Dynamic doper duo Cheech & Chong bring O Cannabis to Edmonton
We never thought we’d live to see the day when freakin’ Tommy Chong would get to perform in his home province (he grew up in Calgary) – where weed would one day be legal! What a glorious time to be alive. He’s back with his American partner Cheech Marin for what is expected to be […]
Morrissey postpones Edmonton to October
Local reaction was swift to Saturday’s announcement that Morrissey’s April 18 concert in at the Jubilee Auditorium in Edmonton has been postponed to October – “WOW, didn’t see that coming!” And then sarcastic people felt bad – because this was actually due to a “medical emergency.” The promoter passed on this note: “Due to a […]
REVIEW: Colin James shows effortless blues-rock mastery in Edmonton
It’s been more than 30 years since Colin James made his debut – and he still remains a musical mainstay in Canada with his ability to blend gritty blues with hook-happy mainstream rock. It’s a schtick that’s worked well enough for him to pack the Jubilee Auditorium with 2,700 faithful fans on Thursday night. When […]
COME FROM AWAY: Dazzling new musical shows heart of Newfoundland on 9-11
In 2012, the visionary Toronto show business lawyer Michael Rubinoff and his two Canadian book-lyricist-composers Irene Sankoff and David Hein mounted a 45 minute workshop production that combined the horrors of 9-11 with the quite incredible warmth of the people of Gander, Newfoundland. The amiable Newfoundlanders had opened their hearts and homes to some 7,000 […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Young the Giant loved for both ‘Body’ and mind
This is what music freaks live for: A new rock band that shows way more depth than the over-saturated radio hit that brought them to the mainstream to begin with. Imagine! Young the Giant is such a band. These Californians made a splash in 2011 with the fairly straight-ahead rocker My Body – which hit […]
A vegan in beef country: Morrissey comes to Edmonton in April
Wait, isn’t Morrissey that famously ornery deep-thinking British vegan singer-songwriter who’s gotten into such hot water for his outspoken views – and now he’s coming to Edmonton for the first time in more than 20 years? Yes, the same. How can we resist? Morrissey has announced a Canadian tour – his first since 2000 – […]
CONCERT REVIEW: Mother Mother thrills, challenges Edmonton in sold out show
There’s no logical reason why Mother Mother should prosper in a cookie-cutter music industry bent on presenting the Next Best Thing, only to dupe listeners with yet another derivative result of generic engineering. But then, this Vancouver quintet has been clogging the cogs of the starmaker machinery for the last 15 years with an eclectic […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Good times at the Arden
Matthew Good has been a fixture of Canadian alternative rock radio since there was such a thing. He’s the go-to handy modern rock Can-Con for a rainy day – and it was a rare day his music wasn’t heard several times on Edmonton’s own Sonic 102.9 radio. He was their poster boy. Not so much […]
PLAYBOT: We Are Not Alone talks ALIENS
Before Drake was cut off at the Grammy Awards, he was about to deliver a talk on his famous Drake Equation, estimating the odds of Earth being visited by aliens. Oops, wrong Drake. It was American astrophysicist Frank Drake who came up with an algorithm in 1961. Do the math from these (somewhat paraphrased) variables: […]
PLAYBOT: Polar Vortex of Chinook theatre
Now here is a hollow mockery: The biggest winter theatre festival in Edmonton is called The Chinook Series – named for the meteorological miracle of a blessed hot wind that’s nowhere in sight. With dozens of performances taking place Feb. 7-17 in the ATB Financial Arts Barns’ theatres and other area venues, the sked for […]
Let’s Talk about Alessia Cara: Coming to Edmonton in May
One day after “Let’s Talk Day” comes a concert announcement for an artist who’s done a lot more to benefit mental health than Bell – and that’s a lot. The company raised $7.2 million yesterday. Alessia Cara, meanwhile, has reached millions of people with her honest and heartfelt music. How many times have you heard […]
PLAYBOT: Sweat hits Alberta nail on the head
So now we wonder when seeing a yellow vest: “Is that a protester or just a construction guy?” Terribly confusing. It sucks that an allegedly unsavoury political group has co-opted such a common article of safety clothing designed for visibility, but what are you going to do? Judge all yellow vests accordingly? Switch to hot […]
