Category Archives: features

Vacant State

"The ‘y’ in d.i.y. is do it yourself, you know? If there’s no venues that just means nobody is looking."

by Sarah Berman

Vacant State | photo by Sarah Charrouf

It’s an unlikely home for a hardcore band. La Casa del Artista first opened in 2006 for the purpose of showcasing live mariachi music. A towering mustard-coloured building on the corner of Main and 3rd Ave, it’s on the back steps that I first meet three members of Vacant State: Terry Wilk (vocals), Adam Mitchell (guitar) and Chris “Gustav” Gustafson (bass). Relocating to their ground-floor jam space, we sat down (on the floor) to discuss Vancouver’s punk scene, all-ages venues and their debut long player Fill the Void.
Read More »

“How am I going to create polyphony?”

by Jennesia Pedri

Carey Mercer <em>of Blackout Beach</em> | photo by Harry Booth

Carey Mercer of Blackout Beach | photo by Harry Booth

“Beautiful Burning Desire” by Blackout Beach

“It’s kind of a grandiose teenage statement,” Blackout Beach main man Carey Mercer laughs into the phone of his boldly-titled new album, Fuck Death, “but it’s also like fuck my own fascination with death, fuck the way that death’s presented and manufactured—‘Fuck Death’ is simplistic and complex at the same time I guess…I hope.”

Inspired by the equally provocative American contemporary painter Leon Golub’s painting of the same name and by his fascination with stories of war, Fuck Death, which comes out November 15 on the Dead Oceans imprint, appropriately reflects both the sonic and thematic substance embedded within the album’s nine tracks. Read More »

"When you write enough songs... you start to notice what your habits are..."

by Zachary Stockill

illustration by Louise Reimer

Kathryn Calder- Slip Away

Kathryn Calder is having fun. A great deal of fun. And even if she isn’t, it certainly sounds like it. Both the B.C.-based singer/songwriter as well as the full-time New Pornographer’s latest solo album – the recently released Bright and Vivid – are teeming with twists and turns for the listener, in what amounts to a considerable re-invention in Calder’s artistry. Read More »

"I’ll be doing tons, like helping the kids with a Christmas talent show. I’ll even paint bathrooms if they need me to."

by Jesse Winter

photo by Danny Michel

Danny Michel- Who’s Gonna Miss You

Touring Canada is hard. We know this. It’s been retold in iconic Canadian lyrics for decades, with stories of busted transmissions and overloaded tour vans reeking of old burgers and sweat. But for Kitchener-Waterloo’s Danny Michel, the grind of touring isn’t quite enough. On top of managing his own cross-Canada tour and doing it solo, Michel is also the driving force behind a charity project called the Ocean Academy Fund.
Read More »

"We kept hearing 'Don't break up that band! We like that band.' It was really encouraging."

by Cail Judy

illustration by Lindsey Hampton

As if trying to make up for the lackluster summer here in Vancouver, the afternoon sun beats down with fierce conviction when I meet up Jesse Gander, singer/pianist for the ferociously upbeat Ghost House, at Guelph Park. The glowing weather matches the singer’s genial disposition. With the good weather ready to bid us farewell, it’s fortunate we have the group’s new album, The Present Tense, to keep the positive energy flowing during the looming winter months. Ghost House “is an intensive, high-energy listen,” says Gander. Opening track “Recreational” delivers on this promise with an invigorating burst of piano, as the vocalist croons about “summer turning into autumn.” The tune feels appropriate, given the timing of our meeting. Read More »

"We're taking on Fine Mist - write that down."

by Maegan Thomas

illustration by Merida Anderson

There is a place were acerbic meets precious, and there lives baroque string-shredding locals Aunts & Uncles. Made up of SSRIs’ Joseph Hirabayashi, Adrienne LaBelle (formerly of Barcelona Chair) and Daniel Ruiz (formerly of Like Animals Again), the trio’s eponymous debut EP plays like a soundtrack to an Elizabethan dance filled with tweeking courtiers. In general, the release showcases guitarist Hirabayashi’s appealingly caustic vocals, LaBelle’s plaintive violin and percussionist Ruiz’s sweetly aggressive skins, not to mention his glockenspiel. Closing track “Yet to Relent,” meanwhile, cleanses the palette—darker than it’s four companion pieces, it features LaBelle on the mic and belies listener expectations with its humble ukulele. Discorder caught up with LaBelle and Ruiz over brunch at Rhizome to talk about about the EP, touring and how they view the Vancouver music scene. Read More »

“We just got a new van!”

by Fraser Dobbs

illustration by Peter Komierowski

Yukon Blonde – Wind Blows

When I sat down with local rockists Yukon Blonde at the cozy Our Town Cafe on Broadway, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. The band, mind you, wasn’t hard to find—frontman/guitarist Jeff Innes and bassist John Jeffrey have the kind of long hair you might expect of metal enthusiasts. Seated together with guitarist Brandon Scott, finding something to talk about was easy. Between the newly released Fire//Water EP and their massive fall tour, the group had plenty on their minds. Read More »

"It’s important to play loud and also play quiet... you can hear every little thing..."

by Cail Judy

Illustration by Tyler Crich

The High Drops – These Kids

It’s not often a band captures your heart right out of the gate; but the High Drops will. Born out of a friendship between a couple of skateboarders-turned-musicians, the High Drops are comprised of Mitch Charron (guitar) Alexi Baris (vocals/guitar), Jen Smyth (drums/vocals) and Max Osburn (bass). They are, in this writer’s opinion, one of Vancouver’s best new bands. Their self-titled EP boasts five songs that are diverse both in sound and scope. “Dying on the Vine” is a hazy, ‘70s-era jam that builds on a fantastic, slow-burning guitar riff; it’s so damn smooth. “Street Girl,” meanwhile, grips you by the throat via Baris’ Eric Burdon-esque vocals and thundering drums. Discorder recently sat down with Baris, Charron and Smyth at Reno’s Café on Main Street to discuss the EP while listening to some classics on the jukebox. Read More »

"If my experience is any indication, two years of floating in the post-university void is enough to scare the shit out of you…"

by Jennesia Pedri

Rory McClure of Shimmering Stars (photo by Robert Fougere)

Shimmering Stars- Walk Away

September 16th: the basement of the Waldorf Hotel is packed for the release of Shimmering Stars’ debut album, Violent Hearts. The faux-tiki decor of the venue, like the band’s early pop-inspired tunes, appears to have come from a different time. A bartender who strikingly resembles Buddy Holly takes my order. Drink in hand, I dance the night away. Read More »

"I felt like hibernating for a while... I’m a little bit shy, a little bit nervous."

By Will Pedley

Illustration by Lindsey Hampton

On the edge of the Downtown Eastside, up a musty old staircase above the Red Gate gallery, hides a handful of humble, ramshackle rooms. Home to artists’ workshops, recording studios and rehearsal spaces, a heady atmosphere of creativity and history hangs in the air. Among these rooms is the rehearsal space of the Lost Lovers Brigade. This is where magic happens. Read More »

that magazine from CiTR 101.9fm

February 2012

Search

Category Archives: features

Vacant State

"The ‘y’ in d.i.y. is do it yourself, you know? If there’s no venues that just means nobody is looking."

by Sarah Berman

Blackout Beach

“How am I going to create polyphony?”

by Jennesia Pedri

Kathryn Calder

"When you write enough songs... you start to notice what your habits are..."

by Zachary Stockill

Danny Michel

"I’ll be doing tons, like helping the kids with a Christmas talent show. I’ll even paint bathrooms if they need me to."

by Jesse Winter

Ghost House

"We kept hearing 'Don't break up that band! We like that band.' It was really encouraging."

by Cail Judy

Aunts & Uncles

"We're taking on Fine Mist - write that down."

by Maegan Thomas

Yukon Blonde

“We just got a new van!”

by Fraser Dobbs

The High Drops

"It’s important to play loud and also play quiet... you can hear every little thing..."

by Cail Judy

Shimmering Stars

"If my experience is any indication, two years of floating in the post-university void is enough to scare the shit out of you…"

by Jennesia Pedri

Lost Lovers Brigade

"I felt like hibernating for a while... I’m a little bit shy, a little bit nervous."

By Will Pedley

Twitter: DiscorderMag