Langham Court’s The Graduate too frantic for important subtletiesThe Graduate, originally a novel written by Charles Webb in 1963, was made into a film in 1967. Now it’s in Victoria as a play, but it just doesn’t pack the same punch. The storyline follows the awkward and unsettled tendencies of post-graduate Benjamin Braddock, who finds his idle self lured into the web of […] Continue Reading |
Goo Goo Dolls make Victoria women scream with limp rockLast night was the first time the power balladeering/power pop stars Goo Goo Dolls (read our recent interview with them here) had played in Victoria for about 200 years (okay, since 1988), so it was no surprise that I was surrounded by women of varying ages (okay, mainly middle-aged) singing along to every word of […] Continue Reading |
Victoria’s Tower of Dudes make their own cultureWhen thinking of Eastern European music, local Victoria bands don’t usually come to mind. But there’s one band in particular bringing the unique influences of Eastern European folk music (the Czech Republic, to be specific) and mixing them with a strong shot of energetic rock ‘n’ roll. Victoria-based Tower of Dudes, who are releasing their […] Continue Reading |
Victoria Spoken Word Festival ready to break barriers againFestivals have a way of bringing people together. Whether it’s over the mutual enjoyment of an event or the communal thrill of sardining together into an already over-packed auditorium, they tend to bring out the best in people. The Victoria Spoken Word Festival promises to be no different. With talent swept in from far and […] Continue Reading |
New Music Revue: La DisputeLa Dispute Rooms of the House (Better Living/Staple Records) 4.5/5 There’s a time for every great band to rise to a higher musical echelon, shedding the trappings of genre tags, self-awareness, and pretentiousness, and make an album that screams from the treetops like Rooms of the House does. Michigan five-piece emotional rock band La Dispute […] Continue Reading |
New Music Revue, February 19, 2014 issue (No)No El Prado (Arts and Crafts Records) 2.5/5 LA-based indie sextet No’s debut, El Prado, isn’t an upbeat album, but by no means is it unbearably depressing. With El Prado, No delivers an album with vocal lines that are easy to nod along to, and they also contain some lyrical gems. The album’s tone bleeds […] Continue Reading |
Victoria’s first Funny Women Festival brings together funny women of all kindsWhether it’s to cheer us up, connect with friends, avoid an awkward silence, or to keep us from keying our neighbour’s car, comedy seems to do the trick. Laughter cuts tension, lightens the mood, and allows us to explore every kind of topicŃfrom airplane peanuts to racial profilingŃall in a way that transcends the straight-faced […] Continue Reading |
Victoria Beer Week gets craftyBringing over 30 craft breweries, including every brewery and brewpub on Vancouver Island, together for a week-long series of events wasn’t nearly as tricky as it sounds. Victoria Beer Week is a new event that celebrates BC’s growing craft beer scene and, according to board member Jeff Kendrew, the amount of interest from brewers and […] Continue Reading |
Goo Goo Dolls: the Nexus interviewIt’s hard not to think of Buffalo alt-rock-lite band Goo Goo Dolls without immediately skipping to the choruses of their biggest songs, “Name” and “Iris.” But under the trappings of acoustic power ballad hits is a band that’s coming up on 30 years of distinguished rock and roll, not just the strummed acoustic numbers that […] Continue Reading |
Francois Leduc swims with great white sharksFrancois Leduc gives literal meaning to the term “swimming with sharks.” Leduc recently spoke at the IMAX about his experiences free-diving with sharks for the making of the movie Great White Shark. During the filming of the IMAX feature it was Leduc’s job to protect the featured diver William Winram when they were diving with […] Continue Reading |
