Jann Arden, queen of all media, to play Jube on Feb. 27
It has been said that the only antidote to the concentrated sadness of Jann Arden’s music is the devastating wit she displays between songs – which is why at the end of her shows there isn’t a dry eye in the house in more ways than one. Singer, songwriter, author, TV star and raconteur, Arden […]
WHO NAMED THE BAND: Bruce Conte gladly wears Tower of Power albatross
There will be no horns on Bruce Conte’s stage – nor will he be playing any Tower of Power songs. Wait a minute – what?! Yes. Truth in advertising. He’s moved on. He played Friday at Festival Place. The original guitar player on What Is Hip? and all those other great songs points out […]
GIGGLE CITY: Gavin Stephens avoids the race card
Gavin Stephens is half black and half Portuguese – “which means at some point in history, I might’ve owned myself.” He doesn’t do that joke anymore. There’s a lot of “let’s talk about my race” material he could do, but chooses not to. Of course it’s a swell way for a young comic to get […]
WHO NAMED THE WAIF: Feist and the marketing of music
After a hot summer of hot pop divas, a wave of winter waifs is upon us. Define waif? These are not rocker girls, nor pure folk singers. There are the kind of female singers whose poppy yet genre-bending songs do not generally contain references to alcohol consumption, explicit sexual acts or pleas for the DJ […]
Roger Waters adds second Edmonton show for The Wall
There sure are a lot of Pink Floyd fans in Edmonton. Due to popular demand, as they say, a second Roger Waters date has been added: Tuesday, May 29 at Rexall Place. The first show on Monday, May 28 has sold out. Tickets start at $45 and end at $225 and will go on sale […]
INTERVIEW: Matthew Good tackles the Great North American Bummer
To answer the burning question of the day – why does everybody seem so depressed? – we turn to a prominent Canadian rock singer who suffers from bipolar disorder. Mental illness doesn’t necessarily make Matthew Good an expert on depression, but as fans can tell you from his music, he’s put some deep thought into […]
TRUE TALES OF THE ART: Juan Martin plays Picasso
Pablo Picasso gave the young guitar player a wink – the only reward for an unusual performance at the great painter’s 90th birthday party. The 16-year-old Juan Martin had been asked to ditch his prepared music and “improvise the paintings on the wall, just look at the paintings and interpret them.” He says he thought […]
Is classic rock really the best music ever made?
The best answer to the question of why classic rock is something that deserves preservation is found in Joe Queenan’s hilarious generation-bashing book Balsamic Dreams: “Baby Boomers have deluded themselves into thinking that what once mattered to them should now matter to others.” Or maybe this is too much deep thought for what was, after […]
Firefighters to do the Wiggle Man at Fashion on Fire
Edmonton firefighter Bob Murray says he would “rather go into a burning building” than get up on stage and dance for hundreds of screaming women. He is a brave man, however, so he will do his duty and perform as part of this weekend’s Fashion on Fire. The event he helped found happens Saturday at […]
PREVIEW: Bring on the urban cowboys
A friend of mine figures real country music is … well, if not dead, then certainly about as lively as the economics of family farming: you sure can enjoy it, but you sure can’t live off of it. He’s talking country from the old school as Canadian Finals Rodeo week kicks off in Edmonton: Johnny […]
FESTIVALS: Jazz and Canadian Finals Rodeo coexist in perfect harmony
Get set for nine days of jazz as Edmonton’s jazz community celebrates its jazz … and didn’t we do this already? Sure did, in June. Now we’re doing it again at the Yardbird Jazz Festival. Festivals aren’t just for summers in Festival City anymore. They’re just more concentrated. An all-Canadian line-up of jazz stars will […]
