End of an era: Goodbye, Avenue Theatre
Edmonton music people are deeply bummed over news that the city is about to lose yet another live music venue. The Avenue Theatre will be closing its doors in the middle of June. The word came Thursday from general manager and talent buyer Steve Derpack, who explained on Facebook that it’s “primarily a decision to […]
Black Keys return to Edmonton in October
If you were to play only the Black Keys on a piano, it would sound like the blues – which says a lot for the thus-named band that cut such a wide swath through the modern rock landscape. In short, the Black Keys brought sexy back to rock ‘n’ roll just as Justin Timberlake did […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Use the force, Luke Bryan
Luke Bryan is one of country’s biggest stars right now, so it’s no surprise that he’s almost sold out two shows this weekend here in Edmonton, with gigs both Saturday night and Monday night. Originally getting his start writing songs for such country notables as Travis Tritt and Billy Currington, Bryan’s first solo album in […]
REVIEW: George Thorogood b-b-b-boring
Vigorously played classic rock sends some people into fits of screaming, shouting, foot stomping, rampant high fiving and lots of odd yelping, but for others, like me, it can send them deep into a catatonic state that lasts several hours and ends up in the middle of a field wondering where everyone went and just […]
Sarah McLachlan to play Edmonton on fall tour
To say Sarah McLachlan is coming back “with a vengeance” isn’t entirely accurate given the somewhat downbeat cast of her music, but excitement over the news has given this veteran singer-songwriter a whole new “buzz.” McLachlan performs on Wednesday, Oct. 29 at the Winspear Centre, and we think they’re going to need a bigger building. […]
Pixies to bring new music to Edmonton
The question of when you would’ve had to go to art college in order to make the Pixies relevant is growing blurrier. Like Woodstock, a lot of people were there who weren’t actually there, dig? How else to explain the excitement over news that the seminal post-punk Gods are coming back to rock Edmonton, Monday, […]
Horns for Hope offers addicts musical salvation
It started as a joke about music education, whose context has since been forgotten: “Why don’t we just give musical instruments to homeless people and see what they can do?” Don Berner thought that was actually a pretty good idea, so the community-minded Edmonton saxophonist created Horns for Hope, a program where men in drug […]
Local rock band Rend to blow 50 grand wisely
Giving a bunch of musicians 50 grand in cash might sound like a lot, but by the time you’ve rented the tour bus equipped with satellite TV and hired the guy to pick out the brown M&Ms from your catering, there’s barely enough money left for drugs and hookers. It adds up. Seriously, Edmonton rock […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Destroyer will destroy ya
Sometimes the seemingly random nature of tour itineraries result in the statistical improbability of a one night having choices too numerous to fathom. Four, at least. Such is the case when Swollen Members, Zerbin, the Devonian Gardens, and Destroyer all play different Edmonton clubs on Thursday night. Destroyer originally began as a solo project by […]
Jann Arden brings Everything Almost to Edmonton
Now here’s someone we haven’t seen for a while: Jann Arden! The Calgary pop chanteuse who artfully combines humour and sadness returns to play the Jubilee Auditorium on Monday, September 8. Tickets are $49.50, $69.50, $99.50 and go on sale Friday, May 2 at TICKETMASTER. She’s on the road again with new material from a […]
