By Ryan Laverty
Nervous excitement sprinkled with bated breath hung thick in the air at Alberta’s Butterdome last weekend for the Golden Bear Open track and field meet.Silent anticipation consumed participants and the audience alike as they waited for the signal. Muscles twitched and hearts began to pound until it felt like they couldn’t take it for another… Continue reading Weekend Update – Track and Field
By Ken Clarke
Since its inception in New Orleans during the 1890’s as a mixture of ragtime and blues, jazz music remains to this day a constantly evolving, unpredictable art form. With 20 years of film-making under his belt, Ken Burns is the creator of several award-winning films. He is best known for his two previous epic documentaries,… Continue reading Ken Burns on film and all that Jazz
Bring on the fire engines and hose ’em down. The Dinos track and field team is burning up Canada West competition without remorse. Calgary travelled all the way to sunny Saskatoon last weekend to participate in the Sled Dog Open–a rather weak meet for all but the pentathletes. The team was hoping to qualify a… Continue reading Track and Field: Weekend Update
Last weekend, while McGruff the Crime Dog was taking a bite out of crime, the Dinos managed to feast on Canada West competition in Edmonton. Jessica King impressed with a gold medal in 60m hurdles. She also tied this year’s Canadian best in a 300m qualifying heat on her way to a somewhat disappointing bronze,… Continue reading Track and Field: Weekend Update
By Ken Clarke
On Monday evening, legendary guitarist Jeff Beck (left) and his top-notch band delivered a solid two-hour set of mostly instrumental guitar wizardry to an appreciative sold-out crowd at the Jack Singer Concert Hall. Highlights of the show included an exquisite instrumental version of “A Day in the Life,” the always crowd-pleasing “Led Boots” and an… Continue reading Jeff Beck still the master of the Stratocaster
By Ken Clarke
If you’ve ever listened to a radio, you’ve heard the Funk Brothers, the most prolific hit machine in music history. In 1959, music producer Berry Gordy amassed the most talented blues and jazz musicians in Detroit for his now-famous label Motown Records, which quickly became known as “Hitsville U.S.A.” The Funk Brothers were the label’s… Continue reading The Funk Brothers Keep Motown Alive
By Ken Clarke
Following a lengthy stint of drug problems and jail terms, 2010 was a comeback year for American poet and musician Gil Scott-Heron when he released I’m New Here, his first studio recording in 16 years. Now, a follow-up of sorts has arrived in We’re New Here. At the helm is Jamie xx, percussionist and producer… Continue reading Spun: Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx
By Ken Clarke
Former Winnipeggers Brandy Zdan and Dave Quanbury now call Austin, Texas home, although their recently released third album was recorded in Los Angeles. When Wolves Go Blind loosely documents their journey from Canada through America, and it doesn’t sound like it was a fun trip. The music is sparse and dark in nature with laid… Continue reading Spun: Twilight Hotel
By Ken Clarke
Although this aptly-named female trio from Ontario has only been around since 2006, it sounds like they’ve been singing together for about 60 years. The Good Lovelies are reminiscent of girl groups of the 1940s and ’50s like the Andrew Sisters, and they wear it well. Let The Rain Fall is the third full-length offering… Continue reading Spun: Good Lovelies
By Ken Clarke
Vancouver musician Jimmy Zee’s latest release is an R&B mixture of various genres bordering on blues rock, funk, soul and folk. Each track is dominated by Zee’s appropriately gravelly vocals which tie all of the song styles together into a cohesive whole. Zee penned all but one of the songs himself with the exception being… Continue reading Spun: Jimmy Zee