It was such a pleasure to see some friends I’ve known for over half my life up on stage, in the form of TANGLERS. I hadn’t heard much from these guys before the show, as they are fairly new to the scene, but these psychedelic local rockers had me grooving.
Their first EP is set to release in mid December, called “Light Slips In.” If it’s anything like their live set, I recommend keeping an eye out for it. (More info here).
Their smooth sounding, so-cal rock vibes are not one to miss. Catch them at the Wise Hall on December 16th as a part of BeatRoute’s Holiday Hustle.
The Rural Alberta Advantage have been on my radar since I first heard their hit, Frank, AB, in grade 12. I’d dabble with their music from time to time and jam out to some of their songs.
In 2014 they released their third full length album, Mended with Gold, which had a couple of heavy hitters imo. If I had to choose one favourite off the album it would be On the Rocks, for sure.
They just recently announced their return to Vancouver 😀 and they will be playing The Fox Cabaret on February 25th, 2017. (Tickets here)
Their fourth studio album is on its way, and they’ve given us a little teaser 🙂
I first saw July Talk at the 2013 Squamish Valley Music Festival and they’ve been busy since – touring the world, winning a Juno, releasing their second album (Touch) and just being dope af. These guys are the epitome of Canadian alt-rock at the moment. The stark contrast between the angelic vocals of Leah Fay and the deep growl of Peter Dreimanis creates a sound like none other. Together, they create a show that is both music and performance, as they dance with choreiform movements, flip each other off, and genuinely just seem to be having a great time up there. Their chemistry is undeniable and the result is a passionate, high-energy show. Guitarist Ian Docherty, bassist John Warburton and drummer Danny Miles killed it throughout the set, hitting all the right notes and keeping the two manic vocalists in check. This is a must-see show, but may be difficult as most of the shows on their Canadian tour are sold out – and for good reason!
Throwback to this epic show put on by Alaska’s Portugal. The Man. Radical lights. Awesome opener (called “Boone Howard”, seriously check them out). They didn’t play anything new- it was a show dedicated to their most loved classics, but it was magical. Here are a couple of the pics I grabbed at their concert at the Commodore last week.
Shoutout to my favourite of their tunes, paired with the antics of legendary BMXer Kriss Kyle.
Dragonette comprises Martina Sorbara, Dan Kurtz, and Joel Stouffer. Neither Kurtz nor Stouffer have their own Wikipedia pages, but they are nonetheless good musicians and helped contrive an immensely entertaining show last night at the Imperial. If one could score a show’s entertainment value on how much one drank and how much one danced, we’d all give last night’s Vancouver edition of the Royal Blues tour tens, yeah, tens all round. Our shirts were sweaty and our heads now ache.
But mistake them not: these electro-pop hits are inspired by complex feels. Like the feels probably associated with separating from your spouse yet remaining together in the band and producing another record. That’s Sorbara and Kurtz’s situation and that record is Royal Blues (now you get it, right?? “Royal” because it’s a grand, flashy LP, “Blues” because they were sad while recording).
Sorbara keeps it lit fam. When asked about deciding on a name for the tape she was like, “let’s get real. I’m the boss. If you’re the only girl in the band, you’re the boss.” Fuck the patriarchy tho!
Yesterday she wore a short jacket covered in reflective triangles that looked like shards from a broken mirror. Grooving concertgoers were allowed glimpses of themselves in the shards and so reminded that they are an integral part of the Dragonette experience, as with any live experience.
If you feel like listening to one song and one song only from the album, “Darth Vader” is my pick, yeah, cos of how dirty the synth is. If you took a synth sound and left it under the supervision of pigs in their pigpen, likely it wouldn’t get as dirty.
Also worth checking out livetronica band The New Deal, Kurtz and Stouffer’s other project.
It’s been around 6 years since I’ve seen Hannah Georgas…and oh my how things have changed. She’s evolved from the little indie-folk singer that I once knew and loved, into this deep, rocking superstar that I love even more! Not that I didn’t like her music before, but I found myself dancing a lot more this time around.
Don’t believe me? Have a listen for yourself! This one’s been on repeat for some time now.
Going in to Glass Animals, I honestly didn’t know what to expect. I only knew 2, maybe 3 songs, which I liked enough to get me out the their show.
Needless to say, these guys blew me and everyone else in Queen Elizabeth Theatre away!
The singer was mental, in the best way possible. He was all over the stage, with his wacky dance moves and and the most soothing singing voice…ever. The stage set and light show definitely added a lot to this show too.
Tokyo Police Club will always hold a special place in my heart. I spent 6 weeks on the road with them in 2014, so here I was, ready to reminisce.
They came on strong, just like they always do. It was nice to hear their new songs added to the set list. My House had the whole Commodore Ballroom singing their hearts out.
To top it all off, they had Born Ruffians and The Elwins on their bill!
