Oh hey 2012

Are you ready to say goodbye to the year that was 2011? Well...you don't really have a choice. I wish I could have held on just a little longer; it was the year of the most concerts, shows, events for me thus far. But all good things must end. Now I'm just hoping that 2012 will be able to compare...

Maybe I should've posted the following just before last year (weird to say that isn't it?) was over, but I decided to postpone, so that I could also put up a portion of Sonic's annual year-in-review songlist created by Rick Lee.

We'll start with mine:

Farewell 2011 & Michael Rault

So you've been patiently awaiting to hear this announcement...since a few minutes ago. Well here goes the big news that you may or may not already know: Michael Rault will be moving away from Edmonton, and setting up camp out east in Montreal. It's bittersweet to see such a great artist move away from their hometown, much like Christian Hansen & the Autistics a few months ago. It's amazing to see bands and musicians grow and develop over the years, but still a bit sad that I won't get to see them every other week, or see them walking down the street. I'm so glad that MR will be able to hopefully get his sound out to more and more people and am already excited for his first time back playing in Edmonton.

But WAIT. THERE'S MORE. Before moving away, Michael Rault will be having one last hurrah, playing along with another favourite of mine, Scenic Route to Alaska, on New Year's Eve at the ARTery. Tickets are on sale now through YEGlive, and if you're interested, which...well...let's not play around here, I know you are, I would get them ASAP. The ARTery is a very small venue, and I can see these bands being crazy fun to ring in the new year with! (I'm not so bad either).

ATAA Street Team Showcase

The ATAA (or Arts Touring Alliance of Alberta, for long) has put together it's first ever artist showcase, and will be showing off (get it?) this upcoming Thursday, Oct 20. The coolest part about this showcase? It's free!

The night will feature amazing local artists Michael Bernard Fitzgerald, 100 mile house, Scenic Route to Alaska, and Fast Moving Mountains. Those of you who follow this blog religiously (I hope you exist, otherwise this might be embarrassing), will know that 2/4 of those groups are counted in my favourites bands. (MBF, and SRtA). I've also been trying to find a way to see 100 mile house band after hearing only great things about them, and Fast Moving Mountains should be the cherry on the free show supporting a great organization.

Follow this link to join their Facebook group; the first 50 people to join, and send them a tweet @albertashowcase explaining why they should get chosen to go will get in the doors! After 50...well...I think that you might just get left out in the windy and damp outdoors.

Concerts and Shows on the Horizon

This post is going to heighten the view you already have of me as a concert fiend, but I just think all you gents and ladies should be aware of the great summer ahead. Instead of rambling I'll just list off the next few months worth of exciting shows:

- Tuesday July 12 - NKOTBSB: You know what this is. New Kids on the Block + Backstreet Boys. Yes I'm going. Yes it's nostalgic and a 90's throwback. And yes, I may just swoon when I see Nick, Brian, Howie and A.J sync their dance moves.

- Wednesday July 13 - Scenic Route to Alaska: Not a surprise that these fellas are playing another local show, but a definite happy surprise that they posted this new show. It's at

Happy Canada Day!

There's always time for a little Scenic Route to Alaska. I've been on about this band for the past two weeks and for good reason, as everyone should know (or will know!). They're hardworking fellas and played three shows on Canada Day. Including one I was able to attend. I talked a lot about them during my last post, so I won't go on and on. This time they played on the legislature grounds to a field of people. The crowd wasn't packed unfortunately, but again they played a great sounding set. I did miss a good 15 minutes of their lovely music because I couldn't find the stage! It was kinda silly not to

Jam packed.

Since Thursday my musical needs have been overflowing, which is not something that gets to happen often in this city.

Starting off on Thursday I "FINALLY" got to see Scenic Route to Alaska. You're probably thinking..."Gurl. You crazy, you saw them last week at Wunderbar!" How right you kinds folks are for remembering! But since these three fellas are so hardworking (yet their 3-track EP isn't enough to satisfy my yearning...) I was able to see them playing at The Works Art Festival in Churchill Square (for free, no less!)(Get it?...No...less...?). It was a great set for the band, that lasted about 45 minutes; they played their EP songs first and continued one with some "fan favourites" such as Homestretch. Homestretch is a great grab-your-significant-other-for-a-slow-dance song. Lead vocalist Trevor Mann uses

Scenic Route to Alaska, Souvs, Rococode. First time for everything.

I thought I heard you complaining, aching, whining, and generally going on and on about wanting a double dose of great local music. Or maybe that was just me. Either way, you're in for the time of your life for the next 10 minutes.

First up, Scenic Route to Alaska! This is a three-man band all the way from...Edmonton! What better place could there be, really. This band had previously opened for a show, with the Collective West, that I missed about two months ago. I felt that the CW would have a great taste in music themselves, so I've been eagerly waiting to see SRtA, and finally on Thursday night at Wunderbar my dream came to fruition.
The band sounds a bit like Born Ruffians, a bit like   and a whole lot like themselves. I don't know much about the band, but it's pretty great to see them already having found a sound that works for them. Very many a band comes and goes, not knowing in which direction they want to go in, and constantly struggling to find a niche and an audience. While the audience is still forming and the fan base ever growing, SRtA is already making music to my ears (literally), before their full album is even released. As of now they only have a 3-track EP out. It breaks my heart to come to the third song, only because I know that it's the end of the CD.

Lead vocalist Trevor Mann sure knows how to belt out some great songs without sounding like he's straining to make his voice heard and without making it sound like he's screaming at the crowd. The only thing that I could find even BETTER on the EP than during the live show, would be that it's nice to clearly hear how they layer the drums and vocals together (especially on the 2nd track of the EP, August Already).

During the set they played about 8 songs, and they seem to be chatting about recording some more. A girl can only hope right?

There were two other opening acts before SRtA, including The Nicest Guys In the World out of Halifax who were good, not only for an opening act. One other opener, not sure of her name, was...so-so. She could sing and play her guitar well, but was nothing special, and once during the show even asked the audience to quiet down...To me having an audience be quite, and enthralled with your music is a privilege that you earn, not a right that you're entitled to.

Now for the scathing review of Wunderbar. There isn't one. Sorro. However I do have a glowing recommendation about where to try to catch a great local show, or even just hang out with a few friends and grab some awkwardly-great named beers. Wunderbar isn't big, so don't go looking for massive doors, with a large glowing, neon sign. It's a quaint, cute, relaxed bar just on the East side of Gateway Boulevard and the South side of the street of Whyte Ave. The bar has a few picnic tables outside, where the music is still hear loud and clear. Inside there's quite a few tables, a three person maximum stage, and a back room with tables, a couch and get this, a nintendo game system. Yeah. Get your live music, great music, interesting people watching and retro gaming on, at a BUY ONE GET ALL price!

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And now I'd want to say onto an even more important show, except that I can't. I can definitely say it was just as great though! This time it was a rainy Saturday afternoon, made so much better by the collective stylings of Souvs and Rococode. Souvs are also a straight from the mean streets of Edmonton. The band is a four-piece number including two lead vocalists, Derek Ewanowich & Sarah Martens who know how to do their thang. Their vocals completely complement each other, yet the only thing that soured the combination was that it seemed like Martens mic was turned up too high during the first few songs...a problem quickly and easily fixed to make the rest of the set sound great. Not only are these guys and gal talented musicians, but they also know how to please a crowd of music-hungry fiends. They played a free show at the Electric Sloth music festival on Friday night, followed by this free show Saturday at Filthy McNasty's. One of my favourites from the set was a full-on drum-intense song. But not the typical beating/drum solo-esque thign you would expect. The high-hat and what I'm pretty sure was the snare (? I really need to brush up on my drum kit lingo), were brought front and centre and were in every way taken advantage of by drummer Josh Brown and Sarah Martens. And above and beyond that, you don't even have to leave your humble abode and your soft-as-kitten sweatpants to enjoy their sweet, sweet keys, cymbals and plucky guitar riffs; you can download a FREE (FREE, FREE) copy of their EP from souvs.bandcamp.com. (Or you could...nay... SHOULD, do the right thing and donate what you think is fair for 6-tracks. That way they can be on their way to recording an album! And really, what are you gonna do with all that change sitting on your dresser or your jeans anyway.) I feel like I tend to gush to the point of annoyance with bands that I take a liking to, but really this one impressed me for such a young band. Their lyrics were strong, their vocals were powerful yet catchy and had a where-have-I-heard-that-before! quality, and most importantly their instruments were tuned. Dare I say, they're so good, they should start charging for their shows too...? 
Check out this interview on VOIDTV to fall in like with them more.

Oh and as for the venue that is Filthy's on Whyte? It was better than I thought it would be, for sure. I've only been there during the nights (or wee hours of the morning). But for shows it seems like they pack away the bar tables and booths as best they can and have quite a decent sized stage; it's raised about two feet for maximum views. Lots of bars along the Avenue have live music, but tend not to have the proper stage to accommodate the band, where Filthys is just the opposite, not enough live shows but a great stage and set of of seats (and one that serves actual FOOD! Get the wings in every flavour of the best tasting rainbow).

Just after Souvs were finished their alluring (is that the right word? Seductive? Charming? Just trying to say they hooked me and/or drew me in...yet it all sounds like they invited me over for a night of wine and debauchery...), out came Rococode. As they say they're "an unfamiliar band made up of familiar faces", including Shaun Huberts and Johnny Andrews (both of whom had made up a part of the Tegan & Sara backing band), along with  Laura Smith and Andrew Braun on vocals. Smith's vocals are high-toned and delicate, while Braun's are loud, but well toned to hear above the instruments. There were times when the guitar and drums seemed to overpower what their vocals had to offer, but all in all they played a great set. I'm not sure if they would be a band I'd go to see on their own or buy their album, but they would be great to see at a folk/indie-rock festival. The stage was a tight squeeze for the full five members of the band that were performing...and awkward moments were brought on between the band as well as band-audience when the two singers tried to make playful banter that came out sounding brutal and insulting towards each other. It's never cool when bands don't even seem like they like each other...doesn't make me want to like them very much either! However their music was still great to see and I'm sure will be great to hear once they put out some tunes. For now you can check out their Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/rococode

SOS Fest

The 2nd annual SOS (Sounds of Old Strathcona) Festival is about to take place on July 9.
Edmonton's known as festival city, but I have a bit of an issue with this particualr one. Nothing terribly bad, but after all the complaints and/or jokes about "Deadmonton"...it's hard to wonder why the city can't have nice things when there is no one showing up to support them!
Last year, the first SOS fest, was 3 days long; it spanned from July 8-10. The festival included 100 artists at over 20 venues around the Strathcona area. But this year, because of lack of visitors and also due to lack of government funding the festivals organizers have had to "condense" the event to a single day, July 10, from noon-7pm.

It's sad to see such a great event, which not only showcases new and local music, but also was free to attend, get trimmed down after just one year. I personally know of many people that constantly and consistently ask why Edmonton doesn't have MORE events, MORE "good" music festivals, and just more to do. And this is exactly why! It's because no one seems to appreciate what we have, and what we've already been given. I'm sure that the people that do tend to be more "vocal" to their friends and co-workers about how "lame" the city is, know about the festival and know that it's been cut down to 9% of it's original size, yet I'm sure they're the same ones who'd be either sitting at home or getting drunk at some random bar meanwhile.  Maybe it's time that we stop taking such amazing festivals and shows for granted, and take pride in our own city.


This year's SOS Fest will take place July 10, from 12noon-7pm. It'll be on Whyte Ave (which will be temporarily closed), between 103 and 105 ST.  It's a fun time for all ages and includes not only the musical acts, 9 in total on two different stages, but also vendors and activities. Bands include, Scenic Route To Alaska, The Dudes, The Pack a.d. and Wool On Wolves (seriously, a great line up).

Please go out and support SOS, because, at this rate, who knows if we'll even get it back next summer!

--More info at www.sosfest.ca

The Bottom Line

Let me give you the gist of the post: you should be listening to banjo as you read this. The main point of this entry is that the Collective West is a four-piece band from right here in Edmonton, and by clicking the link you can begin to enjoy some of their tunes. Ok I'll stop prolonging the real nitty-gritty; take a listen to this basement/living room jam of their song, The Bottom Line.

Oh, you were looking for a final conclusion ? Well how about finding one out for yourself, by dropping by Avenue Theatre (9030 - 118th ave) this Friday. April 29th to see the Collective West, along with Scenic Route to Alaska and Politic Live in support of Rock to Conquer Cancer!?
A worthy cause, a silent auction, some great performers and for only $10. It'd be amazing if you found yourself saying no.*

*Unless you're under 18, then I'm sorry lovely minors, you'll have to wait your turn to hear this band live.