The Wolfe Island Music Festival just keeps getting bigger and better.
In only a few short years, the community fundraiser has grown from a quaint celebration of local artists to one of the province’s top-notch summer music festivals. Sarah McDermott started the festival in 1998 with help from her friend Virginia Clark, both of whom are Wolfe Island residents. Clark, who also manages The Grad Club, took over for McDermott three years ago

For students who are cinematically inclined, Kingston offers a wide variety of outlets to keep even the most discriminating filmgoer entertained. Whether you’re looking to get involved in movie production or just renting a hard-to-find film, Kingston is an open community for avid film buffs and casual viewers alike.

Both on campus and off, there are traditional and alternative spaces to view historic and contemporary art, so you’re sure to find something appealing in one of the spaces listed below. Enjoy the experience.

With only about 116,000 full-time residents in the entire township, Kingston can look pretty dismal for a devoted concertgoer. It may seem as though it’s bypassed for the teeming metropolises of Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa, and for big-name, big-label acts like Our Lady Peace and—ugh—Hilary Duff, it’s the truth.

Whether you are a performer, dramaturge, backstage hand, or a lover of anything dramatic, you are certainly in for a treat this coming school year. Queen’s University and Kingston are rich in community and semi-professional theatre, with a splash of alternative and progressive theatre that captivates and enlightens participants and audiences alike.

When one mentions political punk music, the names that usually come to mind include The Clash, The Subhumans, Propagandhi, Dead Kennedys and Black Flag, among others. An intensely political four-piece from Gainesville, Florida, Against Me! has been spreading its message of activism and anti-capitalism through frantic, folk-influenced punk anthems with larynx-shredding vocals and lyrics that place them akin to the poetic nature of Bob Dylan in the world of punk.

When critics and viewers look at student shows and are disappointed, they often justify their reaction by a lack of intrigue. Phrases like ‘just a student’ and ‘still learning’ get bandied about with a shrug of the shoulder, as if to say the lacking elements are acceptable at this point in their careers.
But it’s not, and each person who utters comments like this are overlooking something very important: art students are already artists, and some students even feel affronted when they aren’t considered practicing artists.

This summer, Rachel Slaven will absorb a lot of abuse from her wicked stepfamily, while Emma Hunter will spend a lot of time being devoured by a big bad wolf. And, oddly enough, both are very excited about the prospect: Hunter enthusiastically called it “the best thing that could happen.”

Experiencing an absolute silence—one so still that a pin drop would echo off the rear walls—is unusual in a crowded bar. But then, this particular evening was not your usual night out. Though the Elixir frequently plays host to bands, this show was unique: it was the first of two fundraising concerts for the Justin Schwieg Foundation, dedicated to the former Queen’s football player’s memory.

In theatre, it always proves to be interesting when writers play with structure. New and innovative plot ideas seem to often be the focus of new writers. Less occasionally, playwrights look to form to add novelty to piece.

A wise man once wrote, “Nobody cares about Electroclash,” and after witnessing Dandi Wind open for the Hidden Cameras on April 14, I can soundly say that I concur.

Oh, zombie movies. What other genre provides both informed social satire and graphic cannibalistic disemboweling? Ever since George Romero let zombies loose in the mall in the original Dawn of the Dead, filmmakers have been toying with the metaphor of zombie as the modern man; lurching around aimlessly in masses, concerned only with their selfish, primal desires—which are, for the most part, an unquenchable hunger for “brains, delicious brains.”

Luke Doucet always seems to have a hand in multiple projects at any given time, and has for many years. This veteran has worked with the likes of Sarah McLachlan, Chantal Kreviazuk and Blue Rodeo. He’s also done some producing work, is the front man of the rock band Veal, and also has a successful solo career. Luke took some time on an oh-so-rare day-off to talk to the Journal about his upcoming tour, which will be making a stop at The Grad Club tonight, and his new album, Outlaws [live + unreleased], due to be released this week.

As his music may suggest, Brian Borcherdt craves mystery.

The raucous sounds of the blues saturated the airspace of the Baby Grand Wednesday night. The fourth annual Kingston Jazz Fest was in full swing. As noted by the festival’s coordinator Dave Coon, blues will be the focus of this year’s Jazz Fest, which made Kevin Breit and the Sisters Euclid an excellent choice as the festival’s first act after Sunday’s gala opening.

The two strongest films at this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival were not made in Hollywood, they were made in Asia.
Old Boy and Hero, made in Korea and China respectively, are intellectually challenging and emotionally rich pieces of filmmaking. They are also both crowd-pleasing movies, boasting grand production values and visually sumptuous images.

An enthusiastic crowd gathered at the Grad Club Wednesday night for a mid-week, pick-me-up dose of cow-punk from Oshawa’s own Cuff the Duke, and those in attendance were certainly not let down.