Ed Condran

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News >  Features

Dad Daze: If you don’t look back, how can you move forward?

UPDATED: Mon., Aug. 9, 2021

My son Milo's biology teacher tugged at his floppy ears two years ago and said, "This is genetics. How did you get these ears?" "I got them from my father," Milo said. "But your father's ears aren't like yours," she said. About all that beats genetics is plastic surgery.

A&E >  Entertainment

Taylor Tomlinson of ‘Last Comic Standing’ headlines Spokane Comedy Club

UPDATED: Thu., Aug. 5, 2021

Taylor Tomlinson has enjoyed a rather quick rise up the comedic ranks. The observational humorist was a top 10 finalist on "Last Comic Standing" in 2015 when she was 22. Tomlinson performs Friday and Saturday at the Spokane Comedy Club.

A&E >  Entertainment

Departure Music Festival offering good vibes, camping and music in Ford

UPDATED: Thu., Aug. 5, 2021

Keely Crow-Ka and Kalan Wolfe of the Shift took their band name to heart and made a shift out of perceived necessity. While persevering during the COVID-19 lockdown, the couple made a life-altering change selling their home to fund the Departure Festival.

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A&E >  Books

Spokane photographer captures passion, drama from the Gorge with new book

UPDATED: Thu., Aug. 5, 2021

Spokane photographer Darren Balch's new book "Rock & Roll on Columbia: Tall Tales From a Short Attention Span" is filled with classic photographs from the Gorge Amphitheatre primarily from 1993-1995. The many images are dramatic and surprising.

A&E >  Entertainment

Young the Giant headlines Festival at Sandpoint after performing at Lollapalooza

UPDATED: Thu., Aug. 5, 2021

After playing its first proper concert in 16 months at Chicago's mega-music festival Lollapalooza last week, Young the Giant was bummed for a moment after delivering its set. "We had such a great time at Lollapalooza," drummer Francois Comtois said.

A&E

Disgraced comic Louis C.K.’s tour will stop in Spokane

UPDATED: Thu., Aug. 5, 2021

Disgraced comic Louis C.K.’s attempt to rehabilitate his career will make a stop in Spokane this fall, a decision that is facing criticism. The First Interstate Center for the Arts announced Tuesday that C.K.’s 24-city tour will include shows at the Spokane theater on Oct. 9 and 10.

News >  Family

Dad Daze: She’s leaving home for New York and a new life

UPDATED: Mon., Aug. 2, 2021

"She's Leaving Home" has always been my favorite Beatles song. I was absolutely spellbound 19 years ago in Atlantic City when I witnessed Paul McCartney deliver the sonic tale of a young woman slipping out of her parents' home to meet the love of her life.

A&E >  Entertainment

Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy talks band breakups, music, sports and Sleater-Kinney

UPDATED: Fri., July 30, 2021

The combination of eclectic indie rock band Wilco and fiery feminist punk rockers Sleater-Kinney might sound like an odd fit. However, two common denominators are that both bands push the sonic envelope and have influenced a number of recording artists.

A&E >  Entertainment

Live music, food and fun are back with the return of the Festival at Sandpoint

UPDATED: Thu., July 29, 2021

Bob Witte experienced a double whammy of agony during the spring of 2020. The president of the board of directors of the Festival at Sandpoint learned that the musical event of North Idaho would be scrapped due to COVID-19. 

A&E >  Entertainment

New York comic Mike Cannon travels from the Borscht Belt to Spokane

UPDATED: Thu., July 29, 2021

Two comics getting married on a Monday in the Catskills sounds like a joke, but that's what standup Mike Cannon experienced to start the week. There must be a heck of a discount for a wedding on the first day of the workweek.

News >  Family

Dad Daze: The magic and loss of our treasured baseball prints

UPDATED: Sun., July 25, 2021

Why men collect objects is a mystery. Perhaps it goes back to the days of hunting and gathering, and it's connected to a survival mechanism. Many of my friends collect things. My friend Joe, who is my daughter Jillian's godfather, has an enormous collection of "Star Wars."

A&E >  Entertainment

Smokey Robinson still has it at 81: ‘There is still nothing like entertaining an audience’

UPDATED: Fri., July 23, 2021

The ageless Smokey Robinson will perform Saturday at Northern Quest Resort & Casino. Robinson talks songwriting and reveals what it was like growing up with Aretha Franklin and how cool it was when Bob Dylan called him America's greatest living poet.

A&E >  Entertainment

Philly comic Clint Coley brings his storytelling to Spokane Comedy Club

UPDATED: Thu., July 22, 2021

A long line of Philly comics have made a name for themselves courtesy of anecdotes. David Brenner, Kevin Hart, Dom Irrera and Bill Cosby became legends due to their storytelling ability. Clint Coley lived in Philadelphia for 25 years before moving to L.A. 10 years ago. 

A&E >  Entertainment

‘It’s great to be back’: Garland Theater reopens for movies Friday

UPDATED: Thu., July 22, 2021

The force was not with the Garland Theater or anyone 16 months ago. "Star Wars" was the last film screened at the Garland before the pandemic shuttered venues around the world. Garland Theater owner Katherine Fritchie sounded forlorn during a December chat.

News >  Family

Dad Daze: What the puck? Hockey sisters unite and take over

Sun., July 18, 2021

I couldn't help but read "The Hockey Sister," a breezy piece in a recent edition of the New Yorker. The feature was what I expected, which is about how younger sisters are slighted by their older ice hockey-playing brothers.

A&E >  Entertainment

Q+A: Jakob Dylan on his latest album, Tom Petty and an ‘Echo in the Canyon’

UPDATED: Thu., July 15, 2021

Jakob Dylan is to the Wallflowers what Trent Reznor is to Nine Inch Nails and John Fogerty was to Creedence Clearwater Revival. The leaders of such groups are, or in Fogerty's case was, the band. The Wallflowers will soon start a long-awaited tour.

A&E >  Entertainment

The story of the gorgeous Gorge finally hits the screen

UPDATED: Fri., July 16, 2021

There is star power to burn throughout “Enormous: The Gorge Story,” which hits screens July 21. Jam band icon Dave Matthews, Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready, country star Dierks Bentley and Train’s Pat Monahan are some of the luminaries. 

A&E >  Entertainment

Comic Steve Hofstetter hopes he’s not heckled again during his one-man show

UPDATED: Thu., July 15, 2021

Comic Steve Hofstetter, who will appear Sunday at the Spokane Comedy Club in two performances, is delivering a completely different performance. The long-suffering New York Mets fan is on a one-man-show tour with a performance titled "Dark Stuff."

News >  Family

Dad Daze: Dare to dream when thinking about a career

UPDATED: Sun., July 11, 2021

“Dare to dream” was the response when my daughter Jillian asked what I thought of her possible college major and potential vocation when she was a high school freshman. The conversation was during autumn of 2014. I had recently interviewed comic Lewis Black, which had quite an impact. His close friend, the iconic Robin Williams, had recently committed suicide. The subject of money was bandied about since many choose their careers based on compensation, which is fine for many but, it didn’t save the brilliant actor-comic.

A&E >  Entertainment

Smash your head on the punk rock at Spokane Boxing Gym’s to-be-resurrected Club Pompeii

UPDATED: Thu., July 8, 2021

From pugilism to punk rock. There's a fine line between the sweet science and the terse, fast and streamlined sounds of punk rock. Rick Welliver understands. The owner of Spokane Boxing Gym is resurrecting Club Pompeii.

A&E >  Entertainment

Space is the place for Rockabilly Space Force of the future

UPDATED: Thu., July 8, 2021

Bands who create their own reality are rare and often amazing. There's Spinal Tap, the fictitious metal band and the subject of the hilarious cult classic "This Is Spinal Tap," which is arguably the funniest music film ever. 

A&E >  Entertainment

You never know what comic Jeremiah Watkins will do when he hits the stage

UPDATED: Sat., July 10, 2021

Good prepared material will score laughs for a comic. However, there is nothing like living in the moment making up funny bits out of the ether through audience interaction. Jeremiah Watkins, who is adept at working a crowd, is well aware of this.

A&E >  Entertainment

‘I knew the Go-Go’s had something’: Manager Miles Copeland looks back at future Rock and Roll Hall of Famers

Tue., July 6, 2021

"People automatically assume we were probably put together by some guy," the Go-Go's lead vocalist Belinda Carlisle says during the 2020 documentary "The Go-Go's." "But we did it all ourselves." The Go-Go's took care of business sonically with 1981's "Beauty and the Beat. 

News >  Family

Dad Daze: Socialization is an integral part of a child’s education

UPDATED: Sun., July 4, 2021

The tears trickled down from Haley's sad brown eyes to her rosy cheeks. "I just hope to be able to go to school this year and make friends," she said. "I don't want to be learning from home anymore. I can't stand the isolation."

A&E >  Entertainment

What awaits comic Kristin Key in Spokane Comedy Club’s green room

UPDATED: Thu., July 1, 2021

Work is regarded as play for comic Kristin Key, particularly when she performs at the Spokane Comedy Club. "I've played in Spokane several times, and the last time was most memorable," Key recalled while calling from her Redondo Beach, California, home.