Rhett Ohlsen   |   photo by Chirag Mahajan

  And as far as anyone can tell from Ohlsen’s work with the Vancity Drop podcast, along with promoting local crews and labels, he will definitely be wherever the bass drops.

 
Discorder: What kind of music do you play on The Bassment?

Rhett Ohlsen: I play bass music. For those unfamiliar with that term, it’s a fairly young label placed on the West Coast’s unique style and approach to electronic dance music. Bass music can also be a blanket term that can encompass EDM sub-genres like dubstep, glitch, drum and bass, UK funky, electro, juke, future garage, dub, or breakbeat. It’s music that’s fast in tempo and beats per minute, and explores sub bass frequencies not generally heard in other dance music.

D: What made you want to have a radio show?

RO: I’ve always been told I had a face for radio [laughs]. But seriously, I love how unique this music is and the energy it inspires in listeners. I especially love the community that’s forming around this music. By hosting a radio show, I’m given the opportunity to share the future of music and bring light to what’s happening in our city for others to find it and experience it themselves.

D: What has been your most memorable on-air moment?

RO: I had two buddies of mine visit and say a few words on-air. I figured they’d have a lot to contribute because of their experience, not only as frequently-booked DJs, but as supporters of the scene. After the conversation, I addressed the mic alone, and, as I’m talking, one of my buddies threw a ball of paper at me. I completely lost my train of thought and froze for almost a minute. There was a patch of dead air until I zoned back in and turned on some music. It was a little embarrassing.

D: Do you also collaborate with local DJs and bass music promoters?

RO: I’m involved with another music project called the Vancity Drop, which is a podcast that involves me and a DJ from the Suave Assassins [a crew supporting local and international dubstep and drum and bass]. Together, we contact emerging and unheard music producers and labels worldwide to gather forward-thinking music. At the end of each episode we have a DJ mix from a new artist. I’m also involved with the SHAHdjs [a drum and bass crew that organizes large-scale monthly events to showcase local talent and international artists] to spread word of their events, build support, and distribute tickets.

D: If you could only bring one album to a deserted island, which one album would it be?

RO: I would bring Bigger Fish Frying by Longwalkshortdock. LWSD has found a unique style that combines the analog sounds in techno and video games with the heavy bass drums, synths, and horns of bass music in a way that makes it impossible not to stay still. He has surpassed any boundaries of EDM and has taken music production past the software by incorporating numerous pieces of hardware to manipulate the sounds.

D: What is your favourite CiTR radio show, besides your own?

RO: I like [DJ Cyber’s] Synaptic Sandwich. Very unique style of show, and I love the tune selections.

D: What does the future hold for The Bassment?

RO: I eventually want to create a blog-style webpage or join forces with a current heavy-traffic bass music blog in the country to have a central spot for resources, must-hears, local events, and a place to show support, interesting news, and so forth. I also want to start having a guest come in for 20 minutes of live mixing, and possibly start hosting interviews with international talents who frequent our city. Our local talent specifically is exceeding all of my expectations with new tunes forthcoming on national and international labels.

The Bassment airs Fridays from 9:00pm – 10:30pm.

Podcasts of past shows can be found here.

The Vancity Drop can be found here.

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Chris Walter | photo by Daniel Thomas Williams

  A former drug addict and seventeen-year resident of East Vancouver, Walter’s embedded punk spirit maintains its discourse with anger and revolt through his self-created publishing company, Gofuckyerself Press. Over the past eleven years he has published over twenty titles, including more than a dozen fictional narratives such as Up and Down on the Downtown Eastside (2011), Punch the Boss (2009) and East Van (2004). He has also written and published a three-part autobiography, several collections of short stories, and Argh Fuck Kill (2010), the biography of Canadian punk rock legends Dayglo Abortions. A similar biography on SNFU is due to hit shelves this summer.

  More often than not, his fictional characters are working class or unemployed mavericks and heroines: ravaged junkies, prostitutes on the prowl, heartless drug peddlers, debaucherous rock ‘n’ rollers. His settings frequently portray the dark realities of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and the ravenous punk scene in Winnipeg, MB, where a youthful Walter first donned a leather jacket and sculpted a Mohawk. His stories of drug-addled desperation, stage diving gone wrong, and the agony involved with relating to the status quo, are heartfelt accounts not to be taken lightly. Yet, it is no wonder that he leans his plots against a ragged narrative style steeped in the comedic dark side.

  On a recent, crisp afternoon, Walter invited me to his modest, two bedroom East Van apartment for a one-on-one discussion. Despite the imposing, fully-tattooed figure that sat across from me at the kitchen table, I couldn’t help but feel at home because of his honesty, his bravery, and his passion for all things punk.

(Interview has been condensed)

What have you been up to recently?
  I have a few projects on at the moment. First, I’m wrapping up a book of short stories that’s going to the printer on Monday. It’s just a small collection of stories to keep some money coming in while I finish this SNFU biography that should come out in the late spring or early summer. I started it in August and usually it only takes me—well, I put out about two books a year—but if I do a music biography then it takes me a whole year to complete it.

Tell me about the process of putting a rock biography together. What do you include? What don’t you include?
  I collect phone numbers, make calls, and write chronologically, never knowing what I might uncover. Every band has at least one skeleton in the closet, and they must be handled carefully. You can’t leave it all out, but you don’t want to hurt the band too much. It’s always a judgement call.

You were there during SNFU’s rise to prominence during the ’80s and ’90s. You were living it, so describe the scene.
Beer, freedom, and loud groundbreaking music that soon gave way to hard drugs and general violence. A good time … and SNFU showed the rest of Canada that even a scummy punk band from Edmonton can rise up and tour the world.

Can you explain the connection you share with SNFU — either your connection to their music, or connections you’ve had with the varied band members, or both?
  I’ve known Ken Chinn [a.k.a. singer Chi Pig] and some of the other band members, including [drummer] Jon Card, for thirty-odd years. We share a mutual punk history and an unfortunate appetite for mind-altering substances.

Has your distribution morphed through Gofuckyerself Press, as though each successful publication means more independent book shops or more music shops become interested in carrying your next publication?
  It’s all one step forward, one step back. I get a new book store and then another one closes. I get a new music store and then another of them closes. It’s a constant battle. Online sales are up and down, though they’re generally improving. And now I’m even going into e-books, but that’s starting off slowly too.

Would you say the majority of your sales are online through your website (punkbooks.com) or through physical book stores and music shops?
  I’d say it’s about half and half. Well, actually, I have book stores all over Canada now, so maybe I am selling a few more through those retail shops.

It was 1991 when you first arrived in Vancouver, and you got off drugs in 2001. How have you seen the Downtown Eastside change over time?
  Well, it hasn’t really changed that much at all, except that it’s becoming more and more squeezed by gentrification. But the reality hasn’t changed for the residents that are living there—the addiction and the desperation are still the same. I’ve never lived right there, I’ve always lived in this building—been here for 17 years—but I’m within walking distance, so I’d be down there hanging out for days. The biggest change for me is that now, instead of walking down to get high, I go down there to volunteer at a shelter on Friday nights. Now I’m on the other side of the glass.

How easy was it for you to get help down there ten years ago?
  It’s about the same as it is now, I guess. The First United Church building is that kind of shelter-from-the-storm that you can go in to no matter how messed up you are. At one point I needed new teeth, another time I needed help because I was being cut off of welfare, and then they were trying to throw me out of this place here and I needed arbitration. As an addict, my life was always in constant drama and every time I found myself in the real shit I’d go down there and I’d get an advocate to take care of it for me.

photo: SNFU (courtesy: snfu.com)

What sort of hope do you have for the DTES these days?
  To be honest, we’re not going to see an end to drug prohibition, but if we could then that would be my hope. Realistically we need more housing, and if drug prohibition is going to continue then there’s always going to have to be a place for addicts in any city. As bad as the DTES is, at least there’s a lot resources there for them. If the city decides to spread them [the addicts] all over the city then they won’t have those resources available to them and it will be even worse if everyone gets kicked out and moved farther east… They actually advertise these new condo complexes in the DTES and I remember one that said, “get a loft in the real world” [chuckles]. I imagine the people coming down to have a look while stepping over piles of human shit. Their cars would get broken in to three times a week and I guess they would say, “Oh, this is the real world.”

It’s that real world that attracts myself and others to you, or Bukowski, or to George Orwell’s Down and Out in Paris and London. The rest of the world seems so contrived, so fake on so many different levels that the agony, the pain, and the loneliness that openly exists in a place like the DTES is a fading glimmer of what is real.
  Yeah, and another thing about the DTES is that everybody knows everybody. Everyone knows your name and your game. It’s like a tight small town. I still see that when I go to volunteer at that low-barrier shelter.

What’s your feeling about the police officers that are working the beat down there?
  The cops we see are generally a pretty decent bunch. There are cops I know that are assholes, just abusing their authority, but most of them are okay. Of course some of them don’t really have a brain —those are the assholes. But the ones with half a brain can see that this is an example of how drug prohibition doesn’t work. They know that if they actually took everyone into booking for all that shit then the system would be so jammed up. They realize the logistics of it, like busting people for pot — isn’t that insane!

Yeah, it really surprises me that a lot of people still don’t understand that.
  The general public doesn’t have a clue about what it’s like down there, about what addiction is actually like. The only time they ever get the smallest glimpse is if a friend or family member becomes addicted. And while they might not catch on at first, then things start going missing, and then comes the weird behaviour, and then the person either OD’s or goes to jail, or becomes homeless, and then the family realizes, “Holy fuck, so that’s addiction.”

How was your party scene and your drug abuse connected to music?
  Well, there are a lot of punk rock junkies and a lot of them come from a place where they want to be a rebel and break rules. Of course some of their idols were addicts that used all that stuff. I mean, if you use Sid Vicious as a role model then you’re going to wind up in trouble.

Have relationships with your friends changed because of how you’ve portrayed them in your narratives?
  I don’t really take one person and put them in a book. I think all my characters are an amalgamation — a bit of this person, a bit of that person. None of my friends or my ex-friends would be able to recognize themselves. I wouldn’t do that to them; it just wouldn’t be cool. And anyways, a lot of the people that I used to use drugs with have either cleaned up or are dead. Some of them are on methadone and just coasting along. Very few of them are still in pieces when I see them down at the shelter, but they really are in terrible shape. And that’s such a strong motivation for me to not get high because then I’d be on the other side of that window, with shoes that are falling apart in November, and looking and smelling like shit.

What about writing as therapy?
  Oh, for sure! It keeps me busy, it makes me happy, and it provides money too [laughs]. I did start writing just before I cleaned up and I even used my first laptop as collateral with the dealer. I’d say “keep this and when I get some money then I’ll come back and get it.”

Chris Walter’s publications can be found on shelves in independent music and book stores across Canada, or they can be ordered through his website, punkbooks.com

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illustration by Erik Olson

  After hearing some gushy speeches from CBC weather presenter Claire Martin and contributors to the show, I started to feel guilty for my poor attitude towards this television premiere. I was clearly being a bad Canadian with my pessimistic attitude and sarcastic wits. I am supposed to be much more polite than this. However, as soon as the show started, my plan to not criticize the fuck out of it flew right out the window (airplane pun!).

  The problem with this first episode was the terrible writing. All the names they picked for the characters were mondo Canadian and I could not take it seriously: Jim McAlister, Bobby Martel, Ronnie Dearman, and a slutty mcslut named Candi Lussier. I’m also pretty sure the terrible acting was a side effect of the horrible script. First of all, nothing exciting happens for at least half an hour. When you think about a world-class TV show, like, say, Breaking Bad, the show starts with a bang every single episode and ends with a way to get the audience hooked.

  This is how Arctic Air starts off: Martel (played by Adam Beach, an attractive man that looks as if Taylor Lautner and David Duchovny had a love child) comes to Yellowknife and we find out some uninteresting things about him, like how he was a ladies man in high school but never sealed the deal with his obvious upcoming love interest, Krista. Insert cheesy, clichéd dialogue [“And the prodigal son returns!”]. Insert horrible flirting with Candi [“You know which room to find me in.” *WINK*]. Insert climactic point where there’s a storm, but a baby needs to get delivered so they need to fly into dangerous conditions. Insert Terris’ thoughts of not caring if any of the characters die. Then, within minutes the conflict is easily resolved, the baby gets delivered safely in a cabin, and then everyone goes to a wedding for some characters I was too bored to pay attention to.

  There wasn’t even a cliffhanger at the end of the episode! The episode ends all neat and tidy. I’m pretty sure the writer-producer Ian Weir does not understand how TV works. What reason could we possibly have for wanting to keep watching this show after everything has been resolved? It felt like I was watching a movie created by the slackers that were in my grade 12 video production class.

  Then to make matters worse, we were forced to sit through the most tedious Q&A of all time. Beach is either the most relaxed person alive, or he was completely stoned. Every single one of his answers ended with “man” or “yeah, man.” Then again, I’d have to be pretty baked if I had anything to do with the production of Arctic Air.

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  The year before, we had celebrated my birthday stumbling around Point Grey, drinking Mike’s Hard Lemonades that were gift-wrapped in cheap, thin towels. The following year, we were out in Whalley at another friend’s place and I was a pretty sullen, judgmental straight-edge kid. Mind you, he wasn’t. The note reflected the distance between us: “Times change, people change; underwear doesn’t change.” All three are compelling points (though the last one is kind of gross), and kind of tie to an ironically consistent topic of the last year of Editor’s Notes. Life is always in such a state of flux, and while sometimes it puts me in a state of panic, I totally embrace it. I know I had a blast putting together Discorder, and I’ll hang on to memories of loading up on fries during production, meeting the cast of volunteers that come through the doors of CiTR, and actually watching a group young writers develop with each article they contribute. Some of you have made some incredible leaps from where you were last year! But, it’s time for me to make a jump of my own, and I wish you all the best.

  So, yeah, change is everywhere. Cover star Grimes (a.k.a. Claire Boucher) was raised in B.C., but she didn’t really start making her exciting brand of onomatopoeic new age electro until she moved out East. With the next year of her life dedicated to supporting her stellar new Visions LP, she’s temporarily relocated to the West Coast. Though judging by Sarah Berman’s feature, she might be looking for a new locale in the near future.

  Though having spent some time playing in Said the Whale and supporting Tegan & Sara, the guys and gal in Rococode are currently undergoing a spotlight shift of their own. The band’s debut LP Guns, Sex & Glory is proof enough that they’re ready to do their own thing.

  As for Sleuth, Tyranahorse and From Birch to Yew, 2012 should have each act discovering what life’s like after winning their respective prizes at our annual SHiNDiG competition.

  My comprehension of the Chinese Zodiac is pretty lacking, but from what I’ve been told, the year of the Dragon is known for shaking up people’s lives, and damned if it doesn’t feel that way. It’s an incredible feeling, though.

  On to some station news, February is Black History Month, and CiTR is celebrating in style. All throughout the month we’ll be running a number of on-air PSAs highlighting a number of local community members with compel- ling stories. There will also be some special blocks of programming, inlcuding documentaries and lectures, and films will be screened across town. You can check out our calendar for some date-specific info!

  In conclusion, it’s been a wild ride, Discorder. I hope you enjoyed the last year’s worth of issues as much as I did, and I can’t wait to see what the next editor has in store (frankly, I’ll be teaching them the ropes next issue, so I’ll be the first to find out!)

(In spirit forever, but officially for one last time) Discorderly yours,
Gregory Adams

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Discorder’s contributors sound off on the tunes that made their year.

Shane Scott-Travis (writer/illustrator)

LOCAL: Like a kiss goodbye from a lost Kenneth Anger soundtrack, Dirty Beaches’ Badlands runs a nostalgic circuit; one riddled with heartache and haunted by lonely lo-fi phantoms. Alex Zhang Hungtai is a one-man miracle.

NON-LOCAL: tUnE-yArDs’ sophomore release WHOKILL wobbily stands without peer. Defying genre classification, this pastiche of art rock, folk, hip-hop, R&B, and everything else in Merrill Garbus’ compass, is a pièce de résistance.

Cail Judy (writer)

LOCAL: Sun Wizard – Positively 4th Avenue.
The soundtrack to my summer. All you need is Positively 4th Avenue and a nice steak for a great BBQ.

NON-LOCAL: The Horrible Crowes – Elsie.
Grim soul music from Brian Fallon of the Gaslight Anthem. Front to back, the album is a pitch-perfect blend of Tom Waits and Bruce Springsteen’s darker sides, with Fallon’s own unique brand added to every song.

Kamil Krawczyk (writer)

LOCAL: B-Monster – At Large.
Fun, rowdy, and non-presumptuous. Pure balls-to- the-wall rock ‘n’ roll.

NON-LOCAL: M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming.
Both its stunning electronica melodies and soft, down-to-earth compositions make this album highly enjoyable.

Peter Komierowski (illustrator)

LOCAL: I’m going to say that my pick is Young Galaxy’s Shapeshifting, with “Peripheral Visionaries” being my favourite track. Dream pop at it’s best. [ed. While Young Galaxy is currently based out of Montreal, they formed in Vancouver]

NON-LOCAL: I’m giving the Best out-of-town disc to Gang Gang Dance’s Eye Contact.

Sarah Cordingley (CiTR music programmer)

LOCAL: Various Artists – Nite Prison.
An excellent selection of local punks and freaks. All recorded at Nite Prison studios for super cheap, this album features unreleased tracks by some of my favourite local skids.

NON-LOCAL: Yamantaka//Sonic Titan – YT//ST.
A ferocious, unpredictable exploration of ancestry, art, and appropriation. Cleverly self- described as “Noh-wave,” this Montreal-and- Toronto-based collective seamlessly combine wildly diverse musical and cultural elements into a cogent and thoughtful masterpiece, from soft, dreamy pop to pummelling skronk.

Steve Louie (RLA editor/photographer)

LOCAL: Aaron Read – Bubble Skulls.
You never know when Aaron’s going to play a show. It’s kind of rare. Fine. Then he comes out with this little gem on Bandcamp and it just makes me think he’s perfecting some little bedroom pop thing. How many times have I listened to “Gold Head?” Probably my favourite local song of the year.

NON-LOCAL: Seapony – Go With Me.
I’ve been to six Seapony shows this year—so far. Which must mean I really like their debut album Go With Me. My summer soundtrack of the year.

Robert Fougere (writer/photographer)

LOCAL: Babysitter – Tape III.
In just over a year, Babysitter put out five tapes, a single and a split EP. It’s very hard to pick a favourite because they all feature Babysitter’s signature blend of reverb, distortion and lyri- cal punch, but Tape III resonates with me on a personal level.

NON-LOCAL: Smokey – Smokey.
This seven-track album was released as a limited edition cassette tape just over a year ago, but only recently available for free download from smokeycoon.bandcamp.com. Includes a mind-blowing down-tempo folk cover of Whitney Houston’s “Dance With Somebody,” reworked here as “danse w/ sumbody.”

Sarah Berman (Under Review editor)

LOCAL: MYTHS – MYTHS.
Supercharged electro-noise with a semi- psychotic swagger. First caught them opening for HEALTH and they’ve been terrifying me ever since. “Deadlights” is basically Alice Glass squared.

NON-LOCAL: Nguzunguzu – The Perfect Lullaby.
A labyrinth of stripped-down loops and beats referencing ‘90s R&B chart-toppers, Angolan kizomba and zouk in equal measures. Truly the only possible way to enjoy eight hours trapped in a Mozambican airport.

Fraser Dobbs (writer)

LOCAL: Drawn Ship – Low Domestic.
Ex-Portico frontwoman Lyn Heinemann really knows how to write beautiful songs, and as a stripped-down two-piece, she and drummer Gregg Steffensen make excellent use of the minimalist aesthetic. While most of the album is humble, quiet, and intimate, standout tracks “Sick With The Sound” and “Adventure Series” bring serious intensity to a phenomenal record.

NON-LOCAL: This Will Destroy You – Tunnel Blanket.
Okay, maybe not the most obvious choice, but for a band that has constantly decried the “post- rock” title, this is their first record to deliver on a less pigeon-holed sound. Production quality here is what makes Tunnel Blanket such a phenomenal album, as each droning noise crescendo and cymbal crash is perfectly repre- sented. Every audiophile owes it to themselves to put this vinyl on nice and loud, and to drown themselves in the crashing sonic waves.

Jennesia Pedri (writer)

LOCAL: My top choice is Siskiyou’s Keep Away The Dead. There’s a gothic feel, with just the right amount of folk to it.

NON-LOCAL: My most anticipated and most played non-local disc of 2011 is Ohbijou’s Metal Meets. Ever since I saw them live two years ago at a small pub in Toronto, I’ve been enchanted by Casey Mecija’s haunting vocals and the group’s masterful relationship to their instruments.

Grace McRae-Okine (President of the Student Executive, Writer)

LOCAL: Destroyer’s Kaputt.
It causes eargasms.

NON-LOCAL: tUnE-yArDS – WHOKILL.
This one-person project blew my mind with the video for “Bizness,” and the Ad-Rock remix of “Gangsta” sealed the deal. One of my favourites of 2011, hands down.

Hugo Noriega (CiTR sponsorship)

LOCAL: Aaron Read – Bubble Skulls.
With the quirky honesty in its lyricism, the charming inquisitiveness in its soundscapes and a sense of modesty/vulnerability that makes it awkwardly personable, Bubble Skulls is the art-pop substitute for your shy-yet-brilliant childhood best friend.

NON-LOCAL: Long Long Long – A Girl Drinking Orange Juice Feels Acids On The Sides Of Her Tongue. She Also Smells Citric Aromas And Feels The Wetness And Cold (seven-inch).
In just 5 minutes and 57 seconds, the Long Long Long dudes were able to use their jangly guitars, Beach Boys vocals harmonies, and their somewhat linear song structure to portray the dismal hopelessness I have felt since I was the age of 18. “I’m not worried about the future, I’m not sure that it’s even real.” Me neither.

Nathan Pike (writer)

LOCAL: Aunts & Uncles – Aunts & Uncles.
This five-song debut has everything that makes me happy with music. It’s got a quirky, folk-jazz feel, a cheeky punk drive, smart lyrics and a whole gaggle of instruments played by three well-respected and fantastic musicians.

NON-LOCAL: Fucked Up – David Comes To Life.
Part punk rock opera and part concept album, David Comes To Life is a sprawling mass of an album that continues to surprise me with each listen. Huge and multi-layered, dynamic and invigorating.

Brenda Grunau (CiTR station manager)

LOCAL: Oh No! Yoko – Pau Pau.
I’m going to shout out to this band of Abbotsford boys. Their songs are quirky and infectious, and make me grin from ear to ear.

NON-LOCAL: Braids – Native Speaker.
I listened to this album ad nauseum, with toes tapping to the textured layers of voice and rhythm.

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Ashly Kissman   |   photo by Robert Fougere

Ashly Kissman: I play a really eclectic mix of music, so a lot of electronica, alternative rock, R&B, some hip-hop, some jazz.

D: What made you want to have a radio show?

AK: I wanted to have a radio show for as long as I can remember because I love sharing my thoughts on-air. I’ve always loved public speaking and public dialogue, and radio is a great medium to do that with… I love storytelling too, whether you are telling the story of a new artist or album, or of a woman who just wrote a book about feminist short fiction or something, radio gives you that avenue to do that.

D: What is your show about?

AK: My show is all about celebrating women in media and in music. I started the show because I noticed that in some music genres there seemed to be a lack of female bands and singers. I set out to change that by focusing on women, to encourage more women to pursue broadcasting or play music, and to not be afraid of trying that out. Also, in most radio organizations, women are only 30 per cent of on-air programmers. I always found that really interesting. Another reason is to encourage more women to get on-air, be silly and be goofy and learn new skills. You don’t have to have an immense knowledge to do a radio show, you just have to put yourself out there. I think the reward is really huge.

D: What has been your most memorable on-air moment?

AK: One super memorable moment was when I messed up on-air. I forgot to press my mic channel and started talking, and I remember my program director running in and pressing the channel on. I remember because it was the first time I allowed myself to mess up, and if that’s the worst that could happen, it’s ok. Another memorable moment for me in radio was when I interviewed the director [Judy Chaikin] of the film The Girls in the Band, [which screened at this year’s VIFF]. That’s when I really felt like the show had reached an audience and I was part of the Vancouver community. A lot of people went to my blog because the interview was posted there. It reminded me how powerful radio is; I never looked it up, but I don’t imagine Judy Chaikin was interviewed by many other radio stations. It just shows you how community radio can showcase parts of the media and the community that are completely underrepresented.

D: Who has been your best guest?

AK: Funny enough, one of my best guests ever was Classified, when I was at CFUV (in Victoria) hosting a hip-hop show with a girlfriend called The Corner. He would always take the time to talk to us and be humble in his interview responses, even though he’s an artist that’s very successful. I always thought it was super cool that I got to interview him.

D: If you could only bring one album to a deserted island, which album would it be?

AK: My first instinct is Alicia Keys’ As I Am. It’s just one of those albums that I can listen to on repeat because Alicia Keys is so damn talented.

D: What is your favourite CiTR radio show, besides your own?

AK: I’m going to give a shout out to Oswaldo [Perez, host of The Morning After Show, Tuesdays 11:30-1:00 p.m.], since I probably listen to his show the most. I like how he always features local artists in. This is what really drew me to campus and community radio in the first place—you can have local artists in the studio, and it’s such a great meeting place for people to learn about new music and get the word out.

D: What does the future hold for What Pink Sounds Like?

AK: I would love to explore the media side of my show rather than the music side. As much as my show will always remain a music show, I would love to do more interviews with local women in the media, whether it is a media campaign towards a cause, or a media installation project. One idea I had was to feature local women bloggers and interview one each week. It would let people know about the blogs, to check out all the talented women in Vancouver, but also gives them an audience for their blog. There’s a community of women that are doing things and people just don’t know about it.

What Pink Sounds Like airs Tuesdays from 1-2 p.m.

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I’ve heard his shows are mental! And who does not want to see a chubby guy in giant glasses dance around and make us all smile. Plus, his album Bromst blows my mind, and tickets are only 15 bones!

GRAHAM CLARK (December 15–17 • The Comedy Mix)

I’m a comedy snob, I’ll be the first to admit it, and I enjoy Graham Clark’s and Dave Shuma’s Stop Podcasting Yourself program. What I enjoy even more are Clark’s hilarious tweets, which are reason enough to check him out at the Comedy Mix.

DINOSAUR JR (December 18 • The Commodore)

Not only will Dinosaur Jr. be on the road with the kick ass Henry Rollins, who will be interviewing them onstage, but they’ll be playing their classic album Bug in full. Seriously, everyone, that’s the album that had “Freak Scene” on it. It’s an alt-rock staple. Get yer tickets!

TREE LIGHTING EVENT (December 9 • Jack Poole Plaza, Vancouver Convention Centre)

I already admitted to being a Christmas loving dork, so why not feel all warm and fuzzy and check out the Rockefeller Center-style Tree Light Celebration at Jack Poole Plaza. The event is a 50 foot tree lit up in front of the gallery with some Christmas soloists and a special guest appearance by none other than SANTA CLAUSE! Why not have a feel good moment this winter, am I right? And this is coming from me!

  Just so you all don’t go too crazy, I am still my cynical self. I will share with you my least favourite thing about Christmas. Is it eggnog? No, are you crazy? I’m cuckoo for eggnog. The worst thing about Christmas: SHOPPING MALLS.

  My biggest problem when I go out shopping is that the other shoppers are always in la-la land. I do my Christmas shopping two months in advance just so I can avoid this. Yes, I’m neurotic and irritable but come on people, can you please just pay attention to what you’re doing? Everyone is walking at a turtle’s pace and not paying attention, and I just want to knock people down. Yes, children included. You should be looking after them, parents. Sheesh. Anyways, just had to get that off my chest. Happy Holidays, everyone.

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Color Me Obsessed, a film by Gorman Bechard

  Memorable concert experiences were recounted, including several recollections about the band’s alcohol-influenced performance meltdowns, or the late Bob Stinson’s crazy onstage outfits (a tutu without underwear, Dr. Seuss leotards, performing inside a garbage can). We also got a sense of the band’s relationship with long-time manager Peter Jesperson and with the indie imprint Twin/Tone.

  The only issue with this film is that it’s much too long for a format that only features talking heads. There was a long segment about how the Replacements’ music affected people personally that could have been left out. Mostly because this can be said about any band and didn’t necessarily seem to reflect the band’s individuality.
That being said, this film is definitely worth the watch, whether you’re a fan of the Replacements or have never even heard of them.

  Gorman Bechard will be screening Color Me Obsessed: A film about the Replacements and holding a Q&A at the Waldorf Hotel on December 2, with an afterparty to follow featuring performances from White Lung, Defektors and DJ Tyler Fedchuk.

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  On the topic of generosity, CiTR just wrapped up our annual Fundrive, and we want to thank everyone who pitched in to help fund the station and the magazine. Between the donations collected through our websites, over the airwaves, over the phone and via our grand finale party at the Biltmore Cabaret, you helped us raise over $23,700 this year. That’s incredible! Thanks again.

  Discorder’s still got plenty of love to share this holiday season, namely through our upcoming Discorder Contributors Art Show on December 16. Please come on down to the Interurban Gallery and check out a whole room’s worth of work from some of our favourite contributing photographers, painters and illustrators, including Louise Reimer, Tyler Crich, Melanie Coles, Andy Dixon and more. The whole thing was put together by longtime volunteer Robert Fougere and our old art director Lindsey Hampton, both of whom are also featured in the show, and we can’t wait to see what they chose. Be sure to stick around afterwards, as the night will be concluded by some local faves that graced our pages throughout the year: Shimmering Stars, Kellarissa and Lost Lovers Brigade.

  Finally, we wrap up our annual SHiNDiG competition on December 6 at the Railway Club. Part of the prize for the top three spots is a feature in Discorder, so you can rest assured that next issue, like always, you’ll be hearing about some fresh new talent. I, for one, can’t wait.

  However you feel like celebrating this holiday season, keep yourself warm and full of great tunes and good cheer. See you in 2012, everybody.

Discorderly yours,
Gregory Adams

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  Each year, CiTR’s Fundrive has us soliciting our faithful listeners/readers for charitable donations to help fund the radio station and Discorder magazine. On top of providing community-based programming for the Vancouver area and beyond, we also have a lot of fun.

Below we’ve gathered just a few of the many faces that have graced the station over the years, and they’ve lovingly shared why CiTR is so special to them. Tune in to 101.9 FM November 17-24 for the Fundrive and we’re sure you’ll here some more great stories about the station.

Grace McRae-Okine (President of the Student Executive, 2011-2012):

  There is simply no hiding it — this is one of my favourite times of year. As a student I have enjoyed one week of respite from midterms, mini candy bars are ripe to be moved to the clearance racks, and the seventh annual CiTR Fundrive is nigh.

  While CiTR operates 24/7/365, we dedicate only a few days out of the year to ask for your donations. This annual funding drive (or Fundrive, as we like to call it) is not so that we can continue doing all we do for just one more year, but in the hopes that you’ll have 101.9FM to tune in to for years to come. This is because we are a campus and community radio station, and rely on the support and funding of the student body at UBC as well as our listenership in the Vancouver community (and abroad) to fund the work we do. We take our mandate seriously — to educate and train those interested in broadcast journalism; to support projects, businesses, and events that support to marginalized groups in our community; to give a voice to those who may otherwise be voiceless; and to give our celebrated DJs the freedom to play the best in local, underground and alternative music. And yes, we do enjoy throwing a mean party every once in a while.

  This year’s Fundrive will run from November 17-24, and we’re asking you to ‘Tune In to the Future’ of radio with us. Funds raised during the 2010 FunDrive (a whopping $30k!) went towards our operating budget and special projects such as digitizing our 30k+ library of CDs, helping to bring us into the future of broadcast radio. This year we have upped our goal to $35k, and look towards the long term future of CiTR. We want to remain relevant, accessible and unequivocally awesome through 2012 and beyond, and we need your help to do it.

  So whether it’s on air at 101.9 on the FM dial, online at citr.ca, or on the lovely Discorder you are reading online, we invite you to ‘Tune In to the Future’ with us. It’s sure to be an interesting ride.

Janis McKenzie (Chair of CiTR’s Board of Directors, and Discorder Contributor):

  My first show was called Rude Awakening. The time slot was 7-10:30 on Thursday mornings, and even though I only lived across the street at Gage Towers it was nearly impossible to get there early enough. I was usually out seeing some band the night before, and by the time the proctor let me into the station it would already be time to go on-air.

  Usually I’d play the sign-on cart, grab something from the playlist and put it on, and then rush over to the record library to get enough music so I’d have time to find a pen, the log sheet and the tape I was supposed to play later on (on the reel-to-reel machine). Sometimes I brought poetry records from the Wilson Recording Library, or played a twelve-inch single I’d heard at the Luv-A-Fair, but mostly I didn’t know what I was going to play until I was there. Mostly what I ended up playing was garage or punk songs, and most of them were less than three minutes long. If I needed time to run down the hall I would pull an album off the playlist and cue up the longest track, even if I’d never heard it before.

  The album covers were usually marked up with notes from the music director (and dissenting notes from some of the DJs) about which songs to play and what they were like, but it was always a crap shoot.

  Sometimes I’d be sprinting through the station lounge (and past whoever was sleeping on the couch that morning) and hear whatever it was coming through the speakers and think, “oh hell, that’s awful.” But once or twice it turned out to be something great (That was how I discovered the excellent Scottish band The Primevals). Three-and-a-half hours was a long time to fill when I didn’t have a plan and really didn’t know what I was doing, but I loved it.

Duncan McHugh (Board of Directors, host of Duncan’s Donuts):

  Fundrive is an exhilarating time to be around the station. Everyone’s working hard, phones are ringing, DJs are pulling out their big guns; it’s a picture of the station at its best.

  Fundrive is also a very exhausting time. Every year, I have a point where I hit a wall and feel super burnt out. Last year it hit right before the finale. I showed up to the party not wanting to be there at all, attending only out of a sense of obligation. The theme was “‘90s covers” and there were ten bands on the bill; I was overwhelmed.

  Slowly though, my mood brightened. It was hard not to cheer up seeing all the bands, volunteers and listeners pitch in to support the radio station they love.

  By the end of the night, I jumped onstage to join everyone else in a crazy “Smells Like Teen Spirit” sing-along. It was so much fun! Once again, the power of CiTR managed to lift my spirits.

For more information on where and how to donate, click here.

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