New Music Revue: Alice in Chains, Chris PiccoAlice In Chains The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here (Universal Music) 4/5 I love that odd album title, and I love the fact that these guys are proving, like Soundgarden and Pearl Jam, that they’re not just grunge revival (ugh, sorry ‘bout that). Instead, AiC are as heavy as ever, exploring a sound here on their […] Continue Reading |
Are mainstream music festivals like Sasquatch good or bad for music?Everyone has a habit. For many music fans, the one they can’t seem to shake is attending massive festivals. Coachella. Bonnaroo. Bumbershoot. Sasquatch. These are all established music festivals that draw tens of thousands every year. They’re physically and financially taxing and feature countless artists in often-conflicting time slots. The talent play festivals because they […] Continue Reading |
Vancouver’s Rykka embraces her inner animalBefore she was known as Christina Maria (no, not the Kristina Maria who sings “Karma” and “Let’s Play,” so maybe that explains the name change): now she is known, simply, as Rykka. The Vancouver-born musician is touring across Canada to perform songs from her latest album, Kodiak. This disc is completely different compared to her […] Continue Reading |
New exhibit revives forgotten short film about VictoriaLots of crazy stuff was going down in 1983, not the least of which was a film entitled A Post Card from Victoria. The short was made by Montreal artists Lorraine Dufour and Robert Morin, and is now being brought back to life as part of the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria’s 2013-14 LAB series, […] Continue Reading |
Sasquatch Festival founder Adam Zacks talks developing artists, landing Sigur RosA lot of the focus at Sasquatch Festival this year will be put on its big-name headlining bands like Mumford and Sons, The Postal Service, The Lumineers, and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. But it’s the smaller, up-and-coming bands playing the May 24-27 music festival that has founder Adam Zacks the most excited. Zacks, who started […] Continue Reading |
Montreal psychobilly band The Brains lose makeup, gain notorietyIt didn’t end up working out for KISS, but it might be a permanent thing for Montreal’s long-running psychobilly band The Brains. We, of course, are talking about taking off the makeup and hanging up the costumes. For KISS, their “unmasked” era was a desperate plea for commercial resurgence in the ’80s and ’90s, but […] Continue Reading |
Capoeira on centre stage for Brazilian festThe art of Capoeira will be spotlighted in Victoria for the annual Brazilian Cultural Festival. Axe Capoeira will be bringing some of their finest Capoeiristas from all over the world to expose Victoria to their culture, folklore, music, dancing, combat, and impressive acrobatics. According to Axe Capoeira Victoria’s Professor Testa (real name: Kevin Brett), Capoeira […] Continue Reading |
Uno Fest takes one-person plays to new levelsCan you imagine one performer playing more than 20 different characters? At Uno Fest, solo performers from across North America play many different characters in innovative and cutting-edge theatre. Uno Fest started in the humble beginnings of a hotel basement 17 years ago; now Uno is North America’s longest-running festival of solo performance. Many performers […] Continue Reading |
Kitt & Jane tackle the apocalypse head-onThe idea for Kitt & Jane, the stage sequel to Fringe favourite Little Orange Man, germinated in director/star Ingrid Hansen’s mind when she was 12 years old and flipping through dog-eared copies of National Geographic magazine. The result, a look at fighting off an apocalypse through the eyes of two 14-year-olds, isn’t nearly as heavy […] Continue Reading |
Sasquatch and Bumbershoot festival lineups include Macklemore, The XX, Bassnectar, BaronessA few days ago we told you about some of the summer music festivals planned for the greater Victoria area, including the recent lineup announcement for Rock of the Woods in the Cowichan Valley. But a couple of infamous festivals happening in Washington State have also recently announced their lineups and they’re looking good. Real […] Continue Reading |
