Junos - March 29, 2009 at GM Place in Vancouver

My first Junos. To those of you not in Canada, the Junos are Canada's Music Awards or the Canadian Grammy's if you will.

Here are a few of my photos from the show.

Nickelback


Elvis Costello

Bryan Adams and Kathleen Edwards

Dallas Green (City And Colour) with Gord Downie

Loverboy - Hall of Fame inductee's

Simple Plan

Ok Go - March 28, 2009 at Chop Suey in Seattle

I've seen Ok Go four other times, and despite it being Junos weekend in Vancouver, and despite the high probability that I would be invited to all the coolest events, I choose to truck to Seattle and see Ok Go.
Damian Kulash

I understand the concept of taking it on the road to try out the new songs but Chop Suey? Chop Suey is a tiny tiny club in Seattle. The stage is the size of a shoebox, and there is no air conditioning or air circulation at all for that matter. Sounds like a great venue for a hard core Ok Go fan on paper, but not so much in practice.
Andy Ross

In other words, it was hot in there. Sweltering, in the crowd, and probably even hotter on the crowded tiny stage under those lights. This (along with singer Damian Kulash's recent illness) probably contributed to it being the least fun Ok Go show I've seen. Don't get me wrong, it was fun, but Damian didn't seem like his usual "sarcastic bastard" self.

Most famous for amazing Treadmill video, and well known for closing their shows with the Backyard Dance, their latest fun gimmick is an interpretation of "What To Do" with handbells. A really lovely idea and execution.

Many new songs from the much anticipated new album were introduced, and they were all great and I really look forward to hearing it but until then, here is a an acoustic song that Damian introduced as "a simple love song".

It was my Marsi's first Ok Go show, and I told her she should make a sign because my experiences had shown that if Damian saw it, he'd surely say something. Well, sadly, he didn't see it, but after the show, Dan did and loved it.

Airborne Toxic Event - Feb 18,2009 at Richards on Richards

So, Richards on Richards is moving to the old A&B Sound location on Seymour! I'm so excited that Vancouver isn't losing a live music venue to condo development.

Airborne Toxic Event, indie darlings from L.A., brought their show to Vancouver on Wednesday despite a toxic throat infection being suffered by leader Mikel Jollett.
Mikel Jollett


It was a sold out crowd but the poor sound quality, and lackluster performance (perhaps due to the illness) led to a generally unappreciative audience.
Anna Bulbrook

I'd just been about to mention to the couple next to me that I could hear their conversation more then I could hear the band when Mikel berated the audience about the excessive chatter.
Daren Taylor

The throat definitely caused some problems with the show. Mikel had a problem with any high range vocals which led to an unsatisfactory rendition of some of the songs. Gasoline probably suffered the most from that loss.

Overall though, the sound and show got better as the night progressed. Mikel became more lively and he and Anna roamed through the bar and the crowd during one number. Of other notable mention was guitarist Steven Chen. An actual live Asian rock star! Other then James Iha, the only one I've seen in anything but a local band. I'm half Japanese, so I was all over that.
Steven Chen

The encore was a generally raucous affair where Mikel tried to make up for his earlier bad attitude by inviting everyone who wanted to, onto the stage.


Check out Airborne ToxicEvent and especially check out the video for the amazing song, Somewhere Around Midnight.

Opening act The Henry Clay People where notable for the energy and fun they brought to the night. Opening with a sing-a-long count out and generally wrapping the crowd around their fingers with their youthful hijinks, brothers Joey and Andy Siara made the most of the opening slot.
Andy and Joey Siara

Transmission 2008

The third annual Transmission Festival. Yeah! Transmission is my favourite music festival.

It's a place to see some really excellent breaking bands under the best possible circumstances. The sound is amazing, and the staging and lighting are gorgeous.
Betty Bonifassi of Beast

My favourite show was Montreal's Beast. They are probably best known for Betty Bonifassi's work with Champion a few years ago. The dramatic lighting lent an extra component to the set that was already magical.
Alex Cuba

Another highlight for me was Alex Cuba. After years of playing with traditional Cuban groups in his native Cuba, Alex moved to Smithers B.C where he's spread his "Go With The Fro" world music vibe worldwide.
Mark Sasso of Elliot Brood

I'd run out of batteries, so this photo isn't great, but my other favourite band of the fest was Elliot Brood. Kind of a hillbilly Social Distortion?
Shane Nelken of The Awkward Stage

The Awkward Stage had the, um, awkward opening slot of the evening. I guess I should mention that I only made it Wednesday and Friday's shows. If you went on Thursday, let me know how it was. Anyways, I'd never seen them before, but would check them out again.
Bison B.C

Bison B.C. is a Vancouver band who I will remember most for the fact that their own brand of Bison beer was served at the fest and featured the warning, "Do not throw this bottle at the stage" on it's label.
Courtney Wing

Courtney Wing recruited a five piece choral section especially for the show.
Ben Worcester of Said The Whale

And lastly I present one of my favourite Vancouver bands, Said The Whale. In fact one of my favourite "Christmas" songs lately is This Winter I Retire which I could play on repeat for hours. Download their Christmas EP for FREE HERE!