LISTEN HERE: Ken Stead in Trouble
If you’ve got trouble, wait, don’t run! This kind of trouble is lots of fun! This familiar commercial for the old board game may offer insight into the mindset of local singer-songwriter-rocker Ken Stead when he wrote a song called Trouble. It deals with man (or woman, depending) who finds himself in a real relationship […]
WHO NAMED THE BAND: The Dungarees fit perfectly
Naming a country band is just as difficult as naming a rock band. It’s like branding a cow – to use a simile country folk may be familiar with. The cow doesn’t want to be branded. It resists the branding iron, because it hurts. Yet once the scar has healed the cow barely notices the […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Edmonton honoured to host Edmonton Music Awards
It’s an honour just to be nominated – but it’s better to win. That’s what most award nominees say (or at least think secretly) – and the musicians vying for trophies at the annual Edmonton Music Awards are surely no exception. The gala taking place Thursday at the Winspear Centre features seven performances: Ben Sures, […]
REVIEW: Corey Hart does the time warp
There was no room for cynicism at the Edmonton stop of Corey Hart’s “Never Surrender” tour on Friday. More than 5,000 in Rogers Place lapped up a 17-song set peppered with teary-eyed soliloquies about family values and gratitude towards his fans. Factor in all the cringe-worthy statements about love and peace that wouldn’t have been […]
LISTEN HERE: Mexican metal band unleashes The Midnight Terrors
Are you afraid of the dark? You’re not alone … except when you’re alone in the dark, of course. But lots of people get the so-called “midnight terrors.” Singer Paolo Belmar cuts an imposing stance with his metal band Hellnite, but admits, “I used to be afraid of dead people.” It figures. He grew up […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Festival season begins!
It’s a big weekend for festivals, but none in town are bigger than the Edmonton International Jazz Festival, which gets underway Friday. Once again the organizers have done a stellar job attracting a magnificent array of talent in a vast variety of sub-genres and instrumentation from around the world. You might think they’ve put together […]
WATCH HERE: Disturbing experimental music video took two years to make
Edmonton musician Brian Raine spent two years making a stop-motion video for his song Hurting Other People – an astounding labour of love whose result begs comparisons to those famously creepy Tool videos that used to get banned all the time. In this black and white film for Raine’s experimental project Ways in Waves, we […]
WEEKEND MUSIC: Take these broken wings and learn to fly again
Any injured bird or small animal in Northern Alberta is fair game for the WILDNorth Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Society – which throws its annual “Wildlife Festival” this Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm in Queen Mary Park (10844 117 Street). Admission is free – do you hear me? FREE! The good cause is […]
CONCERT REVIEW: Judas Priest rocks new generation in Edmonton
There are three things you can rely on in Edmonton in the spring: unpredictable weather, potholes and a proper heavy metal extravaganza from a classic band. When we found out that Judas Priest was coming to Edmonton in support of their No. 1 album FIREPOWER, I just had to share this local spring tradition with […]
ANNOUNCES: Walk Off The Earth, The Debaters
If video killed the radio star, then it follows that YouTube made the video star. The perfect case is Walk Off the Earth – the Burlington, Ontario band that parlayed their hobby of making videos of clever pop covers into fame and fortune and a No. 1 AAA hit (adult album alternative) with Red Hands. […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Surf in Turf
Thursday night finds Australia’s Ocean Alley performing at Station On Jasper. The Australian psych-reggae-surf band has gained a lot of popularity and critical acclaim in their home nation, and are now hoping to explore the world, buoyantly looking to expand their sonic reach. Led by vocalist-guitarist Baden Donegal, the band formed in 2011, and has […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Cardinal rule
Celeigh Cardinal has been called (OK, by me) the “Metis Sheryl Crow.” She doesn’t mind the label. She gets Adele a lot, too, plus Bonnie Raitt because she plays guitar. It’s not so much a comparison to Cardinal’s original songs, which span blues, rock, soul and adult contemporary in a style all her own, as […]
