Metric to bring sweet and crunchy sound to Rexall Place in November
Posted on June 25, 2012 By Albert Smith Front Slider, Music
A year and change after the band wowed the crowd at Sonic Boom 2011, Metric is returning to headline in its own right – inside the big building this time. At last. The band plays Thursday, Nov. 15 at Rexall Place, with Stars opening. Tickets go on sale Friday. On the strength of such killer […]
JAZZ FEST: A user’s guide – Botti and beyond
Posted on June 12, 2012 By Mike Ross Culture, Front Slider, Music
It’s not who you know, it’s who you don’t know – and that’s the key to enjoying a good jazz festival. This wisdom, above, comes from Kent Sangster, artistic director of the Edmonton International Jazz Festival, which runs through July 1 at venues around town with headliners like Wayne Shorter and Chris Botti and many […]
WHAT’S SO FUNNY: Improvaganza to bridge comedy arts
Posted on June 11, 2012 By Mike Ross Comedy, Front Slider
An embarrassment of riches awaits the hungry comedy fan this week – fortunately, the brave performers at Improvaganza are immune from embarrassment. Also, they generally never say no to any suggestion, another trait that will hold them in good stead at Rapid Fire Theatre’s annual “international improv comedy festival,” opening Wednesday at the Varscona Theatre. […]
Area improviser Mark Meer up for Canadian Comedy Award
Posted on June 7, 2012 By Mike Ross Comedy, Front Slider, Theatre
Mark Meer appears to be the only Edmonton nominee at this year’s Canadian Comedy Awards – and that says more about Mark Meer than it does about any possible bias against Edmonton. We’re just one funny town in a funny country – and this particular local actor just happens to stand out because he works […]
COMIC INTERVIEW: Kathleen Madigan keeps it out of the box
Posted on June 7, 2012 By Mike Ross Comedy, Front Slider
Unlike comedians for whom the craft of stand-up comedy is merely a launch pad to sitcom or late night TV heaven, Kathleen Madigan prefers to stay out of the small box, to keep it pure, to work hard to make comedy something best experienced by a live audience. Ironically, this makes her a better comic […]
Citadel Theatre leads field for Sterling Awards nominations
Posted on June 5, 2012 By Adrian Lackey Front Slider, Theatre
The 2011/2012 Edmonton theatre season has wrapped up like all theatre seasons have ended for the last quarter century – with the announcement of the Sterling Award nominations. And what tight races we have this year! The main event will feature a bare-knuckles, all out, pier five brawl between Arthur Miller’s classic post war masterpiece […]
INTERVIEW: The 8 Labors of Henry Rollins
Posted on June 3, 2012 By Mike Ross Comedy, Front Slider, Lit, TV and Radio
As a stand-up comic with a gift for going over the top, Henry Rollins makes Denis Leary look like Steven Wright – but he’s not really a stand-up comic. As a motivational speaker, Rollins is more motivational than Tony Robbins and Gene Simmons rolled into one – but he’s not really a motivational speaker. As […]
WRITER CITY: Editor’s ‘invisible contribution’ honoured
Posted on June 2, 2012 By Wayne Arthurson Front Slider, Lit
Jalal Barzanji’s The Man With the Blue Pajamas – detailing the Iraqi author’s imprisonment at the hands of Saddam Hussein – might not have been possible without the work of Edmonton editor Peter Midgley, who was shortlisted for the $2,000 Tom Fairley Awardby the Editors’ Association of Canada. This is the only national award that […]
Area band Random Falter gets $10,000 boost from NOW! radio for new CD
Posted on June 1, 2012 By Kevin Maimann Front Slider, Music
Local alt-rock band Random Falter has been working toward its debut album for four years – but it would have been a lot longer if not for a generous cash prize from NOW! Radio 102.3. The band financed more than half of its upcoming debut with a $10,000 “10K20” grant it won last October from […]
What’s the point of public art? The clue is in your wallet
Posted on May 31, 2012 By Stuart Adams Culture, Front Slider, Visual Arts
To get the balls rolling – over 1,000 of them – I LIKE the Talus Dome sculpture. I find myself looking for it as I drive towards the Quesnell Bridge. The shiny balls catch your eye from a distance – a welcoming just before you launch across the broad expanse of pavement and concrete. The […]
FOLK FEST 2012: Bonnie Raitt, Dr. John, Emmylou and more – expect another sell out
Posted on May 30, 2012 By Mike Ross Front Slider, Music
The best things in life aren’t available online – like the first tickets to the Edmonton Folk Music Festival. Last year sold out in two hours, leaving hundreds of disappointed fans. So to make it fair, this year – featuring Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, Dr. John, Arrested Development, Corb Lund and many, many more – […]
CONCERT REVIEW: Roger Waters brilliantly reinvents The Wall
Posted on May 29, 2012 By Wayne Arthurson Culture, Front Slider, Music
It’s quite obvious that Roger Waters was the smart one in Pink Floyd. The others may have been talented folks, but Waters was, and still is, the deep thinker. When the other version of Pink Floyd appeared in Edmonton several years ago, they had the bigger show in the bigger stadium. And it was all […]
