Comely maidens tease, Mary Walsh rages at Canoe Theatre Festival

Comely maidens tease, Mary Walsh rages at Canoe Theatre Festival

Burlesque has undergone an interesting renaissance. Once a form of theatrical entertainment that invited randy gentle-men to peep at comely lasses cavorting unbesleeved and naked ankles akimbo, the girly show eventually “evolved” into full nudity, away from the eyes of the up-standing citizenry and disconcerted clergy, and into the seedy domain of the strip club. […]

EDMONTON RADIO: Hotter AC fuels Fresh 92.5 FM launch

EDMONTON RADIO: Hotter AC fuels Fresh 92.5 FM launch

You can launch like a mighty rocket roaring into the sky, and everybody says “Wow!” Or you can do it like a balloon full of hot gas, until someone notices, “Hey, how’d that get up there?” In Radioland, this is the difference between a “hard” launch and a “soft” launch. The perfect example of the […]

The 10 Commandments of Oprahism

The 10 Commandments of Oprahism

Millions, perhaps billions of people hang on Oprah Winfrey’s every word. OK, hundreds of millions. Celebrities line-up at her television confessional. She’s presides over a global media empire. She can make us laugh, cry, get mad or say “Aha!” Her generosity has touched millions. She attends to the poor. One word from Oprah can bestow […]

WEEKEND MUSIC PREVIEW: The gorgeous Hannah Georgas

WEEKEND MUSIC PREVIEW: The gorgeous Hannah Georgas

The local music scene is really starting to pick it up for 2013, with a bevy of great gigs going on this weekend no matter what kind of music you might be interested in. The star of the weekend is undoubtedly Vancouver pop-rock sensation Hannah Georgas, who performs at the Starlite Room on Friday night. […]

EAR CAKE! Area performance artists celebrate Art’s Birthday

EAR CAKE! Area performance artists celebrate Art’s Birthday

Apparently we’re supposed to celebrate Art’s birthday this weekend. Happy birthday, Art! Oh, we all know Art. Some know Art better than others, like the peculiar bunch of experimental musicians, including BEAMS (Boreal Electro Acoustic Music Society), playing a “happening” for Art’s Birthday party on Saturday night at Bohemia (10217 97 Street), a place known […]

Carson Cole writes one final love letter to biker culture

Carson Cole writes one final love letter to biker culture

After 30 years of being the bikers’ favourite rock musician, Carson Cole is hanging up his guitar to work on the rigs – but the Motorcycle Madman is leaving a love letter in his wake. Two new CDs, actually: one acoustic and one “as blues as a white guy from Coronation can be,” will be […]

INTERVIEW: Nelly Furtado goes everywhere, finds herself

INTERVIEW: Nelly Furtado goes everywhere, finds herself

There’s a good reason why Nelly Furtado isn’t a bigger star than she ought to be. It’s because this has all been just a “hobby” for her. The singer admits as much during a recent interview to pump up interest for her show at the Jubilee Auditorium on Tuesday, part of a big round of […]

BOB SEGER: King of rock songs about rocking rocks Edmonton in March

BOB SEGER: King of rock songs about rocking rocks Edmonton in March

This one has been in the “will get to Edmonton eventually” file for ages, and look how time flies – Bob Seger is finally coming to town. The consummate classic rocker, perhaps best known for “Old Time Rock and Roll” and other rock songs about rocking, will bring his Silver Bullet Band to Rexall Place […]

CNIB singing contest judges the voice and ONLY the voice

CNIB singing contest judges the voice and ONLY the voice

American Idol and its televised talent show ilk have often been criticized for being “glorified karaoke” – so it must follow that actual karaoke has been elevated to a higher Idol-like status. Amateur singing nights are still all the rage, anyway. It’s not hard to find karaoke in Edmonton, but the popular karaoke hangout B […]

DEEP FREEZE: Frozen Fringe Festival fantastic fun for frosty folk

DEEP FREEZE: Frozen Fringe Festival fantastic fun for frosty folk

If you’re going to put on a winter festival in Edmonton, it is imperative that you have a place for people to get away from the winter – and that’s one of the reasons why it’s so challenging to put on a winter festival in Edmonton. Winter sucks, not to put too fine a point […]

GAME ON, GIG OFF: How hockey can hurt (other) live entertainment

GAME ON, GIG OFF: How hockey can hurt (other) live entertainment

Musicians and other performers are deeply conflicted over the end of the NHL lockout – judging from the gust of passionate comments on social media after Sunday’s good news. Amongst the expected grumbles of “who cares?!” and cheers of “yay! drop the puck!” was a nagging worry that the return of Edmonton Oilers games will […]

Why Blue Rodeo never wears out its welcome

Why Blue Rodeo never wears out its welcome

How many times have we seen Blue Rodeo in Edmonton? Given at least one visit for each album plus eight folk fest appearances over almost 26 years, the conservative estimate is that they’ve played here 23 times. Does that sound right? Could be more if you count solo appearances from the two frontmen Jim Cuddy […]