New Music Revue: November 30, 2011 issueMetallica & Lou Reed Lulu (Warner Bros.) 3.5/5 On this maddening, fever-dream-inducing disc, Lou Reed smashes caustic spoken-word vocals against a pallet of avant-garde sound bites and well produced sludgy metal riffing by Metallica. Lulu is a highly ambitious album, but it also comes across as something unique. My guess is Lou Reed just doesn’t […] Continue Reading |
Bedouin Soundclash rises to challengesWhile many people grow up wanting to be famous musicians, Eon Sinclair, bassist of Toronto’s reggae/ska trio Bedouin Soundclash, grew up aspiring to be a teacher. “Ten years ago I saw myself teaching in a classroom somewhere,” he says. “I have an interest in education. I probably would have envisioned myself as an elementary teacher […] Continue Reading |
Live review – Stuart McLean brings a festive feel to VictoriaStuart McLean Monday, November 28, 2011 Royal Theatre, Victoria The Vinyl Café with Stuart McLean jumped out of the radio and onto the stage at the Royal Theatre in Victoria at a recent event that combined readings, music, and other festivities. The show was part of the annual Christmas concert tour, which will make over […] Continue Reading |
Concert review: a night of K-osK-os, The Dirty Mags Thursday, November 24, Club 9ONE9 K-os lived up to his name when he recently performed at Club 9ONE9 and fired up the audience with his energy and talent. K-os kicked off a tour here in Victoria alongside The Dirty Mags, and both were in top form. As soon as K-os got […] Continue Reading |
Stuart McLean brings The Vinyl Café to Canadian citiesThe distinct voice and familiar characters of CBC’s Stuart McLean have made his radio show, The Vinyl Café, a household name. But McLean, who’s so commonly referred to as a storyteller, is a little discontent with this label. “I’m a writer before anything,” he says on the eve of his winter Canadian tour. “In fact, […] Continue Reading |
Victoria’s Kathryn Calder a conduit for melodiesWhen singer/songwriter Kathryn Calder (The New Pornographers/ex-Immaculate Machine) finally began to record her own solo albums, she noticed something about her music she didn’t notice before. “Whenever you put a whole bunch of songs together back to back, you start to realize what you tend to do as a songwriter,” says Calder, who used to […] Continue Reading |
Book celebrates Mint RecordsVANCOUVER (CUP): In the late 1980s, Randy Iwata and Bill Baker were a pair of UBC students working at their university radio station. They liked to party, they liked good music, and they had no idea they were about to create one of the most successful and enduring record labels in Vancouver’s independent music scene. […] Continue Reading |
Toilet humour reignsReading CollegeHumor: The Website, The Book (Da Capo) feels suspiciously like browsing websites while at work: the reader is acutely aware that they’re just wasting time. Which makes a lot of sense, because if you were on a computer instead of sitting with a book, collegehumor.com is the kind of website you’d be browsing while […] Continue Reading |
Everyone should be more like Andrew W.K.Andrew W.K. is a super-positive guy, but he doesn’t come with the irritation factor one normally expects from those types. His Twitter is full of party tips and affirmations such as “Life is more meaningful when we have a mission and a purpose. Mine is partying. What’s yours?” and, “Don’t try to impress people. Try […] Continue Reading |
Mary’s Wedding a world of high pressureFor the first time ever, Pacific Opera Victoria has commissioned the creation of a complete opera. Set during World War I, Mary’s Wedding is based on the successful Canadian play of the same name. The story is framed by the eponymous Mary’s remembrances of correspondence with her first love, Charlie, who left to fight in […] Continue Reading |
