The Summer 2013 Music Video Fund will also include a TELUS funded production education component that teaches artists the craft of music video production. The final music videos will appear on TELUS Optik Local through Optik’s TV on demand and online at TELUS.com/optiklocal. Artists will retain full rights to their content.

“We want to support and give exposure to emerging Canadian musicians and filmmakers,” says Public Records co-founder Tony Yacowar. “Through these grants we hope to find and champion undiscovered talent in BC and Alberta. Who knows, maybe one of these artists will go on to superstardom one day. Regardless, it will help fuel the creation of independent Canadian content.”

“Public Records is more than just a grant program. It is also an educational experience that will teach emerging artists about the mechanics of making a video,” says Blair Miller, vice-president, TELUS Content Solutions. “Each week an interactive explanatory video will be released pertaining to a certain aspect of video production. From audio check for filming to creative layout and editing, artists across BC and Alberta will be given the means and the tools to learn what it takes to make a great video.”

To be eligible for a grant, participants musts be musicians (artist or band) or filmmakers (individual or crew). Emerging artists and filmmakers from the following communities are eligible to apply: Metro Vancouver (including Whistler), Victoria, Nanaimo, Prince George, Kelowna, Vernon, Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie, Penticton and Kamloops. Interested candidates can register starting May 1, 2013 on www.publicrecords.org. Official grant submissions take place May 31 to June 14, 2013.

For more details, visit www.publicrecords.org and follow them on twitter: @publicrcrds.

ABOUT PUBLIC RECORDS

Public Records is a creative hub of interaction, where innovators can meet and collaborate on projects and get access to resources.
www.publicrecords.org

The Population Drops is a new Vancouver band with a garage punk style. With Matt on guitars, Ted on bass, Mary on vocals, Helen on drums this band creates an original, fun, energetic sound. The band music feeds from different sub genres of rock punk from different eras, you can hear from the Sonics to Ramones, to Sonic Youth to Le Tigre with a touch of new wave.

“Matt and Helen entered Shindig before Ted and me were in the band so I had to learn 10 songs in a month but it worked out and we made it to the semifinals, it was an amazing experience”  tells me Helen on an air interview on The Morning After show. That was a year a ago, since then and with an EP under their belts The Population Drops is gaining numerous fans around the city even charting on CiTR for a while currently sitting at #15.

BIO

The Population Drops is a musical project contrary to the status quo. Inspired by Rosa Parks, John Lydon, Joy Division, Television, Throbbing Gristle, and forests. The main lyricist is Mary the lead singer.

Fueled on barley adult beverages, fermented grape juice and various herbs.

They recently released the debut EP at Imagined Aire Studio with Boutique Empire’s Mark Henning (Pure, Guilty About Girls, Combine the Victorious) talked about them  ”The Population Drops are rapidly gaining notoriety in Vancouver with their post-punk sound and underground sensibility. Bridging a  style from New York to Manchester, The Pop Drops offer a fresh take on music with social commentary.

By Oswaldo Perez Cabrera

We Need Surgery is not your typical band. They are based in Vancouver after being nomads for months. They were formed in Seoul, South Korea, of all places, in 2007. But they are not Koreans, well, actually one is, Jungkyu Lim (aka Johnny Q) one of the guitar players and local hero, two more are expats from the south (Alabama and California), one is from Ontario and only Valentino, one of the guitar players, is from BC. After reaching the acme (festivals, radio, magazines) of success in Asia the band decided to come to Vancouver to shop for a record deal.  Five years after the inception of WNS, Brandon Butler (drums), Miso Stefanac (Vocals), Valentino Avignoni (guitar), Paul Johnson (bass) and Johnny Q (Guitar) are en route to accomplish their dreams.  Their self titled debut album was released by Light Organ Records and recorded by Dave Ogilvie (Skinny Puppy) and Kevvy Maher (Fake Shark! Real Zombie!) and local producer legend Futcher. It is a jewel of indie rock music.

I was blown away by the quality of this band when I heard their music for the first time. It was an EP called Simon Says which is also the title of the opening song. The EP was totally DIY unlike the new release that even has a poster of the Statue of Liberty. Actually the new album contains the songs from that EP. They will crawl into your head and stay there until you have to play them in your stereo at loud volume; again and again. I particularly like Cocoon, Stranger and Simon Says but any song could be a single, so the record label chose Go go go! to be the first single, the shortest song which makes it more radio friendly. I, on the other side, like to play Cocoon on my my radio show which is more diverse musically or Simon Says which has a The Cure style or Stranger which is closer to Joy Divsion. Another song that could easily be a single is Why’s it always gotta to be this way.
The band’s energy and the charisma that they portray when they play LIVE is awesome! We Need Surgery is a band that doesn’t disappoint when they give a show. It is a band to dance to, is hard not to with their rock party vibe.

Hanging with We Need Surgery at CiTR

A lot of bands rush through my head when I listen to their tunes. Not only to me, each of their new fans try to make comparisons; The Killers, The Strokes, Talking Heads, Joy Division, The Smiths, New Order, The Cure, Dinosaur Jr. The Velvet Underground, T-Rex, Spacemen 3, Stone Roses, Love and Rockets among others. Despite these “influences” the band does not sound like a copy of anything at all, they have their own territory. The songs blend new wave with punk, electro rock and shoegaze. They have a British sound that woos with a New York vibe, but their art can be encompassed in the universal pop culture.

The CD is one of the most solid works I have encountered recently, and it should become a classic of the “new” new wave thanks to the catchy riffs and well constructed melodies that stuck into your skull. Miso’s voice is ideal for the We Need Surgery material as are the rest of the members in their respective roles. The problem for them will be to make a superior album next time. I wouldn’t worry much about it yet though, this CD has a lot of milk for them. The We Need Surgery debut album is suitable to both music connoisseurs and pop lovers.

BIO

We Need Surgery isn’t exactly your average hometown-buddies-start-a-band band. It took five guys from five corners of the earth to collide in Korea to make it happen. Then you have to factor in nine brutal (broke/wet/cold) but ultimately triumphant months in Vancouver, a video shooting hiatus in Tokyo, and their explosive debut album.

WNS began on a Wednesday in January 2007 when Valentino Avignoni joined in on a few jam sessions with the band SunRadio – composed of vocalist Miso Stefanac, drummer Brandon Butler and bassist Adam Brennen. Once the group agreed on their desire to tailor songs designed to make girls dance, they called themselves We Need Surgery. That following Friday, the band had their first gigIn that first night the band wrote their songs “Simon Says”, “Sisters and Brothers”, and “Go Go Go” – all on the debut release – with about four other electro-dance tunes. Clearly, they had some precious chemistry— the instant success of the first show was to start a new wave of “indie electro rock” in Seoul city and also to set the band’s new musical vision in stone

After the departure of bassist Brennen in 2009, rhythm guitarist Paul Johnson (from Sacramento) gradually took on the role. Finally, WNS brought Korean indie legend Jungkyu Lim (aka Johnny Q) into the fold as rhythm guitar player. With one ramshackle demo, We Need Surgery had become local media darlings, appearing on magazine covers, TV shows, radio interviews and scoring a slot on almost all of Korea’s major music festivals.

By winter of 2010 the band decide they’d reached their limit in Asia and decided to go to North America and go for a record deal. Because of Canada’s slightly laxer visa rules, Vancouver became the band’s new home, where they holed up together in an apartment and dedicated themselves to the business of selling their brand of music to a new audience.

Within two months We Need Surgery found themselves the subject of much blogging and speculation and in a tug-o-war between the two most prominent labels in the city. The band had already put three tracks in the can with producer “Futcher”, including the spiky “Time to Unwind” and the hooky, Joy Division-inspired “Simon Says”. After getting We Need Surgery to sign on the dotted line, Light Organ Records went and stuffed the five-piece in Vancouver’s Armory Studios with legend Dave “Rave” Ogilvie and Fake Shark! Real Zombie! main man Kevvy Maher for another seven tracks—including the retro-future death disco of “Just like a Lion” and “Sisters and Brothers”, and the animal nitrate-juiced first single “Go Go Go,” a song that seems to explore the territory between the Killers and Hot Hot Heat. Not insignificantly, a wildly impressed Steve Bays elected himself to mix the entire album.

On “She Told Me,” We Need Surgery came up with something that sounds like NY legends, Television, attempting to play country music, while another three self-produced tracks recorded in Korea— “Cocoon”, “Stranger”, and “Gotta Be This Way”—all fit seamlessly into the mix. With its slightly rough edges and energetic grooves, WNS conjured an album that bridges the gap between angular pioneers Gang of Four and modern practitioners like Bloc Party.

The Unlevels is a mix of Sonic Youth, Pixies with a spacey pop. “Our influence is the Ramones” they said laughing, but in reality the influences go from Led Zeppelin to Shostakovich.  Their bass lines are rocking and the guitar is full of white noise, complemented with steady drumming. A show not to be missed.

The Vancouver based trio formed in 2009 and entered the music scene in 2010. Their original songs have been described as “a little spacey, a little hendrixy… and hot”.  The band is a fun mix of blues, brit-pop, and indie rock.  Along with their clever mix of genres is the diversity in how each song is delivered, instrumentally and vocally. Colin adds the satisfying 3rd vocal harmony while drumming, Brian brings in blues based guitar riffs and shoe-gazing vocals, while Kristina brings in a heavy bass overtone and eclectic vocals. Common interests brought the band together and musical differences make The Unlevels interesting to listen to and watch on stage.  Band highlights include organizing and performing in a Japan Tsunami Benefit at the Yale, taking part in the Relay for Life 2012 Benefit, releasing their self-titled EP, and playing around Vancouver with the talented array of local musicians.  The band has received favourable reviews and has a loyal fan base, both throughout the lower mainland and online.

Join Carol Cox as the Singer songwriter has begun a movement that is about to change the world of our dolphins. Join her for World Japan Dolphins Day(1177 West Hastings, Vancouver) on August 31st, 12 PM PST. Listen to carol Cox on August 28th at the Morning After Show on 101.9 FM CiTR

This half Irish half Indian Spitfire grew up in the diverse melting pot of Dubai before moving to Beautiful B.C. fifteen years ago. Ever since she could walk, she can remember weaving music unmistakably, unapologetically and irrevocably into her colourful life. Passion and devotion weave like distinctive threads that surge through each of Carol Cox´s unique musical tapestries, producing a provoking image of universal love and gratitude. She wields a needle of Truth and Enlightenment that pierces the fabric of society in the form of song, and binds it together in hopes that through a mutual appreciation for music, it will be revealed that we are essentially all cut from the same cloth.

Years of honing her art through vocal training, dance lessons and songwriting are finally paying off. ‘Wasted’, the sassy single she wrote overnight, won Virgin 95.3 FM’s Best of B.C. Contest early November 2009 and got a phenomenal amount of radioplay and requests. This created the buzz that got this Goddess of Zen the opportunity to work with award winning director Tony Dean Smith. Together, they came up with the unique and cutting edge concept that was her debut music video Wasted.

Next, she allied with designer Carola Bun, as the official spokesmodel for BUN’s Monrö Swimsuit 2012 Collection, headlining the exclusive ‘Haute’. And capped off an incredible summer opening for platinum recording artist Jay Sean this past September.

“I am not really their manager” says singer songwriter and nudist rocker Brian Harris, people think I am because I get them gigs and they are the host band for the 5 CD series of The Naked Truth, I am the evil manager because the gigs I get them are for benefits (cancer, Wreck Beach) and I make them play without pay”. Brain Harris also convinced the band to host a bunch of musicians to play his music. The first CD of the Naked truth series of 5 is called Music for the naked and its dedicated to Brian’s foster son, Derek Crawford who passed away a couple of years ago. All the naked references are not a coincidence, the band met at wreck beach and they met their evil manager in there as well. The Rekkerz also play every Saturday at the legendary Vancouver nudist beach. The Rekkerz perform naked with amps and a drum kit that they take down the marathonic stairs that leads to the best place in Canada.

BIO

It was a very sunny day in the summer of 1990 when a couple of rock musician stumbled across each other at world famous Wreck Beach. Strangely enough, these two odd souls happened to play the typical foundational pop band instruments, electric bass guitar and a drum kit.
One must understand that an isolated beach accessed to by a torturous vertical wilderness trail is not the typical place to experience amplified rock. The mad drummer, Jamie Dean REKKER had invented a portable, packable drum kit and happily combined his two loves, beaching and bashing. It was through sheer fortitude and determination that he was trekking the hill on a regular basis to jam along with the acoustic guitars, hand drums and singers that frequent this marvelous place. This is THE venue for joyful creation and sharing of music.

Two Rekkerz and the police at Wreck Beach

On this day Rex REKKER showed up with a recently developed battery powered amplification system and an electric/acoustic bass that still had the store stickers attached. Instant outdoor rock show. Instant Band.
The two formed a loose alliance that took some musical shape over the next few months. It wasn’t long before invitations to play small events came along. The first thing that the still unnamed band accepted was a basement house party and the first appearance was arranged and attended. It was brief show as a visit from police shortened the performance considerably after a noise complaint. That trend continues to this day.
Since then, The REKKERZ has played a lot of sunny days at the beach and some great shows in strange locations (highlights including Vancouver’s Fabulous Commodore Ballroom and Koerners at U.B.C.) and hundreds of night club dates.
The REKKERZ performing lineup unofficially numbers upwards of twenty individuals with the current core group of Mackenzie REKKER, Jamie Dean REKKER and Rex REKKER delivering the rock gold and originals.
The REKKERZ are dedicated to the celebration of freedom and unlimited personal expression.

VanMusic & CiTR have teamed up with Dirty Spells to host a 2-night psych, punk and rock & roll summer blow out featuring some of Vancouver’s finest! @ British Ex-Serviceman’s Club (1143 Kingsway) A 2-night summer blow out  with 11 of the most electrifying bands in Vancouver.  Friday night is predominantly punk, while Saturday night is all psych.Doors are at 7, show starts at 8.

FRIDAY, JULY 27

Keep Tidy

Victories

Photo by Erik Stenerud

Listen to This is THE SHOES  performing LIVE! at The Morning After Show with special guests Devil in the Woodshack  or catch a short performance Tuesday night at Displace Hashery´s open mic.

This is THE SHOES played an amazing show on Friday March 30 as part of the Indie Pop Vancouver Series Vol. XXIV at the British Ex Servicemen Association 1143 Kingsway with  Mellisa Endean of Meliah and Displace Hashery favourite new band Devil in the Woodshack.

BIO

An eclectic two-person band from East Vancouver, British Columbia. With a wide variety of influences, ranging from traditional blues to folk to rock & roll, this pair has a unique style of music that appeals to many tastes. Their raw, stripped down sound and soulful melodies bring a refreshing simplicity to today’s music scene.

this is THE SHOES are on a mission to revive the soul and passion from music of the past, ushering it in to the 21st century.

From captivating and intimate acoustic tunes to strong, blues driven songs with an electric edge, this is THE SHOES deliver a powerful live performance. Since forming in late 2011, the duo has graced many stages in Metro Vancouver – and they’re just getting started.

The band’s debut self-titled EP is now available online, and a release party was held at The Wise Hall in East Vancouver, on Friday, February 24. This multifaceted event included a showcase by talented local artists as well as performances by pop rock darlings Paolo Brian & The Steamclocks and powerhouse singer-songwriter Logan Pacholok.
Photo by Matt Sommerville

Doing a podcast with Valentine Records is starting to have a trend of you never know what the fuck is going to happen, and this time proved no different. Dan Jury asked me to join them when doing a podcast as I have seen JC play many times and am good friends with bass player Gillian Callander. Yes getting to interview Gillian, Claudia, Twitchy Twitch and Joy from Joyce Collingwood was an honor and privilege!

Dan, Chris and myself are in Burnaby checking out a recording session with The Dirty Va Jay Jays. As this is a semi media event, the drinks are plenty. It was hard not to drink as the band between recordings would interact with the media and start little drinking cheers to engage us. I got to meet a lot of interesting people that night and was grateful that Ray Bixon (Owner and CEO of Valentine Records) had set this up for us.

In between the social interaction and some very interesting conversations we realize that we have about 2 hours to get to the Waldorf Hotel in Vancouver and do a podcast with Joyce Collingwood. Since we have been at this event for the better part of the afternoon we needed to come up with a plan for us to get there safely. We knew Dan’s SUV would be fine to leave it there over night.

After a few interesting idea’s Chris decided to call Ray as this was his thing and for him to arrange a ride for us. Bixon would never normally pick us but luckily he was in Deer Lake dropping off a “tax related” envelope to his twin girlfriends’ mother’s house. Low and behold a stretched hummer limo arrives 45 minutes later containing Ray and his twin girlfriends. They were on their way to the exclusive underground “Robert Awards” and like always arrived in style.

The twins were lovely as they are beautiful as they always are and Ray like his usual self was miserable. It did not hold be back as this was my first time in a hummer limo and going to interview an all girl punk band. Since Ray always has a tight schedule he dropped us off about a half hour before the suggested meeting time. As we got out of the limo Ray yells at us “Don’t fuck this up” and drops us a handful of cash. Since we were early and had all this money, we decided to get tanked before recording.

As the 3 of us laughed and did shots, the 4 members of Joyce Collingwood showed up. We decided to do the interview right there in the restaurant as JC started ordering their drinks. I know the band well and have a bit of an insider edge with the band, we decided to come up with a safe word on any topics they can’t respond too at the time. Yes Banana was called a few times during the podcast but all questions were answered by the end of it.

We never did hear from Ray that night but that was just like him. The interview went well and I’m sure you will all like it especially if you are a JC fan. Thanks again to Valentine Records and Joyce Collingwood!

I was recently at The Media Club where I checked out Valley Girl, The Banana Fish Dance Orchestra and The Get Down.

Valley Girl (formally known as Sunny Ven Detta) is a very good band, tight and clean it’s easy to catch on to their groove which kind of reminded me of the strokes. I really liked their sound and the general vibe they put out.  Now I tend to arrive at shows a little later in the eve so I only caught the last few songs of the openers, but If they haven’t headlined a show yet I’m sure they wil soon.

The Banana Fish Dance Orchestra are from Vancouver island, straight out of Nanaimo… WOW. These guys impressed the hell out of me.  I love ska music and horns in general at a show. Horns always have a way of making the sound in the room so full.  When they are popping just right they’re like electricity for the hips and knees. After snapping a few pics I had to put the camera away and squeeze myself onto the dance floor.

Their sound is much more than ska, (while that is the first thing that comes to my mind) they have deep elements of funk and reggae with some jazzy Latin spice thrown in. Vocalist Niall Harvey hit the mark on every song and his rhyming skills spit out with improvisational scat styles blew me away. Banana Fish Dance Orchestra impressed me more than any band I have seen this year thus far.

They clearly take having a good time seriously as they do it so well and that’s what they pass along to their audience at a live show, a serious good time.  Check out the post show interview with the band in the podcast above.

I have always loved The Get Down because they are entertaining as hell on stage and the variety of musical styles that tend to go through their set list can range from reggae to rock, to country and funky folk. I hadn’t seen the band play live in about two years but I’ve checked out everything they put out to date including two studio albums and one live off the floor recording. The band might have played two or three songs that I recognized, “Bar Star”, “Seamen Landing On Uranus Portals 1-5” and one of my favorites “878” which they played for the encore. When the crowd chants for more you give them what they want MORE!!!

The Get Down never let down, as cheesy as that sounds its the truth. The new stuff The Get Down laid out was fairly rock and roll based and heavier than some of their previous contributions, but it still had their unique tweaks and subtleties. All the members of the band participate in the song writing and Tyson Watt’s bass is always a highlight as the songs he writes pack a heavy punch.

It’s great to see the way the band members influence the group as a whole and how each of their songwriting styles influence the overall sound and variety of music The Get Down create. I don’t know if they have plans to head back into the studio but hearing their new stuff live has me waiting with anticipation for their next album.

Thanks Vancouver for another amazing weekend!

http://www.myspace.com/thegetdown4

http://www.myspace.com/bananafishdanceorchestra

http://valleygirl.bandcamp.com/

By Jordan Grey

Doing podcasts outside of a studio can lead you on some pretty interesting adventures, and this one has adventure all over it. Dan Jury from Valentine Records asked me to set up this interview and join him while recording. I was stoked as podcasting with Valentine Records was always a lot of fun.

So after some emailing and a few follow up messages the date was set and Dan and I were on our way, well almost, Dan has never been to my place as we always meet at the office or venue we are working at. Well he calls me and tells me he is parked out side beside the school. There are 2 roads beside the school, a road and a highway, well Dan decided the highway was the best place to park. As I’m about to call him to find out what car is his, I see this SUV parked covering half the lane and motorists are pissed, honking and yelling for him to drive, I quickly run over and jump in to keep the traffic moving.

So yes we are on our way and thanks to GPS we arrive at the house where Conor, Kelly and Bella live, 3 of the 5 bandmates. Well this house we come to is massive as we go to the first door and knock, there is no answer and we can see that we are not at the main door. So now we ring the bell and some guy answers and asks if we are Larry, no we reply we are looking for Conor. Around the side is the answer. So off we go to looking for mystery door #3.

Two more doors later we see someone walking, we ask once again if he knows where Conor is and he tells us to follow him. So now we are following some guy in a very dark area on this track, well it did not take long till we saw the lights, the lights as we soon found out was the beginning stages of a epic house party.

Dan and I are sitting there not really knowing that there is a full on party unfolding, we are sitting outside freezing and seeing all these guests coming and joining us. After close to an hour of sitting there chatting with everyone I lean over to Conor and ask if he is still wanting to do the Podcast or if we should reschedule to a better time (when doing a Podcast, you want as little background noise as you can get)?

Conor tells me that today is fine and lets smoke a joint first and we can go inside and find a empty room to record in. So now we are nice and ready to head inside. Once we got inside we see this Golden Axe arcade game. Well Dan is now in his glory and starts playing this game with both Shaun and Kelly.

Needless to say, the interview was schedule for 7ish which really turned out to be closer to 10ish and we both stayed afterwards to party the night away. Yes here is the Podcast from the entire band with Dan and myself.

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/

Listen to a fragment of it. Music programmed by The Morning After Show host Oswaldo Perez Cabrera.

Every year, for some time now, CiTR radio in Vancouver, and a few independent and college radio stations around the globe, have worked to give modern art a transmitter. The concept of giving art a birthday was introduced by French born artist / peacenik Robert Filliou (associate of John Cage, by the way) In 1963 asserted that 1,000,000 years ago, there was no art. But one day, on the 17th of January to be precise, Art was born …when someone dropped a dry sponge into a bucket of water. Filliou had lofty ideas floating around inside his skull about “relative permanent creation”, an exercise in inner peace to be directed outward and into world peace. A continuing playful anarchy as a way of rejecting “the fascism of the square world”; the world which refuses to break free of conventional wisdom and the inevitable war it falls into again and again. Interestingly, through plan or coincidence, war and the horrors of fascism tend to be recurrent themes in many of the 24 Hours of Radio Art’s sound collages.

These audio-art projects bring to mind other vividly surrealist elements, namely the inter-active game known as “Exquisite Corpse.” This was an activity that usually involves three or more artists (generally visual types) that would start a drawing or montage on a piece of paper. When that artist was finished the paper was folded back or covered so that the next participant could not see what image came before. When the entire piece is finished, an amazingly bizarre picture is presented for the enjoyment of the group. When several stations (or even multiple people in the radio studio) are involved in radio-art and sharing audio over the internet, we have in essence, an audio version of an Exquisite Corpse. Combined with the surrealist’s interest in random or spontaneous creations well, I’m sure the tie-in is all too obvious. Not to say that 24 Hours of Radio Art is all about noise. No. The day is about art and other arts have been known to broadcast. Poets and live musicians have graced the studio with their original contributions. The familial links of the creative arts are concrete and incontrovertible.

CITR’s involvement in 24 Hours of Radio Art has its roots primarily in the sound experimentation of Peter Courtemanche. Peter hosted the Weekly program “The Absolute Value of Noise” from 1988 to 1992. This program featured a wide variety of radio-art and experimental audio – often generated live on the air. This radio show developed into the annual 24 Hours of Radio/ART program (1992-96) – a collaborative event that explored the concept of a “radio-art” station; an event that posed the question: What would happen if your local FM pop-rock station suddenly decided to go to an all audio-art format? The answer may be available on January 17th again. Then again, 24 Hours of Radio Art may also be the answer to the question of what do space aliens listen to at home.

In more recent years 24 Hours of radio Art has been made possible by sound-artists at CiTR such as past program director Anna Friz, followed by experimental program enthusiasts Luke Meat, Bleek, and PD Bryce Dunn and a cast of other wonderful volunteer programmers and submissions from everywhere.  This year we will continue the tradition in the name of Art’s Birthday.

24 Hours of Radio Art will broadcast Midnight to Midnight, January 17th on CiTR 101.9 Vancouver. Online at www.citr.ca

Oswaldo Perez Cabrera is a Mexican journalist living in Vancouver.  He currently hosts and produces The Morning After Show on CITR 101.9 FM, every Tuesday at 11:30 www.citr.ca . He also organizes many local music events including The Indie Pop Vancouver Series, an open mic, Yucafest among other events. Oswaldo Perez Cabrera is a driving force within both Vancouver’s cultural scene and Vancouver’s independent music scene. He is also director of Public Relations at www.vanmusic.ca

Being a writer, you can expect corrosive poetry mixed with Noize music, experimental bands from all over the world. He will take us on a journey of Radio Art from all over the world. Expect music from Canada, Mexico, USA, Spain, Japan, Russia, France, and all South America and beyond.

Schedule 

Midnight-2 a.m.
Host: Sarah Cordingley
Two hours of weird experimental sound art co-curated and performed by a team of local musicians and artists. Noise, drone, sound collage, minimalist synths, vocal experiments, episodes of instrument destruction, punk poets and more.

2-4 a.m.
Host: Noble & Boyce
The killer apps are a group of artists who do spontaneous ambient creation using music apps developed for apple’s iPad, iPod Touch and iPhone mobile devices. Killer apps shape the aural environment, which shapes human mood and consciousness, and which therefor, thereby, shapes the physical environment, making it difficult to tell the difference between a psychological and a physical environment. Killer apps are a phenomenological convergence of the possible environments. They are a becoming, never repeatable. Killer apps are the atmosphere, the envelop of presence, of being, they are the heavens unfolding in spontaneous creation. Killer apps are the dada joke zenslap that helps mice understand the laughing nirvana. For Arts Birthday, the killer apps are merging emergent aural and visual presence-scapes to make a harmonious scene celebrating freedom, the poetic, the ridiculous and the sublime. For this joyous occasion they will be manifesting everywhere at once: on radio (an experimental film for your ears) and online (an experimental concerto for your eyes). See the sound, hear the image.

4-5 a.m.
Host: Blake Fisher
Blake Fisher is a former Journalist turned Marketer, Graphic, and Web Designer who holds a passion for the fringe side of the music industry. He is a big collector of the avant-garde, art-rock, experimental, and noise genres of music and art and shares his library and insight in his show the Da, Da, Da! Radio Show which airs every 2nd Thursday afternoon on CJSF Radio.

The Da, Da, Da! Radio Show highlights Blake’s focus on presenting some background to the lesser known music styles as he goes into a Discomentary-style program to explain about the artists, their motivations, and the history of where conservatory based music split off into the obscure. Dadaism and Sound Collage are a major focus on his show.

You can check out playlists and back episodes of his show at: http://dadadaradio.wordpress.com.

5-6:30 a.m.

6:30-7:30 a.m.
Host: Mark Richardson

7:30-10 a.m.

10-11 a.m.
Host: Robyn Jacob
Dekumpozers Uhv are a local group that rip apart preconceived notions of music and improvisation. With some musical training mixed with no musical training mixed with playing instruments they’ve never played before, listen to them detune a story and take you on a musical journey.

11-Noon

Noon-3 p.m.
Host: Oswaldo Perez

Oswaldo Perez Cabrera is a Mexican journalist living in Vancouver.  He currently hosts and produces The Morning After Show on CITR 101.9 FM, every Tuesday at 11:30 www.citr.ca . He also organizes many local music events including The Indie Pop Vancouver Series, an open mic, Yucafest among other events. Oswaldo Perez Cabrera is a driving force within both Vancouver’s cultural scene and Vancouver’s independent music scene. He is also director of Public Relations at www.vanmusic.ca

Being a writer, you can expect corrosive poetry mixed with Noize music, experimental bands from all over the world. He will take us on a journey of Radio Art from all over the world. Expect music from Canada, Mexico, USA, Spain, Japan, Russia, France, and all South America and beyond.

3-4 p.m.
Host: UBC School of Music
Alyssa Aska, Ava Grayson, Dan Marshall, and Ryan Noakes study composition at the school of music at UBC.  During this hour, we will each present one of our recent compositions, discuss our music and the many exciting things that are happening within the music composition faculty at UBC.  We are each involved with the Composers’ Collective, a Vancouver based organization for composers to promote and perform contemporary music, striving to nurture a community of creative musicians, create opportunities where people interested in the arts can converge and learn from each other, raise the profile of members’ artistic voices through public concerts and media exposure, build connections to the wider artistic community by collaborating with other arts organizations in Vancouver, and foster mentorship between established and emerging artists.

Alyssa Aska:
Alyssa is a diverse composer who writes works for various combination of acoustic and electronic instruments, although she primarily focuses on works that combine live instruments with real-time electronic processing. She has also programmed, composed for, and performed on electronic gestural controllers. Alyssa is from Eugene, Oregon, where she studied music composition with Robert Kyr and David Crumb and interactive media performance with Jeffrey Stolet. She has had numerous works programmed in both the US and Canada, and is currently pursuing an M.Mus in composition at the University of British Columbia.

Ava Grayson:
Ava Grayson is third-year undergraduate in the Composition department at UBC interested in developing her fascination with multi-media from the perspective of sensory fusion. She spends a lot of her time thinking about things other than music and the rest of her time finding ways to translate it into music. The concept of space, theatre and Jungian archetype are all large influences and areas of interest in her works.

Daniel Marshall:
Daniel Marshall is a composer originating from Calgary, Alberta. He completed undergraduate studies in composition at the University of Calgary studying under Allan Bell, David Eagle and Laurie Radford. He has composed for a variety of ensembles as well as the electroacoustic medium, including a collaborative installation project in Calgary.

Ryan Noakes:
Ryan Noakes was born in Kamloops, British Columbia, where he grew up thinking life was a musical with his parents constantly playing and singing along with records. An accomplished singer, he has been a member of numerous choirs and vocal ensembles, and has performed in several musical theatre productions. Ryan received his Bachelor of Music with Distinction from the University of Victoria in 2008, majoring in composition with Christopher Butterfield. While at UVic he was a two-time recipient of the Muray Adaskin Prize in Music Composition, and helped to establish two new vocal ensembles. After graduating he was instrumental in the creation of the Vancouver Island Chamber Choir as a founding member, manager, and composer-in-residence. He currently resides in Vancouver where he has begun working towards his Masters of Music at UBC, studying composition with Keith Hamel, and sits on the board of directors of the Composers’ Collective and Vancouver Pro Musica.

4-7 p.m.
Host: Pyra
Pyra Draculea has hosted the Vampire’s Ball on CiTR since 2002, focussing on industrial, noise and experimental sounds. She also makes her own industrial/synth rock under the name maQLu, and has put out three EPs [Blood, Black, and Haze] that have hit college radio charts across Canada over the last year and a half. Fans have described her music as “a beautiful abomination” while reviewers have said maQLu’s music is “a breath of fresh air in the electro scene” [James Wright of Soundsphere Magazine] and “an orchestration of foreign, unsettling industrial rock” [Tom Harrison of The Province].

maQLu also has a hand in experimental and improvisational work such as 2011′s The Maqlu Tarot, and she also likes to compose good old-fashioned WEAM – Western European Art Music. (Well, not so much old-fashioned as new-mangled…)

This is her third year appearing on 24 Hours of Radio Art and programming will feature a progressively warped and twisted symphonic sonata and a collages of loops, spoken word, noise, and synthesized orchestral instruments. She is currently working on a new album, a new experimental/improvisational series to be called Hexagrams and putting out regular installments in her Monday Nite Noise series.

7-9 p.m.
Host: gak
gak has hosted Exploding Head Movies for the past two years and been on CITR Monday evenings since 2008 with music that’s loosely pegged as cinematic, atmospheric and otherwise esoteric. gak spent most of his formative years in Northwestern Ontario and Eastern Finland, where the cold winter air bent far-off radio signals into strange sounds that blanketed the night. Combined with decades of musical training, misguided wanderlust and a seemingly unrelenting voracious appetite for new sounds, gak’s appreciation of art can be both playful and perplexing.

In honour of the Fluxist’s movements 50th anniversary, gak’s set will profile some of the reknowned artists who helped found the idea of 24 Hours of Radio Art. Otherwise, there will be vintage musique concrete, experimental radio pieces from Europe and some glorious noise. Art’s still looking good after these million plus fifty years, so put on a loud tie and tune into CITR 101.9 FM all day January 17.

9 p.m.-Midnight
Host: Bepi Crespan
WEIRDOMUSIC

Plunderphonics. Musique Concrete. Ambient. Cut-Up and Collage. Difficult Music. Spoken Word. Noise.

Featuring selected works by Alva Noto, ANBB, Jaap Blonk, John M Bennett, Cabaret Voltaire, Anne-James Chaton, Vladislav Delay, Einsturzende Neubauten, Philippe-Aubert Gauthier / Noizefer CWU, Myths, Recoil, Severed Heads, Steinski, Tape-Beatles.

Shalini is an upstream fish who has just finished launching her first self-titled EP.  Produced by Winston Hauschild (Nat Jay, Hannah Georgas, Wanting Qu) in Vancouver, British Columbia, her musical style is best described as Indie, Quirky, Baroque and Melodramatic “Theatrical” Pop.

The songs on the EP were written in Shalini’s dark closet – “I have to make music in the closet under the stairs because my grandparents don’t like listening to me sing.  They feel I should be married and working in an accounting firm in New Zealand” – and though the lyrics are “lonely, lost and dreamy”, Shalini has a very powerful and exhilarating voice that turns the songs into uplifting and inspirational pieces.  All 5 songs are potential singles, but Shalini and her fans have chosen to launch the catchy, coming-of-age love song, Freeze Up, as her first official single.   Her music has been compared to the works of Regina Spektor, Danny Elfman, Coldplay, Philip Glass, Lilly Allen, Sarah Maclachlan, and Zooey Deschanel. 

Shalini has been playing around town promoting her record with memorable gigs at the Anza Club and Displace Hashery, just to name a few.  The EP captures live instrumentation featuring Shalini on the piano, harmonium (a traditional accordian-sounding instrument from India) and synths; Niko Friesen (Kelly Rowland, Marcy Playground, Veronica Mars) on drums; Doug Gorkoff (Transiberian Orchestra, Mariana’s Trench) on the cello; Winston Hauschild on bass, guitars, glock and synths; Guru Bhaskar Sharma on the tabla and Marcus Abramzik on the upright bass.

When asked on an interview by album designer/photographer, Vikaash Prasad,”If you could choose any track on Shalini’s EP for the world to fall in love with, which one would it be?”, producer Winston Hauschild answers:

“I think it would probably be Telescope because I think it’s really emotional and it will probably appeal to the most amount of people. I always said that just the composition of the piano piece itself stood on its own. You almost don’t need vocals or lyrics. That song just has it’s own vibe. I think people will fall in love with that song. For me, it was great piano composition that we took a step further with Shalini’s words and lyrics…. It’s a universal song, whereas Life of the Mind probably isn’t and is going to work for a certain demographic. I think for a song that’s going to capture the world, I think Telescope …”  He adds to Shalini, “My vision for you making this record was you coming out of your cage and being able to fly and be free and make music and say “fuck” on record. I thought of her as a bird from under the staircase to out in the world”.

“I am recording a full length album next year,” Shalini tells me about her new year resolution plans on The Morning After Show. “We are making a video right now for Freeze Up, it’ll be my first music video ever!” she concludes.

The music of Shalini is fresh and catchy. The 5 songs are very emotional and really well crafted.  The young career of this performer can only get better, her followers are looking forward to listen to her new creations. In the meantime catch her playing LIVE.

For upcoming shows, music and personal blog, please visit shalini at www.shalinimusic.com.

Photography by Raymond Kam .

Cover art, design and photography by Vikaash Prasad.

Mouthful of Daisy will perform at The Indie Pop Vancouver Series Vol. XII with Quit The City and Karen Fowlie. 1143 Kingsway. 5 dollar cover charge. 2 dollar beer.

Mouthful Of Daisy is a unique blend of female fronted alternative rock. Their upcoming album “Twice Renewed” is laced with melodic guitars, catchy melodies and driving rhythms that will playback in your head for days. They are the band to discover in 2012.

“We want to start promoting our upcoming album “twice renewed” which we recorded in New York with producer and VP of A&R at Chamberlain Records Anthony Santos. It will be released sometime in January or February 2012″ the band said. Check them out when they play this new year promoting their new album. It has been almost five years since their release their first LP 1st Place winner.

Biography

In the spring of 2005, Mouthful Of Daisy came together to focus their unique musical callings. With their first EP “Zero” released that same year, they began to share their creations on the local stages of Vancouver, B.C. In 2007, the band returned to the studio to record their self-produced album “1st Place Winner”.

Since its inception, Mouthful Of Daisy has shared the stage with many local bands and enjoyed many live performances throughout British Columbia, including a few festivals.They have also had the opportunity to share their music through local radio station interviews and plays. Connecting with their amazing fans in a variety of ways allows M.O.D. to understand how their music is experienced by others, which in turns helps to inspire further growth.
In the spring of 2011, with three original members and a new bass player, Mouthful Of Daisy has decided to take things to another level. After being contacted by producer and VP of A&R at Chamberlain Records, Anthony Santos, the band made a decision to record their second album at Killingsworth Studios in New York.
Surrounded by the City that never sleeps and a new sense of inspiration, they recorded their new full length album “Twice Renewed” which is set to be released in early 2012.

Instrumentation
Michella – Vocals
J’ace – Guitars/Piano
AlIx – Bass
Sean – Drums
Discography
“Zero” EP 2005
“1st Place Winner” LP 2007