Arts

Swollen Members have had their fair share of trials and tribulations over the past few years, such as band member “Mad Child” Shane Bunting’s drug addiction, which had a strong influence on their previous album, Dagger Mouth. With all of that behind them, and with new album Beautiful Death Machine in their coffers, they are […]

What is happiness for you? Or perhaps a better question is always this: what is happiness for Charlie Brown? “Charlie Brown says happiness is a happy pencil, because the girl he loves has nibbled on a pencil,” says Fran Gebhard, director of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. “Happiness is sharing sandwiches and a friend.” […]

Billy Bragg Tooth and Nail (Dine Alone Records) 3.5/5   Tooth and Nail, Billy Bragg’s first studio solo album in five years, is definitely a lot more listenable and thoughtful than past albums, but it doesn’t quite stand up next to the three Mermaid Avenue albums he did with Wilco, where they used Woody Guthrie […]

The play Ghosts of the Plaza has elements of comedy and drama, and it also has a musical number. However, that’s not all it has to offer. Between all that, it manages to incorporate a part of Victoria’s history into the show. “A history that hasn’t really been looked at,” says play co-writer Sarah Smith, […]

Most people have never thought about being in an opera. Now, everyone walking through the Belfry’s doors can have a chance to do just that. Let’s Make An Opera & The Little Sweep is a unique piece by Benjamin Britten, a main player in 20th-century British classical music. It’s a play about the making of […]

Hollerado White Paint (Royal Mountain Records) 3.5/5   Sharing the stage with both Weezer and Jack White, Ottawa-based indie-rock band Hollerado have been sweeping the globe since debuting Record in a Bag back in 2010. Building steam over the past two years, their hit single, “Pick Me Up” from latest album White Paint does not […]