Photographed for ConcertWorks & The Starlite Room
GALLERY: Vader Celebrates 40 Years of Metal Mastery at Starlite Room - February 17, 2024
Photographed for ConcertWorks & The Starlite Room
Photographed for ConcertWorks & The Starlite Room
Photographed for Concertworks
Beast in Black made a triumphant return to Edmonton’s Starlite Room with the likes of Dance With The Dead in tow!
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Guess who’s back, back again! Although I’m not the real Slim Shady, and I certainly am not going to stand up, I will however welcome you to another year end blog! It’s fashionably late, but hey, we’re here now, so that’s okay!
2022 felt like a whirlwind for me. Which was both a blessing and a curse. Concerts and events came back with reckless abandon, and it’s really a thing of beauty. Having missed this part of my life for the better part of 2 years, admittedly, it was difficult to get back into the swing of things, and truthfully… It still kind of is. But, thankfully, I was given the opportunity to cover some remarkable events in 2022, and have had some wicked experiences along the way. So without further adieu, grab yourself a beverage and keep on reading!
Throughout 2022, I had the pleasure of photographing 19 shows, 1 music video and 5 promotional photoshoots. I made the executive decision to sit out festivals this year, simply because I wanted a little extra “me time” over the summer months to enjoy my garden, spend time with my dogs and to go on some much needed camping adventures. The music video I filmed was a ton of fun, and I genuinely mean that. With such a simple set up, I feel like Tessitura and I were able to capture the dark and moody vibe that they were going for with this particular tune, and that’s a nice cherry on top of the whole endeavor. Check that video out HERE. I know what you might be thinking: “Where the hell are the jump photos?!” I hate to disappoint you… But all 5 of my press shoots in 2022 were studio based, and well… It just didn’t really happen. I know that’s a piss-poor excuse, but that’s what I’m going with. Don’t hate me, I’ll do better in 2023! To satiate the craving for a little extra out of the press photoshoots I did, here’s a little gallery of some of my favourite individual shots; they’re all favourites for a variety of reasons (mainly being that these individuals totally murdered their solo-camera time during our shoot) and are in no particular order:
Overall, the year felt like it was really touch-and-go with shows for me. I don’t know if that’s the burn-out talking, or if that’s just the reality of things. The handful of local shows I both photographed and attended as a spectator had wicked turn outs, and that’s always an awesome thing to see. Maybe more so now than previous years, ya know, ‘cause of the Vid wreaking havoc on everybody and everything fun in life, and all that. However, seeing a great swell in local attendance is only something to be happy about and thankful for. If I can speak plainly, and let’s be honest… This is my blog, so I’m gonna… Leading up to the pandemic stricken years, show attendance on the local level was kind of meh. So seeing a plethora of familiar and new faces at these local gigs can only mean good things ahead. Or so one can hope.
As for the big-time shows… To summarize them into one word? Explosive. Seeing internationally touring bands coming out of the pandemic swinging with both fists had me all sorts of stoked. Although many were ones that I have photographed before, and don’t get me wrong, I’ll happily photograph them again, there were a few bucket-list gigs that had me over the moon: Blackberry Smoke, Opeth and Avril Lavigne to name a few, although one of those gigs I really had a bone to pick with… 10 points if you actually follow my half-assed blog and can guess which one I’m talking about 👀 Much like the local gigs, it was just great to be within the atmosphere of live music again.
In truth, 2022’s rendition of concert events was really great. Yeah, it was slower than it maybe should have been for me, but as I’m sure many of you know and can relate, burn out is a great, big bitch. It’s something that I’ve been wrestling with for the last year, and I’m making it a goal to overcome it and kick it’s ass. Nothing is quite as gut-wrenching as looking at something I once revolved my whole life around, and feeling apathetic towards it. Perhaps I’m going through some sort of a phase, or a transition of thought, but either way, I’m looking forward to bursting out of it, quite like how Ace Ventura busted out of an animatronic rhino that one time.
On the flip side, I had another big year on a personal level. Many awesome things happened, and I’ll only speak on a few of them, otherwise you’ll be here for way too long. Between huge advancements like locking down a solid job that I enjoy doing most days to getting a drivers license (I know, some of you might be thinking “Isn’t she like, 30? and just getting a license now?” I’m 29, and yes, trauma sometimes creates late bloomers so shuddup.) This is a huge deal for me, and if you know me personally, you’ll understand why. Let’s brighten the mood, eh? I had a great year growing my passion project! If you’re not familiar, I’m currently on a journey of creating a photo-documentary of the dogs that reside in Edmonton, and I call it The Edmonton Dog Blog. It fills my cup to meet like-minded dog-people in the city who are down to share their dogs’ story, regardless of whether it’s peachy or heartbreaking. It’s totally adorable, and if you’re a dog-obsessed person like me, I think you’ll love it. I also got engaged! That’s right, someone went and put a ring on it, and I’m totally smitten. I’m looking forward to continuing the many musical and foodie inspired adventures that we’ll have forevermore. Who would have thought that someone who hired me to photograph their CD release at The Artery so many years ago would be asking me to spend their life with them. Pretty fuckin’ cute.
Alright, alright, mushy stuff aside, I had a massive achievement occur in 2022, and I really don’t think anything will top it. To give you a little backstory: In 2015 I photographed the formidable rock ‘n roll gods of AC/DC at Commonwealth Stadium in the pouring rain. This was my first stadium-level show, ever. So needless to say, it holds a sentimental place in my heart. Little did I know (or quite frankly, did anybody know) during this particular performance, frontman Brian Johnson completely lost his hearing. Fast forward to 2022, Mr Brian Johnson puts out an autobiography called The Lives of Brian, and wants to retell this specific story about how he lost his hearing during a gig in Edmonton. An email from Penguin Publishing comes across my inbox, asking to license an image. The image in question? One that I photographed during that show back in 2015! After pinching myself and agreeing to a deal with Penguin Publishing, I’m extremely proud to say that I’m officially internationally published in Brian Johnson’s book that’s currently being sold and read by book lovers and music fans all over the globe! Check the little carousel below for photos of the book, the photo in the book, and the photo I also had featured on Good Morning America during the release campaign of the book. The broadcast that features my photo can be seen HERE.
Okay folks, lets put a pin in this, shall we? If you’ve made it to this point… Congratulations! I’d like to extend a nice, healthy THANK YOU! Thank you everyone who has supported me throughout 2022, whether it was calling me for photo services, or referring me to your friends, thank you for letting me be a small part of your lives as musicians, music fans and lovers of photography.
You know the drill, I’m bringing another year end blog to a close, in the best way I know. I've sorted through the hundreds of photos that I've snapped over the course of the year and have compiled some of my personal favorites into a little gallery (in no particular order) for you to feast your eyes upon. I want to wish everyone (especially you ride or die homies who stuck through yet another on of my year end blogs) all the love, happiness and success in 2023! Let's kick it’s ass together, shall we?
From my heart to yours, HAPPY (late) NEW YEAR! 😘
April seemed to fly by, and before I could stop my head from spinning, May was here. Kicking off the month strong with Canadian rock n roll heroes Billy Talent at the Edmonton Convention Centre, with Anti-Flag and fellow Canadians NOBRO opening up the night. All-girl punk bands are pretty sick in general, and NOBRO was pretty in-your-face about being a chick in this day and age. Anti-Flag was notably not in the mood to screw around; The Pittsburgh punk icons dominated the stage and had the audience in the palms of their hands for the entire duration of their set. Extremely impressive, if you ask me. However, I gotta say, it just floors me how good of a band Billy Talent is. Every time I get the opportunity to see Billy Talent I’m always thinking exactly that: “Fuck this band slaps”. Despite this show being one of many to fall victim to pandemic rescheduling, there room was quite full, and that was a heartwarming sight to see.
It’s been a hot minute since I’ve seen Opeth and Mastodon, let alone on the same stage. Needless to say, catching these 2 bands at the Edmonton Expo Centre was must for me. I’ve been a big fan of both of these bands for some time, and I absolutely loved Mastodon’s latest release “Hushed and Grim”. Mastodon murdered a semi-crowd pleaser set, only playing a handful of new tunes and a bunch of bangers that had people going ape shit on the floor. If you’re a fan of Opeth, you’ll understand how pumped I was when I learned that they were planning to play “Ghost of Perdition”. This song came across the setlist during my allotted first-3-songs of shooting time, and I could feel a lump in my throat. I mean, can you blame me? That song totally slaps and they rarely play it. Don’t come at me for getting stoked, okay?! Anyway… Despite the hella challenging light show that this gig put forth, the performances were absolutely killer, and Khemmis was an undeniably suitable opener for this bill.
Calming down on the genre front for the weekend, I was please to have Alberta’s sweetheart, Corb Lund in front of my lens in an intimate setting at the Starlite Room, which was a very special opportunity. This was the second of three back-to-back-to-back sold out shows that Corb played over the weekend, and the house was so full, you couldn’t fit a fart in there. (It’s okay, you can giggle at that last remark.) Opening the night with singer-song writer Mike Plume who told stories of playing gigs with Corb, and played songs about life, drinking and being Canadian. The crowd ate this right up, and was red-hot for Corb to take the stage and bring the house down with his unconventional country tunes.
Returning to shoot a proper show at the Winspear Centre for the first time in something like, 4 years? I don’t even know how long its been, all I know is that it’s been a minute since I last got to be near that stage and in the room as a whole. Even better, with Shakey Graves on the stage to boot. The guy knows how to work a room, and it’s just so cool to watch. Between telling jokes that had the near sold-out Winspear Centre in stitches, to totally crushing just about every song he spat out into the microphone; Shakey could write a book about keeping people engaged when you’re the only one on stage. I absolutely adore this man’s music, so photographing him in this gorgeous room was such a pleasure, along with Winnipeg’s Begonia leading the charge with her contagious bubbly personality and super soulful singing.
Upon receiving the green-light to shoot Canada’s pop-punk princess, I couldn’t help but think that 9 year old me would have been screaming. I was looking super forward to shooting Avril Lavigne, however this one in particular ended up being quite bittersweet from a photographers perspective. This was intended to be a soundboard shoot, which in most cases kind of suck due to the distance from the stage and the overall lack of mobility, but upon arriving at the arena, it got so much worse. Unfortunately, we shutter bugs were placed double the distance farther back than we were originally supposed to be at, which posed a problem for many of us that evening. I know what you non-photographers might be thinking: “Dana, what about that giant white lens you run around with?” Well, the giant lens you usually see me with is awesome and works well for 99% of the shows I photograph. However, when I’m stationed at the soundboard (or in this case, Timbuktu.) a little more lens oomph is needed. I’d love to break down the sizing of lenses and how the significance of lens length matters in these situations, but that would just put you to sleep. If you’re REALLY that interested in learning more about it, send an email or slide into my DM’s. You do you. I digress, we photographers were stationed way far away from what we had anticipated, and that really took the piss out of my excitement for this show.
Now, just to get something straight, photographers seem to always have something to bitch about. Whether it’s shit lighting, or having to shoot from the soundboard, there’s always something that’s just unpleasant impeding the path to success when it comes to doing our jobs. Now, before you fellow shooters get your ginch in a twist over my truth bomb, hear me out! I bitch about these things ALL the time as well, but there’s always a bit of reasonable thought behind these complaints. In this case however, even the most seasoned shooter would have felt the pain in the ass that this situation posed. Why we were all stationed so far away, I don’t know. But I do know that it was lame, and unfortunate considering Avril killed her performance and the opportunity for better photos was totally swiped away. But, what can ya do. In the words of Ray LeFleur: “the fuckin’ way she goes.”
I ended the month of May shooting with my dudes in Sparrow Blue. I always love getting together with these guys, whether its a press shoot or for a gig, it’s always a pleasure. For this press shoot, we kicked it in 99ten, then wandered upstairs into The Common. Both of these spots have so much potential for great photos, so I’m glad the guys were able to nail down this location for our photoshoot. For this one, I used 2 soft boxes for a few of the shots, and then shifted gears to a simple bounce flash. If you want some more details on my gear for this shoot, hit me up here. Overall, the guys always kill it when we do our photoshoots, but I needed to include a photo of Jon from this gallery, simply because it’s like he can read my mind when we shoot; He does exactly what I need him to do without even having to tell him, not to mention he has hella style, and brings his A-game to every shoot we do. I know the guys are cooking up some juicy things for everyone, so if you’re into bluesy rock n roll, you’ll want to keep an eye on them.
Thank YOU for taking a hot minute (or two) to read my May recap blog! Got questions regarding what I shot throughout the month of May? Send me an email HERE with your concert photo questions, let’s nerd-out! But until then, stick around to get the scoop on June’s recap!
April got real busy, real fast. But you won’t catch me complaining! Kicking off the month properly with Blackberry Smoke was a total treat. I had bought tickets for this show back when it was announced in early 2020, but thanks to the pandemic, it was rescheduled 2 times before finally being able to happen. It was well worth the wait, though! Midway hosted the show, and everything just sounded top notch. Aside from being a wicked-good shoot, Blackberry Smoke nailed every song they played, along with their “Cripple Creek” cover, which put a cherry on top of the evening.
Filming music videos is totally new territory for me, but I was thrilled to film one for Tessitura. Despite the drummer being my partner, and although that sometimes leads to us butting heads when discussing creative things, Gord and I sat on this particular dark, chaotic, strobey concept for some time. So, at last we decided to put our boots to the floor and spent a few days building a shoot-space for the video, and really rounding out the concept. The band is due to release a new album in June, so to unveil the first track off of the album, we applied our concept to the song “Gallows”, and I think it compliments the aggressive mood and overall in-your-face nature of the tune. We’ve got more video things in the bag for Tessitura, but I’m not spilling the beans on those just yet.
I always love shooting local talent. I cut my teeth on these local bands, and I’ll never not answer the call to photograph them when they need. It’s such a mutual benefit, plus there’s SO much hidden talent right here under our noses, and it’s a shame that more people aren’t aware of it. So naturally, when Skepsis asked me to photograph their album release show, I accepted. I’m glad I did, despite the show being a fuckin’ banger, I really needed an evening out. Upon receiving news of there being a death in my family, an evening surrounded by good friends and of course, seeing Skepsis melt faces at Shaker’s Roadhouse was just what my soul needed. I’m so proud of these guys for putting out this banger EP, and it was truly a pleasure to have them in front of my lens.
Watch me throw you a content-curve ball here. In case you didn’t get that joke, the curve ball is photos of a pop artist amongst these images of heavy metal performers. I was able to walk the halls of Rogers Place again this month, and it sure felt good. Imagine Dragons was a great first for getting back into the swing of things with arena-scale shows. This was my second time shooting them, and it was just as exciting as the first. Despite their music not really being my cup of tea, they put on a damn good show, and are hella entertaining to watch. They also won some brownie points among photographers on this tour cycle (I think). If by some wild chance one of them reads this shit blog, thanks for having confetti blasts during your first three songs, dudes!
Now this is the real deal right here. And by this, I mean Slipknot. It was almost poetic in a way — Back in 2015, Slipknot was my first arena show, ever. Now that the pandemic is pretending to be over, fast forward 7 years later, Slipknot is my first arena metal show after 2 years of nothing. It was like it was meant to be in a way. Or so I tell myself that. This set was composed of their crowd pleaser tunes, and people at Rogers Place just ate it up. It’s been a minute since I’ve seen people fly over the barricade that aggressively, and whether it’s because this is the first large-scale metal show to hit Edmonton in 2 years, or if it’s because, well, it’s fucking Slipknot, I’m not sure. Either way, I was anticipating this show for a very long time, and it was a total thrill to shoot Slipknot once again, and it felt even better to be warmly welcomed back into the environment.
Returning to the Starlite Room to shoot European powerhouses in Beast In Black was simply magical. The energy that this band produces and connects to their audience with is something that you don’t see very often, but it was really something to behold. Especially so, considering that this is Beast In Black’s first North American tour. Needless to say, I think their impression of Canada (at least) has been great, which is promising for future tours. Leading the pack with fellow power metallers in Seven Kingdoms, and of course Edmonton’s hometown heroes in Striker all shared the bill with Beast In Black. People went absolutely ape-shit for this show, and it was something that really filled my cup this month.
Rounding out the month of April with some homies is always the cherry on top of my monthly round up of photos. Have I mentioned how much I love working with local talent? I don’t really care if I sound like a broken record with this matter, ‘cause I’m saying it again! (deal with it). I had a wonderful time reconnecting with some old friends in Purple City DIsco as they opened up the Starlite Room for Electric Six on the 30th. Something about local groovy funk bands just gets me, and Purple City Disco is where it’s at.
Thank YOU for taking a hot minute (or two) to read my April recap blog! Got questions regarding what I shot throughout the month of April? Send me an email HERE with your concert photo questions, let’s nerd-out! But until then, stick around to get the scoop on May’s recap!
Well… This is awkward. Totally kidding, but you know… not really. 2020 was looking to be rather promising, but thanks to COVID-19, it was completely turned upside down, and has absolutely annihilated the world we once knew it, along with the music and entertainment industry to the point where it’s repair is questionable. Now, I’m not about to flip this into a big controversial sob story; Instead, I’m wanting to take a positive approach to reflecting on the year. Let’s get into the nitty gritty of 2020, and shine some light on the positives that, now looking back, I’m extremely grateful for:
In 2020, I photographed a total of 7 shows, 10 press photo shoots, and a whopping 0 festivals; a steep fall from last year’s numbers, for obvious reasons. But luckily, I was happy to have photographed a portion of those few events for my ride or die outlets: Concertworks and the Starlite Room, Station on Jasper, Exclaim! & Pure Grain Audio. Along with providing photographic services to a handful of local artists.
I also had the great pleasure of being a guest on my friend Daymien Bourrie’s podcast, No Bad Ideas. We talked about all kinds of stuff involving my career, the highlights, and what I was most looking forward to in the year. Looking back on it now, it’s a little strange hearing myself express my hopes for 2020. If only I had the gift of foresight (lol). You can check out my episode on Daymien’s podcast right HERE and don’t forget to smash that subscribe button. I also began dabbling in the world of video. I’m no pro, but it’s hella fun. I’ve filmed 3 videos so far, one for my dear darling Gord, another for his band Tessitura, and one for the drummer, and my great friend Jesse of Juliet Ruin. Gord and I have actually been tag-teaming these videos, and I think we’re doing a pretty good job of it so far. If you want to check them out for yourself, you can peep Gord’s video HERE, Tessitura’s video HERE and Juliet Ruin’s video HERE.
Keeping up with my tradition of having bands jump for me during press photoshoots, I wasn’t about to let 2020 ruin that. Not for a second. So once again, I am bringing you yet another very special gallery of jumping bands. It’s a fun concept and it’s even more fun to be a part of! Check it below:
I wasn’t able to take part in a whole bunch of shows this year (obvi) but the ones I was able to be a part of were total bangers. I like to keep all of my sticky pass photo-credentials, and usually, I have a nice collection of them hanging on my wall by this time of year. But, as I’m sure you can assume thanks to the cover photo of this blog, I only scored one in 2020. Luckily, it was my 2020 kick off gig, courtesy of Alexisonfire. That show kicked some serious ass, and I’m glad I was able to catch it. I also did a handful of interesting press photoshoots this year, and I specifically want to note photographing Arcane Tyrant on the snowiest day of the year. In Edmonton, I think we got like, two feet of snow that day? I don’t know for sure, but it was a lot. Despite the shit weather conditions, they totally rocked their shoot like pros.
Sifting through my photos from this year and compiling a "favorites” gallery was bringing up all kinds of weird feelings. I’m sitting here remembering what it’s like to feel that rush before a band hits the stage, and wondering if the possibility of being in a packed venue will ever be a thing again. It’s hard to not get cynical and sad when thinking about that sort of thing. 2020 may have been a total asshole of a year, but it’s taught me that resilience is key when it comes to survival, and how important it is to stay positive and surround yourself with the things that make you happy. Despite my longing for the photo pit, I was fortunate enough to find solace in other things this year. My garden was off the chain and more lush than it’s ever been before, I rekindled my love for reading, and put more time into giving a damn about myself.
But, I digress. Summarizing the year as a whole is difficult to say the least, but thankfully, the first quarter was lit. To everyone who has supported me throughout 2020; Whether it was sharing my posts, referring me to your friends or hiring me for whatever your photo needs may have been, from the bottom of my heart THANK YOU! Thank you for letting me be a small part of your lives as musicians, music fans and lovers of photography. You know the drill, I’m bringing another year end blog to a close, the best way I know. I've sorted through the hundreds of photos that I've snapped over the course of the year and have compiled some of my personal favorites into a little gallery (in no particular order) for you to feast your eyes upon. I want to wish everyone (especially you ride or die kats who stuck through this blog and made it this far) all the love, happiness and well wishes of health and success in 2021, let's make it better than this nightmare that is 2020! From my heart to yours, HAPPY NEW YEAR! <3
Another year of shooting shows and taking in new musical experiences is in the bag! It’s hard to believe that I’m once again writing a year end blog, it seems as though 2019 has unapologetically flown by, and so much has happened, that I struggle to collect my thoughts on the high and low points of my year. I’ve really dropped the ball on keeping up with this portion of my website, and have been inconsistent with sharing galleries and blog posts with you all, and for that, I must apologize. But you know how it is, life gets busy, and shit happens. But I couldn’t deprive you of a yearly recap! So once again, I’m sitting here reminiscing on the year with a glass of wine in hand, a few stories to tell, and a bunch of favourite photos to share with you.
In 2019, I photographed a total of 74 shows, 20 press photo shoots and 7 festivals in Edmonton and across Western Canada; It was a busy year to say the least! A handful of my photos made it to print in numerous editions of Exclaim!, and I was pleased to have been a small part of some of the heaviest underground shows in town thanks to Concertworks and the Starlite Room. I also started working as a house photographer at Station on Jasper, and have been a contributing photographer to Pure Grain Audio since August.
As some of you long-time followers will know, during my press shoots, I always encourage the bands to jump for me with the purpose of creating a calendar. Though I have not made a calendar of these folks for a second year now, I have bigger plans for these images, and I’m hoping to announce my plans once I set the wheels in motion. Despite the lack of calendar provided, I still want you to appreciate them as much as I do, so I've included a special little gallery of these kat's jumping for joy, just for you! Check it below, and make sure you check out their music as well.
The shows that I had the pleasure of taking in over the course of 2019 are too many to name, however, there are quite a few that really stand out in my mind when asked which were my favorites. I was lucky to check a few artists off of my must-photograph list such as Snoop Dogg and the Backstreet Boys, as well as revisiting a few others that always catch my fancy like Ghost and July Talk. Festival season had it’s fair share of favorites as well, like Hozier and Brandi Carlile at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, and saying a last farewell to heavy metal royals in Slayer, as they coined the debut year of inner-city metal festival Chaos AB as their final performance in Alberta. Putting the cherry on top of my summer, I made my way to British Columbia to take in Armstrong Metalfest, and Drumheller, Alberta for Loud As Hell. These are two festivals that I’ve been spending my summers at for quite some time now, and each year, they only get better and better. Closing out the year with a bang, I had the great honor of once again being invited with photograph the half-time show for the 107th Grey Cup in Calgary, Alberta featuring the likes of country music superstar, Keith Urban. Please do keep in mind, that these are just a few of my favorite events over 2019. Had I dipped into my memories of the events featuring the local talent I was lucky enough to witness, we’d be here for a hella long time.
Summarizing the end of the year is always a challenge, I don’t think it ever wont be, to be completely honest. But one thing is for sure, if I’ve learned anything over the course of 2019, it’s to be thankful for your opportunities and the people who stand by you when the going gets tough; Appreciate the good times and keep your head up during the hard ones! Not every year is going to be a success, but let’s just put a Bob Ross inspired spin on those years and coin them as ‘happy little building blocks’. Hah, I’ll take that! Shit happens, but life goes on, and it wouldn’t be worth it if I wasn’t doing something I love. But let’s bring this reminiscent and semi-cynical blog to a close, shall we? To everyone who has supported me throughout 2019; Whether it was sharing my posts, referring me to your friends or hiring me for your biggest event of the year, from the bottom of my heart THANK YOU! Thank you for letting me be a small part of your lives as musicians, music fans and lovers of photography. So, as I bring another long-ass, year end blog to a close, I've sorted through thousands upon thousands of photos that I've snapped over the year and have compiled some of my personal favorites into a little gallery (in no particular order) for you to feast your look-balls upon. I want to wish everyone (especially you kats who stuck through this blog and made it this far) all the love and utmost success in 2020, let's kick it's ass together! From my heart to yours, HAPPY NEW YEAR! <3
It was Wacken Battle night in Edmonton again on Thursday night, and 5 of Edmonton (and area) finest gathered at Temple to duke it out for a chance to advance to the next round of the infamous battle of the bands competition. With Red Deer’s own The Myopia Condition taking the cake for this one, the progressive metallers will advance to the Alberta/Saskatoon finals of the competition on April 20th at Temple, and will be shredding alongside first round Edmonton winners in Rising Sun, as well as Saskatoon’s own Diehearted with a headliner yet to be announced.
It’s Wacken Battle season again across Canada, and so many local bands are gearing up to duke it out with their peers for a chance to play 2019’s Wacken Open Air Festival in Germany. With Edmonton being a staple city in the battles, round one of the Edmonton shows took place at Temple last night, featuring Within The Fury, Haxor, Apollo Spitfire and Rising Sun. The four bands battled it out with thrashers Rising Sun shredding their way to victory, and granting them passage to the next round where they will go up against 3 other yet to be determined Western Canadian finalists.
PHOTOGRAPHED FOR CONCERTWORKS
Bringing the heat to Edmonton on one of the coldest days of the year, Corrosion of Conformity played to a pleasantly full room at the Starlite Room on Monday night, accompanied by Crowbar, Weedeater and Mothership. The stoner rock-esque line up delivered the right kind of grooves and melodies to get folks moving around and forgetting about the frigid temperatures outside for a few hours.