MUSIC PREVIEW: Major crush on Major Love

MUSIC PREVIEW: Major crush on Major Love

Major Love is being touted as this city’s new supergroup – and there’s more than a little truth to that statement. Led by the extraordinary musical wizardry of Colleen Brown, who’s released some stellar solo material herself, when a chance meeting with the braintrust of Scenic Route To Alaska in England led to a group […]

MUSIC PREVIEW: Crash Test Dummies make smart return

MUSIC PREVIEW: Crash Test Dummies make smart return

Winnipeg alt-folk act Crash Test Dummies are best known for their 1991 single Superman’s Song, but the band has managed to propel that into a lengthy career in the music world that now includes a total of nine full-length albums, plus a couple of compilation albums and even a live album. The band plays a […]

MUSIC PREVIEW: Rockfest scores SAGA

MUSIC PREVIEW: Rockfest scores SAGA

For music fans still in the outdoor festival spirit – and really, who isn’t – the action this weekend shifts upriver to Hawrelak Park for the annual Edmonton Rock Music Festival. This is classic rock at its biggest and brightest, and the organizers have done a commendable job putting together some impressive names throughout the […]

MUSIC PREVIEW: Interstellar life discovered!

MUSIC PREVIEW: Interstellar life discovered!

Heritage Amphitheatre in Hawrelak Park will once again host the Interstellar Rodeo this weekend. It’s a beautiful, open air venue, but still roofed so one need not concern themselves with the crazy whims of our prairie weather. This festival has become known for their eclectic yet buzzworthy headliners and supporting acts. This year is no […]

The Cult of Corporate Cannabis

The Cult of Corporate Cannabis

There’s a smell in air – of change. As we all know, as of October 17, 2018, our legislators will jump on the cannabis bus to cash in on some sweet, pungent tax revenue. Yes, we Canadians will join the Dutch in not getting arrested for possession of a plant, and there is MONEY MONEY […]

MUSIC PREVIEW: Alberta Grown, award winning

MUSIC PREVIEW: Alberta Grown, award winning

Loathe as we are to celebrate a granfalloon of musicians selected on the basis of where they live, you really can’t go wrong showcasing Alberta talent – can you? So while “Alberta” is technically not a musical genre, there’s certainly enough talent in this province to qualify for a star-studded variety line-up offered at the […]

MUSIC PREVIEW: Steep Canyon Rangers ride on

MUSIC PREVIEW: Steep Canyon Rangers ride on

Saturday night the Steep Canyon Rangers are in town at the Jubilee Auditorium – but its most famous member Steve Martin won’t be with them. This North Carolina bluegrass band recorded and released an album with the legendary comedian (who also turns out to be a pretty fair bluegrass musician) back in 2010 after backing […]

MUSIC PREVIEW: A Sures thing

MUSIC PREVIEW: A Sures thing

Ben Sures has made a lot of waves in Edmonton since he moved here from Winnipeg more than 20 years ago. Now ensconced as one of the leading lights of the local music scene, Sures never seems to do the same thing twice. He’s worked with a wide variety of musicians in a wide variety […]

MUSIC PREVIEW: Ocean Alley a trip

MUSIC PREVIEW: Ocean Alley a trip

Not many bands would attempt a crazy mix of psych, rock, and reggae into a heady blender all their own – but it works for Ocean Alley. This Sydney, Australia band’s pair of EPs and a similar pair of full-lengths are full of rising anthemic crescendos, a not-so-subtle funk, and hooks galore. Their track The […]

MUSIC PREVIEW: Morris before us

MUSIC PREVIEW: Morris before us

The city was all abuzz back in 2010-11 when local Jeff Morris released his debut album, Original Songs on a Borrowed Guitar. He got mentions in press both near and far, and was nominated for an astounding six Edmonton Music Awards in 2011, including Best Live Performance, People’s Choice, Best Album and Best Single. Fast […]

MUSIC PREVIEW: Attack on Sonic Titan

MUSIC PREVIEW: Attack on Sonic Titan

The Starlite Room’s Temple venue plays host to one of the nation’s most compelling musical projects on Thursday night. Yamantaka // Sonic Titan is an experimental-progressive music and art collective originating in Montreal. They started getting a lot of attention in 2012 with a number of festival appearances and their debut full-length titled YT//ST, which […]

REVIEW: Ministry shoots easy targets

REVIEW: Ministry shoots easy targets

Al Jourgensen is “tired of it” – a sentiment emphasized on the song of the same name taken from AmeriKKKant, the latest album by Ministry, the industrial band he’s led on and off since 1981. But you never would have known it when the seven-piece leftist congregation entertained a rabid following of some 900 strong, […]