Whether you think Billy Idol as a legend or a has-been, his newest album, Devil’s Playground, is more of the same. The first two tracks on the album are rock and roll garbage–over-produced sounds that are too loud to hear the words. The rest of the album is classic Billy Idol with softer guitar and… Continue reading Spun: Billy Idol
Month: March 2005
Spun: The Kills
By Jaime Burnet
Up against the wall of rock’s back alleys, dirty guitar grinds against the knuckle-crack staccato backbeat of a drum machine. The stripped-down sound of Hotel, aka Jamie Hince, and the full, throaty vocals of VV, aka Alison Mosshart, create a sexual electric current running beneath the surface of each song on No Wow, the second… Continue reading Spun: The Kills
Profile: Get your granny blasted with Elliott
At first glance, with his half-hearted explosion of red hair and gawky glasses, Canadian comic Lorne Elliot doesn’t seem to share too many similarities with legendary musician Bob Marley–one does stand up comedy with a ukulele and the other brought reggae music to the mainstream. Still, the two artists share a certain perspective regarding audiences… Continue reading Profile: Get your granny blasted with Elliott
Theatre Preview: Legends of the Flying Drag Queens
An interesting amalgam of mud, sackcloth and drag queens awaits at the University of Calgary’s Department of Drama student festival, Taking Flight. All who attend embark on a dark journey of sex, violence and every emotion in between within just 10 plays. The festival, in its inaugural year, begins with the dual presentation of Mud… Continue reading Theatre Preview: Legends of the Flying Drag Queens
Theatre Preview: The devil in a rabbit suit
With a penchant for the weird and armed with their unique sound, the Plaid Tongued Devils seem to constantly play with fire. At any moment, they could fall too far into the absurd and leave audiences scratching their head. But the band always manages to walk the fine line and welcome new converts to their… Continue reading Theatre Preview: The devil in a rabbit suit
Music Interview: The highest of the high and…
By Matt Harris
The tumultuous era of the early ’90s saw the grungy days of Reaganomics transition quietly into George Bush senior’s conservatism. The Cold War rapidly ended with the fall of the USSR, taking the prevailing attitude of fear that dominated the last 70 years down with it. Iraq invaded Kuwait, and the world’s attention turned to… Continue reading Music Interview: The highest of the high and…
Music Interview: Not taking it lying down
By Nolan Lewis
Don’t be deceived by their name, As I Lay Dying has never been more alive with a mission to go forth to wreak havoc with their majestic metal and hardcore attitude. With each album the band’s sound matures and their fan base grows with every balls-to-the-wall performance. Headlining a tour through the U.S. and Canada,… Continue reading Music Interview: Not taking it lying down
Music Interview: Looking for some chemistry
By Jaime Burnet
A plethora of pierced and black-haired show kids mill around the Stampede Corral, several hours early for the Taste of Chaos Tour. It’s ironic these people, who make considerable efforts to look drastically different from the mass of Hilary Duffs and J.Los, gather together similarly dressed and adorned–the angst and eyeliner so concentrated even their… Continue reading Music Interview: Looking for some chemistry
Music Interview: Leaving behind Mormonville
By Kate Foote
New York, Seattle and London are expected to give birth to rock bands. With their liberal mindset, these big cities have nourished bands like Kiss, Nirvana and The Clash. However, more conservative landscapes pose greater difficulty for the avant-garde. Hailing from Orem, Utah means coming to terms with living in a conservative wasteland where hatred… Continue reading Music Interview: Leaving behind Mormonville
Movie Review: Definitely worth going to Hell for
By Jeff Kubik
Visit lovely Basin City. See soaking remains of men pounded into the floorboards; hear the crackle of staccato gunfire in dark alleyways; marvel at noir grotesquerie painted with dollops of jaw-dropping nudity, blanched blood and steely one-liners. Visit, but don’t stay. It’s murder trying to live in Sin City. Clear as black and white, Frank… Continue reading Movie Review: Definitely worth going to Hell for