Big Wreck then and nowFrom Big Wreck to Thornley and back to Big Wreck: Ian Thornley’s musical career has gone full circle. Back in 1994, Thornley met fellow musician Brian Doherty at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts and Big Wreck was formed. Three years later, In Loving Memory Of… was released. The success of this album […] Continue Reading |
Bombino: the man behind the nameTo his friends and family he is Omara Moctar; to his fans he is Bombino. But these are just names, titles given to him and placed upon him. So, who is Bombino? Well, the word “bombino” means “baby” in Italian, a dubbing that occurred when Moctar was the youngest member of his group when he […] Continue Reading |
New Music Revue: April 11, 2012 issueOf Monsters and Men My Head is an Animal (Universal Music) 3/5 My Head Is an Animal, the debut album from Icelandic indie folk group Of Monsters and Men, is full of anthems, reverb, layers, and choirs. It also sounds an awful lot like a band you may have heard before. “Dirty Paws” sounds […] Continue Reading |
Local, Live, and Loud: April 11-May 4Friday, April 13 Joel Plaskett, guests Alix Goolden Performance Hall, $25, 7:30 PM Joel Plaskett is to Canada what zippers are to clothing, going essentially unnoticed in the large scheme of things, but both extremely handy, and an attractive alternative to buttons or clasps. get your zip on with Plaskett. Thursday, April 19 The Beautiful […] Continue Reading |
The Black Seeds hit dirtWhen New Zealand dub/funk/soul band The Black Seeds are on the road, what gets them through to their next gig might be a little surprising. “The asphalt on the road is what takes me to the next gig,” jokes the band’s bassist, Tim Jaray. “But, actually, listening to Bruce Springsteen’s album Nebraska while driving on […] Continue Reading |
Rococode fuse melody with spontaneityLots of people claim, sometimes in an incorrect and hyperbolic manner, that music is their life. But when it comes to Laura Smith, vocalist and keyboardist of the Vancouver-based pop-rock sensation Rococode, music really always has been her life. “I played piano since I was really little,” she says. “It got to the point where […] Continue Reading |
Climbing film explores human ambition via Mount EverestClimbing Mount Everest is an unattainable dream for many people, unless you have $100,000. It used to be that a climber would spend many gruelling years in training before approaching Mount Everest; now all you need is money. Documentary filmmaker Dianne Whelan spent 40 days at the base of Mount Everest documenting the climbing season […] Continue Reading |
New Music Revue: April 4, 2012 issueHey Mother Death Hey Mother Death (Divorce Records) 2.5/5 The first release by Halifax/Paris-based duo Hey Mother Death is a dark, atmospheric soundscape. But Hey Mother Death are largely inaccessible and far too on-the-fringe for most listeners. The EP begins with the compelling and moody instrumental “You Left Me.” Dark, eerie synths, a slow, resonant, […] Continue Reading |
Local, Live, and Loud: April 4-10Friday, April 6 The Sentimentals, Lovers, Capital Region Logans, $8, 9:30 pm Lovers had one of my favourite releases of 2010, and, to my understanding, the release went virtually untouched. Darklight is a fantastic album and has some really enjoyable, mellow pop songs. The trio has a lot of energy and emotion behind their music. […] Continue Reading |
High-school poetry slammers to claim victoryThere won’t be any dusting off of tomes or reciting of iambic pentameter at Victorious Voices, the third annual high-school poetry slam championships. Instead, teams of students from six Greater Victoria high schools will perform spoken-word poems for a panel of judges including mayor Dean Fortin and poet laureate Janet Rogers. The performances will be […] Continue Reading |
