MUSIC PREVIEW: Up to Downtown in fab new fest
While Edmonton doesn’t usually host festivals this late into the fall, the inaugural Up + Downtown Music and Arts Festival is about to give it a whirl. Organizers might have positioned themselves well to ensure success during an otherwise festival-free time of year, as they’ve attracted an intriguing cadre of talent-laden regional and touring acts […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Austra extraordinary
Perhaps most interesting of an eclectic batch of artists coming through town over the next few days is Austra – the middle name of its extraordinary singer Katie Stelmanis, whose classical training shows through at each step and turn. Playing Tuesday, Oct. 8 at the Avenue Theatre, the Toronto synthpop act hit a chord with […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: It’s not the band I hate, it’s their fans
Pop quiz: Name the album that was voted the No. 1 Canadian album OF ALL TIME by respondents to a Chart magazine poll. The answer may surprise any but true Sloan fans – and there are lot of them, an entire generation moved by the iconic Toronto quartet’s ground-breaking 1994 album “Twice Removed,” which contains […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Canadian country, California vibes
Welcome to the Hotel Edmontonia! Such a lovely place, such a lovely face. Plenty of room at the Hotel Edmontonia, any time of year … except maybe at this particular busy time if you’ve come into town for the Country Music Week! Building up to the CCMA Awards Sunday night at Rexall Place – and […]
Foreign Musician Fee Fracas: It’s not the end of the world
What’s a guy gotta do to get an LMO exemption around here?! There’s a good pick up line next time you’re in your favourite local bar or coffee shop – where you probably be seeing a lot more true blue Canadian live music now that sneaky government fees on foreign workers have been imposed. Employers […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Sonic Boom to end summer with a bang
This year’s edition of Sonic Boom, the first to span two days, has grown into one of Edmonton’s most renowned music festivals – and organizers have brought in some serious heavy hitters to keep it that way. Saturday begins with REND, the band that won a local competition among Sonic “Bands of the Months” to […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Surrounded on all sides
The region is now in the epicentre of the perfect storm of festival season. Vast musical gatherings are surrounding the city on all sides. The long range forecast calls for more festivals of all kinds – at least until school starts – so the public is urged to take proper measures. Step 1: Which one […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: The Taste of Music
You may know it for the food, but this year’s incarnation of The Taste Of Edmonton is pulling out all the stops in its musical lineup as well. Thursday night starts off with a bang, as Vancouver’s Hey Ocean! takes center stage, whose catchy melodies will surely whisk you away to a laid-back beach. The […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Party all nite, rock every day
Many of the kids who flocked to KISS back in the day now have kids of their own – which is why Friday night’s triumphant return of the aging painted wonders at Rexall Place is expected to be a real family affair. If you’re getting painted up – and hey, who isn’t? – keep in […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Chains that bind us
The weekend begins with a bang Thursday, with a pair of standout acts slamming into the city. First, at Rexall Place, the legendary Alice In Chains. Born in the thick sludge of the Seattle grunge scene, the band rose to international fame in the early 1990s with songs like “Would?”, “Them Bones”, “Rooster”, and “Down […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Something for everyone at Boonstock
The region’s musical focus turns to the North this weekend with Boonstock occurring just outside Gibbons for four amazing days of sound and fun in what’s looking to be the best weather of the year so far. Like many local festivals, they may not have the massive headliners that you’re used to seeing if you […]
New music festival to boost downtown Edmonton
Too many music festivals? Not enough music festivals! Adding to an already jam-packed slate of events in the area this year is a new one called Up+Downtown Music and Art Festival (UP+DT), happening Oct. 12-13 at venues around downtown Edmonton. Hence the name. That’s kind of a novel approach to a multi-venue event, but after […]
