Tuesday, January 05, 2010
we run the gauntlet/let's get to france/so we can french kiss some french girls
In case you missed it: Japandroids performing "Wet Hair" on Jimmy Fallon
now playing: Japandroids - I Quit Girls
Monday, November 23, 2009
it's raining in vancouver...
Contest: Japandroids Ticket and Album Giveaway
Everyone knows how much I love Japandroids, so I'm pretty psyched about this contest and you should be too, because the prize is awesome. Brian and Dave are back in town to play the Biltmore on December 2nd to close out the latest leg of their never ending tour in support of Post-Nothing, the always fabulous Basketball are opening, and their label, Polyvinyl has graciously offered up two prizes for two lucky winners.
One person gets a pair of tickets to the show and Post-Nothing on CD and vinyl. And one runner up gets the album on CD and vinyl. Sweet deal, right?
If you want to win, just send me an email with the subject line "Japandroids Contest" to quinn.omori [at] gmail.com before noon on Sunday, November 29th and I'll pick two winners at random.
now playing: the Undertones - Girls Don't Like It
Friday, June 26, 2009
arthritis sux
Real quick update from my first night at Sled Island:
After grabbing some rather splendid BBQ, we made it to the Legion to catch Japanther. I guess I haven't really paid attention to their lyrics before, because I was sort of taken aback by how "positive" they were for a band with such a loud, fuzzy sound. I have to say that I was most impressed by their set closing cover of "Do You Wanna Dance."
Vancouver's current favourite sons, Japandroids were up next. The guys were in top form and it was sort of awesome to see an out of town crowd get so into them. As far as the internet tells me, it, indeed, is raining in Vancouver, and as of now, I don't give a fuck. Don't hold it against me, huh?
We split from the Legion and hit the Drum & Monkey to catch the Coathangers. I wasn't expecting a whole lot, having not heard them before, but it was definitely a pleasant surprise. If you're around Vancouver on Sunday, check them out with the always wonderful White Lung at the Astoria.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
beat up, beat down, wet ground, but too drunk to feel it
During the last two nights of Music Waste there weren't many surprises on my itinerary, so I think I'll just let the photos do the talking, other than saying that while I obviously enjoy Japandroids live, they were even better in front of a crowd that knew their songs.
now playing: Guided by Voices - My Kind of Soldier
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
the boys are leaving town
I made it out to the Media Club last night to catch White Denim. Their debut's a nice blend of soulful garage rock and parts of a bunch of other things, but it sounded a little flat, which is the exact opposite of what they sounded like live. Last night they were raw, energetic, and really loud.
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Japandroids played their last show in Vancouver until near the end of May. They're on tour on and off for the foreseeable future, so tell your out of town friends.
On Saturday, I was at the Biltmore early for AIDS Wolf show. The show was rather sparsely attended, which was a bummer, since they were their usually great selves.
Because of the lack of an audience, all the bands got pushed back a bit, so Shearing Pinx played on the floor to let AIDS Wolf set up on the stage behind them at the same time. Having the amps out on the floor made them even louder than usual, which sounded great at times, but also got close to uncomfortable at certain points. Teaches me not to pack around my ear plugs.
Twin Crystals started off the evening. Because the start got pushed back, they had their set time shortened. It didn't hamper their performance though. The guys just ripped through 20-minutes without letting up. Great stuff as usual.
I stuck around after to check out Modern Creatures at Glory Days, which turned out to be a great move. I was pretty fond of the band to begin with, but they really killed it on Saturday with a set that might have been the highlight of a pretty great evening of music.
Discorder's throwing a show at the Astoria on May 6th with Nu Sensae, Petroleum By-Products, and gr8-2000.
Clues return to Vancouver on May 30th. They'll play the Biltmore.
Crystal Castles are at the Commodore on June 4th.
Jens Lekman is at Richard's on June 7th.
The Von Bondies are at Richard's the next night. The Racoons open.
Telepathe is at the Biltmore on June 9th.
now playing: Wilco - A Shot in the Arm
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
.00001 (repeating)
Thanks to everyone who came out to the Biltmore on Sunday. There was significantly less swapping going on compared to last time, although what was there was great and the bands were awesome.
Anyone who reads this blog with any regularity knows that Japandroids are one of my favourite bands to come out of Vancouver. This was their last show before they head back East for some dates in Toronto next month, and while 5pm isn't really an ideal rock 'n' roll time, they were great as usual. After TO, they're back for one show and then touring around N. America in support of their forthcoming LP, Post-Nothing, so tell your out of town friends to get familiar.
Sunday was my second time seeing Adjective in 24 hours, the first being their EP release show (more on that later). I was pretty luke warm on them the very first time I saw them (a couple of years ago), but they've sounded better and better each successive time (to the point where I was thrilled when they said they'd play this). Their new EP, I'm Sorry for Your Loss, is pretty great, and more importantly, it hints at better things to come in the future. They're also going on tour (albeit in the Summer), so once again, tell your out of town friends.
This was actually my first time seeing DRMHLLR, though I'd heard good things from a few people before last weekend. As with most bands I see for the first time, I wouldn't mind giving them another shot before forming an opinion, but they sounded pretty good. I'm a sucker for the instrumental quiet/loud/quiet/louder formula and they do it well.
Terror Bird are always great (and I finally picked up their 7"). And while they won't be on tour soon, Twin Crystals (Jeremiah's other gig) and Nu Sensae (Daniel's) will be... also, check out the rad glam rock threads that Daniel played in.
As mentioned, the night before, I caught Adjective at their EP release show at the Media Club. I already talked about Adjective, so I'll just add that they closed with a fun and sloppy cover of "Baba O'Riley" (my only complaint was not enough guitar windmills or mic twirls).
I got their in time to catch the aforementioned Twin Crystals. The "best band in the city" tag sort of changes from time to time in my mind, but every time I see them, these guys sure make a case for themselves.
March 14th marks the start of a new night (at Funky Winkerbean's of all places) called No More Strangers. Cairo plays the first night and a couple of the guys from WinnieCooper.net spin regularly. It goes down every second Saturday.
On March 16th, Los Malos, Mexican Drug Patrol, and Zombie Pistolero & His Guns play Skinny Mondays at the Biltmore.
Vision Quest goes down at Video-In on March 19th. It features a bunch of video shorts as well as a live performance by Haunted Beard (gr8-2000 and Ben Jacques) who will back Jess from DNGROUS ADDRESS (who, for disclosure purposes, is my girlfriend--but I still don't know why they spell it like that). Videos start at 8pm and it's free.
Azeda Booth are at the Biltmore on March 30th with No Gold and Search Parties.
Ahna plays a tour benefit at Honey with Robe & Allied, Nihilist Party, and Solars on April 2nd.
Los Campesinos are at Richard's on April 11th.
Intelligence is at the Biltmore on April 13th with Sex Church and Gang Violence.
The Stones Throw tour is at the Biltmore on April 27th.
Vivian Girls are at the Biltmore on April 29th with Abe Vigoda.
The Virgins are at the Biltmore on May 15th.
The next night, the Twee Death guys are bringing Mt. Eerie to St. James Hall.
And Rose Melberg is opening the Marissa Nadler show.
now playing: Spiritualized - the Straight and Narrow
Monday, February 09, 2009
rockers east vancouver
Despite the fact that they haven't played a show in awhile, there wasn't any rust to shake off, and in a fitting move for the venue, the setlist was dominated by their louder stuff.
I got there just in time to catch Tight Solid (I fell asleep on my couch after the hockey game and missed White Owl and Terror Bird). Tight Solid is Ryan Walter Wagner and Burnside (ex-Treacherous Machete) doing a 2-piece drums and guitar thing. Although, unlikes Treacherous Machete, they aren't leaning as hard on the blues as a base for things.
Overall, I came away with a good first impression, but also felt like they could use another player to fill out the sound a little. Coincidentally, they're looking for someone to lend a hand on bass/keys.
Tomorrow (the 10th, in case you're reading this tomorrow), Box Elders and B-Lines are at Little Moutain Studios.
Wednesday, the Racoons play the Biltmore with Maurice and Streetlight.
On Valentine's, the Sound of Love make a timely visit from Edmonton, when they drop in at the Peanut Gallery. Candles and the Jonny Swenson Effort support.
The Railway hosts Rock for Insite 2 on February 15th. There are about a dozen bands playing, so check the Crackbook event page for the full line up.
On February 26th, This Frontier Needs Heroes play Little Mountain Studios with Joel Battle and the Sappers. Partial proceeds from night support Witness.
The next night, Geoff Berner is at the Biltmore to celebrate the release of his latest CD, Klezmer Mongrels. the Whip of the UFO and Joey Only support.
Ladyhawk and Adelaide help Antisocial celebrate it's 7th Anniversary (and I guess their move down the block too) at Glory Days on March 7th.
now playing: the Replacements - Here Comes a Regular
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
run to your grave
During the time when I'm not updating this blog, I still go to shows once in awhile. Shocking, I know.
That was taken way back on Thursday when the Mae Shi played the Biltmore. In all honesty, I can only handle them in small doses when it comes to the recorded product (like really energetic small dogs), but they were pretty killer live.
I could see Shearing Pinx, who opened, a million times and be happy. I don't think I need to expound on that in writing every time I see them though. I guess I sort of just did.
We were a bit late and missed Certain Breeds and I also bailed before Sex Party, who played last for some reason. It was a weeknight, I was tired, and I imagine I'll be able to catch them sometime soon.
Nick from No Kids dropped me a line about a project he's doing with Juana Molina for the PuSh festival. The short form musical features members of Ladyhawk, the Awkward Stage, and of course, No Kids, among other Vancouver musicians and goes down on Thursday and Friday of this week at Performance Works at Granville Island. Juana Molina will play afterwards on both nights and on Thursday there will also be a performance by Parenthetical Girls.
On Saturday at the Biltmore, Jaws has been added to the Glory Days bill (filling in the now vacant White Lung spot)
On February 12th, Stamina Mantis, Japanese Graffiti, Nihilist Party, and Anju are at Honey.
Really, is there a venue more romantic than Funky Winker Bean's? Well, on Valentine's day, Type to Talk and Keytar Warrior play there.
Also on Valentine's is an interesting event taking place at various ATM rooms around the city. There are lots of people playing and I'm lazy, so here is all the info on a nice flyer:
My friend Darren astutely notes that the three banks in question are right near the Community Policing Station on Hastings... so we'll see how it goes.
Villains are at Republic on the 19th.
On February 20th, Portico celebrate their album release with the Abramson Singers at the End Cafe.
Pierced Arrows (featuring members of Dead Moon) play the Railway on February 21st with Thee Manipulators and the Vicious Cycles.
Also on the 21st, Tjvek, Unnatural Helpers, Vapid, and Sex Church are at the Peanut Gallery.
On March 5th, Clues play the Biltmore with Animal Names.
Chain and the Gang (featuring Ian Svenonious) and Hive Dwellers (Calvin Johnson) are at the Sweatshop on May 30th.
And, the new Japandroids record is out on April 28th in digital formats and on vinyl (which comes with the download).
now playing: the Hold Steady - Girls Like Status
Friday, January 09, 2009
i don't wanna worry about dying
Fuck yeah, guys!
If you're interested, the demo versions of the songs from their forthcoming full length (out on Unfamiliar in the Spring) are up on their Facebook page.
now playing: Japandroids - Young Hearts Spark Fire
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.
Monday, September 22, 2008
calm down
On Friday, I made it out to the Biltmore for the last Mohawk Lodge show in Vancouver for awhile (Ryder's moving to TO). The current incarnation of the band were also playing for the last time, but there was celebratory mood in the air for what turned out to be a great set. I hope you'll join me in wishing Ryder all the best out East.
Poorfolk opened up. Their music seems indebted to a lot of the same things that the Mohawk Lodge's is, which wasn't the worst thing that could have happened. They did a rad cover of Guided By Voices' "Motor Away."
Those Japandroids guys opened up. They played a pretty good chunk of their new record, which should be out "soon."
Bob Dylan is at GM Place on October 24th. The cheapest seats are $45 and apparently the balcony is closed... not too bad, considering. Tix go on sale this Friday.
This Friday at the Western Front Fake Jazz Wednesdays presents Fake Jazz Friday.
Bird Costumes are at the Secret Space (down the alley from the Emergency Room) on October 3rd with Nu Sensae, Aja Rose Bond, and Mom Jeans.
The Astoria renovations are taking a little longer than expected, so Better than Nothing is at the Sweatshop on Saturday.
now playing: Sian Alice Group - Kirilov
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
black rice
Since it's already the middle of the week, here's a ultra quick recap of the last few little while...
On Saturday, I caught No Gold and Japandroids at the Cobalt. The crusty punks weren't feeling No Gold, and let it be known. Tip to hecklers: at least be funny. The band weren't phased by it, and were their usually great selves.
Japandroids were a little loose sounding. I think Brian was pretty drunk. The songs still sounded great though, and the libations produced a great response to the more hostile elements in the crowd: "Oh, you wanna hear a punk rock song? Well, too bad, this is a metal song asshole."
I bailed before DD/MM/YYYY
Earlier in on Saturday, I caught Women, who I'd been looking forward to seeing since I got their album about a month ago. Hopefully, you managed to check them out at one of the two shows they played, because, despite rather short set times, they were awesome. At time they were poppy and melodic and at other times they were noisy and experimental, but they were tight as hell throughout. They used to be a metal band called Veritas. And while the music is more than a few steps removed now, the guys still have serious chops.
On Monday, I caught the songwriter's showcase that Leah Abramson organized at the Rail. The crowd was a bit sparse, but they were also ultra attentive, and for this type of thing, having a smaller crowd that's paying attention is loads better than a packed room full of side chatter and clinking glasses anyhow.
The whole thing was pretty great, but there were some highlights. Leah is one of my favourite songwriters, so she was up there on that list. But, it was - and I'm not sure how it could possibly be - my first time seeing Marc from Octoberman playing (solo or otherwise). Better late than never, but I definitely should have gone out of my way to see him before this week.
The big surprise for me was Jesse Matheson, who was hilarious (on purpose). The songs on his MySpace really don't come close to how entertaining he was live.
I'll be in Calgary this weekend for Sled Island, but there's a ton of stuff going on:
On Friday...
White Lung is at Pub 340 on for 1/2 Alive.
Crookers are at the Plaza with Paul Devro and Expendable Youth.
And the SSRIs are at Hoko's with ABCDEFG, Boogie Monster, and gr8-2000.
Looking ahead, Lil Wayne is at Plush on July 6th.
Nicole Atkins is at the Plaza on July 27th.
Black Francis is at the Media Club on August 6th.
Mirah is at the Biltmore for an early show on August 23rd.
Sondre Lerche is at St. James Hall on August 30th for an all-ager.
Cold War Kids are at Richard's on September 28th.
Silver Jews are at Richard's on October 1st with Monotonix.
Hayden is now at the Vogue on October 11th.
And Mehdi is at the Bourbon on October 2nd.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
darkness on the edge of gastown
I hope you'll excuse my recapping the last night of Music Waste two days late, but I had to finish up some other writing and also recover from five nights of running around, fueled on beer and sketchy eats.
Words about Sunday will be short and sweet, since I mostly caught bands that I've praised here many a time.
Japandroids were the first and only thing that brought me out to the Astoria during Music Waste (though I wanted to check out Mohawk Lodge before Crystal Castles got pushed back). They threw in a few new songs that I imagine will be on the LP they're recording next week(!) and also played on the floor for some reason. They were also loud. Really loud.
After Japandroids finished up, I bussed up to 340 for Modern Creatures. In case you were wondering, they're still pretty awesome.
Mutators had the honour of closing out Music Waste (the official part, anyhow). I think I flip flop every week, but for now, I'm going to go ahead and proclaim them my favourite live band in Vancouver (although Bison, JPNDRDS, the Clips, and Twin Crystals are up there).
Thanks to the dude who found my glasses on the ground after I got elbowed in the face during their set.
Annnnnnd...
A huge thanks to Cam and Sarah for once again organizing one my favourite local events of the year.
Speaking of Japandroids, they're at Pub 340 on August 13th with Casy & Brian and Twin Crystals. They play with Twin Crystals again on August 23rd at the Cobalt. Shearing Pinx and Adjective round out the bill.
Speaking of Modern Creatures, they're at 340 on June 30th with Meth Teeth.
Bad Moves (who share a member with, but don't sound much like Gang Violence) are at the Astoria on June 21st for CD release show with Dylan Thomas, Your Vancouver Vipers, and Animal Names.
now playing: Cat Power - Say
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
til i felt the floor
Here is a quick and dirty weekend update in two parts:
1) You know how you can get Unibroue products in six packs at private liquor stores now? Well, you can. You know how they're all at least 8% (except for Ephemere, which is sort of gross anyhow)? Well, they are.
Well don't drink most of one of those and then a bunch of other beer when you get to the Cobalt, or you will find yourself leaving before Taxes plays. Japandroids, Basketball, and Baby Control were all pretty awesome though. It was my first time seeing the latter, despite many half-hearted attempts. Worth the wait.
2) On Saturday, I missed Edgefest at Hoko's, the Vancouver Festival of Noise at Video In... I mean "VIVO"... and Modern Creatures w/Culte du Cargo because I had Black Mountain tickets.
It was my grandmother's birthday, so I didn't make it into the Commodore until Ladyhawk had already started. I want to say it's the first time that I've seen them since I got my hands on Shots, but that might be a lie. Regardless, while I'll take Ladyhawk on a bad day over most anybody, they really were something else on the big stage in the Ballroom.
The headliners weren't to be outdone though. Last time I saw Black Mountain, it got a little too drawn out at times for my taste. And while the band stretched things out here and there, the jammy bits were mostly a chance for McBean to demonstrate some killer riffage. Plus, the one time that the proceedings started to border on meandering (a organ playing chords while Amber sort of wailed over top for about 15 minutes), it was a good chance to head to the washroom (they don't fuck around with lengthy encore breaks, that's for sure). Oh, and "Don't Run Our Hearts Around" cemented itself as one of my favourite live songs ever.
The Cons are at Richard's on June 26th. Their newie hits stores next week, and while my jury is still deliberating their final verdict, stylistically it's a pretty good mix of all three of their previous albums and that ain't bad at all. I'd be bummed that I'll in Calgary when they're here... except I'll be in Calgary to see Wire.
And you can break the bank for Feist at Deer Lake on August 5th. You can buy an iPod (shuffle) for the price of a pair of tix... although the Shuffle will probably last the same length as the show. (thanks to Chris for the last two)
Dead Meadow are at Richard's on May 18th.
Oasis and Ryan Adams headline the "50% Chance of Unexplained Cancellation Tour 2008" at the Garage on August 27th. (thanks Matt)
Oh, and I'll do hyperlinks when I'm not in a rush and/or procrastinating from writing other stuff, like now.
Double-oh, if you're willing to stay up until obscenely late, apparently Radiohead tix for the entire second leg go on-sale via WASTE at sometime around 3am tonight. fun. If I stay up all night, they better be doing that "headzone" thing again.
now playing: Constantines - Time Can Be Overcome
Monday, February 18, 2008
missing the plan
I don't have to go to work today, but for some reason I only slept in for an hour, so why I don't I talk about a show I should've recapped a few days ago...
There was a ton of stuff going on Friday night, but, as expected for anyone who knows me, I was at the Biltmore for the first part of the night.
At this point, I don't really know what else to say about the Clips or JPNDRDS that I haven't said already. Last year they put out two of my favourite records (and JPNDRDS already put out one of my favourite this year), and even though I've seen both bands play more than almost any other band in the last 12 months, they're still both live favourites.
Only downside of the evening? I had to bail early to catch some friends' birthdays at the Astoria, so I missed Fake Shark-Real Zombie. I bet they slayed (as usual) though.
Cut Copy are at Richard's on April 29th. I'll be completely honest though, I'm more excited to see if Black Kids can live up to both the hype and how fantastic their first four (released) songs are.
Cat Power is at the Vogue for an all-ager on April 10th. Here's to there being shows at the Vogue again. There's not enough all-ages venues in this city, and there's certainly nothing comparable to that size that doesn't sound like shit. Sonic Youth there a few years back is still one of the best things I've ever seen. (thank to everyone who emailed/commented on this one)
Eddie Vedder is performing solo at the Centre for the Performing Arts on April 2nd.
Wolf Eyes is going to destroy Pat's on June 11th.
Chromeo is at the Commodore now. Same day though.
Minus the Bear are at Richard's on March 24th.
Lo Fi Fnk are at the Bourbon on March 6th.
Tokyo Police Club are at the Plaza on May 16th.
Gary Louris (of the still on seemingly indefinite hiatus, Jayhawks) is at Richard's on March 17th. Vetiver open.
The Von Bondies are at Richard's on April 25th.
C'mon are at Pub 340 on March 29th. I've only streamed a few of their songs off of MySpace, but my general rule of thumb is that if it involved Ian Blurton, there's a pretty good chance of it being good.
Plants and Animals are at the media Club on March24th. No Gold opens.
No Gold also plays the Media Club on March 7th with Secret Mommy and Basketball.
And last, but certainly not least, the SSRIs, Russian Words, Hymn for Her, and Emmett Hall (who I presume is not the late, great who helped found medicare) are at Little Mountain Studios on March 7th.
now playing: Maximum Joy - Stretch (99 Records Version)
Friday, February 15, 2008
tell her to come pick me up. tell her i'm downtown.
Promo Pile: Vol. 7
JPNDRDS - Lullaby Death Jams
This record really deserves a proper review, but I talk about Japandroids so much, if you aren't already convinced that you should pick this up, I'm certainly not going to be the person who changes your mind.
Simply put, I thought their first EP was one of the best things I heard all of last year, and this one is about twice as good: the recording is better, the songwriting is sharper, and Brian and Dave sound tighter.
They're playing tonight at the Biltmore with two of the other best local live bands (Fake Shark Real Zombie and the Clips), and they'll have copies for $5. So come get one. Or if you're busy, go buy one at Zulu or Red Cat so they can afford to put out the long-player that they're writing.
If you're looking for a sample, you can still get "Darkness on the Edge of Gastown" (along with a bunch of other great music) in the mix for Insite that the guys were cordial enough to donate their music to.
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, November 21, 2007
rat face
If you haven't had a chance to see them, they're (roughly) the same age Be Your Own Pet, dress like the Polysics, and sound like the B-52s, and that ain't half bad. In fact, it's quite good.
They play Library Square (for Casbah!) with Culte du Cargo (whose record is sitting perpetually on top of my growing "must listen to" stack of CDs) and Stolen Bicycles Gang on November 30th and at Unicorn on December 14th with Hallmark and Ladies Night. I don't know the actual order for either of those shows... so just show up on time for once.
Japandroids played what was apparently the "latest set ever" at Shindig, which unfortunately resulted in half the room being cleared by the time they played. They're still one of the - or perhaps the - local act(s) that I most enjoy live, but there was a drunk girl in front of stage who was having a better time than anybody... maybe ever. They closed with a cover of my favourite Wire song.
Today a coworker of mine noted that he "enjoyed that middle band (Treacherous Machete) more this time, because that guy (Burnside) wasn't drunk - or so drunk, anyway." I suppose I would agree. Although, drunk or sober, the duo are more entertaining than when the same people say/write the same "Blues Hammer" joke about six times. I mean, don't get me wrong, I dig Ghostworld too, but at least throw in another racist joke or something (just kidding. I love you, Only).
Liam from No Gold was kind enough to email to let me know that they're playing Pat's on November 30th with Colorbook, Basketball (formerly Raking Bombs), who are playing their first show in ages, and International Falls (whose CD I also need to give some proper spins to). I'm moving the next morning, but I'm still going to try to check this out after Cadence Weapon.
I finally picked up a copy of the Mutators 7" that's out on the Broadway to Boundary (the fine gentleman who also brought you the Hot Loins 7"). If you've ever seen them play, then hearing me tell you that it slays will come as no surprise. Expect a "proper" (you know, as in, I expand that previous sentence with a bunch of descriptors and unrelated anecdotes you didn't need to know) review on Streethawk soon-ish (there's a White Lung one up right now - surprise: also slays). Each side of the 45 ends on a locked groove so the blissful noise goes forever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and yougetthepoint.
In case you forgot, they're playing on Saturday with AIDS Wolf and Shearing Pinx for an early show at the ER.
Twin Crystals are playing Fake Jazz tonight at the Cobalt, which is where I'm going right now...
now playing: Nurse & Solider - Satellightning (thanks Luke!)
Saturday, August 11, 2007
we've got more songs than a song convention
My friend Luke took those photos of Japandroids, who played at Casa del Artista last night.
I'm of the opinion that they're one of the best new bands to come out of Vancouver in quite awhile, and their set last night didn't do anything to change that opinion. Like Fake Shark Real Zombie (one of my other local favourites), they seem to perform every show like they're trying to reach you in the rafters of a very large venue, instead of the relatively tiny rooms that they usually rock. And like Fake Shark, it doesn't seem contrived or cliche when they're doing it.
Aerosol Constellations opened the show. They made incredibly soothing music - so much so, that I didn't really realize they had started playing until about 5 minutes into their set. The words "atmospheric" and "textural" should really be synonyms for "suck," but this didn't suck, and those seem like fitting adjectives.
I saw the Barcelona Chair for the first time awhile ago and remember being turned off because they were way too loud for Hoko's. Plus, I had missed the boat on ear plugs. Last night the volume level was far more appropriate, and my level of enjoyment went up immensely. They've got a two-piece Godspeed thing going on.
Apologies to the Cape May, but I spent most of their set sitting around outside, so I'll reserve judging the 3 minutes of their set that I saw.
The Fiery Furnaces are at Richard's on October 15th. I'm more excited for this than anything else that's been announced this summer.
The Shout Out Louds are at Richard's on October 12th. Johnossi and Nico Vega open.
The Awkward Stage is at the Media Club with Spiral Beach on August 18th.
Josh Rouse is at the Plaza on September 24th with Jason Collett.
now playing: Mclusky - To Hell With Good Intentions
Saturday, July 21, 2007
we used to always sleep at night
The guys from Japandroids weren't all that impressed with their own performance at Hoko's last night. On one hand I can see why. There were some flubbed notes and false starts, they were rushed for time, and the short set seemed to put a bit of a damper on their mood. On the other hand, if you want to listen to music without mistakes you can stay home and play records, the time constraints meant they just cranked out song after song for a half hour without letting up, and a little bit of attitude - especially if it's from guys who aren't actually assholes - can go a long way.
My first reaction was to compare them to Death from Above, but I think that's just me being lazy. They're both two piece bands that make more noise than a two piece should be able to, but the similarities start to end there. Japandroids are guitar/drums, not bass/drums. They have complimentary vocals going. And they swap out DFA1979's dance grooves for some shoe-gazey, wall of sound action.
I was pretty into the songs they were streaming on MySpace, but their live show - and by their own admission a crappy one at that - was one of the best things I've seen from a new band (at least new to me) in ages. Check them out at Casa del Artista on the 10th of next month and pick up their EP, All Lies, at a show or at Zulu.
now playing: Japandroids - To Hell With Good Intentions (McLusky Cover)
we run the gauntlet/let's get to france/so we can french kiss some french girls
In case you missed it: Japandroids performing "Wet Hair" on Jimmy Fallon
now playing: Japandroids - I Quit Girls
Labels: japandroids
Monday, November 23, 2009
it's raining in vancouver...
Contest: Japandroids Ticket and Album Giveaway
Everyone knows how much I love Japandroids, so I'm pretty psyched about this contest and you should be too, because the prize is awesome. Brian and Dave are back in town to play the Biltmore on December 2nd to close out the latest leg of their never ending tour in support of Post-Nothing, the always fabulous Basketball are opening, and their label, Polyvinyl has graciously offered up two prizes for two lucky winners.
One person gets a pair of tickets to the show and Post-Nothing on CD and vinyl. And one runner up gets the album on CD and vinyl. Sweet deal, right?
If you want to win, just send me an email with the subject line "Japandroids Contest" to quinn.omori [at] gmail.com before noon on Sunday, November 29th and I'll pick two winners at random.
now playing: the Undertones - Girls Don't Like It
Labels: contests, japandroids
Friday, June 26, 2009
arthritis sux
So does 10-hour drive induced back pain, but I digress...
Real quick update from my first night at Sled Island:
After grabbing some rather splendid BBQ, we made it to the Legion to catch Japanther. I guess I haven't really paid attention to their lyrics before, because I was sort of taken aback by how "positive" they were for a band with such a loud, fuzzy sound. I have to say that I was most impressed by their set closing cover of "Do You Wanna Dance."
Vancouver's current favourite sons, Japandroids were up next. The guys were in top form and it was sort of awesome to see an out of town crowd get so into them. As far as the internet tells me, it, indeed, is raining in Vancouver, and as of now, I don't give a fuck. Don't hold it against me, huh?
We split from the Legion and hit the Drum & Monkey to catch the Coathangers. I wasn't expecting a whole lot, having not heard them before, but it was definitely a pleasant surprise. If you're around Vancouver on Sunday, check them out with the always wonderful White Lung at the Astoria.
Labels: coathangers, japandroids, japanther, show recaps, sled island
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
beat up, beat down, wet ground, but too drunk to feel it
During the last two nights of Music Waste there weren't many surprises on my itinerary, so I think I'll just let the photos do the talking, other than saying that while I obviously enjoy Japandroids live, they were even better in front of a crowd that knew their songs.
now playing: Guided by Voices - My Kind of Soldier
Labels: japandroids, lazy show recaps, music waste
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
the boys are leaving town
Here's a super fast recap of the last little while:
I made it out to the Media Club last night to catch White Denim. Their debut's a nice blend of soulful garage rock and parts of a bunch of other things, but it sounded a little flat, which is the exact opposite of what they sounded like live. Last night they were raw, energetic, and really loud.
]Japandroids played their last show in Vancouver until near the end of May. They're on tour on and off for the foreseeable future, so tell your out of town friends.
On Saturday, I was at the Biltmore early for AIDS Wolf show. The show was rather sparsely attended, which was a bummer, since they were their usually great selves.
Because of the lack of an audience, all the bands got pushed back a bit, so Shearing Pinx played on the floor to let AIDS Wolf set up on the stage behind them at the same time. Having the amps out on the floor made them even louder than usual, which sounded great at times, but also got close to uncomfortable at certain points. Teaches me not to pack around my ear plugs.
Twin Crystals started off the evening. Because the start got pushed back, they had their set time shortened. It didn't hamper their performance though. The guys just ripped through 20-minutes without letting up. Great stuff as usual.
I stuck around after to check out Modern Creatures at Glory Days, which turned out to be a great move. I was pretty fond of the band to begin with, but they really killed it on Saturday with a set that might have been the highlight of a pretty great evening of music.
Discorder's throwing a show at the Astoria on May 6th with Nu Sensae, Petroleum By-Products, and gr8-2000.
Clues return to Vancouver on May 30th. They'll play the Biltmore.
Crystal Castles are at the Commodore on June 4th.
Jens Lekman is at Richard's on June 7th.
The Von Bondies are at Richard's the next night. The Racoons open.
Telepathe is at the Biltmore on June 9th.
now playing: Wilco - A Shot in the Arm
Labels: aids wolf, japandroids, modern creatures, shearing pinx, show announcements, show recaps, twin crystals, white denim
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
.00001 (repeating)
Thanks to everyone who came out to the Biltmore on Sunday. There was significantly less swapping going on compared to last time, although what was there was great and the bands were awesome.
Anyone who reads this blog with any regularity knows that Japandroids are one of my favourite bands to come out of Vancouver. This was their last show before they head back East for some dates in Toronto next month, and while 5pm isn't really an ideal rock 'n' roll time, they were great as usual. After TO, they're back for one show and then touring around N. America in support of their forthcoming LP, Post-Nothing, so tell your out of town friends to get familiar.
Sunday was my second time seeing Adjective in 24 hours, the first being their EP release show (more on that later). I was pretty luke warm on them the very first time I saw them (a couple of years ago), but they've sounded better and better each successive time (to the point where I was thrilled when they said they'd play this). Their new EP, I'm Sorry for Your Loss, is pretty great, and more importantly, it hints at better things to come in the future. They're also going on tour (albeit in the Summer), so once again, tell your out of town friends.
This was actually my first time seeing DRMHLLR, though I'd heard good things from a few people before last weekend. As with most bands I see for the first time, I wouldn't mind giving them another shot before forming an opinion, but they sounded pretty good. I'm a sucker for the instrumental quiet/loud/quiet/louder formula and they do it well.
Terror Bird are always great (and I finally picked up their 7"). And while they won't be on tour soon, Twin Crystals (Jeremiah's other gig) and Nu Sensae (Daniel's) will be... also, check out the rad glam rock threads that Daniel played in.
As mentioned, the night before, I caught Adjective at their EP release show at the Media Club. I already talked about Adjective, so I'll just add that they closed with a fun and sloppy cover of "Baba O'Riley" (my only complaint was not enough guitar windmills or mic twirls).
I got their in time to catch the aforementioned Twin Crystals. The "best band in the city" tag sort of changes from time to time in my mind, but every time I see them, these guys sure make a case for themselves.
March 14th marks the start of a new night (at Funky Winkerbean's of all places) called No More Strangers. Cairo plays the first night and a couple of the guys from WinnieCooper.net spin regularly. It goes down every second Saturday.
On March 16th, Los Malos, Mexican Drug Patrol, and Zombie Pistolero & His Guns play Skinny Mondays at the Biltmore.
Vision Quest goes down at Video-In on March 19th. It features a bunch of video shorts as well as a live performance by Haunted Beard (gr8-2000 and Ben Jacques) who will back Jess from DNGROUS ADDRESS (who, for disclosure purposes, is my girlfriend--but I still don't know why they spell it like that). Videos start at 8pm and it's free.
Azeda Booth are at the Biltmore on March 30th with No Gold and Search Parties.
Ahna plays a tour benefit at Honey with Robe & Allied, Nihilist Party, and Solars on April 2nd.
Los Campesinos are at Richard's on April 11th.
Intelligence is at the Biltmore on April 13th with Sex Church and Gang Violence.
The Stones Throw tour is at the Biltmore on April 27th.
Vivian Girls are at the Biltmore on April 29th with Abe Vigoda.
The Virgins are at the Biltmore on May 15th.
The next night, the Twee Death guys are bringing Mt. Eerie to St. James Hall.
And Rose Melberg is opening the Marissa Nadler show.
now playing: Spiritualized - the Straight and Narrow
Labels: adjective, drmhllr, japandroids, show announcements, show recaps, terrorbird, twin crystals
Monday, February 09, 2009
rockers east vancouver
I don't know if Japandroids got a popularity bump from PFork or not, but the Cobalt was pretty packed on Saturday with a crowd that was a bit more "diverse" looking than usual.
Despite the fact that they haven't played a show in awhile, there wasn't any rust to shake off, and in a fitting move for the venue, the setlist was dominated by their louder stuff.
I got there just in time to catch Tight Solid (I fell asleep on my couch after the hockey game and missed White Owl and Terror Bird). Tight Solid is Ryan Walter Wagner and Burnside (ex-Treacherous Machete) doing a 2-piece drums and guitar thing. Although, unlikes Treacherous Machete, they aren't leaning as hard on the blues as a base for things.
Overall, I came away with a good first impression, but also felt like they could use another player to fill out the sound a little. Coincidentally, they're looking for someone to lend a hand on bass/keys.
Tomorrow (the 10th, in case you're reading this tomorrow), Box Elders and B-Lines are at Little Moutain Studios.
Wednesday, the Racoons play the Biltmore with Maurice and Streetlight.
On Valentine's, the Sound of Love make a timely visit from Edmonton, when they drop in at the Peanut Gallery. Candles and the Jonny Swenson Effort support.
The Railway hosts Rock for Insite 2 on February 15th. There are about a dozen bands playing, so check the Crackbook event page for the full line up.
On February 26th, This Frontier Needs Heroes play Little Mountain Studios with Joel Battle and the Sappers. Partial proceeds from night support Witness.
The next night, Geoff Berner is at the Biltmore to celebrate the release of his latest CD, Klezmer Mongrels. the Whip of the UFO and Joey Only support.
Ladyhawk and Adelaide help Antisocial celebrate it's 7th Anniversary (and I guess their move down the block too) at Glory Days on March 7th.
now playing: the Replacements - Here Comes a Regular
Labels: japandroids, show announcements, show recaps, tight solid
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
run to your grave
During the time when I'm not updating this blog, I still go to shows once in awhile. Shocking, I know.
That was taken way back on Thursday when the Mae Shi played the Biltmore. In all honesty, I can only handle them in small doses when it comes to the recorded product (like really energetic small dogs), but they were pretty killer live.
I could see Shearing Pinx, who opened, a million times and be happy. I don't think I need to expound on that in writing every time I see them though. I guess I sort of just did.
We were a bit late and missed Certain Breeds and I also bailed before Sex Party, who played last for some reason. It was a weeknight, I was tired, and I imagine I'll be able to catch them sometime soon.
Nick from No Kids dropped me a line about a project he's doing with Juana Molina for the PuSh festival. The short form musical features members of Ladyhawk, the Awkward Stage, and of course, No Kids, among other Vancouver musicians and goes down on Thursday and Friday of this week at Performance Works at Granville Island. Juana Molina will play afterwards on both nights and on Thursday there will also be a performance by Parenthetical Girls.
On Saturday at the Biltmore, Jaws has been added to the Glory Days bill (filling in the now vacant White Lung spot)
On February 12th, Stamina Mantis, Japanese Graffiti, Nihilist Party, and Anju are at Honey.
Really, is there a venue more romantic than Funky Winker Bean's? Well, on Valentine's day, Type to Talk and Keytar Warrior play there.
Also on Valentine's is an interesting event taking place at various ATM rooms around the city. There are lots of people playing and I'm lazy, so here is all the info on a nice flyer:
My friend Darren astutely notes that the three banks in question are right near the Community Policing Station on Hastings... so we'll see how it goes.
Villains are at Republic on the 19th.
On February 20th, Portico celebrate their album release with the Abramson Singers at the End Cafe.
Pierced Arrows (featuring members of Dead Moon) play the Railway on February 21st with Thee Manipulators and the Vicious Cycles.
Also on the 21st, Tjvek, Unnatural Helpers, Vapid, and Sex Church are at the Peanut Gallery.
On March 5th, Clues play the Biltmore with Animal Names.
Chain and the Gang (featuring Ian Svenonious) and Hive Dwellers (Calvin Johnson) are at the Sweatshop on May 30th.
And, the new Japandroids record is out on April 28th in digital formats and on vinyl (which comes with the download).
now playing: the Hold Steady - Girls Like Status
Labels: japandroids, mae shi, shearing pinx, show announcements, show recaps
Friday, January 09, 2009
i don't wanna worry about dying
Pitchfork's On Repeat: Japandroids - "Young Hearts Spark Fire"
Fuck yeah, guys!
If you're interested, the demo versions of the songs from their forthcoming full length (out on Unfamiliar in the Spring) are up on their Facebook page.
now playing: Japandroids - Young Hearts Spark Fire
Labels: japandroids
Friday, September 26, 2008
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
Monday, September 22, 2008
calm down
On Friday, I made it out to the Biltmore for the last Mohawk Lodge show in Vancouver for awhile (Ryder's moving to TO). The current incarnation of the band were also playing for the last time, but there was celebratory mood in the air for what turned out to be a great set. I hope you'll join me in wishing Ryder all the best out East.
Poorfolk opened up. Their music seems indebted to a lot of the same things that the Mohawk Lodge's is, which wasn't the worst thing that could have happened. They did a rad cover of Guided By Voices' "Motor Away."
Those Japandroids guys opened up. They played a pretty good chunk of their new record, which should be out "soon."
Bob Dylan is at GM Place on October 24th. The cheapest seats are $45 and apparently the balcony is closed... not too bad, considering. Tix go on sale this Friday.
This Friday at the Western Front Fake Jazz Wednesdays presents Fake Jazz Friday.
Bird Costumes are at the Secret Space (down the alley from the Emergency Room) on October 3rd with Nu Sensae, Aja Rose Bond, and Mom Jeans.
The Astoria renovations are taking a little longer than expected, so Better than Nothing is at the Sweatshop on Saturday.
now playing: Sian Alice Group - Kirilov
Labels: japandroids, mohawk lodge, poorfolk, show announcements, show recaps
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
black rice
Since it's already the middle of the week, here's a ultra quick recap of the last few little while...
On Saturday, I caught No Gold and Japandroids at the Cobalt. The crusty punks weren't feeling No Gold, and let it be known. Tip to hecklers: at least be funny. The band weren't phased by it, and were their usually great selves.
Japandroids were a little loose sounding. I think Brian was pretty drunk. The songs still sounded great though, and the libations produced a great response to the more hostile elements in the crowd: "Oh, you wanna hear a punk rock song? Well, too bad, this is a metal song asshole."
I bailed before DD/MM/YYYY
Earlier in on Saturday, I caught Women, who I'd been looking forward to seeing since I got their album about a month ago. Hopefully, you managed to check them out at one of the two shows they played, because, despite rather short set times, they were awesome. At time they were poppy and melodic and at other times they were noisy and experimental, but they were tight as hell throughout. They used to be a metal band called Veritas. And while the music is more than a few steps removed now, the guys still have serious chops.
On Monday, I caught the songwriter's showcase that Leah Abramson organized at the Rail. The crowd was a bit sparse, but they were also ultra attentive, and for this type of thing, having a smaller crowd that's paying attention is loads better than a packed room full of side chatter and clinking glasses anyhow.
The whole thing was pretty great, but there were some highlights. Leah is one of my favourite songwriters, so she was up there on that list. But, it was - and I'm not sure how it could possibly be - my first time seeing Marc from Octoberman playing (solo or otherwise). Better late than never, but I definitely should have gone out of my way to see him before this week.
The big surprise for me was Jesse Matheson, who was hilarious (on purpose). The songs on his MySpace really don't come close to how entertaining he was live.
I'll be in Calgary this weekend for Sled Island, but there's a ton of stuff going on:
On Friday...
White Lung is at Pub 340 on for 1/2 Alive.
Crookers are at the Plaza with Paul Devro and Expendable Youth.
And the SSRIs are at Hoko's with ABCDEFG, Boogie Monster, and gr8-2000.
Looking ahead, Lil Wayne is at Plush on July 6th.
Nicole Atkins is at the Plaza on July 27th.
Black Francis is at the Media Club on August 6th.
Mirah is at the Biltmore for an early show on August 23rd.
Sondre Lerche is at St. James Hall on August 30th for an all-ager.
Cold War Kids are at Richard's on September 28th.
Silver Jews are at Richard's on October 1st with Monotonix.
Hayden is now at the Vogue on October 11th.
And Mehdi is at the Bourbon on October 2nd.
Labels: japandroids, jesse matheson, leah abramson, no gold, octoberman, show announcements, show recaps, women
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
darkness on the edge of gastown
I hope you'll excuse my recapping the last night of Music Waste two days late, but I had to finish up some other writing and also recover from five nights of running around, fueled on beer and sketchy eats.
Words about Sunday will be short and sweet, since I mostly caught bands that I've praised here many a time.
Japandroids were the first and only thing that brought me out to the Astoria during Music Waste (though I wanted to check out Mohawk Lodge before Crystal Castles got pushed back). They threw in a few new songs that I imagine will be on the LP they're recording next week(!) and also played on the floor for some reason. They were also loud. Really loud.
After Japandroids finished up, I bussed up to 340 for Modern Creatures. In case you were wondering, they're still pretty awesome.
Mutators had the honour of closing out Music Waste (the official part, anyhow). I think I flip flop every week, but for now, I'm going to go ahead and proclaim them my favourite live band in Vancouver (although Bison, JPNDRDS, the Clips, and Twin Crystals are up there).
Thanks to the dude who found my glasses on the ground after I got elbowed in the face during their set.
Annnnnnd...
A huge thanks to Cam and Sarah for once again organizing one my favourite local events of the year.
Speaking of Japandroids, they're at Pub 340 on August 13th with Casy & Brian and Twin Crystals. They play with Twin Crystals again on August 23rd at the Cobalt. Shearing Pinx and Adjective round out the bill.
Speaking of Modern Creatures, they're at 340 on June 30th with Meth Teeth.
Bad Moves (who share a member with, but don't sound much like Gang Violence) are at the Astoria on June 21st for CD release show with Dylan Thomas, Your Vancouver Vipers, and Animal Names.
now playing: Cat Power - Say
Labels: japandroids, modern creatures, music waste, mutators, show announcements, show recaps
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
til i felt the floor
By "real post later," I meant way later, obviously.
Here is a quick and dirty weekend update in two parts:
1) You know how you can get Unibroue products in six packs at private liquor stores now? Well, you can. You know how they're all at least 8% (except for Ephemere, which is sort of gross anyhow)? Well, they are.
Well don't drink most of one of those and then a bunch of other beer when you get to the Cobalt, or you will find yourself leaving before Taxes plays. Japandroids, Basketball, and Baby Control were all pretty awesome though. It was my first time seeing the latter, despite many half-hearted attempts. Worth the wait.
2) On Saturday, I missed Edgefest at Hoko's, the Vancouver Festival of Noise at Video In... I mean "VIVO"... and Modern Creatures w/Culte du Cargo because I had Black Mountain tickets.
It was my grandmother's birthday, so I didn't make it into the Commodore until Ladyhawk had already started. I want to say it's the first time that I've seen them since I got my hands on Shots, but that might be a lie. Regardless, while I'll take Ladyhawk on a bad day over most anybody, they really were something else on the big stage in the Ballroom.
The headliners weren't to be outdone though. Last time I saw Black Mountain, it got a little too drawn out at times for my taste. And while the band stretched things out here and there, the jammy bits were mostly a chance for McBean to demonstrate some killer riffage. Plus, the one time that the proceedings started to border on meandering (a organ playing chords while Amber sort of wailed over top for about 15 minutes), it was a good chance to head to the washroom (they don't fuck around with lengthy encore breaks, that's for sure). Oh, and "Don't Run Our Hearts Around" cemented itself as one of my favourite live songs ever.
The Cons are at Richard's on June 26th. Their newie hits stores next week, and while my jury is still deliberating their final verdict, stylistically it's a pretty good mix of all three of their previous albums and that ain't bad at all. I'd be bummed that I'll in Calgary when they're here... except I'll be in Calgary to see Wire.
And you can break the bank for Feist at Deer Lake on August 5th. You can buy an iPod (shuffle) for the price of a pair of tix... although the Shuffle will probably last the same length as the show. (thanks to Chris for the last two)
Dead Meadow are at Richard's on May 18th.
Oasis and Ryan Adams headline the "50% Chance of Unexplained Cancellation Tour 2008" at the Garage on August 27th. (thanks Matt)
Oh, and I'll do hyperlinks when I'm not in a rush and/or procrastinating from writing other stuff, like now.
Double-oh, if you're willing to stay up until obscenely late, apparently Radiohead tix for the entire second leg go on-sale via WASTE at sometime around 3am tonight. fun. If I stay up all night, they better be doing that "headzone" thing again.
now playing: Constantines - Time Can Be Overcome
Labels: baby control, basketball, black mountain, japandroids, ladyhawk, taxes
Monday, February 18, 2008
missing the plan
I don't have to go to work today, but for some reason I only slept in for an hour, so why I don't I talk about a show I should've recapped a few days ago...
There was a ton of stuff going on Friday night, but, as expected for anyone who knows me, I was at the Biltmore for the first part of the night.
At this point, I don't really know what else to say about the Clips or JPNDRDS that I haven't said already. Last year they put out two of my favourite records (and JPNDRDS already put out one of my favourite this year), and even though I've seen both bands play more than almost any other band in the last 12 months, they're still both live favourites.
Only downside of the evening? I had to bail early to catch some friends' birthdays at the Astoria, so I missed Fake Shark-Real Zombie. I bet they slayed (as usual) though.
Cut Copy are at Richard's on April 29th. I'll be completely honest though, I'm more excited to see if Black Kids can live up to both the hype and how fantastic their first four (released) songs are.
Cat Power is at the Vogue for an all-ager on April 10th. Here's to there being shows at the Vogue again. There's not enough all-ages venues in this city, and there's certainly nothing comparable to that size that doesn't sound like shit. Sonic Youth there a few years back is still one of the best things I've ever seen. (thank to everyone who emailed/commented on this one)
Eddie Vedder is performing solo at the Centre for the Performing Arts on April 2nd.
Wolf Eyes is going to destroy Pat's on June 11th.
Chromeo is at the Commodore now. Same day though.
Minus the Bear are at Richard's on March 24th.
Lo Fi Fnk are at the Bourbon on March 6th.
Tokyo Police Club are at the Plaza on May 16th.
Gary Louris (of the still on seemingly indefinite hiatus, Jayhawks) is at Richard's on March 17th. Vetiver open.
The Von Bondies are at Richard's on April 25th.
C'mon are at Pub 340 on March 29th. I've only streamed a few of their songs off of MySpace, but my general rule of thumb is that if it involved Ian Blurton, there's a pretty good chance of it being good.
Plants and Animals are at the media Club on March24th. No Gold opens.
No Gold also plays the Media Club on March 7th with Secret Mommy and Basketball.
And last, but certainly not least, the SSRIs, Russian Words, Hymn for Her, and Emmett Hall (who I presume is not the late, great who helped found medicare) are at Little Mountain Studios on March 7th.
now playing: Maximum Joy - Stretch (99 Records Version)
Labels: japandroids, show announcements, show recaps, the clips
Friday, February 15, 2008
tell her to come pick me up. tell her i'm downtown.
Promo Pile: Vol. 7
JPNDRDS - Lullaby Death Jams
This record really deserves a proper review, but I talk about Japandroids so much, if you aren't already convinced that you should pick this up, I'm certainly not going to be the person who changes your mind.
Simply put, I thought their first EP was one of the best things I heard all of last year, and this one is about twice as good: the recording is better, the songwriting is sharper, and Brian and Dave sound tighter.
They're playing tonight at the Biltmore with two of the other best local live bands (Fake Shark Real Zombie and the Clips), and they'll have copies for $5. So come get one. Or if you're busy, go buy one at Zulu or Red Cat so they can afford to put out the long-player that they're writing.
If you're looking for a sample, you can still get "Darkness on the Edge of Gastown" (along with a bunch of other great music) in the mix for Insite that the guys were cordial enough to donate their music to.
Labels: japandroids, promo pile
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, November 21, 2007
rat face
The fact that I don't have a picture of Petroleum By-Products speaks to how much the crowd was feeling them at Shindig last night. The area in front of the stage was crammed about 5-minutes into their winning set.
If you haven't had a chance to see them, they're (roughly) the same age Be Your Own Pet, dress like the Polysics, and sound like the B-52s, and that ain't half bad. In fact, it's quite good.
They play Library Square (for Casbah!) with Culte du Cargo (whose record is sitting perpetually on top of my growing "must listen to" stack of CDs) and Stolen Bicycles Gang on November 30th and at Unicorn on December 14th with Hallmark and Ladies Night. I don't know the actual order for either of those shows... so just show up on time for once.
Japandroids played what was apparently the "latest set ever" at Shindig, which unfortunately resulted in half the room being cleared by the time they played. They're still one of the - or perhaps the - local act(s) that I most enjoy live, but there was a drunk girl in front of stage who was having a better time than anybody... maybe ever. They closed with a cover of my favourite Wire song.
Today a coworker of mine noted that he "enjoyed that middle band (Treacherous Machete) more this time, because that guy (Burnside) wasn't drunk - or so drunk, anyway." I suppose I would agree. Although, drunk or sober, the duo are more entertaining than when the same people say/write the same "Blues Hammer" joke about six times. I mean, don't get me wrong, I dig Ghostworld too, but at least throw in another racist joke or something (just kidding. I love you, Only).
Liam from No Gold was kind enough to email to let me know that they're playing Pat's on November 30th with Colorbook, Basketball (formerly Raking Bombs), who are playing their first show in ages, and International Falls (whose CD I also need to give some proper spins to). I'm moving the next morning, but I'm still going to try to check this out after Cadence Weapon.
I finally picked up a copy of the Mutators 7" that's out on the Broadway to Boundary (the fine gentleman who also brought you the Hot Loins 7"). If you've ever seen them play, then hearing me tell you that it slays will come as no surprise. Expect a "proper" (you know, as in, I expand that previous sentence with a bunch of descriptors and unrelated anecdotes you didn't need to know) review on Streethawk soon-ish (there's a White Lung one up right now - surprise: also slays). Each side of the 45 ends on a locked groove so the blissful noise goes forever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and yougetthepoint.
In case you forgot, they're playing on Saturday with AIDS Wolf and Shearing Pinx for an early show at the ER.
Twin Crystals are playing Fake Jazz tonight at the Cobalt, which is where I'm going right now...
now playing: Nurse & Solider - Satellightning (thanks Luke!)
Labels: (excessive use of brackets), japandroids, mutators, petroleum by-products, shindig, show announcements, show recaps, treacherous machete
Saturday, August 11, 2007
we've got more songs than a song convention
My friend Luke took those photos of Japandroids, who played at Casa del Artista last night.
I'm of the opinion that they're one of the best new bands to come out of Vancouver in quite awhile, and their set last night didn't do anything to change that opinion. Like Fake Shark Real Zombie (one of my other local favourites), they seem to perform every show like they're trying to reach you in the rafters of a very large venue, instead of the relatively tiny rooms that they usually rock. And like Fake Shark, it doesn't seem contrived or cliche when they're doing it.
Aerosol Constellations opened the show. They made incredibly soothing music - so much so, that I didn't really realize they had started playing until about 5 minutes into their set. The words "atmospheric" and "textural" should really be synonyms for "suck," but this didn't suck, and those seem like fitting adjectives.
I saw the Barcelona Chair for the first time awhile ago and remember being turned off because they were way too loud for Hoko's. Plus, I had missed the boat on ear plugs. Last night the volume level was far more appropriate, and my level of enjoyment went up immensely. They've got a two-piece Godspeed thing going on.
Apologies to the Cape May, but I spent most of their set sitting around outside, so I'll reserve judging the 3 minutes of their set that I saw.
The Fiery Furnaces are at Richard's on October 15th. I'm more excited for this than anything else that's been announced this summer.
The Shout Out Louds are at Richard's on October 12th. Johnossi and Nico Vega open.
The Awkward Stage is at the Media Club with Spiral Beach on August 18th.
Josh Rouse is at the Plaza on September 24th with Jason Collett.
now playing: Mclusky - To Hell With Good Intentions
Labels: aerosol constellations, japandroids, show announcements, show recaps, the barcelona chair
Saturday, July 21, 2007
we used to always sleep at night
The guys from Japandroids weren't all that impressed with their own performance at Hoko's last night. On one hand I can see why. There were some flubbed notes and false starts, they were rushed for time, and the short set seemed to put a bit of a damper on their mood. On the other hand, if you want to listen to music without mistakes you can stay home and play records, the time constraints meant they just cranked out song after song for a half hour without letting up, and a little bit of attitude - especially if it's from guys who aren't actually assholes - can go a long way.
My first reaction was to compare them to Death from Above, but I think that's just me being lazy. They're both two piece bands that make more noise than a two piece should be able to, but the similarities start to end there. Japandroids are guitar/drums, not bass/drums. They have complimentary vocals going. And they swap out DFA1979's dance grooves for some shoe-gazey, wall of sound action.
I was pretty into the songs they were streaming on MySpace, but their live show - and by their own admission a crappy one at that - was one of the best things I've seen from a new band (at least new to me) in ages. Check them out at Casa del Artista on the 10th of next month and pick up their EP, All Lies, at a show or at Zulu.
now playing: Japandroids - To Hell With Good Intentions (McLusky Cover)
Labels: japandroids, show recaps
