10 bands enter, one band leaves $8,000 richer
It’s an honour just being on the short list. Really, it is. Ten Edmonton musical artists coming from almost all conceivable genres of music will be vying for the third annual $10,000 Edmonton Music Prize, it was announced Tuesday. They are: A/B Trio – jazz trio The Dungarees – country brotherhood F&M – husband and […]
Wacken 3D doc exposes joy of metal
Watching the film Wacken 3D: Louder Than Hell is the next best thing to being at the German metal festival. With less mud. Not that you could get in anyway. Ha, ha, nein. The 2016 edition of Wacken Open Air is already sold out (you can get on a waiting list), expected to bring around […]
Demi Lovato Nick Jonas team to hit Edmonton
Here’s something a little different on the concert scene: Two huge Disney stars, one female, one male, combine forces for an even huger North American tour. It’s Demi Lovato teaming up with Nick Jonas, in this case, mounting “Future Now: The Tour,” coming to a hockey arena near you – on this case Rexall Place […]
Casinos a Classic Rockland Wonderland
Kim Mitchell was recently asked what he thought about the love affair between casinos and classic rock, and what it’s done for his career. He evades the question, “Did you know that the sound of all the slots singing and ringing away on most casino floors makes for a beautiful happy major chord? Root, third, […]
Classified steps up to play the Shaw
Could it be possible that the Canadian rapper known as Classified has failed to realize how big he is in Canada? Given that every single on his self-titled 2013 album became a hit in multiple formats, particularly with Inner Ninja still getting played to death, it’s surprising his 2016 tour isn’t taking him to a […]
OPERA: The Merry Widow has legs
A good measure of any opera is to subject it to the grueling “Bugs Bunny Test.” The Merry Widow, which opens Edmonton Opera’s season at the Jubilee Auditorium on Saturday, Oct. 24, might not have an entire Looney Toon devoted to it like Figaro or The Ring Cycle, but there is a rich widow (Granny) […]
MUSIC PREVEW: Hawksley Hard Workman
It’s a long way to the top when you take the road less traveled from left field and outside the box on the edge of the mainstream and add your own cliché for being “quirky” – but the rewards can be far richer. Like having a career that lasts longer than one top-40 hit. Like […]
Road Hammer veers into Ice Racer Showdown
Clayton Bellamy’s entire career has been about “change in direction” – literally, and in all ways the word “literally” is misused. From singer-songwriting solo and country-rocking with his band the Road Hammers, he was called to be an announcer on CISN country radio, though he no radio experience whatsoever, lasted about two-and-a-half years with reported […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Slipknot holds tight
Slipknot may be one of the largest heavy metal bands currently in existence. Literally. The current roster boasts nine individuals performing on stage. Playing Sunday night at Rexall Place, the Des Moines, Iowa band is known for rampaging live shows and uber-aggressive sound and vocals – plus lots of drums – and visually for the […]
Selena Gomez returns to Edmonton
Whether or not you think the first line in the new Selena Gomez song is “I’m farting carrots” – it’s not – there’s still excitement over news of her return to Edmonton. The 23-year-old singer plays Rexall Place on Monday, May 16. Tickets $49.50 to $89.50 go on sale Oct. 17. The pre-sale starts Tuesday. […]
REVIEW: Chris De Burgh King of Easy Listening
Chris De Burgh fans got high on emotion at the Shaw Conference Centre Thursday night, witnessing a gifted yet largely critically neglected artist who blew the dust off a staggering back catalogue of music. He is the King of Easy Listening. A long time ago in a galaxy now since nuked into oblivion by Darth […]
