REVIEW: Edmonton Folk Music Festival Returns After Three Years Off
I looked out my window on the morning of Thursday, Aug. 4 with trepidation. That evening, I would be heading to the first Edmonton Folk Music Festival in three years – so of course it was pouring. Hearty Folk Fest fans share with a glowing pride their battle stories of surviving the rain, wind, mud, […]
Old Strathcona Peace Camp Raises Awareness of Edmonton’s Unhoused
Camps set up by members of Edmonton’s “unhoused” population are a familiar sight in the inner city and River Valley. More and larger encampments are appearing, a visible testament to a lack of safe, affordable shelter and supports. The latest such community is the Peace Camp, a group of about 20 tents that set up […]
GRETA IN EDMONTON: Counter protest? What counter protest?
When news broke that Greta Thunberg was coming to Alberta, and to Edmonton, social media exploded. On the one side were people excited that the 16-year-old Swedish climate activist superstar would be taking her message to the Oil Capital of Canada. On the other side were those who felt that Greta and her peers are […]
Student Climate Strike draws counter-protest – FROM INSIDE THE BUILDING!
There have been few protests in Edmonton as large and lively as the Student Climate Strike on Sept. 27. More than 4,000 people, the majority of which were students who skipped school, converged on the Alberta Legislature to demand action on climate change – only to be faced with a sign in a window of […]
CONCERT REVIEW: Iron Maiden Keeps Beast Alive in Edmonton
Iron Maiden proves that even if one doesn’t have a new album, a band can still go out on tour and everything will be just fine – as long as they have a solid collection of greatest hits, flashy stage effects, charisma, and an energetic performance. Bonus if they’re all over 60 years old. The […]
FRINGE MEN SPEAKING TRUTH PART 3: Always Never There a powerful piece
Always Never There, Never Always There: Meth, Men & Mental Illness Stage 9 (Telus Phone Museum) Edmonton writer and performer Antonio J. Bavaro bares both body and soul in his one man-show that discusses his history of relationships, and struggles with addiction, mental health, and being neuro-atypical – all from a queer perspective. Bavaro, who […]
FRINGE MEN SPEAKING TRUTH, PART 2: Game of Crohn’s about coping
Game of Crohn’s Stage 9 (Telus Phone Museum) Toronto’s Dan Rosen has crafted a one-hour monologue about living with, as he so aptly puts it, a “poop disease.” Rosen is a comedic writer who is able to poke fun at his medical condition and its resulting embarrassing, undignified moments, without relying on scatalogical humour alone. […]
FRINGE 2019: 3 Plays About Men Speaking Their Truth
The need for men to talk about their experiences and feelings honestly and directly is something often discussed as a way to counter the toxic masculinity transmitted when boys are taught to suppress their feelings. These three one-person plays at the Edmonton Fringe Theatre Festival feature men (in one case, a male-presenting gender-fluid person) speaking […]
Can’t Stand the Rain – Folk Fest 40 a wrap!
The Edmonton Folk Music Festival is one of those pivotal summer events that signal a forthcoming change in season. First comes the Folk Fest, shortly followed by the Fringe, and then the coming of First Winter. While the temperatures were definitely below average for August, the music in Gallagher Park certainly kept things hot. The […]
FOLK FEST REVIEW: Hozier gets hosed, hardy fans party to Church in the rain
At the first night of the 2019 Edmonton Folk Music Festival on Thursday, almost everyone had one thing on their mind: the weather. Organizers especially had their eyes on the weekend’s forecast – and they weren’t happy. Fortunately, the heavens held their gates closed (mostly) on Night One for an incredible variety of surprises from […]
Interstellar Rodeo: Consistent in Musical Diversity
Interstellar Rodeo always presents a diverse lineup that pushes boundaries of musical genres – and the comfort levels of the audience. And, for the second year in a row, the festival was subject to the whimsy of the unstable Alberta weather. With the kind of “summer” we’ve been having, that part really came as no […]
Manson Has Power Over Chaos
Metal heads of Edmonton were rejoicing at the creation of a new music festival, held on July 26 and 27 at Kinsmen Park. However, the first ever Chaos AB festival of metal music experienced some chaos of its own, due to the unpredictable weather. The hot and sunny first night on July 26 saw performances […]
