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Sept 15 at fte Commodore Ballroom
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The Besnard takss Are The Dark He
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SATELLITE PARTY SEPTEMBER 23 I COMMODORE BALLROOM • KLAXONS OCTOBER 1 | COMMODORE BALLROOM • THE SPILL CANVAS OCTOBER 18 | CROATIAN CULTURAL CENTRE I
nRTIOn.com
6 September 2007 September* 2007
the (Jentle j4rt of Sditing
c. turions
Bkock Thiessen
Mike Chilton
Maxwell Maxwell
Under Review Editor
C. TURIONS
Layout + Design
Cole Johnston
c. TURIONS
Mike Chilton
Contributors
Jason Colantonio
Melanie Coles
Val Cormier
Spencer Davis
Gerald Deo
Chris Dryden
Bryce Dunn
Ryan Dyck
eemeri
Sarah Fischer
Michael Fodor
Simon Foreman
Darren Gawle
Sarah Hollis
Sarshar Hosseinnia
Pierre Huish
Arthur K.
Marielle Kho
Maude Lachaine
Ben Lai
Chris Little
Christian Martius
Maxwell Maxwell
Steveston Mike
Robin McConnell
Greg McMullen
MP
JoePooley
Jack Prus
Jordie Sparkle
Brock Thiessen
Christine Trinh '
c. turions *
Alex Tornillo
Jackie Wong -
Photo & Illustration
Tobie Marie Bannister
Jim Burnett/Val Cormier
Melanie Coles/Ryan Dyck
Sarah Fischer
Cole Johnston
! JennKovach
MATTYMJ2007
AmklieSegur
Program Guide
Bryce Dunn
Charts
Luke Meat
Distribution
Frank Rumbletone
US Distribution
Catherine Rana
CITR Station Manager
Lydia Masemola
Publisher
Student Radio Society
of UBC
Regulars
The Gentle Art of Editing
8
Vancouver Special Duplex!
Better Friends Than Lovers'+ Gross Misconduct
11
Riff Raff
Bryce Dunn
12
Copyfight!
Robin McConnell
13
ii?^\llll Inkstuds
Robin McConnell
14
Calendar + Datebook
20
Hey, DJ!
CiTR DJs sling some ink
22
Real Live Action
31
^i'^O Comics
• Introducing Zamo the DesS%flS.Jr*
34
^MisiliSii * Under Review
35
Program Guide
38
Charts
TheDopestHitsofMgu&J_60F:~-
39
Features
What the Heck Fest
The cool kids, and a few innocent bystanders,
find their way to Anacortes for one of the most
laid back and cutting-edge music and arts
festivals in the Northwest. Thanks, Phil! wr 8
MattyMJ2007 beats It!
Rising local internet lip-syncher and
rumpshaker mimics his way through the
hits, and attracts fans around the world
despite his medium's relative anonymity, nr 26
Joe Keithley
The punk icon named "Shithead" is really
just a regular-guy-next-door, but that doesn't
mean he won't stop rocking the boat, or let
moss grow under those worn-out boots. MT 27
Octoberman
Local singer-songwriter Marc Morrissette's
muse Just released its second full-length, Run
from Safety. He talks about his inspirations and
the long musical journey here. MT 28
Watching the UBC campus suddenly
pop to life every fall after the suspended animation of the summer months is quite surreal, indeed. Experiencing a campus's post-
hiatus rebirth is not unlike traveling abroad
for the first time or going to your first-ever
concert—you are reminded there is a big
world for you to experience and learn from,
and that the rigmarole is all preparation
for tackling it armed with confidence and
knowledge. Life at CiTR is a microcosm of
the frenzy of renewal and acquaintance-
- making occurring all over campus.
For example, on Wed., Sept. 5, CiTR, in
conjunction with AMS Firstweek, will help
launch back-to-school-week celebrations by
hosting its 2nd annual Open House from 4
to 9 p.m. right here in our good old dj^0&-
the top ilod* of the Student Union Building.
Anyone who has been even slightly
curious about what campus-community
radio is all about, or how to get involved,
can come hang out, meet the CiTR staff
and volunteers, take a tour of the station, or
take a turn behind the mic. Those who are
really eager may choose to try their hand at
producing a demo, or at learning how spin
vinyl, from our talented production and DJ
crews, respectively. This will also be your
chance to check out the lavish Discorder
Magazine facilities, meet yours truly (and
perhaps some other contributors to our fine
mag) and learn how to become involved in
the delightful hairiness that is the print arm
of the mighty CiTR 101.9 FM beast.
The Open House will be just one day in
a whole week of awesome events rounding
out Firstweek. To find out what else we're
doing to celebrate this fall rebirth of UBC for
another year, either check out www.citr.ca,
contact our fine station promotions team at
604-822-8648, or more info is on page 34.
Speaking of page 34, it's where you'll
also find the debut double-shot of our new
reglar comic feature, Zamo the Destroyed It
is the brainchild of former CiTR host Pyra
Draculea, and you can find current and new
Zamo stips on her website, http://members.
shaw.ca/zamothedestroyer, which she updates every Wednesday.
Also, in other Disdorder developments, I
must mention last month marked the first
time this magazine featured ah entirely
non-English column, courtesy the Salario
Minimo Hey, DJ!, column, Tratado de impa-
ciencia No. 15. Look for Hey, DJ!, and Alex's
column (and 8 others), on pages 22 to 24.
If that's not enough to make your bookish heads spin, Shindig!, CiTRs annual local
battle of the bands begins on Sept. 11, and
runs every Tuesday at 9 p.m. at the Railway
Club. The full line-up can be found at http://
shindig.citr.ca/schedule.html very soon...
Finally, a reminder that we're always on
the lookout for reader and listener feedback:
mailbag.discbrder@gmail.com, and include
your name and contact info. *?*^Wbp
Remember to always support your local
live music scene, and to keep your campus
station classy! %$*%___¥*•
Cover Art
"The Fall Collection"
byCole Johnston
©DiSCORDER 2007 by the Student Radio Society of the
University of British Columbia. All rights reserved. Circulation
8,000. Subscriptions, payable in advance, to Canadian residents
are $15 for one year, to residents of.tlifcTjSA are $15 US; $24
CDN elsewhere. Single copies are $2 (to cover postage). Please
make cheques or money orders payable to Discorder Magazine.
DEADLINES: Copy deadline for the October issue issue is
September 17th. Ad space is available until September 20th
and can be booked by calling 604.822.3017 ext 3 or emailing
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injury to unsolicited manuscripts, unsolicited artwork (including
but not limited to drawings, photographs, and transparencies), or
any other unsolicited material. Send words to editor.discorder@
gmdil.com and art to artcdiscorder@gmaiI.com. Material can be
sumbitted on disc or hard copy or via mail. From UBC to Langley
and Squamish to bellingham, CiTR can be heard at 101.9 FM as
well as through all major cable systems in the Lower Mainland,
except Shaw in White Rock. Call the CiTR DJ line at 82 2.2487, our
office at 822.3017, or our news and sports lines at 822.3017 ext. 2.
Fax us at 822.9364, e-mail us at: citrmgr@mail.ams.ubc.ca, visit
our web site at www.citr.ca or just pick up a goddamn pen and
write #233-6138 SUB Blvd., Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z1, CANADA.
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Discorder 7 m
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Story and photos by Ryan Dyck
and Melanie Coles
NN1H
■ M wHKT THE HECK IS WhAT THE HeCK FeST?
\_w\_f It's a collection of Pacific Northwest bands
W W playing outsider, lo-fi, indie rock in a small
island town. "We don't have any goals," explains Phil
Elvrum, the festival's main organizer this year. Elvrum
is also the voice behind popular Anacortes legends the
Microphones and solo project Mt. Eerie. "It's kind of
a miracle. I don't know how it wofks. I think it works
because it's a beautiful place to visit and it's a good excuse
for people to come." And lots of people do come. Festival
passes were sold out months in advance and there was an
abundance of young people in plaid shirts wandering the
town and checking out gigs.
The first Yacht we saw on this island was from Portland, Oregon and it danced and danced and danced like
it was your cousin doing Michael Jackson for air band in
1987. This Yacht was Jona Bechtolt, who, until recently,
was one half of the Blow. Similar to the Blow, Bechtolt
plays solo singing along over preprogrammed beats,
giving you your money's worth in the energy and good
times department.
Following Yacht, the quirky, acoustic, feel-good band
Peace came on. Peace, for some reason, tells everybody
that they are from Kamloops, of all places. In between
light and fluffy verses of weirdo pop, they take the time to
quietly and very creepily remind you that they'll, "fucking kill you." The highlight for me, and what really got
the crowd roaring, was an upbeat, almost reggae version
of "The Glow Pt.2" from the Microphones last album as
Phil Elvrum laughed from the side of the stage.
One of the most noteworthy and recognized artists
of the festival was Calvin Johnson of Beat Happening
and Dub Narcotic. His powerful stage presence and even
stronger voice have enough energy and guts to make his
sets interesting, even with sparse (and sometimes non-
exisitant) accompaniment. What The Heck seems to"
carry the same spirit as the now legendary, international
Pop Underground festival that Calvin helped organize
in 1991, marking the height of the underground music
scene at the time.
"There's definitely a lot of similarities in the spirit,
hut there are differences in the focus and emphasis," he
explained. "WTH is more oriented toward Anacortes.
Part of it is that people who are creative here have realized that this is a good environment. A lot of towns this
size, the creative people are like, T can't wait to get out of
here' and move to some big city where they immediately
get jobs washing dishes and don't have any time to do
what they claim they want to do cause they're spending
so much time paying the rent. Whereas here, they're like
'I want to do this,' and they actually do it. They don't say,
'Someday I'm going to..."Ihey actually do it."
The shows were held in six different venues, the most
unique being the Department of Safety, a converted fire
hall that is occupied by artists, a gallery, a zine library,
studios and a music venue.
Stand-up comedy should be the Blows MySpace
genre. Extensively detailed and embarrassingly personal,
Khaela Maricich's between song banter often went
longer than the song she was giving the back-story to.
The catchy elctro-pop was infectious, though, and the
kids appreciated when the songs kicked-in, jiggling to
their hearts content.
The festival is planned every year to coincide with
Anacortes's annual Shipwreck Day, a town-wide
rummage sale that encompasses the whole main street
downtown. We weren't disappointed and stocked up on
trinkets and knick-knacks like totem pole salt and pepper
shakers, Mr. Peanut memorabilia and a phone shaped
like a fish. The people throughout Shipwreck Day, and
in local shops, all seemed familiar with the festival and
some of them had even been to the shows.
Elvrum, as Mount Eerie, headlined in the City Hall
Saturday sight. To make the what-the-heck-o-meter go
through the roof, he set up .a giant nine-foot-long metal
trough against a wall. He began his set by sending fuzz
and hums from his amp through his trough to create
a thunderous build up. Meanwhile, atmospheric film
clips projected onto to the opposite wall. Tne crowd sat
mesmerized by the films and were silent, even between
songs. Elvrum switched to his acoustic guitar after
several minutes of build up and played his more familiar
Mt. Eerie material. He later confessed the whole idea
was thought up at breakfast that morning. ^^^?
The Coconut Coolouts stopped by the festival on their
way home from Vancouver to play a free set in a local
book/record/coffee shop downtown. It was a nice break
from the stripped down, solo project focus of the festival.
Seattle's Coolouts, a five-piece with two drummers and
two guitarists, played their garage, beat-pop, punk while
we snapped pictures and Calvin Johnson ate a sandwich.
That is the beauty of the festival. As Elvrum mentioned,
"It's kind of amazing that it works. Get a bunch of obscure
bands to play in a weird, small town in strange venues
and people will come from all over to see it. You wouldn't
think it would work so well." It does work well and hopefully it will inspire people to create similar events and
artistic alliances in their own communities. 0
8 September 2007 CARiBouandorra
"The only problem with this symphonic
daydream is that.„it's over far too soon."
-Entertainment Weekly
604.646.0064 881 GRANVILLE STREET
Discorder % m^r'm the
City
irds and photos by
irstine Trinh;
^^F»^» **?■««* OF coMMUNrry in the
Vat air as Vancouver celebrated its 29th annual Pride
■f Parade on August 5, 2007. The Vancouver Pride
Society (VPS) intended this year's event, themed "Pride in
the City," to showcase the advances the GLBT (Gay, Lesbian,
Bisexual, Transgender) community has made in Vancouver, but
also to highlight the many nations around the globe where gay
discrimination still runs rampant. To that end, the VPS had
promised that this year's Pride would be "the most political
Pride in Canadian history."
The event had a rocky beginning as a cavalcade of spectators flooded the parade route-walking in the wrong direction-
minutes before the parade started. Volunteers scrambled to
herd this crowd off to the side, moving them direcdy in front of
revelers who had been staking claim to their curbside seats in
the baking sun for over an hour. At any other event, this might
have been cause for a verbal, or even physical, clash. At Pride,
however, aside from a few grumbles, the festive atmosphere
prevailed as all settled down to enjoy the afternoon.
The parade's first political statement came from Amnesty
International. A silent procession of masked and gagged men
and women served to remind spectators that there are still many
countries, in the world where the GLBT community is persecuted. There are 13 countries in the world where being gay is
punishable by death and 27 countries where being gay means
incarceration, and where the ability to marry is forbidden.
Interspersed with the obligatory hot-guys-dancing-inrtheir-
underwear, the political theme continued: for a moment, in the
middle of the parade, the music stopped and the floats all stood
at a standstill. "Is that it?" murmured one spectator. Several
others in the crowd of 385,000 echoed the sentiment, wondering aloud whether the parade had suddenly ended. A lone boy
in the shortest short-shorts known to humankind happily
shook his ass for the crowd as they pondered the lull in activity. Most of the parade participants looked slightly confused,
as well. Then, as abruptly as it had stopped, disco music once
again swelled through the air and half naked men began their
gyrations in earnest. Someone announced over a loudspeaker
' that the parade had just observed a minute of silence for the
oppressed and persecuted GLBT communities worldwide. It
was a nice sentiment, but poorly executed: perhaps anonymous
loudspeaker man could have announced beforehand what was
happening. As it was, everyone was just confused about the
pause and was speaking over the silence.
Other notable political statements included an effigy of US
President George W. Bush as a "bridezilla" married to war and
homophobia (complete with Canadian PM Stephen Harper as
his "blushing bride"); a group bearing placards declaring "9/11
was an inside job"; and the "fagbug," a Volkswagen Beetle that
had been vandalized with the words "fAg" and "u r gay." The
fagbug was vandalized in New York in April 2007, and instead
of fixing the car immediately, owner Erin Davies decided to
drive it on a cross-country trip, in order to increase public
awareness about homophobia. According to her website, her
mission is to have at least one million people "add fagbug rainbow stickers to their cars so that no one else is targeted like she
was." For more information on Davies and her odyssey, visit:
Ironically, this may have been the most political Pride in
Canadian history ultimately due to the actions of the Vancouver Pride Society itself, and not of its participants. The Society became embroiled in a they said/we said debacle with the
Georgia Straight over an article it published, entitled "Pride
Incorporated," which examined the increasing role of corporate
sponsorship in the event.
Despite this, and a few organizational snafus, this year's
Pride Parade was the most successful event in theirhistory. In
2008, the parade promises to be even bigger and better as the
Vancouver Pride Society celebrates its 30th anniversary. Mark
your calendars for August 3,2008; as over 500,000 spectators
are expected to line the parade route to celebrate. A word to
the wise: finding parking downtown is a nightmare at the best
of times, so for next year's Pride Parade, take public transit or
be prepared to walk a few blocks down to the. parade route. For
more information, visit the Vancouver Pride Society website at:
bttpS/www.vancouverpride.ca. 9
Western Front New Music Presents
iANII
I I Ci
STCECT
FRIDAY OCT 12 2007 SPM
$10/12 I mm '''£'"
WESTERN FRONT
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WWW.FRONT.BCXJ
10 September 2007 VANCOUVER
SPECIAL
DUPLEX
SUITE ONE
BETTER1LOVERS
FRIENDSh-
BY
BEN LAI
"Keep it out of the rain, the ink runs..." I remember
hearing Better Friends than Lovers' drummer Laura
Hatfield telling me as she handed me their self-made EP
a year ago. The CD was neatly stored inside a cardboard
package featuring printed artwork on the cover, but
unfortunately the card stock didn't hold the ink as well
as advertised. "We would hope that people don't get their
CDs wet in the first place," keyboardist Chloe Gammon
recalls with a smile.
Things will be slightly different when their full
length comes out this October. The album Great Loves
is to be released by Global Symphonic, a well-regarded
independent label that has put out releases from bands
such as Sunset Rubdown, The Book of Lists and Frog
Eyes. The CD will be manufactured professionally: say
goodbye to messy ink and fingerprints.
"Sean, fronuthe label there, just approached us. [Global
Symphonic] is run by two guys, one based in Victoria
and one based here," guitarist Mandy Hardwick explains
when asked about how it all happened. "Sean basically
just came down to our rehearsal space to meet with us
and talked about doing an album. It turns out that he's a
big fan of our EP. We were all excited and we just went
from there. He was really flexible, which was awesome.
He was Uke, 'Do what you normally do' and didn't really
influence the album at all."
And the packaging isn't the only thing that's changed.
This time around, the songs on the album are described
as "less poppy" and "harder" by bassist Jeremy Pelland.
Some can attribute it to the natural progression of a
young emerging band, but there is another reason. "I
think that we just want to make people dance," clarifies
Hardwick. "Ultimately, I believe that Vancouver is
lacking a dancing kind of culture. People are just more
into standing around than moving. That's an inspiration
for me, at least."
If their recent show at Jojo's House was any indication,
the strategy seems to be working. The crowd was certainly
enjoying themselves. "We've had positive feedbacks from
the last few live shows," says Gammon.
Having only traveled as far as Alberta once before on
a short trip, the friendship of the band will be put to the
test this fall when they embark on a month-long tour
across Canada to support the release of the album. They
will share part of the tour with the People Verses, and
part of the tour with the Doers. Hardwick explains what
she believes is the most important part of the tour: "For
myself, it's just to be comfortable and get along. To get
excited and play music." One can hardly argue with that.
Better Friends than Lovers will b% at the Media Club
September 19 to kick off their cross country tour.
http://vmnoibetterfriendsthanlovers.ca t.
PHOTO BY AMELIE SEGUR
X
D
m
III BY SARAH FISCHER
tGROSS
DlN/IIS-
(OCONDUCT
Today's music scene, local and otherwise, is overrun
by bands that could literally be mistaken for one
another. It is no less frequent that one will go to a show
and see three or four separate bands giving the same
performance with a more than similar sound. Just when
the search for something new seemed hopeless, enter
Gross Misconduct.
This group of Nanaimo natives came onto the scene
over ten years ago and have just started to make some
major waves locally. Influenced by such acts as Slayer,
Sepultura, Pantara and Death, their sound is new and
refreshing, yet still hints at their' metal roots. They are
sure to shut up all the jabbering twits at the bar with
their commanding entrance.
At Warped Tour '07, they began their set with maybe
30 people in front of them, but by the end had pulled
in at least double that. Kids clad in metal shirts came
running from every direction, streaming down the hill
beside the stage, pushing everything that was in their
way to get to the band. The first row of head-bangers
were thrashing so marvelously in-sync with the incessant
blast-beats that they were literally rocking the barricade
in front of the stage back and forth so hard, it nearly
snapped free from its platform. Such a response from a
crowd that has not heard of the band they are egging on
is almost unheard of.
One thing is for sure, Gross Misconduct are just
getting started. They recently completed their first full-
length album, The Process of Indoctrination. It's heavy
hitting, grabbing you from the very beginning of the first
track and not releasing you until the very last moment.
Since they hadn't done much recording before, it was a
huge learning experience. The result is a solid album that
they'll be proud of throughout their career.
In their years together, the band has gone through
several line-up changes, a move from their home town to
the city and coundess shows in bars that a lot of people
wouldn't set foot in. All the boys need now is a good tour
to kick everyone into gear.
You can check Gross Misconduct out at www. myspace.
com/grossmisconductmetal, or at the Cobalt on September
8. Be sure to pick up a copy of their album, you won't
iiferefit. $
Discorder 11 RIFF
3R,
DESTROY
JAY REATARD
Back to school! Back to rock! That's me, your ever-
ready scribe with another installment of ear-worthy vinyl,
ready for your amusement. First off, The Ergs!, a trio of
New Jersey nerds who have just the right amount of book
smarts to write a song about "Books About Miles Davis,"
literally. Yes, their latest seven-inch study waxes whimsically about the legendary jazz man whilst unabashedly
aping one of their influences in the similarly bookish
Billy Bragg. In fact, the song falls eerily in line with "A
New England" until the end nearly knocks you off your
seat. "Only Babies Cry" isn't a newfound revelation on
the theory of newborn emotions, but instead a trip down
memory lane through the eyes of an aging rocker with
a vocal and musical delivery akin to Jawbreaker's better
material. An album's worth ofhook-laden mid-'90s thinking man's punk is already available on Dirtnap Records,
but look for this one on Whoa Oh.Records. (21-36 43rd
St., 3rd Floor, Astoria N.Y. 11105, USA)
Time for a history lesson kids: once upon a time in
the dirty South, a garage band was born by the name
of The Black Lips. Their brand of rock and roll, dubbed
"flower-punk" by their peers, quickly became synonymous with frantic, unbridled live shows and they soon
became the talk of the town. Not happy being just musicians, they started their own record label to help out
other bands just as adventurous and exciting in the scene
and hence, Die Slaughterhouse records was born. The
very first release was their own four-song EP recorded
shortly after they formed. A tour was planned, but before
they could embark disaster struck—original guitarist Ben
Eberbaugh had been killed by a drunk driver. Shaken but
undaunted, the band continued on their musical journey
that, to this day, has seen scores more releases and tours
(one of which is chronicled on their most recent LP
for Vice Records) and rising popularity in the process.
To hear what the initial fuss was all about, the aforementioned Ain't Comin Back EP has just been reprinted
again for the third (!) time and it demonstrates the influences of this Adanta foursome, to the letter. Blazing-
three-chord punk, stripped-bare blues and pop-pysch
flourishes all intact, there's no mistaking that these guys
were on to something from the very beginning and they
show no signs of slowing down. This one is for long-time
fans and newbies alike-essential. (Die Slaughterhouse
Records, P.O. Box 160168, Adanta, GA 30316, USA)
Economics next, and the boys of Destroy L.A. know
how to maximize the buying power of the listener with
a whopping six song effort etched to vinyl. The Vandalize EP comes at you like a rabid wolverine, pissed off
and punk as f**k. Songs like "Your Grave," "Waste Of
Life" and the tide track boast so much machine-gun
drumming, slashing guitar and venomous vocals that
you'd think you were right there in the pit, barely able
to breathe as this stuff hits you fast and hard. If Jerry's
Kids were actual kids and Reagan Youth spawned their
own, this would be the result. (No Way Records, 3211
Idlewood Ave., Richmond, VA 23211, USA)
Finally, I've come to the conclusion that whatever rock
'n' roll alchemist Jay Reatard touches turns to gold and
all other musicians should stop making music now. No
seriously; I mean now. Case in point, here are two more
reasons to cry uncontrollably while shaking your fist in
the air at the frustratingly easy way in which Mr. Reatard
makes quick work of the pop song formula. Could he
finally be finding something nice to sing about after
spewing vitriol for most of his teenage years? Not quite,
but "I Know A Place" has got shimmery guitar and handclaps galore, while "Don't Let Him Come Back" (a Go-
Betweens cover) embodies just enough sweet to match
the sour feeling you know Jay gets when singing about a
jilted lover. Absolutely awesome. (Goner Records, 2152
Young Ave., Memphis,TN 38104, USA)
Class dismissed! See you next time! 0
BRYCE
DUNN
u=
SCRATCH
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Fans are starting to suffer DRM s ill effects.
A nerdy webcomic called xkcd.com offers a pretty sound assessment of public opinion on copyright and digital rights management (DRM). In it, a stick figure sits under
a tree on a beautiful summer day saying, "Sometimes I just can't get outraged over copyright law." Sometimes, I'm right there with him. For the most part, copyright law hasn't
affected our daily Uves and it's very hard to get upset about something that abstract.
As long as we can listen to the music and watch the movies we pay for, why should
we stress out about legal technicalities? Unfortunately, technical measures meant to~
restrict copying are starting to interfere with legitimate buyers'use of music and videos
they've purchased, and it's not just technophiles and nerds who are outraged.
This isn't our parents' vinyl world anymore. While a few collectors, audiophiles and
indie-rock snobs still collect chunks of plastic cut with grooves, most of us have moved
on to iTunes, iPods or at least the. smaller plastic chunks called CDs. After years of
floundering and battling with Napster clones, major record labels have finally started to
make the killing they could have made in 1999 by selling music online. Movie studios are
doing the same, offering their latest films and TV shows for download. Even the BBC is
getting into the act, opening it vaults to downloaders.The volume of choice is staggering,
and it should benefit fans and copyright owners alike. That's where DRM comes in.
According to media companies, DRM is designed to keep people from making
illegitimate copies of music or films. According to tech-sawy bloggers, who call DRM
"digital restriction measures," the technology is designed to prevent "fair use'"of the
media—backing up purchased materials, making parodies or mashing up songs. Lots
of tools have been developed by hackers to break the DRM on media and, in turn, the
media industry has had those tools criminalized. If you are big on backing up DVDs
or remixing music or video, you know all this.
Obsessive fans think they are the best thing to happen to media companies. They're
the kind of people who will buy three copies of remastered Pavement on vinyl—one to
listen to, one to keep on the shelf, and one to hide away in a moisture-proof, climate
controlled safety deposit box behind two feet of concrete so it'll still be in perfect
condition after the bombs fall. They're the types who have bought every single version
of Star Wars ever released on VHS, laserdisc and DVD, even though they still don't
forgive Lucas for having Greedo shoot first.
These obsessives are also the ones most outraged by DRM, and they figure their blog
outrage will change things. It won't, and neither will Copyfight! The only thing that
will change companies'oudook on DRM is if the average customer starts to complain
about it or, more importandy, stops buying.
This change might already be happening. You might start to care if you received a
letter like this one:
As a valued Google user, we're contacting you with some important information about the videos
you've purchased or rented from Google Video. In an effort to improve all Google services, we will no
longer offer the ability to buy or rent videos for download from Google Video, ending the DTO/DTR
(download-to-own/rent) program. This change will be effective August 15,2007.
To fully account for the video purchases you made before July 18,2007, we are providing you with a
Google Checkout bonus for tXJCX. Your bonus expires in 60 days, and you can use it at the stores listed
here: http://www.google.com/checkoul/signupwelcome.html. The minimum purchase amount must be
equal to or greater than your bonus amount, before shipping and tax. . i%:-. §&Ci |
After August 15,2007, you will no longer be able to view your purchased or rented videos.
In mid-July, Google notified anyone who had purchased videos from their online
video store that, after August 15, the DRM restrictions would shut down acccess to
that video. In exchange, Google was offering a refund, but it that had to be spent
through Google's version of Paypal, and even that limited amount would only be available for 60 days. This would be like Blockbuster showing up and taking all the movies
you've bought from them over the years, promising their value in store credit that had
to be spent by the end of the month. 'm&j
Don't you own those movies you've bought? No, you've only got a license to use
it. If I've downloaded it, how can it be controlled? Shouldn't I still be able to use it?
No, the DRM lets the real owner decide when, how and where you can watch it. The
same blogs that often harp on DRM were predictably outraged, but they were joined
by hundreds of others who wouldn't normally care. Ordinary people who otherwise
wouldn't have,cared had a nasty taste of digital restrictions. Suddenly, DRM hit home.
Google quickly made good by giving a full credit card refund to their injured customers and allowing them to keep the original credit.
While they admitted their mistake, the wider DRM backlash is just beginning.
Customers of the iTunes Music Store who are trying to move songs they purchased
to new computers are finding that they're unable to listen to those songs on their new
machines or iPods. A tech-sawy friend of mine recendy had this experience. Rather
than spend the hours of pouring through technical support manuals or reading web
forms to crack the DRM or "re-authenticate" the songs, she decided to download
the music again—this time as DRM-free MP3s from Soulseek. Her thoughts on the
ordeal? "I'll never buy from iTunes again."
This kind of customer reaction should serve as a warning to media companies everywhere. People want to pay for their music and films, but only if it's easier than hunting
for MP3s and gives them more enjoyment. If ordinary people pay for something, only
to have it broken or taken away by DRM, they'll stop buying. It's that simple. All the
ground gained by iTunes and other online services will be lost, and the music and
movie industries will be back in 1999, wondering how the hell to turn a profit in this
scary digital world. 0
H^Scfiia Discorder 13 !IS (XMKlHIffiK Wil
ROBIN McCONNELL
Victoria artist Nick Threndyle is a new guy on
the scene, having self-published three distincdy
different comics. My favourite out of the stack
isn't necessarily a comic, but instead a travelogue of his
trip through the backroads of Southern Mexico. In
Gringo, Threndyle uses a great rough, black and white
style that emotes the feeling of his journey through a
stark, barren landscape of people struggling with the
cards they have been dealt in life. He mixes his drawings
with accompanying descriptions, giving a poetic flare to
his personal journey. Bookended by imagined conversations with Leonard Cohen and Patti Smith respectively,
Threndyle hopes to provide some kind of focus for his
trip. These discussions both support and humble him at
the same time. He manages to fuse an indigenous style
with concrete-looking etchings, showing some potential to further develop a combination of these art styles.
While the rest of his work is interesting, it is mosdy
focused on a mix of poetry within the art to combine to
a whole. I have never been a big fan of poetry, so I am
not the best to judge, but the art shows some promise. I
really enjoy his heavy use of blacks. It shows an artist that
is seeing a dark underbelly of society for what it is. If he
continues developing his form from where he went with
Gringo, Threndyle will blow people away. Looking at his
learning curve, I see alot of promise. Check out his site
for a nice variety of art and poetry.
http://members.shaw.ca/littleblackjar/littleblackjar/
Philip Barrett is one of my most favourite people in
the Vancouver comic scene. Not only is he the nicest,
most genuine guy I have met, he also does some pretty
fine mini-comics. Relocated to my fine home town, from
the distant land of leprechauns and Guinness, Barrett's
comix reflect his worldly experience. Predominandy
featured in the Matter series of comix, Barrett's stories
are some masterfully-crafted.tales of very personal introspection. Just to make it clear, by using that term, I don't
mean that it's a bunch of comix about navel-gazing, but
instead inspired stories of reflection,
My favourite story from the stacks of goodness that I
managed to procure is "A Stagnant Pool," from Matter #
1. It consists of a night out at the bar and our voyeuristic
experience watching the protagonist through his night.
The character doesn't suffer the typical comic pratfalls of
patheticness, but instead is naturally unsure of himself.
The evening has some great^nonHnear intersections
between the main characters that are perceived to be
interrupting his enjoyment. What Barrett really succeeds
at is showing this character's loneliness in a crowd. Even
though he is having a great time, there is an unspoken
loss that permeates the story.
The rest of Barrett's work covers some similar themes,
but does so without being obvious. His Work belongs in
the same school as King Cat or Kevin Huizenga's work.
It seems as though he is trying to perfect something, until
he gets to the point when he has a story that belongs in
the D and Q_school of goodness. I highly recommend
checking it out. Order one of his minis from his site and
be sure that your hard-earned money has gone to something worthwhile.
http://www.blackshapes.com/comics.htm
I love getting comix in the mail, especially when they
are good, and Estrus Comics by Mari Naomi is certainly no
exception. So far, I have only been exposed to the fourth
issue of her ongoing series of autobio comix. Featured in
this issue is "Ex-Factor: A Romantic Resume," a collection of short strips reflecting on her history of bumbling
interactions with boys over nearly 25 years (she had a
young start with a nice, but embarrassing, story of kindergarten heartbreak). While most self-exposing autbio
comix can be very embarrassing to read, and somewhat
tedious (filled with nauseating navel-gazing), Naomi
knows this and pokes fun at her own misfortune, which
makes for a really entertaining read. My particular favourite is a nice one about unfortunate menstrual timing and
its shock to an unknowing young boy. I hate categorizing
a comic being "a good one to show to your girlfriend," but
it's kinda true with this one. The strength is how relate-
able her work is. Naomi has a great minimal cartoony
style, making great use of some solid blacks and strong
inks. For the skeptical reader looking for some kind of
artistic comparison on which to base opinion of her work,
I would say there is definitely a flavor of Mary Fleener,
which equals goodness to me.
Also included in this collection, is her story from the
Pet Noir anthology, which was actually my fave from the
book, so it's a nice inclusion. Overall, it's a great self-
published collection that promises more awesomeness in
the future. For a list of where to pick up Naomi's comic,
check out her site, which has a list of awesome stores
that support her indie goodness.
http://www.marinaomi.com/ 0
.&'©'<?;
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14 September 2007 Illipuany
Ǥvlewed
Qjlo one. oeioru^s here more man.yoa.
stories d^ rn^cuTria jxiLy,
[ovcrhner]
reviewed by
c. turions
In one of the short stories in her debut collection,
Miranda July struggles with the line between fiction
and reality, struggles with how to reconcile the world
inside our heads with the world outside of it. "Making
Love in 2003" is about the narrator's torrid sexual affair
with a dark shape named Steve, and the dark places
. she goes to abate her curiosity about cock in the flesh.
"What my college advisor...eventually called a promising piece of fiction had started out as evidence. One day
I would hand this manuscript over, and Steve would nod
and say yes.. .you have found me at last, come sit on my
lap, sweetness."
The uneasy balance between fact and fiction is a
problem that this collection-awash with all manner of
eccentricity-repeatedly contends with. To judge from
the note that closes the aforementioned story, the any-
resemblance-to-actual-persons-is-entirely-coincidental
move, the outside world is not de facto triumphant. These
characters may resemble things outside of themselves,
p^butin the fabric of these stories, the characters are bliss-
s^ffltly ignorant. The logic of the dream is whatever the"
ofream dictates, and here, in July's collection, swimming
leswms happen in the kitchen. Other logical pretensions are similarly discarded, as the opener from "The
'Mc-fes^ makes clear: "Before he died, my father taught
^pnaejms finger moves. They were movements for getting a
iwpihan off." While I never learnt these moves from my
Mther, the inside of my head is no less idiosyncratic than
that of any of her characters and this is, perhaps, July's
Ipiw&tif. And her motivation, it seems, is to highlight my
rcomplicity in the fucked-upedness. ^ISllll
*,K As with other works by July, No one belongs here more
j than you invites the audience to participate in her art.
".You are the person that belongs here, a consolation prize
or ^tamnation, depending on how deeply you feel the
^k loneliness that pervades every single one of these stories.
Li mean, sure, we are all alone, fundamentally so; it's the
Jlthird guarantee of existence after death and taxes. Even
'afwe don't acknowledge it, every single one of us passing
J|hli|rf|peater or lesser phases of denial, we are. There
H^^^HiaB^pace in the deepest darkness that whispers
l^^^^B^^M1^ a^one- J^y has taken it upon herself to
IflPliiiriPyP^pe futility of our endeavours in these acts
!Sy||nialJHd I can't help bjiythink that this is a last ditch
^e&SPc dti her own hAaJfiwinavrii». find that we are there
|y||jh hir, in her wcWR acknowledging her place in our
^pljfe Like?i&gldang hands m the "real" world, I)
At The Lotus
(455 ABBOT / 9PM 3AM /19+)
%UND.WAV
HEX-LUCENT
TREVOR RISK
'^fmm^
^rilrtV IRH«
Discorder 10 September 2007 ^£^olte
Bonefish. This single, mysterious word ignites a firestorm of warbling auditory static that gradually orders
itself into a beat and a musical key, before changing pitch
and signalling the beginning of some sort of melodic
structure. Thus commences "Peacebone," a track from
Animal Collective's latest opus, Strawberry Jam. Exploring territory different from that of (though in some
ways parallel to) Feels, the group's previous full-length
release, Jam finds a celebratory, almost ecstatic, mood
around which to base its sonic concoctions. After years
of acclaimed releases, and in the midst of thriving side-
projects from Avey Tare (a.k.a. David Portner) and Panda
Bear (a.k.a. Noah Lennox), it would seem that Animal
Collective have reached a comfortable headspace from
which to project their psychedelic effusions.
This is not to say that there is a lazy complacency about
this album. The best way to understand Jam is to hearken back to 2003's Campfire Songs. Recorded via Mini-
Disc on a fenced-in, backyard porch in Maryland, the
Campfire EP finds instruments and vocal parts commingling with the sounds of the natural environment, with
the latter shaping the atmosphere of the former into
warm songs one might hear around a burning bundle
of flames. In that case, the collective found influence in
their surroundings. Strawberry Jam sees them synthesizing not only the songs themselves, but also the auditory
world in which they exist. The result is a complete edifice
of nested sounds, complementing one another just as
seeds or pieces of fruit in a jam work with the surrounding jelly to create a delicious treat.
The record is full of synthesized elements and electronic
sounds, so attendees at Animal Collective's September
15 gig at the Commodore might do well to expect a bevy
of technical-looking gizmos to be employed, in addition
to more traditional rock instruments. What is certain
is that the group will definitely be experimenting with
material even newer than Jam, following their fashion
of honing songs in a live setting before even setting foot
in a studio.
Discorder sent off a selection of probing questions
to the band, hoping to gain some intimate insight into
their music, emotions and creativity. However, actual
answers were not received with sufficient time to include
in this month's issue. Therefore, we present to you, faithful reader, what we think their answers to our questions
might have looked like, pieced together from the actual
lyrics of the Animal Collective and its offshoots. The
following "interview" finds the band as inscrutable and
enigmatic as ever.
Discorder: Hello, Avey Tare and Panda Bear! Thank you for
taking the time to talk to us today.
Panda Bear: Are you waiting for me at the end of the airport?
I'm off buying our tickets, deterring hibernation. But I'm feeling impatient. We were late for deparature.
D: Oh, I'm sorry. I'll try to make this quick then.
Avey Tare: Slow it down. It's not a race. Death takes time. Do
you see it?
D: I suppose,..
PB: Let's just talk together, you and me and me and you. And if
there's nothing much to say, well, silence is a bore.
D: I'm sure we'll have lots to talk about. Let's begin with what are
the characteristics of the artists you want to become? How does
Strawberry Jam get you closer? What's it like to be alive now?
PB: All those people are busy with things, and here I go crazy,
and there I get lazy.
AT: Sometimes all I want is one favourite song, and two to
three minutes don't seem so long.
D: How about the other questions? What's it like to be alive?
AT: I feel all right. I found a place that fits tight; it feels small,
but I won't get sad about it.
PB: Just a calm and modern day, getting up early every morning, rush to work then rush to bed. Am I a better person?
AT: Take one day at a time. Anything more really hurts your mind.
PB: I know myself, and I know what I want to do. I'm doing my
best, and I want to know: is it good for you?
D: You can take it from me, everyone (myself included) just
loves your creative output. There's a definite buzz surrounding
your upcoming tour, so you should have no worries about your
work being accepted and praised.
PB: What are we waiting for? Way uptight?
AT: There's no need to worry.
D: Exacdy! Carrying on, in what way do you think music has
the ability to change how people live their lives?
AT: Some people's lives awake to itsy-bitsy "I'm so sorrys."The
branch breaks, you crack a window, and the wind might say,
"The birds are calling for you, please don't follow."
PB: You don't have to go to college.
D: Do you think that rhythm is a universal language? Do we all
secredy long for dance music?
AT: Baby in your cradle look at me, baby speak in rhythms now
you're three.
PB: We do the dance up on the plains, then I shake your shoulders. You push me down into the grains. Who rubs our noses
in the night? We do, we do.
AT: Going crazy, on a free fall, they are dancing, at the wrong
maw, with the right girl.
PB: We'll dance to make it rain, and then we'll maybe try to go
on taking care of business.
AT: We'll hope you dance to your bad weather.
D: Do you use silence as a compositional tool? How rigid is
your role as composer/artist? As a composer, are there parallels
between silence and surrender?
PB: I'm a noisy singer singing out a dinner, but dinners are
much stranger now.
AT: Words are subde but that's just a concept.
PB: I changed all your words, but my poltergeist concurs that
words aren't even necessary right now.
AT: The sound is dead.
PB: Hearing is an iron offense.
AT: Sometimes you're quiet and sometimes I'm quiet Hallelujah!
PB: At least I make some wonderful noise.
D: What do you feel leads you in moments when art is at its
most pure?
AT: Well, I found new feelings at the feeling store.
PB: You gotta think about the energy.
D: What is courageous about what you do? What is your
deeper-level response to Strawberry Jam}
PB: Colour people say, "oh no,"'cause they think it's contagious.
kSOIiilBi'-is»i
Marshmallow people say, "oh yeah," 'cause they think it's a
masterpiece.
AT: Coolness is having courage, courage to do what's right. I'll
try to remember always just to have a good time.
D: I read in an interview with Panda Bear that he sings "almost
exclusively about relationships." Also, I read in an interview
with Khaela Maricich, of the Blow, that, "maybe by the time
I'm 60, I'll be over my love stories." Personally, when I write,
it is almost always/exclusively about my relationships, however
veiled or poetic. I'm not sure I can imagine my creativity outside
of a translation of my love. Can you? Do you think you'll ever
get over your love stories?
PB: It's hard to just kiss our child games goodbye.
AT: An obsession with the past is like a dead fry.
PB: It's just like it should be with good love on the outside.
AT: Don't keep my loving on my mind.
PB: And I can't understand when holding her hand...so
womanly. I have to go kiss her.
AT: Young love is fine, just please respect the candles as 'they line
PB: What's the point of pouring it all out, when you guys just
wear it on your coat?
AT: I mean no offense to you, but grow up. Can't you just grow up?
D: Ahem. Next question: what will the future of music sound
like? What will music be like in 1,000 years?
PB: Spanish bands use all the echo.
AT: A birth in wooded housing will help you Uve beyond
the numbers.
D: Are there thoughts or feelings that cross your mind when
performing that do not occur to you otherwise?
PB: I wonder what it must be like to be on fire, and so hot, on fire.
AT: We act in the funniest ways.
PB: As I feel the tour drop out, I can feel the creeps creep in.
I've got a big baby that makes my sides burst, and tempura
makes it bleed...no question I'm stressed.
D: Panda Bear, remember what I told you before: don't worry
about the tour. Everything will be fine. Anyway, what do you
think is the most successful thing you have done differendy
with this release (or, strongest break from the past)? Where are
you now that you've moved away from Feels.
AT: Just a few things are related to my old times.
PB: I can't keep from changing my brains. * *j&ffii
AT: Been hating on my new perspective.
PB: I've been having good days, [and] think v
age to start our own peculiar ways.
AT: I'm still writing songs I can play, but my heav
around me, and there's zulu in my body.
PB: We're baking bread; that is how we spend our time. So happy
baking bread,'and all we do is fine. There are no better times.
AT: We're having family time.
D: What are you currendy investigating?
AT: I'm working on a sound. I'm walking through the city.
Feeling like the city is feeling like a sound.
PB: I don't want for us to take pills because we're stronger, and
we don't need them.
AT: And oh, what's pain? And oh, what's sadness anyway? Stop
crying like a child.
PB: I figured it out, I think I've figured it out.
Di I've saved this question 'til the last, but I think it should
almost always be the first and maybe only question I ask. I
think it's the best question for anyone about anything ever.
What is your motivation?
PB: I only want the time, to do one thing that I like. I want to
get so stoned, and take a walk out in the light drizzle, at the end
of the day, when no one's watching.
AT: A very old friend of mine once said, that either way you
look at it, you have your fits, I have my fits, but feeling is good.
PB: When my soul starts knowing, I am as I'd want to be; and
I know I never never will stop caring.
AT: I believe that for this piece of time, we can really crank us
up a lot.. .get your head out from those mags and websites who
try shape your style. Take a risk just for yourself and wade. $)
Discorder 1_7
e are the right
sail Y$
^^^^^pace- cqm/pe^omoja
DVEREGC
CoverS7. 9:uu~
18 September 2007
words by val cormier
photos byjim Burnett and val cormier
friend's recent move to Edmonton provided the
excuse, but that city's annual folk festival proved
a good hook for four days in the River City. I've
attended several times over the past decade, many times
as a volunteer. It was nice to see that not too much has
changed and the Edmonton festival remains as different
from Vancouver's version as beef from tofu.
The folk festival takes place in Gallagher Park, one of
Edmonton's rare jewels, the longest urban river valley
park in North America. The hills provide a natural
ampitheatre setting and a workout for the quadriceps.
Too bad they don't have the T-bar running during the
summer months. The coil-bound, glossy, full-colour $5
program tells us that over the course of the festival about
20,000 people a day converge on the park for music and
related activities - beer tent, food and craft vendors, etc.
I missed the Thursday night mainstage events, which
included City and Colour, and a bluegrass icon I'd really
wanted to see-Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain
Boys. I arrived late Friday morning to cool and drizzly'
weather, which necessitated a shopping trip to South
Edmonton Common for cheap rubber boots.
Those boots did come in handy when it came time
to wander down to the festival site later in the afternoon. While my friend escaped to fulfill her raffle ticket
selling duties, I grabbed a Fat Frank's veggie dog and
enjoyed a beverage in the massive, but still fairly empty,
beer garden. I was impressed with the compostable corn
starch beer cups introduced this year. Very folkie! Four
stages were open for sessions before the mainstage got
underway. I picked the one with the most interesting
lineup and parked myself there for the next few hours.
The first session was Wide Cut Country, with host Roy
Forbes and Nashville string vraards Marty Stuart and
Darrell Scott. A whole lotta fast pickin' going-on. Roy,
a North Van boy, was a great host and singer and, hell,
he even bears a slight resemblance to Bubbles of Trailer
Park Boys. The sun even appeared briefly. Between sets, I
ran into some folkie friends from Toronto who strongly
recommended I catch Justin Rudedge later.
Next up was an hour-long concert by Guy Clark, a
phenomenal Texas singer-songwriter who's slowed down
some from his days wildcatting around with Townes Van
Zandt. The old songs "Homegrown Tomatoes" and "LA
Freeway" still sound great.
The New Voices session featured Dala and Justin
Rudedge from Ontario, and Kim Beggs from the Yukon.
Justin did indeed Uve up to the hype and had a pedal
steel guitar player with him to milk the maximum twang
and heartbreak out of songs like "Too Sober To Sleep." Dala is a young duo, consisting of Sheila Carabine and
Amanda Walther, with a poUshed and upbeat presentation. They performed one of the best versions of Joni
Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" I've heard in ages.
Friday's mainstage entertainment didn't start until 9
p.m., just when the park was starting to get a bit dusky.
The threatening rain didn't materialize, but once the sun
set it was pretty damn chilly. There were few mosquitoes,
though-hurray! I stood over in the dance area to see the
first band, Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives.
It was more of a bluegrass, than country, set from this
Nashville semi-legend. He told a great story about Uving
next door to Johnny and June Cash, and now Barry Gibb,
who bought that property. This led into a killer bluegrass
version of "Stayin' AUve."
I moved up the hill to our seats for the next band,
Andy Palacio and the Garifuna CoUective. GaUagher
Park at night from this vantage point is quite spectacular:
'thousands of Ut candles in the crowd, the big stage with
massive sound system below, the downtown Edmonton
skyline behind and three giant video screens for those
in the nosebleed sections. We dug the "joyous Garifuna
- beat," but the cool of the night and the prospect of yet
another Blue Rodeo appearance (lazy programming on
this festival's part) drove us off the hiU early. We wrapped
up the night at the host hotel lobby lounge, where we
ran into feUow CiTR programmers Paul Norton and Jim
Burnett of Code Blue.
Saturday dawned bright, yet not hot-perfect festival
weather.The day stages (seven in aU) were aU weU underway. Unlike Vancouver's, this festival has its stages more
or less Uned up in a row and suffers from intermittent
sound bleed, especially if a particularly boisterous band
is set up next to a solo singer-songwriter. We wandered
by a stage cafled Master Class, an acoustic guitar player's heaven. It featured Harry Manx and Kevin Breit,
Vancouver's own Steve Dawson, and UK guitar wizards
Tony McManus and Martin Simpson. Dawson played
a jazzed-up and almost unrecognizable version of "Red
Sand Serenade," a.ka. the theme song for Folk Oasis.
The day sessions were nicely broken up at 2 p.m. by
a mainstage breather by bluegrass band Crooked StiU.
This also provided folks with a mid-day opportunity to
quench their thirst, feed the tummy and appease the
shopping monster. Once the sessions resumed, I headed
with the hordes to the very popular Stage 4 for Debuts,
starring Buck 65 (always a big draw) and an impressive Irish singer-songwriter, Damien Dempsey. In typical Irish style, Dempsey gave great craic (patter) in an
almost unfathomable brogue. Buck 65 did a rap about
food, reminding me it was time to start thinking about
hunting down some of the festival's famed green onion
cakes, which I did on my way to Stage 3.
There, DarreU Scott, Guy Clark and Jackie Greene
were about to mix it up. Greene appears to be the latest
of the "new Dylans," right down to the Bob-at-age-25
look Good songs though. Before the set started, a weU-
meaning, but hand-wringing stage volunteer reminded
us at great length about the no-smoking rules. As soon
as dude finished, Guy Clark leaned back in his chair
and silendy, but with great flourish, Ut up and enjoyed
a smoke. Priceless. W$_%&!^*^
More wandering, some beer and then it was time for
mainstage. Seth Lakeman was up first. He's a young guy
from UK who's apparendy made quite a buzz already
on his home turf. His music is an obvious homage
to Fairport Convention and their ilk, and I say about
bloody time! Lakeman gathered quite a foUowing over
the course of weekend. Too bad his CDs never made it
across the pond to the merch tent.
Jim Byrnes foUowed with a rousing gospel-tinged set
with the Sojourners, and then Toronto cult fave Mary
Margaret" O'Hara took the stage. I didn't get her 15
years ago and I don't get her now. I see that I scrawled
"flake" next to her name in the program. Can't please
everyone, I suppose.
James Hunter washed that bad taste out of my ears
with a kiUer R&B/soul set. I'd been kicking myself for
passing on his Vancouver Jazz Festival appearance and
it was lovely to finaUy see what I missed. Sweet! Baka
Beyond ended the evening-a mishmash of Celtic, African, everything-but-kitchen-sink that, at times, seemed
cluttered. Has world beat jumped the shark?
Sunday morning proved to be another sunny day.
Everybody was hurting a bit after a fairly late night of
carousing and wine consumption. First stop was a strofl
past what Jim Burnett caUed a "gospel wank" in session.
It was over the top, and I'm a bit burned out on the
mandatory gospel-on-Sunday-morning thing.
I spent most of the afternoon parked at shade-less
Stage 1, the Blues Stage. Edmonton is a big blues town
(beUeve it or not) and this festival is notorious for bringing in one or two about-to-keel-over minor legends per
year. This year's crop included Litde WilUe Litdefield.
In his late 70s and now Uving in Amsterdam, Litdefield was one of the first to record "Kansas City." StiU a
yodeUng fool!
Next up on the same stage was 82-year-old Marie
Knight. She sang with gospel pioneer Sister Rosetta
Tharpe many decades ago, had a solo career, retired,
and is back touring with an album of Rev. Gary Davis
covers. I was amazed how the ever-prim, and somewhat
preachy, church lady looked and sounded for a gal of
her vintage. I had a chance to chat and have my picture
taken with her-after the fact, I reaUzed I was wearing my
"diaboUtoVdevil pendant.
Speaking of deviUsh, wicked and weird Rich Terfry,
a.ka. Buck 65, was holding court several stages down
and sporting a cervical coUar I didn't recaU seeing the
previous day. I'm sure there's stiU a lot of folks out there
who think a hip-hop artist is a strange choice for a folk
festival, but it turns out ol' Buck is more tuned into pre-
Woody Guthrie folk than the majority of us.
As Buck's last scratches faded into the breeze, the
mainstage was already firing up for the evening, with
OUabeUe up first. Admittedly, I didn't know much about
this group other than their hyped "cool New York folk-
pop," so I gave them a close Usten. There was obviously
a lot going on in terms of influences (soul, gospel, blue-
grass, Celtic), but nothing jumped out and grabbed me.
But boy, oh boy, did Ozomatli (named for an Aztec
monkey god) grab me and the entire audience with one
of the best sets of this, or any, festival. Their high-energy,
ska-tinged set had everyone on their feet mere minutes
after taking the stage. Several members of the coUective
jumped off the stage into the crowd, and even brought
up a few young children to help out with percussion. I
actuaUy felt a bit sorry for Michael Franti and Spearhead
having to foUow them!
Franti and crew, of course, had nothing to fear, the
true pros that they. are. They were up ta the chaUenge
and started out strong, slowly dropping into a funky jam
groove. Turns out Michael spent a year of high school in
Edmonton when his mom was on a teaching exchange.
His claim that Edmonton was an important .influence
on his poUtics and world view was flattering and quite
convincing. The crowd ate it up.
After that big ol' love-in, Buffy Sainte-Marie took the
stage as final act of the night. I'd seen her in Vancouver
a few months ago, so decided to hit the warmer venue
of the hotel lobby, where we caught some impromptu
jamming for several hours before calling it a night.
Monday's recovery included tending to sunburns and
hangovers-and shopping! Woohqp, lack of PST! .AU
in aU, it was a great festival, enhanced by that famous ;
Edmonton spirit and hospitality. I look forwaji to -
returning next year. P
S* -<fcr w v
Discorder« JESO Jm,
« i
V
Andrew Bird + Dosh @ Richard's
3^^enejra Banhart + Noah Georgeson
@ Commodore
A Crow's Gtoty +-Bom for Battle
+ Needles + Crusades @ Sweatshop
m
^4. ■
w
8
Gogol Bordello @ Commodore
Tokyo Police Club
+ fmtnacutate Machine @ Plaza
M_mmmM&w
tues^u^
Wednesday?
ttarsday
Crowded House + Pete Yom <g
Orpheum
Art Brut @ Richard's
Beyonce +Robin Thicke @ GM Place
Slow Down, Molasses @ lamplighter
Octoberman @ UBC SUB Patio
The Brunettes + Bella + Ferraby
Lionhearf @ Media Club
JU^i&Tfrtkierlake @ GM Place
The Blow @ Pit Pub
Chris Netson-ParwelLw/TV ftecttfV
J^Sck + The Smears + Nardwuar ■
@ Plaza
Wolf Parade + Holy Fuck @ Richard's
■Bobby Corm +"Canned Hamm
@MedlaClub'"- '
Spoon @ Commodore
Elizabeth + FSRZ @ Library Square
Brian Jonestown Massacre + The Hugs
@ Commodore
Transylvanian Polka +.Parlour Steps
+ Orphans and Dogs + Soressa Gardner
& Friends Budd + Jazz Holes @ Railway
The Fucking Champs + Bis
-^iWcer^ River @ Rtchaiij's .
P^fefe-ii^er @ Plaza
Cara Luff w/ the Gentle infidels
@ Media Club
Plaza
IO
11
■4£k-
13
14
15
SSMHB&^T
tttesdaty
ttaarsda
irMatw
saEtardai^
Sgaip&S^P&ul Devro @ Pit Pub
Shiny Toy Guns @ Croatian
Cultural Centre
VWS-or Beta*Walter Meego
@ Media Club
'Scorpions @ Orpheu^V^g,
Richard Thompson @ Commodore
Chad Vangaalen + Fond of Tigers
+ The Doers @ Richard's
Medeski Scofleld Martin & Wood
@ Commodore
Boy's Club + Fe Fi Fo Fums @ Pub 340
Honeymoon Suite + P^Ffi + Blue
VbodoO @ Bell Performing Arts Centre
The Nervous Breakdowns + What's
Wrong Tohei? @ Royal Uniciypj; «,3
Animal Collective + Wizard Prison
+ Eric CopetejsQ @ Commodore'
Bison + Taxes^Cobra @ Balmoral
Parto @ Vancouver East
Cultural Cofitfe
16
17
18
19
wedttesdatsr
20
21
22
*&&
X4
25
26
m
28
29
SO
wmm§wg
mmm&mtf
^mmsSmw
tttiirfi^r
IHdflnr
tfifeSililf'
tfeursdanr
frida^r
Qui + Lozen @ Plaza
Steve Vai + Zack Wiesinger
@ Commodore
Editors + Ra Ra Riot @ Richard's
Mute Math + Plotet Speed
@ Commodore
City and Cobur + Attack in Black
@ Orpheum
Flaming Lips + Black Moth Super
Rainbow @ Orpheum
Cinematic Orchestra @ Richard's
Hot Hot Heat @ Commodore
Blitzen Trapper @ Media Club
Ruins @ Pat's .
The Paperbacks @ Pub.340-
Boys Noize @ Plaza
Cannibal Corpse + Black Dhalia
IvturaW @ Croatian Cultural Centre
The Deep Dark Woods @ Media Club
The Pack + The Paperbacks @ Railway
_l Scatetf* Whitfleld @ Plaza
Peter Bjorn and John + The Clientele
# G&mmodore
<JdsOS*tes + Go Ghetto Tiger @ Pub 340
China Syndrome + The Flaneurs
+ Deadfllmstars @ Royal Unicorn
Handsome Furs + Johnny and
the Mean @ Richard's
Hot fctftfe Rocket @ Anza
No Age ©Pat's
The Toasters + The Peacocks @ Plaza-
Perry Farrell's Satellite Party
@ Commodore
lGV?5 Wight Out + Sick City @ Plaza
Mink + Satellite Party @ Commodore
Diplo @ Plush ' •"•■'■. - *''.,
Resist the Right @ ALF House
Paolo Nutini @ Commodore
Jason Collett + Josh Rouse @ Plaza
Bonde Do Role + Juiceboxxx
©Richard's
They Might Be Giants @ Commodore
Supersuckers + The Black Halos
+ Burn Hollywood Burn @ Plaza
Chevede + Fair to Midland
+ Tyler Read @ Commodore
The^Bfcsrtatd Lakes + Hylozolsts
+ Mohawk Lodge @ Richard's*
The Jolts + D.O.A @ Plaza
The New Pornographers + Lavender
Diamond+Fancey @ Commodore
Rumsfeld + Facepullers @ Pub 340
Champion @ Richard's
The Noisettes @ Plaza
Earliment + Office @ PitPub
The Subhumans + Motorama
+1, Braineater @ Pub 340
The Big Bad + The Killer Saints
@ Balmoral
Loreena McKennitt @ Orpheum
Artie Monkeys + The Coral @ PNE
*sendyour event listings to calendar.discorder@gmail.com* Folk Oasis: 10 Years After
by Val Cormier
I've been chugging along with this show for about 10
years now. Before that, I apprenticed with Steve Edge
on Edge On Folk. Much of my technical training came
from Nardwuar, back when he was the station's Volunr
teer Coordinator. This might explain my fluency (or lack
of) with the console!
The show's format has morphed somewhat over the
years, according to my Ustening whims and audience
feedback OveraU, it's remained eclectic: singer-songwriter, old-timey and bluegrass, Celtic, Cajun and much
more. If there's a polka set to be found on this station, it's
more than likely to be heard on Wednesdays!
It's been gratifying to see the development of the
local roots music scene this last decade. I stiU remember
having the Be Good Tanyas Uve in the studio shortly
after the release of their first CD, Blue Horse. It was close
to Christmas and a sympathetic security guard let us
sneak Sam Parton's aging dog into the studio. The first
pressing of their CD had just sold out and I overheard
a discussion about how many more copies they should
order. They didn't want to print too many and be stuck
with them. Litde did we know...
Although I don't do it often enough, I always enjoy
having local musicians play Uve in the studio. Standouts
this year have included Tarkin and Linda McRae. There's
certainly no shortage of amazing roots artists in our fair
city, most of them sadly underappreciated by the Ustening pubUc outside our fabulous Folk Festival. Get out
and support your local Uve scene!
A newer, semi-regular feature are Uve phone interviews,
usuaUy around 8:30 p.m. This has proven a great way to
get the word out about CD release parties by local artists,
as weU as shows by touring musicians. There should be a
few good ones in September, including James Keelaghan
on September 5. ?§&i!0?&
I am always appreciative and somewhat surprised at
the size of the audience this show has developed. Thanks
to aU of you who have helped get the word out. Podcasting has been a real boon, especiaUy for Usteners in other
time zones, but nothing beats word-of-mouth. If you
haven't tuned in yet, please do-I'm sure you'U be pleas-
andy surprised. You don't even need a pair of Birkenstocks to hang out in this oasis.
Thanks, Spike, for this opportunity to get the word outi
Val Cormier hosts Folk Oasis Wednesday evenings, 8 to
10 p.m. - two hours of eclectic roots music on CiTR 101.9
FM and can be reached at fbUcoasis@gmaU.com.
22 September 20Q7
Stereoscopic Redoubt
by* Darren Gawle
Okay, so why devote a show to psychedeUc music? I'm
sure some of you have images of me spinning discs in
the lotus position with 15 sticks of Nag Champa going
whUe my spirit guide, "Raven," lunches down on a bowl,
of certified organic Honduran granola. WeU, that's
exacdy why actuaUy.
I'd be hard-pressed to think of a more wrongly-
lampooned genre of music than psychedeUa. Sure, some
of it is high camp, but at its best, psychedeUa was a sea-
change in popular music that bridged the gap between
the discipUned format of the 3-minute pop single and
the looser, heavier sound that became known as rock at
the end of the '60s. The golden era of psych being 1966-
67, it's surprising to note how pervasive its influence was.
For a time, it seemed like everyone from the Kinks to the
Bee Gees to...weU, CiUa Black were Uning up to goose
their tracks with stereo panning, tape echo, and lyrics
which referred to Abyssinia and peppermints. As HRH
Queen EUzabeth II is aUeged to have remarked, even the
Beades seemed to be "acting a bit pecuUar lately."
But, whither Vancouver in aU this nonsense? For
what essentiaUy was, as late as the 1960s, stiU a colonial harbour town, Vancouver had a surprisingly focused
counterculture scene and it attracted the right kind of
attention. Jefferson Airplane played the Kits Theatre
in January 1966, some 18 months before they played
Toronto or New York City. In June 1966, Vancouver was
the first place the Grateful Dead played outside of the
Bay area at the Trips Festival (held at the PNE's Garden
Auditorium) along with Big Brother 8c the Holding
Company. Even author Ken Kesey and the merry pranksters made the journey, Vancouver was where Country
Joe 6c the Fish first developed the theory that smoking
banana peels could get you high (which they apparentiy
don't), and despite their infrequent appearances on the
West Coast, the Velvet Underground played Vancouver
no fewer than three times, twice at the Retinal Circus
(now Celebrities on Davie Street).
Vancouver bands of the era ran the gamut, from the
folk-rock of the Tom Northcott Trio and the Self-
Portrait, to the legendary garage-punk of the Painted
Ship and the Seeds Of Time. Some bands rose to varying degrees of prominence-the CoUectors. recorded
extensively in Los Angeles and even played the FLU-
more with Buffalo Springfield, eventuaUy morphing into
Chilliwack Too many others, however, never recorded at
aU-what of Paisley Rain? Three's A Crowd? My Indole
Ring seemed destined for obUvion until 2000, when at
last a CD of coUected studio and Uve recordings saw the
Ught of day and more than made up for the wait.
So, that's why I finaUy got off my ass earUer this year
and decided to audition for a program on CiTR that
would focus on psych, acid punk, freak beat and progressive music from 1965, to the bands of today who are
re-exploring and re-evaluating the sounds that switched
on a generation some 40 years ago. Stereoscopic Redoubt
setUsts and suchlike can be found at http://www.myspace.
com/stereoscopicredoubt, and I can be reached somewhat
direedy at armeniacity@hotmaU.com.
Darren Gawle hosts Stereoscopic Redoubt Thursdays
from 6 to 7:30p.m. on CiTR 101.9 FM.
Rebirthing Soul Music: A Brief History of
by Jason Colantonio
Hosting Shake a Tail Feather for a year now (first Anniversary show on Friday, September 14) has been nothing
short of a gift and a privilige. The stars were clearly in
the right position when, in January of 2006,1 decided I
had accumulated enough classic rhythm and blues (not
R&B, as in contemporary styles) and soul music to pitch
an idea for a show to the folks at CiTR. This was not my
first venture into radioland; way back in the early-1990s
I hosted a Uterary talk show at CKUT in Montreal and
volunteered in their production department. But music,
particularly classic soul and rhythm and blues from its
golden era (late 1950s to early 1970s), has always been
an undercurrent in my life.
OriginaUy, I had had another show tide in mind, but
one night my fiance and I went to a party and someone
stepping out for fresh air uttered, "Shake a tad feather!"
in celebratory fashion. By the time I signed up for training sessions at CiTR, the idea for Shake a Tail Feather
had been stewing in my mind for nearly two years. It
started off* as an idea for a vintage Jamaican music show
('60s rocksteady and early reggae) and morphed into a
soul music program. "Shake a TaU Feather," of course, is
the name of a soul song originaUy by the Five Du-Tones,
but famously covered by the likes of Chuck Jackson,
James and Bobby Purify, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit
Wheels, Ray Charles in the first Blues Brothers film and
Taj Mahal on a chUdren's music CD caUed Shakin'a Tail
Feather. The rest... weU you know.
Over the past year, Shake a Tail Feather has featured
shows on many things and people: big labels like Stax,
Motown, Chess and Atlantic; smaU ones Uke Sue, Old
Town, Deep City andTwinight, legends Uke James Brown,
Otis Redding and Irma Thomas and obscure folks like
Dorothy Ashby, Candi Staton and the Mad Lads. I've
also done shows on regional styles Uke Philly, Chicago,
Memphis, Miami, Muscle Shoals, Northern Soul, Southern Soul and PsychedeUc Soul. And we've only just begun.
A soul music rebirth has been in the works for a few
years now. The resuscitation of Stax Records, courtesy of
the Concord Music Group, on the eve of its 50th anniversary this year, has already produced a wave of anniversary compilations, reissues and new artists' material,
as weU as a two-hour PBS documentary caUed Respect
Yourself (out on DVD this month!) But the rebirthing
of soul has even appeared in that most mainstream of
institutions, American Idol; last year's winner was clearly
competing on the authentic soul ticket, as was this year's
and many runners-up in the past few seasons. The UK's
Amy Winehouse is stiU riding the success of last year's
Back to Black, an album in which her HoUiday-esque
vocals reverberate within often upbeat HoUand-Dozier-
HoUand-era Motown melodies.
More so, the growing cult foUowing for Sharon
Jones and the Dap-Kings, on Brooklyn-based Daptone
Records (www.daptonerecords.com), over the past two
years has been nothing short of phenomenal. Their 2006
album, Naturally, as weU as coundess performances at
festivals the world over (they'U be back in town this
December), have made them the soul revue to see. 2007-
08 may weU be remembered as their year of ascendancy:
the Dap-Kings backing up Amy Winehouse, Booker T
and MGs backing up Sharon Jones, an appearance on
the Conan O'Brien Show, the release of a new album, 100
Days and 100 Nights, on October 2 and an appearance
in the forthcoming Denzel Washington film, The Great
Debaters. Get 'em whUe they're hot!
With aU this in mind, I definitely have my work cut
out for me, making Shake a Tail Feather a local conduit
for this soul renaissance. Then again, I can't think of a
better definition of a labour of love than that.
Jason Colantonio hosts Shake a TaU Feather Fridays on
CiTR from 10:30 p.m. to midnight. The show will have a
web presence soon, promise! In the meantime,feedback or classic rhythm and blues/soul requests can be emailed to: more-
soulmusic@yahoo.ca. Shake a tail feather! Mondo Trasho
by Maxwell Maxwell
Every generation has its Barry White. After aU, something needs to cover up the sound of meat slapping
against meat. Whether in a Yaletown condo or a UBC
dorm room, your neighbours would rather hear anything
(ANYTHING!) than the sound of you fucking. You and
your lover, whether supermodels or corpulent ham-beasts,
are unpleasant to Usten to at 4 a.m. Your moans, cries and
wet smacking sounds carry through the waUs in a way
that other noises simply cannot, and when I am kept
awake at night by your breathy exclamations of ecstasy,
rest assured I am wishing death and ruin on the both of
you. This is what gende music is for: not to communicate
mushy feelings when your own words won't suffice, but
to cover up the disgusting noises when ten drinks have
worked wonders. Of course, much Uke Febreeze replaces
the smeU of vomit and Jagermeister with Citrus Mountain Breeze (TM), Barry White albums, and their ilk,
not only get rid of something horrifying, they replace it
with something pleasant.
For young hipsters homos Uke myself, Barry White
has largely been replaced by the soundtrack to John
Cameron MitcheU's exceUent Shortbus. I initaUy thought
I was alone in this. My friends aU enjoy the movie and
its soundtrack, but somehow I never reaUzed that we
were aU having sex to the same 18 songs. When a friend
showed me Xtube.com, however, I began to realize something: every amateur, gay, sexy home-movie made in the
past several months has the Shortbus soundtrack blaring
in the background. I try and point this out to my friends,
but they just think I'm weird (guys with matching
asymetrical haircuts are kissing naked in their Manhattan studio apartments and I'm waiting for the Hidden
Cameras to fade into Scott Matthew).
This is a problem. We use our taste in music to express
our originaUty, so what does it say about us if we bring a
date home for the first pants-free experience and pop on
the same album he hears every time he's had sex since
November of 2006? Lucidly, readers, Mondo Trasho, with
your host MaxweU MaxweU (that would be me, so tune in
9 p.m. Sundays on CiTR), has put together this mix. It wUl
not only guarantee you get laid, but also that the sounds of
your pasty flesh banging around is masked with some of
the grooviest, most sensual music around. If you're reading
this and you're cute, my number is (510) 761-2261.
Here is my mixtape to have gay sex to:
Herman Dune - "Smalltown Boy" ...because the Bronski Beat
classic sounds much better on ukelele.
The Boy Least Likely To - "Faith" ...because George Michael's
songs are awesome but you don't really want to be thinking about
George Michael when you're trying to get it on. That gross stubble combined with all the cruising for sex with fugly dudes in
public parks and toilets... ick.
* Patrick Wolf - "Bluebells" ...because it has fireworks as percussion, and nothing is more conducive to romance than fireworks.
Except maybe two-for-one highballs.
-TV On The Radio - "Modern Romance" ...because TV On
The Radio are much hipper than the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but
"Modern Romance" is a great song.
The Adolescents - "I Hate Children" ...because although it's
pretty difficult to get another dude pregnant, you stiU want to
be careful.
The Magnetic Fields - "Papa Was A Rodeo" ...because
although Stephin Merritt could use some Botox, a facelift, and
a personality transplant, there's still something about his deep,
glum, sonorous voice which causes a shiver to go down most
people's necks straight to their nasty bits when they hear this
gorgeous ode to dysfunction.
CocoRosie - "By Your Side" ...because anything lo-fi and
weird is automaticaUy chic, and this is important when getting
into someone's pants, especiaUy if you're trying to get into their
heart as weU.
Belle & Sebastian - "Like Dylan In The Movies" ...or really
anything else on IfYmire Feeling Sinister. The album is great for
effing gendyto, but switch to something louder if you like it rough.
Final Fantasy - "Your Light Is Spent" .^.because Owen Pattett
is wicked hot and I would hit that so fast it would make your
head spin. ^3§t**.*
Maxwell Maxwell hosts Mondo Trasho Sundays 9 to 10
p.m. on CiTR 101.9 FM.
Ashes, Ashes
Flex Your Head
by Steveston Mike
In my last column, I told you about myself and how
I got here. I forgot to mention one thing. I am also one
half of No Sense Productions. My good friend Shaun
"Citrus" Cowan and I run this production company that
sets up and promotes all-ages hardcore and punk shows.
Shaun moved to Vancouver from Montreal just over
a year ago, and since then he has become the man to go
to if you are a punk or hardcore band looking to play
here. He has been doing shows, in one form or another,
for over a decade. He started No Sense to make sure
bands that were touring around the Northwest could
have somewhere to play in Vancouver.
At the time, there weren't a lot of people stepping up to
fiU this void. Since he started booking shows, he has done
shows for such bands as Fucked Up, Go It Alone, Fired
Up, Pulling Teeth, Dangers, Modern Life Is War, Tranzmitors, Carpenter, In Stride, Wait In Vain, Shook Ones,
The First Step, Shipwreck, Have Heart, Rise And FaU,
and Sinking Ships. By the time you read this, we wiU also
have done two shows for Career Suicide and Regulations.
After his first couple of shows, he asked me if I would
be interested in helping him run things. I used to do
shows years ago and knew how I Uked to have things
run. Shaun and I saw eye-to-eye on these issues and I
jumped at the chance to help him out.
Since then, I have seen how hard this guy works for
this scene and how much credit he deserves. He makes
sure that American bands have the proper paperwork to
get across the border if they are coming from the States.
He also spends coundess hours walking around Vancouver putting up fliers for the shows. When the show time
comes around, he is always in action making sure everything is set up and ready to go.
I pitch-in when I can be of help, but aU the credit for
the shows in the last couple of months goes to Shaun.
Without him here, I don't think we would have had as
great a summer of shows as we've had these past few
months. So, next time you go to a show run by No Sense,
go up to Shaun and let him know how much you appreciate him and aU the work he does for this scene. He
definitely deserves it.
Top ten for August
1. Broken Needle - s/t LP (Leguna Armada)
2. Look Back And laugh - State Of Illusion EP (LBAL)
3. Alternate Action - Tough Times 10" (Narayan)
4. China Creeps - s/t 7"f self released)
5. Cross Examination / Spring Break - Super Party
Brothers (Deep Six)
6. Soul Control - s/t T (Rivalry)
7.Jaws-demo
8. Needles - demo
9. The Fdthies - Your Turn (FaUen Angel)
10. WaUs - upcoming fuU length (PainkiUer)
Stevenston Mike hosts Flex Your Head Tuesdays 6 to 8
p.m. on CiTR 101.9FM.
by Marielle Kho
I used to think that I was so punk rock when I was 14
years old. I wanted to dye my hair and get my Up pierced.
I wanted to Usten to the most obscure punk bands that
no one else had ever heard of, just so that I could feel
Uke I was "different" from everybody else. I planned on
running away from home so that I could Uve alone as a
skid and skateboard wherever I wanted, without someone getting on my case. I bought a bass guitar, in hopes
of starting up a band that would somewhat take off, so
that I could leave home and school, and just play music
for the rest of my life. At that time, nothing was more
important to me than the music that I was into.
I am now 22 years old and glad that I was not stupid
enough to foUow my severely shortsighted, poorly
planned teenage dreams. My radio show, We All Fall
Down, is my way of holding onto the memories I have of
my misguided youth.
When I was 14, during one of my regular bouts of
insomnia, I decided to scan the radio dial. I was not
expecting to find anything particularly stimulating, let
alone anything that would be punk rock enough to meet
my expectations. But at about 1 a.m., that fateful Monday
evening, I came across a radio station that was playing the Descendents, the Bouncing Souls, and Randy.
And what? No commercials? Did I suddenly hack the
Lord Almighty's personal radio feed? This radio station
sounded too good to be true. I kept Ustening, and after
a few songs, the radio host, who I later learned to be a
certain Trevor fielding, announced that I was Ustening
to a show caUed Vengeance is Mine. It was a weekly radio
show on the local coUege radio station, 101.9FM CiTR.
RnaUy, I had found the source of that untapped punk
rock gold vein. I continued to Usten every week, eager to
eat up whatever Trevor had to throw in my direction.
When I graduated from high school and began classes
at UBC, I stumbled upon CiTR's main headquarters. By
this time I had been Ustening to Trevor's show for years,
and now I had the opportunity to do for someone else
what Trevor had done for me.I immediately signed up for
a tour of the station, volunteered my time, put together
a demo and appUed for my own radio show. Secredy, I
hoped that if I spent a lot of time at the station, I would
eventuaUy meet the man that, probably unknowingly,
taught me so much about a genre of music.
Now, here I am, still hosting We All Fall Down and
it's been just over two years. To have this column as
another oudet for my show is just as exciting for me as
it was when I first started to put my show on the air.
In the foUowing months, you, fair reader, wiU come to
learn more about me and the shitty punk rock that I stiU
loyaUy Usten to. I hope you'U eventuaUy feel as informed
as I do when I Usten to Trevor's show!
Marielle Kho hosts We AU FaU Down Thursdays 1 to 2
p.m. on CiTR 101.9FM.
Tratado de impaciencia
por Alex Tornillo
La semana pasada tuve la oportunidad de entrevi-
star a Luis Gerardo Salas, creador y productor de una
de las estaciones de radio mas influyentes en la Ciudad
de Mexico durante la decada de los 80 y 90, Uamada
Rock 101. Esta estacion revoluciono la manera de hacer
radio en una de las ciudades mas grandes del mundo y la
formula en reaUdad era bastante fadl de apUcar: ofrecer
un nuevo concepto de radio para gente joven con miisica
que no era accesible en ninguna otra estacion. Funciono
a la perfection.
En una ciudad (o mas bien zona metropoUtana) donde,
segun Wikipedia, habitan mas de 19 miUones de personas, haciendola la mas poblada en el emisferio oeste, y,
sin temor a equivocarme, de este gentio el 30% pertenece
al grupo de edad entre los 16 y 35 ahos, automaticamente
continued on pave 24 |
rs Discorder 23 continued from page 23
arroja una audiencia potential de 5 miUones. Claro
que no todos son del mismo gusto, ni del mismo poder
adquisitivo, ni tampoco del mismo interns, pero esta es
una de las grandes ventajas que existe en una urbe tan
grande en donde las posibiUdades de que alguien escuche
un programa de radio a la hora que sea son muchisimas
mas a las que hay en una ciudad de menor poblation. Por
supuesto que Luis G. Salas tuvo una fiierte competentia
con otras estationes que querian parte del pastel y de
esas otras emisoras spdi^ron Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu
(director de Babel, Amores Perros) o Martin Hernandez
(Director de sonidp de El laberinto del Fauno) que es
gente bastante capaz y talentosa, pero que caminaron en
un estrecho ya pavimentado.
Regresando a la entrevista, Salas comentaba que en su
iPod habia grabado una section que se intitulaba 'jazz' y
en ese momento la mente me dio vueltas a mU por hora.
"La musica es como los colores" pense - como los colores
— es decir, no todos pertibimos los colores de la misma
manera. El rojo carmin es eso pretisamente: rojo carmin.
No cambia, ahi esta, lo que cambia es como- cada uno de
nosotros lo pertibimos. Y no me refiero al daltonismo,
que ignoro si es una enfermedad o una deficiencia visual,
porque eso seria comparable con la sordera, ni tampoco
me refiero a los gustos, sino a la perception. Vaya, lo que
quiero decir es que para unos ese color puede ser-intenso,
o atrevido, o caUdo, o simplemente se percibe como algo
relationado al amor, o que se yo.
Hace tiempo fui a un viaje de varios dias a la playa
y en un atardecer maraviUoso justo despues de comer,
alguien pregunto que musica seria de la election ,de los
ahi presentes. La tarde era tranquUa y caUda, con un
vientetito deUcioso y lo primero que se me ocurrio decir
fue: "Shine on you crazy diamond de Pink Floyd" mi
respuesta fue automatica y uno de eUos dijo "pero ,;C6mo
se te ocurriria escuchar heavy metal en esta tranquiUdad?
" Y para mis adentros pense: "^Heavy metal? Este imbetil
no tiene la menor idea de lo que esta diciendo" pero en
mi conflicto mental de la semana pasada con la entrevista
cai en la conclusion de que aquel imbetil jamas pudo
pertibir a Pink Floyd de la misma manera que yo. Y
no es que yo sea superior a el, ni mucho mas, sino que
la guitarra de Gilmour es la guitarra de Gilmour, lo que
cambia-es nuestra perception. Entonces, si yo me calzara
el iPod de Luis G. Salas, con las mismas canciones, en
el mismo orden, rodeado del mismo ambiente, etcetera,
etcetera, estoy seguro que no las pertibiria de la misma
manera que el lo hace. Y no es que Salas sea superior
o mucho mas, sino que su rojo carmin puede ser mas
intenso que el mio, o visceversa.
C6mo percibe la musica Paul Simon? ^O Sting? ,;0
Gabriel? <;0 Taupin? ,:0 alguna de esas bestias musi-
cales? Definitivamente diferente que el resto de nosotros.
Y cabe hacer notar que esto no tiene nada que ver con
los gustos, ni con factores ajenos a la perception (porque
habra quien me rete diciendo que el rojo carmin se ve
diferente a la luz de la luna o dentro de la habitation de
su novia), ni con el conocimiento de todos los colores
porque la perception viene mucho despues que el gusto o
conocimiento. Asi que ^De que color es tu musica?
Alex Tornillo esproductory locutor del programa de radio
Salario Minimo que se transmite los Martes de 8 a 10 de la
noche por media del 101.9 FM.
>»»
cles JkJ*
Aural Tentacles
by Pierre Huish
Hi there. My name is DJ Pierre and every Tuesday
night at 12 midnight, until 6 a.m. Wednesday morning,
I host Aural Tentacles. Running six hours in length, it is
CiTR's longest show. It is also one of the oldest.
I've always had a passion for radio. When I was very
young and first started Ustening to the radio, I had to
Usten to whatever my parents had on. I used to envision
the musicians arriving at the station, setting up, singing
their song and then leaving. It wasn't until later that I
found out that a DJ at the station was only playing a
copy of their songs.
When I was around 11 years old, I was finaUy given
an old AM radio to caU my own. I remember the very
first song that I ever heard on it. It was "Uncle Albert,
Admiral Halsey" by Wings. Wow! After my parents had
gone to bed, I'd quietiy Usten to the radio before going
to sleep and twiddle the dial up and down while playing with the antenna. A few years later, we began renting this house every summer on Pender Island. It was
perched right on the cliffs and inside was an old wooden
AM radio from the 1920s. It stiU worked, but you would
have to wait about five minutes for the tubes to warm up.
Once warmed, on clear and starry nights whUst everyone
else slept, I'd twiddle the dial up and down, snagging
airwaves from as far away as Portland, Sacremento, San
Fransisco and even further. The reception from these
Guff Islands was incredible. I was hooked.
I can stiU remember the song that was on the radio in the
car that picked me up the very first time that I hitchhUced
a few years later. It was "Hand Me Down World" by the
Guess Who. A few years later, whUe French kissing a girl
for the very first time, the radio was on. I remember that
it was playing Rumours by Fleetwood Mac. Alas, when I
lost my virginity even later, die radio was not on. Damn!
The TV was on instead and I can remember the TV movie
that we weren't watching. It
was caUed Stock Car 500.1
can also remember the first
time, while twiddUng up
and down the dial, that I
discovered CiTR radio.
"Tour de France" by Kraft-
werkwas playing.The twiddling stopped. I had found
a station that I liked.
Although I have been a
DJ at other places during
the past 21 years, CiTR,
even though it doesn't
pay, is by far my favourite
gig of the week I have no
idea what people are doing
whUe they are Ustening to
the songs I play, but I do
hope they are enjoying it
as much as I am.
Aural Tentacles began
broadcasting on the air
way back in the spring of
1987. Twenty years and
over one thousand ...shows
later, I'm stiU dof
I love to do-staying
night Ustening to must
DJ Pierre hh,
Tentacles Tuesa^
midnight te~6 iLi)
101.9FM/
Shadow Jugglers
by Pierre Huish
Downtempo, Dubstep/Grime, Dub, Reggae, Dancehall, Soca,
Reggaeton, Soul, Hip Hop, Beatboxing, Funk, Rock, Electro, Klezmer,
Break Beats and Jungle/Drum'n'Bass (JDB) are some of the genres and
sub-genres embraced by the disc jugglers residents Soo, Socool, MP &
Bias. For now, let's focus in on JDB, due to its importance in the evolution of the Shadow Jugglers radio show.
Shadow Jugglers was conceived in Montreal in 2001 under the name
Jongleurs d'ombres, moving to CiTR in 2003. At first, DJs and producers of all electronic music styles were invited to contribute, but Jongleurs
d'ombres became mainly a place where junglists gathered to share music
and ideas. The radio show quickly focused in on JDB due to MP's willingness to explore, support and promote this rapid and complex music
Since Jungle was so closely related to the Jamaican Reggae-influenced
sound, DJs and producers who did not incorporate Reggae elements
began to adopt the term Drum and Bass to differentiate themselves and
their musical styles. Ihe move to Intelligent Drum and Bass, as they
named it, was also a conscious and concerted reaction by top DJs and
producers against a culture associated with violent elements.
JDB began in the United Kingdom in the late 1980s. Over the first
decade and a half of its existence there have been many permutations in
its style, incorporating elements from Dancehall, Electro, Funk, Hiphop,
House, Jazz, Metal, Pop, Reggae, Rock, Techno and Trance. The mid-
1990s saw the splintering of die JDB scene into stylistically similar sub-
genres which would tend to be known by its name as opposed to either
Jungle, or Drum and Bass. Today all sub-genres are usually grouped by
the umbrella term Drum and Bass to simplify the promotion of it.
Since the beginning of the second millenium, Canadian producers
such as Krinjah, Sixteenarmedjack and KGB Kid, alongside Americans
such as Soundmurderer, Tester and RAW, have been gaining popularity with their updated version of Jungle that features intricate, rolling
drum patterns and a fresh Reggae sound The promotion of this music
is made largely through the online networks of Web 2.0, sparking a -
small but dedicated international interest Producers of this new-
school sound are continuing to build bridges in revoicing classic reggae
singers to produce new works.
While JDB's maintream success occurred in tne UK, there has been a
strong underground presence in clubs and after-hours venues in North
America. This music often scores video game and film soundtracks, and
is used as background music in television commercials due to its fest
and catchy pace. You can find out about this musical genre in magazines and books, but mainly on-line through dedicated portals, forums,
communities and internet radio stations. If you're interested in knowing more about JDB in Vancouver, visit the nwdnb.bc.ta forum.
JDB is at the forefront o/Shadow Jugglers. Rest assured that this form
of dance music is a style you will often hear every Saturday from 7 to 9p.m.
on CiTR 101.9 FM.
September 2007
CiTR 101.9 FM and AMS FIRSTWEEK proudly present:
THE CiTR OPEN HOUSE
Wednesday September 5th, 2007
4pm to 9pm
Come and join us for:
station tours * production demos
free DJ workshops * give a loon get a tune
Plus a chance to go on the air!
For more info, call our promotion team at 604-822.8648 or visit
us at www^citr.ca
Other FIRSTWEEK events CiTR will be part of:
Monday: The Totem Park End of Summer Smash w/ DJ Maxwell
Maxwell from 5pm to 8pm at Totem Park ^fe^.,?
Tuesday: The Imagine UBC Carnival from 2pm to 5pm @ the
Main Carnival Area
Wednesday: The FIRSTWEEK Pool Party @ The Aquatic Centre
w/ DJ Maxwell Maxwell from 9pm to 12am W£Mgm
Thursday: CiTR DJs <3> Brock Hall (times TBA)
Friday: CiTR at the FIRSTWEEK Skating Party @ the UBC
Wintersports Centre w/ DJ Brendan Butter from 9:45pm to 11:15pm Russian
Futurists
1 MrXahey
Thurs
Oct, 18
at the Pit Pub
Tues
Oct, 23
at the Pit Pub
icketweb, Outpost
Bonobo w/ Paul Devro ■£ r^ARLlMAF
Mon 10.09.07-PIT PUB |
ALPHA YAYA PIALLO >
Thu 27.09.07 - T&JUS STUDIO THEATRE
MOTHER MOTHER
Thu O*.,1j0.O7 * TEyj^-STUpiq^r^f^
Thu 11.10.07 - TaJUS STUDIO THEATRE *
FINAL FANTASY W/ GREAT
LAKE SWIMMERS
Sat 20.10.07
RICHARDS ON RICHARDS
FEAT. THE LOCUST W/
GUESTS
Sat 03.11.07-
SUB BALLROOM, UBC
Sun 25.11.07 -'CHAN CENTRE
Dlscoi^er^ra*
O PIMattyMJS007 Examined
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■■■■■HE INTERNET has changed our Uves in
I so many ways that, for some of us, it's hard to
I imagine what life was Uke before it. Back in the
days when getting porn or seUing your old G.I. Joes
required leaving the house, there were traditional celebrities Uke Prince or Madonna, or the Queen of England.
These celebrities are stiU found in the tabloids of today,
of course, but the Internet has made it possible for the
common man to rise up into their ranks as weU. Witness
Paris HUton, the Numa Numa Kid and the disembodied hand that gropes the women of the BangBus movies.
These are people that the Net has brought into our Uves.
The ubiquity of the Net and the accessibiUty of digital
cameras has been the great equaUzer of the last decade,
and at the forefront of this movement has been YouTube,
the site where you are just as ttkely to find some self-
centered blogger as you are to find a drunken David
Hasselhoff eating a cheeseburger.
WhUe Hasselhoff may not appreciate the ease in which
a video can be shared over the Internet, others are taking
fuU advantage of the audience. Meet MattyMJ2007.
I still remember seeing him dance for the first time:
I was kUUng time at work browsing offtopic.com, a
popular forum with thousands of people onUne at any
moment, when I came across a thread about a funny
video on YouTube. The post had a Unk to a kid dancing
to "Thritter" in his kitchen. InitiaUy, I was reUeved that I
wasn't the only one who had tried to dance Uke Michael.
WhUe I had quickly reaUzed that I was unable to do
more than a crude imitation of the King of Pop, the guy
in the video kept on practising. The dancer was, of course,
MattyMJ2007, and his performance was the result of
many years of watching Michael dancing in slow-mo
and many years performing for friends and famUy.
This doesn't mean that his performance was stage quality, or even Ian Ziering of Dancing With The Stars quaUty.
Matty looks at the camera too much and his "stage" is
far too smaU. Then there's MattyMJ himself: Matty is
to Michael Jackson what WiUiam Hung is to Pavarotti.
MattyMJ is even paler than Michael, sUghtiy chubby,
and he has none of the grace or finesse of Michael. He
has obviously practiced these moves a thousand times
before, but it's physicaUy impossible for him to move Uke
the King of Pop. (WeU, he comes close to the old-white-
guy-that-didn't-ttke-Michael in Ghosts, a role played by
Michael Jackson in a fat suit.) When I saw this video
MattyMJ had posted of himself in tear-away track pants
and socks dancing in his kitchen, I had to find out more
about the guy. I looked at his other videos and found
"ThdUer" wasn't his only contribution. He has also done
"Dangerous," "Bad," "BiUy Jean," and even "The Way
You Make Me Feel" (as performed at the 1983 Grammy
Awards). When I saw that he was local-the videos are aU
filmed in and around his Surrey house—I was hooked.
It wasn't until I saw aU the names scrolling past in his
100-subscribers shout-out video that I reaUzed I wasn't
the only one who had been captivated by this guy. They
say the Net is the great equaUzer, and I have to agree.
Here's a giiy from Surrey who has people aU over the
world watching his videos. It used to be that being
famous meant you were a movie star or a potttician, but
now that's aU changed. The Internet is not just a "series
of tubes" moving emaUs and porn about. There's something else moving through those tubes, something caUed
"freedom." t
You Can't Hear People Laugh At You On The Internet
MattyMJ is one of those people who isn't afraid to
share the intimate detaUs of his Ufe. His videos include
a montage of photos from his latest trip to Disneyland, and he's even got an agonizingly long monologue
catted "My Life Story." When it comes to their personal
Uves, traditional celebrities shy from the pubttc eye, but
MattyMJ bares all.
I think that's what makes Internet "celebrities" Uke
MattyMJ more authentic than the Queen or Cher:
they're real people. They're not any different than you or
me (no, the same cannot be said for either the Queen
or Cher), which means that we could be famous, too.
There's nothing stopping us from putting our own
quirky talents on display-apart from the fear of being
by chris- dryden
screen caps by matfcymj
mertilessly taunted by anonymous e-thugs.
Strangely enough, though, this fear seems to be, for
the most part, unfounded. The viewer response to aU
of MattyMJ's videos has been overwhehningly positive. So positive, in fact, that I wonder about some of
the people making them (in response to MattyMJ2007's
"Billy Jean," user Presley Jackson said, "Haha!! My fav
song!! I love the music...and the way how MJ sings just
blow me off!! AA Ur so sexy!!" [sic]), but I have yet to
see a negative comment on any of his videos. Of course,
you can erase comments that you don't Uke on YouTube,
but to this day, I've only heard him mention someone
saying something negative about him once. He is good
at what he does, but if I were a chubby white guy that
uploaded a video of myself doing pelvic thrusts to "BiUy
Jean," I would expect the Internet to humble me. Some
comments even mention this (user Symbioteofadiety
said, "You dance Uke, magic! I tried that once and got
a, comment that I suck! Aww I wish I could dance Uke
that!"), but it appears that MattyMJ doesn't have many
haters. I'm glad that the flamers and troUs have passed
him by because I'd hate for him to get discouraged and
stop making videos.
If Matty's popularity proves anything, it's that you don't
need to be rich or arrogant or have a symbol instead of a
name to be famous anymore. You don't even need to be
particularly talented. You just need to let the world into
your Uving room and dance Uke no one is watching.
Chris is the host of I Like The Scribbles Friday nights
at midnight until early Saturday morning on CiTR 101.9
FM. Chris interviewed MattyMJ earlier this year and the
entire unedited interview is available for download at www.
iUkethescribbles.com 0
36 September 2007 tihpi
AN AfONQQN
fAw^ MM M M
PUKE
BY
JACKIE WOnO
photo by bev davies
[on
InJ
ARIKf
COMMONS
KNOWN A*
ruT
Disturbing shit for a living is no easy task.
Joe Keithley is one of the hardest-working punk advocates in Vancouver, pioneering the city's underground
and hardcore scene for almost 30 years.
Keithley is the longest-standing member of Vancouver punk icons D.O.A., the founder of Sudden Death
Records, author of J, Shithead: A Life in Punk, the leader
of recently-formed Joey Shithead and his Band of Rebels,
and an avid poUtical activist. He's also run in two B.C.
provincial elections as a Green Party candidate.
In short, Ufe's busy. Although his individual projects
exceed what others might accompUsh in a lifetime,
Keithley shows no signs of slowing down.
"It's been a real busy summer with lots of Uttle shows,
stuff with famUy," he says on the phone from his Burnaby home. He's reeently returned from a fanuly road trip
through Washington, where he caught a Seattle Mariners basebaU game. "We've had some good days camping
up in Cultus Lake. With what I do, I kind of pick out
any day I want to go, so it's, 'Okay, the weather's good,
let's go.' I guess it's one of the reasons I've worked so"
hard over the years, so I can do stuff Uke that."
For a man popularly known as "Shithead," Keithley
talks Uke a friendly neighbour. He speaks of fucking the
system with a warm fondness one might reserve for talking about the Canucks. He Uves by do-it-yourself values,
and it's obvious that much personal satisfaction has come
from actualizing his own success. ^aisl^i
"My phUosophy is you should be your own boss, think
for yourseU" and try to affect some sort of positive change
in this world," he says. "It doesn't have to be punk rock I
don't care about punk rock,/w.f£,Ijust care about making
people act and do things that make a better world, and
make some exciting, interesting music. I don't reaUy care
what it sounds Uke."
Aside from pointed disdain for CeUne Dion and
Beyonce, most music, in Keithley's mind, holds something of merit. "Almost every type has something creative
or interesting about it," he says. "I don't reaUy have a real
box around-the way it should be."
Keithley maintains music today still needs a kick in the
pants: the current scene lacks the revolutionary fervor he
recaUs from the start of his career with D.O.A. in the late
seventies. "In '77, it was a funny period that was pretty
experimental," he says. "We had only just heard of punk
rock, and a poster on the street said something Uke 'Punk
rock it'U make you puke.' I looked at it—and you know, I
was about 18—and I was like, 'Wow, that sounds cool.'
"In those days, there was a perception amongst us that it
was a revolutionary thing that we were doing. There were
lots of changes to the system and fucking with the system.
A lot of that was represented by bands Uke The Clash
and The Sex Pistols because they were messing With the
system, which, to me, is what I always think is part of rock
music and what's part of being punk rock," he says.
Now, with the accessibiUty of online rock stardom via
MySpace Music and easy digital recording technologies,
Keithley thinks new kids' on the block should hit the
road before hitting their modems. "[Musicians today]
can get by with just a minimal amount of working at
it," he says. "If you use all the stuff on the Internet—
we're talking about MySpace and people can download
the songs—that's good, but [touring and playing Uve] is
probably more important. You gotta get out there and
inspire people, and people can be inspired when they see
that. Let's reaUy put some fucking piss and vinegar back
into the whole thing."
Despite the proUfic success of D.O.A., Keithley is no
stranger to the dirty work involved in getting a band off
the ground. "We didn't have any money," Keithley recaUs.
One of their first San Francisco shows involved sneaking across the border from Vancouver, hitchhiking into
the city and scavenging borrowed gear on the night of
the shew. "We decided, let's take a chance and get down
there, and if we're sleeping in an alley, we're sleeping in
.an attey," he says. "I stiU try to get out there and raise heU
and get people to think—that's a big part of what I try
to do, and why I stitt do this." &^t^^
Keithley remains optimistic about new generations
of musicians. WhUe a lifetime of experience makes for
enough scene cred to kill a horse, he's the last one to
think the good old days of punk rock were the only ones
worth Uving. "You can't stay the same," he says. "There's
always a sense of nostalgia about D.O.A., but I don't
beUeve we're considered a nostalgia act because there's
new stuff involved and new ideas."
"Tve run into lots of people who all just totatty go, 'Oh
Joe, don't you just hate all this new punk?'Well, I don't
Uke it aU. Some of it I can't stand. But there's some new
stuff that's good and it's a new generation. Things have
to move on and people change. Sounds and music and
culture change as you go along," he says.
Keithley's advice to aspiring musicians: strive for orig-
inaUty. "If you try and foUow a trend of what's popular
now, the big record companies have already figured this
out. They've already figured out how to sell it to punk
people and so you're already a couple years behind. If
people want to be successful in music, find something
original, do it and stick to that style."
As Keithley keeps on keeping on, critics will keep
trying to put in their two cents about him and the future
of Canadian punk. MeanwhUe, his chttdren—aged 20,
18, and 11—are perhaps his most neutral audience.
"None of them are really punk rock fans. It's not that
unique for them," he says. "My daughter says stuff Uke,
You know, Dad, I thought D.O.A. was cool. Except for
the fact you're in it.'"
Joey Shithead and His Band of Rebels have a CD release
party scheduled for November 22nd at the Plaza. D.Oji.
play a Vancouver show at the Plaza on September 27th. V
Discorder 37 Octoberman
RUNS
TO
SAFETY
££ Don't be a chicken turned musician. Don't be a
™™cow, rock now!" Although Octoberman's Marc
Morrissette didn't write this lyrical gem himself
(the honour goes to ex-Royal City guitarist, Jim Guthrie), he certainly embraces it. Both personaUy and musically, he has always been a man witting to take a chance
on the path less-travelled, never looking back and never
second-guessing. Last year, Morrissette grabbed a guitar,
quit his cozy day job and left everything behind to
embark on a four-month-long solo tour that took him
all across North America and Europe. Not many people
are committed enough about their craft to take such a
risk into the unknown.
"There were many highlights, but the shows opening
for my friend, Barzin, in Spain were pretty insane."Marc
recalls when asked about the trip, "The venues were these
amazing churches and theatres, and the promoters would
take us out for a massive traditional Spanish meal that
we would finish ten minutes before my set-time. One of
those meals was catted black rice, which I didn't reattze
unttt afterwards was black from squid ink!"
Morrissette started bis first project, kids these days,
mostly as a solo bedroom recording venture, playing
shows sparingly and randomly, here and there. It didn't
get serious until he convinced some friends to play with
him at SHiNDiG in 2002. Shortly afterwards, kids
these days switched from being his project to more of
a songwriters' coUective. Morrissette was excited about
this, but he stitt needed another outlet for his more
narrative, meUower songs. It was then that Octoberman
began to take shape and very shortly afterward a solo
tour ensued.
Things sometimes go full circle, however, and with kids
these days now on an extended hiatus, it would seem that
Morrissette is. turning Octoberman up a notch, musically. This is especially evident with a careful Usten of
Run from Safety, the second full-length album. <
"The main reason for the mellow sparseness on the
first [Octoberman album] was that I wanted it to sound
completely opposite of what kids these days was doing.
For the latest one, we'd been playing as a four-piece for a
whUe, so the sound naturaUy got bigger and more urgent,
with the odd quiet ditty thrown in there during recordings." Marc notes, "(For Octoberman) I write most of
the songs on acoustic guitar and then bring them to the
guys to work out as a band. The music usually comes first,
except for "Impossible Way," where the words were written in advance, I have, always written a lot on the road,
but for this record, everything was written at home."
As for origin of the album name, Run from Safety
(which is also the name of a song), Marc explains, "My
brother recommended a Richard Bach book to me called
Running from'Safety. I wasn't really a big fan of the book
but I loved the title. I beUeve the theme is captured wett
in the album artwork, which were ideas that I sent to
Jeffry Lee that he really brought to Ufe. The imagery of
buffaloes and businessmen jumping off a cttff, only to
grow smaU, imaginary wings."
"Currently, a Uve Octoberman show consists of Morrissette along with Rob Josephson on drums, Graham
Christofferson on bass, Chris L. McLaughUn on guitar
and Leah Abramson on keyboards. McLaughUn and
Abramson are the newest additions."C.L. (from National
Shield, Panurge) and I had been talking about playing
together for years, but the timing never worked out. He
even played and sang on the first Octoberman record.
So when he agreed to join, it was high-fives aU around,"
says Morrissette. "As for Leah, we played a charity show
together and I was blown away by her voice and immediately asked her to sing on the new record. Strangely
enough, the first time we performed together was at the
Commodore, opening for Hawksley Workman. We had
one night to rehearse and were shitting bricks in the
green room for two hours."
The entire cast of Octoberman witt be going on tour
in October. A very fitting month for a band named as
such, but the month selection was purely a lucky coin
cidence. They witt be traveUing to Montreal and back
with their longtime White Whale Records labelmates,
the Mohawk Lodge.
"I always prefer playing with a band, but I do enjoy
the challenges of performing solo and trying to win
over the crowd," Morrissette says, when asked about
the difference between playing solo versus playing with
a full band. "It's just very difficult, logistically, to fly a
band all over the place to tour, especially when it's your
first time playing any of these places and you don't know
what to expect."
As for what wiU happen after the tour, Morrissette
hints, "We've got a batch of new songs that we're hoping
to record in November. The new stuff is different than
anything we've ever done. Some of it is kind of slack
Sabbath. No joke."
Octoberman starts their cross Canada tour October 4
in Vancouver, at the Ukrainian Hall.
http://octoberman.ca M
Words by Ben Lai
Photos by Tpbie Marie Bannister
28 September ;
The Mint debut out on September 18th
'A rather lovable BC band, whose synth-kissed Jangle-pop
mash notes ooze with acid-tongued suggestion when you
read between the pretty-penned lines." (Eye Weekly}
'Boasting classic boy/girl harmonies combined with
insatiable hooks, belia will leave you humming their
infectious melodies for days afterwards." (NME)
www.bellamusic.org www.myspace.com/bella
release party: October 4 @ The Railway CiTR 101.9 FM presents... the longest running music battle in Vancouver
SEPTEMBER LINEUP
11 th ^e National Shield
The Remedials
The SSRIs
18th DUP0BS
The Green Hour
t Retrofire x
25th CANARIES ~ I
The Ludvico Treatment
Stolen Bicycle Gang
Plus Jokes For Beer!
Every Tuesday night, shews at 9 PM
The Railway Club (Seymour/Dunsmuirl
"355TI * Bands subject to change.
"J®&*H For the latest schedules and results, visit
/C$\ I http://www.citr.ca
OUR GREAT SPONSORS:
THEHIVE
#s/f Week
INTERNATIONAL
MRUINE
MMWIWIff
\w_ffito^£w&
EMBER2 7™ TO OCTOBER 20™, 2
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GET A CHANCE ^N(lHJ^Ni OF||E *
AUTHENTIC JERSEYS WE ARE GIVING AWAY
% DOOLIN'S m
!>JlRlSH PUB?r'
We_ wwv^o<xins.cU UI N N ESS
Discorder September 21, 2007
$12/$8
doors 7:30, show 8 pm
Scotiabank Dance Centre1
677 Davie Street
Vancouver New Music presents
Some Cats from Japan
curated by Aki Onda
Atsuhiro Ito
(OPTRON fluorescent light tube noise-
maker)
Kanta Horio
(EM2 - electromagnetic audio device)
Fuyuki Yamakawa
(electronic stethoscope, bio-feedback
iightbulbs, Khoomei throat singing) MKWFoyNBfiioN
*
GUI TARS.GUI TARS! !
VANCOUVER NEW
17-20 OCTOBER
1 STAGE. 4 DAYS.
*give or take a dozen
MUSI C
200?
FEST!VAL
144 STRINGS.
Paolo Angeli 1 Oren Ambarchi 1 Sir Richard
Bishop | Nicolas Bragg | Bernard Falaise
| Gord Grdina | Her Jazz Noise Collective
| Annette Krebs 1 Rolf Lislevand | Rene
Lussier 1 Donald Miller | James Plotkin 1
Marc Ribot | Keith Rowe I Tony Wilson |
Walter Zanetti I & community workshops I
SCOTIABANK DANCE CENTRE. 8PM NIGHTLY
Tickets $15/$10 each night, available at the
door; Zulu Records & Tickets Tonight, j
www.ticketstonight.ca. |
Passes for all 4 nights, $50/$30, available at
the door or by calling 604.633.0861.
Mmm
THIS BRACING COLLECTION OF SONGS
BY HALIFAX INDIE ROCK BOOKWORMS
^^_ -WAS RECORDED AND MIXED BY
""ii&L ;-iWm §&tONY DO'OGAN
." "- (MOGWAI, BELLE & SEBASTIAN)
Wf\. r IN" THE MONTHS OF APRIL
9 AND MAY 2007.
UNIQUE,
EXPANSIVE,
GORGEOUS.
YOU'LL DANCE YOUR PANTS OFF.
WE ARE PLEASED TO PRESENT
IpHTERSLEEP'S
v^^lPKwBP-EliCTHRECORD,
. WELCOME tO THE NIGHT SKY.
FEATURES THE SINGLE "WEIGHTY GHOST"
IW STOKES: 10.02.2007
WWJr.WINTERSLEEP.COM
W Labwork Music I
30 September 2007 Daft Punk
+ RMtardSwBjt
Mailifi Bowl J}
AugusrlfN*^
The Vancouverites who got to see Wilco's Malkin Bowl
performance were lucky and lucky for two reasons. One,
unlike in poor Winnipeg, this show wasn't cancelled due
to guitarist Nels Cline's chicken pox. Two, and more
importantly, Vancouver got to witness Wilco at the top
of their game with a technically flawless set.
But before concertgoers could see how lucky they
were, they had to endure a rather dull performance by
Richard Swift, which was unfortunate, to say the least.
While this songwriter may lay down some exceptional
tunes on record, he failed to make much of an impression
live with his stripped-down set. Without all his inventive
production touches, his folk-inspired songs got dangerously close to adult-contemporary territory, making you
wish there was more than simply a voice, piano and guitar
coming out of the PA. Disappointing? Yes. But thankfully, the same could not be said of the headliners.
With three men up front, two to the side and one at
the back, Wilco quickly made it known why they are
one of the most successful bands out there. From the
opening chords of "Side with the Seeds" to the thundering applause that greeted the encore's close, Wilco never
missed a beat—literally. The sound and precision of their
set was outstanding, with the band playing in perfect
unison and at complete ease with one another. It's a rare
feat for a group to play so technically well, yet continue
to have a loose, relaxed feel, but this is exactly what
Wilco did. It was almost as if you could have recorded
the sound from the monitors, put it to tape and packaged it up as a proper album; no studio required.
And with aset list ranging fromA.M.'s "Too Far Apart"
to Yankee Hotels "Jesus, etc." to Sky Blue Sky's "Impossible
Germany," fans got a taste of everything. They also got
a taste of Nels Cline's impressive guitar antics, which
proved the art of shredding is far from dead.
At one point, Jeff Tweedy said, "We don't do so much
talkin' sometimes. Trust me. You're better off." And the
audience was. When you have songs these strong, stage
banter only gets in the way
If you missed it, sorry Don't worry too much, though.
Wilco is the band who loves you and never stays away
for long.
Brock Thiessen
+ The Rapture, SebastiAn & Kavinsky
Wamu theatre, Seattle
July 29
A large portion of Vancouver's music fans trekked it
down to Seattle to see Daft Punk play in what was many
people's first opportunity to see the electronica legends
stupendous live show.
While the Rapture opened for an impatient crowd eager
to bust a move, unfortunately, the size of Qwest Field's
Wamu Theatre made it difficult for the band. Having seen
them blow crowds away with their bass-driven, cowbell-
dinging, booty-shake-inducing, indie dance parties in
smaller venues, it was not a question of their ability to
perform that made this performance underwhelming.
Nevertheless, their set lacked the emotional bond
formed between, the audience and the band in a more
intimate setting. Bigger venues need bigger performances and the Rapture had a hard time footing this
bill. Also, they were about to be blown away by one of
the greatest electronic acts our world has ever seen, not
only as musicians, but as performers.
A number of you may have heard of Daft Punk's
appearance at Coachella in the summer of 2005. This
is now a near-legendary performance-—at least legendary among people who think things Hke specific performances can be legendary. It was a testament to Daft
Punk's ability to rock a party and keep it rocking. And
so, too, was this Seatde show.
While the bodies on stage don't work the crowd
much, they didn't have to: they had a giant pyramid to
do it for them. Tweaking knobs on. top of their pyramid, Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-
Christo sat surveying the crowd dressed in their shiny
robot costumes. And despite their show not dramatically
changing since their Coachella show, they still just sat
astride their pyramid like electronic kings before a swaying sea of humanity.
Playing a set that completely indulged the crowd's
desires, they flowed seamlessly between new mixes of
their best from Homework, Discovery and Human After
All. With their extensive catalog of songs, they pretty
much played hit after hit. They even played "One More
Time": one more time in a new mix and then remixed
one more time for their encore.
As this happened, the audience reduced to a vibrating
mass of human flesh rippling to the beat, your senses
were assailed by the gradually more complex imagery
of the lights. At first, Daft Punk simply flashed white
light to the beat the images, but they soon developed
them with colour, structure and detail, until the finale of
human faces flashed along to "Human After All."
Leaving the audience with huge drunken grins, Daft
Punk walked away from an incredible robot rock show,
causing us to drool and await their return.
Jordie Sparkle
subtle photo by adam koebel
+ Taxi Gang Pendontojah Band
Commodore Ballroom
August 17
The legendary Sly Dunbar 8c Robbie Shakespeare are
no strangers to Vancouver, passing through town at least
once a year with various guests for consistently well-
attended shows. Affectionately known as the Riddim
Twins, the duo are regarded as pioneers of Jamaican
music, having performed as the drummer (Dunbar) and
bassist (Shakespeare) on an estimated 200,000 tracks for
the likes of Peter Tosh, Black Uhuru and Gregory Issacs.
Also, their work as a production team has influenced
the development of modern dub and dancehall, and the
pair have collaborated with prominent artists outside the
reggae scene, including Serge Gainsbourg, the Rolling
Stones and, more recendy, Howie B.
Unlike many of their fellow countrymen who tour
relendessly yet often rely on past glory to sell tickets,
Sly & Robbie have always made an effort to keep their
concerts fresh by featuring a number of different vocalists and new material from their Taxi label. Their current
North American tour was planned no differendy, with
beloved tenor Horace Andy scheduled to make his
first Vancouver appearance in several years alongside
"Dancehall Queen" Cherine Anderson. Disappointingly, a makeshift sign greeted the audience, stating that
Andy—introduced to a new generation of fans through
his mid-'90s work with Massive Attack—would not be
performing. The absence of his influential presence and
distinct voice set the tone for the evening, although once
Sly, Robbie and their band hit the stage, the mood was
no less cheerful as a result.
The next hour and a half drifted by as it would at any
reggae show, full of smiles, spliffs, drinking and dancing. There were moments of genuine excitement as Sly &
Robbie would launch.into extended dub excursions, but
these were often tempered by the interminable length
of the drum-and-bass solos, which made it clear that
Jamaican music was not built on a foundation of instrumental virtuosity in the vein of American jazz. To say
that Andy's talents were missed during this portion of
the set would be an understatement, as it looked at times
like the headliners and the three-man Taxi Gang had
lost their direction.
Finally, the emergence of Anderson for the final 40
minutes of the show took the spotlight away from Sly
& Robbie and their guitar player/ad-hoc vocalist. Young,
beautiful and assertive, the multi-talented performer
commanded the stage with her powerful voice, inviting more than one comparison to a young Lauryn Hill.
After impressing the crowd by singing over classic reggae
rhythms like the Soul Vendors' "Real Rock," she ended
the night with an entertaining rendition of her Jamaican chart hit "Coming Over Tonight," proving that the
fusion of classic and modern sounds championed by the
tour could be a formula for continued success.
As for the opening act Pendomojah Band, the less said
about them the better. However, if you're interested in
watching an all-white group of musicians perform soulless covers of Bob Marley hits and reggae-fied versions
of Van Morrison classics, then say hello to your new
favourite band.
Chris Little
Discorder 31 RE*|E
Subtle
+ Thee More Shallows
Richard's On Richards >
August 8
Prior to this show, I had never even heard of Subde
before; I am not sure how I let such a creative and artistically driven band slip under my radar. This is most probably because I only learned to appreciate this group after
witnessing the intensity, creativity and general uncomfortable nature of their live performance. I will admit,
upon arrival, I was skeptical. I had never seen so few
people at Richard's, and the way that the stage was set up
made me immediately assume that these bands consisted
of pretentious indie music bastards. Chock full of props,
decorations and accessories, the stage looked like it was
about to host an art show instead of a music gig.
Since my total exposure time to this band prior to the
show remained steadily at zero, I was quite befuddled
to find small, hand-painted objects and displays, plastic
forks, and a skeletal bust sitting atop a fluted column all
already set in their proper places on stage.
Opening act,Thee More Shallows, performed a mellow
set, which, in my opinion, was not an adequate choice for
the opening slot of this show. It was a good performance,
but maybe for a different crowd.
Any pre-existing notions that Subde was just really
gimicky were soon dispelled when they began to play.
Apparendy, white people that are not Eminem can rap
like an eccentric professor on speed, as well. As it turns
out, Subde is not as pretentious as I originally perceived
them to be. It turns out that their lead singer is legitimately messed-up in the membrane. He can get away
with pulling a handful of red plastic forks from his
pocket only to immediately let them go because he's
crazy like that. And if he wants to stick his hand into
the skeletal bust, only to pull out two dice, no one is
going to stop him. I was awed and slighdy disturbed.
Only a truly crazy person could have come up with such
excellendy composed music to rival, and at the same
time complement, the sheer absurdity of their on-stage
performance.
Marielle Kho
Azeda Booth
The Lamplighter
July 23
Bands may come onstage at ungodly hours, but at the
Lamplighter, the wait for a performance can test the
most patient of punters. As much fun as it is to watch
musical instruments being rearranged as if they were
pieces of furniture, by the time the bands get to play,
most of the concert goers have let their beards grow a
little longer. In fact, Azeda Booth stood around shouting
about the monitor levels for ages before anything resembling a concert took place.
Curiously, while laboriously setting up, the drums are
placed at the front right of the stage and soon a circle
of five is formed, which contracts and divides as figures
move between their collective spaces. By the time the
band begins, it becomes apparent why they move around
each other in such an unorthodox way. THe drums are
shared by at least three of the band members and the
instruments are in a constant rotation. If Azeda Booth
is a many-headed beast, it uses its five interchangeable
limbs in a fluid and cohesive way.
As this year's Mysterious Body EP demonstrated, Azeda
Booth offers an interesting mix of glitchy electronics and
post-rock dynamics; but in a live setting—as a newly
expanded five-piece with extra guitars and drums—the
band has a fuller and more exhilarating sound, which
expands on what the EP sketched out.
32 September 2007
The singer still sings like a fragile little girl. The guitars
still clang together in ascending and repeated patterns.
And the electronics still churn away in the background
like the misunderstood tweets of an angry robot; but as a
bigger unit, Azeda Booth is reaching towards new horizons. As if to indicate how far the band has come since
its first release, the band barely touches any of the material on its new EP.
For Azeda Booth, being bigger may be better, but so
could the possibility of playing for a little longer. Many
of the songs have the potential of going off into further
uncharted areas of experimentation and discovery.
Nevertheless, there is a lot of promise in this incarnation
and they are band to watch for the future. But naturally,
in a Lamplighter setting, the sets are short and the stage
is meant for testing instruments, not playing them.
Christian Martius
Pelican
+ Clouds
Richard's On Richards
August 15
Metal has always been a fascinating genre to me.
It has so many subgenres that span so many different
tempos, distortions and noises. To go from an over-the-
top speed-metal band like Dragonforce to a death-metal
band like Necrophagist and also have a sludge-metal
band like sunnO))) in there, that's worth hours of exploration to me. I wish there was an encyclopedia of metal;
I'd sit down for hours with that book. I'd flip through
each blood-stained, information-laden page with full
attention, so gingerly and lovingly. And when I reach the
section on instro-metal bands, I'd be sure to come across
Pelican. It will remind me of that time that I saw them
live, and how, even though I had no prior knowledge of
the band, I left amazed and in love.
True to form, I had arrived just in time to miss the
opening act, but right in time to catch the headliners. If
it counts for anything, I overheard a few people mention
that the opening band, Clouds, were "fucking sick" and
"so heavy that my nuts shook." I kid you not.
If I had nuts, I'm pretty sure they would have been
shaking as I watched Pelican. As the band set up, I
noticed that there weren't any fancy stage props or
banners, and as I soon found out, there wouldn't be
any need for such things. The four-piece from Chicago
just jumped straight into their set, and straight into my
face. I'm pretty sure the dumbstruck expression of my
visage did not look at all flattering, but the band's natural movements and synchronicity complemented their
music so well that I suddenly only knew how to stand
still and watch the moving art in front of me. It felt like
a beautifully directed film, but with an awesome metal
soundtrack. Pelican did not just play and mosh; it felt
like they were honestiy sharing a true performance of
their music. It made, me think, this is what a live performance should be like. The next time I go to a show, I
hope that I feel as affected as I did by Pelican. Man, I
love metal.
Marielle Kho J|l|llte
St. Vincent
+ Death Vessel
The Lamplighter
July 31
The last time St. Vincent, a.k.a. Annie Clark, was in
Vancouver, she played for thousands of people. She was
opening for the Arcade Fire; an enviable opportunity
for a young artist for sure, but undoubtedly a daunting
one—a fact she alluded to during her recent show at the
Lamplighter. These intimate digs were certainlj^eieiBi
her comfort zone and she treated aUuVafctendance to a
lovely performance.
However; there was a significant delay before Clark
could take the stage. Joel Thibodeau of Death Vessel was
still running through his soundcheck when the doors
finally opened an hour late. He reappeared 40 minutes
later, meekly approached the mic and delved into a set of
cooing, acoustic, folk-rock.
And the reports are true: he does sound remarkably
like a woman. It seemed as if there was a woman singing
behind the curtains, and he was up front lip-syncing and
playing guitar—you know, like in the Wizard of Oz.
Although he was an adept guitar player and the songs
were rustic and passionate, much of crowd didn't pay
him much attention. It was the kind of performance
that would be startling at an open-mic night, but here,
it was a bit too unassuming for its own good. Nevertheless, if you looked around, you could see a few audience
members enjoying it thoroughly.
St. Vincent's set was also charming. More often than
not, she and her band recreated her record Marry Me as
faithfully as possible—a tall task considering its complex
orchestration. Much of the record's lush intricacy was
inevitably lost in a five setting, notably the jazzy piano
adornments added by Bowie collaborator and general
virtuoso Mike Garson.
However, the heavier, art-rock pieces fared quite well,
as she and her band had more leeway to improvise and
generally rock out. For example, the second song, "Now,
Now," climaxed with an effective—if slighdy put-on—
guitar freak-out, after which she dropped her guitar at
the corner of the stage like it was getting too hot and
then shyly uttered into the mic, "Thank you. It's very nice
to be here." A bit of a shtick perhaps, but one well suited
to her wunderkind talents.
It was an opportune time to see St. Vincent, as she
is an indie pop-star in the making and won't likely play
a room like the Lamplighter again any time soon. Her
blend of Sufjan Stevens orchestration (likely picked up
from her tenure in his band) and Feist-style, jazzy torch
songs couldn't be more a la mode; not to suggest that her
hipness is a means to an end in itself.
Indeed, she is the real article, weaving her jazz and
pop influences with grace and maturity well beyond her
24 years. Perhaps, she has yet to truly come of age as a
performer, but otherwise she is way ahead of the curve.
Michael Fodor
Frosted Tipz
The Lamplighter
July 21
Having taken on a new singer, Frosted Tipz exude
a more serious approach to rock 'n roll. Lost are the
synthesizers, but Amy Van Keeken can shake a tambourine like your grandmother can shake carpets: furiously
and fucking seriously. In fact, it brings her to her knees.
And it brings the strings:—Curtis Ross on guitar and
Alan Hildebrandt on bass—to her sides, almost like- a
big brother protection move, but really more the posturing that all photographers yearn for from their subjects.
And what do you know? A click-click of the shutter, and
they are immortalized as such.
Overheard in the audience: "No one is into Slayer for
a summer. It's a lifetime commitment." While Frosted
Tipz aren't courting such a serious commitment from
their adoring freaks, they do play at the fervor that can
inspire such devotion. They perform with the gende-
men up front and centre—their guitar necks standing
straight up at vertical attention, wailing in-sync through
the air above their heads. Keeken's sing-song is cut with
metal, and Darren Chewka's drumming calls both his
fellow players and the audience into tough-guy dance
steps. They are sort of like a doting host, aiming to ensure
entertainment.
The abundance of sex-guitar face, at the very least,
communicates how much fun they are having, and it is
nearly impossible not to surrender to it. Shake your bloody
hips! In the end, they will reward you with the most spectacular, surprise cover you can rock 'n' roll cover imagine. How Many Times Have I Heard "Revolution" Today?
Under The Volcano Festival z©@7
by Simon Foreman
A warm summer's day .marked the 17th Under the Volcano festival in North Vancouver's Cates Park. The event was christened after
Malcolm Lowry's 1947 novel, which he wrote while squatting in a
shack in what is now the festival site. Under the Volcano is radically
countercultural—a hotbed of activist groups and protest music that
gathers everyone, from hippies to hipsters, under its banner of "art and
social change.''
Travel far enough back from the main stage and you found booths
representing an assortment of politically-minded operators, including socialist and communist organizations, anti-Olympics groups and
sellers of medicinal cannabis remedies. One booth even encouraged
festivalgoers to throw pinecones at cardboard cutouts of several conser-
This is where my two companions and I began our festival experience. We stopped to hear out the folks from InSite, representing the
safe-injection site in the Downtown Eastside, because they had an
innovative proposition. With the site coming under threat of a government shutdown, they were inviting individuals to write a short note to
the prime minister about why the site should stay open; each of these
notes would be mailed separately, forcing the receivers to open each
envelope by hand. After handing in our completed letters, we ambled
over to one of the many communist booths where I bought a sticker
featuring; Karl Marx crossing his arms alongside a "Say NO to Capitalism!" slogan.
On hiatus in 2006 for financial reasons, the festival has thankfully
returned in basically the same form but with one notable exception:
the customary experimental/wacked-out DJ tent was absent. Mourning this loss with a sigh, my friends and I headed to the waterfront
stage to take in some tunes.
Blackie LeBlanc & the Kytami Revolution
It was in this duo that we first saw Kytami, a violin virtuoso who
was performing with several acts that day. Her vaguely Celtic-sounding strains accompanied Blackie LeBlanc's guitar in songs that were
slow and rocking by turns. After a tune about how pounding back
i theme of drinking became apparent; the
remaining songs were all taken from the duo's latest album, Tbinkiii
About Drinkin'. However, they have enough talent to warrant more
than merely being tagged as a good-times bar act. The next time I hear
from them, I'll have high expectations.
Cascabella
Their bio cited comparisons to the Mars Volta and Refused, but all
I found in Cascabella was frat-boy-type nu-metal, like early Deftones
but with zero artistic sensibility. We tolerated them for a few songs, but
then their tunes grew too generic for our tastes. Soon, we decided to
investigate the other stage.
Delhi 2 Dublin
Later in the day, Delhi 2 Dublin injected Bhangra and traditional
Indian music with some contemporary beats and Kytami's fiddle work,
whipping the crowd into a dance frenzy. The electric sitar (!) and the
man on the dhol (a double-sided barrel drum) were both amazing, but
keeping an eye on the dancers in front of the stage was just as much
fun. (A highlight was the guy in pink pants and rainbow-coloured
puffy sleeves—only at Under the Volcano, folks.)
Swan Island
These five ladies from Oregon played moody-but-poppy indie rock
and were actually rather enjoyable. They came offlike a dumbed-down.
Interpol or the Organ, with some distant cues taken from the Smiths
or the Police. If they could only infuse a bit more complexity into their
work, they could be winners someday. But for now, they'll be. honing
their skills on side stages.
Keynote Speaker Dorothy Stowe
In the founder of Greenpeace's keynote address, she described in
maddening detail the genesis of the "Don't Make A Wave Committee" '
and its protests against the nuclear testing taking place on Amchitka
Island in the early '70s. Dorothy Stowe is getting op in years nowadays, and as a result, she tended to be a bit doddering in her anecdotes. However, many in the crowd still appreciated what an impact
this lady has had on the world of environmental activism for the last
three decades.
Pura Fe w/ Danny Godinez
Accompanied by the astounding guitar playing of Seattle's Danny
Godinez, First Nations songstress Pura Fe sang grizzled, folky
numbers. In a way, she came offlike some kind of Bob Dylan figure,
telling her stories of people and places with wisdom and a keen eye.
Fes gravelly vocals and lap-style guitar spun some fine folk songs, but
Godinez stole the show with lightning-fast solos and a mastery of his
instrument. The duo's stylings were a nice complement to the setting
sun and calming atmosphere it brought.
No One Is Illegal
A member of an organization called No One Is Illegal spoke about
the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP), an alliance of "shared
values" between Canada, the United States and Mexico. The SPP is
set to expand North American free trade and allegedly enable greater
exploitation of cheap, inhumane labour. What came after was a skit
by the speaker and several of her fellow members about security and
personal information. It implied that the SPP would result in a fascist
"Fortress North America," which will persecute virtually every citizen
within its borders.
This is the main problem I and many others have with Under the
Volcano: its politics. They tend to be so radical that they obscure any
cause it endorses beneath raucous rah-rah protests and absurd exaggeration. The SPP is something the thinking public needs to be aware of,
for sure^but blowing it up into a totalitarian conspiracy that threatens
the entire population's freedoms results in nothing but eye rolling and
dismissal from the average person. What NOII and several of Under
the Volcano's other pet groups need to understand is that shock tactics
hurt their causes, not advance them. When one of my friends turned
to me and asked, "How many times have I heard 'revolution' today?"
his disdain was the perfect example of how the festival continues to
flounder in its quest for social change.
Black Mountain
Politics thankfully faded into non-existence as Stephen McBean
and his scruffy rock-n-roll army began to play, I sensed some new
material, but it was tough to tell through the thick layer of distortion
and mesmerizing grooves. Guitar troubles for McBean saw "No Hits"
stretched into a huge, Moog-driven jam while he worked out the kinks
in his equipment. However, the malfunction was handled so smoothly
by the rest of the band that the song still swept everyone away to a
psychedelic dreamland. Elsewhere, "Druganaut" carried all the swagger
it should. The final song of the night, another colossal jam (this time
intentional), shrank down to almost nothing before building up into
the kind of epic rock-out this day needed to come to a perfect end.
HRSTA
GHOSTS HILL COME
ANO KISS OUR EYES
SAN0R0 PERRI
TINY MIRRORS
FEU THERESE
C.4 VA COGNER
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NOR TH mm,&ES£&T&&
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34 September 2007 Bishop Allen
The Broken String
Frank Black
The indie-pop buzzes tunefully with glockenspiel and
mildly distorted guitars on Bishop Allen's latest, The
Broken String. There is a loose story or theme that holds
throughout the album of perhaps a bohemian traveller,
ideas of movement and social coincidence occuring
repeatedly. The lyrics recall the cadence of Leonard
Cohen, and are accompanied by instrumentation halfway
between The Mountain Goats and Sufjan Stevens. The
instrumental breaks, with flute, horn, guitar, drums and
glockenspiel end up sounding pretty and well-placed.
Whereas this album is not as intensely cathartic as one
by Sunset Rubdown, the joyful pop of "Click, Click,
Click, Click" induces smiles nonetheless.
In 2006, Bishop Allen undertook the incredible project
of making an album for every month of the year. These
albums (for example: June, April, et cetera) have given
the band time to become extremely adept at crafting
a well-written song. The somewhat prosaic content of
the lyrics is effectively offset by smart, dramatic musical
accompaniment with virtually no moments of excess or
filler, allowing the music to progress organically from
orchestral pop to folky jams. In the end, a variety of
moods and levels of intensity are the album's greatest
strength. This is pretty folky music, with a cosmopolitan
edge to it. I look forward to the direction Bishop Allen's
music will take in the future, as there is still room for
further development of their already promising sound,
Arthur K.
Baby Control
Best War
(Ache Records) *
Hard and riffy. Dirty and noisy. Baby Control, the
newest band from Ache Records, venture into noise-
punk with erratic guitar riffs crashing around them.
Fronted by Zoe Verkuylen, who wails, screams and
occasionally sings, their songs contain only slighdy more
pop structure than Ache Records anti-music group,
Winning. They piece together abrasive, crashing protests
to pop music with just enough song structure to make the
album pleasant to Usten to. Spilling angry, erratic sounds
out all over the floor, you're left realizing this is exacdy
what you wanted-a mess of sound hitting you in the
face. The four piece is unified best by what appears to be
a barely controlled direction in the dynamic style of their
musicianship. Just because Baby Control plays music
that doesn't sound much like the music you'd normally
listen to does not mean they are not talented musicians.
What do I know about you-anyways? Maybe you Usten
gggytgressive noise-punk aU day, everyday. Maybe you're
in the Mutators. That would explain it. Either way, you
might notice simiUarities between the two bands.
While the album barely clocks in at 22 minutes, it
doesn't feel Uke it's missing anything in the 11 tracks that
compose it. Verkuylen screams, "I don't want to sit and
wait" on opener "Gun Face," warning you to expect the
constant impatience of their dynamic music that rarely
^keetosa beat for more than 30 seconds before switching
it up. "Young Love/Youth TroU" is a gritty, relentless two
minutes of musical chaos that sets the tone for the rest
of the album that follows. Baby Control have managed
to successfuUy record a sound that Vancouver's scene has
-'beeri.honing for the last year orsb. Noise-punk is here to
stay and Baby Control is bringing it home.
Jordie Sparkle
93-03
(Cooking Vinyl)
Kurt Cobain once said that "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was
an attempt to rip off the Pixies. Such was his admiration
for the fellow grunge band at the time, along with his
imitation vocals of Pixies leader Black Francis: the screechy,
raspy voice sung with a yowling yet melodic rhythm.
On Frank Black's latest solo release, 93-03, the Boston
native's screams are heard on 22 of his greatest hits, along
with a bonus Uve disc that features performances with his
post-Pixies group, the CathoUcs.The album is a decade-
long retrospective that does .not feature songs from his
last five albums, yet clearly shows just how Black can
alter his sound and stiU sound modern, paving the way
of what's to come with his soon-to-be-released 16th
album, Bluefinger. The album is a long journey through
his career and notably begins with the heavy-riffed "Los
Angeles," and ends with the melancholy Irish nostalgia
of "Manitoba,"having a similar feel to that of the famous
Christmas song by the Pogues and the late Kirsty
MacColl, "Fairytale of New York," such is the warmth of
the tune with its joUy orchestra. The album evolves just
Uke his sound has-softer yet keeping its edge.
Hearing Frank Black for the first time in a long while
reminded me of Ustening to a Seattle-based radio station
while driving through the city where, in the early '90s, aU
they played was Nirvana and Frank Black Black's was a
refreshingly different sound at the time and each song
was unique. Teenager of the Year's "Speedy Marie" came
straight from the '80s and, because of its alternative
baritone, gave the track a novel feel,persuading the Ustener
to stay where they were and see the album out. The song
that has stuck out for me, however, is "Hermaphroditos";
a bluesy groove that, minus the vocals, would have fooled
into thinking it was the sound of the Rolling Stones.
The coUection of songs on the two discs that make up
this album alternate between hard rock-Und space rock,
giving a glimpse of the many '90s garage-rock bands
that foUowed Blacks and the Pixies' lead-and they are
so obvious to pick out here. "Massif Centrale" can be
mistaken for the Offspring, whue "Bad Harmony" and
"Western Star" surely helped guide Weezer to their recent
commercial success. Other tunes, such as the lyricaUy
brilUant "Czar," could be forgiven for being mistook
as Billy Corgan tracks. And if you hadn't noticed the
indistinguishable Cobain-like hooks, then simply refer
back to the quote at the start of this piece. For he, and
many other foUowers, aU know just who the original is.
Sarshar Hosseinnia
King Khan & His Shrines
What Is?!
(Hazelwood) jQ£i.
Often, bands that are intent on faithfuUy recreating
music from another era, bubble over with self-importance,
and mythologize their history to an extent that varies
from playful to outright fallacious. (See: The Black Lips,
The Hives, The Brain Jonestown Massacre, The White
Stripes.) King Khan & His Shrines are no different, as
the transcript of any interview wiU attest. In the case of
their brethren, part of this image cultivation stems from
a steadfast beUef in the superiority of their influences,
coming to pass in the form of a sly wink before they let
their music do the talking. A more pragmatic reason for
aU the bravado may be that their histories aren't nearly
as exciting as the music they make. But in the case of
King Khan & His Shrines, truth is more compelling
than fiction.
continued on page 36
Discorder 35 continued from page 35
Khan is from Montreal, born into a reUgious
(Christian) Indian family. He pursued music from a
young age, eventuaUy leaving the city to tour with the
Spaceshits in 1995. After a European tour in 1999, Khan
opted to stay in Germany where the modey crew that
is the Shrines would form around him. In the mix was
famous soul percussionist Ron Streeter (who worked
with Curtis Mayfield and Stevie Wonder among others),
an organ player from Bordeaux and "a horn section of
rowdy teenagers." Not exactiy the typical two friends who
met in coUege and shared an affinity for '60s rock
What Is?!, King Khan 6c His Shrines third platter, is
their best yet, cruising to that distinction on unbridled
• vivacity alone. The compositions, though, are what truly
distinguish it. The main point of reference is American,
'60s garage-rock, specifically of the soul-inflected, acid-
damaged variety that is peppered throughout Rhino's
expanded Nuggets box set. Gritty, Stax horns, funk
rhythms and British psychedeUa are overt influences as
weU, adding, in the case of the former, a bit of muscle, and
in the latter, some nostalgic mysticaUty.The opener, "(How
Can I Keep You) Outta Harms Way," rides a killer riff, an
invigorating descending horn part, and segues into verses
buoyed by vintage Hammond organ and Khan's parched,
youthful vocals. The Wilson Pickett rehash "Land of the
Freak" is equally exhilarating, and it stretches Khan's raspy
abandon to its absolute Umit.
It's not a perfect record, however. It's a bit long and
when the tempo wanes, interest may foUow suit. The
sighing horns of "Cosmic Serenade" sound Uke the band
winding down after a hard day, and whUe it's not totaUy
weak, it's an unwelcome intermission. AdditionaUy, the
. closer, "The BaUad of Lady Godiva," loses the plot a bit,
trading energy for a languid folk drone. And while it
appears to be a noble ode to Vancouver's downtrodden
women of the Eastside, (a nod to Khan's being Canadian)
it doesn't play to the band's strengths.
These are exceptions, however, and most of the record is
choice. The garage-rock ravers are fantastic and Khan and
Co.'s abiUty to recreate a '60s sounds is remalrkable. The
fuzz guitar, Khan's strained, reckless vocals and the mystical
proselytising are all pitch-perfect. The best tracks here
could be sprinkled into a playUst of premier garage-rock
and not be distinguished from their ancestors. They should
be amazing live. HopefLdly they'U tour Canada soon.
Michael Fodor
m
undeL
\J
The Dirty Tricks
Sauve Qui Peut!
(Blue Skies)
PersonaUy, I love a good punk-rock album, with aU
its hard and fast instrumentais and heavy vocals that, at
times, can be difficult to understand. Sauve Qui Peut!,
the second album by the Dirty Tricks, faUs right into
this category. On this album, the instrumentais have a
rich sound created by a perfect blending of Jonathan
Beauregard and Lucas Rupnik's two guitars, drumming
by Alexandre d'Anjou, the bass playing of David
Laplante, and Patrick-Paul Michon's synth.
When I first Ustened to this album, I had a difficult time
understanding the lyrics-I could only pick out maybe 50
per cent of them because lead vocaUst Beauregard didn't
seem to annunciate clearly. This really didn't bother me
too badly because I know that punk, at times, can be
hard to understand. So you just look up the lyrics and
then they are perfecdy understandable. However, I tried
to find the lyrics in the Uner notes, on their website or
on their MySpace page, but I could not find any, and
without knowing any of the songs'lyrics, I couldn't reaUy
relate. Entire songs' meanings were lost. Yet, the lyrics
eventuaUy yielded and after Ustening to the album a few
times, I was able to understand most.
My biggest problem with the album is that just about
every song starts out nicely but then goes on repetativly,
quickly becoming boring. Every song starts uniquely, yet
after a wliile they aU seem to just blur into a mess, the
one and the same song. However, on the bright side, I did
find a few of the songs to be quite catchy. I also thought,
even though the vocals were hard to understand at times,
that they did fit in quite weU with the instrumentation.
AU and aU, this band is okay, just so long as you don't
Usten to more than four songs at a time.
Sarah HoUis
The Budos Band
Budos Band II
(Daptone Records)
Staten Island-based soul-jazz/afrobeat ensemble the
Budos Band released their second album, Budos Band
II, last month. Their 2005 eponymous debut album was
described as "unbridled, psychedeUc, innovative and
soulful." Budos Band II is aU that and more. Think of
a coUaboration between the Art Ensemble of Chicago
and the Memphis Horns: free-form, soulful and funky
as evidenced on tracks Uke "Budos Rising" and "Deep in
the Sand."The Budos are Uke the avant-garde versions of
their label mates The Sugarman 3.
Part of Daptone Records great stable of talent, the
eight-member band are Brian ProfHio on drums, Daniel
Foder on bass guitar, Thomas Brenneck on electric
guitar, Mike DeUer on organ, Jared Tankel on baritone
sax, Andrew Greene and Dave Guy on trumpet, and
Cochemea GasteUum on tenor sax and flute. Guesting
with them are three percussionists on shekere, congas
and bongos. AU of them make Budos Band II a joyful
Usten, an aural trip to the antipodes. As Kool and the
Gang once said, "Let the music take your mind!"
-p_
vie\
lyrics that have always been the band's major strength.
Respect is due to whoever can incorporate the lyric
"counting for quorum" and insurance strategies into such
catchy compositions.
Besides the lyrics, the songs are refreshing to hear in
today's musical climate. There are no hyphens in their
genre classification. They mash their fingers down on
their fretboards, turn their amps up and go at it. A very
good end of summer album to keep you going while the
sunlight is waning.
Spencer Davis
Jas
i Colantonio
Hot Little Rocket
How to Lose Everything
(File Under: Music)
Hot Little Rocket are a rock band. They have two
guitars, a bass and a drumset, with one of the guitar
players hoUerin a lot. They jump around a bit and
push pedals when the songs start to get exciting. They
begin every album off with a drumbeat. Singer Andrew
Wedderburn even wrote a book (The Milk Chicken Bomb,
out on Coach House Books). There are few towns in
Canada they haven't played at least once and they are
heroes to ex-pat Calgarians aU over the country.
For this album, they went to Chicago to record with
Steve Albini. This reaUy makes sense from a styUstic
view, as Albini is pretty much the go-to guy for a soUd,
stripped-down recording, and Hot Litde Rocket reaUy
deserved to be produced in a place that doesn't sound
Uke a mouldy bathroom. After the standard bUtz of
recording, they returned with a disc that highlights the
tones and nuances of their playing. Yeah, and the drums
sound great, as would be expected.
\ The presence of Albini's name in the credits is not
this album's only seUing point by any means. These are
weU developed pop songs that, whifefgaretty much using
the definition of i^^ol£li®ttlitibn, stiU manage to not
sound tired or cUched. Part of this is due to the exceUent
Kids on TV
Mixing Business With Pleasure
(Blocksblocksblocks)
Growing up in Montreal, it was common knowledge
that Toronto was a cultureless, monotonous city
populated by CN-tower-loving, grey-skinned ouppies
(old urban professionals), snug in their flying piggies
pjs by 9 p.m. every night. But Toronto-based Kids on
TV are here to slap around my prejudices with their
purple plastic strap-on cocks and their super-werewolf
gloves. Ouch. Oh, slap some more, I Uke it.
LabeUng KOTV as musicians is, I beUeve, a mistake.
They are true performance artists'. I was thrilled when I
looked at the CD booklet photography: it's innovative,
bizarre, they look ridiculous and they don't care. After
first Ustening to Mixing Business With Pleasure, the
album proceeded to coUect dust on my shelf for a
couple weeks. I couldn't convince myself to Usten to
this retro-futuristic robots-robot music again. But once
I fed it to my computer, I understood what it was aU
about. One of their many videos UteraUy blew up my
screen as the song started. (Check out. www.kidsontv.
biz for more.) Roxanne Luchak, who's working
on their video projects, is a fuU band member, even
though she doesn't play music. They are not Umited to
music and music videos, KOTV also make films, rock
opera coUaborations, graffiti, crafts, Uve "sleep-ins" in
classy Toronto bars and acts that don't have a name yet.
They're breaking rules, they're inappropriate, they're
having a fucking blast and it's contagious.
The album is only a litde part of the performance,
therefore it doesn't seem complete to me. But if you like
neo-'80s electro-trash with awful lyrics about goodol'paid
sex, chemical drugs, filthy rock n' roU and dirty moolah,
this is for you. They even scored Boy George on the
"Breakdance Hunx" remix. They also worked on Lesbian
on Ecstacy remixes and are publishing under LOE record
label abroad. C'mon, let's get down and dirtay.
Maude Lachaine
Minus Story
My Ion Truss
(Jagjaguwar)
They may have called their musical arrangements "a
wall of shit" and a new producer may have poUshed away
the charms of a former shamboUc sound. The vocals are
strained and cracked, and the noise behind them is crowded, but this new album by Minus Story rises above such
cursory considerations. On this release the pleasure is in the
episodes, the key changes, or the bricks in the wall of shit.
36 September 2007 It's the. disarray here that is responsible for the misconception that this album is a mess of jumbled prattles,
and the crammed aural attack of "Aaron" throws the Ustener straight into the muddle from the start, but it's a
beautiful muddle if the ears are willing to stay and Usten.
The waning guitar at the end of "Batde of Our Lives,"
the entrance of the piano in "Mania Mama" and the rising climax in the "Beast at My Side" are examples of the
more obvious, attention-catching moments. Along with
the awkward flutes, clomping handclaps, slinky pianos
and cUckety-clack of toy-like electronics, there are some
rather captivating musical passages contained therein.
The instrumental busyness and, particularly, the uneasy
waver of the vocals furnish the tracks with a misleading
fragiUty. These songs are robust despite the veneer of
deUcacy. Where the voice is flimsy, it is vulnerable and
affecting, and the diverse transition of the flutes, guitars,
pianos, saxophones, keyboards and drums become, in
the end, just different ingredients on an album that is
remarkably accompUshed. My Ion Truss is one of those
albums that sounds Uke shit if you only play it a couple
of times. But if it stays in your stereo it could eventuaUy
make those other more immediate and organized records
in your coUection sound even worse.
Christian Martius
Ulrich Schnauss
Goodbye
(Domino)
At the heart of every electronic artist, there's a
songwriter—a songwriter aching to pen some lyrics,
step to the mic and sing the world a love song. Okay,
not every electronic artist, but many do choose this
risky path, including Ulrich Schnauss. According to
this German shoegazer, he's tried to "take aU the ideas
to the maximum" with his third fuU-length, Goodbye.
And by "maximum" he apparendy means taking a more
structured, song-based approach, which comes with
mixed results.
Like M83 did a few years ago, Schnauss injects
more guitars and vocals into his bUps, bleeps and beats,
making many of these tracks his most standard shoegaze
offerings and the most Uke the Cocteau Twins. WhUe
Schnauss on the vocal front is not entirely new, he now
often makes his voice, as weU as coUaborator Judith
Becks, the centrepoint, and shapes it less with effects
than in previous work And it's the vocal-driven songs,
such as "Never Be the Same" and "Shine," that faU to hit
their mark on Goodbye, sounding bland and monotonous,
with Utde emotional payoff.
Thankfully, only a third of the record foUows this voice-
guided approach. The rest delves deeper into Schnauss's
more electronic side, where the voice is only a texturing
tool—a Une of attack that produces significandy better
results. Here, he "adds more layers to his already dense
sonic atmospheres and reUes on structures that twist and
turn, rather than ones that revolve-around repetition (a
defect that plagued some songs on previous albums).
Tracks such as "A Song About Hope" and "Goodbye"
become high-water marks, demonstrating a great deal of
growth as they shift from one complex construction to
the next. Even the few bare, ambient songs Uke "Einfeld"
hold their own, displaying Schnauss has learned a thing
or tw6 about the use of space.
So, yes, Goodbye comes with mixed results: it finds
Schnauss writing some of the best songs of his career
and a few of the worst. But despite the occasional
misstep, Goodbye wiU likely be welcomed into this artist's
impressive
Brock Thiessen
Okkervil River
|p Stage Names
(Jagjaguwar) a|Sill
This review started out as a list of things that we've
come to expect from an OkkervU River record, and then
I reaUzed it wasn't nearly enough to do this album any
sort of justice.
Like Black Sheep Boy before it,-©!? 'Stage Names is a
narrative connected more thematicaUy than in any sort
of Unear fashion, but moves away from the wanderlust
of the previous record and into a quasi-autobiographical
look at the musician's lifestyle. Opening track, "Our
Life is Not a Movie, or Maybe," punctuates the point.
Bemoaning the lack of a cUmax in a life story, it extoUs
the Ustener to put the IMAX away, reminding us that
"No fade in: begin film on a kid in the big city."
The instrumentation has grown louder and looser, filUng
in the spaces left by sUghdy roomier production. There's
even a guitar solo and trumpets on "A Hand to Take Hold
of the Scene," which also features handclaps that could be
described as almost cheery—until you Usten to the lyrics
and reaUze that they're viciously deconstructing reaUty
TV. "Plus Ones" is equal parts post-relationship and sly-
eyed wink It's packed so fuU of references that every new
Usten seems to reveal another, aU altered by the addition of
one more-Nena gets a hundredth luftbaUoon and REM
has an eighth Chinese brother. Sheff retains his capacity
for more obscure references, as weU; album closer "John
AUyn Smith SaUs" starts out as an autobiographical piece
about John Berryman, who couldn't even kiU himself
»properly (and who also was referenced in the Hold
Steady's "Stuck Between Stations"), and then moving
seamlessly into a cover of the old folk song "Sloop John
B," turning a song popularized by the Beach Boys into a
stunningly black joke.
The verdict? Buy the album, and see the show on
September 9. You won't regret it.
Gerald Deo rtiPli
Spoon.
Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Spoon has risen to the upper echelon of indie rock in an
odd and unassuming way. Since 1998s A Series of Sneaks,
they have been refining their trademark sound: Britt
Daniel's straightforward pop songwriting, pristine post-
punk arrangements and adroit experimental flourishes
that set everything sUghdy askew. Each album since
then has absorbed and progressed upon the sonic and
structural breakthroughs of its predecessor. But it would
be difficult to mark a point at which they made a "great
leap forward," when the majority of their sound coalesced
into what it is today. Their evolution has been steady and
subde. Likewise, the progression of their popularity has
foUowed a simUar arc. No single album can be accredited
with creating the Uon's share of their fanbase.
Perhaps not surprisingly, Spoon's sixth fuU-length, the
bizarrely tided Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, continues these trends,
being a further refinement of their poUshed sound,
Many new elements are introduced, including Motown
horns, strings, kotos and, um, flamenco guitar, but these
additions aren't as brash as they sound in writing. This
expanded palate never overwhelms the songs as each
new element is employed organicaUy, adding different
textures to famiUar structures. The opener, "Don't Make
Me a Target," is the most Spoon-by-numbers, boasting
a thunderous and propulsive piano that fights for space
with spindly guitars and hand claps. Things branch out
quickly from there, however. The hypnotic "The Ghost
of You Lingers" is unapologeticaUy experimental and is
unlike anything in their catalog, being Uttle more than
an elliptical staccato piano riff overlaid with distant
and ghosdy vocals from Daniel. "You Got Yr. Cherry
Bomb" is their take on pure Motown pop, complete with
sprighdy tambourine, xylophone and deft horns. The
lead single, the infectious "The Underdog," is a sunny
guitar stomp-romp featuring party horns lifted from a
mid-1970s Springsteen record. And closer "Black Like
Me" flirts with baUadry and is as plaintive as anything
they've recorded.
But through aU these seemingly left turns, Spoon
never loses sight of their framework, executing their
experiments with judicious clarity. Their experimental
and pop instincts have never been as in sync as on this
release. Also, the arrangements and production somehow
top previous efforts. A clearer-sounding record won't be
heard aU year. Every note and every timbre is in perfect
harmony with its surroundings. It's almost as if they
come up with the musical parts individuaUy and then
set them into motion to become briUiant pop music.
Perhaps it's just a better than average Spoon record, but
considering the remarkable consistency of their output
this decade, it's a minor triumph. It is, however, their
mdst consistent offering, and their most inspired since
2001's Girls Can Tell.
Von Sudenfed
Tromatic Ref lexxions
(Domino) '
GeneraUy, before I sit down to review an album I
give it many Ustens. I Uke to get into its mood, let first
impressions mix with later ones and really get a feel
of what the album's aU about. However, when it came
to Von Sudenfed's Tromatic Reflexxions, I was unable
to give it quite the care I would have Uked. This is not
because I'm lazy and behind on deadUnes, but merely
due to the fact that this disc is damn near unlistenable.
For the most part, it sounds Uke a mad street-preacher
exercising the demons out of mismatched electronic
equipment. Let me teU you, these demons don't give a
damn about human sonic aesthetics.
The sleeve describes Von Sudenfed as "a free-flowing
coUectivist dance generator," and this, admittedly,
sounds pretty good. Being a sucker for fine Unguistic
arrangements, I thought, "Yeah, lets give it another
chance," only to throw off the headphones and clutch my
aching head where visions of manic, electric buzzsaws
danced before my eyes. No matter how "free flowing,"
I would stiU expect a "dance generator" to make music
that you could, I don't know, dance to. Here, on the other
hand, one encounters merely electronic cacophony. The
beats feel stilted and get lost far too quickly. In fact,
Von Sudenfed rarely give any sound time to develop,
preferring instead to bash the Ustener over the head with
yet more beeps and whisdes. This is definitely quantity
over quaUty. Sometimes this sinking Martian ship is kept
afloat by interesting vocals, wavering between manic and
droney, but giving the music something to hold onto—
-«ome kind of constant in the buzzing, bumping blur.
Even this comfort, however, doesn't last long as after a
few tracks the monotony of the vocals gets as grating as
the "music."
Von Sudenfed is at their best when they abandon
dance-party pretensions and get just plain siUy. The ninth
track, "Chicken Yiamas," shows this off weU, and its mix
of bluesy guitar and lyrics about "boiling the chicken" is
almost pleasing, yet it's not quite reward enough for the
pain one has to go through to get that far. The second-to-
last track, which is mosdy a garbled conversation, starts
off with the words "When will it be over?" My thoughts
exacdy. I check the time, six more minutes. God help me.
Jack Prus b
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604-872-8212
Vancouver Rape Relief & Women's Shelter
www.rapereliefshelter.bc.ca
t
SWEET'N' HOT (Jazz)
9-10:30pm
Sweet dance music and hot jazz
from the 1920s, 30s and 40s.
SHAKE ATAIL FEATHER
(Soui/R'n'B) 10:30pm-12am
The finest in classic soul and
rhythm & blues from the late '50s
to the early '70s, including lesser
known artists, regional hits, lost
sould gems and contemporary
artists recording in that classic
soul style.
I LIKE THE SCRIBBLES
(Eclectic) l2-2am
Beats mixed with audio from old
films" and clips from the internet
10% discount for callers who are
certified insane. Hosted by Chris
P.
■■■SATURDAY
THE SATURDAY EDGE (Roots)
8am-12pm
Studio guests, new releases, British comedy sketches, folk music
calendar, and ticket giveaways.
GENERATION
ANNILHILATION (Punk)
12-lpm
A fine mix of streetpunk and old
school hardcore backed by hand
interviews, guest speakers, and
social commentary.
www.streetpunkradio.com
crashnburnradio@yahoo.ca
POWERCHORD (Metal) I-3pm
Vancouver's only true metal
show; local demo tapes, imports,
and other rarities. Gerald Rattle-
head, Geoff the Metal Pimp and
guests do the damage.
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.
THE LEO RAMIREZ SHOW
(World) 5-6pm
The best of music, news, sports,
and commentary from around
the local and international Latin
American communities.
NASHAVOLNA
(World) 6-7pm
SHADOW JUGGLERS 7-9PM
(Dance/Electronic)
An exciting chow of Drum n'
Bass with DJs Jimungle & Bias on
the ones and twos, plus guests.
Listen for give-aways every week.
Keep feelin da beatz.
SYNAPTIC SANDWICH
(Dance/Electronic/Eclectic)
9-11 pm
BEATS FROM THE BASEMENT
(Hip Hop) I lpm-1 am
PASSING BINARY (Electronica)
CITR CHARTS!
o+K^+L.+i ,j~ * u:j.~ ~t a + nr\r\-i CiTR charts reflect airplay for the previous month. Artistes with
StriCtly the dopeSt hltS Of AugUSt 2007 starsdongside their mmesn are from this great lando'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 604-822-8 733. To find other great campus/'community radio charts check out www.earshot-online.com.
Label # Artist Album Label
La Nouvelle Gauche
They Shoot Horses,
Don't They?*
Remixed And Reimagined
Our Love To Admire
Architecture In
Helsinki ,
International Champion
7 Yeah Yeah Yeahs
10 The Mohawk Lodge*
The Hair The TV The Baby The Band
What Is Free To A Good Home?
38 The Brunettes
Les Ondes Silencieuses
Swift Feet For Troubling Times
te Your Friend: A Tribute To
Structure And Cosmetics
- Strange Attractors.
Audio House
16 Common
17 Ulrich Schnauss
AWOL One, Josh
Martinez + Moves*
These Are Ghost House
40 The Brains*
41 3 Inches of Blood*
43 Parlour Steps*
The Pointed Sticks*
Fire Up The Blades
My Japanese Fan/Found Another
46 Octoberman*
23 Tokyo Police Club*
Hot Litde Rocket*
Smith EP+Remixes ■
Manoeuvres 1:A Collection Of
Vancouver Electronica
Last Gang
Discorder 8i# IfOT FOR TEACHER FALL TOIJR
Bade to Classy with Zulu
ARCHITECTURE IN
HELSINKI
PLACES UKE THIS CD
Having failed geography, Oswald
stakes his claim in the field of
Architecture The school of Helsinki
is controversy and divisive, t& pro-1
jects lauded for their ingenious eso-
tericism and freewheeling synthesis
of disparate elements (experts cite ska structuralism, kiwi populism,
and glam pomp) just as they are criticized tor their preciousness,
their outiandishness, and their indiscriminate use of cowbefl and
steel drums. Oswald, however, is not dismayed by the long and dour
faces of naysayers, having long been an enthusiast of ornament and
exuberance. Indeed, Oswald thought, the Helsinki franchise belongs
in the Polyvinyl stable, cozy next to Wee-minded showmen like Of
Montreal and, as Oswald pondered, he might belong there himself.
CD 16.98
ANGELS OF LIGHT
WE ARE MM CD
Modernism is over, as i
Oswald's deep meditations on
white. Perhaps the time has come to
consider a career in faith. For such
ambitions, what Instructor could be
more apropos than the indefagitabte
Michael Gira, the sinister ex Swans
sage of self-annihilation and violent
rebirth? Under the ministrations c
aided by such guests and disciples i
Grimm, Oswald will walk through the thick black mud, he wi walk
with his brother's blood, he will see with his brother's eye, and he
wi scream at his brother's sky. Tasting the salted earth of the apocalypse, he wilt be made new. And so wili you.
CD 16.98
THE NEW
PORNOGRAPHERS
CHALLENGERS CD
The semester had barely begun
before Oswald became distracted
by the new gospel of at! things carnal,
but having met under the cover of
night with Th* New Pornographers.
he found the pleasures of the flesh to
be less licit than previously assumed. Call It an orgy or calf it a
supergroup, but Oswald's Pornographers were as comfortable in
broad daylight as they were under the sunny spotlights of the
nightlife. Challengers and champions, there was ne audience that
Cart Newman, Ban Bejar, and Neks Case couldn't charm. For a
bBssful hour, OswaJd was converted to the doctrine of multiple partners.
CD 14.98
CARffiOU
ANDORRA CD
Wljpf arusye to brushing up m foreign languages, Oswald planned
a tour of minor European nations for
toe holiday break. On arrival, however, he found■ the Pyrnefleesdjffererjt
than he'd expected. The currency was
Indeed the Euro, but the official language turned out to be electronic folk
pop. But isn't music the universal language? Keen to frt in wNh tM-0
ipeals, Oswald took instruction from Dan Snaith a Canadian expat
whose experience to geographical redefinition and international law.
{eateg himself "Manitoba while Jiving in Lonc-ir $hd ducking, lav* '*
^%sj^at jealous Dicks) makes fin th- perfect guide to new forms
Of speech that can use electronic wssnts .ind d it ta! duos to Srartslie-
Brian Vsfison arid JJielembies for a „ _\ e-vl audience. _- ■ * U-
CD 16.93
SALE PRICES IN EFFECT UNTIL SEPTEMBER 30,2067
ZULU ART NEWS:
AESOP ROCK
NONE SHALL PASS CD
Poetry ami what it used to be, as
Oswald discovered not long into his
English major. A teen kid with a love
for ail things Seat, Oswald was in for a
rude wake up when his beloved
KitmiTi, Ittaatam and Bwiaufjia Jwtt
all been replaced by the lyrical
prowess ot one Aesop Beds.
Professor 9J, Blockhead also blew young Oswald's mind forcing
him to dig deeper into the indie hip-hop scripture, Aesop Beck s first
experience with long meditative poetics. New Shall Pass stands next
to Milton's Paradise Last as an epic reflection on personal potential.
Was Oswald up to it? Are you?
CD 16.98
HOT HOT HEAT
HAPPINESS UD CD
Cooking school was the next departure for our hero Oswald, who
knew that mastering the culinary arts
would certainly spice up his social
skills. Of course this choice would too
prove disastrous as while perfecting
his pan seared sockeye salmon
Oswald managed to set his pants on
fire and left the room screaming Mot Net Heat. Outside w the busy
street a gaggle of Vancouverites all reached for the cameras hoping
Oswalds scream was none other than a sighting of our favourite local
rock band with toe same name. If only Oswald could have sung a few
bars from one of the numerous anthems that make their latest release
Happiness such a rousing success!! Sadly Oswald was incapable of
cooking up such glorious Stoaes-esque melodies and yet again found
himself on the outside looking in. AVAILABLE SEPT 11"
CD 16.98
M.I.A
KALACD
My oh my, this record is amazing.."
Oswald is lying on the floor of his
friend Beatrice s dorm. She just did the
right thing and took trm student loan
- cash down to Zulu Records and
exchanged some of it for some dam
cool records, Bea knows her stuff
alright as she reads pitchfork daily and
was championing this platter for weeks. Rarely do records live up to
their hype or W potential, however with M.I.A. it seems tliat we are
dealing with the real thing —- an artist who calls the shots, puts out
the records that they f 'king really want to listen to rather than those
that might pad their pocketbook, and most importantly dojfftttT--'"_.
away from engaging toe turncoats. Here is a record for toe ages —
vote with confidence.
CD 12.98
SHOUT OUT LOUDS fj
OUR HI WILL CD
Oar III WiUs is ihe sophomore
album from Sweden's Shout Oat
Louds, am) tosh- debut for ft/terge
Ret»«fe.ttfetl»toiJW-upto20«K^ I
critically acclaimed Heart Howl fiaff
fiaff, White on toe road over these
past two years, ftBand had plenty of
. time to thsnk: t$ #jpkf to reminisce; to
miss loved Sftfpi^najit&ew town
priorities in order. AH of these experiences went Mo Oar HI Wills, a
j collaborative effort between thstand and producer Bjwra Titling of
Peter Bjore ami John. Thii^^^#abeut the rush, the emotion,
..l^iBfectJousffiriodttstoatalong.wrBryotrth Cfff has andtheend-
less pursuit of love, roake'ao ton teundat-oti o> all great pop music.
AVAILABLE SEPT If*
C016.98
s; to misbehave; to get their
ALICE HARGRAVE
Tlie Romance of Pitcaira and Earotonga
Dad's Islands of tne South Pacific
September 1-31
RW) KILEY
UNDER THE BLACKUGHT
CD
Oswald oh Oswald. What are you thinking
taking to toe stage with aspirations to be a
tliespianf You never can hold a candle to Rite
Kifey's vocalist Jenny lewis {herself a child
star) nor can you act normal under the black
light. Acting is a difficult trade, but true stars
do shine, Such is definitely the case on this latest installment of intelligent
indie-rock from Lewis and her debonair pate! Blessed wtth a angelic voice,
Lewis over the course of these eleven numbers take Oswald and you on a
trip into Hollywood heartbreak. The result is a ftae'set ef tasty melodies,
hooks and digs on your significant other. Oswald.,, do you have a significant other?
it's*"* -w-. % €
CD 14.98
VICCHESNUTT
NORTH STAR DESERTER
CD
The final scene of Oswald's storied education takes place In Montreal's notorious
hipster zone Mile End. Exiled from Vancouver j
Oswald took up residence in an old warehouse — next to toe railroad tracks. All sorts I
- of bohemian types frequented toe spat and
slowly an economy of art and ideas took root. Civilization in fhe Utopian
sense flourished. One day in a cafeOswald met a very soft spoken soul
named Vic Cfwswrtt who was in town recording a very elegiac record with
his friends in A Silver M. He*. Invited into the studio, Oswald witnessed
firsthand the transformative powers of Chesnutt s plaintive words. Sitting
comfortably In an old armchair, he drifted on toe soaring strings and gentle
piano flourishes. Simply put. it was heaven! AVAILABLE SEPT 9™
CD 14.98
Prerequisite
SonicSuppUes...
OAlOIYHAH-FHFdtowYQiiCO
MAGiit^aaniw;co.-soioi8iwr 4Cd+dvd
OKKERVfL RflrfR-Tlie Stage Names UVCD
MWW/WSPECTttTONEIIi™^^
This Place: Stories and
Observations CD
TARENTEL-Ghetto Beats on the Surface of the
Sun 2CO
COMMON-Cool Common Collected CO
THE BUMS BAND-The Budos Band 11 CD
THE BLACK UPS-Wildmen In Action DVD
THE BESNARD LAKES-Volume 1 CD
(^ GANG DANCE-Rawwar CDEP
MONO-Gone CD
C.O.C.O. - Play Drams+Bass CD
DIRTY PRO^CTORS-RiseAlwve CD
STEREO TOTAL-Parfe-Berlin CD
U-BQ-Ehintisbourne Abbots Soulmate Devastation
CD
1T£ HOWLING HEX-XI CD
CIRCUE- Catapult CD
I KZCdVD3\
Zulu Records
1972-1976 W 4th Ave
Vancouver, BC
tet 604738.3232
www.zulurecords.com
STQRE HOURS
Discorder
Discorder CITR-FM (Radio station : Vancouver, B.C.) Sep 1, 2007
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