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A Blessing on the Moon offers a unique blend of folk cultures

A Blessing on the Moon offers a unique blend of folk cultures

By Tony Montague | February 9, 2012
The initial spark for A Blessing on the Moon happened a decade ago when composer and folk musician Andy Teirstein walked into a bookshop in New York and saw a novel of that title.
Orkestar Slivovica embraces its Balkan inspiration

Orkestar Slivovica embraces its Balkan inspiration

By Tony Montague | February 7, 2012
Moments of illumination can be hazardous—if they occur while you’re up a ladder or on a construction site, anyway.
PuSh Festival: Noche Flamenca feels flamenco's puro heart

PuSh Festival: Noche Flamenca feels flamenco's puro heart

By Tony Montague | January 12, 2012
Soledad Barrio didn’t grow up in a flamenco family, but she is flamenco to her molten core.
Winter Harp promises a very Celtic Christmas

Winter Harp promises a very Celtic Christmas

By Tony Montague | December 15, 2011
Ireland’s Patrick Ball brings his legendary and rarely heard instrument to this year’s Winter Harp concert.
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Stile Antico turn an ear toward old England

Stile Antico turn an ear toward old England

By Tony Montague | December 1, 2011
The early-music stars of Stile Antico finally make their Vancouver debut with an ode to the sacred Christmas music of Tudor times.
Vagabond Opera sings of Poland and drunk, lost love

Vagabond Opera sings of Poland and drunk, lost love

By Tony Montague | October 6, 2011
It’s a sultry night in old Portland.
Fado star António Zambujo goes for the bold

Fado star António Zambujo goes for the bold

By Tony Montague | October 5, 2011
Portuguese singer António Zambujo made it clear from the start that he was an audacious artist.
Javier Barón dances the poet Laura García Lorca at Vancouver International Flamenco Festival

Javier Barón dances the poet Laura García Lorca at Vancouver International Flamenco Festival

By Tony Montague | September 28, 2011
Javier Barón draws from deep wells as a flamenco dancer and choreographer.
Azam Ali sings dark lullabies

Azam Ali sings dark lullabies

By Tony Montague | September 21, 2011
Azam Ali has one of the most distinctive voices in world music—haunting, ancient-sounding, and gorgeously dark. But it was never the Iranian-born artist’s intention to become a singer.
Sweden's Väsen delivers acoustic swang and groove

Sweden's Väsen delivers acoustic swang and groove

By Tony Montague | August 31, 2011
You may not have heard of the nyckelharpa but rest assured it has nothing to do with angels in Sudbury, Ontario.
Burnaby Roots + Blues Festival crowd soaks up a shockingly good show on a spectacular day

Burnaby Roots + Blues Festival crowd soaks up a shockingly good show on a spectacular day

By Tony Montague | August 14, 2011
Shades of Tom Jones? Lesbian icon k.d. lang had some fans offering her their panties and bras at Deer Lake Park.
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k.d. lang gets big response at Burnaby Blues + Roots Festival

k.d. lang gets big response at Burnaby Blues + Roots Festival

By Tony Montague | August 13, 2011
Her version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" is already a classic.
Burnaby Blues + Roots Festival crowd sits down for John Mayall

Burnaby Blues + Roots Festival crowd sits down for John Mayall

By Tony Montague | August 13, 2011
His guitarist, named Rocky from Texas, could be a star in a biopic of Attila the Hun and wields a mighty axe.
At Burnaby Blues + Roots Festival, Imelda May brings the pain and the rockabilly

At Burnaby Blues + Roots Festival, Imelda May brings the pain and the rockabilly

By Tony Montague | August 13, 2011
May wins the prize for best look of the day.
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Pink Panther sneaks into Burnaby Blues + Roots Festival

Pink Panther sneaks into Burnaby Blues + Roots Festival

By Tony Montague | August 13, 2011
He even snuck into a solo by Matt Anderson.
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MusicFest Vancouver: The Swingle Singers mix and mash

MusicFest Vancouver: The Swingle Singers mix and mash

By Tony Montague | July 28, 2011
With more than 50 albums to their name, five Grammy awards, and a large base of die-hard fans spread around the world, something has been going very right for the Swingle Singers for a long time.
MusicFest Vancouver: Three centuries later, Henry Purcell's King Arthur still reigns

MusicFest Vancouver: Three centuries later, Henry Purcell's King Arthur still reigns

By Tony Montague | July 28, 2011
Matthew White sings the praises of the Henry Purcell semi-opera—even comparing it to Sondheim’s work.
Powell Street Festival pries open the past with The Tashme Project

Powell Street Festival pries open the past with The Tashme Project

By Tony Montague | July 27, 2011
It’s the perspective of children that provides the inspiration for Julie Tamiko Manning and Matt Miwa’s The Tashme Project.
Rí¼diger Oppermann takes harp from jazz to Hendrix

Rí¼diger Oppermann takes harp from jazz to Hendrix

By Tony Montague | July 20, 2011
For Rüdiger Oppermann there are no limitations on what a harp can do or play.
India pale ale hops to new popularity

India pale ale hops to new popularity

By Tony Montague | June 30, 2011
There’s a change in the air for many beer drinkers, and you can smell it this summer in the fresh herby, piney, fruity, floral, and earthy aromas wafting from bars and patios. Hops are on the rise.
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At the ARC, art has a party

At the ARC, art has a party

By Tony Montague | June 23, 2011
This weekend Vancouverites get a rare chance to experience one of the city’s most vibrant creative communities.
Songfire Festival of Song brings poetry to life

Songfire Festival of Song brings poetry to life

By Tony Montague | June 14, 2011
Art song gives poetry a kind of multidimensionality of texture, and music a specific meaning.

Buena Vista Social Club alumnus makes stop at Cellar Restaurant and Jazz Club

By Tony Montague | April 21, 2011
After recently touring with them in Asia and the U.S., Valdes is bringing four colleagues to Vancouver to record his debut solo album live at the Cellar Restaurant and Jazz Club.
Vancouver Craft Beer Week brews frothy fun

Vancouver Craft Beer Week brews frothy fun

By Tony Montague | April 20, 2011
The celebration of artisanal, high-quality beer takes place in dozens of pubs, bars, restaurants, and other venues around town from May 6 to 14.
Boston Early Music Festival revives the English pastoral opera with Acis and Galatea

Boston Early Music Festival revives the English pastoral opera with Acis and Galatea

By Tony Montague | March 22, 2011
Period costumes and using instruments of the time add to the authenticity of this production.
The inspirations are contemporary and cross-cultural in Flamenco Vivo!

The inspirations are contemporary and cross-cultural in Flamenco Vivo!

By Tony Montague | March 8, 2011
It’s hard to find anything written about flamenco that doesn’t include the words passion and fire. But there’s another side of flamenco that gets overlooked.
Cruceta Flamenco celebrates 10 years with retrospective La Confidencia

Cruceta Flamenco celebrates 10 years with retrospective La Confidencia

By Tony Montague | March 8, 2011
Caroline Planté and Mariano Cruceta reverse flamenco’s usual gender roles.
Hard Times Hit Parade explores the dark underbelly of 1930s dance marathons

Hard Times Hit Parade explores the dark underbelly of 1930s dance marathons

By Tony Montague | February 22, 2011
The glitzy popular-dance culture of North America during the 1930s had a dark underbelly.
Talking Stick Festival's Fragments grew out of survivors’ stories

Talking Stick Festival's Fragments grew out of survivors’ stories

By Tony Montague | January 25, 2011
For her full-length contemporary-dance piece Fragments, Lara Kramer drew on the experiences of aboriginal children forcibly committed to Indian residential schools.
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Vocalist Mamak Khadem looks to break the mould

Vocalist Mamak Khadem looks to break the mould

By Tony Montague | January 18, 2011
After years of returning regularly to her homeland of Iran to study Persian classical music and learn its repertoire from the masters, Mamak Khadem came to realize that she wanted to be more than a vocalist in the traditional mould.
Australia's Circa strips back the circus at the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival

Australia's Circa strips back the circus at the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival

By Tony Montague | January 13, 2011
Forget greasepaint and glitter as the PuSh festival troupe puts its athletic acro-ballet to cool music.
Red Molly puts a spin on rootsy traditions

Red Molly puts a spin on rootsy traditions

By Tony Montague | January 12, 2011
Checking out the videos and publicity shots for U.S. acoustic roots act Red Molly, you’d be forgiven for thinking the group’s name refers to dobro player and guitarist Abbie Gardner.
New Year's Eve goes naughty with a burlesque extravaganza

New Year's Eve goes naughty with a burlesque extravaganza

By Tony Montague | December 30, 2010
Burlesque’s 1930s heyday will provide the inspiration when Melody Mangler and her pals take to the Cultch stage.
Hoist a pint of winter ale for New Year's Eve in Vancouver

Hoist a pint of winter ale for New Year's Eve in Vancouver

By Tony Montague | December 28, 2010
This New Year’s Eve, you may want to get a few drops closer to Robert Burns and his party muse, and toast 2011 with a winter ale or a Scotch ale.
A little bit of sound advice: Tony Montague

A little bit of sound advice: Tony Montague

By Tony Montague | December 16, 2010
Silence is the only true fusion of every genre, and may be the sole common element in this bagful of world sounds.
Winter Solstice Festival brings light to the year's darkest day

Winter Solstice Festival brings light to the year's darkest day

By Tony Montague | December 14, 2010
Since the dawn of consciousness, the winter solstice has been marked in some way by every indigenous culture north of the Tropic of Cancer.
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Winter Harp features strange musical instruments from medieval times

Winter Harp features strange musical instruments from medieval times

By Tony Montague | December 13, 2010
Joaquin Ayala of Winter Harp performs on a menagerie of strange musical instruments from medieval times, and none is more archaic than the monstrous organistrum.
Alex Cuba continues his roll

Alex Cuba continues his roll

By Tony Montague | December 9, 2010
Alex Cuba’s run of good luck this year shows no sign of slowing down.
Leonard Cohen weaves timeless magic in Vancouver

Leonard Cohen weaves timeless magic in Vancouver

By Tony Montague | December 3, 2010
Canada's most famous poet still looking spry at 75.
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Charlie Winston takes the less-is-more approach

Charlie Winston takes the less-is-more approach

By Tony Montague | November 25, 2010
Songwriter and guitarist Charlie Winston isn’t the kind of English bloke who stands on decorum or flinches from stark reality and uncomfortable truth.
Marc Atkinson draws from some unexpected sources

Marc Atkinson draws from some unexpected sources

By Tony Montague | November 18, 2010
Marc Atkinson has been writing songs since he started making music.
Romeo & Juliet gets flamenco flair

Romeo & Juliet gets flamenco flair

By Tony Montague | November 5, 2010
Vancouver dancer and choreographer Karen Pitkethly has taken the basic outline of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and set it in the Mexico of a hundred years ago, incorporating flamenco dancers, singers, and musicians.
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The timing was right for Ruth Moody's solo debut

The timing was right for Ruth Moody's solo debut

By Tony Montague | November 4, 2010
Ruth Moody is at pains to make clear that having released her solo debut, The Garden, this summer doesn’t mean she’s frustrated being a member of the Wailin’ Jennys.
Vancouver's Memory Festival is a tribute to memoir

Vancouver's Memory Festival is a tribute to memoir

By Tony Montague | November 2, 2010
Vancouver’s fifth edition of the Memory Festival explores individual and collective narratives in all their irony, subtlety, and rawness, as a creative and healing process.
Fretwork lends an appropriate sense of adventure to The World Encompassed

Fretwork lends an appropriate sense of adventure to The World Encompassed

By Tony Montague | November 1, 2010
English composer Orlando Gough’s new work, specially commissioned by Fretwork, intriguingly juxtaposed and sometimes integrated Elizabethan songs with his own contemporary classical music.
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Chanteuse Lila Downs draws deep from the well of tradition

Chanteuse Lila Downs draws deep from the well of tradition

By Tony Montague | November 1, 2010
Downs and Spanish diva Concha Buika have gotten together to present three concerts as a live tribute to ranchera’s now-frail queen, Chavela Vargas.
Savion Glover's Bare Soundz taps everything from rock to rap to calypso

Savion Glover's Bare Soundz taps everything from rock to rap to calypso

By Tony Montague | October 28, 2010
Savion Glover wasn’t yet a teenager when he started meeting and hanging with America’s masters of the hoofing arts.
Great Big Sea's Séan McCann is on a songwriting roll

Great Big Sea's Séan McCann is on a songwriting roll

By Tony Montague | October 28, 2010
Séan McCann loves writing songs, but he’d been a musician a few years before the chanteys and anthems started to flow out easily.
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Los Paperboy's Tom Landa delivers something new

By Tony Montague | October 21, 2010
Tom Landa of roots rockers Los Paperboys loves touring. But he also likes to keep his music local.
Git Hayetsk Dancers bring the north-wind dance to the Heart of the City Festival

Git Hayetsk Dancers bring the north-wind dance to the Heart of the City Festival

By Tony Montague | October 19, 2010
Mike Dangeli believes in the special powers of the north wind.

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