WEEKEND MUSIC: Method to Madness to Muse
You’d be hard pressed to go almost anywhere nowadays without hearing “Madness.” At least the song. Muse’s new track from their most recent and sixth studio album, “The 2nd Law” is getting huge airplay in this city. The supporting world tour comes through Edmonton Sunday night, when the band will perform at Rexall Place. It’s […]
THE UNLIKELY COMIC: Craig Martell is his own punchline
Craig Martell doesn’t claim to be a real stand-up comedian – so does that make him a better stand-up comedian? It’s all so terribly confusing. He doesn’t fit the usual stand-up comedian profile. First of all, as co-owner and party captain of the Wunderbar Hofbrauhaus, he’s a pretty upbeat guy. “It seems like most comedians […]
CONCERT REVIEW: Amy Grant show a musical Pentecostal service
A full moon hovering over Shaw Conference Centre during Amy Grant’s performance at Break Forth 2013 brought no portents of imminent danger – and for a non Christian attending a Christian music concert, it was a new experience. This wasn’t your usual rock concert. After years of going to heavy metal shows, I was allowed […]
In Alberta, a government-approved disaster monthly
If you just looked at the numbers, you might think Alberta is one of the most dangerous places on the planet: after all, the number of natural disasters declared here has increased seventeen-fold in the last 12 years. Floods, fires, hail storms, acts of God that crippled entire industries. We’ve got it all. But critics […]
EDMONTON RADIO: Hotter AC fuels Fresh 92.5 FM launch
You can launch like a mighty rocket roaring into the sky, and everybody says “Wow!” Or you can do it like a balloon full of hot gas, until someone notices, “Hey, how’d that get up there?” In Radioland, this is the difference between a “hard” launch and a “soft” launch. The perfect example of the […]
GOV’T: Unregistered Alberta burial sites remain unprotected
It may shock you to know that if a farmer has an undiscovered native burial site on his land, he can legally plow it under, five years after Alberta promised to protect unincorporated cemeteries. But the issue isn’t going away. Critics note the upcoming renovation or replacement of the Walterdale Bridge in downtown Edmonton will […]
ETHICS: Tobacco probe blowing smoke, says expert
Multiple loopholes in Alberta ethics law guarantee Premier Alison Redford can’t be punished by the province’s ethics commissioner for awarding a contract to her ex-husband while she was still justice minister, says a legal expert. The multi-million-dollar contract Redford awarded to her ex-husband’s legal firm Jensen Shawa Solomon Duguid Hawkes gave it the responsibility of […]
ECOLOGY: Butterflies in Edmonton, explained
University of Alberta entomologist John Acorn knows a whole lot about butterflies. “Their numbers fluctuate a great deal and that can be pretty confusing, but in general the common species are always common, but the rarer species are still here,” he says. Acorn’s specialty means he realized the potential for last summer’s butterfly explosion in Edmonton. […]
TRADITION: Ashes to ashes, bucks to bucks
The days of the family crypt and side-by-side plots may soon be a thing of the past: cremation now dominates burial statistically in Canada, say funeral experts, a complete reversal from two decades ago, when the practice was still frowned upon by many faiths. “Edmonton’s rate is about 70% cremation now and Vancouver Island’s is […]
BOB SEGER: King of rock songs about rocking rocks Edmonton in March
This one has been in the “will get to Edmonton eventually” file for ages, and look how time flies – Bob Seger is finally coming to town. The consummate classic rocker, perhaps best known for “Old Time Rock and Roll” and other rock songs about rocking, will bring his Silver Bullet Band to Rexall Place […]
DEEP FREEZE: Frozen Fringe Festival fantastic fun for frosty folk
If you’re going to put on a winter festival in Edmonton, it is imperative that you have a place for people to get away from the winter – and that’s one of the reasons why it’s so challenging to put on a winter festival in Edmonton. Winter sucks, not to put too fine a point […]
GAME ON, GIG OFF: How hockey can hurt (other) live entertainment
Musicians and other performers are deeply conflicted over the end of the NHL lockout – judging from the gust of passionate comments on social media after Sunday’s good news. Amongst the expected grumbles of “who cares?!” and cheers of “yay! drop the puck!” was a nagging worry that the return of Edmonton Oilers games will […]
