Trad and glam swirl as RKS, Serena Ryder and Aysanabee rock folk fest
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Pouncing and rolling around on stage with legs in the air, Rainbow Surprise Kitten clawed in International Cat Day a few hours early Thursday night with a legendary shake-it-up rock-out in the misty rain.
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Rain and thunder! Or the fear of it, anyway, was the unofficial pre-opener for the 46 th annual Edmonton Folk Music Festival — tens of thousands of Gallagher Park hill bags heavier with assorted rubber gear and towels on a generally lovely cloudy day that did not encourage free-range beer chugging. More like under-blanket snuggling.
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Now based in Toronto, he mushroom-gathers prestige indie Juno wins and Polaris noms with his upbeat Elder-channelling, gravel-revving voice full of hope and trying to figure it all out. Relatable, singalong resistance.
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The set opened with the recorded spoken word Interlude 9 of album Watin, named for the musician's grandfather, explaining words in their language, including 'Nosuk, nosuk magizokege means my grandchildren are growing up,' and 'Ebiisay ketizgo, that means heaven.'
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The band introduced themselves playing the slow-rising Dream Catcher, the pounder Nomads, followed by the energetic Bringing the Fire.
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Asking who'd seen them in 2023, Aysanabee waved left and right over the verdant rise of raincoat witnesses.
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'We played over there, we played over there,' he said from the big stage under the 46 — a number of encouragement from the divine realm. 'Now we're playing here! Thanks for selling out Thursday — that's you!'
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Impossible to ignore at Aysanabee's side was singer Lala Noel in her blood-orange-slice earrings, backing up his distinct voice with Dark Side of the Moon, OG Star Trek choral heights and this very infectious smile.
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Miles Gibbons did a nice job on the looping drums, Dean Aivaliotis on keys, with Nick Tateishi playing guitar, all together through a dozen countries in the last year and change.
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Toronto Sun
2 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
Bombshell book claims Prince Andrew's sex and money merger with Epstein
Get the latest from Brad Hunter straight to your inbox Jeffrey Epstein, from left, Ghislaine Maxwell and Prince Andrew are pictured in file photos. Photo by file photos / Getty Images Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Call this bombshell book a Royal with Sleaze. Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, the tome by Andrew Lowie claims to expose the disgraced Prince Andrew's high-flying lifestyle of sex, money and being besties with twisted sex traffickers Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. The book also examines Andrew's troubled co-dependent relationship with his spendthrift ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson. Lownie outlined some of the book's more explosive claims to the New York Post. Greed is us: Friends with royalty. Ghislaine Maxwell, right, with the Duchess of York. It was Fergie who encouraged Prince Andrew to do the disastrous BBC TV interview. (Getty Images) One claim is that Andrew and the oily billionaire pedophile Epstein were close friends for far longer than the royal has previously admitted. Lownie said Epstein — who killed himself in his Manhattan jail cell in 2019 — had 16 different telephone numbers for the Duke of York. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Many of those numbers predate the 1999 line in the sand when Andrew said they met. Fergie was also tight with the money man. 'She flew on the planes, she stayed in the houses,' Lownie told the Post, adding Ferguson 'was staying in Epstein's apartments after 2010, when (they) claimed they'd totally cut off contact. And yet there she was, staying in his places, having said that she would have nothing further to do with him.' Prince Andrew, Virginia Roberts Giuffre and socialite Ghislaine Maxwell in a photo Giuffre said was taken in March 2001. Photo by VIRGINIA ROBERTS / FACEBOOK For Fergie, famously bad with money, Epstein's fat wallet was a godsend. Andrew admitted to securing $20,000 from the pedophile to pay off his ex-wife's debts, but Lownie said it was much, much higher. 'An ex-girlfriend of Andrew, who I trust is reliable, said it was more like two million,' Lownie said, adding that it could be many more millions given the red-head's financial foolishness. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In 2011, she said she regretted her involvement with Epstein. Fergie said she'd pay back the money. The prince met Epstein through his longtime second banana and sexual paramour Maxwell. The disgraced socialite was an old school pal of the duke. '(Ghislaine) was always going to Buckingham Palace and Andrew was circumventing security,' Lownie claimed. 'He basically told security people to let her in.' And it wasn't just Maxwell: The author claims escorts also slipped into the palace. 'There's an extraordinary sort of triangular relationship here with Epstein, Ghislaine and Andrew,' the author told the Post. 'One of the things which one of Ghislaine's friends told me, (was that) Epstein rather liked that. He liked this idea that all three of them were joined.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Lownie said that Epstein's former personal driver recalled driving around New York with Andrew and 'two young girls around 18 to the Gansevoort Hotel in the Meatpacking District. Both girls were doing lines of cocaine.' The prince was making out with one of the teens, the driver said. One of Epstein's housekeepers claims in the book that they found sex toys in the royal's bedroom. There were also envelopes stuffed with cash that had been 'left for young women' by Epstein. But it was the tragic Virginia Giuffre who would slam a torpedo into the side of the prince. Andrew has long maintained he didn't know Giuffre but still paid her $20 million to go away. Then Virginia Roberts, the Florida teen who worked at Donald Trump's Mar-A-Lago was recruited and groomed for sex with the socialite and Epstein. She effectively became a sex slave used to entertain the twisted pair and their coterie of wealthy like-minded pals. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Lownie said Andrew was, in effect, a 'sex addict' who had sex with anywhere from 1,000 to 3,000 women. Many he met through Epstein. The book also paints a portrait of a pair of money-grubbing parasites in the forms of Andrew and Fergie. Her selling her soul to glossy royal fangirl mag Hello!, and he allegedly taking bribes while repping the U.K. Prince Andrew, Duke of York, has reportedly been put on ice over the Epstein affair. (David Mirzoeff/ Pool via REUTERS/File Photo) Andrew found financial favour and new friends in blossoming democracies such as Libya, Azerbaijan and Tunisia. The civil service called him 'Airmiles Andy' for his staggering expenses. And if gifts weren't forthcoming, the prince would ask. Lownie said the prince once brought home a $5-million payoff. He said Queen Elizabeth turned a blind eye to her middle son's hijinks. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'This is a book about financial corruption at the very heart of the Royal Family,' Lownie added. Another part of the book is about the fractured relationship between Andrew and his nephews Prince William and Prince Harry. The bad blood reached its nadir in 2013 when fists flew between Harry and his uncle. Harry has denied any such fisticuffs. Prince William also doesn't like Andrew, whom he allegedly sees as a sponge who gives the royals a bad name. 'William has long worked behind the scenes to evict his uncle from Royal Lodge,' Lownie writes in the book, adding that the breakdown may stem from Andrew not liking Meghan Markle or Kate Middleton. He thought Markle was too old and, as a snob of some renown, didn't believe Kate was from the 'right background.' But when Prince William takes the throne, Andrew's cushy life will be doomed. 'I think when he becomes king, poor old Andrew is not going to get the favourite treatment he's been getting. I think William has marked his card,' Lownie told the Post. bhunter@ @HunterTOSun Columnists Toronto & GTA Sunshine Girls Toronto & GTA Sunshine Girls
Toronto Sun
a day ago
- Toronto Sun
ROYAL PAIN? How to avoid dating an entitled ‘princess' type
Contempt is more certain a relationship killer than cheating or money, experts say. Photo by Getty Images Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. The odds of dating a real-life princess are slim to none but there are 'princess' types you may want to run from. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account While the term may sound cutesy and endearing, it's anything but as the 'princess' dating behaviour could signal entitlement, whether it's right away or down the road. If those royal expectations are established early on, then hey, you know what you've gotten yourself into. But if you are unsure of what may come your way, there are warning signs that daters should be looking out for before getting in too deep, Anita Fletcher, a sex and relationship expert at adult toy brand Fantasy Co., told the Toronto Sun. 'The princess type isn't necessarily a bad person, but they've often not learned the give-and-take that makes relationships work long-term,' Fletcher said. 'The good news is there are ways to spot this pattern early, and even better ways to handle it if you choose to stay.' Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. First off, the princess archetype goes beyond someone who enjoys being treated well, according to Fletcher. Rather, it's a pattern where one person consistently expects royal treatment without offering much in return. 'Think of it as emotional one-way traffic,' Fletcher explained. 'A princess type might expect you to always plan dates, pay for everything, and cater to their moods, but they rarely ask what you need or want.' RECOMMENDED VIDEO It often stems from being overly catered to in past relationships or family dynamics, resulting in the individual knowing nothing different and simply thinks this is normal behaviour. Fletcher noted that red flags include those who never initiate plans, everything revolving around their schedule, they rarely — if ever — offer to pay, and they get upset when things don't go their way. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. It sounds immature and inconsiderate but that's what happens when someone is never told no and who genuinely believes their happiness and comfort is everyone else's responsibility and priority. 'The biggest sign is how they react when you're having a tough day,' Fletcher noted. 'A balanced partner shows concern and offers support, but a princess type often gets frustrated that your problems are taking attention away from them.' Fletcher suggested going on a date that requires equal effort from both people, then watch for how they react. Read More This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'I tell people to propose something like a picnic where you both bring food, or a hiking date where they need to wear appropriate shoes and be ready for some physical activity,' Fletcher detailed. 'The key is choosing something that can't be done for them; they have to participate actively.' The results will be eye-opening, as a balanced partner will either enthusiastically agree or suggest modifications that work for both of you. A princess type, however, will often find excuses, suggest alternatives that put the work back on you, or agree but then show up unprepared and expect you to handle everything. Ultimately, the one mistake, according to Fletcher, that should be recognized as quickly as possible is someone who may be losing him or herself in the process of prioritizing another person's happiness. 'If you find yourself constantly walking on eggshells or ignoring your own needs, that's a sign the dynamic isn't healthy.' She likened the early stages of dating to 'a preview of coming attractions.' Fletcher added: 'So pay attention to what someone shows you when the stakes are still low. If someone can't handle bringing snacks to a picnic, how will they handle real challenges?' Columnists Columnists Sports Toronto & GTA Canada
Edmonton Journal
a day ago
- Edmonton Journal
Edmonton Folk Fest Saturday: Goldie Boutilier brings glam rock to the hill, The Roots shine with non-stop funk, soul and rap
Article content Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Article content How the tens of thousands of tarpies made it to the top of the Gallagher Park hill at the end of Saturday night's Folk Fest slate, capped off by a standing-only, high-energy set is beyond me. Article content Article content But the Legendary Roots Crew capped off what is arguably one of the strongest post-COVID mainstage evening lineups, after solid sets by Taj Mahal, Goldie Boutilier and Danielle Ponder (who would have made a stunning headliner in her own right). More on them shortly. Article content It's a testament to the showmanship of the Philadelphia rap collective and back catalogue that 11 years without a new album (front man Black Thought's solo work notwithstanding) hasn't dampened fan enthusiasm or an extensive musical well from which to draw. Article content But from the jump-off, it was more than 90 minutes of non-stop funk, soul and rap, Black Thought's machine-gun cadence ably supported by the band, with each member getting their own time to shine. Special shoutout to saxophonist Ian Hendrickson-Smith and trumpeter Dave Guy, who round out the band's sound and gave the whole show a vintage soul feel. Article content The band bounced between '90s classics like The Next Movement and aughts hits, including Here I Come, interspersed with throwback soul and funk classics, including Jungle Boogie, Apache and Curtis Mayfield's Move On Up. Article content Made it to @edmfolkfest! With the @theroots — Chris Curtola 🇨🇦 (@chriscurtola) August 10, 2025 Article content Led Zeppelin's Immigrant Song and The White Stripe's Seven Nation Army (the latter led by rumbling low end courtesy sousaphone specialist Tuba Gooding Jr.) Article content Article content The set seemingly peaked with fan favourite You Got Me, featuring an extended 'guitar gently weeping' solo from Captain Kirk Douglas, before really peaking with hit The Seed (2.0). Article content And at the centre of it all, while Black Thought was the driving energy of the set, band leader and drummer Questlove looked like he was out for a leisurely stroll, calmly laying down the groove with a relaxed smile pasted to his face. Article content For those in attendance, this will be a Folk Fest set that won't soon be forgotten. Article content As mentioned, though The Roots were the headliner, the return visit from Danielle Ponder proved that the former lawyer is not just a rising star, but a headliner-calibre performer. Article content With powerhouse vocals that could turn on a time between heartbroken tenderness and soaring wails, Ponder treated the Folk Fest crowd to a number of new songs from her forthcoming album.
