MUSIC PREVIEW: Dawes awes with new music
Friday Night finds Los Angeles indie-folk-rock project Dawes headlining the Starlite Room. The band was formed out of the ashes of the band called Simon Dawes after the departure of half of the songwriting team (Blake Mills), leaving frontman-guitarist Taylor Goldsmith to pen most of the band’s material. While Simon Dawes had a distinct post-punk […]
REVIEW: Melt-Banana commands Gods of Noise
Esteemed Japanese noise rockers Melt-Banana’s debut in Edmonton may stand as one of the best shows of the year – to the annoyance of those who will now have to hear about it for the rest of the summer. The pairing of this insanely eclectic noise duo with the grungy sound of opening act Torche’s […]
Jom Comyn coming along with new cassette
Jom Comyn must’ve played everywhere last summer. People in this city couldn’t get enough of his new album, In the Dark on 99 (All the Time, All the Time) – solitary, ambient and so perfectly Edmonton. Creator Jim Cuming worked so hard that he decided it was time to take a break, start saying no, […]
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 […]
Pawnshop closing, gigs move to Union Hall
It isn’t so much that Edmonton has lost another music venue, but has gained a “twinned” one. Look on the bright side. Pawnshop Live – a popular Whyte Avenue rock club that’s operated under several different names and owners over the years (Rebar, Stars, etc.) – will close its doors after Saturday’s last show under […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Swervedriver returns
Swervedriver puts the shoe in shoegaze – or maybe it’s the gaze. Either way, this British band formed in 1990 by Adam Franklin and Jimmy Hartridge was considered to be in the vanguard of the anti-grunge genre’s quick spark and peak, with their first full-length Raise being released in 1991, followed by a 1993 sophomore […]
REPORT: North Country Fair an Eden of good vibes
North Country Fair has offered some pretty zany experiences in the past four years I’ve attended. This time was no different. More on that in a moment. There is always great music and this year’s edition that ran June 19-21 had a bevy of it, but what keeps people coming back is the wholesale communal […]
REVIEW: Steven Wilson far beyond prog
Steven Wilson represents something quite rare in today’s music industry: An artist who’s remarkably creative and actually writes interesting material – in case you thought they were all dead by now. More than 700 prog rock fans sold out the Myer Horowitz Theatre Monday night to see their hero perform his first-ever gig in Edmonton. […]
The Tea Party to scratch 20 year itch in Edmonton
It’s good to have the Tea Party back in regular Canadian touring rotation again. Everyone’s favourite Zeppelin-meets-Doors power trio was on the disabled list for a while, but they’re back in action, now celebrating 20 years since scoring huge with their third album, The Edges of Twilight. As part of a North American tour, the […]
