REVIEW: Fleetwood Mac plays to its strengths
For a band so relentlessly intent in telling us to forget yesterday – as in their 1977 hit Don’t Stop, Fleetwood Mac sure makes a lot of money keeping the past alive, as evidenced by the full house at Rexall Place Saturday night on their current “On With the Show” Tour. In the years before […]
Pixies review: Where Nirvana really came from
The strangest yet one of the most influential bands of the 1980s gave a few really good reasons why their music continues to attract sizable crowds – like the one Pixies drew Monday night at the Shaw Conference Centre. This young, urban group of bespectacled, plaid-clad hipsters weren’t going to be flicking their Bics in […]
Tragically Hip to encore Fully Completely in Edmonton
In case you didn’t get your fill of Fully Completely the first time around, the Tragically Hip is bringing it back for an encore. The reissue of the band’s third album will coincide with the “Fully and Completely tour” across Canada in 2015. The Hip plays Rexall Place Thursday, Feb. 12. Tickets go ON SALE […]
Neil Diamond in Edmonton in May
Say what you want about Neil Diamond. Better yet, don’t. Unless it’s nice – lest his fell legion of female fandom descend upon you and give you what for! Diamond, 73, has announced a slew of dates behind his upcoming album, Melody Road, including Tuesday, May 5, 2015 at Rexall Place in Edmonton. No ticket […]
Grant Imahara on geeky delights at Edmonton Expo
Times have changed since Grant Imahara was a kid. The geeks discovered their power. That’s a big one. “Certainly being a geek when I was in high school in the late ‘80s, it was not a team of endearment,” says the former host of MythBusters who’s appearing this weekend at the Edmonton Comic and Entertainment […]
EIFF REVIEW: The downside of altruism in One of a Kind
Can humans help themselves by helping others? Veteran French auteur Francois Dupeyron explores this very complex question in his 17th film One of a Kind (original French Title: Mon âme par toi guérie, or My Soul Healed By You). It screens Saturday, Sept. 27 at 2 pm as part of the Edmonton International Film Festival. […]
The Fronts radio friendly ‘by accident’
Saved from a lifetime of playing other people’s music, it’s a brave leap to the original for any professional musician. Professional merely means making a living at it, no day job. In most places on Earth, you can’t do that without playing in a cover band. Only the very elite of original artists get to […]
REVIEW: The smalls go big at Sonic Boom
Fears that the smalls were going to be out of place – and out of their league – for their reunion show at Sonic Boom 2014 were banished soon enough. Greatness shines through. Performing a suppertime set at Northlands on Sunday, the smalls are different, no doubt about it. Next to a weekend sparkling with […]
Sound of Edmonton like one hand clapping
The problem with calling your music documentary Sound of Edmonton is that there isn’t one. No one sticks around long enough. Is there hope in the next generation? Most of the subjects in Evan van Ramshorst’s low budget short film are in their 20s: The oldest is probably Wunderbar owner Craig Martellica, and he’s over […]
No shame in One Hit Wonderland
Hey, rock and roll fans: Coming to Edmonton soon is INSERT NAME OF ONE HIT WONDER HERE, known chiefly for THAT ONE SONG. (Suggested insertions: Kongos, Soul Asylum, Gotye, the Stray Cats, refer to WIKIPEDIA for more.) I didn’t have the heart to even attempt to request an interview with said artist to explore the […]
TALES OF THE WEED RUNNER: Snoop needs high grade Canadian
Better call the Weed Runner – Snopp Dogg is coming to Edmonton. He claims he smokes “81 blunts a day.” Assuming one gram of per blunt – a blunt is bigger than a joint, which is bigger than a spliff – he’ll need about six ounces while he’s here, and that’s if he doesn’t share. […]
JAZZ REVIEW: MSMW titans of whatever we call it now
When it came time to pick a name for the new group Medeski, Scofield, Martin and Wood – combining the New York funk-jazz trio with a veteran guitar wizard – it didn’t seem there were any grand visions about chocolate watches or strawberry alarm clocks. Nope, just the names of four guys, about as exciting […]
