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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
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Ed Condran

Ed Condran

Current Position: Features writer

Entertainment editor Ed Condran joined The Spokesman-Review in September as a freelancer and became a full-time Features reporter in March. The veteran journalist, who has written for Playboy, Parents, Rolling Stone, Maxim, Details, the Washington Post and the Dallas Morning News, covers music, comedy, travel, stage and more. The Temple University alum crafted jokes for Bette Midler's "Kiss My Brass" tour, and Burt Reynolds, George Carlin and Chris Cornell were some of his favorite interviews. Condran is a long-suffering Minnesota Vikings fan.

Email
edc@spokesman.com
Phone
(509) 459-5440

All Stories

News >  Family

Dad Daze: In the great American divide, can our children bridge the gap?

While driving from Philadelphia to Spokane last summer with my sons Eddie and Milo, the subject of the great American divide was broached more than once. "How can people from the same country hate each other so much?" Milo asked after we left a restaurant in Wyoming. What prompted the question was a conversation we overheard.
A&E >  Entertainment

Barry Gibb returns with ‘Greenfields,’ a collection of beautiful duets

It's fitting that Barry Gibb's "Greenfields: The Gibb Brothers Songbook Volume 1," drops Friday. January releases sometimes are forgotten during year-end reviews even if the material is excellent. Gibb, 74, wrote many amazing songs for his groundbreaking trio, the Bee Gees, before the release of the legendary soundtrack "Saturday Night Fever."
A&E >  Entertainment

For Spokane recording artists, a new year with fresh possibilities and releases

Working on new material is the response most recording artists had when asked what they were doing during chats in 2020. Since the novel coronavirus derailed the live music industry in mid-March, it made sense that musicians created while on performance hiatus. Expect quite a bit of music to see the light of day in 2021 created by musicians from Spokane.
A&E >  Books

The return of ‘The Stand’ and the beginning of CBS All Access

Few bestselling books are as big as Stephen King's magnum opus, "The Stand": 823 pages abridged, 1,152 unabridged. However, the latest "Stand" miniseries, which airs on CBS All Access, isn't a blockbuster on the level of what is being streamed on Netflix, Amazon or HBO Max.
News >  Features

Dad Daze: This New Year’s Eve – bring on 2021

I was so excited about the arrival of 2020 that I almost purchased a pair of those goofy New Year's Eve glasses with the upcoming digits that celebrants sport in Times Square when the ball drops during "Dick Clark's Rockin' Eve." I was looking forward to 2020 ever since my son Eddie, who graduated from high school in June, entered kindergarten.
A&E

From a tress to distress: Celebrity stylist returns home to Spokane, shares hair-raising artistry at Salon Nouveau

It didn't take long for Bradley Irion to go from a tress to distress when he learned of the potential impact of the pandemic last winter. Unlike many Americans, the celebrity hairstylist was aware that the novel coronavirus was serious. The Spokane native's friend and client, actress Leslie Grossman from "American Horror Story," revealed that a horror story was on its way to America.
A&E

New books focus on Pearl Jam, Chris Cornell, Jimi Hendrix and Mark Lanegan

If there was ever a time to curl up in bed with a good music biography, it's right now since live entertainment is on ice. While there are myriad solid rock books available, four new ones focus on Pacific Northwest iconoclasts Pearl Jam, late Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell, Jimi Hendrix and former Screaming Trees vocalist Mark Lanegan.
A&E >  Entertainment

Stone Gossard endorses COVID-19 app WA Notify

Pearl Jam is one of those rare recording artists who are influential onstage and offstage. How many vocalists have appropriated Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder's singing style? Too many. Hello, Scott Stapp. Who can forget Pearl Jam's righteous battle against Ticketmaster? The Seattle-based band are also political and environmental activists.
News >  Family

Dad Daze: My four children’s photos with Santa Claus are priceless

I was only 7 years old when I realized that there was no Santa Claus. After I rattled off a list of cool presents – a new baseball glove, a bike and a little brother – to St. Nick, I followed my mother around the corner where she was paying a bill at the grand Lit Brothers department store in downtown Philadelphia.
A&E >  Entertainment

Trans-Siberian Orchestra to perform ‘Christmas Eve and Other Stories’ via livestream Friday

Thanksgiving in Spokane and a Black Friday matinee have been a tradition for years for guitarist Al Pitrelli. The musical director of Trans-Siberian Orchestra prefaces the band's annual Black Friday night show with some quality time in the Inland Northwest. "For the last five or six years, what I'm accustomed to ... is that we celebrate Thanksgiving in Spokane," Pitrelli said.
A&E >  Music

Vinyl is alive and well at Spokane record shops

Live music is on ice, but vinyl is hot. During the week of Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 1.253 million vinyl albums were sold in the U.S., the largest sales week for the format since Nielsen Music/MRC Data began electronically tracking music sales in 1991. "Music fans want vinyl," Total Trash Records & Sound owner Scott Kellogg said. "There's no doubt about that."
News >  Features

Dad Daze: Coping with the excruciating death of a child

I couldn't wait for a cup of coffee to jumpstart an idyllic summer late morning in Missoula in 2019. My children and I were about to visit the Missoula Art Museum, and we just ordered breakfast. However, I received a message just as the java arrived. While reading the shocking note, my hand knocked over the cup, and its contents spilled all over the table.
A&E >  Entertainment

Paul McCartney is back with moving, melodic and masterful ‘McCartney 3’

If anyone in the world of rock can rest on his laurels, it's Paul McCartney. To put McCartney's place in music history in perspective, I'll defer to George Martin. During an interview with the iconic Beatles producer some 20 years ago, I asked if he ever felt guilty for not cultivating the songwriting genius of George Harrison: "No, I was too busy working with the two greatest songwriters of the century."
A&E >  Art

Dad Daze: Nurture by Naps understands that postpartum care is essential

Nothing prepares a mother for departure from the hospital after having her first child. All of the Dr. Spock books and material from other parenting experts slips out of your brain once you're smacked in the face by the welcome fresh air. Good luck after you're no longer tethered to labor and delivery.
A&E >  Music

Rocking the pandemic boat with a heavy metal cruise in 2021

It sounds like a dream vacation for heavy metal enthusiasts. Tickets go on sale today for the Monsters of Rock Cruise, slated for May 26-31, in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Legendary rocker Alice Cooper will headline a bill that also features Lit, Winger, L.A. Guns, Kix, Great White, Pat Travers and XYZ, among other headbangers.