Louise Burns is practically one of ours, even though the singer-songwriter currently splits her time between her native Vancouver and her adopted home of Toronto.
Here’s why. Burns has deep ties to various musicians and groups who got their start in Victoria. She was a member of Victoria’s defunct Blue Violets, of which her sonic sister, Kandle Osborne, was a member, and she is currently playing with Gold and Youth, a Victoria-bred band now living in Toronto.
Burns has been a successful solo artist for years now, and still records and tours with her solo band outside of her Gold and Youth commitments.
She released a new solo video this week, one that conjures up images of the movie Midnight Cowboy. The song, Jasper, is taken from her second album, The Midnight Mass, portions of which she recorded in Vancouver with producer Colin Stewart (who relocated earlier this year and now lives in Victoria with his wife, Kathryn Calder).
To watch the video, go to http://noisey.vice.com/blog/video-for-the-louise-burns-track-jasper
A trio of Vancouver Island-area performers took home hardware at Canadian Folk Music Awards last week. The winners were announced at a gala in Calgary.
Local artists placed in three of a possible 19 categories. Daniel Lapp was the big victor as he was given the Innovator Award for his work as a teacher and musician. The longtime fundraiser was recognized for having a significant impact on Canadian folk music.
Victoria’s David Travers-Smith earned producer of the year while Helen Austin of the Comox Valley earned children’s album of the year for her effort, Always Be a Unicorn.
It’s the dance craze that is taking North America by storm!
It is also not entirely family-friendly, so bear with me as I navigate the tricky terrain.
Twerking — a down-and-dirty dance move made famous by Miley Cyrus (and one you hope your nine-year-old doesn’t know about) — is the subject of the city’s first-ever “twerk off” on Nov. 28 at Club 9one9.
Think you have the requisite junk in the trunk to take the title and the $500 grand prize? Be sure to sign up the night of the show. Dancers can also submit a twerk video to the Facebook event page to guarantee a spot.
Tickets will be available for $10 at the door.
Victoria singer-songwriter Matt Goud is joining Philadelphia’s Dave Hause for an utterly massive co-headlining tour that will span 55 dates across North America.
The pair is currently on tour through Europe, a trek that wraps Dec. 8. The Canadian portion of the tour featuring Hause and Goud, who performs under the Northcote moniker, ramps back up Jan. 28 in Moncton, N.B.
Their 17-date stretch does not feature a Victoria stop, but the routing takes them to Vancouver’s Electric Owl club on Feb. 23.
Goud will release his self-titled sophomore album (already released in Canada) in Europe on Xtra Mile Recordings this month.
Beloved family entertainer Raffi is booked to perform Jan. 19 at the Port Theatre in Nanaimo.
The popular Internet personality and iconic songwriter has titled dates on his new tour Raffi #belugagrads Concerts, complete with a Twitter hashtag. The tour is named after his famous song, Baby Beluga.
Tickets are on sale now for $27.50, $37.50 and $65 (plus service charges) at tickets.portheatre.com, or by phone at 250-754-8550. They are also available in person at the Port Theatre.
The top-tier ($65) tickets will include a meet-and-greet opportunity. Proceeds from the shows benefit the Centre for Child Honouring, which Raffi founded on Saltspring Island in 2010.
He is touring to support a new record, Fun Food Songs, which arrived in stores last week.
Winnipeg folk trio Red Moon Road are celebrating the release of the debut EP, Tales From The Whiteshell, with a cross-country tour that stops tonight at Hermann’s Jazz Club.
The show also features sets by locals Oliver Swain and Quinn Bachand.
Tales From the Whiteshell was recorded off-the-grid in an eco-cabin near Manitoba’s Whiteshell region. To download a free song from the sessions, go to redmoonroad.com and sign up for their newsletter.
Tickets for tonight’s show are $15 at Ditch Records, Larsen Music, Long & McQuade, Ivy’s Bookshop, and beaconridgeproductions.com. They are $20 at the door. Showtime is 7:30 p.m.
Newfoundland electro-pop act Repartee is stopping in Victoria as part of its inaugural cross-Canada tour.
The group, which is fronted by former opera singer Meg Warren, has shared stages with the Arkells, Mother Mother and Hey Rosetta. They are set to perform one of the final shows ever at the Duncan Garage on Wednesday. The group is performing the following night at the Copper Owl in Victoria.
