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by Charlie Smith on April 1st, 2021 at 8:20 PM 1 of 1 2 of 1 A former manager of the legendary Vancouver punk band D.O.A. has died. The news of Ken Lester's passing came in a post by musician and painter Jean Smith on her Facebook page. Smith is a member of the Vancouver band Mecca Normal with Lester's brother David. D.O.A. hired Lester in 1979 after the band went on its first North American tour. He parted ways with the band in 1988, according to frontman Joe Keithley's 2003 memoir, I, Shithead: A Life in Punk. In 2015, Keithley told Straight contributor Allan MacInnis that it was Les...

by Charlie Smith on February 11th, 2021 at 4:11 PM 1 of 1 2 of 1 The jazz world is mourning the death of legendary pianist Chick Corea. He played with many of the greats, including Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock, while finding time to raise funds for many causes. He had been suffering with cancer when he died on February 9 in Tampa Bay at the age of 79. For Vancouver jazz lovers, one of his most memorable shows occured with Hancock at UBC's Chan Centre for the Performing Arts on March 15, 2015. Straight reviewer Alexander Varty wrote at the time that the most astonishing moment "came whe...

by Charlie Smith on December 24th, 2020 at 10:00 AM 1 of 13 2 of 13 What can you say about a year that severed bonds between artists and audiences? The sadness that came with various provincial health orders was palpable in the creative community as scores of live performances were cancelled at the stroke of a pen. But there were still many joyful moments in the performing arts during the past 12 months. Here’s one highlight from each month on the calendar. Little Volcano with Theatre Replacement's Maiko Yamamoto and James Long."> Veda Hille wrote the script to Little Volcano with...