Getting in Rolling Stone the best Revenge
A mysterious and sinister Edmonton band you may never have heard of has wound up in Rolling Stone magazine’s 20 Best Metal Albums of 2015. This list includes the usual suspects: Lamb of God, Clutch, Napalm Death, Slayer, and at No. 1, Marilyn Manson for Pale Emperor. Coming in at lucky No. 13 is a […]
CASSETTE COMEBACK: Are you kidding?!
They hiss, they rattle, sometimes they get eaten. Like snakes, cassettes are great survivors. From the brink of extinction these humble little tapes have been revived by a thriving sub-culture of young musicians and music fans. Who would’ve thought? Old people – who got rid of their turntables to buy tape decks, then ditched their […]
Huron Carole founder speaks on Syrian refugees
Coming from Tom Jackson, words of support for Syrian refugees carry a lot more weight than the usual pundits. The 67-year-old actor and singer perhaps best known for his role in North of 60 has dedicated his life to helping less fortunate people. “When there are vulnerable people, we need to let it be known […]
Century-old Vimy Ridge song brought to life
Remembrance Day always seems to bring out the best in people – even if they’re no longer alive. Maybe especially so, for Nov. 11 is the one day a year to offer a moment of silence to remember soldiers who fought – and died – to protect freedom. It’s the least we can do. Ken […]
Edmonton Expo a Magical Place
For one weekend, the streets of Edmonton were barren of nerds. Did they get beamed up into some Star Trekian rapture? No. Did they all move to Vulcan and start coffee shops and grow ops? No (not all). Did they decide en masse to go underground into a series of catacomb based lairs where video […]
Bohemia saved, Artery still in limbo
A beloved Edmonton musical hole in the wall has been saved – but that means the fate of another is still up in the air. After the sad announcement of the imminent closure of the aptly-named downtown bar Bohemia, and regulars mourning the loss of yet another cool indie music venue, the current managers have […]
Why do mosh pits spin counterclockwise?
It’s time again to bring hard science to bear on another pressing issue – to find out why “circle pits” at rock ‘n’ roll shows spin counter-clockwise. The rotational mosh phenomenon has been confirmed by a number of reliable sources – and no, pits don’t spin clockwise in the Southern hemisphere, like typhoons. The Coriolis Force […]
Folk fest fans back NDP: Captain Obvious Poll
One of the fun things about having 20,000 apparently like-minded folk fenced in at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival is the opportunity to practice some anthropology. So many people gathered in such a seemingly narrow cultural niche – folk music – where politics tends to lean left, have made Gallagher Park an oasis of green […]
COMMENT: WTF at the BVJ?
It was one of those weekends at the Big Valley Jamboree, the BVJ – a WTF weekend. As in, “WTF did I just hear? WTF did I just see?” And mostly importantly, in the words of one obscenely intoxicated youth, “Just what the f— is a Corb Lund, anyways?” It’s not surprising that the BVJ […]
Wunderbar: Dead Bar Walking
On the morning of Wednesday, July 15, Craig Martellica, owner of the beloved Wunderbar Hofbrauhaus off Whyte Avenue, made one last plea for clemency. He launched a Go Fund Me campaign called Keep Wundi Alive for a Bit, asking for help in paying rent by the end of the day – without which, despite a […]
Pawnshop closing, gigs move to Union Hall
It isn’t so much that Edmonton has lost another music venue, but has gained a “twinned” one. Look on the bright side. Pawnshop Live – a popular Whyte Avenue rock club that’s operated under several different names and owners over the years (Rebar, Stars, etc.) – will close its doors after Saturday’s last show under […]
