#yegmusic

I've spent a lot of time this year at the River City Revival House, in the basement of the Starlite Room, a building that has housed music venues for decades, the original Citadel Theater before that, and a Salvation Army temple originally. I have no idea how old this piano is or which famous musicians might have played it. It is currently parked in the washroom, neglected, out of tune, with some keys that don't sound at all and other keys that won't stop ringing when you release them. It is mostly decoration. But it can still be played, and the washroom acoustics are more gorgeous than my phone can capture. On a break from the main jam in the bar, Shane & Teemu here started up a brief 4-hands collaboration. #YEGmusic

Edmonton! It is almost August! Here's a few things happening over the long weekend & first week to keep you busy until I can compile the rest of the calendar: #YEG #YEGmusic #YEGarts #YEGtheatre Festivals: Aug 1-3 (Sat-Mon): Edmonton Heritage Festival returns to Hawrelak Park, with all the tasty food & colourful performances that local international cultural heritage groups can offer. Free admission, reasonably priced food, various vendors. Aug 1 (Sat): Swahili Fest celebration of East African culture at ArtSphere gallery (97 St N of Jasper). 4-8pm family activities, 9-2am concerts & party, $17. Aug 6-9 (Thu-Sun): Edmonton Folk Music Festival in Gallagher Park. Only Thursday tix remain ($117/adult; main stage only, headlined by Corb Lund), although there is an official ticket exchange service.

A classic good is coming up! Inaugural Beaver Hills House Music Festival: #RafaelHoekman, cello; #JeremySpurgeon, piano: #EmilLevasseur, composer; #BeatrixBecker, composer and piano; #DongKyunAn, cello; #LynnKuo: violin. All Saints Anglican, July 29, 7:30. #yegmusic #chambermusic

Having a cool time on a hot afternoon at Musicians for Canada at Hawrelak Park. Loving the improvements to the park and amphitheatre. Loving that it’s a dry event with a mocktail bar. Loving the Canadian unity vibes. Up with Canada! Alberta = Canada Forever. 🇨🇦 #yeg #alberta #canada #yegmusic #unity

RE: https://kind.social/@TheLongestJohns/116936147726442157 As if you needed more reasons to like the band that made sea shanties a modern trend, they're on Fedi & they post detailed alt text! Still tix for the Edmonton show tonight, $50 on Ticketweb, 7pm doors. https://www.edmontondowntown.com/events/the-longest-johns-with-sean-dagher/ #YEGmusic

A Benefit Concert for #Canadian Unity: “A number of Alberta’s finest musicians and members of the music community are coming together ... in #HawrelakPark, in #Edmonton’s beautiful river valley, on Wednesday July 22, 2026 to voice their collective appreciation for their country." #abpoli #canpoli #yegmusic #yeg https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/musicians-for-canada-a-benefit-concert-for-canadian-unity-tickets-1989332331555

Hey #YEGmusic fans! Another new website for you to bookmark: https://yeginsider.com/ Like the Double Lunch listings I shared recently, YEGInsider attempts to collate all Edmonton area music listings in one place. But it goes beyond a list of links, with tags & filters and extra information about venues. It also includes weekly jams & open mics, and it looks like they're hoping to create a directory of services for bands & promoters. The glossy website has a few layout bugs & it's clear he's using AI tools to extract information from poster images & such, but this was not a weekend vibe code project; Tony Ruffo has been working on this site & database for many months (years?), and I'm glad to finally see it live.

Edmonton! July is just getting started(-ish) and there's lots to do! Festival & patio season are in full swing, and the weather is almost behaving. Just remember to come armed for the vampires (🦟) that will come out once the sun goes down. There are lots of weekly outdoor concert series in July & August, at patios & in parks. I've added an extra section specifically for those, arranged by day of the week. (I'll still highlight some of my top picks in the music calendar.) #YEG #YEGarts #YEGmusic 1/?? Edmonton (rest of) July Festivals & Events until July 12: Doors Open Edmonton & Historic Festival (free & paid tours of various interesting places around town). until July 12: Grindstone Comedy Festival (at/outside the Grindstone theatre, plus other venues, various prices). until July 12: International Street Performers Festival in Churchill Square. Pay via busker contributions to each performer (budget $2-10 per hour).

Hoping to post a (rest of) July Edmonton events calendar tomorrow. Here's a weekend preview: Festivals: International Street Performers in Churchill SquareWhyte Avenue Art Walk + busker stagesFound Festival (theatre, music, & more) in Old StrathconaGrindstone ComedyDoors OpenRavenwood Music in Sherwood ParkUptown Blues Jam near Stony Plain. Theatre as ⬆️, plus Once at Walterdale, & Clue at the Jube next week. Music: Tonight! Three great gals & their boy bands at The Aviary. 8pm, $17. Or free blues + mariachi in St Albert. Friday! Outlaw country at 9910. 8pm, $17, 18+. Saturday! Free funk & grooves on Rice Howard Way, 4-9pm. #YEG #YEGmusic

OK, Edmonton. I'm probably not going to get a full July events thread posted until next week, so here's (a lot of) what's on This Weekend (July 3-5): Grindstone Comedy FestivalInternational Street Performers Festival in Churchill SquareEdmonton Open Mic Festival Saturday 11-4pm at Sherbrooke Community League park & hall2Spirit Pow Wow (Sat)and 2Spirit Métis Day (Sun) at Exhibition Lands RacetrackChopin in the Park at the McIntyre Park Gazebo, Saturday 1-6pmRugby Nation's Cup games on July 4 & 11 at Clarke Stadium and a Rugby Fan Fair July 5Starting Sunday: Doors Open Edmonton & Historic Festival Saturdays all summer: Block Party on Rice Howard Way](https://www.foundryevents.ca/summer-block-party)Afternoon Sound Sessions on 124th #YEG #YEGarts #YEGmusic

🎇Important last minute addition to the February music listings 🎆 On February 26, the last Thursday of the month Battle of the Bands at the Five & Dive pub in West Edmonton Mall will be a Solo Act version. A Solo Cup, if you will. Music starts 8:30pm (and probably goes to 11:30?), no cover, 18+. The venue markets themselves on affordable snacks & drinks. https://www.fiveanddive.ca/battle-of-the-bands But that's not the important part. The important part is that one of the competitors will be Amelia Byrd (👋🏻). So, uh, if you've been curious about hearing what I've been doing & can get out to the big mall on a Thursday night, come say hi & help increase my audience enthusiasm vote! (If you are curious but not near Edmonton, you'll have to convince someone who is in Edmonton to come & take a video or something.) #YEGmusic #AmeliasMusic