Punk rock legends go indie-folk-rock: The Lake Effect announces debut EP

Cameron Gunn was brought up in the care of folk and blues, mixed with a westcoast island upbringing that has had a strong influence of reggae, hip hop, sea shanties and soul.

Poor Young Things need no sympathy. The rock ‘n’ roll band, made up of five resourceful focused musicians, gave up a contented life in Thunder Bay, Ontario, and headed for Toronto without knowing a soul. Within a year, the band had recorded with their dream producer Jon Drew (Arkells) and signed a deal with Bumstead Records. Poor them, indeed.

Rob Fillo prefers to infuse his music with equal parts mystery, passion, and wit.

In this climate of cynical performances and scientifically produced pop-music, Rob Fillo is a rare musical creature. The heartfelt music of this folk-rock underdog cuts through the fog of the typical boy-meets-girl song to the true complexities of love and life in the real world.
While possessing all the experience one would expect in a brash, balls-out rocker, Fillo prefers to infuse his music with equal parts mystery, passion, and wit. The raw acoustic arrangement of many of …

When Shalini performs, the world stops to listen.

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.”

At the Railway Tuesday, August 23rd Jane Sawyer and Daisy Blue Groff (Painting Daisies) will be opening and Andrea Ramolo and her one-man band Jason Skiendziel will be headlining the evening as a duo. Special guest and local guitar guru Noah Walker will be joining us for a few songs.

This is Andrea and Jason’s third summer in a row travelling anywhere from 4 to 5 months straight, living out of their van and playing as many shows in as many towns and cities in Canada that time and gas will allow. Together, they have played over 400 shows as a duo, including a handful of folk festivals, and have even opened for Fred Eaglesmith, Johnny Cash’s ‘Tennessee 3′, Stacey Earle and Mark Stuart, and BC’s Shari Ulrich.

Singer songwriter and passionate world traveller Chris Mapstone’s musical repertoire consists of playing the guitar, didgeridoo, djembe, bongos, harmonica and singing. His lyrics reflect his passion for cultural equality, freedom of speech, self reflection, relationships, and the environment.

In 2007 Chris attended the Byron Bay Blues and Roots Festival in Australia where he was impressed by the creativity, lifestyle, and beauty he found there. Shortly after his arrival in Byron Bay, Chris met bass player Thomas Morgan, a jazz-schooled international bassist who commands a superb technical fluency on the double bass, and six string electric bass. The musical chemistry was instantaneous. Tom’s intricate, and captivating, groove inspired bass lines complimented the raw resonant warmth of Chris’s voice and lyrics.

This magnificent roots show kicks off at 7pm on January 26th at the Waldorf Hotel, featuring award-winning local folk performers: contemporary vocalist and Galiano native T. Nile, gifted singer-songwriter Adrian Glynn, west coast songstress Marley Daemon, poetic activists Illiteratty and the mysterious Chilean-French psychnoir bohemian duo Nothofagus. This unforgettable night is presented by Vanmusic.ca and CiTR 101.9 FM college radio from UBC and great promoter of independent music.

Minto is a five piece folky, rock and roll band from Vancouver whose roots run deep.

Hailing from all over Canada, these five friends starting making country tinged folk music about five years ago and slowly progressed into a stomping good time of a band.

Their first album, “Fields and Factory Floors” was a lofi gem with some mix-tape hits. And after sonically changing it up, the band decided to record a second album with indie rock super hero, Steve Albini, in Chicago, Illinois. The result was “Lay It On Me” which is getting critical acclaim.

The best 20 bands of Vancouver Independent Music scene Part 2
The best of the best in Vancouver
Thats right folks, the post we all been waiting for is finally here. In the previous post we saw some of the bands that you have to watch for but that haven’t really go to the next level, these ones are on the next level. Time for us to unveil the best Vancover indie established bands. It this post we examine some of the best Vancouver acts that have achieved international success, that …

This post of the BEST indie bands in Vancouver will be divided in two, in this first one we are going to explore the indie of the indie, bands that are emerging, new, fresh, experimental, not so well known, not established, they play in clubs and pubs but that we and our readers like and see and even befriend some of them. Some are not that new either but all of them have achieved success and buzz this last year so we include them here in our humble lists of our favourites. May this list serve as a recommendation for our overseas readers, may it serve as a reference, but also as an aid for these struggling artists. At the end, the ultimate objective is to entertain our visitors, the music fans of Vancouver and the world

Olenka Krakus is Polish but has Vancouver ties, having lived and played here for a long time she left a lot of friends here. She was born in Poland but grew up in Canada. Now she resides in London Ontario but she played the Biltmore on a visit to Vancouver with a stellar line up that included members of Aunts and Uncles and Like Animals Again who also played the show. Olenka and the Autumn Lovers formed in early 2008. has a sound that mingles a strong Eastern European influence with elements of North American country and folk music. The band’s diverse instruments (cello, violin, accordion, trumpet, saxophone, lap steel, mandolin and glockenspiel) provide a unique musical backdrop to Olenka’s sophisticated, often narrative, form of songwriting. Influenced by her memories of Communist Poland and by the country’s folklore, Olenka investigates themes of social injustice and personal responsibility, populating her songs with melancholy outcasts from both Polish and Canadian landscapes.

Craig Smith possesses a warmth and honesty that permeates everything he touches, everyone he meets, every song he sings.

I guess fast folk is a good definition because you can see Ripper’s love for punk in his modern folk rock. He has been a solo artist for a long time and as a one man band he has achieved some success all around the country leaving many friends on the way. Eugene Ripper comes often to Vancouver to play and in this occasion he will be joined by Carmen Country and Lizard Jamboree. The Fast Folk Underground is coming to Vancouver to the Railway Club this Tuesday 28th. I am going to be there so you better buy me a beer.