Blogcritics Author: Triniman

Book Review: Ubuntu For Non-Geeks, 3rd Edition by Rickford Grant

Triniman — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 16:32:17 EST

A true beginner's book with many exercises that will comfortably take you outside of your initial comfort zone.
Even if you're a pretty good user of Windows or Apple's OS X, you can still be intimidated by the prospect of learning Linux if you dive in too deeply with the wrong book for your level of understanding. The trick for most hobbyists who are reluctant to give Linux a try is to know where to safely begin, where one won't get overwhelmed...

Concert Review: Richard Thompson - Garrick Theatre, Winnipeg, MB, 12/05/2008

Triniman — Mon, 8 Dec 2008 10:23:43 EST

Mesmerizing performance by the legendary British singer-songwriter virtuoso guitarist Richard Thompson.
Around 500 people showed up to witness one of the world's most famous folk musicians perform an exhilarating 110 minute show.Well, what can be said about the caliber of musician that Richard Thompson (April 3, 1949) is? Everyone who knows who he is, pretty much agrees that he is among the top singer-songwriter guitar players around. Rolling...

Concert Review: Sarah Brightman - MTS Centre, Winnipeg, MB, 12/06/2008

Triniman — Mon, 8 Dec 2008 09:10:56 EST

The ultimate pop-opera crossover diva is still at the top of her game.
About 6000 people braved the cold to take in Sarah Brightman's Winnipeg stop on her latest tour, in support of the just-released Symphony album and DVD.Accompanied by eight young maidens as dancers, Brightman (April 14, 1960) led the show through sweet interpretations of some well-known songs, like Kansas' "Dust In the Wind," the...

Concert Review: Neil Young w/ Death Cab For Cutie & Everst, MTS Centre, Winnipeg, MB, 10/16/2008

Triniman — Sat, 8 Nov 2008 21:43:01 EST

Still the longest running, coolest, most uncompromising rock musician alive in the universe, Neil Young put on a show befitting his legend.
I had a $75 general admission floor seat, and arrived just before 6 pm, when the doors opened. I quickly made my way to the floor where I parked myself, leaning on a railing at the front, for the whole evening. The barricades seemed farther from the stage than normal, and I quickly realized that this was done to provide the two guys with video...

Concert Review: Amon Amarth w/ The Absence, Belphegor & Ensiferum - Garrick Centre, Winnipeg, MB, 10/11/2008

Triniman — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 10:19:22 EDT

Fans brought along horned helmets and plastic swords for an evening of dragon-slaying Viking-themed metal.
Sub-genres of metal were presented in the form of melodic death metal upstarts The Absence, from Tampa, Florida; black metallers Belphegor from Austria, Finland's self-described "heroic folk metal" in the form of Ensiferum and the headliners, Sweden's Amon Amarth, a melodic death metal band, heavily focused on Vikings and Norse...

Concert Review: Joe Satriani w/ Mountain - Burton Cummings Theatre, Winnipeg, MB, 10/06/2008

Triniman — Wed, 8 Oct 2008 09:01:57 EDT

Numbing guitar solos wear you out in this otherwise stunning evening of instrumental prowess.
Attendance: 1646 (sold out)I was surprised by the number of old rock fans in the audience. Grey hair and balding heads were everywhere. Clearly, a chance to see Mountain, one of the classic rock's most popular early 1970's bands, was too much to resist for these 50 and 60-something fans.Leslie West's vocals weren't great but he...

Concert Review: Bobby Watson with Horizon - Berney Theatre, Winnipeg, MB, 10/04/2008

Triniman — Sun, 5 Oct 2008 14:30:43 EDT

Re-united jazz stars Bobby Watson and Horizon deliver in spades.
This is the first concert of the season in the Izzy Asper Jazz Performance Series in the 180 seat Berney Theatre at the Asper Campus in Winnipeg, Canada. Each concert is also repeated on Sunday afternoon and evening, such is the demand for tickets. And, as in previous years, the entire series is sold out.The quintet Horizon is comprised of...

Concert Review: Opeth w/High On Fire - The Garrick Theatre, Winnipeg, MB, 09/29/2008

Triniman — Wed, 1 Oct 2008 10:21:58 EDT

Two very different but excellent metal bands including the masters of folksy-progressive death metal.
Sweden's Opeth are one of the most celebrated "progressive" metal bands around, and certainly one of the most unique with their unusual mix of folksy, acoustic passages juxtaposed with deep, guttural vocals and rapidly thrashing precise speed metal, with tinges of progressive keyboards. They command sonic textures and wrap up the...

Concert Review: Sheryl Crow At MTS Centre, Winnipeg, MB, 09/27/2008

Triniman — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 10:09:14 EDT

Sheryl Crow is an unmistakable activist, so expect her to unload on Bush, climate change deniers, and Paris Hilton!
Around 9 pm, the lights went down inside the MTS Centre, Winnipeg's main concert venue, and taped music of Johnny Nash's "I Can See Clearly Now" was played for a few minutes before the headliners took to the stage. I had an excellent view from the third row on the floor and some of the people around erupted in excitement as they...

Concert Review: Elton John At MTS Centre, Winnipeg, MB, 09/19/2008

Triniman — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:45:51 EDT

Guess no more about who the real "King of Pop" is. The King may be a queen, but he's still the King.
I was in row 32 on the floor for Elton John, and enjoyed the show more thanks to the two huge video screens that provided a great view. The giddy 50-something ladies I sat beside brought album covers and waved them constantly when they danced during the non-ballad songs.When Elton appeared onstage to a thunderous ovation, the crowd naturally rose...