WHO NAMED THE BAND: Slayer slays the course
Slayer is such an awesome band name for a group of guys who loved nothing better than to frighten as many people as possible. “We knew that kind of stuff pissed people off,” says singer and bassist Tom Araya, referring to the devilish songs and imagery the California thrash metal band came to be known […]
Grim cities vie for horror film infamy
The organizers of Edmonton’s horror film festival, DEDfest, never pass up an opportunity to promote the city to its visiting VIPs as an ideal place to shoot their next slash-fest or zombie-romp. But like the horny camp counsellors at Camp Crystal Lake in Friday the 13th, Edmonton isn’t alone. There are other cities lurking out […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Country giants among us
It’s been a bit of a disappointing week here in the city, what with two major shows being cancelled in the last six days – first Deer Tick (family emergency), and then Pink (laryngitis and inflamed vocal cords). It’s getting so that you need an injury roster to track your favourite bands, much like hockey […]
Why Accidental Racist is racist
Country music, at least the stuff you hear on commercial radio, has been taking a lot of heat for being really, really dumb. It’s a male-dominated world that celebrates rednecks who drive pick-up trucks, love their mamas, go to church and hate their blue collar jobs so much that they can’t wait until Friday to […]
Opera by night, criminal justice by day, drama all the time
Opera singer Bertrand Malo has such a challenging day job – Crown Prosecutor – that it’s tempting to ask if listening to the gory details of horrific crimes is a good way to unwind from the stresses of opera. He answers with a laugh, “Yes, I need both. Opera is a great world. However it’s […]
Pink postpones Edmonton concert due to doctor’s orders
As feared, P!nk has postponed her Edmonton concert because of continuing problems with her voice. The show which was to take place Wednesday, Oct. 23 at Rexall Place has been rescheduled for Thursday, Jan. 16. Tickets will be honoured for the new date or can be refunded at the point of purchase. Dates in Saskatoon […]
Mr. Chi Pig at home in the city that punk built
Ken Chinn – aka “Mr. Chi Pig” – has been spotted wandering old Edmonton haunts as he prepares for SNFU’s CD release show at the Pawn Shop. He seems to be having a pretty good time. He shows up for an interview in a jolly mood, attired like a WWI pilot. First thing he does […]
INTERVIEW: Dan Savage makes punditry cool
On Christians and the whole gay marriage thing, Dan Savage says, “Jesus Christ Himself condemned divorce, yet we’re not amending state constitutions to prohibit people getting divorced. It’s hypocritical of these people to say that they cannot come around on the gay issue because of the Bible when they ignore so many other parts of […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Women of rock, pop rule the stage
As we look forward to the back-to-back pop spectacular with Sarah Brightman and Pink at Rexall Place next week, there are definitely some worthwhile gigs happening this weekend, including an early show by New York’s The Pretty Reckless over at the Starlite Room on Friday night – featuring Taylor Momsen, one of the most colourful […]
Plagiarism fracas erupts in Ward 6 race
Accusations of plagiarism against Ward 6 candidate Melinda Hollis have prompted calls for her to drop out of the election – but the candidate denies she’s done anything wrong. Leading the charge is her accuser Kathleen Smith, aka social media personality KikkiPlanet, who says she discovered an essay about urban sprawl that was posted on […]
