REVIEW: Catholic anti-gay doctrine attacked in Walterdale play
Her name is Blake. She’s 15 years old. And in Walterdale Theatre’s adventuresome production of Lucia Frangione’s Leave of Absence, she’s about to experience a final loss of innocence. It’s the kind of moral wrestling that’s tough enough when you have the benefit of maturity – but at 15, attending a Catholic school in a […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Magnetic Mangan
The audiophiles’ favorite venue, the Winspear Centre, hosts an act who can definitely use all of its offerings – as alt-folk artist extraordinaire Dan Mangan performs there Friday night. His precision guitar work and crooning voice and poignant lyrics should use the space to its utmost. Mangan is touring to support his newest album from […]
Trombonist wins $10,000 Edmonton Music Prize
There shall be no further disparagement of humble slide trombone – for one of its top local players has just won the Edmonton Music Prize. Audrey Ochoa takes the grand prize of $10,000, chosen from a short list of 10. “This sort of encouragement – award winning – is some nice feedback,” she says, “as […]
WHO NAMED THE BAND: King of Foxes fierce and fragile
Olivia Street decided to come up with a band name rather than use her own as a way to “protect the art” – and also to avoid the stigma of the singer-songwriter. It’s there. Sorry about that. King of Foxes is a good band name. It works on many levels. “Fox” is slang for a […]
PLAYBOT: Polar Vortex of Chinook theatre
Now here is a hollow mockery: The biggest winter theatre festival in Edmonton is called The Chinook Series – named for the meteorological miracle of a blessed hot wind that’s nowhere in sight. With dozens of performances taking place Feb. 7-17 in the ATB Financial Arts Barns’ theatres and other area venues, the sked for […]
Guitar loving Slash returns to Edmonton
For his reputation as the mad hatter of rock ‘n’ roll, the one thing that Slash loves to do best is obvious – he loves to play guitar. He played with Guns N’ Roses, and on his own, and with practically anybody and everybody you can name. He’s one of these guys you’d meet at […]
Bob the Angry Flower
DID YOU KNOW: Cartoonist Stephen Notley is the brother of Alberta Premier Rachel Notley – who is depicted in this week’s episode of End of the Earth: Bill Benson sez: Watch what you eat now and avoid sharting in your old age:
Bill Benson
It takes BRAINS to understand the meta-allegory in this week’s Bob the Angry Flower: And watch out for pyramid scheme recruiters in End of the Earth:
End of the Earth
Coincidence? Premier of Alberta Rachel Notley is the sister of Bob the Angry Flower creator Stephen Notley: While Bill Benson comes to grips with getting old:
LISTEN HERE: Stony Plain cowboy tryin’ something different
EXCLUSIVE: Hear Steve Newsome’s new single one day before it goes to radio! Yes, he’s an actual Alberta cowboy, living the life of Red Dead Redemption, minus the killing – but Stony Plain’s Steve Newsome has lately been busier with country music than wrangling cattle. The 44-year-old singer’s latest song is a slick country […]
REVIEW: Arkells open Rally Cry tour with a bang in Edmonton, at home in Oil Country
It was hard not to feel empathy for Arkells – who chose frigid Edmonton as the launching point of their current 11-city Canadian tour. But it made sense, given that the Steeltown stereotype of the band’s Hamilton origins is a match for the blue-collar reputation that’s worn on the sleeves of hardy Edmontonians. More significantly, […]
LISTEN HERE: MarketForces tackle Fake News!
EXCLUSIVE SNEAK PEEK New video by Edmonton rock quartet All Made Up will be released worldwide on Friday, Feb. 1 John Tidswell, whose 1980s band NeoA4 earned Canada-wide radio airplay, recently popped up in a band called MarketForces, along with another ‘80s alum Jeff Schmidt (Darkroom, Famous Blue Raincoat). They’ve released three albums, and […]
