Edmonton rockers Looking East are in the process of writing new material for an album they plan on recording in the new year, a follow-up to their 2008 EP Telling Lies. And as any musician knows, that can be a trying and busy time, no matter your schedule.
But still, vocalist Jadie Hunt, who founded the band in 2007, finds the time to carry on a new tradition, with help of Looking East bassist Steve Mardling.
“Rock 4 Santa is a charity concert of all independent bands giving back to their community …

Tim Brown, vocalist and guitarist for Edmonton country and western thrash metal band Sixguns Over Tombstone, has been writing material for the band since he was 17. Even with the release of Putting Revenge on the Map in July 2009, Sixgun has already started compiling material for another album, which is set to include new material, as well as songs written back when the group was still playing the all-ages circuit.
Sixguns Over Tombstone graduated to bar shows in 2005. That year also signaled the beginning of a series of lineup …

According to Bobby Thompson, fans of Job For A Cowboy can look forward to “intense live shows and a good time” when checking out the Arizona-based deathcore band .
They’re on the road with grindcore act The Red Chord, and living comedic thrash legends GWAR, the tour’s headliners, which can’t be an easy spot to fill. But Thompson is confident that concert-goers, no matter who they’re there to see and hear, won’t leave disappointed.
“The GWAR show rules,” exclaims Thompson, one of JFAC’s extraordinarily gifted guitarists. “I don’t blame them if they …

It has been said that idle hands are the Devil’s workshop. The same cannot be said for Hate Eternal’s Erik Rutan, at least the idle hands part. Rutan, the guitarist and lead vocalist for the Florida-based death metal four-piece, is one of the hardest working musicians in metal, with his band touring a good chunk of the year.
When he’s not on the road, you can most likely find him in his studio, Mana Recording Studios, working on any number of projects. This year alone, he’s had his hand in Nile’s …

When he was six-years-old, Calgary, Alta.-born Arjun Gill moved to Saudi Arabia. His dad worked for a major oil company, and the family spent the next 11 years in the Middle Eastern country on an American compound. Doesn’t exactly seem the most likely place for heavy metal to grow and take flight, but in this musical genre, history tells us that anything can and will happen when inspiration to create takes hold.
Now back in Canada, this time on the west coast in Vancouver, Gill is wrapping up his high school …

The Nov. 28 thrash metal show headlined by Richmond, Va.’s Municipal Waste at The Warehouse began in an unusual but sensual fun way. Opening up for the bands were Calgary’s Kabuki Guns Burlesque (KGB) troupe. Bunny Bunnotzi, Lacy Gunsmoke Dusty Tops, Lacy Gunsmoke and Daisy DeVille treated the audience to their unique sets of saucy striptease.
Toronto, Ont.’s Cauldron are a very impressive NWOBHM band. Not only do these guys look the part, they play it very well. The set was tight and the crowd went nuts for “Chained Up In …

I think it’s only fair to say right from the beginning here that this isn’t so much of a review as it is a recollection, because no matter how I word it, it’s gonna sound biased.
You see, the Halloween show at Big Al’s in Calgary, Alta. featuring headliners Sacred Ally in their fourth anniversary performance, was my first show laying down the synth for Celtic-influenced death metal act Gales of Avalon.
The cool thing about this show, aside from sharing the stage with the always-awesome progressive trio that is Phantom Limb, …

‘Tis the season of treacherous weather, ignorant drivers and wasteful spending. Okay, so maybe I just had a “day.” It took an hour and a half to drive what’s normally a 10-minute cruise home; it never ceases to amaze me that every winter, snow falls and thousands of Alberta drivers suddenly forget what they’re doing behind the wheel. Seriously? We get snow in July. Calgary drivers can be excused… to an extent. They only drive in the snow about 25 per cent of the time in winter, thanks to those …

Ahhh, Christmas! It’s the time of year when kids of all ages dream of getting free stuff from friends and relatives alike. And if you have a musician on your list, they can be the hardest people to buy for. Let’s face it, most of us tend to be notoriously picky about our gear, and more often than not, we want the good stuff. Throw in the tendency of players of all shapes and sizes to suffer from GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome), and you have a difficult task ahead of …

“Watching the Devils Work” Track List:
1. Hold Your Arms Out
2. Watching the Devil’s Work
3. Break ‘Em Down
4. Confusion On the Dance Floor
5. In a Crowd of Few
Calgary hardcore act Stab.Twist.Pull start growing their musical roots in 2007, with vocalist Mike Hoogars joining the group in February 2008. A series of line-up changes plagued the band, even as they were still struggling to find their sound. But that struggle was not in vain.
Armed with a new EP, Watching the Devils Work, set for release 2010 and new drummer, ready for unveiling …

What was your first ever metal concert?
Ozzy Osbourne. I saw him in Edmonton, Alta. on his “Retirement Sucks” tour in 1996.
Who is your favorite live band?
Hard question! I would have to say Clutch, since I’ve seen them five times, and also Kylesa.
Any favourite music to help you celebrate the season?
The only holiday music I really enjoy listening to during the holidays is the soundtrack for The Nightmare Before Christmas.
What’s on your Christmas wish list?
It was going to be Kittie’s new album, In The Black, but I couldn’t wait and bought …