By James Keller
In the wake of the events of September 11, many people were left wondering what they should do. Some people donated money, and others blood. For local musician Simon Billow, the gift of hope fills that void. "We didn’t feel like creating financial donations, there’s already a lot of people doing that and doing a… Continue reading Spreading Hope in tragic times
You don’t have to be a genius to figure this one out. A family inherits the house of their late Uncle Cyrus, who had the uncanny hobby of capturing violent ghosts and storing them in his basement. The rest is pretty clear cut. This remake of William Castle’s 1960 classic horror film falls just short… Continue reading Remake even worse than original
There was a time when bell-bottoms, The Smiths and The Replacements ruled the world. Just as bell-bottoms have come back as "flared" pants, the sound of retro has been reborn through The Shins. June 19 saw the release of The Shins major-label debut titled Oh Inverted World. The disc is 11 tracks of old school… Continue reading More Pop, less Sub from The Shins
By Nicole Kobie
Michelle Shocked is not an easy individual to control. She is unrestrained in her music, her career and even in talking to me. Rarely do artists attempt to take control of a conversation so blatantly as Shocked does. I call the Texas-born singer/songwriter at her home in L.A., where she lives between tour dates. Otherwise,… Continue reading Shocking the industry
By Chris Tihor
Tour and they will come. That’s the strategy so far for Calgary’s Belvedere, who’ve spent the last five years establishing a fan base across North America. The four-piece melodic hardcore-punk act know that as an indie label band, the only real way to get people to turn on to their music is to make it… Continue reading Calgary’s punk child returns
Those of you from the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately school of political criticism best listen close. Acid Jazz Afternoons, a brand-spanking new Friday event at The Black Lounge, made its debut Fri., Oct. 26. The acid jazz-trip hop-themed afternoon is the latest project of Students’ Union Vice-President Events Chris Kerr. "I just thought it would be a nice,… Continue reading Dropping Acid Jazz
"It takes two years to get five minutes of good material." This has been the motto of comedian/actor Vanessa Hollings-head since she started doing stand-up at the age of 12. If time is any indicator, she has to be good. Hollingshead’s brand of comedy is one that seeks to entertain the audience by taking things… Continue reading Comedy and LSD
By Anna Chan
If winner is spelled B-I-N-G-O, then the University of Calgary Drama Department’s Les Belles-Soeurs hits the jackpot. The highlight of Les Belles-Soeurs is a tribute to bingo. Not only are all of the actors expressive and intense, but the lighting effects add to the brilliance and hilarity of moments in the play. As a group… Continue reading The joys of stamps and bingo
By James Keller
Four years after the release of Basement Songs and the hit single "Chevrolet Way," local musician Tariq has left the shackles of the record label world and begun a new start as an indie musician. Although that move wasn’t neccessarily by choice. "Leaving EMI wasn’t voluntary, God no," says Tariq. "There’s a lot of reasons.… Continue reading Back with a new sound and no label
Ed. Note: The North Star today is not the North Star of 2000 years ago. As a result, the dates of the zodiac have changed, and while most astrologists refuse to acknowledge this, AP has decided to break with tradition and adopt the modern dates for the zodiac. In addition, our astronomy expert has informed… Continue reading Horoscopes By Clancy Russel and Phoenix Sidney