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The distinct voice and familiar characters of CBC’s Stuart McLean have made his radio show, The Vinyl Café, a household name. But McLean, who’s so commonly referred to as a storyteller, is a little discontent with this label. “I’m a writer before anything,” he says on the eve of his winter Canadian tour. “In fact, […]

When singer/songwriter Kathryn Calder (The New Pornographers/ex-Immaculate Machine) finally began to record her own solo albums, she noticed something about her music she didn’t notice before. “Whenever you put a whole bunch of songs together back to back, you start to realize what you tend to do as a songwriter,” says Calder, who used to […]

Jennifer Abbott isn’t a household name. But, given current world events, it’s time for that to change. The Saltspring Island-based filmmaker—who co-directed and edited the 2003 film The Corporation—is coming to Victoria for The Art of the Edit, a workshop where she’ll be teaching students editing skills and techniques. It’s a job she’s well suited […]

Wil w/ CR Avery Thursday, November 3, 2011 Upstairs Cabaret A slam poet, a beat-boxer, a harmonica player, and a keyboardist walk up to a microphone—and they’re all the same guy. It’s CR Avery, a one-man band who’s toured with artists such as Ani DiFranco, Tom Waits, and Sage Francis. His musical talent is as […]

Sometimes William Mimnaugh will play shows in strange places. The Vancouver Island-based singer/songwriter—who releases albums as Wil—will do a live show in an unlikely location, as long as organizers have their hearts in the right place. “To be honest, it’s all about the intention,” says Mimnaugh, who tours with his wife and manager Caroline Mimnaugh. […]

Sam Roberts Royal Theatre, Victoria, BC October 22, 2011 Everyone was there to see Sam Roberts. But that wasn’t going to stop Zeus. As the audience filed into the Royal Theatre’s gorgeous interior and took their seats, Zeus, a relatively new Toronto-based band, took to the stage sporting mustaches that Queen’s Freddie Mercury would be […]

Contrary to common belief, Current Swell is not a surf band. Sure, the local indie/folk/rock group may have a name that fits that criteria, and the band members are all surfers, but in addition to not having traditional surf-sounding music, lead guitarist and vocalist Scott Stanton says that they rarely write songs about surfing. “I […]