmonton tradition. Area fans flock every December to see this inventive and heartwarming take on the Charles Dickens classic, in which each character performs their own […]
Daisy Blue blooms in Vancouver
It’s always fun to check in with former Edmontonian musicians to see how well they’ve done since leaving Edmonton. Usually it’s pretty good. For Daisy Blue – the former Daisy of the early-2000s local folk group Painting Daisies – it took a move on her own to Vancouver in 2008 to find both her musical […]
CONCERTS: Rihanna, Trews, City and Colour
The 2016 concert calendar is filling up fast – and we haven’t even got the new calendar for Christmas yet. Announced this week are shows by a female pop singer who likes to be bad to be good, a Nova Scotian rock band gone unplugged and a man named for a city and colour who’s […]
Local Canadian folk award winner busts genres
The evidence is piling up – that Rebecca Lappa is at the top of the class of great new artists from Edmonton. Now what to call her? The 18-year-old singer-songwriter was the only local winner at the Canadian Folk Music Awards held in Edmonton on Nov. 8. She was named Young Performer of the Year. […]
X Ambassadors already a one hit wonder
This isn’t about the band. The X Ambassadors are undoubtedly great guys, talented, hard working, professional musicians who’ve paid their dues and deserve all the success they’ve earned. It’s about their SONG. That terrible, terrible song. You know it like no song ever known and hated before, unless you’ve been hiding under a rock: Renegades […]
CONCERTS: Bieber, Heart, Jett, Paisley parade
Concert announcements are piling up fast! If you missed the Remembrance Day announcement because Americans don’t know from Remembrance Day, Justin Bieber is coming to Edmonton – June 14, 2016 at Rexall Place. Tickets are $60 to $150 and go on sale Friday, Nov. 20. The pre-sale starts Nov. 19. Bieber revealed the details of […]
Paul Rodgers gives back to the blues
Speaking of cultural appropriation, privileged white rock musicians have been making a killing by ripping off poor black musicians long before anyone uttered the words “cultural appropriation.” Examples are numerous: From Elvis to the Beatles to Justin Timberlake to Madonna, they all “borrowed.” They had big hits and became rich and famous. Meanwhile, innovators like […]
Marianas Trench, Sheepdogs come to Edmonton
It’s no coincidence that Marianas Trench sounds a little like Nickelback. The shiny pop-rock band from Vancouver was initially signed by 604 Records – owned by Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger, who knows a hit when he hears it. And so it’s no surprise we now have one of the biggest pop-rock crossover successes of the […]
Century-old Vimy Ridge song brought to life
Remembrance Day always seems to bring out the best in people – even if they’re no longer alive. Maybe especially so, for Nov. 11 is the one day a year to offer a moment of silence to remember soldiers who fought – and died – to protect freedom. It’s the least we can do. Ken […]
The Royal Foundry among Peak Three for big money
The results are in and the message is clear: Alberta is an indie folk-pop kinda province. Three worthy acts – Sherwood Park’s The Royal Foundry (pictured), Lethbridge’s Leeroy Stagger and Calgary’s Transit – are already at least $50,000 richer thanks to the 2015 Alberta PEAK Performance Project. Transit is a rapper, but the other two […]
Canadian Folk Awards ride the tide in Edmonton
If you’ve listened to pop radio lately, you may have noticed a lot of ukuleles, mandolins, accordions and various odd drums in songs that sound like souped-up folk tunes. They’re taking over! Not much of this neo-folk-indie-pop sound will be represented at the annual Canadian Folk Music Awards taking place in Edmonton this weekend, but […]
The strangE CASe of LeE HARVeY OsMOND
If you believe that there is no such thing as a random event and that every seemingly insignificant decision can have a profound impact on the very fabric of the universe – or at least the destiny of a rock musician – then consider the story of LeE HARVeY OsMOND in this latest episode of […]
