BeatRoute Magazine - BC print e-edition – [March 2017]

FEATURED CONCERTS
VICTORIA, BC
BEN CAPLAN &
THE CASUAL SMOKERS
PLUS GUESTS
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15 | SUGAR NIGHTCLUB
SHRED KELLY
PLUS SAM WEBER
THURSDAY, MARCH 23 | SUGAR NIGHTCLUB
KYTAMI
PLUS GUESTS
FRIDAY, MARCH 24 | SUGAR NIGHTCLUB
BILL & JOEL
PLASKETT
PLUS MAYHEMINGWAYS
FRIDAY, MARCH 31 | ALIX GOOLDEN HALL
FOR FULL CONCERT LISTINGS & TO PURCHASE
TICKETS, PLEASE VISIT:
WWW.ATOMIQUEPRODUCTIONS.COM
FACEBOOK /ATOMIQUEPRODUCTIONS TWITTER @ATOMIQUEEVENTS
BPM Vol. 1
celebrating the greatest up and coming hip hop, R&B soul and electronic artists that Vancouver has to offer
Stevie Ross
Having just released his first neo-soul album
at the beginning of the year, Something
in Wonderland, Stevie Ross in on a wave.
Coming from a background as a street rapper,
Ross is making a conscious effort to
connect with more people with this latest
project. Layering his deep soulful voice over
live instrumentation, Ross is ready to take
Something in Wonderland as far as he can
in collaboration with local producer Aaron
Hamblin a.k.a. Speechless.
Brandon Gregora
Experimenting with music is fun when
you’re 22 years young and have a grip of
natural talent. Layering his heavily filtered
vocals over trap tinged instrumentals, you’ll
find Gregora singing about the three p’s of
contemporary R&B: parties, pussy and pills.
With just a handful of loosies floating on
his Soundcloud at the moment, Gregora
is poised to do whatever the hell he wants
with his music.
VANESSA TAM
Vancouver is a young and hungry city both in terms of the music it consumes and
the music it produces.
Celebrating the continued growth of the Electronics Dept., we’ve decided to rebrand
ourselves as BPM to be more inclusive of the local and international rap, hip
hop and R&B acts that we cover in addition to the electronic music that we regularly
showcase.
Beatroute Magazine is proud to present BPM Vol. 1, a fundraising event and showcase
of local musicians producing contemporary hip hop, R&B, soul and electronic
music for our generation.
BPM Vol. 1 takes place at The Anza Club March 18th.
Noble Oak
Jolin Ras
An inspiring creative, Jolin Ras merges his
contemporary beat production style with
live saxophone to create an unreal soundscape
that traverses space and time. Simultaneously
soulful and modern, his tracks
deny the requirement of a vocal hook to
create an incredible sonic performance that
instantly connects with his audience on the
deep and personal level.
After a lengthy stint living in Toronto and
touring across Japan, Noble Oak returns
back to his hometown of Vancouver with a
suitcase full of new experiences and immersive
compositions. Having started the Noble
Oak project on a whim just 6 years ago,
Patrick Fiore has come a long way with his
latest album, Past Life. A cozy mix of ambient
down-tempo and indie dream-pop, Fiore
explores ideas of change, transition and
loss in his latest work.
Chapel Sound
Comprised of DJs, producers, visual artists,
writers, singers and songwriters, Chapel
Sound is a collective of artists who’ve
joined together to push creative expression
forward without boundaries or prejudice.
Chapel Sound is for the children.
Empathy / Kinship
Based on soothing vocals and minimal
house vibes, Empathy is a new project that
was created by Alison Boulier and Thom
Kolb one day as they were basking in the
new love they found in one another. Sonically
adjacent, Kolb also produces electronic
music under the moniker Kinship where
he’s primarily inspired by the music his
friends make and enjoy.
The DREADNOUGHTs
10 years of breaking the rules (and a few bones)
HEATHER ADAMSON
The Dreadnoughts encompass a reputation that
is unlike any other Vancouver punk band out
there. In ten years they have raised the bar for
what punk music represents and stands for in the
local music scene and garnered themselves an allegiance
of fans that are intensely loyal and passionate.
“Having lived in East Van for 14 years, it is
rare that a couple of days go by without running
into someone on the street who has a connection
to our band,” mused drummer Marco Bieri (aka
the Stupid Swedish Bastard). Even during their
hiatus, their email inbox had daily requests for
shows, guitar tabs and other random requests.
“For whatever reason we have been part of creating
a huge community and I do not believe there
will ever be anything similar in my life to this,” said
Bieri.
This Dreadnoughts fandom culture is deeply
rooted in their take-no-prisoners live show that
has earned them folklore status worldwide. From
starting out with only five songs and still booking
three set evenings all over BC (thanks to vocalist
and lead guitarist Nicholas Smyth – aka Uncle
Touchy or the Fang - being a human juke box),
The Dreadnoughts philosophy of “let it ride” has
created opportunities from day one to continually
surprise both themselves and audiences. Their
touring stories are rich in antics and flair, one part
ASSIMILATION
all jokes aside, Apotheosis delivers thematic depth
ANA KRUNIC
horror, one part comedy including countless band
and audience injuries as a result of their overtly
physical live show. “Before I joined the band I was
a fan,” recalls bassist Andrew Hay (aka Squid Vicious).
“I would go home from shows with a black
eye on my face paired with a big smile.” Recalling
some of their most memorable shows, their
intensity is undeniable. “I feel like anytime we
played Pub 340 we almost died,” shared Hay. “It
was always a mixture of pure energy and absolute
muscle pain. It didn't help that they served drinks
in glass mugs. Glass everywhere.”
Their escapades have not been limited to BC or
Canada, not even close. Europe has been a hotbed
for the band from early on, with some of their
most riveting experiences taking place there with
large numbers connecting to the band and their
songs as anthems to express at times some hardcore
emotion. “At one of our shows in Monheim
Germany I had never seen our band and an audience
be more hostile towards each other,” shared
Hay. “A gentleman told me that it was actually
a good show because it was 'Avante Garde' and
'Very Disturbing.'” Some of their largest successes
have occurred in Eastern Europe including being
on Polish TV and getting to play a 6000 person
festival in the Western Ukraine after responding
to a random email and making up a fake manager.
Listening to Assimilation's first album,
Apotheosis, you're hit with death/
thrash that instantly makes you think
of bands like Morbid Angel, Incantation
and their peers – it sounds like
it clawed its way through time out of
that scene in the late 80's/early 90's
The best advice from the band regarding the new release Apotheosis? Prepare to be Assimilated.
The Dreadnaughts take years of pure energy and absolute muscle pain on the road with an Anniversary tour.
As they reflect on the past ten years, they are
also looking ahead at what's to come, including
an 10th anniversary tour and a new album on the
way that they promise will have some new surprises
for fans to dig their teeth into. When asked
if they would be taking a political approach to the
album's concept, vocalist and lead guitarist Nicholas
Smyth stated “We tend to think that when
punk bands “go political” it really, really sucks.
That said, there is a way of being political without
being superficial and preachy including inviting
the listener to reflect on certain deeper issues and
to learn a little more about why we are where we
are. That is where we are going with this album.”
to land in present-day Vancouver.
Then you listen a little closer and it's
not quite the same tropes of the era
– rather the imaginings of someone
who grew up immersed in that music
while doing a hell of a lot of gaming.
The name of the EP came about when
photo: ???
founding member, vocalist and guitarist
Jesse James Jardine was playing
a game on his PS4 called Apotheon
– about a Greek soldier ascending to
godhood by conquering the Pantheon.
Apotheosis is the greek term for a
mortal becoming a god, and this lyrical
theme of inner strength and self-empowerment,
as interpreted through a
death metal lens, runs through many
of their songs and into their upcoming
full-length debut, Laws of Power.
"The new album is more death metal,
it’s more technical and less old school
than our EP,”says Jesse. The record
is a continuation of the theme on
Apotheosis, a former mortal negotiating
existence in the realm of the
gods (with lots of references to Dark
Souls, of course). Assimilation went
through many lineup changes to get
here, including members of Ogroem
and Terrifier. Jesse started the project
with more of a grind focus named
Ceaseless Discharge before forming
Assimilation.
The current line up consists of Stephen
Shaw of Sinned on drums, Shiloh
"Mystique Garlique" Anderson on bass
and after posting an ad on Craigslist,
Matt Chanway on guitar ("First thing's
photo by Savonna Spracklin
From their stage names to their stage presence,
The Dreadnoughts are a force to be reckoned
with and time has proven that their staying power
is stronger than ever. Whether it’s a near death
crash on the Autobahn or a broken instrument on
the stage, this band continues to sacrifice life and
limb for the sake of their music and are proving to
be unstoppable.
The Dreadnoughts’ Ten Year Double Show
Extravaganza takes place March 17 and 18
at the Rickshaw Theatre.
first", laughs Jesse, "he was willing to
grow his hair.”) One glance at their
online presence shows you just how
much they take the piss out of both
internet culture and occasionally the
super-severe metal culture. For example,
a sardonic GoFundMe campaign
for their drummer Steve called "Save
Our Dad" to fund a PS4 to play Battlefield
I and "get hype AF." The campaign
is still live, by the way, if you feel this
is a cause worthy of your donations.
In similar fashion, the details are soon
to come for a show in Langley where
they're planning a kegger/bush party
show with a few other local bands
on March 18th following the release
of Laws of Power, as well as a western
Canadian tour in May with Terrifier,
Evilosity, Torrefy and Gatekeeper
joining them on select dates. I asked
Jesse for some last words: "Keep the
old-school alive, check out the bands
that the bands you like listen to, because
it's probably a hell of a lot better
than whatever you're listening to, and
prepare to be assimilated.".
Assimilation’s full length album
Apotheosis is released on
March 17th.
18 BPM
March 2017
March 2017 The skinny
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