Sarah McLachlan to play Edmonton on fall tour
To say Sarah McLachlan is coming back “with a vengeance” isn’t entirely accurate given the somewhat downbeat cast of her music, but excitement over the news has given this veteran singer-songwriter a whole new “buzz.” McLachlan performs on Wednesday, Oct. 29 at the Winspear Centre, and we think they’re going to need a bigger building. […]
Pixies to bring new music to Edmonton
The question of when you would’ve had to go to art college in order to make the Pixies relevant is growing blurrier. Like Woodstock, a lot of people were there who weren’t actually there, dig? How else to explain the excitement over news that the seminal post-punk Gods are coming back to rock Edmonton, Monday, […]
Horns for Hope offers addicts musical salvation
It started as a joke about music education, whose context has since been forgotten: “Why don’t we just give musical instruments to homeless people and see what they can do?” Don Berner thought that was actually a pretty good idea, so the community-minded Edmonton saxophonist created Horns for Hope, a program where men in drug […]
Local rock band Rend to blow 50 grand wisely
Giving a bunch of musicians 50 grand in cash might sound like a lot, but by the time you’ve rented the tour bus equipped with satellite TV and hired the guy to pick out the brown M&Ms from your catering, there’s barely enough money left for drugs and hookers. It adds up. Seriously, Edmonton rock […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Destroyer will destroy ya
Sometimes the seemingly random nature of tour itineraries result in the statistical improbability of a one night having choices too numerous to fathom. Four, at least. Such is the case when Swollen Members, Zerbin, the Devonian Gardens, and Destroyer all play different Edmonton clubs on Thursday night. Destroyer originally began as a solo project by […]
Jann Arden brings Everything Almost to Edmonton
Now here’s someone we haven’t seen for a while: Jann Arden! The Calgary pop chanteuse who artfully combines humour and sadness returns to play the Jubilee Auditorium on Monday, September 8. Tickets are $49.50, $69.50, $99.50 and go on sale Friday, May 2 at TICKETMASTER. She’s on the road again with new material from a […]
Gods of Alternative to rock Sonic Boom 2014
The multi-talented Jack White will headline the sixth annual Sonic Boom festival, now expanded to three days, Aug. 29-31 at Northlands. Also appearing: Arctic Monkeys, Rise Against, Death Cab for Cutie, Foster the People, Tegan and Sara, the Descendents, Serene Ryder, Cage the Elephant and many, many more. More acts will be announced. Weekend passes […]
Did Chavril make it bad on purpose?
In light of a recent offering of unpleasant pop culture that everyone and their dog is pooping on, a contrarian is duty bound to look on the bright side. There’s so much hate being directed at Avril Lavigne’s new song and video for “Hello Kitty” that you have to wonder if it’s all part of […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: All that glitters is Goulding
There are few female artists in the dance-pop world as hot as Ellie Goulding is right now – and even this early in her career her catalog is vast enough that some fans will undoubtedly leave disappointed she didn’t perform their favourite song during her show Sunday night at the Shaw Conference Centre. Unlikely, but […]
REVIEW: Black Sabbath kicks ass in Edmonton
Whether lapsed Catholics or apostate Protestants, fans of all religious persuasions gave roaring approval to the solid, reliable shift that Black Sabbath put in at the doom metal factory on Tuesday night. It wasn’t hard to see why 18,000 Edmonton fans flocked to see these metal legends get their hands dirty at Rexall Place. When […]
God lives in the music of Black Sabbath!
The difference between eternal salvation and eternal damnation for Black Sabbath may come down to punctuation. The official title of the reunited band’s first new song since 1978 is God is Dead? – with the question mark – and yet in the recording Ozzy Osbourne sings the title of the song so many times that […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Christian Hansen returns with Small Fry
Christian Hansen is giving himself another chance to go national – from Toronto – with the release of new music that local fans can hear live as the Edmonton expat plays two shows this weekend: an all-ages gig at The Artery on Friday night and a no-minors show Saturday at the Pawn Shop. The new […]
