I Heart Edmonton

Edmonton musicians pat themselves on the back at sophomore awards show determined to celebrate our best in the business BY EMIL TIEDEMANN Edmonton's Tupelo Honey went into the 2012 EMAs with six nominations, walking away with Rock Album and Album of the Year for 'Caught Up In the Excess.' A FEW weeks ago local musicians were celebrated and pitted against one another at the second annual Edmonton Music Awards , held at the Royal Alberta Museum . Fifteen trophies were handed out to deserving bands and singers, recognized for their worthy efforts in the local, and perhaps national, music scene. Nominations were first announced on February 3rd for the 2012 lineup, and the best of the best took to the podium on April 28th , including Colleen Brown , Ten Second Epic , The Joe , and Album of the Year winners Tupelo Honey , who also performed at the event. Winners at the 2012 EMAs were chosen by members of EARS, the Edmonton Association for Recording Selection , with t

Some of the latest happenings in & around Edmonton (Fort Edmonton Park, Bikefest, Oil Kings...) BY EMIL TIEDEMANN The Edmonton Oil Kings celebrate their WHL win.  I T was a much-needed reminder as to why Edmonton is called the "City of Champions." Our hometown Oil Kings major junior hockey team defeated the Portland Winterhawks 4-1 in Game 7 to take the Western Hockey Championship on Sunday, May 13 . The game went down at Rexall Place , where a record 12,513 spectators witnessed the 5-year-old team's first WHL Championship victory, giving them the Ed Chynoweth Cup and earning them a spot in the battle for the 2012 Memorial Cup ( May 18-27 ). I F you're one of those folks who actually likes to take care of their physical selves (I know, crazy!), then you might wanna pull your bicycle outta the closet or garage and head over to the MEC Bikefest at Ezio Faraone Park (11004-97 Ave. NW) on Saturday, May 26 (11AM-4PM). Put on by Mountain Equipment Co-op, t

Architectural group in charge of arena design teases Edmontonians with clip of prospects for a final draft BY EMIL TIEDEMANN A projected image of what the new downtown arena may look like. U NLESS you've been away on a safari or in a coma for the last couple years, you've most likely heard about the downtown arena debate. Maybe you don't give a rat's ass, but I'm sure you're at least somewhat in the know. Well now, whether you care or not, we're all a little more aware, with the release of a video last week ( May 16 ) that finally gives us an idea as to what the controversial project may actually look like. 360 Architecture , the firm behind the design of the new downtown arena , revealed to City Council their exterior and interior images of what the $450 million structure may end up looking like, via a digital "fly-through" video of the district. "The shape of the building has taken on abstractly the shape of an oil drop, we were

Vancouver singer-songwriter is taking his applauded EP trilogy on the road, and is making a stop off in Edmonton as part of his Western Canadian Album Release Tour.  BY JOSHUA KLOKE T HERE are literally hundreds of thousands of singer-songwriters plying their craft around the world every day. In an oft-saturated market, what can one do to set themselves apart from the hordes? David Ward has an idea: push the boundaries that singer-songwriters are often boxed into. He's manifested this idea with, a three-part EP, each exploring a different genre and theme. Not content to simply release one full-length, each EP showcases Ward's unique soul-driven sound while also weighing in on different aspects of an arrival. It's Ward's attempt to give his patient, growing voice a pair of wings, and does so incredibly well. The Arrival displays David Ward as a singer-songwriter heavy in groove and harmony who refuses to let genres confine his approach. Since the r

Reebok Canada unveils new CFL uniform for Edmonton Eskimos athletes and fans R EEBOK Canada , the official outfitter of the Canadian Football League (CFL), unveiled the new uniform of the Edmonton Eskimos yesterday ( May 2 ). The team presented its new Reebok CFL jersey to media and fans as part of a greater unveiling that spanned across all eight CFL teams on Tuesday, May 1 and Wednesday, May 2. The reengineered Edmonton Eskimos jersey (courtesy of Reebok) retail for just $109.99! Just in time for training camp, the eight CFL teams will start the new season with a brand new reengineered jersey. Each of the teams played an active role in developing not only their new reengineered on-field jerseys, but also the look of the new Premier jersey available to their fans. "The idea was to make each team's jersey unique while still incorporating the same technological advances," said Tania Enciso , CFL Product Manager at Reebok Canada. "The year of the 100th Gre

Sara Isabel's "Simple Taste" (2012) BY EMIL TIEDEMANN " I N 2008 I was in China teaching English, living in an apartment building with a bunch of other teachers from Canada, the U.S., etc.," said local singer-songwriter Sara Isabel , when I Heart Edmonton asked her about how she stumbled into the music industry. Edmonton's Sara Isabel performs May 2nd at Holliganz Pub and on May 5th at the Thrival Festival in Gazebo Park.  "It was a big 'finding myself' time. One day I woke up hungover, found myself sitting on the kitchen floor with somebody's borrowed guitar in the corner and I was like, ' I have something to say, and I better fucking say it or I'm gonna explode .'" Since then Isabel has carved out her own little niche in Edmonton's busy music scene, blending an acoustic charm with sometimes-gritty blues-rock for a sound that stems from a variety of influences. "I remember coming home from elementar