New Music Revue: Scott Hardy delivers cohesive and refreshing Dilemma Season debut

Dilemma Season Epidemic Suggestion (Independent) 4/5 Hailing from Vancouver, BC, indie rocker Scott Hardy, who goes by the name of Dilemma Season, sounds like a blend of Johnny Cash and Elvis Costello on his debut album, Epidemic Suggestion. The album consists of a hearty ten tracks, giving listeners time to really sink into it. The […]

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New Music Revue: The Lawrence Arms blasts through a punk “retrospectus” worth listening to

The Lawrence Arms We Are the Champions of the World (Fat Wreck Chords) 4/5 This “retrospectus” from Chicago punk rockers The Lawrence Arms features a collection of songs off their previous records, plus a few previously unreleased tracks. It serves as a tour of their nearly 20 years making music, and it’s a treat for […]

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Play brings Shakespearian elegance to Craigdarroch Castle

If you’re missing being able to dress to the nines for a night on the town, Twelfth(ish) Night, based on William Shakespeare’s comedy Twelfth Night, or What You Will, is an opportunity to bring out your Sunday best. Audience members can have a glass of champagne with the cast before the show, as well; these […]

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What’s Going On: March 21 to April 3, 2018

Monday, March 19 Paint your heart out! Swing by the Hawk & Hen, located at 531 Yates Street, for an evening of art, cocktails, and fun from 7 pm until 9 pm. Local artists will help rookie painters make an art piece worth keeping. Tickets are $47.25; see paintnite.com for more info. Thursday, March 22 […]

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New Music Revue: The Last Gang relive old-school punk on new album

The Last Gang Keep Them Counting (Fat Wreck Chords) 2.5/5 This is the first full-length album by The Last Gang, a ’77-punk trio from Orange County. Despite only having three members, they fill the sound spectrum. Guitarist/vocalist Brenna Red’s vocals are reminiscent of Joan Jett, and the bass and drums work well together. The lyrics […]

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New Music Revue: Spielbergs deliver pounding good times on debut

Spielbergs Distant Star (By the Time It Gets Dark) 4.5/5 Mix a trio of Norwegian musicians, a pinch of early-2000’s nostalgia, some drums, and guitar, and what you have is a recipe for Spielbergs’ debut EP, Distant Star. A hybrid of Blink-182, Gob, and HIM, this group delivers the angsty, first-pumping stuff of my teens. […]

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New Music Revue: Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats create timeless album

Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats Tearing at the Seams (Stax Records) 4/5 After two and a half years, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats have just released their second album, Tearing at the Seams, and it was worth the wait. This is a timeless album, listenable from start to finish. Rateliff and company bring […]

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Bison look to their past at upcoming Victoria show

Bison guitarist/vocalist Dan And says it’s good for people in bands to get out of their comfort zone by playing with lots of different musicians. And the guitarist/vocalist for the Vancouver sludge-metal band is about to practice what he preaches: Bison’s show in Victoria—where And used to live—will feature the band playing older material, with […]

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New Music Revue: Rachel Beck comes into her own on debut solo album

Rachel Beck Rachel Beck (Independent) 4.5/5 Prince Edward Island’s Rachel Beck breaks away from The Beck Sisters—the group she fronts with her sister Amy—on her self-titled debut album. This seven-track release provides various sounds while staying true to Beck’s singer-songwriter roots. The songs “Nothing in Between” and “Reckless Heart” showcase Beck’s edgy lower notes, while […]

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Cassils aims to make the invisible visible in live performance

Performance art offers to artists and audiences a rich language to resist and challenge sources of power and to make the invisible visible. Cassils—a Los Angeles-based artist originally from Montreal who will perform their Becoming an Image at UVic this month and then follow it up with a talk the next night at Legacy Gallery […]

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