Edmonton Rock Music Festival 2018 by T8N Magazine

www.edrocks.ca

PG 1

WELCOME TO THE 8TH ANNUAL

Edmonton Rock Music Festival E

WE SALUTE YOU!

arlier this summer, we saw the world come together to celebrate the World Cup. As I watched footage of the games, I was amazed to see how similar soccer and Rock-and-Roll fans really are. The coming together of people to celebrate, have fun, and support their shared passions is magnificent to behold. This spirit of community is what Rock and Roll is all about. The Rock and Roll Society of Edmonton is proud to promote the spirit of coming together at our 8th Annual Edmonton Rock Music Festival. As a registered charity, our mission is to support and promote rock music in our community, and particularly the youth who will lead and influence our communities of the future.

It’s no secret that music has the power to change lives. Nowhere is this more evident than in the positive impact we see on kids in the Rock and Roll Society’s Centre for Arts & Music (CAM) Program. At CAM, students learn how to play instruments, write songs, and dedicate themselves to a band and to their peers. In the process, they also develop self-confidence, focus, and creativity – skills that will carry them into adulthood while supporting them through the ups and downs of life. It’s truly a special program and dear to our hearts. Your support of Rock Fest and other Society events ensures that our kids have the best possible future, and that rock music continues to thrive. There are many people who deserve recognition in making the Edmonton

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Rock Music Festival so magical. We are fortunate to have dedicated volunteers who work hard to ensure a safe and entertaining experience for all. We are also eternally grateful to our generous sponsors. To our staff who work with the kids daily and plan the festival, and to my fellow board members whose guidance and leadership ensure the Society thrives, I extend my greatest thanks. And finally, I salute YOU – the very best fans a Society like ours can have. The energy you bring inspires us to keep doing what we do. So enjoy the festival, give yourself and each other a big pat on the back, and as always, ROCK ON! Sincerely, Donna Semeniuk, President The Rock and Roll Society of Edmonton

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Thank you to

Our Sponsors

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Edmonton Rock Music Festival 2018

Map of the Grounds Smoking Area

Volunteer Sign-in

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Roa

Portable Washrooms

Washrooms

Greenroom Entrance

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Tur

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Stage

K-97

Back Gate

Beer Gardens

Performers & Volunteers

Sound First Aid

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Bully Food Truck

Bars n Bands CAM Info Liquor Ticket Table

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RRSE Merchandise Band Merchandise K-97 Road Hogs

Royal Treats

$ ATM Washrooms

Front Gate Public Entrance

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PG 5

Friday, August 17 5:00 pm–6:00 pm

laying locally since 2016, Edmonton’s 69 Ave is made up of five lively and skilled musicians with a passion for performance and the music they cover. With influences ranging from rock ’n’ roll to pop and spanning four decades, 69 Ave is a cover band that embodies the passion of the artists they emulate. Kim Ryl is a passionate and compelling lead vocalist and the band’s guiding voice. Inspired by “artists who push the boundaries of their abilities and emote with genuine artistry,” Kim feels that music can reach others and touch everyone in a similar way. Heiko Ryl is a powerful drummer who brings every crowd member into the transcendental moment of music. Having played for close to 40 years, Heiko’s philosophy is one of passion, dedication, and love for the craft. Rod Harder’s deep bass lines will walk you down that line of punch and practicality. There’s something organic in filling those spaces and bringing the music together that Rod believes “can’t be forced.” Lead guitarist Terry Maruyama pays homage while injecting his own sensibilities. Couple that with subtle high harmonies and 69 Ave’s live shows really shine. For Terry, it’s about honouring songs and the people who created them. Jason Fry steadies and magnifies the already boisterous band with his rhythm and larger-than-life guitar. Vibrating off the buzz of performing, Fry takes music as a companion through the bad and the good. Together 69 Ave gives a fresh take on songs that will get the crowd in the mood to dance, sing, and most importantly, feel. ✪

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Edmonton Rock Music Festival 2018

SAGA Friday, August 17 6:30 pm–8:00 pm

or over 40 years, Saga has led the way in music innovation and audience interaction. Through their history, the band has released over 21 studio albums and over 20 music videos. Along the way, they’ve sold 10 million albums and performed in over 20 countries to over 15 million fans. Saga’s self-titled debut was released in 1978. The release was marked by a fortunate twist of fate when a leading Toronto record outlet exported a number of Canadian records to Germany. Within a few short weeks, the album had sold 50,000 copies as an import. Saga returned to the studio in 1979 to record their second LP, Images at Twilight. The band had also mapped out the script for an eight-song science fiction story known as The Chapters. Many of the individual story parts would become some of Saga’s best-loved hits. After months of touring, Saga released Worlds Apart in 1981. The album

included the hit song “On the Loose,” which reached Number 3 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. That year, Saga also received the Juno Award for Most Promising Group of the Year. Worlds Apart became a certified Gold album in the U.S. selling 800,000 copies in 1983. Saga’s achievements in the studio were equalled by their accomplishments on the road, with the band playing extensively around Canada, the U.S., Europe, and South America. Several concerts were recorded for In Transit, the first ever digital live album by a rock band. Saga was the first Canadian rock group to perform behind the old Iron Curtain, playing Bucharest in 1984. The band’s popularity in Europe continued with Heads or Tales, the 1983 follow-up to Worlds Apart, which reached Gold status in Germany and was a Top 5 album in several other European countries. Behaviour followed in 1985 and similarly did www.edrocks.ca

well in Germany and neighbouring countries. Their success in Europe has led them to tour heavily there, as live albums such as Contact: Live in Munich and Spin It Again! Live in Munich attest to. The new millennium has seen The Chapters expanded, with eight more chapters appearing on releases between 1999 and 2003. All 16 parts were gathered on The Chapters Live, a two-CD live album recorded in 2003 and released in 2005. More recently, Saga’s 21st and final album, Sagacity, was released in 2014, and in 2017 the band announced it would be retiring. The Final Chapter farewell tour followed, which included a performance on the 2018 “Cruise to the Edge” with the likes of Yes and Marillion, wrapping up in February 2018 with a show at the Phoenix in Toronto. Despite “retiring,” Saga has left open the possibility of further shows—and that’s good news for Edmonton Rock Music Festival fans. ✪ PG 7

F EL D E N O

Friday, August 17 8:30 pm–10:00 pm

on Felder is renowned as a former lead guitarist of The Eagles, one of the most popular and influential rock groups of our time. The band’s record-setting compilation, Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975), sold over 29 million copies in the U.S. alone. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 1998, Felder was with The Eagles for 27 years, putting his mark on the band’s numerous milestones. Felder originated the music and co-wrote The Eagles’ biggest hit, the iconic “Hotel California” along with fan favourites like “Victim of Love” and “Those Shoes.” He became celebrated for his lyrical, signature guitar work on legendary songs like “Hotel California,” “One of These Nights,” “New Kid in Town,” and numerous more. After leaving the group in 2001, Felder became a New York Times bestselling author when his memoir Heaven and Hell: My Life in The Eagles was published in 2008.

“Duane Allman was the first person I ever saw play electric-slide guitar,” Felder recalls. “I said, ‘You’ve got to show me how to do that,’ so we sat on his mother’s floor in Daytona Beach and Duane taught me how to play slide.” Florida is also where a young Felder would first meet Bernie Leadon, a founding member of The Eagles who would be instrumental in bringing his childhood friend into the band. In fact, it was Leadon who encouraged him to come out to Los Angeles. There Felder would find himself working with The Eagles and, in both sessions and live performances, for numerous legends spanning the musical spectrum: The Bee Gees, Bob Seger, Michael Jackson, Alice Cooper, Kenny Loggins, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Boz Scaggs, Warren Zevon, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Nicks, Vince Gill, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Paul Simon, Diana Ross, Barbara Streisand… and even an old friend, Steven Stills.

Having grown up in the local music scene of Gainesville, Florida, at a young age Don Felder would encounter a number of great talents who would go on to change rock ’n’ roll history. In high school, he formed a band with a young Stephen Stills, and he gave guitar lessons to a teenaged Tom Petty at the local music store. The Allman Brothers were neighbourhood pals, as well.

Putting all the tumult and glory he’d experienced to that point into perspective gave new urgency to the creation of the 2012 album Road to Forever—only the second solo effort in Felder’s storied, four-decade-plus career. Road to Forever represents the culmination of a personal journey of introspection that Felder began over ten years ago. In 2001, he suffered an emotionally devastating

PG 8

Edmonton Rock Music Festival 2018

double blow, separating acrimoniously from The Eagles for the last time while facing the end of his first marriage, which had lasted 29 years and produced four children. “Every identity I’d been attached to—musician, husband, and father— was being taken away,” he says. To heal, Felder began writing down as many memories as he could, putting his past in perspective. Finding these musings compelling, Felder was inspired to write a book and connected with Hollywood dealmaker Michael Ovitz to set up a publishing deal. “Two weeks later, I went to New York with a threepage synopsis, and received four offers from publishers,” Felder says. “Now I was forced to reflect on my life.” But the reflection also inspired him to write out his life’s stories as if they were songs. After the book was published, he found himself being pulled back to music. He began recording those songs, and that led to Road to Forever. “Who would’ve ever thought that a guitar player from Gainesville would go on to be in The Eagles, and then become a best-selling author?” Felder continues. “I had to figure all that out for myself, and I’m glad that I did. In the process of making the album, I found out who I really am. I had to find out what happened when I almost lost it all.” ✪

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The most

COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE to everything happening

THIS SUMMER

In Edmonton

our years ago, in a small neighborhood pub in north Edmonton, Rockzilla was born. Made up of Al Petrie (bass, vocals), Todd Gerow (drums, vocals), and Kevin Melendez-Duke (guitar, vocals), Rockzilla brings raw energy back to rock ’n’ roll, mercilessly tormenting the city’s music scene with high-energy stage antics and an innovative stage-and-light show. Al has been playing professionally for 20-plus years. His weapon of choice is his Billy Sheenan bass, which matches his aggressive style and tasty licks. On top of that, he’s a force to be reckoned with as a vocalist, singing songs from Rush to The Police. Todd has been belting out lead and backup vocals, and providing a solid backbeat for some of Edmonton’s best bands, for four decades. Inspired by the likes of Keith Moon, John Bonham, and Neil Peart, and surrounded by a huge drum kit, his love of music shines through. Last but not least, Kevin is a guitarist with over 25 years of gigging experience. Kevin utilizes his high-end PRS axes to provide his progressive and versatile leads. He’s also known to belt out a few tunes and enjoys grooving with the guys. Rockzilla believes in bringing back the stage show, so expect to see fog, lights, banners, and a ten-foot dragon… named Bruce.

Rockzilla Saturday, August 18 11:30 am–12:15 pm Recalling bands like The Who, Rush, and Nirvana, Rockzilla performs material from classic to new rock, pulling off difficult tunes but also enjoying the crowd pleasers, performing almost weekly and building momentum with their loyal following and new fans alike. ✪

ord Steinke is well known in Edmonton as Global TV’s primetime news anchor, but he’s also an award-winning singer/songwriter. He has three rock albums under his belt and has been entertaining audiences for over 40 years across Canada.

His albums Something Wrong and Hidden Agenda garnered multiple ARIA (Alberta Recording Industry Association) awards, including Rock Album of the Year and Best New Group. His single “You Never Told Me” with the late jazz great Tommy Banks won ARIA Single of the Year.

Gord Steinke and

the Big Stein Band Saturday, August 18 12:45 pm–1:30 pm PG 12

For Edmonton Rockfest, Gord is thrilled to have teamed up once again with longtime friend and guitarist Randy Rink and drummer Mark Scholz. Randy is well known in Canadian music circles as a premier guitarist and session player. He’s played with many rock and country heavyweights over the years in Canada and the U.S. He’s also in demand as a music teacher. Randy and Gord started playing together on the rock circuit in Western Canada back in the late 70s, and Randy offered up his searing guitar work on the award-winning

Edmonton Rock Music Festival 2018

album Something Wrong. In the years since, they’ve shared many festival stages, opening up for such international acts as Deep Purple, Lou Gramm (of Foreigner fame), Nickleback, Rick Derringer, the Bay City Rollers, April Wine, and Headstones. Like Gord, Mark Scholz is a familiar name in broadcasting in Edmonton, having co-hosted The Big Breakfast

morning show on A-Channel back in the day. He also has an alter ego as a powerhouse drummer. Mark’s music career began at Berklee College of Music in Boston and he has been performing ever since. You might have even seen him play in the popular Big Breakfast Boogie Band, which continued to play after the show ended. He’s also a member of the roots music trio, Blue

Montegos, whose debut album received rave reviews. Gord Steinke and the Big Stein Band are looking forward to storming the stage at RockFest, playing their high-energy, high-volume style of blues rock. If you’d like to give some of Gord’s tunes a listen, feel free to check them out on his YouTube channel. ✪

HOLLY WOODS AND TORONTO

Saturday, August 18 2:00 pm–2:50 pm

oronto’s first album, Lookin’ for Trouble, was released in 1980. The lead single “Even the Score” was a minor hit, just missing the Canadian Top 40. Head On followed in 1981 after Gary Lalonde (later of Honeymoon Suite) and Barry Connors (later of Coney Hatch) joined. The band was nominated for a Juno in 1981 for Most Promising Group of the Year, though the award went to Powder Blues Band. The sextet released Get It on Credit in 1982, with the lead single “Your Daddy Don’t Know” reaching the Top 5 in Canada and hitting #77 on the American charts. Written by Geoff Iwamoto and Michael Roth, “Your Daddy Don’t Know” was also nominated for a Juno Award in 1983 for Composer of the Year. It

remains their best-known hit and was covered by The New Pornographers for the 2003 film soundtrack, FUBAR: The Album. Lalond was replaced by Mike Gingrich for 1983’s Girls’ Night Out, which also received attention, as did the band’s Greatest Hits in 1984. That year, Holly Woods was nominated for the Female Vocalist of the Year Juno, which Anne Murray won. More turnover followed, with founding members Brian Allen and Sheron Alton leaving, along with drummer Connors. They were replaced by Marty Walsh (guitar), Daryl Alvara (guitar), and Paul Hanna (drums), and the band rechristened themselves Holly Woods and Toronto. In 1985, they released their final album, Assault & Flattery, which www.edrocks.ca

featured the single “New Romance.” However, the band was forced to break up when Solid Gold Records filed for bankruptcy. A subsequent solo album by Holly Woods was shelved for over 20 years until Cyclone Records acquired the “lost” masters and released the album in 2007. The song “What About Love” was originally recorded during the Get It on Credit sessions. However, the band elected not to put it on the record. In 1985 the song was offered to Heart, who turned it into an international hit. Toronto’s original version was eventually released in 2002 as a bonus track on the CD reissues of several of their albums. ✪

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Helix has also been recording since the 70s, earning themselves four Gold and two Platinum albums, as well as a Number One album in Sweden (Long Way to Heaven), and they continue to write, record and release music. In 2014, they released their 13th and most recent studio album, Bastard of the Blues, on Perris Records.

HELIX Saturday, August 18 3:20 pm–4:10 pm

ormed in 1974, Helix has been touring for almost 45 years. To date, they’ve played with over 200 of the world’s greatest rock acts. In 1983, they toured 11 European countries in 32 days with the world’s hottest band, Kiss. That same year they toured with bands across the U.S., starting with Motörhead and continuing with Molly Hatchet, Meatloaf, Black Sabbath, and Heart.

PG 14

As well as being involved in Helix, vocalist Brian Vollmer also holds the distinction of being one of the last voice teachers in the world teaching the old Italian method of bel canto. He has taught several singers, including Morgan and Mercedes Landers of Kittie, Canadian country music star Tim Hicks, Sarah Smith, and he appeared as the mentor for country singer Melanie Morgan on the Canadian talent show Cover Me Canada, which drew 180,000 viewers a week. Helix includes Greg Hinz (drums) and Daryl Gray (bass) from the classic 80s lineup. Of the two recent members, Kaleb Duck has been in the band the longest at 10 years; Christopher Julke, the newest member, joined in 2014 when longtime member Brent Doerner retired. The Helix show is a combination of the hits, new material, and hidden gems from the past. For new material, they play a few of their latest releases. Helix has been playing Edmonton since the mid-70s and always looks forward to returning to the Oil City. ✪

Edmonton Rock Music Festival 2018

Saturday, August 18 5:15 pm–6:15 pm

ohnny Dee and Derry Grehan formed Honeymoon Suite in 1982 with Dave Betts on drums and a series of keyboardists and bassists rounding out the band. In 1983 they entered the annual Homegrown Contest, put on by Toronto’s Q107 FM. “New Girl Now” won the contest and WEA Canada was so impressed that it signed the band. Toronto-raised Ray Coburn eventually joined on keyboards, as did bassist Gary Lalonde, and the band’s milestone first album, Honeymoon Suite, was released in June of 1984. Throughout 1983 and 1984 Honeymoon Suite toured Canada and the U.S., headlining club gigs and opening for such acts as Billy Idol, April Wine, and Bryan Adams. In 1984 the band was nominated for Most Promising Group of the Year at the Juno Awards. Propelled by the success of other singles from the album, 1985 saw the band

headline gigs throughout Ontario and the rest of Canada. Honeymoon Suite’s second album, The Big Prize, was released on Valentine’s Day, 1986. It went Platinum in Canada almost immediately and sold steadily in the U.S. Tours in the States that year included opening stints for Heart, ZZ Top, Journey, and Saga. The band also headlined dates in both Canada and the northern U.S. Ray Coburn left in 1986 and was replaced by whiz-kid keyboardist Rob Preuss, formerly of the Spoons. To record their third album, the band went to Los Angeles in the winter of 1987. While there, Dee was hit by a car at LAX airport, breaking his leg in several places and requiring surgery. While recovering, Michael McDonald of the Doobie Brothers was brought in to help with the recording sessions, co-writing and singing backup on one song. The result of all the hard work was Racing After Midnight, a slightly www.edrocks.ca

harder-edged, more guitar-oriented album that spawned a headlining tour of Canada and a European tour with Status Quo. Problems surfaced with long-time management company Head Office. After the group left the fold, Ray Coburn returned to the band in time for WEA to release a best-of compilation in 1989. Betts and Lalonde then took their leave and Coburn, Dee, and Grehan began writing together again. Monsters Under the Bed followed in 1991, and singles like “Say You Don’t Know Me” and “The Road” did well in Canada. In 2007, the band’s classic 80s lineup reunited for a Canadian tour, which led to 2008’s Clifton Hill. Their most recent is the 2016 EP Hands Up. In addition to seven new songs, Hands Up offers live versions of “Burning in Love” and “New Girl Now” and even features guest vocals by Grehan’s daughter, Leah Marlene. ✪ PG 15

GLASS

TIGER

Saturday, August 18 6:45 pm–8:00 pm

ith the album 31, Glass Tiger can boast a phenomenal music career spanning three decades. Just as remarkable, the core band members (Alan Frew on vocals and guitar, Sam Reid on the keyboard, Al Connelly on guitar, Wayne Parker on bass, and longtime drummer Chris McNeill) have maintained a brotherhood built on respect and friendship throughout that journey.

Records, the group changed its name from Tokyo to Glass Tiger, ushering in a long career of international touring. In Canada, the band notched many more hits such as “I’m Still Searching,” “Animal Heart,” and “Rescued (By the Arms of Love),” which all make an encore appearance on 31. Yet 31, which was recorded in Nashville by fellow Canadian Johnny Reid, is not exactly a greatest hits package. Originally, the members of Glass Tiger hoped to write and record an album of all-new material to coincide with the 30th anniversary of their landmark debut album. However, that ambitious project was put on hold to allow Frew to recover from a stroke in 2015. Ultimately, it was the producer’s idea to reimagine the band’s catalogue. As Johnny Reid told the band, he considered these songs to be old friends, so he wanted to invite them into his house and provide them with new clothes.

The album’s title refers to the years that have passed since their 1986 debut, The Thin Red Line, which reached quadruple-Platinum sales in Canada, and spawned consecutive Juno Award-winning singles “Don’t Forget Me” and “Someday.” Both singles were Top 10 hits in the U.S. and the band earned a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. The band got its break in the summer of 1984 while opening for Culture Club and Boy George at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens. When they attracted attention from Capitol

On 31, Glass Tiger continues to attract special guests, as the band has done on all of their studio albums. 31 offers guest vocals from Julian Lennon on “Thin Red Line” and Alan Doyle on “My Song.” In alternate versions, Quebec vocalist Véronic DiCaire performs in French on “Someday” while Susan Aglukark sings in Inuktitut on “Diamond Sun.” Johnny Reid turns up on “Wae Yer Family,” one of the two new tracks on 31. The other is a rendition of Johnny Reid’s song, “Fire It Up.” Looking ahead, Sam Reid believes the new music combines dazzling pop styles that solidified the band’s reputation with the more acoustic approach that listeners will discover on 31. “We had so much fun doing this album,” he says. “I mean we’re a rock band. Even if we’re getting a little older, we don’t want to mellow out. We still love cranking it up, so I think the records will still have an edge to them, but they’ll always have a tinge of where we’re at right now.” ✪

THIS GUIDE IS PROUDLY PRODUCED BY PUBLISHER Rob Lightfoot 780 940 6212 rob@t8nmagazine.com

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T8N Publishing Inc. President & Publisher: Rob Lightfoot 176, 311 Bellerose Drive, St. Albert, Alberta, T8N 5C9

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Edmonton Rock Music Festival 2018

ore than three decades have passed since Los Lobos released their debut album, Just Another Band from East L.A. Since then they’ve repeatedly disproven that title—Los Lobos isn’t “just another” anything, evolving artistically while never losing sight of their humble beginnings. The group came together from three separate units. David Hidalgo, the band’s lead vocalist and guitarist met Louie Perez at Garfield High in East LA and started a garage band. Cesar Rosas, who plays guitar and mandolin, had his own group, and Conrad Lozano launched a power trio. “But we all hung out because we were friends, and making music was the natural progression of things,” says Perez. “If you hang around a barbershop long enough, you’re going to get a haircut.” They were already East L.A. legends, Sunset Strip regulars, and a Grammy Award-winning band (Best MexicanAmerican/Tejano Music Performance) by the time they recorded their major label debut, How Will the Wolf Survive? in 1984. The album name and title track were inspired by a National Geographic article about wolves in the wild, but the band—now with Steve Berlin—saw parallels with their struggle for mainstream rock success while keeping their Mexican roots. Three decades, two more Grammys, a worldwide smash single (“La Bamba”) and thousands of rollicking performances later, Los Lobos is surviving quite well—and still jamming with the raw intensity they had when they began in a garage in 1973. The band chronicles a key moment of their expansive journey on Disconnected in New York City, a dynamic live album that marks the band’s 40th anniversary and launches their new association with 429 Records. Steve Berlin—saxophonist, flautist, and harmonica player—met the band

LOS LOBOS Saturday, August 18 8:30 pm–10:00 pm while still with seminal L.A. rockers The Blasters. He joined Los Lobos after performing on and co-producing (with T-Bone Burnett) their breakthrough 1983 EP …And a Time to Dance. Though he wasn’t jamming with them back in the “Krypton days” (as Perez calls it) in the barrio garage, Berlin felt it was important to mark his cohorts’ 40th year, just as they had on their 30th by inviting guests (Dave Alvin, Bobby Womack, Elvis Costello, Mavis Staples) to be part of their 2004 album, The Ride. Around the time of their last big anniversary, Rolling Stone magazine summed up the distinctive, diverse, and spontaneous Los Lobos aesthetic perfectly: “This is what happens when five guys create a magical sound, then stick together for 30 years to see how far it can take them.” Perez, the band’s drummer, once called their powerhouse mix of rock, Tex-Mex, country, folk, R&B, blues, and traditional Spanish and Mexican music “the soundtrack of the barrio.” Looking back, Lozano sees the release of Disconnected in New York City as Los Lobos coming full circle. “A lot of people forget that though we were rock musicians when we got out of high school, www.edrocks.ca

the band started off as an acoustic outfit,” he says. “We wanted to play Mexican folk music because those were our roots and there was this whole Chicano awareness thing happening back in the early 70s.” The band studied music from all across Mexico and learned how to play the instruments to reproduce that music authentically. The formula held for a few years, but they kept an eye on the pop music scene. “We were playing this restaurant gig for two years, and some small local clubs, playing the same songs, when people in the crowd started shouting out, ‘Do you know any Beatles or Grateful Dead tunes?’” Lozano explains. So the band returned to the garage and added more rock to their sound. They made a tape, which they gave to The Blasters—Steve Berlin’s band—after seeing them perform on Sunset Strip. The band liked what they heard, and invited Los Lobos to open for them at Whiskey a Go Go, their first time playing across the Los Angeles River. “We played originals and old favourites by Hendrix, Cream, The Yardbirds, and the Beatles,” Lozano says. “All the stuff we loved as kids. The icing on the cake is the audience loved it, too.” ✪ PG 17

The Centre for Art and Music (CAM) is a program for youth run by The Rock and Roll Society of Edmonton. CAM provides youth - many with very few opportunities for music education - with a no-cost after-school program; our mentors teach students to write songs, learn instruments, play in a band, and ultimately produce their own concerts. Through the CAM journey, kids develop valuable skills in confidence, teamwork and self-respect, and possibilities once unthinkable become within reach - including playing to a crowd of thousands at the Rock Fest. More than 380 students have gone through CAM since its inception in 2011. A CD is produced each year, which includes original tunes written by the kids as well as some of their favourite cover songs. CAM gives students opportunities to make strides in musical ability, overcome personal challenges, and work as a team with their new friends.

Parents and school counselors are extremely pleased in the positive influence the program has had on the students enrolled: “…..Watching the CAM students at our last concert, I saw them demonstrating the confidence and the joy in performing music that they created, and it definitely warmed my heart. Proud parents and performers can rightfully celebrate and be proud of the work they have done. The older students at St. Alphonsus have taken their mentorship role seriously and take as much pride in the accomplish-

ments of the younger students as they do in their own performance. This group of young ladies and gentlemen have found life and purpose through music. My heartfelt thanks to (the CAM instructors) for their dedication and commitment to the students and to music……” –John Groten, Principal, St. Alphonsus School “We are so privileged to have the CAM program at our school.….. (The Instructors) bring out the best in our students and give them the tools and support necessary to grow as musicians.

We see such tremendous growth in our students, and what a confidence booster! Kids are proud and excited to share their talent and musical gifts. One of our kindergarten teachers expressed that one of the students was a non-talker”….and now she’s singing lead vocals…… Thank you so much to Melanie Kidder for making a connection with the CAM program and (our school).” –Mark Sylvestre, Principal, St. Francis of Assisi.

CAM gives opportunities for students to make strides in musical ability, to learn to overcome personal challenges, and to work as a team with new friends. ✪ PG 18

Edmonton Rock Music Festival 2018

www.edrocks.ca

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Edmonton Rock Music Festival 2018