Japandroids certainly have become the darlings of Vancouver. Making their return to their hometown for the first time since the release of their sensational sophomore LP, Celebration Rock, Brian King and David Prowse played to a restlessly eager crowd at the Biltmore Cabaret on July 7th. And sure enough, every itch was satisfied for each concertgoer.
Arriving early at FiveSixty on June 15, I was surprised to see that there were very few in attendance at the doors. In fact the opening was delayed by a half hour until 10pm which seemed a bit peculiar to me as 8pm seems standard for an opening time at most venues around town. Then again I think I learned some of the reasons why FiveSixty is not your regular venue.
Music Waste is one of the most exciting weekends of the year for fans of Vancouver’s local arts scene. It’s a long-running festival that boasts a tradition of featuring some of the city’s best local independent and DIY musicians, comics and visual artists in venues across the city. This year, over 100 musicians played sets for the festival, and with tickets for each show costing a mere $5 (as always), it was no challenge to get great bang for your buck.
There was a hell of a lot going on in Vancouver on Thursday June 7, and for any fan of local
talent, there were certainly tough decisions to be made. With other Music Waste showcases at the Waldorf and Zoo Shop featuring acts like Vincent Parker, Capitol 6, and B-Lines… there was still enough sweat and beer to accommodate an equally enjoyable party at Library Square with Philoceraptor and Dead Soft.
Notable also was the stage set up, with Pierce off-right, not facing the crowd, but instead facing centre almost in conductor mode with the other musicians around him watching his lead.
Attending the Rickshaw Theatre these days, one certainly has to be impressed with the renovations and alterations made to accommodate a vast array of artists.
Immediately the room was filled with energy. The first song had a beachy feel with the use of steel drums. Polachek was an interesting sight.
Momsen has desperately tried to set herself apart from easily marketed pop garbage stuff by dissing Gossip Girl and acting in interviews and flashing her audiences on stage at shows. She is trying to transform herself into a bit of a bad girl
March 18, 2012 / Rickshaw Theatre
In the auditorium, it seemed no one knew each other, but yet somehow everyone knew everything about the people around them. Attendees seemed to all echo the sentiment, “I’ve been playing Zelda games my whole life,” in between constant arguments surrounding which game is the best game in the series.
Memoryhouse immediately left behind simple and quiet for a big, atmospheric sound. Their best songs opened with synths and light drums then built to guitar riffs over a wall of sound.
Last weekend I went to see Memoryhouse with Seapony and Jay Arner at the Waldorf. It was a great show! Memoryhouse is a band from Guelph, Ontario getting tons of hype on big-deal blogs like Pitchfork and Stereogum, and yet the show felt small and personal.
At one point, no band member could be seen as they were all surrounded by fans and bananas alike. This was apparently a major issue for security as those on stage were hurled into the audience in a futile effort to keep people from dancing around Andrew
