Beatroute Magazine BC Print Edition December 2017

wTRIM SIZE: 10.25"W x 11.5" H, RIGHT HAND PAGE
ALL I WANT
FOR CHRISTMAS
IS SHOE
JOHN FLUEVOG SHOES 837 GRANVILLE ST 604·688·2828 65 WATER ST 604·688·6228 FLUEVOG.COM

December‘17
PUBLISHER
BeatRoute Magazine
LAYOUT
& PRODUCTION MANAGER
Naomi Zhang
Front Cover Photo
Courtesy Universal Music
Front Cover Design
Randy Gibson
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Bailey Barnson • Sarah Bauer • Jonny
Bones • Seth Cudney • Quan Yin
Divination • Mike Dunn• Kennedy Enns
• Slone Fox • Colin Gallant • Jovana
Golubovic • Michael Grondin • Greg
Grose • Kathryn Helmore • Max Hill •
Alex Hudson • Sarah Jamieson • Jeevin
Johal • Karolina Kapusta • Charlotte
Karp • Ana Krunic • Arielle Lessard •
Sarah Mac • Paul Mcaleer • Brendan
Morley • Andrew R. Mott • Zoei Nijjar
• Adesuwa Okoyomon • Emma Sloan •
Stepan Soroka • Vanessa Tam • Willem
Thomas • Brayden Turenne • Alec
Warkentin • Mat Wilkins • Jordan Yeager
CONTRIBUTING
PHOTOGRAPHERS &
ILLUSTRATORS
Robert Anderson • Nedda Asfari •
Peter Battistoni • Bryce Hunnersen
• Bill Crisafi • Elissa Crowe • Tj Dawe
• Itai Erdal • Cody Fennell • Greg
Gallinger • Maria Jose • Dahila Katz
• Anita Lewis • Connor Mccracken •
Nelson Mouellic • Darrole Palmer • Jaik
Puppyteeth • Daniel Rampulla • Rachel
Robinson • Shimon Karmel • Raymund
Shum • Landon Speers • Jake Stark •
Steven Taylor • Matthew Zinke
ADVERTISING INQUIRIES
Managing Editor
Jordan Yeager
jordan@beatroute.ca
BPM
Alan Ranta
alan@beatroute.ca
Comedy
Graeme Wiggins
graeme@beatroute.ca
Live
Galen Robinson-Exo
galen@beatroute.ca
Editor-In-Chief
Glenn Alderson
glenn@beatroute.ca
City
Yasmine Shemesh
yasmine@beatroute.ca
Local Music
James Olson
james.olson@beatroute.ca
The Skinny
Johnny Papan
johnny@beatroute.ca
Film
Hogan Short
hogan@beatroute.ca
04 HI, HOW ARE YOU? 22
05
06
11
13
16
19
- with Rudolf Penner
PULSE - CITY BRIEFS!
CITY
- No Fun Radio
- The Fabric Of Our Land
- pulses // patterns
- The Rockin’ Cowboy
HOLIDAY
GIFT GUIDE
FOOD & DRINK
- Holiday Hops
- Bottoms Up:
Trans Am Restaurant
BEST OF 2017
MUSIC
- Alex Lahey
- The Barr Brothers
- Grizzly Bear
- Emily Haines
- The Pack A.D.
Photo by Michael Fulton
24
27
29
29
34
THE SKINNY
- Cancer Bats
- Scrape Records
BPM
- Contact Winter Music
Festival
- Hundred Waters
- Xavier Omär
- Vic Mensa
- Snotty Nose Rez Kids
FILM
-Best of 2017
ALBUM REVIEWS
- Björk
- Angel Olson
- Big K.R.I.T.
- Tennis
- Young Lean
- MORE
LIVE REVIEWS
- Flying Lotus
- King Krule
- Gwar
HOROSCOPES
Glenn Alderson
glenn@beatroute.ca
778-888-1120
DISTRIBUTION
Gold Distribution (Vancouver)
Mark Goodwin Farfields (Victoria)
Web
Jashua Grafstein
jash@beatroute.ca
Social Media
Mat Wilkins
mat@beatroute.ca
BEATROUTE MAGAZINE
202-2405 Hastings St. E
Vancouver BC Canada
V5K 1Y8
editor@beatroute.ca • beatroute.ca
©BEATROUTE Magazine 2017. All rights reserved.
Reproduction of the contents is strictly prohibited.
TOKiMONSTA- Page 23
December 2017 3

WITH RUDOLF PENNER
GLENN ALDERSON
We met Rudolf Penner on the sixth
floor of the Bay, shopping for socks
before an umbrella party that he
was attending that evening at the
Vancouver Art Gallery. The smell
of holidays was in the air and he
looked suspiciously similar to Santa
so we couldn’t resist asking him
for a chat about what his life was
all about living south of the North
Pole. Little did we know we’d be
getting a glimpse in to the window
of a wonderful man who’s an artist,
activist and all around good soul.
Penner’s business card reads artist,
poet, musician and computer lessons
but after our chat we learned he
was so much more than all of those
things combined. You never know,
maybe he actually is Santa.
How long have you been living in
Vancouver?
Rudolf Penner: Since 1960, with a
brief hiatus in Clearbrook, BC where
I played my harmonica for a bunch
of cows a few times. Although they
didn’t pay me, they honoured me
with rapt attention, came running,
but always kept chewing their cud.
Has anyone ever told you that you
have an uncanny resemblance to
Santa?
RP: This is a no brainer. Even the cops
think I look like Santa! One pair of
them got me last year and thought
I was a thief. I’m glad they didn’t get
out the cuffs. I’ve got my own cuffs
and they’re on my boot tops. Luckily
they have hardcore shockproof
laptops, which they viewed to
determine I was not the thief. They
used voice recognition to identify
me, I believe. Never asked for I.D. but
just asked me to say my name. No, I
didn’t say Santa. Apparently a lot of
older guys with beards look exactly
like me.
Have you ever seriously considered
working part-time as a mall Santa
over the holiday season?
RP: I was recruited by one local mall,
with photos and everything taken,
but upon reading the contract, I
found it looked like it had been
quickly copied and pasted together
from the web, so I declined. Santa,
in this mall, had to go waltzing thru
the mall playing an instrument
and singing Christmas carols. His
other duties included sitting in
a Santa chair and receiving visits
from children. The contract,
however, specified, that under no
circumstance was Santa supposed to
touch the kids. I imagined a scenario
where a parent would place the
young boy on my lap or knee and
leave him there, and I would not be
able to hold him up.
The other thing that disturbed me
about the Santa role is what if I don’t
know the toy the child or hipster
is asking for? Well, there are Santa
schools for that, you know? And
they teach you all the ins and outs of
being a mall Santa.
One woman at a park gig about
eight years ago asked me to get her
boyfriend out of jail. I obliged. Yes,
I was dressed in a Santa Suit and
played up the empathy card quite
heavily. It worked!
You mentioned the harmonica.
What other instruments do you
play?
RP: I play the flute, organ, synthesizer,
piano, guitar, and drums. I am
surprised, because I can still play
all of these items despite having to
divide my time. If I have a gig with
one instrument, I’ll focus on that for
three to eight weeks and seem to be
able to get on well. I recently played
the UBC organic farm as a busker,
joined by a pal named Daniel, on the
washtub bass. We made hardly any
cash but walked away with armloads
of fresh produce and coupons for the
farm market there.
Do you remember the first or one
of the more memorable live music
shows you saw in Vancouver?
RP: I saw April Wine at the
Commodore, some time after
1987. It was incredible. I have often
wondered why they never upgraded
themselves to a modern stage set-up,
but the music was awesome.
What are you listening to right
now?
RP: I listen to old rock by accident
when I’m surfing online. Other than
that I’m just listening to Stripped, a
fantastic album by the Rolling Stones.
I really like some of the newer bands,
but since I seldom listen to the radio,
I find it hard to hear them. I went to
see the Sheepdogs and Wintersleep
at a New Year’s celebration at
Canada Place. Thank you Canada
for acknowledging Canadian talent.
The Sheepdogs are coming to the
Commodore on Feb. 16.
What is your favourite thing about
the Christmas holidays?
RP: That you’re allowed to dress
up your place in all the bells and
whistles, baubles and ornaments
hanging from wires in your home,
visit Christmas tree farms in town,
drink Black Russians, eat Halvah and
occasionally someone is cheered up
just by the fact that they’re in the
Christmas spirit or they see me and
think of Santy Claus.
What is something you see
in Vancouver that makes you
particularly excited to call this city
home?
RP: I see the acceptance of people
from myriad other countries. It is
a relief to hear less racism, and we
multi-lingual, multi-ethnic and otherviewed
populace. I find the young
people in the city are particularly
polite to me, and I don’t know
why. I attribute it to TV. In the ’90s
programs were dialoguing about
so many different things that the
youth picked up on and seem to
have incorporated it into their way
of thinking.
What’s one thing you would change
about Vancouver?
RP: I would like to see all the
developers and real estate sellers in
jail. And more creative live music
venues that cater to local musicians.
What do you think is one of
Vancouver’s best-kept secrets?
RP: The China Cloud (524 Main St.)
Wednesdays, 9 p.m. Be there or be
oval. It feels like a private nightclub;
there you can hear psychedelic rock,
folk and jazz and get cheap Bulleit.
One of the last underground jazz
joints folks.
are
Rudolf
basically
Penner
forced
may
to
be
deal
jolly,
with
but
a
he doesn’t roll with Santa.
4
December 2017

CITY BRIEFS!
Yolks Restaurant & Commissary East Van Panto Shiny Chinese Lantern Festival Queer as Funk
YOLKS RESTAURANT &
COMMISSARY
Yolks is located at 1598 East Hastings
East Vancouver’s favourite breakfast
joint has got itself some fresh digs, just
up the street from their former location
on Hastings and Clarke. Now at
Hastings and Woodland, the new space
spans almost 2,000 square feet and
seats up to 100. Mmm... those perfectly
poached egg bennies. Plan brunch now.
EAST VAN PANTO
December 1- January 6 at the York
Theatre
Theatre Replacement is celebrating
its fifth anniversary of East Van Panto
this year with a roaring production of
Snow White & the Seven Dwarves. In
this adaptation, the panto — always
taking a local angle — sees Snow White
attempt to escape the evil Queen of
North Vancouver, dancing with the
PNE’s SuperDogs and befriending some
‘80s rock and rollers along the way.
HYPE! AN IMPROVISED HIP
HOPERA
December 8 at Havana Theatre
Instant Theatre Company is known
well for its hilarious, razor sharp improv
and with Hype!, the team combines
Broadway and hip-hop to deliver likely
the wittiest freestyling musical you’ve
ever seen.
SHINY
December 6-9 at Left of Main
In collaboration with Maxine Chadburn
and Rianna Svelnis, dancer and
choreographer Kelly McInnes explores
how chasing society’s impossible
beauty standards can dangerously
warp one’s sense of self in this poignant
multidisciplinary performance. The
piece was partly inspired by McInnes’
personal struggle with body image and
eating disorders.
CHINESE LANTERN FESTIVAL
December 15-January 21 at the PNE
This five-week celebration of Chinese
culture includes 35 spectacular lanterns,
a variety of performances like folk
dancing, plate spinning, and acrobatics,
and food trucks where attendees can
enjoy eats like dim sum.
EAST VAN CHOIR COLLECTIVE
WISH FUNDRAISER
December 14 at Rickshaw Theatre
Three East Vancouver-based choirs
— Kingsgate Chorus, ESCHOIR, and
the Mount Pleasant Regional Institute
of Sound — are bringing their voices
together to raise funds for WISH, a
Downtown Eastside drop-in centre for
women involved in the street-based sex
trade. The vocalists will be performing
music by Sade, Sufjan Stevens, and
more.
NO DRESS REHEARSAL: A
TRIBUTE TO GORD DOWNIE
December 14 at Rio Theatre
Canada suffered a grand loss this year
with the passing of Gord Downie,
beloved frontman of the Tragically
Hip. To celebrate his life and work, a
handful of artists including Twin Bandit,
TJ Dawe, and Bend Sinister’s Dan
Moxon are gathering to pay tribute to
their barstool bard. Partial proceeds of
the event will benefit the Gord Downie
and Chanie Wenjack Fund.
NEW YEARS EVE TRIPLE HEADER
December 31 at the Comedy Mix
Start your year off with laugh with local
fave comedians Graham Clark, Dino
Archie, and Simon King! Charlie Demers
hosts, and there will be door prizes,
party favours, and a champagne toast.
QUEER AS FUNK
December 31 at Wise Hall
Ring in the New Year with Vancouver’s
most electrifying soul, Motown, and
funk cover band as they celebrate
with tunes from Aretha Franklin and
Stevie Wonder to Bruno Mars and
Justin Timberlake. With horns, strings,
percussion, and seriously rich vocals,
the eight person-strong group —
unique in our local LGBTQ community
— maintains an ever-triumphant
command of the genre.
December 2017 5

CITY
NO FUN RADIO
BROADCASTING AN ECLECTIC MIX OF VANCOUVER TASTES
LAUREN DONNELLY
Photo by Darrole Palmer
Matt Perry (Kutcorners) co-hosts Polar Radio on NFR with Nick Wisdom.
In an unassuming brick building
in Vancouver’s Gastown, behind a
green-barred gate, there’s a midday
party going on. Broadcasting live onto
the web is the Polar Radio Show –
just one of a number of shows made
possible by the six-week-old nonprofit,
No Fun Radio (NFR).
NFR recently set up shop in Hi-Five
grilled cheese’s old digs at 30 East
Cordova Street. Derek Duncan is
one of four co-founders behind the
newcomer to Vancouver’s music
scene.
The space is only about
100-square-feet, but what NFR lacks
in space it makes up for in confidence.
“It doesn’t need to be bigger,” says
Duncan. “I like that it’s just meat and
potatoes. There’s no bloat to it –
obviously some of that has to do with
the fact that it’s self-funded but I feel
like we got the studio that we wanted.
We didn’t have to cut any corners.”
The founders aren’t cutting corners
on their plans, either. In the process
of finalizing logistics for a visual
component to accompany audio
streams, NFR is also moving forward
with workshops to teach people
how to use DJ equipment in a safe,
inclusive environment. “When I first
started throwing shows in Vancouver
it was really difficult,” says Duncan,
who DJs for a living. “It’s really difficult
to know what to do. It’s hard to know
how to build a budget, how to get a
venue, how to make a poster – and
those are all things that we’d like to
teach people too.”
NFR is focused on nurturing the
local community in order to put
Vancouver on the map. The goal is
also to branch out with more live
events that provide broadcasters with
the opportunity to play outside of
the radio station. To facilitate support
for local artists, NFR is diligent about
archiving its shows. Archived work
is available online 24 hours after
broadcast.
Modeled after international
web-based radio stations such as
Amsterdam’s Red Light Radio, and
Los Angeles’ Dub Lab, the station
currently hosts international artists
on Fridays and Saturdays. Although
its main focus is on broadcasting live
out-of-studio, Duncan says they’re
already receiving show pitches from
around the world.
“Vancouver has such a habit of
putting an outward focus on music
and there’s so much talent here,”
says Duncan. “And every city is guilty
of that, but I think it’s good when
people have strong support for their
locals and they go out and pay cover
and respect the energy that goes
into it. It’s important that people
understand that that’s how you build
community – by supporting your
neighbor and caring to know about
what other people are doing.”
Show programming features an
eclectic mix for every taste, ranging
from trap, to disco, to house, to
bhangra. The station provides
broadcasters with a platform from
which to transmit their creativity.
That’s the goal, says Duncan. “All of
us really just envisioned creating a
platform for people in Vancouver to
reach outside of their sphere.”
“You’re able to tune into all these
really amazing local DJs but also
you get to listen to everybody who’s
coming through the city.”
In its current state, Canadian
radio leaves a lot to be desired. CRTC
regulations are imposed but don’t
necessarily result in more support for
local artists. Operating on the web
means NFR is free from the chains
of regulation. Duncan sees that as
a boon for creativity. “You’re not
promoting creativity if you’re putting
harsh guidelines on somebody,”
he said. “You open yourself up to
having a way wider sphere of audio
that you’re able to play if you’re
not confined to those sorts of
regulations.”
Duncan acknowledges Vancouver’s
history of solid university radio
stations but argues that local radio
has never been a good representation
of underground music or an ideal
environment for a DJ. That’s why
NFR is focused on providing the
means – good monitoring, intuitive
DJ equipment – and the platform for
local artists to build their skills while
being heard.
The reception so far is better than
NFR-founders imagined possible.
“We weren’t sure if we’d be able to fill
this many hours with content,” says
Duncan. “We wondered if Vancouver
really had the thirst to participate.
The answer is totally yes. Right away,
everybody’s been keen to share. We’re
just six weeks in and we’re seeing
people coming to the studio, teeming
with excitement because they’ve put
so much energy into doing something
and they’re seeing results. Seeing that
2,000 people listened to your radio
show last week, that’s cool.”
Tune in to No Fun Radio online at
www.nofunradio.com
ESSENTIAL CINEMA ESSENTIAL BIG SCREEN // HAPPY HOLIDAYS
City Lights
Dec 22, 23, 28, 30
Paris, Texas
Dec 22, 26, 29
Black Orpheus
Dec 23, 27, 29
Ikiru (To Live)
Dec 23, 26, 30
Days of Heaven
Dec 27, 28, 30
6
December 2017

Bernard Frize Altesse (2007) acrylic on canvas | 114 1/8 x 89 3/8 in (290 x 227 cm)
Rennie Museum | 51 East Pender St | Vancouver

THE FABRIC OF OUR LAND
REINFORCING THE THREADS OF COMMUNITY
PULSES // PATTERNS
DISMANTLING THE PAST TO FORGE THE FUTURE
CITY
KURTIS ARMSTRONG-SINCLAIR JEEVIN JOHAL
Now until April 15, the Museum of Anthropology (MOA)
is hosting The Fabric of Our Land: Salish Weaving in
collaboration with the Musqueam Indian Band — a showcase
of traditional and contemporary weaving that spans over 200
years of Salish tradition.
From 1885 to 1951, the Government of Canada imposed
a law called the Potlatch Ban. This restriction prohibited
First Nations from practicing important ceremonies and
traditions that have been mainspring in their culture for
many generations. These laws were put in place to erase the
culture of the First Nations and assimilate their people into
the melting pot that is Canada. One of those traditions was
loom weaving. Residential schooling made it near impossible
for the community to pass down the craft from mother to
daughter. Contemporary weavers, like Debra Sparrow, have
had to learn how to weave by studying only photographs
and patterns from books. The last known weaver, Sparrow’s
great grandmother, passed on in the early 1930s. Now, after
85 years of cultural oppression, the Coast Salish people are
working passionately to reconnect with their heritage and
revive their lost craft.
“We are not going to stop until we wrap the city of
Vancouver in blankets,” says Sparrow.
The museum has a dedicated viewing room for the
weavers to study the blankets up close. A rare opportunity
for the artists, as these blankets have travelled from as far as
Finland to get here. Many have been rolled up in storage for
the last couple centuries and this is the first time the public
has been able to view them.
Salish weaving is a truly ancient practice. According to
oral tradition, blankets have been woven since the beginning
of time. They were traditionally made from the hair of a
now-extinct breed of woolly dogs, specifically bred by the
Salish for their long white fur and exclusively fed salmon. The
breed disappeared in the early 1900s when the Hudson’s Bay
Company introduced cheaper sheep wool blankets produced
Photo by Markku Haverinen
en masse. Dog wool blankets could not compete with the
company and the breed soon became extinct. The people
also spun wool from the hair of mountain goats and used
dyes from the plants they found all around them. Woven
items are still used in ceremonies as regalia and are often
given as gifts to the community during potlatches. These
utilitarian works of art are immeasurably valuable; there are
lessons of integrity woven into the fabric of each piece. There
is a need within the culture for this craft to exist. It connects
the Coast Salish to who they are as a people. The designs
created are focused and mathematical, intricate patterns
that affirm value within Salish culture and give them a place
to set their feet down. The weavings represent the beauty
of the land and contain the connected memories of many
generations.
Contemporary blankets take up to five months to create,
so we can only guess the amount of time that was required
in the past. The women see this methodological work as a
time of connectedness and meditation: the loom is a space
for them to connect with their heritage and ancestors after
so many years in the dark. Although the old blankets were
treated with arsenic as a preservative, all of the contemporary
blankets are used frequently in ceremony.
To be in spirit is to be inspired. The Salish, inspired by
the world around them, see how they are responsible for
the world that they live in. This respect for the Earth and its
resources is a foundation of identity to the people. As such,
The Fabric of Our Land: Salish Weaving is not an exhibit
and it is not archaeology. These pieces have been brought
together in order to educate us on who the Coast Salish are
as they fight for their rights and values in the colonial legacy
that is Canada.
The Fabric of Our Land: Salish Weaving runs at the Museum
of Anthropology until April 15. Debra Sparrow will also be
offering periodic weaving demonstrations on the loom.
It would be a daunting task to decipher the number of sounds the human
ear consumes in one day; and we’re not just talking about what’s blasted into
our membranes by a pair of pretty, little, white earbuds. Simply navigating
through life on a day-to-day basis, we are bombarded with a plethora of both
pleasing and not so pleasing audibles. For instrument builder and musician
George Rahi, the world is a complex library of vibrant tones waiting to be
dissected and reimagined in a completely unique light.
With extensive knowledge of both acoustic and electronic music, Rahi
disassembles seemingly outdated objects and instruments, stitching them
together with surgeon like precision, to take the listener on an expedition
through uncharted sonic landscapes. “In a lot of these materials there’s
usually perfectly good things that at the time represented the crux of
technological development,” discusses Rahi. “I’m taking my own approach to
those materials, as raw materials for a new kind of sound.”
In his upcoming exhibit, pulses // patterns, Rahi unveils his latest
Frankenstein in the form of an electronically processed pipe organ,
rejuvenating its classic sound with a stunning twist of the modern, birthing
new life into the forgotten beast. With childlike wonder, he explains, “I think
it’s a really creative way to look at things in the world as holding potential [to
receive] a very new life as an instrument.”
As computers get thinner, resolutions become bigger and brighter, and
phone updates more frequent, “e-waste” has become an ever increasing
problem in our modern society, as electronics pile up like discarded pizza
boxes. But for Rahi, these savoury items are ripe for the picking, using them
to teach people to appreciate them as more than just a time capsule of years
gone by. Rahi encourages to “look at e-waste in terms of new generative
possibilities for what’s there.” By mutilating these once pinnacles of
technology, they can be metamorphosed into something with purpose again.
To some, it may seem that what Rahi is doing is an elaborate science
experiment, but his creations hardly lack emotional depth. Like any song, or
piece of music, his instruments and collaborations tell stories. “I don’t think
its too much of a stretch to say that there’s expressive qualities to these
sounds,” says Rahi. “Everything works together to create an environment and
an experience.”
pulses // patterns runs from December 8-14 at Western Front. George Rahi
performs alongside keyboardist and composer Robyn Jacobs on December 14.
George Rahi transcends sonic boundaries, breathing new life into relics.
December 2017 9

CITY
THE ROCKIN’ COWBOY
BECAUSE LIFE’S TOO SHORT FOR BORING CLOTHES
LUIZA BRENNER
If you’ve ever strolled by East
Broadway, around Main Street,
chances are you’ve spotted a peculiar
storefront crowned by bull skulls.
Those who dare to meander through
the doorway are transported to a
parallel universe of leather cowboy
boots, beaver-hair brimmed hats,
and tons of new and vintage goodies.
The men behind it all? The one and
only Cowboy Dave (a.k.a. Dave Lawr)
and his second-in-command, Danny
Kresnyak.
“The front of the store is obviously
very attention-grabbing,” says
Kresnyak. “And then you come
inside and you maintain that sort of
museum-esque quality. People come
in and just look at stuff, or you get
folks who just stand outside and are
almost afraid to come in. They just
look at the fact that the door handle
is a rifle and they’re so mesmerized
by it.”
As a branch of now-defunct
Toronto-based shops, the Rockin’
Cowboy opened its doors in
Vancouver in 1971 and “has
specialized in curating the finest in
new and used rock n’ roll, western,
vintage wear and accessories”
ever since. The bold statement on
their recently-launched website is
accurate, indeed. There, Elizabeth
Taylor’s dear Liberty boots and a
never-worn 1970 John Wayne-like
cowboy hat share the space with
a rack of $15 used t-shirts and
bullwhips.
More than a store, the Rockin’
Cowboy is a rock ‘n’ roll and country
music sanctuary. The homages
are everywhere: “Guitar Slim, a
very early blues and rock ‘n’ roll
musician who influenced Muddy
Waters, Buddy Guy, and all those
cats; Waylon Jennings, the king of it
all... Essentially, everything you see
is for sale, except for this Johnny
Cash poster, in his pill-doing days,”
Kresnyak points out. Amongst the
collector’s items is a dull beige shirt
priced at $495 designed by Nudie
Cohn, the man behind Elvis Presley’s
infamous gold suit.
When asked about the
importance of the store for the
music scene in Vancouver, Cowboy
Dave is categorical: “We make it
affordable for musicians to come
and buy cool and different things
that they can’t find anywhere else
– things that are going to set them
apart. ‘People aren’t coming only
to hear you. They are coming to see
you. They want to see what you’re
wearing.’ And that’s part of the
whole thing.”
To seal the deal and end the visit,
a good ol’ cowboy tradition (despite
the fact that it was a rainy Tuesday
morning): a shot of whiskey. After
walking out of the shop, Kresnyak’s
words still echo: life’s too short to
wear boring clothes. Cheers to that.
The Rockin’ Cowboy is located at 106
East Broadway.
Photo by Luiza Brenner
Cowboy Dave Lawr and Danny Kresnyak curate eclectic oddities with style.
10
December 2017

BeatRoute’s 2017
Holiday Gift Guide
Whether you’re shopping for your mom, the guy up the street who
makes your coffee every morning, or yourself, we’ve got you covered
this holiday season. With this great haul of locally-made goods (save
for the Hip collection — but come on, it’s the Hip), find the perfect
prezzy while also supporting your talented neighborhood makers.
ALL NATURAL
FRUITCAKE
Net Wt 700 g
UPRISING BREADS BAKERY
If you’re invited to a Christmas party and want
to bring something other than wine, one good
option would be East Van’s Uprising Bread’s
famed Fruit Cake. It bucks the stereotype of
fruitcake being wholly unlikeable. It’s all natural
and avoids the really unpleasant, ancient
candied fruit thing. It’s so popular they ship it
out to Toronto. –Graeme Wiggins
Uprising Breads Bakery is located at 1697
Venables Street.
THE TRAGICALLY HIP COMPLETE
COLLECTION 1987-2016
Vinyl is hip now, and now the Hip are on vinyl.
The Complete Collection 1987-2016 contains all
13 of the band’s studio albums, along with their
self-titled EP and Live Between Us live album.
The releases have all been remastered and
pressed to 180-gram vinyl. Comes with a poster
and vinyl slipmat. Timely and super Canadian.
–GW
Purchase The Tragically Hip Complete Collection
1987-2016 at thehip.com.
GOODBOY—COLLECTIVE
For the dog parents in your life, Goodboy—
Collective offers a wide array of toys, clothing,
and accessories. How about a paint-spattered
dog bowl, a vividly coloured, hand knit
hamburger, or sleek peach hued collars? They
also donate 10% of their proceeds to Thank God
I Am Out, a BC dog rescue society. This will be a
gift that keeps on giving. –Prachi Kamble
Shop Goodboy—Collective at shopgoodboy.com.
PITON POTTERY
Please the creatures of comfort on your list with
Piton Pottery ceramics. Give the gift of getting
lost in contemplation with one of Coral Patola’s
timeless and nostalgic designs. Inspired by her
childhood growing up in the Pacific Northwest,
the Emily Carr grad includes nods to nature and
tactile pleasures in her pieces. A Piton mug is a
pure, simple delight on even the drizzliest winter
day. –LD
Purchase Piton Pottery at stockists like the Gallery
of BC Ceramics, Kyubu Market, or at
pitonpottery.ca.
FOX & FLICKER
Vancouver artist Charlene Dittrich specializes in
macramé creations. For the not-so-craft-savvy
of us, macramé is a textile created by knotting
cords. Dittrich creates heavily detailed and
intricate wall-hangings, dreamcatchers, and
an assortment of related crafts. She also uses a
variety of cords to make her art, including ones
that come in a wide range of earthy pastels. –PK
Shop Fox & Flicker at Eastside Flea and at
foxandflicker.com.
CHARLIE & LEE BOUTIQUE
Get your favourite fashionista something she’ll
love at Chinatown’s Charlie & Lee. Featuring
clothing by BC brands Lloyd Clothing, Sunja
Link, and Korinne Vader, the independent
boutique offers North American-made and
ethically sourced goods. With various items like
soaps, ceramics, jewellery, and locally designed
prints, Charlie & Lee is a one-stop-shop for all
your stocking stuffer needs. And the best part?
You don’t have to face holiday crowds at the
mall. –LD
Charlie & Lee Boutique is located at 223 Union St.
PACIFIC KNOT
Pacific Knot makes handmade outerwear chic
and trendy. The company has a large selection
of warm toques made of thick wool, as well as
lush, heavy knitted scarves, mittens, and some
ingenious boot warmers. Not only that, but
their toques for kids come in bright colours and
adorable patterns. Guaranteed to make you go
“aww!” –PK
Shop Pacific Knot at Eastside Flea and at
pacificknot.com.
December 2017 11

arn burner variety pack

HOLIDAY HOPS
CELEBRATING YOUR SEASONAL BEER PALATE
TOM PAILLE AND WILLEM THOMAS
BOTTOMS UP
LUCAS MARINCELJ (TRANS AM RESTAURANT)
GLENN ALDERSON
FOOD & DRINK
Powell Street Brewery’s Double IPA is twice as nice.
As fall drizzles and drips its way into winter, the weather
inevitably changes from bright and cheery to damp and
dreary. Local west coast craft brewers have developed the
perfect coping mechanism: winter ales. We decided to get a
taste of some of their offerings.
POSTMARK BREWING
Stout
Located in the old Settlement Building in the heart of the
Downtown Eastside, Postmark opened its doors in 2014
following the success of Vancouver Urban Winery and
the Belgard Kitchen. Behind that landmark doorway lies a
welcoming atmosphere that invites you to get cozy after
a sightseeing walk about Gastown. Postmark’s Stout is the
perfect companion to warming yourself beside a fireplace,
designed for sessionability with a bit less alcohol (4.8 per
cent) and a sweet balance of malts for a chocolate, coffee,
caramel taste that will warm your soul.
PARALLEL 49 BREWING COMPANY
Salty Scot
Salty Scot from Parallel 49 Brewing Company has been
making comebacks for several years, for good reason. It’s a
Scottish “wee heavy” style that combines sweet caramel and
vanilla flavours with sea salt to intensify them. The Scotch Ale
is bold behind these flavours and makes a great winter drink.
Not too many at a time, though – with 7.5 per cent ABV, it
packs a bit of a punch. With the food truck brought into the
Street Kitchen for the winter, it’s a great excuse to visit and try
one, or maybe two.
STRATHCONA BEER COMPANY
Brrr! Winter Radler
Like migrating birds, radlers seem to disappear as the weather
turns cold. Viewed almost exclusively as summer patio drinks,
many BC breweries have taken to producing their own takes,
with flavours like grapefruit and lemon hitting stores and,
subsequently, parks and beaches. Since opening in July 2016,
Strathcona Beer Company can already lay claim to making
one of Vancouver’s most popular radlers, the Beach Lemon
Mandarin Radler. For brewer and co-owner Michael “Fezz”
Nazarec, the question was how to translate that success into
a winter-appropriate version. The answer? Huge quantities
of fresh BC cranberries, which make the Brrr! Winter Radler
possibly craft brewing’s first Christmas-ready radler. Tarter
and dryer than its summer sibling, it’s light and effervescent,
while still retaining the juiciness we’ve come to expect.
GRANVILLE ISLAND BREWING
Lions Winter Ale
Holding down top seniority of seasonal beers is the Lions
Winter Ale, which has been lovingly brewed by Granville
Island Brewing since 2004. This long-time favourite blends
hints of vanilla, cocoa, and caramel into a deep, rich
mouthful. Specialty malts ensure this ale isn’t too sweet on
the palate, making it an amazing pairing with both sweet and
savoury tastes (bacon jam, anyone?). The unique sweet and
spicy taste may have everything to do with its secret “winter
flavourings,” but this ale is no secret beyond the wet and
stormy shores of our west coast.
33 ACRES BREWING COMPANY
33 Acres of Cashmere
When it comes to naming and branding their new beers,
Mount Pleasant’s 33 Acres Brewing Company follow an
aesthetic all their own, channelling themes of longing and
nodding romantically to the natural world. For their new
Northwest Red Ale, they let the properties of the beer
define itself. Smooth and balanced, 33 Acres of Cashmere
harkens back to its namesake fibre, existing as an inviting,
approachable ale. The bright amber colour and roasted malt
flavour make this the perfect beer to sneak off to a cabin (or
your basement suite) for the night. Or, as it’s a limited-run
beer, stop by the tasting room for a few.
POWELL STREET CRAFT BREWERY
Right Kind of Crazy
Imperial beers combine bold flavours with stratospheric
ABVs, and in west coast brewing, the Imperial style known
as a Double IPA generally reigns supreme. Powell Street Craft
Brewery co-owner and brew master David Bowkett’s take on
a Double IPA hits the mark, boasting a 9 per cent ABV and
bringing together three types of hops for a flavourful and
hoppy, yet remarkably easy-to-drink beer. Since opening in
2012 (look out for some neat plans for their fifth anniversary
this month!), Powell Street has won awards for their creative
takes on northwest pale ales. The Right Kind of Crazy is a big,
clear IPA that will definitely raise your spirits during a rainsoaked
December evening.
How did you start bartending?
I started bartending when I was nineteen at a neighbourhood pub down the
street from my house in Toronto. At that time I wanted to bartend more than
anything. Being young, impressionable and somewhat socially awkward, I
figured being a bar man would make girls like me. I wanted the job so bad that
I went to that bar every day for two weeks with a fresh resume until they finally
just gave me one bussing shift a week to shut me up. I eventually worked my
way up from there.
How long have you worked at Trans Am?
I showed up at Trans Am about nine months ago during closed hours on
a mutual friend’s recommendation. I can still remember the dirty look on
Gianmarco’s face when I popped my head in the door, as if I was going to ask
him “So, is this a dentist’s office?” Since then we have developed our very own
variety of in-house bitters, syrups, infusions and even liqueurs.
Best thing about your job?
Total creative freedom I suppose. Improvisation is the backbone of what we do,
and is essential to the personal experience of our guests – new and old. I also
get to work with a great friend.
Favourite drink to make?
A little drink I call Sage & Whiskey, a modern take on the Old Fashioned. Made
with local white rye, muddled sage, house-made grapefruit bitters & vanilla
syrup all stirred together, poured over hand-cut ice and smoked with a thick
cloud of burning sage.
Go-to on a night off?
I would say Trans Am makes up the majority of my social life. The rest of
my time is spent on music; either playing in bands or producing bands. I do,
however, frequent Tangent Cafe on Sunday’s for a hearty breakfast.
Greatest night you’ve ever had at work.
That’s difficult. The greatest nights I’ve had are attached more to a feeling than
a specific time. It’s the feeling that whatever it is you’re doing is working, the
people you’re in the company of are connecting and that the experience you
are providing is one-of-a-kind.
The worst?
Full moons, or when people ask for paralyzers and I have to tell them “This place
is not for you.”
Trans Am is located at 1879 Powell Street.
Photo by David Gauthier
Lucas Marincelj shows off his signature Sage & Whiskey cocktail.
December 2017 13

CITY
HOW STAR WARS SAVED MY LIFE
FINDING THE FORCE WITHIN THROUGH A HOPEFUL SAGA
CHARLOTTE KARP
VAN VOGUE JAM
SHARING VOGUE CULTURE IN A SAFE, INCLUSIVE SPACE
YASMINE SHEMESH
Nicholas Harrison’s play tells a tale of overcoming childhood trauma by finding solace in Star Wars.
When Nicholas Harrison was five years old, he was
sexually abused, thrown against a wall in attempted
murder, whipped with an electric cord until he was
covered in welts, and told by the priests and teachers at
school that he deserved it.
As a child, he believed it.
“The priests used religion to scare me,” says Harrison.
“That’s how pedophiles do it – they want to make sure
you’re not going to say anything, so they terrify you.
They say they’ll kill your family and it’ll be your fault –
you’re making the priest do this to you because you’re
dirty and bad.”
While Harrison still lives with the abuse as an adult,
he lives functionally, has a successful career, and has
written a play about his experiences to encourage others
to speak out. One of the best parts? The production
features Star Wars.
“When my mum pulled me out of school, we were at
a drugstore and there was an R2-D2 figure I was looking
at, and she said, ‘Do you want that?’ I had just been
pulled out of school and I had these welts all over me –
anything I wanted, I was going to get. I carried that thing
everywhere,” Harrison recalls.
“I loved the idea of a small group of people taking
on something so ominous” he says. “Darth Vader in
his black robe was like a Roman Catholic priest, so this
rag-tag group of Wookies and robots banding together
really spoke to me.”
When Harrison started speaking out about his abuse,
people asked how he could accuse “poor, frail old men”
when he was so strong by comparison, forgetting that
he was a child at the time and his abusers were not 80
but 40 or 50. How Star Wars Saved My Life is about
putting an end to these misconceptions and reminding
people that it’s okay to talk about abuse.
“This play is about hope and breaking down the
barriers of silence,” Harrison says. “It’s about being able
to survive and carry on, making a positive effect on
the world, and being heard – there are so many people
who have had traumatic things happen to them, and
they never speak about it, so inside they’re hurting and
decaying. If they felt they had the ability to be open
about it, maybe they could work towards living a life
that isn’t full of pain.”
How Star Wars Saved My Life runs from December 6-10
at Performance Works.
Vogue: a dance form illustrated by fierce
stares, whirling limbs, and fabulous
costumes that emerged out of African
American and Latino LGBTQ communities
in New York during the 1960s. The
expression is celebratory and theatrical
– it’s an embodiment of pop culture
iconography as well as an escape for those
experiencing discrimination.
Dancer and choreographer Ralph
Escamillan is the founder of Van Vogue
Jam, a by-donation dance class open
to anyone interested in learning more
about ballroom culture. After being
introduced to it by fellow Vancouver
dancer Jojo Zolina and then spending time
in New York training with the legendary
Leiomy Maldonado, Escamillan started
teaching vogue at Harbour Dance Centre,
but didn’t feel the class was going in the
right direction. Escamillan also recognized
a divide between those who could afford
classes and those who couldn’t.
“My goal through Van Vogue Jam is
to create an inclusive training space for
people to learn dance,” they say. “Taking
the money aspect out really helped, and
it’s great, because I feel we wouldn’t have
gotten the bankers, the 15-year-old boys
and their moms, that girl on Granville
Street who doesn’t know how to walk
in heels. It’s people who wouldn’t take a
dance class coming in to learn in a really
safe environment.”
“We always get to know who we’re
dancing with before the class starts,”
Escamillan continues. “So we ask for
people’s names, what their pronouns are,
and something positive, just to get people
into the mood of the class. For me, dance is
more than just a form.”
On December 15, VVJ is hosting its
second-ever ball, the BALL-OoZA. There
are five categories of competition, all
Christmas themed: Bazaar, Performance,
Runway, Realness, and Sex. The most
important component of the ball,
Escamillan emphasizes, is that it’s for all
people, of all ages.
“I remember being a queer kid and
thinking, ‘the only way into queer culture is
seeing it online or going to a club.’ They’re
not the best ways to experience queer
culture, and vogue is a really amazing
opportunity for youth to see queer culture
as more than just this over-sexualized
thing,” they say.
The BALL-OoZA takes place on December
15 at the Russian Hall. Van Vogue Jam runs
on Tuesdays at the Karma Teachers studio.
Learn more at ralphescamillan.com
Photo by Joe Bulawan
VVJ founder Ralph Escamillan.
14
December 2017

1
Happy Hour
$
3 Beer til 3pm
$
5 Beer til 5pm
2
Blues Brunch 1-4
Saturday Sessions
4:30-7:30
Viemaster
9-late
3
AC/DCember
Rock Band
Karaoke
4
The Andy Tabb
Welcome Band
5
Musical Bingo
Hosted by
Meredith Geddes
at 7pm
6
Happy Hour
$
3 Beer til 3pm
$
5 Beer til 5pm
7
Live Agency
Presents
Big Madge
w. Club Sofa
& Yamilk
8
Railway Stage
presents
Cindy Wilson
of the B-52s
w. Sarah Jaffe
9
Blues Brunch 1-4
Saturday Sessions
4:30-7:30
The Modelos
9-late
10
AC/DCember
Rock Band
Karaoke
11
The Take Back
DJs Khingz,
Mic Flont
& Guests
12
Drag Club
feat. Karmella
Barr & Dust w.
Isolde N Barron
& Alma Bitches
13
Happy Hour
$
3 Beer til 3pm
$
5 Beer til 5pm
14
Happy Hour
$
3 Beer til 3pm
$
5 Beer til 5pm
15
Railway Stage
presents
604 Records
Christmas Party
16
Blues Brunch 1-4
Saturday Sessions
4:30-7:30
The Blackwood
Renegades
17
AC/DCember
Rock Band
Karaoke
18
The Take Back
DJs Khingz,
Mic Flont
& Guests
19
Musical Bingo
Hosted by
Meredith Geddes
at 7pm
20
Happy Hour
$
3 Beer til 3pm
$
5 Beer til 5pm
21
Happy Hour
$
3 Beer til 3pm
$
5 Beer til 5pm
22
Toddcast Podcast
presents
The Boom
Booms
23
Blues Brunch
1-4
Saturday Sessions
4:30-7:30
24
Hard Rock Miners
X-mas Eve
singalong
25
The Take Back
DJs Khingz,
Mic Flont
& Guests
26 27 28
Musical Bingo
Hosted by
Meredith Geddes
at 7pm
Happy Hour
$
3 Beer til 3pm
$
5 Beer til 5pm
Mr. Boom Bap
presents
Boogie Nights w.
Honey
Larochelle
29 30
Live Agency
presents
One Sexy
Chokehold
Blues Brunch
1-4
Saturday Sessions
4:30-7:30
31
The Jam NYE

Alan Ranta, BPM Editor Glenn Alderson, Editor-in-Chief Graeme Wiggins, Comedy Editor
James Olson, Local Music Editor
The Descendents
Hypercaffium Spazzinate
Hyper-Spazz is a picture-perfect
example of a straight up old-school
sound resurrected for today’s musical
tastes. It’s a simple, in-your-face punk
record that doesn’t try to be anything
but, which is what I love most about
it. (Runners up: The Melvins – A Walk
With Love and Death, GRIZ – Chasing
the Golden Hour Part II) - JP
James Olson, Local Music Editor Jordan Yeager, Managing Editor Yasmine Shemesh, City Editor
2017
BESTmoment
The collapse of the Patriarchy. From Hollywood
bigshots like Harvey Weinstein and Brett Ratner
down to obscure DJs in the Vancouver scene, the
culture of silence around sexual abuse, what used
to be a token aspect of male privilege, has instead
turned into a #metoo megaphone, and we will all
be better off for it.
- AR
I finally got the chance to go back to Detroit and
explore it properly. It’s one of the most beautiful
and broken cities I’ve ever had the pleasure of
visiting.
- GA
Danica Roem defeating one of the longest running,
most conservative Virginia lawmakers to become
BEST
Mat Wilkins, Social Media Editor
The Bombay Royale
Run Kitty Run
Ever wondered what the score to
a psychedelic ‘60s James Bond film
produced Bollywood-style in Australia
would sound like? Well, wonder no
more. This is a dream become reality.
(Runners up: DJ Format & Abdominal
– Still Hungry, King Gizzard and the
Lizard Wizard – Flying Microtonal
Banana)
- AR
Idles
Brutalism
Brutalism is a record of healing
achieved through a calculated
combination of sarcasm, wit and
aggression. This Bristol proto punk
band knows exactly what they’re
doing, providing a necessary voice
in music today. An homage to lead
singer Jon Talbot’s mother and their
complicated relationship, there’s
something so painfully raw and real
the first open transgender elected to the state
legislature in the US was a political win we all
needed after a notably hellish year. - GW
Landing a pet friendly basement suite within my
budget in Vancouver. Miracles are real kids. - JO
Riot Fest Chicago, Prophets of Rage went on stage,
the lights go down and a spotlight shines on a
lonely mic stand. Moments later the entire crowd
is singing Like a Stone and remembering Chris
Cornell (and how his music changed our lives). - JG
Probably all of the cool things I’ve learned
from artists I admire since jumping into music
of 2017
about Idles and I can’t stop listening.
(Runners Up: Louise Burns – Young
Mopes, Slowdive – Slowdive) - GA
Ragana
You Take Nothing
This anarcho-feminist blackened doom
duo gives me hope, despite their
bleak sound. They give me faith that
metal can progress and be inclusive
and push back against the oftentimes
male dominated, fascist elements all
the while being brutally heavy as fuck.
(Runners up: Kendrick Lamar - Damn,
Destroyer - Ken)
- GW
Charly Bliss
Guppy
This Brooklyn-based quartet have
crafted a charming, catchy and
thoroughly enjoyable album of power
pop perfection that I found myself
frequently returning to. Eva Hendricks’
childlike vocals make cuts like “Glitter,”
“Ruby” and “Julia” all the more
endearing with their slice-of-life lyrics
and radio ready hooks. I can’t wait to
see what this band does next. (Runners
up: Spoon - Hot Thoughts, Cigarettes
After Sex - Self-titled)
- JO
The XX
I See You
My heart swells every time I listen
to this album. (Runners Up: Nine
Inch Nails - Add Violence, HAIM -
Something to Tell You)
journalism. Buzz Osborne (the Melvins) and CJ
Ramone (the Ramones) were two interviews that
struck me on a deep level, listening to them talk
about doing things their own way, not feeling the
need to conform to the norm, and not worrying
about other’s opinions on your personal journey.
- JP
As bad as my memory is, I’ll never forget opening
my front door to find my best friend standing
there, having flown in from Toronto to surprise me
for my birthday. Someone flew across the country
for ME?! Still can’t grasp the concept. - JY
I met an amazing person in February and we’re
16
December 2017
Johnny Papan, Skinny Editor
- JG
SZA
Ctrl
SZA had already found her voice in
LPs S and Z, but on Ctrl, that voice
has been refined to craft an album
that’s candid, confessional, and
contemporary. Her debut EP explores
modern-day romantic relationships
with a candor that everyone can
relate to, although few might admit
it. (Runners up: Kendrick Lamar –
DAMN., Daniel Caesar – Freudian) - JY
Charlotte Gainsbourg
Rest
It’s not often that a well-established
actor is able to release music on
par with their work in cinema, but
Gainsbourg does it in a way that’s
unbelievable. Rest’s instrumentation
exudes a theatricality and melodrama
that expertly avoids cheesiness
through dark and thoughtful lyrics,
mirroring the equally dark and
thoughtful movies she so often
appears in. (Runners up: Bored Décor
– Bored Décor/OKGB, Slowdive – s/t)
- MW
Liam Gallagher
As You Were
I love Liam Gallagher. His snarl, his
bravado. As You Were is as epic as
he promised, stripped down enough
to show off his vocal prowess and
loud enough that it satisfies any void
Oasis’ breakup left. A great collection
of straight up, unfussed rock ‘n’
roll. (Runners up: Syd - Fin, Kehlani
– SweetSexySavage) - YS
BESTalbum
totally going steady now, which is pretty rad!
Having someone who enjoys my company as
much as she does has definitely been a highlight of
the year pour moi.
- MW
Interviewing Hanson. They’re so important
to me in a lot of ways. The first band I really
loved. Poring over magazines they were in made
me start dreaming about writing about music. I’ve
always turned to them for light in darkness. The
opportunity to interview them was a dream come
true.
- YS

BESTsong
InsideInfo
“Conformity”
Enei spun this track at Bass Coast this year,
and it was the high point of my festival. It’s
nasty ass two-steppin’ drum and bass, quirky
and atmospheric with an anvil crushing bassline,
supporting the tremendously poignant
vocal sample, “The opposite of courage in our
society is not cowardice. It is conformity.”- AR
Ariel Pink
“Another Weekend”
Weekends are bullshit but this is still my
ultimate TGIF anthem. Ariel Pink is so
wonderful and strange. He’s a true creative
genius and even though not all of Dedicated
To Bobby Jameson is on point like Pom Pom
was, this track’s sentiment really resonates…
Another weekend out of my life, another
weekend I can’t rewind.
-GA
Aya
“Kweku Collins featuring Allan Kingdom”
“You had hair like the sun/a thousand souls
set aflame” is a hook now imprinted in my
soul. I’m not entirely sure what the song is
about but it’s got a mournful, misty, fall vibe.
Nothing really comes close for me this year.
- GW
BESTlive show
Kate Tempest
March 29 @ Fortune Sound
Club
“All that is meaningless rules /
And we have learned nothing
from history.” Few wordsmiths
have shattered the grand illusion
to capture the ominous despair
of urban alienation quite like
English spoken-word artist
Kate Tempest did on her 2017
Mercury Prize shortlisted album,
Let Them Eat Chaos, which she
performed at this show in its
entirety. There were no forced
crowd interactions and no false
encore, just pure, unmitigated
truth.
- AR
Solange
April 28 @ Rennie Museum
One of the rare times I was on
Twitter Solange announced her
“Scales” gallery performances in
Vancouver and I was actually able
to buy tickets before they sold
out. It was really special to see
her test out the live show she’d
eventually be taking to festivals
all over the world on such an
intimate audience. Everyone
was sitting down with their cell
phones carefully locked away,
Father John Misty
“Leaving LA”
The winding centerpiece to Father John
Misty’s Pure Comedy captures everything
that makes Josh Tillman compelling as an
artist and as a songwriter. Throughout its
epic 13-minute run time, Tillman takes to
task the modern consumerist lifestyle, the
entertainment industry, and the frustrating
contradictions that he himself personifies
as a musician in the public eye. Set to sparse
acoustic guitar and mournful strings, Father
John Misty has crafted the spiritual successor
to Bob Dylan’s “Desolation Row.” - JO
Post Malone
“Rock Star”
This song is everywhere and I’m ok with that.
Post Malone proving that he’s no more a onehit
wonder.
- JG
Fozzy
“ Judas”
There were too many great songs to really
choose a best song of the year. I’m choosing
“Judas” simply because the chorus is catchy
as hell and I still listen to the song regularly.
Great modern-rock track with WWE wrestler
Chris Jericho on vocal duties.
- JP
hanging on to every word of
her incredibly passionate and
choreographed set. I thought
Jawbreaker at Riot Fest was going
to be the show of the year for
me but looking back, Solange
definitely stole the show. - GA
Princess Nokia
March 23 @ The Biltmore
Cabaret
This proved to me that rap shows
could be different. She has an
undeniable chemistry, even if
the performing chops weren’t
all there. So inclusive, so warm
and inviting. The crowd were her
enthusiastic children, she their
caring protector. - GW
Flaming Lips
May 15 @ Queen Elizabeth
Theatre
This was a bucket list show
for me and the Lips did not
disappoint. With a performance
complete with balloons,
streamers, blow up critters, a
human hamster ball, a lazer
unicorn, and a cosmic gong, it
was easily my favourite show I’ve
ever seen by any band yet. - JO
Japandroids
March 21st @ Commodore
Ballroom
Remember that time when the
Vancouver Rock duo sold out the
Commodore Ballroom? That was
a fun show.
- JG
Roger Waters
October 28 @ Rogers Arena
The former Pink Floyd
frontman’s massive production
encompassed the best of his
entire career. It was a cinematic
spectacle of modern day social
commentary and psychedelia,
a story told through the trippy
tunes of one of the world’s
greatest artists.
- JP
Roger Waters
October 28 at Rogers Arena
Pink Floyd will always be held
on a pedestal in my heart – they
were my dad’s favourite band,
and I grew up listening to them.
He and I saw Roger Waters
perform The Wall in 2010 and
2012, so seeing him live again all
these years later accompanied by
my sister was a pretty emotional
experience. The production
Frank Ocean
“Chanel”
If you’ve ever interacted with me, you
probably know I’m deeply enamoured with
Frank, and “Chanel” is one of my favourite
songs ever made. It’s the most-played song
on my iTunes and I’ve yet to get sick of it.
The love of my life, singing candidly about
bisexuality? Sign me up.
- JY
Moses Sumney
“Lonely World”
The lyricism in “Lonely World” is incredible;
it’s immediately apparent that Sumney’s
history at UCLA studying creative writing was
not in vain. The song speaks of the effect of
loneliness and emptiness, how it “speaks to
you in ways nobody speaks to you” and is an
inevitable force in everyone’s life. - MW
Missy Elliott
“I’m Better”
This year was big for me getting back into
dance. It hasn’t been easy after so many
years off, but I took a class where we did
choreography to this song and it was the first
time in a long time that I really felt connected
and comfortable enough to let go. - YS
value itself was breathtaking
and, despite being 74 years old,
Roger’s still got it.
- JY
King Gizzard and the
Lizard Wizard
October 9 @ The Commodore
King Gizzard is like the King
Midas of live music: put an
instrument in their hands,
and they’ll be able to shred
‘til kingdom come. With two
drummers (playing perfectly in
time), some intermittent ripping
on the flute, and Tibetan-style
throat singing to complement an
already amazing performance,
King Gizzard is an all-time
favourite performance. - MW
Lionel Richie
September 3 @ Rogers Arena
I took my best friend for her
birthday and we had so much
fun. I’m a sucker for power
ballads and felt like I was at an
arena concert in the ’80s. It was
over-the-top, nostalgic, feel-good
and damn entertaining. Richie
was super charismatic and he put
on a fantastic show. I lost it when
he did “We Are The World.” - YS
BESTfilm
Guardians of the Galaxy ii
There has never been a bad film starring Kurt
Russell with a beard. Without a beard? Sure, plenty,
but never with. It’s just not possible. It’s Kurt
Russell… with a beard.
-AR
Call Me By Your Name
This film is a beautiful love story that moved me in
many ways. Also the scene with the peach is a true
moment in cinematic history.
- GA
Get Out
Equal parts horror movie and political satire, it
ends up making magic and doing justice to both
parts, it’s both deeply funny and tense in a perfect
combination to get its much-needed point across.
- GW
Logan
Writer/director James Mangold closes the saga
of Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine with one of the
best superhero films ever made. I never thought
I would ever start tearing up at a movie about an
angry Canadian ripping bad guys apart with knives
coming out of his arms, but Logan was a deeply
emotional and visceral experience. They gave a
truly iconic character the finale he deserved. - JO
Twin Peaks: The Return
Technically this is a television show, but no one
tells a story like David Lynch. Twin Peaks: The
Return felt more like an 18-hour movie, bringing
viewers back to the small mountain town of Twin
Peaks 25 years later. And just like all of Lynch’s
work, he left views with more questions than
answers; What Year Is This!? - JG
Split
Split’s most impressive trait is the superb acting
of James McAvoy who took on the role of 24
completely different personalities living within
a single character. Though it caused some
controversy, I thought Split was an enjoyable take
on trying to horrify identity disorders and M. Night
Shyamalan’s signature “twist ending” took the idea
to a whole new level.
- JP
Get Out
I wasn’t sure what to expect of comedian Jordan
Peele’s directorial debut – horror is hard to do well.
It’s probably the genre I watch least. But Get Out
is brilliant, with its suspense rooted in everyday,
casual racism, contrasted by a less believable (read:
physically impossible) body snatching twist. This
is no cheap jump-scare horror movie. Instead, it
leaves you feeling unsettled and uneasy, building
suspense the whole way through.
- JY
Alien: Covenant
Reboots and franchise movies are by and large
the worst thing about cinema in the 21st Century,
yet Alien is a huge guilty pleasure of mine. Evil,
virtually unkillable aliens that are perpetually angry
and seem to exist only to eat people? In state-ofthe-art
CGI, no less? Sweet.
- MW
Get Out
Today’s divisive political climate has highlighted
ugly prejudices that still very much exist. Along
with being a thrilling film, Get Out’s social
commentary is urgently important. - YS
December 2017 17

Louise Burns
Young Mopes
Light Organ
01By Glenn Alderson, James Olson, Johnny Papan, Alan Ranta, Mitch Ray, Willem Thomas, Mat Wilkins & Jordan Yeager
BESTof 2017 Local Releases
Louise Burns continues to shine bright
under the spotlight of her solo career
with Young Mopes, an impeccably
produced and polished collection of
reverb drenched indie rock, highlighted
by her soaring vocals and confident
persona as a songwriter. Having grown
up in the music industry has allowed
Burns to mature in a way that not many
artists get to realize; this third LP puts
her at the top of her game and no doubt
at the top of many year-end lists as well.
- GA
Woolworm
Ready To Die
Mint Records
Woolworm captivated
the attention of the
Vancouver music scene
and beyond with their
dark and brooding,
smart and somehow
02
mysteriously poppy jams.
All ten tracks shine with a
newfound level of polish
and professionalism that
make this pleasantly cynical
four-piece come to life in a
way we’ve never really heard
before.
- GA
Dopey’s Robe
Who And When Is Stephen
Networks?
Independent
The rise of Dopey’s Robe
in such a short time has
been impressive, as has
their prolific output. Who &
When Is Stephen Networks?
is a polished step forward
for this garage/psych band
that is ready to take a
serious run at it. - MR
03
So Loki
Shine
Owake Records
04
So Loki’s Shine is a masterfully
crafted release. With vocals by Sam
Lucia and production by Geoffrey
Millar, the record oozes with both
experimentation and refinement,
resulting in a hip hop album influenced
by Vancouver’s often electronic-centric
music scene. - JY
05
Destroyer
ken
Merge Records
Dan Bejar has bestowed upon us
another wonderful collection of songs
from his beautiful mind. This is his first
outing away from his JC/DC studio
team and the results, while noticeably
different, are still the same old Bejar.
Needless to say, we are still in love. -GA
Peach Pit
Being So Normal
Kingfisher Bluez
06
Independent
A decade into their careers, alt-soul/
r&b unit the Boom Booms have put
out their strongest record to date with
A Million Miles. Boasting an incredibly
glossy, modern production, they truly
shine as songwriters on tracks like the
pining “Otherside” and the funkinflected
“All Day All Night.” - JO
Needles//Pins
Good Night, Tomorrow
Mint Records
09
Punk trio Needles//Pins step up their
game with their third record. Recalling
the wistful nostalgia of the Gaslight
Anthem and the ramshackle passion
of early Against Me, Needles//Pins get
your blood pumping in all the right
ways. - JO
Japandroids
10
Near To The Wild Heart Of Life
Arts & Crafts
Japandroids have built upon and
further refined those key elements
that have made this band one of
Vancouver’s most sought-after acts.
Vivid lyricism worthy of Springsteen,
anthemic hooks, and a devotion to
rock ‘n’ roll purity feel even more grand
and life affirming on Near To The Wild
Heart Of Life. - JO
Sam Tudor creates folk that is
simultaneously anthemic, thoughtful,
and melancholic. His newest record
Quotidian Dream is about the
inevitable anxiety and confusion
that goes together with the equally
inevitable process of growing up. - MW
Kim Gray
Compulsion
Bad Diet Records
13
Since leaving garage band Skinny Kids
to embark on a spacier solo endeavour,
Kim Gray has been putting out releases
each better than the last. While Gray’s
approach to songwriting tends to wind
down well-travelled trails, his lo-fi
experimentation and pensive lyricism
on Compulsion make for a warm listen.
- WT
The Courtneys
14
II
Flying Nun
Tegan and Sara’s favourite reverbsoaked
three-piece return with
II, an album bigger, catchier, and
more focused than their debut. The
Courtneys have refined their nostalgic,
sunny grunge-pop across the release,
making a confident step forward. - WT
and ambient gestures that will color
your dreams.
- AR
Ora Cogan
Crickets
Hand Drawn Dracula
17
The inspiration for Cogan’s seventh
album draws inspiration from a
Vancouver Island retreat, and captures
a suitably reflective blend of symphonic
folk-rock and supernatural ambient
somewhere between Karen Dalton and
Grouper.
- AR
18
Colin Cowan and the Elastic
Stars
Cosmos In Summer
Independent
The fourth instalment in Colin Cowan’s
seasonal tetralogy under the Elastic
Stars banner is his most experimental
psych-pop cosmic album to date, and
that guy was already way out there. AR
Minimal Violence
Acid Lakes
Lobster Theremin
19
A very strong offering from a solid
band. Shifting from black metal to pure
rock ‘n’ roll, Strike Mortal Soil cements
Wormwitch as one to keep an eye on.
- MR
Petunia and the Vipers
22
Lonesome, Heavy and Lonesome
Independent
Bringing feel-good rockabilly boogiewoogie
to the dancefloor, Petunia and
his Vipers keep your feet tapping until
the dawn of spring. Also smoked with
moonlight slow-burns, Petunia and the
Vipers prove they’re ready to bloom.
- JP
Rene Therrien
23
Y So Much?
Independent
Released while she was living in
France, Renee Therrien has created an
album worthy of recognition beyond
Vancouver. Beautifully soulful, there is
nothing but quality from start to finish.
- MR
The X Presidents
24
Hands Up
Kush Grove
Peach Pit prove they deserve all of the
online buzz they’ve earned with the
Channeling the hot, hazy BC summer The X Presidents’ self-produced second
release of Being So Normal. Sharply
of 2017, Lida P and Ashlee Luk pump album is a largely introspective affair,
written cuts like “Seventeen” and
out a deep-rave acid-techno EP
with tracks ranging in tone from
“Drop The Guillotine” speak to the
Tanglers
15
heavy enough to give any listener a melancholic, guitar-driven reflections
band’s undeniable chemistry, especially
Spring Chicken
concussion.
- AR like “What I Should Have Said” and “Get
the thoroughly charming mix of Neil
Independent
Me Through” to the more feel-good
Smith’s smooth unassuming vocals and
11
20
“Carefree” and “Tumblin’.” Jazz, blues,
Belle Game
guitarist Chris Vanderkooy’s effortlessly Dead Quiet
Spring Chicken is a garage-esque
and rock influences underscore the
Fear/ Nothing
precise leads.
- JO Grand Rites
exploration of various musical genres
album, resulting in a cohesive, relevant
Arts & Crafts
07
Independent
that span from country twang to bluesy
release from a local hip-hop crew worth
The Orange Kyte
landscapes with grungy undertones.
keeping an eye out for.
- JY
Fear/Nothing marks a successful change
Grow It Right
Dead Quiet’s second album has all the Each song explores a style of its own in direction for the crush pop act. The
Little Cloud Records
bravado and focus of a stoner metal over an indie-rock skeleton. - JP
25
folk leanings of their earlier work have storc
band that is at the top of their game.
been shed for an emotional synth/ S/T
As aptly named an album as any, With some interesting additions to their Cloudface
16
electronic pop sound that consistently Independent
psych rock unit the Orange Kyte have established sound, Grand Rites makes Variations
entertains.
- JO
matured sonically over time. Grow It for a compelling listen. - MR Independent
Don’t let the lowercase ‘s’ fool you, storc
Right is the culmination of that growth,
21
and it’s been worth the wait. - MR Sam Tudor
08 12
Wormwitch
brings the hardcore punk stylings of the
For this meditative tape, David
Strike Mortal Soil
early ’80s back with a heavy fist. People
Quotidian Dream
Reynolds plumbs the depths of the
Independent
are having more sex now because they
The Boom Booms
Independent
Korg Mono/Poly synthesizer to concoct
heard storc now brings you punk rock,
A Million Miles
spellbinding splays of rhythmic noise
not babies.
- JP
18
December 2017

MUSIC
ALEX LAHEY
RISING UP FROM DOWN UNDER WITH BROTHERLY LOVE
FRANKIE RYOTT
Alex Lahey keeps things modestly simple on her debut album.
From student to superstar, Australian singersongwriter
Alex Lahey has landed in North
America, touring in support of her debut album,
I Love You Like a Brother. With her up front
attitude and creative wit Lahey is moving to the
top of many playlists, and for good reason.
Starting off in Melbourne studying jazz
saxophone at university, Lahey branched away
from the clinical method of learning and moved
towards creating something of her own. After
releasing her EP B-Grade University she was
quickly catapulted into the spotlight having
frequent airtime on Australian radio Triple J and
touring with artists like Blondie, Catfish and the
Bottlemen and, her close mentors, Tegan and
Sara.
After such success there was no doubt her debut
album would be something special and with I
Love You Like a Brother, Lahey delivered. The
ten track full-length album carries a collection
of universal experiences that have been
transformed into ironic yet relatable indie-rock
songs. Her honest vocals are complemented by
an array of punchy beats and melodic guitar riffs.
Alongside this, Lahey draws inspiration from her
own life creating a bond with her listeners.
“I make music because it’s my way of
expressing myself, when people relate to it
and engage in a positive way it is such a lovely
bonus,” she says.
I Love You like a Brother opens with the
recurrent strumming of “Every Day’s the
Weekend,” where Lahey keeps things modestly
simple before ascending into an infectious
chanting chorus. The deceptively upbeat music
contrasts with lyrics that touch on the turbulent
nature of relationships, a theme that continues
throughout the album. This is evident in lyrics,
such as the self-deprecating “I’ve gained weight
and drink too much, maybe that’s why you don’t
love me as much,” and the bitter realisations of
“Mothers and fathers don’t last forever/We don’t
get a choice/So let’s stick together,” which are
ironically partnered with joyful melodies that
you can’t help but sing along to.
Being on tour has not starved Lahey of
creativity instead, as she travels from one side
of the world to the other, she continues to draw
inspiration from her experiences, adding more
and more to her creative cauldron. “On tour
I keep meeting so many different people and
that’s what I like writing songs about, people;
their personalities and experiences and the
conversations I have with them. It definitely
continues to inspire my music,” says Lahey.
There is no doubt that 2017 has been a
significant year for the 25-year-old Melbournian
and there’s no sign things will be slowing down.
Currently in the middle of her I Love You like a
Brother tour she continues to impress audiences
all over the northern hemisphere by creating a
space where fans can gather together and sing
along with her unapologetic indie-rock anthems.
Alex Lahey performs at The Cobalt (Vancouver)
on December 12.
THE BARR BROTHERS
EMBARKING ON A COLLECTIVE SEARCH FOR SOUND
STEPHANIE NAZYWALSKYJ
When BeatRoute catches up with the
Barr Brothers they are cruising through
Switzerland, touring in support of their
third studio album, Queens of the Breakers.
Opening for the War On Drugs throughout
the UK and Europe, the band are not only
crossing borders, but showing the world
how they’ve pushed boundaries with their
latest release. Following the massive success
of their first two albums, The Barr Brothers
(2011) and Sleeping Operator (2014), the
trio’s lead singer and multi-instrumentalist
Brad Barr discusses their newfound creative
process.
“Sonically, we decided the next round
of music we played should be born out
of playing together, out of a collective
search for a sound,” he says. “The idea was
for everyone to play their instrument the
way they wanted and it turned out to be
something joyful and expressive for the
group. We also took it into a trippier, more
psychedelic place than we had allowed
ourselves to do in the past.”
Lyrically, the band’s new collective,
creative approach caused a bit of a struggle,
which Barr chalks up to being a first time
father: “Suddenly the writing schedule
wasn’t fluid, I had to find different times to
write and new ways to maintain interest
in what I had to say. With a one-year-old
around, watching the little guy grow up
made me less interested in what I had to say
and more interested in how he was seeing
the world and what he had to say.”
The title, Queen of the Breakers, stems
from the brother’s collective adolescence.
Brad and brother Andrew went to visit the
Breakers Mansion, which was built in the
1800s by the Vanderbuilts, dressed up in
their mother’s clothing and dropped acid
while taking a tour of the museum. While
the title is a reflection of year’s gone and the
dad of today might advise his younger self
“not to smoke so much as it would mess
with his voice,” Barr says he’s not so different
from the guy of 10 years ago.
The Barr Brothers have built a substantial
following grace to their beautiful bluesy-folk
sound, multi-layered vocals and meaningful
lyrics, but they sustain their popularity
with their unique inclusion of the harp
and tenacious desire to connect with their
audiences, both on record and during live
performances. “While sharing the experience
with Andrew and Sarah (Pagé, harpist) is
great, I like to think that with each record
we get a little closer to allowing our family
to come with us on the road, particularly as
I don’t think I’ll ever stop wanting to be on
the road or stop performing music. Maybe
when I’m in my 60s, but right now it’s one of
the biggest joys I get out of life.”
With German rest stops being the high
and French rest stops the low, it’s safe to say
the Barr Brother’s will continue to move full
speed ahead producing albums that are sure
to keep their audience coming back over
and over again.
The Barr Brothers perform December 17 at
the Imperial (Vancouver)
Queens Of The Breakers was a collaborative effort for the Barr Brothers trio.
December 2017 19

MUSIC
GRIZZLY BEAR
FOGGY FUTURE LIES AHEAD FOR BROOKLYN’S FINEST FOLK QUARTET
MATHEW WILKINS
A lot of things can happen in five years; long
time lovers split up, authors finish novels,
five-year-olds learn their ABCs. As time
tightens its grip on us, so often chaos does
as well, with change and possibility as the
inevitable byproducts. And so when a lofty
five-year hiatus stood between Grizzly Bear’s
2012 album Shields and last August’s Painted
Ruins, the potential for a drastic sonic change
went from idea to expectation in the minds
of fans worldwide with every silent year.
But who and where is Grizzly Bear now? A
time out of this magnitude is sure to impact
and alter not only the band’s music, but the
members themselves.
“[Shields] was tough. When it was good it
was great, but this time in our lives we didn’t
want to experience that level of intensity
again,” says guitarist and vocalist Daniel
Rossen of the band’s most recent trip to the
studio. No longer bound by the same record
contract that surrounded Shields, Rossen and
the band felt they had more time to flesh
out and solidify unfinished ideas, rather than
those already near completion brought to
the band (usually) by singer Ed Droste and
drummer Chris Bear, or Rossen. The good
news: a far more democratic songwriting
process moving forward. The bad news:
“Unfortunately I don’t think there are gonna
be any B-sides released for this one… We
focused on the [songs] we knew were going
to work.”
Flash forward to October 12, the day
Moonlight director Barry Jenkins released a
chopped and screwed version of Veckatemist
and Painted Ruins, much to the surprise
and delight of the band. With Grizzly Bear’s
history of having done work on the Blue
Valentine score, BeatRoute was obviously
curious as to whether a collaboration
between Jenkins and Grizzly Bear would ever
be on the horizon.
“That’s more up to him but I would love
that… The fact that he’s even interested in
our music is a great thing,” says Rossen.
The rest of Grizzly Bear’s future is uncertain;
with a year left on their most recent tour
and “no firm career trajectory in mind ever,”
there’s no telling when or where the band will
EMILY HAINES
NAVIGATING THE MINEFIELD OF MEMORY WITH A NEW SOLO PROJECT
MATHEW WILKINS
go next. Yet the years between Shields and
Painted Ruins have effectively changed each
member in profound ways, both musically
and personally.
“We’ve been doing this for so long we have
our own musical vocabulary,” Rossen says,
describing their sonic style as something
automatic and almost unconscious.
These changes shine through in Painted
Ruins and hint at the continuation of a
constantly evolving and maturing sound,
giving us all hope for a bright — albeit
unclear — future. But perhaps it’s this
directionless, unplanned process that allows
them to pick up where they left off so easily,
impervious to time’s tightening grasp in just
the right ways. If that is indeed the case, rest
assured that Grizzly Bear shows no signs of
losing their knack for uncertainty, as evident
by Rossen’s closing remark about future
Grizzly Bear projects:
“We’ll see where we’re at when the tour ends.”
Grizzly Bear perform December 7 at the
Orpheum Theatre
Photo by Tom Hines
Grizzly Bear took their time to flesh out Painted Ruins.
Emily Haines celebrates memory on Choir Of The Mind.
Memory is a fickle friend. There are times in our lives when all we
want is to forget the people we once were – our mistakes, our
heartbreaks, our tragic hairstyles – times when it’s easiest to foist
ownership of these things upon constructed, infinitely fallible “pastselves,”
turn away, and push on forward, feeling a bit wiser. For Emily
Haines, it’s this complicated relationship with memory that forms
the thematic through-line of her latest record, Choir of the Mind.
“You want to imagine that your life is you progressing and
evolving and that you’re becoming better every day,” she says. “You
don’t necessarily want to be haunted by all the previous incarnations
of yourself.”
When Haines’ last solo record, 2006’s Knives Don’t Have Your
Back, and its follow-up EP What is Free to a Good Home? were
released over a decade ago, she was swept up in the grief of having
just lost her father, as well as orienting herself within the flowering
success of her band, Metric. It probably seemed like a good time to
look forward rather than back. By the end of her 2007 solo tour, she
had begun to feel the grief lifting, and no longer wanted to inhabit
the dark headspace of those emotionally fraught songs. The Soft
Skeleton was tucked away in the closet, and Haines hasn’t looked
back since.
Until now, that is. The funny thing about memory is that our
relationship to it changes as we grow older, and that connection to
the past starts to feel more precious than mortifying.
“There’s something so beautiful and valuable about that to me,
once I got past the immature idea that my life was supposed to be
this endless upward ascent,” she says. “Places that used to fill me
with a sense of dread – this street corner, or this place where I used
to go when I was 15, and feeling kind of haunted by these places –
something shifted, and suddenly I felt that it was an incredible luxury
and gift to have access to those memories and those times.”
That re-contextualization of the past is part of what made now
seem like the right time for the retrospection of Choir of the Mind.
“This album’s got this anniversary-type feeling of coming back
home and taking stock and having all our minds blown that it’s been
10 years since Knives came out,” she says. “I think it’s a shared feeling
for listeners, too.”
Indeed, that gorgeous, melancholic record was a brooding
touchstone for a generation of young indie listeners who, like Haines,
are now at a point where they’re beginning to re-evaluate their own
connection to that time in their lives.
“Everyone who’s not 20 is grappling with the fact that our lives
are on right now,” she says. “We’re adults, and what does that mean?
Who are we, compared to whatever idea we had of who we would be
by this time?”
Choir of the Mind is meant as an album to curl up with and reflect
upon; it’s a chance to “take a breath” and escape from consumerism
and filtered, curated personality branding, and to feel a connection.
Haines writes for herself, but her personal credo is to only release
that music when she feels it can help someone else.
Haines is about to embark on a limited 12-date tour to support
the album, playing a string of hand-picked venues, and she’s relishing
that chance to create a sense of connection with listeners in an
intimate space.
“I can’t even handle how excited I am for this tour,” she says, calling
it an “art holiday.” “It’s the most un-viable thing. It’s a total luxury to
be able to do a small tour like this. It’s, like, the least profitable thing
in the world.”
2017 has already been a busy year for Haines – she recorded
and released Choir of the Mind in September, toured with Broken
Social Scene, produced her first record (The Beaches’ Late Show,
which dropped in October), and is currently in the studio working
on Metric’s next album – so setting out on a solo tour might not be
everybody’s idea of a vacation. But for Haines, it’s therapeutic.
“When I’m in the work, I just feel calm,” she says. “It quiets my
mind.”
Emily Haines performs at The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts on
December 7.
20
December 2017

THE PACK A.D.
WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE
KEIR NICOLL
Becky Black and Maya Miller have been performing together as the
Pack A.D. for more than 10 years now and following the release of
their ninth studio album, Dollhouse, the fearless guitar/drums duo
are tearing down the proverbial walls.
“I think it’s more of a larger concept,” says guitarist/vocalist Black,
speaking to the name of their new album. “We all live in a tiny
cacophony of our own minds and that can be like a restrictive
dollhouse.”
The first song off Dollhouse is entitled “Woke Up Weird,” a gritty
self-aware blues-rock romp. “I wake up weird every day,” Black says.
“Waking up weird is kind of normal.”
The Pack’s concept goes beyond the everyday weird, as Black
and Miller (drums) speak to the larger, universal strangeness of life
on Dollhouse—the kind of big questions that can keep you up at
night with themes of darkness, gloom and death.
“Our music is dark,” Black says. “We have a sense of humour
about the conflicts and things that are surrounding us as artists,
yet as artists we tend to gloomify things, so everything can end up
being a little darker.” So there is a balance and a paradox, which
also contributes to the overall weirdness of the band.
It is all well presented on Dollhouse, where there is a jarring
contrast between the duo as 3D characters against a 2D backdrop
of a dollhouse on the album’s artwork. This creates a darkly
comedic effect, as Black and Miller look by turns perplexed.
As it turns out, the upcoming show at the Rickshaw will be the
Pack A.D.’s last, for a long time to come. This duo has played many
shows at many venues around the world over the course of their
nine album career. Black reveals, as words of adieu, that “I hope
that everyone who wants to see us in this city comes out, because
we’re in a flux state in this band. I guess we’re in a flux state every
other month and we’re not there but then we’ll be back. But
probably, speaking in all seriousness, this will be the last time we
play for a long time.”
The Pack A.D. perform December 8 at the Rickshaw Theatre.
MUSIC
The Pack A.D. tear down the walls on Dollhouse.
December 2017 21

22
RIO
THEATRE
1660 EAST BROADWAY
DEC
8 -
10
11
DEC
13
DEC
14
DEC
DEC
15
17
DEC
20
DEC
21
DEC
22
DEC
23
DEC
24
DEC
27
DEC
29
DEC
30
DEC
31
DEC
JAN
1
JAN
3
DEC
THE GEEKENDERS PRESENTS
HOW I MET MY MOTHER
A BACK TO THE FUTURE
PARODY MUSICAL
THE 19TH ANNUAL
ANIMATION SHOW OF SHOWS
*ALSO PLAYS DEC 18
THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER
THE SQUARE
THE GENTLEMEN HECKLERS PRESENT
STAR TREK: GENERATION
NO DRESS REHEARSAL:
A MUSICAL TRIBUTE TO
GORD DOWNIE
KITTY NIGHTS WEST PRESENTS
PEE WEE'S BURLESQUE
CHRISTMAS SPECIAL
ALSO ON THE 16TH!
JANE GOODALL BIOPIC JANE
THE GEEKENDERS PRESENTS
A HARRY POTTER
CHRISTMAS BURLESQUE
THE FICTIONALS COMEDY CO. PRESENTS
IMPROV AGAINST HUMANITY
CARDS AGAINST VANCOUVER LAUNCH
#IAHATRIO
ANOTHER WOLFCOP
LOVE ACTUALLY
YIPPEE KI YAY, MOTHERFUDGER!
DIE HARD
FRIDAY LATE MOVIE
WHITE CHRISTMAS (1954)
BLACK CHRISTMAS (1974)
FRANK CAPRA'S
IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE
WILL FERRELL IN ELF
THE CRITICAL HIT SHOW!
#DNDLIVE, IMPROVISED EPIC FANTASY
AMERICAN PSYCHO
FRIDAY LATE NIGHT MOVIE
STANLEY KUBRICK'S THE SHINING
JOHN CARPENTER'S THE THING
PATRICK MALIHA'S
NAUGHTY LITTLE NEW YEAR'S EVE
NEW YEAR'S DAY HANGOVER MARATHON!
HAUSU + THE BIG LEBOWSKI
MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
DOUBLE BILL!
RIDLEY SCOTTʼS
BLADE RUNNER (1982) &
BLADE RUNNER 2049
COMPLETE LISTINGS AT WWW.RIOTHEATRE.CA
CANCER BATS
CANADIAN HARDCORE GROUP PUTS THE BAT IN BLACK SABBATH
ANA KRUNIC
Cancer Bats turned their one-off cover project in to an Ozzy-fuelled touring act.
There are plenty of bands that start off their careers
playing covers, and very few that go the opposite
route, especially after already finding success with
their original music. Toronto’s hardcore punk
golden boys Cancer Bats landed in the situation by
accident.
“It started in 2011, when we were booked to play
a festival in the UK called Sonisphere,” explains lead
vocalist Liam Cormier. “Slipknot were headlining as
the last band of the festival. The organizers said to
us: ‘What if you guys figured out a cover set to play
SCRAPE RECORDS
LOCAL RECORD SHOP REINVENTS ITSELF AS MUSIC LABEL
JOHNNY PAPAN
SCRAPE Records was once
Vancouver’s go-to shop for everything
hard rock and metal. They sold tickets
to all the heaviest shows, stocked
their shelves with the grittiest tunes,
and even brought some of the world’s
most notorious thrashers in-store for
intimate performances.
In early 2016, Vancouver’s
heavy-metal rock-shop closed its
East Broadway doors. However,
in celebration of SCRAPE’S 20th
anniversary, the shop’s owner, J.J.,
announced the former record
store would be reinvented into an
independent music label.
SCRAPE Records has already signed
its first band: extreme metal outfit
Zimmer’s Hole, which consists of
vocalist Chris Valagao as well as Byron
Stroud, Jed Simon, and Gene Hoglan
from Strapping Young Lad. Hoglan
is considered one of metal’s greatest
drummers and has also performed
in notorious groups such as Death,
Dark Angel, Fear Factory, Testament,
and cartoon death-metal band
Dethklok from Adult Swim’s show
Metalocalypse.
J.J. confirms that Zimmer’s Hole
at the end of the night for anyone who wants to
keep partying after Slipknot closes out the festival?’
Obviously, we agreed.”
Organizers began advertising a mysterious
Black Sabbath cover band called Bat Sabbath to
festivalgoers, holding back from revealing the
group’s true identity.
“People thought it was the Foo Fighters. All I
could think was, man, they’re going to be bummed,”
laughs Cormier. “But the cool part is that it worked
– it ended up being packed. We thought we were
is already making demos for their
upcoming album, which is aiming
for a Fall 2018 release under SCRAPE
Records. In the meantime, SCRAPE
will be reissuing the band’s first three
albums, Bound By Fire, Legion of
Flames, and the notorious When You
Were Shouting at the Devil… We
Were in League With Satan.
J.J. will be putting together a
sampler disc to help promote B.C.
bands as well as the growing label.
He is looking not only for new artists,
but also for future employees. As of
right now, J.J. is running the show on
his own, with hopes of changing the
label-artist dynamic in a way that will
benefit both parties to the fullest.
“I really want to establish new ways
that a label can work with bands,”
says J.J. “There’s a certain structure
I think is useful to follow, but to
me it’s really important to work
with the bands. I want them to be
involved in the process – I want to
be communicating with them on
an even playing field. I want them
involved in putting the product
together, not feeling that anyone is
trapped.”
Photo by Niall Burns
“I reached out to a lot of people
I’ve known in the industry for 20+
years and asked them, ‘Do you think
starting this label is a wise idea? Or
am I just completely insane?’” he
concludes. “Then I think of when I
opened the store. I had no idea if that
doing it as a one-off show, but in a perfect storm
of technology, everyone recorded the set on their
phones and uploaded it to YouTube. So we finished
the tour, and literally by the time we got home
hours later, we already had offers to play in other
cities as Bat Sabbath.”
The videos are still up, and it’s evident why they
were contacted about bringing more Bat Sabbath
to the world. Their sound adapts to Sabbath well,
not to mention Cormier’s incredibly enthusiastic
performance.
“I’ve really gotten into playing up the showman
aspect of it. I’m wearing a cape and motorcycle
boots, and my shirt’s tucked in but it’s completely
unbuttoned. I have a really good time playing with
the Cancer Bats, but I’m really into how far I go
with this character that is the maniac fronting Bat
Sabbath. It may be more entertaining for me than
anybody else, to be honest.”
Bat Sabbath plays the Cobalt on January 5 with
Waingro and Woe Monger and January 6 with Dead
Quiet and We Hunt Buffalo.
would work or not, and it worked out
for nearly 20 years. This may not, and
that’s fine. But you don’t know the
outcome until you try.”
For more information, contact orders@
scraperecords.com.
December 2017

BPM
CONTACT WINTER MUSIC FESTIVAL
BLUEPRINT CELEBRATES SIXTH YEAR OF BENDING SPACE AND TIME
ALAN RANTA
CLUBLAND
YOUR MONTH MEASURED IN BPMS
ALAN RANTA
whipped cream
rezz
Photo by Will Selviz
Ho, ho, holy shnikeys… What a year this was, eh? Waking up
every morning was like Captain Picard demanding a damage
report. Check out these shows if you need a little something to
get you through the final stretch.
Big Joy Festival 2017
Dec. 7 to 9 @ Multiple Venues
The experimental music festival is going out with a bang
for its fifth and final year, promising a broad spectrum of
harsh noise, textural fog, and transdisciplinary audio/video
explorations with performances by Ian William Craig, Greg Kelley,
SEEKERSINTERNATIONAL, and more. Tickets are cheap, and the
vibes are as weird as you need them to be.
Blockhead
Dec. 8 @ VENUE
The longtime Ninja Tune beatsmith returns to VENUE in support
of his joyfully titled new album, Funeral Balloons. That said,
many will probably just be going because of the video Anthony
Francisco Sheppard produced for “The Music Scene,” as well they
should as it is one of the most beautiful things ever made. Watch
it, fall into a dream, and go.
Western Canada’s largest indoor music festival is only getting bigger
for its sixth year. The two-day event returns to B.C. Place, and aims to
turn that big old stadium into an immersive, intergalactic vessel that
may visually stimulate onlookers so profoundly that they see through
the very fabric of space and time. The broad tastes of discerning
listeners who have consistently sold out this spectacle for the last few
years have been taken into account, with a line-up boasting around
twenty of the most epic knob-twiddlers in electronic music today
encompassing the hottest up and comers alongside living legends.
Following are a few selections that will make your holiday season pop.
Marshmello
He’s like Deadmau5 with a bucket on his head. Why would you not
want to see that? Seriously, though, Marshmello seems like a pretty
cool dude. His videos are stuffed with self-deprecating humor and
self-affirming messages, while his main stage EDM sound, featuring
silky bass lines with sharp synth melodies and trap percussion, is
perfectly produced to stay puft.
Ekali
A couple years ago, Vancouver’s Nathan Shaw was playing bass for
Juno-winning folk-rockers Said the Whale, simply writing trap-tinged
tunes as Ekali on the side. That was until he got invited to Tokyo’s
Red Bull Music Academy and had Drake snag an instrumental for his
lauded 2015 release, If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late. At this point,
you really need to know who he is.
TOKiMONSTA
Los Angeles producer Jennifer Lee, best known as TOKiMONSTA, is
one of the hardest working women in show business, and has been
for nearly a decade. Her label, Young Art Records, has fostered rising
talent since 2014, while her tireless work in the studio actually helped
her recover from a two-part brain surgery that initially left her unable
to walk or comprehend language. Yet, despite the practical necessities
behind the creation of her third album, 2017’s Lune Rouge, it is proof
that she hasn’t lost a step.
Photo by Michael Fulton
ekali tonkimonsta armin van buuren
REZZ
Don’t underestimate twenty-something Niagara Falls native Isabelle
Rezazadeh (a.k.a. REZZ). She’s been DJing since she was 16, and has
spent more hours on Albeton than there are in a day since she first
saw deadmau5 live, subsequently getting props from Skrillex for her
cinematic, cerebral productions and ultimately releasing her debut
album, Mass Manipulation, through mau5trap itself. She’s living the
dream, but she worked for it. Just don’t look directly into her eyes
unless you want to be hopelessly hypnotized.
Armin van Buuren
One hardly needs to introduce Armin van Buuren. This Netherlands
native is one of the biggest names in electronic music, a powerful
proponent of progressive house and vocal trance in Ibiza and beyond.
He has won countless awards and polls for being the world’s best DJ,
and hardly a release of his goes by that doesn’t land on the Billboard
charts. Even if you don’t like his music, you won’t want to miss his
spectacle.
Falcons
Formerly known as TightMike and currently blowing up as Falcons,
Michael Graham is a Los Angeles-based producer and Fool’s Gold
signee whose forays into the hip-hop and futuristic R&B end of the
EDM spectrum have earned over 28 million streams and counting.
They were well earned streams too, no bots about it.
Whipped Cream
This Shambhala veteran has been slaying stages all the way down the
coast, from her home turf on Vancouver Island to the party mecca
of Los Angeles and everywhere in between, but all you need to know
can be heard on her SoundCloud. All you hear there is her work, and
nobody else’s. She tears up the most tripped-out, hardcore hybrid
bass allowed by law.
Contact Winter Music Festival set to invade B.C. Place on December
26-27.
Nora En Pure
Dec. 16 @ Celebrities Playhouse
Born in South Africa and raised in Switzerland, DJ Daniela
Niederer (a.k.a. Nora En Pure) is a master of house so deep that
light cannot escape it and dance so indie that it could convert
a Hare Krishna to a hipster. Everyone could use a dancefloor as
smooth as hers right now.
Sarah Davachi/Loscil/Nicolas Bragg
Dec. 21 @ Red Gate Revue Stage
The longest night of the year deserves to be accompanied by the
most elongated and mesmerizing of musical forms. Davachi and
Loscil are two of the most important ambient/drone musicians
in the world, with extensive catalogues and endless imaginations,
while longtime Zulu Records employee and Destroyer guitarist
Nicolas Bragg is as eclectic as cuddlecore.
Mark Farina
Dec. 22 @ Imperial
The mad genius behind Mushroom Jazz can’t seem to stay away
from the DJ booth. This travelling minstrel cooks up his signature
blend of San Francisco-fried Chicago House and dubby, funky
downtempo at over a hundred shows a year, as he has for over 25
years now. Respect the hustle, and shake that booty.
Sarah Davachi
December 2017 23

BPM
HUNDRED WATERS
DELVING DEEPER INTO THE IMPRECISE NATURE OF HUMAN CONNECTION
BRENDAN REID
Photo by Lenne Chai
Hundred Waters embrace the intimacy of communication.
Communication is something humans have always
struggled with, and now we have tools that allow
us to miscommunicate over larger distances and in
greater volumes. Hundred Waters appreciates how
complicated communication can be, especially
between two people who love each other deeply.
It’s a problem with no easy answer – one that
cannot be scapegoated onto the overarching
specter of technology.
Ironically, the group’s latest offering,
Communicating, is a love letter to the concept
of miscommunication. And though it expounds
the frustrations inherent in relationships and
connection, it also implores listeners to strive
for joy and comfort, within both oneself and the
company that surrounds them.
Hundred Waters is a group that thrives on
intimacy. The band began within the humorously
named “Bro Island,” a former karate dojo/grocery
store that was repurposed into University of
Florida housing. It was in this liminal space
that Hundred Waters began to find their feet.
The connection between its members runs
deep – percussionist Zach Tetreault and multiinstrumentalist
Trayer Tryon began making
music together as early as middle school. When
lead singer Nicole Miglis joined the group, she
and Tryon formed a relationship of their own,
deepening the sense of love and emotion the band
projects with their unique sound.
Despite their closeness, Hundred Waters often
examines love with scrutiny, making sure to expose
its shortcomings as much as its innate beauty.
Communicating explores these themes openly,
investigating concepts of longing and change, as
well as the efforts we make to communicate our
feelings to one another.
The lush voice and creative vision of lead singer
Miglis carry these ideas to fruition, and the video
for “Fingers” is a key example of her fearless artistic
integrity. In the video, Miglis lies on the ground
in a barren but well-lit room, and finds herself
covered in live insects, ranging from cockroaches
to mealworms, tarantulas to carrion beetles. There
is no special effects trickery going on here; Miglis
truly let these creatures envelope her, and for good
thematic reason.
“[Fingers is] about being in a relationship and
not knowing what you really want,” she says.
“Being in something for so long that you don’t
know where else to go. [This] creates a constant
feeling of being unsettled. It was the closest thing
to intimacy I could think of, and the furthest.”
Anyone who has been in an out-of-touch
relationship knows the feeling, and Miglis
embraces this sensation in its most literal form,
letting her skin crawl in ways that would terrify
most.
“Part of me just finds insects fascinating,” she
admits. “We’re so socially phobic of them. They’re
one of the smallest visible forms of life to us, and
we fear them the most. Like the lion and the
mouse fable… I think the way we consider and
treat these smaller forms of life says a lot about us
as people.”
Her observation is apt. In today’s era, people
seem to belittle one another as much as they do
smaller forms of life, and a great deal of this can
be attributed to simple miscommunication. Many
people believe that technology itself is responsible
for these problems, but Miglis is inclined to
disagree.
“Technology evolves with people,” she says.
“Any moral issue that comes out of modern
communication isn’t technology, it’s us. And those
things have always been there. Technology just
gives us a tool.”
Hundred Waters performs at the Fox Cabaret
(Vancouver) on December 9.
XAVIER OMÄR
DEFYING GENRES WITH MUSIC THAT SPEAKS TO THE SOUL
JORDAN YEAGER
Xavier Omär is not yet a household name, but that’s
not to say he’s new to the music scene. Now 27,
the singer has been making music for more than 15
years under different guises. He started as Spazzy
Rocket, dropped the vowels to become SPZRKT, and
eventually decided to take the mask off altogether.
Thus, Xavier Omär was born.
“Because of the way I had SPZRKT spelled, it
became such a ceiling for me,” he says. “I didn’t want
one. It felt more inviting for people to know my
actual name, and it’s also a help in humility; the only
people up to this point who have called me by my
name are my family and friends. It’s the same name
your mama called you when you were in trouble. So
it’s helped me to keep everything in perspective.”
Despite the name changes, Omär’s music has
always explored topics in similar veins: relationships,
faith, and “the journey along the way.” Where his
experimentation often lies is in delivery. Over the
years, records like Bonfire, The Everlasting Wave,
and Pink Lightning vary from rap to R&B to pop
depending on his mood. As much as listeners might
try to compartmentalize his sound, Omär doesn’t
like to be defined, preferring to focus less on genre
and more on creating “whatever [he’s] feeling right
then and there.” His energy comes from storytelling,
and that becomes most obvious in his live show.
“I’m dying in that freaking gym every day getting
ready for tour,” he says. “Because of the way that I
perform, I need to train like an athlete to a degree.
24
When somebody says they’re going to an R&B show,
you expect a particular vibe, but it’s way more than
that. And that’s kind of the signature of what I do.
The first six to eight years of me making music, I was
performing as a rapper. I had a hard time letting go
of the energy you would expect from that when I
decided to just start singing.”
From changing his name to finessing his stage
presence, everything Omär does is deliberate.
Each song is written with intention and a sense of
responsibility to the listener.
“I don’t know that I really love to write about
anything,” he laughs. “The happier moments, of
course. Whenever you’re moved so much in a
good way that you have to write about it, that’s
awesome. But the records that have a bit of a deeper
background story are the ones that fans seem to
really stick with and appreciate me for. And it’s great,
because I want to be able to be open and honest
with them, but the part of it that sucks is that I
have to live it first. But there is a lot of beauty in it.
I don’t write immediately after I go through a bad
situation. I wait a couple months to try to see what
the positive side of it is, and then I tell the story. I just
don’t want to be irresponsible with the pain. I want
to be able to relate to people, but also help them
through those times.”
Xavier Omär plays The Fox Cabaret on December 21.
His new EP, Pink Lightning, is out now.
Photo by Joe Gonzales
Xavier Omär sings his life story soulfully, drawing perspectives from each experience.
December 2017

BPM
RIGHT HERE,
RIGHT NOW
DJ JODIE OVERLAND
ALAN RANTA
VIC MENSA
A MEANINGFUL MEMOIR ABOUT HOPE AND FREEDOM
vCOURTNEY HEFFERNAN
Vic Mensa’s debut album, The Autobiography, gets up close and personal, touching on important issues about addiction and depression.
Vancouver is a melting pot. Only a third of its
population was actually born in the city. With
such a flux flexing, this column is here to shine a
light on welcome new contributors to our scene.
First up is hypnotic techno magnate Jodie
Overland. If she’s not in the studio, you may find
her going out for ramen, her current obsession,
or heading to The VAL Villa, her new favorite
rave space. High on her list of achievements, she
opened for the legendary Richie Hawtin next
to two other prominent women in the Calgary
scene, a gig that she found empowering, yet her
proudest moment so far was being selected for
the 2017 RBMA Montréal Bass Camp, a “most
amazing learning experience” that gave her the
best tools in order to foster her mesmerizing
production skills.
Why here?
I moved to Vancouver for a number of reasons.
The job I had be working at for the past three
years had laid me off, and the person I was
dating at the time had moved away to Japan
around the same time. I wasn’t tied down to a
lease in Calgary, and I also had an opportunity
to live [in Chinatown] here in Vancouver that I
couldn’t pass up. Calgary is in a weird place right
now with the economic recession and I figured
all of the signs were pointing towards me trying
out a new city. I’m a lone wolf for the most part
in the scene world, but I enjoy going to all kinds
of events.
Four months after the release of his debut
LP, The Autobiography, and two months into
supporting Jay-Z’s 4:44 tour, Vic Mensa sounds
more content with his career than he ever has. “It
feels phenomenal. I love it. I had a point in time
when I was performing music that was not as
honest and I just felt phoney on stage, I just felt
like I wasn’t me. Just saying ‘Turn up!’ every other
song. ‘Turn up!’”
Part of the reason why Mensa feels more
authentic when he performs is because The
Autobiography is a very personal album. He
describes the recording process as cathartic. “It
was a process of unearthing repressed memories
and drawing connections from the past to the
present and the future.” He draws on childhood
and adolescent experiences on “Memories on
47th St.” and recalls the impact of crime and
gun violence on his community on “Heaven on
Earth.”
Since Mensa first started to record as a
solo artist in 2013, he has aimed to be more
forthcoming in his lyrics. He says, “I try to be
honest in my music.” While he uses his platform
predominantly to speak honestly about his own
life, he is a vocal critic of social inequalities in
America. “Police brutality, mass incarceration,
I know the information, I know the truth. So I
think along with that comes the responsibility
to vocalize.” Though he admits he doesn’t love
using social media, “I do at times try to use
social media to talk about the things that are
important to me.”
Among the topics important to Mensa is
mental health. He says that when he first started
talking about it, “It felt like I was being real with
myself first and foremost. I never set out to be a
spokesman for mental health.” When he wrote
“There’s Alot Going On” for his 2016 EP of the
same name he says, “I just told the truth about
my own experience. I said exactly the shit I was
going through. I talked about how I was addicted
to drugs and depressed and suicidal and shit
at points in time.” With the EP and with that
record in particular, “A lot of people reached out
to me to say maybe that song saved their life or
got them through a tough time. I just started
to realize how silent so many people are about
those types of issues. I realized I could help
people as a writer who really speaks candidly
about mental illness.”
It was Mensa’s intention from the outset
to speak candidly about his self destructive
tendencies on “Wings,” his collaboration with
Pharrell Williams and Saul Williams. It is an
unflinching look at depression, infrequently
depicted in hip hop.
“I knew I needed to make a song like that,
something that spoke about those things in my
life. And so I tried a couple times and when I
ended up getting with Pharrell that day, it just
clicked. The lyrics kind of just wrote themselves,”
he says.
The future Mensa envisions on The
Autobiography is not without hope. “‘We Could
Be Free’ [is] an imagining of what freedom could
look like in the future,” he says. “Having a broad,
wide angle view of pain and privilege as they
present themselves.”
Having struggled with and overcome addiction
and depression, Mensa is grateful to be where
he’s at today and is already excited to get back
into the studio. As for the audience response
to his self-reflective music he says, “People
appreciate it in a different way. It hits you in a
different way.”
Vic Mensa will perform with Jay-Z at Rogers
Place (Edmonton) December 9, host at Caprice
(Vancouver) December 9 and perform with Jay-Z
at Rogers Arena (Vancouver) December 11.
What now?
I’m working on my debut EP featuring five
acid/techno tracks. I’m holding off on DJing
as much as I was in Calgary in order to focus
on my production, but I’m hoping to play in
four different cities this spring as a mini tour. I
would love to open for DVS-1 sometime. He’s
my DJ idol. In terms of production, I’d love to
collaborate with Lena Willikens or Young Male.
DJ Jodie Overland has landed in Vancouver.
December 2017 25

BPM
SNOTTY NOSE REZ KIDS
FLIPPING THE SCRIPT WITH WIT AND WORDPLAY
CHRIS DZAKA
Snotty Nose Rez Kids are sick of hearing
the grim narrative in the media about
suicide, drug abuse and substandard
housing among First Nations people.
The self proclaimed “Rez” kids have
honed their skills as hip-hop emcees to
create a new narrative that they’re eager
to share: First Nations kids are more
than statistics in the highway of tears or
Photo by Blaire Russell
Darren (Young D) Metz and Quinton “Yung Trybez” Nyce are SNRK.
suicide numbers. Aboriginal youth are
survivors and creators.
“Our goal is to be a voice of the
voices. There are so many things we’ve
been through and have to say but
haven’t necessarily been said,” says
Darren (Young D) Metz. “We have
to lead the next wave and the next
generation and keep on fighting.”
A rap duo hailing from Kitimat, BC
and part of the Haisla Nation, SNRK is
made up of childhood friends, Metz
and Quinton “Yung Trybez” Nyce. Fresh
off tour dates in Montreal and Toronto,
SNRK recount each coming from great
families who fostered tight relationships
with their community. Nyce smiles as
he reminisces, “As far as the Rez goes,
we had it great. We had the ocean in
the summer and 10-foot snow banks in
the winter.”
Though problems like deplorable
housing, substandard drinking water,
and drug and alcohol abuse are a part
of the environment many First Nations
youth face growing up, SNRK are
flipping the script, drawing attention
to issues such as these while radiating
positivity for the youth of today.
“We’re not just speaking for
ourselves, we’re speaking for our youth,”
says Nyce. “Whether they’re in a good
situation or a shitty situation. This is
why we do this, for our indigenous
youth.”
The duo may be young but they’ve
seen enough to know what is and
isn’t worth fighting for. Since their
inception, SNRK has released three
full-length albums this year alone and
have plans to drop another collection
of songs in the new year. Their songs
are a thoughtful mix of classic and
modern hip-hop inspired lyrical
content and beats, alongside traditional
First Nations singing, seasoned with
thought provoking interludes. Each
album illuminates issues facing their
community while underscoring the
lighthearted relationship with family,
friends and the Rez they love.
The group feels music can provide
some insight into their politics on
songs like “KKKanada” and “Savages”
off their latest record, The Average
Savage. Together, Metz and Nyce
attempt to stomp out stereotypes with
unapologetically truthful and positive
music as only they can deliver, via quick
witty word play.
“When we write music, we don’t
always try to focus on the negative,
we try to focus on the positive even if
there’s not a whole lot of positive in a
situation,” Metz says.
SNRK deliver timely and current
lyrics with beats that resemble a
nineties tip. But both men have
definitely created their own distinct
voice. Metz breaks it down like this,
“I was into 2pac and Biggie, then in
the 2000’s I was into southern rap.
Something about that accent got me.
Now it’s Wale and Kendrick Lamar. As
an artist you grow up liking certain
things and you develop your own style
from it. Nyce chimes in, “I’ve seen J
Cole a bunch of times. I really like his
music and Kendrick Lamar too. It’s a
great time to be an indigenous artist. A
lot of us indigenous people are able to
get into arts and don’t have to fall into
a nine-to-five. As (Indigenous) people
we are naturally artists. Our music is
indigenous rising music.”
SNRK have a new collaboration project
called Devil’s Club coming out in early
2018.
26
December 2017

FILM
BEST 10 FILMS OF 2017 (SO FAR)
HOGAN SHORT
Three Billboards
Call Me By Your Name The disater Artist Stan
10.
The Lost City of Z, like its characters,
is grandiose and larger-than-life. It is
a film that shows us the spirit of early
explorers as they risk everything for
the sake of discovery. This is a riveting
portrayal of a man and his obsession,
a journey of grandeur that feels like an
epic tale of exploration from the past as
he searches for his lost city.
9.
Mudbound is a thoughtfully slow story
about both a white and a black family
living in the rural American south
during World War Two. The film is a
careful look at the tragedy of the times,
using war not just as an absorbing
narrative arc, but also as an example of
shared experience. This is a considerate
story to reflect on until the critical end
moments, which take all that reflection
and shatter your heart with it.
8.
Marjorie Prime, set in the near future,
is a sentimental drama about grief and
regret. A family heals with the memory
and appearance of their deceased loved
ones using holograms. This allows
them to heal in cathartic ways that the
present day could never allow. Marjorie
Prime wonderfully explains that regret
means not appreciating love when we
have it, and assures us that loss is worth
it.
7.
Get Out is the rare film that tells its
metaphors blatantly while maintaining
a genius subtlety. The social critique
here proves so insidious that the real
horrors of a more hidden type of racism
stay with you long after each terrifying
scene. The idea and execution are
perfect, making this film a wildly fun,
albeit terrifying, classic for the genre.
6.
Blade Runner 2049 had every chance
to be another awful sequel to a sci-fi
classic, but instead depicts an original
story that makes the original even
better in retrospect. The expertly
tangled story is accompanied by
stunning visuals and a soundtrack that
make this improbable 30-years-later
sequel well worth the wait.
5.
Dunkirk is the true World War Two
evacuation story of the thousands of
Allied soldiers stranded on the beach.
Complexly layered in both time and
point of view, we see heroism from the
air (one hour), horrors experienced by
the stranded soldiers (one week), and
risks taken by common citizens rescuing
them by boat (one month). This is a
masterpiece of war cinema that uses
little dialogue, shows new perspectives,
and feels no need to show an enemy
soldier even once.
4.
Wind River is the directorial debut
from Taylor Sheridan, the writer behind
Hell or High Water and Sicario. Like
his previous films, this is a bleak and
unflinching modern western, set this
time in the freezing North. A local
tracker helps an FBI agent solve the
murder of a young Native woman in a
plot that grips you from the beginning,
through the intense and surprising third
act, all the way to the end.
3.
Lady Bird’s heart wrenching moments
are always immediately replaced with
hilarity. The few times when humour
doesn’t follow allow us to really feel
that sadness. This tone-perfect, comingof-age
drama from the mind of Greta
Gerwig is a refreshing look back at your
upbringing and childhood home, even
if you no longer call it that.
2.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing,
Missouri is not just the funniest film
of the year, but also one of the darkest.
You will laugh and then wonder if
you should be laughing, but it won’t
matter because the entertaining plot
won’t give you a chance to think about
anything other than the story’s core:
a bitter, heartbroken anti-hero in grief
over her daughter’s death, looking
for justice and hoping to hold the
responsible accountable with the use of
three billboards.
1.
Call Me By Your Name is this year’s
Moonlight, except with rich, white
men in the sun-drenched Italian
countryside. It is a slowly simmering,
beautifully patient look at first love
and first heartbreak. Whether it’s the
explanation of the origin of the word
“apricot” or the analysis of ancient
statues “daring us to desire them,” every
moment carries the vulnerable feeling
of familiarity.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
Stronger, Brigsby Bear, The Big Sick,
Landline, Good Time, Logan Lucky,
Band Aid, A Ghost Story, The Killing
of Sacred Deer, Lady Macbeth, Sweet
Virginia, The Square, Detroit, Logan,
Shot Caller, The Darkest Hour, Coco
FRIDAY LATE NIGHT MOVIES!
19+
VALID ID FOR
BAR SERVICE
VISIT WWW.RIOTHEATRETICKETS.CA FOR SHOW TIMES & TICKET PRICES
DEC 8 + 9
THE ROOM
DEC 15 EDWARD SCISSORHANDS DEC 22 DIE HARD DEC 29 AMERICAN PSYCHO JAN 6 LABYRINTH
December 2017 27

MUSIC REVIEWS
Björk
Utopia
One Little Indian
Over the span of her career, Björk has given energy
and insight to almost every aspect of humanity.
She’s experimented with (and created) new
technologies and instruments, reflected on life
from biological and spiritual perspectives, and most
recently on Vulnicura (2015), she created a deeply
personal reflection of her own heartbreak and loss.
Two years later, she returns with perhaps her most
accessible concept to date; Utopia is an exploration
of music, womanhood, and most importantly
love. Ostensibly, it’s an album of self-care in an
exasperatingly ominous global landscape.
Working again with co-producer Arca, Björk
has entered her “strongest musical relationship.”
Throughout the album they push each other’s
boundaries—Arca’s harsh electronic sounds are
complemented by the softness of Björk’s harps,
strings, and flutes. The album is an intense clash
of musical intellect drawn from universal human
feeling. That’s what is part of Björk’s brilliance and
mystique; she doesn’t only want to tell you how
she feels, she wants to explore the gamut of what it
means to feel that. With each note, hum, breath, she
tries to let you in. After her greatest heartbreak, she
planted and nurtured seeds of resilience.
Opener “Arisen My Senses” transports you to
the first moment you felt love in a kiss. Björk is
resetting all aspects of herself for the better of her
world. The song is the simultaneous eruption of
volcanoes and the shifting of tectonic plates; the
consideration of what’s at risk with a new lover, and
the thrill of putting it all on the line. Arca’s drum
sample fireworks and the overlaying vocal echoes
from Björk form hundreds of sparks that rise and
fizzle throughout the five-minute track. The harp
that follows is the unmistakable sound of the hope
required to let one’s self love again after heartbreak;
the sound of letting go of personal qualms.
The title track is an exploration of her world
– the sound of discovery at once simple and
complex. There are new creatures offering unheard
onomatopoeia, footsteps trekking through
unfamiliar flora, and Björk’ guiding voice, easing you
in: “You assigned me to protect our lantern/ to be
intentional about the light.” Her Utopia exists in our
own world, but it’s not possible unless we “purify,
purify, purify…” a process that begins internally
before inheriting the earth.
Once she’s put in the work, the album’s opus “Body
Memory” unfolds. Nearly ten minutes in length, it
is the antithesis to Vulnicura’s “Black Lake,” where
Björk unveiled the extent of her heartbreak and
betrayal, bleakly shedding everything until there was
no Björk left. Now, she fights against her anxiety and
internal misgivings, learning to trust herself. From
there, she grants us a slew of love songs, falling first
in love with herself before moving on to fall in love
with others, with nature, with the world, with love.
While striving for peace, Björk rejects and condemns
violent men from her past; her longtime partner,
Lars Von Trier (whom she recently lamented with
an essay discussing the abuse she suffered at his
hands while filming Dancer in the Dark), and the
patriarchy itself. On “Tabula
Rasa” she sings “Clean plate: Not repeating the
fuckups of the fathers,” of the many ways these
men have failed her, and of a need for something
new—she entices the listener: “you are strong / you
are strong / you’re so strong.” For Björk, strength
comes from vulnerability, and softness comes from
protecting one’s vision and values.
If you can get into what Björk is offering, then there’s
room for you in Utopia. Her surreal version of a
self-help album works only because it has to—if one
shuts off, the music stops.
• Trent Warner
• Illustration by Geneva Haley
December 2017 29

Angel Olsen - Phase Big K.R.I.T - 4eva Is A Mighty Long Time King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Polygondwanaland
Angel Olsen
Phases
Jagjaguwar
Following her 2016 breakout album, My Woman, this collection
of B-sides, demos and cover tracks from Angel Olsen was highly
anticipated by loyal fans and curious new ones about the charismatic
singer-songwriter’s inner workings. When records like these are
released on their own, rather than being packaged as part of a deluxe
set or bonus tracks that accompany a reissue, usually there’s the
expectation that the material is of the splendid caliber that’s been
sitting in the vaults, waiting for a little studio spit and polish, then
tied up in a big beautiful bow and given to the record company to
deliver as rare gems.
Yes, and no. Mostly no – repacking Olsen with some fairy dust
isn’t in the cards here. She’s not that kind of woman. Phases certainly
has a few polished gems, no doubt about that. But the vast majority
of tracks are stripped down, often lo-fi, late-night, lazy afternoon
throw together, let’s get-it-on-tape sessions and kitchen recordings
that contain all the typical imperfections – amplifier hum, glitchy
noises from recording devices turning on and off, cracking voices,
and chairs that creak. But none of that means there’s not some
fantastic stuff.
Phases is full of Olsen showing different sides and different
influences. Most definitely a profound collection of diamonds in
the rough. The woman has a big heart, she’s funny, she’s subtle and
terribly inviting.
• B. Simm
Big K.R.I.T
4eva Is A Mighty Long Time
Multi Alumni
To say Big K.R.I.T absolutely killed it with his new album would be
an understatement. With 4eva Is A Mighty Long Time, K.R.I.T f***ing
demolished it. Bringing forward a new era of his hyped power beats,
and a new and personal take on soulful hip-hop.
The hour and a half long album is essentially split into two parts.
The first, an intense, fast-paced party setlist, pumped full to every
corner with incredible lyrical talent. The first track “Big K.R.I.T,” is a
gateway into the first half of the album, a perfect introduction to his
southern roots, quick wit, and beautiful vocal samples in his beats.
He doesn’t let you take a breather here though, throwing “Confetti,”
at you, leading from that intro with a highly memorable beat.
Distorted piano and drawn out cymbals lead you into K.R.I.T’s castle,
while a woman sings in the distance, and behind you crowds mutter
and cheer. K.R.I.T has his fair share of humor within the record as
well. Take “Classic Interlude,” a banter rich, minute long argument
between K.R.I.T and his friend about classics. A short and sweet
break in the album, only for the next track “Aux Cord” to whip you
off your feet again and back into his Cadillac cruiser.
Big K.R.I.T wanted to show us he was still one of the kings, and the
effort put into proving himself payed off. A party anthem tracklist
with some serious substance in it is hard to find. Add a second half to
that album full of vulnerable, lyrically crafted letters to the soul. And
you’ve got one of the best albums of the year.
• Keeghan Rouleau
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
Polygondwanaland
Flightless
After four out of a planned five albums in 2017 alone, it would be
easy to dismiss King Gizzard & The Wizard Lizard’s gimmicky output
as quantity over quality. Yet, album after album, the Australian
seven-piece psychedelic band has managed to not only push their
own lore (also known to fans as the Gizzverse) further, but push their
sound into increasingly impressive territory.
After the smooth jazz detour of Sketches of Brunswick East,
the band’s collab with Mild High Club, KGATLW have hit a new
peak with Polygondwanaland, an album that deftly blends the
manic urgency of August’s Murder of the Universe, with the bands
jazzier output. Polygondwanaland is packed full of tightly wound
polyrhythms, half-fried soundscapes, and a newfound love for synths
that fits perfectly with the band’s previous sonics. Arpeggiated,
Carpenter-esque synth lines often work as transition between songs,
replacing the need for spoken-word that featured heavily on previous
efforts.
Like most of KGATLW’s albums since Nonagon Infinity,
Polygondwanaland’s tracks blend seamlessly together, but there
past reliance on musical motifs has mostly been left behind. It’s a
welcome change and it allows for the band to flex their muscles as
musicians, evident on the album opener “Crumbling Castle.” The
near 11 minute song is textbook KGATLW, but like much of the
album, it manages to add some new flair to the formula, resulting in
a new high water mark for a band that has created so many of them
over their short career.
• Jamie McNamara
Liam Corcoran
Nevahland
Fontana North
Liam Corcoran (ex-Two Hours Traffic frontman) takes listeners on
the rollercoaster that is life in his solo debut LP Nevahland. The
record follows a storyline of three couples being forced to evacuate
their small community, when they meet a mysterious man claiming
he is a priest and promising them safety. The album summarizes
their journey of disaster, hardship and learning how to leave their
home behind. Ranging from an alternative-rock sound in the lead
single “Tick Tock” to a country folk vibe in “Party’s Over,” the LP has a
wonderful tendency to slip out of the confinements of a single genre
or tempo, keeping you on your toes the whole time. Nevahland is
truly an artifact of Corcoran’s musical vision. He wrote all the songs
and booked all the sessions, yet he definitely wasn’t alone through
this process. Artists like Kinley Dowling (Hey Rosetta!), Emilee Sorrey
(Sorrey), Dan Griffin (Arkells, Teen Ravine) and Nathan Wiley were
there supporting Liam through the experience of developing this
album and enriching his sound since the 2015 EP Rom-Drom. From
beginning to end, the album resonates with deep and powerful lyrics,
sing-along worthy “oohs” and “ahhs” and inviting beats compelling
you to nod your head and tap your foot.
• Mackenzie Mason
Tove Lo
Blue Lips (lady wood phase II)
Universal Music
In a world plagued by Weinsteins and Spaceys, it’s more important
than ever for femmes to balance the male-strom with stories of
reclamation of their bodies; of sexual awakenings, prowess, and
positivity. Each of these concepts may also be steeped in heartbreak,
but they make for a hell of a story, and Tove Lo has made it her
mission to share these stories on her latest Blue Lips (lady wood
phase II).
Tove Lo is another in a string of Swedish-pop acts that follow
standalones like Robyn and Lykke Li, forever relegated to moderate
success and acclaim (such as Icona Pop, Tove Styrke, Elliphant, and
Zara Larsson). Tove Lo’s past hits include “Habits (Stay High)” and
“Cool Girl” – both of which find the narrator navigating sexuality
in some way – first by engaging unhealthy behaviours as a means
of coping, and next by refusing to commit or “catch feelings” as a
means of self-preservation and empowerment.
Her journey comes full circle on Blue Lips’ lead single “disco tits,”
which finds Tove Lo ready to go all in on a new lust-filled relationship
as she sings, “I’m fully charged, nipples are hard / ready to go,” over a
confectionary electro beat assisted by pitch changes and the barking
of what can be assumed to be dogs in heat (woof!).
Unfortunately, much of the album is too steeped in cliché pop
sounds, preventing Tove Lo from breaking apart from many of her
peers. Her sexually charged and empowered lyrics help her shine on
the aforementioned single, as well as on ‘bitches,’ ‘bad days,’ and ‘hey
you got drugs,’ but the majority of the other songs feel stagnant in
an attempt to be radio-friendly. It’s a shame, because when Tove Lo is
shining, it can feel euphoric.
• Trent Warner
December 2017 31

Jaden Smith - SYRE Tennis - We Can Die Happy Young Jesus - S/T
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
Who Built the Moon?
Sour Mash Records
Liam Gallagher might have to rethink labelling his brother Noel as
a potato – unless he’s saying a starchy vegetable can make a better
album than him. While Liam is still trying to bottle up the innate
magic that launched Oasis to the moon, Noel is moving on. Liam’s As
You Were had some great tracks like “Wall of Glass” and “For What
It’s Worth,” but it was largely forgettable and sounded inferior to
classic Oasis songs. Who Built the Moon? is could have used a little
bit more Oasis, balancing out the overproduced instrumentation
that drowns out Noel’s singing with raw tracks recorded straight to
the final cut. This is the man who wrote the “Champagne Supernova”
in one sitting; he doesn’t need to take time and think about what
makes a successful tune.
Along with two former Oasis members in the main band, over 20
musicians were involved with this album and it shows in the final
product. It has a psychedelic backbone, but there’s many different
ideas explored that utilize everyone’s talents except for Noel. It isn’t
until “Dead in the Water” that he shines. It’s a bonus track, but it’s
the best on the album because it was written, years ago, under the
same conditions as “Champagne Supernova.” The rest of Who Built
the Moon? is thoroughly enjoyable, but this track is what makes Noel
a golden fry as opposed to a washed out potato. It’s just him and his
guitar, putting his songwriting talents and voice at the forefront. The
High Flying Birds are undoubtedly skilled, but “Dead in the Water”
proves that Noel Gallagher is the rocket that can soar to heights his
brother can only look up to.
• Paul McAleer
Jaden Smith
SYRE
Roc Nation
Father of existentialism and son of Will, Jaden Smith has made it
hard to take him seriously with each Tweet questioning if babies are
smarter than adults. He wore a Batman costume to Kanye West’s
wedding and he fittingly has a song titled “Batman” on SYRE, his
debut album. There’s no doubt being a product of Hollywood is
damaging for a young adult growing up, but it works in his favour
with this album. Everyone expected it to be awful, but it’s surprisingly
enjoyable. Sure, there are a few laughable lyrics, but the production
alone is worth admiring. He raps his “heart is broken/Gettin’ green/
Man I’m artichokin,’ but is that really worse than some of the trap
songs blessing the airways this year? Would it be better if Offset sang
the lyrics in auto tune? Probably, actually, but let’s cut the kid some
slack.
SYRE doesn’t distinguish itself from its influences. Jaden often
32
mimics the Drake flow paired with his high-pitched voice, yet the
end of “Breakfast” asks, “Do you think you can save rap music?” A
saviour is original and this album is the farthest thing from unique.
However, Jaden is an excellent copycat thanks to his acting career
and he knows how the play the part. All 17 tracks explore different
influences and it’s hard to pinpoint the exact direction he’s going
to go next. The 19-year-old undoubtedly has a handle on modern
hip hop. He just needs to find his own voice that sets him apart,
transforming him to a leader as opposed to a follower. Luckily, he’s
got time, and money, on his side.
• Paul McAleer
Tennis
We Can Die Happy
Mutually Detrimental
Fairly fresh off the release of Yours Conditionally in March 2017
comes Tennis’ We Can Die Happy. The songs were cuts that, to the
band, were too far-fetched from the rest of the aforementioned
record’s sound. While this may be true of the record’s thematic ties,
the ‘70s pop sound they propagate remains.
Lead single “No Exit” is a lo-fi pop dream. It’s the sound of a sultry
house party make out with a cute stranger. Though, it’s less about the
makeout and more about the burst of self-confidence—of elation—
that follows as you make your way back into the crowd. Like the rest
of the album, it’s about letting go and experiencing joy, regardless of
the conflicting feelings that may precede this process.
Next comes “I Miss That Feeling,” an exploration of the synthesis
of anxiety and sexual or romantic pleasure: “Flicker hot and hovering
/ like my own discovering,” sings Alaina Moore “Diamond Rings” is
the most overt departure from Yours Conditionally, gearing more
towards a Joan Jett-esque pop rock ballad that is the most overtly
confrontational of any Tennis song. The guitars gear forward in a
march matched by singer Alaina Moore’s staccato drone.
We Can Die Happy is simple and pretty and rife with languid
sentimentality; an easy listen for a weary heart looking to find peace.
• Trent Warner
Young Jesus
S/T
Saddle Creek
Woe to those poor souls who may approach a band named Young
Jesus hoping for mumblerap and wavy trap beats — this L.A. fourpiece
is the antithesis of an Internet upbringing.
To unpack that idea, Young Jesus’ debut on Saddle Creek sounds
more like a throwback to those patient alt-rock bands of the midto-late
90’s (think somewhere between Bedhead and Duster), where
the formula is composed of bursts of energy followed by meandering
atmospherics.
Composed of seven tracks with one-word titles that fluctuate
between two and 12 minutes, S/T is an goddamn experience. From
the opening strums of the conventionally-constructed “Green,” to
the parting words delivered after the closing beatdown of “Storm,”
the world constructed by Young Jesus is all-encompassing.
Take, for example, the penultimate track “Feeling” — easily the
highpoint of the album. In just under 10 minutes, the listener is
tossed through the motions of undulating guitar, free-form drums,
birdsong, snippets of conversation from unseen participants, and
winding post-rock interludes as vocalist John Rossiter shouts wildly.
It may sound overwhelming, but it’s not. Nothing is done for its
own sake. Everything serves its purpose: to explore the minutiae of
the day-to-day. This seems to be the magic of Young Jesus. The lyrics
aren’t the most clever and the instrumentation, at points, becomes
a little much, but there is something there. It’s not immediately
apparent, but it’s undeniably felt. That alone makes it worth the
listen.
• Alec Warkentin
Yung Lean
Stranger
YEAR0001
Where were you when you first saw the video for “Ginseng Strip
2002?” Shots of a bucket-hatted babyface awkwardly looking at
and lip-syncing to a home-video style camera on the steps of some
modernist office building, then shucking and jiving with Arizona’s on
deck in a grocery story, all while clip-art text flashes the screen?
For many, it immediately posed Jonatan Leandoer Håstad — aka
Yung Lean — as the meme of the hour, destined to go down in the
annals of the Internet history. What we fools didn’t know was that
the foresight and style Yung Lean had then would influence aspiring
Soundcloud rappers for years afterward.
First off, Stranger, Lean’s latest, is no Unknown Death 2002, but
it does follow familiar guidelines: heavy bass with airy, sprite-like
accents and an unwavering commitment to the projection of the
battle-hardened life of a 21-year-old Internet rap phenom.
Candidly, though, it’s not half bad. Yes, the lyrics border cringe at
points but they’re also eerily illustrious and vivid. Such is the case on
tracks like “Agony,” which a bare-hearted Lean opens with: “Take a
pill and go to sleep / I’m chasing witches in the street / I’m the last
page in your book / Can’t write a song, only do hooks.” It’s oddly
intimate, and there are snippets like this all over Stranger’s fourteen
tracks.
If anything, Stranger is simply a testament to the staying power
of “sad boy” hip hop, a kingdom in which Yung Lean still reigns
supreme.
• Alec Warkentin
December 2017

LIVE REVIEWS
Photo by Darrole Palmer
Flying Lotus
The Vogue Theatre
November 20, 2017
A generation of amateur smartphone photographers
and filmmakers have flooded the internet with
blurry images and shaky, distorted sounding videos
of their favourite musicians, disengaging from the
opportunity to share in a genuine and unique live
experience with the performer…it’s annoying. So
how does an artist lure an audience back to the
analog way of enjoying shows through eyeballs
instead of touchscreens? Slap some 3D glasses on
their faces! This past Monday evening, experimental
super producer, Flying Lotus, brought his travelling
3D show to the Vogue, transforming the classic
theatre into a modern cinematheque.
Having recently made his directorial debut earlier
this year with the film Kuso, reviewed by many as
“the grossest movie ever made,” Flylo continues to
experiment with the fusion of sound and vision,
while inadvertently (or blatantly), forcing audience
members to leave their phones in their pockets and
fully immerse themselves in a full on, trippy as fuck,
multimedia experience.
Towering behind a tree trunk of a DJ booth, likely
purchased at a garage sale in the Upsidedown world
of Stranger Things, Captain Flylo took the crowd
on an interstellar space odyssey as floating neon
skulls, terrifying baby heads and pulsating orbs
jutted out from the screen. The tunes were equally
wild and weird. Frantic, disconnected synthesizers
and massive beats morphed into funk, jazz and
hip hop rhythms, creating a melting pot of sounds
that somehow melded into cohesive songs. Or
he was straight up just fucking around and the
colours hurling towards the crowd were too pretty a
distraction to pay attention to the melodies.
Unlike what critics have said about Kuso, no barf
bags were required for Flylo’s 3D show. Despite a few
nausea inducing moments, it was a pretty wicked
time.
• Jeevin Johal
GWAR
The Commodore Ballroom
November 13, 2017
A GWAR show is most definitely a unique
experience. There’s some things you notice as soon
as you step in– the ceiling lights and speakers in
front of the stage dressed in protective plastic, and
concert-goers dressed in white for the anticipated
showering of fake blood/cum/piss that’s soon
to be unleashed upon the venue. Just before the
band hit the stage, the entire room went dark
for a minute as Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” cried
out through the stereo. The band stepped out
in larger than life costumes, ones you still can’t
be entirely sure how they manage to play their
instruments in. And out came frontman Blothar,
sporting a human-sized sword, and galactic moose
antlers on his back. It doesn’t take too far into
their second song, “Hail Genocide”, for him to
decapitate two of his hooded prisoners and send
literal torrents on blood onto the first few lucky
rows of people. Highlights definitely included
the politically current evisceration of President
Trump during “El Presidente”, after focusing a bit
more on the music and getting extra-heavy during
“Bring Back the Bomb”. It is total sensory chaos,
a lot of people attending for the theatrics alone,
which culminated in a sort of intergalactic bossbattle
during “The Sordid Soliloquy of Sawborg
Destructo”, where an approximately ten-foot
tall robot creature is slowly chopped up by the
circular saw-arm wielding Sawborg. If you don’t
mind being soaked in mysterious fluids while
watching what is basically a visual orgy of violence
and perversion, it’s highly recommended that you
see GWAR at least once in your life.
• Ana Krunic
Photo by Darrole Palmer
Photo by Darrole Palmer
King Krule
The Vogue Theatre
November 5, 2017
Four years after the release of his last album,
the elusive King Krule is now headlining
a tour for his recent release The OOZ. At
once familiar and otherworldly, the live
show is everything we’ve come to expect:
heavy, cathartic, and introspective. He barely
addresses the crowd, except to mumble thanks
and to introduce his band. But that’s not to say
he isn’t present: he throws himself into each
song, combining energetic guitar-centric dance
moves with his signature deep, gritty vocals.
Backed by drums, saxophone, bass and guitar,
King Krule blends punk, jazz, and trip-hop
effortlessly to create a sound all his own. The
band stands in a row, rarely interacting with
each other and lit only from behind with
oscillating blues, pinks, oranges and purples.
It’s a minimal setup with maximum payoff, and
each element is intentional. From his lyrics to
his instrumentation, everything you hear is
there for a reason. The crowd is full of devoted
fans, all similar in age to the young twentysomething
musician, singing along to his every
word as if they’ve been waiting for this day
forever – or at least since 6 Feet Beneath the
Moon came out four years ago.
• Jordan Yeager
December 2017 33

NEW MOON RISING
YOUR MONTHLY HOROSCOPE
QUAN YIN DIVINATION
As we enter this month, we move
into the deep and dark waters of
emotion and wisdom with the
yang water element and a marked
absence of fire and earth. In the
Bagua (Chinese compass), north
is the direction associated with
the season of winter, and the yang
water stem compounds this very
dark and cold energy. Think of
the deep and sometimes forceful
nature of the oceans and rivers
— calling for adaptability or the
strength of sheer force to guide you
around obstacles or confront issues
head on. Relentless perseverance
and tenacity are true to the form
of the unstoppable flowing water.
The Rat month in the Rooster
year can be a deeply creative or
a destructive and devastating
combination, depending on how
this combination is used. This is a
perfect time to reveal how water
affects you, as we rarely experience
the water element so purely as this
moon reveals it now.
Rabbit (Pisces):
Respect must be earned, but also
reciprocated. Your kind heart is an asset
but don’t let it get in the way of fair
business agreements. Stand up for yourself
and your community who stand with you.
Dragon (Aries):
Multiple objectives make your time
seem more valuable and your pocket
a little lighter than normal. Be careful
not to overspend on conveniences and
unnecessary expenses.
Snake (Taurus):
Personal growth and self-work can give
you the care you need now. There’s a time
for taking care of number one, and this
season is a good time to put yourself first.
Horse (Gemini):
A change in lifestyle, work, or friendship
leaves you feeling like a fish out of
water. Focus on the new inspiration and
opportunities for growth and change with
a resolute attitude.
Sheep (Cancer):
Let them down easy, but be firm. Conflict
can be productive if it’s used to inspire
healthy change. This one may take
some time to heal but your suffering is
completely optional.
Monkey (Leo):
Familiarity is a luxury you can do without.
The excitement and inspiration of new
people and ideas make the world your
oyster. You are full of optimism, curiosity
and hope for a bright tomorrow.
Rooster (Virgo):
It might be your fault or it might not, but
assigning blame for life’s circumstances
doesn’t change the simple truth that
you’re right where you need to be. Work
diligently to set the record straight.
Dog (Libra):
Work success or failure can leave you
feeling the hero or playing the fool. Keep
your calm under pressure and no one will
question your actions or intentions. Love
flows easily from your open heart now.
Pig (Scorpio):
Your popularity and reputation
get a boost this month as romantic
opportunities or obligations take centre
stage and much of your emotional energy.
Renew and replenish in style as the year
turns.
Rat (Sagittarius):
Feeling overwhelmed? It hasn’t been an
easy year for you, mouse, but feeling sorry
for yourself or playing the victim doesn’t
do you justice. Persevere, strengthen your
resolve, and success is still possible.
Ox (Capricorn):
Good times with family and friends or
a busy work life can tax your time and
energy. Limit your public exposure and
value your private time.
Tiger (Aquarius):
A test of your good character gives you an
opportunity to teach others the wisdom
of correct action. Your grace and poise are
you best asset — smile and courageously
put your best foot forward.
Susan Horning is a Feng Shui Consultant
and Bazi Astrologist living and working in
East Vancouver. Find out more about her
at QuanYin.ca.
34
December 2017

s at u r d ay j a n 2 0
WEEKEND EDITION
c e l e b r i t i e s u n d e r g r o u n d
d a n c e p a r t y
h o s t e d b y ILONA & SOUTH EAST
D J s D E L S TA M P & s k y l a r l o v e