There’s a reason local trio V3nom have been gaining attention across city stages, but if you can’t make it out to one of their many shows, then this five-song EP is the perfect introduction.

Combining themes of modern human experience and social commentary, The Lumineers’ fifth studio album Automatic is unpredictably layered and emotionally dynamic.

ZZ Ward’s latest release, the blues-infused Liberation, draws breath from childhood sound bites that inspired her earliest musical musings.

In the available light

coming through two windows large and curtained

on the wall behind the bed

I see from across the room just the top of your head . . .

Hurry Up Tomorrow, which The Weeknd has said will be his final album, grapples with themes listeners have come to expect—self-destruction, isolation, addiction, lust, and heartache—but this time with a raw vulnerability that, in a lot of ways, feels like our first real peek behind his performing persona.

Two days before the 2015 federal election, Liberal leader Justin Trudeau marched into a pit of pandemonium at the Thunder Bay airport that looked less like local partisans and more like The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show. Hundreds of screaming people clamoured for selfies with this dreamboat who would rescue Canada from Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s stuffy preference to play by himself.

Okay, so you’ve made the big step in your life and decided to finally check out a drag show for the first time. Condragulations! Now, you might be wondering where to start. You’ve heard great things, but it’s your first time attending this kind of event and you have tonnes of questions. Don’t worry, we got you. It should be noted that while there are several options for drag events in Thunder Bay, here we’ll be talking exclusively about Wiggins Productions (WP) drag shows at Black Pirates Pub. It’s our home turf and where we tend to shine the brightest with the most performers.

Are Beyoncé, Jelly Roll and Post Malone country? This was the seed of the idea that led me to writing this column. Beyonce—Queen B, perhaps the most famous performer in the world—is known for her soul, R&B, and hip hop music, while Jelly Roll and Post Malone are both American singers best known for their hip hop, rap, and R&B offerings. So the question is can a hip hop artist make a country album? Or even a rock or pop singer for that matter? And what makes country music country? Is it that sound of a fiddle, or steel guitar? A twang in your voice? Or where you were born?

In 1987, acclaimed contemporary artist Rebecca Belmore wore a sculpture-like dress in a public performance entitled Twelve Angry Crinolines, which satirized the celebrations going on at Fort William Historical Park to welcome the Duke and Duchess of York to Thunder Bay while calling attention to the effects of colonization on Indigenous women. “I went back to Belmore,” says David Karasiewicz, Definitely Superior Art Gallery’s executive and artistic director. “Which is really what kind of sparked that interest later on when we started doing Derelicte.” 

There are some establishments that emanate classic Thunder Bay comfort and revelry. One such place is Madhouse, which has been serving single malts, good eats, and Kerouac quotes since 2001. But just because you’re entrenched in the local pantheon of restaurants doesn’t mean you can’t keep it interesting and delicious. This brings us to the carne asada tacos, available every Tuesday at Madhouse.

The iconic statue of a curling rock in front of Fort William Gardens reads that Thunder Bay is the “Centre of Curling Canada.” That statement will ring true when the 44^th annual Scotties Tournament of Hearts will be held at the Fort William Gardens in Thunder Bay from February 14^th to 23^rd.

Seventy-two emergency beds, one case manager, rental costs vastly disproportionate to the rates of social assistance, barriers to entry at every turn—the vicious cycle continues. 

I’m often unimpressed with the vapidity of contemporary indie rock, but the newest album from Seattle, Washington’s Deep Sea Diver, Billboard Heart, is a notable anomaly. What sets it apart from others of its kind is its attentiveness to the interplay of lyrics, melody, and instrumentals in each song.

It's now February, and the big day on a lot of people’s calendars is the 14th—Valentine’s Day. It’s a day of red roses, chocolates, love letters, candlelit dinners, and heart-shaped everything. But what if none of that speaks to you? What if the person you thought was “the one” cheated on you? Or what if the person of your dreams turned out to be a complete nightmare in real life? Or what if you just don’t buy into any Valentine’s Day hype? Well, my friend, do we have one hell of a show for you!

“We have so much that we can share,” says Liliane Breiland, organizer of the upcoming Afro Vibe Fest, Thunder Bay’s newest summer festival celebrating the vast and varying cultures of Africa. “This festival is going to be an occasion for us to share our culture with our new home.”

Here

summer is as brief as youth.

Winter is an uninvited guest

who settles in to stay . . .

Matt Sellick is a flamenco guitar virtuoso, composer, and performer. How did someone from Thunder Bay discover this passionate and intricate art form? We were lucky to have Sellick join us in the studio at Blueprints while in town for a live concert recording with the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra. We talk dreams coming true and more. 

“During the pandemic, I really wanted to take my still photography to another level,” says local photographer and videographer Damien Bouchard. Bouchard, who studied television broadcasting at Confederation College and Indigenous independent filmmaking at Capilano University in Vancouver, began following photography accounts on Instagram and learned more about astrophotography when he became friends with Thunder Bay photographer Kay Lee.