Does Edmonton need The Station?
Earlier this week it was announced that live music would finally be back on stage at the location of the former Needle Vinyl Tavern on Jasper Avenue, but under new owners – led by Greg Scott – and under a new brand – The Station on Jasper. Given the catastrophic and rapid demise of the […]
6 Edmonton arts scandals of 2017
There hasn’t been a year like this for controversy in the Edmonton arts and entertainment scene since, well … ever. Here are six unpleasant stories that riled people up in 2017: 1. The Needle and the Damage Done One of Edmonton’s premiere live music venues came crashing down barely 24 hours after an employee accused […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Needle orphans find new gigs
Local music people are scrambling to reschedule shows cancelled after the recent indefinite closure of the Needle Vinyl Tavern, in the wake of allegations of sexual harassment against one of the club’s owners. This place ran live music seven nights a week, sometimes two shows a day – so there are a lot of orphans. […]
The Needle and the Damage Done
“I want them to fail.” These were the bold words from Brittany Lyne Rudyck, who made a huge impact when she recently came forward with accusations of sexual harassment against one of her employers at the Needle Vinyl Tavern. She got her wish. The club is shut down as of Tuesday afternoon. There’s a sign […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Diggin’ Skydiggers
The acclaimed Skydiggers are in town on Saturday night, playing the featured weekend slot at the Needle Vinyl Tavern. The concert will showcase the band’s newest release, October’s Warmth Of the Sun, a 12-track romp basking in the band’s epitomal folk-rock sound. Of course, many fans will instead look to their classic tracks from the […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Dallas Smith not wasting time
Musicians who make the leap from mainstream rock to mainstream country have only served to illustrate how similar these two genres of music can be in the right (or wrong) hands. That “leap” feels more like a hop across a dried-up creek-bed these days. Dallas Smith has been a country guy since 2011, a steady […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: The Glorious Sons on upward path
Hailing from Kingston, Ontario – hometown of the late Gord Downie and the Tragically Hip – The Glorious Sons have had five singles hit the top 10 on the Canadian rock charts since they were founded in 2011, including Lightning, The Contender, and Kill the Lights. And three of those came off their glorious debut […]
Mollys Reach scratches Reunion Itch
The “20 Year Itch” phenomenon reveals that any rock band reaching its platinum milestone experiences an incontinent gush of nostalgia. It results in re-releases of 20-year-old albums followed by theme tours to play said albums in their entirety. Even if the band is broken up, the Itch (which no penicillin can cure) can be potent […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Depeche Mode the best mode
Someone recently posted on social media: “You wanna go to Depeche Mode?” “Depends what year it is,” went the response. “Is it 1989? Am I in college? Am I high on ecstasy? Was ecstasy even invented in 1989?” Or words to that effect. See, now this is the sort of shade a cult favourite like […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Deep Waters runs still
One could easily, and most happily, write pages and pages about the career of Roger Waters, never mind his personal challenges and triumphs – but here is what you really need to know: He’s taking no prisoners on his edgy new tour US + Them, which lands at Rogers Place next Tuesday and Wednesday. Donald […]
MUSIC: 7 acts you MUST SEE at UP+DT
The city’s final music festival of the year is also one of its best, despite it not getting near as much attention as some of the others. Up + Downtown is back again with a vengeance and fury like no other, and is one of those festivals that no matter how much you think you […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Not the worst band in the world
Make no mistake: Nickelback has been bullied. They are victims of bullies. You should all be ashamed of yourselves! What did they do to deserve such treatment? All they did was create bland, massively popular rock hits that made millions of dollars by catering to the lowest common denominator, by sounding like catchy pop-country hits […]
