|
Celebrating Alberta's Twin With a Little Winter Heat
 Posted
1/13/2012 10:48:00 PM
One of the things I've admired since I came to Edmonton is the residents willingness to not just persevere during the harsh winter months, but to actually embrace the snowy, bitter cold elements. We're seeing plenty of examples of this these days, with the Deep Freeze Festival wrapped up, the Ice On Whyte kicking off, and Metropolis, which continues in Churchill Square.
A celebration of another kind is in store Saturday night. It's a winter festival on the legislature grounds to mark the 30th anniversary of the twinning of Alberta and its sister province, Heilongjiang, China. What better way for music fans to celebrate the coming together of two northern provinces, than to witness a budding partnership in Edmonton's urban music scene, live and in-person.
Politic Live is a family affair. Brother MCs Dirt Gritie and Bigga Nolte along with their cousin Marlon Wilson, AKA Arlo Maverick, have been performing ...
Top 5 Albums of 2011
Posted
12/30/2011 2:31:00 PM
It was an incredible year for new music.
Adele's 21 lead the way in sales, established rock acts like Foo Fighters made triumphant returns, and new artists like Foster The People surprised.
Here are my picks for best of the year:
5. Circuital- My Morning Jacket
This was probably the record that I was most looking forward to in 2011. Coming off what was, in my opinion, the best work of their career (2008's Evil Urges), I had, perhaps, unrealistically high expectations for Circuital. Most of these expectations were met, from the slow-building, atmospheric opener "Victory Dance" and the up-beat folk pop of the the title track, to the bizarre eastern-influenced pop of "Holdin' On To Black Metal," the band offers a reminder of where they've been, and where they're going. While Evil Urges showcased a band experimenting with what could fit in the realms of an MMJ album, Circuital ...
Big Journey, Bigger Voice: Alex Vissia Takes Her Debut Disc On The Road
Posted
12/7/2011 10:45:00 PM
Alex Vissia is riding shotgun in a GMC Sierra, cruising to a show in Brandon, Manitoba.
She and her band mates, bassist Kurtis Cockerill and drummer Nich Davies played a show the night before in Winnipeg. They are at the tale end of the most ambitious tour she's ever embarked upon, stretching from Victoria to Winnipeg, in support of her excellent debut solo disc, A Lot Less Gold. The appropriate cliche to use in this scenario would be to say that it's a far cry from her days of singing in choirs in her home town of Stony Plain, but it really doesn't apply. You see, the Eva Cassidy-meets-Serena Ryder vocals that propel her debut, are those of a mere 22 year old.
Vissia started playing piano at the age of five. Around the time that she turned 12, she and her sisters, Andrea and Aleisha, started singing in a ...
Talking Music With Holger Petersen
Posted
11/16/2011 12:11:00 PM
When I grow up, I want to be like Holger Petersen.
To put it simply, Holger has turned a love of music into a successful, multi-faceted career. He's worn many hats: music journalist, radio program host, festival organizer, record company owner. Now, he's wearing a new one: author. Talking Music is a collection of some of his interviews with rock/blues/roots artist icons. The book boasts some big names: former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman, Fleetwood Mac's Mick Fleetwood, Long John Baldry, Eric Burdon, just to name a few.
The book is separated into four parts: British Blues Revival, Delta and Memphis Blues, Artists Who Helped Build Stony Plain (the label he formed in the '70's), and Bonus Tracks. It's fascinating to read such an informed, passionate lover of the blues talk to some of the very heroes who shaped his love for the music, and is a must read ...
Arkells: Coming Back Around Again
Posted
10/25/2011 4:30:00 PM
In my last few years in Kingston, there were three guarantees in life: a weekly sighting of a member of the Tragically Hip, a fierce debate over whether or not to build a downtown arena (funny, eh?) and a visit, probably about every six to eight months, from one of the hardest working bands in the country.
Arkells regularly packed small venues, delivering high energy shows in support of their full-length debut, Jackson Square. After a while, those of us in the audience began to wonder...when was the band going to tour in support of a new record? That question was answered last week with the release of the follow-up, Michigan Left.
So what took them so long? "We've been touring a lot...we've been across the country enough times to make up a few years," guitarist Mike DeAngelis points out.
To be fair, it hasn't even been three years since ...
A Case For Edmonton: Zero Something
Posted
10/5/2011 10:38:00 AM
Stop me if you've heard this one before: Band forms in Edmonton. Band thrives in the city, developing a solid cult following. Band gets support from local radio/media, ends up playing some of the biggest clubs in the city. Just when it appears said band is about to take the next step towards reaching a larger audience, its members pack up their gear and move to Toronto or Vancouver. It's a familiar story, but it can go the other way. That is the story of now Edmonton-based Zero Something.
Singer-guitarist Jake Collier and bass player Shawn Madore grew up in British Columbia. They come from Kamloops, but spent their last BC days in Vancouver, trying to make a go at playing music. There was just one problem: money. With its breathtaking mountain views and the ocean at its door step, Vancouver is not a cheap place to live. The two ...
|