Also on the bill were Left Spine Down and Stiff Valentine. Unfortunately I only caught the tail end of Stiff Valentine.   However I did catch Left Spine Down and I chatted with KAINE D3L4Y after the show.   And btw D3L4Y = Delay for all you non-text-emoticon-lingo -un- L33T speaking way back in the days.  Check out the interview with KAINE D3L4Y from Left Spine Down in the podcast above.

Left Spine Down put on a great show. Epic, tight and powerful. Crisp vocals with a heavy atmosphere and strong beats. That’s the way I like my industrial punk. And I like it loud so when KAIN D3L4Y brought out the megaphone and hit the custom made chain mic stand I was stoked. One thing I hate is when bands try to pull this off and fail, Left Spine Down did not fail. Clear vocals and melodies through the megaphone into the mic,  riding on a surrounding pulse of sound that filled the Biltmore like blood into a heart.  It was the first time I’d heard Left Spine Down and it won’t be the last. I will definitely check them out live again.

In between bands I ran into Gillian Callander from Joyce Collingwood and our very own vanmusic.ca, she took me backstage where we had drinks with the bands. The show was sponsored by Cariboo beer and let’s just say that a good time was had by all.

Jakalope poured onto the stage with a sweaty landscape of industrial dance layered melodies, which to me were like smoke curling in air. Sometimes in thick waves, sometimes in subtle waves and sometimes in directions you don’t expect. As Chrystal Leigh performs her vocals and sex appeal seem to control the room and if she locks eyes with you, be assured that there is no breaking her powerful gaze.  All in all Jakalope’s return to Vancouver after their West Coast U.S. tour solidified them as having the city’s premier industrial dance sound.

http://www.myspace.com/leftspinedown
http://www.myspace.com/jakalope
http://jakalope.ca/

This is Jodi’s first EP Release and she is excited about it, and she should be. This 5 song masterpiece is perfect for the country or folk lover inside of all of you. Jodi has put together a EP that not only tells a story, but every song has an album waiting for it to tell its true story. Yes from the moment I listened to this CD I know I will be listening to it for years to come.

I was able to sit down with Jodi on a Tuesday night at VanMusic’s Open Mic at Displace Hashery  in Kits. There she began to tell me how this work of art (in more ways then one) was created. Even though it took 1 year to make, 10 years to create and a whole life time to prepare for, Jodi has put her heart and soul into this. She wishes that she could just give it to everyone for free just so they can enjoy her contribution to the world.

Jodi cares about this project and anyone who talks to her starts to understand just what this means to her. Often times on Facebook you will see her update her status letting everyone know where she will be that night and if you come and say hi to her, she will give you a copy. Yes Jodi never made this EP to make millions, she made it for everyone to enjoy.

Jodi is a huge fan of Jenn Grant and follows her on Facebook. One day she noticed that Grant posted a message about doing artwork, so Jodi emailed her right away and asked her about doing a painting for the album cover. She agreed to do something on commission and basically it took off from there. Jodi emailed her some ideas she had and Jenn came up with the rest. The painting is on her wall at home in front of her computer work space. Jodi’s friend Terry took some high res photos of it and together they created the layout.

Jodi recorded Little Love Songs back in February of 2011 but needed to raise the money for her CD. She went on IndieGoGo and raised the money in a month. Even a band in Germany found her and donated $50! After listening to little Love Songs you will truly understand why so many supported this EP being made.

Little Love Songs

1. Let Me In

2. Drummer In  A Band

3. Hallow Heart

4. Look At Us

5. Little Love Songs

By Jade Sperry

JadedPhotography

The Manvils had quite a year in 2011. They moved from Vancouver to Toronto and celebrated the new release of their EP Black Tornado. They hooked up with producer Sho Murray who recorded their debut CD Buried Love. The concept that they acquired is to record songs in each of their favorite cities – Vancouver, Toronto and Chicago. The band in general are progressing as songwriters and performers as this first EP release clearly shows the creative side of the band in general. They’ve also shared the stage with larger bands including Metric, Stereophonics, Bif Naked, Sonic Youth and Ben Harper just to name a few.

The tracks on this EP Vol. 1 are:

1. Lions of a Lost Tongue
2. Black Tornado
3. Alone With You
4. Castaway
5. Hot Volcano

Starting with the song “Lions of a Lost Tongue” which has a good melody but is a bit erratic in the beginning which works well with the Eddie Van Halen guitars. I particularly like the vocal work by Mikey Manville (singer/songwriter/guitars) and as always Greg Buhr (bass) lays down some root chords and is the backbone that is persistent in this song. Jay Koenderman (drums) keeps the beat like melted iron. The EP title song “Black Tornado” has a shifty kind of beat with straight on rock and roll but has confidence woven into the song like a heartbeat. Choppy, fuzzed out guitars are layered in the song which makes the melody sound like it’s on the dangerous side.”Alone with You” has a moody and dark melody with guitars that remind me of a murder and mayhem. With lyrics that say “I won’t leave myself alone with you” and “blood on my hands” confirms the feeling. “Castaway” has a definite haunting sound with a moody and dark melody which reminds me of being lost or having lost someone or something. Tense vocals throughout the song pick up the desperation that climaxes with an abrupt end to the song. Wow! “Hot Volcano” is an off-tempo, stop/stutter and frantic melody that works really well with Mikeys’ vocals. Choppy guitars end the song with a little bit of honey that makes the final notes all that much sweeter. Emotions are hard to get across to the listener through a song but Mikey manages to do this well. And his skills as a songwriter show up and are on the same page as the rest of the band. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them on an international stage in the near future.

For all things Manville their website has a lot of information including CD’s, past media articles and a tour sections to see where the band will be touring in 2012. The bands website is here.

I had a great time going to different festivals and taking advantage of all the shows. For a lot of the shows I got to personally meet the entertainers and the people working behind the scene pulling everything together.

Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF)

This year I was given the privilege of being a screener for the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF)! I was able to screen the films before the festival which was a lot of fun as I was able to view, screen and attend over 20 films for this years festival. I was also invited to the opening and closing gala for VIFF which is always an exciting event to attend. Check out some of the entertainment below and check out the pics of the Opening Gala here.

Benda Bilili

Like I stated above, I screened a couple of the Films for VIFF. The first one that I screened was “Benda Bilili”. The French directors started following the band in July of 2005, as they were combing the streets looking for music talent to film. Low and behold they find Ricky who has a dream to make Staff Benda Bilili the best band in Congo Kinshasa. Benda Bilili is a group of homeless handicapped musicians who live around the grounds of the zoo in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Most times this is where they practice. For the complete review of this film click here.

The Boy Mir: Ten Years in Afghanistan

The other Film that I got to screen was “The Boy Mir: Ten Years in Afghanistan”. It’s a ten year journey following the Afghan boy Mir from ages 8 to 18. Phil Grabsky’s “The Boy Mir: Ten Years in Afghanistan” is the sequel to the 2004′s rural Afghan drama “The Boy Who Plays on the Buddhas of Bamiyan”, whose refugee family was then living among the remains of the giant statues destroyed by Taliban forces three years earlier. For the full review click here. 

Next Music From Tokyo Tour

One of the coolest shows that I got to go this year was the Next Music From Tokyo Tour! This was the 3rd time that Steven Tanaka brought Japanese bands to tour Canada in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. This year he brought down NATSUMEN, Akai Ko-en, Hyacca, chiina and the SSRIs. Check out the Bands here and Photo’s here.

The Rickshaw’s Grand Reopening

The next night I was invited to The Rickshaw’s Grand Reopening media party. It was a lot of fun with some cool bands. Prairie Cat opened the night which was funny as I just saw one of the guys in the band the night before playing with his other band the SSRI’s. A guy from Bend Sinister is also in Prairie Cat who just so happened to play later on that night.

Grey Cup Weekend Party

Again this year our great city hosted another Professional Sports League Playoff Finals. Yes this year Vancouver Hosted the CFL’s Grey Cup game and this time around the BC Lions were in it! As well BC Place hosted the Vanier Cup and that Friday night’s overtime classic between McMaster and Laval is being called the best in the history of that event. This years Grey Cup Weekend Party was off to a good start. The entertainment on the Main Stage was great. Playing was The Dudes, Kyprios, Bend Sinister, Guilty About Girls, Rococode, Prisoners and Stone Pine. Check out the pics here.

Keep checking out back for Part 3 as we go into how I met Don Alder! Super Big fan here.

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!

Buck Cherry, who had the Modernettes, him and I wound up living in the basement of the Manhattan, down on Robson and Thurlow. And he said to me, “I’m going to help you have a band, cause it’s your turn Jim.” So he wanted to come up with a band that was the most evilest punk rock band out there and that scared every parent around the world. So I was like Ok…(laughs)

VM: (laughs) ..sure..sounds like fun..

JC: So I had some names that I thought would work but Buck said they all sucked. And he said, “No we are going to be The Braineaters”. What parents want their kids listening to a band called Braineaters (laughs)? I actually had a star line up, I had Art Bergmann from Young Canadians on keyboards, Ian Tiles on drums, I had Buddy Selfish, Dave Greg from D.O.A on guitar and Buck played bass. We had wonderful success at causing riots (laughs).  We played one gig at the Russian Hall which caused there never to be another gig, all punk rock and all gigs were banned for 25 -30 years. No one played there again until just a couple years ago.

VM: That’s actually kinda cool that Braineaters were the reason behind that. (laughs)

JC: The first line ups last gig was at the Commodore where we were headlining which was great but then we also got very, very drunk by the time we hit the stage.

VM: That’s the problem with headlining, not getting too drunk before you go on stage!

JC: Exactly! So by the time we got on stage we were fighting, Buck hit my in the head with his bass, Art Bergmann peed on stage behind the shadow screen which he didn’t realize was a shadow screen so it presented him as a silhouette. For some reason I got the desire to throw garbage on the audience and take all my clothes off.

VM: When did this take place?

JC: In 79′ and we were banned from the Commodore for life for that one too.

VM: Another great accomplishment (laughs)

JC: (Laughs) We ended up breaking up just as our first single came out.

VM: OH NO!

JC: Everything was just so collapsed at that point.

VM: The good and the bad happening all at once!

JC: Between Spring and Summer. But now I’m producing the new album with Duane, Timmy and Zippy.

VM: Those are a great bunch of guys. The 22nd Century boys.

JC: They really are.

VM: So what do you think has been your most important influence in your Art?

JC: Big Daddy Ed Roth, he did the cartoon car monster stuff that came out in the 60′s when I was a kid. There was this kind of magic with the Big Daddy stuff like the Secret Agent or the Tweety Pie, but also his thing was to make Monsters the friends of children. I always came to the conclusion that the separation from the North American culture and European culture was that the European culture was a dystopia and the North American culture was the New Arcadia and the promise land. In North America we kind of fuse the idea that maybe the monsters were helpers and friends of children. Dystopia had fables that monsters live under your bed and they will eat you if your bad. A way to kind of control the children and stifle their imagination.

I’ve also certainly loved all the classic masters from Da Vinci, Paul Rubens, and Michael Angelo. I also loved Andy Warhol because he was able to make such a farce of art and such a farce of society and make fools of everybody and they paid for it! So I love that too.

Jimmy with one of his muses Tristan Risk

VM: I noticed at the last show I was at of yours that there was a lot of paintings of a beautiful lady that looked a lot like Burlesque performer Tristan Risk (Miss Risk). She was also at the show so I thought she must be the one in the paintings. Is she a muse of yours? 

JC: She certainly is a muse and I’ve always found that I’m a bit of an odd ball in the art scene because my muses are girls. I like girls (both laughing). So I found relatively after a while, after I’d kind of lost that blush of youth and that level of charm, that the basic main art community which is run by boys of a particular persuasion which I love and respect but at the same time I was not of that ilk and not of that desire. I eventually fell out of favour with the big art community with things like this because I love girls. And I love to paint them, and I love the look, the feel, the energy and they have been my muses.

VM: It’s hard not to be inspired by beauty and your work certainly captures that.

JC: Thank you

VM: How has Vancouver changed over the years?

JC: Anything you give enough time to there will be in it seasons. And certainly in music and art scenes it has it’s seasons. I think what was so great about 78′ and 79′ in Vancouver is that a lot of the scenes were either searching for more or they were too small to operate on their own. The city was a lot more barren with warehouses and stuff like that so there was more of a tendency for people from the arts and music to all come together under the same roof. It was like all the creatures had to all come to the same pond or the same watering hole. And I think that made for a really exciting time, a lot of stress, energy, joy, frustration and magic came out of it. Because all these camps were made to hang out together so perhaps the war was on and in this war type zone creativity really blossomed. As time went on everyone kind went into their separate groups cause they could kind of live on their own and actually things went really quiet. For a while there wasn’t a creation of energy like it had, there is a little bit now since Susanne put out her documentary Bloodied But Unbowed. I think she really raised the Dead, she brought things back to life. There are things going on and art shows and gigs especially and we are all trying to make things happen again. There certainly seems to be an energy happening again, it’s maybe a little static, a little broken up but it’s most exciting and a really good time for the city.

I Braineater

VM: I really loved Bloodied But Unbowed, it has so many great stories in it.

JC: Stories there are, and only a part of them were told in the film.

VM: I’ve heard that, that there was so much more that could have been told but there is only so much you can tell in a limited amount of time.

JC: Absolutely, you literally just run out of time and I know the way that Susanne tells her films, she has her main characters and she kind of keeps the ball spinning around her main characters. And she needed to do that with Bloodied But Unbowed, keep the narrative going and get the film done. But yes there are more tales to tell.

VM: It would be great if we could have a Bloodied But Unbowed Part 2 and 3.

JC: Yes it would…Like a Far Side Tale…once upon a time kiddies the events that took place will shock and amaze you! Hang on to your Hot Chocolates! Here we go! (laughs)

VM: Is there anything that you haven’t done that you would like to do?

JC: I would like to get into bigger film making, I’ve made some little films in the past and I would like to get back into that but on a larger scale.

VM: So it’s true that you have produced films in the past?

Bloodied But Unbowed: Jade Blade, Nathan Holiday, Brian Goble, Bev Davies, Nick Jones, Susanne Tabata, Gordon Nicholl, Jimmy Cummins

JC: Yes, I made a film that Susanne actually used clips of for Bloodied But Unbowed called The Times You Come When Beauty Is The Beast. That was a Super 8 film that I shot back in the late 70′s and through the 80′s about two punk rock girls who live in warehouses, who are both witches and they kind of have fun with things (laughs). And the thing is does this stuff actually take place or do they make them take place or is it the city that makes it take place? The next film I did was a short film called Neck of Lace which was my first Melodrama, horror, and spy film. Which I wrote the script one week and filmed it the next and edited it the following week and a month later I had a party and showed it. And the film that I did after that was called The Sex Drum which was all about a man who ran a hotel for women who has something on his mind which they don’t have on their minds about him. It’s a greek tragedy (laughs)

VM: (Laughs) Interesting…. and you have also done the artwork for album covers. For bands such as Skinny Puppy?

JC: I did Skinny Puppy, I did the covers for Too Dark Park and Spasmolytic. I did the original Pointed Sticks album cover, I did some stuff for Bitch and Dog Eat Dog. I did stuff for John Bates as well. I have had a lot fun over the years with stuff like that and I believe everyone has been pleased with the work I’ve done. I’ve always tried because it’s hard, you think you guys are actually going have this on the cover and in production forever. I don’t have a single tattoo on my body because I could never think of having something that long. It’s always hard for me to make a decision!

VM: This is a two part question, best advise that anyone has given to you AND the best advise you could give to somebody else.

JC: HA! (laughing) Best advice given to me was by one of Canada’s top architects, he basically designed the whole False Creek area, his name was Ian Davidson and he passed away a couple years ago. He had this very quavering voice shall we say and he used to come up to me and my paintings of my girls and say, “I’m going to tell you right now Jim as long as you continue painting those God damn bimbos you will go nowhere in Canadian art, let me tell you that!” And I suppose he was right.

VM: Really? You think so?

JC: To this day that is the best advice and he would tell me that at every show that I did. But I actually don’t know if it’s true (laughs)

VM: I’m not convinced

JC: So that was from one of Canada’s top official art curator, collector and architect and he held the purse strings and certainly the reins of the art community in Vancouver and across Canada. The best piece of advise that I could give to anyone….

VM: Maybe to someone who is just starting out in the art world and maybe the music scene in Vancouver

JC: It was something that I said a million years ago in a Vancouver Sun article and I will say it again, you do not need permission for anything. Do it! Cause if you wait for approval from anyone or if you wait for someone to get on board and do it for you it probably won’t happen. So I would just say for everyone out there who wants to create, make anything in any shape or fashion you desire just Do It. And there is always a way.

VM: Were you encouraged?

JC: No. (laughs) I have always been discouraged!

VM: Really?! Was it something that you always had to fight for?

JC: Yes I had to fight for it. And I think I still have to fight for it. Basically the realms around you would really like you to stop it. So I would also tell people to don’t stop. Whatever it is don’t stop it. There is this great line in the film Ed Wood with Johnny Depp, directed by Tim Burton. In the film Ed Wood meets Orson Wells and Orson says to Ed, “Dreams are worth fighting for”.

VM: I couldn’t agree more. 

Interview photos by Jason Pawlett

This year has been full new and exciting things for me! I decided to take myself away a little more from the computer and start attending more events. I have talked to a lot of you on different social media sites and through email but there was never a personal face between us. 2011 was a year that I got to personally meet a lot of you.

These are just a few of things that I got to do and some of the events and festivals that I have attended, worked with or organized. It really all started in January when John Pippus and I got together and started organizing something for Valentines Day. On February 12th at The Billy Bishop Legion at 1407 Laburnum St (on Kits Point) VanMusic Presented V-Day at The Billy!

Here are some highlights of the night.

June was one of the most interesting months, spring was here in full speed and there was festivals going on all over Vancouver. Italian Day on Commercial Drive kicked it off. With great live music, DJ’s, fashion shows and some amazing foods,  it was a day that the Drive wants to host again and again. Whenever Commercial Drive shuts down for one of these events you know its going to be fun.

One of my personal favorites is always Car Free Day! I have gotten the privilege before to volunteer this event in the past and plan to again however this year I was one of the 1000′s that attended this event.

“The first annual Car-Free Vancouver Day, on Sunday June 15, 2008 ushered in the next phase in this bold experiment that had been gradually happening in Vancouver for many years. It took the car-free meme to the whole city, and represented the next level in our evolution toward healthy communities, authentic cultural celebrations, and car-free streets. On that day, FOUR communities presented their own Car-Free Festivals: Kitsilano, West End, Main Street, and Commercial Drive. Each Festival was envisioned and organized by the local core organizers, and each had a unique flavour.” – Car Free Vancouver

MIP was touring from Toronto and I got to see them at Falconetti’s, I met them after and they gave me a signed CD (my favorite thing to get from a band, that and a T Shirt). That night I finally got to meet Jade Sperry in person as well. We have talked many times over Facebook and email as Jade often writes for VanMusic, but we have never shaken hands and formally met. Oswaldo attended with me as well as Jade’s buddy. We all had a great time, I look forward to doing it again.

This year The Vancouver Jazz Festival was again amazing, it was the perfect way to end June and welcome in July. With 1800 Musicians, 400 Concerts, at 40 Venues, it gave me the chance to attend some really good acts. The one that stands out the most would have to be when I saw Gypsophilla live at

One thing that I wanted to talk about was an event that happened in June. I have not really written all that much about it, but I was there and watched the entire thing unfold. It was one of the best events held by the City Of Vancouver where the entire nation watched and cheered with us. On 7 different days the downtown core was shut down to bring in huge big screen TV’s, to cheer on together our Vancouver Canucks for their quest for Lord Stanley’s Cup!

I was downtown for most of the playoff games this year because I knew that Vancouver was going to win the cup. That first series against Chicago nearly killed me, man oh man that was great hockey. After Vancouver beat them and moved on in the Playoffs, I knew the Canucks would finally carry that Cup home after 40 long years. For the Stanley Cup Finals, I could not sleep, eat or even work I was so nervous. For every game I was downtown cheering with the rest of the City. Game 7 was like Canada playing in the Gold Metal Hockey Game and it had just gone into overtime. This time however there was no Crosby.

Game 7 was exciting! It was the best game of the whole season and only 2 teams got to play it, and why only 2? Because they earned it! The entire City was downtown together, cheering. There was about 10 minutes left in the game and that’s when things first started to go wrong. All the sudden these young drunk teens started appearing, the air was starting to get heavy and it somehow seemed that the closer the game came to ending, the more people understood what was unfolding. Fights were breaking out all around and families were starting to flee, there was a lot of people down there trying to get out all at once which started making the situation that much more dangerous.

I don’t need to say anymore about the events that followed as the whole world watched what happened. What I do want to say is this. These rioters were there just to riot. They have purposely vandalized our city in the name of fun. Every single one of them should be punished to the fullest extent of the law! I don’t care how many times you go on TV and cry out how sorry you are, your only sorry because you got caught. Thats right, we the people have stood up and said we are not going to take this.

There are so many people working so hard in promoting the different arts scene in Vancouver as we are plagued as the “No Fun City”. to have these little punks who were not even born yet for the last hockey riot, riot just because they think it will be a fun thing to do.

For pics of everything unfolding click here

This years Fringe Festival was a lot of fun. I was given a Media Pass so was able to attend a lot of shows. 2 of my favorites were Species and Homeland. Check out a review of the festival here.

Species. It was presented by Sapience Dance Collective from Seattle. Five dancers put a strange dance performance. Are they in an apocalyptic world below a street bridge? Are they the representation of homeless people? Or species that live in urban spaces? The show starts with the five dancers intertwined in a brown fabric, could it have been a cocoon? a butterfly struggling to resurface? Birds entangled in a giant spider web or just plain extraterrestrial beings that happened to crash in the city. “Species explores the “Nature” within human nature and the wilderness within the city through dance, music, and elaborated costumes” says their description. The costumes are very trippy, each dancer embodies an animal in the asphalt jungle. The music started as an electronic dream, drum and bass combined with urban traffic and chirping of birds. The collage of music is not always in sync with the dancers, the music also features some post rock and I think I recognized some Tortoise. The corporal expression of their modern dance formed human sculptures and intricate forms.

Homeland tells the story of an immigrant girl that comes to Toronto, she is looking for a sense of belonging in a foreign land, she is in awe, she is scared, she is excited, everything is new for her as we follow her journey through her dance. The show combines dance with audio visuals, shots of Toronto and interviews with real immigrants that share some of their experiences in their new home. The best part of the show is the LIVE music. Godot Art Productions is a Toronto based non profit company that juxtapose theatre, dance, music, literature, visual and media arts. The music was composed by Reza Moghaddas who also edited the film. The style of music is a mix of new age with middle Eastern sounds, he plays the instruments as well; a guitar, keyboards and arrangements with special effects. But the effects are also done by percussionist Lorenzo Castelli. The live soundtrack reminded me of Mexican pre Hispanic new age musician Jorge Reyes, but this Iranian Canadian musician impressed me the same. The show is really entertaining.

Check Out Part Two of The Grey Matter’s Year In Review Here!

Ricardo Khayatte from The Reckoners invited myself as their guest to the show on Decemeber 14th 2011. Now being a guy from Cowtown I was ready for some good old country music. Yes I was excited to finally see The Reckoners live at The Biltmore.  VanMusic has helped promote The Reckoners in the past but was I not able to attend any of their events till now. As a added bonus to the night there was a kick ass bill lined up, followed by The Reckoners was Cory Woodward and closing the night was Redgy Blackout.

The Reckoners

The Reckoners are one of those country/folk bands that once you see them live, you will have to pick up their EP for the cabin or for any family BBQ. They are a very personal band on stage as co singer Christina Simpson really enjoys talking and interacting with the crowd. Tonight Christina explained to us that she promised Ricardo Khayatta, lead vocals and guitar, that she would not talk so much between songs because Ricardo wanted to pack in as many songs that they could during their time slot.

One of the things that are great about country is most songs are intended to be sang harmoniously with both male and female vocals, which is perfect for The Reckoners as both Ricardo and Christina’s vocals work so well with each other that when not watching the stage, they often sound like one. Everything they played  was a pleasure to listen to, some of my favorites were the 3rd song on their set ” I Won’t Fall Down”, as well as “When The Chips Fall” and “Heart Breaker”.

Something that is always exciting to see is when someone makes a special appearance during a show, tonight Derek Kehler from Steel Audrey was invited up on stage to sing along on one of their songs, it was very well received.

They played ten songs during their set that finished around 10:20pm. For their last song, Ricardo and Christina invited everyone up to the dance floor to dance, it was hard not to as it was a real boot stomper. You could tell that they were prepping everyone for the bands that were to follow. Oh yes the night was getting more and more exciting.

SMALL BIO

Ricardo Khayatte and Christina Simpson, are at the forefront of Canada’s folk revival, delivering their debut EP, …And The Sky Opened Up at a time when music fans are gravitating to something “real.” The six song debut has garnered 4.5 Star reviews in Canada’s major market daily papers like Vancouver Sun and the Winnipeg Free Press, as well as stellar reviews in the Toronto Star’s “Anti Hit List” and Exclaim Magazine.

Cory Woodward

I was excited to see Cory Woodward, I heard a lot about him and tonight I got to see him give his heart and soul in his performance. The Cory Woodward Band is a 3 piece folk/rock band. Cory’s music is very easy to listen to and easy to learn so that in know time you can be singing along him. A good thing too because all his songs that he played were on his album that he was selling over at the merch table.

He talked his 5th song that he was about to play, it was titled “Uselessness Of War”. He gave some of his views on war and what this song meant to him, check out the video of the song below.

Cory thanked everyone for coming out and also thanked us for being who we are, and said that he really meant it. Woodward played a 9 song solid set.

Small Bio

“The Edmonton-born singer-songwriter has the uncanny ability to spark a connection between himself and some of the greatest musicians of all time,” boasts Exclaim! magazine about Cory Woodward. And since his arrival on the Vancouver music scene five years ago, he has done nothing but prove this statement to be true. Woodward entices listeners with a soothing, Springsteen-like rasp, then blows them away with the unbridled, soulful bellow of Joe Cocker. Like John Lennon or Jeff Tweedy before him, he can paint a bitter picture of life, but always leaves audiences with a message of hope. With the support of his band Woodward delivers a high energy rock show that you soon won’t forget.

Redgy Blackout

Redgy Blackout is such a fun and interactive band, with hints of ska, folk, rock, country and all out fun dancing music. Redgy and his band were dancing the entire set, creating that party night scene, getting everyone to sing and dance along with them.

Redgy Blackout’s singer Scott Perrie also took the time to bring up some interesting issues about The Toronto Zoo, he started talking about the 2 gay penguins and how they separated them to prolong mating. As well Blackout referred to Cory’s song “Uselessness Of War” and said that he wrote a song about the effects of war and he wrote this song “Children” with an antiwar message.

Before the 9th and finial song of his set, Scott thanked everyone for coming down and wished everyone much love. Then in the middle of the song thanked everyone again. Just at the stroke of 12:15, Perrie dropped his guitar and walks off stage. Everyone loved it and cheered for the beloved encore, just as it seemed that the band was done for the night one girl cry’s out for just one more, the band obliged and walked back on stage.

Scott says that he will play a short one as they are already over time as is, they check with the sound guy and things are a go! He goes back to the gay penguin thing again and then says forget it. One of the other guys bugs him about his short attention span and he comes back with that he did not want to ruin anyone’s night.

They start playing what I think is called “ya, ya, ya” and everyone there is so happy that they are playing one more song that there is not a single person not on the dance floor dancing. Redgy Blackout gets everyone to start singing with the band and starts joking with them. “Ok, now just the guys, ya, ya, ya”! Well, if anyone wants to know if it was a good night, then what I have to say is “ya, ya, ya”!

Small Bio

At the core Redgy Blackout is Scott Perrie and Jeremy Breaks. Collaborating since ’06, they have toured Western Canada consistently and become an exciting live act. Their newest EP garnered critical acclaim from folk/rock and alt country sources for their mix of styles. The songs are woven together with heartfelt vocals and intricate banjo and guitar work. 2011 has been an exciting year for them with appearances at Pop Okanagan, BC Rivers Day Festival and best of all a Top 20 spot in the Peak Performance Project in BC.

Josh Hyslop is a folk musician from Abbotsford BC and signed to Nettwerk Music Group. I had heard only little tid bits of info about him so when I found out he was performing at the Media Club with The Never Surprise and The Geese I thought I would check him out.

Josh’s set was bare bones acoustic and heartfelt, his soft voice and lyrics reveal an intelligent romantic soul. While I did enjoy his set, I felt he might have found it a little difficult to play The Media Club as there was a lot of chatter coming from the bar. Being the first musician of the night Josh had the dubious task of warming the crowd up which is always a challenge for one man on a stage with an acoustic guitar.

His studio recordings have more instrumentation and a fuller sound which would translate well to a live venue. We got a taste of the larger potential when Joel Gorrie from The Geese joined in for two songs on cello.

All in all I look forward to hearing more from Josh Hyslop in the future and I recommend checking him out. There’s a good mix of tunes on his Facebook page for you.  https://www.facebook.com/joshuahyslop

Oh yeah,  don’t let the mustache fool you.  Josh assured us it was strictly for Movember, he normally doesn’t look like your old gym teacher or a 1970′s porn star.

By Jade Sperry

JadedPhotography

In early September, I had just sent out interview questions to a few people when I had to stop all work and ended up in the hospital due to a major drug reaction that took me down literally. I’m at home and recovering now, but, I’m kind of in a weakened state due to the burns on my legs and feet.

I have just received these back from 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. They don’t have a lot of music online yet, but that’s only a matter of time before that happens.

I’m reviewing a song that was sent to me called “A LA RUE” which sounds like a carnival trip on the psychedelic side of life. I’m reminded of 1960′s band The Doors, but, Gabriel takes the song and makes it his own vocally. I’ve seen this band in action onstage and they are dynamite! Kaylar definitely rounds out the band with her odd sounds from the keys or her sax, Ryley does a great rhythm and lead guitar is this song, new member Chris is funked out with his root bass chords through the song and Mario’s drums carry the song on into infinity. I really dig this band and its not hard to figure out why.

The current lineup is as follows:

Gabriel Savage - Vox

Ryley Kirkpatrick - Guitars

Chris Seversen - Bass

Kaylar Chan - Keyboards/Sax

Mario Beer - Drums and percussion

What goals in relation to the band are you setting now to work towards over the next year?

We’re working towards releasing our EP within the next six months. We’ve just trained a new bass player so we had to take a break from recording for a while. We’re hoping to be able to get everything done by Spring. The songs are all there and ready, now it’s just about having the funds and resources to back us in the process.

What personal goals has the band as a whole achieved in the last year?

For the most part, we’re happy with where we’re at. Everyone’s enjoying the stages as they come and are looking forward to the next steps. Being Fox’s Band of the Month for October had its benefits, and so does playing shows regularly. We’re always happy to hear the good things people have to say after we play for them, so that’s always a bonus. As far as goals though, we’re just happy to have come this far in only a year, and are looking forward to the next stages of our career together.

As a band, what has been the best thing that has happened, and the worst thing?

The best thing is that we’re all still playing with each other and are enjoying our time together. Like I said, it’s always great to hear such positive feedback; it keeps us enjoying what we do knowing that others are enjoying it also. I can’t think of the “worst thing” yet. I think everything has happened in good time and for a good reason.

At first it was a bit of a drag losing Cory and having to go about finding a suitable replacement –which always takes a long time— but now that we’ve got Chris on the team it’s been really great. He’s been a great addition for the band and we all really enjoy working with him.

How do you see the current state of the Corporate Music Industry? Do you think it has changed since the “old” days before the internet? And, how do you feel about the DIY bands that are becoming mainstream? (arcade fire for example)

There’s no doubt that it’s changed, but that’s the way things have to happen. We have to evolve with the world around us. That goes for all aspects of the media. These days, if you want something, you’ve just got to work all that much harder for it, which makes it all the more worth it when it finally happens.  Arcade Fire are doing really well for themselves and that’s great to see.

Do you feel that the band has control over how your music reaches the fans? And if yes why do you feel this way and what factors into that?

Yes, being Indie has its benefits. There isn’t a lot of censorship, and we can pretty much say, do, write, and perform anything we want without any legal binds. There’s no doubt that it would be easier to reach people if we had all of our ducks in order (a finished album/EP/quality videos, etc) but right now, we’re doing everything on a real tight Indie budget so it does make it hard to do the right things all at once.

How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard your music before?

The mood I get from it is a sense of being aware but not quite at home with your surroundings. Kind of like a sailor who goes out to sea, prepared for the storm, but not necessarily ready for it to happen, you know what I mean? It’s got sort of a heavy, dark, gloomy feeling, but there’s more to it than that. There’s a sense of depth that people probably won’t hear if they’re just dancing or drinking at the bar, but that’s not to say they won’t enjoy it. They just wont walk away as satisfied as the people who were paying attention. I’d really like to try something a little different than what we’ve been doing. Maybe a couple hip-hop tunes, or something considered more “Pop”, just to give it a try and show people that we’re not stuck sounding the way we do, we just choose this sound over others because we feel it gets our message across in a way that isn’t really being done these days.

Who are the primary songwriters in the band?

So far I’ve written all the lyrics, but as a band we all of an equal say in the songwriting process. Sometimes I’ll come up with most of the idea on a guitar or bass, but after the initial blossom I usually pass the idea on to Ryley or Chris to give it some extra flare. I use instruments as more of a songwriting tool. That’s why you’ll only ever see me with a microphone and maybe a maraca on stage. (laughs). Although I do have a harmonica mic, but I just use it to achieve a sort of Tom Waits vocal effect, kind of like a megaphone.

Collectively, how does the songwriting process within the band go? Do you jam it out in rehearsal space?

We all work together to write the songs. Most of the time it starts with lyrics and a melody, but there are a handful of songs that have emerged from just a guitar or bass lick, or some sort of sound from the keyboards. Usually I’ll come into a session with an idea, and then the band will work some sort of arrangement around my lyrics. It all comes together pretty naturally though, it’s really quite a special process to be able to be involved in.

How did you come up with the band name?

I got the idea from “The Birth of Tragedy” where Nietzsche talks about the artistic elements of the ancient Greeks. ‘The Niche’ is meant to refer to the joining of the two different opposing art forms, that of Apollo, god of structure and stability, and that of the more dreamlike & ecstatic creations of Dionysus.
We’ve got an interesting balance of artists in the band, we’re all very different from each other, yet are perfectly suited for each other creatively. I think the name just really sums us up to a point that no other name would be able to achieve. Anyone who reads the Birth of Tragedy will probably get a pretty good idea as to what it is I’m trying to do.

What is your opinion on the music scene in Vancouver? Do you feel that there are enough venues for bands to book shows? And is there a lot of competition as well?

There are lots of venues and lots of bands to play them. There are a handful of swell promotion companies out there, however not many of them have touched us because we’re considered “too different” from most of the other bands in the circuit. I don’t blame them though, we haven’t got enough quality tunes online to really give the promoters an idea of what we’re about. So it’s been a struggle, we’ve had to book a lot of our own shows or team up with bands that we’ve become friends with. But its been fun, I’ve got no hard feelings, I’m pretty patient and forgiving! (laughs)

What bands/singers/songwriters did you all listen to growing up? And why are/were they important to you now that you’re in a band?

We each come from different musical and artistic backgrounds which, when blended together, sound like something that isn’t quite jazz, isn’t quite funk, and doesn’t fall under the typical blues structure, so we’ve been calling it ‘Sonic Rock’. Just sounds, man. A lot of the music is written to be a sort of soundtrack to the lyrics and images we try to convey with the songs.
I can’t really speak for everyone else, but my biggest musical influences were Elvis, Sinatra, and Johnny Cash. One was a performer, the other could croon, and man, could Cash tell a great story.

Before this band you had another band – what happened to Kick The Ashes?

Yeah, I joined Kick the Ashes as their songwriter. It wasn’t really my project, I was just another member. We were together for just under a year until we decided it was time to kick the bucket on Kick the Ashes.

How did you meet all the band members in The Niche? Are there members from Kick The Ashes?

I met Ryley and Mario through Kick the Ashes. We started playing with each other again in 2010 and decided to form another band. From there we had auditions for a bass player, and then Ryley’s girlfriend, Kaylar, came into the picture as the keyboardist & saxophone player.

What’s the best part about being in The Niche?

I just love that my words are being put to use, It’s great to have the opportunity to be able to present your artistic creations in such a personal and engaging manor. It’s really quite special. Plus, it’s awesome having the opportunity to work some of my closest friends on such a regular basis. I don’t think I could ask for anything more, except for maybe a good record contract, that would sure help us out financially! (laughs)

You can find THE NICHE at the following links:

The Niche website

Facebook

Twitter

Supernova.com

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

Every Tuesday night VanMusic hosts a Open Mic in Kits at Displace Hashery, 3293 West 4th. Every week the night is full a wide variety of musical talents with well respected artists entertaining the ever growing turnouts. November 15th was no different. With Don Alder showing up a night  before his trip to London, UK to compete in the TOP 10 at the Guitar Idol finals and DGB showing up on tour from Lindsay, Ontario.

Earle Peach in Illiteratty

Two members for Illiteratty showed up to open the night. There song set was “Our Ability To Dance”, “ABBACAC”, “It’s Getting Late” and “Go For A Walk”.

Illiteratty is poetic, silly, angry, fun original folk music featuring Earle Peach on guitar, Albert Klassen on mandolin, Wanda Mundy on bass and Rev Nixon on percussion, and everybody singing.

Earle Peach has played with many groups in Vancouver including Songtree, Natural Elements, Ship of Fools, Flying Ship, Sudanda etc. He conducts multiple choirs, teaches a variety of musical skills, and has created lots of music for theatre (including Bruce, the Musical), film, and video. He has his own website (www.earlepeach.com or www.myspace.com/earlepeach). He does most of the writing for Illiteratty.

EV – Evelyn Yngveson

Ev Came on 2nd with a playful set full of get vocals including one song titled “GO” that was about her asshole ex-boyfriend, a very funny song that everyone enjoyed. Her set was “Louisiana Boardwalk”, “GO”, “1 Way Ticket” and “Lover In A Dangerous Time”.

Grrl singer w/ guitar and sometimes piano. “Sexy and smokey-voiced with a personality that exudes in her music – an edginess that makes her stage presence an ethereal and provocative experience.” I keep making music because I love it. The magic that happens when you pour out the emotion and colors from a given experience and turn it into a song is unlike anything I have ever experienced.

 Don Alder

Don Alder blew everyone away again with his 4 song set as the crowd pulled out their cameras  to film 1 or 2 of his songs. This is the 3rd time I have seen Don play and finally bought one of his CD’s which he happily signed for me. His song set was ” Not A Planet”, “He Said She Said”, “Over The Top” and “Chiwaru ‘The Rogue’”.

Don currently resides in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. His unique style of playing incorporates fingerpicking with simultaneous percussion on the soundboard to create a wall of sound. He is often referred to as sounding like a four piece band. Don’s music is his own unique weave of deeply textured melody and story. Lyrical and compelling, his original songs are notes of exploration – some passionate and haunting, some hard-driven, others light and teasing. In quiet pieces or pushing right to the edge, Don’s phenomenal fingerstyle playing and rich voice captivate.

John Pippus

Always a treat and a personal favorite, John Pippus graced the stage. Playing 2 songs with his electric guitar he switched to EV’s guitar as he was looking for a particular sound. For his 4th song John invited EV back on stage to perform “Love Is Here To Stay” together. His song set was “The Way You Say Goodbye”, “Secret World”, “When My Baby Loves Me” and “Love Is Here To Stay”.

Situated somewhere between the musical influences of John Hiatt, Tom Waits, and Kris Kristopherson, Vancouver singer/songwriter John Pippus. From sharing a stage with Jackson Browne to playing to small, but appreciative coffee house audiences, John has lived a life filled with music and well-earned stories. Critics have declared him, “…a folk/roots gem”, and “…a refined tunesmith with serious pop hooks”.

Paolo Brian

Paolo Brian of Paolo Brian and the Steamclocks was up next. Paolo is very talented and I see nothing but great things in store for him. Playing brand new songs tonight, so brand new that when asking him for his song set he made up the names of the songs right there. Keep an eye out for these soon to be released songs titled “The Drifter”, “No Way Out”, “In The City” and “Call Of Winter”.

While both performance and writing are a love of Paolo’s, what it really comes down to for this dedicated musician is the power of every song to tell a story, and to help us connect to our own experiences and to each other. It is the absolute need to play music and write lyrics, that drive this contemplative artist to continue his mission of creating authentic lyrics and songs that ring true for all who hear them.

Cory Hawthorne

I was not able to get Cory’s song set but he played 4 songs for us that were great to sit back and enjoy the music. A great singer/songwriter that everyone should check out live.

Cory Hawthorne is a BC-based guitarist, singer and songwriter. Born in Winnipeg, he moved to BC at a young age and spent his formative years honing his guitar skills in the heart of heavy metal in the suburbs of Burnaby and Coquitlam. A long time fixture of the Vancouver music scene, Cory’s motto has always been “any style, anywhere.”

Ryan McMillion

It was my second time seeing Ryan McMillan play. Before his set he introduced himself to me and we got to talking. He plays in the band Tripsonic with 3 of his buddies. He really enjoys preforming at Open Mics. In fact his friend Trent is currently putting a documentary together about Open Mics featuring some of Vancouver’s best artists finding out great questions that everyone is wanting to know. Ryan’s set was full of covers that he was able to pull off and proves his true talent that he has. His song set was  “If I Had A Gun” by Noel Gallagher, “Animal” by Neon Trees, “Cold Reminder” by Tripsonic and “Yellow” by Cold Play.

DGB

Currently on tour from Lindsay, Ontario, DGB closed down the show! Playing a great set full of fun songs that had everyone rockin’ to the beats and playful habits of the band mats. Their song set might be off as it was late and the drinks were flowing, I believe the set was “Perfect Crime”, Take It Now!”, “Act Nitwally” I think that’s what they wrote, “I Love It When You Leave Me” and “Lights Out”.

The epitome of rock and roll: dangerous, explosive fury and an exciting, high energy performance that makes the room come alive. The rawness and emotion of 90s rockers such as Nirvana and the Smashing Pumpkins, crossed with the bluesy rock and roll of Led Zeppelin or the Who, and the drive of stoner rock groups like Soundgarden or Kyuss. Powerful, sing along alt-rock choruses, danceable rock and roll rhythms, a bit of a punk edge, and fresh sounding modern vocals.

Check out the rest of the Pictures here!

Jordan, “Hey Jay, you want to go see A-Trak and Saigon’s DJ Jase for free at the Smirnoff party?”

Me, “Uh, sure.”

And just like that I was whisked into the Smirnoff Night Life Exchange which is fitting for me because I went to Earthdance which was about 60 cities getting together to dance for peace at the same time all over the world and this was about people dancing across five continents for vodka.

Straight up, that’s how I normally take it, because I’m pretty bad ass. However since the Vancouver party was Vietnamese themed I decided to go with the green tea mix with lime or lemon or something. It doesn’t matter because it was delicious, very delicious. The next one after that was pretty good too.

But, I was working so I was on my two drink limit. (Note to wannabe bad assess out there, it is cool to be responsible from time to time.) Thankfully though, there is no limit on the amount of dancing I allow myself at the office.

DJ Jase had me grooving to some fun house tunes with contagious beats and I got my bounce on to some trip hop that was tossed into the mix.  I was now warmed up to get my heavy dance swagger on for A-Trak.

Known around the world for his furious melodic hyper groovy scratch abilities and his general super power for making the dance floor go crazy, A-Trak appeared and the dance floor got packed.

Wedged between my date and two cute girls making out I have to admit, that I don’t have a bad review for this party. It was great. The music was amazing, the people were fun and friendly and I got broadcast around the world shaking my ass.

Can’t complain about a Saturday night like that. Well, I could but then I’d be a complete jerk and I’d be lying.

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. And that is exactly what I did recently with Shmoo of Vancouver’s Keep Tidy. Check out the interview part only below. Enjoy

You have played bass in the bands The Organ and Tight Solid and now you sing in Keep Tidy, is this your first time singing and fronting a band?

Yes, first band that I have fronted and have been on stage with a microphone and not an instrument. I co-fronted the first band I was in called Panty Party Knife Fight where I played bass and sang. My girlfriend played guitar and sang as well and we did equal amount of vocals. Like call and response vocals but it’s totally different just singing and not playing an instrument.

Do you miss playing sometimes?

Only for the first two shows, I think I felt very naked because I wasn’t being covered by anything but I got used to it.

Was singing and fronting a band always something that you wanted to do? 

Yes but it wasn’t something  I acknowledged that it was something that I wanted to do until I started doing it.  Like, “Oh ya all those times that I have been dancing in front of the mirror, singing songs, holding a fake microphone…” it all fits what I’m doing right now.

When did you pick up the bass?

When I was about 21 and I remember thinking if I’m ever going to do anything with music that I was starting too old at that point for some reason. I had been studying other musicians and they had all started when they were really young, I was thinking I’m too old, I’m over the hill (laughs).  And my friend told me that I was being stupid.

Keep Tidy's Dustin, Kyle, Brett and Shmoo

And he or she was was right (laughs)

Yes, he was actually a bass player in a band and he suggested that I start and I did. I taught myself to play listening to the Strokes and Death from Above so I just barely knew how to play when Ayma and I started Panty Party Knife Fight. The whole point of that band was to learn our instruments and write songs that we could actually play. Ayma was new at guitar as well and then we ended up getting Dustin who is the drummer in Keep Tidy, so it was these two girls who could barely play their instruments but had a lot of spunk and then this kick ass drummer but it was a really good combination (laughs).

It worked!

Yes

How long did that band go on for?

That band was only around for about 6 months and then I got recruited into The Organ and started touring so I couldn’t keep up anymore.

So you weren’t playing very long before you went on tour.

I literally had one practice with The Organ before my first show with them. I mostly learned the songs by just playing along with the music wearing headphones at home.  After the one rehearsal the next day I flew to Montreal and started playing shows to 200 people which was the most I had ever played in front of at that point.  And then the numbers started to increase through-out the tour and at some shows we were playing in front of a couple thousand people. But by the end of all the touring I did with The Organ the most people we had played in front of 30 000 people. And here I was still trying to figure out how patch chords still work! (laughs)

You must have been so nervous!

I was for the first couple tours but then it got a little easier. And I got a bass that fit me, I got a smaller bass and that helped a lot. I felt less awkward with it.

Do you come from a musical family at all?

Yes I would say so.

I always ask this question because I find family dynamics interesting.

The only professional musician in my family was my sister who was in The Organ. And both my parents are musical, my Mother sings and whistles all the time. My Dad is really into playing Blue Grass and my parents put all three of us kids, I have a brother as well, into classical music lessons when we were very little. I played violin from 3 to 7 and I was terrible! (laughs) I played piano and flute until I was about 15 and then didn’t do anything until I was 21 with bass.

So you got the High School years over and done with. You had your fun and all that and then you started focusing on other things?

Ya, and my parents made me play the other instruments too so I never really liked it.  I was playing stuff I didn’t like, classical tunes and reading music that I found really boring. So things got fun when they started to be Rock n’ Roll.

When you were able to do what you want!

There were no rules.

When you have people telling you what to do and disciplining you when you don’t do something. It’s definitely not fun for a kid.

Agreed, I quit violin when I was 7 but I distinctively remember the instructor moving my feet to be in the correct position over and over while I’m trying to rehearse because I was going to perform in front of my parents. And I just hated it! Who cares if I’m standing a certain way?! I’m 7! (laughs)

That’s so true that violin players have a certain posture when they play.

It is very precise and it is good to have great posture if you plan on being a classical musician because you don’t want to strain anything. But I feel that if you are going to have your kids play music get them into something that they will at least enjoy. But I did learn a lot of about musical theory as a kid and it’s engraved in my brain.

Which I’m sure has helped you.

I think so, I was able to pick up the bass really quickly as I understood stuff like scales already.

Growing up was there a particular musician or musicians that you admired? Anyone today that your really into?

I love Kate Bush. I love her because her songs are crazy! I find her fascinating because she is able to create all these songs in her head and somehow has managed to organize people around her that will play her music for her. It’s beautiful music and I’ve personally had difficulty writing music and getting other people to play it. I find that band dynamics work better for me when they contribute their own work because they feel invested.  But I’m sure she has funding so that always helps!

Definitely (laughing)

But I’ve always admired strong female musicians, like growing up it was Madonna and then Liz Phair, Tori Amos and Sleater Kinney.

So what’s the history behind Keep Tidy? You said before that Dustin played in Panty Party Knife Fight but how did everything fall into place for you guys?

Dustin and I were still friends and he actually started Keep Tidy with a couple other guys so he could play drums again. He had been playing bass in Adjective for a couple years and was missing the drums. He just wanted to start a 80′s hardcore band just for fun and not take things really seriously. They went through a couple rotations of singers, bassists and guitarists until last year when they have the present line up minus me because another friend of mine was the vocalist for a bit.

It’s funny because Keep Tidy actually practiced in the same jam space hall that Tight Solid practiced in and one day I had been at our space cleaning and drinking when I heard them playing. I went down to say “hi” and it turned out that their vocalist didn’t show up that day. I was like kinda buzzed and little hyper and they were like, “grab the microphone!” So I did and I just started jumping around and screaming and just having fun and then I left to go back to cleaning (laughs). But then after I realized that I had so much fun so I ended up telling Dustin that if the vocalist didn’t show up again would he consider me for the band? He mentioned that their singer hadn’t actually shown up for the last couple practices so it looked like it might work out for me.

Keep Tidy was signed up to play the Music Waste Festival and the day before their show I got a call saying that the singer had dropped out do you want to join the band? So again another 24 hours notice! (laughs). I did one practice with the band and we pretty much improvised for our first show. And it was awesome! We all fall in band love (laughs).

That’s hilarous! It kind of works with my next question (laughs). What has been your most memorable Keep Tidy show to date?

Well we actually haven’t played that many shows, at first we played every other month or so on average so I would say to date we have probably only played only a dozen shows. But the last show that we played was really memorable for a few reasons, all of our friends came out and they had decided to spray beer on me all night which made it hilarious..my clothes were drenched and I had beer dripping from my chin and we played with amazing bands, The Defektors and The New Values.

Yes, both great bands.

We also played some great shows in Calgary, 3 shows in a 24 hour period actually and it was our first out of town experience as a band. Which made it really exciting and it made us feel like a real band especially since some of us have toured before. We got that feeling again, the tour feeling. And with 3 shows in a row it made things so hectic! But our last show was our Sled Island show and we were really warmed up. I seriously had no voice by the end of the night, we rocked that show and sold a bunch of t-shirts so I would say Sled Island has been our best show so far.

My last question, what advice would you have for young girls starting up their first band here in Vancouver? 

I would say play what you want and be as fearless as you possibly can be! Ultimately if you are being fearless with what you are saying, with your performance and taking risks with your music it makes more of an impact on people. People will remember it. And part of me wants to say don’t care what people think of you but I think you should care of people think of you because you want to be aware of your audience. But don’t let it become overwhelming, just do what you have got to do. It’s all about expression!

keeptidy.bandcamp.com

facebook.com/keeptidy

Kidstreet is a trio of siblings that make melodic, entrancing dance music. Having signed with Nettwerk in 2010 they just released their debut album “Fuh Yeah”. They have also dropped a new music video onto the interwebs for their single “Never Coming Back.”

An electronica family, Kidstreet is from Waterloo Ontario with youngest sister Edna Snyder on piano and vocals, along with two brothers; Cliff Snyder on synth and guitar and Karl Snyder on drums.

Kidstreet’s debut album “Fuh Yeah” is fun fast erotic electronica with hints of retro synth-pop. The album is great for dancing or even just bringing up the vibes in your apartment while you’re chilling.

My favorites songs on the album are X, Penny Candy, Fuh Yeah and Nineteen Ninety Three and The Future Is A Fever and Never Coming Back.

Overall the album is well rounded with a distinct sound that is a mature blend bringing an underground dance floor feel to radio friendly melodies and lyrics. Great to listen to on its own and if you can find it on vinyl I think it would be sweet for mixing.

Give a listen to the album on Soundcloud and check out the video for Never Coming Back.

http://soundcloud.com/nettwerkmusicgroup/sets/kidstreet-fuh-yeah-album-1

http://www.myspace.com/kidstreet

http://www.itunes.com/kidstreet

On Wednesday October 26th I went to The Cobalt to check out Paper Lions who are on Their “Rolling Oyster Review” tour. Paper Lions have been around for a long time, since boys in high school. After releasing three albums under the name the Chucky Danger Band and being nominated for several East Coast Music Awards, winning best Pop Recording of the year for their 2006 EP 6 pack, they changed their name to Paper Lions and have released their new album Trophies under the new moniker.

Paper Lions Interview

Paper Lions where the last band of the night and I made it to The Cobalt early enough to catch the last couple of songs from the opening rock band The Slovos. The Slovos have a funky rock blues sound with good energy and the occasional ethereal riff thrown in. Just a dash of Pink Floyd in their influences but the rocky blues The Slovos puts out is definitely their own.

However the surprise of the night was the second band Good For Grapes. A self-proclaimed “techno folk” band who are a complete pleasure to see live. Their energy on stage is astounding and their furious rhythms brought out the folk stomp in everyone, causing the wooden floor of The Cobalt to vibrate like a folkquake.

Amazing harmonies along with well-crafted lyrics and melodies Good For Grapes will no doubt get bigger and bigger and be around for a long time. A seven piece freight train of folk music, this is a band that you have to check out.

I grabbed them for a quick interview after their show, give it a listen.

Good For Grapes Interview

Paper Lions hit the stage last most of them full and frisky from their oyster shucking party before-hand. Frisky for music that is, these boys are known for their harmonies and they can deliver. After Good For Grapes and their high energy stomp I was a little worried that the melodic indie pop rock would be a hard follow, but it was the perfect way to close out the night.

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. 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.