PREVIEW: Bring on the urban cowboys
A friend of mine figures real country music is … well, if not dead, then certainly about as lively as the economics of family farming: you sure can enjoy it, but you sure can’t live off of it. He’s talking country from the old school as Canadian Finals Rodeo week kicks off in Edmonton: Johnny […]
FESTIVALS: Jazz and Canadian Finals Rodeo coexist in perfect harmony
Get set for nine days of jazz as Edmonton’s jazz community celebrates its jazz … and didn’t we do this already? Sure did, in June. Now we’re doing it again at the Yardbird Jazz Festival. Festivals aren’t just for summers in Festival City anymore. They’re just more concentrated. An all-Canadian line-up of jazz stars will […]
REVIEW: Big Sugar almost too cool for its own good
It may be possible to read too much into what was really a pretty decent rock show, but the members of the Big Sugar Collective on stage at the Edmonton Event Centre on Thursday night were trying too hard to be too cool for their own good. This is disturbing. They didn’t need to prove […]
Hedley moves to the big time: Rexall Place on March 21
Canadian Idol certainly didn’t do Hedley any harm. Its singer Jacob Hoggard didn’t even make it to the top in the much-maligned, now-defunct clone of American Idol (which itself is modelled after British Pop Idol) – and we challenge anyone to name any of the winners of the six seasons. Can’t do it? And even […]
WEEKEND MUSIC PREVIEW: Jack Semple at the Hilltop Pub, Leon Russell sold out
You didn’t really think we’d have another weekend like the last one, did you? Still, there are some great options for live music fans this weekend, with the Chad VanGaalen and Cuff the Duke on Friday night; and a couple of gentlemen with epical long careers on Saturday – Ray Sawyer, the frontman for Dr. […]
Band members, fans mourn sudden death of GWAR guitarist Cory Smoot
Just a day before GWAR plays Edmonton comes terrible news: The sudden death of band member Cory Smoot. The guitarist, whose stage name was Flattus Maximus, was found dead Thursday morning as the band was about to come into Canada. GWAR’s Canadian publicist confirmed the news. GWAR’s tour – and the Edmonton show Friday at […]
BEHIND THE MONSTER: GWAR’s human side also angry
Interviewing Dave Brockie is not much different than talking to Oderus Urungus, his alter-ego front-demon in GWAR. One is a loudmouthed, opinionated alien monster that hates humanity. The other is a loudmouthed, opinionated artist that hates humanity. Other than that, they’re exactly the same. Of course Brockie doesn’t hate humanity. It’s satire. Playing Friday at […]
WHO NAMED THE BAND: Big Sugar returns, sweet as ever
You usually don’t get to pick your own nickname – so you better hope it’s a cool one because you’re going to be stuck with it until you die, or at least kill the people who gave you the nickname. Being stamped with a name against your will can even happen to a rock band, […]
