Last Friday, the Brantford Arts Block held an opening reception for its latest exhibition, “Rabbits and Other Issues,” created by artists Heather Verplanke and Dwayne Mahoney as a way of showcasing their pieces over the next six weeks.

Having never gone to an art opening before, I nervously threw on the most hipster outfit I had, slung my camera around my neck, and deemed myself worthy of fitting in with the arts crowd. However, I had barely made it five...

The Sanderson Centre became a place of laughter, inappropriate jokes, and overall rowdiness as comedian Howie Mandel took the stage in front of a full house last week.

The main theme of the evening was poking fun at Brantford and everything the city offers - or rather, how little the city has to offer.

“I don’t know where I am,” Mandel started. “But we went through 725 fucking Tim Horton’s just to get here!”

After impatiently waiting for half an...

As the temperature begins to drop and the leaves start to fall, now is the time to reevaluate your wardrobe for the upcoming season, focusing on a few easy-to-pull-off trends for autumn. 1. Fur Every time fall rolls around, designers everywhere break out their chicest furs to wrap around their pin-thin models. From Alexander Wang to Miu Miu, designers have created luxurious and outrageously expensive fur wraps and parkas. To work this trend, try a simple fur lined vest, or...

I’m not exactly sure what I was hoping for as I walked up the subway steps towards the Scotia Bank Theatre on Richmond St. for the 36th annual Toronto International Film Festival, but I was both excited and nervous at the same time.

The film I had scheduled to see at TIFF was called The Incident, a film directed by Alexandre Courtes, who, until recently had only been known for directing music videos for bands like U2 and The White...

Throughout the past couple of years, Wilfrid Laurier University has had some amazing Canadian musicians perform on both Waterloo and Brantford campuses. Back in 2009, Juno-winning, platinum-awarded, indie rock band Metric headlined O-week at Laurier’s Waterloo campus.

In the Canadian music scene, Metric is one name that will always come to mind whether you are a fan or not, simply because of the magnitude of their now widespread fame.

Only a week after Metric’s appearance, Alexisonfire, the band named after...

Families in Brantford gathered at Lynden Park Mall on September 25, to watch as various local performing arts groups entertained shoppers with both song and theatre.

The event, created as a fun way to promote the upcoming seasons of several musical and theatre groups from around Brantford, encouraged citizens to learn more about what the local performing arts organizations have to offer.

Participating groups included Brant Men of Song, Brantford Opera Guild, Brantford School of Instrumental Music, ICHTHYS Theatre Productions,...

Just over a week ago, the city of Brantford was alive with the sound of music- more specifically, the sound of jazz music. From September 16 to 18, downtown Brantford was home to this year’s fourth Annual Brantford International Jazz Festival. The streets were closed, the crowds were buzzing, and the musicians were raring to go.

From solo artists, to high school jazz bands, to recipients of the Order of Canada, the Brantford Jazz Festival showcased jazz from all walks...

“When he said that I was the winner, I did that beauty queen thing where you put your hands over your mouth and I didn’t cry but I felt a little bit tearful. Oh, that’s so lame. But I’m just so pleased!”

These were the words spoken by Marilla Wex last Thursday, as Gus & Guidos opened its doors to both boisterous laughter and drunken heckles by hosting the Brantford Comedy Festival’s Rising Star Competition.

The stakes were high because...

“Who is the comedian that you find most hilarious?” Lin - “Stephen Colbert has a direct line to my funny bone. He’s not just funny; his jokes are sharp and witty and he’s terribly humble when he’s not in character.”

“What is the best performance you’ve ever seen live on stage?” Katelyn - “My favourite musical performance is easily Hot Hot Heat. I’ve seen them live at least three times! My favourite musical is RENT. I had the chance to...

Not many musicians would allow you to interview them in a bathroom, especially one situated in a nightclub, but after an interview with Kay, I got the feeling that the female hip-hop artist wasn’t like a lot of musicians.

Each September, first year Laurier Brantford students flock to club NV to enjoy a concert promised to them during O-Week. This year, Laurier Brantford snagged These Kids Wear Crowns as the main act, with Toronto trio Candy Coated Killahz and Nova...

Up All Night Christina Applegate and Will Arnett return to television as a married couple at the top of their professional careers who have their lives turned upside down by a baby. The show seems funny enough and has good potential, but Arnett and Applegate don’t exactly have the best track records for long-running shows. Does anyone remember “Samantha Who?” and “Running Wilde”?

New Girl “New Girl” sends Zooey Deschanel to the small screen in a comedy about a quirky...

After performing in groups during various singing competitions over the past seven years, it wasn’t until recently that 16-year-old Chandler Berardi and 18-year-old Taylor Witten made the decision to perform together as a duo for the first time.

“It’s hard to find people that sing the same kind of genre that you do,” Berardi explains. “But I’m into country and Taylor is into country so we knew it’d be a good fit.”

“We do have a pretty similar sound,” agrees...

As the school year is set to begin again, Arts & Entertainment editor Kiley Bell offers three songs that explain the university experience, for better or for worse.

“Mr. Watson” by Ke$ha Although it’s a lot more pop than Van Halen’s “Hot for Teacher”, this catchy song holds the same message. Haven’t we all had those professors that we sit in class fantasizing about? While that scenario (unfortunately) only happens inside our heads, Ke$ha’s song about wanting to have sex...

“Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the moment you’ve all been waiting for.”

While I have gotten used to hearing that cliched phrase over the years, I wasn’t quite prepared for actually seeing the moment that was about to follow. Especially since that moment happened to be part of a sword-swallowing, knife-juggling, death-defying solo act during the province’s largest busker festival.

Last year, the Scotiabank Toronto Buskerfest drew in well over one million spectators and this year I was one of...

Brantford’s largest music festival, Hockeyfest, took place at Lion’s Park in early June, boasting an incredible three-day concert lineup filled with big name bands, screaming fans, and all the booze one could handle.

“Well it’s two weeks later and I’m still recovering, so that’s a good sign!” says Ralph Spoltore, Hockeyfest’s organizer.

A strong lineup of country bands took the stage on day one, including local stars Dry County, building the crowd up for the night’s headliner, Martina McBride. While...