MUSIC PREVIEW: The show must go on
There’s a trio of rock bands performing in Edmonton in short order that are on the very cusp of making it very big – Strumbellas, Boreal Sons, and Belle Game. Until then, here’s one that’s already huge: the one and only Slayer, which performs Monday night at the Shaw Conference Centre (6:30 pm, $49.50 plus […]
WHO NAMED THE BAND: Slayer slays the course
Slayer is such an awesome band name for a group of guys who loved nothing better than to frighten as many people as possible. “We knew that kind of stuff pissed people off,” says singer and bassist Tom Araya, referring to the devilish songs and imagery the California thrash metal band came to be known […]
NoMoMovember Movement an uphill battle
Hey ladies: How much would you pay for your man NOT to grow a moustache this Movember? The annual spurt of masculine upper lip hair is of course for a good cause: To raise money and awareness for prostate cancer and other ills that assail the modern male. But at what cost? Thirty days of […]
Grim cities vie for horror film infamy
The organizers of Edmonton’s horror film festival, DEDfest, never pass up an opportunity to promote the city to its visiting VIPs as an ideal place to shoot their next slash-fest or zombie-romp. But like the horny camp counsellors at Camp Crystal Lake in Friday the 13th, Edmonton isn’t alone. There are other cities lurking out […]
Why Accidental Racist is racist
Country music, at least the stuff you hear on commercial radio, has been taking a lot of heat for being really, really dumb. It’s a male-dominated world that celebrates rednecks who drive pick-up trucks, love their mamas, go to church and hate their blue collar jobs so much that they can’t wait until Friday to […]
Opera by night, criminal justice by day, drama all the time
Opera singer Bertrand Malo has such a challenging day job – Crown Prosecutor – that it’s tempting to ask if listening to the gory details of horrific crimes is a good way to unwind from the stresses of opera. He answers with a laugh, “Yes, I need both. Opera is a great world. However it’s […]
Edmonton elects new Mayor!
A new Mayor was elected Mayor of Edmonton Oct. 21 in a stunning victory that will herald in a bright new era of prosperity, innovation and other swell things for the city, according to the new Mayor and those who voted for the new Mayor. Surrounded by jubilant supporters, the new Mayor promised more of […]
Eleven Edmonton election embarrassments
Let us at least salute ALL the candidates in the Edmonton civic election campaign that mercifully ends on Oct. 21. They are brave to have subjected themselves to months of almost daily humiliation – at the hands of the media, from bloggers, from each other, and from voters, of course. Every voter wants something, everybody […]
INTERVIEW: Dan Savage makes punditry cool
On Christians and the whole gay marriage thing, Dan Savage says, “Jesus Christ Himself condemned divorce, yet we’re not amending state constitutions to prohibit people getting divorced. It’s hypocritical of these people to say that they cannot come around on the gay issue because of the Bible when they ignore so many other parts of […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Women of rock, pop rule the stage
As we look forward to the back-to-back pop spectacular with Sarah Brightman and Pink at Rexall Place next week, there are definitely some worthwhile gigs happening this weekend, including an early show by New York’s The Pretty Reckless over at the Starlite Room on Friday night – featuring Taylor Momsen, one of the most colourful […]
