I Heart Edmonton

Sister Gray's "Close the Night" (2010) BY EMIL TIEDEMANN I SWEAR we're not just ripping off Sonic's Band of the Month ... really ! Yes, this clip just happens to be filmed at Sonic 102.9 's studio, and by Sonic 102.9's own staff, and featuring Sonic 102.9's February 2011 BOTM (Band of the Month) Sister Gray , but that's all simply a coincidence! For the most part. Sisters Jenesse and Brittany Graling are Sister Gray , said to have a sound that blends Muse , Metric , and Joan Jett Okay, I confess: some of our Music Clips of the Month were easily inspired by former Sonic BandsOTM (i.e. The Weekend Kids , Christian Hansen & The Autistics ), but what else can I say except that Sonic features some good local shit?! Case in point, Sister Gray. "It's been six years, but it's taken us this long to have a female-fronted Band of the Month," said Rick Lee , the Sonic on-air personality who also happened to direct and ed...

Cousin's "Champion Song" (2011) BY EMIL TIEDEMANN Slave Lake rapper Cousin G ROWING up in the northern Alberta town of Slave Lake --population 6,703--Mouhamed Mouallem was practically forced to get used to the twang of Dwight Yoakam , John Michael Montgomery , and fellow cowboy hat serenaders. But Mouallem, now 27, broadened his musical palette, soon taking in the beats & flows of Lupe Fiasco , Kanye West , Common , Emilio Rojas , and others. By 2008 Mouallem, later christening himself Cousin, started writing his own raps, storytelling alongside hip-hop beats and via his own personal brand of "braggadocio and self-deprecation." The end result of the Lebanese-Canadian's diverse and evolving antics were finally realized in this summer's Martyr's Circus: The Freequel , which features the handiwork of Canuck producers/ artists like Omar "A.O.K." Mouallem , Nidal Mourad , Metawon , Sample Jockey , and Engineer . The "pizzeria...

The Weekend Kids' "Twenty-Something" (2010) BY EMIL TIEDEMANN W E simply don't have the time to discuss Edmonton indie rockers The Weekend Kids , so we're just gonna go ahead and show you their clip for "Twenty-Something," which is currently up for Best Single and Best Music Video at the inaugural Edmonton Music Awards . The trophies will be handed out on Monday, March 28 at the Haven Social Club .

Old Wives' "Teen Commandements" (2010) BY EMIL TIEDEMANN L AST February (as in 2010), Liam Harvey (lead vocals), Ryan Dix (bass), T.S. (guitar) and The DRRN (drums)--collectively known as pop-punk players Old Wives --were featured as the Band of the Month on local radio station Sonic 102.9 . That's how many Edmontonians, this guy included, first heard of these "three dudes from Edmonton and one random from Halifax that play awesome pop punk together." Formed in about '07, these mostly homeschooled brothers with a pastor father have been playing in bands for the last decade or so. In August '09 they travelled to the States to do their first shows there, and to record an album ( See You In Hell ) at the same studio where Rise Against and Alkaline Trio have set down tracks. The video clip below featured Old Wives performing the album's track "Teen Commandments" at the Vue Weekly Studio last April. The band will play Edmo...

Colin Close's "I Don't Need (Your Bentley's)" (2010) " I T was only just this morning when local musician Colin Close was "talking with a friend of mine who is really gonna run the world he lives, plays, and works in someday soon. He was having a hard morning," Close explains. "And some stuff had gotten him down. So he asked me, 'how many Bentley's you want when things go good?,' and all I could say was 'I don't need no Bentley's, man'." Close, who participated in an interview with I Heart Edmonton back in May, told me that when he got off the phone with his buddy, "I started thinking about my own life, and all the things I don't really need." And, in the words of one Emeril Lagasse , ' BAM! ' A song was born. In his humble apartment, Close picked up his guitar, set up his camera, and shot this video earlier today. When he posted it on Facebook I suggested he name the untitled so...

Tupelo Honey's "Not Alone" (2008) O KAY, technically, Tupelo Honey hails from that town next door, St. Albert , but we're gonna go ahead and take credit for them. That goes for Mark Messier and Jarome Iginla , too. The band, christened after a popular Van Morrison song, was formed while the members were enrolled in Grant MacEwan 's music program. They had each performed in other bands prior to starting Tupelo Honey, in February 2003. From there the band--made up of vocalist Matt Landry , drummer Greg Williamson , bassist Steve Vincent , and guitarists Dan Davidson and Tyler Dianocky --issued a self-titled EP (2006) and played their first live show, at Stage 13 in Camrose. They've since opened for the likes of Bon Jovi , Three Days Grace , Billy Talent , Sam Roberts , Default , and Theory of a Deadman , and released a couple more EPs on Fontana Records. Their last effort, '08's Machines & Robots , featured national hits in "Morphine" an...

Kreesha Turner's "Dust in Gravity" (2009) (with Delerium) E DMONTON-born & bred Kreesha Turner broke into the music business after winning a singing contest on local radio station The Bounce (91.7 FM), which in turn led to a trip to Vancouver to record four tracks with Hipjoint Productions ( Kelly Rowland , Shiloh ). One of those songs, "Bounce with Me," caught the attention of music manager Chris Smith ( Nelly Furtado , Fefe Dobson ). Soon enough Turner had inked a deal with Virgin Records and an accompanying R&B album in Passion resulted soon after, featuring singles in "Simple," "Shattered," "Lady Killer," and "Don't Call Me Baby." The latter broke into the Canadian Top 10 (#8) in '08, and even crossed the border to top the Billboard dance charts. By 2009 Turner had earned a pair of Juno nods, took home the Canadian Radio Music Award for Best New Artist, and even appeared in a Kit Kat commercial w...

Christian Hansen & the Autistics' "Cocaine Trade" (2009) BY EMIL TIEDEMANN L AST May SEE magazine published their anticipated " Best of Edmonton " issue, which polls locals to determine everything from our favourite area festivals and local personalities to the best place to get a donair (FYI, Mike's Famous was crowned the latter). Another popular category in the 15th annual readers poll is "Favourite Local Music Act." The top pick this year were indie darlings Shout Out Out Out Out , followed by national alt-rockers Ten Second Epic . And in third was the current "Music Clip of the Month" spectacle, Christian Hansen & the Autistics . I only just heard about the band a few weeks ago, when I interviewed young local actor Mat Simpson , who claimed the last record he bought was Hansen's The Super Awkward Album (2006). A few YouTube videos later, and I was their newest fan. Sonic 's former " Band of the Month "--...

Jill Hennessy's "Ghost In My Head" (2009) BY EMIL TIEDEMANN "W HEN I began writing these songs, the floodgates opened to my whole life," admitted Edmonton-born singer-songwriter & actress Jill Hennessy , referring to her debut album Ghost In My Head . "It's the embodiment of a lifetime of work." But most people who even know who Jill Hennessy is, most likely know her from her work on the small screen. From 1993 to '96 Hennessy, 41, played assistant district attorney Claire Kincaid on Law & Order , and then was tenacious medical examiner Jordan Cavanaugh on Crossing Jordan , from 2001 to '07. The mother of two also showed up on the big screen in between her TV gigs, with supporting roles in RoboCop 3 (1993), The Paper (1994), I Shot Andy Warhol (1996), Autumn In New York (2000), Wild Hogs (2007), Lymelife (2008), and many others. But Hennessy has been focusing on her musical ambitions as of late, a lingering passion that had ...

Stereos' "Butterflies" (2010) BY EMIL TIEDEMANN T HEY may not pen the most engrossing lyrics, nor foray into unconventional sounds, but Stereos (not the Stereos!) are nonetheless from Edmonton, and that's why their bubbly pop ballad "Butterflies" is July's Music Clip of the Month . Lead vocalist Patrick Kordyback (pictured right), lead guitarist Miles Holmwood , drummer Aaron Verdonk , bassist Daniel Johnson , and rhythm guitarist Robert Chalifoux each hail from our hometown (technically, Miles is from Sherwood Park ), and are one of our city's most popular bands out there right now, raising the profile of music cognizance in Edmonton. They formed two years ago (as Stand By Me, and later Turn It Up) and have virtually hit national stardom overnight, much ado to their appearance on MuchMusic's original series disBAND . Some 20 bands battled it out on the Canadian talent series, until fans and judges (including Kiss ' Gene Simmons ) whittle...

"Crying" (1988) by Roy Orbison & k.d. lang BY EMIL TIEDEMANN N OT many people realize that although k.d. lang grew up in the farming village of Consort , about two hours southeast of Edmonton, the legendary singer-songwriter was born in our city, on November 2, 1961. But her stay in the capital region was short-lived, as her parents, Adam and Audrey Lang , uprooted the family to Consort, Alberta when k.d. (Kathryn Dawn) was just nine months old. By her teens lang was studying at Red Deer College , where she performed in a play that ignited her fascination for music, and for Patsy Cline in particular. In 1982 she answered an ad in an Edmonton newspaper, looking to form a western swing band, the reclines , a tip of the hat to the late Cline. That led to touring across the country and a record titled Friday Dance Promenade (1983). Lang eventually left the reclines behind, but not before a couple more albums and national awards. Lang gained attention south of the border o...

"Welcome to the Heart" (2009) by Eamon McGrath BY EMIL TIEDEMANN L IKE with Caleb Followill or Ray LaMontagne , it's Eamon McGrath 's grating vocals that you first notice when you listen to one of his songs. And when he's fronting one of the many bands he's become associated with, he tears into the mic like it's some bitch that broke his heart. And like any good artist can, Edmonton-born McGrath is able to veer from manic punk rocker to mellow folksy blues singer-songwriter in the same time it takes for him to put down the electric guitar and sit down to the piano. But even more impressive is McGrath's undeniable dedication to his craft, compiling more than two dozen self-recorded albums barely into his twenties, including nine in 2008 alone. He records all of his albums at his home in Edmonton. Compared to the styles of Ryan Adams , Tom Waits , and Black Flag , amongst others, McGrath broadens his musical scope by lending his talents to various backi...

"This Is It" (2009) by The Wheat Pool "F ROM the very beginning, the first songs possessed a haunting quality, dark subject matter and melodies that wouldn't get out of our heads," said The Wheat Pool 's Robb Angus (vocals, bass, guitar), explaining the Edmonton band's sophomore album Hauntario (2009). Guitarist Glen Erickson added, "Ontario wouldn't go away, as a lyric, as a destination, or as the home base in our industry. For a western band it remains a necessary evil, a difficult girlfriend to win over, yet on a different level it possessed so much of what we love about our country." According to the band themselves--also featuring drummer Stephane Dagenair and Robb's brother Mike Angus sharing vocals, guitar and bass-- Hauntario picks up where their acclaimed debut Township (2007) left off. Part of that is because both records were helmed by the same production team of Edmonton singer-musician James Murdoch (the "Canad...

"You're Cool" (2009) by The Joe "I T'S an amazing, amazing scene," admitted local rapper Joe Gurba (a.k.a. The Joe ) to Vue Weekly , referring to Edmonton's hip-hop scene. "There are MCs here that can go up against any international MC. But there are no listeners." "I don't even listen to hip-hop that much anymore." That was more than two years ago, and both hip-hop in Edmonton and The Joe have come a long way. In fact, our city's current poet laureate just happens to be rap artist Cadence Weapen , and some of the genre's biggest players have passed through (or were at least scheduled to) our rock 'n' roll town. But we're getting off topic here, so let's get back to this Joe guy. First off, who is he? Well, according to his MySpace page , The Joe is a 22-year-old emcee, poet and producer who sounds like " Fresh Prince meets Leonard Cohen ." Actually, that isn't too far from the truth! Last S...

"Ask Me No Questions" (2008) by Wendy McNeill G ROWING up in the Canadian Prairies Wendy McNeill was exposed to everything from Dolly Parton to Black Sabbath , and the musical plethora in between. The sounds of ABBA , Pink Floyd , and Supertramp also hogged her radio in McNeill's early years, but by high school her tastes had shifted to include Velvet Underground , The Cure , Blondie , and Sisters of Mercy as well. She tested the waters in a haze of other artistic platforms, such as poetry, photography, and even contemporary dance, but her attention eventually focused squarely on music. The singer-songwriter had learned to play multiple instruments by this time, as her preference had now favoured the likes of Leonard Cohen , Stevie Nicks , and Woody Guthrie . In 1997 the former bartender released her debut album, To Whom It May Concern , after winning a songwriting contest. The Edmonton-based folk musician continued with 2001's What's Your Whiskey, Baby? , 200...

"This Is My Prairie" (2009) by Corb Lund A LTHOUGH indie country phenom Corb Lund grew up in Taber , a small town in southern Alberta best-known for corn, he spent many years as an Edmontonian. After Lund left Taber and moved to Edmonton he studied jazz guitar and bass at what is now Grant MacEwan University . In 1990 he co-founded The Smalls , a punk-rock band based out of Edmonton that split up in 2001. He later signed to Edmonton-based label Stony Plain Records , but recenty released his sixth album, Losin' Lately Gambler (2009), on U.S. label New West. Although New West is based in Austin and Los Angeles, Lund's newest album (with his band the Hurtin' Albertans ) is rooted in his home province. This is evident in most of the album's dozen tracks, including the video below, "This Is My Prairie." Lund wrote Track 11 with Harry Stinson , and is the CD's only cut that was not penned by Lund alone. He recently performed an acoustic version over ...

"O Canada" (2006) by Edmonton Oilers fans I T was the beginning of Game 3 of the 2006 Western Conference Finals between the Edmonton Oilers and the visiting Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Paul Lorieau had stepped out onto the ice at Rexall Place to perform our National Anthem, " O Canada ," as the sold-out crowd stood in waiting. After singing just a few lines of the anthem Lorieau held the mic above his head and allowed the audience to finish the rest of the song without him. It was a timeless moment that started a memorable tradition, as Lorieau repeated his antics for the rest of the '06 playoffs, as well as the first few Oilers home games for the 2006-07 season. The video below has been viewed well over a million times on YouTube .

"Real Estate" (2008) by Cadence Weapon Born and raised in Edmonton, Rollie " Cadence Weapon " Pemberton is the son of hip-hop DJ pioneer Teddy Pemberton (of CJSR-FM ), and grandson of former Edmonton Eskimos player Rollie Miles . Cadence, who has remixed tracks for the likes of Ciara and Lady Sovereign , released his full-length debut album, Breaking Kayfabe , in 2005, and then followed that up with last year's Afterparty Babies (Epitaph Records), which included "Real Estate." Earlier this year, on May 26th, Cadence Weapon was sworn in as Edmonton's third-ever Poet Laureate , a title that will be his for the next two years. This year also saw the alt rapper issue a mixtape, Separation Anxiety , his first one since 2005's Cadence Weapon Is the Black Hand .

"The Last Saskatchewan Pirate" (1995) by Captain Tractor If you partied in any number of local bars during the second half of the '90s, then you may very well have drunkenly jigged to Edmonton-based Captain Tractor 's rowdy cover of The Arrogrant Worms ' "The Last Saskatchewan Pirate." The Celtic-themed ditty told of a desperate farmer who resorts to stealing shipments of grains and farm equipment in order to keep himself afloat. It has since been covered by two more Canuck acts, in country singer Brad Johner and a cappella group De La Hoja . The video for Captain Tractor's popular rendition, which appears on their East of Edson (1995) album, was partially filmed at the famous Santa Maria ship in West Edmonton Mall .