Chali 2na turns passion for graffiti into music careerHe meant to be a painter, but LA-based MC Chali 2na just couldn’t help it. From the hip hop group Jurassic 5 to the Grammy-winning band Ozomatli, 2na (pronounced “tuna,” real name Charles Stewart) is now preparing to tour his latest solo EP, Instrumentality, the fifth and final instalment of his Against the Current EP […] Continue Reading |
New Music Revue: Jane’s Party amaze with Casual IslandJane’s PartyCasual Island(Independent)4.5/5 The simple lyrics and amazing instrumental prowess found on Casual Island, the fourth album from Toronto-based pop-rock quartet Jane’s Party, make it the best thing since The Beach Boys and their 1966 album Pet Sounds. Casual Island takes us on an audio trip, starting with a slow, melodic beat on “Wait for […] Continue Reading |
Dan Mangan looks at art through a different lens“I don’t want to say I don’t give a shit anymore, but I give less shit.” This is Juno-winning Canadian singer/songwriter Dan Mangan, who, when we chat, is about to launch a Canada-wide tour in support of his latest album, More or Less. Although I am the sixth of seven back-to-back interviews for him, I […] Continue Reading |
Fred Penner never loses focus on the importance of a good showAt 72 years old, beloved Canadian children’s performer Fred Penner has been delighting multiple generations of fans for over 40 years. It’s a feat that Penner himself admits he has no idea how he’s managed to pull off. “All I can relate that to is my commitment to what I’ve been doing,” says Penner. “I […] Continue Reading |
What’s Going On: February 6 to 19, 2019Wednesday, February 6A Soup-er good causeThe annual Souper Bowls For Hope 2019 is quickly approaching; the event, which takes place in April, includes a soup bowl auction for the Victoria Youth Empowerment Society. From 5:45 to 8:45 pm on February 6, you can go to Fired Up! ceramics studio to paint a bowl to be […] Continue Reading |
New Music Revue: Sammy Duke sets himself apart with new albumSammy Duke Terminus (Independent)4.5/5 With his second album, Terminus, Ontario-based multi-instrumentalist Sammy Duke sets himself apart from the rest of today’s folk-rock and world-fusion artists. Terminus, which was recorded in a solar-powered studio, starts off with “Pressure,” a hearty song with a pop-rock feel that is lively and upbeat yet depressing and introspective; it sets the tone […] Continue Reading |
Artist looks at history of Japanese-Canadian fishermen in new exhibitMarlene Howell’s art show “A Series for Contemplation,” part of The Lost Fleet exhibition, looks at the world of Japanese-Canadian fishermen in British Columbia before the bombing of Pearl Harbour, which launched the United States into the Second World War. This impacted thousands of Japanese-Canadian lives in BC. “I can’t believe that nearly 1,200 Japanese-Canadians […] Continue Reading |
What’s Going On: January 23 to February 5, 2019Until Saturday, February 2Can I have the definition? Langham Court Theatre is putting on The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, a musical about the quirky cast of characters competing in a spelling bee. The show brings both scripted and improv elements to the stage and includes the opportunity for audience participation in the bee. Tickets range in price […] Continue Reading |
Chantal Gibson rewrites Canada’s whites-only historical narrativeArtist, poet, and Simon Fraser University instructor Chantal Gibson presents altered text and history books in a sculptural re-telling of Canada’s whites-only historical narrative in her exhibit How She Read: Confronting the Romance of Empire. Gibson went to high school in Mackenzie, BC, and when she was younger, her mother—an African-Canadian woman who grew up […] Continue Reading |
Mother Mother remind us that it only hurts because it didn’tJoy is the essence of pain. Mother Mother guitarist/vocalist Ryan Guldemond wrote the band’s seventh studio album, Dance and Cry,with this philosophy in mind. Guldemond argues that although the two emotions seem to be opposites, they depend upon each other. “Hopefully the title and the album bring to light how maybe these things aren’t in […] Continue Reading |
