Welcome back… to the Round Back
With an improved ‘Round Back venue in place, the Guild Hall unveils a new series of performances. Music, theatre, comedy and more.
Ryan McNally
Yukon musician Ryan McNally made his presence known in Whitehorse as a virtuoso blues guitarist and singer.
Friday is Concert time at the Gazebo
Most Fridays this summer, whether there is rain or shine, it will be concert time at noon at the Front Street Gazebo, in Dawson City.
The shows must go on!
Yukon theatre companies are finding creative ways to present work. Adapting shows and developing unique formats to fit with our new reality.
A Look Back at Arts in the Park 2020
I didn’t expect Arts in the Park to happen at all this year. Everything was getting cancelled, from big festivals like Atlin Arts and Music Festival and Dawson City Music Festival, to smaller bar shows with local acts. It just seemed like live music wasn’t going to be something that was happening at all, and …
Going the Distance
Physical distancing has thrown a wrench in the plans of musicians all over the world—here’s how the Yukon’s own are dealing with these times
Kluane mountain twang
The Kluane Mountain Bluegrass Festival (KMBF) has an unfair advantage. It has never had to work to attract world-class performing acts and is known widely on the festival circuit as “the one to play.” The performers, awestruck by the St. Elias range and the beautiful community of Haines Junction, are grateful for the warm reception …
Digging into commitment
Jack Garton stood in a cemetery on Galiano Island, talking on his cell phone about his latest record. It seems like a weird place to field media requests, until you consider that Garton’s day job, as cemetery sexton, seems to have influenced the album in a way.“I think a lot about how fragile our lives are …
A Whitehorse hub for visual and performing arts
For 22 years and going strong, LePage Park has become a hub for arts and culture during the summer months. The new season of Arts in the Park launches on May 22 with a free barbecue.
An unfurgettable night
The Yukon’s inaugural 2018 Fur Ball is from the creative minds behind the UnFURled project, and will give Yukon fur-fans a chance to show off their styles.
Gordie Tentrees previews new album
Making his seventh album was the most fun Gordie Tentrees has had as a musician, but it didn’t start out that way.
Tout en musique pour la Fête de la Saint-Jean
La Saint-Jean, qu’est-ce que ? À l’origine, une fête païenne célébrée, le 24 juin, depuis quelques siècles, qui a, par la suite, été christianisée. On y faisait des feux de joie, on chantait et on dansait, le tout pour célébrer l’arrivée de l’été et le jour le plus long de l’année! Depuis une cinquantaine d’années, …
There is always time for Soda Pony
It is a typical Sunday evening in Whitehorse, and the Whitehorse two-piece alternative rock band Soda Pony is hard at work rehearsing and perfecting material for their upcoming CD release show in June. They have just finished the recording and mixing process of their second full-length album, aptly called Sophomore, and are eager to showcase …
Diving into the Depths of Creativity
“There’s a lot of performing opportunities within the French community, but it’s not necessarily places where artists can try new things and take that risk. Onde de Choc – that’s exactly what it’s for. It’s for artists to not just perform but also create and feel that they have the space to do something completely …
Travelling with Thomas
If you go by way of Laos and the U.S. East Coast, the journey from France to Yukon is anything but a straight line. But a brief reunion of two lifelong friends in Paris two summers ago proves you can get from there to here. “We had a great time together, and I told him …
Atlin Arts and Music Festival: A Feast for the Senses
The Atlin Arts and Music Festival, music, visual arts, film and food, is about building community through music and art.
Summer Fun has Begun
Look around. The birds are singing, canoes and kayaks are back on Subaru roof racks and my neighbour seems to have an urge for gardening at 11:30 p.m. These are signs of summer. It’s a change from spending much of our time inside, sipping hot tea and feeding the woodstove to living the wild and …
5 Must-See Pieces at Nuit Blanche
Back for a third year, the annual Whitehorse Nuit Blanche all-night arts festival brings together national and local artists for an unforgettable solstice weekend. Fancy yourself a night owl? Get ready for 12 hours of engaging and artsy fun as you wander downtown to see exhibits take over Whitehorse. You’d rather go to bed early …
Street Party Sound
If a musical shindig at the Old Fire Hall this Saturday puts you in mind of a New Orleans street party, Ryan McNally won’t be the least bit disappointed. The event is intended to introduce Yukon audiences to the Whitehorse singer-songwriter’s newest CD, Steppin’ Down South. The bulk of the album consists of nine tunes …
Crazy ’bout a Mercury
Local musician Ryan McNally really does have himself a Mercury, which he definitely does cruise up and down the road.
Ready to Rock the North
The Midnight Sons Band is fresh off a tour and ready to rock. On Saturday, October 3, the band is presenting – and performing at – Rock the North, which is an all-ages dance at the Yukon Convention Centre featuring the rockabilly/psychobilly band Ryan McNally and his Red Hot Ramblers, and Victoria bluesman Jesse Roper. …
Wanted down south
Summer may be drawing to a close, but there is still a great music festival that you can catch. Taking place in Victoria, B.C., the Breakout West festival takes place Sept. 17-20. The festival has been going for 13 years strong. It started as the Western Canadian Music Awards. Now the performances have broken away …
More than just music
Meet Jordi Mikeli-Jones — a renaissance woman. She is the owner of the popular Triple J’s Music, Tattoos and Piercing. She is president of Kona’s Coalition, a non-profit organization that works towards improving animal welfare in the Yukon. She was the first female resident DJ in Whitehorse, and she is the founder and promoter of …
Open Mic Fright
Two weeks before my open mic appearance, I begin learning my first song on the banjo. Although it’s far from my first choice, I settle on a song that meets my basic skill level: “Old Joe Clark”, one of those traditional folk songs that repeats the same simple melody over and over. The lyrics are …
2014: Atlin Arts and Music Festival
Atlin Arts and Music Festival is an institution. Now in its 11th year, the event draws visitors and performers from across Canada and beyond.
Declan O’Donovan Spreads his Wings
Celebrated Yukon musician Declan O’Donovan is on the road again. The piano-playing troubadour began his fall tour at the Hamilton Music and Film Festival on September 20, and will continue westward, spreading his brand of alternative-roots-blues throughout Alberta and British Columbia, before finishing his tour on October 13 in Vancouver. For O’Donovan, the traveling is …
Rocking the Blues
Montréal native Ryan McNally has loved the blues since he was nine years old … although if you grew up in his hometown you might not know it. With a background playing in bands dedicated to hip hop, metal and rockabilly music (all the while he was playing blues on his own) it’s only recently …
The Provider heads to Cannes
For a novice filmmaker, Moira Sauer has been getting a lot of mileage from her six-minute silent short. The latest victory for her film, The Provider, is an invitation from Telefilm Canada to screen at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in mid-May. The Provider started life as a last-minute entry in Cold Snap, a competition …
Declan O’Donovan
Born and raised Yukon singer songwriter Declan O’Donovan is setting sail for The Rainbow Room in Ottawa as a featured performer in the upcoming Northern Scene bonanza of music, visual art, storytelling and so much more. O’Donovan has put together a top notch band and is teaming up with Whitehorse-based roots and blues luminary Ryan …
Sasquatch Prom Date will have fun at Frostbite
The bearded man shrugged on his Carhartt jacket and then levelled a gaze at Genesee Keevil. She was sitting by the window, wearing a cover-your-eyes bright-pink wig, and her slightly too-loud voice only added to the spectacle. “Where are you playing?” came the unexpected question. “Frostbite, next weekend,” was the cheery answer from Keevil. “I’m …
Something new to brighten Dark Days
It is all original art and none of it existed before last December. So, the creative process took place during the darkest days of a Yukon winter. And that, says Tara McCarthy, is the whole idea behind Dark Days. It is a visual art/performance show taking place at the Old Fire Hall until Saturday, Feb. …
Leave the mundane behind …
My first impression of the newly christened Golden Apple art and performance venue was chaos. Deranged papier mâché creatures rested on an old printing press; puppets hung from the ceiling and Discordian paintings rested against the wall and, once mounted, were ready to amaze viewers. People began arriving for singer/songwriter Dana Sipos’ and friends show, …
Brave New Performers with Brave New Words
BY SARAH LINDSTEIN Grassroots performers get a chance to shine with the opening of Brave New Words for a new season of music, poetry and short stories. Founded by Lauren Tuck and based on a poetry-slam idea, Brave New Words has always offered a friendly and warm space for new performers looking to get their …
Singin’ Those ‘Achy-Breaky-Heart’ Songs
Jordan Schmidt hasn’t been playing guitar for very long, but it doesn’t show. He’s moved from a few house jams and informal functions to the Whitewater Wednesday stage, and he owns it. “I’ve only been playing two years,” he explains, leaning on his arm and pushing his curly mop up off his eyes. “I was …
A fresh longest night
In an interview, two weeks before Longest Night 2009, director Daniel Janke said the evening was still a mystery to him. “I’ve been writing new material – we are all writing new material – so there is not much that anyone has ever heard before,” he says. “And that’s a nice, fresh energy.” Celebrating the …
A No-Holds-Barred Halloween Smackdown!
The sexiness and sass of Varietease combined with the high energy, easy-to-dance-to rockabilly stylings of Sasquatch Prom Date. Throw in a promises-to-be-scary haunted house, bat girls hanging from the ceiling, prizes for best costume, not to mention two bars, and Halloween at the Yukon Convention Centre looks to be the place to be on Saturday, …
Sasquatch Prom Date Gains Olympic-sized Exposure
Polar bears, narwhal, wolves and sasquatches? Canada’s Northern House, a premier showcase of all things Yukon and Northern at the Olympics, could not miss a chance to show off a little rockabilly jump-jive to a packed house. The afternoon show on Yukon Day pumped up the reputation for members of Sasquatch Prom Date, already quite …
Sasquatch Prom Date Gains Olympic-sized Exposure Read More »
Sasquatch Prom Date CD Keeps the Party Going
Sasquatch Prom Date is the great dance party band in Whitehorse. It’s a must for any festival looking for a high-energy closer, and (full disclosure) I’ve been a fan since it started playing. So it was with excitement that I found out I get to review its first CD, A Chilling End to a High …
Take your ‘Sasquatch Prom Date’ home
A Sasquatch Prom Date concert is a party. People wear prom dresses and wigs and tuxedos and the dancing is of the contagious kind that is indulged willingly. The band offers the gift of fun, and it is reciprocated by the audience in an exhausting and endless loop. So, with its new CD, A Chilling …
Too Good to Be a One-shot
One of the characteristics of the Whitehorse music scene that I love is the amount of collaboration that goes on. Almost all artists have worked together in one form or another at some time. I love the way they can combine completely different genres than they normally play, experiment and produce something absolutely amazing. Old …
Tuning the Machine
Don’t mind the flashing lights and funky sounds, folks. This time machine is not the type you were thinking about. Based out of Whitehorse, their new project, Old Time Machine, blends the acoustic songwritingstylings of Ryan McNally with the ambient elements of Kyle Cashen’s inner workings. The machine is powered as follows: McNally sings and …
No Blues But The Blues
Minimalist blues duo The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer (“HAM” as they refer to themselves) are days away from beginning a string of pre-summer tour dates in the Yukon. The pairing is made up of Shawn “The Harpoonist” Hall on vocals and harmonica and Matt “The Axe Murderer” Rogers taking care of the guitar and …
Bringing it Home
On his new CD, Down Home, Ryan McNally really is back home. After rocking out with his rockabilly band, Sasquatch Prom Date, and fusing folk and electronica in his collaboration with Kyle Cashen, McNally returns to his true love, the blues. Although he assembled a backing band of some of the best musicians in the …
Old Cabin, New Gig
The Frostbite Music Festival has always been an important part of Jona Barr’s life. He grew up in a musical environment that included annual attendance of one of Whitehorse’s best-loved music festivals. But his involvement with Frostbite didn’t stop there; later he began to take an active role in making it happen, from co-organizing the …
