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Vancouver experimental alternative band Brasstronaut are playing Victoria before they head off overseas for a UK tour with indie folk band Stornoway; for Brasstronaut member Sam Davidson, who plays the clarinet and EWI (electronic wind instrument), it’s just the latest stop in a life-long musical journey. “I grew up in a very musical family—musical instruments […]

Face it: everyone likes to have their pants off. At least that’s what the organizers of Pants off Dance Off are hoping. The fundraising event, now in its second year, is raising funds for travel scholarships for HIV- and Hepatitis-C-positive youth to attend the Youth Unleashing Power symposium, held here in Vancouver Island, in June. […]

Toronto’s Holy Fuck have more than just a very unconventional name: the band uses highly unconventional instruments to create their unique alternative sound. Brian Borcherdt, who plays the guitar and multiple keyboard instruments, says the band quickly went from messing around with music in their free time to performing shows all across the world. “We […]

American energy company Kinder Morgan is planning a large expansion of its Trans Mountain Pipeline, and the Camosun College Student Society (CCSS) has signed off against it in a letter to the federal government. CCSS external executive Rachael Grant says she is disappointed by the federal government’s decision to approve the pipeline expansion and was […]

There is pain involved in losing loved ones, but there is also the realization that from that same pain creativity can arise. At least that’s the idea behind A Broken Hallelujah, a new art exhibit featuring works from locals Miles Lowry and Georgia Angelopoulos. (The exhibit is on display online only, at Love & Liberty, […]

As an old-time radio lover, I adored this local performance of Miracle on 34th St., even though it was about Christmas (still a Grinch). It was everything I hoped it would be; it was amazing to step under the old Roxy marquee and into the theatre, to sit in the seats where—if a tall person […]

For comedians Alastair Knowles and Aaron Malkin, who play the British comedy duo James and Jamesy in O Christmas Tea: A British Comedy, there is no better time to pretend to be British than the holidays. “We’re British Columbian,” says Knowles with a laugh. “The show has been described as ‘walking out of a Monty […]

I’m the first to admit that I’m a Grinch when it comes to the holidays. Holiday music and plays don’t reflect modern broken families or hard times; it’s all about Christmas cheer and good will. The trouble is, it’s usually just to family. This Little Light, playing at the Belfry Theatre, shows a story a […]

Neil Young Peace Trail (Reprise Records) 4/5 What always sticks out most for me about Neil Young is his lyrics. On his 37th studio album, Peace Trail, Young’s words don’t shy away from the political, the spiritual, and, especially, the human. Peace Trail, which is only slightly more electric and modern than what all Young […]