This is the Sleep Factory, Trish Shwart’s exhibition at Martin Batchelor Gallery that opened on November 7th, with a persuasive performance by the artist as a marketeer, and continues with a visual smorgasbord of parodies that explore the commodificatio
The Railway Club, May 15th, 2009
The signature choo choo train circled the ceiling of the Railway Club as Sun Wizard took the stage on May 15th. The first of four Vancouver bands, Sun Wizard warmed up the crowd in their third performanc...
Yowza! Saturday night was a melting pot of birthdays, friends, and 4 of Vancouver’s finest bands all under one small jam-packed roof. Getting over the ridiculous layout of The Railway takes some time getting used to if you’re not a regu...
The Bronx/ A Textbook Tragedy/ Battle Snakes @ Richard’s on Richards
April 1st 09
By: Denis Maile
My night began with me trying to scalp my ticket out front of Richard’s. I had only just found out that day that I would be on the g...
To understand the resurgent popularity of thrash metal among a new generation of fans one need look no further than Brazilian thrash stalwarts Sepultura.
The Spitfires, Battle Snakes & The Jolts @ The Media Club June 19th
By: Denis Maile
On this night of rock n roll The Jolts opened the show because their bassist was busy eating poutine. To make up for this The Jolts had not 1, but 3 dif...
The ceramic sculpture of Samantha Dickie conveys both mystery and metaphor. The intriguing textural forms of her multi-component installations invite investigation. What are the structures made from? What do they contain? Why are some surfaces channelled,
Fri Jun 20th, 2008
I played an acoustic show with Rich last summer at Hoko’s on an invitation from Ryan of Collapsing Opposites. Rich was touring on his bicycle from his hometown of Halifax to raise money for the Childhood Cancer Founda...
The Sweatshop, June 22nd
I walked into the dimly-lit Sweatshop to catch the tail end of System Shit’s wonderfully sloppy set. Who would have thought that a punk gig would start at 7pm? Fear of Tomorrow hit the stage and began to sonica...
A review of Bat Sabbath with Black Mastiff and Ethereal Tomb, November 26 at The Broom Factory.
April 10th, 2009
Cannibal Corpse/The Faceless/Neuraxis/Obscura
Croatian Cultural Center
By Marcell Fraser
Easter Weekend: there could be no more appropriate time to witness a death metal show such as this, and the more than solid bill...
Dick's On Dicks, Wed.June.18th
With the 2008 Vancouver International Jazz Fest getting under way, the illustrious Commodore Ballroom is pretty well taken for a month or so solid at this time every year. As such, I was not so much surpris...
I’ve heard from numerous sources that the dance floor at the Commodore is supported by a layer of tennis balls, but I’ve never had cause to believe it until TV on the Radio unknowingly put this hearsay to the test. During a visceral tak...