Legend has it: John Legend in Edmonton this summer
Posted on March 10, 2014 By Mike Ross Entertainment, Front Slider, Music
Before Auto-Tune made legends of us all, there was John Legend – one of the finest voices on the modern R&B scene who has yet to get his due. The Ohio crooner, who had been signed by Kanye West’s label, won a pile of Grammys before most people had ever heard of him, on the […]
MUSIC: Ann Vriend the next big thing – or is she already?
Posted on March 7, 2014 By Mike Ross Entertainment, entertainment, Front Slider, Music
Ann Vriend sounds like Loretta Lynn singing Aretha Franklin songs written by Marvin Gaye and produced by Mitchell Froom. It is that weird – and wonderful. The sound of the Edmonton singer’s new record, For the People in the Mean Time, owes a lot to her Italian producer Tino Zolfo, whose Froomish style with all […]
Queen + Adam Lambert better than no Queen at all
Posted on March 6, 2014 By Mike Ross Entertainment, Front Slider, Music
Of course it’s impossible to fill the shoes of the late, great Freddie Mercury – but the flambouyant Adam Lambert gets the ultimate endorsement from the surviving members of Queen: They’re touring together as Queen + Adam Lambert, playing Rexall Place on June 24. Tickets go on sale next Friday, March 14. The unlikely combo […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Wake Owl a hoot
Posted on March 5, 2014 By Michael Senchuk Entertainment, Front Slider, Music
To have Vancouver claim the great band Wake Owl as its own may be a little misleading – because its singer-songwriter Colyn Cameron seems to be from a lot of different places. Raised in Southern California, he went off to study organic agriculture in England, then worked on various farms in the UK, Germany, Chile, […]
SkirtsAfire to burn glass ceiling
Posted on March 3, 2014 By Mike Ross Comedy, Entertainment, Film, Front Slider, Lit, Music, Theatre
Whatever you think of grouping artists by gender first and by their art second, consider the all-female SkirtsAfire “herArts” festival – playing March 6-9 at venues around Alberta Avenue – as “theatrical affirmative action.” The stats on theatrical sexual equality in Canada are “grim,” says festival director Annette Loiselle, citing a 2008 study done by […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Attack of The Pack!
Posted on February 26, 2014 By Michael Senchuk Archive, Entertainment, Music
Vancouver noise duo The Pack a.d. doesn’t need any introduction to local music fans. The grinding guitars of Becky Black, and the barely-reigned-in-chaos drumming of Maya Miller have caught the attention of media and public alike throughout the nation, with songs like “Sirens” and in particular “Haunt You”, which was a radio behemoth. The duo […]
COMEDY: Brent Butt ALMOST a movie star
Posted on February 25, 2014 By Mike Ross Comedy, Entertainment, Film, Front Slider, TV and Radio
The great thing about being a stand-up comic who gets a TV series is that you have a pretty sweet gig to fall back on once the series – inevitably – ends. A lot of comedy actors who try to be comedians after their television careers end aren’t so lucky. Ask Michael Richards. Brent Butt […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Rah Rah leads Saskatchewanian Invasion!
Posted on February 19, 2014 By Michael Senchuk Entertainment, Music
There’s a four-band bill happening this Saturday at the Artery that just may end up as the best concert of the first quarter in the city. Headlining the event is Regina act Rah Rah, an intriguing blend of indie pop and party folk. With buzzworthy songs like “Arrows” and “Henry” from their sophomore release, and […]
MUSIC: Fools Tongue channels Peter Gabriel
Posted on February 19, 2014 By Mike Ross Entertainment, Front Slider, Music, music
What a world where musicians can make music as progressive as the proggiest of prog-rock – in an Edmonton basement. Fools Tongue’s new album “New World” sounds like Sting meets Peter Gabriel in, er … words fail, a home recording studio. Don’t get that every day around these parts. “That’s our world,” says singer Luke […]
INTERVIEW: Sass Jordan on Canadian Idol, short attention spans
Posted on February 16, 2014 By Mike Ross Entertainment, Front Slider, Music, music
There is no alternate reality where American Idol and its ilk did not exist so we could all say, “See? Look how great popular music is without all these deluded show-offs to ruin it for everyone!” The Idols would’ve shown off anyway. These sort of TV talent shows just put inner workings of the pop […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Got a new girl now
Posted on February 13, 2014 By Michael Senchuk Entertainment, Music
It’ll be a tough weekend for gigs and gigging, what with Valentine’s Day on Friday night – and the Olympics on TV all weekend, especially now that hockey’s started. But there is nothing more romantic than going to see a rock show with your partner in love, is there? Do yourself a favor and check […]
Happy Valentine’s Day! Yanni’s coming, hint, hint
Posted on February 11, 2014 By Mike Ross Entertainment, Front Slider, Music
Hey Ladies! Who loves you? That’s right, Yanni loves you. Do you know who loves you even more? The man who buys you tickets to Yanni, who returns to the Jubilee Auditorium on Tuesday, Sept. 9. Tickets go on sale Friday – Valentine’s Day. Hint, hint. And this should really be directed at the men […]