December 31st

  It was on December 31st, 1999 that I saw Big Sugar play the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton. Opening the show was Scratching Post. 

Favourite Albums of 2025

  My list of my top ten albums that I got in 2025 in no particular order. I didn't buy to many albums this year. I feel like I am out of the loop on new bands and releases. Some new stuff, some reissues, a live album and a few that came out in 2024. Nonetheless, here is my list!

Kerry King - From Hell I Rise

 Ok, this album actually was released in 2024, but I didn't get it until early 2025. The debut solo album from Slayer guitarist Kerry King. A classic thrash album. I don't buy many metal albums these days from new bands, but this one is really fucking good!

Corb Lund Band - Five Dollar Bill

 Alberta's own country-roots rocker Corb Lund's third solo album originally released in 2002 on Stony Plain Records. I've always loved this album but only had it on CD. So I was happy to see New West Records reissue Corb's catalog on vinyl. Still one of my favourite albums of his. This was a must have for me, along with his previous albums.

Altameda - Crazy Blue

 Former Edmonton band now based in Toronto released their fourth album in 2025. I absolutely love this album. It took a few spins for it to really hit me, don't get me wrong, Iliked it from the start but the more I listen to it, the more I like it. Troy Snatarse and Erik Grice hit it out of the park yet again, great songwriting, great harmonies and melodies. A gem of an album from these alt/folk rockers.

Worst Days Down - Stay Innocent

 The posthumous release from Edmonton punkers Worst Days Down. Led by Ben Sir (RIP) who sadly passed away in April 2023. This is a hard album to listen to without shedding some tears. An album featuring some new songs the band had been working on before Ben's passing, as well as some previously unreleased songs and demos from 2014. Thanks for the beautiful music and memories Ben, we miss you!

Jon Spencer - Sick Of Being Sick!

 Another 2024 release that I didn't get until 2025. I picked this up at his show here in Edmonton and even got it autographed. This album is a short 20 minute jam packed album of garage punk rock. Love this album!

Laura Jane Grace - Adventure Club

 This solo album from Laura Jane Grace, formerly of Against Me! is such an awesome album. It's a rocking album with lyrics touching base with struggles of sobriety, mental health, religion, being trans. Dark lyrics, fun lyrics, it's allover the place. But such a great album. This record probably got the most spins of all the records I bought this year. Was so disappointed when she cancelled her cross country tour.

Warren Zevon - Epilogue: Live At The Edmonton Folk Music Festival

 Warren's very last live performance was captured at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival on August 9th 2002. And luckily it was recorded, it might not be the best performance by Warren, but it is very nice to have. Warren passed away in September 2003. This was a Black Friday Record Store Day release. How I wish I had gone to this show.

Dave Hause - ...And The Mermaid

 I really like this album by Dave Hause with his back up band The Mermaid. A more rocking album than his last few releases. I missed Dave's show here in Edmonton this past September as I was in Vancouver. here is hoping Dave comes through town again in 2026 with his band.

Neil Young And The Chrome Hearts - Talkin To The Trees

 Another release from Neil, as he has been punching out all kinds of albums in the last couple years, but this actually a new album of new music. His first album of new music in three years, and with a new back up band The Chrome Hearts, it's not Crazy Horse but still a great rocking back up band. The more I listen to this album the more I like it.

Porno For Pyros - Porno For Pyros

 Last but not least the debut album by Porno For Pyros, this was originally released in 1993. Led by Perry Farrell of Janes Addiction, this was the band he put together after the demise of Janes. Love this album and I now finally have it on vinyl, thanks to my buddy Nazz, who gifted this to me for Christmas. This copy is a 2025 reissue from Rhino Records. This pressing sounds amazing!

December 23rd

  The gig poster from the December 23rd, 2002 show I saw at Stars in Edmonton featuring Preshure Point, Standing For Something Falling For Nothing, Savannah and Stronger Than Blood.

Favourite Concerts of 2025

  So another year has passed us by already, where the hell is the time going. I had pretty damn good year for going to shows in 2025, one of the better years for me. I made a decision at the start of the year that I wanted to see more shows, depending of course who came through town instead of buying more records. It's nice to own records that you can have for your collection, but with the price of records nowadays, it's getting tougher to afford them, and I'm running out of room for vinyl. So, I went with making memories and experiencing the thrill of a live show over buying more music. Don't get me wrong, there were still records bought, but not like I used to.

 So here is my top ten list of favourite shows of 2025.

1. Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts, September 6th @ Deer Lake Park in Burnaby, BC

 This show was a must see for me and Neil did not disappoint. His back up band The Chrome Hearts were awesome and brought a lot of energy to the show. A great venue for the show too.

2. Jon Spencer, March 1st @ Red Room in Edmonton

 To see Jon Spencer again was a treat especially in a small venue, surprisingly small crowd too, but so fuckin' good!

3. Kerry King & Municipal Waste, January 23rd @ Midway Music Hall in Edmonton

 Kerry King of Slayer fame with his own band in a club, wow. A heavy metal show that kicked ass, Municipal Waste was awesome too.

4. Drive-By Truckers & Deer Tick, June 12th @ The Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver

 This was worth the trip to Vancouver, two great bands at an awesome venue.

5. Weezer & Sam Roberts Band, July 12th at the Rockin' Thunder Music Festival @ Exhibition Lands Race Track in Edmonton

 A fun outdoor festival, great weather and to see Weezer again after 30 years was sweet, Sam Roberts Band was excellent as well. 

6. The Wallflowers, June 6th @ Midway Music Hall in Edmonton

 To see Jakob Dylan perform in a bar setting was very cool. Great show!

7. Mike Campbell and The Dirty Knobs, June 20th @ Midway Music Hall in Edmonton

 Mike Campbell the guitarist of Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers playing a bar, very cool, weird that they had seating at this show, still a very fun show.

8. Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit, May 11th @ The Winspear Centre in Edmonton

 Jason at the Winspear, the sound was amazing and what a show he put on.

9. Mike Plume, March 17th @ Temple in Edmonton

 If  i see Mike play, his shows are always going to make my top ten. Such an amazing songwriter and performer.

10. Modest Mouse, July 3rd @ Jubilee Auditorium in Edmonton

 A band I had never seen in concert before, and man were they good, way heavier than I was expecting. Amazing show!

So many good shows, it was hard to list my top ten without naming some honourable mentions, like, Wilco, Jr. Gone Wild, Corb Lund, John Garcia, Lee Aaron, Altameda, Headstones, Big Sugar, Western Death Ballads. 

2026 is shaping up to be another great year for shows. Three big stadium shows already announced for Edmonton, Foo Fighters, AC/DC, Guns N' Roses.

Wishes for 2026.

A healthy year.

A Ween reunion would be awesome.

Being able to afford to travel to a concert outside of Edmonton.

New Mike Plume music and tour.

Eamon McGrath Live in Edmonton December 18th 2025

  On Thursday night my buddies A-Bomb, Buzzard and I went to Bent Stick Brewing to catch Eamon McGrath play an acoustic show. I had high expectations of this show as this would be my fourth time seeing him in concert. 

 Eamon is a musician based in Windsor, Ontario, originally from Edmonton, so this would be a home-coming show for him. The show at Bent Stick was sold out and playing to a hometown crowd, this was going to be good.

 Looking back at previous shows I have seen by Eamon, they were all with a full band, and this show was just him on acoustic guitar. I have to say, I didn't enjoy this near as much as I had his other shows I have seen. I had seen him play a few songs with just him on guitar at the other shows, and it was great. But I guess a whole show of just him on guitar by himself, felt very boring. He seemed to lack the energy and grit of previous shows. Maybe because this was his third performance of the day, having played a set at CJSR (University radio station) and a set at CKUA radio. So maybe he was burnt out, I'm not sure, but this show really did nothing for me. The few standout songs for me on this night was his song "Guts" and the Townes Van Zandt song "Pancho and Lefty". Overall the show was a letdown for me. Having said that, I would still go see him with a full band again anytime!

Eamon McGrath.

December 19th

  The gig poster from the show I saw at New City on December 19th, 2004 in Edmonton featuring the.stars.wept, The Hollywood Ending, Tandum Vitalis, Life At Last, Vying For Solace and E-Town Beatdown.

Yuletide Bonanza 8 at The Starlite Room in Edmonton December 13th 2025

  Last Saturday my buddy A-Bomb and I made our way to the Starlite Room to take in the Yuletide Bonanza. This was the 8th edition of this festival, but the first time I have gone. A show featuring 16 mostly local bands and raising money and food donations for the food bank, so all for a good cause. The main reason we went, was to see Western Death Ballads, and I really wanted to see the band Barb Wire Choker. Being my first time to this event, I wasn't sure how this would work, what were the set times, who was playing when and such. Well, it starts with the hosts putting all the band names in a hat and then picking eight names, and the bands playing in the order they were picked, then a half hour intermission and doing the same for the rest of the bands on the bill. So if you weren't there early, you may miss the band you really wanted to see. In all there were 16 bands that played, with bands being added at the last minute. So it was going to be a long night of music with each band playing a 15 minute set. This is a great way to see a bunch of bands that you may not have seen before, and for me this would be my first time seeing most of them.

 The first band to get things started was The Unwashed a skate punk band. They were alright, I believe the guys in the band were the hosts.

The Unwashed.

 Next up was the Calgary band Citizen Rage. I've seen their name around for years and heard good things about them but had never seen them before. So I was looking forward to checking them out, and early in the night too. I thought they were great, a mix of thrash, skate punk and hardcore, reminded me a bit of Suicidal tendencies at times.

Citizen Rage.

 Next up was Edmonton's punk, rockabilly band The Devil's Sons. A band I have seen before, but not really a fan of. They're good at what they do,just not my taste in music.

The Devil's Sons.

 Next up was locals Livin Filth. A punk band leaning to hardcore style music. I had to laugh when my buddy said the lead singer looked like the rapper Ali G. Didn't much care for this band.

Livin Filth.

 The fifth band of the night was the Edmonton punkers 20/20s. This band has been around a while, I've seen the name around lots but don't believe I had seen them before. I enjoyed their straight up punk rock.

20/20s.

 The next band of the evening was another band I had never heard of or seen before. An Edmonton band called Messor, with a name like that, I wasn't sure what to expect. Well they were a death metal band, not my kind of music.

Messor.

 Next up was Barb Wire Choker. This was one of the bands I was looking forward to seeing. Lead singer Lacy Machell used to front a band called Dolly Rotten that I really liked, this is her new project that I had yet to see. And I wasn't disappointed, straight up rock n' roll with a twinge of country influence. Makes me think of a Supersuckers influence with female vocals. A great but short set by barb Wire Choker. Hopefully an album release from the band soon.

Barb Wire Choker.

 The eighth band of the night was Calgary's Sick Ritual. A fast paced hardcore band, short in your face songs with lots of energy.

Sick Ritual.

 After a half hour intermission, some time to catch your breath, get some fresh air, have a smoke or two and it was on to the second half of the show. Another draw for the rest of the bands on the bill, so another eight bands drawn.

 The first band of the second half was a three piece band from Fort McMurray called Supermodel Taxidermy. Great name for a band. They played a thrash/hardcore style of music.

Supermodel Taxidermy.

 Next up was Edmonton's Western Death Ballads. This was the band I most wanted to see and the third time I have seen them play live. After all the heavy music of the night, i was wondering how this three piece country/punk band would go over. And from what I could tell, they went over very well. Like the band name, some western death ballad music ending their set with a metal classic by Iron Maiden "Run To The Hills" done country style. Love this band!

Western Death Ballads.

 The eleventh band of the night was Edmonton band Culled. Their music would be described as sludge death metal music. Not to my liking.

Culled.

 It was after this band that my buddy and I called it a night. I had seen the bands I wanted to see, and after eleven bands and lots of heavy music, I'd had enough. I'm just not the fan of the heavy stuff as I once was. All and all though, this was a great event. It was run very well, one band after another, a great turnout attendance wise, with everyone in great spirits. And a great way to catch a bunch of bands you may not know, short sets, so if you didn't like the band, you didn't have to wait long for the next band. To the organizers of this event and the Starlite Room, awesome job! Good times!!!