Friday, September 26, 2008
nightsong
Anyhow, I was intrigued by the headliners after listening to a couple of songs on their Myspace. And, true to my expectations, they came out, cranked up their amps and almost blew my head off with a wall of distortion and feedback... but then they did the same thing for another five songs and the charm diminished as they went. You can buy up all of the Jesus & Mary Chain's effects pedals, but you can't buy their knack for melody, it seems. A little attention to dynamics wouldn't hurt either.
Sian Alice Group, who were the main reason I showed up, were wonderful. Shoe gazey and reminiscent of Mazzy Star at some points and shoe gazey and reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine the next. Like the headliners, they weren't terribly original, but they executed well.
Japandroids opened up the show. Seeing that I saw them a week ago, I don't have much to add, except for noting that the guys' spirits were a bit low after hearing the news that their friends in the Hotel Lobbyists were in a pretty bad car accident earlier in the evening. I hope you'll join me in wishing all four of the Hotel Lobbyists a speedy recovery.
To follow that terrible news, here is some happier news. Congratulations go out to Rose, who won the Tiny Vipers contest. Thanks to the guys at Twee Death for hooking up the prize.
Ora Corgan kicks off her tour on Sunday at the Sweatshop with Adult Books, Frazey Ford (from the Be Good Tanyas), and Anju (from i/i).
October 2nd and 3rd sees the Accordion Noir festival at Spartacus Book and the Railway (respectively). Full details on their webpage.
Colourbook are at the Peanut Gallery on October 4th with No Gold, Greenbelt Collective, and Candles.
Bend Sinister play a very special performance on October 25th at the Rio Theatre to celebrate the release of their new LP, Stories of Brothers, Tales of Lovers. The band will be joined extra musicians, including a horn and string section. the Green Hour open.
Soulwax is at the Plaza on October 29th to show their documentary Part of the Weekend Never Dies and play a "Soulwax Live" set. Paul Devro opens.
Eagles of Death Metal are at the Commodore on November 2nd.
El Guincho are at the Red Room for an early show on November 22nd.
And last, but not least, congratulations to Rob, who gets married this weekend.
Friday, May 16, 2008
forever indebted
Shout Out Out Out Out are at the Commodore on June 20th.
Battles are at Richard's on September 2nd. That one is for my friend Neil, who was whining about how Battles and Flight of the Conchords are on the at the same time at Sasquatch.
Speaking of Neil, he's spinning at the Astoria tonight for the last ever Better than Loneliness. Come down and buy me a drink... god knows that I'll need one after being cooped up inside on such a gorgeous day.
Stevie Wonder is at GM Place on July 12th, which once again brings up the question: "is it right to judge an artist for their latter day sins?"
Ladyhawk opens that Cons show on the 26th.
Finally, congrats to Jessica who wins the Black Kids contest. Thanks to Marni at Sneak Attack Media for hooking up the prize. If you know me, and were wondering, no that isn't my girlfriend Jessica. I would never rig a contest and everyone knows that she's racist anyhow.
now playing: Galaxie 500 - Isn't it a Pity
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
weird weight
I should also point out that June 5th at Hoko's boasts Mt. Career as the headliner, whom you might know better as Andy Dixon. As far as I know, this will be his first show supporting his solo record.
I actually heard that Andy and Greg (also of Winning and ex-Red Light Sting) and Steve and Al from Taxes were going to play a set of hardcore tunes under the name "Healthy Students"... but I guess that didn't pan out.
Stereolab is at the Commodore on October 19th with Monade
Since I usually end up talking about shows that those of you under the age of majority can't attend, here's one that turns the tables. Those philanthropic gentlemen in the Clips are lending their talents to Urban Aid 2008, which is an annual fundraiser for Covenant House. The show goes down on May 22nd at the Jericho Community Centre and ticket info is on the friendster 3.0 event page. You've got to show your Go Card to get in. If you don't know what a Go Card is, you're too old to be hanging out with a room full of high school students anyhow.
If you entered the Gnarls Barkley contest, you might have been thinking, "I wonder if he forgot to pick a winner." And you would be right. But I finally did that this morning. So congrats to Ben who gets a bunch of CDs and that sick double vinyl that includes the new Gnarls record in reverse. Thanks to Adam at Warner for hooking up the prize.
Oh, and New Music West is this week. There are a handful of great bands playing... but most of the line up caters to people who think going to the Roxy and hearing the house band play while they play the numbers game is "seeing live music."
now playing: the White Stripes - Black Math
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
word's on the street and it's on the news
Contest: Black Kids CDS Giveaway
You've probably heard of these guys, so I'll keep it brief. After giving away an EP last year, Black Kids are releasing a full-length, Partie Traumatic, on July 22nd. And predictably, "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance with You" is the lead-off single. They didn't have any records to sell when they came through town with Cut Copy last week, but you can just go ahead and win yourself a copy of the CD version of the single right now. In addition to the A-side, the disc features "You Turn Me On" and Sophie B. Hawkins cover.
If you want to win, just send an email to quinn.omori [at] gmail.com with the subject line "Black Kids Contest" before Wednesday, May 14th at 8am PST and I'll pick one winner at random. Easy, huh?
In the rare instance that you're reading this from outside the GVRD, you can catch Black Kids here:
May 8 - Detroit, MI at Magic Stick*
May 9 - Toronto, ON at Lees Palace*
May 12 - Boston, MA at Paradise*
May 13 - Brooklyn, NY at Studio B*
May 15 - Washington, DC at Black Cat*
May 16 - Philadelphia, PA at Pure*
May 17 - Baltimore, MD at Sonar*
May 18 - New York, NY at Bowery Ballroom
*with Cut Copy
And everyone can check out the stream of 12" b-side here
Oh, and congrats to Neil and Robin, who are going to Does it Offend You, Yeah? and Yo Majesty for free tonight, courtesy of Sony/BMG
Thursday, March 06, 2008
glitter pills
Apparently 90% of the people who had planned to see the nearly sold out Crystal Castles/HEALTH show were going for the former, because after the duo was forced to drop off the bill, attendance was a bit sparse at Dick's last night, despite the newly discounted ticket price.
Basketball started off the evening. To be completely honest, the last two times I saw them, I was really drunk, though I remember them being pretty good. Last night, they were awesome. I didn't notice - or, at least, I didn't remember - all the sequenced drums and synth squeals that laid the backbone for most of their songs (although David assured me that they'd always been there). Some of the jammy outros were a bit too long for my tastes, but on the whole they were really good. See that kids? You don't need alcohol to have a good time. In fact, you might want to avoid it, if you plan on appreciating what you're seeing and hearing.
Mutators were vicious. I don't think there's band in the city that sounds more brutal and menacing. But if you've been here before, you know my feelings on them.
I was pretty enamored with HEALTH the the last time they came through Vancouver, but their set last night was amazing. One of the best things I've seen all year, and even more impressive because, due to the rather small crowd, the band didn't really have anything to feed off to bring such an energetic performance to the stage. Their album is one of my favourite records right now, but yesterday's live show brought things to the next level.
And because sometimes I like to throw to semi-related, shameless plugs, if you want to pick up the new copy of Color you'll find the article that I wrote on them..
Hey, let's give away a Hot Chip record. Congratulations go out to Gabriel, who takes home the ultra sick "Ready for the Floor" single that many of you (and me) wanted. Thanks to Will at Cornerstone Promotion for hooking up the much sought after prize.
This month's edition of Technotown Boogiedown is a doozy. Secret Mommy, Montag, Colby Sparks are the featured performers, while regulars (and part-organizer) the Swords of Righteousness Brigade holds it down as usual. DNGROUS ADDRESS provide some added visual flair and it all goes down on March 20th.
Terrorbird, White Owl, and the Boogie Monster are at the Astoria on March 29th.
The Blow does an all-ager at St. James Hall on April 17th.
Buck 65 is at the Commodore on May 7th. Cadence Weapon, whose fantastic new record came out on Tuesday, opens.
The Kooks are at the Commodore on May 24th.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
no flashlight
But enough about that, let's get down to business, because there is a lot of exciting business to attend to.
Jay from International Falls emailed to let everyone know that he's organizing a show at Hoko's on April 5th, that's cheekily been dubbed Edgefest. No Hole and Moist (who - I think - played the last actual touring edition of Edgefest), but the show features the Blankett, Don L'Orange (from the Doers), Candles, International Falls, Joel Tong, Mt. Eerie, No Gold, and Octoberman.
Keeping it local, the March 7th Mohawk Lodge show (that was previously some other date) no longer features Pride Tiger. It's back to a Mohawk lodge headlining affair with Bend Sinister (who are going to record a full-length soon) and Japandroids (who are writing songs for a full-length right now).
Japandroids also rock the Cobalt on April 4th with Baby Control and Taxes.
Half Alive is bringing San Serac and Fluo Kids to Richard's this Friday.
They also loved the Teenagers so much last time, that they're bringing them back on April 18th.
DJ Mehdi is at Caprice on March 12th. Local boy, Rico Uno, supports.
Handsome Furs are at Richard's on April 21st.
Zach Condon makes his first visit to Vancouver on May 22nd when Beirut plays the Ballroom. (note: real close to Sasquatch)
El Perro Del Mar is at the Red Room on May 14th with Lykke Li and Anna Ternheim. More Swedes than a Canucks power play.
Some great shows are coming to the Astoria (in addition to the ones that have already been announced):
Johnny and the Moon play with E.S.L., Listening Party, and Catamaran on February 29th.
July 4th Toilet play with Shearing Pinx, and Ice Cream on March 8th.
The 21st marks the March edition of Better Than Loneliness.
The Clips and Woodhands play on April 14th.
And Alphababy and Jon Rae Fletcher (with the River? sans the River?) play on May 10th.
Last, but not least, congrats to Evan, who is going to see Josh Ritter for free on Saturday. Thanks to Annie from Josh's management co for hooking up the prize.
Friday, January 11, 2008
nightvision
Big update with tons of show announcements and also a free album(!) from a short-lived, but great local act later today.
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.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
just a little bit more
The interesting and also somewhat appalling thing is that there's absolutely no logical reason to release this record now (especially under the band's new name). There will be no tour support. And while Chris said that they're still very proud of the record, the label certainly isn't going to get any cooperation from the band they dropped and are currently holding in a legal stalemate when it comes to promotion. It's also not as though Lions in the Street have somehow positioned themselves as the next Arctic Monkeys or anything either, so it's not as though the label is going to cash in on the endeavor. In fact, based on the circumstances, I fail to see how they'll make any money off of it at all.
It's easy to look at the music industry and blame everything on the quest for the almighty dollar, but it's things like this that make me think that it's more about ego than anything else... which goes a long way to explain why the industry is tanking.
Consequently, someone has posted the lost record on the Pirate Bay under "Lions in the Street - the Years." It's not incredibly far removed from what the guys are doing now, but the new stuff is certainly an improvement, if you ask me. If you want some actual new LitS material, they've got a demo and a cover of "Everyone Knows This is Nowhere" up on their official site.
Speaking of Pirate Bay, TMT reports that they're suing some (divisions of) major labels over leaked emails that suggest the labels in question are paying hackers to screw up their servers.
The Vancouver Sun asks, "can there be too many concerts?" and finds out that it all comes down to demand. More hard hitting investigative journalism from the folks at CanWest.
Meanwhile, Tooth and Dagger reports on some of the "less conventional" show venues that are popping up around the city and Streethawk has a more in-depth discussion with Hoko.
Speaking of Hoko's, Dustin from (Adjective and Sex Attack) is celebrating his birthday with a free dance party there this Saturday. His Sex Attack mates will provide the tunes.
Scratch announced their third (chronologically the second) 20th Anniversary Party. On November 9th at Pat's, the Tranzmitors, Thor, Vancougar, French Paddleboat, and Weathered Pines will help the store celebrate two decades in business.
Patrick Watson is at St. James Hall on December 7th with Plants and Animals. How's that for a timely announcement? (thanks Shea)
Jon Rae (and also the River?) are at Gaff Gallery on November 2nd with Adelaide and Chad from My Project Blue. It's an early show - doors at 8pm, over by 11pm - so you could hit this up and still go somewhere else afterward. (thanks Ben)
Someone died watching the Smashing Pumpkins last night.
Those guys from Bison were cordial enough to sit down with me for ChalkedUp. If you haven't picked up Earthbound yet, you should go do that now, while you can still find a copy.
And last, but not least, congrats go out to Jade, who wins the Hylozoists prize pack (two discs and two tickets to tomorrow night's show) and to Ryan, who wins the Klaxons tickets. You can still try to cop freebies for the latter over at ChalkedUp.
Jade and Ryan can both thank my friend Spencer, who was the key to their victory, due to my highly advanced drawing method of, "Spencer pick a number between 1 and _."
Friday, May 11, 2007
do whatever you want, don't do whatever you want!!
I'm not really big on psych rock, but on the recommendation of my friend Luke, I made it out to see Acid Mothers Temple. Ironically, my girlfriend also attended, but had told me "don't come, you'll hate it" before hand.
My mind wasn't blown, but I didn't hate it either. And if you're going to attempt to expand your musical horizons, you should do it by enjoying the best a genre has to offer. By all accounts, that's just what I did on Wednesday night at Richard's. Some of it got a bit too noodley for my tastes, but on the whole the combination of guitar freak outs and surprisingly traditional sounding Japanese vocals (a bit like a cross between my grandmother's singing and a Buddhist funeral) were pretty damn pleasing to my unfamiliar ears.
If you're of a similar mind to me, you should know that the performance was completely free of any of the stereotypical downsides that come with the words "psychedelic" or "progressive." The openers on the other hand (their name escapes me), were like every bad prog cliche come true. I'm not a fan of heckling, but I was might tempted to yell "PLAY STONEHENGE NEXT!"
Julie Doiron is at Video In with Calvin Johnson on June 21st.
Tegan and Sara are at the VECC on July 16th in support of their forthcoming newie, the Con.
And last, but certainly not least, congrats to Clint, who won the Circlesquare Contest. There's a ridiculous amount of great things going on, but seeing as Peter Bjorn & John and BRMC are sold out, I suggest heading down to Open Studios tomorrow. Thanks again to Erin and the folks at Boompa for hooking up the prize.
now playing: the Supremes - You Can't Hurry Love
Friday, February 02, 2007
that's my dj
Electrelane are at Richard's on May 27th with the Blow. I haven't really checked out Electrelane (that is, until right this second), but the openers have me excited enough.
The Ponys are at Richard's on April 11th with Deerhunter
Calla are at the Media Club on April 2nd.
Silversun Pickups are at Richard's on April 12th.
Keren Ann is at the Media Club on June 13th.
Lyrics Born is at Richard's on March 4th with the Coup. This just made me realize that I have no idea where my copy of Party Music is.
The Hella show is March 4th, not the 3rd. Apologies for any confusion.
McLean's has a music blog featuring Paul Wells, Adam Radwanski, Dafna Izenberg and Aaron Wherry. I'm not familiar with this Dafna character, but I'm curious about Wells' music tastes.
Congratulations go out to Jenny from Vancouver, Evan from Vancouver, and Evan from Chilliwack, who can all expect a pretty looking k-os 12" in the mail soon.
For the record, Jenny's favourite rebellion is the Arcade Fire's (clever) and her favourite fictional locale is Asteroid B612 (where Le Petit Prince
resides, with his three volcanoes and his beloved rose). Evan from Van's are the New York Revolt of 1712 and Amaterasu. And Evan from Chilliwack's favourite rebellion is the 1837 rebellion involving Upper and Lower Canada.
In addition to getting some sweet vinyl into people's hands for free, this contest also forced me to look up about a dozen rebellions and a couple dozen fictional places. Learning and giving!
If you missed out, you're SOL on the picture disc, but you can grab the four songs by picking up Atlantis: Hymns for Disco pretty much anywhere that sells music. Thanks to EMI for providing the prize.
And finally, if for some reason you haven't seen this, you should check out this video of the Arcade Fire doing a very special rendition of "Wake Up."
now playing: Lucinda Williams - Mama You Sweet
nightsong
I opted for the A Place to Bury Strangers show over Cadence Weapon/Woodhands last night. I've already seen the latter, but the Biltmore is also way closer to my house.
Anyhow, I was intrigued by the headliners after listening to a couple of songs on their Myspace. And, true to my expectations, they came out, cranked up their amps and almost blew my head off with a wall of distortion and feedback... but then they did the same thing for another five songs and the charm diminished as they went. You can buy up all of the Jesus & Mary Chain's effects pedals, but you can't buy their knack for melody, it seems. A little attention to dynamics wouldn't hurt either.
Sian Alice Group, who were the main reason I showed up, were wonderful. Shoe gazey and reminiscent of Mazzy Star at some points and shoe gazey and reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine the next. Like the headliners, they weren't terribly original, but they executed well.
Japandroids opened up the show. Seeing that I saw them a week ago, I don't have much to add, except for noting that the guys' spirits were a bit low after hearing the news that their friends in the Hotel Lobbyists were in a pretty bad car accident earlier in the evening. I hope you'll join me in wishing all four of the Hotel Lobbyists a speedy recovery.
To follow that terrible news, here is some happier news. Congratulations go out to Rose, who won the Tiny Vipers contest. Thanks to the guys at Twee Death for hooking up the prize.
Ora Corgan kicks off her tour on Sunday at the Sweatshop with Adult Books, Frazey Ford (from the Be Good Tanyas), and Anju (from i/i).
October 2nd and 3rd sees the Accordion Noir festival at Spartacus Book and the Railway (respectively). Full details on their webpage.
Colourbook are at the Peanut Gallery on October 4th with No Gold, Greenbelt Collective, and Candles.
Bend Sinister play a very special performance on October 25th at the Rio Theatre to celebrate the release of their new LP, Stories of Brothers, Tales of Lovers. The band will be joined extra musicians, including a horn and string section. the Green Hour open.
Soulwax is at the Plaza on October 29th to show their documentary Part of the Weekend Never Dies and play a "Soulwax Live" set. Paul Devro opens.
Eagles of Death Metal are at the Commodore on November 2nd.
El Guincho are at the Red Room for an early show on November 22nd.
And last, but not least, congratulations to Rob, who gets married this weekend.
Labels: a place to bury strangers, contest winners, japandroids, show announcements, sian alice group
Friday, May 16, 2008
forever indebted
If it seems like I haven't gone to a show in awhile, it's because I haven't. But if you're missing that part of this thing, you'll be pleasantly surprised from Sasquatch to the end of June.
Shout Out Out Out Out are at the Commodore on June 20th.
Battles are at Richard's on September 2nd. That one is for my friend Neil, who was whining about how Battles and Flight of the Conchords are on the at the same time at Sasquatch.
Speaking of Neil, he's spinning at the Astoria tonight for the last ever Better than Loneliness. Come down and buy me a drink... god knows that I'll need one after being cooped up inside on such a gorgeous day.
Stevie Wonder is at GM Place on July 12th, which once again brings up the question: "is it right to judge an artist for their latter day sins?"
Ladyhawk opens that Cons show on the 26th.
Finally, congrats to Jessica who wins the Black Kids contest. Thanks to Marni at Sneak Attack Media for hooking up the prize. If you know me, and were wondering, no that isn't my girlfriend Jessica. I would never rig a contest and everyone knows that she's racist anyhow.
now playing: Galaxie 500 - Isn't it a Pity
Labels: contest winners, show announcements
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
weird weight
The Music Waste line up has been announced. A quick surveying of the landscape reveals that a lot of my favourites are playing at (roughly) the same times, but the fest is always more about seeing bands you don't know anyhow. Although, I'm dead set on catching Mutators before they had back on part two of their epic Spring/Summer tour.
I should also point out that June 5th at Hoko's boasts Mt. Career as the headliner, whom you might know better as Andy Dixon. As far as I know, this will be his first show supporting his solo record.
I actually heard that Andy and Greg (also of Winning and ex-Red Light Sting) and Steve and Al from Taxes were going to play a set of hardcore tunes under the name "Healthy Students"... but I guess that didn't pan out.
Stereolab is at the Commodore on October 19th with Monade
Since I usually end up talking about shows that those of you under the age of majority can't attend, here's one that turns the tables. Those philanthropic gentlemen in the Clips are lending their talents to Urban Aid 2008, which is an annual fundraiser for Covenant House. The show goes down on May 22nd at the Jericho Community Centre and ticket info is on the friendster 3.0 event page. You've got to show your Go Card to get in. If you don't know what a Go Card is, you're too old to be hanging out with a room full of high school students anyhow.
If you entered the Gnarls Barkley contest, you might have been thinking, "I wonder if he forgot to pick a winner." And you would be right. But I finally did that this morning. So congrats to Ben who gets a bunch of CDs and that sick double vinyl that includes the new Gnarls record in reverse. Thanks to Adam at Warner for hooking up the prize.
Oh, and New Music West is this week. There are a handful of great bands playing... but most of the line up caters to people who think going to the Roxy and hearing the house band play while they play the numbers game is "seeing live music."
now playing: the White Stripes - Black Math
Labels: contest winners, music waste, show announcements
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
word's on the street and it's on the news
Contest: Black Kids CDS Giveaway
You've probably heard of these guys, so I'll keep it brief. After giving away an EP last year, Black Kids are releasing a full-length, Partie Traumatic, on July 22nd. And predictably, "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance with You" is the lead-off single. They didn't have any records to sell when they came through town with Cut Copy last week, but you can just go ahead and win yourself a copy of the CD version of the single right now. In addition to the A-side, the disc features "You Turn Me On" and Sophie B. Hawkins cover.
If you want to win, just send an email to quinn.omori [at] gmail.com with the subject line "Black Kids Contest" before Wednesday, May 14th at 8am PST and I'll pick one winner at random. Easy, huh?
In the rare instance that you're reading this from outside the GVRD, you can catch Black Kids here:
May 8 - Detroit, MI at Magic Stick*
May 9 - Toronto, ON at Lees Palace*
May 12 - Boston, MA at Paradise*
May 13 - Brooklyn, NY at Studio B*
May 15 - Washington, DC at Black Cat*
May 16 - Philadelphia, PA at Pure*
May 17 - Baltimore, MD at Sonar*
May 18 - New York, NY at Bowery Ballroom
*with Cut Copy
And everyone can check out the stream of 12" b-side here
Oh, and congrats to Neil and Robin, who are going to Does it Offend You, Yeah? and Yo Majesty for free tonight, courtesy of Sony/BMG
Labels: contest winners, contests
Thursday, March 06, 2008
glitter pills
Apparently 90% of the people who had planned to see the nearly sold out Crystal Castles/HEALTH show were going for the former, because after the duo was forced to drop off the bill, attendance was a bit sparse at Dick's last night, despite the newly discounted ticket price.
Basketball started off the evening. To be completely honest, the last two times I saw them, I was really drunk, though I remember them being pretty good. Last night, they were awesome. I didn't notice - or, at least, I didn't remember - all the sequenced drums and synth squeals that laid the backbone for most of their songs (although David assured me that they'd always been there). Some of the jammy outros were a bit too long for my tastes, but on the whole they were really good. See that kids? You don't need alcohol to have a good time. In fact, you might want to avoid it, if you plan on appreciating what you're seeing and hearing.
Mutators were vicious. I don't think there's band in the city that sounds more brutal and menacing. But if you've been here before, you know my feelings on them.
I was pretty enamored with HEALTH the the last time they came through Vancouver, but their set last night was amazing. One of the best things I've seen all year, and even more impressive because, due to the rather small crowd, the band didn't really have anything to feed off to bring such an energetic performance to the stage. Their album is one of my favourite records right now, but yesterday's live show brought things to the next level.
And because sometimes I like to throw to semi-related, shameless plugs, if you want to pick up the new copy of Color you'll find the article that I wrote on them..
Hey, let's give away a Hot Chip record. Congratulations go out to Gabriel, who takes home the ultra sick "Ready for the Floor" single that many of you (and me) wanted. Thanks to Will at Cornerstone Promotion for hooking up the much sought after prize.
This month's edition of Technotown Boogiedown is a doozy. Secret Mommy, Montag, Colby Sparks are the featured performers, while regulars (and part-organizer) the Swords of Righteousness Brigade holds it down as usual. DNGROUS ADDRESS provide some added visual flair and it all goes down on March 20th.
Terrorbird, White Owl, and the Boogie Monster are at the Astoria on March 29th.
The Blow does an all-ager at St. James Hall on April 17th.
Buck 65 is at the Commodore on May 7th. Cadence Weapon, whose fantastic new record came out on Tuesday, opens.
The Kooks are at the Commodore on May 24th.
Labels: basketball, contest winners, health, hot chip, mutators, self-aggrandizing, show announcements, show recaps
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
no flashlight
Thanks to Lindsay, who coincidentally asked me how long I'd been blogging for and inadvertently reminded me that the answer is three years today. Thanks for reading, for all the kind words, and especially the really outraged angry words. The latter always make me giggle. Here's to three years of typos, comma faults, and unintentional misinformation.
But enough about that, let's get down to business, because there is a lot of exciting business to attend to.
Jay from International Falls emailed to let everyone know that he's organizing a show at Hoko's on April 5th, that's cheekily been dubbed Edgefest. No Hole and Moist (who - I think - played the last actual touring edition of Edgefest), but the show features the Blankett, Don L'Orange (from the Doers), Candles, International Falls, Joel Tong, Mt. Eerie, No Gold, and Octoberman.
Keeping it local, the March 7th Mohawk Lodge show (that was previously some other date) no longer features Pride Tiger. It's back to a Mohawk lodge headlining affair with Bend Sinister (who are going to record a full-length soon) and Japandroids (who are writing songs for a full-length right now).
Japandroids also rock the Cobalt on April 4th with Baby Control and Taxes.
Half Alive is bringing San Serac and Fluo Kids to Richard's this Friday.
They also loved the Teenagers so much last time, that they're bringing them back on April 18th.
DJ Mehdi is at Caprice on March 12th. Local boy, Rico Uno, supports.
Handsome Furs are at Richard's on April 21st.
Zach Condon makes his first visit to Vancouver on May 22nd when Beirut plays the Ballroom. (note: real close to Sasquatch)
El Perro Del Mar is at the Red Room on May 14th with Lykke Li and Anna Ternheim. More Swedes than a Canucks power play.
Some great shows are coming to the Astoria (in addition to the ones that have already been announced):
Johnny and the Moon play with E.S.L., Listening Party, and Catamaran on February 29th.
July 4th Toilet play with Shearing Pinx, and Ice Cream on March 8th.
The 21st marks the March edition of Better Than Loneliness.
The Clips and Woodhands play on April 14th.
And Alphababy and Jon Rae Fletcher (with the River? sans the River?) play on May 10th.
Last, but not least, congrats to Evan, who is going to see Josh Ritter for free on Saturday. Thanks to Annie from Josh's management co for hooking up the prize.
Labels: contest winners, reflecting on how much of your life you spend blogging, show announcements
Friday, January 11, 2008
nightvision
Congratulations to Gareth and Persia who each win a double pass for one of this weekend's showings of Electroma. Thanks again to Vice for hooking up the prize.
Big update with tons of show announcements and also a free album(!) from a short-lived, but great local act later today.
Labels: contest winners, daft punk, vice
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
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
just a little bit more
I wrote a Chart story on Lions in the Street, where Chris gave me the lowdown about, among other things, how 604/Universal is finally releasing the album that the band recorded (mostly - they never finished it) when they were known as the Years. The thing is, they're going to put it out under the name "Lions in the Street," even though the guys haven't played those songs live since they regrouped, which was after they were forced into major label limbo.
The interesting and also somewhat appalling thing is that there's absolutely no logical reason to release this record now (especially under the band's new name). There will be no tour support. And while Chris said that they're still very proud of the record, the label certainly isn't going to get any cooperation from the band they dropped and are currently holding in a legal stalemate when it comes to promotion. It's also not as though Lions in the Street have somehow positioned themselves as the next Arctic Monkeys or anything either, so it's not as though the label is going to cash in on the endeavor. In fact, based on the circumstances, I fail to see how they'll make any money off of it at all.
It's easy to look at the music industry and blame everything on the quest for the almighty dollar, but it's things like this that make me think that it's more about ego than anything else... which goes a long way to explain why the industry is tanking.
Consequently, someone has posted the lost record on the Pirate Bay under "Lions in the Street - the Years." It's not incredibly far removed from what the guys are doing now, but the new stuff is certainly an improvement, if you ask me. If you want some actual new LitS material, they've got a demo and a cover of "Everyone Knows This is Nowhere" up on their official site.
Speaking of Pirate Bay, TMT reports that they're suing some (divisions of) major labels over leaked emails that suggest the labels in question are paying hackers to screw up their servers.
The Vancouver Sun asks, "can there be too many concerts?" and finds out that it all comes down to demand. More hard hitting investigative journalism from the folks at CanWest.
Meanwhile, Tooth and Dagger reports on some of the "less conventional" show venues that are popping up around the city and Streethawk has a more in-depth discussion with Hoko.
Speaking of Hoko's, Dustin from (Adjective and Sex Attack) is celebrating his birthday with a free dance party there this Saturday. His Sex Attack mates will provide the tunes.
Scratch announced their third (chronologically the second) 20th Anniversary Party. On November 9th at Pat's, the Tranzmitors, Thor, Vancougar, French Paddleboat, and Weathered Pines will help the store celebrate two decades in business.
Patrick Watson is at St. James Hall on December 7th with Plants and Animals. How's that for a timely announcement? (thanks Shea)
Jon Rae (and also the River?) are at Gaff Gallery on November 2nd with Adelaide and Chad from My Project Blue. It's an early show - doors at 8pm, over by 11pm - so you could hit this up and still go somewhere else afterward. (thanks Ben)
Someone died watching the Smashing Pumpkins last night.
Those guys from Bison were cordial enough to sit down with me for ChalkedUp. If you haven't picked up Earthbound yet, you should go do that now, while you can still find a copy.
And last, but not least, congrats go out to Jade, who wins the Hylozoists prize pack (two discs and two tickets to tomorrow night's show) and to Ryan, who wins the Klaxons tickets. You can still try to cop freebies for the latter over at ChalkedUp.
Jade and Ryan can both thank my friend Spencer, who was the key to their victory, due to my highly advanced drawing method of, "Spencer pick a number between 1 and _."
Labels: contest winners, lions in the street, self-aggrandizing
Friday, May 11, 2007
do whatever you want, don't do whatever you want!!
I'm not really big on psych rock, but on the recommendation of my friend Luke, I made it out to see Acid Mothers Temple. Ironically, my girlfriend also attended, but had told me "don't come, you'll hate it" before hand.
My mind wasn't blown, but I didn't hate it either. And if you're going to attempt to expand your musical horizons, you should do it by enjoying the best a genre has to offer. By all accounts, that's just what I did on Wednesday night at Richard's. Some of it got a bit too noodley for my tastes, but on the whole the combination of guitar freak outs and surprisingly traditional sounding Japanese vocals (a bit like a cross between my grandmother's singing and a Buddhist funeral) were pretty damn pleasing to my unfamiliar ears.
If you're of a similar mind to me, you should know that the performance was completely free of any of the stereotypical downsides that come with the words "psychedelic" or "progressive." The openers on the other hand (their name escapes me), were like every bad prog cliche come true. I'm not a fan of heckling, but I was might tempted to yell "PLAY STONEHENGE NEXT!"
Julie Doiron is at Video In with Calvin Johnson on June 21st.
Tegan and Sara are at the VECC on July 16th in support of their forthcoming newie, the Con.
And last, but certainly not least, congrats to Clint, who won the Circlesquare Contest. There's a ridiculous amount of great things going on, but seeing as Peter Bjorn & John and BRMC are sold out, I suggest heading down to Open Studios tomorrow. Thanks again to Erin and the folks at Boompa for hooking up the prize.
now playing: the Supremes - You Can't Hurry Love
Labels: acid mothers temple, contest winners, show announcements, show recaps
Friday, February 02, 2007
that's my dj
Girl Talk hits Richard's on June 9th for a night of ritalin fueled bastard pop that will no doubt culminate in Greg Gillis taking his shirt off and inviting half the crowd on stage.
Electrelane are at Richard's on May 27th with the Blow. I haven't really checked out Electrelane (that is, until right this second), but the openers have me excited enough.
The Ponys are at Richard's on April 11th with Deerhunter
Calla are at the Media Club on April 2nd.
Silversun Pickups are at Richard's on April 12th.
Keren Ann is at the Media Club on June 13th.
Lyrics Born is at Richard's on March 4th with the Coup. This just made me realize that I have no idea where my copy of Party Music is.
The Hella show is March 4th, not the 3rd. Apologies for any confusion.
McLean's has a music blog featuring Paul Wells, Adam Radwanski, Dafna Izenberg and Aaron Wherry. I'm not familiar with this Dafna character, but I'm curious about Wells' music tastes.
Congratulations go out to Jenny from Vancouver, Evan from Vancouver, and Evan from Chilliwack, who can all expect a pretty looking k-os 12" in the mail soon.
For the record, Jenny's favourite rebellion is the Arcade Fire's (clever) and her favourite fictional locale is Asteroid B612 (where Le Petit Prince
resides, with his three volcanoes and his beloved rose). Evan from Van's are the New York Revolt of 1712 and Amaterasu. And Evan from Chilliwack's favourite rebellion is the 1837 rebellion involving Upper and Lower Canada.
In addition to getting some sweet vinyl into people's hands for free, this contest also forced me to look up about a dozen rebellions and a couple dozen fictional places. Learning and giving!
If you missed out, you're SOL on the picture disc, but you can grab the four songs by picking up Atlantis: Hymns for Disco pretty much anywhere that sells music. Thanks to EMI for providing the prize.
And finally, if for some reason you haven't seen this, you should check out this video of the Arcade Fire doing a very special rendition of "Wake Up."
now playing: Lucinda Williams - Mama You Sweet
Labels: contest winners, show announcements
