Saturday, June 27, 2009
die slow
We took it easy for a couple of hours before heading to the mainstage (at the Olympic Plaza instead of the sprawling Mewata Field this year) in time to see Liars. I thought they were a little ill-suited to the venue the last time I saw them on a big stage (opening for Radiohead), but they were pretty great last night in a place that, while smaller, was still pretty huge.
The Breeders were up next on the mainstage. I felt the same way about last night as I did about their performance at Sasquatch a year or so ago. The old material was awesome, but it sort of made the newer stuff they played seem boring by comparison. They were once again worth seeing though, if only for "Divine Hammer."
After a quick stop at our hotel, we made it down the block to the Marquee Room(a great little venue in the same building as an arthouse theatre) and caught Puberty's last few songs. The female fronted group played pretty straight up garage punk pretty well. Keith from Sex Negatives lent his sax skills to their last track.
Twin Crystals repped Vancouver and repped it well next. I'm a fan of Jesse's keyboard playing, but he rocked a guitar for their entire set, which meant they were even more intense than usual.
HEALTH headlined the Marquee and were absolutely awesome. They tore through a set that balanced out stuff from their s/t debut and new songs, presumably from the forthcoming Get Color. If you were into the first record, you'll be stoked on the next one, by the sounds of things
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
no metal
Been a long time. Sorry. My only New Year's resolution is to put a little more time aside for this thing again.
With that in mind, going back to last Tuesday at the Biltmore, there are some photos of Monotonix. It was sort of like Girl Talk. Genre-wise, things were obviously really different, but the spectacle was so amazing it sort of pulled your attention away from the music.
And what about the music? Their album certainly indicates that they've got songs--actual songs--but live it seemed like there was a lot of repetitive riffing, a lot of sporadic drumming (between setting up the kit at various places throughout the bar), and a lot of incomprehensible vocals.
Still, when I think about last Tuesday I think about what Sean said to me the first time I saw Girl Talk: "it's like Vancouver woke up from it's coma." Never a bad thing.
Twin Crystals and Gang Violence took opening duties and were in their usual fine form.
Tomorrow, Hello Shark, Buffalo Swans, Chris-a-riffic, and Shay Roselip are at the Peanut Gallery.
On Saturday, the ER re-opens(!) with a show featuring Twin Crystals, Defektors, Modern Creatures, Nu Sensae, Sex Negatives, White Owl, and No Gold. Don't call it a comeback.
On January 17th, Spenking (sometime Dirty Projector, Spencer Kingman) is playing "the Shed" (815 E. 10th, around the back) with Ruth, Alice, & Dana, the Kidnap Kids, Falcao & Monashee, and Raw Beast. If you're so inclined, you can bring a dish for a potluck brunch, because this sucker gets going at 11am.
The Pets, Dinosaur + the Missing Link, Gape Attack, and Timecopz are at Honey on January 22nd.
Die Rotzz play the Peanut Gallery on January 23rd with the Maynards and B-Lines.
The Metronomy show originally scheduled for the Bourbon on the 25th is now at the Biltmore on the 24th (for Glory Days). Fan Death opens.
The Mae Shi are at the Biltmore on January 29th with Shearing Pinx, Certain Breeds, and Sex Party (good luck googling that band website).
Hercules & Love Affair drop into Celebs on January 30th to do a DJ set with LCD Soundsystem's Pat Mahoney.
Wildbirds & Peacedrums open the Lykke Li show on February 11th. If you plan on going, make sure you get there in time to catch their opening set.
On February 28th, Hard Feelings play the Peanut Gallery with Defektors, B-Lines, and the Parallels.
The Presets are at the Commodore on April 13th.
If you sign up for the mailing list at Piper Davis' website, you'll get a free mp3 every month.
If you head over to Al from Taxes' tumblr, you'll find a whole bunch of new Taxes tunes.
Monday, February 25, 2008
damaged enough
I was going to take it sort of easy this weekend, but there was a ton of stuff going on, so that resolution became one those "who am I kidding?" statements.
On Friday, I headed down to the Astoria to catch Twin Crystals. They weren't as intense and loud as last time I've seen them, but that wasn't worse per se, just different. Jesse only rocked a guitar on the first song, with the rest of the set being characterized by he and Jeremiah's dueling synths. Oh, and just because it was less loud, doesn't mean it wasn't loud enough.
They've got a super-limited (50 copies) lathe cut 10" up for sale at Summer Lovers Unlimited that I should order soon.
I'm pretty into Taxes at the worst of times, but they were on fire on Friday. Best performance of their's that I've seen for sure. When Twin Crystals took the stage, Jesse quipped that he "(didn't) know how (they) could follow Taxes." Usually such statements - even when the opening band really delivers - are a polite way to give a nod to whomever went on before you, but as good as Twin Crystals consistently are, he may have had a legitimate point that night. That's not taking anything away from Twin Crystals, Taxes were just really on point.
I bailed during Owl Drugs first song. That's not a reflection on them, since I wasn't even there long enough to form a proper opinion, but I was still under the false impression that I was going to have a relaxed (and sleep filled) Friday/Saturday.
On Saturday, I started things off at Hoko's, getting there in time for Nihilist Party. I was down with the beats, but less down with the rhymes (well, vocals, not necessarily "rhymes"). But there are worse side dishes for your sushi, I suppose.
Terrorbird were up next, and were playing as a two-piece. Good stuff as usual, though when they had the extra keys, they definitely added something to the overall product.
Nu Sensae were their usual wonderful selves: loud and fast. So fast, in fact, that I stepped out for a moment and missed most of their set. My loss.
gr8-2000 finished things off with his frenetic brand of electro. Tom, as always, was full of boundless energy, and was also having fun throwing thinly veiled barbs at the people chatting in the back.
And also worth a mention (and some praise): Ben from Crystal Beard was there with the lovely ladies who do videos at BtL to provide some added visual flavour to the evening.
I was going to head to the Biltmore after that, but apparently they've been rezoned and can only stay open until 1am now, so it was off to the Emergency Room.
I got there in time for Mutators, whom I have nothing new to say about... favourite live act in Vancouver... slayed... etc. etc. etc.
Actually, on that note, Shearing Pinx were up next, and my sentiments are similar: quality as usual.
The main event of the evening was Monotonix, who were here all the way from Tel Aviv. To put it succinctly, they were mind blowing.
I was standing around wondering when they were going to start when my question was answered by a drum cymbal that was thrust in the air... on fire. From there it was about an hour of absolute madness. Throw their name into google, and you'll note that Vancouver isn't the only place that's been totally destroyed by these guys.
The recorded material just isn't the same, but if they ever come back, definitely go see them.
And if you were there, no, that wasn't Frank Zappa.
Speaking of Twin Crystals, they're kicking off their tour (which takes them down to SXSW and back) on Friday at the ER. Nu Sensae, Basketball, and Adjective are going to help give them a proper send off. Justin, Jesse, and Benjamin spin records after the bands.
Attack in Black and Smoosh open up the Tokyo Police Club show on May 16th at the Plaza.
Atmosphere is at the Commodore on May 14th with Abstract Rude
Mutators and Modern Creatures are having a fundraiser for the epic (seriously, check the dates) tour that they're set to embark on this Spring/Summer on April 26th at the ER.
The SSRIs are giving away their music. I haven't listened yet, but if you like it, make sure you toss them some money by paying to see them play... but that goes without saying.
Speaking of free music, if you haven't already checked out the latest Radio Zero podcast, you should get on that. All of them are quality, but #47 features one of my favourite tracks from the (sadly) now-defunct local unit, Fuck Me USA, "Infinite Slope."
now playing: Radio Zero Podcast (December 9th, 2005)
die slow
I started off yesterday by catching (or I guess "attempting to catch" is more correct) Monotonix at Tubby Dog (aka the best hot dog place, this side of Japadog). It took us a little longer than expected to saunter our way down there, so unsurprisingly, the rather tiny "venue" was packed to overflowing when we arrived. One thing about hearing Monotonix while not being able to see them is that you quickly notice that they're much better performers than they are a band. Speaking to the former though, they made sure all the people stuck outside didn't go home disappointed by dragging all their gear out onto the sidewalk to hammer out a few riffs. I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've seen anyone dive off of a mailbox to crowd surf.
We took it easy for a couple of hours before heading to the mainstage (at the Olympic Plaza instead of the sprawling Mewata Field this year) in time to see Liars. I thought they were a little ill-suited to the venue the last time I saw them on a big stage (opening for Radiohead), but they were pretty great last night in a place that, while smaller, was still pretty huge.
The Breeders were up next on the mainstage. I felt the same way about last night as I did about their performance at Sasquatch a year or so ago. The old material was awesome, but it sort of made the newer stuff they played seem boring by comparison. They were once again worth seeing though, if only for "Divine Hammer."
After a quick stop at our hotel, we made it down the block to the Marquee Room(a great little venue in the same building as an arthouse theatre) and caught Puberty's last few songs. The female fronted group played pretty straight up garage punk pretty well. Keith from Sex Negatives lent his sax skills to their last track.
Twin Crystals repped Vancouver and repped it well next. I'm a fan of Jesse's keyboard playing, but he rocked a guitar for their entire set, which meant they were even more intense than usual.
HEALTH headlined the Marquee and were absolutely awesome. They tore through a set that balanced out stuff from their s/t debut and new songs, presumably from the forthcoming Get Color. If you were into the first record, you'll be stoked on the next one, by the sounds of things
Labels: breeders, health, liars, monotonix, puberty, show recaps, sled island, twin crystals
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
no metal
Been a long time. Sorry. My only New Year's resolution is to put a little more time aside for this thing again.
With that in mind, going back to last Tuesday at the Biltmore, there are some photos of Monotonix. It was sort of like Girl Talk. Genre-wise, things were obviously really different, but the spectacle was so amazing it sort of pulled your attention away from the music.
And what about the music? Their album certainly indicates that they've got songs--actual songs--but live it seemed like there was a lot of repetitive riffing, a lot of sporadic drumming (between setting up the kit at various places throughout the bar), and a lot of incomprehensible vocals.
Still, when I think about last Tuesday I think about what Sean said to me the first time I saw Girl Talk: "it's like Vancouver woke up from it's coma." Never a bad thing.
Twin Crystals and Gang Violence took opening duties and were in their usual fine form.
Tomorrow, Hello Shark, Buffalo Swans, Chris-a-riffic, and Shay Roselip are at the Peanut Gallery.
On Saturday, the ER re-opens(!) with a show featuring Twin Crystals, Defektors, Modern Creatures, Nu Sensae, Sex Negatives, White Owl, and No Gold. Don't call it a comeback.
On January 17th, Spenking (sometime Dirty Projector, Spencer Kingman) is playing "the Shed" (815 E. 10th, around the back) with Ruth, Alice, & Dana, the Kidnap Kids, Falcao & Monashee, and Raw Beast. If you're so inclined, you can bring a dish for a potluck brunch, because this sucker gets going at 11am.
The Pets, Dinosaur + the Missing Link, Gape Attack, and Timecopz are at Honey on January 22nd.
Die Rotzz play the Peanut Gallery on January 23rd with the Maynards and B-Lines.
The Metronomy show originally scheduled for the Bourbon on the 25th is now at the Biltmore on the 24th (for Glory Days). Fan Death opens.
The Mae Shi are at the Biltmore on January 29th with Shearing Pinx, Certain Breeds, and Sex Party (good luck googling that band website).
Hercules & Love Affair drop into Celebs on January 30th to do a DJ set with LCD Soundsystem's Pat Mahoney.
Wildbirds & Peacedrums open the Lykke Li show on February 11th. If you plan on going, make sure you get there in time to catch their opening set.
On February 28th, Hard Feelings play the Peanut Gallery with Defektors, B-Lines, and the Parallels.
The Presets are at the Commodore on April 13th.
If you sign up for the mailing list at Piper Davis' website, you'll get a free mp3 every month.
If you head over to Al from Taxes' tumblr, you'll find a whole bunch of new Taxes tunes.
Labels: gang violence, monotonix, show announcements, show recaps, twin crystals
Monday, February 25, 2008
damaged enough
I was going to take it sort of easy this weekend, but there was a ton of stuff going on, so that resolution became one those "who am I kidding?" statements.
On Friday, I headed down to the Astoria to catch Twin Crystals. They weren't as intense and loud as last time I've seen them, but that wasn't worse per se, just different. Jesse only rocked a guitar on the first song, with the rest of the set being characterized by he and Jeremiah's dueling synths. Oh, and just because it was less loud, doesn't mean it wasn't loud enough.
They've got a super-limited (50 copies) lathe cut 10" up for sale at Summer Lovers Unlimited that I should order soon.
I'm pretty into Taxes at the worst of times, but they were on fire on Friday. Best performance of their's that I've seen for sure. When Twin Crystals took the stage, Jesse quipped that he "(didn't) know how (they) could follow Taxes." Usually such statements - even when the opening band really delivers - are a polite way to give a nod to whomever went on before you, but as good as Twin Crystals consistently are, he may have had a legitimate point that night. That's not taking anything away from Twin Crystals, Taxes were just really on point.
I bailed during Owl Drugs first song. That's not a reflection on them, since I wasn't even there long enough to form a proper opinion, but I was still under the false impression that I was going to have a relaxed (and sleep filled) Friday/Saturday.
On Saturday, I started things off at Hoko's, getting there in time for Nihilist Party. I was down with the beats, but less down with the rhymes (well, vocals, not necessarily "rhymes"). But there are worse side dishes for your sushi, I suppose.
Terrorbird were up next, and were playing as a two-piece. Good stuff as usual, though when they had the extra keys, they definitely added something to the overall product.
Nu Sensae were their usual wonderful selves: loud and fast. So fast, in fact, that I stepped out for a moment and missed most of their set. My loss.
gr8-2000 finished things off with his frenetic brand of electro. Tom, as always, was full of boundless energy, and was also having fun throwing thinly veiled barbs at the people chatting in the back.
And also worth a mention (and some praise): Ben from Crystal Beard was there with the lovely ladies who do videos at BtL to provide some added visual flavour to the evening.
I was going to head to the Biltmore after that, but apparently they've been rezoned and can only stay open until 1am now, so it was off to the Emergency Room.
I got there in time for Mutators, whom I have nothing new to say about... favourite live act in Vancouver... slayed... etc. etc. etc.
Actually, on that note, Shearing Pinx were up next, and my sentiments are similar: quality as usual.
The main event of the evening was Monotonix, who were here all the way from Tel Aviv. To put it succinctly, they were mind blowing.
I was standing around wondering when they were going to start when my question was answered by a drum cymbal that was thrust in the air... on fire. From there it was about an hour of absolute madness. Throw their name into google, and you'll note that Vancouver isn't the only place that's been totally destroyed by these guys.
The recorded material just isn't the same, but if they ever come back, definitely go see them.
And if you were there, no, that wasn't Frank Zappa.
Speaking of Twin Crystals, they're kicking off their tour (which takes them down to SXSW and back) on Friday at the ER. Nu Sensae, Basketball, and Adjective are going to help give them a proper send off. Justin, Jesse, and Benjamin spin records after the bands.
Attack in Black and Smoosh open up the Tokyo Police Club show on May 16th at the Plaza.
Atmosphere is at the Commodore on May 14th with Abstract Rude
Mutators and Modern Creatures are having a fundraiser for the epic (seriously, check the dates) tour that they're set to embark on this Spring/Summer on April 26th at the ER.
The SSRIs are giving away their music. I haven't listened yet, but if you like it, make sure you toss them some money by paying to see them play... but that goes without saying.
Speaking of free music, if you haven't already checked out the latest Radio Zero podcast, you should get on that. All of them are quality, but #47 features one of my favourite tracks from the (sadly) now-defunct local unit, Fuck Me USA, "Infinite Slope."
now playing: Radio Zero Podcast (December 9th, 2005)
Labels: gr8-2000, monotonix, mutators, nihilist party, nu sensae, shearing pinx, show announcements, show recaps, ssris, taxes, terrorbird, twin crystals
