Jonathan Richman Up+Dt Festival, Edmonton AB, October 5

Published Oct 06, 2018

The unvarnished charm that Jonathan Richman exuded during his performance at Up+Dt Festival was enough to vaporize any trace of pretence and...

Paul McCartney Rogers Place, Edmonton AB, September 30

Published Oct 01, 2018

Sir Paul McCartney was born 38 years, to the day, before I was. In 2018, I found myself singing "Hey Jude" to lull my infant daughter on her...

Arkells Sonic Field Day, Edmonton AB, September 8

Published Sep 09, 2018

The Arkells are built for big stages: national awards shows, arenas, festivals. Their straightforward anthem-rock-through-a-Canadian-filter...

Jimmy Eat World Sonic Field Day, Edmonton AB, September 8

Published Sep 09, 2018

Jimmy Eat World carved out their own centre in pop culture. They're not quite a nostalgia act, since they're still releasing albums and song...

Cold War Kids Sonic Field Day, Edmonton AB, September 8

Published Sep 09, 2018

Bands cursed with playing in the harsh late afternoon sunlight of a festival or outdoor show have a deep hole to crawl up from. That hole fe...

Future Islands Union Hall, Edmonton AB, September 5

Published Sep 06, 2018

It was no slick trick that Future Islands ascended in the wake of a late night talk show appearance. Front person Samuel T. Herring was read...

Courtney Barnett Interstellar Rodeo, Edmonton AB, July 22

Published Jul 23, 2018

Beware the person who lacks all self doubt. Courtney Barnett met the colossal expectations for the followup to her career-launching Sometime...

July Talk Interstellar Rodeo, Edmonton AB, July 21

Published Jul 22, 2018

Straight-ahead radio-friendly rock requires more than a slick swagger to be a spectacle. July Talk push way past spectacle into a full-on ex...

Margaret Glaspy Interstellar Rodeo, Edmonton AB, July 21

Published Jul 22, 2018

Sometimes guitar, bass and drums, along with a striking voice, can capture a crowd as well as a circus; there's an elegant simplicity to a p...

Feist Interstellar Rodeo, Edmonton AB, July 20

Published Jul 21, 2018

Feist's ability to make her festival appearance feel as intimate as a friend playing guitar in the middle of a party was stunning. Her set b...

A Tribe Called Red Interstellar Rodeo, Edmonton AB, July 20

Published Jul 21, 2018

Interstellar Rodeo in Edmonton got off to a shaky start, delayed by a prairie storm, but even NASA has to take a rain check when it comes to...

Michael Rault The Rec Room, Edmonton AB, June 19

Published Jun 20, 2018

No one coming home to Edmonton ever steps on the same parking lot pavement twice; parking lots in the city needs new asphalt every year. Mic...

Propagandhi Starlite Room, Edmonton AB, June 17

Published Jun 18, 2018

Some of the political issues Propagandhi exposed through their music in the early '90s now appear regularly in prime time or as headlines. I...