New Music Revue: Sarah MacDougall’s Grand Canyon showcases her unique sound well

Sarah MacDougall Grand Canyon (Independent) 4/5 Even with Sarah MacDougall’s strong Swedish roots, she showcases some convincing Canadian pride in her song “Sparrowhead.” Let’s just say it would be dangerous if everyone drank when she sang “Manitoba,” like the popular drinking game to the song “Roxanne” by The Police. Originally from Malmoe, Sweden and now […]

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Best of Celtic Thunder takes itself too seriously

Celtic Thunder came to the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre on March 11 for their Best of Celtic Thunder tour. Since their 2007 debut in Ireland the group’s eclectic and theatrical performances have launched them onto the world stage. From the encyclopedic chattering of the elderly couple behind me, I could tell that they had earned a […]

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Belfry brings social issues to light during SPARK fest

The 2015 SPARK Festival is presenting a blend of performances celebrating wild inhibition, the Canadian dual identity, and the mockery of the yoga and health industry. The goal is to showcase theatre pieces that are ahead of the curve, and playwright/dancer Anita Majumdar cannot be further from it in her performances Let Me Borrow That […]

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New Music Revue: Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti still perfect

Led Zeppelin Physical Graffiti (Atlantic Records) 5/5 The latest Led Zeppelin reissue tackles 1975’s huge Physical Graffiti, a double album of absurdly good, acid-destroyed rock. All these years later, it still sounds perfect. “Custard Pie” is one of the best album openers ever, and “In My Time Of Dying” is an 11-minute funeral dirge… placed […]

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Canadian poet Gwendolyn MacEwan honoured in new Theatre Inconnu play

“All I have ever cared about/and all you should ever care about/is what happens when you lift your eyes from this page.” Beautiful words from the late Canadian poet Gwendolyn MacEwan’s Let Me Make This Perfectly Clear. The Ontario native passed away in 1987 and is still considered by many to be one of Canada’s […]

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Dickens’ unsolved mystery brought to the stage at Langham Court

The great author and storyteller Charles Dickens wrote The Mystery of Edwin Drood, but the case could never be solved. Dickens passed away before writing the end of the story, leaving his last piece of work unresolved and in the hands of desperate playwrights trying to take advantage of his untold tale. Langham Court Theatre […]

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Vinyl Supernova home to Victoria’s vinyl resurgence

All of the Victoria record collectors wondering when the next big event is going on will want to check out Vinyl Supernova. The largest record fair on Vancouver Island, Vinyl Supernova will be home to over 50 vendors selling their merchandise. Local record stores from all over the island, and even a few off the […]

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The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies impresses at IMAX despite flaws

The Hobbit trilogy has come to an end with The Battle of the Five Armies. Director Peter Jackson received a lot of criticism breaking the story into three separate movies, but I have no problem with three three-hour films depicting The Hobbit. The movies are visually stunning; watching it on an Imax 3D screen is […]

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Journey to Space delights with information

I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of information that Journey to Space, playing at the Victoria IMAX in the Royal BC Museum, provided in its 45-minute run-time while maintaining the ability to capture its audience. With an impactful delivery and full of historical and emotional material, Journey to Space speaks to many audiences. Having […]

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New Music Revue: Sylvan’s Home hard to sit through

Sylvan Home (Gentle Art of Music/E1) 3/5 I’ll be honest: I found Home, the 11th release by German band Sylvan, difficult to get through. It was promising enough, with intricate instrumentals that were somewhere between classical music and Euro-rock, but the lyrics filled with teenage angst were depressing. Then you combine those lyrics with the […]

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