VanMusic: I’m here with Jimmy Cummins aka. I Braineater, well known musician and artist in Vancouver and Internationally around the world.

Jimmy Cummins: In various circle yes.

VM: So my first question for you is what came first your desire to make music or your need to create art?

JC: I started drawing when I was 3 or 4 years old, so I loved drawing from an early age. It’s been kind of a drive, I think you just get born with it or you don’t. And if you are born with it, the urge is always there. When the punk rock scene came around it was great because it was a time when the idea was, who cares?! Who cares if you don’t know how to do this or that. If you want to do it, then do it! So I was like I want to do it!

In between tours The Barr Brothers grabbed the harp, a couple of jingle bells and some holiday spirit and spent a day at their friend, Patrick Watson’s studio to record their first Christmas single “Dear Mrs. Claus”. This song was born from the thought that the band felt Mrs. Claus really needed a Christmas song dedicated to her.

Gabriel Savage of the Vancouver band THE NICHE who were the Band of the Month with CFOX this past October 2011. There is a lot of buzz about this band because they are a performance based band with terrific music.

Exclusive Interview with The Gay Nineties

The Gay Nineties are a Vancouver Rock n’Roll band that consists of Daniel Knowlton (The Good News), Parker Bossley (Fake Shark Real Zombie, Hot Hot Heat) and Malcolm Holt (Fake Shark Real Zombie, Malcolm and the Moonlight). I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with the very talented, insightful and fun three piece to discuss such things as touring, influences, their name and of course their music.

http://thegaynineties.bandcamp.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Gay-Nineties/200057730039857

My idea of a fun time is having a good laugh during an enjoyable venting session (usually about boys) followed by a great discussion about music while drinking pints in a pub.

By the end of the evening the crowd had gathered around the center of the bar in a circle around the band for the final sing along of the night. Paper Lions had a way of bringing everyone together and making us new friends while at the same time making us all feel like very old friends who hadn’t seen each other in ages, marking the close of a pretty sweet night on the Vancouver music scene.

Festuca is an album that includes ballads (‘Sorry’), sing-alongs (‘Sing Low’) and drivers (‘Big Town’). ‘Horses’ is particularly catchy, in part due to its effective arrangement. Beginning with the simple sounds of taut guitars, doubled vocals, and single organ notes, ‘Horses’ builds perfectly, adding bass and building percussion and harmonies to culminate in wonderfully jubilant instrumentation and a chorus singing of freedom.

“My newer writing [‘Horses’], has a bit less of a roots form,”says Cockerill. “I’m just trying to be open to whatever comes out and not subject it to a form or genre. Trying to get more personal with lyrics as well. Write deeper. I think of writing as karate—complexity through simplicity. That’s what I’m trying to attain anyway. Do more karate.”

SWS is one of this year’s Peak Performance TOP 20 Artists!
Since the 2007 inception of Vancouver based Sex with Strangers the band has been gaining local, national and international attention with a mention in Spin Magazine naming them one of “7 Undiscovered Bands Worth a Listen to” and now as a Top 20 Finalist in the 2011 Peak Performance Project. I sat down with the contest finalist (Hatch Benedict and Isabelle Dunlop) before their recent Peak showcase at the Red Room to talk about their third full-length album Frontier Justice, Isabelle’s fashion line (see their upcoming Fashion and Music for Memories event below!) and of course the Peak Performance Project Contest.

Even before I had heard their first single, Weapon, I’ve been intrigued a wee smidge by the enigma that is Rococode. Formed just over a year ago and not having released any albums—let alone songs—this 4-piece from Vancouver have been a buzz band all over the BC indie music scene. It may possibly be due to the fact that the band is fronted by Laura Smith and Andrew Braun, both having their own music history in solo projects and collaborations with other local artists. It may also be partially due to their tight rhythm section of Johnny Andrews and Shaun Huberts, both having played for acts such as Tegan & Sara and Shaun playing bass for Starfield.

The Harvest was kind enough to chat with us at Aurora Studios. After a couple of beers and some vodka coolers we decided to pull out the camera and shoot a raw music video for them. Check it out!

Vancouver noise pop band, SSRIs, are currently on the road, touring accross the nation with their last album, “Effeminate Godzilla-sized Wind Chimes.”

Gillian Callander from VanMusic chats with Chrystal Leigh from Jakalope

Ever since I first heard “Drinking Games” as a free download on iTunes some 17 months ago, I knew there was something different yet fascinating about Library Voices. From the wonderful vocal harmony arrangements, to the subtle and truly odd noises in the background, it caught my ear—and my interest. If you own or have listened to any of their work from their two full length albums or their debut EP, Hunting Ghosts, you’ll likely know exactly what I’m talking about. As it goes with most music, however, they may not be your “bag”.

C.R Avery is a man of many musical talents and is one performer that can definitely not be categorized into one musical genre. He is a bold artist with exceptional skills in spoken word, the blues, beat boxing, hip hop and rock n’ roll just to name a few.

Malcolm Holt from Gay 90s and Malcom and the Moonlight talks to Boogie Monster