Vancouver is a hustling city, a city that is progressing faster than we can keep up. Its got nature, its got art galleries and small music festival pop ups that happen all year round, but Vancouver never seems to slow down. Take the Keith Urban concert for example, Its going to start at 7 pm with three openers and the show might possibly end at 11 pm on a Wednesday night, yet the yale saloon has an afterparty to the concert, because Vancouverites, we like to have fun, even if that means being groggy on Thursday, because what’s one night? Well the only solution I see for that is to have a band perform that are known for their soulful melodies, that will slow down time, and Hollow Coves comes to mind, and thankfully they are coming here tomorrow at Malkin Bowl.

Their dreamy folk pop melodies are made to be sung against the Stankey park backdrop. Each city has a musical tone to it, and if I could give Vancouver a tone, it would have to be the sense of calm yet wanderlust that Hollow Coves seem to pour straight into their songs. With songs like ‘the Woods’ and Coastline, you can imagine why their lyrics so perfectly capture that sense of travel and the peace you find as you travel down the road, your head out the window, breathing in fresh ocean air. When you get a chance to hear the artist where their songs are meant to be played, you can’t say no, especially when their tickets are a steal at only 60 dollars. The concert is tomorrow, a perfect midweek break from just starting classes again, coming back from vacation to work, they remind us to take a breathe, breathe in the fresh fall air, no big fireworks, no background dancers, just two guys on a stage with their guitar, singing to a crowd. Their last show in June last year was described as “spellbinding” by Variance Magazine. So Vancouver might be known for its hustle and bustle, for its constant annoying traffic and its ever changing weather within a day, but for just tomorrow night, everything will seem to take a pause, only nature and Hollow Coves will make music under the evergreen canopy of Stanley park, the harmonies will go into the night and we’ll remember that we live in one of the most beautiful places in the world. I can already picture it, its 6pm, the buzz of concert goers, as people watch the sun dip into the mountains, the rays coming outward in a beautiful pink color, people lounging on picnic mats, with their snacks, out walk Ryan and Matt, everyone cheers and sits a bit taller. Then a collective exhale of silence as the music starts to play, there’s some singing along, and swaying side to side, as everyone absorbs their music the way they like best, it slowly settles into their soul, as the sun sets completely, and the music continues.