MUSIC PREVIEW: No cheese in this Romano
Daniel Romano is back again this weekend, after a solo show just a couple of weeks ago. This time it’s with his side project Ancient Shapes, which has grown into a life of its own with an experimental mixture of power pop and punk exploring vast crevices of the sounds inside and between those genres, […]
New Year’s Eve Music Preview
From cover bands to original bands – and is there anything else? – the city’s favourite local venues have a little something for everyone this New Year’s Eve. Of greatest interest to Edmonton music fans might just be a couple of bands that have started gigging again after a bit of a hiatus. Calgary’s Chixdiggit […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Descendents upon us
The famous Descendents clamber out of the punk trenches to spread their raucous tribute to local fans at the Union Hall Sunday night. The California punk rock act was formed back in 1977 by guitarist Frank Navetta, bassist Tony Lombardo, and drummer Bill Stevenson. They became an integral part of the early 1980s hardcore punk […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Hoyer homecoming
Unless you’re Blue Rodeo, big acts seem reluctant to schedule tours at this time of year, especially through our part of the country in what is supposed to be the depths of winter. So while it’s a pretty light weekend star-wise, there’s a little bit of everything going on somewhere: Reggae, some metal, some hip […]
NYE PREVIEW: The Secretaries play to type
As the year concludes, this weekend’s live music opportunities center around – no surprise – New Year’s Eve. There’s a bevy of options for everyone, from folk to rock to folk-rock, from electronic to pop, and lots in between. One of the best shows, and the best values, may be at Ritchie Community Hall, where […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Holy Hannah
As talented with her voice as she is on guitar and bass, Ontario-born Hannah Georgas has earned a solid and devoted fan base from coast to coast, an seen her share of critical acclaim, with nominations from both the Junos and Polaris panels. She plays the Myer Horowitz Theatre Saturday night. The indie songstress is […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Top 7 UP+DT acts
This weekend’s primary offering is a bevy of insanely good gigs courtesy of the fourth annual offering of the Up + Downtown Music Festival. With acts ranging from folk to punk to garage to psychedelic, there’s a little something for almost everyone. But little something is probably not giving the festival programmers enough credit, because […]
Theo Fleury scores – with country music
Theoren “Theo” Fleury has found a new outlet to express his feelings about a life so filled with distress that he nearly ended it – country music. It’s a natural fit. On his first-ever tour (with a band), the 47-year-old hockey legend sings at the Century Casino in Edmonton on Friday, March 4. He’s got […]
Casinos a Classic Rockland Wonderland
Kim Mitchell was recently asked what he thought about the love affair between casinos and classic rock, and what it’s done for his career. He evades the question, “Did you know that the sound of all the slots singing and ringing away on most casino floors makes for a beautiful happy major chord? Root, third, […]
DARKROOM: The eight lives of Jim Gray
In the pantheon of rock musicians who by normal logic of consequences shouldn’t even be alive is Jim Gray. Call him the Keith Richards of Edmonton. Still alive. Still playing music. Didn’t see that coming, did ya? Gray himself is the source of most of the dark jokes about the unlikelihood of his continued existence, […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: All hail the folk fest!
This weekend’s live music lineup is of course dominated by the biggest and baddest of all of the city’s music festivals. Well, OK, the biggest at any rate. It’s Folk Fest Weekend in Edmonton, and while some may lament the “old-school” direction the lineup’s gone the last few years, there is certainly no debate that […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Hot Plains, hot damn!
The Hot Plains Music Festival takes over a couple of local venues this weekend, with gigs Friday through Sunday all around Whyte Avenue, but primarily focused on two of the city’s most popular live venues, Wunderbar and Pawn Shop. Friday at Wunderbar features the “Heart meets Sabbath”-sound of the Secretaries with a new 7” release; […]
