Critic's picks: LowDown Brass Band; Bluegrass Fest; Indigenous film showcase

Arts writer Mike Devlin picks his favourite upcoming events, including LowDown Brass Band at Capital Ballroom on Wednesday.

LOWDOWN BRASS BAND Where: Capital Ballroom, 858 Yates St. When: Wednesday, 9 p.m. Tickets: $36.06 at admitone.com Why: Chicago’s LowDown Brass Band is the bouillabaisse of the horn world, with everything funk-adjacent thrown into the mix.

The six- or seven-piece (depending on the tour configuration) also draws from hip-hop, ska, reggae, and jazz, which makes for an intoxicating sound the group calls “free brass.” The band played at TD Victoria International Jazz Festival in 2023 and 2025 — high-energy, hotstepping performances that drew raves. The opportunity to see them jam at the Capital Ballroom next week is too good to overlook.

CHEMAINUS BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL Where: Waterwheel Park Bandshell, 3828 Croft St., Chemainus When: Saturday, 1 p.m. Tickets: $25 (suggested donation)

Why: Five acts — Hardly Handsome, The Mighty Teardrops, Clover Point Drifters, 5 on a String, and Boomer Boyd Bluegrass Ensemble — are performing at this five-hour event, so music will be the focus. But there’s no denying the appeal of the Waterwheel Park Bandshell, a picturesque setting for an afternoon of picking — and all for the low-dough price of $25. Highest recommendation.

F1RST: A CELEBRATION OF INDIGENOUS FILM Where: The Vic Theatre, 808 Douglas St. When: Friday through Sunday Tickets: $14.29 from victoriafilmfestival.com Why: Six films will be screened across three days of programming at the Victoria Film Festival’s annual showcase of Indigenous films, including new ones by directors Evan Adams (Namesake), Shane Belcourt (Ni-Naadamaadiz: Red Power Rising), Tristin Greyeyes (A Cree Approach), Tanner Zurkoski (Graveyard of the Pacific), and Darlene Naponse (Aki).

Those will be joined on the program by Sherman Alexie’s The Business of Fancydancing, his experimental classic from 2002. Alexie (who will be familiar to local audiences for writing the screenplay to the 1998 hit, Smoke Signals) will join the festival for multiple in-person events through the weekend, including one with Smoke Signals director Evan Adams.