MUSIC PREVIEW: Big Boi kicks off concert season
Does this count as a blast from the past? Coming to town this weekend is one of the members of a group that made such a joyous splash in 2003 with a song called Hey Ya – the happiest, go-ahead-and-say “funnest” song of the year. From OutKast, the rapper Big Boi performs the Union Hall […]
7 Top Edmonton Bands of 2017
The biggest news in the city’s music scene this year may well have been the fall of the Needle Vinyl Tavern. Whether it returns or not is still unclear, but one thing is clear: the reasons for its demise are shocking, and will likely have an impact on the scene for many years to come […]
New Year’s Eve Music Preview
From cover bands to original bands – and is there anything else? – the city’s favourite local venues have a little something for everyone this New Year’s Eve. Of greatest interest to Edmonton music fans might just be a couple of bands that have started gigging again after a bit of a hiatus. Calgary’s Chixdiggit […]
Major Love takes the scenic route
Sometimes great things happen by accident. Singer-songwriter Colleen Brown was recently touring Europe by herself – again – and had been feeling a touch of “ennui,” as Europeans say, about her chosen career path. One night, at a club in London, England, Brown found herself quite by chance on the same stage as fellow Edmontonians […]
INTERVIEW: Brothers Grim representing North Side
Apparently Edmonton has a hip hop scene large and diverse enough to accommodate rival factions – for where would rap battles be without opponents? Perhaps in a sideways mirror of the American “East vs. West” thing, Edmonton pits its North Side against the South Side. Witness a new venom-filled track and video called Snakes in […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Local talent thrives
As dark as Jason Kenney’s alleged soul is Edmonton’s live music scene on Christmas Day. Not a creature is stirring. Yet there are something like nine new movies out, including the new Star Wars, with three films opening specifically on Dec. 25. Who goes to see movies on Christmas?! Why can’t one go see a […]
Epic song battle erupts in House of Commons
Let’s take a closer look at Kerry Diotte’s Christmas song – for when Honorable Members start singing in the House of Commons, it behooves the nation to take heed. It doesn’t happen every day. Diotte (MP for Edmonton-Griesbach) wrote a version of Jingle Bells he sang on Dec. 13 during the last House sitting before […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Time to give
This weekend features a pair of fundraisers fitting the Christmas season – both for good but very different causes. On Friday night, it’s “X-MUZ Part 1” at Brixx in the Starlite Room – a fundraiser supporting the Aviary group, which is nearing the very last stages to get their Norwood-area venue up and running. The […]
Jay-Z bares his soul in Edmonton
Jay-Z knows he screwed up. After admittedly cheating on his wife, the rap superstar brought honesty and humility to Edmonton on Saturday night – and entertained a full Rogers Place to roc nation and redemption. He kicked off Saturday’s show fittingly with the opening track of his intensely personal new album 4:44 – Kill Jay-Z, […]
6 Edmonton arts scandals of 2017
There hasn’t been a year like this for controversy in the Edmonton arts and entertainment scene since, well … ever. Here are six unpleasant stories that riled people up in 2017: 1. The Needle and the Damage Done One of Edmonton’s premiere live music venues came crashing down barely 24 hours after an employee accused […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Jay-Z state of mind
News that Jay-Z has finally admitted he cheated on his wife Beyonce has us all thinking of how we can possibly separate artists from their art in this day and age. Musical artists might get more of a pass than actors or media personalities, because their art – their songs – sometimes becomes so disconnected […]
INTERVIEW: The Heavy Cat Came Back
Paul Shihadeh had been elevated to bass player’s royalty in Edmonton before he split town in 2001. Oh, go ahead and make any joke you want. What do you call someone who hangs out with rock stars? A bass player. How do you know when a bassist is at your door? He rings the bell […]
