James Hill has been compared to Jimi Hendrix, and for good reason. Hill is not simply a ukulele virtuoso with a fondness for fretboard fireworks, he鈥檚 a radical reinventor who plays fast and loose with tradition 鈥� resulting in a singular style that favours fun above everything else.
Despite recording popular ukulele versions of Hendrix鈥檚 Voodoo Chile and Michael Jackson鈥檚 Billie Jean, the upstart Juno Award nominee is not turning his back on tradition. His performance today at the Dave Dunnet Community Theatre in Oak Bay High School pairs him with the Civic Orchestra of Victoria for a family-friendly afternoon of classical-leaning music.
Hill will perform (along with special guests Island Ukuleles and conductor Brian Wismath) a suite for ukulele and orchestra, along with a Vivaldi concerto for guitar that has been transcribed for ukulele.
Fans can also get in on the action. Ticketholders are encouraged to bring a ukulele of their own and play along with Hill and Co. during a 鈥渟trum-along鈥� at the end of the concert. Children 12 and under are admitted free when accompanied by a paid adult.
Showtime is 2 p.m., with doors scheduled to open at 1:30. Advance tickets are sold out, but seats might be available prior to the start of the concert and will be offered on a first-come-first-served basis. Tickets sold at the door will be cash only, according to organizers.
For more information, e-mail [email protected] or visit civicorchestraofvictoria.org.
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The third annual Nanaimo Record Show gets underway today, with thousands of LPs being offered by vendors from across Vancouver Island.
The show runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Royal Canadian Legion (129 Harewood Rd.)
Admission is $2. For more information, phone 250-753-4442.
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The lead-up to festival season is now in full swing. The first multi-day event is months away, but organizers are angling for position. The competition will only get hotter in the coming weeks, so keep an eye out for updates.
Early out of the gate is the Islands Folk Festival in Duncan, which has announced its first wave of acts for edition No. 33. The festival, set for July 21-23 at Providence Farm, has booked The Bills, Big Little Lions, Quinn Bachand and Brishen, the Marc Atkinson Trio, Linda McRae, Genevieve and the Wild Sundays, Locarno, Foxglove, Ed Peekeekoot, Lion Bear Fox, West My Friend and Roots Roundup. More artists will be announced in the coming weeks.
For more information on one of the longest-running festivals of its kind in the province, visit islandsfolkfestival.ca.
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The Lake Cowichan site that is home to the Sunfest and Laketown Rock festivals has another event on its docket this summer.
The Legends Valley Music Festival will take place Aug. 23-27 at Laketown Ranch, with a lineup of acts that includes three headliners making their Vancouver Island debuts.
Body Count, the metal group fronted by rapper Ice-T, will appear alongside Jump Around hitmakers House of Pain and Top 40 mainstays Magic!, authors of the eternal summer anthem Rude 鈥� which currently sits at 1.2 billion views on YouTube.
The festival also includes Bio Cup sa国际传媒, a cannabis competition.
According to organizers, another wave of headliners will be announced in the weeks ahead.
Tickets are on sale now for $149 through legendsvalleymusicfestival.com.
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A second pot-themed festival is on tap in Victoria this summer.
The 2017 Grass Roots Craft Cup, Expo and Dispensary Tour is set for June 3 at the Leonardo Da Vinci Centre. The event features guests speakers, musical acts and a vendors鈥� area. As well, a shuttle bus will take guests on a tour of dispensaries throughout Victoria. Ganga Giri, Mostly Marley and Rhythmo featuring Kemal Evans will perform at the centre, which is located at 195 Bay St.
Tickets are $20 ticketweb.ca.
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The newly minted Laketown Rock Festival has finalized its roster, with an extensive rundown of local acts taking part May 19-21 at the Lake Cowichan festival site.
Stinging Belle, High Noon to Midnight, Deep Sea Gypsies, The Bad, Sweet Action, Wise Youngblood, Lance Lapointe Band, the Broken Strings and the Hip Replacements.
They join previously announced acts the Sam Roberts Band, Loverboy, Honeymoon Suite, Glass Tiger and others.
Organizers have also announced that a shuttle service will take revelers from the 172-acre site to drop-off locations in Duncan, Victoria and Comox.
Tickets ($129) are on sale at Canadian Tire in Duncan, Lyle鈥檚 Place in Victoria and online at laketownrock.com.
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Tickets are on sale now for Nanaimo鈥檚 Summertime Blues festival, which has become one of the go-to events for blues fans on Vancouver Island.
The festival is set for Aug. 24 to Aug. 27 at Maffeo Sutton Park and features several big-name headliners. Sonny Landreth, Shemekia Copeland, MonkeyJunk, Victor Wainwright and The WildRoots, David Gogo, Harpdog Brown and the Travelin鈥� Blues Show, The Blackburn Brothers, The Paul DesLauriers Band, Mark Hummel鈥檚 Golden State/Lonestar Revue and Devon Allman 鈥� son of jam-band icon Gregg Allman 鈥� have all been confirmed to appear.
Tickets are available for $55/$119 through nanaimoblues.tickit.ca.
For more information, visit nanaimobluesfestival.com.
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Popular poet and spoken-word artist Shane Koyczan does exceptionally well in Victoria, so fans hoping to see him perform Dec. 5 at the McPherson Playhouse need to act now.
Tickets are on sale for $37 through the Royal McPherson box office, online at rmts.bc.ca or by phone at 250-386-6121.
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Akon 鈥� the unique voice behind mega-hits Dangerous, Right Now and Sorry, Blame it On Me 鈥� will return to Victoria for a performance at Sugar nightclub (858 Yates St.) on June 14.
One of the top-selling digital artists of the past decade, Akon appeared at Distrikt nightclub in 2015 for a sold-out show that has become an I-was-there badge of honour for clubgoers.
Tickets are on sale for $60 through ticketweb.ca, by phone at 1-888-222-660 or in person at Lyle鈥檚 Place.
Feel like treating yourself and a few friends? Several tiers of group VIP seating is available, ranging in price from $400 to $1,200 per party.