I Heart Edmonton

Downtown's Artery set the stage for a memorable night of indie melodies and torrid compositions by way of Sid York, et al BY EMIL TIEDEMANN The Artery T HERE were two curious bright red doors that seemed painted onto the back wall of The Artery , decal'd in what some might suspect is alleyway graffiti. I entered through the left one, enticed by what was on the other side. A pretty, young woman greeted me from behind some counter, and then put a checkmark beside my name on the guest list, confirming my arrival. But I had to wait for my cohort to show up before I could probe the rest of this rooted-yet-new-to-me venue I'd been invited to before, though had yet to accept. When he arrived we shuffled along some sort of plywood(ish) floor, making our way past a quasi-make-do bar with a limited option of hootch. But what mattered was that they served my option of hootch. We made our way into this comparably-spacious room with a ready-to-go stage, a booth for the lig...

Visionary independent musician festival shakes up Old Strathcona, exposing 150 of the most talented artists of our thriving music scene BY EMIL TIEDEMANN I N a town synonymous with a rich festival legacy, virgin events better have the chutzpah to garner any real recognition or relevance to stand out from the crowded surplus of summertime goings-on in Edmonton. By all accounts, the maiden SOS (Sounds of Old Strathcona) Music Festival did just that. Without a hitch, no! But the 3-day Whyte Avenue extravaganza was a definite triumph for its organizers, the artists, the venues, and the thousands of local and not-so-local patrons who took in the 150+ shows from July 9-11 . Last Friday (July 9) was the kickoff of the first-ever SOS Fest, when acts like Captain Tractor , Ann Vriend , Ten Second Epic , Mustard Smile , and Politic Live blistered huddled barrooms and cramped lounges with the best indie music this province has to offer. The following morning (July 10), I arrived on the infamou...

The Internet claims another victim, as low sales leads to the closure of the Megatunes indie record chain BY EMIL TIEDEMANN E VERY Thursday Vue Weekly publishes the twenty albums most popular with customers of the local Megatunes record shop. By the end of the summer season, this tradition will cease. Our province's solitary indie record chain announced earlier this week that it's closing both of its stores, one located on Calgary's 17th Street S.W., and the other here on Whyte Ave. According to Edmonton manager Dave Gawdunyk , the reasoning behind the closure doesn't fall back on the Whyte Avenue branch, which is apparently still "very viable," but rather due to slumping sales in the Calgary store. But, "If you're an independent business," said Gawdunyk, "you need both stores to do well--and in Calgary, there's been a drop-off in sales. It's like one hand clapping, right? You need both to coexist." Megatunes open...

Dozens & dozens of indie acts will merge in Old Strathcona for Edmonton's newest festival, simultaneously highlighting our diverse music scene BY EMIL TIEDEMANN I KNOW what some of you are thinking. Do we really need ANOTHER festival in this city? Well, if that was what you were thinking, then I'm here to tell you: YES! I mean sure, we have the Fringe , Folk Fest , Capital Ex , the EIFF , Street Performers , Heritage days, The Works , Blues Fest , the Dragon Boat Fest , Global Visions , the International Jazz Festival , the White Light , A Taste of Edmonton , NextFest , Symphony Under the Sky , Ice on Whyte , DEDfest , Cubamemucho , Exposure , Creative Age Festival , the North of Nowhere Expo , Chante , the Literary Festival , dEdmonton , Improvaganza , Ink Fest , Original Fare , the Vocal Arts Fest , Summer Solstice , PoFest , the International Children's Festival , Silver Skate , Serca Fest , the Alberta Drama Festival , Dreamspeakers , the Feats Festival of Dance...

Some of the latest happenings in Edmonton... BY EMIL TIEDEMANN H appy Canada Day , Edmonton! I Heart just wanted to wish Canada a happy 143rd birthday...you don't look a day over 120! For a list of Canada Day events in Edmonton click here . S o, it won't be as good as the Steven Spielberg movie, but the under-construction Jurassic Forest & Learning Centre in nearby Gibbons will be epic! Well, it'll be cool, no? When all is said and done there will be 40 life-size animatronic dinosaurs roaming 40 hectares of land adjacent to the Goose Hummock Golf Resort (2310-564 Township Road), just outside Gibbons . Now, Edmontonians who are hankering for some dino fix can skip Drumheller and drive the 20 minutes to the park, which will also include an interpretive centre and gift shop. Jurassic Forest will open on Friday, July 30 . M ost of you may only know Stompin' Tom Connors , 74, as the voice behind "The Hockey Song" that plays in between whistles at hockey g...