Kathleen Bell
Hector Fector, Spirit Of The West
When We Were Lovers meets Hector Fector and hears Fector’s debut, We Are Romantic, maybe they’ll drop the “were” and go back to “are.” That would be magical. Okay, it probably won’t happen but there’s sure to be plenty of lovely musical moments at Friday’s showcase at The Jekyll & Hyde. Even if you don’t happen to fall for the person next to you, the tunes will sweep you off your feet.
The only problem: how am I going to do a little jig to Spirit of the West’s “Home for Rest,” complete with a sloshing pint in my hand, if I’m sitting in the pews of a church? We shall overcome, I guess. I’m sure Saturday’s lineup at McDougall United Church — Spirit along with Captain Tractor, House of Doc, and Quinzy — will get your heart pumping regardless of the seating
arrangement.
Fish Griwkowsky
The Grange, Jeff Stuart
Let’s split this into one-a-day — musical vitamins, my little goblins. Friday is sick with awesome country talent. But if you haven’t seen The Grange yet, do it. They’re at The Hydeaway (1 a.m.) and will make your genitals vibrate.
Saturday, then, I’m going to push Jeff Stuart on y’all. Stuart’s an exploding rock badger surrounded by one of the most talented, self-critical groups in the city. As a bonus, Michael Rault plays a couple hours later, and that’s all at Teddy’s, where the Oilers used to snort coke in the can and grin at the parlour wallpaper.
Jonn Kmech
Souljah Fyah
No self-respecting midnight raver can afford to miss this weekend’s twilight Zion train to the heart of Souljah Fyah country. The exceptional reggae group, led by the charismatic Janaya Ellis, will create their own Caribbean island party in the Starlite Room Friday night and again at Myer Horowitz during the Sunday awards ceremony.
Scott Lingley
Ford Pier
In a world of artifice and affectation, there’s nothing like true-blue, dyed-in-wool eccentricity, which is the very least former Edmontonian Ford Pier can lay claim to. An alumnus of Jr. Gone Wild and DOA, frequent sideman to Carolyn Mark and Veda Hille, member in good standing of The Show Business Giants and promiscuous collaborator with Canada’s indie music A-list, Mr. Pier is also a prolific solo artist, composer and raconteur whose command of multiple musical dialects and fearless lyrical diction have confounded and astonished many an unwary concertgoer. For such an erudite and accomplished musician, he kicks a surprising amount of ass in a live setting — and will surely do so Saturday night at The Pawn Shop.
Fawnda Mithrush
Clinton St. John
My instructions were very specific: “Guys, don’t pick Chad VanG, everyone knows that’s the obvious choice.” So it is, and there’s no way in hell I’m missing that show — but if the lines at Sled Island and Junofest in Calgary are any indication of what I have to look forward to, I’m going to have to camp out at McDougall all day Friday to get a spot for the CBC Radio 3 showcase. It’s a freakin’ stellar lineup anyway, and I’m quite psyched to hear the mystical, smoky voice of Clinton St. John echo through one of the city’s best acoustic venues. His latest release, Black Forest Levitation, is entirely magical.
Renato Pagnani
Touch & Nato, Red Ram, Boats!!
The tandem between local emcee Touch and producer Nato is tailor-made for any Saturday night at The Starlite. Nato’s energetic, precisely chopped beats are dynamic enough to fill the nooks and crannies of any acoustic space, and Touch’s intricate rhymes retain that singalong quality that separates good rappers from great ones.
Downstairs at the Velvet Underground on Saturday you can count me in for Red Ram. It’s refreshing to hear a rock band like Red Ram that is about songs first and foremost, and uses technology to augment their sound — not the other way around.
I’m not going to lie: the only reason I picked Boats!! (assuming they are, in fact, a group) is because they have an awesome name. Who doesn’t love boats? If you love boats and/or excessive usage of exclamation points, you owe it to yourself! See!! Boats!! At Halo!! On Friday!! At midnight!!
Andrew Paul
The Old Wives, Andrew Pahl
Picking my must-see shows was easy. The first on my list is Edmonton’s own The Old Wives who will be spewing gritty punk rock all over the insides of Teddy’s at 11 p.m. on Saturday. My second choice is also a local, who can be found Saturday night in the Axis Café Metro Room at 8 p.m. His name is Andrew Pahl, and yes, I picked him because he has the sexiest name I’ve ever heard. That, and his Sesame Street-influenced sound makes me feel funny inside — in a good way. God, I’m a dork.
Prosper Prodaniuk
DVAS, Tzadeka
Friday I’m definitely going to check out the Pop Echo showcase at Halo. It won’t be the Hacienda 1985 for Pop Echo’s Factory Records-like dreams, but there’ll be plenty of Brit sounds with the likes of both Tim Gilbertson and Elizabeth performing. DVAS has some wonderful new sounds on their MySpace page, and have done some boss remixes lately too.
As for Saturday, there’s a pretty full hip hop show going on at The Starlite — and I haven’t been to a live one since forever. I loved Tzadeka’s atmospheric, gritty debut but haven’t seen her rock her sound yet, so that’s top of the list for me. I’m more analytical than political with hip hop, but I could probably stay late for Rez Official and Politic Live.
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