NYE LIVE MUSIC PREVIEW: Which whine pairs well with giddy desperation?
Working musicians look forward to New Year’s Eve as the best payday of the year – yet the gig is fraught with annoyances. First, you’re playing second fiddle to the event itself; you’re expected to play Auld Lang Syne at midnight; and everything after is a drunken depressing anticlimax. Audience members can be distracted, giddy, […]
Best Of Edmonton 2019 – Top 10 Albums
The local music scene continues to see deep wells of talent across the spectrum of genres, from folk to metal to punk to indie. Some genres have defacto leaders, others coalesce around a few bands, and others still have a bevy of grand projects orbiting their sphere. While any year-end listing of albums or music […]
ESO to use FORCE in Music of Star Wars
It can be argued that John Williams’ brilliant scores for the Star Wars movies will one day be remembered as widely as Beethoven’s Fifth, The Magic Flute, or even Adagio in G Minor – if they aren’t already. There is a great disturbance in the Force over the impending concerts by the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: HELLYEAH pays tribute to late drummer Vinnie Paul
The Texas heavy rock supergroup HELLYEAH has its origins in the 2000 “Tattoo the Earth” mega-tour – which featured such legendary bands as Slayer, System of a Down, Sepultura, Lamb Of God, Slipknot, Sevendust, Dropkick Murphys, and many others. It was just a glimmer of an idea at the time, featuring the guitarist from the […]
Maroon 5 to hit Edmonton with Funky Soul Goodness in Summer 2020
You can’t go five minutes without hearing a Maroon 5 song on the radio. They’re what you call a “hit machine.” Frontman Adam Levine is at least a triple threat. Behind yet another No. 1 single, the funky soul ballad Memories, Maroon 5 has launched a massive North American tour that will come to Edmonton’s […]
James Taylor and Bonnie Raitt come together in Edmonton in April
Here’s a show where you’ll want to come early to catch the opening act. The legendary James Taylor is bringing Bonnie Raitt with him on a cross-Canada tour in spring 2020. They come to Edmonton at Rogers Place on Friday, April 17. Tickets go on sale Friday, Dec. 6. Will they perform on stage together, […]
LISTEN HERE: Tales of the Tomb keeps it real
“David Koresh, the master, the one who would save them all, destined to be a disaster, for he watched the buildings fall. The compound burned down. No one alive was found.” It’s weird to hear a death metal band be so literal. Then again, there’s plenty enough real horror in the world – why in […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Endless Bummer Showcases Edmonton Talent
This weekend features the return of the Endless Bummer festival, a diverse collection of gigs, featuring the best of the best of local and regional bands, taking place at a variety of venues throughout the city. There are two kickoff shows on Thursday night. There’s an all-ages gig at The Aviary, featuring art rock quartet […]
LISTEN HERE: The Steadies live up to their name after tragic loss
Earl Pereira – the former Wide Mouth Mason bassist who set out on his own with the reggae-rock band The Steadies in 2010 – came close to quitting after the sudden death of his guitarist Justin Lee in 2017. “I’d been working my ass off so hard, and things were just starting to go, me […]
STARLITE, STAR BRIGHT: 94-Year-Old Building the Place to Be for Underground Music in Edmonton – 30 years later
In my first year as the woefully unqualified music critic for The Edmonton Sun, circa 1992, I visited the Starlite Room for the first time. It was called “The Bronx” in those days. It had a scary reputation, one of these dark dingy downtown “underground” bars we’d heard rumours about. Nirvana played there. There were […]
REVIEW: City and Colour pretty mellow and moody for an arena concert
Rogers Place was surprisingly packed and loud for City and Colour on Tuesday night – but the arena atmosphere didn’t really lend itself to the cozy intimacy of the performance. Singer Dallas Green has a beautiful voice, truly melodic. His songs are by turns the haunted notions of a wounded spirit and the hopeful opining […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: WE LOVE 1990s CANADIAN ROCK!
Big Wreck is another one of those bands that’s become exceptionally well-known across the great nation of Canada – and pretty much forgotten South of the border. Or rather, were never really known, so couldn’t even be forgotten. It’s America’s loss. It’s a little more unusual in this case, because the band was actually formed […]
