Author Archives: Blake Friesen

BC Christmas Picks: Christmas Spirit’s Overrated Anyways

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Christmas is almost exactly a month away now. As you bring out your Christmas playlist, we’ve got some BC born Christmas music you’ll wanna add this year. But, today’s Evolution 107.9 BC Christmas Pick might not bring along the traditional Christmas spirit you’d expect.

Amidst the season of joy and family, it’s a fact of life that some people’s family only brings fear and sorrow. Family fights bring tensions high, as aunts and uncles bicker with parents and cousins, and getting everyone in the same room can be dangerous. Mother Mother encapsulates this in their 2022 single Cry Christmas.

And the song itself is a heater. The first half brings a more conversational tone, a la something like Verbatim, lamenting the various troubles (including uncle John) that plague the Christmas dinner, but the mix between those sections and the later heavy shredding over the repeated line of “cry cry Christmas” shows both the sadness and the rage that these dinners can bring. I felt like this song perfectly encapsulates the worst parts of Christmas for me, and though it may not bring more traditional Christmas cheer, the undeniable BC indie feel is always something I love to jam to. 

The song was originally released in 2022, but Mother Mother just released an EP last month, with both Cry Christmas and two covers of more traditional Christmas songs: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, and Silent Night. Of course, being Mother Mother, the songs have their own, darker spins. 

Mother Mother, if you couldn’t tell already, is my all time favorite BC band. They formed in 2005, but you might have only heard about them in the past couple years. The band went viral on TikTok around 2020, with clips from songs like Hayloft and Wrecking Ball being frequently used. Jasmin Parkin, keyboard and vocalist for the band, said that this virality was a complete surprise to the band. 

“I was actually in school at the time, trying to prepare my life for needing a second job (besides MM). We all thought the band was winding down, not quitting but just slowing to a degree. It was a shock to all of us that this little app called TikTok had thousands of kids making videos and using our songs.”

Cry Christmas embodies a ton of BC’s indie rock, and that makes it an excellent choice for our BC Christmas Picks today. Give it a listen if you haven’t already, and keep an eye on Evolution 107.9 for more BC Christmas Picks.

BC Christmas Picks: Indie Leads the Way to a Brighter Christmas

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Do you feel the need to bring a little BC spirit into your holiday season? Do you need some new tunes to spice up your Christmas playlist?

If so, here at Evolution 107.9 we’ve got some Christmas tracks right out of BC we want to share with you. This is out BC Christmas Picks, and today’s entry is straight out of Vancouver’s indie scene. 

December means a lot of things to a lot of different people. Maybe it’s a time of stress, running around Vancouver with a huge list of tasks to do and gifts to buy. Maybe it’s a time of family, relaxing around a fire with hardly-seen relatives. But for some, it’s a time of memories. When the swirling, white landscapes dredge up long forgotten, happier times. Today’s BC Christmas Pick is by The Zolas, simply titled Snow, and it reflects that feeling perfectly.

To me, the song really sounds like being in a snowstorm. Vocals and choruses rise, fall, and swirl around. A layer of melancholy floats over words that ache of memories long gone. And the repeated chorus, only using the word “snow”, would sound repetitive after a while. But the shifting, peaceful delivery makes it the best part of the song. 

If this is the first you’re hearing of them, The Zolas are a staple of Vancouver’s indie scene, and a band often played here on Evolution 107.9. They debuted in 2009, with their album Tic Toc Tic, and are now up to 4 albums and 2 EP’s. Zachary Grey, one of the founding members of the band, said that Tic Toc Tic’s unique sound originated from compromising between him and Tom Dobrzanski, the other member of the original duo. 

As he says, “Tom and I had such different tastes in music. I had come from a more normal, grunge-loving, angsty, pop and alternative rock kind of world. Tom was kind of an alien. He’s still an alien. I’m not really sure what Tom loves, but he knows it when he hears it. He’s a bit of a savant.” 

Tom is unfortunately not a part of the band anymore, but that original inspiration has carried the band through their 16 year career. 

The Zolas’ music is something I love listening to, and if you haven’t heard of them before Snow is a great song to add to your holiday playlist. That’s our BC Christmas Pick for the day, there’s still more coming, so make sure to check in and grab more recommendations! 

Vancouver’s Best Indie Band is Closer Than Ever

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Fan’s of one of Vancouver’s best indie pop bands are rejoicing, as Peach Pit announces its 2025 Long Hair, Long Life tour with Briston Maroney. The tour has over 60 stops in it’s run, both across Canada and international borders. And, most importantly, the band stops right here in Burnaby, at Deer Lake Park.

The tour was announced in wake of Peach Pit’s latest album, Magpie. Released last month, the Album was extremely well received. With some absolute gems like Am I Your Girl and Outta Here, fans are calling it their best album yet. Neil Smith, the band’s lead singer, described it as “a record like that that has many different [genres] on it…” and ”that was something we were paying attention to when we were making the record. I was like, ‘let’s try to make something that isn’t samey all the way through’… we’ve got heavy songs, we’ve got folk songs, we’ve got poppier songs,”

And now, Smith is ecstatic for the future. “We couldn’t be more excited for this upcoming 2025 NA tour with our good friend Briston Maroney. It’s our biggest tour ever, and we’re playing some really crazy venues, places like Red Rocks in Colorado that I honestly never really thought were in the cards for us,” He explains. “It freaks me out that we somehow managed to go from rehearsing in Chris’ bedroom 10 years ago to venues like The Greek in LA and Pier 17 in New York.” And, highlighting how far they’ve come, he ended by saying “2014 Peach Pit would be tripping out right now.”

Peach Pit was formed in 2016, only 8 years ago, but the band has been playing together for even longer than that. Since 2014, in fact. Smith says “[He’d] write a song, [they’d] come together and [they’d] figure out the song in a very rudimentary sort of way… [They] kind of put it together like puzzle pieces. So [the band] started when [they] were really young,” That connection between the members is what has driven Peach Pit so far, and sparked their dedicated fanbase. 

The band’s tour brings them to Deer Lake Park, right outside BCIT’s doorstep, on June 6th, 2025. Or, if you can’t wait, they’ll be in Royal Theatre in Victoria February 4th and 5th. But, either way, make sure you check out their biggest tour yet. You can buy your tickets right now, so don’t wait around!

BC’s Christmas Picks: A Melancholy Holiday Season

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It’s only a month until Christmas rolls around. And what does that mean? It’s time to bring out that Christmas playlist of yours. But, maybe this year it’s time to spice it up. Here’s some picks from Evolution 107.9 that’ll bring some BC to your holiday tunes.

The idealized Christmas is truly something special, huh? You sit at the fire, family surrounding you, no worries in the world. Everyone comes together, puts aside feuds, and enjoys each other’s company. Isn’t that special? Don’t you wish that could last forever? Well, so does BC songwriter Willolux, with her single Christmas All the Time.

Christmas all the time embodies that feeling of perfection around Christmas, where everyone puts aside their worries and troubles just for the holiday season. But Willolux makes the wish that the season would last all year round, removing the toils and troubles between people forever. The song carries the joyous bells and sounds of a happy Christmas, while deeply embodying the sadness and melancholy that comes with broken relationships. It all ties together quite nicely, and the end result is a song that hides its hurt right underneath the surface.

Willolux, or Kristina Emmott, is an Indie-Folk musician from right here in Vancouver. She loved rock as a teenager, and started songwriting in her spare time. She made her debut in 2017, with her album Thread and Tape. 

“I made “Thread & Tape” in a cottage-style studio on a small farm on the outskirts of town – chickens, bunnies, and towering trees lining the snowy landscape.” Willolux explains. “It was an incredibly poignant and intimate experience – I truly never expected the album to be listened to by anyone other than maybe my cat and a few close friends. I am eternally grateful if it resonates with anyone, and that it is reaching a few new ears, but I would still be making music every day regardless.”

That love of making music is prevalent in all of her work, and her whimsical, heartfelt sounds weave throughout her discography. Christmas All the Time is a worthy addition to any Christmas playlist, and the rest of her music is even higher above. If you were to check out any of her other songs, my favorite is Chalice, one of her singles from 2022. 

That’s the BC Christmas Pick of today. There’ll be more coming throughout the week, so keep your playlist open, and ready to pack in more BC bred tunes.

Vancouver’s Newest Music Festival is Here, and it’s Raising Indie Up

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Vancouver’s got one more music festival to add to its collection, and it’s getting many, me included, excited for the future of indie music in Vancouver. 

The Unreal City music festival is taking place in just two months, from January 10th – 11th. Stationed in the Russian Hall on Campbell street for two evenings and a day, the festival brings “a mix of punk, indie, shoegaze, metal, post-rock, and post punk- an unfiltered lineup of artists keeping the spirit of the city’s rich DIY culture alive.”

The event features many of our city’s talented indie bands. These include: La Lune, Worrywart, Dead Soft, Cherry Pick, Weak Knees, Tall Mary, Water Margin, Mental Health, Aversions, and a ton more. A lot of them may be bands you haven’t heard of, and that’s exactly what Unreal City is about. The festival promises to give local bands a space to show their stuff, and demonstrate the indie music from Vancouver you should be listening to. The Unreal City website promises a celebration of the city’s rock culture, being “Built by artists, for artists.” 

“A lot of the festival organisers are in local bands themselves,” Sam Coll, the event’s director, explains. “We really felt like there was a hole in the calendar this time of year, and where other Canadian cities are celebrating their indie bands in winter with festivals of their own, there wasn’t much like that here. We think we’re starting strong and we’re hoping to grow this into an annual fixture.”

“People are feeling the pinch financially.” Says Rose Morgan, the festival coordinator. “Now more than ever, it’s important to create fun, welcoming spaces for people to come together and support local artists.” 

With the lack of indie representation in Vancouver’s music festivals, it’s incredible to see something fill that hole, and provide a great time for fans of the genre. And with sandwiches by Rebel Rebel BBQ, DJ’s, and community tables at the venue, there’s plenty to do besides jamming out.  

If that all sounds right up your alley, then early bird tickets are on sale right now for 30$. But be warned, they’re only available up until December 3rd. Check out Unreal City’s website at unrealcity.rocks, or their instagram at @unrealcityfest, for updates. Go on and check out its first inaugural year, and get a taste of Vancouver’s indie scene!

BC’s Christmas Picks: Vancouver’s Newest Rock/Christmas Fusion?

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As the Christmas season is on the horizon, you might feel like you need some new tunes to spice up that Christmas playlist of yours. Well, that’s why Evolution 107.9 is here, bringing you the first of our BC’s Christmas Picks. And today’s pick is especially good if you, like me, are starting to get a little bored of the monotony of Christmas music. 

Christmas traditions are important to us all. Everyone has some little, maybe not that meaningful traditions that bring joy to the household. Maybe baking Christmas cookies, maybe caroling, or maybe, just maybe, watching Die Hard every Christmas season. That’s what Art of Dying’s newest song, Diehard Christmas, is all about. 

 

Art of Dying is a band that was formed right here in Vancouver in 2004. Their lead singer and frontman, Jonny Hetherington, started his music career busking on the streets.

“In my early days as a musician I just wanted to hone my chops. and playing on the street seemed like the best way to do that.” says Hetherington. “I’ll never forget the folks who came and took notice of what I was doing back then, lots of them are Art of Dying fans now and I think that’s testament to what we’ve been able to create as a band.” 

And now, they’ve released 8 albums during their 20 year long career. Art of Dying is another example of the talent born from Vancouver’s excellent home grown rock scene. And with this newest song, they mix classic rock sounds with the bell jingling, caroling feel of Christmas Music. 

Diehard Christmas has an absurdity  that really forces you to pay attention to it. You know that feeling you get while at a Christmas party? Everyone’s talking, eating, and having a good time. But then, you get to the point where it starts to lull, everyone’s running out of conversation topics. When that happens, nothing’s better than a shock to the Christmas music immune system that’ll start conversations up again. (Preferably about how Die Hard is the best Christmas movie of all time, I’ll die on that hill.)

If you’re a huge fan of rock, you want to listen to more BC born music, or you just love Die Hard, Diehard Christmas is a song that you’ll wanna add to that Christmas playlist of yours. This has been our first BC Christmas Pick, and we’ll have many more songs for you in the coming week.