The idea of a three day music festival is just amazing for any concert-goer, but also for the artists as well. So when Shane Bourbonnais, Festival Executive Producer, wanted to bring a European-like festival to Canada, lots of artists jumped on board. Coldplay was the first to sign on, and from there on in, other big name acts wanted to be a part of it as well, such as Nine Inch Nails and Tom Petty. It even got to the point where Shane had to be turning down some acts because, well, they just didn’t have enough room on the bill. Now that they have all the acts, they had to find a place to house all of these talented individuals. They searched from the coast to coast, and luckily for us on the west, they decided to settle in a little small town by the name of Pemberton, BC. Read more »
Photos courtesy of Dominic Cho
Well this night was very interesting to say the least. I wasn’t 100% sure if I was going to come out to this show at The Biltmore, mainly because I was heading up early in the morning (when I say early… I mean 6 AM!) to cover the Whistler Music Festival. But I’m not a person that worries too much about sleep deprivation, so I ended up going and now you all have an article to read. So this is solely for your reading pleasure and just to let you know, I’m dead tired and still recovering. The things I do for you guys… Read more »
Well it’s been a while since I wrote a CD review. Mainly because most of the discs I get don’t blow me away and I really don’t want to discourage a band because they don’t sound good on record. It’s hard to sit down and listen to an entire record if you’re not motivated to do so. I’ve seen great acts live, but when I go and buy their CD and listen to it at home, I get disappointed. It’s a really tough challenge to display the raw energy and passion on stage into 12 tracks of a CD. But when I received Cancel Winter’s EP titled “Liestillnow,” I actually stayed and listened to the entire album without getting up and leaving halfway to get a coffee. Read more »
Photo taken by Rena Hood Lundrie
With summer upon us and the patios calling our name, The Arbutus Collective brings that beach music straight from your speakers and into your ears, while leaving you relaxed and wanting summer to never end. Coming straight from Vancouver, B.C., this four-piece band blends everything you love about summer into notes and melodies that just make you want to spend the rest of your life living as a beach bum.
The Arbutus Collective is fronted by vocal, guitar, harmonica, ukulele extraordinaire Brandon Chalmers, Jeremy Rae, who is equally as talented but was absent for the show at The Media Club, Steve Wasstrom on drums, and Jemia Fong on bass. Playing for family and friends, Brandon’s songs soon became campfire favourites and upon meeting up with Jeremy, they soon formed what would be known as The Arbutus Collective. Influenced by such artists like Ben Harper, Simon & Garfunkel, and most noticeably Jack Johnson, Brandon and company provide the perfect atmosphere to just mellow out and enjoy the sunset. After playing open mic nights and other various shows, they were recruited by Josh Bowman of Warehouse Studios to record a demo and are now currently working on a full-length disc set to be released summer 2008. If you can’t find them touring “you may be able to find them at one of your local beaches watching the embers burn down over a good old fashion sandy jam!” Read more »
It’s not often that a band of such high calibre, that’s getting buzz in both Canada and down South, play in such a small and intimate venue like The Media Club. No offence to The Media Club, but they just can’t house a great band like Hey Rosetta! without jamming everyone in and making the place hotter than a metaphorical sauna with three rather obese and hairy men. Unlike that disgusting sauna I just described, I noticed that The Media Club was filled with extremely attractive people so if you were at this show, than kudos to your good lookin’ self. I’m not saying that the show was bad, but rather the complete opposite. With the performance Hey Rosetta! placed on stage, they should have been playing a few blocks away at The Commodore. In a few years, or maybe in a few months at the rate they’re going, they’ll be a household name and the lucky few that got to attend The Media Club show will be bragging to all their friends about catching them before they blew up. Read more »
Well first things first. The Penthouse. You don’t usually find a live music event in the heart of strip central, but I have to say, I was really impressed by how the night turned out. No there were no strippers, and no there was no pole in the middle of the stage. Instead, we had a great trio perform that left the crowd awestruck.
This night was organized by the Vancouver Artists Collective Association, or better known as VACA. This organization was created in June 2006 that brings together a local network of photographers, painters, writers, dancers, models, and, of course, musicians. The artistic talent that dwells in the heart of Vancouver undoubtedly values this mini-society and greatly appreciates the hard work and dedication they have in promoting the pool of talented individuals that resides in our city. They help organize events, such as the one I attended, and do a great job of promoting it as well. Every Sunday, they arrange an affair known as the Circle of Songwriters. This show features performances by three local musicians and the one I was lucky enough to attend, included the likes of Dan Mangan, Nat Jay, and James Lamb. And better yet, this entire night was recorded by CBC Radio 2, which has a section for “Concerts on Demand,” and you can listen for yourself and decide if this review is total crap or if it’s bang on. Read more »
Canada is a whirlpool of talent, but it is extremely hard to break into the music business without the right motivation and without enough passion. Lucky for us, James Murdoch possesses all of these qualities that will one day launch him all across the world.
You can describe him as a child prodigy who has matured into adulthood. Born and raised in beautiful Whitehorse, Yukon, James was essentially born to be a rockstar. His father and uncles were all established writers, while his mother was a concert producer. If his life was a book, all these elements foreshadow his future as an accomplished musician. So far the story is going as planned, as his first solo record “Polyphonic” was nominated in 2001 and 2002 for “Outstanding Pop Record” at The West Coast Music Awards and Prairie Music Week. In 2004, the success story continued with James being signed to Montreal based Indica Records. This would prove to be a great turning point for James, as he would now be exposed to a much wider audience and a bigger pool of talent to work off of. He followed up his first record with “Between the Lines” which garnered much radio and video play on the likes of Much More Music and MTV Canada. Read more »
If some of you recall, I did a show review for “David Ward Loose Change Trio” a while ago when they played at the Backstage Lounge. From what I remember, they were all really talented musicians and genuinely good people. During our first encounter, I had the opportunity to meet and have a chat with David Ward, guitar and vocals, and Greg Bevis, percussion extraordinaire. We talked about each of their respective background in music, with David coming from the theatre program at The University of Victoria, and with Greg coming from the L.A. Music Academy, as well as Capilano College. At the time, I only heard the material they had on their myspace page, which I was thoroughly impressed with, but I wasn’t ready for their live performance. They blew me away with their strong vocals and overall passion for what they were doing and they seemed at ease on stage, which portrayed them as seasoned musicians. Since our last meeting, David Ward has had an amazing, life changing adventure that took him all the way to Africa, in which you can read about in his Blog. His passion for music drew him away from Vancouver and to a whole new Continent, but once he got back to Canada, the same passion for creativity remained. One thing that did change is their band name. Although it’s not drastic, they are no longer using David’s name at the front, and are now simply called “Loose Change Trio.” But this change doesn’t affect the band in anyway, as they still make stunning and breathtaking music. Read more »
The bubbly pop throughout the airwaves seems like a far cry from the angst days of the 90’s. That isn’t to say that the music coming out of our generation is bad, but rather, we seem to have fallen into a rut, where formulas are reused to produce the same song in different bands. “In Davey’s Grip” provides that necessary break from the norm, and brings back the grunge, with a new and modern twist. Read more »
Singer songwriters are becoming quite popular in this day and age and you can basically walk into any café to catch some local artist lay their heart out on the table, with just a guitar and a microphone. There are so many talented people out there, wanting to express their emotions through the art of music and Larissa Maestro has to be one of the best at providing that expressive edge, as her serene voice, accompanied by her melodic instrumentals make for a wonderful night of reminiscing.
Coming from the lovely state of New York, in a small town of Ithaca, which became popular in the movie “Road Trip,” (useless information! I know!) Larissa Maestro is a talented individual that is getting recognition for her music. At a young age, she took up the cello and piano, which undoubtedly led to her education of choice. Larissa attended Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music, which housed famous musical graduates such as Diana Krall, Aimee Mann and, most notably in our day and age, John Mayer. During her studies, Larissa was featured in the songwriting department’s showcase of Berklee performers, which has gained her much exposure. With that experience in hand, this superstar in the making set out to conquer the musical world. Playing in venues across Boston and New York, Larissa has gained fans with her contagious personality, which exudes on stage, and her catchy hooks. With influences such as Ryan Adams, Sheryl Crow, and John Lennon, Larissa Maestro has created soulful music in the new age of pop rock. Read more »
