Tokyo Police Club forced to change with the times

It’s been a four-year wait for the release of Tokyo Police Club’s ForceField, and during that time the band have gained some new perspectives on the music industry. It was important to the band to take the time to produce an album that reflected their development and to push themselves, says keyboardist Graham Wright, and […]

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New Music Revue: Chic Gamine make Christmas music tolerable

Chic Gamine Christmas Vol. 1 (Independent) 4/5 I usually find Christmas music tacky and quite annoying, but Chic Gamine has changed my mind. The band, which features members from Winnipeg and Montreal, offers up a modern take on the genre while still maintaining their soulful harmonies and old-school Motown vibes. My French is not quite […]

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Britain’s BalletBoyz make rare stop in Canada

When 10 men from Britain hit the Royal Theatre stage this month, they may be built like Marines (one was even planning on joining the Marines before he found his passion) but they’re actually professional ballet dancers. The BalletBoyz transform all previous notions of ballet into a masculine display of strength. Billy Trevitt and Michael […]

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Downtown Mischief’s community

Some of the best bands start as people just jamming together. In the case of Downtown Mischief, a local funk/rap band that’s been creating beats and sharing their soulful rhythms over the past few years, jamming is how it all began. “We met through jam parties,” Jameson Daniels, one of the band’s main singers, says. […]

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New Music Revue: Recent round of Led Zeppelin reissues reminds of rock relevance

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin IV Houses of the Holy (Atlantic Records) 5/5 A perfect 5/5 rating? Sure: these are reissues of two of the best rock albums ever created. To help clarify things, we’ve provided a step-by-step walkthrough of the thought process that went down during the listening process. It’s not easy, as discussed during […]

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New Patrick Lane poetry anthology difficult, with few rewards

An anthology by Canadian poet Patrick Lane, Washita’s narrative stumbles laboriously like a circus bear on fire. It effectively embraces the disjointed reminiscence of old age, groping at limbs of sentimentality I usually reserve for commercials featuring glassy-eyed dogs and Sarah McLachlan. The anthology is meant as a disjointed autobiography, transcending personal experiences to contemplate […]

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New Music Revue: Fugazi, the garage band?

Fugazi First Demo (Dischord Records) 4/5 The story of Washington, DC post-punk band Fugazi is the stuff of legend, especially if you grew up going to punk shows, making ‘zines, and wearing your heart on your sleeve, like I did. So when news dropped a few months ago that guitarist/vocalist Ian MacKaye’s label Dischord Records […]

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UVic dresses up A Midsummer Night’s Dream in ’70s clothes for big win

William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a staple of the stage, particularly amongst university players. The script is fast-paced, zany, and supercharged with sexuality and angst; an absurd story of young lovers whose love is unrequited and prohibited.  One couple runs away into the forest to elope, the other couple follows to stop them.  […]

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Darrell Dennis examines First Nation assumptions in new book

Assumptions are made quickly, often without factual information to back them up. Especially about First Nations people. Darrell Dennis knows this as well as anyone, and the Los Angeles-based writer’s new novel, Peace Pipe Dreams: The Truth About Lies About Indians, explores these assumptions. “People really are willing to believe the first thing they hear,” […]

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Britten’s War Requiem honours those who suffered in battles

Over 150 voices will ring out in the Royal Theatre on November 8 when Britten’s War Requiem, an emotional orchestral performance of tragedy and remembrance, takes place in Victoria. The concert will include the talents of the Victoria Symphony, as well as 165 choral voices from the Vox Humana Choir, Victoria Choral Society, and St. […]

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