MUSIC PREVIEW: Who needs SXSW?
With a lot of your favourite Canadian indie bands down in Texas for the SXSW festival, this is a good weekend to check out some of the newer venues in Edmonton, which are in full swing with new talent this weekend. The Needle Vinyl Tavern, for example, hosts Saskatoon’s Close Talker (pictured) on Saturday night […]
Slayer destroys Edmonton
So Slayer wrecked the Shaw Conference Centre on Tuesday night. Their relentless, unrepentant sonic assault literally blew the roof off the place, and caused a structural failure that collapsed the building into an undiscovered coal mine shaft under the river bank. Also an Indian burial ground. The seismic shock waves from Slayer’s explosive riffs also […]
Smalls film reveals drama, joy
The argument is well made in The Smalls: Forever is a Long Time that this weird and amazing band could only have come from Edmonton. This city loves weird, thrives on it, breeds it. Just look at our architecture. And the homegrown smalls were one of the strangest, and most original rock bands ever seen […]
Queens of Sheba also Queens of Rock
It’s a mystery why Heart decided to end its show at the Jubilee Auditorium in Edmonton on Sunday night with three Led Zeppelin songs. Much appreciated, but weird. Maybe because Ann Wilson is the female Robert Plant? She sure can hit those high notes – at the age of 65. It’s not like Heart doesn’t […]
Slayer drummer drives order from chaos
Let us take a moment to salute the humble heavy metal drummer. Part trained percussionist and part professional athlete, heavy metal drummers are a special breed apart from peers who work in less demanding musical styles. No offense, other drummers. Do you lose a pound of sweat at every show? Folk music can even live […]
REVIEW: Megadeth makes manic metal magic
Megadeth has been cranking out its brand of speed metal for so long that there’s no way they can mess it up, as long as they still have the stamina to pull it off. It’s like cooking a good hamburger: Well done, burned on the outside, a little blood in the middle. Served fresh and […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: The Needle and the damage undone
All hail the new Sidetrack Cafe! Whoa, talk about high expectations for the new Needle Vinyl Tavern, which makes its grand opening in the old CKUA building on Jasper Avenue this weekend. The spiffed up space promises to deliver the best in both local and touring indie bands in a comfortable environment – and give […]
REVIEW: Plain Jane shines up Noel Coward
Sir Noel Coward enjoyed a career that extended over five decades. He penned many plays that are still performed today including Hay Fever and Blithe Spirit. He wrote poetry and was regarded as the wittiest man of his age. His contribution to popular culture was enormous. His Vegas act was a smash. And he traveled […]
REVIEW: Alice a psychedelic, hilarious trip
Alice Through the Looking-Glass explodes onto the Citadel Theatre stage with an all-Edmonton cast – all 15 of them – and the exuberance of an eight-year-old on a sugar high. Director Jillian Keiley and Edmonton designer Bretta Gerecke have dug deeply into their inner urchins and come up with a visually fantastic universe, based on […]
REVIEW: Black Sabbath goes out like a lion
Is there a man whose heart beats so cold that he cannot cheer the lion in its final victory lap? Something poetic is called for to honour The End of Black Sabbath – witnessed in Edmonton by more than 12,000 fans at Rexall Place on Wednesday night. They will never come again. Some bands wait […]
