For those unknowing, Bison are Vancouver’s currently-reigning champions of The Riff, trafficking in mercilessly heavy, sludgy, and addictive sonic terror. Think discarded beer cans peppered with shotgun holes, full-size back-patches, pall...
MaryLou Wakefield, a local Victoria artist, came away with a life-altering experience last summer. It changed her perspective on what she could achieve as an artist— with courage, curiosity and the willingness to take a risk. Here is her story.
Teenage Kicks are kicking up a storm once again
Minto Climbs Olympus by Matt Hagarty
It's any young band's dream to record an album with such a marquee name as Steve Albini's. Recording with the famed sound engineer/pundit responsible for output from Nirvana, Superchunk, The Stooges,...
With her fifth album release on April 1 and Western Canadian tour dates throughout April, Orit Shimoni’s Bitter is the New Sweet opens up an exciting new chapter in the life of one Canada’s most brilliant and lyrically impactful vocalis...
“Fucking Amazing,” says drummer Joshua Wells about Black Mountain’s current North American tour. “This is the best tour I’ve ever been on. It’s been unbelievable at times! We’ve played a few places we’ve never been before…...
Interview with Dope Soda was done in June, 2012 by D'Arcy Briggs
Ska Fest: When and where do you guys meet? When did you decide to form the band?
Dope Soda: Well Dope Soda was a project I have been wanting to do for a v...
Interview with The Delirians done in June, 2012 by D'Arcy Briggs
Ska Fest: When and where did you guys meet? When did you decide to form the band?
Delirians: Most of us, like many other bands, grew up in the punk rock scene, ...
GWAR – Oderus Urungus Does Not Smoke Crack Well With Others
Oderus Urungus is not the sort of intergalactic barbarian warlord who minces his words. I spoke with the leader of GWAR recently, and between copious puffs on his crack pipe,...
Wreaking havoc on the Vancouver scene for more than a decade, The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets never fail to come up with strange and exhilarating new ways to reach out and clutch their victims. Staying true to their uniquely horrid app...
This is the Sleep Factory, Trish Shwart’s exhibition at Martin Batchelor Gallery that opened on November 7th, with a persuasive performance by the artist as a marketeer, and continues with a visual smorgasbord of parodies that explore the commodificatio
She’s been at it for 35 years, but Toni Blodgett’s love of jazz continues to fuel her band’s unique blend of what she calls “more traditional” music.
What it really means is her group has access to a vast repertoire of jazz tunes and has develo