Tag: Music

Expectations. Believe it or Not. Superhero Percussion: All the Hits! at Victoria Fringe Festival 2026

Sticks and Stone turn rock favourites into lively marimba arrangements in a warm, playful Fringe set, though its superhero percussion concept could use a few more familiar themes.

Superhero Percussion: All the Hits!Some acts need to be seen live, and when Sticks and Stone is billed as talented percussionists with a purpose, I had to check them out. They have been performing since 2017, and I had certain expectations when I saw Superhero Percussion: All the Hits! was coming to the Victoria Fringe Festival and they are playing at the CCPA Performance Hall. This group has a solid reputation for drawing crowds, but showrunner Stephen Stone was hoping some children would attend the 8 p.m. show. Unless you are a parent, there is a reason no one under eight was there.

The long weekend also offered plenty of reasons for people to be outdoors. Turning a busking spirit into a seated Fringe experience takes an ability to read the room and adapt on the spot, and the trio did a great job at adjusting. Had it been dialed up another notch, I’d say we would’ve been treated to a true tribute.

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Maaya Sakamoto, Fate/Grand Order Top Hits and 30 Years in the Business….

Celebrations continue for Jpop fans who adore Maaya Sakamoto’s music. Not only is there a new release for Fate/Grand Order fans but also they can hear her unplugged.

Maaya Sakamoto Fate_Grand OrderCurrently in the midst of her 30th anniversary as an artist, Maaya Sakamoto continues to shine. The concert held April 18 and 19 at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena ended to great acclaim. And for those who missed the show or want a greatest hits, this artist is releasing a greatest hits album of sorts, titled Yoin. This album collects all six theme songs she performed for the smartphone JRPG and there’s a lot more to be included!

From The Press Release

Disc one features all six theme songs from the smartphone role-playing game Fate/Grand Order, from “Shikisai,” which was released alongside the official game launch in 2015, to “Tokei,” the theme song for the final chapter released in 2025.

“Tokei” was released digitally last year and will be recorded on CD for the first time.

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More Than Just A Tribute: With Eraserheads Combo on the Run, The Show Must Go On

Eraserheads Combo on the Run gives the Beatles of the Philippines space to tell their own story, tracing their rise, tensions, and lasting influence on Filipino music.

Eraserheads Combo on the Run Official PosterNow playing at select theatres across North America. For venues, please visit www.eraserheadsfilm.com

For a band often called the Beatles of the Philippines, the Eraserheads have cemented a legacy few will forget. Director Maria Diane Ventura’s Eraserheads Combo on the Run offers a rare reckoning, giving the band a chance to set the record straight in their own words. Their message of hope lives in what they deliver best: songs about love, friendship, and student life.

This tribute follows Ely Buendia, Raymund Marasigan, Marcus Adoro, and Buddy Zabala from their origins as university kids at UP Diliman in 1989 to their rise as the defining voice of a Filipino generation. Also included is their parting of ways and an examination of what led to their 2022 Ang Huling El Bimbo reunion concert. According to this work, a quarter of a million people attended!

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Rock and Rule Behind the Scenes Bonus Cut! And Captain Cannabis (Part Two)

Rock and Rule Behind the Scenes continues with Verne Andru tackling long-standing fan debates, from production myths to lost material, while outlining how his documentary aims to preserve a fragile piece of Canadian animation history.

Verne Andru and Captain Cannabis
Part one of our interview can be read here.

Support Rock and Rule Behind the Scenes, and get some wild extras!

In part two of our interview with Verne Andru, we look at questions fans hope the documentary will answer. Long-time fans have burning questions, and given that most of the original material was lost to a fire that Verne confirmed, what remains needs to be more than a nostalgia hit. It is a chance to look back at how technologies merged to create the cult work that Rock and Rule became, right as Hollywood was running its own experiments with transitional optical effects in films like Tron and The Last Starfighter.

What is the biggest myth about Rock & Rule that you want to address?

The studio said that the launch failed because of MGM/UA not backing it. While there may be some truth to that, it misses the point that they delivered an unfinished film years late and millions over budget. It was Nelvana’s fault, nobody else.

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Rock and Rule Behind the Scenes, The KickStarter. An Interview with Verne Andrusiek (Part One)

Rock and Rule Behind the Scenes dives into the legacy of the cult Canadian animated film through Verne Andrusiek’s firsthand insights, exploring its production struggles, analog artistry, and why a true restoration may never happen.

Fan Expo Vancouver Rock and RuleView the Kickstarter here

Verne Andrusiek is just one of the amazing talents who helped breathe visual life into a seminal Canadian animated classic, Rock and Rule. For the later part of his entertainment career, he went by the shorter version of his last name, and not everyone made the connection. With this Nelvana Entertainment film recognized as a cult work in the Canadiana hall of fame, anyone asking for a release will be in for a disappointment. A remaster is not likely to happen. What Verne preserved at home, though, will become part of the backbone of Rock and Rule Behind the Scenes, a video documentary that includes interviews with the directors and writers of this project. He announced this project to folks visiting his booth during Fan Expo Vancouver 2026!

With a crowdfunding campaign launching April 6, 2026, he also hopes to put some long-running fan debates to rest. He put it this way: “I became a bit of a jack-of-all-trades over my career going from music to electronics, art, film and computers in large part due to times, the 1950s through to 1980 were a period of dramatic change when not much of anything we take for granted today existed. Basically, if you wanted something you had to figure out how to do it yourself because there were no off-the-shelf solutions.”

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Terror Awaits When Nash The Slash Rises Again!

A stylish and thoughtful documentary, Nash The Slash Rises Again! examines the life, sound, and legacy of one of Canada’s most singular musical innovators, celebrating an artist who turned performance, technology, and mystery into something unforgettable.

Nash the Slash Rises Again! Promotional Tour TrailerOpens at Select Theatres March 13

Nash the Slash is an original. A living Phantom of the Theatre, unafraid to obscure himself, he’s often seen performing wrapped like a mummy, minus the Egyptian motifs, instead donning dark sunglasses and a stiff top hat. When we see him in Nash the Slash Rises Again!, he’s not just a silent film star, but a silver age minx. He exists in a space where noir sensibilities thrive. Nearly everyone knows the name, even if the sound itself feels ephemeral, electronic, and ahead of its time.

What’s presented in Tim Kowalski’s documentary brilliantly honours him like a living memorial. Rameses the Great would be jealous. When this musician doesn’t predate the theatrical shock of early Pink Floyd or Alice Cooper, but feels spiritually adjacent to them, evolving along a parallel creative wavelength. One suspects they’d have relished sharing a stage had the opportunity arisen.

With interests leaning heavily into the horror film genre, shock becomes part of the live experience for those fortunate enough to witness him perform. Not every show has him embodying The Invisible Man, but the theatricality remains central. His life and career are explored in thoughtful detail through Tim Kowalski’s documentary.

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