The year in Arts
May 18, 2010
Live preview of Stars’ new album
Montreal indie popsters Stars played a set at Starlight to kick off the summer. The stage was intricately decorated with flowers, setting the scene for an extraordinarily intimate show. Featuring their album The Five Ghosts in its entirety, they also delivered an encore full of fan-requested songs.
July 28, 2010
A Hillside to remember
The 27th annual Hillside Festival took place in Guelph from July 23-25. Highlights included Canadian acts like the Japandroids, Shad, Sarah Harmer and Zeus. Shad summed up the crowd at this year’s Hillside, stating, “They’ve been in the sun all day and they just want to enjoy music.”
Sept. 15, 2010
Polaris, politics and artistic merit
WLUSP staff discussed the ten shortlisted albums for last year’s Polaris Music Prize, reviewing the albums and making their picks for who should and who would win.The victors? Francophone band Karkwa, who launched their latest tour at Starlight earlier this month.
Sept. 22, 2010
Weighing in on TIFF 2010
Members of The Cord Arts team travelled to Toronto to review films from the Toronto International Film Festival. The reviewed picks were: Conviction, At Ellen’s Age, The Town, Hors-la-loi, Red Nights and L’Amour Fou.
Nov. 17, 2010
Jason Collett shines solo at Starlight
Known for his collaborative musical talents as part of Broken Social Scene and touring with bands like Zeus and Bahamas, Jason Collett stripped down his sound and took the stage alone for an extended acoustic set.
Playing songs that spanned his impressive career, fans were treated to old favourites like “We All Lose One Another” as well as new tracks like “My Daddy Was a Rock ‘n’ Roller.”
Jan. 27, 2011
LMT shows Laurier how to party
Laurier Musical Theatre’s production of College: The Musical showcased student talent and entertained the audience. Director Greg Evans described the show by saying, “It’s the way you think university is going to be when you’re in high school – partying, hooking up and a lot of drinking.”
Feb. 2, 2011
Fr!nge provides alternative theatre
The annual student-produced Fr!nge took place in February, presenting a variety of artistic projects.
From a horror film to an a capella performance to a variety of short plays, the performances delivered variety and entertainment all weekend. Highlights included The One and Brouhaha, while others like Sports Bar were less impressive.
Mar. 16, 2011
Canadian Music Week takes over Toronto
Exposing some of the best new bands from Canada and around the world, CMW delivered another stellar line-up this year.
Bands like Mother Mother, Zeus and Cuff the Duke entertained crowds at venues like the Phoenix and the Horseshoe Tavern.
The week wrapped up with the Indies, which featured amazing performances by Hannah Georgas, Shad and Janelle Monae.
Mar. 16, 2011
Shad’s triumphant homecoming
WLU alum Shad returned to Laurier to perform for throngs of fans at Wilf’s. Sitting down with The Cord for an interview before the show, he declared “I’d go to Phil’s,” proving that he may still be a Laurier student at heart.
Mar. 23, 2011
F ’n’ M entertains and gives back
Another annual Laurier production, Fashion ‘n’ Motion’s theme this year was “Dare to Dream.”
Incorporating segments inspired by dreams, students performed dance routines in addition to a fashion show. Producer Joanna Burke also told The Cord about the charitable efforts made by F’n’M throughout the year.