WHO ANGERED THE BAND: Uproar Festival to rock Rexall Thursday
There is no evidence that the Rockstar Energy Drink causes anger – so why is the popular super-caffeinated beverage the title sponsor of the Uproar Festival on Thursday at Rexall Place? Could be a coincidence. There are a lot of angry bands playing here, on two stages, “main” and “Jager outdoor,” from early afternoon to [...]
Ninjaspy creates its own scene
It only makes sense that unconventional music should be released in an unconventional fashion. Ska/metal band Ninjaspy’s upcoming EP No Kata, a 10 ½-minute piece of music employing its trademark genre-hopping and warped time signatures, will feature an accompanying graphic novel in which the song’s lyrics make up the narrative and dialogue. The effort is [...]
Big Sugar returns to play EEC Nov. 3 – is this a Canadian reunion trend?
OK, now it’s an epidemic. Another noted Canadian band from the mid-’90s is coming back from self-imposed hiatus – Big Sugar. Gordie Johnson’s first claim to fame will return to town to play the Edmonton Event Centre on Thursday, Nov. 3. With Wide Mouth Mason opening – with Gordie on bass – Big Sugar is [...]
The Tea Party to rock Edmonton Nov. 18 – the band, not the political movement
No politics … just rock and roll. That’s what it says on the Tea Party’s website, so as not to cause confusion with the American right-wing political movement that’s sprung up since the last time the popular “Moroccan-roll” band toured Canada and which apparently wants the teaparty.com domain in the worst way. The Tea Party [...]
City and Colour brings Little Hell to the Jube January 25
Going unplugged turned out to be a great career move for Dallas Green, who became “City and Colour” (Dallas = City, Green = Colour) for a solo career that one could argue far outshines his work in his punk band Alexisonfire – or at least opened up his songwriting gifts to a new audience. Said [...]
WHO’S IN THE BAND: Bachman & Turner tonight at the Jube
It’s all well and good if you’re Pearl Jam and stay together 20 years before some bigshot Hollywood director makes a movie about you. That’s easy. Twenty? Try 20 DIFFERENT bands over 50 years, Sonny Boy, when you’re actually entitled to be called “classic rock” and you argue about who was in the room when [...]
CONCERT REVIEW: Pearl Jam rocks Twenty out of Ten
This concludes Pearl Jam Week in Edmonton. We hope you enjoyed the band’s spectacular show at Rexall Place on Friday night, and the Cameron Crowe documentary about how it all came to be so spectacular, Pearl Jam Twenty, celebrating the 20th anniversary of Ten, the band’s breakthrough album. Some numerology is at work here. The [...]
WEEKEND MUSIC PREVIEW: Edmonton goes retro
I don’t think there’s any doubt what the biggest show of the weekend will be, with the raucous Pearl Jam playing Rexall Place on Friday night. But there’s some retro performances as well, from such artists as the Irish Rovers, the Headpins and Lee Aaron, and Art Garfunkel scattered throughout the days. The Edmonton International [...]
EIFF REVIEW: The Swell Season and the not-so-swell season after that
The Swell Season is a story about the frailty of relationships, of trying to balance the expectations of others against one’s own needs. It’s set against the backdrop and influence of fame, with an Oscar-winning songwriting duo at its heart, but it could well be about just about any couple you might know. Ultimately, that’s [...]
Awolnation gets real at the Starlite
There’s a lesson to be learned from Aaron Bruno’s success as Awolnation: stick with what you love, and eventually that passion will be rewarded. Awolnation had a surprise hit this year with the dark song “Sail,” selling more than 80,000 downloads in Canada alone to date. But it came after a marked change in direction. [...]
EIFF ENCORE: Bob and the Monster turnaround
Bob Forrest is one brilliant guy. He’s funny, compassionate, talented, magnetic. Unfortunately, he credits all of it to the comfort he feels when he’s drunk or high. It’s not an uncommon story. But surviving it when you also happen to be a minor-league rock star with a big budget and lots of time on your [...]
Pearl Jam vs Foo Fighters: the rivalry continues
Related: Pearl Jam Twenty digs deep at EIFF Related: It’s Pearl Jam week in Edmonton! Related: Mudhoney is twenty, too! Back in 1991, the music world was taken by storm by the Seattle “grunge” scene, as the two frontrunners of the sound – Nirvana and Pearl Jam – released their pinnacle albums within one month [...]
