What’s in a name? Edmonton doesn’t have a clue

Edmonton can’t be the only city that has such a boneheaded habit of badly naming and then constantly renaming its festivals, buildings and streets. On July 10, organizers of the Capital Ex festival released the six choices to replace the name Capital Ex, which had in turn had replaced Klondike Days. They are: – EdFest […]

OK, we admit it! The Calgary Stampede rocks

It would be hard to find anyone who doesn’t think the Calgary Stampede is a WAY better party than Edmonton’s Capital Ex. It’s probably not even in the same league. Well, maybe some foolhardy people on the board of directors of Capital Ex think so – but that’s probably about it. And surely, almost everyone […]

Skrillex gig finds a home at the Shaw Conference Centre

Electronic dance music fans can stand down from red alert – the Skrillex gig has been saved. Bumped from the St. Albert Kinsmen Park venue after being denied a permit, the show will now take place on Friday, July 20 at the Shaw Conference Centre. All previously held tickets will be honoured, no need to […]

OBITUARY: Brent Macnab and Darren Zenko set their own agendas

There are some very sad people in Edmonton this week. First came word that guitarist Brent Macnab died suddenly late Tuesday night, from an apparent heart attack – just days after seeming as normal as ever at an area jam session. The one-time member of the Models and Famous Blue Raincoat was 53 years old. […]

WEEKEND MUSIC PREVIEW: Tyga in our midst

No need to wait until Capital Ex – whose theme in the last year under its current name is music – and then the Folk Festival, where music is a given. There’s a number of local gigs worthy of your attention this weekend. Singer-songwriter Andy White performs at The Artery on Friday night, while Brock […]

FESTIVAL SCORECARD: Too many festivals? Not enough festivals!

Edmonton is unique amongst Canadian cities in that we have five seasons: winter, spring, summer, fall and festival. Festival season is roughly defined as beginning with The Works Art and Design Festival and Edmonton International Jazz Festival in June, and ending with the Symphony Under the Sky near Labour Day. After that, it’s back to […]

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 […]

REPORT: Boonstock biggest bush party in Alberta

The dusty grounds of the Boonstock Music and Arts Festival are alive with promiscuity and debauchery this weekend. Going down in Gibbons, Alberta, about 40 km North of Edmonton, the eighth annual event is supposed to be an exhibition of diverse live music – but it’s also a celebration of tattoos, as intoxicated concert goers […]

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 […]

Sam Roberts Band to play Capital EX festival

The soon-to-be-ex Capital EX festival is throwing a big rock party in the last year operating under its short-lived name that replaced Klondike Days. A short list of new name suggestions will be released on July 10. Meanwhile, Sam Roberts was announced Thursday as another big headliner at the Telus Stage, playing Saturday, July 21. […]

WEEKEND MUSIC PREVIEW: Hooray for Canada!

This weekend’s music options are dominated by The Works and Jazz festivals, with the latter ending on Saturday, and the former continuing into next week. And of course, Sunday is our country’s birthday! There’s a couple of great shows on Sunday to celebrate. Friday Performances for The Works Art & Design Festival (all at Churchill […]

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 […]