WHAT’S GOING ON: It’s Dead Out There

WHAT’S GOING ON: It’s Dead Out There

The legacy of the Grateful Dead is well documented: * Heart of the hippie culture that emerged from San Francisco in the late 1960s, and still going strong around the world * Still performing in stadiums 27 years after frontman Jerry Garcia’s death, spawning numerous side projects and acolytes * Released more than 200 albums, […]

WHAT’S GOING ON: Lots

WHAT’S GOING ON: Lots

In the ongoing task of creating lists-as-articles, or “listicles,” to promote the local live entertainment scene, journalists have come far in two months – from scrounging for info on shows that turned out to have been cancelled, to there literally being too many live shows to list. You can’t win. Let’s start with music. The […]

LOVE YOU, BUDDY: Ben Sures remembers Harpdog Brown

LOVE YOU, BUDDY: Ben Sures remembers Harpdog Brown

We may pay our respects to the late Harpdog Brown on what would’ve been his 60th birthday – through one of his favourite bandmates: Ben Sures – who plays live on Jan. 28 at the Elks Lodge in Red Deer, which happens to be Ben’s second show to support his new album, The Story That […]

ASK AN EXPERT: Why Do So Many Modern Singers Sound So Fake?

ASK AN EXPERT: Why Do So Many Modern Singers Sound So Fake?

Shawn Mendes kisses you with every word he sings – purposely pushing his diphthongs into the “oi” end of the timbreal spectrum, if you want to get technical. Very annoying. The artist k.flay affects a menacing purr as she sings about needing blood in the cut. Grandson lisps political rage into the roof of his […]

WHAT’S GOING ON: Touring Artists Have Lots of Post Pandemic Music!

WHAT’S GOING ON: Touring Artists Have Lots of Post Pandemic Music!

The pandemic has afforded famous recording artists the opportunity to make music with a freedom they could only dream about before. Usually records were made – quickly – between tours, where the real money was supposed to be. Some acts would tour too much, wear out their welcome. But hey, no tours for two years, […]

WHAT’S GOING ON: Here are Some Live Entertainment Listings!

WHAT’S GOING ON: Here are Some Live Entertainment Listings!

Is it safe to go out and be live entertained again? Who knows?! Make your own decisions. We’re all grown-ups here. Too bad for the real Jason Kenney that Jason Kenney’s Hot Boy Summer has SOLD OUT its entire run at the Grindstone Theatre Nov. 10-21. I’m sure they could sneak the Premier in to […]

PANDEMIC STREETER: Goodnight, Whyte 

PANDEMIC STREETER: Goodnight, Whyte 

The warm summer air dissipates into the cool breeze of fall – and last call dawns early on Whyte Avenue. Here we are, a year and a half and two vaccinations later and restaurants and bars are closing up at 11 pm because of a spike in Covid cases. But that doesn’t stop live music […]

LIVE REVIEW: Winter in Summer a perfect little folk fest

LIVE REVIEW: Winter in Summer a perfect little folk fest

It was the perfect day for a festival – the intense summer heat dulled by a cool breeze, the city spread out across the horizon in the near distance. Last as the opening evening of the Winter in Summer festival sponsored by Steamwhistle at the Edmonton Ski Club (more or less the site of the […]

FLASHBACK: Mudstock ’99 Ends Badly

FLASHBACK: Mudstock ’99 Ends Badly

True story

CONCERT REVIEW: Renewed Alexisonfire Rocks Edmonton

CONCERT REVIEW: Renewed Alexisonfire Rocks Edmonton

The pit was packed for Alexisonfire in Edmonton – but keep your hats to yourself! That was just one of the messages from this very accessible Canadian post-hardcore band, which played Rogers Place Wednesday night – just two months after its singer Dallas Green was in same building with City and Colour. While their initial […]

LISTEN HERE: Is it worth feeling sad and sorry all the time? Yikes!

LISTEN HERE: Is it worth feeling sad and sorry all the time? Yikes!

“I care a lot more about the song than I do about her.” Whoa, man. That’s a dark burn from Edmonton songwriter Scott Deshane, frontman of a band called Yikes. He’s talking about his melancholy new song Tighter – about a personal and once-painful break-up. He says he wrote song several years ago with his […]

INTERVIEW: Wide Mouth Mason slides home

INTERVIEW: Wide Mouth Mason slides home

Fans of Wide Mouth Mason may be in for a big surprise when the band plays Friday night at Blues on Whyte. It’s not going to be a classic rock nostalgia concert, though it’s been nearly 25 years since they started. This is an entirely new direction: Shaun Verreault – the prairie wunderkind who wowed […]