For 38 years running, the Vancouver Folk Music Festival marks the middle of summer for the fair city, and yet this 2015 edition of the hippy/hipster mainstay at Jericho Beach Park felt extra luminous. Amazing weather (if you like it real hot and dusty) and 60 artists from 15 countries made this the most schizoid cross-cultural yet relaxingly accessible urban festival of the year
The second Next Music From Tokyo concert I attended was in fact the seventh installment of the highly popular concert series in Vancouver. Organized by Toronto-based Steven Tanaka, NMFT brings several Japanese indie musicians perform in a night each year in select Canadian cities. Having lived outside of Japan for a long time, I don’t have a particularly extensive knowledge of Japanese bands; the concert series was a way for me to get familiar with the Japanese indie music scene.
There’s something about dreamy vocals paired with waves of distortion and bass. If there is a band that loosely prescribes to a shoegaze aesthetic, I’m usually there. It triggers this automatic comparison to 90s greats like My Bloody Valentine or Mazzy Star, two bands that propel me immediately into summer mode. So when Montreal gazers No Joy enlisted the help of locals Gang Signs and Village, I knew how I was going to spend my Thursday.
Have you had a bad day or week? Got a case of teen angst that happens to have intruded into your twenties? Just looking for good times? Sometimes, all you need for those troubles and hankerings are some serious posi-vibes! For instance, take the release party for local indie-pop phenoms Supermoon's debut cassette, Comet Lovejoy, which took place May 30 at Fingers Crossed; each and every one of the acts at this show positively and sincerely took this reviewer into orbit.
I was solo at the second concert, and as my luck would have it, it was the legendary psychedelic Acid Mothers Temple from Japan that graced the Electric Owl on April 21st.
I was so lucky to catch Kris Delmhorst just south of the border here in the Pacific Northwest recently. Our proximity to Seattle makes it a nice joy that many of of the United States’ great singer songwriters make a stop over in Bellingham Washington at a pub called the Green Frog.
On Saturday April 18, CJSF 90.1 FM in collaboration with CiTR 101.9 FM will be broadcasting live from Record Store Day. Both stations will be at record stores all around Vancouver broadcasting live performances and interviews with participating artists.
Due to vehicle troubles, the main act Single Mothers couldn’t make it to their show on March 3 at the Electric Owl. Fortunately their supporting acts Dirty Nil and NEEDS made sure the show went on, only at a slightly smaller venue space: the Electric Owl basement.
It is shows like this that make me so thankful to be a tall girl. Seattle neo-punk trio So Pitted kicked off their first song at 7:23PM sharp, and though I was mid-interview with a pair of rad ladies who make great radio at CiTR, they sounded supreme.
The Jazz Spectrum and CJSF 90.1 FM are pleased to announce the winner of the 2015 Julian Award of Excellence for Canadian Jazz Artists.
The winner and recipient of the $500 prize is Vancouver's own Eli Bennett for his album "Breakthrough". Congratulations, Eli! The runner up and winner of $250 is Vancouver native Neelamjit Dhillon for his album "Komagata Maru". Congratulations, Neelamjit! Thank you all the nominees and to everyone who voted. Support Canadian jazz wherever you are!
