After low key start, Jazz festival hits high gear
So much jazz, so little time – especially if it’s “free” jazz where “time” takes on a completely different meaning, as does “free,” because you still have to pay to see it. Hope that helps. It’s always hard to choose among so many acts at the Edmonton International Jazz Festival. It didn’t really have a […]
Dance and rock cultures mingle at Boonstock festival
“Are you a rocker or a raver?” the Bear announcer asked the caller looking forward to Boonstock 2013 this weekend. Amazingly, the caller replied that she’s a little of both. She will rock out to such rockers as the Headstones, Godsmack, Sebastian Bach and Slash from Guns N’ Roses, and then maybe paint herself blue […]
FESTIVAL GUY: Crowds not a problem at Works
If Toronto put on a street festival that referenced Henry David Thoreau’s dictum “It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see” – the theme of this year’s Works Art & Design Festival – you’d have people clamouring to try to catch a glimpse of Rob Ford smoking crack. But this is […]
Promoters work to salvage flooded out Sled Island Festival
CALGARY – I woke up Friday morning to see downtown Calgary covered in brown water no more than a block from my vantage point at Hotel Arts, which was on evacuation order after power and water had been shut off. I’d spent the previous two nights getting soaked walking from venue to venue, trying to […]
JAZZ FEST: Nuela Charles finds her niche
The trouble with making music that’s different and unique is where to rack it. Nuela Charles, who earned a four year music degree from a bible college in Saskatchewan, initially had some luck in the Christian music scene, where style isn’t as important as content. In short, sing about Jesus and you’re in. “Everything I […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Just a big list of cool stuff
There are some major events going on over the next week, including the Edmonton International Jazz Festival with bass-wielding urban-jazz Goddess Esperanza Spalding on Tuesday, June 25; and the one and only Herbie Hancock on June 27, both at the Winspear Centre. “Johnny Jazz Passes,” conferring free admission to a myriad of other jazz fest […]
Wool on Wolves among locals up for Western Canadian Music Awards
Like hockey season well past its sensible expiration date, awards season continues – but no complaints so far from Edmonton’s music community, which is well represented in several areas beyond the city limits. Nominations for the 2013 Western Canadian Music Awards – happening in Calgary Oct. 3-6 – came out Tuesday to reveal highly-decorated local […]
Things that begin with the letter K in K-Days
Putting the “Klondike” back into K-Days – the festival formerly known as Capital Ex that was formerly known as Klondike Days that was formerly known as the Edmonton Agricultural Society Manure Fair in a story too dumb to go into here – has left the gates wide open for other fun things that begin with […]
Drake rises to arena level, plays Edmonton in September
Another award for “good timing” goes to Toronto rapper Drake, who, on the heels of winning a pair of Much Music Video Awards Sunday night has announced his first North American arena tour. He plays Rexall Place on Monday, Sept. 30. With Miguel and Future in support, tickets are $50-$100 and go on sale Friday. […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Sled Island Spillover Effect
NextFest continues through the weekend with a deluge of intriguing and diverse gigs, and we bow to their offerings for much of the weekend as summer festival season starts to kick into full gear. The big upcoming date in the music calendar is next Wednesday, June 19th, as the “Sled Island Spillover Effect” takes hold […]
Mark Meer tops list of Canadian Comedy Awards nominations
With so many Canadians being funny in America, that must make Canada the funniest country in the world, and with so many Edmontonians being funny across Canada, that must make Edmonton the funniest city in the world. Ha-ha funny, not “funny” funny. Proof is in the pudding, whatever that means, as the nominations for the […]
