GUITAR FACE: Edmonton’s Labatt Blues Fest in full swing, also shuffle, at Hawrelak Park
Posted on August 18, 2011 By LH Thomson Front Slider, Music
It’s Bluesfest time in Edmonton, and this is one heavy blues town. With that in mind, here’s a primer of sorts on this weekend’s festival performers at Hawrelak Park, and some thoughts on the music itself.(Full lineup HERE.) I had the opportunity to play blues professionally for several years. It’s an interesting music that encompasses […]
Arts-based revitalization in jeopardy, say Alberta Avenue residents
Posted on August 13, 2011 By Rob Drinkwater Culture, Front Slider, Visual Arts
It had become as close to a ghetto as you’ll find in Edmonton, until a city-backed initiative began to turn things around. Now, Alberta Avenue residents say the remarkable transformation of their once-notorious neighbourhood into an arts haven is in jeopardy, based on hints they say the city is dropping that revitalization funding could soon […]
Fringe actors get their ‘one-minutes’ of fame at press launch
Posted on August 2, 2011 By Mike Ross Front Slider, Theatre
The funniest thing about the new fangled Fringe media free-for-all was watching the expressions on the faces of the actors who got cut off in mid-line with the ominous “THANK YOU!” from the side of the stage. Your minute is up. What? We’re done? Not so much as a “we’ll call you?” How exciting. It […]
PREVIEW: Rob Zombie and Slayer breathe a little life into Edmonton
Posted on July 31, 2011 By LH Thomson Front Slider, Music
Here’s a working theory on Rob Zombie: he’s about as far from the walking dead as you could get, frenetically jamming something new (and creative) into just about every minute of his day, as if he was trying to avoid losing a spare second of his life. “You can be in a rock band until […]
PREVIEW: Finger Eleven headlines night of BVJ alternatives
Posted on July 28, 2011 By LH Thomson Front Slider, Music
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
Posted on July 27, 2011 By Andrea Scharner Front Slider, Music
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
Posted on July 26, 2011 By Adrian Lackey Front Slider, Theatre
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
Posted on July 25, 2011 By Michael Senchuk Front Slider, Music
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
Posted on July 23, 2011 By Rob Drinkwater Family, Front Slider, Visual Arts
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
Posted on July 20, 2011 By Chad Huculak Front Slider, Theatre
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
Posted on July 16, 2011 By LH Thomson Front Slider, Music
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
Posted on July 15, 2011 By Rob Drinkwater Front Slider, Music, TV and Radio
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, […]
