Rifflandia adds wristband connect to sweeten the pot

You may already be aware, but coming up in less than a month is Rifflandia in Victoria, BC. I thought this would be a good time to remind people to get things setup to attend what is looking to be one amazing festival. The full line-up is here and it’s looking intense from great local bands like Hank & Lily, the Raccoons and the Pack AD to bigger Canadian acts such as Holy Fuck, Pink Mountaintops and Tegan & Sara, Brendan Canning will even be doing a DJ set. With a line-up like this wristbands are a bargain at $62.50 but not only do these wristbands get you great music, they’ll grab you a bunch of savings all over Victoria with the Wristband Connect deals Rifflandia has set up. This is especially sweet for those of you living in Victoria as the deals are good till the end of September, sounds like you can take advantage of them the minute you get your wristband. To me, this is an awesome bonus as food, drink & accommodation bills can really stack up at a festival so any relief to the wallet is welcome.

Anyways, get your wristbands (seriously, click here and get them now) and I hope we see you there!

Brendan Canning, Lisa Lobsinger, Geddy Lee & Others Stand up for the Walrus

Canadian musicians Brendan Canning and Lisa Lobsinger of Broken Social Scene and Geddy Lee of Rush have joined others from across Canada's arts and culture spectrum on behalf of 'the Walrus' magazine. According to the Wikipedia entry the magazine launched in 2003 with the hope of becoming the Canadian equivalent of such American titles as Harper's, the Atlantic Monthly, and the New Yorker. According to the the Walrus itself their mandate is to "be a Canadian general-interest magazine with an international outlook. We are committed to publishing the best work by the best writers from Canada and elsewhere on a wide range of topics for readers who are curious about the world." However, unlike the American magazines mentioned above the Walrus is a charity (funded by the Walrus Foundation.) That means that they are limited to 30% advertising and with recession-era ad dollars plummeting the Walrus is in some trouble.

Joining our musical friends in the appeal are film directors Atom Egoyan and Bruce McDonald, authors Margaret Atwood and Camilla Gibb, MTV Canada's Jessi Cruickshank, Soulpepper Theatre founder Albert Schultz, actor Sonja Smits, and fashion designer Jeremy Laing.

So, I guess if you want to know why all these people have to say about it or if you're just a Canadian who is curious about the world. You should watch the video below and check out http://www.walrusmagazine.com/weneedthewalrus/

Why We Need The Walrus from The Walrus Magazine on Vimeo.

Too good to pass up

I was sent an email today from Arts & Crafts and in it was possibly one of the best music videos I've seen in a long time. So good in fact that it deserves to be shared and seen by all. The video is for Brendan Canning's song Love Is New and addition to paying homage to Saturday Night Fever, it features a host of cameos from Canning's friends and band mates. You can find the video here and hope you enjoy it as much as I did.