HOBBIES: Any spokesperson will tell you, you can’t beat a beater
Notorious film director John Waters was once asked why, with his reputation for making movies described as everything from offbeat to obscene, he drove such an ordinary car as an Oldsmobile. His answer was that if he ever committed a crime, he didn’t want to be driving anything that witnesses might remember. And the odds […]
Art ala carte: Edmonton restaurants provide captivated audience
It’s a more common complaint than you might realize. You love food because it tastes good and feeds your body, but you crave art for the way it nourishes your soul. Some restaurants, with the way they cover their walls with mass-produced stuff? It’s enough to make you lose your appetite. But then you go […]
MUSIC: Lionize feelin’ irie about their odd stoner image
Fact: if you play in a band that blends reggae, classic rock and heavy, Black Sabbath-y grooves, people are going to assume you smoke pot. The stoner rock tag is slightly perplexing to Nate Bergman, who does vocals and guitar for Maryland band Lionize. After all, he ponders, doesn’t all rock sound better when you’re […]
Mad Men, in-crowd drive rebirth of cocktails
Cocktail hour — what a wonderful parlance. It conjures up a world of thick glass tumblers and geometric ice cubes tinkling in the midst of a an expertly mixed libation. So why is it cocktails in Edmonton bars are practically synonymous with sickly sweet swill served in neon pink cups? Preferably with thumping music, of […]
THOMSON: Like a Souper Trooper
There’s much to be said for the most recent use of Canadian classic rock band Trooper’s anthem “Raise A Little Hell.” Doubtless, the mere suggestion that a television commercial can represent art rankles some. And yet, when the cumulative effect of good graphic design and foot-pounding sound is this naughtily impressive, what else can you […]
The best thing about those old Bugs Bunny cartoons – aside from the high quality violence you just don’t see anymore – was the music. They used full-blown orchestras in those days, creating an evocative canon of music that became its own genre: cartoon symphonies. The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra takes a crack at it at […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: from Motown to E-town to Downtown with the Pale Moon Lights
Pale Moon Lights, with Concealer, Jody Shenkarek and Fear and Worry Sat at 8 p.m. The ARTery, 9535 Jasper Ave It was almost like seeing the Pale Moon Lights for the very first time at last December’s CD release for Notebook Magazine’s Great Northern Revival compilation. They’d been around for years, but the three-piece – […]
REVIEW: It’s quiet in here….too quiet
India Village 11835 St. Albert Trail 780.455.6590 On a certain level, an experience with cuisine from another culture engenders in each of us a sense of discovery, like a vacation in our own backyard. The illusion is best maintained when the quality of the dining experience is unassailable. Pungent, delicious cooking rich in flavour, texture […]
MUSIC: Casino gigs all in the Temptations
On an average night, a casino lounge in Edmonton is a long way from the big time, when Otis Williams and his bandmates in the Temptations were cranking out hit after hit, eventually putting the Motown legends in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But when the lights go up, and the MC has […]
GIGGLE CITY: Marcus Beaubier
Our guest this week is Marcus Beaubier, performing at Yuk Yuk’s (in the Century Casino) tonight (Saturday, Feb. 19) Warning: The following contains explicit content not suitable for children. Q. If you could be any Canadian celebrity, who would you be, and why? A: Some sort of weird hybrid of Gord Downie from the Tragically […]
VISUAL ARTS: Smokey gets the hang of the unhinged Arctic
Cabin Fever: Renderings of an Unhinged Man not only shows an illustrator hovering around the top of his skills so far, it’s also an inspiring exercise in recycling, both physical and cultural. Its artist is Nickelas Johnson, who wears the name Smokey when he’s out fighting crimes of apathy, which he, like most creative people, […]
ROSS: What’s that SOUND? Edmonton’s lowest-rated station has potential for greatness
Random question asked of 10 random “alternative adults” in a random shopping mall on a random evening in recent history: Do you listen to The Sound? Their answers, in order (guaranteed real!): 1. No. 2. Sorry, man … (walks away quickly). 3. (Smirks) I don’t listen to the radio. 4. I listen to my iPod. […]
