By Jaime Burnet
The Reason sits contentedly in limbo between growling death metal and upbeat punk rock. As long as they aren’t the tired balladeers Hoobastank, any combination of music genres is welcome, even if this blend of desperate vocals and painful screams becomes more and more prevalent in the music scene. Along with corn and peaches, the… Continue reading The Reason
By Chad Utke
From a band taking its name from a beloved Canadian children’s story, comes this mature ensemble of music that quite possibly entertains more than the books themselves. Jacob Two-Two, a relatively new group from Ottawa, breaks through with a stellar effort for their first full-length disc, entitled The Elastic Heart of Youth. This is a… Continue reading Jacob Two-Two
Luke Doucet is a certified Canadian treasure. An in-demand studio musician since he was 15, frontman of critically acclaimed, but largely ignored, West Coast rockers Veal, and a solo artist who’s debut, Aloha Manitoba, is one of the best records of 2001. Now that Six Shooter Records (the label Doucet calls home) has struck a… Continue reading Luke Doucet
By Falice Chin
Nate Dogg + Snoop Dogg + Warren G = Guaranteed good shit. No doubt, each artist has enough followers to fill up Jamaica or something, so when combined as 213, the inevitable result is, overall, the enjoyable hip-hop feature The Hard Way. The album kicks off with a beat created by one of Brooklyn’s most… Continue reading 213
Tommy Stinson is better known as the scrawny, spiky-haired bassist from The Replacements. His solo-debut album under the major label Sanctuary appears to be of the pop-rock strain from his garage punk roots. The truth is you will find little of the old Tommy in this album, as it would appear he has grown up… Continue reading Tommy Stinson
There aren’t many truly unique bands out there. That alone is enough to recommend Run Chico Run. Their blend of lo-fi pop, keyboard rock and psychedelia on Shashbo, among myriad other influences, doesn’t have any easy reference point. “Lifestyles of the Living Dead” mixes creepy lyrics about swaying corpses with a shuffling drums and lounge… Continue reading Run Chico Run
By Sameena Darr
“To me it’s an exploration of death and how people deal with it,” explains Len Harvey, an actor in Elizabeth Rex. It’s a bit ironic considering the play is one of the last works written by renown Canadian author and playwright Timothy Findley before succumbing to cancer in 2002. “That already brings to it a… Continue reading Mob hopes for a hit on Elizabeth Rex
It’s a big ocean out there, and obviously Dreamworks felt there was room for two big fishes in a sea of riches when they decided to do a Finding Nemo of their own. Oscar (Will Smith) is a small and unimportant fish in a big ocean, until he inadvertently crosses paths with Don Lino (Robert… Continue reading Shark Tale loses itself at sea… Nemo
By Rob Scherf
While some would call the mockumentary outmoded or downright obsolete, several films over the last few festival cycles (Fubar being chief among them) have proven the old gal still got some life left. The immediacy of a single camera and smart script can affect audiences by blurring the line between reality and fiction.Or they can… Continue reading Film Fest Preview: Memron
By Adam Goetz
Everyone has a story to tell. In the case of Joe Stummer his story begins in 1976 with his prolific band The Clash. Touting themselves as “rebels with a cause” the band managed to gain enormous support from the young British populous. Strummer’s hands on approach to rebellion landed him in jail for various minor… Continue reading Film Fest Preview: Let’s Rock Again!