Comedy poker tournament honours Andy Ferguson

Comedy poker tournament honours Andy Ferguson

Most people spend Family Day with their families. Comedians spend it sleeping off a night spent with their extended family – other comedians. And what do they do? They play poker, of course. A who’s who of 24 Edmonton comedians gathered on Feb. 17 for the First Annual Andy Ferguson Memorial Comedians Poker Tournament, and […]

MUSIC: From punk to politics, Joe Keithley rocks the vote

MUSIC: From punk to politics, Joe Keithley rocks the vote

Joe Keithley knows there’s no sense trying to hide 35 years of punk rock fury. When the legendary D.O.A. frontman announced last fall that he would run for the N.D.P. nomination in B.C.’s Coquitlam-Burke Mountain riding, he was well aware he had a spectacular rap sheet ripe for potential mud-slinging opponents to pick from. Keithley, […]

Stewart Lemoine values his Diamond Jubilee Medal

Stewart Lemoine values his Diamond Jubilee Medal

Stewart Lemoine has to be the most decorated playwright in Edmonton. The founder and chief creative force of the Teatro La Quindicina company based in the Varscona Theatre recently received the Diamond Jubilee Medal, honouring “significant contributions and achievements by Canadians,” on the occasion of Queen Elizabeth II’s 60th anniversary. It should go well with […]

Nude burlesque show canceled for lack of exotic dance permit

Nude burlesque show canceled for lack of exotic dance permit

The line between art and erotic entertainment appears to be as thin as the pasties covering the performers’ nipples. A nude acrobatic burlesque show called Cirque De L’Erotique that was supposed to have taken place this weekend in Edmonton has been cancelled because promoter Jade Janvier doesn’t have an exotic entertainer license – “despite the […]

MUSIC: KingDoom to lead ‘industrial revolution’ from Edmonton

MUSIC: KingDoom to lead ‘industrial revolution’ from Edmonton

With one member who used to play with Marilyn Manson and another who played with Econoline Crush, Edmonton’s own KingDoom is hoping to lead a new “industrial revolution” for a genre of music that seems to be in a bit of a lull. KingDoom plays Saturday at the Pawn Shop, on the heels of a […]

Taylor Swift returns to Edmonton in June

Taylor Swift returns to Edmonton in June

It looks like Taylor Swift has made some room on her tour for Edmonton after all. The 23-year-old femme fatale will play at Rexall Place June 25 and 26 as part of an extensive tour in support of her latest album Red. With opening act Ed Sheeran – whose duet with Elton John was one […]

REVIEW: Krall’s sultry show all grace, no pretense

REVIEW: Krall’s sultry show all grace, no pretense

There’s a realness about Diana Krall that can’t be measured. Sure, she’s a multi-platinum-selling, Grammy and Juno award-winning artist who happens to be publicly married to another multi-platinum-selling, Grammy award-winning, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame artist. Despite all that and more, there are no emanations of celebrity from her onstage. Maybe it’s the Canadian […]

Herbie Hancock to headline 2013 Jazz Fest

Herbie Hancock to headline 2013 Jazz Fest

For anyone old enough to remember the annual Playboy jazz poll, “Herbie Hancock on the piano” should have a familiar ring to it – and now he’s coming back to Edmonton, still going strong. The multiple Grammy winner is a headliner at the 2013 Edmonton International Jazz Festival, performing Thursday, June 27 at the Winspear […]

ART: Nothing Earth shattering at Biennial exhibition

ART: Nothing Earth shattering at Biennial exhibition

As amusing and sometimes inspiring as it is, don’t expect breakthroughs in “new” art at the 2013 Alberta Biennial of Contemporary Art. It tries to be contemporary. As soon as you enter the foyer of the Art Gallery of Alberta (AGA), you’re served the message: “This isn’t going to be your parents’ art exhibition.” The […]

THEATRE REVIEW: Private Lives pithy without the stiffy

THEATRE REVIEW: Private Lives pithy without the stiffy

The Citadel Theatre’s version of Private Lives by Noel Coward should be prescribed by doctors to treat depression. To quote a gentleman sitting three rows back from me on opening night, “Wow, there is nothing quite like a good laugh.” My sentiments exactly. Having being written in 1930 and last produced in Edmonton in 1986, […]

WHO NAMED THE BAND: MotorHezbollah branching out

WHO NAMED THE BAND: MotorHezbollah branching out

It’s not like MotorHezbollah has a huge Lebanese following or anything. Even so, “We’ve had some Lebanese people come up to us and just say they love the name, because I guess the organization is based in Lebanon,” reports Billthy Animal Hersche, drummer for the local Motorhead tribute band playing Friday at DV8. The deeper […]

Serena Ryder to play Edmonton in April

Serena Ryder to play Edmonton in April

We’ve been hearing Serena Ryder all over the radio. It’s about time we saw her live in a setting that befits her emerging status as the siren of a new order in female pop music – a little Adele, a touch of Florence and the Machine, some Amy Winehouse, not too much, and overall a […]