Live to improvise, improvise to live at Improvaganza
Posted on June 15, 2011 By Albert Smith Comedy, Front Slider, Theatre
To be willing to “fail happily” is one of the foundations of comedy improv – and also a happy life. When you truly shed your ego in the manner of the Buddhists, even death becomes OK. Cue the sound of one hand clapping. This may all seem too deep for Rapidfire Theatre’s Improvaganza festival, running […]
Heart repaired, an Edmonton musician finds hope in shaken Japan
Posted on June 15, 2011 By Chad Huculak Culture, Front Slider, Music
When Tokyo-via-Edmonton musician Laurier Tiernan was preparing a gift to send his family back home three years ago, he had no idea he was about to stumble onto something big. “In 2008, (my wife) Eiko and I, instead of sending Christmas presents home to Canada, we decided that we were going to write a Christmas […]
River Cree Slave Lake benefit on CBC-TV tonight
Posted on June 14, 2011 By Mike Ross Front Slider, Music, TV and Radio
If there’s anyone in Canada who deserves to be called a superhero, it’s Tom Jackson. He’d laugh it off and deny it, typically, but there is no escaping the evidence: Wherever there’s a crisis, wherever there are people in dire need, this aboriginal singer-actor is ready fly in and save the day. The latest quest […]
ANOTHER ROADSIDE ATTRACTION: Dinos roam Jurassic Forest
Posted on June 13, 2011 By Albert Smith Family, Front Slider
Edmontonians are crazy. We endure the most God-awful winters known to man and as soon as it gets nice, we can’t wait to get out of here. What’s the matter with you people?! OK, we’re willing to keep the wagging finger of shame at bay as long as you agree to keep your trips within […]
LIT: The Alchemists of Kush will blow your mind
Posted on June 13, 2011 By Mike Ross Culture, Front Slider, Lit
Minister Faust used “Kush” to describe the African quarter of Edmonton long before it became the buzzword for pretty much any strain of high grade marijuana. The Kingdom of Kush was an area near present-day Somalia – the Horn of Africa – around 1,000 B.C. So all you potheads can stand down. The Alchemists of […]
NEW MUSIC: And now for something completely different…
Posted on June 12, 2011 By Michael Senchuk Culture, Front Slider, Music
British rock and east coast folk rock are taken out for a walk and then stood on their head by two artists – the Arctic Monkeys, whose fourth album was released last week, and Cape Bretoner Carmen Townsend, who’s coming to Edmonton later this week. The Arctic Monkeys’ new album title, “Suck It and See” […]
Daryl Katz tagged by underground graffiti artist
Posted on June 11, 2011 By Rob Drinkwater Culture, Front Slider
There was an image that appeared in just about every news story about last weekend’s protest at Churchill Square over the arena agreement between the City of Edmonton and Oilers owner Daryl Katz. It was on the placards the protesters carried — a black-and-white, stencilled portrait of Katz wearing a top hat and with the […]
TV: The Daily Show visits Alberta’s Oil Sands
Posted on June 10, 2011 By Adrian Lackey Culture, Front Slider, TV and Radio
Alberta’s oil sands got some major visibility on the Thursday, June 9, 2011 edition of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart … replete with correspondent Wyatt Cenac drenched in fake blood. Watch it on the Comedy Network website here (about one minute into the second segment). But that was about the toughest question the energy […]
Edmonton dominates Canadian Comedy Awards
Posted on June 9, 2011 By Staff Comedy, Culture, Front Slider, Theatre, TV and Radio
We’ve crunched the numbers and come to a startling conclusion that most people knew already – Edmonton is a funny city. The nominations for the Canadian Comedy Awards that came out June 8 revealed a disproportionate weight of local comic talent, largely thanks to a core group of improvisers and the locally-produced television show CAUTION: […]
Nobody Likes Dwight to unleash monstrous hard rocker
Posted on June 8, 2011 By Chad Huculak Front Slider, Music
Drummer Nick Boadway doesn’t care to be modest when he talks about his band’s forthcoming debut album. He makes it pretty damn clear that Nobody Likes Dwight is a force to be reckoned with on Edmonton’s rock scene. “This is going to be the most raw, honest rock album I think this city’s seen in […]
GIGGLE CITY: Gilson Lubin don’t want no trouble
Posted on June 6, 2011 By Mike Ross Comedy, Front Slider
Let’s play the race card again. As long as there is racism in the world, comedians of race will play the race card. Stand-up comics are expected to be honest, right? Gilson Lubin is no exception. While the Caribbean-Canadian comic fits right in with shows like the Def Comedy Jam, where the audience is mostly […]
Johnny Reid to play Slave Lake benefit at the River Cree
Posted on June 6, 2011 By Staff Front Slider, Music
If locals are complaining about “Slave Lake Benefit Overload,” they’re not doing it too loudly. We know a lot of people up there. Besides, it’s hard to argue with star-studded charity shows like the one happening Wednesday, June 15 at the River Cree Casino. Johnny Reid is one of the headliners – the same Scottish-Canadian […]
