Pampered at Pampa … but that was the upside
Pampa Brazilian Steakhouse 9929 – 109 Street 780.756.7030 Expectations were high for a trip to Pampa, Edmonton’s new Brazilian steakhouse. A week after its opening, it has received overwhelmingly positive buzz online. Unfortunately – particularly given the high sticker price – that buzz seems somewhat premature. Perhaps it was simply one of those occasions when […]
Today on WHO NAMED THE BAND: The Mahones, playing tonight at the New City Legion. This popular Canadian band – which recently had a song on the Mark Wahlberg movie The Fighter – straddles the giant, stinky crack in the Earth between Celtic music and punk rock. And they’ve been been rocking the pubs across […]
GIGGLE CITY: Kerry Unger
Say hello to Kerry Unger, who just finished a run at the The Laugh Shop in Sherwood Park (Thursday, Feb 24, through Saturday, Feb 26, 2011) The 40-year-old Edmonton comic is this week’s subject of Giggle City, a series of unrelated questions designed to dig a little deeper into today’s sharpest comic minds. (Warning: The following […]
It behooves us to pay attention to every band from Montreal. It is the new Seattle, n’est-il pas? That means “is it not.” See what we did there? You gotta be bilingual to rock ‘n’ roll in Canada, man. It’s no joke. Montreal really does seem to have a “sound,” expansive, orchestral, with alternative instruments […]
Oh, Brothers – The Black Keys play Rexall June 29
Now that the Black Keys are officially awesome, who do they have to thank for being the first to recognize it? That’s right: It’s Canada, baby. We are the first country in the world to have given the Ohio band a platinum record, for its critically-acclaimed Brothers – which won best rock performance at the […]
A ditzy sorority chick gets dumped by her snobby boyfriend, so she goes to Harvard to study law – and becomes one of the greatest legal minds of our generation. And she’s singing the whole time. All you need is an adorable Chihuahua and we have musical magic! Legally Blonde, the Musical, has been a […]
MUSIC: Portrait of the artist as a young mogul
“It’s going to be a crazy year,” promises Joe Gurba of his plans for 2011 for his not-quite-fledgling label Old Ugly Recording Co. That isn’t to say that it hasn’t already been exciting; his profile around Edmonton has been elevated through the last two months as he’s celebrated and promoted the release of his alter […]
Morning man on a mission: Terry Evans takes on censorship
Terry Evans has worn many hats in his long radio career in Edmonton. Wasn’t he a clean-head for a while there? Maybe it was a shave-your-head-for-cancer-awareness thing. He even tried stand-up comedy (he wasn’t very good, sadly) but says he hasn’t had an act since 1993. He’s far too busy. In addition to wearing his […]
Seeker or seer? See or be seen? Two deep questions to ponder when Deepak Chopra speaks at the Shaw Conference Centre tonight. Is it a show, a lecture or something more? The good doctor is a master of sensible, if a bit cryptic advice, such as “Happiness is a continuation of happenings which are not […]
SHE COMMANDS YOU TO ROCK Have you ever noticed how many of Melissa Etheridge’s songs are just simple commands? Bring Me Some Water Come to My Window Let’s Get It On Yes, ma’am – as long as rock ‘n’ roll awaits. Etheridge plays tonight, Sunday, Feb. 20 at the Jubilee Auditorium (buy), with opener Serena […]
MUSIC: Lionize feelin’ irie about their odd stoner image
Fact: if you play in a band that blends reggae, classic rock and heavy, Black Sabbath-y grooves, people are going to assume you smoke pot. The stoner rock tag is slightly perplexing to Nate Bergman, who does vocals and guitar for Maryland band Lionize. After all, he ponders, doesn’t all rock sound better when you’re […]
Mad Men, in-crowd drive rebirth of cocktails
Cocktail hour — what a wonderful parlance. It conjures up a world of thick glass tumblers and geometric ice cubes tinkling in the midst of a an expertly mixed libation. So why is it cocktails in Edmonton bars are practically synonymous with sickly sweet swill served in neon pink cups? Preferably with thumping music, of […]
