BeatRoute Magazine BC Edition June 2019

Festival Season Starts Now! 

JUNE 2019 

FREE 

Anderson .Paak 

From couch surfing to crowd surfing 

in just 10 years

s 

TO HELP 

YOU LOOK 

JOHNFLUEVOGSHOESGRANVILLEST··WATERST··FLUEVOGCOM

Contents 

MorMor, April 30 at the Biltmore 

Cabaret. Read our review of this show 

and more online at beatroute.ca 

JEREZ CHALLENGER 

Up Front 

4 

6 

9 

11 

The Guide 

Japanese Breakfast serves 

up an indie-pop dream 

at Calgary’s Sled Island 

Festival 

Fashion 

18 Waits puts bands at the 

top of their brand with rock 

and roll apparel 

That’s Dope 

Softgel capsules make for 

convenient anxiety and 

headache relief 

Drink 

Near-beers are here to stay. 

The rundown of Canada’s 

best non-alcoholic beers 

Music 

13 

20 

22 

28 

31 

Concert Previews 

Yungblud, Foxwarren, 

Claypool-Lennon Delirium, 

Sebadoh 

Sled Island Festival 

Calgary’s discovery indie 

music festival slides into 

town 

The Playlist 

All the singles we can’t stop 

listening to this month 

Breakout Festival 

We talk to rapper Saweetie, 

anticipating Canada’s 

biggest hip-hop festival this 

month in Vancouver 

Album Reviews 

Carly Rae Jepsen, Tyler 

The Creator, Hot Chip, Baroness, 

Richard Reed Parry 

and more 


Cover Story 

26 

Festival Season Starts Now! 


From couch surfing to crowd surfing 

in just 10 years 


From couch surfing to 

crowd surfing, the dynamic 

hip-hop/soul artist has accomplished 

all of his goals 

FREE 

Movies|TV 

40 

41 

42 

Travel 

38 

Jim Jarmusch 

A look back at the art-house 

director’s relationship with music 

ahead of The Dead Don’t Die 

John & Yoko: 

Above Us Only Sky 

Netflix documentary shines a 

spotlight on one of history’s 

greatest musical connections 

Rocketman 

Elton John biopic flies high as 

one of the best movies of the 

summer 

Destination: Festival D’éte 

de Québec 

Get ready for one of the longest-running 

music festivals in 

North America on Quebec City’s 

Plains of Abraham 

YVR 

43 

44 

47 

48 

Craft Beer Week 

VCBW The festival celebrates 

10-year milestone with 300+ 

beers, ciders and bands! 

Local Shows 

Andrew Phelan, Corey Hart, 

Chromeo, Lucinda Williams 

Jazz Festival 

Herbie Hancock, The Roots and 

the Wu-Tang Clan to headline 

annual fest 

YVR Agenda 

All the best events happening 

around the city this month 

Plus, This Month in Theatre 

JUNE 2019 BEATROUTE 3

The Guide 

JUNE 

Japanese 

Editor/Publisher 

Michael Hollett 

Senior Editor/ 

Western Canada 

Glenn Alderson 

Creative Director 

Troy Beyer 

Editorial Coordinators 

Jordan Yeager 

Sebastian Buzzalino 

JACKIE LEE YOUNG 

Breakfast 

delivers her 

lo-fi pop feast 

to Sled Island 

Wednesday, June 19 

The #1 Legion (Calgary) 

Sled Island Music Festival 

Japanese Breakfast is the artistic 

alias of Michelle Zauner, serving up 

delicious, artisanal compositions and 

arrangements that are as relaxing on 

the surface as they are emotional in 

content, leaving listeners satiated, but 

not overfilled. 

Zauner got her start in music as a 

15-year-old, touring with bands like 

Little Big League and Post Post before 

moving to Oregon to care for her sick 

mother. When her mother passed away, 

Zauner was faced with an existential 

shift in perspective as well as a 

life-changing shift in career. 

It was in the wake of grief that she 

wrote and recorded Psychopomp, her first 

project as Japanese Breakfast. It was more 

an act of self-care than anything, and no one 

was more surprised than Zauner when there 

was an audience for this personal project. Her 

follow-up release, Soft Sounds from Another 

Planet, came out just over a year later; there’s 

no time to slow down when you’re aware of 

your own mortality. 

Zauner delivers assertive, yet often plaintive 

vocal performances, accompanied by 

tranquil guitar chords and a no-nonsense 

rhythm section. Where instrumentation 

is subtle, her lyricism is heavy-handed, 

grappling with introspective topics like 

loss, mourning and the inevitable passage 

of time. 

Despite its morose subject matter, Japanese 

Breakfast will have you dancing. This is a dish 

that is best served in the intimate confines of 

oversized headphones on a day-dreamy afternoon, 

or on the drive home from Sunday brunch 

with your best mates. 

By TORY ROSSO 

4 BEATROUTE JUNE 2019 

3More 

Sled Island 

Fest coverage, 

page 20 

Contributing 

Writers/ Coordinators 

Maryam Azizli • Sarah Bauer 

Ben Boddez • Sebastian Buzzalino 

Lauren Donnelly • Karina Espinosa 

Kathryn Helmore • Safiya Hopfe 

Kodi Hutchinson • Roban Kerr 

Brendan Lee • Christine Leonard 

Joey Lopez • Trevor Morelli 

Pat Mullen • Johnny Papan 

Tory Rosso • Judah Schulte 

Yasmine Shemesh • Austin Taylor 

Graeme Wiggins • Jordan Yeager 

Contributing Photographers 

& Illustrators 

Kelli Anne • Jerez Challenger 

Bailey Clarke • Erin Cooney 

Jesse DeFlorio • Itai Erdal 

Jimmy Fontaine • Chris Graham 

Chris Graham • Vanessa Heins 

Matilda Hill Jenkins 

Marisa Holmes • Nolan Knight 

Jackie Lee Young • Ryan Mclemore 

John Packman • Darrole Palmer 

Justin Pizzoferrato • Tristan 

Shouldice 

Advertising Inquiries 

Glenn Alderson 

glenn@beatroute.ca 

778-888-1120 

Distribution 

BeatRoute is distributed in 

Vancouver, Victoria, Calgary, 

Edmonton, Winnipeg and 

Saskatoon 

Contact us 

2405 East Hastings St. 

Vancouver, BC 

V5K 1Y8 

e-mail: editor@beatroute.ca 

 

@beatrouteBC 

 

@beatroutemedia 

 

beatrouteBC 

beatroute.ca

UPCOMING SHOWS 

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Fashion 

Legendary Lines 

A 

rock and roll clothing brand with 

music on their minds, 18 Waits was 

inspired by a late night stroll through 

the rainy streets of New York while 

founder and designer Dan Torjman wandered 

the Lower East Side listening to — 

you guessed it — Tom Waits. 

“It was a light bulb moment,” says Torjman. 

“Eighteen has always been my lucky 

number. 18 Waits also sounds good, looks 

18 Waits graphic tees bring Keith, Bob and Willie to amplify your wardrobe By KATHRYN HELMORE 

good and is an homage to Tom.” 

With a dog named Alice Cooper, Torjman 

has been a music junkie his whole 

life. A Canadian company with national 

distribution, 18 Waits outfits us to keep 

rock and roll amplified on the forefront of 

our daily lives. 

Proving fashion is the extension of 

identity and life-long addictions, their 

summer t-shirt collection features some of 

Torjman’s favourite musical icons. 

Simple cotton acts as a canvas for artistic 

renderings of musical monarchs Willie 

Nelson, Keith Richards and Bob Dylan. 

The brand is also teaming up with Toronto 

artist Hieram on June 20 to celebrate 

all things David Bowie with a gallery-style 

show at their flagship store featuring eight 

raw denim jackets, each with iconic Bowie 

imagery painted on the back. 

“Not only are Nelson, Richards, Dylan 

and Bowie musically great,” says Torjman. 

“They paved their own way. They said ‘fuck 

it’ and didn’t hesitate or look back. Regardless 

of the fact that one is a spaceman and 

one a grass smoking Texan, they followed 

the same ethos.” 

You can find 18 Waits at Brooklyn Clothing in 

Vancouver (418 Davie St.) and Calgary (1211 

Kensington Rd. NW) and online at 18waits.com 

6 BEATROUTE JUNE 2019

Meet the Tempo Family 

BC MADE CRAFT GINS AND GIN COCKTAILS 



DAN MANGAN 

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FEBRUARY 7 

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That’s Dope 

THIS MONTH 

IN CANNABIS NEWS 

AND VIEWS 

P 

opping a softgel 

capsule for pain relief 

is not unusual for 

anyone who has ever 

had a headache. 

Now getting a daily 

dose of cannabis 

is as convenient as taking 

your vitamins. 

If you want the healing properties 

of cannabidiol (CBD) 

but don’t want the smell and 

spectacle of smoke, the mess 

of oils or the unpredictability of 

edibles, softgel cannabis capsules 

can be a good option. 

CBD is a naturally occurring 

compound found in cannabis 

heralded for its therapeutic 

properties. It’s non-addictive 

and, unlike THC, it doesn’t get 

you stoned. It can be used 

to treat things like anxiety, 

disordered sleeping, pain and 

disease. 

Softgels are clear, pill-like 

capsules filled with a precise 

dose of cannabis oil, which 

makes them conveniently 

predictable. Edibles aren’t an 

exact science. When baking 

is infused with cannabis you 

never really know what you’re 

going to get when it comes to 

dosing. 

Because softgels are predosed, 

you know exactly what 

you’re getting, and their clear 

capsule shell makes them easy 

for the body to absorb. But, as 

with edibles, good things come to 

those who wait. Softgels can take 

30 to 90 minutes to start working. 

Once they kick in though, the 

effects can be long-lasting –– up 

to 12 hours. 

Depending on your needs, 

IT’S ALL 

STARTING TO GEL 

Softgel capsules deliver a dose of mother nature’s 

medicine without the mess, smell or 

unpredictability 

By LAUREN DONNELLY 

there’s a couple of different 

options to choose from. There are 

THC and CBD varieties that come 

in sativa or indica dominant strains 

so you can determine what suits 

you best. 

Shega Youngsen, a senior manager 

with Tweed, says softgels 

stand out in the cannabis market 

because of their convenient, precise 

format. 

“You can take them on the go, 

so it’s easy to consume if you’re 

traveling.” 

Tweed softgels are extracted 

cannabis oil diluted in MCT oil and 

start at a 2.5 mg dose. Youngsen 

said that it’s a good starting point 

for anyone who’s new or coming 

back to cannabis. For those who 

know what they’re comfortable 

with there’s a 10 mg 

option as well. 

Whereas some edibles are 

just a sugary, high-calorie 

vehicle for cannabis, with 

softgel capsules the ingredients 

are straightforward. 

“Of course infusing cupcakes 

and brownies is fun,” 

Youngsen says. “But what 

makes a softgel special is 

that there aren’t any added 

ingredients.” 

Tweed softgels are available 

at any licensed retailer 

across Canada, but there are 

lots of other options. 

Aurora’s CanniMed line 

produces vegan softgel 

capsules with CBD and THC 

options including Indica and 

Sativa dominant strains. Online 

dispensary Blue + Yellow 

carries softgel capsules 

and delivers to cities across 

Canada. Natural cannabis 

wellness companies Miss 

Envy and Mary’s Medicinals 

also offer cannabis in capsule 

format. 

Softgels are a discreet, 

unfussy alternative to smoking 

or vaping. Maybe they’re 

less rock and roll, but it’s 

hard to argue with convenience. 

,

Drink 

BIG FAT 

ZERO 

THE BEST 0% BEERS IN CANADA 

O’Doul’s 

70 calories, 330 ml 

O’Doul’s is the granddaddy 

of booze-free 

booze. A “de-alcoholized” 

version with less 

then 0.5 per cent has 

been produced by Budweiser 

for decades. 

Tastes the most like 

mainstream brewery 

beer from all of those 

featured here. 

Budweiser 

Prohibition 

160 calories, 473 mls 

Light, fresh and slightly 

bitter, Budweiser’s NA 

entry has classic big 

brewery taste. This 

lighter brew goes best 

with peanuts, a hot dog 

and a game. 

DON’T SAY NAH TO THE NAs 

Offering someone a non-alcoholic beer 

in the past was often met with a smug “What’s the point?” 

The assumption was that someone would only skip “the good 

stuff” if they had to. Wrong. While effective for a booze-free hops 

hit, there are now are plenty of great NA (non-alcoholic) beers with tons 

of taste, all the refreshment and way less calories than the “hard stuff”. 

You don’t have to be vegan to enjoy vegan dishes and you can enjoy an 

NA without renouncing booze. It’s called pacing, maybe a little variety, 

and the non-alcoholic options are better than ever with greater choice 

and broader availability. Here’s BeatRoute’s 

guide to some of the best. 

Erdinger NA 

82 calories 330 ml 

Erdinger is a wheat 

beer that’s hugely 

popular in Germany. 

Big Euro flavour with 

floral hints and natural, 

clean taste with no hint 

of additives. Another 

NA that tastes a lot like 

the “real deal”. 

Grolsch NA 


A tasty take on the 

Dutch treat. The NA 

version of this legendary 

beer from Holland 

hits the flower accent 

hard. It’s a satisfying 

brew that tastes significantly 

different than 

the original. Don’t go 

looking for a Grolsch 

replica. 

By MICHAEL HOLLETT 

Clausthaler 


An excellent German 

lager entry into the 

NA category. Slightly 

sweet with strong 

metallic hop notes, this 

will please those who 

like the grassy European 

lagers. 

0Partake Pale 

0President’s Heineken 0.0 

Choice 


Blonde Brew 

and Red Brew 

Tastes like the “real” 


stuff. Of all the NA 

beers, drinks the 

PC Red and a Blonde 

most like the original. 

Brew are tasty bargains. 

Same great refreshing 

Heineken flavour, 

light taste and the Red 

The Blonde has a great, 

satisfying. Brew has smooth rich 

flavor that could almost 

pass as a Rickards Red. 

Coors Edge 


A big brewery entry 

into the NA market, 

Coors Edge has a light 

clean taste and is a nononsense, 

low calorie 

option. 

Becks NA 


Big German beer taste. 

A relatively hearty beer 

very reminiscent of 

regular Becks. Surprisingly 

low in calories 

yet a full-bodied NA 

choice. 


One of the first “craft” 

entries into the Canadian 

near beer market, 

Partake is already a 

winner of a World Beer 

Award. At only 10 calories, 

this is a winner for 

real beer lovers. They 

also have a blond, IPA 

and stout. 


MUSiC 

My granddad told 

me that the strongest 

thing in this world is love 

and if you spread it, you 

will save human lives. 

It doesn’t matter if you 

save one or a million, 

you’ve succeeded 

at life. 

YUNGBLUD 

ACTUALLY 

DOES GIVE 

A FUCK 

By JORDAN YEAGER 

W 

ith his black eyeliner 

and punk persona, 

Dominic Harrison, 

better known as 

Yungblud, may seem 

intimidating at first 

glance. But the second he cracks 

his wide, genuine smile and says a 

few words in his charming English 

accent, it’s clear the opposite is 

true. 

Harrison grew up in Doncaster 

and moved to London at 16 to pursue 

a creative lifestyle, with more 

than music on his mind. He recently 

announced a comic book collaboration 

with Z2 Comics and Ryan 

O’Sullivan called The Twisted Tales 

of the Ritalin Club. And he wants to 

become an actor. He was featured 

in six episodes of Disney TV series 

“The Lodge” in 2016. 

Obviously, Harrison is adaptable. 

But his sense of self, both personally 

and professionally, wasn’t 

always so cemented. 

CONTINUED ON PG. 16 k 

ERIN COONEY

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PERSPECTIVES 

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MUSiC CONCERT PREVIEWS 

Wheat Kings 

Andy Shauf remains on 

the outside looking in with 

Foxwarren By KATHRYN HELMORE 

A 

ndy Shauf is one of Canada’s 

most talented multi-instrumentalist 

singer-songwriters, 

and he got his start in 

Regina’s unlikely booming 

Christian punk scene. But 

even from within, he never 

would drink the Kool-Aid. 

“The mid-2000s punk scene in Regina 

was about positivity and community with 

a religious tone,” says Shauf. “But when 

it came to the faith, I was kind of following 

along. I tried really hard to get into it, 

but something just didn’t line up 

in my brain.” 

Perhaps this sums up the 

appeal of Shauf’s music. His 

album, The Party (2016), is a 

contemplation on a single night, 

offering minute observations 

of a humanity we all recognize. 

It masterfully weaves together 

ornate arrangements, fuzzedout 

guitars, string sections, clarinets 

and hazy synths. It’s the diary entry of 

wallflowers and outsiders everywhere, 

written in the small hours of the morning 

following a crowded house party. 

“The punk shows of Regina were 

always mix-matched,” says Shauf. “It 

was a mix of metal bands and hardcore 

bands. I was the acoustic emo kid. I’ve 

never been very extreme so I found 

myself just a little out of place.” 

Shauf’s repertoire manages to capture 

the yearning feeling of being “just a little 

out of place.” 

FOXWARREN is (L-R) Darryl Kissick, Dallas Bryson, Avery Kissick and Andy Shauf 

FOXWARREN 

Calgary: 

Saturday, June 1 

Commonwealth Bar 

& Stage 

Vancouver: 

Tuesday, June 4 

Biltmore Cabaret 

Tix: $15-$20 

His latest work with Foxwarren 

is no exception and has 

been ten years in the making. 

Reuniting with high-school 

friends Dallas Bryson and 

brothers Avery and Darryl 

Kissick, Foxwarren released a 

debut self-titled LP in November. 

Compared to Shauf’s solo 

work, the album is artfully 

spacious and wields lyrical ambiguity 

masterfully. Yet, despite the connection 

that comes from a collaboration Shauf 

describes as ‘the Simon and Garfunkel of 

his highschool,’ the words unsaid and the 

chords unplayed carry with them that 

same melancholy sense of otherness. 

“The album did not come out the way 

we expected it to,” says Shauf. “When 

recording, we planned a rock and roll 

album inspired by the Rolling Stones. 

That’s not how it turned out.” 

Shauf’s ethereal, honey-toned voice 

and acoustic guitar melds with eccentric, 

diverse instrumentation. It’s the perfect 

complement to a summer afternoon 

— nostalgic, yet somehow filled with 

conflict. 

Shauf’s music resonates because it 

speaks to our “out of place” sentimentality. 

The chords mirror the touch of frigid 

glass on fingertips as one peers through 

a locked window into a world that is 

seemingly populated by insiders. In capturing 

that sentiment through masterful 

songwriting and instrumentalism, Shauf 

and Foxwarren create an awareness of 

the living and breathing community beyond 

the looking glass. Only time will tell 

if the orchestrators of our awareness, 

Foxwarren, will continue their collaborative 

study of the uncollaborated soul. 

JUNE 2019 BEATROUTE 15 

CHRIS GRAHAM

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ERIN COONEY 

SATURDAY, AUGUST 17 

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YUNGBLUD 

k CONTINUED FROM PG. 13 

“When you don’t know who 

you are and you’re searching for YUNGBLUD 

acceptance, you’re forced to find Friday, June 14 

yourself,” he says. “When you’re Venue Nightclub (Van) 

put in a position where you’re Tix: Sold out 

either going to drown or swim, 

you teach yourself to swim, whether that’s 

through drinking, drugs, sex, or rebellion. 

For me, it was music. I figured out who 

I was and how to talk about my issues 

through songwriting. At first, people told 

me who they thought I should be – they 

thought I should flutter my eyelashes, wink 

at the girls and sing pop music with about 

as much charisma as a pint of water. And I 

did, until I realized how deeply sad I was. It 

was just not enough for me.” 

Thus, Yungblud was born, in an act 

of protest. His first album, 21st Century 

Liability, was a breakout hit, establishing a 

burgeoning international fan base for the 

band. He has even higher hopes for his 

forthcoming release. 

“I love albums like Good Kid, m.A.A.d 

City by Kendrick Lamar and Blonde by 

Frank Ocean that are just so incredibly well 

thought out,” he says. “21st Century is a 

concept album, but it was my first one, so I 

have not nailed it yet. I’m happy I didn’t nail 

it; I have room to grow, I’m learning, and 

I’m excited for this next one. The concept 

is ever-changing, but it’s about the people 

I meet. You’re the best judge of how you 

can be the best you – you don’t have to 

conform to the perception of who people 

think you should be. This album is almost 

a tribute to individualism. I want Yungblud 

to be a community where you can be who 

you want to be no matter what, without 

judgment and without hostility.” 

Yungblud’s message resonates 

with his fans so strongly 

that they’ve formed the Black 

Hearts Club. It’s exactly what 

it sounds like – Harrison has 

a little black heart tattoo, and 

now thousands of others across the globe 

do, too. 

“It’s so crazy that it just happened 

because they felt so connected with me, 

and I felt so connected with them,” says 

Harrison. “That’s the craziest thing I’ve 

ever experienced in my life. We put things 

on our bodies, and now we have a mutual 

connection. It’s like a code. And I didn’t do 

it – it was created by them.” 

Platforms like social media help break 

down the wall between artists and 

audiences and with outlets like the Black 

Hearts Club, Yungblud wants to break 

them down altogether. 

“I ain’t Yungblud the high and mighty, 

the person who’s saving the world,” he 

says. “I’m just a person talking to other 

people about our issues. I’m wrong sometimes, 

and they correct me. And they’re 

wrong sometimes, and I correct them. 

Yungblud is a community, a conversation. 

It’s solidarity, energy and excitement. 

“My granddad told me that the strongest 

thing in this world is love and if you 

spread it, you will save human lives. It 

doesn’t matter if you save one or a million, 

you’ve succeeded at life. And I was like, 

‘Granddad, that’s fucking crazy.’” , 


august 6th, 2019 

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Psych-rock dream team 

Sean Lennon 

talks John and Yoko’s 

essential influence 

and diving South Of 

Reality with Primus 

frontman Les 

Claypool 

By JOHNNY PAPAN 

B 

y the time Sean Ono 

Lennon was born, his 

father, John Lennon, 

music icon and peace 

activist, had already 

embarked on several artistic and 

philosophical evolutions. 

Though Sean’s time with his dad 

was short, it was rich, and the 

majority of his young life, before 

John’s murder, was spent with his 

father at his side, the older Lennon 

having famously decided to 

be a “house husband.” 

“There’s so many things I’ve 

always admired about my dad,” 

Lennon explains. “He never 

stayed the same; I think that’s really 

incredible. If you look at the 

difference between Abbey Road 

and Two Virgins, it’s such a stark 

transformation. He was always 

looking to revise and improve 

his worldview and his thinking. 

I think that is true creativity, and 

it’s true intelligence as well.” 

Lennon was only five years old 

when his father was killed outside 

their home in New York City 

on December 8, 1980, leaving a 

void not only in his life, but the 

lives of millions of music fans and 

activists across the globe. Lennon 

continued being raised by 

his mother, conceptual artist and 

activist Yoko Ono. He learned the 

guitar by playing Beatles songs 

while Ono taught him how to 

record and produce music. Ono 

also influenced Lennon with her 

interpretation of art, which impacted 

him during his formative 

years. 

“She has this philosophy about 

art and creativity that art takes 

place in your mind, and the medium 

in which you express the 

idea is unimportant,” 

Lennon says. 

“It’s secondary. She’s 

never really felt like Tuesday, June 25 

there was a medium The Commodore 

Ballroom (Van) 

she couldn’t do. She 

made films, paintings, 

sculptures, rock 

and roll records. For her, it was all 

just another kind of paint.” 

Now 43, Lennon has drawn 

influence from both his parents. 

His voice is a ghost-like match 

to his father’s, and he explores a 

modernized style of psychedelia 

in his songwriting. He currently 

is part of the Claypool-Lennon 

Delirium, an atmospheric 

rock group formed with Primus 

frontman Les Claypool. The duo 

dropped their second record, 

South Of Reality, earlier this year. 

Many of Lennon’s songs on the 

album read like short stories. The 

first single, “Blood and Rockets,” 

tells of Jack Parsons, a rocket 

scientist and engineer who 

CLAYPOOL- 

LENNON DELIRIUM 

with Jim James 

Tix: $49.50, ticketmaster.ca 

helped develop the 

liquid fuel technology 

that eventually led 

America to the moon. 

Parsons was also 

enamored with the 

occult and practiced 

witchcraft. He died in 

a science experiment explosion. 

“Amethyst Realm” was written 

after Lennon watched a TV report 

about a woman who claimed 

she was having sex with ghosts. 

Much like his father, Lennon’s 

music is decorated with references 

to social discourse. He 

feels that social media has been 

monopolized, and free speech is 

being compromised to the algorithms 

of artificial intelligence. 

Our “connections” have led to 

real-world disconnect, resulting 

in the degradation of human empathy. 

“A lot of my songs tend to be 

based on real life surrealism,” 

Lennon says. “The modern world 

is so bizarre, it almost feels unnecessary 

to make things up 

anymore.” 

It’s clear where Lennon’s extended 

worldview and experiential 

artistic style come from. 

“Some people feel like, in order 

to forge their identity, they 

need to reject their parents entirely,” 

he says. “Some people 

don’t feel that way at all. In my 

case, I was prone towards the 

latter because my dad died when 

I was young. Him disappearing 

from my life amplified my 

desire to be a part of music. It 

was a way of finding some kind 

of solace from the void that was 

left by him not being around. It 

was the only thing that made me 

feel like I was still connecting to 

him.” 

John & Yoko: Above Us Only 

Sky documentary reminds 

BeatRoute’s MIchael Hollett 

of visiting Ono at the Dakota, 

page 41. 


SLED 

ISLA 

ND 

NOLAN KNIGHT 

Sled Island, Calgary’s dynamic discovery 

indie music festival is back for another stacked 

five days. Sled delivers thoughtful, engaging 

and diverse programming that has become a 

focal point for the music and arts community 

in Western Canada. No matter your vibe, Sled 

Island offers entry points for everyone while 

also digging deep enough for new favourites to 

emerge. 

June 19 to 23, 2019 / Various Locations / 

Tix: sledisland.com 

By SEBASTIAN BUZZALINO 


JULIEN BAKER 

SLED ISLAND 2019’s 

GUEST CURATOR 

J 

ulien Baker’s delicate folk 

songwriting feels like a 

long-forgotten favourite 

sweater. She is emotive 

and resilient, leaving wideopen 

spaces for listeners to enter 

her songs and feel right at home, 

tackling tough topics like trauma, 

substance abuse and self-acceptance. 

It’s at once comforting and 

disarming. In 2018, she co-founded 

boygenius, a supergroup of sorts 

with Lucy Dacus and Phoebe 

Bridgers. 

As this year’s guest curator, Baker 

uses her powerful voice to add 

poetry to Sled Island, contributing 

artists such as Bully, Death Bells, 

Japanese Breakfast and JPEG- 

MAFIA to the lineup. We caught up 

with her to talk about the process 

of guest curating the festival, what 

her vision was for the bands she 

brings to Sled Island and how it all 

fits together into the larger picture 

for 2019. 

What was it like to get approached 

by Sled Island to be 

guest curator? 

JB I’ve never done anything similar 

to curating Sled Island or anything 

close to that scale, so being 

approached by the festival was both 

a massive honour and a daunting 

task. It felt like an enormous gift to 

have a say in what kind of acts would 

be brought to the festival and I was 

happy I would get to help create a 

lineup full of artists that bring me so 

much joy. 

I also felt a slight amount of 

apprehension because I wanted 

festival-goers to enjoy and be able to 

engage with the music as much as I 

do. I think it was an exercise for me 

in letting go of suppositions or trying 

to anticipate the desires of others.

What are you most proud of in 

your role as guest curator? 

JB I wanted booking the festival to 

be a more thoughtful process than 

just picking my favourite bands: I 

mostly wanted to make sure that 

there were a variety of experiences 

and narratives presented. So I 

tried to balance things, make sure 

the acts weren’t all completely 

obscure and also that they weren’t 

all within such a similar vein that 

it was alienating to people who 

maybe preferred another genre. 

I tried to view my role as curator 

as a chance to redirect attention 

to the artists that I believe have 

something important to impart to 

people or who have moved me. 

I think I wanted to, in the most 

humble way possible, put music in 

front of people that has affected 

me and that I think could affect 

them in a meaningful way. 

You are Sled Island’s youngest 

guest curator to date. Do 

you feel that allowed you to 

bring a different vibe to guest 

curating? 

JB It was an enormous honour, 

while a little intimidating. I find I’m 

usually a student of those much 

older or much younger than me, 

those who are either much more 

privy to the current or much more 

versed in the past. Both categories 

of people seem to have a 

more comprehensive understanding 

of music’s intricate, constantly 

emerging history. I suppose that is 

true of any person, since no two 

people are going to have the exact 

same musical taste or preference. 

I think one of the great things 

about this festival is that it sort of 

eliminates the stratification between 

those who organize the fest 

and those who attend. It changes 

the format, removes the somewhat 

invisible arbiters of taste who 

curate a lineup and decide what is 

worthy of attention. I think getting 

rid of that perceived superiority 

gap creates a context that seems 

much more intimate and more 

human, the guest curator is just 

offering their individual knowledge 

to the communal awareness, saying, 

“Here is something that feels 

valuable and important and worthy 

to me. I hope that you can derive 

as much joy from it as I have.” To 

me, music has always been an 

exercise in shared curiosity and 

I hope that, if anything, that spirit 

of curiosity and ongoing conversation 

is my contribution to Sled 

Island this year. 

Julien Baker plays Saturday, June 

22 at The Palace Theatre 

4ESSENTIAL 

SHOWS 

3 CASS 

MCCOMBS 


Central United Church 

There’s nothing flat 

about the earthy tones 

of modern troubadour 

Cass McCombs’ 

latest album, Tip of 

the Sphere. After all, 

the California-bred 

singer-songwriter is a 

seasoned professional 

when it comes to 

surveying life’s emotional 

peaks and valleys. 

Armed with a sharp 

ear and a steady hand, 

the politically-minded 

myth-maker draws on 

traditional Western 

rock, folk and punk to 

1 

MAN OR 

ASTRO MAN? 

Saturday, May 22 

Dickens Pub 

A radioactive rock and roll 

juggernaut dedicated to 

bringing the good word 

of science fiction to the 

galaxy, Man or Astro-Man? 

have scoured the globe to 

fill their set with the most 

stimulating sounds and 

diminutive lyrics in the 

known universe. 

Attracting alien species 

from all quadrants with an 

array of zany but airtight 

tracks, their performances 

encapsulate the atomic 

excitement of an Apollo 

2 BULLY 

Friday, June 21 

Palace Theatre 

There’s no better stress 

relief than forming a punk 

rock band and venting 

frustrations with chords 

and kick drums. Alicia 

Bognanno has never 

needed much of an excuse 

to rebel against the 

status quo. As the front 

woman of Nashville’s Bully, 

she’s strapped herself 

into both the driver’s seat 

weave vivid narratives for 

modern times. He’s an 

alt-country architect with 

a pop-coloured vision that 

has been framed out over 

the course of a 10-album 

and 15-year career. Mc- 

Combs has made exploration 

and experimentation 

the crux of his practice. 

Some songs meander 

like lazy rivers while 

others leap and gallop like 

horses fleeing a burning 

stable, but they all reference 

classic Americana. 

For McCombs, it’s not 

about recreating the past, 

but reflecting on a shared 

history in a relatable and 

authentic way. Seductive 

in all its mangy dog 

splendour, McCombs’ 

signature sound with its 

dark humour, harmonic 

brain dumps and counterculture 

root-downs has 

the potential to unclog 

cognitive filters and flood 

the hidden catacombs of 

the human soul. 

Christine Leonard 

splashdown, complete 

with all the rocket-fuelled 

and the producer’s chair 

in order to launch their 

dangerous garage rock 

dreams into the stratosphere. 

Brave enough to 

expose wounds old and 

fresh, Bognanno channels 

her excess angst 

and energy on the stage 

and in the studio. After 

five years of slogging 

it out, the heavy hooks 

and hard turns that have 

defined Bully’s rough 

exterior are more than 

4 RAPSODY 

Thursday, June 20 

Palace Theatre 

Rapsody (aka Marlanna Evans) 

is a modern hip-hop enigma. The 

rapper grew up in the small town 

of Snow Hill, NC, and did not 

discover her love of hip-hop until 

she entered college. No matter 

if Evans was a late bloomer, she 

has germinated and taken root 

in the music scene, establishing 

herself as a smooth, 

sophisticated emcee, known 

for her elaborate rhyme 

configurations, wordplay and 

metaphors. 

Her sophomore release, 

Laila’s Wisdom (2017), was 

met with critical acclaim and 

saw her collaborating with 

some of hip-hop’s biggest stars, 

including Anderson .Paak, J. Cole, 

H.E.R. and Kendrick Lamar. Channeling 

chill west coast vibes from 

g-funk-era soul samples with the 

raw grit, bounce and technicality 

of east coast production, 

Rapsody delivers an authentic 

blend of hip-hop 

and R&B. Tory Rosso 

antics fans have come to 

expect from these punk 

just crude devices. Bully 

rules the hallways with a 

strict DIY dress code of 

fuzzy guitars and neon 

screams that go beyond 

the easy 90s Seattle 

scene comparisons. 

Warmed by the glow of 

Bognanno’s fiery lyrics, 

the band’s stripped down 

style sets aside the 

artificial and allows their 

naked skills to shine 

through the noise, grunge 

and glamour. 


rock kosmonauts. 

Roll over, Dick Dale! 

Here we have mercurial 

surf guitar mechanics with 

instrumental ranges that 

rival those slick-haired 

stringbenders of the early 

60s. Claiming the dance 

floor as their personal 

Area 51, this Tesla-coil 

crew sets the scene for 

close encounters with the 

light fantastic. Undeniably 

catchy, Man or Astro-Man?’s 

nimble picking 

and rumbling rhythms are 

the perfect soundtrack for 

a high-octane dune buggy 

rally or just another day of 

watching UFOs crash into 

the ocean. Life’s a beach. 



SKYE WALLACE/JOH PACKMAN CRACK CLOUD/ MATILDA HILL JENKINS 

the Playlist: 

10 

1 

Skye Wallace 

There Is A Wall 

With a classically-trained vocal 

delivery that ranges from folksy to 

full-fledged rock and roll frontwoman, 

Wallace is out for blood on this 

assertive single that calls out the 

barriers to female success. 

2 

Crack Cloud 

The Next Fix 

Vancouver multimedia punk outfit 

Crack Cloud switch up their style 

with a half-rapped track that 

serves as a dedication to victims of 

the opioid crisis. The music video 

is as much of a journey as the song 

itself. 

3 Loving 

Nihilist Kite Flyer 

The Victoria indie rock band 

returns with a calming single about 

getting lost in life’s simple joys. Go 

fly a kite and forget about your 

responsibilities. Like they say, who 

needs a meaning? 

4 

Ed Sheeran & 

Justin Bieber 

I Don’t Care 

We know you’ll get sick of this one 

as soon as it works its way onto every 

“chill summer” Spotify playlist, 

but for now enjoy it for what it is 

- another inoffensive and inescapable 

earworm from Swedish pop 

mastermind Max Martin 

5 

The Black Keys 

Go 

With an accompanying video that 

pokes fun at the tensions between 

the duo during their musical hiatus, 

they return to doing what they do 

best. A little heavier than usual, 

indulge in the crunchy garage rock 

goodness. 

songs in heavy rotation at the BR offices right now 

1 2 6 8 

5 

DJ Khaled 

drops “another 

one” with his 

release of 

Father of 

Asahd. 

7 

6 

Denzel Curry 

SPEEDBOAT 

The aggressive and technically 

skilled rapper takes an unexpected 

turn with a somber piano 

instrumental … that he of course 

proceeds to tear to shreds anyway, 

shouting out his late roommate 

XXXTENTACION on the way. 

Check out the rest of Curry’s new 

album, ZUU, just released! 

7 

DJ Khaled 

Higher 

9 

(Ft. Nipsey Hussle & John Legend) 

The last song Nipsey Hussle ever 

recorded, he drops some chillingly 

prophetic bars as John Legend 

brings some gospel flavour to the 

hook. All proceeds from the track 

go to Hussle’s family. 

8 

Tyler, the Creator 

EARFQUAKE 

(Ft. Playboi Carti & Charlie Wilson) 

It almost seems wrong to listen to 

IGOR as anything but a complete 

album experience, but this synthfunk 

tune is the closest thing on 

the project to a pop hook that will 

never get out of your head. Igor’s 

falling in love. Check out the full 

review of the album on page 32! 

9 Alexisonfire 

Complicit 

We knew that 2012 “Farewell Tour” 

wasn’t really the end. Their second 

single this year after a seven-year 

hiatus, the Canadian emo-hardcore 

giants return with similarly catchy 

guitar riffs but heavier, more growled 

vocals dominating the track. 

10 

Charli XCX 

Blame It On Your Love 

(Ft. Lizzo) 

A more radio-friendly rework of 

“Track 10” from Charli’s experimental 

pop opus Pop 2, she adds some 

sugary synthpop flavour and a fun 

verse from breakout star Lizzo. “I 

HOPE THIS BECOMES UR NEW 

PARTY ANTHEM,” she tweeted. 

VANESSA HEINS 


Tickets on sale now! 

JESSIE REYEZ • BAHAMAS • SERENA RYDER 

HALF MOON RUN • A TRIBE CALLED RED • WINTERSLEEP 

DEAR ROUGE • PEACH PIT • SHAD • JOCELYN ALICE • FOXWARREN 

COSMO SHELDRAKE • FAST ROMANTICS • SCENIC ROUTE TO ALASKA 

FRED PENNER • THE JERRY CANS • ART D’ECCO • THE BOOM BOOMS 

SARAH MACDOUGALL • LUCA FOGALE • daysormay 

PARKER BOSSLEY• JESSICKA • THE SUNSET KIDS 

HUNTING • BEGONIA • THE MODELOS 

SAM LYNCH • TAYLOR JAMES 

THE OOT N’ OOTS • THE KWERKS 

CAT MADDEN 

lineup subject to change 

MEDIA SPONSORS 

MONSTER 

DAYS 2019 

GREAT 

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0% FINANCING 

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Vogue 

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voguetheatre.com 

NORTH VANCOUVER 

1363 Main St. 

(604) 986-0911 

Media partner 

HAHAHA.COM 


CHECK OUT THE RECORD THAT HAS EVERYONE TALKING 

Mojo Magazine 

4 Stars 

Planet Rock 

“…A deep, deep 

record” 

LA Weekly 

“…now it’s Duff’s 

time to shine.” 

Hot Press 

9★ “…a stunningly 

powerful album” 

CD & LP avaialble 05.31.19 

MOVING 

STILL Performative 

Photography 

in India THROUGH SEPT 2, 2019 

This exhibition is organized by the Vancouver Art Gallery, an initiative of the Institute of Asian Art and curated by Diana Freundl, Associate Curator of Asian Art and 

Gayatri Sinha, Independent Curator and founder of Critical Collective 

Visionary Partners for the Institute of Asian Art: 

Liu Bao, Wang Ying and Liu Manzhao 

Visionary Partners for Photography Exhibitions: 

Miles, Maureen and Larry Lunn 

With additional support from: 

The Institute of Asian Art Development Committee 

Dr. Hari Sharma Foundation 

[left to right] Umrao Singh Sher-Gil, Sisters in bed, c. 1932, modern silver gelatin print with selenium toning, Courtesy of PHOTOINK; Pushpamala N, Sunhere Sapne (Golden Dreams), 1998, hand-tinted black and white photograph, Shumita & Arani Bose Collection, NY; 

Gauri Gill, Untitled from Acts of Appearance series, 2015–ongoing, archival pigment print, Courtesy of the Artist; Naveen Kishore, Performing the Goddess: Chapal Bhaduri Story, 1999, inkjet print, Courtesy of the Artist 

MovingStill_BeatRoute_1/2Page-Ad.indd 1 


2019-05-21 11:58 AM


IN LOU 

WE TRUST 

Fiercely Democratic 

Indie Rockers Sebadoh 

Strike the Perfect Balance 

on Act Surprised 

By KARINA ESPINOSA 

L 

ou Barlow is at home in 

Greenfield, Massachusetts, 

struggling to speak over 

the sounds of high-pitched 

giggles and little footsteps 

scurrying in and out of the 

background. His two youngest kids 

are having a playdate, and every now 

and then the Sebadoh frontman has 

to abruptly stop what he’s saying to 

address his tiny intruders. But his 

tone is playful, and you can almost 

hear Barlow grinning on the other 

end of the line. 

It would be easy to forget that 

this same person helped shape the 

mood and sound for an entire movement 

in the 90s. When Sebadoh released 

indie rock gems like Bubble & 

Scrape (1993) and Bakesale (1994), 

you could feel the crushing weight of 

emotional ambivalence reflected in 

the delicate yet discordant music. Of 

course, these records were written 

during the band members’ tenuous 

20s. But Barlow happily reports that 

he’s since reached a stable period in 

his life, which made it possible for 

Sebadoh to create one of their most 

refined albums to date. 

“It gave me a chance to really concentrate 

on the texture of the record 

and how we were going to record it,” 

he says. “There were a lot of ideas 

that I was able to follow through with. 

When I’ve written and recorded music 

in transitional times, it was hard 

to do the basic structural work that it 

takes to make a really good record.” 

Act Surprised, Sebadoh’s first fulllength 

work in six years, arrived May 

24. Lead single “Celebrate the Void” 

explores the band’s familiar theme of 

anxiety, but it isn’t despondent; instead, 

the song urges you to take everything 

in stride. About a year ago, 

Barlow was recovering from a shattered 

collarbone, he had slipped on 

some ice while carrying his youngest 

child. The timing couldn’t have been 

worse: his other band, Dinosaur Jr., 

was just about to reunite for a tour. 

His mishap also came on the heels of 

a divorce, and the prospect 

of losing income from tour 

SEBADOH 

band in a new direction, 

Barlow, along with guitarist 

cancellations was a constant 

Saturday, June 1 

Jason Loewen- 

source of panic. 

“It was like my worst 

Fox Cabaret 

Tix: $25, ticketweb.ca 

stein and drummer Bob 

D’Amico, commissioned 

nightmare was coming 

long-time acquaintance 

true,” he says of the accident. “At the 

same time, my 13-year-old daughter 

was going through some really intense 

personal changes – it was just a very 

overwhelming period of time. But I 

think I realised that I was going to have 

to live through it. The most important 

thing to do in that situation was to relax 

and move forward and let go of the 

idea that I’d ever have an easy resolution 

to everything.” 

It was a turning point for Barlow, 

and for Sebadoh. Hoping to steer the 

Justin Pizzoferrato to produce Act 

Surprised. His technical expertise 

was hugely beneficial for the trio. 

“We were able to zero in on the creative 

side of things, which was what 

I always wanted for the band,” says 

Barlow. This balance is clear from 

the three singles released so far: 

“Stunned,” “Raging River,” and “Celebrate 

the Void” are classic Sebadoh 

head bangers and showcase the band 

at its most powerful. 

“We’d been touring for a long time 

together, so the core of the band was 

always electric. I think we knew what 

our strengths were and we made an 

album that was the most representative 

of what we were capable of as a 

three-piece rock band.” 

If there’s one thing Sebadoh truly 

excels at, it’s maintaining an equal relationship 

between all three members. 

It explains why they’ve lasted so long 

and why they may never break up. 

“We’ve always been a fiercely democratic 

band. It can be difficult, because 

people tend to want to take all 

control or very little,” Barlow laughs. 

“To negotiate that middle ground is 

challenging, but for Sebadoh it only 

made sense that everyone’s voice was 

heard.” , 

JUSTIN PIZZOFERRATO

PAAK M 

MUSiC COVER STORY 

Friendships fuelled 

Anderson .Paak’s 

transition from the 

streets to the stage 

and studio 

By Joey Lopez 


AN A nderson .Paak moved from couch 

surfing to crowd surfing in 10 

short years, becoming one of this 

decade’s most important and respected 

hip-hop and soul singers. 

His star continues to rise, as his 

latest stacked world tour demonstrates 

with guest appearances from acts 

like Thundercat, Vince Staples and Earl 

Sweatshirt. 

.Paak was homeless, bouncing from 

couch to couch just a decade ago while 

pursuing his music dreams, relying on 

relationships he built in the LA music 

scene to keep afloat. Never having a place 

of his own but always a place to go, .Paak 

was given the support to go from being an 

unknown musician to a Grammy-nominated 

superstar. 

“My close friends were always letting 

me use their studio or letting me use their 

couch. If I didn’t have those 

relationships I don’t know if I 

would’ve been able to get over 

that bridge,” says .Paak, soft 

spoken and clearly drained two 

weeks into his Best Teef In the 

Game tour. 

Although he’s exhausted, that doesn’t 

keep .Paak from enthusiastically running 

with every question; delivering each answer 

with excitement and humble honesty. 

On his life before fame, he doesn’t speak 

of himself, but of the people who loved 

him. 

“When I didn’t have a spot of my own it 

was the people around me who were like, 

‘You’re super dope, we love you. You can 

stay here and what I have is yours.’ I think 

that’s what determines if people are going 

to give up or keep going, those relationships.” 

If not for the support, .Paak wouldn’t 

have released his debut album Venice, 

which earned him the attention of his 

longtime hero Dr. Dre. After hearing an impromptu 

freestyle from .Paak, Dre featured 

him on Compton (2015). Three years later, 

Dre was producing .Paak’s outstanding 

back-to-back acclaimed releases. Oxnard 

was a banging hip-hop record that allowed 

.Paak to experiment with his own unique 

rap flow, dropping the soul grooves for a 

gritty hip-hop production. Ventura, a return 

to form with a heavy focus on soul and 

beautiful instrumentals from his band, The 

Free Nationals. 

The process was a loaded one with 

“ 

When I didn’t have 

a spot of my own 

it was the people 

around me who 

were like, ‘You’re 

super dope, we 

love you. You can 

stay here and what 

I have is yours.” 

ANDERSON .PAAK 


PNE Amphitheatre (Van) 

Tix: $59.50, ticketmaster.ca 

help from legends in the game, including 

the prolific André 3000. .Paak’s laughter 

breaks through a yawn when talking about 

3000. 

“There’s so much that goes into one 

verse because that’s not just a verse to 

him, it’s like a whole album. Even after we 

got it, it wasn’t over because he called and 

was like, ‘I don’t know if I should be on the 

song. I don’t know if I did a good job.’ and I 

was like, ‘The fuck are you talking about?’ 

We had to have a little pep talk and even 

when it was about to release he still was 

doubting it and I had to reassure him, but 

now it’s done.” 

Getting a single verse from 3000 was 

a year-long process, but .Paak says it’s 

one of the craziest verses he’s ever heard. 

Viewing him as a hermetic legend, .Paak 

felt lucky despite the ordeal. 

Big name collaborations have been a 

part of a series of goals .Paak 

set for himself. Back when 

he was living in Kentucky, he 

laid his dreams out, making a 

promise to himself that with 

his debut album he would sell 

10,000 records, buy the clothes 

he wanted, a new car, make a million 

bucks and then make it big. He’s taken the 

time to look back on his accomplishments 

and says he’s realizing it’s time for the next 

logical step. 

“I had all these things working out and 

I turned around and was like, ‘What the 

fuck? You did all of this shit?’ So it was 

time to make a new goal: After this tour, I 

really want to hop on the production shit, 

helping other artists; helping them write 

and helping them produce.” 

He measures his words, falling silent 

between answers to give each one proper 

thought. “I feel like I’ve just been putting 

out music, so now I just want to lay low.” 

In particular, .Paak wants to help his 

band, The Free Nationals, in their journey 

to becoming a powerful entity and breaking 

out on their own. The band has been 

a huge source for his signature soul and 

groove sound. 

Beyond the artistry, the touring, the 

Grammy nominations and critical acclaim 

he is Brandon Paak Anderson; father 

of Soul Rasheed Anderson and Shine 

Anderson. His two sons are his biggest inspiration 

to take a step back from touring 

and songwriting. 

“Touring and putting on shows is great, 

but I also want to be my best self, so that’s 

what I want to keep building on and not 

just being a performer. I also have to get 

that family time. I have two sons back 

home and they’re absolutely beautiful, 

man.” 

.Paak began humbly with nothing but 

a pearlescent smile and an undeniable 

talent. Now famous for both, he is one of 

the most exciting acts in music today. The 

happiness and contentment is apparent in 

the way he speaks; knowing he has a story 

he’s enthusiastic to tell. 

There might not be any new music from 

.Paak in the near future, but expect to see 

his name plastered on producer credits 

between now and his next highly anticipated 

release. ,

FESTIVAL PREVIEWBREAKOUT 

HOW 

SAWEET 

IT IS 

Saweetie is just 

one of the many 

female rappers 

creeping onto 

the charts right 

now. As someone 

who spent 

her early years 

idolizing Nicki 

Minaj, this shift excites the 

rising west coast star. 

“I was inspired by her being 

unapologetically herself. 

SAWEETIE at 

BREAKOUT 

FESTIVAL 

Sunday, June 15 & 16 

PNE Amphitheatre 

Tix: $99-$149 (single day), 

$149-$269 (2 day pass) 

Being a woman in the hip-hop 

industry, we’re often criticized 

for anything,” Saweetie 

says, explaining she’s been 

criticized for being too 

“bubblegum” and for talking 

explicitly about her sexuality. 

Saweetie credits social 

media as a big help to her career. 

Her first hit, “ICY GRL,” 

was originally a freestyle 

rapped in her car that she 

posted to Instagram. 

“Social media is where 

I hustled, because social 

media is the new way of 

passing out your mixtape on 

the street.” 

Her series of “car raps” 

was originally just for fun, but 

quickly turned into something 

that resonated with people, 

much to Saweetie’s surprise. 

“My music is growing faster 

than me as an artist,” she 

says. “I’m trying to play catch 

up. I didn’t expect all this to 

happen so quickly.” 

Now that her meteoric rise 

has caught her off guard, 

Saweetie plans to spend time 

in the studio honing in and 

discovering her sound before 

she feels ready to come out 

with a debut album. While 

quite a few of her standout 

tracks have paid homage to 

rap hits of the past through 

samples and interpolations, 

she’s planning to switch that 

up. 

“I think I’m gonna focus 

on more original 

beats,” she says. 

“Tapping into my 

creativity and 

really starting from 

scratch is very 

important to me, 

so moving forward 

I could find myself 

doing more beats that sound 

like a Saweetie sound.” 

But her success can 

sometimes be the very thing 

preventing her from doing 

that work. 

“My project’s doing 

really well, so I keep getting 

booked. My schedule is so 

full of photoshoots and travelling 

and doing interviews 

like these. But eventually I’d 

like to go back to my roots, 

back to the studio and find 

out what that sound is.” 

Saweetie is in a high-profile 

relationship with Migos 

star Quavo, who she says has 

spent a lot of time helping 

her navigate the waters of 

the hip-hop industry and become 

a more versatile artist. 

“I’m a very soft-spoken, 

laid-back person, and that 

comes across in my music. 

However, not every song can 

sound like that.” 

Saweetie says Quavo has 

helped her step out of her 

comfort zone, becoming 

more aggressive at times 

and even singing on a couple 

tracks. He appears twice on 

her latest EP. 

Saweetie is the only female 

rapper performing at Vancouver’s 

third iteration of the 

Breakout Festival, but she’s 

not letting that faze her. If 

anything, it just motivates her 

even more. 

“Me and my girls have a 

bomb-ass show,” she says. 

“I’m very excited to represent 

for the females.” 

By BEN BODDEZ

JIMMY FONTAINE 

5MUST-SEE 

1 

A$AP ROCKY 

A year after the release of 

the psychedelic and experimental 

TESTING, the leader of 

A$AP Mob is back to headline 

Breakout Festival. Rocky has 

gotten progressively more artistic 

in his career, venturing into 

the world of big-name fashion 

and collaborating with acts like 

FKA Twigs and Frank Ocean 

Ocean. 

2 

RAE SREMMURD 

The hit-making brother 

duo of Swae Lee and Slim 

Jxmmi had another enormous 

year promoting their expansive 

triple-disc album SR3MM, 

grabbing a prime spot opening 

for Childish Gambino’s final 

tour and coasting off huge club 

singles like “Powerglide” and 

“Guatemala.” Prepare for a lot of 

energy on stage. 

3 

LIL BABY AND GUNNA 

While assigned to separate 

sets, you can’t often find one of 

these artists without the other. 

Both protégés of the trap music 

trailblazer Young Thug, the two 

achieved their biggest success 

yet with collaborative album 

Drip Harder in 2018. Expect 

some crossover between the 

two at the festival. 

4 

RICH THE KID 

The Haitian rapper was a 

force in the underground scene 

before breaking through to the 

mainstream in 2018 with his 

first studio album, The World Is 

Yours, which spawned hits “New 

Freezer” with Kendrick Lamar 

and “Plug Walk.” Its sequel, The 

World Is Yours 2, was released 

in March and will factor heavily 

into his set. 

5 

BREAKOUT 

SHOWS 

LIL SKIES 

One of the many young 

artists leading a new wave of 

pop-punk influenced melodic 

rap tunes, the 20-year-old Lil 

Skies has already hit the Billboard 

charts multiple times with 

his woozy and somber tracks. 

Unlike most of his contemporaries, 

Skies’ emotional delivery 

is completely authentic – no 

Auto-Tune here. 

RIO 

THEATRE 

1660 EAST BROADWAY 

JUNE 

5 

JUNE 

6 

JUNE 

7 

JUNE 

8 

JUNE 

9 

JUNE 

10 

JUNE 

11 

JUNE 

12 

JUNE 

13 

JUNE 

14 

JUNE 

16 

MAY 

18 

JUNE 

20 

JUNE 

22 

JUNE 

25 

JUNE 

Double Bill! 

Jackie Chan 

POLICE STORY 1 & 2 

Paul Anthony’s 

TALENT TIME 

Psychedelic Summer Trip! 

Dario Argento’s 

DEEP RED 

Friday Late Night Movie 

The Geekenders Present 

DISNEY BIG BAND 

BURLESQUE 

Free Screening!!! 

THE WIZARD OF OZ 

An Evening With 

STORMY DANIELS 

Federico Fellini’s 

LA STRADA 

STORY STORY LIE 

Championships! 

The Gentlemen Hecklers Present 

STARSHIP TROOPERS 

Double Bill! 

SUSPIRIA 

Dario Argento’s (1977) 

Luca Guadagnino’s (2019) 

GAME OF THRONES: LIVE 

Fire and Ice, Ice, Baby! 

*Also June 15 

Nicolas Cage 

MANDY 

Friday Late Night Movie 

L’INFERNO (1911) 

With Live Score Performed By 

MAURIZIO GUARINI (of Goblin) 

The Fictionals Comedy Co. Presents 

IMPROV AGAINST HUMANITY 

Maple Magic 

25th Anniversary Screening 

REALITY BITES 

GREASE 

Sing-a-long! 

35th Anniversary Screening 

PURPLE RAIN 

26 

JUNE 

THE CRITICAL HIT SHOW 

A #DNDLive Improv Comedy Adventure 

*www.riotheatre.ca for additional times 

COMPLETE LISTINGS AT WWW.RIOTHEATRE.CA 

S 



SOLD OUT 

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FRI 7 

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MOIRA KELLY 

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FOR MORE INFORMATION GO TO WWW.BILTMORECABARET.COM

Reviews 

MUSiC 

Album Review 

CARLY RAE JEPSEN 

Dedicated 

INTERSCOPE 

Emotion reinvented Carly Rae Jepsen 

as more than just a candy-coated 

pop star and established her as an 

album-oriented artist that even indie 

kids could get down with. 

Dedicated is a well crafted synth 

pop album that is more of a grower 

than a show-er. It has its share of 

dance floor-ready tracks like “Now 

That I Found You” and “Party For One,” 

and even though they lack the sugar 

rush of “I Really Like You” or the massive 

hook of “Boy Problems,” Jepsen 

boasts an adrenaline fuelled collection 

of upbeat songs that will have you 

humming along. 

The production sticks to familiar 

territory with its disco- and 

80s-influenced mid-paced tracks 

that edge towards R&B. The skatinged 

“I’ll Be Your Girl” is a bit 

more experimental and boasts a 

monstrous chorus. 

Jepsen has a knack for keeping 

things in that enjoyable sweet 

spot, staying danceable without 

forcing listeners to get out on the 

floor. Before the album’s release, 

she said she wanted to make 

music to clean her house to; Dedicated 

stays true to that intention. 

One of Jepsen’s strengths is 

her ability to portray the nervous 

excitement of a new relationship, 

or of waking up next to someone 

you love. Dedicated continues this 

tradition with album highlight “Real 

Love,” and even amps up the thirst 

with “Want You In My Room.” It’s 

an album filled with her characteristic 

portrayal of longing. 

While it would be nice to have a 

couple monster singles or daring 

experiments to take this album 

to the next level, when you do 

what she does so well, sometimes 

playing it safe is okay too. 

Jepsen kicks off her Canadian 

tour at the Commodore Ballroom 

in Vancouver on August 28 and 

29. 

Best Track: Right Words 

Wrong Time 

Graeme Wiggins 


MUSiC ALBUM REVIEWS 

TYLER, 

THE CREATOR 

IGOR 

Columbia Records 

It’s rare to see a complete career 

reinvention like what Tyler, the 

Creator has pulled off. From the 

early criticisms of his intentionally 

shocking horrorcore rap all the way 

to the lush and vibrant Flower Boy, 

Tyler has always aimed to surprise 

and elicit strong emotions in his 

audience. 

His latest project, IGOR, comes 

with a written instruction manual 

asking fans to concentrate on the 

album and play it straight through 

with as little distraction as possible. 

And it’s easy to stay focused because 

Tyler’s story is a compelling 

one. We hear the Igor character 

experience some complicated and 

confusing emotions for the first 

time as he falls in love with a man, 

becomes violently angry when his 

love interest becomes involved with 

a girl, and finally realizes what he’s 

become, getting over the crush and 

hoping to remain friends. 

With a wildly talented list of 

collaborators that includes all of 

Tyler’s greatest idols and influences 

– Santigold, Pharrell Williams, Kanye 

West and more – the sound of the 

project is essentially a much darker, 

more distorted Flower Boy. 

On IGOR, Tyler plays around with 

the sunny synths of his last work 

and shows how far he’s come as a 

producer in the interim. Take Tyler’s 

advice and really dive into this one. 

It’s a dense but rewarding listen. 

Best Track: I THINK 

Ben Boddez 

HOT CHIP 

A Bath Full of Ecstasy 

Domino 

With A Bath Full of Ecstasy, the 

indie-infused electronic group from 

London returns in a symphonic 

smash of bangers, leaving listeners 

longing for more. Lucky number 

seven on a discography that dates 

back to 2004, the album is a 

refined array of synth pop anthems 

reminiscent of 80s and 90s electro. 

It’s an album that feels complete, 

with an attention to detail that 

allows each song room to breathe 

in their often five or six-minute 

run-times. 

Lead-vocalist, Alexis Taylor, 

manages to transcend himself 

with a performance that drives 

and complements layered synths, 

heavy drum-beats and crisp major 

piano chords. Lyrically, the album 

is a love song that doesn’t specify 

a target. The sometimes repetitive, 

chart friendly words echo and roll 

off Taylor’s tongue in a psychedelic 

sort of poetry. 

For years, Hot Chip has been 

known for their unique take on 

electronic music that varies from 

song to song and album to album, 

but A Bath Full of Ecstasy feels like 

a decisive, colourful line in the sand 

that says, finally: This is us. 

Best Track: Hungry Child 

Brendan Lee 

BARONESS 

Gold & Grey 

Abraxan Hymns 

From the opening rays of “Front 

Towards Enemy,” it’s obvious 

Baroness has risen from their own 

ashes and come to flourish in the 

aftermath of a tour bus crash that 

left the Savannah, Georgia-based 

heavy metal entity twisted and 

broken. 

Leading the charge, guitar god 

John Baizley returns to the limelight 

with a fury. The subject of much 

interest and speculation, Gold & 

Grey presents a band that has been 

reinvigorated by the synergistic 

presence of incoming guitarist Gina 

Gleason. 

Boasting 17 indefatigable 

tracks, the dual-toned album shifts 

smoothly between singles like 

the sinuous “Seasons” and the 

hyper-observant “Borderlines.” A 

naturally intense Baizley perpetuates 

his examination of the human 

condition with a long-absent sense 

of wonder and even enjoyment on 

“Broken Halo” and “Throw Me an 

Anchor.” 

A gallery of layered vocals 

and intricate rhythmic patterns 

elevate “I Would Do Anything” and 

“Pale Sun” to a level of excellence 

commensurate with visual artist 

Baizley’s jaw-dropping album cover 

murals. 

Best Track: Seasons 


RICHARD 

REED PARRY 

Quiet River of Dust Vol. 2: 

That Side of the River 

Secret City 

Though we all know him best as 

the guy from Arcade Fire with the 

iconic side-part, Richard Reed Parry 

has proven his versatility through 

multiple solo records and collaborations 

outside of his internationally 

adored indie rock band. 

Last year, Quiet River of Dust 

Vol. 1 invited listeners into an ambient 

space with a strong songwriting-oriented 

core. The sequel – Vol. 

2 – brings that layered liminality to 

new heights. Parry explores such 

illusive constants as time and the 

vessels we inhabit. 

Quiet River of Dust Vol. 2 hints 

at the fluidity of slowly moving 

water, rippling, flowing and building 

toward the intensity of a strong 

current. Varied instrumental tones 

are subtly and effortlessly layered 

around repetitive rhythms and 

melodies, creating a wavelike aura 

of both escalation and consistency 

throughout each track. 

Despite this emphasis on atmosphere, 

the heart of the album is 

Parry’s poetry. However abstract, 

each verse clearly follows a core 

metaphysical theme of absorption, 

release and acceptance in life’s 

flowing tides. The result is steady 

and dreamlike. 

Best Track: Long Way Back 

Safiya Hopfe 

SKEPTA 

Ignorance is Bliss 

Boy Better Know Records 

With rumbling bass and rapid-fire 

flows, UK’s Skepta continues to 

show why he’s the leading voice in 

the grime game with his return to 

form on Ignorance Is Bliss. Skepta’s 

2016 album, Konnichiwa, was a 

major catalyst towards alerting 

a North American audience to 

the presence of grime music – a 

menacing and aggressive style of 

techno-influenced rap based out 

of the UK. 

Skepta’s rise to prominence 

even got him a premium placement 

on a Drake project, but you won’t 

hear the 6 God on this outing. Now, 

the top dog from South London 

stands out on his own and his bark 

is as badass as his bite. Skepta 

returns with another solid series 

of tracks that doesn’t necessarily 

reinvent the wheel, but impresses 

nonetheless due to his dominance 

of his own lane and his signature 

cadence. 

Skepta’s bluntly descriptive lyrics 

pair well with his all-out attack on 

any kind of instrumental, while his 

subtle flow switches sneak up and 

catch you off guard. Skepta also 

outshines every one of his guests, 

which include Key! and Wizkid, with 

ease, proving that while the genre 

continues to evolve, Skepta is still 

holding court. 

Best Track: Redrum 

Ben Boddez 


RICHARD AUCOUN 

Releasee 

Haven Sounds 

FLYING LOTUS 

Flamagra 

WARP RECORDS 

If you’re not smiling by the end of 

Nova Scotia beat-blender Rich 

Aucoin’s new album, Release, your 

face is on too tight. 

At times expansive, at others, 

exhilarating, Aucoin has crafted an 

engaging electro-exploration that 

could serve as a soundtrack to 

the next Timothée Chalamet film. 

You’ll go places that are sometimes 

unsettling but ultimately, there’s a 

happy, at least, hopeful ending. 

Aucoin repurposes 80s synthpop 

influences and wraps them 

in lush layers of surging sound. 

Fellow Haligonian Jenn Grant 

helps on vocals and Broken Social 

Scene’s Justin Perfoff lends a hand 

on drums. Aucoin continues to 

deliver on his early promise with 

this, his third album. Solid recordings 

along with a transcendent live 

shows means Aucoin’s glittering 

star continues to rise. 

In addition to almost ambient, 

moody tracks filled with robust 

swells and dreamy expanses, 

there’s a dance party going on. 

There are enough slapping synth 

dance beats to satisfy the most 

hardcore 80s hair head. By blending 

a Niles Rogers’ 70s Chic-disco 

groove with synth sounds on The 

Other, Aucoin comes closest to 

creating a hit track with this danceable 

delight. He says, “The Other is 

definitely my love letter to Chic”. 

Best Track: The Other 

Michael Hollett 

Interview 

FLYING LOTUS 

BURNS IT UP 

ON FLAMAGRA 

Flying Lotus is all about what he 

calls the “nerdy details.” 

His latest album, Flamagra, and 

the upcoming 3D tour that will 

accompany it are based around a 

tightly-woven series of concepts. 

Touching on some of the specific 

connections causes him to explode 

in excited laughter, as if he’s surprised 

anyone else can decipher 

his inner workings. 

Flying Lotus speaks slowly, as if 

distracted by other deep thoughts. 

When a subject that excites him 

comes up, though, he snaps to 

attention, talking a mile a minute 

and cracking jokes. 

Flamagra is based around the 

concept of an eternal flame suddenly 

springing up on a hill in Los 

Angeles, the project opening and 

closing with its crackling, creating 

a perfect loop. Lotus says each 

track on the album is meant to be 

someone’s different experience or 

reaction to that fire. 

“I always thought that I’d be conflicted,” 

he says. “I would love it and 

hate it depending on the day.” 

Most tracks on the album come 

with their own specific and twisted 

backstory, despite the often surreal, 

playful vocals and humorous 

track titles. “Debbie Is Depressed” 

seems upbeat on the surface, but 

comes from a much deeper place. 

“I think of it from the perspective 

of the other person who’s not depressed,” 

he says. “It’s that person 

who, when you’re feeling shitty, 

is kind of annoying. They’re like, 

‘Sorry your cousin died, everything’s 

going to be okay, they’re in a better 

place,’ Like, fuck you. You might be 

right, but don’t nobody wanna hear 

that shit right now. That’s what that 

track is.” 

“Heroes in a Half Shell,” though, 

is about “fuckin’ Ninja Turtles.” 

“It’s stupid,” says Flying Lotus in 

hysterics. “So stupid.” 

The blend of serious topics with 

the absurdly humorous brings to 

mind the work of Flying Lotus’ 

close friend and frequent collaborator 

Thundercat, a bassist who 

assisted on most of Flamagra. 

Flying Lotus says the best parts 

of the album were born out of the 

spontaneity of making music while 

“hanging out with your best friend.” 

“When we work together, it feels 

special,” he says. “Sometimes you 

want to play video games, and 

sometimes he’s like, ‘Let’s make 

some shit,’ and you don’t really have 

to say nothing. It’s a beautiful thing. 

I don’t have that kind of relationship 

with anybody else.” 

Lotus and Thundercat had 

another frequent collaborator in 

common – the late Mac Miller, who 

played a big role in shaping the 

project long after he was gone. Lotus 

dedicated two tracks, including 

“Thank U Malcolm,” to Miller. 

“His humanity influenced me,” he 

says. “Me and Thundercat didn’t 

even plan on having time to work 

together, and we were like, ‘What 

would Mac want us to do? He’d 

want us to go super hard on this 

music right now.’ So that’s what we 

did. We spent days at my house 

just locked in.” 

The many nights spent together 

trying to talk through their pain 

gave Lotus the inspiration that he 

needed to keep pushing forward. 

“In all the sadness, all these 

good things started happening, 

too. Life started turning around a 

bit and I found myself being more 

inspired than I had been, and I 

owed a lot of that, unfortunately, to 

his passing.” 

Flying Lotus recorded every feature 

but one in his own home studio, 

which he says throws people 

off at first before the “relaxed 

atmosphere” of a home calms 

them down and gets them in 

a mindset to be their most 

creative selves. Sometimes, 

they even teach him something 

in return. 

“You get weird lessons from 

people. Like Solange, I’ll never 

forget her. She changed my 

process in a weird way.” 

Lotus explains that Solange 

prefers to record with the worst 

microphone she can find, in 

order to feel more absorbed in 

the surrounding instrumentals 

while recording her vocals. 

As he prepares to embark 

on his upcoming 3D tour, Lotus 

hopes to immerse his audience 

in the complexities of his music 

in a similar way. 

“This show is a bit more 

evolved than the previous ones,” 

he says. “I wanted to make 

my music a cinematic journey 

for people. I’ve always been 

interested in connecting my 

music to visuals and finding the 

best world where they meet 

together.” 

Best Track: Takashi 

Ben Boddez 


MUSiC ALBUM REVIEWS 

Interview 

JESSE DEFLORIO 

G N’ R BASSIST SEARCHES FOR 

HUMANITY IN AMERICA 

DUFF MCKAGAN 

Tenderness 

UNIVERSAL MUSIC 

On the road with Guns N’ Roses 

during their Not In This Lifetime 

reunion tour, bassist Duff McKagan 

felt like he was driving through a 

vast landscape of disillusion and 

injustice. Donald Trump had just 

been elected as the President of 

the United States and McKagan 

believed he was watching the “land 

of the free” become a vista of ruin 

and fear. 

This is the inspiration behind 

McKagan’s acoustically driven solo 

release, Tenderness. The title track 

suggests the social and cultural 

divide being marketed to us is leaning 

on humankind’s natural curiosity 

for catastrophe. McKagan says we 

just need a little tenderness to see 

through it and hopes the album can 

mend the turmoil caused by this 

media-enhanced political divide. 

“Before we started this Guns N’ 

Roses tour something happened 

in America where three cable 

news networks started acting like 

soap operas,” he says. “Everybody 

would pick one and watch. People 

stopped thinking on their own; I 

was sucked into it as well.” 

McKagan compares America 

to an “obsessed TV show” fuelled 

by a commercialized political tugof-war. 

“There was no kind of journalistic 

responsibility going on, it’s just 

pure commercialism. I wrote for the 

Seattle Weekly for five years and 

there is this journalistic integrity 

you try not to harm. I think that 

went out the fucking window.” 

A self-described student of 

history, McKagan claims these distraught 

moments happen in cycles 

and the storm will pass. He hopes 

Tenderness can not only have a 

meditative effect on listeners, but 

also bring them together. 

“When we play shows, it’s a celebration 

of our music,” he says. “Nobody 

asks who you are voting for; it 

doesn’t matter. Everybody is there 

to have a good time. It’s a really 

uplifting thing. I would start talking 

to people, and this ‘divide’ the news 

is talking about just wasn’t there. 

When there’s a tragedy like a hurricane 

or 9/11, it doesn’t matter who 

you voted for; everybody has each 

other’s backs. That’s when you see 

the true identity of this country: 

people coming together.” 

Johnny Papan 

JIM CUDDY 

Countrywide Soul 

Warner Music Canada 

Kicking rocks and turning over fertile 

ground, Blue Rodeo frontman 

Jim Cuddy returned to his family’s 

farm in Southern Ontario to get in 

touch with his roots and record his 

latest album. 

The rustic rural setting provided 

a respite from his hectic touring 

schedule and the ideal environment 

for capturing the authentic 

wire-and-wood sound he sought. 

Joined in his makeshift studio by 

members of The Jim Cuddy Band, 

the multi-talented singer/guitarist/ 

producer began reimaging songs 

from his back catalogue through a 

stripped-down, yet modern, country 

music filter. 

Unearthing tracks he felt had 

been previously underdeveloped, 

Cuddy and company pour liberal 

doses of draft beer and wheat 

dust over Blue Rodeo numbers like 

“Clearer View” and “Draggin’ On.” 

Tributes to George Jones and 

Glen Campbell rip a page from the 

past and lend a high and lonesome 

mood with covers of “Almost 

Persuaded” and the star-spangled 

“Rhinestone Cowboy.” Pretty 

western ditties two-step and sway 

in time as Cuddy patches up his 

sonic scrapbook with a fresh pair 

of bootcut tunes, “Glorious Day” 

and “Back Here Again.” 

It’s the perfect parting glance for 

a nostalgic hayride that sets fire to 

the barn before riding off into the 

sunset. “Shane, come back!” 

Best Track: Glorious Day 


TIM HEIDECKER 

What The 

Brokenhearted Do... 

Jagjaguwar 

One of the most satisfying aspects 

of comedian — and sometimes 

folk singer — Tim Heidecker’s 

anti-comedy is figuring out when 

to laugh. His punchlines run deep; 

it’s often easy to be unsure if a 

joke has even been told, as with his 

latest indie folk offering, What The 

Brokenhearted Do… 

The album chronicles the 

emotional downfall of a “faux-divorce” 

that Heidecker conjured as 

a response to internet trolls who 

fabricated rumours of his wife 

leaving him. 

While the pain in the content 

might be fictional, the album boasts 

a lot of feels that hit just as hard as 

any true tale of heartbreak. 

Jonathan Rado of Foxygen’s 

production of this tragicomic pop 

record is solid and Heidecker’s 

straight-faced four-on-the-floor 

musicianship makes the album 

genuine and surprisingly earwormy. 

Song titles such as “I’m Not 

Good Enough,” “Funeral Shoes,” 

and “Life’s Too Long” set the tone 

for the lyrics, a self-deprecating 

barrage of a man’s lowest lows. 

Some of the best music has 

emerged from the depths of sorrow 

and Heidecker works this in his 

favour. With his cringeworthy level 

of sincerity and his varied output 

as both a comedian and a genuine 

songwriter, it’s not clear who is having 

the last laugh here, but we’re 

still listening. 

Best Track: When I Get Up 

Austin Taylor 

CATE LE BON 

Reward 

Mexican Summer 

On Reward, avant-guitarist Cate Le 

Bon’s fifth full-length release, the 

clanging and improvisational collaborators 

of 2016’s Crab Day are 

nowhere to be found, leaving Le 

Bon in the basement on her own, 

mixing up sideways concoctions 

like a scientist chasing an epiphany. 

Reward was written during a 

year alone in England’s Lake District, 

where she contrasted nights 

on the piano with mornings in the 

garage, applying beginner skills to 

carpentry. 

Lyrically, Reward explores the 

pursuit of rootedness and foundation, 

examining its elusiveness 

through a lover and the agency 

to choose what comprises one’s 

space. It pairs well with the image 

of Le Bon over hammer and nail, 

building out the items of a home. 

While recognizably Le Bon, 

with regal, Nico-like vocals on 

“Here It Comes Again” and wonky 

instrumental offshoots on “Mother’s 

Mother’s Magazines,” Reward is 

softer at the edges than the Le Bon 

of past albums Mug Museum and 

Crab Day. 

“The Light” and “Home To You” 

glimmer with the friendliness of 

commercial approval, while “Sad 

Nudes” and “You Don’t Love Me” lull 

the senses with the sweet cool-off 

of horns and piano. 

Cozy and strange, let’s hope Le 

Bon settles into this nook for a little 

while longer. 

Best Track: Daylight Matters 

Sarah Bauer 


MARISA HOLME 

LOCAL ALBUMS 

LDUMB 

Club Nites 

Mint Records 

Riff-ridden and hooky 

as hell, Dumb’s latest is 

also their greatest. The 

14 tracks on their Mint 

Records sophomore 

embodies an art-punk vibe 

not far from their indie rock 

contemporaries Parquet 

Courts or B Boys. 

Dispassionate and wry, 

the album is a true document 

of punk rock in 2019, 

with their cynical commentary 

on neurosis, slacking 

off and drowning in media. 

Though the instrumentals 

communicate a consistent 

tension, dualling guitar 

riffs and mean basslines 

on tracks like “Cursed” 

and “CBC Radio 3” offer 

moments of pause and 

reflection, showcasing the 

dimension and scope of the 

young Vancouver band. 

Judah Schulte 

KIM GRAY 

Plastic Dreams 

Buzz Records 

For their third full-length 

offering, Kim Gray put 

forward a dreamy commentary 

on modern life. A turn 

away from their jangly, guitar-driven 

back catalogue, 

the tracks on Plastic Dream 

are defined by the grainy, 

Twin Peaks-inspired synths 

that hover like distant 

sirens over unignorable 

rhythms. 

Offering confessional, 

first person observations, 

the lyrics are critical but 

never cynical, humorous 

but never satirical. Now 

part of Toronto’s Buzz 

Records family (Dilly Dally, 

Fake Palms, HSY), Kim 

Gray puts out a smooth collection 

of indie rock tunes 

that achieve the difficult 

victory of feeling timeless 

while relating to the time 

at hand. 

Judah Schulte 

REVERED 

With Some Amusement 

Independent 

With Some Amusement is 

essentially a perfect title 

for the disorienting and 

hilarious mixture of genres 

that Revered has put together 

on their sophomore 

project. The prog duo dive 

into everything from 80s 

synthpop, dramatic piano 

balladry, hip-hop beats and 

distorted guitars, but it’s all 

united by frontman Emmett 

Hall’s theatrical, almost 

operatic delivery. These 

combinations should never 

work but somehow they do. 

Most of these songs 

are straight from the 

heart about boredom and 

personal failures, but Hall 

works them with sarcastic 

wit and goofy voices. Revered 

is absolute madness 

in the best way. 

Ben Boddez 

WAASH 

WAASH EP 

Independent 

Sometimes it takes years 

to find the right sound. With 

his new indie-rock project, 

WAASH, Andy Bishop 

(White Ash Falls, Twin River) 

is well on his way. The 

self-titled debut EP is about 

as mature and polished as 

he’s ever been, with five 

tracks that vary in pace and 

gravity. 

It’s a heartfelt stoner-gaze 

acid trip that, at 

times, harkens to the likes 

of Manchester Orchestra 

or Band of Horses. The 

debut single, “Gaze into my 

Shoe,” offers a glimpse into 

the psychotropic soundscape 

Bishop has only just 

begun to concoct, making 

WAASH a sound to keep an 

ear out for. Brendan Lee 

July 6, 8:00PM | Imperial | $28—$38 + fees 

From Inuit throat singing to 808-hip-hop beats, join us for an immersive evening of 

genre-bending music and diasporic dancefloor beats. 

Curated by CBC Reclaimed host Jarrett Martineau, this all-star line-up features: 

HUMBLE THE POET • PIQSIQ • HANHAN • SIKH KNOWLEDGE • DAME 

VINYL • IMMIGRANT LESSONS • CHIMERIK COLLECTIVE 

STRINGS 

FOR PEACE 

WORLD 

PREMIERE 

AMJAD ALI KHAN, SHARON ISBIN, AMAAN ALI BANGASH 

& AYAAN ALI BANGASH 

July 12 , 8:00PM | The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts | $42—$95 + fees 

The undisputed living master of the sarod, and one of India’s most celebrated 

classical musicians, Amjad Ali Khan takes the Chan Centre stage alongside his 

sons. They come together with three-time Grammy Award-winning classical guitarist 

Sharon Isbin to make an eloquent and impassioned call for harmony – in music, in 

religion, in cultures, and in the world. 

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT INDIANSUMMERFEST.CA 

FOUNDING PARTNER 

MAJOR PARTNERS 

FUNDERS 

PREMIER MEDIA PARTNERS 

PRESENTED BY 


SEBASTIAN BUZZALINO 

Live 

MUSiC 

ORVILLE 

PECK 

May 23, 2019 

Commonwealth (Calgary) 

2019 is shaping up to be the 

year of yeehaw and anticipation 

ran high for Orville Peck. 

The masked outlaw’s debut, 

Pony, has dominated conversations 

this year about what 

can and cannot be country 

music, but the capacity crowd 

at Commonwealth couldn’t 

be bothered by splitting hairs. 

Instead, under a fringed face 

mask and backed by FRIGS, 

also from Toronto, Peck held a 

spellbound crowd in the palm 

of his hands. 

From the first melancholic 

chords, Peck’s western-influenced 

moody vibes toyed with 

the idea of what is normative 

in country music. 

He’s an outspoken proponent 

of pushing the edges of 

the traditionally conservative 

genre to fit into our contemporary 

world and, as he flicked 

and swayed his way through 

his set, Peck busted open 

wide spaces for anyone to feel 

involved, included and loved. 

Openers Bobby Tenderloin 

Universe were the perfect 

match for Peck. Comprised of 

most of The Wet Secrets, the 

crammed eight-piece on stage 

crooned their way through an 

excellent debut set. They were 

led by Edmonton mainstay 

Paul Arnusch, who continues 

to demonstrate the breadth 

of his songwriting abilities by 

shape-shifting from project 

to project. This one’s going 

to stick, though: it’s not often 

an opening band gets the 

reception Bobby Tenderloin 

Universe did, and for good 

reason. We’re all part of the 

universe now. 

Sebastian Buzzalino 

THORNETTA 

DAVIS 


Engineered Air Theatre 

She’s known as the Queen of Detroit Blues, 

but Thornetta Davis’ legendary status as a 

singer extends beyond the blues. With sparse 

backup, accompanied only by a keyboardist 

and her husband, James Cornelius Anderson, 

playing a set of congas, Davis moved elegantly 

through a repertoire of rich soul, jazz and blues 

for a delighted capacity crowd of just over 200 

squeezed into the intimate Engineered Air Theatre 

nestled below Art Commons. 

Her distinctive voice soared gospel high on 

a clear day, then weaved in and out of intricate 

jazz melodies and, of course, was no stranger 

to belting out the blues. There’s a strength and 

sophistication within her superb diversity that 

cultivates contemporary without sacrificing the 

primordial flow of the blues. 

Davis held court between songs, keeping the 

audience primed with a volley of fun, sexual innuendos. 

She cracked up the crowd joking, “You 

can have my husband, but just don’t mess with 

my man. Or I will cut you!” And when introducing 

“Wild Women Never Get The Blues,” Davis 

said matter-of-factly, “There’s no shame in that 

game, I’m from Detroit.” 

Brad Simm 

ALMA ARTISTS 


KALI UCHIS & 

JORJA SMITH 


PNE Forum 

Kali Uchis and Jorja Smith merged 

heaven and hell during their 

co-headlining performance at the 

PNE Forum. 

In an all-black ensemble on a 

rotating platform, the LA-based 

Columbian diva Uchis performed 

an arresting rendition of “Creep” 

draped over the stair steps, bathed 

in cascading lights and dripping 

sweet falsettos. 

UK sensation Jorja Smith has 

wooed masses with liquid-sex 

delivery and keen lyricism; her 

2018 debut, Lost & Found, saw her 

grappling with love and loss, growing 

pains and police brutality. 

Despite their irrefutable compatibility, 

the difference between 

the two singers was night and day; 

Uchis possessed a calculated and 

mean stage presence, while Smith 

fed off of spontaneity. Both thrived 

in their own rite and together made 

two indispensable halves of an 

exquisite whole. 

The binding influences were 

apparent during the joint encore, 

when the she-devil and baby blue 

darling covered Destiny’s Child, 

Amy Winehouse and Erykah Badu, 

ending the night with their duet, 

“Tyrant.” 

Their holy dynamic, stellar execution 

and unapologetic femininity 

with just a dash of homoerotic 

tension puts Kali and Jorja at the 

top of this decade’s must see R&B 

shows. 

Maryam Azizli 

DARROLE PALMER 

@grampamauno 

@maunomusic 

June 22 Winnipeg, MB ACE Art 

July 19 Victoria, BC Copper Owl 

July 21 Vancouver, BC Red Gate 

July 24 Edmonton, AB The Rec Room (South) 

July 25-28 Calgary, AB Calgary Folk Festival 

REALLY WELL 

OUT THIS SUMMER! 


TRAVEL 

Festival d’été de Québec 

CANADA’S LARGEST 

OUTDOOR MUSIC FEST 

KEEPS IT FRESH 

By GLENN ALDERSON 

Destination: Quebec City 

When: July 4 to 14, 2019 

Why: Festival d’été de Québec 

O 

f all the festival’s worth 

fighting for, we’re willing to 

bet you’ve never been to 

one on an actual battle field. 

Unless you’ve been to Quebec 

City’s Festival d’été de Québec 

(FEQ) infamous for infiltrating the 

Capital every summer with bigname 

music acts; their main stage 

site sprawling across the historic 

Plains of Abraham. FEQ is your 

chance to get a piece of the action 

and battle for awesome site lines 

where French and British armies 

once battled for Quebec. 

While the 10-day spectacle 

might be one of the longest running 

muli-day, multi-venue music 

fests in North America, this year 

is shaping up to be one of their 

freshest yet. 

Founded in 1968, FEQ has been 

developing a forward thinking 

international programming agenda 

over the course of the last decade 

to become a monumental gathering 

for music fans. Recent years 

have hosted acts like Paul McCartney, 

the Rolling Stones, Kendrick 

Lamar, Lorde, Travis Scott and 

Red Hot Chili Peppers. 

This year, the only battling will 

be between the music tastes 

of the diva-worshipping Mariah 

Carey fans, the old school punks 

who grew up with the Offspring 

and Blink-182, the classic rockers 

staying out past their bedtime 

for Lynryd Skynyrd, and pop 

music fans there to catch a 

glimpse of Twenty One Pilots 

and Yungblud. There’s also a 

focus on both emerging acts and 

francophone culture with plenty 

of programming representing a 

diverse cross-section of the music 

industry, including Éric Lapointe, 

Coeur De Pirate, Salomé Leclerc 

and Philippe Brach. 

From July 4 to 14 the festival 

will be populating some of the 

Capital’s biggest music venues, 

theatres and nightclubs to roll out 

their extensive programming. 

With 135,000 transferable 

passes sold each year at a reasonable 

price ($105/pass) the festival 

always sells out. 


RUN TO THE HILLS 

Navigating The Plains Of Abraham 

Parallel to all of the action happening downtown, the Plains Of 

Abraham are sprawling with a capacity of more than 100,000. The 

Rolling Stones pushed those numbers to the max in true Stones 

fashion when they took the stage in 2015 and saw attendance peak 

at 102,000. 

At night,the sea of attendees lights up with everyone wearing the 

festival’s signature flashing badges, blinking in unison to the music. 

Headliners throughout this year’s 10 days include: Diplo, Kygo, 

Logic, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Mariah Carey, Lynryd Skynyrd, Alt-J, 

Blink-182, Slipknot, Imagine Dragons and more. 

There are plenty of food — and drink — trucks onsite as well as 

wandering beer vendors to keep you hydrated. 

FEQ is introducing a new venue this year at the Manège militaire 

(Québec Armoury) facing the Plains. It will be the festival’s headquarters 

with after-parties inside every day after the shows. 

INDOOR CONCERTS 

Impérial Bell 

(252 Rue Saint-Joseph Est) 

A historic auditorium located in 

the Saint-Roch district, Imperial 

Bell boasts great acoustics and an 

intimate atmosphere. Catch acts 

like: April Wine, Connan Mockasin, 

Courtney Barnett, Jean-Michel 

Blais and Voivod. 

Régiment des Voltigeurs de 

Québec 

(805 Avenue Wilfrid-Laurier) 

The only military building in Canada 

recognized as a national historic 

site. Built as a gothic revival drill 

hall, the Québec Armoury is located 

in the heart of Old Québec and 

serves as an upscale destination 

that’s fully activated during FEQ. 

District Saint-Joseph 


A collaboration between restaurateur 

Louis McNeil and FEQ, District 

Saint-Joseph is a unique restaurant 

specializing in comfort food that 

also doubles as a bar and theatre. 

L’ANTI Bar & Spectacles 

(251 Rue Dorchester) 

Steeped in punk rock nostalgia, 

L’Anti is a comfortable mid-sized 

live venue in downtown Quebec 

City that allows you to get up close 

and personal with the performers 

like: B.A.R.F., Wesbroom, Gutter 

Demons and local black metal 

legends Délétère. 

Le D’Auteuil 


Recently relocated from Old Quebec, 

the legendary Le D’Auteuil is 

now on St. Joseph Street, bringing 

a fresh new vibe for live music to 

the bustling Saint-Roch district. 

ACCOMODATIONS 

CHÂTEAU FRONTENAC 

(1 Rue des Carrières) 

www.fairmont.com/frontenac-quebec 

From $549/night 

Easily the fanciest hotel in Québec 

CIty, Château Frontenac is the icon 

of the city and one of the most 

photographed hotels in the world. 

Get your selfie sticks ready. 

AUBERGE SAINT-ANTOINE 

(8 Rue Saint Antoine) 

www.saint-antoine.com 


A boutique-hotel with tons of 

charm in the old port. Beck stayed 

here last year and it was likely the 

source of inspiration for his catchy 

summer anthem, “Wow.” 

Poutineville 


Poutineville is your one-stop shop 

for designer poutine. You can 

personalize it however you’d like 

but if you’re feeling adventurous we 

recommend trying the “Hangover,” 

complete with house fries, fresh 

curds, cheddar cheese, bacon, 

Italian sausage, seasoned ground 

beef, 911 sauce, fried egg and BBQ 

sauce. 

Chez Ashton 

(multiple locations) 

Chez Ashton is unique to Québec 

City; a no-frills fast food environment 

with bad lighting but the pou- 

HOTEL PUR 

(395 Couronne St) 

www.hotelpur.com 


Located downtown in St-Roch, 

PUR boasts affordable rates and an 

upscale urban atmosphere. They 

also offer a unique thrill-seeking 

experience where you can rappel 

down from the top of the hotel so 

hang on tight. 

MONASTÈRE DES AUGUSTINE 

(77 Rue des Remparts) 

www.monastere.ca 


If you’re looking to find god, this 

just might be the place to crash. A 

monastery and wellness hotel, put 

away your phones, zip your lips and 

enjoy the sounds of your friends 

chewing toast at their meditative 

silent breakfasts. 

IT’S ALLLL GRAVY (and cheese curds) 

Top 3 Poutine Joints In Quebec City 

tine is fantastique. Do yourself a 

favour and order the Poutine avec 

Saucisses, topped with grilled 

sausage slices (hot dog weiners!). 

There’s one close to the Plains Of 

Abraham (640 Grande Allée E) 

perfect for first-timers stumbling 

home after a full day of music. 

Chic Shack 

(15 Fort St) 

Steps away from the Notre-Dame 

de Québec Basilica-Cathedral, 

have a post-religious experience 

at the Chic Shack with their 

excellent house made poutines, 

gourmet burgers and milkshakes 

in a historical building of its own. 

3 

MORE THINGS TO SEE 

WHILE IN QUEBEC CITY 

Île d’Orléans 

An island on the St Lawrence River 

about five kilometres east of downtown 

Quebec City, cross the bridge 

to visit local farmers and vineyards. 

Cassis Mona & Filles (1225 Chemin 

Royal) is a great place to eat, drink 

and get an ice cream, all from the 

cassis fruit. 

Chutes Montmorency 

Perfect for a hot summer day, the 

chutes offer an outdoor experience 

with waterfalls and a zipline. 

Experience the Via Ferrata by 

clipping into a cable system and 

following a scenic circuit across 

rock formations alongside the falls. 

No outdoor experience necessary. 

Old Québec 

The best way to experience Quebec 

City’s vast history is on your 

feet. Grab a café glacé and take a 

stroll through Quartier Petit Champlain, 

ranked as one of the most 

beautiful streets in the world. 

Gritty 

est un 

imbécile 

WHERE’S BONHOMME? 

Where’s Bonhomme? We think 

QC’s mascot is way more badass 

than Philly’s Gritty — and much 

more useful in a snowball fight! 

Sadly, the big guy will be dragging 

his perpetually smiley face to China 

during FEQ — seriously, dude’s 

on tour. But you can always grab 

a selfie with his statue outside the 

Carnaval’s office (205 Boulevard 

des Cedres). 


MOViES|T.V. 

Jarmusch 

Scores 

Again 

6 CLASSIC JARMUSCH SOUNDTRACK SONGS 

Director’s collaborations 

with musicians 

and his impecable taste 

in soundtrack music has 

fans salivating for his 

new zombie epic 

The Dead Don’t Die 

By BRENDAN LEE 

J 

im Jarmusch’s film career 

has been eternally intertwined 

with a passion 

for music. The Ohioborn, 

New York Citybred 

weirdo stacks his quirky, 

dry-humoured arthouse films 

with collaborations featuring 

some of the biggest names in 

music. In his typical fashion, his 

upcoming film, The Dead Don’t 

Die, out June 14, features 

a stacked musical lineup, 

including Iggy Pop as a longhaired 

zombie, and the likes 

of RZA, Tom Waits, Selena 

Gomez, and even Sturgill 

Simpson himself, all a part of 

the blood-thirsty fun. 

For those yet-to-be 

initiated, it’s nearly impossible 

to recall a Jarmusch 

film without getting a 

song stuck in your head, 

so perk your ears, curl 

back your lips and take 

a fleshy bite out of these 

soundtrack highlights 

from his decade-spanning 

filmography. 

1 

PERMANENT VACATION [1980] 

“Up there in Orbit” – Earl Bostic 

Jazz saves lives, man. Aloysious 

Parker twist, snaps and jives his 

way out of delirium, for a moment, 

as the upbeat sax riff takes him 

up, up and away from his muddled 

Big Apple existence in Jarmusch’s 

post film-school-dropout debut. 

2 

Stranger than Paradise [1984] 

“I Put a Spell on You” – Screamin’ 

Jay Hawkins 

There’s no more iconic usage of a 

song in a Jarmusch film than this, 

and by the third time it played at 

the 1984 Cannes Film Festival 

and the credits gushed, Jimmy 

boy must have been nodding, 

smiling, thinking – You’re 

mine. 

3 

Down By Law [1986] 

“Jockey Full of Bourbon” – Tom Waits 

If you look and listen close, you can 

actually pinpoint the emergence of 

Jim’s ‘Jarmuschian’ flair as Waits’ 

steely guitar riff lures us in to the 

rear end of a black hearse before 

the camera pans left and leads us 

on a trip that will last a lifetime. 

4 

Mystery Train [1989] 

“Mystery Train” – Elvis Presley 

Well what do you hear, the train 

or the bloody sirens? Elvis gets 

the film a rollin’ with his patented 

southern comfort rock and roll, 

sets us up for three different tales 

bound by the frayed threads of 

Memphis city, the town that made 

him King. 

5 

Coffee and Cigarettes [2003] 

“Down on the Street” – The Stooges 

Jack White and former White 

Stripe bandmate, Meg, mull over 

a homemade tesla coil while Iggy 

Pop croons above distorted guitars 

and a simple bassline on a radio 

somewhere hidden behind the 

fourth wall. We’re still wondering 

how many coffees it took to concoct 

this strange hallucination. 

6 

Broken Flowers [2005] 

“Yekermo Sew” – Mulatu Astatke 

The kind of music you just know 

Bill Murray listens to while driving 

around in nondescript black 

sunglasses. This smokey Ethiopian 

Jazz track speaks of cigarettes 

and secrets, and put the genre on 

the radar for a lot of film geeks 

turned would be hipsters. 


RE-IMAGINING JOHN AND YOKO 

John & Yoko: Above Us Only Sky show’s Ono’s essential role in 

imagining Imagine while shining a light on legendary love story 

By MICHAEL HOLLETT 

W 

hen I interviewed Yoko Ono for 

the first time, in the office she 

once shared with John Lennon 

in Manhattan’s gothic Dakota, 

it quickly became clear to me 

why my favourite Beatle was fascinated by, 

and had fallen in love with, this controversial 

woman. 

Figuring out the legendary and, to some, 

perplexing love affair between Ono and Lennon 

has been a mystery that has befuddled, 

even angered many, and the documentary, 

John & Yoko: Above Us Only Sky, now screening 

on Netflix, sheds some light on the essence 

of their epic connection. 

There’s a home movie feel to this film that’s 

more like a scrapbook than a traditional documentary. 

Lots of candid shots of Lennon and 

Ono with family, friends, musicians and hangers 

on frolicking on the sprawling Tittenhurst 

Park estate outside London. The couple fled 

there to escape the pressures of the English 

capital and settled in to make one of the greatest 

albums ever, Imagine. It’s worth watching 

this film just to experience Lennon recording 

his achingly confessional, “Jealous Guy.” 

The wise woman I experienced that day 

in New York City is very evident in the doc 

as Lennon leans on her for inspiration, intelligence 

and a critical ear. The film makes 

clear that a shared commitment to political 

activism, especially pacifism, was at the core 

of their connection. Lennon and some of the 

collaborators interviewed for the film are all 

clear that much of the thinking behind the 

album and the “imagine” concept came from 

Ono – and I’m not surprised. 

The film follows the couple to New York 

City where they finish the record and edit the 

footage that became their somewhat surreal 

Imagine movie and yielded much of the material 

used for Above Us Only Sky. 

This latest look at Lennon and Ono is a 

good peak into a great love story. When I got 

up to leave that day, after what turned out to 

be hours but felt like minutes in Ono’s thrall, 

I turned and noticed a huge painting behind 

me that almost covered the wall and that Ono 

would have been looking at when she wasn’t 

setting her engaging and penetrating eyes 

on me. It was a beautiful, bright portrait of 

Lennon sitting cross-legged on the ground 

in Central Park with the couple’s young son 

Sean (See story page 19), a toddler at the 

time, in his lap, both smiling. She sent me on 

my way with a warm goodbye and, of course, I 

went up the street to the Park and Strawberry 

Fields to pay my respects to John. , 

John & Yoko: Above Us Only Sky is 

streaming on Netflix 


MOViES|T.V. 

IT’S A LITTLE 

BIT FUNNY 

Rocketman biopic soars high portraying 

Elton John’s life story with glitter, glam and 

gusto By PAT MULLEN 

H 

ow wonderful life is when you’re in Rocketman’s world. 

This dazzling Elton John biopic should go down as 

one of the great film musicals. Directed with inspired 

pizzazz by Dexter Fletcher, who completed Bohemian 

Rhapsody after Bryan Singer was fired, and played with 

fiery perfection by Taron Egerton as Sir Elton, Rocketman soars. 

It honours the man and his music with original, enthralling flair. 

Egerton performs John’s songs with gusto while capturing his 

unique pitch, but the rawness of his vocals gives Rocketman its 

edge. This is a portrait of John before he’s confidently found his 

voice. Egerton gives a fearlessly committed performance that 

one sees too rarely in a studio film. 

Comparisons to Bohemian Rhapsody are inevitable, but there 

are few reasons to relate the Freddie Mercury flick with Rocketman 

since they have little in common beyond Fletcher’s credit 

and their award-worthy performances of rock ‘n’ roll icons. As a 

film, Rocketman is far more technically accomplished and artistically 

adventurous than most contemporary biopics. 

Rocketman follows biopic formula by charting John’s journey 

from his humble beginnings as Reginald Dwight to his mid-career 

success as Elton John. It takes audiences to his home where 

the young Reggie pursued music to escape his aloof mother (a 

delightfully campy Bryce Dallas Howard) and absent father (a 

stoically stiff Steven Mackintosh). John tells his story in retrospect 

when he appears at an AA meeting in a bejewelled devil 

costume and reflects on his life in a jukebox-style diary of highs 

and lows. 

Fletcher mixes biopic convention and musical theatricality. 

Some songs appear as standard performances as John hones his 

craft, but others appear as spectacular numbers that recall Julie 

Taymor’s Beatles’ phantasmagoria Across the Universe with their 

wildly impressionistic interpretations of rock classics. These sequences 

highlight transformative moments in John’s life. 

Standout numbers include John’s breakthrough performance 

at the Troubadour in Los Angeles where the crowd levitates euphorically 

during “Crocodile Rock.” John wrestles with his inner 

demons during the feverishly staged “Rocketman” number, 

which conveys his struggles with alcoholism and addiction. The 

song explodes when he performs at the 1975 concert at Dodger 

Stadium and gets off on his biggest high: the stage. 

Even the conventional numbers let Rocketman fly as Egerton 

develops his character. The film centres on John’s relationship 

with collaborator Bernie Taupin (Jamie Bell) as their songwriting 

sessions prove therapeutic for John as he heals his family troubles 

and embraces his sexuality. Bell is the heart of the film as 

Taupin, who is John’s rock and uses the power of music to let his 

friend be free. Egerton’s performance of “Your Song” is especially 

touching when Taupin presents John with the lyrics after the 

singer comes out. Egerton finds John’s voice and Bell offers an 

assured nod of unwavering love. 

The film admirably depicts John’s sexuality without shying 

away. The much-hyped sex scenes between Egerton and a terrific 

Richard Madden, playing John’s toxic manager/boyfriend John 

Reid, are relatively tame, but revolutionary for a studio film. The 

flamboyancy of Fletcher’s film, from its fantastic numbers to its 

flashy note-perfect costumes, finds the perfect marriage of subject 

and style. Rocketman delivers a song straight from the heart., 


06.19 

Vancouver 

Craft Beer Week: 

so much beer, 

such tiny glasses 

By Jordan Yeager 

V 

ancouver Craft Beer Week is 

a staple in Vancouver’s early 

summer events calendar, and 

this year they’re celebrating 

a 10-year milestone. What has become a 

highly anticipated festival started out as a 

conversation between a group of friends 

who simply loved beer. 

“I still find it hard to believe when I hear 

‘10 years’ that we’re talking about Vancouver 

Craft Beer Week,” says festival director 

Leah Heneghan. “The time has seriously 

flown by. My first year was a whirlwind of not 

really knowing what was happening and trying 

to cobble the whole thing together with a 

whole lot of guesswork, luck and love, all the 

while with a beer in hand. 10 years on, our 

festival is a testament to the BC craft beer 

community and how fantastic it is.” 

That first Beer Week 10 years ago featured 

15 breweries and hosted about 100 

guests. This year, thousands will sample 

over 300 beers and ciders from more than 

100 breweries, plus food from vendors like 

Bandidas Food Truck, DownLow Chicken 

Shack, and Greek on the Street. All of this is 

set to a mix of musical acts, including Foxy 

Moron, The Spillionaires, Vinyl Ritchie, and 

many more. 

“We put a lot of thought into curating an 

inclusive, diverse lineup of local talent from 

across different genres,” says Heneghan. “All 

of the artists we have at the festival are from 

BC. That’s one of our mandates: keeping it 

close to home. There’s so much talent here 

and we love showcasing it at every opportunity.” 

“When the fest shuts down on that last 

Sunday each year, the four of us owners 

generally collapse on the grass, breathe a 

sigh of relief and grin from ear to ear,” she 

says. “Then we drink a whole lot of beer.” 

VANCOUVER CRAFT BEER WEEK 

PNE Fairgrounds, June 8-9, Tix: $39 single day, 

$65 weekend pass: ticketleader.ca/events/vcbw2019 

YVR 

VANCOUVER’S ESSENTIAL JUNE HAPPENINGS 

kJUNE 2019 BEATROUTE 43

KELLI ANNE 

06.19YVRMUSIC 

Andrew Phelan flips the folk 

for friend-filled super-jam 

A 

ustralian musician Andrew Phelan has 

made a name for himself in folk-rock 

band The River and The Road, but with 

a solo EP on the way, he’s breaking away from 

his traditional folk sound. 

The new release will incorporate more “big 

loud guitar music” around his smooth made-forradio 

croon. 

“It’s very fun to do, but I’m definitely still a folk 

musician at heart,” he says, explaining the solo 

work presents things that “weren’t quite folky 

enough” for The River and The Road. 

And he’s planning on getting wild with his live 

show. 

“Hopefully by the end of the show there’ll be 

more people on stage than off,” says Phelan. “I 

want to make people feel inclined to just do what 

they want, and if that means jumping up on stage 

and singing along with me, more power to them.” 

Phelan came to Canada from Australia in 

2012, forming The River and The Road and touring 

North America extensively. The band landed 

some high-profile festival dates at Squamish 

Valley Music Festival and last year’s Skookum 

Festival in Stanley Park. 

“Vancouver, especially musically, is a lot more 

home to me now. It’s where all my friends are 

and all the musical connections that I identify 

more with.” 

Expect to see some of those friends on stage 

with him. Phelan calls his opening acts, Jasper 

Sloan Yip and Sam Lynch, some of his favourite 

artists and plans to invite them, as 

well as some old bandmates, to jam with 

him during his set. 

“This will be one of those shows that 

I’ve been wanting to put on for a couple 

of years. The stars were aligned 

and the people I wanted to play with 

weren’t super busy, so it’s a total 

pleasure to have them. When you’re 

at home, you can kind of rally the 

troops and play the bigger shows.” 

Saturday, June 22 / Biltmore Cabaret / 

Tix: $12.50 

Corey Hart still hasn’t surrendered 

As Justin Bieber teases his return to the spotlight, the original Canadian teen heartthrob 

Corey Hart is putting on his sunglasses for one more night to close his tour at Rogers 

Arena. Hart is promoting his first new music in 20 years with the upcoming EP Dreaming 

Time Again, and is just as dreamy now with his beard and suit jackets as he was in the mid- 

80s. Inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in March, Hart returns to a Vancouver 

stage for the first time since 1985. Tuesday, June 25 / Rogers Arena / Tix: $58.95 - $135.80 

Music 

YVR 

Clubland: 

top 5 club shows 

1 

GOLDEN FEATURES 

June 7 at Celebrities Nightclub 

This man of mystery hails from Australia and performs 

with a gold-plated mask. Known for the deepest of deep 

house mixes, get ready to be pummeled by rumbling 

synth-bass and his complex beat patterns. Part of Celebrities’ 

Stereotype Fridays. 

2 

FELIX JAEHN 

June 8 at Celebrities Nightclub 

While you may only know his name 

on this side of the planet from that 

inescapable summer hit “Cheerleader,” 

the German-born DJ has had 

numerous dance hits over in Europe. 

Jaehn dropped his first studio album 

last year and is now road testing 

his easygoing and upbeat tropical 

house anthems. 

3 KRANIUM 

June 8 at Venue 

Jamaica’s Kranium has stayed 

afloat dropping an endless stream 

of singles, but he’ll be previewing 

songs from his upcoming full length 

project at this show. It’s definitely 

going to be a party. 

4 

NICKY ROMERO 

June 15 at Harbour Events 

Centre 

The global house music sensation 

and founder of major EDM record 

label Protocol Recordings is here. 

Romero will be dropping his famous 

remixes, as well as the tracks he 

produced for big-name pop stars 

like Rihanna and Sia. 

5 

JAMILA WOODS 

June 27 at Biltmore Cabaret 

Listening to Jamila Woods’ songs 

makes it clear she got her start as 

a slam poet, as she takes the same 

fiery approach to her politically-charged 

music. Woods is the oldsoul 

voice you often hear singing 

with Chance the Rapper, as well as 

a powerful artist in her own right. 


NEW! 

#SummerofSPRITZ

06.19YVRMUSIC 

JULY 19 TO 21 2 1 0 

9 

JERICHO BEACH PARK 

BASIA BULAT | THE HAMILTONES 

DAVID HIDALGO | LARKIN POE | CORB LUND 

REBIRTH BRASS BAND | SAM ROBERTS BAND 

CHARLOTTE DAY WILSON 

THE AERIALISTS | BLACK STRING | DANNY BOUDREAU BAND | MATTHEW BYRNE 

CELEIGH CARDINAL | ANDREW COLLINS TRIO | COPPERHEAD | THE DARDANELLES 

DESIREE DAWSON TRIO | STEVE DAWSON | BROTHER TITO DELER 

DWAYNE DOPSIE & THE ZYDECO HELLRAISERS | BOBBY DOVE 

RAMBLIN’ JACK ELLIOTT | MIKE FARRIS & THE FORTUNATE FEW | LUCA FOGALE 

FRONT COUNTRY | AMOS GARRETT & JULIAN KERR | RAINE HAMILTON STRING TRIO 

ZAKI IBRAHIM | ILLITERATTY | KIRCHEN, COX & MCRAE | KITTY AND THE ROOSTER 

JOEY LANDRETH | LA MEXCALINA | GEORGE LEACH BAND | LE VENT DU NORD 

LOCARNO | LONESOME ACE STRINGBAND | LOS PACHAMAMA Y FLOR AMARGO 

DON MCGLASHAN | PABLO MENENDEZ & MEZCLA | MIDNIGHT SHINE 

IRISH MYTHEN | NAMGAR | TAL NATIONAL | OKTOPUS | MARIN PATENAUDE 

THE RAD TRADS | JOHN REISCHMAN AND THE JAYBIRDS | RIIT 

PHARIS & JASON ROMERO | LUCY ROSE | ROSIE & THE RIVETERS 

SARAH SHOOK & THE DISARMERS | VIVEK SHRAYA/TOO ATTACHED | RUBY & SMITH 

SON OF JAMES | NANO STERN TRIO | EMILY TRIGGS 

TSATSU STALQAYU (COASTAL WOLF PACK) 

| SUNNY WAR 

WWW.THEFESTIVAL.BC.CA 

Chromeo’s full-band 

extravaganza will be epic 

C 

hromeo have been fuelling 

sweaty synth dance parties for 

more than a decade and that party 

just keeps going. This month 

they’re bringing a full band with them to 

Vancouver for the first time. 

The Montreal-based electro funk duo 

continue to deliver nostalgia with expert 

technical precision, cramming in complex 

funk basslines, horn section breakdowns and 

delicious 80s neon synth chords, and they’re 

not afraid to laugh at themselves. 

Like their funk idols before them, Dave 1 

and P-Thugg recorded their latest album with 

more live instrumentation up with legends 

Lucinda 

Williams back 

to basics 

with Buick 6 

Americana legend Lucinda 

Williams has been called “America’s 

best songwriter” and has 

a lifelong discography to back 

it up. This month she’s at the 

Commodore Ballroom, celebrating 

the 20th anniversary of her 

iconic album, Car Wheels on a 

Gravel Road. She’s playing the 

1998 Grammy winning album 

in its entirety backed by her 

original band, Buick 6. 

The album is listed on countless 

“Greatest of All Time” lists 

and we agree. Don’t miss this 

opportunity to check out one of 

the masters at work. 

Monday, June 24 / Commodore 

Ballroom / Tix: $59.50 

Rodney Jerkins and Prince guitarist Jesse 

Johnson, as well as Dave 1’s brother, iconic 

scratch DJ and hip-hop producer A-Trak. 

Posters for the Chromeo full band extravaganza 

are out of the 80s, promising “ninety 

minutes of non-stop funk” with a black-andwhite 

pic of the pair and their band tackily superimposed 

on a garish orange background. 

An endearing combination, the duo deliver 

ridiculously cheesy yet undeniably impressive 

work you might expect from two guys with a 

Twitter bio reading “FUNKLORDZ” who also 

have a comprehensive understanding and 

genuine love for the genre and its history. 

Friday, June 7 / Malkin Bowl / Tix: $42.50 


TD Vancouver 

International 

Jazz 

Festival 

June 21 to 

July 1, 2019 

Best of the Fest 

By YASMINE SHEMESH 

S 

ince Rainbow Robert took over as 

managing director for artistic programming 

at the TD Vancouver International 

Jazz Festival in 2018, she’s 

made it a point to highlight the louder, more unexpected 

expressions rooted in jazz. 

“It’s protest music,” Robert says. “It’s music 

where there’s a free dialogue about what’s going 

on in the world. Whether it’s the celebration or 

indignation, I think edgy music wakes us up. It’s 

something that’s really important to invite and to 

enjoy.” 

In the defiant spirit of its roots, the jazz 

festival, now in its 34th edition, has always 

featured artists not afraid to challenge,” to 

speak out against injustice, or honestly portray 

the realities they live in. 

This sentiment rings especially true this year. 

Alongside rhythmic jazz innovator Herbie Hancock, 

the lineup includes hardcore hip-hop greats 

Wu-Tang Clan, the experimental and improvisational 

Yonatan Gat and Eastern Medicine 

Singers, transgender singer-songwriter 

Beverly Glenn-Copeland and 

Russell Wallace — the festival’s 

2019 Indigenous Artist 

in Residence. 

“It’s a pretty wild 

world that we’re living 

in now,” Robert says. 

“And I think putting 

forward music that really 

speaks to that is 

particularly important.” 

TD Vancouver 

International Jazz 

Festival / June 21 to 

July 1, 2019 / 

Various locations / 

Tix: coastaljazz.ca 

Wu-Tang Clan 

Co-founder RZA has always 

been open about the iconic New 

York hip-hop group’s mission to 

open minds. Socially-conscious, 

philosophical, gritty and brilliant, 

they’re one of the most important 

acts of our time. 

8 p.m. on June 23 / Queen Elizabeth 

Theatre / Tickets from $69. 

The Roots 

Often referred to as hip-hop’s 

first “live band,” The Roots have 

redefined the genre over and 

over again with their ingenious 

mix of freewheeling grooves and 

insightful lyrics. 



Herbie Hancock 

Hancock, a pioneer of the funky 

and abstract post-bop jazz, has 

made incomparable contributions 

to music through more than six 

decades of work as a composer, 

pianist and bandleader. 



Beverly Glenn-Copeland 

Whether you know him from 

Mr. Dressup, his canon of work 

as a folk singer-songwriter and 

electronic music pioneer, or his 

inspirational life journey as a transgender 

man, both Copeland and 

his long, diverse career are truly 

extraordinary. 

8 p.m. on June 25 / Performance 

Works / Tickets from $29. 

Yonatan Gat and Eastern 

Medicine Singers 

Gat refused to join his native Israel’s 

mandatory military service and 

his work with the Algonquin drum 

group is just as rebellious. Swirling 

Middle Eastern guitar, tribal 

rhythm, and confrontational harmony 

make for an unforgettable 

live performance. Gat was also a 

key member of the deranged and 

entertaining Monotonix, but this 

project is in a league of its own. 

7 p.m. on June 30 / David Lam Park 

/ Free. 


06.19YVRAGENDA 

House of Vans comes to Van 

YVRAgenda 

Vans finally brings their House of Vans to Van and their cultural hub includes skateboarding 

clinics for women, zine-making workshops and music from fast-breaking Toronto hip-hop sensations 

88Glam. 

“We collaborated closely with the local community to bring Vans’ ‘Off The Wall’ spirit to life,” 

says Vans representative Alex Auchu. “With an event location right on the harbour and exciting 

interactive experiences like our Skate Skool, creative workshops and the street market, House 

of Vans provides a platform to highlight and support the thriving creative culture of Vancouver.” 

May 30 to June 2 / Harbour Event Centre 

YVR Public Discos 

For all the dancing queens hiding in the wings, the Public 

Disco Laneway series is here to set you free. Laneway 

Discos take place in public spaces, showcasing danceable 

tunes by emerging artists with curated dance performances. 

Laneway Cabaret events occur in venues around town 

and will feature live music acts from multiple genres, bookended 

with DJ sets. The series aims to bring together the 

groups that so often retreat to their own hoods and haunts. 

Event founder Nick Collinet says that “activating public 

space has proven to be a powerful tool not just for fighting 

the city’s ‘no fun’ reputation, but for rethinking the very 

definition of public space and what’s possible within it.” 

June 1 and July 6 / Alley Oop 

88Glam 

Vancouver International Guitar Festival 

If you’ve got a thing for strings, this is your chance to get in tune 

with your people. Instrument exhibitions, master classes, live 

music showcases, and workshops with some of the world’s top 

luthiers are on the lineup for the third annual guitar-making gig. 

June 29 to 30 / Creekside Community Centre 


Quanah Style 

Canada Day Block Party 

Red Truck Brewery’s Canada Day Block Party returns to Vancouver for the third 

straight year, but this time they’re taking it out of the Waldorf Hotel and straight to the 

source itself - the Red Truck Beer Company parking lot. 

This year’s event promises an exciting and diverse selection of local music and dance 

talent to go along with the festivities. The lineup includes Juno-nominated electropop 

duo Humans, Mat the Alien, Quanah Style, I M U R and SO LOKI, and even a performance 

from drag troupe Bratpack, who call the iconic gay club Junction their home 

every night. In addition to the live performances, attendees can enjoy beverages and 

food fresh from the BBQ or one of the many food trucks on site while lounging in a 

hot tub. There will also be a bouncy castle and carnival games to celebrate Canada’s 

birthday in style. 

Sunday, June 30 / Red Truck Brewery / Tix: $20-30, canadadayblockparty.com 

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DAN’S HOMEBREWING SUPPLIES 

Humans Mat the Alien SO LOKI 

Huge selection 

of beer and 

wine-making 

equipment & 

ingredients 

Car Free Day 

Stretching out over 21 long city blocks, 

Main Street is the largest of Vancouver’s 

Car Free Day festivals. Ditch your keys 

and hit expanded restaurant patios, 

funky artisan boutiques, live music stages 

and more at this giant block party 

that is guaranteed to make all non-car 

owners feel like the righteous environmental 

bad asses that they are. 

Sunday, June 16 / Main Street(Broadway to 30th) 

835 East Hastings ST. Vancouver, BC • 604-251-3411 beermaking.ca 


06.19YVRAGENDA 

This Month in 

Theatre: 

Zastrozzi: 

The Master of 

Discipline 

The House of Bernarda Alba 

June 12 to 16, Firehall Arts 

Upon the death of their father, a group of sisters are 

forced against their will into eight years of mourning by 

their mother. Emily Mann’s translation takes the classic 

by Federico Garcia Lorca from 1900s rural Spain to 

modern-day Iran. In Farsi with English subtitles. 

Indian Summer Festival 

The Indian Summer Festival is 

returning for an 11-day multidisciplinary 

exhibition of cultures and 

conversations from South Asia 

and around the world. BeatRoute 

spoke to Sirish Rao, the festival’s 

artistic director, on his vision for 

bringing diverse cultures together 

and making a better world through 

conversation. 

“It’s a festival for the curious 

mind,” says Rao. “It’s really about 

taking a more global approach to 

ideas and culture.” 

The theme for this year’s festival 

is Tricksters, Magicians and Oracles. 

Rao curated a group of thinkers 

and artists who contemplate the 

world’s trajectory in their work. 

“We’re all wondering where 

things are going,” he says. “We’ll 

have musicians, stand-up comedians, 

futurists and people talking 

about climate change and artificial 

intelligence. We’re looking at a 

huge variety of subjects.” 

Rao highlights two musical exhibitions 

at the festival. Conjuring the 

Future is an exhibition of Indigenous 

music from a wide variety of 

cultures, and Strings for Peace is 

a collaboration between masters 

of guitar and the Indian sarod. Rao 

says these events play heavily into 

his theme of unification. 

“It seems like human beings 

aren’t capable of much except creating 

a mess,” Rao says. “But when 

you get artists like these and you 

feel that energy, you’re reminded 

of what we can do when we’re at 

our best.” 

Rao hopes combining aspects of 

Indian culture with other worldwide 

ideas will allow categories to 

evaporate and the art to flow more 

naturally. The festival is welcoming 

“a whole bunch of people who may 

not necessarily be in the same 

place otherwise,” and the conversation 

and collaboration on stage 

will also be what happens in the 

audience. 

“Everything is an act of storytelling 

somehow,” he says. “We’re just 

saying to come along for the ride. 

It doesn’t matter if it’s traditional 

or contemporary, if it’s music or 

dance. There’s something interesting 

to see.” 

July 4 to 14 / Tix: $20-125 / 

indiansummerfest.ca 

Zastrozzi: The Master of Discipline 

June 13 to 21, The Cultch 

A revenge story à la The Count of Monte Cristo — 

except the main guy might be going crazy, the guy he’s 

set on killing is a religious artist, and instead of killing 

him, Zastrozzi decides to make his target commit suicide. 

Nice, lighthearted, swashbuckling fun set in Belle 

Époque Europe. 

Hello and Goodbye 

June 27 to July 6, Studio 1398 

In 1960 apartheid South Africa, a pair of siblings from 

a poor white family see one another for the first time 

in years. Memory, feminism and absurdity converge in 

this early work by the country’s prolific playwright Athol 

Fugard. 

Rock of Ages 

June 27 to July 6, Metro Theatre 

Brace yourselves for big hair and a lot of leather in this 

classic jukebox hard rock musical. Set in 1987 Hollywood, 

aspiring rocker/busboy Drew falls in love with 

aspiring actress/newly-arrived Sherrie. Aspirations and 

conjugal bliss are threatened by misunderstandings, a 

shady rock star and judgmental politicians. 

By Leah Siegel 

FLEMISHEYE.COM 

‘THE SAME BUT BY DIFFERENT MEANS’ 

OUT NOW 

“He stitches his micro-songs and abbreviated 

epics into a sprawling opus that’s as comforting 

as it is uncompromising” 

PITCHFORK (8/10) 

‘NOVEL’ OUT NOW 

“N0V3L’s guitar lines are a wonder to behold.” 

NME 

“The angular riffage and existential 

socioeconomic mires of the self-titled debut EP 

is post-punk updated for a modern audience.” 

BEATROUTE 



CANADA’S LARGEST INDEPENDENT CONCERT PROMOTER 


CHROMATICS 

June 6 - Vogue Theatre 

FAST ROMANTICS 

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS 

June 6 - Biltmore Cabaret 

LITTLE PEOPLE 


June 7 - Biltmore Cabaret 

PATTY GRIFFIN 



JOSH RITTER & 

THE ROYAL CITY BAND 


SLUM VILLAGE 


June 25 - Imperial 

RODRIGO Y GABRIELA 


July 14 - Vogue Theatre 

MIYAVI 


July 25 - Vogue Theatre 

WEYES BLOOD 


Aug 14 - Imperial 

LIGHTS 


Aug 16 - Vogue Theatre 

TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE AT MRGCONCERTS.COM

BeatRoute Magazine BC Edition June 2019

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