Courtenay’s Vancouver Island Music Festival will continue its amazing run this summer with yet another star-filled lineup.
The popular three-day festival (July 10-12) began rolling out its roster this week with the announcement of four top-tier roots, blues, and bluegrass performers. MusicFest, as it is more commonly known, will be announcing a performer per day on its website, islandmusicfest.com, so stay tuned for a run of big names in the coming weeks.
The festival came out with a bang on Thursday when it announced blues legend Buddy Guy will headline the coveted Saturday-night slot — a major coup in a long line of coups for the Doug Cox-produced event.
MusicFest is known for attracting A-level acts. The Grammy-winning Guy continues that trend, and soon enough will join an esteemed MusicFest alumni that includes Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, David Crosby, Mavis Staples, k.d. lang, Alison Krauss, Randy Newman and more.
The Chicago guitarist won’t be the only must-see musician at this year’s festival. Also added to the roster this week: the red-hot combo of Bill Payne (from Little Feat) and Leftover Salmon; Juno-nominated Winnipeg roots rockers The Bros. Landreth; English folk faves Maddy Prior and Steeleye Span; and recently-reunited bluegrass kings Hot Rize.
Tickets are selling quickly, and most certainly will sell out. They are available at tickets.islandmusicfest.com, and in person at Long & McQuade (Courtenay) and Vancouver Island Brewery (Victoria).
Seattle indie rockers Tennis Pro are coming to the Victoria Film Festival for a Friday screening (Cineplex Odeon, 9:45 p.m.) of Big in Japan, a “semi-true” mockumentary made about the band.
To celebrate, the band will do what it does best and play a concert at the Copper Owl on Thursday. The best part? They will do so absolutely free of charge. Doors are at 9 p.m. The opening act is Rugged Uncle. The Copper Owl is located at 1900 Douglas St.
Big in Japan will also screen at 2 p.m. Sunday at Cineplex Odeon. For more information, go to victoriafilmfestival.com
Popular performance troupe Cheesecake Burlesque is celebrating Valentine’s Day a week early on Saturday.
The Cheesecake Burlesque Revue’s Fifth Annual Bump & Grind Valentine is on tap Feb. 7 at the Roxy Theatre (2657 Quadra St.). If past Cheesecake performances are anything to go by, the on-stage antics at the former “cinegog” will have audiences agog.
The proceedings are for those 19 and over.
Doors are at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $22 through cheesecakeburlesque.com. They are also available for $25 at the door.
The Upper Deck Sports Lounge (229 Gorge Rd. E.) will shake off its Super Bowl hangover with a blues double-bill on Saturday.
Vancouver’s Arsen Shomakhov and Victoria’s Bill Johnson will appear at the Victoria Blues Society event, the first in a series of Saturday Night Juke Joint showcases set for the first Saturday of each month.
Tickets are $15.
For more information, go tovictoriabluessociety.ca.
Tennessee country-gospel quartet the Oak Ridge Boys will make its Nanaimo debut on June 8, it was announced this week.
The five-time Grammy Award winners are legendary in white gospel circles, and with a lineup whose core has been with the group since the early ’70s, fans are getting the real deal.
Tickets for the Boys Night Out Tour 2015 are available for between $50 and $85 at 250-754-8550 and porttheatre.com.
Modern rock hitmakers the Kaiser Chiefs (I Predict a Riot; Ruby; Everyday I Love You Less and Less) are set to perform in Victoria for the first time in April.
The group, which hails from Leeds, England, is hugely popular in its homeland.
The band’s fifth album, Education, Education, Education & War, topped the U.K. charts upon its release last year.
The band also appeared in the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics, playing its rendition of Pinball Wizard by The Who.
Tickets for the April 20 performance at Distrikt nightclub are $27.50 at ticketzone.com.
You haven’t put yourself in danger until you’ve seen local crazies Spaceboots do their thing in concert.
An opportunity has arisen on that front: The band is playing a Masquerade V-Day Party at the Shark Club Bar & Grill (2852 Douglas St.), which will up the incentive for Spaceboots to push the limits of decency.
Tickets are $10. Opening acts include Couch Thieves and The Funkee Wadd.
