THEATRE: Ron Pederson proves you can go home again
The case of actor Ron Pederson is more evidence supporting the old saying: You don’t know how good you’ve got it at home until you leave. From an almost sure shot at fame in Hollywood – where funny Canadians seem to shine – the former star of MAD-TV, writer-performer for the Craig Ferguson Show and […]
EDMONTON RADIO: Melissa Wright more than just a Rock Chick
K-97 midday host Melissa Wright has a tacit agreement with her mother – she won’t talk about her mom on the air, and her mom won’t listen just in case she does. As it happened, one afternoon both mom and grandma were in the car and flipped on the radio just in time to hear […]
WHO NAMED THE BAND: Shuffle Demons to get crazy at jazz fest
The Shuffle Demons don’t actually shuffle. They play funky grooves. And they are not literally malevolent supernatural beings summoned by an evil sorcerer to wreak havoc on helpless humans, though they are perhaps best known for the ritual sacrifice of “Hockey Night in Canada” to the God of Saxophone. Consider this, says band founder Richard […]
Korn to keep it as real as possible at Boonstock
It’s a golden opportunity to talk to Korn’s new drummer Ray Luzier, to see how he feels about the band experimenting with dubstep on its latest album, The Path of Totality – a type of electronic dance music where the services of a real drummer are not usually required. He relates a fan encounter, “One […]
Jim Cuddy, Jay Mohr to headline 2012 Edmonton Comedy Festival
Jim Cuddy is among the big name comic talent coming in for the second annual Edmonton Comedy Festival, announced Wednesday … and wait a minute, Jim Cuddy is the singer from Blue Rodeo. He’s no comic. “Actually,” says comedy fest producer Andrew Grose, “Cuddy is a really funny guy.” Apparently he’s got some funny songs, […]
STERLING AWARDS: No hard feelings from shut out Lemoine
It’s certainly nothing to stop the presses over – or whatever has replaced presses – to report that the Citadel Theatre once again cleaned up at the annual Sterling Awards, held Monday night. Edmonton’s most popular theatre took away seven of the awards (named after the late Edmonton theatre impresario Elizabeth Sterling Haynes), including outstanding […]
SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL: Stephen Harper the Julius Caesar of his time?
Et tu, Ignatieff? Well, they don’t stab kings anymore. They just assassinate their character. But politics has changed little since politics was invented. Actor Kevin Sutley – who plays the titular character in William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar at the Freewill Shakespeare Festival – puts it like this, “This play is incredibly political, and it’s about […]
COMEDY: Sterling Scott to hit the next level with DVD taping
The allure of the professional stand-up comedy trade is powerful when you’ve become hooked on making people laugh. It can happen as early as childhood. Some call it a sickness, others an addiction, and there is no known cure, no comedic “methadone.” There is often nothing for it but to … become a professional stand-up […]
Roots rock weirdo Mike Plume finds the sweet life in Nashville
Mike Plume illustrates the dilemma of a lot of guys in his situation – as a recording artist who decides to retreat behind the scenes to make a living as a professional songwriter in Nashville. We’ve heard rumour of these songwriting factories down South that churn out bushels and pecks of radio ready hits for […]
