MUSIC
Thursday, February 21
Battle of the Bands: 40AcresOFRust, Secondhand Habit
Having started in January and lasting well into the spring, the second annual Battle of the Bands series hosted by Soprano’s Karaoke and Sports Bar and Absolute Underground Records is underway, with prog-metallers 40AcresOFRust squaring off against rock badasses Secondhand Habit on the night of Feb. 21. How the victor is determined, I don’t know. But I know one thing: there will be winners and losers for the bands onstage, but not for the audience. A little competition is good, I suppose — it will make each band rock extra hard. I yearn for the scent of overheating Marshall amplifiers.
For more info, visit sopranoskaraoke.ca or email sopranoskaraoke@shaw.ca.
Soprano’s Karaoke and Sports Bar (730 Caledonia Ave.), doors at 7:30 p.m. Free.
Until Thursday, February 28
Free Sample Music Lessons
Yearning to take those first steps towards mastering the musical instrument of your choice? Low on funds (or maybe you’d just prefer to spend your funds on tasty cakes)? Then why not try a free music lesson at the Victoria Conservatory of Music? Just sign up online and get started on your musical journey to be able to play the music you want to play, like the songs of ‘80s rock superstars Journey. If you want to impress that special someone in your life, I can’t think of a better way to do so than with a spirited rendition of “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” on the tuba.
For more info, visit vcm.bc.ca/free-sample.
Victoria Conservatory of Music (900 Johnson St.). Free.
LECTURES AND EXPOS
Sunday, February 24
Victoria Comic Book Expo
A few years ago, I went to the Victoria Comic Book Expo. I’m not a huge comic book geek, but I certainly like comics well enough to go. There was no shortage of awesome old comics around, many of which I would have liked to take home, but many of them were a bit too pricey for me. Finally, what did I see out of the corner of my eye, but — holy crap! An original Star Wars read-along book with accompanying vinyl record, in great condition, for only four bucks! What a find! If you liked reading that story as much as I liked writing it, you know you have to go to this event. If I didn’t quite have you at “comic book,” I certainly had you at “Star Wars.”
For more info, visit victoriacomicbookexpo.ca.
Comfort Inn & Suites Conference Centre (3020 Blanshard St.),
11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Free.
Tuesday, February 26
Lecture: Continental crust from top to bottom: a view from glacial tills and igneous rocks of British Columbia
When I was a little kid, I learned about the three types of rocks: igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic. And — this is going to sound pretty dorky — I was afraid of igneous rocks, because I thought that since they were formed from cooled lava, they could melt into lava again. Like, at any time, instantly, for no reason. Crazy, I know, but of course that ignorant kid-thought went away after I spent my first summer inner-tubing down a creek called Granite Creek, and there was all this bare granite everywhere. I discovered how neat and cool looking granite was. (I’m also a big quartz fan.) Dante Canil will be talking all about beautiful B.C. from a geological perspective, and if you’re a rock fan, you’ll be sure to find this lecture tantalizing.
For more info, call (250) 721-6120 or email seos@uvic.ca.
UVic Wright Centre Rm. A104, 3 p.m. Free.
FOOD
Thursday, February 21 – Sunday, March 10
Dine Around & Stay in Town
You could say Victoria has a ton of restaurants . . . but the truth is, if you were to actually weigh all those restaurants, they would weigh several thousand tonnes, and I’m sure I’m being very conservative with that estimate (buildings are heavy). Yes, that is a very lame joke, but there are indeed a lot of restaurants in the city, and I probably haven’t been to more than five per cent of them, even after several years of living here. So that’s where Dine Around & Stay in Town comes in; during the promotion, the restaurants involved are offering various three-course meals for $20, $30 or $40 per person, and what better reason to check out an unfamiliar eating establishment than that? And, if you can swing it, you can stay in a fabulous local hotel for $79, $99 or $129. Both of these deals, especially the hotel one, are great at making you feel like you’ve gone somewhere without actually going anywhere, which is actually kind of awesome. I think if I were a billionaire, I’d live out of hotel rooms all the time just for the fun of it. But I’m not. However, I would at least be satisfied with one of those $20 meals.
For more info, visit tourismvictoria.com/dinearound. Various venues.
FILM AND SPOKEN WORD
Sunday, February 24 – Tuesday, February 26
Chasing Ice (at Cinecenta)
Chasing Ice documents the melting of ice and breakup of glaciers in the earth’s northern regions — a process caused by global warming. I’ll tell you one reason why you should see this movie on the big screen: a scene showing a Manhattan-sized piece of ice breaking off and falling into the sea. A YouTube clip just doesn’t do it justice, and I bet even a big theatre screen wouldn’t completely do it justice, either, but I’ve heard this film has converted a few climate change skeptics, so I figure how can it not be a must-see?
For more info, visit cinecenta.com.
Cinecenta (in the UVic Student Union Building). 3 p.m., 7:15 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Feb. 24; 7:15 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Feb. 25 and 26. $5.75 or $3.75 for 9 p.m. shows (UVSS students).
Wednesday, February 27 – Sunday, March 3
2013 Victoria Spoken Word Festival
Some people don’t say too much. On the other hand, some people say an awful lot of things. And some people are so into saying things that they figure they can turn it into performance art. So they do just that, and some people will hand over their hard-earned money to see them say all that stuff they have to say. Are you one of the folks who like to watch those talkers? Then you’re probably keen on going to the third annual Victoria Spoken Word Festival. There will be a lot of people saying a lot of entertaining things; the theme this year is “objects in space.” During a workshop, you may also get the chance to say things to other people, who will then listen to the things you have to say. I know my curiosity is piqued by “Anthropocalypse,” a psychedelic spoken word opera from the duo known as 2 Dope Boys.
So head down to Solstice Café to get your tickets to the Victoria Spoken Word Festival, where you’ll hear words emerge from people’s mouths that contain meaning because the words are connected to their thoughts, and then your brain will interpret that meaning in a way that’s unique to you in some way and not unique in other ways.
For more info, visit victoriaspokenwordfestival.com.
Intrepid Theatre (1609 Blanshard St.),
8 p.m (Feb. 27 and March 1–2); Solstice Café (529 Pandora Ave.), 7:30 p.m., Feb. 28 only. Ticket prices vary for each event.
