Camosun Comics students host year-end festivalAn upcoming festival will allow the students in Camosun’s Comics and Graphic Novels program the opportunity to network with professional visual storytellers who will share their experiences and skills in a mentorship environment. The annual Camosun Comic Arts Festival (CCAF), taking place April 11 at Camosun’s Lansdowne campus, is a free event open to the […] Continue Reading |
Sarah MacDougall steals the show in VictoriaWhitehorse singer/songwriter Sarah MacDougall opened for Newfoundland folksters The Once at the historical and quaint St. Ann’s Academy last night, and she stole the show. The concert was sold out; some of the (mostly white-haired) fans were even lingering at the door trying to get last-minute tickets. It was one of the most intimate concerts […] Continue Reading |
Lynyrd Skynyrd’s southern rock rocks Victoria hardI always feel like Lynyrd Skynyrd don’t actually get enough credit for their classic southern rock. Yes, sir: I feel Lynyrd Skynyrd are underrated. Sure, “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Freebird,” tired as we are of them, rule, but how about the fact that this band had a spree of albums in the ’70s on par […] Continue Reading |
New Music Revue: Legs’ Altitud excels when it gets funkyLegs Altitud (Unsatisfied Records) 3/5 The first two tracks (“Jungle” and “Top of the World”) on Brooklyn indie dance group Legs’ new album, Altitud, are forgettable, but the album really picks up on the third track, “Hide and Seek.” Legs’ slower, synth-driven songs are boring and meandering, suited for a movie soundtrack, which is perhaps […] Continue Reading |
New Music Revue: Jesse Roper’s Red Bird misses the markJesse Roper Red Bird (Warner/Blue Heron Music) 1/5 Despite Victoria songwriter Jesse Roper’s obvious instrumental and vocal talent, his self-indulgent music on Red Bird reminds me of a cover band you might find at a backyard BBQ celebrating an over-the-hill birthday. Red Bird starts off with a folk sound, moves into a soft-rock lull, briefly […] Continue Reading |
New Music Revue: Gabrielle Papillon’s The Tempest of Old transports imaginationsGabrielle Papillon The Tempest of Old (Independent) 4/5 Just as The Civil Wars’ self-titled album gave me a taste for their rendition of the country genre, Garbrielle Papillon’s fifth album, The Tempest of Old, became an exception for my disinterest in indie rock. With haunting beats, banjos, and a wicked fiddle, the first track, “Got […] Continue Reading |
Voice++ 2015 Festival highlights the power of human voiceIt isn’t uncommon in Victoria: a dozen flannel-clad buskers perched along Government Street, amusing shiny cedar acoustic guitars, singing folk renditions of Billboard Top 100 pop singles. Elderly gentlemen romance nostalgic tunes on trumpets and trombones alongside overly formal pre-teens mastering their violins. Indeed, Victoria is fond of its eclectic music community. A selection of […] Continue Reading |
Viet Cong bring intricate indie rock to VictoriaCalgary post-punk outfit Viet Cong is making their way to Victoria, a city they are no strangers to. In fact, their old band, Women, actually broke up in Lucky Bar in 2010. But the indie rockers will be steering clear of Lucky Bar this time, performing at the Upstairs Cabaret on March 29. “We all […] Continue Reading |
Shane Koyczan knows tricks to artistic successWe all want our voices and stories to be heard and, after a lot of hard work, award-winning poet, author, and performer Shane Koyczan has accomplished just that. Koyczan grew up in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories and was raised by his grandparents. All through school he was bullied, but despite the discouragement, Koyczan says he kept […] Continue Reading |
New Music Revue: Harm’s Way get real ugly on RustHarm’s Way Rust (Deathwish Inc.) 3.5/5 Chicago has bred some disgusting metal and hardcore bands (see: Integrity and, well, Integrity). Harm’s Way are no exception, continuing the time-honoured Chicago hardcore tradition of evil, serpentine riffing and anguished vocals. Rust features 10 harrowing songs of terror, torture and internal struggle, but don’t let that scare you […] Continue Reading |
