REVIEW: Cake takes the cake at Sonic Boom
When the End Times come, we’re going to need a house band – and that’s where Cake comes in. Imagine: all Cake, all the time. As it has been written somewhere: And the living shall envy the dead … Perhaps we’re making too much of this, but rarely has there been such a happy-sounding band […]
THEATRE: Chris Wynters plays John in Four Lads Who Shook the World
Chris Wynters – Captain Tractor dude, open stage maven and all around musical theatre-type guy – claims that for the first 12 years of his life he listened to nothing but the Beatles. All Beatles, all the time. And now he gets to be one of them for the next three months. How sweet is […]
DEJA BLUES – Johnny Winter and James Cotton return to Polish Hall Oct. 14
Great news for blues fans – if you can tear yourself away from the Beaumont Blues Festival for a moment – blues legends Johnny Winter and James Cotton are coming to play the Polish Hall on Oct. 14 and … hey, wait a minute! Didn’t we just do this? We sure did: The same bill […]
TODAY: Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue at Symphony Under the Sky
It’s been said before and it will be said again: The average symphony orchestra “grooves” like a coal truck on a bad gravel road, which is to say it doesn’t. It’s generally much better at rendering Tchaikovsky than, say, Ellington. But this will be repeated, too: The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra is not your run-of-the-mill coal […]
TODAY: Edmonton’s Christian Hansen replaces Cee Lo Green at Sonic Boom 2011
Bad news, everyone – Cee Lo Green, one of the most anticipated acts at the Sonic Boom Festival at Northlands Expo Centre on Sunday, Sept. 4, has been forced to cancel, promoters announced today. The triple Grammy-winning soul singer is reportedly suffering from a herniated disc and can’t travel. The ensuing gap in the schedule […]
Live Music This Weekend – Sept. 2 – 5
A banner weekend in live music is highlighted by the Sonic Boom modern rock festival on Sunday, along with its attendant after-party at the Starlite Room. Friday Josh Groban (right) – Rexall Place hosts American singer-songwriter Josh Groban on Friday night, whose four solo albums have all gone multi-platinum, and now boasts over 24 million […]
TRUE TALES OF THE ROAD: Paul Bellows bonds with his fans
Edmonton folk musician Paul Bellows was on the road quite a bit before he made it big in the business world as the founder of the Yellow Pencil web design company. So no – he doesn’t NEED to promote his new CD, Shipwreck Looking Out for a Beach, released Friday at the Haven, the day […]
TONIGHT: Edmonton’s Mass Choir diversifies the thump at release party
Back in February, Mass Choir main man Matthew Skopyk had already begun toiling for 40 hours a week on his band’s next record, on top of his full time job in the University of Alberta’s drama department. Seven months later, Circles is ready to hit the streets. Mass Choir will unleash its brand-new 15-track album […]
Ray LaMontagne speaks softly, carries a big tune
Nobody goes to a Ray LaMontagne gig for the lightshow. Say what you want about the current crop of pop darlings, but it’s good to know that in the age of 50′ video screens and five-piece bands that require more computer samples than an Apple conference, LaMontagne is still carrying the torch for singer-songwriters. LaMontagne […]
TONIGHT: Santana brings greatest hits parade to Rexall Place
Back in the day, Santana was the real deal — we’re talking way back in the day, that period from about 1969 to 1974, when Santana was more than a guy’s last name. It must be said the Carlos Santana — who plays Rexall Place tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. (tickets) — is one very […]
