Edmonton People, Places and Things of 2014
Instead of holding a ridiculous contest to determine the Edmontonian of the Year – which is dependent on the determination of the subject and his or her followers to win at all costs, much like a political election – this year we present a straight recap of the most widely read stories on GigCity. Guarantee: […]
Top 10 Edmonton records of 2014
The last year saw an interesting rotation in live music clubs – from the closing of the Avenue Theatre to the opening of the Mercury Room – while the music made by Edmonton bands continued to happily diverge from the mainstream. The 10 albums below demonstrate the best of what local acts have to say […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Singing Christmas Tree a BIG deal
So it’s a set of risers shaped like a gargantuan Christmas tree with people dressed like Christmas tree ornaments standing on it, singing Christmas carols, this “Singing Christmas Tree”? Short answer: Yes. Long answer: Oh, but so much more! A venerable and uniquely Edmonton holiday spectacle, as far as we know, the Singing Christmas Tree […]
Top 14 nostalgia shows of 2014
Excluding Bro Country for Young Men – Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, Dirk Gently – and Trix for Little Girls – P!nk, Gaga, Lady Perry – which will always be with us, an astounding trend emerges from the 2014 concert season: People sure love nostalgia. Stop whatever has replaced presses! Septuagenarians had a field day. […]
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 […]
