BLUES
What: Jason Buie’s Yuletide Blues
Where: V-Lounge, 4366 Douglas St. (in the Red Lion Inn)
When: Sunday, 3 p.m.
Admission: By Donation
Why: Victoria bluesman Jason Buie always had his heart in the right place when it came to Yuletide Blues, his annual food-bank fundraiser. The singer-guitarist, who died in 2018, began raising funds for the Mustard Seed Street Church back in 2010, following a successful decade of fundraising on the mainland. His friends in the local blues community are keeping his dream alive, and have put together a Yuletide Blues lineup for Sunday that includes SP & Johnny’s Rhumba Kings, Curl, Rita McDade Band, Thor and the Thundercats, Leechtown Blues and South Island Rhythm Kings. Admission is by donation. Non-perishable food items are also accepted.
CHORAL MUSIC
What: Ensemble Laude Presents Luminescence
Where: Alix Goolden Performance Hall, 907 Pandora
When: Saturday, 2:30 p.m.(doors at 2)
Tickets: $25 from the Alix Goolden box office, Ivy’s Bookshop, Long & McQuade and eventbrite.ca; $30 at the door
Why: A variety of highlights performed during each of Ensemble Laude’s previous seasons are included in this 20th anniversary production by the popular Victoria women’s choir. Choral music with a connection to winter is at the core of Luminescence, which highlights a variety of interesting sources, including Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo and American favourite Jake Runested. Expect to hear gasps from the young ones when the choir sings Eatenen Vuelie by Norwegian musician Frode Fjellheim, which was adapted to become the opening musical number of the hit animated film Frozen. Ensemble Laude will also perform Sunday afternoon at St. Mary’s Church in Metchosin.
BLUES
What: Big Hank’s Christmas Blues Show
Where: Charlie White Theatre, 2243 Beacon Ave., Sidney
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $24 through the Mary Winspear box office (250-656-0275) or tickets.marywinspear.ca
Why: Blues tunes with a Christmas feel, from Charles Brown’s Please Come Home for Christmas to Big Joe Turner’s Christmas Date Boogie, have a special place in the world of seasonal music. Big Hank Lionhart of Uncle Wiggly’s Hot Shoes Blues Band fame has created an annual tradition around songs of this ilk under the umbrella of Big Hank’s Christmas Blues Show, which will travel to the Mary Winspear Centre in Sidney on Friday. Lionhart and the R&B Kingpins, with a revamped lineup that includes Jack Lavin (bass), Steve Cross (guitar), Steve Ranta (keys), Ross Hall (drums), Paul Wainwright (sax) and Randy Oxford (trombone), are banding together for a spirited performance celebrating holiday favourites from the 1950s and ’60s.
