Author Archives: Kamryn Hamagami-Postill

Canadian Grammy Nominees!

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Well, it’s that time of year again…. Grammy Time. So let’s talk about some of your favourite Canadian nominees! 

Calling all house music and DJ fans, Montreal’s Kaytranada who won two Grammys in 2021 has secured three nominations for 2025! Woot woot! Kaytranada has been nominated for Best Remixed Recording for remix of “Alter Ego” by Doechii. Best Dance/Electronic Music Album for his Timeless album. And Best Dance/Electronic Recording for song ‘Witchy” that was assisted by Childish Gambino. 

Beyonce released her album Cowboy Carter this year and as well is nominated for 11 Grammys being the most nominated artist. However, even though she is American, many Canadians contributed to the making and release of this album as well. Canadian songwriters, Elizabeth Lowell Boland, Nathan Ferraro, and Megan Bulow earned nominations for Cowboy Carter. Cowboy Carter has been nominated for Album Of The Year, Song Of The Year, Record Of The Year, Best Country Album, Best Country Solo Performance, and more! Go Beyonce but shout out to our Canadians who helped make that possible. 

Looking at the visual media category many well known Canadian favourites were nominated for Best Compilation Soundtrack. Starting off strong Shania Twain and Breland’s song “Boots Don’t” was featured on movie Twisters. A summer favourite for many, Saltburn had Arcade Fire’s song “No Cars Go”. And Avril Lavigne the 2000s pop-rock star certainly made a comeback this year, from being on her “When We Were Young” tour to her song which was a hit in the early 2000s, “I’m With You” appearing in Deadpool & Wolverine which has earned her a nomination. 

Serban Ghena, audio engineer and mixer with a tremendous history of Grammy wins, racking in 21 to be exact, has earned himself nominations for work on pop stars Sabrina Carpenter’s album, Short N’ Sweet, and Taylor Swift’s album “The Tortured Poets Department”. Short N’ Sweet is up for Best Engineered album for Serban and The Tortured Poets Department is up for Album Of The Year as well! 

For you R&B lovers out there, SZA with “Saturn” has been nominated for Best R&B song which Canadian songwriter Scott Zhang worked on. And Sara Diamond, from Quebec who worked on “Here We Go (Uh Oh) ” by Coco Jones, has also been nominated for Best R&B song. 

The Weeknd from Ontario has earned his nomination this year for Best Melodic Rap Performance from his work on “We Still Don’t Trust You” with Future and Metro Boomin. 

The 2025 Grammys will take place on February 2 at the Crypto Arena in Los Angeles, and it’s going to make one exciting night for all music lovers. 

The Vogue Theatre

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The Vogue Theatre is a Vancouver landmark! It has a classic vibe to it and it definitely stands out to the community. Whenever I hear something about the Vogue Theatre I imagine the iconic building and the sign with the listed upcoming events. The Vogue Theatre is an important place in Vancouver, it holds music events and performances from smaller artists just making their mark in their career to well known artists coming to share their talent. 

Vogue

The Vogue Theatre was originally built in 1940 and finished in 1941. In the beginning, it was run by Canadian Odeon Theatres. In 1998 it was restored and renovated and from then to now it has hosted numerous events such as live concerts, dramas, movie showings and even hosted big events such as Vancouver’s Comedy Fest, Vancouver International Film Festival, and the Vancouver International Jazz Festival! 

A fun fact about The Vogue Theatre is that it is actually a heritage building making it a National Historic Site of Canada. The Vogue Theatre is a smaller venue holding 1280 audience members which in my opinion, I love. I feel that when the venue of an event is smaller it creates a more personal experience with the artist and to me it feels as if they are more connected and involved with the crowd. 

If I’ve got you hooked and interred and you’re wanting to catch an upcoming show there’s some great events headed to The Vogue Theatre! 

Your Friday night looking a bit empty? Tonight the Concert of Convergence is being held at 7:30. This show sounds super interesting! Two musicians from Asia, Serrini and Enno Cheng will be singing in two different Chinese languages, Cantonese and Taiwanese, (hence the name convergence). This show is a part of the Jade Music Fest which is a music event that aims to promote smaller Chinese language artists. Super cool opportunity to see different languages performed live and learn a bit about different cultures. 

Next Saturday on the 16th Death From Above 1979 will be headed to The Vogue Theatre. This rock duo is going to give the audience an energetic night filled with a great performance and great music. This show is celebrating the 20th anniversary of their album You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine which was released in 2004, (can’t believe that it’s already 20 years since then)

Mid month, Alexander Stewart will be performing at The Vogue Theatre with his The Homecoming Tour. This Toronto born pop artist will be hitting the stage on November 17th bringing a fun lively show to Vancouver! You may know Alexander from his songs “i wish you cheated” and “blame’s on me” which gained some popularity on social media, especially TikTok. 

So if you haven’t been to The Vogue Theatre I believe it’s a Vancouver must do. If not for the music, go for the history! It’s a truly beautiful building inside and out. 

 

Arkells Coming To Rogers Arena

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Calling all Arkells fans! The countdown is on. T-minus 9 days until Arkells performs in Vancouver’s very own Rogers Arena. 

This Canadian alternative indie rock band hailing from Hamilton, Ontario is set to start their Big Feelings Tour in Kelowna on the 14th then will be in Vancouver on the 15th, so if you didn’t have Friday night plans on the 15th this could be it! 

Alongside Arkells will be K.Flay which is going to be a great way to get the night started. I actually recently discovered K.Flay and as someone who doesn’t love electronic music I have to say K.Flay is kind of turning me into more of a fan. I think the indie alternative style with the mix of electronic dance is super fun and intriguing. K.Flay however will just be joining for the British Columbia leg of the tour and then the stage will be turning over to Valley who will take over for the Ontario leg of the tour. If you will be heading out to the Ontario shows you can still expect an awesome show from Valley and they also have a new album out called “Water The Flowers, Pray For The Garden” so it will be a cool opportunity to see that live if you have the chance! 

 “Big Feelings” was released this year with the prior album release being “Blink Twice” , so many Arkellians were eagerly anticipating this release date, and there is no better way to release an album than announcing a tour with it! With only three British Columbia (Kelowna, Victoria, and Vancouver) this one you will not want to miss out on. And what else will you be doing on a rainy cold November night! And who knows you never know the next time Arkells will be back in town. 

Besides hearing Arkells on the evolution radio a couple of times, I wasn’t too well versed with their music however I did some digging and I’ve created some opinions on some songs. I first gave the “Big Feelings” single a listen and the name does truly match the song’s energy, it’s loud, it’s big, and it’s good. A song that commonly plays on the evolution radio is “Ballad of Hugo Chavez” and that’s my favourite song from the 2023 JUNO award for Group of the Year! 

If you’re headed down to Rogers Arena on the 15th have an awesome time and enjoy the show, and if you are interested in going tickets are still on sale through ticket master. https://www.ticketmaster.ca/arkells-vancouver-british-columbia-11-15-2024/event/11006093C6024D44

 

The Grey Cup

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Well Vancouver it’s finally our time to host the 111th Grey Cup. It’s the first time since 2014 that The Grey Cup has been in Vancouver so many Vancouverites are feeling the excitement. 

Not a fan of football? No worries! The halftime show is basically the main event anyways. Just like the NFL Super Bowl the CFL also has a lively halftime performance with dancing, costumes, and good music, and this year the CFL Grey Cup halftime show act issss drum roll pleaseee…. The Jonas Brothers!

When I first heard that The Jonas Brothers were the halftime show I was surprised! I always like to try to guess who the performers are going to be before they are announced and for some reason it just never crossed my mind that it would be them. The Jonas Brothers originally gained their fame from Disney channel specially both the Camp Rock movies. 

Over the summer, The Jonas Brothers were actually on their tour THE TOUR which spanned five albums of their music touring worldwide! The Jonas Brothers are just currently finishing up their tour in Europe before they cross the pond over to Canada to perform at The Grey Cup. 

https://jonasbrothers.com/

I don’t know about you but in my early teenage years I was OBSESSED with The Jonas Brothers and I still remember when I heard the news about their break up. To say I was devastated would be an understatement. But when I heard that they were going to be the halftime act I was super happy for them and also the hard core fans that get the chance to see them live. 

https://www.greycupfestival.ca/entertainment

However The Jonas Brothers won’t be the only entertainment that The Grey Cup is bringing to Vancouver. There is a kick off show hosted by SiriusXM with a special performance from Owen Riegling. Owen is a country singer from Mildmay Ontario who is certainly going to get the party started. I don’t know about you but for some reason country music always just gets me in a good mood and the mood to party so I think it’s great Owen will be kicking off The Grey Cup and representing Canada at the same time!

The Grey Cup has been known to have some pretty awesome halftime acts, artists Keith Urban, Alessia Cara, Shania Twain, and Fall Out Boy have performed the show, and last year Green Day took the field with a lively performance. 

So if football isn’t your thing don’t worry, the fun is all in the music anyway:) Happy Grey Cup Vancouver! 

Local Spotlight: Brass Camel

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I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again. Nothing beats local smaller artists. Whether it’s your first time hearing them or you’re a loyal fan, supporting local music is always the right thing to do. 

Today I’m putting the spotlight on Vancouver local rock band Brass Camel! 

https://www.brasscamel.ca/

This rock band coming out of North Vancouver packs a punch on stage, from their thrilling performances, stage presence, to even the crowd, Brass Camel is an exciting local band to watch out for. 

With Wyatt Gilson on the drums, Curtis Arsenault with the bass, guitarist Dylan Lamme, and Daniel James vocalist and guitarist, Brass Camel released their debut album “Brass” in 2022, having two prior singles “Easy” and “King for a Day”. 

You may recognize the band from hearing them on evolution 107.9! We occasionally have “King for a Day” and “Easy” playing on our radio. 

This past summer into early fall, Brass Camel took their show onto the road with their Canada wide tour “Over The Hump Tour”. The tour reached over 30 Canadian cities stretching from Canada’s West in Victoria, British Columbia to all the way East playing in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The band took their trusty van across Canada delivering some great rock shows. 

Brass Camel also played at their fair share of festivals this year with the Between The Peaks Festival in Rossland, British Columbia to the Forest Echoes Music Festival in Chilliwack, British Columbia the shows at festivals shared the Brass Camel love, reaching many people. 

Brass Camel plays at a lot of local venues as well so if you are interested in seeing them live keep an eye out for The Pearl, Vogue Theatre, and The Wise Hall Lounge. I personally have been able to catch a couple shows at The Wise Hall Lounge and let me tell you, these are ones you definitely want to check out. 

They certainly know how to get the crowd engaged, from awesome outfits, bright lights, to even sometimes dry ice creating a smokey effect, and of course a brass camel. I won’t say too much about the camel, that one you will have to figure out on your own.  

So what’s next for Brass Camel? On the @brasscamel instagram they mentioned they are working on a plan to take their shows even further stretching to the USA and possibly even beyond next year. Super exciting stuff for a band coming out of North Vancouver. I can’t wait to see what these guys do next and to watch Brass Camel grow even more!

The Music Review: BC Releases

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Discovering new music is so exciting, adding new songs to your playlists, or even finding out a new genre or artist you enjoy. It’s even more exciting when those artists and songs are from BC! 

I’m going to share some of my favourite newer music releases coming out of beautiful British Columbia. 

Vancouver based R&B singer, Nikkaela released a new EP called “Look, Don’t Touch” One of my favourites from Nikkaela is “Closer Than Air” her voice is so soothing and angelic it’s a good song to listen to relax and unwind. 

JJ Adrian, another R&B singer released “Coyote Mint” and I absolutely loved this one, the beat, the lyrics, and the voice. R&B isn’t usually a genre I listen to regularly but this is one I’ll be adding to my playlist and having on repeat! Sometimes I have a hard time with R&B because of the slower pace, but this song certainly picks up and has a good rhythm. 

Boslen has been a rapper I’ve been familiar with for awhile now, and used to always play his music. However, until now it had been awhile since I listened to him but listening to “Sunday Shoes” got me right back into it. I have to say most rap does sound pretty similar to me (don’t hate me rap fans) but Boslen stands out to me. His style and voice differentiates himself from the rest in my opinion. I also have to say that “Sunday Shoes” does have a different vibe than his other songs especially looking at “Eye for an Eye” or even “NIGHTFALL”, but I am all for it. 

Molly Annelle was an artist that was completely new to me so I went into listening to her new album “Junebug” blind. To me this album feels summer-y, and as someone who tries to keep the music I listen to seasonal, this would be one I’d turn on in the spring or summer, not right now. It has a bit of a country pop vibe to it but also has indie roots. I want to say that Molly kind of gives me a little bit of Chappel Roan vibes. Overall I liked it and some honourable mentions I have are “all day, cowboy!” and “cherry brain pie”.

My last new listen was Connor Nelson with his single “Overlove” and this one had such a good energy to it! This one deserves more recognition!! I love a good happy pop song and this delivered just that. It put me in a good mood and made me want to dance. This one gets 5 stars from me! 

See? Discovering new music is fun! Go try it! I wouldn’t even have known these songs if I didn’t step out and try something new but now I have some new songs added to my “current favs” playlist. 

 

Vancouver Music Events November 5&6

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Happy Tuesday! 

Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s can be a bit boring in my opinion. It’s the start and middle of the week and with the time change and it getting darker earlier you may be getting tempted to just climb into your bed after work but I’m here to make it fun and keep the good vibes rolling through dreary November. So if your Tuesday and Wednesday night plans are looking a little bit bleak, hopefully I’m able to get some plans in motion for you!

Tonight at the Rickshaw Theatre “DEHD” will be performing. Coming from Chicago, Illinois this three piece indie, alternative, rock band will be taking the stage bringing you a night of entertainment. In all honesty, prior to writing this I had no idea who these guys were and had never heard them before, but I did some digging and I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised! Doors for this event open at 7:00 and tickets are $25. Unfortunately, I do have work tonight, but if for some reason I get called off I’m definitely heading down to the Rickshaw. I’ll link some of my favourite songs I listened to below. 

Tonight 21 year old OsamaSon from South Carolina will be playing at the Hollywood Theatre for his “Wish You Were Here” tour. You can expect a hip hop performance for this one so if that is your vibe you should go check this one out! I always really enjoy checking out younger artists and I always think how crazy it is that the artist is close to my age. Seeing the new and upcoming generation of artists is always a super cool opportunity because you never know, maybe one day they will blow up and become huge and you can look back and say “hey I got to see them live at the Hollywood Theatre in Vancouver”! 

If it’s been awhile since you’ve seen a rock show and you’re looking to catch one tomorrow at the Pearl, Nervy will be rocking the stage on their first ever North American tour! This one would be a super interesting one to go see because this band actually is from Ukraine! I always think listening and experiencing music in a different language is so cool so if you are looking to broaden your music taste – check this one out! https://nervyconcerts.com/ I was listening to a couple of songs today and even though I can’t understand them it’s still a great powerful rock band with a lot of energy so I’d imagine the concert would be pretty lively. 

Don’t let the chilly rainy Vancouver weather get you down this week, get out there and listen to some live music, there is no better cure.

Sabrina Carpenter Tonight!

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Well today is the day for you Sabrina Carpenter fans out there! 

Tonight for one night only Sabrina Carpenter will be at the Pacific Coliseum for her Short N’ Sweet tour! 

I’m sure you have heard Sabrina’s hit songs “Espresso” or “Please, Please, Please” but you may also know her from her early days on Disney channel starring in Girl Meets World which was a Disney channel hit! 

However this isn’t Sabrina’s first time in Vancouver. The 25 year old, back in April 2023 took the PNE Forum stage with her “Emails I Can’t Send” tour.

Doors open at 6:00 and the show starts at 7:00 with the opener being Declan Mckenna who is from London, England and you have probably heard Declan’s songs “Brazil” or “Beautiful faces” on the radio once or twice. 

Sabrina has blown up in the last couple of years from performing at Coachella to being the opener on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour to releasing some number 1 songs she really has made a name for herself in the past 2 years and has risen to stardom. 

However if you are planning on grabbing last minute tickets to see the show, you may think twice when you see what the tickets are going for right now… They are all sold but of course like every concert nowadays you are able to resell tickets if you are willing to put a dent in your wallet. I did some scouring to see what the ticket prices were looking like and the cheapest I could find were going for $317.00 on StubHub but if you were wanting to be closer general admission is going for $905.00. I gasped when I saw this, I knew she was a popular artist but to me that is truly insane, props to Sabrina for creating such a dedicated fan base who is obviously willing to pay the price. 

Funny story actually, one of my coworkers was able to score some tickets from a friend of hers but she was supposed to work tonight. She put in our group chat if anyone was able to cover her shift so she could go and she’d offer a free meal on her in return. I got nothing going on and definitely not planning to drop that much on a concert so I said I’d cover her shift. It’s a win-win. She gets to see Sabrina and I get a free dinner 🙂

If you are heading down to Pacific Coliseum tonight, have an awesome time sing your heart out and enjoy the glittery costumes and lively dance numbers, I’m sure it’s a blast!

Vancouver Artists!

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I don’t know about you but whenever I’m listening to an artist and find out they are from Vancouver I think it’s super cool! And half of the time I’ll be listening to the artist then my friend will go “hey do you know they are from here?”, and I had no idea. I’m going to be sharing some local Vancouver artists that you may or may not know are from Vancouver.

One that I think is pretty well known is Marianas Trench. This Canadian band has released six studio albums and won Group of the Year at the 2013 JUNO awards and in total have been nominated for 7 JUNOs! Some of their top songs are “Who Do You Love”, “Here’s to the Zeros” and “Desperate Measures”. Marianas Trench are definitely known for their pop/alternative style and personally whenever I hear them it takes me back to high school. 

You may recognize this next band from tuning into the Evolution 107.9 radio, founded in 2007, Said the Whale is an indie rock band with four members who have been also able to win a JUNO award as well! They recently released a new album “Dandelion” which you should definitely check out!

A couple years ago back in 2011 there was a song on the radio that was always in my head and I could not get it out and that was Carly Rae Jepsen with “Call Me Maybe”? I know for sure you know this song. How could you not! It was played everywhere and became the biggest selling song in the world in 2012 and one of the best selling domestic Canadian singles in history. Crazy to think that just a small town girl from Mission BC could create this much of an impact, go Carley!

An artist that I had no idea was from Vancouver and just did not expect was Grimes, however I placed the pieces together after her interview with Nardwuar. Grimes is known for songs “Oblivion” and “Visions” and she is also pretty well known for her music videos, so if you want to see some stunning visuals check her out! You can expect an alternative yet electronic vibe from her which makes her music super captivating in my opinion. 

If you are into rap music then you may know that MadChild is from Surrey! Before going on his own he was with Vancouver based rap group Swollen Members however in 2009 he released his solo EP “The MadChild EP”.

 

How To Survive The Eras Tour 101

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I know you have heard of this. The tour of the year. The costumes, dances, surprise songs and more. The 3.5 hour concert where the artist does not stop with sparkly red bottom boots and glittery dresses. 

Yup you guessed it. I’m talking about the Eras Tour. 

Across to BC Place

If you are going to the Eras Tour you may feel pretty overwhelmed. It’s been all over social media, the crazy merch lines, insane outfits, and a setlist you do not want to miss. But you are in luck because I’m going to be sharing my tips on how to survive the Eras Tour from someone who has actually been to the Eras Tour. I got the chance to see Taylor live on night two of her Seattle stop so I was able to learn a thing or two about how to make your night go right. 

  1. So before you get there you have to get your attire right, whether you’re dressing up as your favourite era or just throwing on some cowboy boots. COMFORT IS KEY. You are going to be standing and dancing for probably over 5 hours once it’s all said and done so dress for comfort may be a good time to drop the heels and throw on some sneakers anyways. It’s just like Taylor said “she wears high heels I wear sneakers” in You Belong With Me. 
  2. If you are interested in picking up some merch I’d say do not do it the day of. Taylor generally does more than one show in a city so head down to the venue either the day or after your show. The lines can take up to 3 hours so this way you won’t be rushed or worrying about missing your favourite song. You can also get any merch off of https://www.taylorswift.com/ so this may just be an easier a way to do it. 
  3. You’re going to want to drink water to stay hydrated but honestly don’t. Risk the dehydration for the night because I didn’t drink any water and I didn’t miss any part of the show. I bet you are paying big money for one night and this tour is coming to an end soon so why miss any part of it? Drink water when you get home, you’ll be fine;). 
  4. When you hear Lady Gaga’s “Applause” play in the arena SIT DOWN!!!! Taylor comes on stage just a couple minutes after that so take a breath, calm down and get ready to scream your heart out. 
  5. Plan your rides out ahead of time. Whether your driving, getting in an Uber, or taking public transit it will be messy and busy so just remember going into it to schedule your ride ahead of time because everyone is going to be coming out and looking to get home so just keep calm and keep those good vibes up. It can be stressful but don’t forget you just walked out of seeing Taylor live! 

If you are lucky enough to get to see Taylor live just be prepared to have the best night of your life and have fun!