Saturday, February 19, 2011
rainforts
A friendly reminder.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
hot bay
Contest: No Gold 7" Giveaway
So, this is the rad contest I was mentioning earlier today. At long last, No Gold's releasing something and they're doing it by way of 7" on the always wonderful Broadway to Boundary (who've also put out wax by Mutators, Shearing Pinx, Sex Negatives, and Hot Loins, with a Pink Noise 45 forthcoming).
Peterat who is the Broadway to Boundary has very kindly offered up two copies of this bad boy to coincide with tonight's release show at the Fortune Sound Club (with Basketball and Humans).
Even though this prize is worth jumping through hoops for, if you want to win, just send an email to quinn.omori [at] gmail.com with the subject line "No Gold 7-inch" before midnight on Halloween and I'll pick a winner when I'm hung over and full of mini-chocolate bars the next day.
And, if you don't win (or even if you do--records make great gifts), you can order a copy direct from the Broadway to Boundary or find a copy in your favourite independent retailer soon (if not now).
now playing: Fine Mist - Murder Murder
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
two-headed coin
On Friday, I started things off by catching Obits at the Media Club. After Drive Like Jehu and Hot Snakes, having Rick Froberg at (or near) the helm is an instant recipe for success in my books, and his latest outfit doesn't change that opinion. They're a little less post-punk than previous outfits, but no less enjoyable.
The Lights opened up. They sounded, unsurprisingly, quite a bit like the headliners, though not as good (although that's not that much of a hack).
After Obits (it was an early show), I made it down to the Astoria to catch No Gold at Damaged Goods. They were their usual, charming selves.
On Saturday, I was back at the Astoria for Night Shift.
Cosmetics were the first live act on. I actually expected them to headline, since I've seen their name bandied about. They were alright (Glass Candy-ish), but seemed like the kind of act that could've fed off of a bigger crowd.
MT-40 were up next and were pretty great--dark, synth driven no wave, with really distorted/processed vocals over top. I was a bit drunk at that point, so I'd like to check them out again.
One Cool Word is celebrating the release of their latest issue tomorrow at the Biltmore with the Contemporary Lovers, Creaking Planks, Analog Bell Service, and Fur Bearing Animals.
Chris-a-riffic, Rose Melberg, the Abramson Singers, and Role Mach play Blim on Friday.
The next night, Spectres, Adjective, and Girlfriends & Boyfriends play Pat's.
Buffalo Swans are at the Media Club on May 24th with the Liptonians and Falcao & Monashee.
Deon Blyan plays Cafe Deux Soleils with Jody Glenham and Jon Bunyan (of the Old Familiar, ex-Bend Sinister) on May 31st.
The Juan MacLean and the Field play Richard's on June 9th.
The Sunset Rubdown are at Richard's on June 30th.
Alejandro Escovedo is at Richard's on August 1st.
Rock the Bells hits Deer Lake Park on the same day.
Japandroids play Richard's on August 7th (though they'll play Music Waste in June before this).
Peter, Bjorn, & John are at the Commodore on August 9th.
And, the M83 show's been moved from the Commodore to Richard's. Tickets bought for the Ballroom will be honoured at the door.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
golden tombs
now playing: Death - Politicians in My Eyes
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
police and thieves
So, as Jonny mentioned in the comments a couple of posts back, the ER show this past Saturday was, in addition to being their 2nd anniversary, also the last show in the space. I was asked not to make a big deal out of that fact, which is why I didn't post it on the main page after he kindly commented about it.
Unfortunately, the cops weren't as pysched about the party as the loads of people who showed up.
I made it down around 11:30pm and had missed No Gold, which was a bummer. Although, it wasn't as disappointing as finding out that they announced that it would be their last time performing together. I talked to Liam briefly and he mentioned other projects to come though.
I did catch White Owl and Sex Negatives before the place got shut down. It was disappointing that so many other great bands didn't get a chance to do their thing there one more time, but it was great that Justin, who took the lead in keeping the place running for the last two years, had one more go behind the kit that night.
A big thank you to him, the bands, and everyone else who made the ER what it was: one of my favourite places to see live music in this city.
Ryan Walter Wagner has a couple of much nicer pics up on his flickr.
Speaking of Ryan, his new band Tight Solid, which also features Burnside (ex-Treacherous Machete), is playing the Balmoral on the 17th with the Best Revenge, and Elton Bong.
The same day (from midnight that morning to midnight on the 18th), tune into CiTR for 24 Hours of Radio Art, which is a full day of sound collage, audio experimentation, and noise. For more, check the Facebook event page here.
On Sunday, Grace Gallery hosts the release of the book "Fifty One Ways to Make New Friends." In addition to the book release, the evening also features a collaborative performance from Andy Dixon and Basketball's Luka Rogers. Andy describes it as a cross between Basketball and Secret Mommy. Door and bar proceeds go to the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre.
On January 23rd, Centre A Gallery is home to Up With Hope, featuring Corbin Murdoch & the Nautical Miles and Shindig runners-up, the Sappers. All the proceeds go to the Up with Hope Project.
Low Decibel Festival goes down at the Shed on January 31st. The evening features over 20 acts doing two songs each without the aid of any electricity, not even batteries, and not even for microphones. Show starts at 7pm, so get there early if you plan on going. Check the full line-up here.
Cadence Weapon is at the Biltmore on February 28th with Thunderheist. Seeing as it's a Saturday, I'd imagine it's part of Glory Days.
Bonnie Prince Billy is at the Vogue on March 25th.
Acid Mother's Temple is at the Biltmore on April 7th.
And, Lions in the Street have a new EP up for download from their website for the increasingly popular price point of "whatever you want."
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
desolation row
Here is a very quick weekend recap and a whole bunch of show announcements, minus links, because I'm sort of busy and lazy:
The Sweatshop on Friday was pretty good. No Gold were their usual charming selves. Ballz' set turned into a percussion free for all, which hurt them musically, but it made the performance - their last in Vancouver for a long, long time - a memorable one, to be sure. The last act I caught was Sorcerers. Their lead singer seemed pretty wasted, but the band sounded extra tight. It was sort of a nice contrast, actually.
Before the Sweatshop, I was at the Garage to see Dylan. I was expecting him to sound rough and live up to his reputation as "difficult," but even with that in mind, it was pretty terrible, perhaps depressingly terrible. I've always been fond of his ability and willingness to re-arrange his own songs, but, when in the past, he'd lead his band through a song in an entirely new way that was fresh, creative, and never different for the sake of being different, last weekend, he was content to mumble most of the lyrics to changed up numbers over a rotating series of generic 12-bar blues shuffles. Oh, and lest you think that reports of his voice being shot were exaggerated (which is what I thought, to be honest), you are wrong. He can play the hell out of a harmonica though, if that's any consolation... not that Bob Dylan needs any consolation, but you get my point, which is that I should have used by budget for an expensive show by an old guy on Neil Young (who was amazing last time I saw him a few years ago and apparently better last week).
On Saturday, I made it out to Bend Sinister's album release show. It was a pretty great performance by the band and it was coupled by a stage show that was straight out of 1975, complete with a string section, horns, video projections, and, yes, lasers.
Some stuff at the Biltmore:
-November 19th Justin Rutledge and Jenn Grant w/ Jody Glenham
-November 21st Jay Crocker, The Pack A.D., Swank, Beladeans, Valerie Graham, Spitfires, Hawaiian Bibles (Benefit show for Mike Gurr of Hotel Lobbyists)
-November 25th Holly Golightly
Some stuff not at the Biltmore:
Aja Rose and Gabriel Solomon are at Charles H. Scott Gallery (1399 Johnston St.) tomorrow night.
Sex With Strangers, the SSRIs, and Collapsing Opposites are at the ANZA for the latest One Cool Word release party on Thursday.
Also Thursday, Adjective, Terrorbird, and Zombie Pistolero & His Guns are at Honey.
There's an extra edition of Fake Jazz on November 11th.
Stamina Mantis, Ahna & Richard Catwrangleur, n213, and Holzkopf are at Blim on November 21st for a night that features music made by homemade, circuit bent, or otherwise altered electronics.
The same night Boys Noize and Paul Devro are at Celebs.
Franz Ferdinand is at the Commodore on December 9th.
Fake Blood is at the Republic on December 18th, to celebrate my birthday, I'm pretty sure.
Metric, Tokyo Police Club, Dears, Sebastian Grainger et les Montagnes, and Mike Relm are at the Vogue on December 21st for "Jingle Bell Rocks," a show in support of Covenant House.
Solars are also on the bill for the November 6th Wood Family Creeps show. It also starts at 8pm, not 8:30pm now.
Sex Negatives are now on the bill for the AIDS Wolf show on November 24th.
Nu Sensae, Gang Violence, and Role Mach are at the Astoria on November 28th, provided it's open by then.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
yucca crown
For all of the issues with venues, or lack thereof, there is something to be said about the fact that Vancouver is one of the few places in this country where you can see one of your favourite bands on a beautiful night on one of the last days of the summer in the middle of a forest with this in the background:
There was a bit of an impromptu (actually, "impromptu" is a bad term - a lot of people put in a lot of work to make it go off) show in Stanley Park last night. If you didn't hear about, sorry for not giving a heads up here, but I was a bit wary about posting about this kind of show ahead of time in public on the internet.
Anyhow, I pedaled myself up to the park in time to find No Gold setting up. For whatever reason, a lot of the times when I've seen the band in the past have been when I'm feeling sort of under the weather and for some reason, they always make me feel at least a little bit better. No miracle musical cure was needed last night for me, but it's still an absolute joy to see these guys play every single time. The best part is that I think they might be having an even better time than I always am.
Last night, I was also given a heads up that No Gold's signed with a label, so we can finally expect some proper recorded output from them. It's about time.
When Basketball initially reconvened to really start playing a lot of shows again, I thought they were pretty good. Nothing to get too excited about, but definitely a welcome (re-)addition to the city's local scene. Every time that I've seen the since has been better and better though. This was their second last show in Vancouver for a long, long while, and while I'm sad to see them move away, I'm still pretty amped that I got to catch them one more time before tomorrow (at the Vic Square Block Party). My girlfriend turned to me mid-set and said, "I know how much you love Mutators, but this is the best band in the city right now." On certain days, it could be anyone of Mutators, Basketball, Taxes, Twin Crystals, Japandroids, or a growing list of great acts for me, but yesterday, I wasn't about to argue with her.
I hung around for a bit after Basketball, but since the clock was pushing 4:30am, I didn't stick around long enough for Secret Mommy. I'm sure they were great, as usual, though.
If you're looking for something to do tonight, and aren't already at the Stanley Park Singing Exhibition or !!!, there's a !!! after party at Library Square. Sex Attack! are holding the fort for the first part of the evening and !!! will drop a DJ set after that. I *think* it's free early and probably pretty cheap after that.
Although, it's one of the last nice days before the rain hits again, so finding something to do outdoors ain't a bad plan either.
See you at Victory Square tomorrow!
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
this one's out to the wasted space kidz
Friday, I hit the Sweatshop for the first time since it moved (surprising, I know) and caught the Clips, who were celebrating the re-release of their (great) debut, Matterhorn. The guys were their usual dance-tastic selves. I left before Faunts (combination of drunk and tired). Anybody catch them?
Saturday, I started my evening off at Hoko's. Ora Cogan was pleasant, but I wasn't really in the mood for her very soft sounds. It would have been nicer in a different venue.
Aja Rose Bond was a little more up my alley (on that particular evening). And things really got rolling when the sound got cranked a bit. In fact, I would've liked to hear her stuff even louder. Things were just great at a normally palatable volume, but I imagine that I would've loved all the swirling noise had the decibels approached something closer to ear splitting. But that's just me.
A big thanks to Kris and Jesse for letting me know that they were putting on this show, because I'd never heard of Grouper before they emailed to say they were bringing her to town, and she was absolutely wonderful. If you described what the performance was - essentially layers of heavily delayed instrumentation and looped/delayed/reverb laden vocals - it sounds like a bit of a sonic mess, but it was anything but. As with Ora Cogan, it wasn't exactly the most fitting environment, but I would've watched her pretty much anywhere.
My only regret is that, because I had my bike, I didn't have anyway to carry an LP or two home.
After the Hoko's show wound down, I made my way over to the Peanut Gallery, where No Gold had just started playing. I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but something about that band just cheers me up, no matter what my mood... and I was in a pretty decent mood before arriving.
I will take any Secret Mommy show that I can get, but their rather intricate arrangements suffered from the less than optimal sound at the Peanut Gallery. It's still nice to cram together on a Summer evening to see one of the city's best bands do their thing, but if you missed it, you can count on the fact that you can catch them with some better acoustics at some point.
Basketball weren't held at bay by the sound system. In fact, they weren't held at bay by anything. Cam sort of nailed it on the head this afternoon when he asked me, "how amazing were Basketball?"
This band get's better every time I see them, so I'm more than a little bummed out that Vic Square is going to be their last Vancouver show for the foreseeable future.
Oh, and Cheylene from the Peanut Gallery lost her jacket, ipod, and cell phone on Saturday. If you took it my accident (or you upped it and have decided to have a conscience since then), drop her a line and give it back.
Speaking of the Block Party, for the anonymous facebook-less person who asked awhile back, the rest of the line-up (thus far - there's more to come) is: Evaporators, No Kids, Ice Cream, and Defektors, with Bison and Sorcerers playing the after party. And, there should be a real website up here sometime before the show.
Speaking of Sorcerers, Budgie's Burritos is celebrating their soon-to-be finished renovations with a party on August 15th at the Biltmore. Sorcerers and VPD play and the headliner's being advertised as a "big, hairy, East Van bovine." Wonder who that could be?
Speaking of Cam, he's got a new monthly with My! Gay! Husband!, and they're kicking it off with a bang at the Sweatshop on August 16th. Ladyhawk and Hard Drugs perform with Jason spinning tunes before and after. It's really wouldn't be proper to make it all the way through summer without a Ladyhawk show (I know they opened for the Cons, but I was in Calgary).
On Wednesday, David Eby is having a fundraiser for his City Council bid. Taxes, Brasstronaut, Language Arts, and Tyler Fedchuk are all flexing their political muscles for the evening at the ANZA.
Hawaiian Bibles, Familia, Ruskin, and i/i are at the Media Club on Friday.
Also on Friday, Mutators are having their LP release party at the ER. You may remember their being a previously held LP release party where the celebratory mood was dampened slightly because the records got delayed due to a mastering problem. Well, they're all packaged and ready to go now! I, for one, am absolutely amped to hear their full-length. Hopefully, you are too. Shearing Pinx and V. Vecker are on hand, along with Zs (from Brooklyn), who go on last.
now playing: BSS w/Liz Powell - Horses (Patti Smith Covery)
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.
Sunday, February 03, 2008
death letter
If you're going to go out, you might as well go out with a bang, and that is just what the now defunct Tooth & Dagger did on Friday. I also snuck off early and caught the last half of Basketball at the Astoria.
I'm kind of tired, so I'll just leave you with (poorly composed) photos (due to alcohol consumption)... plus, I've talked about all of these bands before. All that past praise still holds true.
Sex Attack are totally facebooking you while they play tunes.
No Gold, pre-set
No Gold in action
Last time I saw the By-Products, their drummer complained that I didn't get any photos of him. So here is one.
They should've renamed themselves "football" just for this weekend.
now playing: Black Kids - I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You
Saturday, September 15, 2007
time breaks down
If you'll recall, tonight's show is a fundraiser for the upcoming CBC Radio 3 sponsored Bend Sinister/Clips tour, which sees the two bands playing shows out to Winnipeg together, with Bend Sinister (and singer/keys come videographer, Edo) heading all the way across our great nation (as well as several nations within the nation). What that means is that, in addition to seeing three of the city's finest live acts, you can feel all warm and fuzzy knowing that your $10 is going to brighten the day of someone in Regina when this mobile party rolls through their crappy town (err.. sorry... Regina-ites... Reginians... whatever). Not only that, but you'll be able to check out some great art, as some of Terminal City's finest artists are putting their personal favourite works on display. And, to top it all off, after all the bands play, Expendable Youth (aka those ChalkedUp dudes) are spinning for your dancing pleasure (although the Clips should get your ass shaking as well). Oh, and there'll be tons of beer... and it'll be cheap.
I know Bison, Taxes, and Cobra are playing the Balmoral tonight as well, and while that would usually be a no brainer, this party is going to be a guaranteed good time. Plus, if you're really keen on catching some of the show at the Bal, it's not that far of a walk. And, if you're worried about missing out on the Unicorn, you can always catch the Salbourg guys with Boyz Noise (eep!) on Wednesday.
Dan from Bend Sinister (and also Small Fame) put together a great compilation that features the three bands that are playing tonight, and also a whole slew of bands that they'll be playing with when they make the trek out to Pop Montreal and back. I want to say that it'll be available at the show, but I'm not sure if that would make me a liar or not. If they do have some kicking around at the merch booth, it's worth picking up.
now playing: Blue Sky Addicts - End of the Beginning
rainforts
A friendly reminder.
Labels: no gold
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
hot bay
Contest: No Gold 7" Giveaway
So, this is the rad contest I was mentioning earlier today. At long last, No Gold's releasing something and they're doing it by way of 7" on the always wonderful Broadway to Boundary (who've also put out wax by Mutators, Shearing Pinx, Sex Negatives, and Hot Loins, with a Pink Noise 45 forthcoming).
Peter
Even though this prize is worth jumping through hoops for, if you want to win, just send an email to quinn.omori [at] gmail.com with the subject line "No Gold 7-inch" before midnight on Halloween and I'll pick a winner when I'm hung over and full of mini-chocolate bars the next day.
And, if you don't win (or even if you do--records make great gifts), you can order a copy direct from the Broadway to Boundary or find a copy in your favourite independent retailer soon (if not now).
now playing: Fine Mist - Murder Murder
Labels: contests, no gold, the broadway to boundary
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
two-headed coin
I had a pretty busy weekend...
On Friday, I started things off by catching Obits at the Media Club. After Drive Like Jehu and Hot Snakes, having Rick Froberg at (or near) the helm is an instant recipe for success in my books, and his latest outfit doesn't change that opinion. They're a little less post-punk than previous outfits, but no less enjoyable.
The Lights opened up. They sounded, unsurprisingly, quite a bit like the headliners, though not as good (although that's not that much of a hack).
After Obits (it was an early show), I made it down to the Astoria to catch No Gold at Damaged Goods. They were their usual, charming selves.
On Saturday, I was back at the Astoria for Night Shift.
Cosmetics were the first live act on. I actually expected them to headline, since I've seen their name bandied about. They were alright (Glass Candy-ish), but seemed like the kind of act that could've fed off of a bigger crowd.
MT-40 were up next and were pretty great--dark, synth driven no wave, with really distorted/processed vocals over top. I was a bit drunk at that point, so I'd like to check them out again.
One Cool Word is celebrating the release of their latest issue tomorrow at the Biltmore with the Contemporary Lovers, Creaking Planks, Analog Bell Service, and Fur Bearing Animals.
Chris-a-riffic, Rose Melberg, the Abramson Singers, and Role Mach play Blim on Friday.
The next night, Spectres, Adjective, and Girlfriends & Boyfriends play Pat's.
Buffalo Swans are at the Media Club on May 24th with the Liptonians and Falcao & Monashee.
Deon Blyan plays Cafe Deux Soleils with Jody Glenham and Jon Bunyan (of the Old Familiar, ex-Bend Sinister) on May 31st.
The Juan MacLean and the Field play Richard's on June 9th.
The Sunset Rubdown are at Richard's on June 30th.
Alejandro Escovedo is at Richard's on August 1st.
Rock the Bells hits Deer Lake Park on the same day.
Japandroids play Richard's on August 7th (though they'll play Music Waste in June before this).
Peter, Bjorn, & John are at the Commodore on August 9th.
And, the M83 show's been moved from the Commodore to Richard's. Tickets bought for the Ballroom will be honoured at the door.
Labels: cosmetics, mt40, no gold, obits, show announcements, show recaps, the lights
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
golden tombs
Odd strategy, but ultimately good news.
now playing: Death - Politicians in My Eyes
Labels: no gold
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
police and thieves
So, as Jonny mentioned in the comments a couple of posts back, the ER show this past Saturday was, in addition to being their 2nd anniversary, also the last show in the space. I was asked not to make a big deal out of that fact, which is why I didn't post it on the main page after he kindly commented about it.
Unfortunately, the cops weren't as pysched about the party as the loads of people who showed up.
I made it down around 11:30pm and had missed No Gold, which was a bummer. Although, it wasn't as disappointing as finding out that they announced that it would be their last time performing together. I talked to Liam briefly and he mentioned other projects to come though.
I did catch White Owl and Sex Negatives before the place got shut down. It was disappointing that so many other great bands didn't get a chance to do their thing there one more time, but it was great that Justin, who took the lead in keeping the place running for the last two years, had one more go behind the kit that night.
A big thank you to him, the bands, and everyone else who made the ER what it was: one of my favourite places to see live music in this city.
Ryan Walter Wagner has a couple of much nicer pics up on his flickr.
Speaking of Ryan, his new band Tight Solid, which also features Burnside (ex-Treacherous Machete), is playing the Balmoral on the 17th with the Best Revenge, and Elton Bong.
The same day (from midnight that morning to midnight on the 18th), tune into CiTR for 24 Hours of Radio Art, which is a full day of sound collage, audio experimentation, and noise. For more, check the Facebook event page here.
On Sunday, Grace Gallery hosts the release of the book "Fifty One Ways to Make New Friends." In addition to the book release, the evening also features a collaborative performance from Andy Dixon and Basketball's Luka Rogers. Andy describes it as a cross between Basketball and Secret Mommy. Door and bar proceeds go to the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre.
On January 23rd, Centre A Gallery is home to Up With Hope, featuring Corbin Murdoch & the Nautical Miles and Shindig runners-up, the Sappers. All the proceeds go to the Up with Hope Project.
Low Decibel Festival goes down at the Shed on January 31st. The evening features over 20 acts doing two songs each without the aid of any electricity, not even batteries, and not even for microphones. Show starts at 7pm, so get there early if you plan on going. Check the full line-up here.
Cadence Weapon is at the Biltmore on February 28th with Thunderheist. Seeing as it's a Saturday, I'd imagine it's part of Glory Days.
Bonnie Prince Billy is at the Vogue on March 25th.
Acid Mother's Temple is at the Biltmore on April 7th.
And, Lions in the Street have a new EP up for download from their website for the increasingly popular price point of "whatever you want."
Labels: no gold, sex negatives, show announcements, show recaps, the emergency room, white owl
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
desolation row
Here is a very quick weekend recap and a whole bunch of show announcements, minus links, because I'm sort of busy and lazy:
The Sweatshop on Friday was pretty good. No Gold were their usual charming selves. Ballz' set turned into a percussion free for all, which hurt them musically, but it made the performance - their last in Vancouver for a long, long time - a memorable one, to be sure. The last act I caught was Sorcerers. Their lead singer seemed pretty wasted, but the band sounded extra tight. It was sort of a nice contrast, actually.
Before the Sweatshop, I was at the Garage to see Dylan. I was expecting him to sound rough and live up to his reputation as "difficult," but even with that in mind, it was pretty terrible, perhaps depressingly terrible. I've always been fond of his ability and willingness to re-arrange his own songs, but, when in the past, he'd lead his band through a song in an entirely new way that was fresh, creative, and never different for the sake of being different, last weekend, he was content to mumble most of the lyrics to changed up numbers over a rotating series of generic 12-bar blues shuffles. Oh, and lest you think that reports of his voice being shot were exaggerated (which is what I thought, to be honest), you are wrong. He can play the hell out of a harmonica though, if that's any consolation... not that Bob Dylan needs any consolation, but you get my point, which is that I should have used by budget for an expensive show by an old guy on Neil Young (who was amazing last time I saw him a few years ago and apparently better last week).
On Saturday, I made it out to Bend Sinister's album release show. It was a pretty great performance by the band and it was coupled by a stage show that was straight out of 1975, complete with a string section, horns, video projections, and, yes, lasers.
Some stuff at the Biltmore:
-November 19th Justin Rutledge and Jenn Grant w/ Jody Glenham
-November 21st Jay Crocker, The Pack A.D., Swank, Beladeans, Valerie Graham, Spitfires, Hawaiian Bibles (Benefit show for Mike Gurr of Hotel Lobbyists)
-November 25th Holly Golightly
Some stuff not at the Biltmore:
Aja Rose and Gabriel Solomon are at Charles H. Scott Gallery (1399 Johnston St.) tomorrow night.
Sex With Strangers, the SSRIs, and Collapsing Opposites are at the ANZA for the latest One Cool Word release party on Thursday.
Also Thursday, Adjective, Terrorbird, and Zombie Pistolero & His Guns are at Honey.
There's an extra edition of Fake Jazz on November 11th.
Stamina Mantis, Ahna & Richard Catwrangleur, n213, and Holzkopf are at Blim on November 21st for a night that features music made by homemade, circuit bent, or otherwise altered electronics.
The same night Boys Noize and Paul Devro are at Celebs.
Franz Ferdinand is at the Commodore on December 9th.
Fake Blood is at the Republic on December 18th, to celebrate my birthday, I'm pretty sure.
Metric, Tokyo Police Club, Dears, Sebastian Grainger et les Montagnes, and Mike Relm are at the Vogue on December 21st for "Jingle Bell Rocks," a show in support of Covenant House.
Solars are also on the bill for the November 6th Wood Family Creeps show. It also starts at 8pm, not 8:30pm now.
Sex Negatives are now on the bill for the AIDS Wolf show on November 24th.
Nu Sensae, Gang Violence, and Role Mach are at the Astoria on November 28th, provided it's open by then.
Labels: basketball, bob dylan, lazy show recaps, no gold, show announcements, sorcerers
Sunday, August 31, 2008
yucca crown
For all of the issues with venues, or lack thereof, there is something to be said about the fact that Vancouver is one of the few places in this country where you can see one of your favourite bands on a beautiful night on one of the last days of the summer in the middle of a forest with this in the background:
There was a bit of an impromptu (actually, "impromptu" is a bad term - a lot of people put in a lot of work to make it go off) show in Stanley Park last night. If you didn't hear about, sorry for not giving a heads up here, but I was a bit wary about posting about this kind of show ahead of time in public on the internet.
Anyhow, I pedaled myself up to the park in time to find No Gold setting up. For whatever reason, a lot of the times when I've seen the band in the past have been when I'm feeling sort of under the weather and for some reason, they always make me feel at least a little bit better. No miracle musical cure was needed last night for me, but it's still an absolute joy to see these guys play every single time. The best part is that I think they might be having an even better time than I always am.
Last night, I was also given a heads up that No Gold's signed with a label, so we can finally expect some proper recorded output from them. It's about time.
When Basketball initially reconvened to really start playing a lot of shows again, I thought they were pretty good. Nothing to get too excited about, but definitely a welcome (re-)addition to the city's local scene. Every time that I've seen the since has been better and better though. This was their second last show in Vancouver for a long, long while, and while I'm sad to see them move away, I'm still pretty amped that I got to catch them one more time before tomorrow (at the Vic Square Block Party). My girlfriend turned to me mid-set and said, "I know how much you love Mutators, but this is the best band in the city right now." On certain days, it could be anyone of Mutators, Basketball, Taxes, Twin Crystals, Japandroids, or a growing list of great acts for me, but yesterday, I wasn't about to argue with her.
I hung around for a bit after Basketball, but since the clock was pushing 4:30am, I didn't stick around long enough for Secret Mommy. I'm sure they were great, as usual, though.
If you're looking for something to do tonight, and aren't already at the Stanley Park Singing Exhibition or !!!, there's a !!! after party at Library Square. Sex Attack! are holding the fort for the first part of the evening and !!! will drop a DJ set after that. I *think* it's free early and probably pretty cheap after that.
Although, it's one of the last nice days before the rain hits again, so finding something to do outdoors ain't a bad plan either.
See you at Victory Square tomorrow!
Labels: basketball, no gold, show recaps
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
this one's out to the wasted space kidz
Really quick recap of my weekend (I'm sure yours was different - there was a lot to do):
Friday, I hit the Sweatshop for the first time since it moved (surprising, I know) and caught the Clips, who were celebrating the re-release of their (great) debut, Matterhorn. The guys were their usual dance-tastic selves. I left before Faunts (combination of drunk and tired). Anybody catch them?
Saturday, I started my evening off at Hoko's. Ora Cogan was pleasant, but I wasn't really in the mood for her very soft sounds. It would have been nicer in a different venue.
Aja Rose Bond was a little more up my alley (on that particular evening). And things really got rolling when the sound got cranked a bit. In fact, I would've liked to hear her stuff even louder. Things were just great at a normally palatable volume, but I imagine that I would've loved all the swirling noise had the decibels approached something closer to ear splitting. But that's just me.
A big thanks to Kris and Jesse for letting me know that they were putting on this show, because I'd never heard of Grouper before they emailed to say they were bringing her to town, and she was absolutely wonderful. If you described what the performance was - essentially layers of heavily delayed instrumentation and looped/delayed/reverb laden vocals - it sounds like a bit of a sonic mess, but it was anything but. As with Ora Cogan, it wasn't exactly the most fitting environment, but I would've watched her pretty much anywhere.
My only regret is that, because I had my bike, I didn't have anyway to carry an LP or two home.
After the Hoko's show wound down, I made my way over to the Peanut Gallery, where No Gold had just started playing. I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but something about that band just cheers me up, no matter what my mood... and I was in a pretty decent mood before arriving.
I will take any Secret Mommy show that I can get, but their rather intricate arrangements suffered from the less than optimal sound at the Peanut Gallery. It's still nice to cram together on a Summer evening to see one of the city's best bands do their thing, but if you missed it, you can count on the fact that you can catch them with some better acoustics at some point.
Basketball weren't held at bay by the sound system. In fact, they weren't held at bay by anything. Cam sort of nailed it on the head this afternoon when he asked me, "how amazing were Basketball?"
This band get's better every time I see them, so I'm more than a little bummed out that Vic Square is going to be their last Vancouver show for the foreseeable future.
Oh, and Cheylene from the Peanut Gallery lost her jacket, ipod, and cell phone on Saturday. If you took it my accident (or you upped it and have decided to have a conscience since then), drop her a line and give it back.
Speaking of the Block Party, for the anonymous facebook-less person who asked awhile back, the rest of the line-up (thus far - there's more to come) is: Evaporators, No Kids, Ice Cream, and Defektors, with Bison and Sorcerers playing the after party. And, there should be a real website up here sometime before the show.
Speaking of Sorcerers, Budgie's Burritos is celebrating their soon-to-be finished renovations with a party on August 15th at the Biltmore. Sorcerers and VPD play and the headliner's being advertised as a "big, hairy, East Van bovine." Wonder who that could be?
Speaking of Cam, he's got a new monthly with My! Gay! Husband!, and they're kicking it off with a bang at the Sweatshop on August 16th. Ladyhawk and Hard Drugs perform with Jason spinning tunes before and after. It's really wouldn't be proper to make it all the way through summer without a Ladyhawk show (I know they opened for the Cons, but I was in Calgary).
On Wednesday, David Eby is having a fundraiser for his City Council bid. Taxes, Brasstronaut, Language Arts, and Tyler Fedchuk are all flexing their political muscles for the evening at the ANZA.
Hawaiian Bibles, Familia, Ruskin, and i/i are at the Media Club on Friday.
Also on Friday, Mutators are having their LP release party at the ER. You may remember their being a previously held LP release party where the celebratory mood was dampened slightly because the records got delayed due to a mastering problem. Well, they're all packaged and ready to go now! I, for one, am absolutely amped to hear their full-length. Hopefully, you are too. Shearing Pinx and V. Vecker are on hand, along with Zs (from Brooklyn), who go on last.
now playing: BSS w/Liz Powell - Horses (Patti Smith Covery)
Labels: basketball, no gold, secret mommy, show announcements, show recaps, the clips
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
Sunday, February 03, 2008
death letter
If you're going to go out, you might as well go out with a bang, and that is just what the now defunct Tooth & Dagger did on Friday. I also snuck off early and caught the last half of Basketball at the Astoria.
I'm kind of tired, so I'll just leave you with (poorly composed) photos (due to alcohol consumption)... plus, I've talked about all of these bands before. All that past praise still holds true.
Sex Attack are totally facebooking you while they play tunes.
No Gold, pre-set
No Gold in action
Last time I saw the By-Products, their drummer complained that I didn't get any photos of him. So here is one.
They should've renamed themselves "football" just for this weekend.
now playing: Black Kids - I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You
Labels: basketball, lazy show recaps, no gold, petroleum by-products, sex attack, taxes
Saturday, September 15, 2007
time breaks down
You know, sometimes I wish this wasn't a one-man operation, if only so I could say things like "if there's one thing we like over here at From Blown Speakers, it's the Clips." For some reason, the group consensus implied in the "we" just makes the recommendation sound more trustworthy. But, as it stands, you'll just have to take my word for it, when I once again implore you to head down the Brad Gough Studios (870 E. Cordova at Hawks) tonight to catch the Clips, who are sandwiched between the equally formidable talents of Bend Sinister and No Gold.
If you'll recall, tonight's show is a fundraiser for the upcoming CBC Radio 3 sponsored Bend Sinister/Clips tour, which sees the two bands playing shows out to Winnipeg together, with Bend Sinister (and singer/keys come videographer, Edo) heading all the way across our great nation (as well as several nations within the nation). What that means is that, in addition to seeing three of the city's finest live acts, you can feel all warm and fuzzy knowing that your $10 is going to brighten the day of someone in Regina when this mobile party rolls through their crappy town (err.. sorry... Regina-ites... Reginians... whatever). Not only that, but you'll be able to check out some great art, as some of Terminal City's finest artists are putting their personal favourite works on display. And, to top it all off, after all the bands play, Expendable Youth (aka those ChalkedUp dudes) are spinning for your dancing pleasure (although the Clips should get your ass shaking as well). Oh, and there'll be tons of beer... and it'll be cheap.
I know Bison, Taxes, and Cobra are playing the Balmoral tonight as well, and while that would usually be a no brainer, this party is going to be a guaranteed good time. Plus, if you're really keen on catching some of the show at the Bal, it's not that far of a walk. And, if you're worried about missing out on the Unicorn, you can always catch the Salbourg guys with Boyz Noise (eep!) on Wednesday.
Dan from Bend Sinister (and also Small Fame) put together a great compilation that features the three bands that are playing tonight, and also a whole slew of bands that they'll be playing with when they make the trek out to Pop Montreal and back. I want to say that it'll be available at the show, but I'm not sure if that would make me a liar or not. If they do have some kicking around at the merch booth, it's worth picking up.
now playing: Blue Sky Addicts - End of the Beginning
Labels: bend sinister, no gold, the clips
