MUSIC PREVIEW: Inner Ninja returns
Rap fans in Edmonton are set for a banner weekend, with two well-known artists taking center stage at different venues. On Saturday, Atlanta’s Future will be performing at West Edmonton Mall. But first, Friday night sees renowned rapper Classified perform a free show at Union Hall for the Hot 107 Block Party. This well-known Nova […]
Mac DeMarco: ‘Might as well try something weird’
It was the strangest thing: A boiling mosh pit in a crowded, stinking, sweaty bar packed with millennials (what we’re calling “the kids today”) – not for punk, not for death metal, but for the sort of breezy easy listening music you’d be more likely to hear at that surf festival they used to have […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Big Mac Attack!
In a great weekend for mid-tier acts, the feature show may just be Mac DeMarco, who performs at the Starlite Room on Friday night. His album from earlier this year, “Salad Days”, has been the talk of the continent since its release, culminating in its inclusion on the Polaris Music Prize long list. Don’t be […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: More new records than ever!
Do people even get excited about CD release events anymore? No, they do not. Seems like there’s at least two a week around these parts. Apparently now anyone can make a CD on those fancy home contraptions. What a world. You know, back in the day – said the old man yelling at the kids […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Jonathan Richman new wave before new wave was cool
It’s not often we get a visit from one of the architects of rock ‘n’ roll – one of the builders of the mighty bridge between punk music and folk music that we all travel on so easily and take so much for granted today. Old-timers remember the gaping canyon that once yawned between the […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Time’s up for Ten Second Epic
It’s last call for one of Edmonton’s most beloved modern rock bands, for Ten Second Epic is breaking up. Having just finished a cross-Canada farewell tour, the band is saying goodbye to local fans in grand style with three shows at the Pawn Shop this weekend. The duration of said epic turns out to be […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Christian Hansen returns with Small Fry
Christian Hansen is giving himself another chance to go national – from Toronto – with the release of new music that local fans can hear live as the Edmonton expat plays two shows this weekend: an all-ages gig at The Artery on Friday night and a no-minors show Saturday at the Pawn Shop. The new […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Storm the Bastille!
It’s no surprise that Saturday’s show with Bastille at the Union Hall sold out moments after its announcement. The band was named as the “British Breakthrough Act” at the 2014 Brit Awards and won’t be playing nightclubs much longer. Originally started as a solo project by London singer-songwriter Dan Smith, the band is best-known for […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: There goes The Neighborhood
How fitting that we’re still mired in “Sweater Weather” – since the authors of that hit song, The Neighborhood, play Edmonton’s Union Hall on Saturday night. Formed in 2011, the California band features the vocal talents of Jesse Rutherford, the bright guitar tones of guitarists Jeremy Freedman and Zach Abels, with drummer Brandon Fried. The […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Covering the spread
The best this weekend has to offer is spread out over four nights, so if you have the time and inclination, you can take in a lot of extraordinary live music this weekend, beginning with a release party for Ann Vriend’s new album, and continuing all the way through the renowned talents of James Vincent […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Siiines of Spriiing
This weekend features a whole host of can’t-miss gigs – but once again, you won’t be able to see them all. A couple of local bands host always-exciting release parties; one of the city’s most exciting electro acts is performing; the Black Dog continues its legendary Saturday afternoon bill; and a pair of well-known American […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Wake Owl a hoot
To have Vancouver claim the great band Wake Owl as its own may be a little misleading – because its singer-songwriter Colyn Cameron seems to be from a lot of different places. Raised in Southern California, he went off to study organic agriculture in England, then worked on various farms in the UK, Germany, Chile, […]
