THEATRE: Oh! Christmas Tree, how lovely are thy branches
Anyone who doubts our desire to be entertained this Christmas only needs to check out the listings in the paper. However, in this whirlwind of off-the-rack predigested Christmas fodder offered, could I suggest an ornament for your season? It’s a play called Oh! Christmas Tree, part of Theatre Network’s Roxy Performance Series in a co-production […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Lutra Lutra so nice they named it twice
Like their namesake – the Eurasian otter – Lutra Lutra is cute, but is just as likely to crack you open and eat you. If you happen to be a mussel. Or perhaps a poor koi in a Vancouver koi pond. No, the culprit there was a common Canadian river otter, also known as Lontra […]
Snoop Dogg to smoke Edmonton in February
Do you think Uncle Snoop is going to talk about legal Canadian marijuana when he comes to Edmonton next year? He just might. Snoop Dogg is alleged to have partaken from time to time, and has said a few things on this topic before. Now the rap and media superstar is returning to Edmonton to […]
REVIEW: Tenacious D gets a C minus in Edmonton
As a rock star, Jack Black makes a pretty good actor – and that’s exactly what he’s doing in his band Tenacious D. He’s pretending to be a rock star. He’s as believable on a concert stage as he is in his movies, which are all exactly the same: Rollicking wholesome family blockbusters where the […]
PLAYBOT: Singin’ in the Freezin’ Rain
The appearance of the dependable musical warhorse Singin’ in the Rain at Festival Place Dec. 15-30 is disturbing for a couple of reasons. They’ve been running Stanley Kubrick’s ultra-violent masterpiece A Clockwork Orange on TV lately, and there’s an edgy scene during which the title song Singin’ in the Rain plays. The music is now […]
Michelle Obama brings book tour to Edmonton
The most beloved First Lady of her generation will be including Edmonton on the final leg of her book tour. Michelle Obama, whose new book Becoming is flying off the shelves around the world, sill host “Becoming: An Intimate Conversation with Michelle Obama” on Friday, March 22, at Rogers Place. Tickets to the general public […]
Godsmack to smack Edmonton another time
A band so heavy as to challenge the Almighty Himself is returning to Edmonton. Godsmack comes to live up to their name at least every three years, and this time it’s in the big building: Rogers Place on Friday, May 3. Volbeat will open. Tickets will go on sale Friday (the presale starts Dec. 11) […]
Metric, July Talk team up for Edmonton spring show
It’s always nice when artists put a little thought on who they’re going to tour with – and it sounds like Metric and July Talk are a perfect match made in Canadian modern rock heaven. The two bands team up for the Art of Doubt tour, named for Metric’s latest album, in case there was […]
Bill Benson
READ MORE FRESH COMICS! (click thumbnail to see the whole comic) End of the Earth, by Chad Huculak Bob the Angry Flower, by Stephen Notley
The Great Gatsby probes empty American Dream
As you enter the Walterdale Theatre these nights, there’s a party going on. There’s music, the clink of glasses and the babble of happy voices. You have stepped into the middle of one of Jay Gatsby’s infamous parties. There’s merriment everywhere – the ladies in their fringed Charleston dresses and the men gussied up in […]
REVIEW: Ed the Sock getting game back
Yes, Children of the ‘80s, it’s true – we’re old. But if we are at all like Ed the Sock was on Wednesday night at Union Hall, maybe, just maybe, we are still relevant – not to mention all these years later able to appreciate good, honest comedy. As part of Ed’s current “War on […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: A tisket, a tasket, a Plaskett Family Affair
You’re likely very familiar with Joel Plaskett – multiple Juno winner, multiple Polaris nominee. He’s released seven solo albums since 1999, as well as six albums as the frontman of Canadian indie-rock staple Emergency, and five with Thrush Hermit. By all markers, Plaskett is undoubtedly an indie folk-rock luminary. What you’re probably not as familiar […]
