Hot Picks: No one left unscathed in Tosca

So there’s this singer, Floria, who’s in love with a church painter named Mario, who is helping an escaped political prisoner named Cesare, who is hiding in the vestibule. Mario has just painted a picture of Mother Mary whose sexy appearance earns stern disapproval from the church custodian. It also looks suspiciously like Cesare’s sister, […]

MUSIC: Art unites art at Brixx

It doesn’t have to be this way. I know we have our differences. But we can be together. Art Szabo is hellbent on uniting Edmonton’s producers, promoters, and musicians of all styles into one big, happy family. “This is something that I’m really passionate about. Because the landscape in Edmonton has to change,” says Szabo, […]

CONCERTS: Carmen Electra, Art Garfunkel, Men Without Hats

The Pussycat Dolls are coming?! No, it’s the Pussycat Dolls BURLESQUE REVUE – a Vegas-style show featuring music of the Pussycat Dolls without the actual Pussycat Dolls, coming to the River Cree Casino Saturday, June 18. Don’t pull a long face: There is some celebrity oomph to the event: The special guest star will be […]

CELEBRITY DOPE: Bob Dylan fired as Voice of a Generation

Remember when Bob Dylan went on 60 Minutes and said he didn’t want to be the Voice of a Generation? Well, OK, Bob Dylan, you can have your wish: After your latest little stunt – dropping certain songs from your shows in China to avoid offending the repressive Chinese government and failing to speak out […]

Hot Picks: Is Pretty Panty Party sexist or just good fun?

There’s nothing we like better than a good panty party. It’s fun when girls wear them, too. Seriously, if you like house music and hot women dressed in panties – and it’s hard to see how such a combination could go wrong – you won’t want to miss tonight’s Pretty Panty Party at Level 2 […]

CONCERTS: Switchfoot coming, Britney rumoured

Switchfoot is set to play May 27 at Rexall Place, according to a reliable source close to the band. No, not God. The reliable source is of course the band’s own website, which has the date posted as part of a North American tour behind Switchfoot’s new, Grammy-winning album Hello Hurricane. One of the biggest […]

TRUE TALES OF THE ROAD: Streetheart’s fickle fingers of fate

If you had told Streetheart 30 years ago that they’d be playing a sold-out show in Fort Edmonton Park in 2011, “We would’ve called you insane,” says guitarist Jeff Neill. And yet, here they are – headlining Rock the Fort at the Blatchford Air Hangar on Saturday night – after road tales so numerous the […]

Pack up your bongos: The summer camping festivals are coming!

Attention hippies of Edmonton – and you know who you are – details of two of Alberta’s coolest summer camping festivals have been finalized. Attendance is mandatory. Just kidding. We wanted to get your attention, dig? For starters, Juno winner Bill Bourne has been confirmed to perform at the 16th annual Sasquatch Gathering, happening July […]

Edmonton Arts Council a great stress-reliever for local artists

It sure is sweet when you’re an artist who doesn’t have to scrape for every buck to pay the rent. Thanks to the Edmonton Arts Council, 16 talented Edmonton artists will enjoy that chance – for a couple of months, at least – with an extra $7,500 each. Musician Ben Sures (right) and filmmaker Trevor […]

HIP-HOP: Going straight, coming clean with Feenix

In the world of gangsta rap, street cred is key. But when does “keeping it real” go too far? Local rapper Shawn Bernard, who also goes by the alias Feenix, has been to the edge and back in the rap game. Bernard will drop his new album Collabonation with a show at Empire Ballroom in […]

After 56 years, CKUA eyes move to new Alberta Hotel building

CKUA hopes to move out of the Alberta Block on Jasper Avenue and down the street into the soon-to-be-completed Alberta Hotel property, local developer Gene Dub confirms. “CKUA has made an offer on the building, but it’s a conditional offer,” said Dub, the owner of the Alberta Hotel building. “Everybody is hopeful all the conditions […]

Hot Picks: My Chemical Romance ready for Broadway?

It has been said that My Chemical Romance – playing a sold out show tonight at the Edmonton Event Centre – is the biggest emo band to ever deny they were an emo band. That word may be so early-2000s, but whatever it used to mean, the word is used to describe “punk rock with […]