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For me, picking up a guitar is a slightly embarrassing experience. Maybe an odd sound or two comes out of the guitar, and I deliver a self-conscious laugh and a pledge to only enjoy the sounds the instrument makes in the hands of others. But if you find yourself playing guitar and the next thing […]

John Williams Raiders of the Lost Ark (Concord Music Group) 4.5/5 Jaws, Star Wars, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Superman, Raiders of the Lost Ark: aside from being some of the greatest films ever, they all have incredibly memorable scores. I bet you could hum the themes for each of those films if you […]

It’s not all about changing policies for City of Victoria indigenous artist in residence Lindsay Delaronde, who’s currently putting the final touches on ACHoRd, her multi-medium art piece that takes stories and transforms them into what she hopes is a meaningful and communal spiritual experience through dance. “This ACHoRd piece was inspired by really looking […]

Before you pack two shopping carts full of mass-produced goods at IKEA, talk to Camosun Fine Furniture and Joinery program leader and instructor Ken Guenter. Guenter has been practicing the trade for over 30 years, and says that Camosun’s end-of-year fine furniture exhibition is a place where the future of the industry can congregate to […]

Nick Middleton and Duncan Smith met on Galiano Island; the two soon started attending music festivals together, and then playing music together as The Funk Hunters. Now, the electronic DJ duo is going to be performing at Canada’s 150 birthday party bash here in Victoria. Not bad for a band that started out playing house […]

Vancouver indie band Rococode released their new EP, Young Ones, today; this is particularly noteworthy to Victorians because Rococode vocalist Laura Smith was born here in town. Smith says that their new EP was a product of spending some time away from the studio and getting to play with some old synthesizers. “It was the […]

19th century politician Joseph Trutch—who helped bring British Columbia into the Canadian Confederation—was a racist, so it was a good decision for the University of Victoria to remove his name from what was formerly known as the Trutch residence hall (a new name has not been decided on as of press time). Trutch’s skewed image […]

Uncertainty causes some people their greatest stress and anxiety; yet, it can bring about the greatest possibilities, which the play Proof proves. Langham Court’s opening of David Auburn’s drama had me transfixed from the start. It’s a provocative story relating to genius and madness, trust and evidence, and it hooks you in with little effort. […]

Can anyone trust the human heart? And will the fear of genetic mental illness prevail and ruin all that one has worked to achieve? We don’t have proof that it will, and we don’t have proof that it won’t. The play Proof deals with—among many other things—the uncertainty and fear of that reality. But Proof’s […]

Garson Kanin’s Born Yesterday lives up to its name: while the language may remain of a certain era, its themes of corruption, integrity, and ignorance remain topical today. Following a blowhard crook attempting to pass legislation through a gutless congressman, the crook’s mistress finds a greater sense of self through education. This timeless story also […]