Posted on November 10, 2011
By Mike Ross
Front Slider, Music
They let her keep her sneakers. This is just one small perk among many for the newly minted Q-Benjamin, a.k.a. Quanteisha Benjamin, in her new record deal with Warner Music Canada- but it’s an important one. “I love my sneakers,” she says. “I’m in my element and I’m very comfortable. I’m doing what I’ve always […]
Posted on November 9, 2011
By Mike Ross
Music, The Latest
The best answer to the question of why classic rock is something that deserves preservation is found in Joe Queenan’s hilarious generation-bashing book Balsamic Dreams: “Baby Boomers have deluded themselves into thinking that what once mattered to them should now matter to others.” Or maybe this is too much deep thought for what was, after […]
Posted on November 9, 2011
By Kevin Maimann
Front Slider, Music
The cover of The Devil Wears Prada’s latest album Dead Throne looks positively evil. If you were to judge by the jagged upside-down skull bathed in an eerie glow, you would probably guess they’re a metal band … and you’d be correct. But you might not guess they’re a Christian band. “Metal and God can […]
Posted on November 8, 2011
By Mike Ross
The Latest, Theatre
Edmonton firefighter Bob Murray says he would “rather go into a burning building” than get up on stage and dance for hundreds of screaming women. He is a brave man, however, so he will do his duty and perform as part of this weekend’s Fashion on Fire. The event he helped found happens Saturday at […]
Posted on November 7, 2011
By Staff
Front Slider, Music
Watching classical crossover quartet Il Divo perform, one has to marvel at the strict choreography necessary for these four perfect specimens of singing man-candy – each of whom is a Josh Grobin or one-quarter Luciano Pavarotti in his own right – to stroll slowly around a giant stage while crooning Bridge Over Troubled Water as […]
Posted on November 7, 2011
By Adrian Lackey
Music, The Latest
A friend of mine figures real country music is … well, if not dead, then certainly about as lively as the economics of family farming: you sure can enjoy it, but you sure can’t live off of it. He’s talking country from the old school as Canadian Finals Rodeo week kicks off in Edmonton: Johnny […]
Posted on November 6, 2011
By Mike Ross
Culture, Front Slider, Music
Enough with the Nickelback bashing. The latest is that some Detroit Lions fan started an online petition to prevent the band from playing the halftime show at the Nov. 24 Thanksgiving Day game. It reportedly attracted nearly 40,000 signatures. Didn’t work, of course. Online petitions aren’t worth the paper they aren’t printed on. Nickelback played […]
Posted on November 5, 2011
By Staff
Front Slider, Music
There’s something to be said for ditching the idea of a “best new artist” from music competitions, and this year’s revived Alberta Music Awards, handed out last night in Edmonton at the AGA, showcased why. Y’see 2011 Emerging Artist Winner Michael Bernard Fitzgerald isn’t new. He’s emerging. The Calgarian has been playing live around Alberta […]
Posted on November 4, 2011
By Staff
Music, The Latest
Get set for nine days of jazz as Edmonton’s jazz community celebrates its jazz … and didn’t we do this already? Sure did, in June. Now we’re doing it again at the Yardbird Jazz Festival. Festivals aren’t just for summers in Festival City anymore. They’re just more concentrated. An all-Canadian line-up of jazz stars will […]
Posted on November 4, 2011
By Staff
Front Slider, Music
Dave Brockie, aka Oderus Urungus of GWAR, has released a second statement in the wake of the sudden death of bandmate Cory Smoot on Thursday morning. The band’s show on Friday, Nov. 4 at the Edmonton Event Centre went ahead as scheduled. Brockie sent the following out on Friday: “After a restless night spent hurtling […]
Posted on November 4, 2011
By Mike Ross
Music, The Latest
It may be possible to read too much into what was really a pretty decent rock show, but the members of the Big Sugar Collective on stage at the Edmonton Event Centre on Thursday night were trying too hard to be too cool for their own good. This is disturbing. They didn’t need to prove […]
Posted on November 4, 2011
By Staff
Music, The Latest
Canadian Idol certainly didn’t do Hedley any harm. Its singer Jacob Hoggard didn’t even make it to the top in the much-maligned, now-defunct clone of American Idol (which itself is modelled after British Pop Idol) – and we challenge anyone to name any of the winners of the six seasons. Can’t do it? And even […]
