Arts

Steve Poltz Noineen Noiny Noin (Arrival Records) 4/5 Cute album title, no? Luckily, Steve Poltz, who has been plying his singer-songwriter trade for a while, makes up for it on this, his thirteenth disc. Here, it’s all classic rock stomps, like opener “Spirit Hands,” which reminds you of nothing more than just how damn good […]

Anyone who’s ever felt the energy on a club dance floor has gotten an inside peek at how dance can change the human psyche. A local event called the Art of Movements hopes to take that energy one step further by hosting a series of dance styles and activities in an effort to explore how […]

Woody Allen’s latest film was initially going to be titled Bop Decameron; that was scrapped and it became To Rome with Love, for better or for worse. But it gets the viewer ready for what’s in store: the set is stunning. But of course it’s stunning: it’s Rome. Four stories make up To Rome with […]

Rocky Mountain Rebel Music’s 10 band members make up a large part of the island’s music scene, not only in their group but in the multitude of other groups that they’re involved in, such as Dope Soda and The Chantrelles, to name just a couple (there are over 10). “Having 10 solid musicians in our […]

Jets Overhead Boredom and Joy (Warner) 4.5/5 Textures. Soaring, otherworldly melodies. Unforgettable pop tunes that become part of your life. Here, on album three, locals Jets Overhead prove that in a different era (that’s the ’80’s), they would have been radio heroes, because they’ve got all of the above, and more. Take one listen to […]

Around the age of 16, Seth Smith abandoned his small east-coast town in search of greener grasses… or at least somewhere where the high schools had music and art programs. Smith found this place in Victoria, where he attended Vic High for a few years before the east lured him back with that Maritime twang […]

We’ve seen him on Saturday Night Live and followed his career trajectory in over 30 really bad motion pictures (anyone remember Rat Race?), but not many of us have thought of Jon Lovitz as a standup comedian, never mind a piano-playing, singing one-man show comedy act. In his recent performance at the Alix Goolden Hall, […]

You know when critics start talking about how a certain actor will be in the running for an Oscar nomination this year for a recent performance and you just roll your eyes and picture some over-the-top performance where someone plays a character with some debilitating speech impediment, or a missing leg, or something? And you […]

Every year throughout Canada there are tons of music festivals, most of them profit-based ventures for the production companies that organize them. But once in a while someone comes along and breaks the mold, putting profit aside and, instead, focuses on music, community, and sustainability. This is exactly what Victoria-based Radio Contact Productions has done […]