HOW RUDE! Tales of Fringe audiences
There are 203 plays at the 2015 Edmonton International Fringe Festival this year – many times more than the number of productions throughout the entire rest of the regular season, and with that comes many more patrons who never see any other kind of theatre but the Fringe, once a year. Sometimes in an inebriated […]
Styx with Dennis DeYoung steps up to headline Rockfest
OK, Edmonton Rock Music Festival fans: the show must go on – no matter who’s playing and who’s in what band. Behold the stamina of classic rock. The version of Styx featuring original singer Dennis DeYoung will perform the Saturday closing slot in place of Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, who had to cancel due […]
CONCERTS: Hey Rosetta! and Andrew W.K. to hit Edmonton
How did the folk fest miss booking Hey Rosetta!? This Newfoundland group has all the right assets: Sorta rootsy, sorta rock ‘n’ roll, a large, multi-instrumental band with a Peter Gabriel-ish lead singer, political activist aspirations and a predilection for worldbeat-pop-folk fusions – and they even have some minor hits. Not too big (yet), not […]
Folk fest fans back NDP: Captain Obvious Poll
One of the fun things about having 20,000 apparently like-minded folk fenced in at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival is the opportunity to practice some anthropology. So many people gathered in such a seemingly narrow cultural niche – folk music – where politics tends to lean left, have made Gallagher Park an oasis of green […]
Golden West Festival experiment a success
Just when the Golden West Music Festival has become a viable “thing,” yet another music festival, but one to get away from all the other music festivals, organizers are pulling the plug. The third and last annual event happens July 31-Aug. 2 near the hamlet of Ardmore, Alberta, on a farm owned by Kevin Bowman, […]
Slipknot to impact Edmonton in October
Slipknot, the metal band so heavy they have to wear masks to protect themselves – that’s why they do it, right? – will be returning to rock the Big Building in Edmonton. The Des Moines band pulls into Rexall Place on Sunday, Oct. 18, with guests Suicidal Tendencies, and the new hardcore kids on the […]
Sinead O’Connor cancels folk fest gig
There’s some bad news for fans of the Edmonton Folk Music Festival – Sinead O’Connor has cancelled her scheduled appearance on Friday, Aug. 7. Citing health concerns, the controversial Irish singer has in fact cancelled all her summer tour dates. She is said to be suffering from exhaustion from an unresolved medical condition. No other […]
Is Landmark Events another pay to play scam?
It turns out that Landmark Events is not the Spawn of Satan and Stephen Harper rolled into one. This is a LEGITIMATE business making money off the sweat of young musicians. It happens all the time. They’ll be holding another battle of the bands … sorry, “showcase festival” in late August at the Starlite Room. […]
SNFU: And everyone wanted to play
We now have to call SNFU “The Band That Would Not Die.” So put your devil horns up, or extend your middle fingers in the universal punk rock language of “live long and prosper,” and let us salute these aging heroes of hardcore. Their stamina and persistence is inspiring – especially lead singer Chi Pig, […]
Slash to stick to guns in Edmonton
The man as famous for the hair in his eyes and the outrageous hat atop as his furious guitar shredding is making a triumphant return to Edmonton. Slash – no last name needed – and his new band Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators will play the Jubilee Auditorium on Saturday, Oct. 10 as part of […]
BEHIND THE SONG: Royal Tusk fears Shadow of Love
One of the reasons there are so many heartbreak songs is that heartbreak songs are usually written by musicians, and musicians are often on the road, which is a difficult place from which to maintain a committed relationship. So: heartbreak songs. The public may get a skewed outlook on love from this sort of material, […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Canada Days all weekend!
Did you enjoy your organic whole grain gluten-free Canada Day pancake breakfast? Of course you did. Get used to the new regime! Stick around at the “Ledge” July 1 for family activities and live entertainment until 7 pm, or head downtown, where the Works visual art festival celebrates its last day with the finest in […]
