PREVIEW: Finger Eleven headlines night of BVJ alternatives

At this time of year, whole heaps of local folk are thinking Big Valley. This year’s likely no different, thanks a lineup that is just stellar, by country pop standards. Stellar, we tells ya. The opening night is always a chance for local and regional acts to be seen in the saloon kickoff party, which […]

PREVIEW: The Trews return for a third dose of Cap Ex

There’s a certain sense this year that the headline shows at Cap Ex — much like the annual lineup at the Blues Fest — are verging towards the secure. Still, as with Cam Hayden’s annual party in the park, it’s hard to knock organizers for filling Cap Ex’s lineup with Canadian road warriors, like last […]

DANCE: Shumka returns to China for mammoth tour

OK, so a bunch of Edmontonians dancing like Ukrainians are going to troop across 13 cities to entertain millions of Chinese? Holy Canadiana, Captain Canuck! Seriously, how much more wonderfully multicultural an announcement could you get on the week the Heritage Fest Kicks off (or “drips on”, the way the weather’s going) than a national […]

NEW MUSIC: Hip-Hop busts genres for two buzz-heavy releases

This week’s selections feature buzz-heavy artists Theophilus London and Washed Out. London is getting noticed for his multi-influenced rap; while artist Ernest Greene (stage name Washed Out) is also influenced by hip-hop, but has veered radically to effects-driven, heavily processed backing tracks, or “chill wave.” If you weren’t sure who you were listening to when […]

Indy and Edmonton arts community look for common ground

Do artists hate the Indy? Visual and dance artist Saski Aarts isn’t exactly warm towards the race, which takes place at City Centre Airport from July 22-24. For starters, she says she’s been woken up in past years by the mosquito-like sounds of the race cars even though she says she lives more than three […]

THEATRE: Edmonton The Musical shows the love

If you’ve been meaning to scope out some local talent but never seem to have the time, get out to Avenue Theatre this week as local actors and visual artists join 27 local musical acts  for the brand new theatre production Edmonton the Musical. It’s running at the north-side venue (9030 118 Ave.) Thursday through […]

Inspired by CFL star, Kenny Chesney preaches work ethic

In a sense, Kenny Chesney owes his success to a CFL all-star. When he was a kid, Chesney wanted to be like then-Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Condredge Holloway (below left), who football fans up north remember as a Toronto Argonauts great and hall-of-famer. In fact, Chesney later produced a documentary on Holloway, his conference’s first-ever black […]

EPL screens Stones doc on Altamont, the death of a fan and the end of an era

The Rolling Stones do not come off well in “Gimme Shelter,” the documentary by Albert and David Maysles about the band’s infamous free concert at the Altamont Speedway in San Francisco in 1969. You can cast judgement for yourself when the Edmonton Public Library screens “Gimme Shelter” at the Stanley A. Milner branch on Saturday, […]

GIGGLE CITY: Privy People have captive audience at street fest

Aside from props, the only difference between stand-up comedians and street performers is that one works inside and the other works outside. What could possibly go wrong? Rick Kunst is spending his summer outdoors. At the Edmonton International Street Performers Festival through July 17, the Florida-born comedian and his Canadian partner Dana Fadkin have an […]

WHO NAMED THE BAND? Idyl Tea returns

There was only one downside to a band name like Idyl Tea – no one could spell it right. Idol T, Idle Tee, Idyll Twee, the permutations and combinations of nomenclatural mangling were numerous, if not endless, as was a low-level confusion among Canadian rock fans at the time thinking they were going to see […]

They come to praise hipsters in new web comic

Jeremy Die and Gregg Beever’s new webcomic “Inglorious Hipsters” isn’t like other webcomics and online sites that depict young people with ironic mustaches, tight jeans and V-neck T-shirts that display hairy chests. That’s because the Edmonton duo’s comic, which launched this month, isn’t about mocking hipsters. Die and Beever admit they may even be hipsters […]

SOS Fest to close down Whyte for Indie band street party

There are people who will argue that the point of any communal gathering – this Sunday’s SOS Fest included – is the sense of community itself. And let’s face it – it’s hard to dispute when you see a few blocks of Whyte Avenue blocked off so that folk of all ages can boogie to […]