Fish Griwkowsky

The Tree Whisperer | Alex Metcalf, a 28-year-old British designer, listens to the watery inner workings of a tree last week at Muttart Conservatory with a device he invented. Besides a repeating clicking sound of the tree’s casual movement, water also can be heard popping through its vessels.

Alice Cooper
Jubilee Auditorium • Sept. 27
The idea that thousands of decent, law-abiding Canadians could come together to cheer on a man who serenades corpses and impales infants seems preposterous, but there is one man who can make that happen: Alice Cooper, who gave Edmonton a taste of blood at the Jubilee last Saturday night. It was a treat to see a reunited Econoline Crush opening for him, electrifying the crowd (in spite of some poor mixing) as they chanted along with the band’s next single. The place was abuzz by the time Cooper hit the stage backdropped by a silhouetted murder scene and a romping intro of “It’s Hot Tonight.” Cooper’s ostensibly touring in support of his latest album Along Came a Spider, but the new material made few appearances in the setlist, which, to the crowd’s delight, stuck almost entirely to his classic albums Killer and Welcome to My Nightmare. The show was everything one would expect from the grandfather of shock rock; from dragging Cold Ethel about the stage by the hair to skewering a baby to getting straitjacketed by an angry mob, to being hanged by his doppelganger, all topped off with a satire of the U.S. presidential race during the final encore of “Elected.” The band was incredibly tight, but the spectacular reigned supreme. Even at 60, Alice Cooper knows how to keep ’em watching. VALERIE SIEBERT

James Murdoch
THe Haven Social Club • Sept. 26
Last Friday night, more than 100 fans ventured down the steep, dark stairwell of The Haven Social Club, where they were blessed with Murdoch’s poppy stage presence, a CTV television camera, and a chance for their inevitable cheers to be recorded on the band’s upcoming live CD.
“Let’s wake up the folks in the massage parlour!” Murdoch joked. (The venue is located amid a string of X-rated stores along Stony Plain Rd.) Toronto’s Sarah Burton kicked off the night, entertaining the crowd with her 10,000 Maniacs-like vocals; once Murdoch took the stage, everyone became suddenly attentive, teetering on the edge of their seats, libidinous eyes flickering in the camera spotlight. Murdoch breezed through an abnormally long set comprised with mostly upbeat current material, as well as the band’s hit singles “Break Me Down” and “Give Me Your Love,” which featured pianist David Aide’s fingertips flying up and down the keyboard. Not one to hog the spotlight, Murdoch allowed guitarist Nathan Carroll to impress the throng with electrifying riffs on “Build a Bridge.” For the encore, Murdoch surprised the audience with a one-and-only solo acoustic performance of the intimate “Silver Moon,” and the band joined Murdoch once again for the final song — a cover of Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” — the ultimate panty-creamer of the night.
ALEXIS BRETT