Edmonton’s got a thriving music scene. It’s probably always had a good scene, but you don’t see too many stories about this band or that musician leaving town to make it big these days.

Maybe that means the days of huge rock stars are dwindling, but ironically the Internet probably helps people find an audience to at least sustain some of their music (ironic because of downloading and all the terrible stealing it brings).

And you won’t just find Edmonton bands and artists by hitting up sites that are popping up and flourishing to fill the void of MySpace, the Internet also provides a home for mixes, compilations, promotion, distribution, and discussion of music – from Edmonton and afar.

Let’s jump into some places we think you’re going to find plenty of music you’ll like.

One Time, At Bandcamp…

When we posted a thanks to the 57 Edmonton bands and musicians that formed the soundtrack to our TV show we mentioned that we discovered many though Bandcamp. It’s probably our favourite of the music sites you’ll find on the Internet. (What’s yours?)

By searching the Edmonton tag you’re going to find new songs, EPs, and albums from anybody from Edmonton (and sometimes music produced in Edmonton).

It’s a fairly simple site to navigate, with pretty good search capabilities. You can listen to anything a musician has posted for playing, often download it in multiple formats, and pay for anything that’s for sale.

Keep your eyes on those prices, a lot of musicians will put up albums and songs with a “pay what you can” label, allowing you to show your support. And once you get a chance to listen to an entire album from some of Edmonton’s great artists, you’ll probably feel pretty good about investing a few dollars in them.

And when you’re zooming around Bandcamp you’re going to come across compilations. One such mix you should check out is “Edmontonia.”

It’s “…mainly curated from the perspective of introducing the world outside Edmonton to the exhaustive wealth hiding within it.” And, baby, do we have some talent here.

Edmontonia’s got three volumes at this point: Vol. 1, Vol 2. Vol. 3 and all feature a variety of 10 Edmonton bands or musicians, across all genres. (We’re big fans of breaking through the genre wall. Expand those musical horizons!)

Bandcamp would also be a great way to explore sounds from other cities. Instead of searching the Edmonton tag, you could try Saskatoon, or Winnipeg. You could discover the next best thing(s). With the Internet, you don’t have to wait for a radio station to tell you what the next great band is. You can have 20 of your own.

Home of the Best Music Website

We mentioned it in the fifth episode of our TV show (yes, that again) but Edmonton is home to Canada’s Best Music Website.

Weird Canada has been around for just over two years, filling the Internet with the small, independent, unheard, weirdest music you can find. It’s also helping to bring notice to Edmonton’s music scene through both the website and Wyrd Fest, its summer caravan of music.

We’ll let Weird Canada explain what it is they do:

It’s worth noting Weird Canada’s competition in the Best Music Website contest is home to more new music and discussion. You might even see an Edmonton band or two pop up. (We know you will at Hamilton’s Southern Souls. It was runner-up to Weird Canada. The MusicNerdChronicles rounded out the top 3.)

*****

I hinted that the Internet was great for not just finding Edmonton music, but promoting and distributing music from Edmonton. So howsabout an example of that?

Hi54LOFI Records runs out of an apartment near Whyte Avenue. Jeremy Sroka says it’s something that “…grew out of the musical camaraderie and opportunity/excitement that once existed on Myspace. The death of Myspace sort of went hand in hand with the discovery of all these other amazing sites and happenings on the web (Bandcamp, Twitter, Tumblr, Soundcloud, Tunecore, and an almost endless amount of others that exist already or will come out tomorrow) that started making it more possible than ever for somebody in their bedroom to get their music out of their bedroom.”

As a great example of what you can do on the Internet, you’ll find the actual HI54LOFI website, a Tumblr, Twitter account, and more at Mixcloud and 8tracks.

Jeremy thinks most people should be able to find something they like on the site.

“There is also a lot of free music to be had on the site and everybody likes that.”

He’s right. The Internet loves free!

Essentially, HI54LOFI acts as a hub for musicians. Jeremy helps promote music, and also helps with releases any way he can.

And, like a lot of things that start on the Internet, things jump off the computer screen and into the real world. When he moves to the UK next month, Jeremy is going to go on a small tour with some of the musicians he’s met, worked with, collaborated with, and helped through HI54LOFI.

Check out a new EP out this week from Black Coffee Stephee Pie and a “Pay what you want” HI54LOFI sampler.

Live Shows

It’s always important to listen to someone’s music. Letting them know you like it, it inspired you, it found a place in your life, and buying their music is also great.

Buying their swag and seeing them live is another way to support Edmonton music, keep it thriving and growing, enjoy new bars and venues, and meet other local music fans. (Both local fans, and fans of local.) And it means you can put your money right into the hands of the band members or musicians (who you will sometimes find working the door at small shows).

Edmonton’s got a great way to see what’s going on in live music. Neat how that works out.

YEG Live(.ca) is a local online ticket and concert listings site. Run by a couple of guys who knew each smaller venue in Edmonton had a different way of ticketing, it’s starting to make things a little simpler for the venues, bands, and you and me.

It’s also a great way to check what’s up at clubs and bars this week and in the near future. I use it as a resource when talking about weekend events, and you’ll often find it linked to Edmonton’s online events site ShareEdmonton.

Plus, Chris and Cameron, the guys behind YEG Live, are really smart.

Last But Not Least

Don’t forget about CJSR and CKUA. Edmonton’s got two great options for new, local, eclectic, and independent music in those stations. And search #yegmusic on Twitter to find out who’s talking about music in Edmonton.

(Make the jump for the video.)

As anyone who spends any time in our neck of the internet likely knows, Gregg Beever is a good friend of ours, and was gracious enough to invite us to a BBQ celebrating the launch of IH. We took the opportunity to grill (BBQPUNFTW!) both he and Jeremy about their latest project.

If you’re now hungry (I am an unstoppable barbecue reference machine) for more hipsters, you can check out the Inglorious Hipsters website here, or listen to the creators on the season finale of The Unknown Studio here.

Fitness at your own pace, at your own place by Jen Hamel

It’s beginning to feel like springtime in Edmonton. Many of you, who have already forgotten your New Year’s resolutions, look at spring as a new beginning. Those who stuck by their fitness goals may want to increase efforts as the weather for wearing shorts, tanks and, dare I say it, bathing suits is fast approaching. I am here to offer you a few tricks and tips to help you achieve that beach body that so many of us long for.

First, I want to tell you that you may not need to go to a gym at all; I lost over 75 pounds and have never been a member of a major gym. I lost all my weight exercising in my living room. There are many ways to improve your fitness level and shed pounds without even leaving the comfort of your own home.

3 Tips to maximize your fitness improvements

Be consistent, plan ahead, and use variety. If you want to see results you have to keep at it, you didn’t get that muffin-top overnight, so don’t expect to see it disappear overnight. Schedule the best time of day to exercise. Is it waking up 30 minutes early to workout before the family gets up? Maybe you have some time after you drop the kids off at school, or maybe you want to relieve stress after a hard day at the office. If you use a variety of different forms of exercise you will have a backup plan if you are unable to perform your regular routine.

Whenever performing bodyweight exercises please ensure that you are using correct form, so that you will not injure yourself. If you are unfamiliar with any of these exercises I recommend hiring a personal trainer for at least a couple of hourly sessions to teach you how to safely and effective perform these and many other bodyweight exercises.

Cardiovascular exercise in your home

Use the stairs more. Carry smaller loads of laundry upstairs making for more trips back to the laundry room. The more times you take the stairs the more calories you are burning.

You can purchase cardio exercise DVDs that you can follow along with, and help keep you motivated on days you don’t feel like exercising. And they help provide a variety to your routine.

March in place while you are doing the dishes or cooking supper.

Don’t just sit on the couch while watching TV. Get up during every commercial break and do jumping jacks/jog on the spot (these calisthenic exercises burn about 10 calories or more per minute, so a five minute commercial break means burning 50 calories)

Dancing in your living room is a great way to get your heart rate up, have fun, and burn off extra calories. So turn up the volume and get that booty shakin’.

Strengthening and toning your muscles at home

You don’t need to go out and purchase a huge home gym to exercise at your place; in fact you can get fit with virtually no equipment. Start by using simple bodyweight exercises, where you are using your own body weight against the force of gravity. This is the way many bootcamp classes are setup.

Performing exercises that use large muscle groups (legs, back, chest) will not only increase your heart rate but maximize your fat burning potential and build lean muscle mass that will increase your metabolism; causing your body to become a “fat burning machine.” Start by doing 10-12 repetitions of each exercise and work up to 15 reps. Here are a few examples of great bodyweight exercises:

• Squats strengthen the legs and there are many variations to help you mix up your workout, to keep your body guessing, and keep your workout fun and interesting.
• Pushups strengthen the chest muscles as well as shoulders, back and arms. When done properly they are a very effective tool in your fitness arsenal.
• Lunges. Ever considered a butt lift? Well, lunges are the non-surgical way to lift and firm your booty, making sure you look hot in your bathing suit at the beach.
• Plank will improve your overall CORE strength, legs, lower back, abdominals, obliques, shoulders. Variations include plank on forearms, side plank and holding a basic pushup position.

When Jen Hamel isn’t writing for the edmontonian, she’s a professional trainer at OnTheGoFitness.ca

By Jen Hamel

In our City, winter seems to be the never-ending season. So, how, you ask, do I stay fit throughout the long, cold Edmonton winters? As much as I enjoy a lengthy run through the heart of the city; when the snow falls and the temperature drops I use these months to try a variety of different fitness alternatives. I tend to lift weights more in the winter months; to build lean muscle, boosting my metabolism, and to increase my strength. This also helps me to reduce back pain from shoveling heavy snow. Adding variety to your regular exercise program can be helpful in increasing motivation levels and helping you be more consistent with your workouts.

If you are someone who likes to work out in groups, you may want to try fitness classes like Zumba, spin, kickboxing, or a bootcamp. The average calorie burn is between 350-850 calories per class.

• Take up martial arts like Taekwondo. You’ll learn discipline, build self-confidence, and burn up to 600 calories per hour.
• For lower-impact options try swimming laps, for a great cardio workout, earning you an average burn of 550 calories per hour. At 275 calories per-hour yoga classes are wonderful for improving flexibility, strength and a great form of stress relief.

If you are someone who enjoys exercising at their own pace then these options may appeal to you:

• Indoor/treadmill running – If your goal this year is to run a 10k or half marathon this is a great way to progress your training throughout the winter. You’ll burn up to 650 calories per hour.
• Rock climbing at an indoor climbing wall is a fun way to enjoy the afternoon on a cold and snowy Saturday. My husband and I also use this as a date night option. We climb until our arms don’t work anymore and then go for a nice meal.

If you are new to exercising, or just need to add some variety, a couple of great options for your home or personal gym are:

• Hire a personal trainer who provides home visits. Then you are eliminating your commute time, and you never need to drive to the gym in -35, blizzard-like conditions.
• Have a certified personal trainer setup a custom exercise program, and purchase a few sessions to have them teach you correct exercise technique to ensure you are not going to get hurt and that you will maximize your results. If hiring a trainer to visit you several times a week is not an option then you could look at getting help from an online coach, which is a more affordable option.
• If you enjoy being completely alone while you exercise you can purchase a variety of these exercise forms on home DVD, such as yoga, kickboxing, Zumba, Pilates, Tae Bo, P90X, TurboJam, etc… Depending on how aggressive your program is and what type of video you chose you can burn between 350-800 calories per hour.

On the days that the sun shines, and the temperatures are milder, you can get outside and enjoy breathing in the cold, crisp Edmonton air.

• Cross-country skiing can be done in the river valley, or any large open space, burning on average 450 calories per hour. Its thrill seeking counterpart will have you sweating off over 330 calories per hour as you slalom down the hill.
• As an Edmontonian girl, I always looked forward to our family outings to Hawrelak Park to skate, until my heart was content on the frozen ponds. I not only displayed my own independence but burned off an average of 375 calories per hour.
• Another great winter pastime is snowshoeing. It’s a wonderful way to involve your whole family in your exercise plan and enjoy a new experience together, burning off about 450 calories per hour.

No matter how you stay fit throughout the winter remember these 3 rules:

1. Stay Active – Whether it’s a walk, shovelling snow, or a few stretches try and be active for 30 minutes everyday.
2. Stay Consistent – Being consistent is the key to seeing long-lasting results and maximizing your health benefits such as lower blood pressure, reduced bad cholesterol, and improved heart health.
3. Stay Safe – Whenever you begin a new exercise program remember that doing too much too soon can increase your risk for injury. Make sure you always warm-up a few minutes before increasing your intensity and stretch all major muscle groups afterward; you will reduce muscle soreness, improve your flexibility, and reduce your risk for injury.

When Jen Hamel isn’t writing for the edmontonian, while snowshoeing to a rock climbing session, she’s a professional trainer at OnTheGoFitness.ca

Well Edmontonians, if you haven’t gotten a gift for today, because you don’t need to I applaud you.

1. Traveling Tickle Trunk is CLOSED on Mondays! So picking up a toy may be a little bit tricky. Take a peek at their online store to see what’s available and just say “It’s coming!!!”
2. Kerstins IS open today. Go forth and pick up some top-quality chocolate!
3. I was in Chapters the other day and they have a lot of great books on the Kama Sutra. Sadly not the pop-up ones, but most had pretty good pictures.
4. Buy a bong and get a thong…classy!

Good luck. May the force be with you. And for all you single people out there, it’s just another day of the year with an even better day following it; February 15 is truly awesome because all the chocolate goes on sale.

Love LMC.