geoff mmm . sammm festivals oe
GIANTESS • STREETLIGHT . HANSON FANS
GlfflL TALK 1 NO AGE . UH HUH HEft
IHAI BbDAZZLtD MAGAZINE FROM CiTR 101.9FM VraW.901LLSKATES.COM
SELECT
SKATEBOARDS
LONGBOARDS
SKIMBOARDS
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CLOTHING
EXCESSORIES
1 CANADA'S OLDEST SKATEBOARD SHOP
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2 September 2008 (^iD^^ editor's nole§§
Editor
Jordie Yow
Art Director
Cole Johnston
Production Manager
Kristin Warkentin
Copy Editors
Jordie Yow
Alex Smith
Liz Brant
Kristin Warkentin
Ad Manager
Catherine Rana
Under Review Editor
Melissa Smith
Datebook Editor
Melanie Colesn
RLA Editor
Layout + Design
Cole Johnston <
Contributors
Jordie Yow
Bryce Dunn
Dan Fumano
Simon Foreman
Alex Hudson
Benjamin Luk
Katie Nanton
Christopher Olson
Mine Salkin
Melissa Smith
Quinn Omori
Alex Smith
Luke Meat
Lauren Roberts
NickPannu
Greg McMullen
Justin Langille
Nathan Pike
. Val Cormier
Peter Holmes
Photo & Illustration
Cole Johnston
Gerald Deo
Nathan Pike
Mo Gillis
Quinn Omori
Benjamin Luk
Peter Holmes
Charts
Luke Meat
Publisher
' Student Radio Society
of UBC
Cover Art By:
Cole Johnston
CELLULOID SOCIAL CLUB .
Vancity's independent filmmakers.
GIANTESS 8
Vancouver rock troubadour Stephen Wood
talks about being in it for the long haul.
GEOFF BERNER 10
On why he used the Reductio adHitlerum
argument in Winnipeg.
HANSON FANS IP
Still has fans. Hot ones apparently.
STREETLIGHI 14
A heartwarming tale of friendship.
SUB POP'S 2DTH 19
The "Hype Machine" still wants to be bigger
than punk rock.
SLED ISLAND __
A look at Calgary's hottest music fest.
pemberion ee
Maxwell Maxwell provides us with his
unique take on the fest.
SEPIrOl/Bffi
©DiSCORDER 2008 by the Student Radio Society of the University of
British Columbia. All rights reserved. Circulation 7,000. Subscriptions,
payable in advance, to Canadian residents are $15 for one year, to
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$2 (to cover postage). Please make cheques or money orders
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com to be added to our distribution list.
Hello readers of Discorder:
Lots of new things happening on our side of things. This is my first issue as editor
of the magazine, which I'm excited/nervous about. I've been working with Discorder
for a long time now and hope to spend a while longer as editor. There are going to be
some changes coming down the road because of that. The devoted reader might be
able to detect some already.
Discorder has always been dedicated to promoting the local, the obscure and the
independent musician. We will continue to do our best to bring what we think are
underrepresented pieces of local culture to your attention. Promoting the artists who
traditionally get passed over in more mainstream media, such as Giantess, Streetlight
and Geoff Berner (our featured bands this issue), is important and we will continue
to cover them. But we're also including an article about Hanson's fans and a Celine
Dion book in this issue. Those of you with more delicate sensibilities may have spat
a bit of coffee out over that one. An understanding of pop culture (and music does
fall under that umbrella) isn't just about being able to namedrop the latest bands or
list off more Pixies B-sides than the next person. It's most importantly about why we
love the latest band and why others love their favourite band. Lauren Roberts and
Simon Foreman make us look a little closer at why we value certain forms of artistry
over others.
In the upcoming issues while I am at the helm I want to run more articles looking
for answers to the why of music. So if everything goes according to plan you'll see
some.
It's sad to say, but my first issue will also be our art director Cole Johnson's last
issue. He is a trooper who managed to put this issue together despite being a day
and a half behind schedule after his plane was delayed and then spending a day in
the hospital getting testecUfor listeria. Cole has put together some great layouts for
Discorder and we wish him all the best. If you or someone you know is interested in
taking his place, you should apply. Check out the details on page 14.
'Til next month.
Discorder 3 Ju
fe
DROCE
D
Hello again music-minded souls! My job as reviewer has been
made incredibly easy this month due to a trio of releases from
the always-adventurous Sweet Rot Records and an Albertan duo
with a double 7" ER Come to think of it, all the bands featured
are duos.
Brandishing the aforementioned label come the Seattle duo, Love
Tan (formerly known as Pyramids) who usher forth a six song
effort which ranges from the curiously falsetto-sung bombast
of "This Land Is No Good," to the Krafmeik-on-Quaaludes
"Berlin Rumble Part 1," to the slinky Beat Happening inspired
"Ring Ring," so there's a litde something for everybody here.
The Anals from France keep it decidedly sparse and stoic on their
two-song single, and while most folks in other reviews seem to be
down with this duo, I sadly am not. "Commando Of Love" steals
from Suicide and disguises it as a soundtrack for post WWII
Germany, but "Wake Up You're Dead" fares worse; though a
punchy keyboard pace permeates throughout, the monotone
vocal delivery leaves this dead in the water for me..
Submitted along with the two previous titles was an EP from a
Southern California twosome known as The Robot Assassins.
Further investigation finds that this was originally released over a
decade ago and any copies that may have existed when the band
was active are fetching collector nerd status points around the
worid. This is more my speed — lo-fi, Killed By Death meets
eariy Rip Off records-style garage trash. Tracks include the
Supercharger-esque basement din of "Keep Away" and the band's
namesake song "Robot Assassins", as well as "C-B-E" which
could very well use those chords, and I could tell you for sure if I
wasn't such a dunce when it comes to music theory. However, the
pair gave me a clue to the origin of the title when they enthusiastically sang, "Cigarette butts everywhere." Six songs of guitar,
drums and good times. This is a keeper.
Lastly, a Canadian duo whose debut is not only an auditory
- adventure, but a visual one as well. The Famines shed the skins of
their previous bands (for guitarist Raymond Biesinger it was The
Vertical Struts, for drummer Gareth Kreuger, The Wolfhote).
Rather than taking the easy route by agreeing to simply meld
the two bands' sounds together, the eponymous EP comes off
sounding a little more refreshed and inventive, and in some cases
(like with the track "Gimme Some Numbers") eerily reminiscent
of another Edmonton duo, Whitey Houston, with its pummel-
ing "War Pigs" inspired drum breaks. TWA Flight 553" is
solemn Wire worship, and "I Like Some OfThe Things You Do"
just barrels happily along, all the while singing the paradoxical
praises of Islam (based on the singer's erstwhile impression of the
peoples of the Middle East). The accompanying booklet, a series
of pictures juxtaposing geography with pop culture symbols, is an
intriguing if sUghdy self-serving addition to the music:—but don't
let that stop you from checking this out. Q
Love Tan & die Amis
(Sweet Rot Records, my5pace.com/svbeetrotreconis)
The Robot Assassins
(Total Sound Records, 2036 XJaiversity Ave. Berke-
k|^Q|/ USA 94704, but aMiable through Sweet
Rot Records).
The Famines
(Selfreleased, check www.thefamines.ca for mcmT(!00'
BLACK MOUNTAIN
LIVE!
Monday September 1
@ The Stanley Park
Singing Exhibition
Black Mountain are a Polaris Prize finalist for
Best Canadian Album of the Year! Good luck!
BACK TO SCHOOL FEATURES
IN OUR STORE
-ATLAS SOUND - Let The Blind Lead Those
Who Can See But Cannot Feel 2LP/CD
BIRD SHOW - Untitled CD
BLACK TIME - Double Negative LP/CD
BORIS-Smile 2LP/CD
BOSTON SPACESHIPS - Brown Submarine
LP/CD
CEREMONY - Still Nothing Moves You
LP/CD
COLD WORLD - Dedicated to Babies Who
Came Feet First LP/CD
KIMYA DAWSON - Alphabutt LP/CD
THE DEAD SCIENCE - Villainaire 180g
LP/CD
DEFEKTORS • two new 7" singles
THE ERGS - Hindsight is 20/20, My Friend
2LP/CD O
THE FIERY FURNACES - Remember
3LP/2CD
THE GIRLS • Yes, No, Yes, No, Yes, No
LP/CD
GRAVE MAKER - Bury Me At Sea CD
GROWING - Ali The Way LP/CD
HIGH PLACES - s/t LP/CD
HOLD STEADY - Stay Positive 2LP/CD
THE HOWLING HEX - Earth Junk LP/CD
JAGUAR LOVE -Take Me To The Sea 180g
LP/CD
DAMIEN JURADO - Caught In The Trees
LP/CD
MUTATORS - Secret Lite LP
NAGISA NI TE - Yosuga 2LP/CD
THE NEW YEAR - s/t LP/CD
NINE INCH NAILS - The Slip 180g 2LP
924 GILMAN ST: Let's Talk About Tact &
Timing - A Film Documentary By Jack
Curran DVD
OF MONTREAL - Skeletal Lamping 180g
2LP/CD/T-SHIRT/T0TE BAG/WALL
DECALS/LANTERN/BUTTONS
OKKERVIL RIVER - The Stand Ins LP/CD f
ONEIDA - Preteen Weaponry LP/CD *
PONTIAK-Sun On Sun LP/CD
JAY REATARD - Singles 06-07
2LP/CD+DVD
SIC ALPS - U.S. Ez LP
SILVER JEWS - DVD
STEREOLAB • Chemical Chords 2LP/CD
SUBHUMANS - Death Was Too Kind .
LP/CD
TINDERSTICKS - The Hungry Saw 180g
LP/CD .
TORCHE - Meanderthai LP/CD
TOTAL ABUSE - s/t LP/CD
TRANZMITORS - s/t 12"
TRASH TALK - s/t LP/CD
UGLY THINGS #27 MAGAZINE
V/A - EMERGENCY ROOM VOL . LP+BOOK
VIVIAN GIRLS - sA LP/CD
WHITE LUNG - Magazines T
WIRE - Object 47 CD
Plus many small label/limited edition 7", LP, and CD
releases in stock weekly ^ft (
www. SOOTI recoros.com
| 726 Richards Street, Vancouver, BC Car
Fax (604) 687-0488 • Email: commerce^
ill
4 September 2008 iyjGne^Ocfna^
E
DO
ill C-61 declared war on the digital generation, but
Panadians are fighting back.
in the closing weeks of the spring 2008 parliamentary
session, Industry Minister Jim Prentice introduced Bill C-61,
a long-awaited piece of legislation intended to bring Canada's
copyright laws in line with international treaties and address
the new realities of a digital world. For months, artists, lawyers,
techno-nerds, and other concerned folk had speculated on the
details of the legislation. They'd feared it would be worse than
the dreaded American Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
On June 12, their fears were realized. Bill C-61, which has
come to be known as the Canadian DMCA, was everything
they had feared. The government declared war on the digital
generation.
The problems with Bill C-61 go back to 2001, when the last
public consultations on copyright were held. If you asked
someone what BitTorrent was, they'd guess a washed up industrial band. iPods didn't exist. Neither did TiVb, digital music
stores, YouTube and countless other digital media services we
take for granted. Prentice claimed that the 2001 consultations
were enough, but the rules of the digital game have completely
changed since those early days.
Prentice and the Conservatives are selling C-61 as a long
overdue update to copyright law, but many of the new rights
it grants can be taken away if the copyright holder limits
them with a digital lock. Under C-61, the daily activities of
millions of Canadians could wind up costing them $20,000
in damages.
The following activities banned under C-61 are just the tip of
the icebergs ^II^Spp
- Copying a DVD you purchased to your video iPod
- Watching a DVD on a computer running Linux
- Unlocking a cellphone to use overseas
- Copying a protected CD to MP3 format
- Recording and keeping a copy of your favourite
television show
- Unlocking an ebook to use with a text-to-speech or text-
to-Braille machine for the visually impaired
C-61 doesn't even encourage consumers to buy media. It creates
higher penalties for people who buy media than for people who
download without jpaying. If you copy a DVD you bought to
your iPod, you have to break the digital lock on the DVD and
could wind up owing a staggering $20,000 in damages. If you
download the same movie from the Internet without paying for
it, you'd only be on the hook for $500.
C-61 also threatens die Canadian Charter of Rights and
Freedoms guarantee of freedom of expression and privacy.
For example, under C-61 documentary film makers could
not take samples from DVDs for use in their work, even if
the dip isn't copyrighted. Finally, there is concern as to how
C-61 will dovetail with the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, which could allow border guards to search your iPod or
laptop for infringing materials. Like C-61 before it, ACTA is
being negotiated behind closed doors with industry players and
without input from Canadian creators and consumers.
So, who cares about copyright law? Lots of people, judging
from the over 91,000 Canadians who have joined a Facebook
group called "Fair Copyright for Canada." The group has
organized protests, letter writing campaigns, and local
chapters. The Vancouver Chapter is over 1,600 strong, and has "*
met with most Metro Vancouver MPs, had a position paper on
C-61's threats to free expression and privacy adopted by the
B.C. Civil Liberties Association, and is putting together a list
of frequendy asked-questions for the general public. Vancouver
Chapter members range from highschool students to retirees,
authors to programmers and musicians_to lawyers. Canadians
from all walks of life are getting involved.
Unfortunately, the government still isn't listening. Prentice
refused to talk about copyright reform until the legislation
was presented, saying he would answer questions once the bill
was made public. After C-61 was tabled, he promised CBC
Radio's show Search Engine ten minutes to answer questions.
He dodged questions about the real world implications of his
legislation, then hung up the phone mid-question exactly ten
minutes into the interview.
Ottawa has never really had a solid grasp on what the digital
generation is up to with their cellphones, iPods, and internets. They've been slow to adopt to new technology and quick
to regulate it, but largely they've been fumbling in the dark,
always a few years behind the real creators and innovators.
C-61 changes all that. It stifles innovation and creativity,
keeping it in one place where it can be easily tracked and
monetized. It all boils down to a fundamental misunderstanding of what we stand to gain from an open Internet and liberal
copyright laws,* combined with a wilful ignorance of what we
stand to lose by crippling the open systems that led to the rapid
growth of these technologies. The government has declared
war on the digital generation, and it's about time we fought
back.
To find out more about the Vancouver Chapter of Fair
Copyright for Canada, go to www.faircopy.ca. 0 6 September 2008
Let's Talk About Love
by Carl Wilson
Like so many of us, Carl Wilson is passionate
about the music he listens to. When he was first
solicited to write an entry in the 33 1/3 series (in
which classic albums such as OK Computer and The Velvet
Underground and Nico are subjected to sustained, loving
analysis and exploration), the Canadian music critic
pitched a volume on one of his favourites: Dub Housing,
an ominous, abrasive album, and the 1979 sophomore
release by Cleveland art-punkers Pere Ubu. Despite the
series' orientation toward the musical underground, the
publisher rejected this as being "too obscure." Wilson
responded by going in the opposite direction, and chose
as his subject one of music's most popular, and most
reviled, figures — Celine Dion.
The result is a profound examination of Dion and her
audience. More importantly, it also depicts the personal
journey of Wilson as he explores his own emotions in
his personal life, and his prejudices as a music critic. In
profiling a number of Dion fans, including a gay San
Francisco man and a Cambodian-born artist, Wilson is
so touched by their intimate connection with the music
that for a moment, he is compelled to ask, "What was the
point again of all that nasty, life-negating crap I like?"
His final revelation is that greater openness in artistic
judgment can not only lead to a better balanced artistic
life, but also a healthier personal life.
The saccharine star is approached from all angles in
an effort to decrypt the mysteries of her staying power.
Wilson explores Dion's background as a child performer
and rising Quebecoise star in the 1990s, and also manages
to place her in a much wider cultural context. Chapters
on the history of Quebecois popular song, and American "schmaltz"—an overly sentimental strain of music
introduced in the nineteenth century by the nation's new
immigrants—come to a number of insightful conclusions. He draws an interesting comparison between
Elvis Presley and Dion; the former united honest country
songs with the crooning style of Italian opera, just as
Dion has blended two competing styles of French-Canadian music: chanson, a still-popular nationalistic
genre that gained massive popularity in the late 70s, and
the lower-brow "variety song," a parallel style seen to
belong to the more rural populace. Elsewhere, Wilson
discusses her importance to the people of Quebec, as she
is representative of "a whole culture groping its way to
self-determination."
For Wilson, these and other revelations call into
question the very idea of musical and artistic taste. With
the constant critical reappraisal of the tripe of yesteryear
(e.g. ABBA) as merely misjudged at the time, the author
articulates a crisis of faith of sorts: "If even Celine can be
redeemed, is there no good or bad taste, or good or bad
art?" The book itself is certainly a symptom of this crisis,
but it is also a remarkably thoughtful study of it. How
else can one explain a serious critical discourse on Dion
by a man who^opens by lambasting her music as "R&B
with the sex and slyness surgically removed"? WUson
delves into aesthetic philosophy, comparing Immanuel
Kant's vision of an objective "common sense" of beauty
with the ideas of French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu,
which state that taste is ultimately social, and a means
of higher societal classes for distancing themselves
from those below. Each side of the coin is given a fair
treatment, so that both adoration and condemnation of
Dion's music are questioned in turn.
But it is the details ofWilson's private struggle to come
to terms with Dion, as well as his own life experiences in
the process, that make this book a true gem. His journey
to the end of taste is also a beginnings—of insight, acceptance, and self-examination of one's own preconceptions
r for him and for the reader who chooses to follow, ft
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here must be hordes of wannabe metalheads spread
throughout the random cities and small towns of
.1/North America, dreaming of making it big and being
worshipped as rock gods, wishing it wasn't so hard to be
in a heavy metal band in Topeka, Kansas.
Dude. It might not be easy to be in a rock band in
Topeka, Kansas, but it can't be that hard. Hard is a
country where headbanging is crime that can get you
put in jail for the rest of your life.
Heavy Metal in Baghdad is a documentary about
Acrassicauda, Iraq's one and only heavy metal band. It is
the feature film debut of its two co-directors, Canadians
Eddy Moretti and Suroosh Alvi. Alvi is one of the
founders of Vice, the monthly youth culture magazine
started in Montreal in 1994. Heavy Metal in Baghdad'is
the first feature for Vice Films. It premiered at the 2007
Toronto International Film Festival before a worldwide I
release in May 2008.
Formed in 2001 under Saddam Hussein's regime,
Acrassicauda consists of four young Iraqis: Firas Al-
Lateef (bass), Tony Aziz (lead guitar), Marwan Riyak
(drums), and Faisal Talal (guitar and vocals). Growing
up in Baghdad, these boys learned to speak English ^-y
watching American movies and listening to bootleg
cassettes of bands like Slayer, Metallica and Iron
Maiden.
Acrassicauda quickly learned how difficult it is to play
in a place where music (and especially heavy metal) is
haram (forbidden) — the band members received death .
threats for playing "American" music and dressing like
Satan worshippers, forcing them to carry handguns to
their practice space, the haven where they would "go
to escape this life," hanging out and playing music for
hours at a time. That is, until the space was hit by a Scud
missile, reducing the building to rubble.
Considering all of this adversity, ^it is absolutely
impossible not to be impressed by Acrassicauda's
dedication to their music. The film cites a Washington
Post report that since the fall of 2006, insurgents have
been posting decrees throughout Baghdad, banning
"Music-filled parties and all kinds of singing". Seventy-
five Iraqi singers have been killed, and an estimated 80%
of them have fled the country since the U.S. invasion.
It's sort of like Footloose, but with AK-47s and car bombs
instead of Kevin Bacon.
Probably the most fascinating aspect of Heavy Metal
in Baghdad is the refreshingly new perspective it takes on
the war in Iraq. I wasn't used to seeing this war covered
from the point of view of the average Iraqi civilian, and
I suspect this will benew to most viewers.
"You got the troops and you got the terrorists outside,
and we are stuck in the middle," Riyak laments.
"If I didn't play drum as hard as I could I would kill
someone." ^^^^^^^^^^S
Tn the midst of all. of the carnage and mayhem (Al-
Lateef jokes that the cover of an Iron Maiden album
looks like his life), their music is a vital outlet for their
terror, rage and sorrow. ■;■ - lll||§ll
\^CaIJUjJ1J^^
ID.-
ing around Vancouver and its suburbs is so
routine that the term Hollywood North has become
cliche. Still, few would complain — Vancouver's film'
community has developed into a viable, and talented
collective. Not only does the Celluloid Social Club
give a glimpse into this community, but it allows one to
thoroughly examine it.
The club is directed by host Brendan Beiser and
producer/founder Paul Armstrong. After each film there
is a Q;and-A, where audience members are given the
opportunity to pick the brains of the filmmakers and
their casts. The audience is often lively, asking questions
about the type of cameras used, editing software,
themes or even "Was that your actual butt in the film?"
Although many films are submitted to Celluloid, only a
select few are screened. Armstrong said people are "given
the opportunity to see greet short films that would not
have otherwise been seen." ^^ftfj
Armstrong's reason for starting the regular monthly
screening was to give budding filmmakers the
opportunity to network with each other and to gain
insight from people already established people in the
industry.
"Many filmmakers have met at the Anza club and then
later worked together on projects," Armstrong said.
The initiative also brings in prominent members of the
film community to demonstrate the value of persistence.
This has included Bruce Macdonald showing his first
student film and a former agent of the Rolling Stones
showcasing his first Stones documentary.
Among the many people who have benefited from
networking at Celluloid is prolific TV actor Mackenzie
Gray. Despite having played a leading role in the U.S.
TV series The Net, Gray had no contacts in Vancouver's
film industry. Now, most of the people he knows in the
community he has met through Celluloid.
"It's a great place to meet young independent and old
filmmakers," Gray said. "It's a whole mixed bag... a great
way to meet other people in the film community."
The opportunity to see local independent film,
mingle with filmmakers and win prizes through a
lottery draw is only five dollars away. Celluloid screens
films at the Anza at 3 West 8th Ave. on the last
Wednesday of most months. For more information go to
www.celluloidsocialclub.com. &
From a metal fan's point of view, could the movie have
had some more riffage? Maybe, but it's not really an
issue, since the DVD extras contain plenty of footage of
the band rocking put (and it's probably worth a mention
that the band has some pretty serious chops, especially
Aziz on guitar). Instead, the filmmakers have opted to
focus more closely on the human aspect of the stery,
and from a cinematic and journalistic standpoint, this is
incredibly effective.
It might be a disservice to a band this tough with a
sound this heavy to say something as wimpy as "This
movie makes a statement about the power of music."
But, shit. Heavy Metal in Baghdad makes an intense
inspiring and profoundly moving statement about the
power of music. Dude. j)--.S^Si| 5
t's an intensely grey mid-August afternoon on
Commercial Drive — as good a time as any for
a discussion on rock and roll. At the moment,
however, I'm finding m^interview subject a bit
preoccupied by everyday life. A tall, potbellied man
with shocks of white hair is getting His flamboyandy
groomed Chi-Poo (a Chihuahua/Poodle cross)
to dance for a treat, which mesmerizes Stephen
Wood, lead singer and guitarist for Vancouver
outfit Giantess, in the process. "I'm, sorry," he
laughs. "This dog is distracting me." Eventually
the sideshow ends, leaving me with the undivided
attention of one of Canada's most methodical rock
and roll inventors. ^__w§i^
Wood is at ease, yet simultaneously engaged
in the neighbourhood as he takes in the scenery.
Sipping a cappuccino, he is enjoying a day off
from his job at the Vancouver Art Gallery.
Rock might be the last thing on his mind, but
it's probably dwelling somewhere just beneath
the surface. When he's hot "helping curators
arrange cutting edge exhibits, he spends his time
developing some of the country's most unique,
studio-based rock bands. Wooiwmerly wodced
his songwriting magic as the Battles, along with
local scene veterans Dan Bejar (Destroyer)-, Scott
Morgan, Rob McBetHih^Ted Hamilton. After
meticulously recording the 2006 album Tomorrow's
Eager Hands for Minneapolis label Soft Abuse,
members of The Battles went their separate ways,
leaving Wood with the opportunity to develop
a new book of songs. Eventually, these creations
were transformed into the guitar rock anthems of
Giantess — with the help of some like-minded
Vancouver musicians.
Recorded off the studio floor over a week-long
time frame after playing together as a band for a
year, Giantess' self-titled 2007 debut is a soulful
record that could be seen as a contribution to the
recent garage-rock revival of Alberta bands like
Women and The Whitsundays. Wood's boisterous
guitar riffs and Ted Hamilton's tight drums
collude with John Margetts' bass, Clare Kenny's
keyboards and Jaret Penngr's guitar textures to
produce a loose, lustrous guitar-centric sound
that is grounded in band chemistry and classic
pop songwriting. On heavy, up-tempo numbers
Hke "Flex of Green" and the soaring "Forbidden
Intruder", Wood and his bandmates convey a
•. sense of genuine joy in making music — this band
is playing for the love of it in an era where other
artists posture for Internet notoriety.
Just whm jKthink that I might have Wood
pinned as a nostalgtst, he evades my assumptions.
The sound of Giantess might be rooted in '60s
and '70s influences, but he doesn't adhere to one
paradigm when recording. Instead, Wood enjoys
,£ more open working concept characteristic of
today's more inventive ensembles.
"Bands do worksraa within certain parameters,
Hke when you limit yourself to a songwriting style
or you say, 'I'm only going to use this amp or this
guitar,'" Wood says. "I've done that, and it works,
but it's often a matter of what sounds good to me.
If there's a little toy keyboard that plays great or
has a desired effect, I'll'play with that. When I
first got a computer, I was recording the first
Battles album on it within a week. If the Giantess
album sounds old fashioned, it's because it's hard
to refine songs that are purely digital."
Track for track Giantess' debut displays.'
impressive aesthetic sophistication, simultaneously
playing within a "genre and transcending it.
When I press Wood on the dramatic themes of
comeuppance and unrequited love that occupy
his lyrics, it becomes apparent that he approaches
songwriting with the same creativity as he does
recording. For him, crafting a good song requires
all the devices of fiction. •
**k's not aU from me," he explains. "A lot of it is
from a character's point of view.The trick is to put*
poignant things from your Hfe inside of your music
that won'tljbtally expose you to the world. You have
to hide behind some kind of character when you're
writing —it would be too painful otherwise. I'm
not an expert, but it's something that I think about
aU the time — how tolyricaUy puH one over and
say something at the same time."
As an artist saturated with some of the more
the timeless aspects of rock and roll, Wood has
'had to get used to bands' unpredictable shelf
Hfe. Since releasing the record, Giantess has
effectively bowed out of the music scene, taking
an indefinite leavefrom recording while members
pursue PhDs, mortgages or new additions to
their families. This sort of capitulation would
? devastate many musicians working to make a
name for themselves. However, instead of letting
itfaze him, Wood is at peace with»the decision.
"The album came out and we kind of broke
up or distended," he says. "It's a tough thing to
promote when you're no longer there. It depends
on how you look at it: some people want to* be a
big splash right away, some want to have a body
of work: I've always been more interested in a
body of work than a big, killer album that will
take the airwaves."
When I finally ask him what kind of music
Jie Hstens to these? days, he admits (with Httie
regret) that he is sorely out of touch with today's
pop music. Whfle it seems odd to encounter a
musician of Wood's talent with little interest in
OjjhSr contempora^Sfmusic scene, he assures me
that it's all part of his plan.
j„ "Honestly, I don't think I have a pop album
* that's come out in the last two years that hasn't
been given to me by a friend," he says. "I've
always just found out about music somehow and
then gone looking for it through record stores.
That's the same kind of idea of what I want for
my music - for someone to somehow find out
about it,"fl|fiitthen you go crawling through the
record bins searching it out. To me, success is
when someone finds a back catalogue of albums
that I've -done. Ji%ejien out of ten of them are
good, then I'm happy with that." M
8 September 2008 Michael Franti &
LIGHTNING! LO¥E! DEATH! FASCINATION!
MOONS! GIANTS! BUGS! ZOOS! RIOTS! AIRPLANES!
1972-1976 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver, BC
ph(604)738-3232 www.zulurecords.com
4307 Main St., Vancouver
ph(604)708-9422 www.redcat.ca can &jQcoal i
-Q/
r
Outspoken foUc musician Geoff Berner, hailed as the
Bard of East Van, raised a few hackles during his visit
to the Winnipeg Folk Festival in July. Berner is an
accordion playing folk singer whose lyrics are as funny
and insightful as they are deHberately provocative.
Discorder's Val Cormier caught up with Berner to chat
about his upcoming CD, and to hear what exactly it was
that stirred folks up in the 'Peg.
Discorder: What can you tell us about the new CD?
WeU, it's the finale of a trilogy, and the name wiU probably
be Klezmer Mongrels. This trilogy started with Whiskey
Rabbi, then Wedding Dance of the Widow Bride. This is a
vision of where I think Jewish folk music is going. It's
poHtical and dirty and rough. It's both more traditional
and more transgressive at the same time.
What's the significance of the title, Klezmer Mongrels.
Whiskey Rabbi was primarily about drinking and human
weakness, and celebrating human vveakness. Widow Bride
was largely about women, and fortune. So you've got the
booze, you've got the women. In Klezmer Mongrels the
central motif is children, which is the natural result of
booze plus women!
There's strict rules about what klezmer [ed. usually a genre
associated with traditional Eastern European Jewish music]
can and cannot be and my music doesn't fit those narrow
parameters of so-caned authenticity. So it becomes an
album about questions of authenticity and celebration of
purity, or impurity.
When klezmer was at its height, it had no rules of purity.
It was a constandy changing beast: a brew of tango,
Turkish music, traditional music of whatever country the
Jews were Hving in, Jewish sacred music, and whatever
else they could throw in.
This is a more hard-driving party record. We'U be
touring Europe in October, then we plan to put the
record out on Jericho Beach Music in early 2009. Then
we'U do a full Canadian tour, soup to nuts.
Sounds great! Let's talk about the Winnipeg Folk
Festival. How did you like it?
It was my first time there and I did Hke it. It's kind of
Hke the Big One in the folk music world. !^%i
My first performancewas as a "tweener", basicaUy you're
10 Julaugust 2008 iciy&m MDi EUB
a:
Runup
JSLenman
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playing while the band is setting up. I also did some
workshops and a concert set. They do a lot of cool stuff
at the campgrounds, late night stages that were reaHy
cool. I did both Glastonbury and Winnipeg festivals
for the first time this year and I'd definitely go back to
Winnipeg.
That "tweener" performance got you some press and
generated a lot of discussion on the Internet among
folkies. What happened?
WeU, there happened to be a big Volkswagen sign on
the side of the stage, direcdy behind where the tweeners
would stand. I knew the sign was there.
I had two songs planned: "The Dead Children Were
Worth It" (a.lca. Official Theme Song for the 2010
Olympic Games) and "Maginot Line". I wanted to get
the message across about the 2010 Olympics to this
crowd. "Maginot Line" I'd done at the Edmonton Folk
Festival and I thought it had gone over weU.
I know these festivals aU take the corporate money and
stuff but there's a continuum of how overt it is. Having
the huge VW sign, Hke you are part of the sign, is at
the high end of the spectrum. When that's happened
in the past, it was my Httie gag to play some obscene
Htde song, then say, "That song was brought to you by
Canada Trust", or whatever sponsor. It's just a joke!
It just seemed Hke a natural thing to say in Winnipeg
after the "dead chUdren" song. People laughed, or were
horrified, or whatever.
Then I went into "Maginot Line" and the second verse:
"and it wasn't very long at aU until Mr. Hider came to
caU". Then it suddenly occurred to me: Mr. Hider, the
guy who ordered Volkswagen into being. It seemed Hke
a natural joke to make - "You remember Mr. Hider, don't
you? He was the one who brought you Volkswagen!" So
everybody laughed, or was horrified, but it's aU part of
the fun. I didn't stand up on stage and read a sermon to
the people about the evUs of corporate sponsorship.
You know, aU this goes back to how my life was changed
by the Vancouver Folk Festival, going there for the first
time and seeing BiUy Bragg. He was poUtical but not
banging you on the head about it. He could write
beautiful love songs and when he wanted to, he could
be hilarious. He told stories-that were both deep and
entertaining. So it was just the kind of joke a poUtical
folksinger makes.
uoi coimer
No kidding! Surely the festival that hired you must have
known what you're Hke?
Oh yeah, it's in the bio, so I just said, it and then aH kinds
of shit started hitting the fan as soon as I got off the
stage. I was informed that the sponsors were not happy4
The folk festival staff were not trying to teU me that I was
a bad boy, they were just teUing me their job was about
to get considerably harder, you know? I was surprised;
I didn't think it was significant. But [Volkswagen]
weren't fine about it, apparendy. There was a massive
shit storm!
People attending the festival kept coming up to me and
talking to me about it afterwards. They were uniformly
positive. However, somebody from festival staff did say,
"You know what, could you lay off the sponsors for the
rest of the festival? Could you Hke give us a break?"
Did you?
WeU, yeah, why teU the same joke twice? I might have
made a couple of jokes about not saying anything, but I
didn't say anything.
Basically, I feel Hke I'm part of the folk festival movement
in Canada. It's Hke a big tent, a large farrrily of left-wing
views, beHef in community, environmentaHsm and other
things that are part of that movement. I'm a sociaUst
and I'm personaUy against corporate sponsorship of folk
festivals, because I don't Hke corporate influence in the
pubHc sphere. But I'm not against it to the point where I
would throw the baby out with the bath water.
I'm not out to screw the people of the Winnipeg Folk
Festival. The fact is that the poHtics I have now come
from the folk festival movement to some extent. But
I want them to keep going, so if I have a disagreement
with them, it's a disagreement within a famUy.
Is there a line you wouldn't cross when it comes to
corporate sponsorship?
companies in the world, owned mosdy by its own union.
I was making fun of them mosdy because of that past
Hider connection.
There's an eternal covenant between Jews and the
German people. We now get to make fun of them for
the rest of eternity, and it's understood. Who can argue
with that?
Did you hear anything directly from the sponsors?
The festival staff insulated me from aH that. My feeling at
the beginning of aU this was that [Volkswagon] couldn't
give a shit about some folksinger playing the accordion,
but apparendy there were problems. My point about the
whole sponsorship deal is that if someone can make a
couple of Htde jokes and it stirs up things to this extent,
it makes it hard to beHeve the claim that corporate
sponsorship doesn't influence programming.
Do you think this episode might affect your abiHty to
get hired by festivals down the road?
I suppose only time wiU teU how judgmental people wiH
be about me making a couple of cracks from the stage. I
can imagine there might be a couple more chats before I
bit the stage where somebody goes: "Okay, you're going
out there, Geoff. We've got Sponsor X poster up there.
The rep is in the crowd."
Other than cuss words, nobody in the folk world's ever
told me what not to play. I've always been trusted to play
what I want, v
Our whole band got dropped from a local agency because
we wouldn't ride with Export A. We were offered a free more info visit
van, several hundred doUars extra per show. Everybody
was taking that money, but we said no.
In the end you have to go with your gut and then justify
it retroactively. I was wilHng to play in front of the
Volkswagen symbol as long as I got to say what I wanted
to say. Volkswagen is one of the most progressive car
Geoff Berner's next local appearance will be at the 1st
Accordion Noir Festival at the Railway Club on Oct. 3. For ]Qfl/OA
Appalling: baby-cute in 1998, Zac Hanson (of
"MMMBop" fame) is today 22, has married and had
his first son.
Surprising: Hanson and his older brothers Taylor
and Isaac might just be the most genuine band on
today's stage. DisbeHevers, read on.
Discovered while busking at South by Southwest — not a chest hair between them — their early
success is a rare story of talent and hard work. Not
child sensations, just plain old good. Yet, screaming
teenage girls rarely foster musical credibiHty. Despite
continued commercial success (Grammy nominations, BiUboard charts, blah blah blah) their pop
culture identity stuck Hke your worst grade school
photo. HeUo, pigeonhole.
Choosing musical freedom over fame and fortune,
Hanson parted with their label in 2003 and prompdy
feU off the earth. Screaming girls are hard to dissuade
and continued to foUow the band. At Hanson's March
2008 South by Southwest show, screaming teenybop-
pers had matured into unaccompanied hipster hotties.
A music nerd could find his dream girl at a Hanson
show if he didn't mind her dedication to soulful
brotherly harmony.
Hanson went on to release two credible indie
albums, Strong Enough To Break and Taking The
Walk. Replacing chart hits and stadiums with iTunes
releases and smaU pubs has satisfied both Hanson and
. their devotees.
Fan Amber Beheler hazards, "They don't get a lot of
casual Usteners."
WhUe many fans grew up and moved on, for those that
remain, "teenyboppers at heart" Hke Beheler, there is no
better tonic. Eldest band member Isaac, 28, says on the
band website, "The first music you reaUy fall in love with
is more than just music."Too true. Hanson fans enjoy an
enviable history with the band;-the two have grown up
together. A lasting popularity is Htde surprise.
A teenage girl could have seriously erred in 1997 (Nick
Carter...Nick Lachey?!). Hanson represented something
else, though: discernible talent and old-fashioned values.
Hanson fandom "lives on in a community of Google-
happy girls hunting for band gossip.
"There is the occasional 'stalker' type [and] screaming girl," Lainie Heinzen says to explain her feUow fans.
"Yet, we've grown up and have matured."
The growing maturity of aU parties is clear in the
recent 2007 documentary, Taking The Walk, which
detaUs exacdy how one might make a successful indie
record from scratch (caU in BUly Joel's producer, Danny
Kortchmar). [ed. I'll get right on that.] AvaUable for free
on iTunes, Hanson's songwriting and musical profes-
sionaHsm keep them mUes removed from expired 'boy
band'claims. Gone are the flowing locks of yore. Today,
it's just about the music. It was never about the money.
The band is championing the fight against the African
AIDS endemic — with iTunes proceeds from the single
"Great Divide" going to the cause.
Barely pubescent in 1997s shoving stadium throngs,
the group how brings their 6*5 kids touring (Hanson
v2.0?). At their Sept. 10 Commodore show, expect to
enjoy a convenient collision of fans practiced in outright
worship, paired with seriously good musicians. Not much
has changed. V
Iky. Iouup^Tu ipobuorfesb
12 September 2008 " at my label is about Ralph Alfonso
I'm a writer and writers is wl
W Best fem\ ftohitj^^ipteoweff ^
0£)J Pandemonium %tl>$me'l_2 DJb^rt^?ancouver"
4 "Best Place ToJ^^^Toplass" - e«*s« ssafc**^, %i
^^^Jgfost^adical Felish Night in .Vancouver" 1
» o^M^Most Modem PJfc© "teNSet Some" - r«m*>«/ cay
"Consistently Voted One Of Vafr$jW*©t^Top Alternative Nights" --xu* was*
j OO^PJ Pandemonium Best Local Vancouver EU 2008" - westendm
J3|||§f&f Those RargM^enfeW^e Hfteratiy Anything Goes" - Abort Magazine
*
Take Action Now
www.studentsforafreetibet.org
www.beijingwideopen.org
www.sftcanada.wordpress.com
Educate and Empower Yourself
with these sites:
Tibet Information Network - tibetinfo.org
Tibetan Government in Exile-libet.com
Tibet Justice Centre - tibetjustice.org
Human Rights in China - hrichina.org
actions
can
isavei
lives r__
»T ITl! HT
BY
NATHAN PIKE
think this is what's considered the French toast
j j chicken," says StreetHght guitarist Gavin Busby,
referring to the. deep fried, but. oh-so deHcious,
chicken wings at Chinatown's Phnom Penh. It's a warm
August night and I have gathered with three members of
this fresh-on-the-scene Vancouver band for some empty
carbs, protein and a friendly chat.
A Htde over a year into its current incarnation and
having just released their debut album Strange Spells
in March, StreetHght carry with them the excitement
of having a soUd Hneup and music to be proud of. And
fine music it is, playing a Htde like a throwback to early
'80s Cure or to the heyday of britpop. Strange Spells wiU
grow on you Hke that awkwardly beautiful sweater your
cool grandma bought you for your birthday. You wear
it because it's classy and looks damned good on you —
it's the sweater that saved your hide and made you feel
better about yourseU".
For StreetHght, becoming a fuU-fledged band was a
matter of timing and waiting for the right people to
come along. It started with a couple of friends and some
word of mouth.
"I knew [Busby]'s sister, and he had heard through her
that I had some songs I was quiedy working on," singer/
! guitarist BasU Waugh says. "So, early in 2006 after
[Busby] had moved here from Victoria, he just asked me
if I wanted to start a band."
The two didn't have a huge musical community to
fish from. Busby had played in punk bands in Victoria
and Waugh had musical friends, but most of them had
moved to Montreal or started famUies long ago.
"We would bring in random folks we found through
CraigsHst and the few musicians we knew, and we met
a lot of great people that way," Waugh says. "But it was
when we would jam with our friends that we seemed to
cHck the most."
And so friends gathered to play music, eventuaUy
forming a band. From there, an album was conceived.
Soon after the recording of Strange SpeUs, bassist
14 September 2008
Damon Henry left to play the famUy man in Victoria
and old friend Tyler Wier stepped in to replace him.
"I didn't even know Tyler had a musical background!"
Waugh laughs.
"I was kind of doing the same thing as [Waugh],
playing a Htde here and there through high school
and university," Wier reminisces. "I knew [Waugh]
was looking to start a band and I'd always sort of half-
jokingly tease him because he was always writing these
great songs. So I'd periodicaUy ask when we'd get a band
together because I reaUy was interested in the stuff he
was doing."
"Before this Hneup it was just BasU and I jamming out
on a couple of guitars," Busby teUs me. "A number of the
songs that are on Spells came from those sessions of us
sitting in a room and playing. And now, as this band and
in this current Hneup, it feels Hke all of that material and
even the new stuff is coming much mote naturaUy."
"I sat in on a few sessions and because we were akeady
close friends it seemed Hke- a natural fit," Wier says.
"And it was fun! I was playing good music with my good
friends!"
It's not hard to see this in the easy camaraderie that,
these guys have with each other as we eat platefius of
deep fried meat and drink pints of beer. The excitement is
infectious as they talk about their band and the direction
they're headed. In fact, the band is akeady focusing
on playing new material at shows and getting ready to
record a new EP.
"We're reaUy exdted about the new stuff," Busby says.
"It's forward moving music that's fun to play and akeady
we're able to hear a marked difference in how we've
grown together as a band." 0
You can catch these gentlemen doing what they love to
do on Sept. 3 at The Railway. Check www.myspace.com/
streetlightbandfor further listings.
WE'RE LOOKING FOR A NEW
Discorder is a special project of CiTR 101.9 FM, the campus
and community radio station at the University of British
Columbia. Discorder is published 11 times a year by UBC's
Student Radio Society and distributed for free throughout
-Vancouver, with a circulation of 7,000.
Duties
The Art Director is responsible for the layout, design and
overall look of Discorder magazine on a monthly basis.
This includes typesetting the copy, commissioning all art
and photography, designing the spreads and laying out
the pagination. The Art Director will work closely with the
Production Manager on all of these tasks, and will direct
volunteers to help with layout and typesetting as needed.
The Art Director is required to attend Discorder meetings,
and must be available the last weekend of each month for
production. v /=??*<
Qualifications
This is a demanding volunteer position that requires a
serious commitment. The successful candidate will have a
background in art and design, and have experience working
with Adobe InDesign CS3. Knowledge of independent and
-local music, art and culture is an asset.
How to apply
To apply, send a resume and a cover letter'to Brenda
Grunau, CiTR Station Manager, at citrmgr@ams.ubc.ca by
Friday, Sept. 12,2008, at 10 a.m.
Honourarium: $150 per issue Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
PACIFIC PICWN'
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MORNING AFTER SHOW
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WHY
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EXQUISITE CORPSE
AFRICAN RHYTHMS
SALARIO MINIMO
FOLK OASIS
'"^jp FROM THUNDERBIRD
RADIO HELL ■
RAINBOW GROOVE
SYNAPTIC SANDWICH
CAUGHT IN THE RED
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HANS KLOSS'
MISERY HOUR
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FEATHER .£>-
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1 LIKE THE SCRIBBLES
CITR RE-BROADCAST
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LIVE FROM THUNDERBIRD
RADIO HELL
(Live Music) 9-11pm
Featuring live band(s) every week performing in the comfort of the CiTR Lounge. Most
are from Vancouver, but sometimes bands
from across the country and around the
world are nice enough to drop by to say hi.
BBC11:30pm-1:30am
■mmmi friday
SYNCHRONICITY9-10am \-f~$&£_
Join host Marie B and discuss spirituality, health and feeling good. Tune in
and tap-in to good vibrations that help
you remember why you're here: to
have fun! This is not your average
spirituality show.
SKATS SCENIC DRIVE (Ska)
10am-12pm
Canada's longest running Ska radio
program. Email requests to:
djska_t@hotmail.com
THESE ARE THE BREAKS (Hip Hop)
12-1pm
Top notch crate digger DJ Avi Shack
mixes underground hip hop, old
school classics, and original breaks.
beatstreet@telus.net
THE BROADCAST 1-2pm
Betti Forde has been a pro DJ for over
a decade. She's deejayed throughout
the world in places like Paris, Berlin,
Rome and Malmo. She couldn't be
happier to be back at CiTR with The
Broadcast, showcasing women in
RADIO ZERO (Eclectic) 2-3:30pm
We play an international mix of super-
. fresh weekend party jams from new-
: (Nardwuar) 3:30-5pm
Join Nardwuar the Human Serviette for an
hour and a half of Clam Chowder flavoured
entertainment Doot doola doot doo... doot
doo!
nardwuar@nardwuar.com - -
NEWS 101 (Talk) 5-6pm
AFRICAN RHYTHMS (World) 7:30-9pm
RAINBOW GROOVE (Dance/Electronic)
9-1u:30pm
Getting you in the mood for the weekend,
DJ BFAD presents a kaleidoscope of funky
grooves for your mind, body & soul
SHAKE A TAIL FEATHER
(Soul/R'n'B) 10:30-12am
The finest in classic soul and rhythm & blues
from the late '50s to the early 70s, including
lesser known artists, regional hits and lost
sould gems.
I LIKE THE SCRIBBLES (Eclectic)
12-2am
■■■ SATURDAY
THE SATURDAY EDGE (Roots)
8am-12pm
Now in its 22nd year on CiTR. The Sat-
urday edge is a personal guide to world
& roots music—with African, Latin
and European music in the first half,
followed by Celtic, blues, songwriters,
Cajun and whatever else fits!
GENERATION ANNIHILATION
(Punk) 12-1 pm
A fine mix of streetpunk and old school
hardcore backed by band interviews,
guest speakers, and social commentary.
crashnburnradio@yahoo.ca
POWER CHORD (Metal) 1-3pm
Vancouver's longest running metal show
on the air. If you're into music that's on
the heavier/darker side of the spectrum,
then you'll like Power Chord. Sonic assault provided by Metal Ron, Gerald
Rattlehead and Geoff the Metal Pimp.
CODE BLUE (Roots) 3-5pm
From backwoods delta low-down slide to
urban harp honks, blues, and blues roots
with your hosts Jim, Andy and Paul.
codeblue@buddy-system.org
THE LEO RAMIREZ SHOW (World)
5-6pm
The best of mix of Latin American music.
leoramirez@canada.com
NASHA VOLNA (World) 6-7pm
News, arts, entertainment and music for
the Russian community, local and abroad.
http://nashavolta.ca
SHADOW JUGGLERS
(Dance/Electronic) 7-9pm ■
This eclectic show welcomes you to
braoden your musical knowledge with
DJs MP, Socool, Soo & guests. We work
across musical genres including elec
tronic and club-based music, which are
rarely introduced into mainstream musical culture. Travel through world sounds.
myspace.com/shadowjugglers
SYNAPTIC SANDWICH
(Dance/Electronic/Eclectic)
9-11pm
Every show is full of electro bleeps,
retrowave, computer 'generated, synthetically manipulated aural rhythms. If
you like everything from electro/techno/
trance/8bit music/retro '80s this is the
show for you!
www.synapticsandwieh.net
BEATS FROM THE BASEMENT
(Hip Hop) 11 pm-1 am
Hosted by J-Boogie and Joelboy,
promising listeners the latest tracks,
the classics, the rare andlhe obscure,
current events, and the special features
of peeps coming into the studio. Most
importantly listeners can expect to be
entertained... church.
klymkiw@gmail.com «#§Mf
tetAiifj^
Victory Square Block Party ©
Hastings & Cambie
Stanley Park Singing Fest © Malkin B<
Battles ©Richard's
Fucked Up, Crystal Antlers @ Richard's
TV On the Radio © The Commodore
Creature® the Gallery
The Juan Maclean © Richard's
Bad Religion © The Commodore
Against Me! @ Croatian Cultural Centre
16
Shindig #1 @ the Railway
Fleet Foxes ©Richard's
Alejandro Escovedo @ The Biltmore
Ra Ra Riot @ Media Club
Breakfast with the Browns 20th Anniversary
Radio Show (8-11 a.m.)
23
Shindig #2® the Railway
^28
Cold War Kids ©Richard's
| Cancer Bats w/ Black Lungs ® Media Club
Shindig #3 © the Railway
Mission of Burma © Plaza
SEPTEMBER 1 ■■■■SUNDAY
TANA RADIO (Worid) 9-10am
SHOOKSHOOKTA (Talk)
10-11am
A program which targets Ethiopian people and aims at encouraging education
and personal development in Canada.
KOL NODEDI (World) 11am-12pm
Beautiful arresting beats and voices emanating from all continents, comers, and
voids.. But Asia. South Asia. Africa The
Middle East Europe. Latin America. Gypsy.
Fusion. Always rhythmic, always captivating. Always crossing borders.
THE ROCKERS WOW (Reggae)
12-3pm
Reggae inna all styles and fashion.
BLOOD ON THE SADDLE
(Roots) 3-Spm
Real cowshit-caught-in-yer-boots country.
Alternates with:
SHAMELESS (Eclectic)
Dedicated to giving any local music act in
Vancouver a crack at some airplay. When
not playing the PR shtick, you can hear
some faves you never knew you liked.
CHIPS WITH EVERYTHING (Pop) Mpm
British pop music from all decades. International pop (Japanese. French, Swedish,
British, US. etc.), 60s soundtracks and
lounge. Book your jet-set holiday now!
SAINT TROPEZ (Pop) 56pm
Welcome to St. Tropez! Playing underrated
music from several decades!
st.tropez101.9@gmail.com
QUEER FM (Talk) 6-8pm
Dedicated to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and
transexual communities of Vancouver. Lots
of human interest features, background
on current issues, and great music.
queerfmradio@gmail.com
SOME SOUND (Indie Rock) 6-7:30pm
SON OF NITE DREEMS (Eclectic)
6-7:30pm
Join jolly John Tanner, radio survivor for
almost half a century now heard alternating Mondays with an eclectic musical
: mix of many eras from the Ws to today.
RADIO FREE GAK (Indie rock)
7:364pm
THE JAZZ SHOW (Jazz) 9pm-12am
Vancouver's longest running prime-time
Jazz program. Hosted by Ihe ever-suave
Gavin Walker.
Features at 11pm.
Sept 1: The Duke Ellington Orchestra opens
September with "A Concert in the Virgin
Islands*
Sept 8: One of the great working bands of
the 1980s: the Tenor saxophonist George
Adams and pianist Don Pullen-led quartet
Sept 15: We honour the memory of Jazz
icon Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, who
would be celebrating his 80th birthday
today.
Sept 22: Maestro Leonard Bernstein's iconic
"WhatisJazz".
Sept 29: The late Walt Dickerson performs
with piano, bass and drums on this groundbreaking recording: "Relativity"
VENGEANCE IS MINE (Punk)
12-2am
Going on 8 years strong, this is your
home for all the best the world of punk.
rock has to offer.
Rhythmsindia features a wide range of
music from India, including popular music
from the 1930s to the present Ghazals
and Bhajans, Qawwalis, pop, and regional
language numbers.
ALL AWESOME IN YOUR EARS8-9pm
MONDO TRASHO (Eclectic)
9-10pm
The one and the only Mondo Trasho with
Maxwell Maxwell—don't miss it!
TRANCENDANCE (Dance)
10pm-12am
Join us in practicing the ancient art of
rising above common ideas as your host
DJ Smiley Mike lays down the latest
trance cuts.
trancendance@hotmail.com
SUNDIAL FLOODLIGHT (Eclectic) 12-2am
Dedicated to all things drone.
PACIFIC PICKIN' (Roots) B-8am
Bluegrass, old-time music, and its derivatives with Arthur and the lovely Andrea
Berman.
pacfficpickin@yahoo.com
GIVE EM THE BOOT (World) 8-9:30am
Sample the various flavours of Italian
folk music. Una programma bilingue
che esplora il mondo della musica folk
italiana.
THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM (Rock)
9:30-11:30am
Open your ears and prepare for a shock)
A harmless note may make you a fan!
Deadlier than the most dangerous criminal!
borninsixtynine@hotmail.com
MORNING AFTER SHOW
(Eclectic) 11:30am-1pm
An eclectic mix of indie with rock, experimental, world, reggae, o ink and ska
from Canada, Latin America and Europe.
Local bands play live on the Morning Af-
I MONDAY
BREAKFAST WITH THE BROWNS
(Eclectic) 8-11am
Sept. 22nd
Celebrate 20 Years on the Air with the
Browns.
Tune in and be surprised.
20th Anniversary Party time, date and
place t.b.a.
GROUND CONTROL (Eclectic)
11-12pm
Fun and independent music supported by
_ a conversational monologue of information, opinion and anecdote focussing on
the here, the now, and the next week.
becktrex@gmail.com
ALTERNATIVE RADIO (Talk) 12-lpm
Hosted by David Barsamian.
PARTS UNKNOWN (Pop) 1 -3pm
Parts Unknown, an indie pop show that
has been on CiTR since 1999, is like a
marshmallow sandwich: soft and sweet
and best enjoyed when poked with a
stick and held close to a fire.
LETS GET BAKED (Talk) 3-4pm
Vegan baking with'rock stars* like Laura
Peek, The Food'Jammers, Knock Knock
Ginger, The Superfantastics and more.
THE RIB (ECLECTIC) 4-5pm
Explore the avant garde worid of
music with host Robyn Jacob on
The Rib. From i
experimental n
jazz and new classical! So weird it
could Mow yow mind!
NEWS 101 (News/talk) 5-5:30pm
Vancouver's only live, volunteer-produced student and community newscast.
Every week, we take a look back at the
week's local, national ami international
news, as seen from a fully independent
media perspective.
CAREER FAST TRACK (Talk)
LAUGH TRACKS (Talk) 1 -2pm
Laugh Tracks is a.show about comedy.
Kliph Nesteroff from the 'zine Generation Exploitation, hosts.
generationexploit@yahoo.com
musicalboot@yahoo.ca
REEL TO REAL (Talk) 2:30-3pm
Movie reviews and criticism.
NATIVE SOLIDARITY NEWS (Talk) 3-4pm
A national radio service and part of an
international network of information and
action in support of indigenous peoples'
survival and dignity.
WINGS (Talk) 4-4:30pm
WENER'S BARBEQUE (Sports)
4:30-6pm
Tune in each week to hear Daryl Wener
talk about the world of sports. Ill discuss
everything from the Vancouver Canucks
to the Worid Bock Paper Scissors Championship. ethanwener@hotmaii.com
FLEX YOUR HEAD (Hardcore) 6-8pm
Punk rock and hardcore since 1989. Bands
and guests from around the world.
SALARIO MINIMO (World) 8-1 Opm
The best rock in Spanish show in Canada since 2000. None of that tropical
stuff here. No aceptes imitaciones!
salariominimo@yahoo.com
CAUGHT IN THE RED (Rock)
10pm-12am
Trawling the trash heap of over 50 years'
worth of rock n' roll debris. Dig it!
AURAL TENTACLES (Eclectic) 12-6am
It could be, global, trance, spoken word,
rock, the. unusual and the weird, or it
could be something different. Hosted by
DJ Pierre.
auraltentacles@hotmail.com
CiTR
10J.9FM
m 1
CD
5
TUESDAY
m
U !
CiTR
101.9FM
dj@jackvelvet.net
POP ROCKS 10-11:30am
ANOIZE (Noise) 11:30am-1pm
An hour and a half of avant rock, noize,
plunderphonic, psychedelic, and outsider aspects of audio. An experience
for those who want to be educated and
6am
Sunday
Monday
BBC
7am
Ham
flam
10am
11am
12pm
lpm
2pm
Spm
4pm
5pm
iipm
7pm
8pm
Opm
10pm
11pm
12am
lam
2am
Sam
4am
5am
BBC
BREAKFAST
WITH
THE BROWNS
|j
TANA RADIO", 0
SHOOKSHOOKTA •
' KOL NODEDI
GROUND CONTROL
—
THE ROCKERS-
SHOW
ALTERNATIVE RADIO
PARTS UNKNOWN
BLOOD ON
THE SADDLE
SHAMELESS
LET'S GET BAKED
Si
THE RIB
CHIPS WITH
EVERYYTHING
'SAINT TROPEZ
NEWS 101
CAREER FAST TRACK
QUEER FM
SOME SOUND
SON OF NITE
DREEMS
RADIO FREE GAK
RHYTHMSINDA
All AWESOME
MONDO TRASHO
THE JAZZ SHOW
■ ^TRANCENDANCE
VENGEANCE IS MINE
SUNDIAL FLOODLIGHT
.CITR RE-BROADCAST
CITR RE-BROADCAST
with a big emphasis on our Id
C'mon in! A kumbaya-free zi
JUICEBOX (Talk) 10-11PM
'EDNESDAY
SUBURBAN JUNGLE (Eclectic)
8-1 Oam
Live from the Jungle Room, join radio
host Jack Velvet for an eclectic mix of
music, sound bites, information and
inanity. Not to be missed!
EARfta „______„
lukemeat@hotmail.com
THE GREEN MAJORITY (Talk) 1 -2pm
DEMOCRACY NOW (Talk) 2-3pm
RUMBLETONE RADIO A GO GO
(Rock)3-5pm
Primitive, fuzzed-out garage mayhem!
CANADIAN VOICES (Talk) 5:30-6:30pm
AND SOMETIMES WHY (Pop/Ecli
tic) 6:30-8pm Ws_U
First Wednesday of every month.
Alternates with:
SAMSQUANTCH'S HIDEAWAY
(Eclectic) 6:30-8pm
All-Canadian music with a focus or
indie-rock/pop.
anitabinder@hotmail.com
FOLK OASIS (Roots) 8-1 Opm
Two hours of eclectic folk/wots
diversity, celebrating queemess, and er
couraging pleasure at all stages.,,.
www.juiceboxradio.com
HANS KLOSS 11 pm-1 am
This is pretty much the best thing on radii
mmm Thursday
END OF THE WORLD NEWS (Talk)
8-1 Oam
SWEET AND HOT (Jazz) 10-12pm
Sweet dance music and hot jazz from
the 1920s, 30s and 40s.
DUNCAN'S DONUTS (Eclectic)
12-1pm
Sweet treats from the pop underground:
Hosted by Duncan, sponsored by donuts. duncansdonuts.wordpress.com
WE AU FALL DOWN (Eclectic) 1 -2pm
Punk rock, indie pop, and whatever else
-I deem worthy. Hosted by a closet nerd.
wwwcweaJlfalldowncitr.bl6gspot.ca
INK STUDS (Talk) 2-3pm
Ink Studs focusses on underground and
indie comix. Each week, we interview a .-.
different creator to get their unique perspective on comix and discuss their own
interesting and upcoming works..
CRIMES & TREASONS (Hip Hop)
3-5pm
crimesandtreasons@gmail.com
MY SCIENCE PROJECT (Talk) 5-6pm
Zoom a little zoom on the My Science
Project rocket ship, piloted by your host,
Julia, as we navigate eccentric, .underexposed, always relevant and plainly
cool scientific research, technology, and
poetry (submissions welcome), myscien-
Alternates with:
PEDAL REVOLUTIONARY (Talk) 5-6pm
pedaJrevolutionary@gmail.com
STEREOSCOPIC REDOUBT (Rock)
6-7:30pm
Psychadelic, acid punk, freakbeat, prog
and other grotesque and socially relevant artifacts from 1965 te today, with a
particular emphasis on Vancouver's freak
flag with pride, www.myspace.rorn/ste-
EXQUISITE CORPSE (Experimental)
7:30-9pm
Experimental, radio-art, sound collage,
field recordings, etc.
Recommended for the insane.
artcorpse@yahoo.com SUMMER
FESTIVALS
2000
mm r- r. . 1
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SUB POP
Ihe hmB oTodhne hrm* 20
Tip to that time everyone played it really safe, all the small
labels. 'Well, we'll put out a single every three months and sell a
thousand copies of it and that's cool because I've got my day job.'
Jon [Poneman] and Bruce [Pavitt] were having none of that.
They said 'We don't wanna work day jobs. We don't want our
bands to work day jobs. We want them out there on the road. We
want them in the big magazines. We want their records everywhere. It is punk rock, but we don't care. We wanna make it
bigger than punk rock."
-Photographer Charles Peterson on the origin of Sub
Pop Records.
ith over 700 releases and 20 years under their
mf belts, Sub Pop threw a two-day outdoor
V." birthday festival displaying the vastness of the
groups they have signed over the last two decades. Bands
that I thought I would never see in my lifetime were
reuniting just to play one time only. Missing this weekend was not an option.
Saturday July 12
We awoke to one of the most gorgeous days Seattle
has seen all year. Our hotel offer a shuttle out to Mary-
moor Park, in Redmond, Washington where the fest'took
place. Marymoor is HUGE, populated with old school-
grungesters and neo-hipsters alike. We toured around the
various booths selling typical Seattle fare: KEXP, Register
to Vote (actually it could have read Register to Vote FOR
OBAMA), Sub Pop have a booth that's selling vinyl.,
The first band on the bill was Drive Like Jehu ex-pats
The Obits. They play very driving straight-forward
rock which started the fest off perfecdy. The Constantines played a very pretty, very restrained set until fellow
Canuck Julie Doiron joined them on stage. I have no
idea what meds she has been taking lately, but she sure
has cheered the fuck up since the last decade. This segued
perfectly into Eric's Trip, who won the award for "Band
that looks exactly the same as they did when they started
17 years ago". I've always admired Sub Pop's attention to
bands from Canada, and I don't think our country has
disappointed them, or their fans for that matter.
The second stage kicked off with punk-grungers
Seaweed reuniting and making me realize how much
my tastes have changed since I last bought one of
their records. We had VIP access so during the rest of
Seaweed's set we nipped backstage where we indulged in
free drinks, ribs and conversation. All the glitterati were
there, past and present. I tried to interview Kim Tnayil
from Soundgarden; he declined but offered me a drink
instead. Class act.
We raced back to catch Pissed Jeans, a favorite of mine
for the last couple of years. Tneir blistering set—as well
as the -sun—melted our faces. Tne Fluid took me back to
my high school years when they bust out "Static Cling".
I start moshing, while sitting down.
Discorder 19 I've never been a big Low fan so we snuck back for
more drinks. Good thing we did, because we needed
the inebriation to tame Mudhoney's onslaught. To
quote Mark Arm in Doug Pray's wonderful documentary Hype: "You sing about dogs. You sing about bein'
sick. You have a schtick and 3 chords. You'll make it."
Mudhoney has maintained that philosophy for 20 years
and it made them the best band at the festival (or of all
time for that matter).
The most anticipated group on the weekend's bill were
Scotland's The Vaselines. They are not technically a Sub
Pop band. But, if Sub Pop had not (at Kurt Cobain's
insistence) put out the delightful collection The Way of
the Vaselines, I doubt the world would have a clue who
they are. The duo's charm and sexuality oozed through
. classics such as "Rory Rides Me Raw" and "Monster-
pussy".
Iron and Wine's set was glacially paced, but it was
quite a beautiful accompaniment to the sunset.
Flight of the Conchords closed the evening. I am a
fan of the TV show, but I've always thought that when
their songs are taken out of context, they just aren't
that funny—or good. Every female in the audience
disagreed with me. Any gesture, murmur or movement
Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie made... you'd
have thought you were at a Jonas Brothers concert.
Sunday July 13
I awoke with a familiar American beer hangover. Sub
Pop made their own ale for the weekend entitled Loser
and I guess I indulged a little.
We caught The .Ruby Suns' and Grand Archives' set
but both bands were fairly non-descript. I was ready
for some more Loser by then and enjoyed one during
Kinski's set, which showcased both old and new material. The crowd went bananas when members Matthew
Schwartz and Barrett Wilke spazzed out on the electric
flute and gong, respectively.
I saw Les Thugs open for Girls Against Boys at The
Starfish Room back in '95 and they positively mopped
the floor with them. They show no signs of slowing.
down, chugging out their Parisian garage rock - talk of
a new release makes me very happy.
No Age followed and proved that Sub Pop still know
what's going on in the world of the younger listeners.
They had the Pitchfork/American-Apparel crowd in
rapture with their two-piece shoegaze melodies.
I was anxiously waiting for Comets On Fire. Their
album Blue Cathedralwas my pick for "Best Release of
2004" and I had never seen them before. It was worth
the wait. Cacophonous psychedelic guitars seared while
Echoplexed vocals ping-ponged around us. Why hadn't
I scored any hash?
Green River brought Seattle back to its roots, and I
do believe we will see an actual grunge renaissance in
the next couple of years. By this point I was getting a
little tired of music, so I wandered around the grounds
while Wolf Parade closed the night. I purchased a copy
oi Bleach on vinyl for ten bucks. It was the first Sub Pop
album I ever bought (on cassette) after seeing Nirvana
open for Sonic Youth at the sadly defunct New York
Theatre in '91. They say you can't go back, and Sub Pop
isn't trying to. They're simply doing what they always
do: making it bigger than "punk rock". 0
80 September 2008
lies
m.
(A
For the second year in a row, Zak Pashak, who
also transformed the Biltmore from a total dive
into a potential Uve gem, threw a party called
Sled Island in his hometown. Last year, the fest boasted
the likes- of the Boredoms, Cat Power, and Les Savy
Fav, and the 2008 line-up somehow managed to live
up to the lofty expectations set in the event's inaugural
year. Discorder made the trek to Calgary to give you the
lowdown on the best Canadian music festival this side
of Ontario. The festival took place over three days in a
variety of Calgary v
Yo La Tengo @ the Pumphouse
Yo La Tengo are great live any night of the week,
but their performance in Calgary was something truly
special, as it was one of the rare sets where they turned
down the volume and seated themselves for a self-de-
. scribed "Freewheelin' Acoustic Q;and-A" show. The
audience was given free reign to ask whatever was on
their minds and the band followed with a host of entertaining answers (even to the most awkwardly posed
questions) that led, spontaneously, into songs. Those
songs ranged from YLT favourites like "Stockholm
Syndrome" to live rarities like "Damage" to a handful
of eclectic covers, including a blistering (can acoustic
songs be blistering?) version of Neil Young's "For the
Turnstiles." KmIP^
Quinn Omori
Basketball @ Broken City
The trio - who performed as a four-piece in Calgary
with Cam Reed (ex-Hot Loins) beefing up the rhythm
section — were in fine form during an early Thursday
night set. When they performed under their old moniker, the Raking Bombs, they displayed a very strong
(maybe too strong) influence from At the Drive-In. But
in their new incarnation, that sound has been jettisoned
in favor of a more worldly mix of crashing drums, tribal
percussion, and droning guitars and synths. My hometown bias left me smiling the whole time, but I wasn't
the only,one. In fact, Cowtown's opinion of Basketball
could be nicely summed up by a young man who, when
exiting the area in front of the stage, quipped to his •
friend, "See? We don't have that. That's why Calgary's
music scene sucks."
QP Calgary newcomers Women have been the subject of
some buzz in college radio circles (not least at CiTR,
Where their debut has made several appearances on the
charts). These proteges of Chad VanGaalen showed
themselves worthy of praise, and seemed more confident in front of their hometown crowd than at their
recent Vancouver appearance. Their engaging looseness
and thick veneer of noise belie excellent songwriting,
and their performance at Broken City showed impressive technical abihty. Trust me — dumb name, great
band. If you haven't heard their album, I highly recommend it.
Alex Smith
RZA @ the Grand Theatre
With all due respect to Bob Digi, the RZA without
the rest of the Clan is sort of a must-see by association only. At least, that's what I thought before I saw
him. Apparently, you don't lead hip-hop's most talented
group for nearly two decades without learning how to
work a crowd somewhere along the way, and from the
opening notes (played out by a rather large and impressive backing band) to the time we were pulled away (by
a desire to catch Wire's "secret" show) the Abbot had
the sold-out room hanging off of every word. For the
duration of his set, choruses were chanted, rhymes were
repeated, more than a few Ws were raised towards the
roof, and everyone forgot how RZA's most recent effort
Digi Snacks held up against so many Wu-Tang classics
(not very well).
op
Wire @ the No. 1 Legion
There is always some apprehension when going to
see a favoured, but aging, band perform — nobody
wants to be disappointed by sagging musicianship or
sagging faces. For their part, post-punk legends Wire
wasted no time in dispelling any doubts with a spirited performance, including a good amount of newer
material. Like contemporaries Mission of Burma, Wire
have managed to remain vital and interesting with their
more recent releases, putting out albums which stand
up to their time-honoured early work. Still, it was energetic versions of classics like "Lowdown", OThe 15th"
and "12XU" that revitalized the late-night crowd at the
Legion. They may look like middle-aged accountants
now, but Wire (bolstered by the guitar of indie veteran
Margaret Fiedler) put on Sled Island's most memorable
performance. ^O&jS^
AS
Qui @ the HiFi Club
Former Jesus Lizard/Scratch Acid frontman David
Yow is'well known for drunken antics and hard Uving,
and despite having recently suffered a punctured lung,
he made sure to live up to his reputation. After spewing
beer into the crowd, mauUng a female audience member
and inexplicably disappearing from the stage, Yow's
visage settled into a crooked leer as he snarled his way
through Qui's set. Musically, the show was dead on, as
drummer Paul Christensen and guitarist Matt Cronk
provided a monolithic backdrop to the spectacle. With
occasional contributions from Yow on the bass, Qui
whipped the crowd into a frenzy, and we left bruised,
sweaty and thoroughly satisfied with the proceedings.
AS
Broken Social Scene/Spiral Stairs @ the No. 1 Legion
This pairing of Broken Social Scene with Scott Kann-
berg (formerly of Pavement, now performing as Spiral
Stairs) had all the marks of an epic indie supergroup (as
if BSS weren't already "super" enough). Unfortunately,
Human Milk (as the one-off was caUed) was plagued
by technical glitches and general awkwardness. Kann-
berg just didn't seem to belong, and although indie-rock
grandpa Brendan Canning pulled off a credible stage-
dive and crowd surf (which he dedicated to the aforementioned David Yow), the performance was mostly
forgettable. It's worth mentioning that my coUeague
Quinn slept through the whole show, waking up only
for the rousing set closer "It's AU Gonna Break", a
perennial live highlight for BSS.
Kfedn
AS
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T
"■ he entrance to the Pemberton Music Festival
is Uke Limbo. Not like the Hawaiian party game, but
like the Roman Catholic theological construct: a vast
and depressing holding pen for tens of thousands of
souls who aren't suffering, but stiU arefft having a very
good time. Like all those dead, unbaptized babies, the
crowds miUing around in dusty confusion at Pemberton
could use a good bath. Within 15 minutes of my arrival,
so can I. _
Along the Jeep-clogged single-lane roads leading to
the festival grounds, a mile-long stream of people hike
past cars inching forward at a snail's pace, Forty thousand people are showing up every day for acts ranging
from Fiery Furnaces to Jay-Z. The vast majority of them
are here just for the experience, for the sound of 40,000
voices cheering and the sight of 40,000 tight young
bodies walking around half-naked, drunk on half a
miUion plastic cups of cheap beer.
The security is an absolute mess. People were predicting this for months: up until the festival, Genesis Secu-
22 September 2008
rity was running ads on CraigsUst and in the Straight,
searching desperately for muscle to hold back the vast
tide of bodies. I hear half their staff walked off the job
after Thursday's near-riot over a lack of shuttles from
the parking lot to the campgrounds. People waited
hours only to be denied entry. By the time I get there,
though, things have gotten a lot better. It's only three
or four hours before I manage to get my media pass and
make my way into the teeming festival grounds.
Inside, it's like a refugee-camp-themed vacation destination. Everyone is akeady dirty, tired, and shirtless.
Everyone wears scarves around their mouths to block
out the ever-present dust. Cowboy hats abound. Sam
Roberts Band is currently on, and the sound system on
the main stage is awful. I pay half-hearted attention to
the band (they're workmanlike Canadian alt-rock that I
can never find an excuse to really dislike) while looking
for friends in the crowd. I can't spot anyone. Maybe it
was the $150+ single-day tickets, the $7 beers, or the
fact that this is the festival's first year, but the majority
of my friends gave Pemberton a pass.
My first brush with fun comes at the Bacardi B-Live
tent. The* people running this section of the event have
their shit relatively together. I'm greeted at the entrance
and ushered into a special media area. There's white
day-beds with chandeliers overhanging and as many
summm
FESTWALS
2008
lCKAS|
free mojitos as I can down. I'm starting to look forward
to drinking myself into a catatonic state. Somebody
I've never heard of is thumping away inside the massive
tent, and he (there are pretty much no girls playing this
weekend) sounds pretty good. After schmoozing with
the other people in the line for booze (my new pals from
Stereogum, a few older guys from "real" newspapers,
and a local DJ who I thought had just gotten out of
rehab), I finish my drink and head out of the media area
and into the massive tent.
It's like a huge Uving room carpeted with hay. People
are sitting back on black couches, drinking their mojitos. It's air-conditioned, the lighting is good, and the
sound system is large enough to make my insides vibrate
from 20 feet away. It feels kind of European.
After a while, I head back to the main stage. The
Flaming Lips are fantastic. Their performance is fine
(even if the sound was terrible), but what I'm really
paying attention to is the confetti cannons, the white .
weather baUoons bouncing across the crowd, the twenty-odd people in Teletubbies costumes onstage and
Wayne Coyne crawUng into the audience inside his
huge plastic bubble. It may have been the mojitos, but
I'm laughing like a spastic, and the girl next to me starts
to stare. The set sounds like a bootleg YouTube video,
but it doesn't even matter — I'm having a fantastic time. Si
WORDS AND
PHOTOS BY
•IHJWrttL
The Lips are certainly a hard act to foUow, so maybe
it's a good thing that nobody very interesting went on
afterward. Tom Petty is like a hundred years old and ,
wasn't particularly great even when he was relevant, so I
head back to the Bacardi tent.
MSTRKRFT is kind of underwhelming. They would
have been great for a mid-sized club, but they seem
out of their league here. They're two aging hipsters,
crowded around a single laptop, smoking and occasionally tweaking knobs on a mixer. There's no props or fireworks or anything, just scrolling logos on the screens
behind them — I'm left thinking this would be cool if
they were 22 and doing it at the Anza, Club, but for serious DJs who have produced a bunch of tracks I totally
heart, they're not good live. They're still more fun than
many of the festival's other acts, even if they can't
muster up the same live show as, say, Fiery Furnaces
(whose performance was charming even though they
didn't play "Tropical Iceland").
Anyways, I'm standing in the VIP section having an
awesome last day, even if the acts aren't super appealing. Vampire Weekend was bland but inoffensive,
N.E.R.D. was offensively bland. Tne waning popularity
of rap-rock didn't seem to stop a bevy of drunk white
girls from rubbing themselves awkwardly on PhareU
(who is terrible Uve). So as I sip my Red BuU and wait
for Jay-Z to go on, I'm feeling kind of bad about the
general state of humanity. Jay-Z turns in a pretty good
set, which might have been better if he wasn't playing
for an entirely white audience.
Coldplay goes on, and I'm trying to get out into the
audience. It's weird. I don't reaUy like Coldplay,, but
everybody else does. Chris Martin is a twerp, his lyrics
are the vague, mindless, feel-good pabulum which Bono
has been boring people with for years. His band is like
Kidz Bop in that it takes popular music and removes
anything remotely offensive until it's suitable for very,
very dull people. By this, I mean that Coldplay sort of
sounds like U2, sort of sounds like Radiohead, and sort
of sounds like Arcade Fire, except without the creativity, talent, or relevance. In the audience, Chris Martin's
trite platitudes are getting panties wet by the hundreds;
a lot of very boring people will be fucking tonight. It's
time for more free mojitos.
Eventually, blind-staggering drunk, I make my way
to my tent. There's a Bacardi pillow under my shirt,
and I'm waving a giant flower stolen from somewhere
I don't know. Bass is thumping from the Bacardi tent
in the distance, and as I lay back on my sleeping bag, I
hear people returning to their tents, see their shadows
from towers of stadium Ughts splayed against the walls
of our tent.
The morning arrives suddenly. Laying in my damp
sleeping bag and pretending I'm not yet awake. I'm
dreading the moment of leaving the tent, getting on
the bus home, having to put words together and form a
qualitative analysis of a three-day party in the middle of
nowhere. I hadn't noticed the mountains until now, and
it's kind of shocking, reaUy. They're unbelievably huge;
the stages and even the wasteland of dead grass and
crushed plastic beer, cups seem tiny next to them. The
morning is a blur, in the way mornings after a certain
kind of party tend to be, but the one thing I remember
is this: I am walking toward the backstage area, trying
to find something to eat, when all of a sudden I stop
in my tracks, struck with the happy realization that I
probably would have had a good time even if I had to
pay for my own drinks. W > "-7^8P&^
Discorder 23 fiflttW
SEPTEMBER 18
COMMODORE
BALLROOM
D-Tour 2008
SEPTEMBER 11
COMMODORE
BALLROOM
SEPTEMBER 22
COMMODORE
BALLROOM
FRIDAY OCTOBER 17
THE VOGUE THEATRE
I SPIRITUALIZED SEPTEMBER 13 | COMMODORE BALLROOM • BOOTSY COLtBlS OCTOBER 1 | COMMODORE BALLROOM • SBERYt CROW OCTOBER 4 | GENERAL MOTORS PLACE
nRTIOn.com
24 September 2008 L.Tve nRTiom
ow On Sale! barn Owl
+ V. VECKER
+ AHNA
Hoko's
August 6
Judging by the conversations I've had with locals since
arriving to Vancouver in Jury, concerts at Hoko's are
old hat for most people involved in the city's noise-rock
community. Personalty, I've seen Uve music in thrift store
basements, art gaUeries and friends'Uving rooms, but I've
never been afforded a chance to eat spicy maki roUs while
listening to world-class experimental music.
The night began modestly with the precision string
communications of Vancouver sound exactors ahna. The
sometimes four-piece performed as a duo, managing
violin and guitar. Easily the most cohesive and structur-
aUy sound performance of the night, the set navigated
a cyclical minimalist path with expertise, remaining
unified and avoiding divisive chaos points.
Shortly thereafter, V. Vecker's thunder-and-Ughtning
show roUed into the room. With drums provided by Justin
Gradin from Mutators, Vecker used his guitar and amp
stack to release an onslaught of wayward rhythmic intensity and ethereal feedback that had the crowd clutching
their .ears for dear life. While some would dismiss the
duo's extreme volume as symboUc bravado or even lacklustre redundancy, they integrated volume intelligently
into the scope of their sound, a move that is aU too rare in
many noise and experimental music circles.
Despite their unassuming looks, visiting San Franciscan headliners Barn Owl summoned an entirely divergent spirit that night, setting them apart from the pack.
Opening a portal of dual guitar and effects drone, Jon
Poras and Evan Caminiti's music slowly veered into a rich
psychic territory that demanded peace and attention from
the crowd. Crouched on the floor with pedals, guitars
and smaU percussive instruments, the duo projected
unfathomable depth and radiant Ught with their 45-min-
26 September 2008
ute composition, leaving the room awash in a meditative
spectrum of pure sound.
Justin LangiUe
Boris
+ Torche
+ lair of the minotaur
Richard's on Richards
July 30
Like a local blogger mentioned, I forgot that they actually start shows on time at Richard's on Richards, so the
usual rock show continuum (doors at eight, show at nine,
which means soundcheck, so don't show up until ten)
doesn't apply.
Missed Lair of the Minotaur but a quick poU revealed:
big monster stoner rawk, aU meaty and dumb. Dammit.
Torche started with a lot of promise, but after the third
Soundgarden cover we went for a stroll in search of coffee.
I found myself upstairs next to their singer during Boris's
set, the two of us rocking out and exchanging looks of
"fuck yeah," and he seemed Uke a nice guy — stoked to
be be on tour, rocking the nation. I felt a Uttle guilty: it's
that uncomfortable thing when a band's enthusiastic and
they do what they do really weU, but meh. So it goes?
Ahhh, Boris, spotty .on record and diverse in their
approach. I was skeptical, especiaUy during an insuffer-
ablylong soundcheck, but the wait paid off in terms of a
set that was completely epic — UteraUy. I know the term
"epic" gets bandied about a Uttle too cheaply nowadays,
but I haven't experienced amplified transcendence Uke
that since Godspeed You! Black Emperor at the Vogue.
Boris started with a dirge and ended on one, with
a few blasts of rock in between. But it was the moody
drift, purple-black drone and solos comparable to Fushitsusha that channelled the sadness of every person in
the room — nay, the universe — through their Orange
amps, restoring my faith in the redemptive powers of the
almighty rawk. -ll|lfefl
Make no mistake, it was drama and spectacle (I would
have thought it pompous on a grouchy day — "A gong?
Seriously?"), but it was enthralling aU the same. Treatments of tracks such as "Flower Sun Rain" and "Pink"
were simply stunning, and the 30-minute finale that
ended with Atsuo, their insane drummer, standing on his
kit in the midst of a Sunn 0)))-like drone -— horns held
aloft along with the crowd in rapturous trance — offered
something profound and cathartic.
Yeah I know, Uke anything transcendent you had to be
there, but Boris should not be missed.
Christopher Olson
Girl Talk
Commodore Ballroom
July 24
Before landing my pass to the sold-out Girl Talk show,
I'd never been warned by so many concert-photographer
coUeagues that I didn't know what I was getting myself
into. "Insane" came one description. "People wiU, like,
try to undress you" was another. And they were right.
Halfway through the show, I found myself onstage
with people pressing in from aU sides, as I shielded my
camera with my torso and tried my damnedest to re-plug
in Girl Talk's left speaker because, between tossing
.handfuls of confetti into the sky, he nicely asked me to.
As anyone who went to that show can attest, there's no
exaggeration here. It's an understatement.
Girl Talk is Gregg GilUs, a 26-year-old mash-up artist
of the highest caUbre. Making lesser laptop DJs Uke
MY!GAY!HUSBAND! look like a nebbish fat fart in a
tutu, GiUis wiU take your two-song mash-up and raise
you 14, magicaUy breeding such incongruous musical
species such, as KeUy Clarkson, Queen or Huey Lewis &
the News with shoot-'em-up gangsta rap and producing
beautiful, club-dancey aural babies. These babies then
have the power to burrow inside your head and transform
you from an unassuming hipster fan to a single unit in a . T
sweaty, writhing, bUssed-out orgy of pop music ecstasy, album, such as its title track and "Leviathan Bound."
Whilst operating within this orgy, the only thing you're As the band played, Zulu's staff walked around
■aware of is how much fun you're having. And when it's"Bhanding out complimentary beverages in what mustP
over, Uke a particularly adventurous acid trip, you're just have been a vain attempt to appear more approachable
(glad to be alive. ___to their customers. Nice try. AU the marketing in thej|
Not reaUy playing by any sort of predetermined set world won't make you guys intimidate your customers
_Ust, the show functioned by GilUs juggUng the samples^_any less, but so is the way of the record store. _
^hat made up albums Night Ripper and Feed the Animals^ As a venue, Zulu Records made an exceUent setting™
into a continuous stream of recognizable; dips, as though for the intimate performance provided by Shearwater.
he sUced and diced up his own tracks and reinterpreted
them again into something incestuously new. But the real
star of the night was the crowd, a swarm of thousands
.climbing up onto the stage, throbbing to the mjusic, and
making security sweat for their paycheques.
Benjamin Luk
No Age
Richard's on Richards
July 24
Experimental noise-punk duo No Age unleashed an
assault of sound upon Richard's, coming across as abrasive and assertive, yet strangely melodic and involving.
Theirs is the sort of music that reminds you about music as
a subject, not some generic bass beat with pretty vocals.
No Age was preceded by a forgettable set by Abe
Vigoda, whose guitars sounded Uke steel drums placed to
awkward lyrics and random backups of ohhs and screams.
It was like being on the set of Evil Dead, if it was on a
cruise to the Caribbean. It's a good thing the pestilence
of bad stage performance isn't contagious because the
next band Mika Miko redeemed what could have been
a very lame Thursday. ^IllilS
Mika Miko is a high-energy noise band that actuaUy
seemed to have loads of fun on stage. If it wasn't for the
separation the Richard's stage provided, I would have felt
as if I was at a house party where everyone goes crazy,
and has loads of dirty, screamy fun. The lead singer
jumped around the stage and screamed into a red telephone converted into a mic, which completed the lo-fi
aesthetic and makes it aU seem cool and thrown together
at the last minute. No need for styUsts, choreographers or
makeup artists for this girl band, they rocked.
No Age took control of the stage at 11:30 p.m. and the
sleepy crowd was awakened by dreamy, shoegazy and very
noisy punk. The fact that two people can manipulate so
much noise into a cohesive whole is undoubtedly impressive. The ear-spUtting feedback, scraping guitar sounds
and almost constant symbols perforated my eardrum Uke
a three-hole punch. It felt as if it could have been the
birth, or the end of, music. In the end it turned out to be
neither, but was stiU another great show in Vancouver.
Peter Holmes
SHEARWATER
Zulu Records
July 26
If you happened to pop into Zulu Records to pick
over the week's arrivals of CDs in late July, you may
have been pleasantly surprised to find a very talented
band playing in the middle of the store.
Experimental indie rock band Shearwater took over
one of Vancouver's trendier music stores to play music
from their fifth album, Rook. The ornothological-
themed quintet played a beautiful performance featuring the unusual instruments that give Shearwater their
sound — drawn-out keys reminiscent of Radiohead's
"Kid A," a big stand-up bass, a trumpet and xylophone
all mixed up with the more traditional sounds of your
standard drum kit, acoustic guitar and electric bass.
Jonathon Meiburg and Co. played through Rook, as
those less interested in their acoustic stylings continued to browse through the store. Though the band is
evidently not to everyone's tastes, dedicated fans, those
who follow record store-related news and curious shoppers took in the group's short but sweet set. Though
brief, it included some of the best tracks from the new
The sound was surprisingly clear as the audience packed
around the band who had set up next to Zulu's elec-
trohic, blues and hip-hop sections. A pleasant surprise
on a Saturday afternoon.
Jordie Yow
1
WOMEN
VOLUNTEERS
needed for our 24 Hour
Rape Crisis Line and Transition
House for battered women
For an interview, please call
604-872-8212
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www>rapereliefshelter>bc>ca
Dijcorder 27 AMY RAY
DIDN'T IT FEEL KINDER
(Daemon Records)
On the insert to Didn't It Feel Kinder, Amy Ray is
pictured staring wild-eyed into the camera, with a
chest tattoo just peaking over the neckline of her black
collared shirt. This picture captures the essence of Amy
Ray's music - intense, stark, untamed. The songs here
are much harder hitting than her folksy work as one half
of die Indigo' Girls, with muscular arrangements and
biting, overdriven guitars. Her voice is deep and full-
bodied, proving her capable of taking center stage without the cushion of feUow Indigo Girl Emily Saliers.This
less folksy delivery complements Ray's lyrics, which are
forthright and unapologetic, as on "SLC Radio,9 a lesbian's response to radio censorship and America's reUgious
right. "I ain't here to fuck the family," she sings during the
song's quiet, keyboard-driven bridge, before the grinding guitars and drums return, pushing the song towards
its triumphant cUmax. Her words paint vivid pictures,
clearly drawn from personal experience. On "Bus Bus"
she describes Ustening to ElUott (Elliott Smith, presumably) on her headphones, in her tour bus bunk, pining
for an absent lover: "I got my phone on vibrate in case
you call me," she sings. It is her honesty that makes Amy
Ray's music appealing, and with arrangements to match
her brash lyrics, her music has never sounded better.
Alex Hudson ^ ^^^^
DARKER MY LOVE
(Dangerbird Records)
The name might evoke a group of mascara-bedaubed
teenagers, but Darker My Love has more in common
with hazy pop rock than the emo sounds of My Chemical Romance. 2, the appropriately named sophomore
album from the Los Angeles five-piece, is drenched in
reverb and shoe-gazing fuzz, with melodic sensibiUties
firmly rooted in 1960s psychedeUa. Each song is nesded
within a cocoon of guitar noise, with difficult to decipher
lyrics, couched in woozy harmonies. In stark contrast to
its misnomer of a band name, Darker My Love's music
is warm and welcoming, drawing the Ustener in with the
opening riffs of "Northern Soul," the album's feedback-
laden first trade This dreamy atmosphere pervades every
track on the album, causing the songs to blend into one
another, and resulting in an album that sounds Uke a
cohesive whole rather than a random coUection of independent singles.
If Darker My Love has a weakness, it's their tendency
to be derivative, with the album's lead single, "Two Ways
Out," bearing a near-identical melody to Supergrass
classic "Alright." Comparisons to My Bloody Valentine
and the Dandy Warhols are also inevitable (fittingly, the
band is touring with the latter in September). StiU, taken
on its own, 2 is an addictive, sun-drenched rock record,
so get your hands on it before summer ends.
Alex Hudson
ELDORADO
SUITCASE
(Independent)
Suitcase is the second album from this local indie/
alt-country five piece. Singer Angela Fama has a voice
that deviates between sweet and sultry, while occasion-
aUy reminiscent of Cowboy Junkies' Margo Timmins.
Although the majority of the tracks throughout Suitcase are strong, the most memorable tracks are the ones
where Fama duets with other band members. This is by
no means a sUght on the very talented singer, but rather a
case of the energy created by the sum, being much more
spirited and infectious than its separate parts. The title
track is a slowed down honky-tonk number featuring
the beautiful sounding chorus when Fama is joined on
harmonies by bassist JuUe BavaUs. Guitarist Nenad JeU-
cic contributes a tongue-in-cheek spoken word performance in "Never Say Never," and a memorable vocal
appearance on ballad "Denial." In addition to the vocal
talents, there is a cheeky, irreverent spirit to the album
with lyrics that recaU the wit and word play of Carolyn
Mark. Closing track "The Darkest Eye" reverts back to
a sleepy sweetness recalling the warmth of summer days
spent under shady trees and the comfort of knowing that
while the road beckons, it also waits.
MeUssa Smith
THE PACKA.D.
FUNERAL MIXTAPE
(Mint Records)
Listeners enamoured with the Pack A.D.'s debut
Tintype, wiU not be disappointed with this sophomore
release from Vancouver's garage/blues duo. Funeral
Mixtape takes its cue from the concept albums of the
70s by offering exactly what the title says, a selection of songs to be played as a celebration to the end
of a Ufe. However, that is where the comparisons with
concept albums end, as thankfuUy there is nary a prog-
rock element to be heard. Although, the piano is sadly
missing this time around, the drum and guitar styUngs
are booze and blues infused, and wiU not disappoint.
Opening track "Blackout" sets the tone and pace of the
album with serious" guitar riffage. Tracks "Don't Have
To Like You" and "Dannemora Blues" feature Becky
Blacks traditional blues guitar plucking and (hnimming
from Maya Mitter that surprisingly sounds sUghdy jazzy.
Becky Black's opening guitar in "Shiny Things," a song
about zombies, is so eerie and frightening, Usteners
are double dared to play it on low with the Ughts out.
The track is foUowed by instant classic, "Oh Be Joyful,"
which although noted on the promotional sheet as a
New Orleans death march is nowhere near as unsettling.
The rocking continues throughout Funeral Mixtape, as
third to last song "BuUd" is introduced by the heaviness
of pounding drums, and is definitely the song to get the
crowds up and dancing. "Worried," the last track on
the album has a sound sUghdy Uke earUer track "Oh Be
Joyful," but with a meUower sound that fades out the
album with the adage, "I'm sorry." With songs this good,
no apologies are necessary.
MeUssa Smith
SLIM TWIG
VERNACULAR VIOLENCE
(Paperbag Records)
Toronto-based songwriter Slim Twig coined the genre
"concrete rockabiUy" to describe his futuristic musical styUngs, but it's not entirely clear why he felt it was
necessary to create the term. His latest EP, Vernacular
Violence, sounds a whole lot Uke straight-ahead electronica. Every song is driven by a sparse, tick-tocking
beat, and fleshed out with eerie synthesizers, jarring
ceUo, and the occasional guitar. The mood is relentlessly
sombre and oppressive, which causes the album to drag,
even over its brief 25-minute run time. Memorable
melodies are hard to come by on Vernacular Violence,
and Twig eschews traditional verse-chorus structures
in favour of more free-flowing compositions. Although
this helps to keep things unpredictable, it works against
him on the epic dirge " Whiite Fantaseee," which drags
on for 10 minutes without ever taking hold. Vernacular Violence isn't an outright failure as Twig succeeds in
creating an unsettling atmosphere ideal for late nights
and dark corners, sounding at times Uke a pared-down
version of Portishead. His synthesizers effectively toe
the Une between pleasant and dissonant, contributing to
the overaU tenseness of the material. StiU it makes one
wish Twig would occasionaUy lift the morose mood; an
upbeat palate-cleanser would have been well-placed and
welcome.
Alex Hudson
TANYA TAGAQ^
AUK-BLOOD
(Jericho Beach Music)
Former resident of Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Tanya
Tagaq has had the honour of collaborating with Bjork j
on three projects during her four years as an estabUshed
experimental musician and Inuit throat singer. Whfle
Bjork does not make an appearance on Blood (or Auk
in the Inuktitut language), Tagaq coUaborates with two
other renowned experimental artists on her newest
album, recorded in Spain and Calgary. Mike Patton, of
Faith No More fame, has been credited for his versatile
and often experimental vocal style, and in addition to
releasing Auk~Blood on his own Ipecac label stateside, he
lends his talents to second track "Fire~Ikuma." "Hunger"
the ninth track on the album features Tagaq's throat
singing laid over an electro beat and sounds incredibly
sensual, which is perhaps fitting as this track was derived
from a letter to her lover. Opening track "Fox~Tiriganiak"
functions as the strongest auditory hallucinogenic on the
album and brings to mind "More Than Seven Dwarfs In
Penis Land" the tripped-out and seminal (pun intended)
gem from Roger Waters' Music From The Body. Surprisingly the tracks that work the best on the album, are the
coUaborations with Nova Scotian hip hop artist Buck 65,
as his spoken word musings provide a welcome balance
to the ethereal experimentation of Tagaq.
MeUssa Smith
28 September 2008 Ten Shekel Shirt
Jubilee
(Independent)
For some unshakeable reason, Ten Shekel Shirt's
third album, Jubilee sounds cxacdy Uke that period
from the late '90s when a bunch of infectiously alternative anthems saturated the radio stations and then
were never heard from again. Perhaps Third Eye Blind's
"Semi-Charmed Life" and Semisonic's "Closing Time"
bring this otherwise undefinable sound and time to
mind. Despite Jubilee's nostalgic, late '90s flavour, it also
manages to evoke parallels to Snow Patrol, Clearlake,
and even a Uttle Grandaddy at times. Highly textured
and versatile, gifted front-man and songwriter Lamont
Hiebert's emotive lyrical composure and pseudo-angsty
voice emanate the pain of Uving in the 21st century.
Songs such as "Wartime Lullaby" and "Love From a
Lesser God" have an existential, moraUy paralyzing
theme to them, while "It's Slavery" condemns commercialism and the lack of coUective social consciousness.
At the upswing points of the album, Hiebert can move
past the metalUc scratchings of modern Ufe and show
an unrelenting optimism, such as in the song "Prague." Darting between the organic, the eclectic and the
synthetic, Jubilee is an album of surprisingly varied and
masterftdly crafted songs for the ebullient at heart.
Min6 Salkin
Uh huh her S§|g
COMMON REACTION
(Nettwerk Records)
! Uh Huh Hers debut full-length album Common Reaction is a melodic hybrid of powerful electro and indie
sounds. The group consists of the musical talents of
Leisha Hayley and multi-instrumentaUst Camila Grey,
whose female vocal pairings give the album a sultry,
organic-texture. WhUe the initial sound of the album
seems merely styUsh and eUte, the lyrics move through
introspective topics that elevate the songs from most
club music. "Explode" explores the dark side of female
sexuaUty, abandonment, and the pursuit of love, within
a superficial demographic. Hafley and Grey function as
a kind of glamourized, ironic version of Tegan and Sara,
through sad lyrical gestures, camouflaged by upbeat,
catchy electronic anthems. The track "Away From Here"
epitomizes this world of pain glossed over by outward
beauty, as they sing "What if I could change the world
one day at a time / I'd go back and stay / Too much
is gone / Shallow in depth / So I see everything clear."
Inspired by a PJ Harvey B-Side, offended by the notion
of a love song, Uh Huh Her moves beyond the transparency of the dance scene through to a shimmery, auraUy
pleasing display of the female persuasion.
Mine Salkin
UNDeR
mx_w
~~^^^^^^^^\
mm w Kellarissa
If "Flamingo"
NOVILLERO
A LITTLE TRADITION
CD&180gLPOUTSEPT9
in concert:
September 24
The Bourbon
with The Details
www.novilleio.net
www.myspace.com/noviileio
THE BUTTLESS CHAPS CAROLYN MARK
THE PACK A.D.
thebuttlesschaps.com carofynmark.com thepackafterdeatb.com
10/31 The Biltmore, Vancouver BC 10/24 Railway Club, Vancouver BC 10/31 Railway Club, Vancouver BC
MINT RECORDS RELEASES ARE AVAILABLE FINE RETAILERS LIKE THESE!
^««S RE0 CAT REC0MS _%t\9AT 11 SCRflTCH RECORDS fK I ZULU RECORDS
:^S^P 4307 MAIN AI a*2? hNH 726 RICHARDS H fl 1972 WEST 4TH CiTR
101.9FM
CiTR's charts reflect what has been spun on the
air for the month. Artists with stars alongside their
names (*) are from this great land o' ours. Most
of these platters can be found at finer (read:
independent) music stores across Vancouver. If
you can't find them there, give our Music Director
a shout at 604-822-8733. His name is Luke. If you .
ask nicely, he'll tell you how to get them. To find
other great campus/community radio charts,
check out www.earshot-online.com.
30 September 2008
rv
CQ
D.
IP
12008
HjArtist
We
8^P**
D Various*
Emergency Boom Volume 8m
Nominal
W9King Khan and (ft* Shrines
TheSupremeGoausoflC^KhanandthaShrines
Vice
Q Various
KMWomen*
Songs for the Gang: Thrush Hermit Tribute
Gooseberry
Flemish Eye
Q The Jolts*
Haute/Voltage
Independent
EtW Chris Murray Combo*
Why So Rude?
Unstrictly Roots
n Hank Pine and Lily Fawn*
Norm America
Independent
^|Mira/i
The Old Days FeeUng
Modem Radio
Q The Telepathic Butterflies*
Breakfast lu Suburbia
Rainbow Quartz
^m Ratatat
LP3
■iF"1""""""""mi""
^1 Carpenter*
Law Of The Land
Smallman
Six Shooter
_^__
Mountain Meadows
^9 Mas Sound
WK Snailhouse*
Alias Shrugged
lies On The Prize
Unfamiliar
MM
m Vancougar*
Canadian Tuxedo
Mint
WtThaJolts*
Haute/Voltage
Independent
Q The Dutchess And The Duke
^Mjl Hawaiian Bibles*
She's Tba Dutchess, He's Tbe Duke
Hardly Art
There's Good People In Tha City '
Independent
^^^^rHmumd Dollars*
^m Me First And The Gimme Gimmes
Forest Of Tears
HaveAnoSer^f
Independent
Fat Wreck Chords
i
j^rt Jeremy Jay
^wplivian Gi||f
Alpharhythm
iKi
i
Wild Eyes
Plays Vim Dolls
^y Oxford Collapse
^flporche
Bits
Meandgrthal
SubPop
n
V^M Various
PDX Pop Nowl 2008
^^^^^
gnwn*
A Vary Fine Adventure
Twink tones
^R Ron Sexsmith*
^ffilHorse Feathers
Exit Strategy Of The Soul
Ronboy
^i(TiocJr3§p
*
^u The Bug Matties
Which Way Ya Wann»:^ti, '
Believer Music Issue 2008
Floatation
McSweeneys
Q The Ramblin'Ambassadors*
Vista Cruiser Country Squire
Mint
^fltAdam And the Amethysts*
Amethyst Amulet
"*P6iR§~'
-.
0 Modey Lamm. .^""•"i
Season Of Sweets
Birdman
Qiiimmim Wilson
Ri^fcOiM^^M^SSr^
Epic
i
1^3 Various*
MusicWorkslOI
MusicWorks
Magazine
^ffijjJeff Han?oa
Madam Owl
Kill Rock Stars
^n Silver Jews
^MpUie Vigode
Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea
Drag (Sty
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«^m-oirtbo_%S
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Thrill Jockey
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In The Red
BM H :1ffl:
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Oceans Witt Rise
Arts&Crafts
B^- lit:
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Domino
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Discorder 31 MUSIC IS THE MESSAGE. Zulu Is The Medium.
LYKKE Ll
Youth Novels CD
n
I music of lykke U even though you
might not know anything about her)
Joining an impressive group of Swedish
pop upstarts (Petal, Bjom and John, il
Perro Dei Mar, Taken By Trees) lykke is definitely one of the
freshest faces to hit our North American shores in a long time.
Her debut full length Youth Novels testifies to her inventive vision
for crafty and ultimately extremely catchy melodies, instrumenta- *
tion and arrangements. Featuring 14 songs that hint at a wide
range of genres and moods, this album shows off her musical
depth and well-rounded songwriting approach. There is a modern
flair to standout tracks such as "I'm Good, I'm Gone" and "Uttle
Bit" which capture U's precise sense of fonty experimentation as
well as her bold sonic juxtapositions, while also presenting her
endearing youthful unflappable voice. Stop by for a listen and
finally place a name with the songs you.ye been hearing a round
the scene for quite some time.
CD 14.98
CALEXICO
Camed To Dust CD
For Carried To Dust. Calexico called
on a rotating cast of musicians and ".
friends to help them create what is
arguably their most varied and strongest „_„
work to date. The band lineup that solidi-1 nflfWfTil Til TOUTf
tied around Feast Of Wire is back again along with a number of
guests; including Sam Beam (toon and Wine), Douglas McCombs
(Tortoise), and Pieta Brown. Along with extending collaborative
bridges with other artists, Carried To Dust also reflects Calexico s
amazing live shows, as well as underscoring the band's restraint
and beauty. A remarkably well-rounded album, Carried To Dust
showcases every aspect of Calexico s exceptional talents —
proving yet again that our pals Joey and John are as close to;
sure bet as one can truly <
THE FIERY FURNACES
Remember 2CD
Hot off the heels of their critically acclaimed
Thrill Jockey release Widow City, I
t! Bravo. AVAILABLE SEPT 9m
CD 14.98
STEREOLAB
Chemical Chords CD
w/Hd. edition 7"
Scoring an impressive 8.1 rating from
Ite rock critics at Pitchforkmedia,
Stereolab have created another quintes-
sentially great record of bubbling
rhythms and dense symphonic synthesizers. Infused in this clas- '
sic Stereolab foundation are some extremely animated horn
arrangements from long time collaborator Sean O'Hagen, who
hear manages to send Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker through
the Brian Wilson sonic kaleidoscope! Gracing.this elixir of blissed
out grandeur is another Stereolab hallmark — the dove-like
French lyricism of Laetitia Sadler who as atways is in fine form.
; (lotto be mistaken with a track on the bubbly '60s inspired new
I Bet* release, Chemical Chords also digs deep into the roots of
pop psychedelic era as '60s Doo Wop and symphonic Beach
Boys arrangements are through into the enchanted mix with stunning results. Grand!
CD 12.98 w/ltd. Option T
CHADVANGAALffl
Soft Airplane CD
Recorded primarily on an old tape
machine and a JVC ghetto blaster in
Chad's Calgary basement, Sett Airplane
retains the handmade charm and singular character of his previous records,
while incorporating new layers of
sophistication and weight Recalling Neil Young at his most fragile
and plaintive, and Thurston Moore at his most resolved and vital,
Chad's emotive vocals anchor these songs while tackling the pervasive .themes of death and dreams with an unexpected air of certainty and hope that is far from ominous—instead it's luminous.
Through a complex interplay of guitar, drum beats, loop*. san> 0
pies, found sounds, unorthodox percussion, xylophones, distor-
tion, synthesizers, accordions and more,-Chad has made an
album that sounds bigger than one man. It sounds like a lifetime.
AVAILABLE SEPT 9™
CD 14.98
tlie sibling duo that
makes up the core of tbe Fiery
of the most prolific bands in mu
together a double CD live album entitled Remember. The Fiery
are one of the most unique experiences in live music. Remember captures the high energy, intricate complexity, amazing vocal acrobatics of
Eleanor and the technical musicianship that defines a Fiery Furnaces
performance. Collecting songs from their entire catalogue and performances across the globe starting in 2005. Remember is a unique document. The Fiery Furnaces reconstruct and re-arrange their songs for
each tour. They go to great lengths to create versions mat vary greatly
from the recorded versions in tempo, instrumentation and arrangements.
The band go through this process for each tour, never repeating themselves, and often combining songs in a musical collage that creates a
new song made up of several — or even of bits of an entire album!
These are not your mother's medleys. We know of no other band that
goes to such great lengths to reinvent and re-imagine for every tour. As a
result, Remember is unique as a live document. More than two hours of
music appears on Remember as it appears no place else. Featuring 51
tracks, Remember is issued as a double CD in a deluxe 6 panel digipack
and includes a coupon to download a bonus song.
2CD 16.98
OKKERVILRIVER
The Stand Ins CD
Okkervil River's new fuU-length album The
Stand Ins is the sequel to 2007's critically
acclaimed The Stage Names, which Pitchfork
praised as "...one of the year's best," with The
New York Times proclaiming, This band's
musical arsenal keeps getting fuller." Recorded in Austin and produced by
longtime collaborator Brian Beattie and Okkervil River. The album features 11 songs and includes the track tost Coastlines," on which Will '
Sheff and recently departed Jonathan Meiburg of Shearwater share a
duet on the joys and hardships of trying to keep the band together. Of the
process Will Sheff explains, "We had so many songs we were excited
about that we briefly threw around the idea of just putting out adouMe
record. Instead, we decided to take a group of songs that fit with each
other and turn that into The Stage Names, setting the rest aside for a
future release, a The Stage Names sequel." The Stand Ins is that sequel,
part two of a staggered double album now fleshed-out, Uo a deeply
ambitious labor of love! AVAILABLE SEPT 9™
roi4.jgB
JENNIFER O'CONNOR
Here with Me CD
Charting the distances between Patti Smith
and Lucinda Williams, Matador Recording
artist Jennifer O'Connor has now for two
records flown under the radar of the general
music loving population. Knowing Jennifer
she's probably comfortabte^pSrating from this
shadowy void as it has allow|||er idiosyncratic vision the freedom to
evolve at a gradual and unpressured rate. Steeping herself in the past and
present masters, O'Connor prefers to work on the dealt of her outsider
rock-diva tradition rather than editing her myspace page or previewing
.video director reels. She prefers to study finger-picHrig tf^her fantastic
"End of the Hair rather than hunt down vintage jackets for photo shoots.
She prefers to dial up her crack Brooklyn session band to sit in on a juicy
Dumber such as "Valley Road '86" rather than dial up publicists to get
Jier on the party guest lists. You get my driftytetepr drift? You got to
love her direct poetics — plain and simple, wk
CD 12.98
KELLARISSA
Flamingo CD
With a flare for the unconventional and her
soaring vocal loops, Kellarissa will charm
your ears into doing cartwheels through your
Grandma's basement Flamingo is a multifac-
eted choose-your-own adventure novel of a pop
record filled with hazy reverb and elegant
Finnish influences. Her previous wort with P:ano and The Choir Practice
earned Kellarissa a license in pop sorcery. That said, Flamingo is a magical one woman show that you don't want to miss. CD release party:
Saturday, September 14th at ViVo with Hello, Blue Roses and Les Beyond.
AVAILABLE SEPT 9™
CD 12.98
JAGUAR LOVE
Take Me To The Sea CD
After last year's Blood Brothers divorce we now
finally have something we can all feel happy about I
again. Featuring the tortured caterwauls of B.B. vocal- |
ist Johnny Whitney and the must be seen to be
believed guitar hedonism of B.B. Cody Votolato as I
well as PGMG's rhythm ace J Clark, Jaguar Love is now finally proving the
adage that everyone is happy when stocks split! Now, here is were things get
interesting. Refusing to me a mere predictable simulacra of their previous sonic
efforts, Jaguar Love are indeed their own cacophonous beast to be reckoned
with! Unleashing a fury of. spastic guitar riffage and dense drum thunder, Clark
and Votolato create a shimmering haze of disorienting riffage to which Whitney
out-does himself by screaming beautifully! Pulling in aH directions at once,
Jaguar Love are as belligerent and cantankerous the Blood Brothers ever where
but also manage find even more tension in their sound as they push the full on
freak out to the finest conclusion. One of the best records of the year.
CD 12.98
SptvAUCMEN
You&MeCD
It's been slightly over six years since The W
released their landmark debut LP, Everyone tmu
Pretended To Uke Me Is Gone. The instantly alluring
record was a passionate, immediate, unique and
groundbreaking affair. The Walkmen followed
Everyone with even mom vigor on Bows & Arrows and A Hi
Sparks fly once again on the band's latest opus, You & M
Mississippi & New York, the album shines like a diamond in the rough. Key
tracks Include 'In The New Year', 'Postcards From Tiny Islands' & the majestic
closer, If Only H Were True'. Another stunning collection! Old School roots
came together with energetkimelodies and palpable tension to make The
Walkmen something special. They have put together a tighter yet more ambitious album than their last two efforts, and the songwriting is as gripping as jk
ever. Join the action.
CD 14.98
THESTUS
Oceans Will Rise CD
Three albums into the game and Montreal's Stills
have farthered their already amazing catalog of
•intense brooding-post-punk rock! Upping the ante
after their plaintive roots based Without Feathers
seemed near impossible — yet like classic TOsera |
Stones—The Stills prove that truly greaj txipd pulse
with soul, confidence, and most importantly the courage constantly reshape their
aesthetic while maintaining the core level of crafted excellence. Sportin&tjjsfc:;*"
trademark crystalline guitar fury and ominous rhythmic bombast, these 12 blistering new sonjjsare easily their mostconsistent to date as well as perhaps their
most mature as "Being Here" is an rock anthem In every sense yet also the sort
of song most bands leave overwrought, bloated and flat. Perhaps the. key is The
Stills ability to capture the urgency of their sound without sounding crass in any
way at all. Recommended for those into Unknown Pleasures, Antics, and
Marquee Moen — good company for an album as great as Oceans WUl Rise!
CD 14.98
MUSIC ACCESSORIES ARE A MUST:
Novillero - A Little Tradition CD
Music Tapes - Music Tapes For Clouds and Tornados
CD/LP
D.O.A. - Northern Avenger CD
Shapeshifters - In The House 3CD
Thao- - We Brave Bee Stings And All CD/LP
Dandy Warhols - Earth To Dandy Warhols CD
The Broken West 1 Now Or Heaven CD
Ghostface - Pretty Tony Collection Chapter 2 CD
Carcass - Swansong CD Limited DLX Reissue
Deicide - Scars of The Crucifix CD Limited DLX
Reissue
David Byrne - Big Love: Hymnal CD
Giant Sand - Provisions CD
Hawksley Workman - Los Manilicious CD
Tranzmitors - s/t LP
Def ektors - Secret Trials 7"
Mutators - Secret Life LP sale prices
Mitoses-srtlf^ ^iSS!
Scott August
Roaming Landscapes:
Experiences in the western
Canadian Wilderness
Zulu Records
1972-1976 W 4th Ave
Vancouver, BC
tel 604.738.3232
www.zulurecords.com
STORE HOURS
Discorder
Discorder CITR-FM (Radio station : Vancouver, B.C.) 2008-09-01
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