Friday, April 5
The show is here
Local folk and reggae duo Jon and Roy are holding the release party of their latest album Here in their hometown of Victoria at Capital Ballroom on April 5. The duo’s unique indie-folk stylings have hit stages at festivals like Rifflandia and Rock the Shores, and they’ve shared stages with bands like The Cat Empire and Current Swell. Visit jonandroy.com for tickets and more information.
Monday, April 8
It’s Beside the Point
Beside the Point is a creative writing journal produced at Camosun; the journal is launching its next issue at an event in Fisher 100 at 7 pm on April 8. This issue explores the many definitions of power. There will be refreshments and readings by Camosun Creative Writing students. For more information visit camosun.ca/learn/subjects/creative-writing.
Monday, April 8 to Wednesday, April 10
Raise your voice
The 10th annual Victorious Voices youth arts festival is taking place from April 8 to 10. There will be workshops, performances in local schools, and feature events with acclaimed Canadian poets, including World Poetry Slam champion Ian Keteku and CBC Poetry Prize winner Alessandra Nacarrato. There are 12 teams competing in the High School Poetry Slam Championships for the Victorious Voices title. For the full schedule and more information visit vicvoices.com.
Wednesday, April 10
For the bees
Pollinator steward Shane Johnson of Camosun College is teaching about attracting native pollinators on April 10. Johnson will explain how to encourage pollinators by planting the right plants; native bees are much more effective at pollinating than non-native honeybees are. Friends of Uplands Park and Habitat Acquisition Trust will provide handouts. Attendance is free and there will be refreshments. Donations are appreciated. The event takes place on April 10 from 7 to 9 pm at Windsor Park Pavillion in Oak Bay. See friendsofuplandspark.org for more info.
Friday, April 19
Kimmortally yours
Kimmortal is performing at the Victoria Event Centre on April 19 at 9 pm. She has utilized her education in visual arts and art history to incorporate song, dance, and visual art into her sets. Opening act Uschi Tala is a self-taught multi-instrumentalist and poet who who draws light from darkness with haunting and rhythmic music. Tickets are $15; for more information visit victoriaeventcentre.ca.
Saturday, April 20
Bringing the big beats
The Crystal Method is coming to Capital Ballroom on April 20. The band is known as pioneers of the big beat genre and innovators of the ’90s electronica movement. Co-founders Scott Kirkland and the now-retired Ken Jordan formed the Grammy Award-nominated, platinum-certified act in Las Vegas in 1993. Tickets are $27.50, and doors are at 8 pm; for more information visit thecapitalballroom.com.
Thursday, April 25
Victoria’s history of United Empire Loyalists
The Victoria Historical Society presents Proud Heritage: Descendants of United Empire Loyalists in Early Victoria, with speaker Yvonne Van Ruskenveld, on April 25 at James Bay New Horizons, located at 234 Menzies Street. Ruskenveld will speak about the mark left on Victoria by descendants of those who received land in eastern Canada as a reward for their loyalty to the British Crown during the American Revolution. Doors are at 7:15 and admission is $5. For more information visit victoriahistoricalsociety.bc.ca.
Thursday, April 25 to Sunday, May 5
Making lists and faking names
Pacific Opera Victoria is bringing Kálmán’s Countess Maritza to The Royal Theatre. The story is a romantic comedy about Countess Maritza’s plot to avoid her many admirers by inventing a fiancé. It will be performed in English with English surtitles. Tickets start at $27. Student RUSH tickets are available at the door 60 minutes prior to each performance—they are $15 with student ID, subject to availability. For showtimes and more information visit rmts.bc.ca.
Saturday, April 27
Here comes the Iceage
Copenhagen punk rock band Iceage is coming to Distrikt on April 27. Their latest album, Beyondless, was praised by outlets such as Pitchfork, Stereogum, Clash, Noisey, and Vice. Advance tickets are $19, and doors are at 7 pm. For more information visit strathconahotel.com.
Saturday, April 27
Wintersleep to wake you up
Halifax indie rock band Wintersleep are coming to The Capital Ballroom on April 27. Their latest album, In the Land Of, explores the ideas that we form the landscapes we inhabit and that our identities are shaped in relation to our habitats. Tickets are $23.50 and doors are at 8 pm. For more information visit thecapitalballroom.com.
Thursday, May 2 to Saturday, May 18
Friends for life
Canadian writer Rachel Wyatt has adapted her acclaimed novel Letters to Omar for the stage in The Best of Friends, a play being performed at Theatre Inconnu between May 2 and May 18. The play is a witty, ironic, insightful story of three older women trying to change the world. Tickets are $14 for adults and $10 for students. Wednesday, May 8 is pay-what-you-wish admission. For showtimes and more information visit theatreinconnu.com.
Friday, May 3
Sideways under the mountain
Calgary band Gone Cosmic is touring their first album, Sideways in Time.The four-piece band’s style is soulful psychedelic rock spanning from southern to sonic. They are playing at Wheelies on May 3 with Vancouver Island-based hard rock band Under the Mountain. For more information visit wheeliesmotorcycles.ca.
Coming Soon:
May 19, Chris D’Elia, Royal Theatre
June 24, Corey Hart, Save-on-Foods Memorial Centr
August 21, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre
November 16, Jim Jefferies, Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre