Acrpost: A Project of the Pacific Association of Artist Run Centres

Event Description

Friday, July 13 come and start your Victoria Ska Festival weekend festivities earlier and enjoy two extremely high-energy entertaining acts from Nanaimo and Vancouver respectively. Nanaimo's Dope Soda and Vancouver's Heads Hang Heavy will warm up the festival vibe at Ship Point Inner Harbour.

DOPE SODA

Thirsty for music that is both dangerous and danceable, refreshing as a mojito and as eye-opening as a whiskey sour. A cocktail party mix of reggae, punk rock, jazz, hiphop, and ska. This is Dope Soda.
Dope Soda formed in late 2011, a fresh concoction of six of the top jazz, rock, and Jamaican-music-inspired musicians from Vancouver Island, with membership in acts such as Current Swell, Rocky Mountain Rebel Music, The Bananafish Dance Orchestra, The Kiltlifters, and Kings Without.

The band is led by a three-piece horn section with roots in the highly-regarded Vancouver Island University Jazz Department, buoyed by a funky rhythm section that serves up sips of bubbling Hammonds and Wurlitzers, shots of distorted guitar, and heavy bass--in your face. Dope Soda jumps back and forth between reggae jams, punk rock assaults, happy ska romps, and hiphop throwdowns--a thirst quencher for audiences who need good rhymes and good times.

HEADS HANG HEAVY

While their sound is strongly rooted in Jamaican musical styles such as Reggae, Ska and Dancehall, HEADS HANG HEAVY also draw ideas from other forms of dance music including Disco, Hip-hop, Funk and Rock. With musical tastes that are wide and far-reaching, their collective goal has always been to bring these divergent styles together under the banner of strong song-writing and infectious musical performances. HHH strive to bring an intelligent and conscious positivity to their lyrics while expressing the unique west coast culture of British Columbia.

FREE! All Ages/Beverage Garden w/ID. on site/Food Concessions