MUSIC
What: Vox Rea
Where: Charlie White Theatre at the Mary Winspear Centre, Sidney
When: Tuesday, Oct. 5, 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $18.90 from https://tickets.marywinspear.ca/
Why: Arrive early for this festival seating performance because you’ll want to be stationed up front for Vox Rea. The Vancouver trio (known previously as The Katherines) has been wowing audiences of late, and turned in a buzzed-about set during last week’s Sooke Music and Art Festival. The haunting harmonies of sisters Kate and Lauren Kurdyak and childhood best friend Kaitlyn Hansen-Boucher are something spectacular, positioning the latest entry in the Mary Winspear Centre’s ongoing Seaside Sessions to be the best yet.
MUSIC
What: MeatDraw and The This
Where: Victoria Event Centre, 1415 Broad St.
When: Saturday, Oct. 2, 9 p.m. (doors at 8)
Tickets: $15 from https://www.victoriaeventcentre.ca
Why: MeatDraw once described itself as “a bunch of dudes and their brothers and boyfriends and girlfriends and best buds,” a shackles-off approach which made these quirky indie rockers one of the most watchable (if not best) bands in Victoria during the late-2000s. Official shows by the group have been sporadic in recent years, which makes their return to the Victoria Event Centre this weekend all the more exciting. Due to COVID-19, the gig with The This is capped at 80 tickets — all of which should be gone by showtime. Act now or you could be waiting several more years for the band’s return.
ART
What: Winds of Change
Where: Malaspina Theatre at Vancouver Island University, Nanaimo
When: Friday, Oct. 1 to Wednesday, Oct. 13
Admission: Free
Paintings by Stz’uminus First Nation artist Daniel R. Elliott will be on display in the lobby of the Malaspina Theatre in Nanaimo through Oct. 13, with hopes that the exhibit provides a bridge in the truth and reconciliation process. Vancouver Island University’s office of Indigenous Education and Engagement is behind the exhibition of oils and watercolours, which explore the history and impact of colonization and residential schools. Elliott, an alcohol and drug prevention worker at Stz’uminus First Nation, is a descendant of residential school survivors and definitely has a story to tell, so expect to be wowed.
