INTERVIEW: Suzanne Vega in the alternative heart
The name of Suzanne Vega’s baby was part of an interesting coincidence that leads to some of the greatest alternative music albums ever made – including her own. Vega is one of the headliners of the Interstellar Rodeo in Hawrelak Park July 21-23. When she was married to the legendary producer Mitchell Froom, she had […]
Adam Lambert gives new life to Queen
Queen is never going to replace Freddie Mercury. He was one of a kind. But what about the rest of the guys in the band? What do they do when they want to keep the band going after their lead singer died? Life isn’t fair. And so, in their desire to give these great songs […]
REVIEW: Ryan Adams the real deal
Ryan Adams may be too country for rock ‘n’ roll, too rock ‘n’ roll for country and a bit too much of both to properly fit into the dreaded “alt-country” genre, but you’ll rarely find a more genuine personality on the whatever-you-want-to-call-it scene today. For an enthusiastic, beered-up crowd at the Jubilee Auditorium Friday night, […]
REVIEW: John Mayer no one trick pony
John Mayer has turned self-indulgence into an art form. This is the whole point of being a rock star, isn’t it? To “indulge yourself.” It’s one of the seven deadly virtues of rock ‘n’ roll. Self indulgence is not necessarily a bad thing. It only means that you will do only what you love to […]
Garth Brooks raises hell in Edmonton
The feeling at Rogers Place for Garth Brooks was electrifying on Friday night. “It’s a once in a lifetime concert!” said one couple among 20,000 fans; there was another older couple who drove all the way from Oregon for the first of an amazing NINE shows in Edmonton – and it truly was. After 21 […]
Edmonton folk singer on a roll
Maria Dunn will use some of the $8,000 she won for the Edmonton Music Prize to travel to Ottawa in April for the Juno Awards – where her album Gathering is nominated for Traditional Roots Album of the Year. “It warms my heart,” Dunn says of the recent double honour, and this is no faint […]
Inside the song: That Damned Filthy River
You can tell that a songwriter is being honest when they get inspired by their own backyard. Hard to fake that. Local rootsmith Jake Ian has hit the mark with a worthy song of the land, or water, anyway, called That Damned Filthy River. It’s a dark and beautiful love letter to the North Saskatchewan. […]
INTERVIEW: Blue Rodeo careful with politics
Blue Rodeo might be too close to themselves to understand how interesting it is that they didn’t include their one-off protest song Stealin’ All Our Dreams on their new album, 1000 Arms. Maybe it’s a hidden secret bonus track? “It is?!” exclaims singer Jim Cuddy in a recent interview. No … what? It is? “No.” […]
Rebuild/Repair at war with stupid
We can argue about the dumb things the City of Edmonton does until we’re blue in the face – but sometimes all it takes is a song to cut through the BS. Such a song is Suicide Fence by the band Rebuild/Repair, referring to the anti-suicide barriers installed on the High Level Bridge that screwed […]
Cowboy pianist steps into the spotlight
You know that saloon scene with the piano player in just about every Western movie ever made? Stewart MacDougall could be that piano player. He looks and sounds and has lived the part. It’s not often this dedicated local sideman gets a chance to headline in his own town, so it’s a special event he’s […]
Tears of joy for Dolly Parton
“I couldn’t sing a lick without my rhinestones!” Dolly Parton told nearly 20,000 fans at the brand new Rogers Place in downtown Edmonton on Saturday night. Pure and Simple is what she has called her show and new album – and really it was, down to the stage, the instruments and the raw storytelling. The […]
REVIEW: 5 Finger LIFE Punch
Five Finger Death Punch turns out to be more kind and sensitive than their name suggests. Oh, sure, they showed their hard side at their concert in Northlands Coliseum Saturday night. Their badassed side. They even brought a bunch of children on stage to take part in a rousing rendition of Burn MF. The former […]