EDMONTON THEATRE DOGGOS!

EDMONTON THEATRE DOGGOS!

They’re natural performers who crave attention. They have great instincts. They can improvise at the drop of a ball. They hardly ever poop, pee, puke, or bark on stage. And they work cheap. Yes, Theatre Dogs are a breed apart – and there’s a surprising number of good bois who have graced Edmonton stages in […]

REVIEW: Carmen gets a gritty makeover in Mercury Opera production

REVIEW: Carmen gets a gritty makeover in Mercury Opera production

The last time I was at Chez Pierre, about 25 years ago, I covered a mud wrestling match between two female behemoths. The venerable Edmonton institution was founded by a gentle, cultured Belgian fellow named Pierre Couchard. The club was the first in Edmonton to go topless (and then bottomless), introduce male nudity, stage the […]

WEEKEND MUSIC: Storm before the storm

WEEKEND MUSIC: Storm before the storm

This weekend, the city finds itself in the relatively calm eye of a musical summer hurricane – after being buffeted with both the esteemed Interstellar Rodeo and the rampaging frenzy of Chaos AB last weekend. Then of course the world-renowned Folk Music Festival is coming up, then the Fringe. Before the eye wall hits us […]

LISTEN HERE: Coutts in cahoots with 15th Century French monk

LISTEN HERE: Coutts in cahoots with 15th Century French monk

Singer-songwriter-guitarist Paul James Coutts, who has been active in both the Edmonton and Calgary music scenes for more than 25 years (currently based in Edmonton), is taking a bold leap with the release of his solo debut album, Utterances. It’s crunchy on the outside, sweet in the middle – and deep all the way through. […]

Interstellar Rodeo: Consistent in Musical Diversity

Interstellar Rodeo: Consistent in Musical Diversity

Interstellar Rodeo always presents a diverse lineup that pushes boundaries of musical genres – and the comfort levels of the audience. And, for the second year in a row, the festival was subject to the whimsy of the unstable Alberta weather. With the kind of “summer” we’ve been having, that part really came as no […]

Manson Has Power Over Chaos

Manson Has Power Over Chaos

Metal heads of Edmonton were rejoicing at the creation of a new music festival, held on July 26 and 27 at Kinsmen Park. However, the first ever Chaos AB festival of metal music experienced some chaos of its own, due to the unpredictable weather. The hot and sunny first night on July 26 saw performances […]

REVIEW: RING OF FIRE: The Music of Johnny Cash

REVIEW: RING OF FIRE: The Music of Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash was born in a shack in Arkansas and grew up on a hardscrabble farm. He started his career as a rockabilly singer in Memphis but from then on followed a path that was all his own. He defiantly turned his back on the growing glitz of what was called “country” music to join […]

Backstreet Boys karaoke schtick a porcine makeover

Backstreet Boys karaoke schtick a porcine makeover

  On Thursday night, The Backstreet Boys proved that you can put makeup on a pig and that such a porcine makeover can work wonders. The lads (Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, A.J. McLean and Kevin Richardson) who cornered the boy band industry with their take on spit-shined gawkery and nabbed the teen market […]

Teatro la Quindicina embraces The Bad Seed

Teatro la Quindicina embraces The Bad Seed

Rhoda Penmark is the perfect child. She’s 8 years old and the ideal 50’s realization of what ’30’s movie moppet Shirley Temple might have been in those times. She’s modest, intelligent, sweet, loving and with her perfect braids and freshly pressed dresses, she is a proper daughter for her loving parents. At school she gets […]

WEEKEND MUSIC PREVIEW: Backstreet is back and it is all right

WEEKEND MUSIC PREVIEW: Backstreet is back and it is all right

All the dance moves. All the hits. The 1990’s boy band to end all boy bands, the Backstreet Boys, still has all the mojo you could imagine, and they’re entering the second leg of their world tour, now intent on recapturing the hearts of their North American fans. They play Rogers Place (8pm, $110 and […]

MUSIC PREVIEW: Bar raised at Taste of Edmonton

MUSIC PREVIEW: Bar raised at Taste of Edmonton

Longtime locals should remember a time when the musical acts they booked at Klondike Days, Taste of Edmonton, The Works, and other summery general interest not-actually-music festivals came off like an afterthought on a low budget. In short, meh … Times have changed, and the live music bar seems to have been raised for these […]

YOUR FAVOURITE BAND SUCKS: Summer of Concert Cancellations in Edmonton!

YOUR FAVOURITE BAND SUCKS: Summer of Concert Cancellations in Edmonton!

The latest cancellation to plague Edmonton’s summer of 2019 concert schedule is Rob Zombie – who has pulled out of the CHAOS Festival at Kinsmen Park on July 26-27. No word on the reason beyond “unforeseen circumstances.” His replacement? The Cult. No shade on The Cult, a dependable British rock band, but they’re not in […]