REVIEW: Future is grim for Marilyn Manson
For those mystified why Marilyn Manson is still doing his shtick after all these years, it’s not that difficult to understand. Just imagine April Wine, oh, about 20 odd years ago, trying desperately to stay relevant, but needing to trade on past glories to pay the bills, while playing for long time fans in their […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Marilyn Manson causes nightmares
How appropriate for the impending Easter Weekend that we have the one and only Marilyn Manson coming to Edmonton, playing at the Shaw Conference on Thursday night, the day before Good Friday. What can be said about Marilyn Manson that hasn’t already been said? That he’s an aging goth who’s putting on an 18-plus show […]
To be an April Fool in the Age of Bulls***
Edmontonians of a Certain Age can still remember an April Fool’s Day joke played by 630 CHED in the early 1970s. It was reported that the phone company, Ed-Tel, was going to blow all the dust out of the phone lines at precisely 7:30 am on April 1, so citizens were advised to put plastic […]
The Decemberists to come in July
You know how some British bands don’t sound British when they’re singing? The Decemberists are the opposite. These Oregonian indie rockers sound British – or imagine if the Byrds were British. REM, too. In any case, the Decemberists are one of the hottest “indie” folk-rock bands on the planet at the moment, so much that […]
REVIEW: The Book of Mormon a sacrilegious joy
In a world of the ridiculous, satire is king. The Book of Mormon proves it. There are a million ways to describe this big production musical, playing at the Jubilee Auditorium through March 29. You could call it a lampooning of a religion. You could call it a story on the power of metaphorical belief. You […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Last dance for The Artery
Barring a last-minute stay of execution, The Artery is scheduled to close permanently at midnight on Tuesday, March 31, its 100-year-old building to be torn down to make way for the March of Progress. LRT, anyway. But not before one last EPIC bash. It starts at noon this Saturday and features a who’s who of […]
St. Vincent to headline Interstellar Rodeo
The baby folk fest – better known as Interstellar Rodeo – has opened the gate on another ferocious line-up, a mix of young, old, known and who the hell is St. Vincent? If you just don’t know, or don’t care, may we may kindly direct you to the Edmonton Folk Music Festival proper. Meanwhile, coming […]
Ask a Mormon about The Book of Mormon
Ask a Mormon about The Book of Mormon and you’ll discover they’re not exactly falling all over themselves to see the satirical musical by the creators of South Park (update: returning to the Jubilee Auditorium Sept. 13-18) They say it makes a mockery of their religion. They say it’s disrespectful. They say it misses the […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Is Rosanne Cash a folkie?
If you don’t believe the music business is divided by gender, look at the charts. Look at the concert grosses. Country, rock ‘n’ roll and rap are sausage parties, while the sisters rule mainstream pop – and increasingly, folk music. For instance, can one now properly call Rosanne Cash a folk artist instead of a […]
Kids in the Hall return to Edmonton
The Kids in the Hall are no longer kids, nor are they in the hall. They live in nice Hollywood homes – as legends of Canadian comedy should. Yet Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney and Scott Thompson are among entertainers known as “the working famous” – to maintain the lifestyles to which […]
