New Music Revue: A Beacon School drops positive and upbeat dream pop on debut full-lengthA Beacon School yoyo (Grind Select) 4.5/5 A Beacon School is the work of multi-instrumentalist New Yorker Patrick J. Smith; on his debut full-length yoyo he fuses rock and techno beats into mellow yet upbeat dream pop. What struck me first was the melodic vocals, which is one aspect of the dreamy sound, along with […] Continue Reading |
Camosun alumna Jaxxee uses music to take the power backLocal soul/trip hop artist Jaxxee’s debut single “Gone” is thematically profound and deeply personal. The song—which dropped in August, followed by the release of “so tired” this month—offers listeners a story about Jaxxee’s life journey, with a glimpse of hope. “[It’s about] letting go of relationships that don’t serve us,” she says, “and, I believe, […] Continue Reading |
Bear Grease touching, funny, inspiringImagine for a moment that in 1492, when Columbus sailed the ocean blue, settlers left well enough alone and went back to their home. This vision is exactly the time-travelling portal you are invited to journey into with Bear Grease, an Indigenous re-telling of the 1978 musical classic Grease. Created for the Edmonton Fringe by […] Continue Reading |
Frankenstein at Craigdarroch Castle flat, underwhelmingActor Jason Stevens recently performed a one-man production of Frankenstein at the historic Craigdarroch Castle. Mary Shelley’s masterpiece should work perfectly as an October show in a spooky old castle, but the final product was underwhelming. The castle was a particularly alluring aspect of the whole concept, so I was disappointed when we arrived at […] Continue Reading |
Virago Nation decolonizes Indigenous sexuality with burlesque performanceEight-piece BIPOC burlesque collective Virago Nation performed in the UVic Farquhar Auditorium on Saturday, October 21, and the entire show was an act of decolonization. The collective is all about decolonizing Indigenous—especially femme—sexuality. What they do is art, sex work, and good medicine all working harmoniously together. Settlers who sought to eradicate Indigenous ways of […] Continue Reading |
Camosun student releases debut album with Anteater EaterLocal alt/surf/indie rockers Anteater Eater dropped their debut album, If that’s Your Thing, on August 26, and there’s a Camosun connection: drummer Daniel Hubert is a second-year University Transfer student at the college. Hubert says the album—which features 10 original songs—is a collaborative effort that manages to create its own sound. “[The album features] mostly […] Continue Reading |
East Side Story not your average roller-coasterHaving visited Vancouver many times throughout my life, I was intrigued by Nick Marino’s East Side Story: Growing Up at the PNE, a historical retelling of his childhood growing up as a cog in the PNE’s wooden wheels. What I wasn’t expecting was the emotional whiplash I experienced reading about the ups and downs of […] Continue Reading |
SETYA double bill offers healing for Indigenous peoples through cultural storytellingI attended the Thursday, October 12 performance of the SETYA (Staging Equality Theatre for Young Audiences) double bill at University of Victoria’s Phoenix Theatre, and it was truly a meaningful experience. And not just for me: the show got a standing ovation in the almost-full theatre. The night featured The Woman Who Outshone the Sun […] Continue Reading |
William Head on Stage returns, continues to tear down stereotypesWilliam Head Theatre Society was created in 1981 by a group of incarcerated men taking a theatre course within the William Head Institution. These men decided to create a company, which at the time was called WHAT (William Head Amateur Theatre) to produce plays to show to the public. Later, the company was renamed to […] Continue Reading |
How to Be Found tale of determination and teen loveThis is the first novel I’ve read by Vancouver-based author Emily Pohl-Weary, but it definitely won’t be the last. Her other works, such as Ghost Sick: A Poetry of Witness and Better to Have Loved: The Life of Judith Merril, have both won awards and showcased Pohl-Weary’s diverse writing style. How to Be Found is […] Continue Reading |
