REVIEW: Fen a bleak portrait of muddy misery
In highly successful plays like Cloud 9 and Top Girls, English feminist playwright Caryl Churchill dramatically examines the abuse of power, sexual politics, women under duress and the evils of capitalism. She creates new forms and styles to present each of her plays – which often include humour and even farce. There is not much […]
Bring out your Dead Merch
Imagine you used to be in a band – because everybody used to be in a band. You practiced in a garage, played a second hand guitar, a Stratocaster with a whammy bar. (Through a cheesy little amp, a Fender Champ.) You picked out a stupid name, had some cards printed up for a couple […]
The Science of Guitar Face
Guys make the funniest faces. We gnash our teeth, knit our brows, purse our lips, let our mouths hang open, contort our jaws, scrunch our eyes shut, stick out our tongues, breathe heavily, grunt and groan and moan and generally look ridiculous. Yes, Guitar Face is an occupational hazard when you’re playing a really good […]
EXCLUSIVE: Carrie Fisher’s dog loves Milk Bones
Carrie Fisher isn’t doing any press for her appearance at the Edmonton Comic and Entertainment Expo this weekend – but her dog Gary wasn’t so media shy. The adorable French bulldog who goes everywhere with the Star Wars actress even has his own Twitter account – with almost 10,000 followers! “Sniff, sniff, wag-wag-wag, lick-lick-lick,” he […]
Video of racist incident in Edmonton goes viral
A video of a racist incident on the streets of Edmonton has gone viral – more than 200,000 views in less than 24 hours. The video, captured while local entrepreneur and actor Jesse Lipscombe was filming a PSA promoting downtown Edmonton, shows a car full of people pull up to an intersection. One of the […]
How did our festivals do?
Imagine you’re on the fence about going to Sonic Boom, Edmonton’s last proper outdoor festival happening Sept. 3-4 in Borden Park. Maybe you’re festival-ed out. Maybe you’re sick of summer. Maybe you’re tired of life. Then you find out Twenty One Pilots is playing – and that’s the deal maker. Sure, OK, let’s have one […]
Women rule at Interstellar Rodeo
The theme for the whole weekend at Interstellar Rodeo has been about broken hearts – or maybe that’s just what indie folk is all about. To paraphrase Donovan Wood during his musical interlude: All the best songs are about a couple mad at each other while coming home from a party. “I ain’t nothin’ but […]
INTERVIEW: Don’t cross David Cross
If you’ve come to the point where you trust comedians more than you trust journalists to deliver the truth, you’re not alone. David Cross feels the same way – and he’s in the thick of it. “It’s kind of a symbiotic relationship,” the 52-year-old comedian observes. “I look to Wolf Blitzer as a source of […]
Middle Eastern musician finds muse in Edmonton
Mohsin Zaman lived most of his life in Dubai, United Arab Emirates – and only when he came to Edmonton did he start seriously making music. Now he sounds “Albertan.” Coincidence? Maybe. Maybe not. The 29-year-old singer-songwriter says he had a “strict upbringing” from his hard-working Pakistani parents, who moved to Dubai in 1978. The […]
Metal culture exploded at Shredmonton
There are a lot of funny things about heavy metal culture – and it’s not clear if metalheads are in on the joke. For instance: BAND NAMES: Dying Fetus is one of the shockingly named bands playing the inaugural Shredmonton, a heavy metal conference and showcase happening May 6-8. Also on the list are bands […]
Rockin’ Rachel our most rock ‘n’ roll Premier
What does the Premier of Alberta do on her time off? She rocks. Rachel Notley is officially the most musical Premier this province has ever had. The evidence is overwhelming. Since being elected in May 2015, she has attended and given rave reviews for Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats in the Winspear Centre, Mumford […]
