Anti-Flag brings spirit of punk to Victoria“Welcome to the goddamn punk rock show,” sang Anti-Flag bassist Chris #2 during the bridge of their song “Fabled World” at their April 29 show at Victoria’s Distrikt Nightclub. And it made sense: Anti-Flag is a band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that embodies the very essence of punk. The band members sport mohawks and black skinny […] Continue Reading |
New Music Revue: Heavy Hearts offer no surprises on new EPHeavy Hearts Heavy Hearts (New Damage Records) 3/5 Heavy Hearts are a rock and heavy metal band from Ontario who have two previous releases, a 2015 EP called Somewhere, a While Ago, and 2013’s Jacoba.The four songs on their new self-titled EP are not too heavy, but not too soft. In these songs, they use a lot of […] Continue Reading |
New Music Revue: Megan Bonnell shows potential on MagnoliaMegan Bonnell Magnolia (MapleMusic Recordings) 3/5 Megan Bonnell’s Magnolia wavers between country folk and hipster pop. And while there isn’t anything particularly unpleasant about the album, most of the songs fail to identify themselves among the overwhelming avalanche of new music these days. Bonnell clearly has talent, and there is a large amount of potential; […] Continue Reading |
A magical evening of Shakespeare casts a spell on VictoriaPacific Opera Victoria (POV) are translating Shakespeare once again, this time with an operatic interpretation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The well-known comedic tale of crossed lovers invites an entry-level audience to the opera, says director Tom Diamond. “It’s the kind of opera you can bring your kids to,” says Diamond. “We may be able […] Continue Reading |
Locals Dirty Mountain release eclectic debut albumDirty Mountain brings a truly unique and eclectic style to the local music scene; the folk-rock band has a vintage country and blues undertone. The love of all kinds of music is obviously rooted deeply in vocalist Elli Hart. She says that she’s always loved music, and that she’s always wanted to play music. “I’m […] Continue Reading |
Song and dance man Jason Collett takes aim at music industryMusical renaissance man Jason Collett is back at it again with his new album, Song and Dance Man. Collett is well known in the music scene both for his solo work and for his work with Canadian rock collective Broken Social Scene. But the process for creating this album was a departure from his previous […] Continue Reading |
Iceland does a great deal with very littleThree actors, three chairs, and one empty set were all that carried Iceland, and it worked. The performance, part of the 2016 Spark Festival at the Belfry Theatre, was a series of monologues, with the occasional chime-in from another actor in one of the opposing chairs. The carefully timed monologues described the death of a […] Continue Reading |
Art Battle brings competitive painting to VictoriaIn October 2014, Art Battle—an event focused around live, competitive painting—made its local debut under the guidance of Angela Hillier, an artist who had just moved to Victoria from Ottawa. After completing her Fine Arts degree, she had participated in and begun volunteering at Art Battle in Ottawa, and she brought what she learned to […] Continue Reading |
Quebec’s Radio Radio expands horizons with new albumQuebec hip-hoppers Radio Radio have expanded their Francophone horizons with their newest album, Light the Sky, and the fun, high-energy duo says that the results show their sound moving in a different direction. “The album was fun,” says Jacques Doucet, one half of Radio Radio. “We wanted to go to a different genre, we had […] Continue Reading |
Victoria musician Oliver Swain uses music to spread his messageIt’s easy to take every breath for granted. It’s easy to remember the highest highs and the lowest lows. But Victoria musician Oliver Swain is interested in what lies in between those two extremes, such as time spent analyzing and working for political change. Swain hopes that his benefit concert for Syrian refugees on […] Continue Reading |
