This year in Victoria, fall was shaping up to be a weird one. See, there was this big festival – that we're not gonna name here – that used to take place every September and now that festival is gone. How were all the music homies going to reconnect after the summer? What is this new world where we don't come together to celebrate the end of summer, the start of fall and share in our love of music? Luckily for the denizens of the west coast music community, BreakOut West decided to take over Victoria for the first weekend of October and give us that proper communion space. When people are gathering to celebrate music, you know your Trash Gentlemen have got to be there. And be there we did. Not only did we get to connect with some incredible folks doing Big Things in the music scene (One of us more than the other, to be sure) but we got to take in an incredibly array of homegrown and international music spanning a dizzying array of genres and vibes. This instalment of The List celebrates the diverse musical community BreakOut West brought together. All the sounds here are different – country, metal, experimental jazz, rap, soul – but they're all connected by capital-Q Quality. Tap in and find something new for your ears.

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Mawu – Jairus Sharif

A new addition to BreakOut West and the Western Canadian Music Awards was The Meridian Prize. If you are aware of the Polaris Music Prize, then it’s similar in way that it celebrates the accomplishment of an album. The difference between the two prizes is that the Meridian Prize focuses on Western Canada, compared to the Polaris Prize that covers the whole country. It’s a fantastic addition as Western Canada has been the birthplace of so many incredible albums. The inaugural winner of the 2026 Meridian Prize was Calgary’s Jairus Sharif. His award-winning album, Basis of Unity, blends avant-garde jazz with ambient tones. For his performance, he played an improvised version of the album, which gave tastes of all the tracks. The whole performance moved me, but Mawu caught my attention. From the growing synth to moments of different sounds, whether they be drums, bells, or saxophone segments. I got the feeling of “Hope” when listening to this song and found myself tearing up to the project. That right there is what makes an award-winning album; an album that can make you feel things you didn’t know was possible.