Interview with Oliver Swain

I was going to post the interview with two the songs from Oliver Swain's new unreleased album In A Big Machine, but then I realized... wait a second, its unreleased. Instead, this is just my interview with Oliver talking about his new music, new album... and about how he got arrested one time! You'll have to wait until February 5th to get the new album in Victoria, or go to his show tonight to hear him play the new tunes live. His vocals are eerily touching with meaningful messages, and he has a strong band backing him. We have two tracks on rotation at Village 900 so perhaps you'll catch the sneak previews.

Enjoy!

Interview with Ruth Moody!

Ruth Moody, one of the Wailin' Jennys has ventured out on a side-project solo mission. She released her debut full-length solo album The Garden in the spring, and just before her show in Victoria, I got to talk with her!

Ruth has a very sweet way of being and is so talented musically. On top of that, she shows an awareness of the world around her that we all can appreciate. Find out the details on her new album in this interview!

Interview with Jon Bone

Jon Bone was on the show this morning talking about peace and love and music. All my favourite things! He's coming to Club 9one9 (formerly Element) this Sunday October 17th! Have a listen to what he had to say about life and compassion and music... The Karuna Movement! He's an amazing human being. I think we can all learn a little from him. Don't miss the show! Peace and Love.

Interview with Po' Girl's Allison Russel

I can't get enough of these guys! Their music is so incredibly fantastic! Rootsy, Americana. I actually gushed during this interview. I couldn't help it! Writing tunes on the road, travelling all around singing and smiling.

Have a listen. This is a show clip of my interview with Allison Russel of Po' Girl. After the interview I play one of their new tunes Montana, from the album Follow Your Bliss.

PS. There are still tickets to give away to their show tomorrow night, and each pair of tickets comes with a copy of the brand new album. So tune in between 7-9am tomorrow to win!

Upcoming Shows

That will blow your mind!

Saturday September 18th
Alfie Zappacosta @ Hermanns Jazz Club
Show starts @ 8pm, doors 6pm
Tickets: $23 - Lyles Place; Ditch; or hightideconcerts.net

Zappacosta's undeniable songwriting and musical talents have launched a recording career that has spanned over 20 years. He is a Canadian legend! It's sure to be a fantastic show.

Sunday September 19th
Rootz Underground @ Club 9one9 (formerly Element)
Show starts @ 10pm, doors 9pm
Tickets: Lyles Place; Ditch; Strathcona Hotel; The Reef; ticketweb.ca

Come celebrate Rootz Underground's return to Canada! Joining Rootz at the show is Brave New Waves, Girrafe Aftermath and Rebel Selector. Amazing lineup!

Friday October 1st
Shane Philip Tree @ Sugar nightclub
Show starts @ 10pm, doors 9pm
Listen to Village 900 to win tickets!

The Shane Philip Tree featuring Marc Atkinson's electric project are making their first club appearance since their debut at the 11th annual Victoria Ska Fest this summer. It was amazing show then, and can only get better!

Sunday October 10th
The Pocket Kings @ Sugar nightclub
Show starts @ 8pm
Listen to Village 900 to win tickets!

Based out of Victoria, the Pocket Kings have quickly made their mark as one of the city's finer Hip Hop acts. They have a unique live show and constantly hear people say "it's not your typical hip hop". Check 'em out!

Back to School

Well I certainly let August slip out from under my fingertips... It doesn't mean I haven't been working though! There are a lot of great shows coming up in September and October, plus many opportunities for you to win tickets. I will get on top of things and post all the details soon.

Cheers to the start of the rainy, stress-filled fall and winter months!

Interview with Allison Crowe

Allison Crowe - Canadian singer/songwriter, pianist, guitarist

Allison is a breath of fresh air. This interview will make you smile simply because she has such a great energy! Her music is incredible, her talent is astounding and her laugh is infectious. Born in Nanaimo BC, she now has an apartment in Newfoundland and continuously travels Canada and the world. Don't miss her show this Saturday, August 7th at the Fairfield United Church. In the mean time, check out her website! You can listen to her songs online (even tunes from her brand new album Spiral) and stay up to date with the rest of her tour schedule.

Vancouver Folk Festival

I think this festival should be called the Village 900 Festival! Check out all the village 900 artists I saw!

Is that Elisapie Isaac? Why it certainly is! Goodness gracious she is stunning and such an incredible singer.

Now here she is with the worlds greatest spoken word poet, Shane Koyczan. He could be the closest to passion, truth, honesty and beauty I will ever witness.

Alex Cuba = no big deal.

He's too good looking to just post one picture. Look at this superstar!

Alex Cuba was born Alexis Puentes. Did you know that? I didn't. Adonis Puentes is his brother, and Valentin Puentes is his father. What a talented family.

On the same stage that Alex Cuba and Valentin Puentes played, was the incredible Debashish Bhattacharya. (Say that three times fast) Look at this insane slide guitar, one of 3 he has invented.

Oh and then to top it off. I saw Sarazino! It was his first North American tour and he rocked it!

I could go into major detail about all these artists and some of the others I saw, but I figure I can just link you to their websites and you can dig as far as you want to dig. It was a fabulous festival... This is where I spent a lot of my time.

Not bad right?!

Vancouver Folk Festival/Village 900 Festival = major talent and major good times.

The Breakmen

Archie Patemen - The Breakmen

Here's a clip from my show last week. Its an interview with Archie Patemen, guitar/banjo player and singer from The Breakmen. Also, at the end of the interview you can hear one of their tunes! They are quite fabulous and will be back in Victoria on December 2nd 2010, celebrating the release of their brand new album. Good looking band!

Interview with an Irishman

Kevin Doherty - guitar player, 4 men and a dog

Four Men & a Dog made a name for themselves with their eclectic and vivacious blend of traditional Irish music with a wide spectrum of other genres.

They are coming to the Filberg Festival this year, playing a double set on Friday July 30!

Oh, and Kevin is a funny guy!

Festivals Galore

Vancouver Folk Festival (Vancouver)

July 16-18

This is probably one of the best line-ups I have ever seen. So many Village 900 artists!

Who's Playing?

• Alex Cuba
• Bassekou Kouyate and Ngoni Ba
• The Avett Brothers
• Crooked Still
• Babe Gurr
• Elisapie Isaac
• Jon and Roy
• Connie Kaldor
• Nathan Rogers
• Po' Girl
• Sarazino
• Timbre Timbre

(and so many more!!)

Click here for details.

Island Folk Festival (Cowichan)

July 23-25

The Cowichan Folk Guild is putting this festival on so people can share some good times, great food and even better music!

Who's Playing?

• David Francey
• The Mark Atkinson Trio
• Suzie Vinnick
• Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra
• Puzzleroot

(and so many more!!)

Click here for details.

Filberg Festival (Comox)

July 30-Aug 2

This is a juried arts and crafts festival, so only the best of the best artisans are allowed to showcase their uniquely hand crafted arts... which means bring some dollars, and maybe a trailer. Oh, and to top it off, there is live entertainment on two stages all throughout the weekend!

Who's Playing?

• Babe Gurr
• Suzie Vinnick
• 4 Men and a Dog
• Connie Kaldor
• Fred Eaglesmith
• The Ginn Sisters

(and so many more!!) including some incredible local artists... (I'm not biased, I swear.)

But, I will be at the Filberg Festival broadcasting live from 12-4pm on Saturday July 31st. Tune in to Village 900, stream us live, or get your butt up to Comox and enjoy the festival first hand!

Click here for details.

Great Canadian Beer Festival (Victoria)

Sept 10-11

An international beer festival = 100% awesome.

Mark your calendars! Tickets go on sale July 24th... sales are online only.

Click here for details.

SkaFest

July 7th - 10th

Only two more days!!

Okay, there are a lot of awesome things happening at the Victoria Ska Fest this year.

First of all. A FREE SHOW! Awesome!

Wednesday July 7th

5pm @ Ship Point (Inner Harbour) view map
Who's playing?

Easy Big Fella

Skampida

The Valuables

Second of all. On Thursday July 9th, Shane Philip is playing WITH MARK ATKINSON! Awesome!

Shane Philip is normally a one man band consisting of the following:

• digeridoo
• guitar
• vocals
• drums
• and more!

I was lucky enough to see him perform a free show during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics... in bare-feet, with great hair, a great smile... and oh yes... with incredible talent! I may have a mini Shane Philip crush. But, I also have a mini Mark Atkinson crush. So what does this mean? It means I'm off-the-wall excited for this show on Thursday. The Shane Philip Tree ft. Mark Atkinson and Joby Baker. Awesome!

Thursday, July 9th

5pm @ Ship Point (Inner Harbour)

Who's playing?

Shane Philip w/ Mark Atkinson and Joby Baker

Mindil Beach Markets

Katchafire

What else? The Aggrolites are coming!! Awesome!

From LA, The Aggrolites are a 5-piece, funky, full of soul, dirty reggae party band. This band will rock the socks off any crowd... Hey, that could be you on Friday!

Friday, July 10th

5pm @ Ship Point (Inner Harbour)

Who's playing?

The Aggrolites

Rocky Mountain Rebel Music

The Beatdown

Finally, what's really really fantastic... We have tickets to give away to ALL THESE SHOWS! Including the grand finale. Awesome!

Saturday, July 11th

7pm @ Victoria Curling Club

Who's playing?

Fishbone

The Black Seeds

Cherry Poppin' Daddies

Brave New Waves

DJ Su Comandante

Awesome right?!

Tickets to these shows are available at Ditch Records, Lyles Place, The Reef or online at ticketweb.ca

Or listen to village 900 to win!

Click here for volunteer opportunities, show details and other event listings for Ska Fest.

Victoria Jazzfest 2010

The Best Time of Year

June 25th to July 4th

The Victoria International Jazz Festival.

No big deal. It's only my absolute favourite time of year.

It tops Christmas...

I mean the family, romance and Christmas cheer is nice.

I like snowboarding, snowmen and gingerbread cookies...

But jazz? In the Sun? And most likely a coffee in my hand?!

No doubt its number one.

The music, the people, the smiles, the good times.

Its Jazz Fest baby. And it's almost here.

Before you keep reading, make sure you have at least 20 minutes to spare.

Okay good. Go here.

And check out the AMAZING line up this year.

There are audio samples, biographies, show details and more.

Here are some of my recommendations:

(I've linked the names to their websites for you)

George Benson

June 25th

8pm - Royal Theatre, Doors at 7

$96.50 & $76.50

Well duh... I mean what can I say? He's George Benson. He's one of the greatest guitarists in jazz history. I guess I could add he's a 10 time Grammy Winner and can play in just about any style with extreme taste. Please, is there a reason not to go?

Bananafish Dance Orchestra

June 26th

3pm - Centennial Square

It's a free show! I also went to highschool with some of these boys. They are very talented 7-piece powerhouse groove sensation. Oh yes, get your dance on.

John Scofield Piety Street Band

June 28th

8pm - Royal Theatre, Doors at 7

$52.50 & $48.50

John Scofield is my guitar hero. He is a legend. He is fresh. He is fantastic. But he is also a guru of groove with one of the MOST distinct sounds in jazz. He will take you way beyond the 12 bar blues and back again.

Five Alarm Funk

July 2nd (No minors)

9:30pm - Victoria Event Center, Doors at 9

Only my lucky friends have heard my Five Alarm Rant. You can head into your Friday night with high expectations and a desire to have a good time... When you walk out of there after the show, your original expectations will be completely blown out of the water leaving only awe and amazement. I, Gabrielle Kind, guarantee this will be one of the BEST live shows you will ever see... once, twice, again and again. Prepare to be funked!!

There are many village 900 artists playing throughout the festival too!

Franca Masu

Sara Marreiros

Elisapie Isaac

Miranda Sage

Niyaz

Alboa

Check out the schedule, or pick yourself up a Jazzfest calendar with all the details.

I can't wait!

See you there!!

Who's Paul Metsa?

This is Paul Metsa.

On my show this morning, I played a tune I had never heard before. Another Man's Chains from Paul Metsa. I introduced it not knowing what to expect, but as it turns out, it is SO GOOD!

So now, as I'm waiting to voice a Ska Fest promo, I'm doing my research on Mr. Metsa. Well, I say research, but in reality, that just means I listen to his songs online and develop my own opinion of him. (I'd be a terrible scientist)

But, what a guy!

His voice! Raw. Sexy. The sound of a smokey, bluesy, folk singer. Paul has a way with words too. While writing primarily with guitar, he says the trick is to match his poetry and prose to the proper melody, chord changes and satisfying rhythms; a trick he's certainly mastered.

How do I describe his music? With labels comes limitations, and he's much, much more than one genre. Folk, blues, country, bluegrass, jazz and rock and roll. Just have a listen!

The first tune I heard was enough to spark my interest in Mr. Metsa. The second song, Black Cadillac, sealed the deal! Turn on your speakers, plug in your headphones, you can listen to it for free on his website! The electric solo, mmmm.

Enjoy your research! ;)

Interview with Clive Langton

Clive Langton - Eating Raw Food, Feeling Alive

Clive Langton is the Director of the Raw Food Society in BC, and one of the founding members of Canada Earthsave. He began his 'Raw journey' in September 2002.

In this interview Clive shares why he started a raw food diet and the changes he noticed. What's Raw? Why bother? How to start? Its all here!

Interview with Hazel Loewen

Hazel Loewen - Love Relationships and a Heart Connection

Hazel Loewen has been a psychotherapist for more than 20 years. She has a private therapy practice in Sidney and Victoria. She also works part-time at BC Families in Transition, an agency that provides counselling services for individuals, couples and children going through family changes

In this interview Hazel discusses some of the myths surrounding adult relationships, and the steps you need to take to develop a true heart connection with your partner. She also touches on heartbreak and loss.

Interview with Emma Beaton

Emma Beaton

Emma is the lead vocalist of the popular folk band Joy Kills Sorrow. She's young, sweet, talented and from Qualicum! This interview is a quick look into her life in Boston, her music, and the new album "Darkness Sure Becomes this City" from Joy Kills Sorrow.

Interview with Carolyn Herriot

Carolyn Herriot - The Zero Mile Diet

Carolyn is an educator and regular columnist for GardenWise and CommonGround magazines. After 20 years operating The Garden Path Nursery she now grows certified organic ‘Seeds of Victoria’ at The Garden Path in Victoria. Carolyn’s new book The Zero Mile Diet – A Year-round Guide to Growing Great Organic Food.

All you need is 12 inches of soil and you can grow your own food! In this interview, Carolyn talks about the importance of growing you own food, what grows well here and shares details about her own experience.

Got the blues? Dance it out.

Hard driving blues, funky reggae, and fiery jams.

I like the sounds of that!

Harris Gilmore and the Mojo's play monthly shows at Bartholomew's and Swans here in Victoria, and boy oh boy, they know exactly how to burn up the stage! They even have an original song called We're Goin' To Bartholomew's.

These are men who radiate passion and fire during their intense live performances; their hearts kept young through music.

HARRIS GILMORE: singer/songwriter, harmonica, slide guitar, percussion

AL SABOURIN: lead guitar

KYLE SHICK: drums, backing vocals, quips

STEVE DUBEN: bass guitar, backing vocals

Check them out Friday and Saturday.

June 11th and 12th at Bartholomew's.

9pm-1230 and its FREE!

Before you go, watch this video and watch them tear it up at the Walk for Social Services!

Insane harmonica skills hey?

What to do this weekend?

FRIDAY JUNE 4th

Victoria Shamrocks vrs Nanaimo Timbermen
7:45pm Bear Mountain Arena

Check out our lacrosse team! They are number one in the league right now!
Get your cheer on and enjoy an action packed lacrosse game tonight.

I guarantee at some point during the evening you will hear one of the following.
"Wait, slow down, where's the ball..."
"Um, did he just DIVE across the front of the net and score?"
"I wish I had high-speed coordination like this."

Warning: loss of voice may occur.

www.victoriashamrocks.ca

The Idlers, The Novamatics & Bananafish Dance Orchestra
9:00pm Lucky Bar

All together in one sweet show!
The Idlers are an eleven-piece reggae circus from St. John's, Newfoundland. Their unique sound comes from a love for reggae, ska, and afro-beat, peppered with a little Celtic.
The Novamatics are one of the tightest ska bands to come out of Victoria in quite some time. The band has a full horn section and plays solid ska/rocksteady/reggae/jazz tunes. Good luck trying not to dance!
Bananafish Dance Orchestra are one of the freshest bands from Nanaimo right now. Their fusion of Latin, jazz, reggae funk will blend perfectly into this show. Music from Ska, Celtic, reggae, jazz, funk and more.

Tickets: Lyles Place, Ditch Records

www.victoriaskafest.ca

SATURDAY JUNE 5th

Leeroy Stagger & The Wildflowers
8:00pm Hermanns Jazz Club

Celebrating the release of his new album, Leeroy and the Wildflowers are here to make their mark. The album, Everything is Real, is a gritty, honest collection of songs that aren’t afraid to rock, sway, or break a few hearts. Leeroy is a celebrity with a new band, a more mature look on life and fabulous new music. Don't miss it!

www.hermannsjazz.com

Oak Bay Tea Party
June 5th and 6th @ Willows Beach

So much happening!

Annual Pancake Breakfast - 7:00 to 11:00 am Saturday and Sunday. Its at Willows Park thanks to the Capital City Lions Club... Yum!

The Tea Party Parade - 10:30 am Saturday. Begins at Windsor Park, the parade winds through the streets of Oak Bay, ending at Willows Park about 45 minutes later.

Stage Entertainment - 12pm Saturday. Goes all day!

Bathtub Race - 1pm Sunday. Come out on Sunday afternoon and see real bathtubs zoom along the water!

Airshow - 2pm Sunday. The airshow will have demonstrations such as skydivers landing on the beach, military aircraft, aerobatic aircraft, a sea rescue demonstration and the Coast Guard helicopter static display

Plus: Amusement rides, kayaking, and a new floating tea cup challenge!

www.oakbayteaparty.com

SUNDAY JUNE 6th

Xavier Rudd & Izintaba
8:00 pm Victoria Curling Club

Check out my last blog post for all the details!

www.xavierrudd.com