BeatRoute Magazine B.C. print e-edition - August 2016

AUGUST 2016
FREE
DECENDENTS • PETER, BJORN & JOHN • JULIEN BAKER • SATAN’S CAPE • BOB MOSES • QUEER FILM FESTIVAL • VANPOOPER
August 2016 1

TRIM SIZE: 10.25"W x 11.5" H, RIGHT HAND PAGE
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August 2016

TABLE OF CONTENTS
August ‘16
BEATROUTE STAFF
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
PUBLISHER
BeatRoute Magazine
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Glenn Alderson
glenn@beatroute.ca
MANAGING EDITORS
Joshua Erickson
joshua.erickson@beatroute.ca
Jennie Orton
jennie@beatroute.ca
SENIOR EDITOR
Maya-Roisin Slater
mayaroisin@beatroute.ca
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
& PRODUCTION MANAGER
Rachel Teresa Park
rachelteresapark.com
WEB PRODUCER
Shane Flug
COPY EDITOR
Thomas Coles
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
CITY
Yasmine Shemesh
yasmine@beatroute.ca
COMEDY
Graeme Wiggins
graeme@beatroute.ca
ELECTRONICS DEPT.
Vanessa Tam
vanessa@beatroute.ca
FILM
Paris Spence-Lang
paris@beatroute.ca
THE SKINNY
Alex Molten
molten@beatroute.ca
LOCAL
Erin Jardine
erin@beatroute.ca
FRONT COVER PHOTO
Shimon
shimonphoto.com
DISTRIBUTION
Gold Distribution
Heather Adamson • Sydney Ball • Victoria Banner
Eric Campbell • Jade Cobain • David Cutting
Mike Dunn • Bryce Dunn • Heath Fenton • Ashley
Frerichs • Colin Gallant • Jamie Goyman • Britt
Hanly • Erin Jardine • Prachie Kamble • Noor
Khwaja • Ana Krunic • Cait Lepla • Trina McDonald
Jaime MacNamara • Devon Motz • Jennie Orton
Justin Penney • Liam Prost • Molly Randhawa
Daniel Robichaud • Galen Robinson-Exo • Paul
Rodgers • Maya-Roisin Slater • Kristie Sparksman
Paris Spence-Lang • Susanne Tabata • Vanessa Tam
Willem Thomas • Elliot Way • Wendy 13
CONTRIBUTING
PHOTOGRAPHERS &
ILLUSTRATORS
Sarah Baar • Jenny Bonar • Bev Davies
Lindsay’s Diet • David & Emily Cooper
Asia Fairbanks • Chase Hansen
D.L. Fraser • Amy Ray
Galen Robinson-Exo • Dylan Smith
Sarah Whitlam
ADVERTISING INQUIRIES
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Working for the Weekend with Ezra Kish and Patryk Drozd................................4
Julien Baker .......................................................................................................................5
Peter Bjorn & John ........................................................................................................6
Awolnation .......................................................................................................................6
Folk Road Show ..............................................................................................................9
Diarrhea Planet .............................................................................................................10
Lié ........................................................................................................................................10
THE SKINNY 11 - 13
• Satan’s Cape
• Burger Fest 6
• Massive Scar Era
• Subculture
Freak Heat Waes ..........................................................................................................14
Highland Eyeway ..........................................................................................................14
COVER: A TRIBE CALLED RED 15
ELECTRONICS DEPT16 - 17
• Gold Panda
• Bob Moses
CITY.......................................................................................................................... 18 - 19
• Drag Thing Of The Month
• Culturally Defined
• Vancouver Mural Festival
• Sweet Boy Cream Puffs
• YVR Food Fest
• Carp
FILM ...................................................................................................................................20
Album Reviews ................................................................................................... 21 - 26
Live Reviews .......................................................................................................... 27 - 29
Vanpooper ..................................................................................................................... 30
BEATROUTE MAGAZINE
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Vancouver BC Canada
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editor@beatroute.ca • beatroute.ca
©BEATROUTE Magazine 2016. All rights reserved.
Reproduction of the contents is strictly prohibited.
Gold Panda, Page 16
photo: Laura Lewis
August 2016 3

lot can happen in a year, you can open a new
A bar and have it be a huge success, you can get
your own in-house lager, you can sign a lease on a
new space, you can buy a pony, you can even find
time for rest. Most of this is the case for Ezra Kish
and Patryk Drozd, two hard working entrepreneurs
who are creating community spaces where
people can come together to have a good time.
Having had life breathed into it by industry
professionals and denizens over the last year,
the Boxcar celebrated its one year anniversary,
a no-gimmicks good old drinking hole that
neighbours the infamous Cobalt. The Boxcar
touts its own in-house lager, Good Company.
Owned in part by Drozd, Good Company Lager
is a brilliant and refreshing addition to their
already inspired community involvement. It’s
as if the beer is a vehicle to bring together beer
lovers and the patrons of their establishments.
We got these two busy gentlemen together,
we talked about their establishments
and even spilled some juicy details
about what’s to come, here we go:
BeatRoute: Happy one year anniversary to the
Boxcar! What has the response to the space been
in that year?
Kish: Thanks! I mean, apart from the usual
liveliness of a bar atmosphere, the drama
has been low in there. Everyone who
comes in seems to enjoy it and relax.
Drozd: It’s just a bar, no gimmicks, no
televisions, no food (although our neighbours
Pizza Farina sure seem to do a lot of business
in there). People have wanted that in
Vancouver, especially on the East Side.
Kish: It’s exactly like what we did with the Cobalt
minus the live performances; it’s a community.
with Ezra Kish and Patryk Drozd
There’s a difference between community and
network. A network is like your Facebook page
where you surround yourself with people who
pump your tires and agree with you and you
feel validated but you don’t really learn much.
A community is like a baseball team or your
neighbourhood where everyone who comes in
comes from somewhere else and if you wanna
sit next to them you have to be tolerant, and
you might actually learn something if you stop
playing games on your phone for half a second.
Drozd: It’s funny, we get almost the entire city’s
music industry in there blowing off steam with
one another. Sometimes I think the Boxcar is
what stops all the promoters and talent and
agents and label stooges from never speaking
to one another again. It’s cool seeing that type
of professional friendliness happen at our bar.
BR: Tell us about Good Company
Lager, how did that come to be?
Drozd: Good Company (or a form of it) has
been a idea of mine for a long time. Originally
(six years ago) I was talking to a Nicaraguan
brewery about brewing a Canadian cervasa and
brand it under the Vancouver banner, Mexican
lager holds one of the largest positions in the
beer category. Anyways, that fell through for so
many reasons. Six years later, way more business
experiences and the maturity of the average beer
drinker moving into craft beers, the opportunity
opened up for me that I could not ignore.
BR: How have your regulars
responded to Good Company?
Drozd: GCL has been a smash hit, it debuted at
BASSCOAST and The Cobalt. It’s been 30 days and
I am already at government liquor stores and over
Written by David Cutting
photo by Lindsaysdiet.com
30 of my buddies’ establishments in Vancouver.
BR: Good company is based in
the Okanagan correct?
Drozd: Currently CGL is being brewed in [ the
Okanagan] until we can find the right location for
us to set up in Vancouver, currently in talks with
buying a local brewery and installing a canning line.
BR: What do you hope to see for
the next year at Boxcar?
Drozd: A Good Company in every hand.
Kish: Yeah that, I guess. Also, I love our niche music
nights like Vibe Corridor and Fishing that seem to
strike a nerve with music fans who might feel out
of place at a 200+ capacity venue. I’d love to see
that group of people still happy with our space and
hopefully have some more regular nights like that.
BR: How has the Boxcar affected Cobalt?
Kish: It’s certainly focused the Cobalt as a live
space. Before, so many regulars would come
down and try and sit with a beer but attempt
to speak to one another over a punk show or
a vivacious drag number. Now, there’s just an
easy back and forth between both venues.
Drozd: The Cobalt is a total lightning rod for
raucous live stuff: DJs, drag, music. Everyone
already knows that. The Boxcar has been its
own animal, but on top of that, it’s a place
for people to shuffle off to for a minute
to have a (somewhat) quieter drink.
BR: What inspired you to open Boxcar?
Drozd: Because it was an empty space
between us and the next spot over.
Kish: As most people who go to places like ours
in the city knows, it’s nearly impossible to open a
new bar. The Cobalt is over a hundred years old.
The Boxcar is actually the space that was used as
a horse and carriage pass-through back then.
Drozd: Yeah and my horse died a
few years back and my carriage got
termites, so I figured we should probably
consider an update to the space.
BR: Any future plans for more spaces
like Boxcar and the Cobalt?
Kish: We just signed the lease on the former
Electric Owl, right across the street from
our two establishments and down the street
from the East Side Flea which is run by
myself and my better half, Morgan Ellis.
Drozd: We’re returning it to its
former name: the American.
Kish: Make the American great again.
Drozd: That’s the plan.
Boxcar is snugged next to The Cobalt at 923 Main St
4
August 2016

JULIEN BAKER
premature wisdom from a remarkable gauntlet of existence
Let’s sit for a minute with the knowledge that
over the past year Julien Baker has become
some kind of indie phenom at age 20 on the
back of her first solo album, Sprained Ankle; which
came after touring extensively in her teens as part
of her hometown Memphis, Tennessee band Forrister
(formerly The Star Killers). She has received
extensive press coverage and acknowledgment
from outlets such as the New York Times and Amy
Poehler’s Smart Girls, introducing us to her mosaic
persona that feels limited by mere descriptors such
as Christian, poet, academic, and musician. Rounding
this out are the years spent spiralling through
addiction resulting in an album, almost recorded
on a fluke, that is both heartbreakingly sad and
alarmingly relatable to listen to.
When spending time with her album Sprained
Ankle, there is an authentic resonance that occurs
instantly; particularly because the content is incredibly
personal and was written in seclusion with
no intent to share it.
“When I wrote the songs I didn’t have any expectation
for them,” explains Baker. “I gave myself
full artistic liberty to write about the things I was
feeling at that exact moment with minimal refinement
of lyrical content.” The result is an album
that transcends the stratosphere of overwhelming
emotional pain we can experience as we move
through life and it has hit a nerve with the masses
and is continuing to steadily expand its reach.
The growing platform for her music, which includes
prominent tours in North America and Europe
over the past year, has created the space for Baker to
form a new relationship with the songs that is more
reflective of her present day emotional truth.
“The songs are an accurate representation of
how I felt once,” she explains. “But thankfully I have
found out that I don’t in fact ruin everything I do.
Those difficult times were learning opportunities
that allowed me to experience grace and humility.
As I perform the songs now, I reframe them to be
less about the events themselves and more about
what I have learned.”
Although she credits her friendships with
musicians and touring with supporting the sharing
of oneself and connecting deeply with others,
she recently moved back to her hometown of
Memphis after realizing it is where her strongest
support system is. This type of clarity about what
is important and authentic rings true in everything
Baker touches. If the new material she has begun to
perform live and will eventually record is any indication,
her work will continue to provide a window
into her personal experiences and perspective.
“I want to take things out of daily life and find
meaning in them,” she shares. It is this rawness
to her music and the fact that she can engage in
conversation on any given topic with a high degree
of insight and intellect that keeps audiences
hooked on every word. As she comes to terms
with a following anxious for what she releases
next, Baker is secure in her choices to continue
to be as honest as possible.
“One of the wisest things anyone has ever said
to me was, ‘Art has to be selfish to be honest.’ As
much as I am informed by my awareness of people
listening, I strive not to let that dictate what I say.
When you divulge something valuable about yourself,
that is what makes honest art and that is what
people relate to.”
Julien Baker performs at The Cobalt on August 9
Julien Baker bravely bares her soul and remarkable depth with and equally road weary world.
MUSIC
by Heather Adamson
photo: Jake Cunningham
PETER, BJORN & JOHN
finding the currency in quirk
Do you ever wonder which member of Peter
Björn & John came up with the melody for
that whistle? Do you think John constantly
whistled purely out of habit, and then one day
Peter was like, “Actually, that’s good. That’s really
good,” with Björn nodding feverishly in agreement?
Do you think that they intended to unite the world
with one breathing pattern through pursed lips?
No, but thank god they did because it’s still one of
the most recognized symbols of when indie-pop
The Swedish Trio bring their unique voice to the jetstream and are enjoying the rush.
broke through to mainstream.
You’ve gotta hand it to Peter Björn & John; for
over ten years, they’ve managed to live up to their
unsung title of three eccentric Swedish men making
music that frankly sounds like it truly belongs
to them. With no other band would you have
been reading a sad diary like you were with 2006’s
Writers Block (ironically, their album with the best
song-writing), and then suddenly dumped in the
middle of an open marriage between fuzzy beats
& sharped-tongue curses like you were on 2009’s
Living Thing. Yes, PB&J have been doing their own
thing and owning it; but with time comes growth
and change, and perhaps the most startlingly
smooth transition into pop any indie band has
made.
It’s almost as if 2016’s Breaking Point had been
planned way back when. They probably sat back in
2005 and said, “Ok. Let’s have some fun. Let’s get
John’s whistle stuck in everyone’s heads. But then,
lets make one hell of a pop record.” To do this, it
was essential to recruit a roster of heavyweights.
From a production standpoint, not a hair is out of
place. With Paul Epworth (Adele, Coldplay), Emile
Haynie (Lana Del Rey, Eminem), and Greg Kurstin
(Beck, Sia) grooming the trio into a pop-perfected
version of themselves, it’s no wonder every song
feels like it could be a stand alone single.
“We reached a point where we’re like we can’t
mess around, we have to make a decision: is this
gonna be the worst album or the best album
by Kristie Sparksman
we’ve ever made?” recalls Björn Yttling, bassist and
co-owner of their record label INGRID. “And we
went for the best album. And that was sort of the
‘Breaking Point.’ I think it sums up what we’re like.
It feels like it’s an album of our time and that it
couldn’t have come out in any other year.”
Considering their songs are already getting
radio play, it seems like this might be the end of
the underground aspect of their musical masquerade,
but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Lovers
of their earlier, darker vibe may remember when
Peter Morén of PB&J stated boldly, “I say a prayer
for boring music,” as the opening line to Self-Pity.
He was true to his word. Their shiny new sound is
remarkably that of a long-time friend coming out
as gay; you’re a bit shocked at first but completely
accepting and maybe it’s something you saw coming
long before he even knew.
Yttling cites their immersion in their home away
from home, a Swedish co-operative record label
INGRID, as being a major influence on the band’s
creative energy as of late. Working as a producer
himself to dream-pop starlet Lykke Li and throwing
musical parties with Andrew Wyatt of Miike Snow,
it’s no wonder PB&J feel rested and excited to be
on tour again. Who knows, maybe whoever the
original whistler was has enough energy left for a
Young Folks round two.
Peter Björn & John come whistling to the Commodore
on August 30th.
August 2016 MUSIC
5

AWOLNATION
making the most of the backseat
Aaron Bruno is unquestionably the major
creative force behind AWOLNATION.
In a very wordy and detailed interview
with BeatRoute, Bruno subtly demonstrates that
sometimes things are better when you give up
control to a stronger vision. The interview call is
passed through several executives and probably
some energy drink brew masters at Red Bull
Records, and through to Bruno as he is enjoying
drinks on the patio of an Ottawa bar. The first
thing discussed was records and the longevity of
both Megalithic Symphony and Run, the band’s
first two albums.
“As a band we kinda’ stick around like a
fungus and grow. This record, much like the
last one has a lot of time…” Having now made
two albums with multiple hit singles on them,
Bruno uses the word “time” to describe how
long it takes for a market to be fully done using
the tracks. “We aren’t like anyone else so it
takes people a while to figure out what we’re
all about…this gives the luxury of time for
growth.” Bruno has broken the news we won’t be
hearing new AWOL any time soon in the most
artistically satisfying manner. Though, like any
detail oriented person, Bruno is very enthusiastic
about his radio-edit of the title track single
“Run,” released on July 8th, as if it was a new
song. “It’s such a strange, long, dark song but so
many millions of people were affected by the
song online that we thought we’d give it a shot
and try to catch lighting again.”
Someone so creative isn’t taking a vacation, as
Bruno has happily found himself in a co-writing/
producing spot on a new alum coming out by a
killer young band called IRONTOM. Swayed by
either their mutual love of all capital letters or
these kid’s amazing talent, Bruno is very excited
to lend his skills to a promising young act.
“It’s really exciting for me to take a backseat
to all the attention and pressure of being the
face of an outfit…to help coach these kids along;
they’re all in their early 20s and [I] have the
opportunity to give them a chance the same
way mentors of mine gave me chances along the
way.” Bruno later goes on to cite Christopher
Thorn of Blind Melon as someone who gave him
a leg up early in the game. “Run was such an
emotionally draining album for me that while
I’m of course casually writing new AWOL songs,
it’s nice to put my love and care in to that band.”
Bruno sees the producing angle as an artistically
valuable way to help him prepare for a
third album. “Some people do, but I certainly
don’t like - metaphorically speaking - staring
in to the fuckin’ mirror all the time…it gets
old. [It’s] nice to not have to listen to my own
voice,” says Bruno, intriguing sentiments from a
musician who writes all the music for his band.
Bruno seems just as proud to take the reigns as
he is to hide in a co-writing credit, a duality in
character not unlike the duality of his screaming/melodic
vocals.
“The other bands I was in before this were
sort of a democracy, writing, we all had an equal
vote. I learned so much about writing with these
other members, but when the AWOL thing
by Victoria Banner
started that was when I took the reigns over and
started writing all by myself.”
AWOLNATION performs at the Commodore
Ballroom on August 11 & 12.
photo: Daniel Shippey
Handing over the reigns gives Aaron Bruno a much needed stint as a guest and he’s making himself at home.
$5 PINTS
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AUG 20
KiSS 104.9 WHAM BAM
FEATURING HEDLEY
AUG 21
ALAN DOYLE &
THE BEAUTIFUL GYPSIES
AUG 23
THE SHEEPDOGS
AUG 24
STEVE MILLER BAND
AUG 25
SIMPLE PLAN
AUG 26
OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN
AUG 27
FOREIGNER
COCKTAILS
$4
AUG 28
CULTURE CLUB
AUG 30
MONSTER TRUCK
AUG 31
A TRIBE CALLED RED
SEP 1
DRU HILL WITH SISQO,
NOKIO, JAZZ & TAO
20TH ANNIVERSARY
SEP 2
PAT BENATAR
& NEIL GIRALDO
WE LIVE FOR LOVE TOUR
SEP 3
TIM HICKS
SEP 4
THE MONKEES
GOOD TIMES: THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR
SEP 5
CHRIS ISAAK
Ovaltine Cafe. 251 East Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC.
PNE_ PLAYLAND
PNECLIPS
6 MUSIC
August 2016
the fair – summer night concerts – beatroute

August 2016 7

8
August 2016

FOLK ROAD SHOW
international collective of songwriters forge lasting bond
After two Canadian tours and one jaunt
around Europe, Dominique Fricot, Benjamin
James Caldwell, Pieter Van Vliet, and
Olaf Caarls are finally referring to themselves as a
band, although somewhat reluctantly. “When we
started our first tour, we didn’t think it was going
to be how it is,” explains Caldwell from his home
in Australia. “Our original plan was to perform our
songs individually and only play a few together.
That got thrown right out the window pretty quick
and we started playing every song together.”
Ready to embark on their third Canadian tour
this summer, Folk Road Show are legitimizing
their band status as they release their first self
titled studio album which will be available at
every live show and digitally online as of August
23. “The album happened organically during
our last Canadian tour,” shared Caldwell. “My
friend John Paul Smith is a producer with a
studio in Lethbridge. We stayed with him and
his family for three days, recording 15-16 hours a
day, taking breaks to walk across the street and
The spirit of the true Folk show is alive and well with these four strumming souls with dirt on their boots.
play baseball in the park and then head back in
and record some more. It was intense, but also
magical.”
The album is as close to their live show as you
can get, although it was not recorded live off
the floor. It is a testament to Smith’s ability to
hone their individual strengths and showcase
their talents in the studio to produce songs that
resemble the true connection the four of them
have on stage. There are no drums, no bass, only
some electric guitar added by Smith after the
by Heather Adamson
fact, but on the whole the album is a reflection
of their acoustic harmonies and unplugged folk
songs. “We wanted to make something true to
what we sounded like at the time,” shared Caldwell.
The track list is compiled of songs selected
from each of their own personal anthologies,
along with a co-write between Caldwell and
Fricot called “Helena.” It is their mutual respect
for each other’s music that fused them instantly
and led to their own songs being re-interpreted
with one another’s input.
“Lyrics and melody structures get changed,”
explains Caldwell. “It is the collaboration that I
love the most. The outcome is always a surprise.”
The evolution of their collaborative sound
and live performance will include touring with
drummer Nick Pertrowich (Bend Sinister) this
summer and recording a second album with JP
Maurice at Blue Light Studio in Vancouver. If
history continues to repeat itself, we are sure to
see more of these troubadours as they set their
sights to tour on every continent. “We have two
down,” muses Caldwell, “quite a few more to go.”
Not bad for four respective songwriters and
musicians, each from different countries with
individual music careers, who decided to tour
together a few years ago and have just kept going.
The Folk Road Show perform at the Fox Cabaret
on August 25, the self-titled album will be released
through Classic Waxxx Records on August 23.
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
AUGUST
INTERNATIONAL
LOVE
AMATEURS:
STAND UP + BAD
JOKES BY NON-
COMEDIANS
CHEENA (NYC)
PRESCRIPTIONS
LAUGHING BOY
ALL YOUR SISTERS
(SAN FRANCISCO)
GIRLFRIENDS AND
BOYFRIENDS
1 2 3 4 5 6
ART ROCK?
CURATED BY
CASEY WEI
28 29 30 31
ULTRAQUEER
FREE POOL
KARAOKE +
COOL TUNES
SORRY,
WE’RE CLOSED
FOR A PRIVATE
EVENT
NOFX + BAD RELIGION
COVERS
AND THE NEW
August 2016 MUSIC
9
CHURCH
BURNING HEARTS
SOUL CLUB
ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY
PARTY
ASSIMILATION
APPRENTICE
TERRIFIER
WAR BOAR
SOUND + SALT PRESENTS:
MANIC
BLANKETFORT COME TO GRIEF
TOYS THAT KILL
MONDAY
COMEDY MASS GRAVE
NEEDLES//PINS
SHOW
HAGGATHA
KARAOKE
SHITBOYS
NIGHTFUCKER
7 8 9 10 11 12 13
THE DARK
MANIC
ORION + RAP HOBBY
TYROW JAMES
MONDAY
HAZMAT CREW
KARAOKE
APE YOLA
14 15 (M) 16 17 18 19 20
MADONNA BDAY
DANCE PARTY
DJ NIC HUGHES
(GROUP VISION)
METAL
MONDAY
HANK WOOD +
THE HAMMERHEADS
THE DRIPPIES
TUNIC AND LYSOL
TIM HOLEHOUSE
(UK)
PROPRIETRY
MODULATION
SCHEME
VORT AHN (VIC)
BURROW OWL
PUPUPIPI
MOLENA
GIGANTIC!
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AMATEUR STRIP
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EIGHTIES
2 YEAR ANNIVERSARY
DJS NIKKI + VANESSA
DAD ROCK RIOT
TRAGICALLY HIP
TRIBUTE NIGHT
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
METAL CYBER SPA NINE INCH NAILS APHELION
MONDAY DJS WOBANGS AND MARILYN
GOTH
WITH DJ GABRIEL
BABY BLUE MANSON TRIBUTE DEATHROCK
BLACK JADE STATUES
DARK ELECTRONIC
THE ASTORIA
PEARS (NEW ORLEANS)
DIRECT HIT (FAT WRECK)
NATO COLES + THE BLUE
DIAMOND BAND
ISOTOPES
769 E. HASTINGS ST
INSTAGRAM: @theastoriaeastvan

DIARRHEA PLANET
don’t judge a book by its disgusting cover
You can’t judge a book by its band name
That’s how the old saying goes, right?
Whatever conclusions you were coming to
in your head about Nashville rock outfit Diarhhea
Planet, you’re probably way off. Armed with half a
dozen noise-makers, their sound is equal parts fun,
chaos, and beauty: a spectacle not to be missed.
Speaking on the phone from an “unbearably hot”
Nashville, Tennessee, drummer Ian Bush gives
some insight into their brand new full length Turn
To Gold and their upcoming North American tour.
After garnering critical acclaim with a series
of EPs, LPs, festival slots (SXSW, Bonnaroo, and
Governors Ball Music Festival), and even a spot
on HBO’s Animals, it was time for Diarrhea Planet
to record their next album. And it was time to go
big. Recruiting Grammy award-winning producer
Vance Powell (The White Stripes, Arctic Monkeys,
JEFF the Brotherhood) it was time to make what
guitarist Evan Bird calls their Back In Black.
“This would be the first time anybody has
captured something close to a live set from us,”
admits Bush, though in their past records’ defense,
a Diarrhea Planet set is not an easy thing to put to
tape. With four guitars and a powerhouse rhythm
section, the band’s live sets are easily some of the
most explosive and chaotic around. To catch
glimpse of a fret-tapping human pyramid would
be right on par with a myriad of ridiculous stories
from their shows.
From behind the kit, Bush bears witness to his
band mates’ endless shenanigans but he admits:
“It’s kind of nice being in the back in my own world
with Mike [Boyle, the bassist] while the rest of the
band is looking like Russian gymnasts. No part
of me wants to be at the front of the stage doing
what they do, but I commend them for it”.
What may be the most impressive part of the
Diarrhea Planet undertaking, though, is that
beneath all that bedlam lay reserves of expertly
crafted, catchy songs that are guaranteed to get
your sweaty beer soaked fists in the air with every
anthemic chorus.
Riffs for days with a human pyramid of heart stopping acts of debauchery.
by Devon Motz
To kick off their North American tour in
support of Turn To Gold, Diarrhea Planet will be
playing their first Nashville set since the record’s
release at the legendary Exit/In, where Iconic
acts such as Neil Young and R.E.M used to cut
their teeth.
You can catch the band and all their heart-stopping
acts of debauchery on August 26th at The
Rickshaw Theatre with Meatwave and local trio
Dead Soft.
photo: Emily Quirk
LIÉ
making a stone cold dent in the punk scene
Momentum is quickly rising for Vancouver
cold punk trio Lié. Slated to release their
2nd full-length album on August 12
through Monofonus Press out of Austin TX, these
three are demanding attention with their emergency
room-era style and heavy songs that pack a
smart, poignant punch.
Their upcoming release Truth or Consequences
is intended to take on a different theme than
its predecessor Consent. Bassist and co-vocalist
Brittany West describes the records as similar in
style, but this time they’re exploring more personal
themes, delving into the human ego and “how
it can be so powerful and so destructive.” They
experimented with more of a “live off the floor”
sound and went heavier on the vocal effects
and guitar looping, staying true to their sound
while keeping things fresh - as proven in the first
released single “Failed Visions”.
They just got back from their first tour of the US
With absolutely no apologies, this local Vancouver trio is pushing our face into punk music again.
photo: Alex Kecha
by Ashley Frerichs
East Coast. West says, without hesitation, that the
highlight of the tour was playing with New York
punk band Surfbort. They have shared the stage
with some other very cool bands in their short tenure
- Chameleons Vox, Black Flag, and Infidel, to
name a few. So what bands are on their wish list to
play with next? As if she was anticipating the question,
West immediately says Nots - an all female
punk band from Memphis. Often compared to
Siouxsie and the Banshees, West says they resonate
more with bands like Mutators, Nü Sensae, and
Twin Crystals.
Based out of Vancouver, it’s surprising they’ve
never toured across Canada. As West puts it, “If
we can drive 14 hours to Calgary or 14 hours to
Sacramento…” obviously they’d pick California.
Which makes sense beyond the aesthetics alone.
It’s not economically feasible for bands to get into
vans and drive across Canada when they can drive
shorter distances and make waves in US cities
where there is an actual framework in place for
a supportive live music culture. Their last album
Consent was released on That’s Cool Records, also
out of Austin. So I had to ask – how did they get
hooked up with the Austin scene? West casually
said that they visited Austin a few times and made
some friends. “I don’t know why – but Austin loves
Lié.” I know why – it’s because they absolutely rip,
and Austin knows what’s up.
Their next album Truth or Consequences is out
August 12 via Monofonus Press.
10 MUSIC
August 2016

SATAN’S CAPE
east van is alive with the sound of shredding
The four-piece that is Satan’s Cape, which includes
guitarist Ben Couves, Johnny Stewart
on bass and vocals, drummer Aran Bingham,
and Chris Langford on guitar, believes that
the riff is of the holy sanction. Stemming from
the history of their roots in punk rock, metal, and
Hesh/Thrash skating, they all seem to understand
each other and don’t have any grand illusions of
taking over the world one riff at a time. Their DIY
attitudes and their commitment to doing things
the way they want is clear when you meet them
and hear their music. These are not rock stars, just
dudes with guitars and beers in their hands looking
for a good time. “We do it because we love it.
If you don’t dig it, go to the next show. We’ll rock
the moon if we have to,” says Johnny Stew.
The writing process for every band is different;
sometimes you have a strong headed visionary
with a strict idea of how things will turn out,
sometimes you have an equal collaboration or
a meeting of minds that all come together, each
member adding their own touch to a song. In
the case of the Cape, Bingham describes the
process this way: Couves and Langford generally
bring riffs to the table and once the band hears
a keeper they are all stoked on, that’s when Stew
starts sculpting, trimming, and slicing until the
arrangement is heavy, tight, and powerful. Finally
that’s when Bingham comes in and gives the
beast its backbone. This process lends itself to
banging out jams which gave them 14 songs in
six months playing together as a four piece. When
asked about lyrical themes Couves chimes in and
says, “A lot of it started like most things, a snide
comment, a joke, or a burn, and then we just turn
it into a song.”
Theses four dudes set out for a good time. No
real big expectations except drinking beers and
Satan’s Cape lives the dream and shakes East Van’s skinny jeans clean off.
playing rock and roll together. After a couple years
of jamming and gigging the boys are excited to see
the good times and hard work forever captured
on wax.
“I never thought I’d have this vinyl in my hand,
it is now so much more than just fun,” Couves
grins proudly.
Upon completion of their press interview
obligation, the boys plugged in and played some
by Elliot Way
songs off the new record. The music is one hundred
percent rock and roll with weight in the music
which keeps it heavy. Satan’s Cape represents
the new era of rock and roll in this city; like Satan’s
cape itself, it is draped over East Van, keeping the
riffs alive.
Satan’s Cape plays Skidtopia on August 19th at
SBC Restaurant.
photo: Jonathan Dy
BURGERFEST 6
heaviest outdoor bbq in the dtes
by Erin Jardine
After trying out several different venues
over the years, all retaining the strong
outdoor aspect of the festival, Burger
Fest coordinators Scott Bartlett, Taya Fraser,
and Mitch Ray have finally settled on the Waldorf
Hotel in East Vancouver to host Burgerfest
6 for the second year in a row. Burgers will
be on the grill at noon on Saturday August
13th, with bands starting shortly thereafter.
This is the first year that Burger Fest has definitively
gone in the heavy direction musically,
with four touring acts, Dead Ranch (Winnipeg
MB), Lord Dying (Portland OR), Wild Throne
(Bellingham WA), and Griever (San Diego CA).
Supplemented with the heaviest Vancouver
has to offer, Burger Fest will span 13 hours
with 18 bands.
Amidst funny stories about previous years
(running out of booze, dealing with unaccomodating
venues, and the hungover Sunday
cleanup), the coordinators are dedicated to
drastically improving each year. The Waldorf
offers a unique space, with a stage outside and
inside and ample bars throughout. As for rain?
There will not be any: “We’ve never had rain
for Burger Fest,” remarks Ray. “This event is
not affected by rain, it’s a great lineup and it
has a reputation for being a great party,” adds
Bartlett. Burgers are provided by Vera’s Burger
Shack and the Heatley, both local businesses
with attractively different styles of burger.
“We’ve confirmed with both providers that the
burgers will not be more than $6 each, we want
everyone to be able to eat a bunch of burgers
and buy a bunch of merch. We don’t want to
run people broke, and we want to support the
bands,” explains Bartlett.
Burger Fest embraces change, and continues
to set their sights well in advance of the event.
One of the aspects that will not be seen in the
future is Burger Fest’s poster contest. “All it has
done is cause hurt feelings and saturate social
media with negativity when it should be about
the festival itself.” On the topic of door price,
any of the touring bands would play a show
that costs $18 to $20, and with Burger Fest’s
$20 cover, it’s the biggest bang for buck all
summer. “It is first and foremost a music festival,
we needed to make the lineup as good as it
can be,” says Ray. “If you’re not striving to better
what you did, you’re moving backwards.”
Burger Fest takes over The Waldorf August 13.
Tickets are $20 at the door or $15 at Neptune
Records, Hits and Misses, Red Cat Records, &
Horses Records.
An East Van tradition finds a home and prepares to destroy it with 18 bands in 13 hours.
photo: Milton Stille
August 2016 THE SKINNY
11

MASSIVE SCAR ERA
defying a nation, almost literally, to do what they love
A
definitive frontwoman, Cherine Amr’s
wild, blue-streaked curly brown hair precedes
her confident air. Having founded
Massive Scar Era with violinist Nancy Mounir
in 2005, Amr relocated to Vancouver last year.
“Things in Egypt aren’t really too bright right
now...In terms of the music scene, it’s not good,
and when you’re talking metal it’s even shittier.”
Being in a metal band in Egypt, let alone the first
one with an all-female lineup, is not a simple
enterprise. “We were asked to play a festival at the
Library of Alexandria in 2005, which happens to
be guarded by the Egyptian National Police.” The
police complaints went right to the top, and got
them banned from what little venues they had
available to them in Egypt (not just the city of
Alexandria, where the festival was happening).
It certainly didn’t end there. “We had our photo
in the newspaper in 2011, I was working in an
office and one of my co-workers comes and asks,
‘are you worshipping the devil?’ And when I asked
him what the hell he was talking about, he shows
me a newspaper with my photo and the headline
of ‘The Devil Worshiper.’ It was a cute photo of us
backstage, smiling.”
When the band’s music was featured in the
docu-drama Microphone (2010), a movie about
the underground art scene in Alexandria, Amr
couldn’t even tell her parents until the movie won
an award and Massive Scar Era was asked to play a
film festival in Dubai. “The song ‘[Aba’ad Makan]’
was huge after the movie came out, you could
hear it playing everywhere you went. But this was
a huge part of my life that I was hiding, because
I was not allowed to play music.” In Microphone,
their faces are constantly masked by different objects.
“When I told the director I couldn’t appear
in the movie, the director said not to worry. So
every shot of us, of me and Nancy and the whole
band – our faces are always covered.”
When they did play the festival, it was a strange
experience for Amr. “In Egypt we would only play
the underground shows, so our parents wouldn’t
find out. But this was a big arena, where we were
playing freely in front of so many people – one of
which was my sister’s best friend, which meant as
soon as I got off stage my phone exploded,” - with
praise from fans, but not from her parents. “They
were extremely mad, like I was a drug dealer or
something. So they went to see the movie, to see
what it was about – it’s about how fucked up my
life is because I’m not allowed to play my music,
so then finally they admitted that maybe they
were overdoing it. But they haven’t completely
come around.”
Fighting every step of the way, Massive Scar
Era is determined to bring their music to the
world. Amr’s heavy riffs and wailing growls are
offset by her singing voice and middle-eastern
steeped violin. It all comes together for some
truly unique hardcore music. The anger in “My
Ground,” their last single, speaks to every touring
female musician who has ever faced sexism
(read: all of them), and the groove in “Pray”
would get even the staunchest arms-crossedat-the-back-of-the-crowd
concert goer moving.
We can all be thankful they’ve stood their
ground, and that their new EP, 30 Years, comes
out August 15th.
by Ana Krunic
Massive Scar Era currently has an Indiegogo campaign
to get violinist Nancy Mounir to Canada.
Find it on their website, www.massivescarera.com,
and then catch Massive Scar Era in Vancouver at
the Red Room on September 3rd.
Cherine Amr stands her ground against cultural restrictions and opposition to growl with freedom.
12 THE SKINNY
August 2016

SUBCULTURE
notes from the underground
As I adjust my proverbial granny panties
typing this, I long for the days of simplicity,
morals and the sense of community
we seem to be lacking. Sociopaths are popular.
Calling people out online is a favorite past time
that devolves us back into the era of the witch
hunts. The fascinating world of the Internet
tricks us into believing we actually know the
people we interact with. We are roped into
taking sides on things, knowing only one side of
the story. People are tried and convicted within
hours, after a couple of rounds
of informative post sharing on
social media, even if the truth is
buried deep in grains of salt.
How much more can our
subcultures take? Why would
anyone think that posting about
their personal relationships to
shame their ex is the cool thing
to do? Posting screen shots of
private conversations, is dreadful
enough. But someone then
turning around and making that
screen shot into a gig sized poster
and hanging them around town.
What the fuck is this person thinking? This just
screams of an attention-seeking shit disturber
with some self esteem issues. Luckily, a call to
Richard the Poster Guy to have his team cover
or remove these posters will hopefully erase this
cruel deed quickly. I barely know the people
involved. A vulgar bullyish display.
It feels like the armchair online world has
become a giant version of the National Enquirer.
Everything is peddled as the most outrageous,
trendy hype machine. This includes rock shows
these days.
Promoters are gushing about bands that don’t
give a shit enough to even share their gig on social
media. I was actually pleased that contrary
to the apathetic norm, there are bands with
some pride celebrating their creative wares, and
urging your attendance at a recent show.
Promoters have become like carnival barkers.
You can just start labeling all gigs with a sample
by Wendy13
of any of the four food groups, a trend to make
everything seem more exciting perhaps. People
also like drugs. How about Meth Fest, Cocaine
Chaos or a Heroin Hootenany? Maybe I’m just
resistant to the trendy times. Does everything
need exaggeration and embellishment? Is a
simple local show now seen as extinct as the
dinosaur? When I post a complicated relationship
with my cat or the word ‘bacon’ as an
update on Facebook, that receives more hype
than local gigs. Yeah, I think I’m worried about
my livelihood imploding. I need
to find a way for local music to
survive this apathy without the
absurdity.
Rod Rooker out of DV8
Edmonton is resorting to
collecting recyclables to try
to keep his live music venue
going. I can’t wait to hear all
the lamentations on Facebook
when more of your favorite
subculture spots die a lonely,
under-attended death.
Not sure how much longer
many venues across Canada,
experiencing these same low turnout conditions
can survive. Has the abundance of entertainment
available to people on their couch deemed
this sector of the music business obsolete?
Sadly, this is not restricted to live music venues.
Our record stores are closing. Scrape had so
much hubbub surrounding its impending doom
online, yet all the declarations to save it never
moved past peoples couches. Horses Records
is done soon and now, Hits and Misses at 2629
East Hastings made their announcement. Your
newest subculture record store will be packing
it in mid-September. Get in there while you can
to help Pete out with some sales so he at least
breaks even, if that’s even possible anymore with
the exorbitant costs of living and doing business
in the city. No, I’m not breaking up with Vancouver,
I feel like breaking up with apathetic people.
Like my relationship with my cat the Houdster,
it’s complicated.
August 2016 THE SKINNY
13

5
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Gerwig. DeVito. Burstyn. Delpy.
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Alejandro Jodorowsky Double Bill!
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THE STORY OF THE GREATEST
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SWINGERS
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14 THE SKINNY
FREAK HEAT WAVES
a glimpse at their live improv and next record
The music of Victoria’s Freak Heat
Waves almost has a texture you can
reach out and feel with your fingertips.
This West Coast four-piece works within
structured walls, but their experimentation
and raw attention to detail works to dismantle
such boundaries.
Lead singer and guitarist Steven Lind says
Victoria offers a positive environment for his
band to test their sound.
“Victoria has a very supportive music
scene, everyone knows each other and everyone
plays together. There’s a lot of positivity.
I don’t really know how it affects our sound,
mainly it’s just a place to incubate ideas,” says
Lind during a phone call from Halifax after
playing the Gridlock Music Festival.
Their visceral and colourful post-punk
— its elements of late ‘80s no wave walks
atop grainy synth lines, all of which build
and build into bouncing walls of sound — is
a feast for more that just the ears. Sharp,
twinkling guitars, choppy drums and hushed
horn textures create a balanced sound for
Lind’s deep, monotonous vocals.
However, Lind says there is a dichotomy
between their recording and live performances,
which sees the band attempting to
alter their songs in a more natural fashion.
“We just kind of play pretty stripped
down. On the records, we have a lot of
HIGHLAND EYEWAY
set their sights far and wide
If you like distorted, melodic guitar in a heavily
psychedelic setting, then check out Vancouver’s
Highland Eyeway. The band is a three
piece, heavily inspired by psychedelic rock, made
up of local Vancouver forest dwellers, Houston
Matson-Moore (Guitar, Vocals), Max Andolfatto
(Bass, Vocals), and Spencer Chapnan (Drums).
Matson-Moore and Chapnan have been playing
together since they were ten years old. After
jamming together for over ten years, eventually
they joined forces with Andolfatto and created the
band in August of 2014.
Up until now, all that existed for recordings of
Highland Eyeway is a live recording on cassette. It
was a priority for the band to release an album of
much higher quality. Hence, their EP Royal Green is
set to be released in August. They’ve been labouring
on the album for months, pulling all-nighters
in the studio to come up with their most clear
sounding recordings yet. Along with the album,
they’ll also be releasing a locally made music video
for their song “Fryin,” featuring live kayaking footage
filmed in Lynn Canyon and Seymour River.
Since forming, Highland Eyeway has made
playing live a priority, captivating audiences made
up of people of all ages and all walks of life. Their
“jammy” vibes and open-ended songs leave room
for them to create something real and unique with
each performance.
For the band, the music is meant to create a
space where there’s a “flow of stream of consciousness,
where you can get into the trance of the
synths and drum machines and studio stuff
that we don’t try to replicate too much
onstage,” he says. “We try to improvise more
and have our live shows be a bit more free
with a lot of energy rather than just backing
tracks.”
And with such a goal in mind, they accomplish
unique performances unbound by
expectation.
“We don’t really think of it as trying to
perform our record, that wouldn’t be as fun
for us. We always approach it as a new thing.
We rearrange songs all the time, and change
our sets up and try to create new versions of
what we have done,” says Lind.
Freak Heat Waves have released two
albums to date, 2012’s self-titled release and
2015’s Bonnie’s State of Mind, both of which
are executed with maturity and a clear vision.
Lind says they recently finished recording
and hope to release their third full-length
within the next year.
“The main difference between this one
and our first two records is it was written
and recorded before we played any of the
songs live. Before, we would write and play
and tour and then record them,” explains
Lind, expressing excitement for their current
Canadian tour.
Freak Heat Waves perform at The Cobalt on
August 19th.
jamming, and get people into the collective vibe.”
Seeing Highland Eyeway live is like being carried
on an ocean of sound. Building from the centre,
their sound expands outwards. And in a circle of
flying psychedelic chords and electrifying ripples, it
spreads into the audience and unites each listener
as a wave that moves with the tide of the music.
While riding the wave of their sound, it’s easy to
Arranging, rearranging and always in flux.
by Michael Grondin
by Jade Cobain
become free and to lose yourself in that “collective
vibe,” to feel yourself lifted and waving like
seaweed in a sea of sound. Live, the band unites
people in a way that music is meant to.
This August Highland Eyeway will be touring from
the 9th-24th, playing shows in Vancouver, Whistler,
Victoria, Saltspring and Edmonton.
Riding the snake down a jammy wave of unity into the mouth of destiny herself. And you know, guitars.
August 2016

A TRIBE CALLED RED
Assembling a Nation to move you
by Jennie Orton
photo: ???
A Tribe Called Red offers memberships to the Nation provided your open mind moves well to the beat.
As the thumping rumble of pow wow culture
has made its way to the unapologetic
dance party thrown by A Tribe Called Red,
so has the presence of Indigenous identity; a vibrant
beast just recently wrestled from the hands
of hundreds of years of oppression and silence.
Red member Bear Witness sees this “renaissance
of Indigenous art and culture” as a progressive
enlightening for future generations of the
Native population. “A major goal of Tribe Called
Red was to create something that everyone could
love but that represented indigenous culture, for
indigenous youth. All their other friends from
other cultures loving our music but knowing that
it reflects them. That’s something we didn’t really
have growing up.”
“We have come to time when we feel confident
in sharing again. I think for a long time there was a
fear of sharing culture and traditions when everything
else had been taken away from you.”
Within this long overdue hijacking back of
birthright, The Halluci Nation was born.
On September 16th, A Tribe Called Red will
release their latest album: We Are the Halluci
Nation. The concept, a Nation of open minds and
hearts that anyone with both of those things can
be a part of, was born of fruitful collaborations
during a time ripe for social justice; a banding
together of all those ready for love and change.
“It’s these times in history when it goes beyond
it being a choice to be political,” notes Witness.
“Especially now when information is so readily
available and easily spread, people are reacting and
finding ways to express themselves.”
“We are coming to a time where people want
more from their music, people are looking for
more than just party songs.”
And The Halluci party has quite the list of
illustrious guests: fearless hip hop activist Yasiin
Bey (the artist formerly known as Mos Def), Saul
Williams and his liquid hot social conscience, and
wildly talented traditional pow wow drum group
Black Bear are among the collaborators on the
new album and they all leave an undeniable sense
of weight and meaning to the still very danceable
tracks.
But it is the indelible word and influence of one
man this album owes its pulse to: the late John
Trudell.
Trudell, famous for among other things being
the mouthpiece for the 19 month All Tribes
occupation of Alcatraz in 1969 (look it up, it’s
pretty amazing), contributed poetry for the album
after a fruitful exchange with A Tribe Called Red
“We are coming to a time where people want more from their music,
people are looking for more than just party songs.”
backstage at a show they were all a part of, which
was followed by a get together at Trudell’s home
in Albequerque. According to Witness, Trudell had
become disillusioned with working within political
structure which led to his desire to reach people
through music; making the collaboration with
Red, a group he admitted to admiring, a natural
progression.
Witness had originally envisioned the album as
a concept album about a group of superheroes
fighting the good fight, bringing like minded
heroes into the fold. But Trudell’s words gave the
idea a greater vision; one that created the inclusive
sense of a Nation.
“We think of ourselves as warriors and activists,
but John said we need to be more than that,
we can’t be so narrow in our thinking,” recalls
Witness. “Through art and especially music we
are able to express a broader range of ideas to a
broader group of people.”
When Witness called Trudell to tell him the Nation
had been born, and had even yielded jacket
patches, his reaction was fittingly grand in vision:
“Thank you, the Halluci nation is real.”
Trudell died of cancer in December of 2015 but
his lasting effect on The Tribe Called Red remains.
“John and all these people are people who
have put themselves out on the frontlines of their
respective movements and what they find important
in the world,” says Witness. “This is something
that brought us all together. There’s something
to that, there is another wave of conscious music
happening.”
But let it not be said the music has become too
conscientious to move to; an element made even
more palatable by Black Bear’s contribution.
“Working with them was a dream come true,”
recalls Witness.
Working with a live drum group allowed for
multiple mics to be used during recording. The
resulting sampling options were endless and
allowed Red to dig deep into traditional sounds
while fleshing out their most multi-layered tracks
to date.
“When you work with a drum group, you are
working within an indigenous framework. None
of these guys went to music school, they grew up
performing with their community. It affected the
way we treated what they gave us, to watch it take
shape.”
So while the spirit of the Tribe Called Red dance
party remains, it does so with a nourishing helping
of cultural pride and open belonging; flavors that
are being devoured by a very mixed audience.
“For the most part we have only been talking
to ourselves and within our own communities
for so long and we’re coming to a time right now
where people outside the indigenous community
are actually willing to listen and be interested and
participate; not only to the things we have to contribute
culturally but the things that have been
happening politically for the past 500 years.”
“We’ve never had control of our own image
and as an indigenous artist, that is the thing that I
could interact with the most; I could show how I
see myself and how my friends see themselves to
the world.”
After years of representing their community
while hosting massive swells of sweaty bodies, A
Tribe Called Red has found the perfect concoction
of tradition, discussion, inclusion, and dat bass.
“Our first mission is to throw a great dance
party,” promises Witness. “But then we always
hope that people come away from our shows with
a better understanding not only of themselves but
of each other.”
“When we have indigenous and non-indigenous
people come to our shows and feel indigenous
music together, that’s starting to create that
common ground.”
Common ground is something so many groups
still fighting for equal rights today are striving to
achieve. Finding a way to celebrate what makes
your culture unique while finding the rhythm that
makes us the same is a tricky business, one that
creates as many riots as it does bass drops. But
A Tribe Called Red has always been about being
happy while being real.
“We, a Tribe Called Red, are not the Halluci Nation;
it’s everybody else,” acknowledges Witness.
“It’s all the people who are out there and are willing
to look at each other and see each other and
treat each other as human beings. Then you are
a part of the Halluci Nation, and we are inviting
everyone to come and take part.”
“If we can start to experience joyful things
like that, that’s when we can really get to a space
where we can start working out this big mess of
North America.”
Experience the joy for yourself
at the PNE August 31st.
August 2016 15

ELECTRONICS DEPT.
GOLD PANDA
CLUBLAND
hardware based production for digital consumption by Vanessa Tam August 2016
A
career in electronic music wasn’t always part of the plan
for the UK based producer Gold Panda, who usually goes
by his given name Derwin Schlecker. What started as a
hobby—making house music in his bedroom—mixed with a little
luck, some good timing, and an inspiring trip to Japan eventually
morphed into what it is today.
Known to use self-recorded samples from his own collection
along with a selection of physical drum machines, keyboards,
and MPCs to create his music instead of solely using a computer
with some software, Schlecker is definitely more of a hardware
based electronic music producer. Using his considerably more
lofi method, his sound feels completely unique compared to
many producers who create music using the exact same folders of
sounds and instruments.
Since going to Japan for the first time at the age of 19 and falling
in love with the country, Schlecker aims to return at least a couple
times a year to maintain his fluency in Japanese. The last couple
trips he made, however, were with long time friend and photographer
Laura Lewis with the intention of making a photography
book paired with a CD of field recordings to go along with it. “The
idea originally was to do time delivered audio with like field recordings
on a CD,” Schlecker explains. “[I wanted] to do them raw
and unprocessed but because there were so many of them, I was
going to put them in one piece composed together so it would
become [one long] changing [piece]. Kind of like being on a train
whizzing past different scenery [where] you don’t really get to fix
you eye on one thing for too long.”
Returning to the UK with more content than he anticipated,
Schlecker was inspired to produce and release this third studio
album titled, Good Luck And Do Your Best. With an overall theme
that is as optimistic as it is Japanese, the new album is actually the
first bit of new music he has been able to release over the past
three years. “That’s just how long it takes to make records now
because you can’t make money from doing records; you have to
do shows.” He goes on to reference an interview he was recently
listening to with Joe from Metronomy talking about how, “Bands
have to tour, and they break up and members leave, [then] the
band has to find new people [in order to tour]. By the time they
get around to writing a record and then releasing it, [a few years
have passed]. The best you can ever hope for is one new album
every three years from your absolute favourite band.” He goes on
to say, “I’m lucky because it’s just me and, I don’t really have to pay
anyone. I mean, I have a tour manager and a guy that does visuals,
but I don’t really have to pay a band. I’m quite lucky, just I do
everything at home.”
As a surprise release, Schlecker recently dropped a new EP titled
Kingdom. Made in just a few months opposed to years, “Kingdom
was just recorded by me, just a live jam in my bedroom and given
to a friend to clean up a bit, you know, just to make a finished
track.” Featuring a looser song structure and a darker overall
theme compared to Good Luck And Do Your Best, Kingdom tells
the story of a guy who lives in Schlecker’s building from Afghanistan
who ordered a phone to call his family back home only to
have it stolen from him before even receiving it. “Kingdom [is
about] this kind of place that people have heard about and want
to get there thinking that it will solve all their problems, but when
they get here there’s more problems, although a different kind.”
Gold Panda performs at Fortune Sound Club on August 18th.
by Vanessa Tam
With August being the last carefree summer month before
life starts getting serious again, this is usually when
people start to panic and try to get as much fun out of the
seemingly good weather as humanly possible. Last ditch efforts to go
camping, hiking, and beaching will be ambitiously made and hopefully
achieved. Good thing we made this list of club shows to hit up in
August to round out your perfect summer 2016.
Snakehips
August 5 @ The Commodore Ballroom
Initially gaining buzz through their popular remixes of tracks by Banks,
The Weeknd, and Bondax, British production duo Snakehips really
started gaining steam after releasing their first original single in 2014,
“Days With You.” Since then, Oliver Lee and James Carter have gone
on to release two EPs and work with artists such as Tinashe, Chance
the Rapper, and Tory Lanez, maintaining their melodic 1990s hip hop
and R&B inspired sound.
Flume
August 7 @ PNE Amphitheatre
Flume, also known as Harley Edward Streten, is an Australian producer
and musician who recently released his second studio album, Skin,
to much critical acclaim. With an array of artists lending their vocal
talent to the record including Tove Lo, Vic Mensa, AlunaGeorge, Little
Dragon, Raekwon, and Beck, the album cultivates a sound that feels
both fresh and familiar at the same time.
Amir Obè
August 19 @ Fortune Sound Club
Affiliated with Drake’s OVO team, the mysterious Amir Obè is an up
and coming hip-hop artist who claims both Detroit and Brooklyn
as home. Having released just a handful of records over the past few
years, the young artist has already been compared to the likes of
Kanye West and shows a lot of promise for East Coast rap.
The White Panda
September 3 @ Imperial
Based in Chicago, The White Panda are dance music making machines
having released an impressive six albums since 2009. Well known for
their live performances, the duo goes all out by performing with C02
effects, projection design, and digitally mastered panda masks to
emphasis their unique blend of high-energy dance music.
photo: Laura Lewis
Practical magic and curated experience makes Gold Panda’s voice decidedly more tangible.
Flume
16 ELECTRONICS DEPT.
August 2016

BOB MOSES
for fans of more than underground dance music
Bob Moses might be the first-ever musical
act to be covered extensively in Resident
Advisor and play Ellen in the same year. The
sonically shapeshifting Brooklyn-via-Vancouver
duo of Jimmy Vallance and Tom Howie have been
on a steady ascent since the release of their debut
album Days Gone By (for which an expanded
re-released was announced after this interview
had been completed) for Domino records last
Bob Moses count both Resident Advisor and Ellen Degeneres as fans.
fall, but arguably their biggest achievement is
earning mainstream accolades while still keeping
respect from the underground.
“The thing is, most fans of ours listen to
more than just underground dance music,” says
Vallance on the phone from home in Vancouver.
“There’s a lot of crossover these days, I don’t
think we have any fans that just listen to 4/4 kicks
and get mad when we don’t make that.”
The band did start with an underground bent,
with songs like “All I Want” finding success in the
hedonist havens of Ibiza, but they’ve increasingly
leaned towards more mainstream efforts. This
move is reflected in the group’s evolving live
show that Vallance says is what the duo has been
working towards since the beginning.
“When we first started we only had one or two
songs, so we would do a DJ set and Tom would
by Jamie McNamara
sing over our songs and that was it. Then eventually
we had enough of our own material that we
could do an hour of our own stuff.”
With the addition of a live drummer and some
clever midi magic, the two have found a blossoming
live show that is much more dynamic than
most electronic acts. “Really it’s a band now, and
that’s something that we always wanted to do,
but didn’t know exactly how to get there.”
Much like their music, Bob Moses’ success
was more of a slow burn than an instant hit, but
increasing radio play and spots on festival lineups
worldwide have helped bring them to the masses,
including notable fans like Ellen DeGeneres.
Speaking of the experience, Vallance sounds
utterly dumbfounded still. “We thought it was a
prank at first, but she had heard us on the radio
and told her people to book us immediately.
“We were standing in the green room looking
at pictures of [Ellen] and Obama, her and Kanye.
Jack Black was sharing the room across from us
and he could tell I was freaking out a little bit.
He came over to talk to me and just said, ‘You’re
going to crush it; I know it’s a bunch of soccer
moms out there, but you’re going to crush it.’ In
my head I was thinking, ‘I’m talking to Jack Black
right now, this is fucked!’”
Catch Bob Moses at the Commodore Ballroom in
Vancouver on September 3 and at DISTRIKT in
Victoria on September 4.
August 2016 ELECTRONICS DEPT.
17

CITY
18 CITY
KARMELLA BARR
a storyteller keeping community in mind
When she hits the stage, grace and
camp collide. A gender bent form
called Karmella sasses her way
into our hearts. When she performs, the audience
can’t sit still as her interpretations of
songs are captivating. Her facial expressions
are priceless and her joy of life on stage is
front and centre. Her every facial expression
is a piece of art and her costumes, simple yet
unique, make this queen the powerhouse
diva she is.
Self-described as the “Chocolate Queen,”
Karmella can be spotted around town
guesting at many long running shows in
the city. She can be seen monthly at Man
Up, a monthly drag revue at the Cobalt. “I
love my Cobalt family,” Karmella says. “The
audience is there to see what we have come
up with as performers, they are open minded,
and they are very receptive of people’s
creations.” For Karmella, drag is a place
where community and art combine. Her
kind demeanour definitely helps her bring
the energy on stage and each of her performances
are well thought out. “My drag tells
a story,” she explains. “It changes from show
to show. Sometimes it’s a character, sometimes
just a look, I have a base character to
play off of and the rest is the canvas I use to
create new things.”
Karmella began performing drag in 2013
at Vancouver’s Next Drag Superstar. She
didn’t compete that year, but returned in
2016, ultimately winning the title of Miss
Congeniality. Many new queens have a
mentor, or a “drag mother,” and Karmella’s
own mother is her drag mom. “My mother
Toby Schnoor is my biggest fan, and she is
also my drag mother,” she says. “She was the
first person to put makeup on me before I
went out the first time. She gave me makeup
tips, guiding me and helping me become
who I am.”
Since her conception, Karmella has been
heavily involved in helping different community
organizations like Vancouver Pride, Dogwood
Monarchist Society, and the Rhinestone
Phoenix Charity Foundation. “I admire
the community oriented queens in this city,
they are my inspiration,” she says, humbly.
“After the shooting in Orlando I realized
that I needed to find why I do drag and the
importance of it to me and my community. I
think it is important to know what you value
most about yourself as a performer.”
When she is performing, it’s her connection
to the songs and the audience that
Written by David Cutting, Photo by Chase Hansen
bring her the most joy. “I know I like to
entertain people,” Karmella continues. “It’s
fun, I appreciate the fact that I have created
something and people absorb it and love
it. Connecting with my audience is what it
is all about for me.” She’s even appeared on
the big screen, acting in movies at young
age. “I was in a horror movie when I was a
kid and I survived, I feel like I am the only
black person to survive a horror movie…
Oh wait, 13 Ghosts, never mind,” she laughs.
Her film star past contributes to her stage
confidence now that she does drag. “I don’t
get nervous, to me performing is easy. There
is always something to learn at every show,
you just got to be willing to find it and use
it in the future.”
Karmella is a queen to watch. Her
star is only beginning to rise and we are
very excited to see where she goes. In a
community that thrives when diversity is
embraced, Karmella is a beacon of light
with a bright future.
Karmella performs at Sanctuary on August
14 at 1181 Lounge for a Whitney Houston vs.
Celine Dion night, B-Roll: Kill Bill on August
29 at the Penthouse, and Shame Spiral on
August 30 at 1181 Lounge.
CULTURALLY DEFINED
taking dance schooling to the street
such a lifestyle thing, this dance thing,”
says Chris Wong, the co-director of Culturally
“It’s
Defined, a street dance dance company now
entering its fourth year. There’s something inspired, and
also simple, in the way Wong talks about dance and his
work directing alongside partner Kyle Vicente. It’s the
kind of ease that allows two young but experienced
dancers take a big risk starting a new project, knowing
that they have a clear direction and philosophy.
Culturally Defined has been a way to bring hip-hop
culture and “its ability to resolve conflict, be that external
or internal” to the lives of the dancers who train
with them. The name and the company are symbols of
the belief that “dance is an instrument to learn about
the culture.”
Wong is well versed when he reflects upon the local
dance scene. “Vancouver has a crazy blend,” he says.
“We’re close enough to LA, and there’s enough jobs to
have a commercial influence.” The split between industry
and culture is something he and Vicente are trying
to bridge with Culturally Defined. “In order for this
dance to grow you really need the mentalities of both,”
Wong explains. “The commercialized choreographers
know what it means to come together as a group and
accomplish a goal, where as with the underground hiphop
scene it’s much more about individual identity.”
The program itself involves technique training from
a diverse set of instructors, where “someone always
comes in with so much fire that it changes the program
completely,” and students have a chance to learn a
wide assortment of styles, including hip-hop, b-boying,
VANCOUVER MURAL FESTIVAL
olouring outside the lines around vancouver
Vancouver’s art scene is about to be revamped in
a big way as Vancouver Mural Festival commences
its inaugural year in the city. Beginning
on August 20, over 30 artists will be painting sizable
murals in the False Creek and Mount Pleasant areas.
With a buzzing art community and culture already
established, the festival’s primary goal is to expand appreciation
and opportunity for public art in Vancouver.
Genevieve Anne Michaels from Burrard Arts Foundation
explains that “An increased amount of public art
will bring notoriety and…attention to the art scene
here, elevating it closer to the levels of a larger city like
New York or LA.”
Curator and artist Drew Young reveals that the city
is lacking a concrete public art forum and hopes that
this event will help to establish one. “There are heaps of
empty walls around,” he continues, and this event will,
in a very literal sense, “fill the gap” in the city’s public
art scene. 90% of these artists are local, including Peter
Ricq, Akews, Kyle J. Scott, and Dedos, keeping within
the festival’s goal to promote homegrown talent and
create increasing opportunities for the visionaries
behind it.
There are also some visiting artists, like Berlin-based,
Vancouver-raised Andrea Wan, Switzerland’s Nevercrew,
and France’s KASHINK, participating in VMF.
Michaels says that the international additions contribute
“Diversity and excitement” to the festival, as well as
further promote our own creatives as out-of-town fans
and friends draw their attention to the city.
Accompanying the large-scale mural art, BAF will be
by Sydney Ball
and popping and locking. The dancers who make up
Culturally Defined range from their mid-teens to their
late 30s, and come from a variety of backgrounds, from
those who want to dance as their career to people who,
Wong says, “work nine to five jobs but on their off time
they still want to live the dance lifestyle.”
“The more walks of life we have in the company, the
more it enriches everyone’s experience.”
Learn more about Culturally Defined at www.culturallydefined.com
Popping and locking your way to cultural understanding.
by Noor Khwaja
hosting a gallery exhibition of submitted works from
the muralists in a smaller format, which will run until
August 27. Closer to the festival date in mid August, the
building itself will act as a canvas, having its exterior
covered in murals. This is “A great way to start counting
down and get the city excited about the VMF through a
fun show and event,” Michaels says.
VMF is a perfect example of simultaneously supporting
community and art. After its first year, hopefully the
festival can continue to annually add culture, diversity,
and artistic expression to the city’s sometimes bare
walls.
Vancouver Mural Festival runs until August 27 at Burrard
Arts Foundation and at various locations throughout
Mount Pleasant and False Creek.
Vancouver: the perfect coloring book.
August 2016

SWEET BOY CREAM PUFFS
cream puffs on wheels and the second french revolution
It all starts with choux pastry. A humble pastry made of eggs,
butter, sugar, and flour, that rises with moisture and is named
after a favourite food of the working man: cabbage. With the
puff established, then comes the cream, glitzed up with flavours
and infusions, a tiny circle of choux sits atop the creation like
a hat. Meringue or whipped cream is added on that and there
you have it: the cream puff. Or at least how local French man
Chams Sbouai makes it.
Upon graduating from a baking program in France, Sbouai’s
landed in Vancouver with a job at an upscale restaurant, and
a passion for pastry burning a choux shaped hole in his heart.
“I used to work at a good restaurant downtown called Royal
Dinette,” he says. “It was really good, but it was a lot of hours
and a lot of work. Around January I began to get really upset
about it, I began to hate it. There are two different kinds of
restaurants, there are restaurants that make regular food, nothing
special, and you can go there and work eight hours a day. Or
there are better restaurants, that offer better food, interesting
things. To make delicious food you need to work a lot. So I
thought, should I go back to working at a boring cooking job,
or should I go somewhere else where the food is really exciting?
But I knew then the same thing would happen, long days. I just
had this idea, I didn’t know if it would be possible, but what if I
got a bike, biked around the city, and sold pastries?”
One used bike bought in Portland, a commissary kitchen,
and a small crowd funding campaign later, Sweet Boy Cream
Puffs was born. On a modified tricycle, Sbouai traverses the
city’s downtown core, he’s set up a hotline where customers
can text him and request he pay a visit to their home or place of
YVR FOOD FEST
an epicurean extravaganza
Arrival Agency’s wildly successful Food Cart Fest is all
grown up and now known as YVR Food Fest, with an
offering of downright delicious multi-venue events held
all weekend long from August 5 to 7.
“Our idea was to expand on the Food Cart Fest, bring more
artisanal vendors, include more restaurants, and turn it into a
bigger event,” explains festival director — and Michelin trained
chef, co-owner of Nuba, and owner of the Waldorf Hotel —
Ernesto Gomez. “We want the YVR Food Fest to be an umbrella
for culinary events and projects by creative people in the food
industry.”
The city’s culinary scene has come into its own in the last
decade, thanks to the efforts of forward thinking talent like
Gomez. “We have always had great products and great farming
by Maya-Roisin Slater
business. That’s it: a sweet boy, his bicycle, and a small fridge full
of brown paper boxes housing beautiful beautiful cream puffs.
These are not the cream puffs you buy in buckets at Costco’s
frozen section and stress eat from the container during family
dinners. These perfect jiggly puffs are like eating a cloud, if
clouds could wear pastry hats and be covered in meringue.
For a cream puff near you, text 778-888-7821.
Cream puffs by bike, a dream you didn’t know you had.
photo: Nicole Wong
by Prachi Kamble
here,” he says, “but in the last ten years breweries popped up
everywhere, people started making great cider, wine reached
a whole new level, and food trucks and carts singlehandedly
created a vivid gastronomic culture with their extremely high
standards.”
The Street Food Showdown in Olympic Village promises to
be one of the most culturally rich events at YVR Food Fest, featuring
between 60 to 80 vendors. “With one ticket guests can
sample offerings from all the vendors for two hours,” Gomez
says. The model is not far from ones adopted by food festivals in
cities like Los Angeles. “We pride ourselves in selecting vendors
who have sustainable missions, create a sense of community,
and offer the best products.” The event is also zero-waste in
order to benefit the local economy, local farmers, and the
artisanal vendors.
Saturday will see a live music and beer-centric event at the
Red Truck Beer Company for their Truck Stop Concert Series,
where festivalgoers will get to enjoy rock, soul, country, and
blues from acts such as Washboard Union and JJ Shiplett. Sunday’s
Food For Thought, a speaker series where open discussions
are encouraged, is another must. “We will have exciting
experts on wine and beer, chefs, nutritionists, people in the
independent press,” Gomez expands, adding that Fable’s Trevor
Bird will be speaking, alongside Andrew Morrison from Scout
Magazine and Vanessa Bourget from Exile Bistro.
As lives get busier and food sometimes becomes an afterthought,
festivals like YVR Food Fest bring our attention
back to the basics of cooking, eating, and community. Gomez
reflects further, “It is time for people to embrace local, non-industrialised
foods. Enjoying food, sitting down with people,
eating from responsible sources, is what we want to celebrate.
We want to create conscience and interest around food. And of
course a whole lot of fun!”
CARP SUSHI + BENTO
a taste of Hiroshima in Vancouver
by Molly Randhawa
It’s a chill afternoon following a steady lunch rush at Carp Sushi + Bento.
Ska music is playing over the speakers as I walk over to the corner of the
small restaurant to grab myself an iced tea from the dispenser. Upon
entering, you get the vibe that you’re walking into a friend’s space where
you’re immediately welcomed. With the abundance of sushi spots in the
lower mainland, I could tell this would soon become a favourite.
The restaurant itself is decorated in Hiroshima Toyo Carp memorabilia,
a baseball team in Japan’s Central League. You can sense the pride in
Yuki Matsumura’s voice as he grabs the team’s magnet off the fridge and
expresses his admiration for the sport and his hometown. Matsumura
immigrated to Canada from Hiroshima in 2012 and was hired by Coast
Restaurant, owned by Glowbal Group. After four years at Coast, Matsumura
decided to become his own boss. He explains how Carp, which just
celebrated its one-year anniversary last month, has taken off recently. With
just Matsumura and his wife in the shop on most days, he stressed the importance
of creating a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere while providing
timely service and quality dishes.
Matsumura prepared me a new dish on the menu — the Ahi Tuna Poke
Bowl, a traditional Hawaiian seafood dish that consists of marinated bitesized
pieces of tuna and avocado on rice. He paired this with the gomae-ae,
which was seasoned with sesame seeds, peanut sauce and candied salmon,
a personal favourite of mine. Delving straight into the poke bowl, I was
pleasantly surprised by its citrusy yet light taste. It’s the perfect summer
dish — refreshing, crunchy (because of the rice cracker flakes and sesame
seeds) and, most importantly, it’s filling. By the end of the bowl, I was
satisfied but I wasn’t about to stop eating. Next, I tried the Tuna Tataki
Roll, the Sea Eel + Candied Salmon Roll, and the classic Spicy Salmon Roll.
These were literally some of the best rolls I’ve had in a while. The Sea Eel +
Candied Salmon is the perfect combination of flavours, a must try.
Carp is conveniently located down the street from the Biltmore Cabaret
and behind Kingsgate Mall. It’s the perfect spot to check out before a show
or on your lunch break.
Carp is located at 2516 Prince Edward St. and is open Monday – Saturday
from 11:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
photo: Molly Randhawa
A full-out foodie feeding frenzy.
YVR Food Fest is held from August 5 – 7 at various locations.
Carp’s Ahi Tuna Poke Bowl is the perfect summer dish.
August 2016 CITY
19

FILM
VANCOUVER QUEER FILM FEST
the troublemakers now have the floor
The troublemakers and the rebel
rousers sticking it to the man — the
commonality that ties it all together
for the 28th Annual Vancouver Queer Film
Festival. Being the second largest festival
in Vancouver and showcasing artists and
films from all over the world as well as
Vancouver, the festival hopes to spotlight
those who made change by not always
being polite. The event which started in
1988 as a small gathering amongst friends
has grown exponentially over the past 28
years, exploring the realms of queerness,
transgressive arts, and civil rights.
This year’s festival shines a spotlight on
the key troublemakers in the LGBT community
across many platforms, creating
a unity and partnership across cultures.
After much controversy with the Black
Lives Matter interjection at Toronto Pride,
and their plea to the VPD regarding their
disassociation with the parade — the festival
is proud to partner with the organization.
Shana Myara, the artistic director of
the QFF, explains the importance of stating
your values and sticking to your guns.
“The Queer Film Festival is successful
in demonstrating our values by proudly
partnering with Black Lives Matter, we
bring that proudly to our membership.”
Myara says candidly through the phone.
“[The Queer Film Festival] is hoping to
lead the way…We really want to be a part
of promoting their movement in Vancouver
and be strong allies. We’re allies, why
question it. Black Lives Matter.”
With Black Lives Matter co-curating a
spotlight this year, it showcases the transformative
Black LGBT community that
often gets pushed to the side. “The films
by Molly Randhawa
really speak for themselves, one of the people
profiled is Ms. Major in the film called
MAJOR!…She’s been doing amazing work
for a really long time.” Miss Major, a gender
transgressive woman in the United States
is an engaging and prolific fighter for the
civil rights movement. “It’s a documentary
that is not to be missed.” Miss Major will
also be at the festival to answer questions
after the screening, alongside the director
of the film, Annalise Ophelian and Vancouver’s
BLM founder, Cicily Belle Blain.
With intersectional feminism and those
who do not fit within the binary also in
focus, the festival is breaking barriers and
giving a voice to those who have been
silenced in previous years. In preparation
for the 30th anniversary of the festival,
Myara discusses how the new Troublemakers
Project is meant to celebrate those
“Who have stuck their necks out in many
different ways in [the LGBT] community…
[The project has] connected senior change
makers with youth that are wishing to
learn how to make films,” creating discourse
across generations within the LGBT
community.
With a selection of spotlights including
Black Lives Matter, Two-Spirit Reelness,
Women Transforming Media, and Many
Splendours Genders — the festival showcases
an eclectic mixture of films that the
audience can pick and choose from. “[It’s
important to] have a balance of films so
that people that are looking for a date
night can come to the festival and kind of
see a frothy romantic comedy, and people
that are looking for more harder hitting
documentaries to steep their activism in
some historical events can find something
worthwhile as well — there’s a great
balance.”
THIS MONTH
IN FILM
by Paris Spence-Lang
A Fat Wreck: The Punk-umentary
August 17th at The Biltmore Cabaret
According to the Fat Wreck Chords music label, they’ve spent the
last 25 years “ruining punk rock”. This is the story of founder Fat Mike
(of NOFX) and his ex-wife Erin Kelly-Burkett as they rode their label
on the choppy stagedives of punk rock. It has punk music, involuntary
drug use, and puppet BDSM. What more could you want?
Upcoming Releases
Ever wonder how your McDonald’s got made? We already know the
McNuggets are pulp derivatives, but the actual company is more of a
mystery. The Founder follows Ray Kroc as he builds America’s worst
restaurant. Fun fact: co-founder Mac McDonald is the inspiration for
the Big Mac. His brother, Dick, isn’t on the menu. (August 5th) Speaking
of self-immolation, Suicide Squad is finally here. Making its usual
mistakes, the US government gives weapons to a bunch of villains,
including the Joker, because that always works—looking at you, Iraq.
(August 5th) And if a superhero movie full of buff dudes isn’t enough,
Seth Rogen’s Sausage Party is finally here. Spoiler: it’s about actual
sausages. Sorry to disappoint you. (August 12th)
photo: VQFF
Mad as hell and not going to take it anymore, the LGBTQ aligns with Black Lives Matter to spotlight civil rights.
The festival kicks off on Thursday, August 11
with an outdoor sunset party at the Queen
Elizabeth Theatre Plaza at 10p.m. Grab
your six-pack tickets online at: queerfilmfestival.ca
Suicide Squad
11:55 PM 11:55 PM 11:55 PM 11:30 PM 11:30 PM
AUG 5 SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER AUG 12 THE GOONIES AUG 19 GHOST WORLD AUG 26 THE KILLING JOKE SEPT 2 FIGHT CLUB
20 FILM
August 2016

ALBUM REVIEWS
DESCENDENTS
Hypercaffium Spazzinate
Epitaph
Milo Goes to College, the first and best record by
Manhattan Beach, California’s Descendents, is rightly
considered a classic. The longest song is a stately two
minutes and fourteen seconds, a result of the band’s
well-documented caffeine addiction. The caricature of
singer Milo Aukerman on the cover is as iconic as Mick
Jagger’s blood-red lips. The lyrical themes are hardcore
staples: parents, society, and fake punks, but there was
something there that was unmistakably pop.
The word is used today to describe music for the
most casual of listeners, engineered for maximum
performance by super-producers, built for the
widest possible appeal within the thirteen to thirty
demographic. Saying that Milo Goes to College is pop
isn’t to say that it shares DNA with Ariana Grande’s
Dangerous Woman – it doesn’t. Pop isn’t in the music
as much as it’s in the band’s intent: the decision that
everybody can listen, that nobody is excluded. Punk
had always been pop, but Milo defined Pop Punk.
Despite being a band for longer than pretty much
anyone who writes for or reads this magazine has
been alive, their career has been patchy, marked by
long stretches of inactivity when Milo did in fact go
to college (and got a job), when the remainder of the
band kept playing as the significantly less renowned
All. In these gaps the whole musical landscape
changed: between 1987’s All and 1996’s Everything
Sucks grunge flared up and burnt out, between
Everything Sucks and 2004’s Cool to be You Green
Day and Blink 182 took the blueprint Milo and co.
laid down and ran with it. The latter were especially
influenced by the Descendents sound: Mark Hoppus
called their song “Silly Girl,” “the first song that really
altered my life,” his estranged hetero-life-partner
Tom DeLonge said that “Blink is absolutely a product
of the Descendents,” probably before trying to get
people to care about his book about UFOs.
While Milo… had that indefinable pop something
that elevated it above other hardcore albums, Hypercaffium
is blandly inoffensive. Milo… was hardly Anal
Cunt, a few homophobic slurs aside, but it felt real,
lived in. Hypercaffium’s lyric sheet details the safest,
most pedestrian opinions a person can hold: religious
people are kinda hypocrites, right guys? And doesn’t
it suck that all the tasty food is bad for you? What’s
that all about? And all these kids being prescribed
Ritalin, that’s not cool.
On the level of instrumentation it fares no
better. It’s cleanly and sharply produced, and that’s
acceptable in punk rock, but there’s never the sense,
palpable on Milo and even on Cool to be You, that
they really did just down half a cup of coffee grounds,
half a cup of water and five packets of sugar (their
pre-show ritual during their early shows). When punk
rock works it’s because it feels a little more intense
than other genres, a little faster in every sense of the
word. I’m not even going to use the Sonics or the
Dead Boys or the Ramones or the Sex Pistols or the
Clash or Black Flag or Fugazi or Refused or Fucked Up
or Pissed Jeans or Perfect Pussy or G.L.O.S.S to explain
this: remember that na-na-Na-na, na-na, na-na-na-na
part in “All the Small Things” by Blink 182? Remember
how you felt when that kicked in? There’s nothing on
Hypercaffium that’ll make you feel like that. The Descendents
circa 2016 come off worse than the band
that toned down their sound for mass consumption.
After fourteen tracks of mediocrity they cap it
off with utter wretchedness. “Beyond the Music” is
a song so unbelievably saccharine, so unrepentantly
sappy, that it erases what little punk cred the band
had. Completely. After this they are no longer a punk
rock band. You can read all of the lyrics at Genius.
com, but here are some particularly choice cuts: “Still
finding ways to share what we feel/For kids with no
friends, it doesn’t seem real/And there’s nothing in
this world/Not a dollar, dream or girl/That can rival
what we have between us/Beyond the music.” Christ.
You know when people say “I can’t even?” Well, I
can’t. Those lyrics render me unable to do something
so thoroughly that I don’t even know what it is that I
can’t do.
All the side-project and All the album were named
after a concept invented by Descendents guitarist Bill
Stevenson, back when hardcore bands were getting
really into self-help (see Bad Brains’ Positive Mental
Attitude and the Minutemen’s Econo.) All is not
settling, going further, achieving everything you can
achieve. I’d like to introduce a counter-concept: Nothing.
Nothing means being okay with how things are,
realising that more expended effort, another album
and tour for example, isn’t going to take you anywhere
you aren’t already. It’s very Zen. Most of all, it’s
realizing that the only constant is change, and when
your time is up you need to clear some space for
whoever’s next in line. That’s been true of Blink 182
since their self-titled album onwards, true of Green
Day from Nimrod on, NOFX part-way through Heavy
Petting Zoo, and based on the evidence of Hypercaffium
Spazzinate it’s definitely true of the Descendents
Written by Gareth Watkins
Illustration by Jenny Bonar
August 2016 REVIEWS
21

An Ant And An Atom
Entropy
And An Earth
An Ant And An Atom - Entropy
Aphex Twin - Cheetah
Post-everything artist An Ant and An Atom
wrote Entropy to accompany visual artist
and activist Lauren Crazybull’s exhibition of
the same name, and art from the show is included
in a nice little zine that comes along
with this, his fifth release.
AA&AA’s previous work runs from Tortoise-at-their-most-obtuse
post-post-rock
to Ben Frost-ian sheets of noise. At twenty-four
minutes Entropy gets to touch, ever
so lightly, on both – beginning with the
latter and fading out to the former. It never
quite let’s you relax enough to be classed as
ambient, never quite let’s you sit still in its
more peaceful moments before layering in
the wind-tunnel distortion. Yeah, that’s going
to piss off people who haven’t gotten as
post- as the more palatable Mogwai. That’s
probably fine for somebody who chooses to
make lengthy abstract works to soundtrack
art shows. As art on the other hand it
succeeds: it feels entropic. Most artists
would render the concept with dissonance
and abrupt tonal shifts, and there are some
here, but what makes Entropy work is that
the changes are slow enough for a sense of
cosmic scale to develop, and when you’re
dealing with a concept as vast as the whole
universe’s slide into chaos, that’s the note
you should be hitting.
• Gareth Watkins
Arkells - Morning Report
Aphex Twin
Cheetah
Warp Records
Nobody is quite as big an asshole as Richard D.
James. In real life, yes, he is fairly brusque, but musically
he falls just short of maddening eclecticism,
into a not-very-sweet spot where every record has
listeners screaming “WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM
US!?!” at his anonymous Soundcloud account.
Cheetah is named for an obscure British synthesizer
maker, whose ms800 model features prominently
throughout the first four songs, followed by the
Cirklon hardware sequencer. Yes, this is him showing
off both his knowledge of and prowess with a variety
of vintage electronic instruments. He can use the
Cheetah’s breathy wavetable synthesis to make songs
like “Cheetah 7b,” which sounds like tropical house
Blind Pilot - And Then Like Lions
with a concussion, and the Cirklon to make “Cirklon
3” and “Cirklon 1,” Kraftwerk gone free jazz. That the
song titles are filenames just furthers my suspicion
that he’s fucking with us, but subtly.
Yes, Cheetah is better than most electronic
music releases, but as with any Aphex Twin release
there’s always going to be the nagging question
of just what we’re hearing. Is Cheetah a joke or
an experiment? Is it postmodern or sincere? Do
we dance to it or contemplate it? Only Richard D.
James knows.
• Gareth Watkins
Arkells
Morning Report
Universal
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22 REVIEWS
August 2016

Brendan Canning - Home Wrecking Years Cass McCombs - Mangy Love Fox Opera - Nowhere Native Kllo - Well Worn (EP)
it’s very rare to be known as a band recognized
for touring efforts. The Arkells are such
a group, and their sound lends itself very
much to that reputation. The choruses boom
with infectiousness, with classic guitar-driven
grooves serving as simple and effective
foundations for their immediately gratifying
hooks. They’re a prototypical Canadian indie
rock band, championing the underdog and
their fourth full-length album Morning Report
doesn’t shake up their tried and true formula.
Taking notes from Motown, The Beatles
and the ‘70s pop-rock that they inspired,
Max Kerman, the band’s frontman continues
his focus on concise, buoyant and almost
anthemic songwriting. From his friends, to the
band’s hometown of Hamilton, to his romantic
relationships, Kerman chooses to let the
fleshed out stories of the things he knows best
inform the listener in a conversational singsong
rather than relying on more metaphorical
language. Morning Report is also an unrelentingly
upbeat LP. Kerman seems to always find
a way to look at the bright side and it’s hard
for that positivity not to leak into the listener’s
subconscious, especially when paired with the
Arkells’ ultra-sweet melodies.
• Cole Parker
Blind Pilot
And Then Like Lions
ATO Records
Five years after the release of the joyous
We Are The Tide (2011), Blind Pilot’s return
comes across slightly ambivalently. The first
single from And Then Like Lions, the fuming
“Umpqua Rushing,” opens with a flute-like
keyboard lines and the clack of castanets. It’s
a full minute in before a ukulele melody opens
up, frontman Israel Nekeber starts voraciously
strumming, and the song begins to sound like
the anthemic chamber folk of the last record.
That said, electric guitars and keyboard thrust
new texture onto a comfortably melancholic
tune. This single, which also opens the record,
teases a new texture and renewed excitement
in the band, but by the second track, the
record reveals itself to be a downer.
There are definitely moments of triumph,
punctuated by horns, strong but simple
rhythms, and lofty vocal melodies, but all in
all the record is quite dour. Heavier lyrical
moments dwell on the experience of emotional
stuckness. That’s not to say there isn’t hope
here, there’s an entire track entitled “Don’t
Doubt,” but the moments that work the best
are the ostentatious ones, tracks like the
opener, and the bucolic narrative in “Packed
Powder.”
And Then Like Lions is more unexciting than
we could have hoped for, but even the low
tempo songs are fully appreciable. It’s a record
that went for better rather than bigger, but
perhaps, although strangely, to its detriment.
• Liam Prost
Brendan Canning
Home Wrecking Years
Arts & Crafts
In the frantic immediacy of “Book It To Fresno”,
the first cut on Home Wrecking Years,
Brendan Canning lays down an urgent, 90
mile-an-hour-with-the-windows-down beat,
clangorous guitars feeding off the Bonham-like
kick drum, before his youthful tenor provides
a drifting melodic counterpoint soaked in
spacey reverb with words of reassurance, “I’m
not here to laugh at your mistakes”.
Home Wrecking Years finds Canning
painting with a wide sonic palette, mixing the
driving overdriven guitars balanced by smart,
hook-laden clean jabs of Mick Jones skank on
“Vibration Walls” to excellent effect. “Keystone
Dealers” is a little more subdued, a bossa
nova groove with classy horns to complement
breezy vocal harmonies. “Once I Was A
Runner” is a particularly choice cut, steamy
and swaying before rising into a more potent
chorus. If some artists are given to using wide
spaces to provide dynamics, Canning is equally
adept at making musical sense in the middle
of chaos, where sonic room is at a premium.
His place as a founding member of Broken
Social Scene is evident in the dance floor indie
rock of “Nashville Late Pass,” as energetic and
addictive a song as any in the Canadian indie
heroes’ catalogue. Some records are just made
for the long, hot nights of summer.
• Mike Dunn
Cass McCombs
Mangy Love
ANTI Records
The iron is clearly hot for Cass McCombs these
days, having released two other well-received
records earlier this year, the b-sides collection
A Folk Set Apart, and Skifflin’, from a side
project called The Skiffle Players. His latest,
Mangy Love, finds McCombs trading in his
noisier alt-country elements for a smoother,
sunny feel, although esoteric, jazzy elements
have long been a part of his oeuvre.
McCombs’ voice has always treaded a line
similar to a less bereft Elliot Smith, along with
the measured, quiet nonchalance of Lou Reed,
which can give his music an air of inaccessibility.
More often than not though, this feels
like the point, as McCombs seems content
with being an artist further to the outside of
the popular music heap, creating whatever he
wants to, and finding an audience that appreciates
an outlier.
Mangy Love finds McCombs’ voice low
in the mix, so while his timbre is persistent
throughout, it takes some serious attention
to get down to his lyrics. “Run Sister Run” is
a pointed feminist statement to an insistent
samba, and the lead single “Opposite House” is
a standout melody replete with groove and the
soulful voice of an artist who never had much
use for the mainstream anyway.
• Mike Dunn
Fox Opera
Nowhere Native
New Music Recordings
With their first full length being released in
2010, it was high time for new music from
Calgary/Edinburgh/London’s Fox Opera. With
original bassist Keith Rodger (OQO, Surf Kitties)
unavailable for recording, FO decided to
dive forward as a two-piece, with lead Caitlin
Copeland accompanied by Calgary’s jack-ofall-trades
Noah Michael (If I Look Strong; You
Look Strong, Pine Tarts). Recording the album
at Michael’s studio New Music Recordings lent
the duo more flexibility and control over the
entire process leading to their most elaborate
and complete sounding release yet. Nowhere
Native could be categorized as noise pop, with
massive walls of distortion backing pleasant
pop structures and vocals. The conflicting
nature of sounds on the album tie together
surprisingly well and blend to create a fully
rounded sonic network. Highlights from the
album include the previously demo-d “Lonely
Ghosts” which has a pleasantly infectious surfpunk
slant reminiscent of Cherry Glazerr. “No
Time // The Time” follows with cleverly placed
noise build ups and percussive adjuncts that
drive the song along to culminate under the
realization that “We’ve got the time for love,”
as the album begins to transition towards its
denouement. The sweetness of “Modern Romance”
and the ambitious but well developed
final track “Ending // Beginning” bring this
under-the-radar gem to a tidy conclusion.
• Willow Grier
Kllo
Well Worn (EP)
Ghostly International
Melbourne-based electropop cousin-duo Kllo’s
appearance on “the scene” has been explosive;
featured in The Guardian and being designated
“artist to watch” by Spotify and Elle is no
mean feat, and Ghostly International seems
justifiably jazzed by their prospects. With the
release of their second EP at the conclusion
of their first international tour, Kllo have
continued the trajectory of their aesthetic in
a predictable direction. Simon Lam’s background
in sound direction was put through its
paces, generating a smooth, self-aware product
overflowing with detail and richness, making
good use of a consonant bass and kick drum
combo which defines the EP. Likewise, Chloe
Kaul’s vocals are arresting and performative.
But from the snappy snare-heavy beats, to the
duelling high versus low register instrumentation,
to the Billy Holiday-esque vocals, to the
faint sound of marimba, Well Worn has a style
which is, to risk sounding cheesy, Well Worn.
Since Sylvan Esso’s 2014 drop, the electropop
world has been hungry for this kind of dreamy
jazz/soul inspired sound, and Kllo’s second
EP serves it up with no sense of perspective,
and at no point in their short career have Kllo
given any indication that they are as exciting
or nuanced as their competitors in this new
space.
• Adam Sarjeant
of Montreal
Innocence Reaches
Polyvinyl
What’s most exciting about of Montreal’s
14th LP is that it is one of few attempts by the
band to match what’s currently going on in
the world of music. When the band’s founder
Kevin Barnes was interviewed by BeatRoute a
few months ago, he said he had been listening
to more contemporary pop and indie music
than ever before, and was trying to avoid the
psychedelic and funk-infused sound the band
often draws upon. At it’s best, the album
sounds like Grimes or LCD Soundsystem’s
finer electronic moments. Unfortunately, the
attempts often fall flat and feel hokey. In its
conception, he was listening to Arca, Jack Ü
and Charlift.
Barnes attempts to explore modern conceptions
of gender identity issues on “Let’s Relate,”
stating that he’s grateful to have had the opportunity
to genderbend through his performances. It’s
August 2016 REVIEWS
23

a far-flung conception that expands on the next
track “It’s Different For Girls.” Here, Barnes creates
a catchy song that seems, well, inappropriate. He
attempts to critique the gender binary and sexism,
but as the song’s synth groove deconstructs midsong,
it’s apparent through his lyrics that Barnes
is not that Innocent and the “psycho bitches” he
sings about don’t need that shit.
• Trent Warner
Shura
Nothing’s Real
Polydor
When Shura first arrived on the scene
with “Touch,” it seemed her niche was
slow-burning R&B that seemed to fit the
millennial urge to overshare. Her first singles
of Montreal - Innocence Reaches
were made in the safety of her Manchester
bedroom and the intimacy and shelter of
that came through in her music. Those early
singles, the aforementioned “Touch” and
“White Light,” won Shura the attention of
the UK music press, resulting in her being
named as one of BBC Radio 1’s Sound of
2015 finalists. Both songs appear in slightly
spruced up fashion on Nothing’s Real, Shura’s
proper studio debut for Polydor.
Saying “studio debut” is only appropriate,
as Shura has left behind the comfort of her
room for a sleek, studio sound that blends
the yearning R&B of her first singles with
decidedly ‘80s influence. Shura’s ability as a
producer has also taken leaps since her early
work like “Indecision,” which appears on
Nothing’s Real with tightened up drums and
atmosphere that has an intoxicating spacedout,
studio sheen.
Songs like “What Happened to Us” feel
like misplaced tracks from a John Hughes
rom-com, featuring Technicolor synth melodies
and a chugging bass line that sounds
like Don Henley’s “Boys of Summer” being
covered by Carly Rae Jepsen.
• Jamie McNamara
Slope
Obsidian EP
Low Indigo
Obsidian is the latest EP from prolific, multialiased
producer Slope, who is also known
for his many years performing as Dan Solo,
as forming one half of Sanctums, and for
Shura - Nothing’s Real
co-founding Modern Math, the locally legendary
bass music residency turned record
label.
The producer has stated that the EP was
influenced by atmospheric black metal. The
release is deep, contemplative and stripped
back throughout and utilizes a minimalistic
approach that highlights the ethereal melodies
through a lack of dominant percussion.
Two tracks, “Refuge” and “In Determination”
feature his long time musical ally Corinthian,
who happens to be the second half
of Sanctums. “In Determination” commences
in a very serene place and gradually crescendos
into a peaceful chiming bell rhythm,
while “Refuge” is a much more meditative,
soul-baring melody focused track.
West coast producer Kline also makes an
Slope - Obsidian EP
appearance on the track “Northern Winds.”
There is a transcendental vibe on this one
that would be ideal for personal reflection
or a soundtrack to an eerie film or television
series.
If you are in the market for a driving, head
pounding, dance floor centric album, you’ll
have to look elsewhere. Instead, Slope showcases
a more profound side of the seasoned
producer, who over the years has been no
stranger to the art of getting people moving
on the floor. Obsidian achieves an intellectual
overall aesthetic, without compromising
accessibility. It rather is a calm and inviting
halcyon of a listening experience that harbours
tranquility and inspiration.
• Paul Rodgers
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24 REVIEWS
August 2016

August 2016 25

30
BREW
ERIES
30
IPAs
PICK UP YOUR CALENDAR NOW
The Lamplighter, Library Square, The Bimini, Cinema,
The Butcher & Bullock, The Blackbird, The New Oxford,
Tavern, The Three Brits, Clough Club, Granville Room
donnellygroup.ca
donnellygroup.ca
26
August 2016

LIVE REVIEWS
Vancouver Folk Music Festival
Jericho Beach Park
July 15 to 17, 2016
Photos by Paulina Flores, Roselle
Hernandez, Kaelen Morrison,
Brittaney Povey, Iyslen Tolman,
Nicole Vidal, Jaydon Wheeler
August 2016 REVIEWS
27

photo: Galen Robinson-Exo
Insane Clown Posse
Venue Nightclub
July 16, 2016
It’s an easy thing to hate on Detroit’s infamous rap duo,
the Insane Clown Posse (ICP). So easy that they’ve declared
themselves the “Most Hated Band in the World.” Witnessing
ICP live though, requires a more balanced take on things. For
one, Juggalos – ICP’s infamous fans – are very dedicated to this
duo. Taking to the venue hours before doors opened, Juggalos
and Juggalettes lined Granville Street in hoards, decked out in
facepaint and merch screaming “Woop woop!” the signature
chant of the Juggalo. Walking into the venue, you could
already smell the scent of Faygo in the air.
I went to the balcony to witness the show from afar, safe
from the spray of Faygo. What I noticed immediately is that
there’s no irony at play for ICP. They’re completely serious
about what they do. Sure, a big part of what they do is having
fun and acting ridiculous, but there is no “in-joke” and absolutely
no pretention about it. Furthermore, there was no DJ
on stage at any point. The duo of Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope
were more than content having just themselves and their rotating
crew of Faygo replenishers and masked back-up dancers
onstage. Their fans didn’t seem to mind either. About three or
four songs into the set though, my plans crashed around me as
I took a face full of Faygo up in the balcony. As I cleared Faygo
out of my eyes and nose, I noticed the entire lighting and
sound rig at VENUE was completely covered in plastic wrap
and tarps.
At one point in the show, Violent J jumped off stage and
started to attack an audience member. I didn’t see what
started it, but J lived up to his name and targeted an audience
member with a vicious attack. Upon seeing his partner getting
swung at in the audience, Shaggy 2 Dope jumped off stage too
and punched the audience member in the face. It was at this
point security got involved and ICP returned to the stage. Seconds
later, there were dancing bears onstage throwing confetti
into the audience and both Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope were
acting as if nothing happened. Not even 15 minutes after the
outbreak, ICP wound their show up with what they call “Faygo
Armageddon,” inviting audience members onstage to spray all
the leftover soda around indiscriminately. What resulted was a
surreal spectacle, the likes of which I’ve never witnessed: a sort
of bacchanalian celebration of excess, except with people in
clown make up spraying soda.
This show was bizarre on many levels and actually felt more
like an “experience.” Something you truly had to see to believe.
I didn’t walk away from the show a fan but I gained perspective.
I also laughed a lot and met some interesting characters.
Still no word on how magnets work though.
• Joshua Erickson
Crystal Castles
The Commodore Ballroom
July 23, 2016
Crystal Castles’ new world tour has
kicked off just before the release of their
fourth album AMNESTY (I), which is the
band’s first without singer Alice Glass. As
most inquiring minds will want to know,
how does new band mate Edith Frances
measure up? Glass has been known
for her unsettling stage presence and
energetic vocals, and with the group’s
finely tunes aesthetic, a lot is resting on
Frances’ contribution to the live show.
Backed by their now fully owned
image of Madonna with a black eye, the
show at the Commodore Ballroom on
Saturday night seemed to definitively
mark that not much has changed for
their live show, and we can expect the
new album to be a continuation for the
group and their sound. Starting with
Frances strutting out and straddling
the mic stand, fully committed to the
Crystal Castles uniform, with giant docs,
sunglasses, pink hair, and a lit cigarette to
top it off.
Frances’ vocals are put to much the
same purpose as Glass’. She has a comparable,
if not better, range, and the set
list did not shy away from older material.
After opening with new track “Concrete,”
the show continued with the punky “Baptism,”
and “Suffocation” from their second
self-titled album. The set lasted an hour
and littered in new songs “Fleece” and
“Frail” among fan favorites like “Crimewave”
and “Not in Love.”
Just as it seemed Frances’ might have
been losing energy through the second
half of set, Ethan Kath took over the
helm for a brief DJ set that slid into
full on EDM. With thudding beats, and
strobe lights set to blind, Crystal Castles’
live show remains unapologetically maximalist,
intense, and danceable.
• Sydney Ball
photo: Lester Rajapakse
28 REVIEWS
August 2016

Bass Coast Music Festival 2016
Merritt, BC
July 7-10, 2016
Last weekend a crowd of 3,000+ hippies, bass
heads, artists, and DJs once again embarked upon
what can by now only be described as an annual
pilgrimage to the Nicola Valley. If you live in the
Pacific Northwest and have even a passing interest
in alternative electronic music, you will likely have
guessed that I am talking about the eighth iteration
of Bass Coast Music Festival returning once
again to sleepy Merritt, B.C. Since its inception
in 2008, the brainchild of Andrea Graham and
Liz Thomson has been going from strength to
strength, and this year proved to be no different.
What sets Bass Coast apart from other festivals
is that it manages to combine a fiercely independent
spirit, eschewing any and all corporate
sponsorship, with a level of professionalism and
attention to detail that I have yet to see matched
by another festival, all the while limiting the size of
the festival to 3,000 attendees. This result is a buck
wild party atmosphere in which festival goers are
encouraged to let their freak flags fly until the wee
hours of the morning (the last stages usually close
around 8am), while never threatening to become
overwhelmingly chaotic, unsafe, or uncomfortable.
Putting aside all the little touches that make this
festival great, let’s talk about Bass Coast’s bread
and butter: the music curation. On this front, Bass
Coast continues to act as a platform for a variety
of local favourites, as well as showcasing a collection
of international underground luminaries. The
daytime tends to feature lots of reggae, dancehall,
soul, and funk. Dub, dubstep, trap, grime, house,
and techno dominate the nighttime sets. This
means that you will be able to hear plenty of your
favourite genres, while at the same time ensuring
that at some point you will end up exploring outside
of your musical comfort zone.
Blondtron and Waspy kicked off the first night,
and subtleness does not seem to be part of the
Bass Coast mainstay’s vocabulary. They rocked the
main stage with their signature mix of maximalist
trap and dubstep, with Blondtron ending up
upside down twerking on her DJ table. Other
standouts on the first day included Machinedrum’s
glitchy uptempo beats, and North London
native Sabre, who threw down a set of incredibly
soulful drum and bass. The standout performer of
the night, though, was Montreal producer Goopsteppa,
who treated us to a dose of futuristic
and experimental bass music with strong dub
influences.
Saturday definitely belonged to local Vancouverites
Lighta! Crew, who threw down a four-hourlong
reggae jam featuring everything from roots,
dub, and dancehall. They even managed to get
Bristol dubstep and grime luminary Kahn to join
in on the fun for his daytime set, one of the festival
highlights. From midnight onwards the bills were
absolutely packed. It started out with first lady of
the festival Andrea Graham, a.k.a. Librarian gracing
the main stage with a mix of bass music classics.
Librarian’s set was immediately followed by Ivy
Lab, whose reputation preceded them. They
definitely lived up to the hype, delivering a great
blend of drum and bass and experimental halftime
sounds, as well as even sneaking in a couple of
classic hip hop tracks at the very end.
Sunday was a scorcher, and large crowds
gathered to float the river and enjoy lounging in
the sun while being serenaded by DJ K-Tel’s Sunday
soul session, one of Bass Coast’s most popular
recurring sets. Rinsing out classic soul records and
some electronic mixes for three hours, this set is
always a great re-energizer for the last day.
Sunday’s highlight was Kahn, a producer at the
forefront of a new generation artists out of Bristol.
With numerous Deep Medi releases, dubplates for
days, and his own record label Bandulu, Kahn has
been making a mark on the British dubstep and
grime scene for years. His set was comprised of
classic dubstep records (I finally heard “Earth a Run
Red” on a big sound system!), and darker grime.
An hour and a half of sub-bass, this was definitely
the heaviest set at a festival full of heavy sets. The
night ended on the deeper side of the dubstep
spectrum, with Westerly laying down a great heavy
halftime set.
Monday evening, absolutely exhausted, we
packed up our camp, vowing to return again
next year. It can hardly be overstated how full of
positive vibrations this festival was all weekend
long. Bass Coast manages to stand out in a world
already saturated with quality festivals. Judging
by what I saw this year, next year will be the best
Bass Coast yet. Make sure you get to experience it
yourself.
• Gabriel Klein
photo: Galen Robinson-Exo
The Librarian
photo: Galen Robinson-Exo
photo: Galen Robinson-Exo
Radio Stage
photo: Galen Robinson-Exo
August 2016 REVIEWS
29

ating the best (and worst) of Vancouver’s public toilets
by Michelle Hanley
Metrotown McDonalds Commercial Dr. Peaceful Restaurant
Metrotown is the coolest thing about Burnaby. It’s BC’s largest
mall and now that they’ve finally opened a Hot Topic it is the
place to be.
There are many nice bathrooms here at the mall and they
do not disappoint. They are always being cleaned and are large
and spacious. It is a very busy bathroom aand at peak hours is
usually full of loud teens Snapchatting about their new Forever
21 purchases, but that’s okay. It also has these weird garbage cans
that spill trash on you when you open them so be careful!
This particular McDonalds location is my number one least
favourite McDonalds. It is busy and small and full of Commercial
Drive crusty punks and I hate it.
There are very few bathroom options on The Drive and this one is
open late so I end up here often. The bathroom suffers from overuse
and is usually messy. On my most recent visit, the bathroom was
completely out of toilet paper and I had to use Canadian Tire money
I found in the bottom of my purse to wipe. I’m not lovin’ it.
Peaceful is a great place to eat Chinese food! It has the best
noodles in town that they hand-pull on site. Also my number one
celeb crush Guy Fieri featured this place on the hit Food Network
show, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
The bathrooms here are super clean! They are a bit cramped but
pretty impressive. The hot water tap was dangerously hot and I
would have appreciated a warning. But Guy Fieri might have pooped
here so that makes Peaceful a great place to poop.
CALGARY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL PRESENTS
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August 2016