Royal Unicorn Cabaret
April 25th, 2008
A pointless evening, overall; I came for Black Betty – Black Betty did not come! Ana was sick. They were replaced by the comparable, admirable Hezzakya, with huge double-stacks of amps-amps-amps ...
IGNITE X
Toast Of The Town at The Wise Hall
May 20th 2009
Tonight The Wise Hall looks like something out of an Elvis Presley movie: the young crowd in fancy dress appropriate to 50’s dancehall goers, as the best youth talent Vancouve...
Perhaps more so than any other artist of his generation, Beck is a master of mutation, reinventing himself with each tour and album. Recent Beck tours have featured lavish, gimmicky stage shows, including life-size marionettes and kitchen t...
The Cobalt
Feb 29th, 2008
If Vancouver were a jungle and we were all chimps, Todd Serious and Chris Rebel would have their own separate little bands. Chris’ pack would be more violent and smaller, and would conduct raids into Todd’s...
To understand the resurgent popularity of thrash metal among a new generation of fans one need look no further than Brazilian thrash stalwarts Sepultura.
I entered Pat's Pub on Friday March 12th in the year of our lord 2010 to experience Motorama for the first time. There were three bands in the evening and Motorama opened. When I say opened, I mean OPENED. This power trio of punk dug int...
August 14, 2008
Honey Lounge
I was shocked at how many people filled Honey Lounge to see the B-lines and the Defektors off on their tour of the West Coast, especially since the club is usually reserved for dancing college kids. The nig...
Richards on Richards, July 2
As someone far more familiar with the Modern Lovers than Jonathan Richman’s solo output, I had little idea what to anticipate from his show. All I know is that it took place on my birthday, and Mr. Richman ...
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,
White Lung/Abe Vigoda/Vivian Girls
Biltmore Cabaret
April 29th 2009
One unassuming day last summer, I went to the Astoria to see a girl band that was on a label I really love – In The Red. They were called the Vivian Girls, and they ...
Victoria’s Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra recently played Upstairs Cabaret here in their hometown of Victoria with locals Compassion Gorilla and Carousels opening up. There was a strong sense of community and no shortage of dancing at the ...
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...
November 4th, Venue, Vancouver
Strolling down Granville Street to Venue, I couldn’t help but notice the somewhat historic 50-foot “Plaza” sign still hanging outside the newly renovated room. That sign was a beacon of nostalgia...
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