Frazey Ford decides to keep it simple, jammy on new albumFrom the moment you hit “play” on Frazey Ford’s 2010 solo debut, Obediah, “Firecracker” showcases the Vancouver singer’s unmistakable voice being carried by an acoustic strum and a banjo slowly plucking a soulful melody. Obediah has all of the folk/Americana sounds associated with Ford’s time with The Be Good Tanyas, but it has the listener’s […] Continue Reading |
New Music Revue: Insect Ark get bold, original on new albumInsect Ark The Vanishing (Profound Lore Records) 4.5/5 First there was Portal/Well in 2015. Then came Marrow Hymns in 2018. Now, the path continues with Brooklyn-based experimental doom metal band Insect Ark’s third harrowing album, The Vanishing. For nearly 10 years, Insect Ark have been producing amazing work that does a great job of entertaining […] Continue Reading |
What’s Going On: March 4 to 17, 2020Until Saturday, March 14 Where’s Walt? I always like to encourage my fellow students to attend live theatre. It’s educating and entertaining and sometimes you won’t exactly break your bank account. Langham Court Theatre is staging I and You, directed by John Han—the play revolves around two teenagers, Caroline and Anthony, and their endearing road […] Continue Reading |
Spark Festival gains national attention with quality of playsThe Belfry Theatre’s Spark Festival is the brainchild of Belfry artistic director Michael Shamata. To get more of that festival feel, Shamata transformed what was once called The Festival and had a six-week run into the two-week Spark Festival. “It didn’t feel much like a festival,” says Shamata. “When I got here, I started to […] Continue Reading |
Reuben and the Dark keep the conversation alive through musicReuben Bullock wants to give people new ways of opening up their hearts and their minds. The vocalist/guitarist of the Calgary alt-rock band Reuben and the Dark is touring his latest album, un | love, and doing things a little bit differently this time around. The album—Bullock’s third studio release—came to fruition while he was […] Continue Reading |
Hotel Mira find inspiration in unconditional loveAfter releasing two albums under the name JPNSGRLS, the Vancouver indie/alt-rockers changed their name to Hotel Mira and dropped a self-titled EP in 2018. The band released their debut full-length, Perfectionism, on Valentine’s Day. Vocalist Charlie Kerr says that the idea of perfectionism lives in him; when it came time to think about the new […] Continue Reading |
A Grammar of Loss explores the actualities of decolonizationLiquid black rubber drips off the pages of White Man’s Africa, a book written in 1899. This record of white supremacy in Africa is no longer readable, and that’s the point. Along with many other altered and redacted works, this piece in Chantal Gibson’s upcoming exhibit at Open Space explores what it actually means to […] Continue Reading |
New Music Revue: Drive-By Truckers offer emotion and more on new albumDrive-By Truckers The Unraveling (ATO Records) 3.5/5 After a three year wait, Drive-By Truckers are back with their 12th studio LP, The Unraveling. The Athens, Georgia-based southern rockers have developed a devoted fanbase, which has translated to minor chart success. The Unraveling is a collection of stories of our troubled times, covering guns, heroin, and […] Continue Reading |
Polaris Music Prize winner Haviah Mighty finds her voiceGrowing up in an area of 1990s Toronto enveloped by racism, hip-hop artist Haviah Mighty lived a somewhat sheltered upbringing. As a Black woman, she often couldn’t walk down the street or play outside as a child at all; looking back, she says music was her solace. Mighty—who is touring in support of 2019’s 13th […] Continue Reading |
New novel explores legal system with heartEvery writer knows that the key to a good thriller is suspense. It’s what holds the reader’s attention and is always the first thing that manages to convince someone to actually read the novel in question. David Myles Robinson’s expert use of suspense in Tropical Doubts depicts to his audience a gripping tale of friendship, […] Continue Reading |
