MUSIC PREVIEW: 100 Mile House in Charity Whiskey Mixer
As the calendar winds down on 2014, the live scene also starts its inevitable slowdown towards the Christmas season – but not before a number of charitable events, including this weekend’s feature event, the Annual Charity Whiskey Mixer at the Artery Saturday night. First and foremost, the evening includes some incredible musical entertainment. Feature performer […]
Dependable Def Leppard returns in April
Of all the classic rock comebacks happening lately, Def Leppard is notable for never having gone away. The dependable British pop-metal kings return to Edmonton as part of a 13-date tour across Canada this spring. They play Rexall Place on Thursday, April 23. Tickets start at $35 and go on sale Friday. The presale begins […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Mother Mother adds new wrinkle
Our very special guest this week on Who Named the Band? is Mother Mother – whose “ominous yet benevolent” name was chosen by the band’s frontman and main songwriter Ryan Guldemond. At an open stage jam in hometown Vancouver in 2005 with his co-singers, sister Molly Guldemond and Jasmin Parkin, he’d been forced to come […]
INTERVIEW: Tea Party returns with integrity
The Tea Party decided not to sell its Internet domain to the American political movement after all. The band members won’t say how much they were offered (and were reportedly considering), but rumour has it in the $1 million range. Two reasons: 1. They still need the website, because the Tea Party has reformed after […]
The Wet Secrets’ Terrible Wonderful Day
A rolled van and no one hurt on the treacherous QEII, then a $100,953 payday as the winner of the Peak Performance Project in Calgary later on – it was quite an eventful Thursday for the Wet Secrets. “It was a wild whirlwind of a day. What could’ve been a real tragedy ended up being […]
USS INTERVIEW: Skewering Human Kebab
Based on a true story: After shouting at some kids to get off his lawn, an old man gets into his car one Friday night, turns on Sonic 102.9 FM radio and is pleasantly surprised to hear the familiar strains of Pink Floyd’s Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2. But something is terribly, terribly […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Grapes of Wrath returns
It is time, once again, to celebrate the return of yet another 1990s Canadian rock band. They mostly come back 20-something years later, mostly. This time it’s storied Vancouver rock act Grapes Of Wrath, playing Edmonton Thursday night. Their release High Road in 2013 was the first in 22 years featuring the band’s original members […]
OneRepublic to play Edmonton in April
“Everything that kills me makes me feel alive” – has a better ode to modern angst ever been limned? No, it has not. OneRepublic has cut a wide swath through the pop landscape with Counting Stars and other inspirational smash hit singles. Now fans get a chance to see how the Colorado group pulls it […]
Mike McDonald shows character in new music
Anyone who still doubts the close connection between punk rock and folk music need only listen to Mike McDonald’s first solo album, Live at the Blue Chair Cafe. Just don’t call it “Jr. Gone Mild.” While suitable for fireside with acoustic guitar and vocals only, it’s a vivid, sometimes disturbing self-portrait of the famously ornery […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Rock and roll, deja vu
Fleetwood Mac, Motley Crue, now John Fogerty at Rexall Place this Sunday. Hello? Didn’t we just do this? A quick glance at the official record reveals that yes, we did just do this. Those who forget the name of the person who said that those who forget history are doomed to repeat history are … […]
Motley Crue ‘not worthy’ to open for Alice Cooper
If Motley Crue truly plans to retire for good at the end of their 2014 tour, they sure went out with a flash-bang during their nearly two hour set Tuesday night at Rexall Place. The excess of your average ’80s hair metal show was exceeded with such ease – MORE dry ice, MORE pyrotechnics, MORE […]
Foo Fighters bring Sonic Highways to Edmonton
It has been said that the Foo Fighters are the ultimate cover band. They don’t cover songs. They don’t tribute specific bands. They cover entire decades! If this is a complaint (and it was, from the New York Times, no less), it’s a lame one because who wouldn’t want one’s formative decades brought to vivid […]
