Calgary’s Third Sexiest Man: The story behind the sweetness

By James Keller

It’s been almost a month since I was named Third Sexiest Man in Calgary in Fast Forward’s Best of Calgary Survey, and boy how my life has changed. In case you haven’t heard (which I doubt, as Fast Forward is the biggest [read: only] entertainment weekly in town), I was named Third Sexiest Man in… Continue reading Calgary’s Third Sexiest Man:
The story behind
the sweetness

Discovering the undergrad

By Phil Serchuk

Returning to school can be a difficult transition for frosh and real students alike. For several months, university educated partners and aptly named study groups give way to full time jobs, holidays and sexy, yet uninitiated, coworkers. Nonetheless, rates of sexual experimentation continue to drop each September at the University of Calgary, placing campus recruiting… Continue reading Discovering the undergrad

Fountains of Wayne

By Becky van Bussel

Welcome Interstate Managers is the newest release by the New York-based Fountains of Wayne. It is the third album of a band previously known as Are You My Mother? and Three Men Who When Standing Side By Side Have A Wingspan Of Over 12 Feet. They ended up naming their band after a lawn ornament… Continue reading Fountains of Wayne

The Dandy Warhols

By Josh LaVoie

If you’re like some people I know, every time you buy a slurpee you have an unquenchable urge to put all 12 flavours in one cup. Myself, I can’t stand the idea–more than two varieties and I think you’re asking for trouble. The Dandy Warhols’ latest offering, Welcome to the Monkey House, bucks the trend… Continue reading The Dandy Warhols

The Cash Brothers

By James Keller

Following in the footsteps of the wonderfully produced How Was Tomorrow, the Cash Brothers’ sophomore effort shows they still had some good material brewing after a solid debut. While How Was Tomorrow was hailed as an alt-country treasure, the new album displays an indisputable evolution, branching out into a full range of pop-folk, alt-rock and… Continue reading The Cash Brothers

Danny Michel

By Jeff Kubik

Cynicism is the bread and butter of my world, but sometimes it’s nice to suck it up and listen to songs with lyrics like, “I wanna shoot the moon/Spend all my cash on you/’Cause you’re…/Beautiful.” There certainly won’t be any scented bath beads here, but the melody is catchy. Canadian artist Danny Michel’s fifth solo… Continue reading Danny Michel

The Ramblin’ Ambassadors

By James Keller

Like something out of a Mexican western, there isn’t much rambling on The Ramblin’ Ambassadors’ new disc, Avanti. Picking up where Huevos Rancheros left off, Calgarian and former Rancheros Brent Cooper takes obvious cues from his past work. The retro-meets-garage rock sound found on Avanti is fun, skillful and full of instrumental hooks that become… Continue reading The Ramblin’ Ambassadors

Jeff Beck

By Ken Clarke

Guitar hero Jeff Beck’s latest offering, Jeff, is an extension of his increasing fascination with the latest technological advances his producers and mixers have to offer. Think of it as Beck-Tech. Indeed, Beck’s backing band these days is a series of computer-generated rhythms, synth treatments and hand-picked, one-shot vocalists. Fortunately, the entire conglomeration is driven… Continue reading Jeff Beck