MUSIC PREVIEW: Say Yes to Yes
Eight members of the progressive rock band Yes were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame earlier this year, in what some would argue was the apogee of their historic musical career. Next year will mark the 50th anniversary of the British prog-rock band – yes, 50th – and they’re already planning an […]
INTERVIEW: Yes by any other name
Shall we do this again? Who’s in the band? No, not the Who. Yes. What? The name of the band. Am I supposed to Guess Who? No, it’s Yes, it’s them. Them is playing? No, Them broke up a long time ago. The band is Yes. Oh, I love The Band. No! Not The Band. […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Lionel Richie king of soft soul
If you think it should be Lionel Richie opening for Mariah Carey at Rogers Place on Friday night instead the other way around, all you have to do is go to the scoreboard. Before Mariah was ever born, Richie had paid his dues as a member of the 1960s soul band The Commodores, known for […]
REVIEW: Guns N’ Roses best cover band ever
Here’s a sign you may be about to see a good concert – when the band rehearses in your town the day before the show. What an honour. People living in the Commonwealth Stadium area were reportedly treated to the echoing din of Guns N’ Roses running through Glen Campbell and James Brown tunes on […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Die Antwoord heel vreemd!
Now that the showman of showmen Beck has departed the city, there’s a bit of a let-up in the gig schedule for the weekend as the city steels itself for its next big show, next Wednesday’s Guns N’ Roses gig at Commonwealth Stadium. Tickets still available. There are a handful of interesting gigs around our […]
1 grand Fringe OPERA
Pagliacci By Pop Goes The Opera, Venue 16 (Holy Trinity Anglican Church) At the Fringe you can expect most anything. Somewhere young ladies are reading naked (see program: page 107) Elsewhere you can catch a grand opera. Granted, there is no symphony orchestra in the pit or heavenly choir in the loft for Ruggero Leoncavallo‘s […]
The Royal Foundry melts down genre
Edmonton’s next big thing is getting a little tired of being pigeon-holed. If you want to call The Royal Foundry anything, call them a pop band – and if you’ve been paying attention to pop radio you’ll know it encompasses all genres of music: Rock, folk, punk, electronic dance, jazz, Latin, Caribbean, hip hop, classical, […]
2 more UNEXPECTED Fringe hits
The Superhero Who Loved Me By Blarney Productions, Venue 28 (The Playhouse) “It all started with the invasion …” are the terse words that blast off Chris Craddock’s first new Fringe play in six years. As quick as a photon torpedo we are ensnared in this galactic tale. Observes Superhero Samantha (The Governess), matter of […]
FRINGE: Andrea House delivers the full Willie
Chasing Willie Nelson – A Tribute By Stardust Players, Venue 39 (CKUA building) The Stardust Players are a group of like-minded professional artists who, in recent years, have gathered together to create original works that play to their specific talents. Their latest is billed as a tribute to Willie Nelson. But it goes much farther […]
REVIEW: Beck where it’s at in Edmonton
If you’re expecting the unexpected at a rock concert, is having it fulfilled still a special thing? What if the focus of your high un-expectations does something surprisingly normal – like rocking out four-on-the-floor with a great rock band for a rockin’ old school rock concert at the Jubilee Auditorium, for instance – and says […]
REVIEW: k.d. lang soars in Edmonton
The entire run-through of Ingénue, k.d. lang’s seismic-shifting album that propelled her from prairie good ol’ gal to Grammy-winning superstar didn’t exactly rock the house at the Jubilee Auditorium on Saturday night. It didn’t need to. Despite lang’s powerful voice, put to great use during her roughly 80-minute set, the former Edmontonian stuck to the […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Forever Rock
Classic rock is on its way to becoming the new classical music. Think about it: Life is a Highway will be remembered long after it’s been forgotten as “that cool Rascal Flatts song.” Melodies will become more famous than their composers. Quick: Who wrote Raise a Little Hell? Took you a second, didn’t it? In […]
