Monday, December 31, 2007
eyesuck
The Clips are atthe AstoriaPat's (I can't read - thanks, Andrew) on January 5th with Adjective. and Terrorbird.
Fake Jazz Wednesdays are expanding to Fake Jazz Friday at the Western Front on January 11th.
Those Lindsays are having a party on January 12th at No Tofu Studios with DJ Skeet Skeet where people will get their picture taken, and then those pictures will be put on the internet, and then there will be a overblown flame war when people complain about parties with pictures and pictures on the internet.
My friend Neil is spinning at Better Than Loneliness at the Astoria on January 18th. They do it every 3rd Friday of the month, but Erin (who runs it) got me a birthday cake last month, which means I'm obligated to shout it out now, no? Neil promises more classic (like, DKs!) punk and also that he will play me some Motown. Every other night should also adopt this playlist alteration.
Copperspine Records is having a soiree at the Media Club on January 24th that features damn near all of their roster, which includes personal faves Roger Dean Young & the Tin Cup and the Abramson Singers.
Tranzmitors are at the Chapel with Petroleum By-Products and the Manipulators on January 19th.
The By-Products also play with Culte du Cargo and Adjective. on February 2nd at the Astoria.
Stamina Mantis are at the Astoria on January 19th with B-Lines, Nu Sensae, and Stuffed Animals.
Isolalted Now Waves throwing a party at the Emergency Room on January 26th with Shearing Pinx, Modern Creatures, N213, Jesse Taylor... and more(!) to be announced.
And, in response to the comment from the last post, I think I posted about the Feist/Ron Sexsmith show, but apparently neglected to throw it in the listings. Thanks for the reminder... although, I think I'll just leave it out, because it's stupidly overpriced, sold out, and will be full of 2010 hacks. Boo-urns.
I'm sure I forgot some other stuff, but I'll hopefully recall that later.
On a side note, I received an iTunes gift certificate for Xmas. I don't really want to get albums that are available on vinyl/cds, since I like buying those, but does anyone have any suggestions when it comes to those iTunes exclusive EPs? I already have the Cat Power and Yeah Yeah Yeahs ones. Please and thanks.
Have a safe and happy new year. See you in 2008.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
c'mon admit it
You really can't have a mixtape that represents Vancouver without including Andy Dixon in some way, which is why I was thrilled when he offered up this track from his not-out-until-February full-length, The Mice of Mt. Career. You're probably familiar with him via one of his many projects (DBS, the Red Light Sting, Secret Mommy, Winning, Ache Records, and his design work), and this track is distinctly Andy, but adds yet another style to his rather vast repertoire. Maybe it's just me, but track seems unseasonal for December. Perhaps Summery feel will remind you that for four months of the year, instead of being gray and rainy, Vancouver is pretty sweet.
download: Mt. Career
The first a-side quality "b-side" is here
And the rest of the mix and the donation link is here
Since I'm totally not caught up with show listings... tonight!
- Vapid, Nu Sensae, Modern Creatures, and Shearing Pinx... and apparently No Gold(!) are all at the Cobalt.
- Sex Attack and Tyler Fedchuk are giving Frank's a send off.
now playing: Andy Dixon - Mt. Career
Friday, December 28, 2007
don't call it a comeback
But some things you should know:
The Meth Teeth/Reptilian Civilian/Mutators/Ladies night show originally scheduled for Pub 340 is at Pat's tonight.
and 340 will re-open with live music in January. Massive kudos to Malice and Pierre for saving a venue from the grave.
now playing: Love is All - Felt Tip (first version)
Sunday, December 23, 2007
boxing day
Petroluem By-Products - "Got SomethinSomethin"
Petroleum By-Products were nice enough to drop another treat in my inbox for me to share with all of you. You know when you buy a really great record and then hear a b-side from said album and wonder why something so rad wouldn't be on there in the first place? Well, there's a variety of reasons that such things happen, but in this case, it was just a timing thing.
It's probably sort of lame to harp on the relatively tender ages of the By-Products, but honestly, when I think back to the fact that when I was just out of high school my Friday nights consisted of vain attempts to get someone to buy me alcohol and/or video games, it's even more impressive that their Friday nights usually involve impressing the Hell out of a room full of local show goers. "Got SomethinSomethin" is like Be Your Own Pet channeling the B-52s.
upcoming shows: January 19th at the Chapel, February 2nd at the Astoria, February 15th at the Railway
download: "Got SomethinSomethin"
All the donation/letter writing info, plus the rest of the mix is still up down there.
On an unrelated note, apparently Friday marked the last show at Pub 340. I heard a rumour about it closing, but I didn't know it'd be so soon. Total downer, but that goes without saying.
now playing: David Bowie - Oh! You Pretty Things
Friday, December 21, 2007
the spirit of giving
i'll make you a tape, vol. 9
I've been toying with the idea of compiling some sort of mix of Vancouver artists for awhile, but there was never really a good excuse to get something together. Then, shortly after Radiohead released In Rainbows and everyone was all aflutter about "paying what you want," this idea popped into my head: if you (in the broad sense) were willing to pay for music when given the choice, surely you'd be willing to donate to a great cause when given the choice. I suppose I could have chosen a "less controversial" charity, but I've never been one to shy away from my beliefs, and the cause was "less controversial" enough to get some of my very favourite local artists to sign on and donate their talents.
So, with that, I present Four Pillars: A Mix for Insite.
I'm pretty sure that the VPD, Sam Sullivan, Sean Orr, the Vancouver Sun Editorial Board, and Noam Chomsky don't all agree on a lot of things. But I do know that they're all behind Insite. If you're from Vancouver, I likely won't need to say anything more, but if you aren't familiar with the first legal, supervised, safe injection site in North America you might want to do a little reading about it.
All the lovely people featured on this mix donated their music for you to download for free, and all they're asking in return is that you throw a little money the Portland Hotel Society's way (they manage Insite). And if you're short on funds (or even if you're not), you can can spend some political capital by writing your MP, Federal Health Minister Tony Clement, and the Prime Minister, to tell them that Insite is an election issue, and that it should stay open. There's also a pre-written letter of support that you can send off here.
Download and donation links after the write-ups below...
1. L. Abramson - "Trucker's Prayer"
Leah's solo debut, Bedroom/City came out a few years ago, but I just picked it up a few months ago. It just might be my favourite music purchase of 2007, which is saying a lot, since it was a pretty great year for new music. In addition to donating her talents to this project, she's also organizing a music lessons program for women in the Abbotsford correctional institute, and is lending her time as a songwriting mentor during Youth Week. Basically, she's your new favourite singer-songwriter and also a stand up lady. The as-yet-unreleased "Trucker's Prayer" features her handling guitar and vocals and Tyson Naylor providing the accordion.
see also: the Abramson Singers, Dyad, Octoberman, the Crooked Jades
upcoming shows: January 24th @ the Media Club (Dyad & the Abramson Singers)
2. Fanshaw - "Nobody"
I've known Liv for awhile now, but our introduction - at UBC - wasn't in any sort of musical context. So while I've known that she's a lovely human being for quite some time, I had no idea that she had such lovely songs inside her until relatively recently. If you didn't catch her at Shindig, where she even swept the sarcastic crew over at Only off their feet on her way to winning top prize, you can start making up for it by enjoying "Nobody." Johnny Payne and Larissa Loyva joined Liv on drums and backing vocals, respectively, to make up this version of the ever-rotating Fanshaw line-up.
see also: the Choir Practice, Kellarissa, Victoria, Victoria!
3. Anemones - "Vicious Attack"
Anemones now call Montreal home, but they'll always be "one of ours" in my eyes. In addition to becoming one of my favourite local bands, before they left, Jason, Steven, and Kathy (the Vancouver ex-pat contingent of the group) were an integral part of Vancouver's music community. In fact, unless you just moved here or just started checking out local shows, I pretty much guarantee that you've seen one of them play. Their departure left a sizable gap in the scene, but they were kind enough to lend my favourite track from their now-sold-out self-titled EP to help fill the void.
4. Bend Sinister - "Happiness is a Warm Gun (the Beatles)"
Some bands seem like they're always on the cusp of something big, and so it is with Bend Sinister. They've yet to finally reach that tipping point, but in the meantime, the residents of Terminal City can hold onto them as one of our local secrets. They have a brand new EP out, but they graced us with something a little special: a cover of a Beatles classic. Jon sounds so great singing this.
see also: Small Fame, Karen Foster
upcoming shows: January 25th (for 1/2 Alive) @ Richard's
5. Taxes - "The Suburbs Are Killing Us"
So, if you're ever trying to think of a recipe for a band, here's a good one: take three of Vancouver's hardest working musicians, team them up with one of the Terminal City's best known mouths, stir in some aural chaos, and then give them one sweet ass band name. The entire Crystal Gravy EP is worth your attention (so go cop that), but since the suburbs almost killed me for over two decades, I decided to pick this track for the mix. Like JPDNRDS, the sweet guys in Taxes gave me their whole EP and let me do the picking.
see also: Ghost House, Plus Perfect, Safety Show, Weathered Pines
upcoming shows: January 24th at the Plaza, February 22nd at the Astoria
6. Nu Sensae - "Brain Aid"
The first thing that grabbed me about Nu Sensae was their cover of "12XU," which is sort of fitting, because they share one of Wire's best qualities: they don't waste anytime getting to their musical point, driving that point home, and stopping before you're mind even has time to think about wandering. "Brain Aid" is a minute and a half of evil rhythms, menacing voices, and baaaaddddd viiiiiiibbbbbes. I love it.
upcoming shows: December 29th at the Cobalt, January 19th @ the Astoria
7. JPNDRDS - "Darkness on the Edge of Gastown"
I think I rave about Japandroids about once every two weeks, so you can probably understand that I was thrilled when they sent over their forthcoming sophomore EP, Lullaby Death Jams, with the generous instructions to "post whichever song you want." It's stellar from front to back, but "Darkness on the Edge of Gastown" is my favourite song right now, period. It might be yours soon too.
see also: Trembling
8. Mutators - "Paper Words"
My love of Mutators is no secret. Rather than filing the band's self-titled 7" with the rest of my 45s, I just leave it on my turntable. "Paper Words" has been on constantly at my place, and not just because of the vinyl's infinite run out groove. An opening shriek from Leif brings in the crashing drums and some hyper-frenetic guitar, and for two blissfully heavy minutes, they don't let up for a second.
upcoming shows: December 28th at Pub 340
9. Shearing Pinx - "South Dakota"
I always envisioned South Dakota as one of the most boring places imaginable, until I heard this song (that originally appeared on Ultra Snake). I don't know exactly what they're doing to coax the sounds out of those guitars, but I imagine that it may be illegal in certain US jurisdictions. At any rate, the beautifully chaotic outcome is worth some serious jail time.
upcoming shows: December 29th at the Cobalt
10. Twin Crystals - "Night Family"
For most bands, it's hard enough to perform a particular style well enough to even qualify as a one-trick pony, so it's sort of unfair that Twin Crystals have so many perfect angles of attack at their disposal. I just talked about how they can bring the noise with the best of them, but on "Night Family" the volume gets turned down a notch on a track that sounds like Coltrane on really good acid.
see also: Channels 3x4, Cheerleader Camp, Modern Creaturs, Owl Owl Pegasus... and there's a distinct possibility that I'm missing something (apologies)
upcoming shows: February 22nd @ the Astoria
11. The Clips - "Kassel"
It sort of weirds me out to think that the first time I saw the Clips was a mere 8 months ago, because if you asked me about them today, I wouldn't hesitate to tell you that they're one of my favourite live acts (local or otherwise). It's impossible to replicate being crammed into a sweaty warehouse with a couple hundred dancing strangers (and friends) while the guys do their thing, but "Kassel" stands on its own as one of the best dance tracks of 2007.
see also: Brasstronaut
12. My!Gay!Husband! - "Feist Hearts Hollywood Holt"
Jason really needs no introduction. The Sun tipped him for an article on dive bars, so their writer wouldn't look completely out of touch, and the Onion AV Club shouted him out as having one of "the worst band names of '07." If you get out at all in this city, he's either soundtracked your party or he's partied with you. And if you want to get your party started before you head out from now on, you can bump this mashup of Hollywood Holt and Feist. Imagine if Leslie had a little more junk in her trunk, and you'll get an idea of what to expect.
see also: Half Alive
upcoming shows: Blastramp at the Bourbon every Thursday, 1/2 Alive at Richard's every Friday.
13. Piper Davis - "Academics"
You know, you might describe Piper's music as "neo-soul," except I hate anything called "new-soul" and I love Piper's self-titled EP. I love "Academics" so much that I asked her to let me remix it, and she's such a sweet woman, that she even said "yes." Rather than torment you with my production, here's the original in all its ass shaking glory.
14. Expendable Youth - "Maniac"
You might be more familiar with Matt and Mike from their work with Chalked Up, but when they're not busy doing things like interviewing the Godfather of Baltimore Club, they're usually busy behind the decks. You may have already copped their mix that featured on both Radio Zero and Mad Decent, but here's an original production (with a few familiar samples) that absolutely slays.
see also: Chalked Up
upcoming shows: NYE at Shine with the Ice Cream Social (Mike)
15. The Eurythmics - "Sweet Dreams (Tony X's 1/2 Alive Edit)"
Like his 1/2 Alive partner in crime, if you get out and party, you know this guy too. In fact, your eyes probably recognize Tony from his trademark uniform alone (white-t/black jeans/bandana). Your ears will recognize Tony on this edit of a ubiquitous dance floor classic via all the elements he brings to his live sets: slick beats, sick rhythms, and enough disco to get the most firmly planted wall flower moving.
see also: Half Alive
upcoming shows: 1/2 Alive at Richard's every Friday
16. gr8-2000 - "Kevin Drew Presents Broken Social Scene"
Tom could get by strictly on his sheer enthusiasm for music. While his boundless energy and willingness to work with anybody means that I'm not always 100% into (though always 100% supportive) of projects that he's part of, he's never bad, and sometimes he strikes pure gold. This BSS cut-and-paste is 24-karat and rock solid, distilling what sounds like the Scene's entire catalogue into just over 5-minutes of dance treasure.
see also: Technotown Boogie Down
upcoming shows: December 27th at Meme Lab, and probably your house party if you ask him nicely
There you have it.
An enormous thank you goes out to all the wonderful people who donated their work for this. And a big advance thank you goes out to you for enjoying it, and hopefully donating a little of your money and a few of your words to a great cause. It also goes without saying, that while your supporting stuff, you can support all these bands/DJs/artists at their shows and by buying their albums.
And finally, here's the really important stuff:
download: Four Pillars: A Mix for Insite
mirror: at zshare
And the link to donate to the Portland Hotel Society (via CanadaHelps.org):
No really, pay whatever you want.
Notes: Everything is in mp3 except for "Nobody." The download is a .zip file. I opted not to do individual track downloads, because it's cool to hear music that you might not go out of your way to listen to.
Unless something crazy happens, that'll probably be it until Christmas, so have a happy one (whether you observe it or not).
now playing: this mix, of course
paper words
I arrived to find out that Shearing Pinx had to drop off the bill, which sucked... but two Pinx made up for the absence of the rest of the band by joining Nu Sensae to make them a foursome for the evening. For a - I think - last minute thing they were surprisingly tight, and the added muscle made Nu Sensae even louder than usual.
I missed Basketball's big comeback last month. Apparently they were a little rusty at Pat's. If they were, they've certainly shaken that off now. It'd been so long, I'd sort of forgotten what they sounded like, so it was a pleasant reintroduction: rhythmic and squealing and spilling out into the audience.
Twin Crystals were fierce. They have some mellower joints, but they left all of those at home. Best set I've seen by them, and that's saying quite a bit.
Mutators further cemented themselves as one of my favourite bands, but their set last night's been overshadowed by some really shitty news. Someone stole a black and orange Nike backpack containing guitar pedals and cables that belongs to Brody. If you see some sketchy dude fencing it and can get it back, or have any other information, contact him through the band's Myspace. That puts a downer on a pretty amazing night of music.
Tonight I'm celebrating two things: mine and my friend Neil's birthday and making it through work today with a post-amazing-show-not-so-amazing hangover. Come down to the Astoria and join me, won't you? Neil spins from 10-11:30pm (like, with actual records - not even that Serrato junk - even ATrak doesn't do that now) and Danny Does It from 11:30pm til they kick us out.
Oh, and I wrote some stuff for Chart: here and here (LCD Soundsystem)
Thursday, December 20, 2007
bmore, bmore, bmore, hooooo
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
attack decay sustain release
Simian Mobile Disco is at Richard's on April 23rd.
Lions in the Street are at the Bourbon on December 22nd with Run GMC for an early show.
Tonight at the Biltmore, Christmas is Extraordinary. I'm not actually sure what that entails, but some people will be funny and Natalie from the Good News/Awkward Stage/Huge Manatease/probably-some-other-bands-I'm-forgetting is doing the music. DJ at 8pm, show at 9pm.
You should really check out Twin Crystals/Mutators/Shearing Pinx/Basketball tomorrow at Pub 340.
And Friday, you should come back here, because it's going to be pretty sweet. Actually, I don't ever say this (and likely never will again), but it's going to be really awesome here.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
get your robin hood on, put some pressure on the man
1 MIA feat. Bun B and Rich Boy/"Paper Planes (Street Mix)" (XL/Beggars Group) 100
2 LCD Soundsystem/"All My Friends" (DFA) 90
3 LCD Soundsystem/"Someone Great" (DFA) 80
4 UGK feat Outkast/"International Players Anthem" (Jive) 70
5 The New Pornographers/"Myriad Harbour" (Last Gang/Matador) 60
6 Feist/"1 2 3 4" (Interscope) 50
7 Justice/"D.A.N.C.E." (Ed Banger/Vice) 40
8 Kanye West feat. Young Jeezy/"Can't Tell Me Nothin' (Remix)" (Def Jam) 30
9 Mark Ronson feat. Amy Winehouse/"Valerie" (Sony) 20
10 Animal Collective/"Fireworks" (Domino) 10
I should note that I think Amy Winehouse's live cover of Valerie (from the Back to Black single) is about twice as good as the one from Version, but it wasn't a single. Speaking of, here are some other non-singles that got a lot of plays (in no particular order):
Dntel feat. Jenny Lewis – Roll On
Jim James & Calexico – Goin' the Acapulco (Bob Dylan)
Black Kids – I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance with You
Mutators – What Cuts Want
The Clips – Kassel
Bison – Wartime
Radiohead – House of Cards
Land of Talk - Young Bridge
White Lung - Local Garbage (actually, I guess this was a single)
Wilco - Hate it Here
Wu-Tang Clan - Campfire
Yo Majesty - Club Action (Bagraiders Sailing to Baltimore Edit)
Monday, December 17, 2007
pick up sticks
JPNDRDS organized a little party on Saturday night down at the Ukrainian Hall, and they're such cordial guys that they even went on first. This, of course, meant that I missed their first two songs, because showing up on time is no longer my forte, but I did catch the bulk of their set.
No Wire tributes, but they brought out their McClusky cover and rocked some tracks from the upcoming Lullaby Death Jams EP (that is going to blow your mind, but more on that later).
Greenbelt... so cute... so earnest... black heart... can't appreciate.
But I did enjoy this giant portrait of Lenin... errr.
For reasons I cannot fathom (because they play all over with bands I see pretty often), I'd actually never seen the Mohawk Lodge live. I also had a promo copy of their newest album, and took so long to getting around to listening to it that I passed it on to someone at Streethawk, so there'd be a review before Hell froze over. But they were stellar live. I'm torn between kicking myself for no longer having that CD and thinking that they probably wouldn't have grabbed me the way they did if I had just ripped the disc to my iPod. At any rate, I'm converted. Sign me up for the fan club.
Coming into the show, I'd heard a couple of different things about They Shoot Horses' set: last show for awhile, last show with the old songs, last show ever. It's still not written in stone, but from what I can gather they're on hiatus (see: Fugazi, Sleater-Kinney, etc). I'm sure Bison destroyed 340 and the Clips show was nuts, but you really shouldn't have missed this one.
That guy even showed up to bid them adieu.
Bend Sinister are at Half Alive on January 25th. Sucks to your dance music.
Yeasayer and MGMT are at the Bourbon on February 1st.
Holy Fuck, a Place to Bury Strangers, and Fuck Buttons are at Richard's on February 25th, for a show that any mother would love. Isn't it a bit embarrassing to be over the age of 16 and play in a band with "fuck" in the name?
Crystal Castles are at Richard's on March 5th. Mark your calendars for that one... it'll sell out quick.
Dandi Wind plays Half Alive on March 7th.
Beach House is at the Media Club on March 19th with Papercuts.
Twin Crystals play at the Astoria on February 22nd with Owl Drugs and Taxes.
Graves are at Hoko's on January 4th with the National Shield and International Falls.
Steve Earle is at the Centre for the Performing Arts on March 15th.
Ok Vancouver Ok, Shindig! runner-ups the SSRIs, Russian Words, Lala, and gr8-2000 are at Hoko's on December 21st.
and... if you've made it this far, the Coup are at Richard's on February 9th.
Enter that Buck 65 contest, ok?
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
spread 'em
Contest: Buck 65 Autographed CD Giveaway
That pretty much says it all... Warner got Buck 65 to throw his John Hancock on some copies of his new disc, Situation, and they're letting me give one away to you.
We will keep this easy, and also assist anybody out there who's feeling skint now that the season of overconsumption is upon us: if you want to win this, just tell me the best thing that you can buy in Vancouver (or your own hometown) when you only have $1.65. Email answers to quinn.omori AT gmail.com by noon on the 18th of December, and I'll pick a winner at random.
Cool? cool.
i only did it 'cause i felt so lonely
On Monday, the Biltmore re-opened after renovations and under new management, celebrating with a free show with the Choir Practice and the Buttless Chaps. I snapped some pics, but they're still stuck on my camera, so you'll have to trust me when I say that I'd never though that I'd describe the Biltmore as looking "classy," but it does.
I'm interviewing Zak, who's handling all the booking for the venue, for Tooth and Dagger tomorrow night, but before speaking a word to him (at least in person), I can tell you that you should be excited about hearing that, because he also does the booking for Broken City in Calgary and he was one of the minds behind Sled Island (that featured the Boredoms last year).
SWAK finally announced some shows for the New Year...
Baby Dee is at the Media Club on February 10th.
Pinback is at Richard's on February 15th.
And they're bringing the Mountain Goats back to Richard's on February 22nd.
and Petroleum By-Products and Suspiria are at the Balmoral on December 22nd.
Wintersleep is at the Commodore on February 16th.
I wrote something on Gob for Chart that I thought they canned, since it was due months ago, but apparently it's in the new issue. No, seriously.
I wrote about AIDS Wolf for Chalked Up... check Gordon's sweet photos. If you have photos or video from their stop here (or anywhere else), the band wants 'em: aidswolf [AT] aidswolf.net. Don't forget to wish Chloe a speedy recovery from her broken foot while you're at it.
And last, but most certainly not least, it's my sister's birthday today. Happy birthday, kid... see you in a week.
download: Voxtrot - Mothers, Sisters, Daughters, Wives
It's the only song with "sister" in the title that I could think of, save for an Air track from the Virgin Suicides soundtrack (too morbid) or "Oh, Sister" by Dylan (which is either about jesus, wanting to get with a lady and calling her "sister" in that hippy way, or both - regardless, also not good).
Monday, December 10, 2007
merchandise
From Blown Speakers is currently for sale for a six pack and a couple slices of Numero Uno... like, if you're looking for an investment that will be worth nothingin five yearsimmediately.
Sunday, December 09, 2007
chimes and church bells
On Thursday and Friday, I saw various bits of the Transmission Festival Showcases. These things are always sort of hit or miss, and they're also usually filled with chatty "industry" people, which can be kind of annoying, although the conference organizers were pretty easy about giving away passes to normal people, so the audiences were actually half ass attentive, which was nice.
For the most part, I went to check out bands that I knew, and got pretty much exactly what I expected, with the notable (and pleasant) surprise being Attack in Black. I was feeling pretty shitty on Thursday (mostly due to my own neuroticism), and they definitely lifted my spirits.
During the first round of Shindig!, Brian from Japandroids introduced one of their new tunes by saying something to the effect of, "this song is about how no matter what happens in life, you always have Springsteen." I can never tell when Brian is taking the piss or not, but I concur with that sentiment wholeheartedly. And while Attack in Black aren't the Boss and his E-Street Band (who is?), their music has that same sort of hit-you-in-the-chest quality to it. They sort of reminded me of the Constantines and Uncle Tupelo at times as well, and that ain't bad either. Their recorded stuff hadn't grabbed me before seeing them, so whether you've given their studio output a chance or not, definitely check them out live whenever they're back in town. Best thing to come from Welland, Ont since my friend Michelle.
I don't think I've ever gone out of my way to attend an event just to see Smoosh, but last week was the fourth time that I've caught them live in the past year. Every time I see them they move further in my mind from novelty act to legitimately good band, and the other night was no different... although the youngest Smoosh-er is still a total novelty.
Meiko sort of reminded me of a host of mid to late-90s female singer-songwriters. With that in mind, I'm sure it would be way cooler for me to say that she was totally unbearable, but once she started talking, she was pretty adorable, and you'd have to be a total jerk to not have been at least a bit sold on her. And I'm only almost a total jerk.
I've heard so much about the Acorn, that I definitely should have listened to something by them by now. I can't say that they blew my mind, and at times they verged a bit too close to that kind of "atmospheric," "heartfelt," "melodic," indie rock that I loathe, but on the whole I wasn't complaining.
Due to a combination of laziness, mild intoxication (hence, not being able to drive when running late), and crappy transit timing, I only caught the last two songs of Apostle of Hustle. That's hardly enough to judge a band's live prowess on, but I will say that I never noticed how strange Andrew Whitman's posture is when he's playing, but not singing.
Ladyhawk are at the Astoria on January 12th with Bison and Jaws. Damn.
Also at the Astoria, on January 4th Plus Perfect play with All Purpose Voltage Heroes and Secret Fires.
Basketball (Raking Bombs) are also on that Twin Crystals/Mutators/Shearing Pinx bill, which was already pretty amazing.
now playing: Attack in Black - The Love Between You and I
Thursday, December 06, 2007
smooth it out
Livestock, Westbeach, Supra Distribution, and some other folks put up some prizes for a raffle to help raise money, and they'll be giving away some tix to upcoming 1/2 Alive events as well.
Dude's from America, which means he hails from one of the only industrialized nations that doesn't have some form of public health care... and like most smaller touring acts, he doesn't have health insurance.
Again, that's not a lot of notice, but if you're looking for fun, you could do worse than $4 doubles and some dancing for a pretty good cause.
now playing: Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Fancy
i wish that we could talk about it
1. LCD SOUNDSYSTEM - Sound of Silver (DFA)
2. M.I.A. - Kala (XL)
3. HANDSOME FURS - Plague Park (Sub Pop)
4. ANIMAL COLLECTIVE - Strawberry Jam (Domino)
5. RADIOHEAD - In Rainbows (independent)
6. LES SAVY FAV - Let's Stay Friends (Frenchkiss)
7. KANYE WEST - Graduation (Roc-A-Fella/Island Def Jam)
8. MARNIE STERN - In Advance of the Broken Arm (Kill Rock Stars)
9. SATURDAY LOOKS GOOD TO ME - Fill Up the Room (K)
10. JUSTICE - Cross (Ed Banger/Vice)
If, for some reason, you would like to read more about records that, for the most part, other people have already talked to death, I'm doing the first five for the January Off-Centre and LCD Soundsystem for the January Chart.
oh sailor
I'm striving to make this blog your go to source for two day old music commentary.
As mentioned yesterday, Shindig! wrapped up on Tuesday night and Fanshaw doomed herself with the Shindig curse, by taking home top spot (only kidding about the doomed part).
No disrespect to the SSRIs, but I was pretty surprised to find out that they beat out Petroleum By-Products (second photo). In fact, even though I liked Fanshaw's set the best (which was even better than the previous week), I still would've put money down on a By-Products win.
A big thanks to Ben Lai and CiTR for another great year. And a special thank you to everyone that I swore at during jokes for beer after my punchlines got called week after week... all seven of you.
This Friday, Ok Vancouver Ok, Rose Melberg, Lala, Collapsing Opposites, the Unreliable Narrator, Chris-a-riffic, and Hymn for Her Little Man are at Little Mountain Studios... which is right by my house now.
A week later on the 14th at the same place, Organ Trail, A Relative Distance, Lost Lover's Brigade, Fanshaw, and Grayscales play. Darren from the Trail promises that the band will be thoroughly unpracticed... but they've got new tunes and a new line-up to debut.
Atlas Sound are at Pat's on March 5th.
Sex Attack! are at 1/2 Alive on December 21st.
Bend Sinister are at the Media Club tonight.
Telus just called me at work to day my home internet should work now. After my failure to properly set a line on Shindig, I'm offering 5:4 that my modem still won't receive a signal when I get home tonight.
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
if we get lucky, we'll be dead by dawn
Sorry, I've been busy. But that's the blog-relevant stuff that I got up to last weekend. Not enough people came out to see Rollie, but he and Weez-l still killed it... dude covered "Pink Triangle!"
You ever not feel like going out, but then end up staying out later than usual, and drinking more than you usually would on a weekday? Well, that's what I did last night, so I'm going to leave the music writing at that. Stuff on Shindig! later today or tomorrow morning, but a big congratulations to Liv and the rest of the Fanshaw gang! Hopefully, she bucks the infamous Shindig! curse. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Johnny (from Fanshaw and Victoria, Victoria!) is the first consecutive double winner of the contest.
The 15th of December is even more busy now that the Clips are hosting a show at Casa Del Artista with Hats of Gentlemen, Terminal Cafe, Canaries, and Steamship. Unlike the JPNDRDS extravaganza or the Mint Rec Xmas, the Clips guys are doing it for the kids - it's an all-ager.
You Say Party! We Say Die! is at the Plaza on January 24th with Fake Shark - Real Zombie and Taxes. Sean Orr just hooked me up with the Taxes EP, so look for some words on that soon.
MSTRKRFT is at Celebs on December 28th. Paul D. spins before the dudes with the masks and moustaches.
New Year's Day is a big deal for Japanese people, and while I'd hardly call my family "Japanese," much less traditional, that means that for as long as I could sneak alcohol, I have still had to be home by noon on January 1st, showered, awake, and halfway presentable for lunch... so I sorta hate New Year's Eve. But here are a couple parties going on:
At the Balmoral some of the Salbourg guys and Crooks & Gunn will spin Vancouver's usual hipster faves, but Justin from Mutators will balance that out with what will undoubtedly be a the odd set out (that's a good thing) when he gets behind the decks. Party goes until 4am.
The Ice Cream Social is doing a special NYE edition. Tyler's out of town, but Mike from ChalkedUp is making a guest appearance. Shine's letting them out of the back room, so there'll be some more room to dance. Party goes til 3am.
Oh, and in case you missed it everywhere else, there's a new Destroyer track floating around... use teh googlez for that. It's seriously everywhere.
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
shattered dreams
RIP, Pimp C.
When I was at that awkward age of adolescence, a friend of mine gifted me with a mixtape with, amongst other Southern rap gems, a whole bunch of UGK. So, not only do they remain one of the greatest hip hop acts of all time, but they soundtracked several years worth of bad behavior (in the name of good fun) and growing up in general for me. Plus, this year he and Bun B dropped one of the only rap double albums that actually warranted its expanded running time.
When I get home from work, I'm going to dig out that mixtape from amongst my unpacked boxes.
See you at the Railway tonight.
eyesuck
Alright... let's play some catch up.
The Clips are at
Fake Jazz Wednesdays are expanding to Fake Jazz Friday at the Western Front on January 11th.
Those Lindsays are having a party on January 12th at No Tofu Studios with DJ Skeet Skeet where people will get their picture taken, and then those pictures will be put on the internet, and then there will be a overblown flame war when people complain about parties with pictures and pictures on the internet.
My friend Neil is spinning at Better Than Loneliness at the Astoria on January 18th. They do it every 3rd Friday of the month, but Erin (who runs it) got me a birthday cake last month, which means I'm obligated to shout it out now, no? Neil promises more classic (like, DKs!) punk and also that he will play me some Motown. Every other night should also adopt this playlist alteration.
Copperspine Records is having a soiree at the Media Club on January 24th that features damn near all of their roster, which includes personal faves Roger Dean Young & the Tin Cup and the Abramson Singers.
Tranzmitors are at the Chapel with Petroleum By-Products and the Manipulators on January 19th.
The By-Products also play with Culte du Cargo and Adjective. on February 2nd at the Astoria.
Stamina Mantis are at the Astoria on January 19th with B-Lines, Nu Sensae, and Stuffed Animals.
Isolalted Now Waves throwing a party at the Emergency Room on January 26th with Shearing Pinx, Modern Creatures, N213, Jesse Taylor... and more(!) to be announced.
And, in response to the comment from the last post, I think I posted about the Feist/Ron Sexsmith show, but apparently neglected to throw it in the listings. Thanks for the reminder... although, I think I'll just leave it out, because it's stupidly overpriced, sold out, and will be full of 2010 hacks. Boo-urns.
I'm sure I forgot some other stuff, but I'll hopefully recall that later.
On a side note, I received an iTunes gift certificate for Xmas. I don't really want to get albums that are available on vinyl/cds, since I like buying those, but does anyone have any suggestions when it comes to those iTunes exclusive EPs? I already have the Cat Power and Yeah Yeah Yeahs ones. Please and thanks.
Have a safe and happy new year. See you in 2008.
Labels: show announcements
Saturday, December 29, 2007
c'mon admit it
Andy Dixon - Mt. Career
You really can't have a mixtape that represents Vancouver without including Andy Dixon in some way, which is why I was thrilled when he offered up this track from his not-out-until-February full-length, The Mice of Mt. Career. You're probably familiar with him via one of his many projects (DBS, the Red Light Sting, Secret Mommy, Winning, Ache Records, and his design work), and this track is distinctly Andy, but adds yet another style to his rather vast repertoire. Maybe it's just me, but track seems unseasonal for December. Perhaps Summery feel will remind you that for four months of the year, instead of being gray and rainy, Vancouver is pretty sweet.
download: Mt. Career
The first a-side quality "b-side" is here
And the rest of the mix and the donation link is here
Since I'm totally not caught up with show listings... tonight!
- Vapid, Nu Sensae, Modern Creatures, and Shearing Pinx... and apparently No Gold(!) are all at the Cobalt.
- Sex Attack and Tyler Fedchuk are giving Frank's a send off.
now playing: Andy Dixon - Mt. Career
Labels: andy dixon, insite, mixtapes
Friday, December 28, 2007
don't call it a comeback
Quick post, with a real one (with another a-side worthy insite mix b-side) coming tonight.
But some things you should know:
The Meth Teeth/Reptilian Civilian/Mutators/Ladies night show originally scheduled for Pub 340 is at Pat's tonight.
and 340 will re-open with live music in January. Massive kudos to Malice and Pierre for saving a venue from the grave.
now playing: Love is All - Felt Tip (first version)
Labels: pub 340, show announcements
Sunday, December 23, 2007
boxing day
Hope you're enjoying the mix. Here's one more...
Petroluem By-Products - "Got SomethinSomethin"
Petroleum By-Products were nice enough to drop another treat in my inbox for me to share with all of you. You know when you buy a really great record and then hear a b-side from said album and wonder why something so rad wouldn't be on there in the first place? Well, there's a variety of reasons that such things happen, but in this case, it was just a timing thing.
It's probably sort of lame to harp on the relatively tender ages of the By-Products, but honestly, when I think back to the fact that when I was just out of high school my Friday nights consisted of vain attempts to get someone to buy me alcohol and/or video games, it's even more impressive that their Friday nights usually involve impressing the Hell out of a room full of local show goers. "Got SomethinSomethin" is like Be Your Own Pet channeling the B-52s.
upcoming shows: January 19th at the Chapel, February 2nd at the Astoria, February 15th at the Railway
download: "Got SomethinSomethin"
All the donation/letter writing info, plus the rest of the mix is still up down there.
On an unrelated note, apparently Friday marked the last show at Pub 340. I heard a rumour about it closing, but I didn't know it'd be so soon. Total downer, but that goes without saying.
now playing: David Bowie - Oh! You Pretty Things
Friday, December 21, 2007
the spirit of giving
i'll make you a tape, vol. 9
I've been toying with the idea of compiling some sort of mix of Vancouver artists for awhile, but there was never really a good excuse to get something together. Then, shortly after Radiohead released In Rainbows and everyone was all aflutter about "paying what you want," this idea popped into my head: if you (in the broad sense) were willing to pay for music when given the choice, surely you'd be willing to donate to a great cause when given the choice. I suppose I could have chosen a "less controversial" charity, but I've never been one to shy away from my beliefs, and the cause was "less controversial" enough to get some of my very favourite local artists to sign on and donate their talents.
So, with that, I present Four Pillars: A Mix for Insite.
I'm pretty sure that the VPD, Sam Sullivan, Sean Orr, the Vancouver Sun Editorial Board, and Noam Chomsky don't all agree on a lot of things. But I do know that they're all behind Insite. If you're from Vancouver, I likely won't need to say anything more, but if you aren't familiar with the first legal, supervised, safe injection site in North America you might want to do a little reading about it.
All the lovely people featured on this mix donated their music for you to download for free, and all they're asking in return is that you throw a little money the Portland Hotel Society's way (they manage Insite). And if you're short on funds (or even if you're not), you can can spend some political capital by writing your MP, Federal Health Minister Tony Clement, and the Prime Minister, to tell them that Insite is an election issue, and that it should stay open. There's also a pre-written letter of support that you can send off here.
Download and donation links after the write-ups below...
1. L. Abramson - "Trucker's Prayer"
Leah's solo debut, Bedroom/City came out a few years ago, but I just picked it up a few months ago. It just might be my favourite music purchase of 2007, which is saying a lot, since it was a pretty great year for new music. In addition to donating her talents to this project, she's also organizing a music lessons program for women in the Abbotsford correctional institute, and is lending her time as a songwriting mentor during Youth Week. Basically, she's your new favourite singer-songwriter and also a stand up lady. The as-yet-unreleased "Trucker's Prayer" features her handling guitar and vocals and Tyson Naylor providing the accordion.
see also: the Abramson Singers, Dyad, Octoberman, the Crooked Jades
upcoming shows: January 24th @ the Media Club (Dyad & the Abramson Singers)
2. Fanshaw - "Nobody"
I've known Liv for awhile now, but our introduction - at UBC - wasn't in any sort of musical context. So while I've known that she's a lovely human being for quite some time, I had no idea that she had such lovely songs inside her until relatively recently. If you didn't catch her at Shindig, where she even swept the sarcastic crew over at Only off their feet on her way to winning top prize, you can start making up for it by enjoying "Nobody." Johnny Payne and Larissa Loyva joined Liv on drums and backing vocals, respectively, to make up this version of the ever-rotating Fanshaw line-up.
see also: the Choir Practice, Kellarissa, Victoria, Victoria!
3. Anemones - "Vicious Attack"
Anemones now call Montreal home, but they'll always be "one of ours" in my eyes. In addition to becoming one of my favourite local bands, before they left, Jason, Steven, and Kathy (the Vancouver ex-pat contingent of the group) were an integral part of Vancouver's music community. In fact, unless you just moved here or just started checking out local shows, I pretty much guarantee that you've seen one of them play. Their departure left a sizable gap in the scene, but they were kind enough to lend my favourite track from their now-sold-out self-titled EP to help fill the void.
4. Bend Sinister - "Happiness is a Warm Gun (the Beatles)"
Some bands seem like they're always on the cusp of something big, and so it is with Bend Sinister. They've yet to finally reach that tipping point, but in the meantime, the residents of Terminal City can hold onto them as one of our local secrets. They have a brand new EP out, but they graced us with something a little special: a cover of a Beatles classic. Jon sounds so great singing this.
see also: Small Fame, Karen Foster
upcoming shows: January 25th (for 1/2 Alive) @ Richard's
5. Taxes - "The Suburbs Are Killing Us"
So, if you're ever trying to think of a recipe for a band, here's a good one: take three of Vancouver's hardest working musicians, team them up with one of the Terminal City's best known mouths, stir in some aural chaos, and then give them one sweet ass band name. The entire Crystal Gravy EP is worth your attention (so go cop that), but since the suburbs almost killed me for over two decades, I decided to pick this track for the mix. Like JPDNRDS, the sweet guys in Taxes gave me their whole EP and let me do the picking.
see also: Ghost House, Plus Perfect, Safety Show, Weathered Pines
upcoming shows: January 24th at the Plaza, February 22nd at the Astoria
6. Nu Sensae - "Brain Aid"
The first thing that grabbed me about Nu Sensae was their cover of "12XU," which is sort of fitting, because they share one of Wire's best qualities: they don't waste anytime getting to their musical point, driving that point home, and stopping before you're mind even has time to think about wandering. "Brain Aid" is a minute and a half of evil rhythms, menacing voices, and baaaaddddd viiiiiiibbbbbes. I love it.
upcoming shows: December 29th at the Cobalt, January 19th @ the Astoria
7. JPNDRDS - "Darkness on the Edge of Gastown"
I think I rave about Japandroids about once every two weeks, so you can probably understand that I was thrilled when they sent over their forthcoming sophomore EP, Lullaby Death Jams, with the generous instructions to "post whichever song you want." It's stellar from front to back, but "Darkness on the Edge of Gastown" is my favourite song right now, period. It might be yours soon too.
see also: Trembling
8. Mutators - "Paper Words"
My love of Mutators is no secret. Rather than filing the band's self-titled 7" with the rest of my 45s, I just leave it on my turntable. "Paper Words" has been on constantly at my place, and not just because of the vinyl's infinite run out groove. An opening shriek from Leif brings in the crashing drums and some hyper-frenetic guitar, and for two blissfully heavy minutes, they don't let up for a second.
upcoming shows: December 28th at Pub 340
9. Shearing Pinx - "South Dakota"
I always envisioned South Dakota as one of the most boring places imaginable, until I heard this song (that originally appeared on Ultra Snake). I don't know exactly what they're doing to coax the sounds out of those guitars, but I imagine that it may be illegal in certain US jurisdictions. At any rate, the beautifully chaotic outcome is worth some serious jail time.
upcoming shows: December 29th at the Cobalt
10. Twin Crystals - "Night Family"
For most bands, it's hard enough to perform a particular style well enough to even qualify as a one-trick pony, so it's sort of unfair that Twin Crystals have so many perfect angles of attack at their disposal. I just talked about how they can bring the noise with the best of them, but on "Night Family" the volume gets turned down a notch on a track that sounds like Coltrane on really good acid.
see also: Channels 3x4, Cheerleader Camp, Modern Creaturs, Owl Owl Pegasus... and there's a distinct possibility that I'm missing something (apologies)
upcoming shows: February 22nd @ the Astoria
11. The Clips - "Kassel"
It sort of weirds me out to think that the first time I saw the Clips was a mere 8 months ago, because if you asked me about them today, I wouldn't hesitate to tell you that they're one of my favourite live acts (local or otherwise). It's impossible to replicate being crammed into a sweaty warehouse with a couple hundred dancing strangers (and friends) while the guys do their thing, but "Kassel" stands on its own as one of the best dance tracks of 2007.
see also: Brasstronaut
12. My!Gay!Husband! - "Feist Hearts Hollywood Holt"
Jason really needs no introduction. The Sun tipped him for an article on dive bars, so their writer wouldn't look completely out of touch, and the Onion AV Club shouted him out as having one of "the worst band names of '07." If you get out at all in this city, he's either soundtracked your party or he's partied with you. And if you want to get your party started before you head out from now on, you can bump this mashup of Hollywood Holt and Feist. Imagine if Leslie had a little more junk in her trunk, and you'll get an idea of what to expect.
see also: Half Alive
upcoming shows: Blastramp at the Bourbon every Thursday, 1/2 Alive at Richard's every Friday.
13. Piper Davis - "Academics"
You know, you might describe Piper's music as "neo-soul," except I hate anything called "new-soul" and I love Piper's self-titled EP. I love "Academics" so much that I asked her to let me remix it, and she's such a sweet woman, that she even said "yes." Rather than torment you with my production, here's the original in all its ass shaking glory.
14. Expendable Youth - "Maniac"
You might be more familiar with Matt and Mike from their work with Chalked Up, but when they're not busy doing things like interviewing the Godfather of Baltimore Club, they're usually busy behind the decks. You may have already copped their mix that featured on both Radio Zero and Mad Decent, but here's an original production (with a few familiar samples) that absolutely slays.
see also: Chalked Up
upcoming shows: NYE at Shine with the Ice Cream Social (Mike)
15. The Eurythmics - "Sweet Dreams (Tony X's 1/2 Alive Edit)"
Like his 1/2 Alive partner in crime, if you get out and party, you know this guy too. In fact, your eyes probably recognize Tony from his trademark uniform alone (white-t/black jeans/bandana). Your ears will recognize Tony on this edit of a ubiquitous dance floor classic via all the elements he brings to his live sets: slick beats, sick rhythms, and enough disco to get the most firmly planted wall flower moving.
see also: Half Alive
upcoming shows: 1/2 Alive at Richard's every Friday
16. gr8-2000 - "Kevin Drew Presents Broken Social Scene"
Tom could get by strictly on his sheer enthusiasm for music. While his boundless energy and willingness to work with anybody means that I'm not always 100% into (though always 100% supportive) of projects that he's part of, he's never bad, and sometimes he strikes pure gold. This BSS cut-and-paste is 24-karat and rock solid, distilling what sounds like the Scene's entire catalogue into just over 5-minutes of dance treasure.
see also: Technotown Boogie Down
upcoming shows: December 27th at Meme Lab, and probably your house party if you ask him nicely
There you have it.
An enormous thank you goes out to all the wonderful people who donated their work for this. And a big advance thank you goes out to you for enjoying it, and hopefully donating a little of your money and a few of your words to a great cause. It also goes without saying, that while your supporting stuff, you can support all these bands/DJs/artists at their shows and by buying their albums.
And finally, here's the really important stuff:
download: Four Pillars: A Mix for Insite
mirror: at zshare
And the link to donate to the Portland Hotel Society (via CanadaHelps.org):
No really, pay whatever you want.
Notes: Everything is in mp3 except for "Nobody." The download is a .zip file. I opted not to do individual track downloads, because it's cool to hear music that you might not go out of your way to listen to.
Unless something crazy happens, that'll probably be it until Christmas, so have a happy one (whether you observe it or not).
now playing: this mix, of course
Labels: awesomeness, insite, mixtapes
paper words
Big surprise is still coming later today, so check back after dinner. I'll also update this post with some photos from last night at Pub 340...
I arrived to find out that Shearing Pinx had to drop off the bill, which sucked... but two Pinx made up for the absence of the rest of the band by joining Nu Sensae to make them a foursome for the evening. For a - I think - last minute thing they were surprisingly tight, and the added muscle made Nu Sensae even louder than usual.
I missed Basketball's big comeback last month. Apparently they were a little rusty at Pat's. If they were, they've certainly shaken that off now. It'd been so long, I'd sort of forgotten what they sounded like, so it was a pleasant reintroduction: rhythmic and squealing and spilling out into the audience.
Twin Crystals were fierce. They have some mellower joints, but they left all of those at home. Best set I've seen by them, and that's saying quite a bit.
Mutators further cemented themselves as one of my favourite bands, but their set last night's been overshadowed by some really shitty news. Someone stole a black and orange Nike backpack containing guitar pedals and cables that belongs to Brody. If you see some sketchy dude fencing it and can get it back, or have any other information, contact him through the band's Myspace. That puts a downer on a pretty amazing night of music.
Tonight I'm celebrating two things: mine and my friend Neil's birthday and making it through work today with a post-amazing-show-not-so-amazing hangover. Come down to the Astoria and join me, won't you? Neil spins from 10-11:30pm (like, with actual records - not even that Serrato junk - even ATrak doesn't do that now) and Danny Does It from 11:30pm til they kick us out.
Oh, and I wrote some stuff for Chart: here and here (LCD Soundsystem)
Labels: show recaps
Thursday, December 20, 2007
bmore, bmore, bmore, hooooo
Just a heads up that Scottie B is canceled tonight, due to some issues with Customs (who else?). Tix can be refunded at your point of purchase, but look out for a rescheduled date in the new year.
Labels: show announcements
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
attack decay sustain release
Congrats to Peter, who wins the Buck 65 Contest. Thanks to Adam at Warner for providing the goods. And thanks to everyone who entered. For the record, Peter contends that the best way to spend $1.65 is on sour cherry coke bottles... most of the rest of you said Uncle Fatih's or Numero Uno.
Simian Mobile Disco is at Richard's on April 23rd.
Lions in the Street are at the Bourbon on December 22nd with Run GMC for an early show.
Tonight at the Biltmore, Christmas is Extraordinary. I'm not actually sure what that entails, but some people will be funny and Natalie from the Good News/Awkward Stage/Huge Manatease/probably-some-other-bands-I'm-forgetting is doing the music. DJ at 8pm, show at 9pm.
You should really check out Twin Crystals/Mutators/Shearing Pinx/Basketball tomorrow at Pub 340.
And Friday, you should come back here, because it's going to be pretty sweet. Actually, I don't ever say this (and likely never will again), but it's going to be really awesome here.
Labels: contest winners, show announcements
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
get your robin hood on, put some pressure on the man
I think I said that I'd "throw something together" when it came to songs and year-end retrospectives, but I'm actually trying to throw something else together that is about 100 times more exciting, so, if you like lists, here's what I sent into Eye Weekly for their critics poll:
1 MIA feat. Bun B and Rich Boy/"Paper Planes (Street Mix)" (XL/Beggars Group) 100
2 LCD Soundsystem/"All My Friends" (DFA) 90
3 LCD Soundsystem/"Someone Great" (DFA) 80
4 UGK feat Outkast/"International Players Anthem" (Jive) 70
5 The New Pornographers/"Myriad Harbour" (Last Gang/Matador) 60
6 Feist/"1 2 3 4" (Interscope) 50
7 Justice/"D.A.N.C.E." (Ed Banger/Vice) 40
8 Kanye West feat. Young Jeezy/"Can't Tell Me Nothin' (Remix)" (Def Jam) 30
9 Mark Ronson feat. Amy Winehouse/"Valerie" (Sony) 20
10 Animal Collective/"Fireworks" (Domino) 10
I should note that I think Amy Winehouse's live cover of Valerie (from the Back to Black single) is about twice as good as the one from Version, but it wasn't a single. Speaking of, here are some other non-singles that got a lot of plays (in no particular order):
Dntel feat. Jenny Lewis – Roll On
Jim James & Calexico – Goin' the Acapulco (Bob Dylan)
Black Kids – I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance with You
Mutators – What Cuts Want
The Clips – Kassel
Bison – Wartime
Radiohead – House of Cards
Land of Talk - Young Bridge
White Lung - Local Garbage (actually, I guess this was a single)
Wilco - Hate it Here
Wu-Tang Clan - Campfire
Yo Majesty - Club Action (Bagraiders Sailing to Baltimore Edit)
Labels: lists
Monday, December 17, 2007
pick up sticks
JPNDRDS organized a little party on Saturday night down at the Ukrainian Hall, and they're such cordial guys that they even went on first. This, of course, meant that I missed their first two songs, because showing up on time is no longer my forte, but I did catch the bulk of their set.
No Wire tributes, but they brought out their McClusky cover and rocked some tracks from the upcoming Lullaby Death Jams EP (that is going to blow your mind, but more on that later).
Greenbelt... so cute... so earnest... black heart... can't appreciate.
But I did enjoy this giant portrait of Lenin... errr.
For reasons I cannot fathom (because they play all over with bands I see pretty often), I'd actually never seen the Mohawk Lodge live. I also had a promo copy of their newest album, and took so long to getting around to listening to it that I passed it on to someone at Streethawk, so there'd be a review before Hell froze over. But they were stellar live. I'm torn between kicking myself for no longer having that CD and thinking that they probably wouldn't have grabbed me the way they did if I had just ripped the disc to my iPod. At any rate, I'm converted. Sign me up for the fan club.
Coming into the show, I'd heard a couple of different things about They Shoot Horses' set: last show for awhile, last show with the old songs, last show ever. It's still not written in stone, but from what I can gather they're on hiatus (see: Fugazi, Sleater-Kinney, etc). I'm sure Bison destroyed 340 and the Clips show was nuts, but you really shouldn't have missed this one.
That guy even showed up to bid them adieu.
Bend Sinister are at Half Alive on January 25th. Sucks to your dance music.
Yeasayer and MGMT are at the Bourbon on February 1st.
Holy Fuck, a Place to Bury Strangers, and Fuck Buttons are at Richard's on February 25th, for a show that any mother would love. Isn't it a bit embarrassing to be over the age of 16 and play in a band with "fuck" in the name?
Crystal Castles are at Richard's on March 5th. Mark your calendars for that one... it'll sell out quick.
Dandi Wind plays Half Alive on March 7th.
Beach House is at the Media Club on March 19th with Papercuts.
Twin Crystals play at the Astoria on February 22nd with Owl Drugs and Taxes.
Graves are at Hoko's on January 4th with the National Shield and International Falls.
Steve Earle is at the Centre for the Performing Arts on March 15th.
Ok Vancouver Ok, Shindig! runner-ups the SSRIs, Russian Words, Lala, and gr8-2000 are at Hoko's on December 21st.
and... if you've made it this far, the Coup are at Richard's on February 9th.
Enter that Buck 65 contest, ok?
Labels: big portraits of former soviet leaders, greenbelt collective, japandroids, mohawk lodge, show announcements, show recaps, they shoot horses don't they?
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
spread 'em
Contest: Buck 65 Autographed CD Giveaway
That pretty much says it all... Warner got Buck 65 to throw his John Hancock on some copies of his new disc, Situation, and they're letting me give one away to you.
We will keep this easy, and also assist anybody out there who's feeling skint now that the season of overconsumption is upon us: if you want to win this, just tell me the best thing that you can buy in Vancouver (or your own hometown) when you only have $1.65. Email answers to quinn.omori AT gmail.com by noon on the 18th of December, and I'll pick a winner at random.
Cool? cool.
i only did it 'cause i felt so lonely
Actually, I did it because it was free and also right by my new place.
On Monday, the Biltmore re-opened after renovations and under new management, celebrating with a free show with the Choir Practice and the Buttless Chaps. I snapped some pics, but they're still stuck on my camera, so you'll have to trust me when I say that I'd never though that I'd describe the Biltmore as looking "classy," but it does.
I'm interviewing Zak, who's handling all the booking for the venue, for Tooth and Dagger tomorrow night, but before speaking a word to him (at least in person), I can tell you that you should be excited about hearing that, because he also does the booking for Broken City in Calgary and he was one of the minds behind Sled Island (that featured the Boredoms last year).
SWAK finally announced some shows for the New Year...
Baby Dee is at the Media Club on February 10th.
Pinback is at Richard's on February 15th.
And they're bringing the Mountain Goats back to Richard's on February 22nd.
and Petroleum By-Products and Suspiria are at the Balmoral on December 22nd.
Wintersleep is at the Commodore on February 16th.
I wrote something on Gob for Chart that I thought they canned, since it was due months ago, but apparently it's in the new issue. No, seriously.
I wrote about AIDS Wolf for Chalked Up... check Gordon's sweet photos. If you have photos or video from their stop here (or anywhere else), the band wants 'em: aidswolf [AT] aidswolf.net. Don't forget to wish Chloe a speedy recovery from her broken foot while you're at it.
And last, but most certainly not least, it's my sister's birthday today. Happy birthday, kid... see you in a week.
download: Voxtrot - Mothers, Sisters, Daughters, Wives
It's the only song with "sister" in the title that I could think of, save for an Air track from the Virgin Suicides soundtrack (too morbid) or "Oh, Sister" by Dylan (which is either about jesus, wanting to get with a lady and calling her "sister" in that hippy way, or both - regardless, also not good).
Labels: biltmore, happy birthday darcie, mp3, self-aggrandizing, show announcements, show recaps, the buttless chaps, the choir practice, voxtrot
Monday, December 10, 2007
merchandise
This is a bit of a simplification, but dude's just got $5 million for a music blog. What?!
From Blown Speakers is currently for sale for a six pack and a couple slices of Numero Uno... like, if you're looking for an investment that will be worth nothing
Sunday, December 09, 2007
chimes and church bells
Again, with the two days late thing...
On Thursday and Friday, I saw various bits of the Transmission Festival Showcases. These things are always sort of hit or miss, and they're also usually filled with chatty "industry" people, which can be kind of annoying, although the conference organizers were pretty easy about giving away passes to normal people, so the audiences were actually half ass attentive, which was nice.
For the most part, I went to check out bands that I knew, and got pretty much exactly what I expected, with the notable (and pleasant) surprise being Attack in Black. I was feeling pretty shitty on Thursday (mostly due to my own neuroticism), and they definitely lifted my spirits.
During the first round of Shindig!, Brian from Japandroids introduced one of their new tunes by saying something to the effect of, "this song is about how no matter what happens in life, you always have Springsteen." I can never tell when Brian is taking the piss or not, but I concur with that sentiment wholeheartedly. And while Attack in Black aren't the Boss and his E-Street Band (who is?), their music has that same sort of hit-you-in-the-chest quality to it. They sort of reminded me of the Constantines and Uncle Tupelo at times as well, and that ain't bad either. Their recorded stuff hadn't grabbed me before seeing them, so whether you've given their studio output a chance or not, definitely check them out live whenever they're back in town. Best thing to come from Welland, Ont since my friend Michelle.
I don't think I've ever gone out of my way to attend an event just to see Smoosh, but last week was the fourth time that I've caught them live in the past year. Every time I see them they move further in my mind from novelty act to legitimately good band, and the other night was no different... although the youngest Smoosh-er is still a total novelty.
Meiko sort of reminded me of a host of mid to late-90s female singer-songwriters. With that in mind, I'm sure it would be way cooler for me to say that she was totally unbearable, but once she started talking, she was pretty adorable, and you'd have to be a total jerk to not have been at least a bit sold on her. And I'm only almost a total jerk.
I've heard so much about the Acorn, that I definitely should have listened to something by them by now. I can't say that they blew my mind, and at times they verged a bit too close to that kind of "atmospheric," "heartfelt," "melodic," indie rock that I loathe, but on the whole I wasn't complaining.
Due to a combination of laziness, mild intoxication (hence, not being able to drive when running late), and crappy transit timing, I only caught the last two songs of Apostle of Hustle. That's hardly enough to judge a band's live prowess on, but I will say that I never noticed how strange Andrew Whitman's posture is when he's playing, but not singing.
Ladyhawk are at the Astoria on January 12th with Bison and Jaws. Damn.
Also at the Astoria, on January 4th Plus Perfect play with All Purpose Voltage Heroes and Secret Fires.
Basketball (Raking Bombs) are also on that Twin Crystals/Mutators/Shearing Pinx bill, which was already pretty amazing.
now playing: Attack in Black - The Love Between You and I
Labels: apostle of hustle, attack in black, meiko, show announcements, show recaps, smoosh, the acorn, transmission
Thursday, December 06, 2007
smooth it out
Kinda last minute, but if you're not doing anything tonight, you should know that Blastramp! at the Bourbon is now a fundraiser to help Hollywood Holt pay some medical bills that he incurred after an unfortunate accident that he suffered last night.
Livestock, Westbeach, Supra Distribution, and some other folks put up some prizes for a raffle to help raise money, and they'll be giving away some tix to upcoming 1/2 Alive events as well.
Dude's from America, which means he hails from one of the only industrialized nations that doesn't have some form of public health care... and like most smaller touring acts, he doesn't have health insurance.
Again, that's not a lot of notice, but if you're looking for fun, you could do worse than $4 doubles and some dancing for a pretty good cause.
now playing: Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Fancy
i wish that we could talk about it
It's that time of the year when best-of lists become as ubiquitous as "holiday" (nee "christmas") sales at your favourite big box retailer. I'll still probably throw something together for songs and shows and maybe something else, but quite frankly, my albums list is pretty boring. If, for some reason, you were curious, this is what I sent in to Chart (in all its Chart formatted glory):
1. LCD SOUNDSYSTEM - Sound of Silver (DFA)
2. M.I.A. - Kala (XL)
3. HANDSOME FURS - Plague Park (Sub Pop)
4. ANIMAL COLLECTIVE - Strawberry Jam (Domino)
5. RADIOHEAD - In Rainbows (independent)
6. LES SAVY FAV - Let's Stay Friends (Frenchkiss)
7. KANYE WEST - Graduation (Roc-A-Fella/Island Def Jam)
8. MARNIE STERN - In Advance of the Broken Arm (Kill Rock Stars)
9. SATURDAY LOOKS GOOD TO ME - Fill Up the Room (K)
10. JUSTICE - Cross (Ed Banger/Vice)
If, for some reason, you would like to read more about records that, for the most part, other people have already talked to death, I'm doing the first five for the January Off-Centre and LCD Soundsystem for the January Chart.
Labels: lists
oh sailor
I'm striving to make this blog your go to source for two day old music commentary.
As mentioned yesterday, Shindig! wrapped up on Tuesday night and Fanshaw doomed herself with the Shindig curse, by taking home top spot (only kidding about the doomed part).
No disrespect to the SSRIs, but I was pretty surprised to find out that they beat out Petroleum By-Products (second photo). In fact, even though I liked Fanshaw's set the best (which was even better than the previous week), I still would've put money down on a By-Products win.
A big thanks to Ben Lai and CiTR for another great year. And a special thank you to everyone that I swore at during jokes for beer after my punchlines got called week after week... all seven of you.
This Friday, Ok Vancouver Ok, Rose Melberg, Lala, Collapsing Opposites, the Unreliable Narrator, Chris-a-riffic, and Hymn for Her Little Man are at Little Mountain Studios... which is right by my house now.
A week later on the 14th at the same place, Organ Trail, A Relative Distance, Lost Lover's Brigade, Fanshaw, and Grayscales play. Darren from the Trail promises that the band will be thoroughly unpracticed... but they've got new tunes and a new line-up to debut.
Atlas Sound are at Pat's on March 5th.
Sex Attack! are at 1/2 Alive on December 21st.
Bend Sinister are at the Media Club tonight.
Telus just called me at work to day my home internet should work now. After my failure to properly set a line on Shindig, I'm offering 5:4 that my modem still won't receive a signal when I get home tonight.
Labels: fanshaw, lazy show recaps, petroleum by-products, shindig, show announcements, ssris
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
if we get lucky, we'll be dead by dawn
Sorry, I've been busy. But that's the blog-relevant stuff that I got up to last weekend. Not enough people came out to see Rollie, but he and Weez-l still killed it... dude covered "Pink Triangle!"
You ever not feel like going out, but then end up staying out later than usual, and drinking more than you usually would on a weekday? Well, that's what I did last night, so I'm going to leave the music writing at that. Stuff on Shindig! later today or tomorrow morning, but a big congratulations to Liv and the rest of the Fanshaw gang! Hopefully, she bucks the infamous Shindig! curse. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Johnny (from Fanshaw and Victoria, Victoria!) is the first consecutive double winner of the contest.
The 15th of December is even more busy now that the Clips are hosting a show at Casa Del Artista with Hats of Gentlemen, Terminal Cafe, Canaries, and Steamship. Unlike the JPNDRDS extravaganza or the Mint Rec Xmas, the Clips guys are doing it for the kids - it's an all-ager.
You Say Party! We Say Die! is at the Plaza on January 24th with Fake Shark - Real Zombie and Taxes. Sean Orr just hooked me up with the Taxes EP, so look for some words on that soon.
MSTRKRFT is at Celebs on December 28th. Paul D. spins before the dudes with the masks and moustaches.
New Year's Day is a big deal for Japanese people, and while I'd hardly call my family "Japanese," much less traditional, that means that for as long as I could sneak alcohol, I have still had to be home by noon on January 1st, showered, awake, and halfway presentable for lunch... so I sorta hate New Year's Eve. But here are a couple parties going on:
At the Balmoral some of the Salbourg guys and Crooks & Gunn will spin Vancouver's usual hipster faves, but Justin from Mutators will balance that out with what will undoubtedly be a the odd set out (that's a good thing) when he gets behind the decks. Party goes until 4am.
The Ice Cream Social is doing a special NYE edition. Tyler's out of town, but Mike from ChalkedUp is making a guest appearance. Shine's letting them out of the back room, so there'll be some more room to dance. Party goes til 3am.
Oh, and in case you missed it everywhere else, there's a new Destroyer track floating around... use teh googlez for that. It's seriously everywhere.
Labels: cadence weapon, lazy show recaps, les savy fav, show announcements
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
shattered dreams
Pics and maybe some words from last weekend (Cadence Weapon/LSF) coming soon... my home internet is sort of AWOL - thanks, Telus. Hopefully, you're heading to Shindig tonight... more on that later as well. But I just wanted to say...
RIP, Pimp C.
When I was at that awkward age of adolescence, a friend of mine gifted me with a mixtape with, amongst other Southern rap gems, a whole bunch of UGK. So, not only do they remain one of the greatest hip hop acts of all time, but they soundtracked several years worth of bad behavior (in the name of good fun) and growing up in general for me. Plus, this year he and Bun B dropped one of the only rap double albums that actually warranted its expanded running time.
When I get home from work, I'm going to dig out that mixtape from amongst my unpacked boxes.
See you at the Railway tonight.
Labels: ugk
