Barenaked Ladies Christmas Show - December 16, 2005, The Orpheum

I went and saw the Barenaked Ladies Chrismtas show tonight. I remember seeing them at the Thunderbird Stadium for the UBC Arts County Fair many years ago, and they are still lots of fun.

Sarah McLaughlin made a couple of special guest appearances.

The show opened with a children's choir which was really adorable. They even joined the band for a couple of songs and almost stole the show.

Love the stand up Bass.

What I've Been Up To Lately

They may not be famous (yet) but here are a few bands that I've seen lately and that I like. Check them out!

Misty
First up are the Yoko Casionos. I love them, and I don't know them at all, so you know I'm not lying.
Check them out at MySpace

Patrick Brealey of Patrick Brealey & the Knives.
Patrick used to play with one of my favourite Vancouver bands, The Salteens. When he ran off he didn't join the circus like so many others.
Check him out at MySpace and be his friend.

Jeen O'Brien is from Toronto and came through town on a cross Canada promotional tour with Chapters. She's got an amazing voice and great songs.
Check her out at MySpace

Ben Sigston
I've talked about him before, but I finally got a chance to check out the full band last night. They have this amazing guitarist who plays his guitar upside down, which I'm told is like learning something left handed. It sure looks cool. I don't have any pictures of him, so you'll just have to check them out yourself.

Joel Myers
Check out Ben Sigston at MySpace

Lastly, my beloved Canucks. Hey, this post is called What I've been up to lately so I can pretty much post anything. The Canucks play the seemingly unbeatable Ottawa Senators tomorrow night. I took this photo at the game where the Canucks beat Colorado by a score or 5 to 2. That was game 6 or 8 with the Av's for those you keeping track of this weird schedule.

Ben Sigston
Todd Bertuzzi
Patrick Brealey
Yoko Casionos

The Dandy Warhols - November 15, 2005 The Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver

Courtney Taylor and the Art Of the Immaculate Putdown

AKA The Dandy Warhols come to Town

Review by Nick at Feed Your Habit

Hat perched insouciantly on his head, floppy fringe falling directly down over his eyes and reaching the bridge of his nose, pouty lips and louche look in his eyes, Courtney Taylor is the consummate dandy rock star. His angular physique and languid rock star pose while singing into his 2 microphones set up, all scream look at me. “I’m a Rock Star”. Frankly it works and I’m not a horny 19-year-old girl like the one behind me emitting piercing shrieks of “Anton” uh-wrong band hope it works out for you though.


Courtney Taylor-Taylor.
DiG! Casts a long shadow over the Dandy Warhols, every preview mentioned it and the band must surely be sick of answering questions about it yet preconceived notions of artists personalities can and probably do affect ones level of enjoyment of the art on a purely visceral level. Let the mystery be I say.

So I came to the show not having seen DiG! but having read a lot about it and furthermore have yet to pick up the last 2 releases. Indeed my first introduction to their live show was a long gone Web cast where the band finished with a 10 min maelstrom wall of guitar sound. Yet what do I find but a pop band with a martial bent? (Sadly the Dandy’s Trumpeter was left at the border due to custom issues). No stodgy amateur marching band but a band with spring in their steps “Knees up Mother Brown” a “sproingy” sound most evident in “Bohemian Like You” which at the 60 min mark when the show finally took off came bouncing out of the speakers trampoline style. It’s their most readily accessible and identifiable tune but the groundwork was laid for the shows energetic up-tick by “Boys Better” which features those rapid chord changes which propel this song (and others in their repertoire) along in a finely tuned synchromesh fashion. No surprise then that they cover “Hells Bells” by the masters of riff based rock AC/DC.

Peter Holstrom
“Boys Better” also highlights another of the bands strengths. I’m no musician myself but I couldn’t help thinking how tight they were. Drummer Brent De Boer who surely has the best rock star hairdo around, stick your fingers in the electric socket afro style was spot on throughout the show and contributed a lot of melodic harmonizing vocals especially as Courtney’s voice sounded somewhat hoarse and broken. Zia who finished the show off with “Daisy on My Toe” is personality personified (and sexy as all heck) on keyboards and sundry weird sounds and guitarist Peter Holmstron understated but an integral part of the team.

Oh and if you want to heckle a rock star then be prepared for a slow turn in your direction, eyes slowly seeking the source, mouth forming words to reply but rather a lazily raised eyebrow with top left lip curling in derision. Ah the art of the immaculate putdown.

Zia Macabe
Dandy Warhols

Detroit Cobras - November 8, 2005 Chop Suey, Seattle Washington

Anyone, everyone, who knows me, knows how much I love the Detroit Cobras. If I had only one desert island band, they would have to be it. Sadly, circumstances prevent them from touring in Canada, but it was a fabulous excuse for a road trip!!

Racehl Nagy
Chop Suey is a weird little club. It's sort of got this asian theme with red chinese lanterns around, and the smallest stage I've ever seen for a band. The stage is about two feet off the ground, so you feel really close and personal with the band.

I have a total girl crush on Rachel Nagy.

Maribel Restrepo
Maribel Restrepo is a tiny spitfire. She suffered an asthma attack, and guitar strap problems and still the show went on.

I got to meet Rachel after the show. She was totally great! Yes, I have a picture with her, and if you know me, you can check out my other blog.

For More Photos, Click Here
Detroit Cobras

The Magic Numbers- November 6, 2005 Richards On Richards

Romeo Stodart



Michele Stodart

Angela Gannon
A lot has been written about the Cheshire Cat grin of Romeo Stodart, and it was on full display tonight. In fact they may have been the happiest band I've seen in a long time. They seemed genuinely surprized and pleased by the enthusiastic turnout and put on a truly (I'll try not to use the obvious "magical") amazing performance.


To view more photos, click HERE

For an actual review, click HERE

Magic Numbers

Ben Sigston - November 3, 2005 Railway

I met him during the Western Canadian Music Festival. He was with his bassist Joel, who was hilarious. (See above photo. You get the idea.) Anyway, short story shorter, you must check them out.

Ben Sigston at MySpace

Ben Sigston Official Website

Ben Sigston

Western Canadian Music Festival

Billy Talent with Jim Vallance

Hmmm,
I'm not really sure If I should post this here, or one of my other blogs but I guess this is the where it fits most.

Last weekend was the Western Canadian Music Awards which ran with some other Western music festival.

Now I live in Vancouver, and I'm very active as far as seeing shows and knowing what's going on. Top this with the fact that one my friends is a music exec and was staying with me, and I still knew almost nothing about this event. Our local music magazines, and newspapers had almost no coverage.

Still, I had lots of fun, and got to meet lots of local Vancouver icons, like Mike Reno, Jim Vallance (legendary songwriting of Bryan Adams and Ozzy Osborne et al) and other famous Canadians like the band Billy Talent.

Mike Reno of Loverboy

Nada Surf - Richards On Richards, Vancouver. October 18,2005

Daniel Lorca

Daniel Lorca-photo by Keri Dubitz

Daniel Lorca-photo by Keri Dubitz

Daniel Lorca-photo by Keri Dubitz

Daniel Lorca-photo by Keri Dubitz

Daniel Lorca-photo by Keri Dubitz
Matthew Caws

Matthew Caws - Photo By Keri Dubitz

Matthew Caws - Photo By Keri Dubitz

Matthew Caws - Photo By Keri Dubitz

Matthew Caws - Photo By Keri Dubitz
Here is the Set List. They also played the Meow Meow song, and Bad Best Friend

Set List
Nada Surf

Sunset in Vancouver

This is where I live and this was tonights sunset.

Garbage-August 31, 2005-The Commodore -Vancouver B.C.

Shirley Manson is like a tiger on stage. An easy analogy since she was wearing a tiger striped dress, but more because of the way she paced around the stage like a caged tiger.

It was a huge show in a small venue with a stage/light show (and band) that warranted an arena. It totally justified the $55 ticket price. Wait, that was $55 after Ticketmaster gouged out their share.

This was the second show after the first had sold out quickly, but I wish I had been at the first one. I can only guess at the pandemonia and energy that must have been present at the first show, but this crowd seemed pretty lacklustre.


Despite crowd apathy, the band was incredible. The best show I've been to in long time and I've been to a lot lately including a sleep inducing set by Dinosaur Jr. Garbage proved that you don't have to be 20 to rock.


Garbage

Evan Dando- The Red Room, Vancouver. July 16, 2005

I've always loved the Lemonheads and Evan Dando. It always seemed to me that he didn't want to be famous, since his songs were incredibly melodic sing-a-longs with some kind of oddball kink thrown for radio unfriendliness. Example?? This line is from a happy little ditty called "Being Around"

If I was your body, would you still wear clothes?
If I was a booger, would you blow your nose?
Would you keep it? Would you eat it?
I'm just tryin to give myself a reason, for being around.

He seemed really happy on stage, smiling and generally looking a lot healthier then I thought he'd look.
I missed him last time he was in Vancouver. At the last minute my friend and I decided to be lazy instead, and so we missed the debacle which was Courtney Love jumping on stage and taking over the show and flashing the audience.

He talked quite a bit. My favourite bit was about how he had come from Seattle by bus. Not a tour bus but a regular bus.
Evan Dando

The Doves - The Commodore June 9, 2005

Inspired by the exotic adventures of The Travelling Head, here is my attempt at sharing some of my musical adventures.
Let's start here, with my "review" of the Doves last night here at the fabulous Commodore Ballroom in beautiful Vancouver.

If there was an opening act we totally missed it as the band gets on stage shortly after we get drinks. I am already feeling like a sardine and I can barely see anything from our spot centre floor. Damn it, I hate being so short. They open with Pounding and it's already magical. They do have a multimedia show with running video of everything from what looks like old film the Titanic to swirling galaxies. They also have a beautiful light show, which sends twinkling stars and patterns around the room. Musically they are beautiful, blessed with some remarkable vocals and ethereal twisting guitars.



I love these guys! I'm sick of having to hop up and down to see anything so I leave Glen for my usual perch by the stage where what you gain by being able to see is awful sound. I wonder what the drum stick is doing on the guitarists mike stand? I can't stand not hearing it properly. I go to find Glen, who I now can't even see in the mass of people. I make my way to the other side of the stage, hoping for better luck sound wise. In my new perch the sound is much better as I'm now by Jimi's monitor. Cedar Room closes the show and the band leaves the stage.

The roadies are setting up another drum kit on stage and the audience is mildly participating in my least favourite concert tradition of the screaming and clapping for an encore. We all know they are coming back, so it's a particularly halfhearted effort. I'm totally expecting Catch the Sun, the only song I've ever heard on the Radio

Minutes later, the band is back, but wait! Jimi is now behind the drum kit, and drummer Andy is singing Here It Comes. Things return to normal for Satellites and for the final number There Goes The Fear the finale is augmented by a drum solo on the side drum kit by Jimi, and cowbell banging by guitarist Jez. No Catch the Sun, but I'm still all warm and fuzzy from the experience.

Here are my photos for you all to admire, which I now will admit is my real purpose for doing this Blog in the first place.