3am Mixtapes: Episode One Hundred One: #SingItFwd

Each week on the 3am Mixtapes podcast, I will share with you the Top Six Songs of a certain subject. The topics can be as general as best 2015 songs. Some might be a little more... specific. Top Six Songs About Being Late. 

This week, not only am I talking about the upcoming #SingItFwdFinale, with the Top Six SingItFwd Performances but I am joined by half of the brains behind the operation, one third of the brains behind Hey Ocean!, and the whole brains behind his solo material, one of the hardest working musicians in Vancouver, David Vertesi.

Hear him talk about SingItFwd, the St James Music Academy, past years, this year's finale, what's next, and lots more. And a bunch of cool performances recorded live from previous years:

"Congo" by Bear Mountain w/ The St James Music Academy
"Bit By Bit" by Ryan Guldemond & Hannah Georgas w/ The St James Music Academy
"So Easily" by Kathryn Calder
"Summer Dress" by July Talk
"Resolutions" by Said the Whale w/ Shad
"Walking on Broken Glass" by Hey Ocean! w/ The St James Music Academy.

Any questions or comments or waffles or criticisms or suggestions for future themes are welcome!

 Subscribe in a reader (Feedburner) | Listen on Stitcher | Direct Download

3am Mixtapes: Episode Eighty Two: Change

Each week on the 3am Mixtapes podcast, I will share with you the Top Six Songs of a certain subject. The topics can be as general as best Polaris Prize nominees. Some might be a little more... specific. Top Six Songs For After You Just Got Fired From Your Job. 

And as you may have noticed, there's some exciting new things happening here at 3am Revelations, so this week, it just makes sense for the Top Six Change Songs! 

Change things up with:

"Time For A Change" by Jeremy Fisher
"Change" by Hey Ocean!
"False Creek Change" by Said the Whale
"Change" by Wide Mouth Mason
"Suddenly Everything Has Changed" by The Flaming Lips
"Changes Are No Good" by The Stills

Any questions or comments or waffles or criticisms or suggestions for future themes are welcome!

 Subscribe in a reader (Feedburner) | Listen on Stitcher | Direct Download

Sing It Forward @ Vogue -- 01/09/15

Now in its fourth year Sing It Forward (or #SingItFwd) has returned to the Vogue Theatre for yet another sold out show. The annual charity event, put on by David Vertesi and Ambrosia Humphrey Vertesi raises awareness, community connection, and much needed funds for Vancouver's Saint James Music Academy, and over the last three years they've has raised over $100,000 for the music school.
And aside from the show itself, each year the musicians playing will go to the SJMA, hang out with the kids, teach them things, and record some videos performing with the kids.

The evening was hosted by Tamara Stanners (of The Peak) and Cory Ashworth (formerly of the Peak) and featured some video interstitials -- including a great mockumentary about Jordan Klassen with the kids done by by Johnny Jansen. Each band got about 15 minutes, three songs a piece, and the evening went along at a nice clip; rarely did it drag or did people have to wait too long between sets. Some bands chose go to acoustic, or more stripped down sets, and others had a full band setup.


Bend Sinister kicked off the night with the SJMA kids joining them for "Fancy Pants", a super fun and upbeat songs from their new album, which included a few of the kids forming a horn section. The prog-pop band were an energetic opening for the show, and anthemic songs like "Things Will Get Better" filled the theatre.

Jordan Klassen and his band took the stage next. Jordan was, as usual, a barely contained ball of energy, opening with his newest song "Firing Squad". He went backwards from there, with "Go To Me" and a great version of an older song, "Call and Answer", exploding into an intense ending that was a little more raw & aggressive than I had seen from him in the past, which I liked.

Dear Rouge did a bit of a stripped down set, Danielle and Drew were joined only by their drummer on a drum pad, and the Four on the Floor string quartet. Their fun, dancey pop got the room moving, and they invited Jordan Klassen back on stage for a song they wrote together called "Your Ghost" before finishing off with their big single, "I Heard I Had".

Between bands, a very small girl from the SJMA came out to sing "Reflections" from Mulan, melting a lot of hearts in the venue.

Bear Mountain was definitely the most changed act of the night, from their regular sound. With an acoustic guitar in hand, Ian Bevis joked that they were nervously trying things out "sans laptops", and their normally upbeat and dancey songs like "Faded" were mellowed out a lot. But I really liked the acoustic interpretations, especially when they brought up all the kids to be a choir, mimicking the synths in "Congo", in what was one of my favourite performances of the night.

The surprise guest of the night Hannah Georgas closed out the first half of the show, joined only by Rob Tornroos on guitar. She played a couple songs, which felt all-too-short, her gorgeous voice soaring for "Enemies", followed by a cover of Rihanna's "Stay" that had many of the younger kids in the all-ages crowd singing along.

After an intermission, a few of the kids from the SJMA were back out for a little bit of bluegrass, and The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer blew up the energy for the second half of the show. The duo was joined by Jody "Miss Quincy" Peck, and proved that in a sold out, 1,200+ person venue, two guys sitting on stools can bring down the house. They played songs from their new album A Real Fine Mess, including "Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To" and the raucous "Act Your Age"

July Talk was the band I was most looking forward to, and of course ended up being my favourite of the night. Coming all the way from Toronto for the show, they played a full band set, and did not hold back. The entire band has an amazing stage presence, but especially lead singers Leah Fay and Peter Dreimanis. They're playful and outgoing and unfiltered, and that energy flows though their songs. "Guns + Ammunition" had the crowd singing (or whoo-hoo-oo'ing) along, and for "Paper Girl", they invited all the little kids on stage, Leah leading the kids in a giant dance party.

After a bit of a lull with everyone setting up his gear, k-os was out for some acoustic hip hop, with a band that included his old guitar teacher playing alongside him. Perched on a stool at the front of the stage, k-os focused on some older songs, the first three tracks from his sophomore album Joyful Rebellion. He was also the most interactive with the crowd, making sure everyone was warmed up before starting, and getting everyone to sing along to the "Man I Used To Be". At one point, he even stopping the band short just so the crowd could sing the chorus alone.

Hey Ocean!, as usual, wrapped things up. Joking that they were running out of old songs to play at the event, they promised a few newer songs, not even recorded yet. Starting off with "Loud Talker", a song that Vertesi recently released as a solo song, they then brought the SJMA kids out for their collaboration from last year, "Smile Like The Sun" before ending with another new song, "Sleepwalker".

But that wasn't quite it. They still had one more tradition, and that was to bring everyone back out on stage -- all the kids, all the musicians, everyone -- for one last cover song. This year was Queen's "Somebody To Love", and while everyone had their turns singing, they were smart in giving Dan Moxon most of the vocals as he just channelled the spirit of Freddie Mercury. I even saw other musicians on stage react with astonished awe when he nailed that impossibly high note at the end.


Like previous years, everyone from the musicians to the venue donated their time and effort, so all the proceeds could go towards the SJMA. And each year, there is something just a little bit special in the air. Maybe it's the community spirit, or all the talent under one roof, but it is one of the most unique nights in Vancouver. And this year was no different.

If you missed it (first of all, what's wrong with you?!) they were streaming the entire thing and have it archived to view by donation over at Circlework.tv. Or you can find recordings from previous years up on their Bandcamp, where I can only assume you'll be able to find this year's soon enough.

Summer Send-Off @ Sun Peaks Resort -- 08/30-31/14

I thought I was going to go the whole summer without any music-based road trips, but when Sun Peaks announced their Summer Send-Off weekend, headlined by Arkells and Eliott BROOD, and also including Hey Ocean!, I knew it couldn't be missed. Hopping in the car with Christine of Vancouver Is Awesome , we headed up to the resort just north of Kamloops for a weekend of music in the mountains.
(and also off-road segwaying)

The first night the music started with Coloured Sky who I unfortunate missed due to rain, but JUST as Arkells hit the stage, the rain stopped and the sun peeked through the clouds.
Starting off with the first song from their new album High Noon, "Fake Money", and as soon as the song was done, lead singer Max Kerman -- always looking out for the fans -- urged everyone to rush the stage and fill the sparse VIP area at the front of the stage.

I've seen Arkells live more than a half-dozen times and they never fail to impress. Aside from guitarist Nick Dika having some small technical issues (faulty outlet, fixed by switching power supplies) they band was firing on all cylinders. Especially Max, one of the most charismatic frontmen that Canada has to offer; always moving around the stage, interacting with the crowd, sometimes even at a one-to-one level, and rarely without a giant grin on his face.

The set spanned their three albums, but also included a few of their usual covers of the Motown variety (as a "request by some friends from Vancouver") A cover of "My Girl" in the main set, and then "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" in the encore; with Max down on his knees at the front of the stage getting the crowd to sing along with the impassioned apology, "I've done a lot of foolish things / That I really didn't mean"
Other highlights of the set included more singing (or yelling) along with "Oh, The Boss is Coming", the beautiful slow burning build of "Never Thought That This Would Happen", and Anthony Carone's badass piano solo during "Puling Punches"
After a little over an hour, they ended the evening with a song that is still my favourite of theirs, "John Lennon", which even included a little bit of Iggy Izalea's "Fancy" snuck into the chorus for good measure.

The second afternoon of music on the main stage started with Hey Ocean! as they hit the stage with "If I Were A Ship", from their most recent album IS. The Vancouver band always puts on a fun and energetic live show, and even their self-admitted relaxing dip in the hot tub right before the set didn't slow them down. Lead singer Ashleigh Ball is a, well, ball of energy, dancing around stage and singing sometimes directly to the young fans in the front row.

Both Davids took over lead vocals for a song each, guitarist Beckingham for "Islands", and the low baritone of Vertesi on bass for one of my favourites off the new album, "Jolene". They also played a couple of covers in the middle of their set, first Price's "I Wanna Be Your Lover" and the slightly more PG "Be My Baby" for the all ages, late afternoon crowd.
After a couple more songs, including a new one called "Sleepwalker", they brought the set to an energetic close with the pairing of "Big Blue Wave" and "Make A New Dance Up", the latter culminating with a dance party and a giant drum breakdown, every member surrounding Johnny Andrews on the drum kit, before Ashleigh ended with a slide whistle solo (yup).

Rumour has it this may have been their last show for a while, and if that's true, then they certainly out with a bang.

And to round out the music for the weekend was Elliott BROOD, who were in Newfoundland not 24 hours earlier for the Harbourage Music Festival. But after a long day of travel they made it up to the mountains and hit the stage, clad entirely in white.

All three members were very loose, telling stories and joking around with the crowd, and letting the set flow off-the-cuff. They opened with what I think was a new song from their upcoming album Work and Love, before an hour-plus set that spanned their entire ten years.

From the older singalongs like "Oh Alberta" to the intense instrumental "Chuckwagon" and even the slower & softer "Northern Air", everything was punctuated by their amazing energy and passion; Steve's incredibly tight drumming, Mark switching seamlessly between guitar and banjo and ukulele, Casey playing the bass pedals with his feet while simultaneously playing guitar. Their self-described "death country" sound proved that "banjo" doesn't have to be a dirty word.

The main set culminated with the explosive and infectious "Write It All Down For You", the crowd clapping and "Hey! Hey! Hey!"-ing along, before they took a request from the crowd for a song that they rarely play live, "Twill", which broke down into a psychedelic jam with Casey down on the stage coaxing his guitar that left the band -- and the audience -- spent.

But of course they couldn't end there, and were back out for one more: the perfect song to wrap up any show, "Miss You Now", with the remaining crowd gathered and some final singing along to the beautiful tune.

In all, it was a pretty great weekend of music in a gorgeous setting. I don't think I will ever tire of seeing Arkells play live, Elliott BROOD was as good as ever, and Hey Ocean! always put on a fun show. And even though the Labour Day Weekend weather wasn't as cooperative as it could have been the whole weekend, the rain was nice enough to hold off almost entirely in the late afternoon/early evenings while the music was going.
If next year's Summer Send-Off is comparable, I would definitely be interested in heading up again.

Arkells setlist
Fake Money, Come To Light, The Ballad of Hugo Chavez, Michigan Left, 11:11, Oh The Bos is Coming, Pulling Punches, Kiss Cam, Never Thought That This Would Happen, Dirty Blonde, On Paper, My Girl [The Temptations cover] Leather Jacket, Cynical Bastard, Whistleblower.
(encore) Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours [Stevie Wonder cover], John Lennon.

Hey Ocean! setlist
If I Were A Ship, I Am A Heart, New Love, Islands, Jolene, A Song About California, I Wanna Be Your Lover [Prince cover], Be My Baby [The Ronettes cover], Change, Sleepwalking, Liar, Maps, Steady, Big Blue Wave, Make A New Dance Up.

Elliott BROOD setlist
[new song?], Oh Alberta, Without Again, Second Son, Wolfgang, Northern Air, Johnny Rooke, Chuckwagon, The Bridge, If I Get Old, [new song], Lindsay, Old Dan Tucker [traditional], The Banjo Song, The Valley Town, Write It All Down For You, Twill.
(encore) Miss You Now

Sing It Forward @ Vogue -- 01/10/13

A year (and change) ago, David Vertesi & Ambrosia Humphrey brought together nearly a dozen of the finest musicians from the local scene for the first Sing It Forward, an evening benefiting the kids of the St James Music Academy. It was such a huge success that they decided to do it again this year, with a lineup no less impressive.

Trimmed to eight from last year's eleven -- which made the pacing of the show much nicer -- each act played a short acoustic or stripped down set, with quick turnovers. There were also a few videos playing between sets, usually showing the bands either interacting or playing songs with the kids from the academy, showing their effort to support the kids went deeper than just playing at the show.

Starting off the night was Andy Huculiak and Cayne McKenzie, two thirds of We Are The City. They played a couple new songs, teasing their upcoming album, which were amazing. Dark and moody, but quite catchy; definitely had me excited to hear the full thing. They ended with "That's All" from their most recent EP, High School.

Victoria's Aidan Knight was up next with part of his band, Julia Wakal & Olivier Clements (jokingly dubbing themselves "The Aidan Knight Chamber Trio Orchestra"). They played mostly newer songs, from last year's Small Reveal, starting with "A Mirror" and then the contemplative "Master's Call", and then getting everyone to hum along to the end of "Magic Cupboards".

Next up was the combined forces of Hannah Georgas and Mother Mother's Ryan Guldemond. Starting with Hannah's "Enemies" and then Ryan's "I Go Hungry", they traded off songs, backing each other up. They also brought out some help, first Hannah bringing out Shad to sing backup on "Waiting Game" and they wrapped up their portion with all the kids from the St James Music Academy coming out to join in on (a slightly cleaned up version of) Mother Mother's "Bit By Bit"

The first half of the night ended with a secret surprise guest, none other than Dan Mangan. He played a couple songs, first flanked by Vertesi and Knight for a cover of David Bazan's "Strange Negotiations" and then the SJMA kids joining him for "Oh Fortune", the line "nice to have the kids around" being especially poignant and heartwarming.

After an intermission, the SJMA kids came back for a song of their own, and then slam poet  C.R. Avery took the stage. First showing off his unique harmonica beat boxing, then taking a seat at the keyboard for a song. For his last song, he was joined by Hey Ocean's Andrew Rasmussen on the keys for more of a spoken word number.

Shad was up next with one of the best moments of the night; he was joined by Vertesi and Andy & Cayne as his backing band for a great remix of We Are The City's "Happy New Year". They stayed to back him up for his own song, "Exile", and then he ended his set alone, with the spoken word soliloquy from the end of "Live Forever"

An acoustic Yukon Blonde was up next, joined by Matt Kelly on keys. Their usually high energy set was calmed down, but no less impressive, especially their stellar harmonies. They played some of their mellower songs, "Loyal Man" and one they said they don't get to play too often, "Guns".

And finally, wrapping up the night was Hey Ocean! After starting with "Big Blue Wave", they kept the collaborative spirit of the night going, with Shad and Avery joining them for "Vagabond", then as they went into a cover of Arcade Fire's "Sprawl II", The Aidan Knight Chamber Trio Orchestra jumped on stage to join them joined them. Finally, they invited not only the kids, but all the musicians of the night back on stage for a cover of Annie Lennox's "Walking On Broken Glass" for a huge, heartwarming ending.

I said on my blog post for the last one "It would be cliché to call it a magical night, but there is hardly any better description", and that rings true to this year as well. It was an amazing night, with everyone from the musicians to the venue donating their time and effort, so all the proceeds could go towards the SJMA, and I can only imagine what it must have been like for the kids themselves who were involved.

Toque Sessions: Hey Ocean! @ CBC Studio 40 -- 02/23/12

The CBC Toque Sessions are in full swing, with a series of free shows at the CBC Vancouver building, which are also being recorded for broadcast later of Radio 2 and their On Demand section (sidebar: check out the snazzy new CBC Music website).

I was tempted to pass on the Hey Ocean! session, as I had just seen them at Venue, but when I heard they would be running through their whole new album, Is, accompanied by a mini-orchestra of strings and horns, I knew I would have to go. It was a little less intimate than previous ones, as they had moved it downstairs into a bigger setting -- probably to accommodate said horns -- and was seated, but Studio 40 in the bowels of the CBC is a great place where I've seen some pretty amazing shows.

"If I Were A Ship" lead things off, staring with an orchestral build up, and lead into the undeniably catchy "Make A New Dance Up" and the single, "Big Blue Wave". The two Daves took over lead vocals from Ashleigh Ball;  Beckingham for "Islands" and Vertesi for "Jolene", the latter being reminiscent of Vertesi's solo material, and one of my favourites off the album.
The trio was backed, as usual, by Devon Lougheed on guitar, Andrew Rasmussen on keys, and Timmy "Boom Bap" Proznick on drums, the entire band was on top of their game, teeming with enthusiasm which helped people to be shimmying in their chairs to songs like the peppy and upbeat "Change". And, as to be expected, the orchestra gave beautiful depths to the songs, like the beautiful "Steady" and "(for) give", the prelude and buildup to the soaring "Give". They wrapped up the album with the heartbreaking "Last Mistake", but had one more song, a b-side that didn't quite make the cut called "Maps".

I've always been a sucker for an orchestral section, and if I had my way, most of the bands I see play live would be accompanied by at least a small one, so seeing shows like this are always a treat, especially when the band in question is as fun as Hey Ocean!.

setlist
If I Were A Ship, Make A New Dance Up, Big Blue Wave, Islands, Jolene, New Love, Bicycle, Change, Steady, I Am A Heart, (for) give, Give, Last Mistake, Maps.

Hey Ocean @ Venue -- 02/10/12

This weekend was the first City and Slope festival, a new winter festival that spans from the city centre to the mountains for four days of events. The one I was most interested in was Hey Ocean! at Venue, who are building hype for their latest album, Is; which isn't out for a while, but the band was more than happy to give them out by donation to everyone in attendance, wanting everyone in the room that night to leave with a CD. And not only that, but they had a pretty swell opening band with them as well.

I though I was perfectly on time, but as I got there I could hear Elias had already started. The Vancouver trio of Brian Healy (vocals, piano, guitar), Rob Tornroos (guitar) and Stefan Tavares (drums) were joined by Peter Carruthers on bass, playing songs from their new album Fossils -- due out this Tuesday.
I've known Elias for the better part of the last decade, and have admittedly not followed them too closely, but the new stuff they were playing is probably the best I've heard of them; a moody and dark, alt-rock sound with each member having a great presence and confidence while playing. The highlight of the set was the last song, which I didn't catch the name of, that had Tornroos on vocals as well, and built to a big, climactic ending. It definitely got me excited to check out the album next week.

Not long after, Hey Ocean! hit the stage with a shout of "Hey Ocean!" and kicked it off with "If I Were A Ship", the first song off their upcoming album. The main trio of Ashleigh Ball, Dave Vertesi and David Beckingham were backed up by Andrew Rasmussen on keys, Devon Lougheed on guitar and Timmy "Boom Bap" Proznick on drums, and each member was full of energy on stage; especially Devon, but especially Ashleigh, dancing around and jumping up on the monitors at the front of the stage.
The bands' energy was matched by the insanely catchy songs like the aptly titled, dance inducing "Make A New Dance Up", a fun cover of The Ronettes' "Be My Baby" and "Fish", which got a nice pop of recognition applause. They brought down the energy a few times, like with the slow "Islands" -- which was a little too slow in the middle of the set -- but the energy was always brought right back up.
The main set ended with their current single "Big Blue Wave" and an old favourite, "California", and they wrapped up the whole night with an appropriately dance-club-y version of "Terribly Stable", due to the early curfew to let the shiny shirts in to Venue to drink & dance & do what they do.

setlist
If I Were A Ship, Make A New Dance Up, Liar, I Am A Heart, Islands, New Love, Fish, Change, Be My Baby, Give, Last Mistake, Big Blue Wave, California.
(encore) Alleyways, Terribly Stable.

Sing It Forward @ Vogue -- 12/21/11

Name your three favourite Vancouver bands. Chances are pretty strong that at least one of them was at the Vogue last night for Sing It Forward, an evening benefiting the kids of the St James Music Academy. Organized by David Vertesi and Ambrosia Humphrey, they brought together some of Vancouver's finest for a night of music.

Leading up to the night, there was also a series of videos posted on Vancouver is Awesome of the bands joined by the kids of SJMA for a song (see them all on their Vimeo channel), and these were shows throughout the night between sets.

As there were almost a dozen acts, each had a short set of three acoustic songs, so I won't linger too long on each act.

Arriving just in time for the last song by Aaron Nazrul of The Boom Booms, he was joined by just about the whole band for a song about East Van, where they're from. It sounded pretty much what you'd expect from The Boom Booms; upbeat and energetic.

Next up was The Belle Game, starting off with "Sleep To Grow", including a fantastic ending with Andrew Lee on trumpet. Even stripped down acoustically, the band had a lush, rich sound that seemed to fit perfectly for a theatre venue like the Vogue; I would love to see them do a full set there sometime. They wrapped up their set with "Shoulders and Turns" with a good number of the other musicians coming out for percussion to end with a bang.

Rococode was next, their raucous sound translating acoustically very nicely (the use of the xylophone definitely helped out with that). The songs -- "Empire" especially -- were no less catchy, and "Dreams" possibly worked even better as an acoustic song, being much more haunting stripped down, and getting the crowd to sing along for the end of it. 

Up next was the man of the night, David Vertesi himself. With just Andrew Rasmussen joining him on keys, he played some of the softer songs from his album; "All Night, All Night, All Night" and "Learn To Run", the latter building to an intensely emotional ending. He ended the set with a surprise guest, calling out Hannah Georgas to sing backups on "Mountainside", bringing up the energy a bit more to wrap up his set.

Ben, Tyler and Jacelyn of Said The Whale were up next, with Ben taking care of the vocals, since Tyler was still recovering from having his tonsils removed (seriously). Every year the band puts out a Christmas song or EP, and their set consisted solely of some of these Christmas songs, with the dreary "Puddleglum" being one of my favourites of the night. Even in a post-surgery haze, Tyler had pretty good energy, and Ben's great voice effortlessly filled the venue.

Wrapping up the first half of the night was Aidan Knight who started off with the most heartbreakingly beautiful song, "Margaret Downe", and even managed to break a string. At an acoustic show. After some of his usual hilarious banter -- a story about how his guitar got the name Burnt Reynolds -- and some deliberation, he played a brand new song and ended, of course, with "Jasper", bringing up all the kids on stage to sing with him.

At this point there was a short intermission, and then Adaline kicking off the second half. She had a bit of a auspicious start, as the keyboard she rented wasn't working, and the one they had been using all night wasn't ready. But she handled it like a champ, first encouraging the kids to continue on with music, then ready to sing a capella, with Robbie Driscoll on bass. Just as she started, though, they got the keyboard fixed and she was able to launch into her somewhat dark, sexy sound, starting with "The Noise" and then bringing out Laura Smith to help with background vocals for "Keep Me High", ending with her own Christmas song from the Light Organ compilation.

Next, Vince Vaccaro was out solo, armed with just his guitar. I've always found Vaccaro's music kind of hit or miss, personally, but I rather enjoyed his acoustic set, and I can't deny he is a pretty great performer. After his first song, he invited all the St James kids back on stage, and they helped out -- along with Ash from Hey Ocean and everyone's drummer Johnny Andrews -- for "Costa Rica" to wrap up his portion of the night.

Another surprise guest popped up between sets when Shad came out to fill the time before the next act with a couple freestyle verses, including his soliloquy from the end of "Live Forever"

Then it was the only non-Vancouver act, Michael Bernard Fitzgerald coming in from Calgary. After a new song, and teasing an upcoming album, he launched into "Movie Life", with a little but of "The Thong Song" (cleaned up a little, for the kids) slipped in at the end, and another new one with Vertesi -- and the kids back up on stage out to help out with singing. MBF is always incredibly fun to watch live, as he just exudes charisma, and you can't help but be charmed by him.

Zach Gray of The Zolas was the penultimate act, coming out with a couple new songs; "Strange Girl" and, after taking a survey of his own (which went about as conclusive as Aidan's) a brand new one called "Ancient Mars", which Zach described as a nerdy love song that he never played all the way through before. It had me at the first line, "I want to believe in time travel". He ended the set with everyone getting into "You're Too Cool", and some great singing along from the crowd.

And finally, wrapping up the night was Hey Ocean starting with a really cool version of "Big Blue Wave" -- which I may have liked even more than the full band version. They threw in their new Christmas song, which had the best intro; first Vertesi introduced in each instrument as they came in (including everyone's favourite holiday instrument: the keytar) and then brought out the awkward dancers, with the greatest dance moves of the year from Aidan Knight and Alex Andrew from the Belle Game. They wrapped it all up with the St James kids back on stage, and all other musicians as well, for a giant singalong to "Alley Ways", for a pretty great moment to end the night on.

It ended up being a four hour long night, but it hardly felt like it, as there was never a dull moment or a lull in the show. All the performers were top notch, and they kept the changeover times to a minimum, with the videos or the lovely emcees from The Peak keeping things running smoothly.

It would be cliché to call it a magical night, but there is hardly any better description, and I hope some variation of this turns into a yearly event.

2011 Grey Cup Festival @ PlayNow.com Stage -- 11/26/11

I'm no football fan, so for me the best thing about Vancouver hosting the Grey Cup is definitely the free outdoor music. Over the weekend there has been a ridiculous amount of great local bands playing at a free outdoor stage just outside BC Place. Friday saw Rococode, Bend Sinister, Kyprios and The Dudes, among others, but the lineup Saturday night was just stellar. Sponsored by The Peak, it started with TV Heart Attack and The Boom Booms, both of which I missed, and then just ramped up from there.

The first band I caught was The Belle Game, getting there a song or two into their set. As per usual, they had a great stage presence, with members, including sometimes-member Andrew Lee on trumpet, dancing and even braving the rain and coming right out to the front of the stage a few times -- at their own risk of falling. Highlights included "I Wish You Weren't Like A Dead Lover (Sometimes)" and "Shoulders and Turns", which saw tour-mates Hey Ocean! joined them for the cacophonous ending (and also guitarist Alex Andrew's random dance break).

Next up was The Matinée, fresh off their big Peak Performance Project show and BCCMA appearance. Kicking things off with "L'Absinthe", they immediately won over the gathering crowd with their collective charisma, getting everyone to forget about the cold and rain, if only for a moment, while clapping & stomping along to "Sweet Water" and singing to "Rocking and Rolling", one of the highlights of the set.
"The Road" was another highlight, especially with the amazing drum breakdown, and it was fun to see them slip in little bits of covers to their songs, including Neil Young's "Old Man" in "Let Her Go".

The last time I saw The Zolas, a month ago, the band was comprised of Zach Gray backed by The Liptonians, but they were back to the usual lineup with Tom Dobrzanski on keys, Henry Alcock-White on bass and Niko Friesen on drums.
Starting with "You're Too Cool", they were as energetic as ever, with some great banter from Gray; at one point someone threw on Oh Henry bar on stage, so Zach responded by tossing out some chocolate he had in his pocket... and then some carrots that were in the other pocket. The set included a couple new[ish] songs, "Guest" "Cultured Man" of their recent 7" and "Strange Girl", which had short, kinda-rapping verse from Gray, and they brought their portion of the evening to an end with a bang, with "Marlaina Kamikaze".

As the cold picked up and the rain died down a little, Hey Ocean! hit the stage next. Their newest single "Big Blue Wave" started the set, which consisted mostly of their new material from their as-yet-unreleased album -- unless you happened to be at a show on their recent tour, or there last night, where they were more than happy to hand out copies.
Among the new songs, "Make A New Dance Up" was definitely the most catchy, and there were a few older ones as well, including "Fish" with the adorable Ashleigh Ball dancing out at the front of the stage, as well as their great cover of "Be My Baby" -- which had everyone, including the entire Belle Game out huddled around drums at the end. After a couple slower songs, one of which dedicated to the memory of Randy Ponzio, they wrapped up the set with "A Song About California".

And finally, wrapping up the night was Said The Whale just as the rain was letting up -- which had Tyler slightly sad, since they went out and bought 50 ponchos for people and wanted to toss them into the crowd.
They started off with an older, rarely played song "Wanting like Veruca", and had a few other older tunes throughout the set, including "Live Off Lamb" which Tyler said they hadn't played in four years. But as well as the old, there was new, with a few songs from their recent EP and upcoming album; the insanely catchy "Lines" and the intense "Big Sky Montana" being two highlights.
There was also a funny moment during "BC Orienteering" when Ben forget some lines, first asking the audience to help, then trying to catch up until Jacelyn stepped up like a champ to finish the verse; which wasn't the only time the keyboardist stepped up for a larger vocal roll, including one of the newer songs.
There was also lots of singing along throughout the set, especially for the closing pair of songs, "Camilo (The Magician)" and "The City's a Mess"

Any one of these five bands I would see on their own without hesitation, and putting them all together -- for free, at that -- was absolutely worth braving the elements to see.

Live at Squamish: Day One -- 08/20/11

Yeah, I guess the view is pretty good. (Haines & Shaw)

What a weekend. For a second year, Squamish was filled with music and love for the Live at Squamish music festival. Last year was incredible, and it would be hard to top, but the weather held and the gorgeous backdrop of the mountains made it a perfect setting for a festival.

The weekend started for me with a surprise Hey Ocean! set at the Green Couch Sessions stage. They played a few songs that would not be in their set on the main stage later, including a cover of "Be My Baby". After them was Top Less Gay Love Tekno Party, who are always a lot of fun. They ended their quick set with their eponymous song that had singer/guitarist Michael Shindler out in the crowd and playing on a picnic table.
I wish I had caught more of the Green Couch stage, as they brought up some other great local acts, like Redbird, Portage & Main, Rococode and The Matinee, but there was just too much going on. It was a great addition to the festival, though, and I hope they can do it again next year.

Hey Ocean! makes me want to make a new dance up.

From there it was to the Girabaldi Stage, the second stage, for a little acoustic Metric with Emily Haines and Jimmy Shaw. I am not sure the reasoning behind the last minute lineup shuffle -- Metric was supposed to headline the first night, but got moved to Sunday and the acoustic set added -- but more Metric is always welcome. They played a few Metric songs, but also threw in some covers; The Strokes, Buffalo Springfield, Shaw taking over vocals on a Neil Young's "Sugar Mountain". The set was good, but I think their acoustic show works better in a smaller, intimate setting as opposed to a big outdoor stage.

At the main stage, the Stawamus Stage, was Hey Ocean!, who always put on a fun show that is insanely upbeat and filled with catchy. Plus, Ashleigh Ball is just adorable. The set included old favourites like "Fish", which had bubbles being blown into the crowd and the set-ending "Song About California" as well as some new ones, like "Make A New Dance Up", which is one of the catchiest songs I had heard all weekend. With a great energy, you could tell each and every member of the band loved being up there and getting to play for everyone.

Stars Take Squamish to the Riot.

Following them was Stars, which was my favourite set of the day. Hitting the stage with their usual incredible energy and musicianship, they played a good mix of old and new, with highlights being "We Don't Want Your Body", the anthemic "Take Me To The Riot", and "Your Ex-Lover Is Dead", which Torquil prefaced by saying asking us to "take a minute to think of the ones we hate most" -- but was also sure to point out the breathtaking scenery and setting sun, too. They closed out the set with their hit "Elevator Love Letter" to a captivated crowd, and even though I have seen them live, multiple times and I am never disappointed and will never tire of seeing them play.

It was back to the Giribaldi stage where the plan was to catch the tail end of Shad, who was scheduled to start shortly after Stars. But the stage had been running late all day, so I got there at the second song -- which was "Rose Garden" with Ashleigh Ball from Hey Ocean! helping out on vocals. To be honest, I have never been that huge fan of Shad's music, but I absolutely respect what he does, and he puts on a hell of a live show. "Ya, I Get It" and "The Old Prince Still Lives at Home" were a couple of the highlights, the latter finished with him rapping just to everyone clapping out a beat.

I caught some of John Butler Trio next, listening from the media tent. What I heard sounded great, with amazing guitar playing skills throughout the set, and while I hadn't really heard too much of their music before the weekend, I was going to have to change that.

Explosive dancing and confetti for Girl Talk

And finally, closing out the night on the Stawamus Stage was Girl Talk, who threw one hell of a dance party. I am not sure if he was mixing live or just hit "play" on his laptop, but the entire field was turned into a huge dancing throng -- even those that don't normally dance (read: me). With a stage full of dancers (not professional dancers mind you, but people pulled up from the crowd), balloons, confetti and streaming toilet paper, and music ranging from Lady Gaga to Radiohead, he wrapped up the first night with a bang.
I am not normally a fan of dance music, but his mashups were tight and I liked that he used an eclectic selection of songs. Where else would you be able to hear Nirvana, Modest Mouse and Modern English mashed up with Kylie Minogue, Tag Team and Blackstreet?

Stay tuned (or, the interwebs equivalent of "tuned") for day two of the festival, which was stacked with the mysterious Panda Watch, more Metric and the face melting epicness of Black Mountain, among others.

Summer Live w/ Hey Ocean!, We Are The City, The Belle Game & Aidan Knight @ Stanley Park -- 07/10/11

It was the final night of Summer Live, a free outdoor festival at Brockton Point in Stanley Park to celebrate the 125th birthday of Vancouver (see bloggery about night two here) and they were determined to keep the great bands coming -- as well as the headache and heartbreak of overlapping schedules.

The day started a little earlier than the previous, for me anyway, as Victoria's Aidan Knight took the Trail Stage at 4pm to a nice sized crowd. He started off the set with "Friendly Fires", off his latest 7", followed by a couple of new ones -- one of which I had heard before and really like, which I dub "Jean Baptiste" (playing the guess-the-name-of-the-new-song game). A couple songs in he realised he forgot a capo, so while flugelhorn-extraordinaire Julia Wakal ran to grab it, it was Story Time with Aidan Knight. That, combined with a story he told later about "North East South West", were great examples of Knight's charmingly awkward banter. There was another new one in the set, the incredibly beautiful "Margaret Downe", and he played the song "The Sun" just as the star The Sun was coming out from behind the clouds. And after an intense ending to "Knitting Something Nice For You", the set came to a close as Aidan's shows usually do; With an extended intro to draw out the anticipation, he launched in to "Jasper", with many people singing along. As usual, a great set from Aidan, and I was relieved as the Trail Stage seemed to have better sound that the main stage, one thing that bugged me the previous day.

setlist
Friendly Fires, Jean Baptiste[?], new, Altar Boys, Margaret Downe, The Sun, Land's End, North East South West, Knitting Something Nice For You, Jasper.

Up next was The Belle Game, once again joined by Andrew Lee of The Ruffled Feathers. With their rich and textured chamber pop sound, I was interested to see how they would turn out on an outdoor stage, and they managed to sound pretty amazing, unsurprisingly. They were incredibly tight and brimming with so much energy that they were just fun to watch.
Along with their own songs, they slipped in a pretty good cover of Bruce Springsteen's "I'm On Fire", and they ended with what was probably my favourite of the set, "I Left This Place". But as they were called back out for an encore by the persistent cheering, they shyly came back and admitted they didn't know any more songs, and if they did do one more, it would be one they already played. The crowd did not seem to care in the slightest and they returned to [re]play their single "Sleep To Grow", which was... interesting. Definitely the first time I had seen that done. But they managed to make it fresh and it was definitely memorable.

There was a bit of a lull next, some time to relax and I caught the last bit of the VSO and the first song from Spirit of the West on the main stage before heading back for Kelowna's We Are The City. No matter how many times I see them live (pretty sure this was number 12), they never fail to blow my mind with how good they are. And last night was no exception, as they all so intense. They sounded as good as ever, and the "new" guitarist Blake has meshed with Andy & Cayne incredibly well.
The set started with a twist and Andy on vocals for "Dark/Warm Air", before Cayne took over again for "Morning Song". Each and every member had unparalleled energy; Cayne jumping around when he could, Blake breaking the strap on his guitar from rocking out so hard, and Andy needing a new kick pedal at one point. There was also the usual funny banter, including tales of Cayne & Andy attending a wedding dressed as pirates, and Andy (reluctantly) showing off his chest hair, which is not quite at Sean Connery levels of fur, to what he thought was just the front row, but he forgot about the jumbotrons.
After a few more songs, including "Time, Wasted" -- which at least one person in the crowd was actually in tears for (not me) -- and one of my favourites, "Astronomers", Cayne took over guitar duties for "1987", which led into "An Angel In White", and they ended off the set with "Get Happy". They too were being cheered for an encore, but Andy came out apologetically and said that was all they had, and thanked everyone again.
Seeing them live always just reinforces why they are one of my favourite bands.

setlist
Dark/Warm Air, Morning Song, There Are Very Tiny Beasts In The Ground, Happy New Year, Time Wasted, That's It That's All, April, Astronomers, 1987, An Angel In White, Get Happy.

Then was time for an incredibly difficult decision: Dan Mangan or Hey Ocean!. Aside from a couple songs at the Valentine's Day show, I hadn't seen Hey Ocean! in a little over a year, and had seen Dan thrice since then, so using that logic, I stuck to the Trail Stage for Ashleigh Ball, David Vertesi and Dave Beckingham, or as they're collectively know, Hey Ocean!. They were joined by a few others to round out the band, including Devon Lougheed of Beekeeper, and I had forgotten what an incredibly fun band they are to watch live. All the members full of energy, especially Devon, but especially lead singer/flautist Ashleigh Ball, who was dancing and twirling all over the stage.
They had a ton of fun with their songs, too. "Fish" came complete with the bubble makers, and there were a few covers slipped in. One full song -- "Be My Baby" by The Ronettes which ended with all the members huddled around the drum kit playing it -- and a few songs ended with a couple verses added on to the end. "Make A New Dance Up", my favourite of their new songs, ended with "I Wanna Dance With Somebody", "Jolene" went into Coldplay's "Fix You" and there was a little of "Where It's At" by Beck at the end of "Beatboxer (Who Broke My Heart)", the song that epitomized the band's sheer amount of fun; Ball's rapping, Beckingham's beatboxing, and Devon playing MC as each member exuded joy.
They ended the night with another highlight of the set, a song I didn't catch the name of, but featured a little bit of harmonized rapping at the beginning. Yeah.
And while I am a little sad I didn't get to see Dan, didn't see 10,000 people singing "Robots" or see Aidan join him on stage to sing "Jasper", I do not at all regret picking Hey Ocean!, as they put on an incredibly fun show.

In all it was a spectacular couple of days, and I really hope the city decides to do something similar (if not on as big a scale) next year. Who says birthdays have to be celebrated on fives and tens?

Get Your Heart On @ Sitka -- 02/14/11

To be honest, usually I just let Valentine's Day slip by unnoticed. But thanks to David Vertesi and Vancouver Is Awesome, I had a destination for the night: Sitka Surf and Skate Shop (of all places). Vertesi had organized a free Valentine's Day show -- what with his album being titled Cardiography and all -- that was a who's who of Vancouver talent. With ten acts on the poster, and a couple surprises, it was a packed night. Each played a few acoustic songs, mostly love songs, with a few covers thrown in for good measure.
(And since there were so many, with short sets, I'll [try to] do short blurbs for each)

Starting off the night was Katie Schaan, out with her ukulele. Her strong voice (more or less) silenced the crowd right off the bat, as she played a song written specifically for VDay. She also called up Thom Kolb for a cover of "In Your Eyes", which they had not only done live before, and was one of the special duet videos for VIA (see them all here).

This led straight into 41st & Home, as Thom stayed on stage, with Katie, and recruited David Vertesi and Adaline to help on backup vocals on his song about Steveston. Adaline, who was not on the bill but pulled out of the crowd, was convinced to play a song, one that had an interesting crowd participation aspect. Instead of just clapping along, she had everyone jingle their keys. Then Thom popped back with his banjo for one more song.

Next up was Steph Macpherson. She opened with a cover of The Magnetic Fields' "Book of Love", before snagging Katie and third great voice, Redbird's Savannah Leigh out to help with vocals on "Best Of You". Katie stayed on stage for Steph's last song, "Summer Salute".

Following the trend of lovely ladies with great voices was Ali Milner. She took the keys for a set consisting of a duet with Vertesi (already the heardest working guy that night) and a cover of "Heard It Through The Grapevine" that had many people singing along.

Treelines, represented by Matt Lockhart, was next. He started off with a "cover" of their song "Calendar" before a proper cover, introduced as "Neil Fucking Diamond!", getting everyone to sing along to "Sweet Caroline", flubbed lyrics and all. He ended with the new VDay song "When I Get Grown", which you can download for free from their website.

Laura Smith and Andrew Braun of Rococode followed and they seemed to play the shortest set. I had only seen them once before, so an acoustic set was interesting, and pretty cool. The songs were no less catchy than with the full band, and I am still eagerly anticipating recorded material from them.

David Vertesi needed no introduction, as he had already been on stage several times throughout the night. Dan Klenner helped out on keytar for "Gentlemen Say". At the show Friday, I mentioned I was vaguely disappointed a certain someone wasn't out to help with backup vocals... so I was thrilled when he pulled surprise guest on stage for "Mountainside". David (and the loud cheers) then convinced Hannah Georgas to play a song of her own, and she complied, singing "The Deep End"

Up next was Shad, laying down rhymes over some back tracks. Ashleigh Ball and Hannah Georgas were out to help out for "Rose Garden", and he ended with some a capella rapping. To be honest, I hadn't heard too much of him outside the singles on the radio, but he was quite impressive live.

Follow that was one of the best band names ever, Top Less Gay Love Tekno Party. Their first song had Ali Milner on organ and some strings, which the most "elaborate" setup of the night. The next couple songs were more stripped down, though, with guitar and keytar. Oh, and there were sparkles eveywhere.

And the night drew to an end with Hey Ocean!, Vertesi back on stage with Ashleigh Ball. "Beatboxer (Who Broke My Heart)" segued into Beck's "Where It's At" and the whole night was brought to an end with another cover, The Ronettes' "Be My Baby". By the end of it, the stage was full of some of the nights performers and the whole crowd was singing along.

By the end of the night, the store was absolutely packed to the door with people, and the atmosphere was more like a group of friends getting together to have some fun -- which is pretty much what it was. I don't how feasible it would be to plan this type of thing every Valentine's Day... but a great night full of awesome talent and covers and collaborations would certainly be a great way to celebrate again next year.

Hey Ocean! @ David Lam Park -- 07/04/10

Vancouver JazzFest came to a close yesterday with some free shows at David Lam Park in yaletown. There were a few bands playing, but I stopped by just to see Hey Ocean!, as I'd never seen them live before, so what better than a free show to check them out?

Admittedly, I'm not as familiar with them as I should be. I've heard the latest album a few times, and while I think it's good, I guess it just kind of fell through the cracks for me. But their live show, wow! Not to seem detrimental of their recorded material, but their live show just seemed so much better. Full of energy and incredibly engaging. The show started with everyone seated in the grass, but a few songs in they threw out a new one called "New Dance" which got everyone up and moving.
The set lasted over an hour, which is awesome for a free show, playing a mix of old and brand new, from the upcoming album, and even threw in a cover. Mid-set they decided to do some 90s reminiscing (the amount of people that cheered when Ashleigh Ball asked "who was born in the 90s" made me feel old) and launched into a cover of The Cardigans' Love Fool, which somehow segued into the theme from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, with accompanying kazoo.

The set wrapped up with more audience participation for "Fish" before they were brought back for an encore -- surprising for a free show like this, but the crowd was going pretty nuts. They played a couple more before finally ending the set, and I am pretty sure they have made a fully fledged fan out of me.