Author Archives: Manraaj Grewal

Taylor Swift Listening Party because music is meant to be experienced together

Posted on by

Swifties, get ready with your friendship bracelets and your best showgirl outfit. Because on October 2nd, a Taylor Swift listening party for her album Life of a Showgirl is happening at 2270 Manitoba St, Mount Pleasant. That neighborhood smells of creativity. Surrounded by beautiful street art, many art and performing studios, it’s the perfect place to experience her album. What fun is listening to new songs without passing opinions back and forth? When the Swifties show up with so much love, that community feel is going to make the album feel even better than it’s already going to be.

What makes it even better is that it’s being hosted at Chill x studio, which is woman-owned. They have hosted everything from improv shows to stand-up comedy to art shows. If those walls could talk, they would have so much to say. But we won’t need to ask the walls how the viewing party was, because I know I am going to be there. The venue is a cozy, neon-lit space that is going to be decked out in Taylor Swift memorabilia.

(Chill X Studio / Facebook)

You can expect many photo ops, so much glitter, and drinks, including Pop culture Dirty Soda, which is a trailer run by two sisters from Langley. They make flavorful, fizzy-soda drinks “inspired by your favourite pop‑culture moments,” as it says on do604. Tickets are below 28 dollars, but it is a limited capacity! It’s going to run for two hours from 7-9 pm, so loads of time for exchanging bracelets, getting to know other Swifties, before you cry, laugh, and enjoy the night together. There’s also going to be a best dressed showgirl contest, and one winner will be picked. What makes Vancouver so special is its ability to be such a big city, yet have all these niche spots where even smaller communities can come together to celebrate what they love. Though Taylor Swift is a huge brand name, people who wish to enjoy a listening party in an intimate setting can be a smaller group.

If intimacy isn’t your vibe, Fortune Club is doing a listening party on the same night from 10 pm to 2 am. As they describe on their website, “Join every Swiftie in Vancouver for a night of love, lyrics & late nights”. They are also having special drinks: Taylor-inspired cocktails. They are going to be giving away vinyl albums, and it’s going to be hosted by Plug Vancouver’s Karmen Leong. Both venues are going to bring their own sparkle, their own charm. It’s going to be a fun night out with the community, no matter what venue you choose to go to. Just get ready to say to your partner, your family, your friends, “And by the way, I’m going out tonight”!

Am I weird?

Posted on by

Okay, maybe don’t answer the question in the title.

But as I have gone through this process of writing 6 articles a day about various music genres, artists, and venues in BC. I have come to realize something that I realize every time I learn something new. I am always scared of starting in an uncomfortable place where I know nothing about the topic, or not enough. Then I start the first day, it’s hard, it brings so many emotions out in me, mostly just yelling and screaming about how hard it is. But after I get into the flow, I enjoy knowing more. I love music, but when I mean music, I mean music I grew up with. Bollywood and Punjabi music. I understand how our instruments work, the rhythm and pace of our music. The beautiful lyrics encompass much more than their literal meaning.

It was when we were editing English music into our ads for video editing in our second semester that I understood, it’s not because I don’t have the ear for music. Or I somehow don’t understand the instruments or the rhythm of 1-2-3-4, it’s that I don’t understand English music, I don’t understand just instruments alone. I need the emotion, the connection, and that familiarity of the music to truly be able to play around with it. Why am I writing my personal diary out here? I knew when I got this role that I love writing, and that though I may find it harder to write about unfamiliar topics, I will grow to love it. So, I would like to share some of my personal favorite artists that I have written about and some lesser-known musical facts that I learned as I went on this journey:

(Felix Cartel / website)

Firstly, go check out Baba Chaka for their funky pop music and Jeffrey Martin for his emotional, soulful songs with beautiful lyrics.

Go follow Felix Cartel because he does random pop-ups for his DJ sets, and sometimes he’s in the Vancouver SkyTrain, sometimes it’s a beach. You want Vancouver to be more popping; you have to support local artists who are doing unique stuff.

Now on to the facts:

Vogue Theatre was part of Theatre Row in Vancouver, and it’s one of the last venues that’s still open. It went from a movie theatre to now hosting all kinds of performing arts.

(Theatre Row, 1962)

The Commodore Ballroom’s floor used to be made out of horsehair, so it would have a bounce, which was recently renovated, and the horsehair was removed in the 90’s.

Did you know you could borrow instruments? Yeah, the Vancouver Public Library lets you do that in person or put a hold online. Burnaby’s initiative, Harmony for All, does the same, and you could borrow for a year.

Bryan Adams, who has won 20 Juno awards and has had 16 Grammy nominations, signed his first-ever record deal in 1978 for the amount of exactly one dollar, because they didn’t want to take too much risk on this young musician.

Nelly Furtado was actually born in Victoria, and it was in Vancouver that she was discovered during a talent contest.

I know that I am a learner by heart. I know that now that I have become aware of how many talented artists have come out from the Lower Mainland and how popular the music scene is here, I will continue to look out for more facts and fun things about our music scene. I will intentionally try to support the growing music scene. I know that after all will be written and done, I will know so much more about the music scene in BC, and different genres that I have ever known. The fact that most of them have become a part of my Spotify playlist is a bonus!

Music for the Soul: Jeffrey Martin is coming to Vancouver

Posted on by

Jeffrey Martin prefers to drive instead of flying. To him, flying feels like the microwave of transportation, whereas driving is a slow cook over a wood fire. I could just leave it on these two sentences I found in this incredible singer’s Spotify bio, and you would have known the essence of his music. But I am feeling generous, so I’ll tell you some more about him. He is a beautiful lyricist and is known for his melancholic music and sound. He was a solitude-seeking teenager who grew up to be a full-time teacher, but the craving for that musician life, that touring and performing, never left him. So finally, he decided in 2015 to do it. To finally chase after that dream, even though it was tough for him to leave the students who gave him so much back with their bright eyes and sparks.

(Jeefrey Martin / website) 

He explains the process of his writing as just going on walks around his neighborhood, ‘eavesdropping for song content’. It makes sense as his songs are known for their honest lyrics, focused on the human condition. His song “Edge of Lost” talks about the struggle of being human, of heartbreak. “It’s breaking for the ones the world forgets”, “I walked all day to make inches on a mile”, are all lyrics from that song, and they are so gut-punching, especially when he sings them up there on the stage with just a guitar in his hand. You can see he’s been an English teacher because of how intentional his lyrics and metaphors are. In his song “Thrift Store Dress,” he talks about this woman who’s with him playing songs for people in various towns, wearing a thrift store dress. Why use a thrift store dress as an important lyric, as the title of the song? It could have been a descriptive word, something like that yellow dress, that polka dot dress. Why is it a thrift store dress? I am not asking in the way English teachers do to prod the answer that they already know. I actually don’t know, but if you do, please let me know. Then I will continue to fight with you about how it’s the wrong interpretation, and I know the right one. It’s fun, I promise.

But truly, I love when artists focus on the lyrics just as much as they focus on the sound, the beat, the vocals. His new album is supposed to be released in the fall of this year, and no other season would truly suit his vibe. His music is meant to be listened to in a cozy fall sweater in a cozy place.

Hence, the venue he is doing the show in Vancouver is perfect. St. James Community Centre. So, when you buy that 36-dollar ticket, you are supporting Jeffrey, which I am sure you love by now, and you are supporting this amazing venue. They are a non-profit organization, “dedicated to providing affordable community space for cultural, social, educational, and recreational activities”. That’s a lot of things, and I am sure they would love the support. It is happening on Thursday, October 9th, and doors open at 7 pm. So, grab your coziest sweater, grab a hot drink, and prepare yourself for getting lost in his deep lyrics and even more soulful voice.

When royal music was heard in Surrey

Posted on by

Many species have died out. Many animals that once roamed the Earth are no longer with us. Many plants don’t exist anymore. But the main painful extinction is of a certain language or a certain type of music. It’s when we lose art that it truly hurts. Hence, festivals like the Mushtari Begum Festival need to exist. “In this day and age, traditional styles of singing such as Ghazal, Khayal, and Thumri are becoming increasingly rare. Cassius Khan felt a personal responsibility to ensure the survival of the various art forms (Indian Classical Music and Dance), especially in Canada, as stated on their website. Live music and dance were a huge part of Indian royalty, then slowly, with the introduction of TV and radio, the entertainment industry adopted this and showed specific styles of dance and music through those media. But performing them live also continued alongside, only this time it was available to everyone. In Canada, though we have a huge Indian population, sometimes, immigrants are pulled in two directions. To assimilate within this new culture so completely that they forget their own cultural traditions. But Surrey has been becoming a hub for South Asian entertainment and progressively giving out more space and funding for different cultures to thrive.

(Mushtari Begum Festival / website)

On October 4, you can witness Massey Theatre turning into a beautiful courtyard, where a rhythm and movement will be felt. As the Fiji Times hailed, it’s “Canada’s most elite festival of Indian classical music,” a cultural gem in BC’s diverse music landscape. 

I love writing about smaller festivals that are continuing to do such great work that they have reached double digits in the number of years they have hosted them. This is their 14th annual festival, and the story of why it was started is just so wholesome. Cassius Khan and Amika Kushwaha started this celebration honoring Khan’s guru, Mushtari Begum, who was awarded the Queen of Ghazal by the Indian High Commission in Fiji. At her prime, she won numerous awards as her extraordinary vocal capabilities were close to four octaves, which, for people who are not from a musical background, is the same as Ariana Grande’s vocal range. She’s responsible for bringing Ghazal to Vancouver after ruling Fiji’s music charts. Khan “initiated this festival in her memory as a tribute to her contributions in classical Ghazal in Vancouver,” as mentioned on the website. What a tribute to an amazing singer. Her voice was truly captivating, and somehow, the crackle in the recordings due to the equipment at the time only enhances the listening experience.

The evening will unfold, with instruments like Dilruba, Tabla (all instruments that aren’t really used outside of South Asia), and Dance forms that are some of the hardest to do in the world, such as Kathak will be performed with grace. From the first note, your whole body will lean in for the experience. Your ears will hear the slightest notes, your feet will feel the rhythmic footwork, as ancient art forms ignite the stage. You don’t need to understand the history of the instruments or dance forms to completely surrender yourself to this extraordinary experience. On October 4th, let the music and dance of India carry you to a whole new world.

 

The stage is shaking; it’s not an earthquake, its just a Tuesday in Vancouver

Posted on by

My laptop shakes as I write this. There isn’t an earthquake. I am not on a SkyTrain. I am simply listening to Trauma Bonds by High Vis. I can already feel the pulsating energy as the music comes through my laptop speakers. My volume isn’t even on high, yet the drums, the guitar the vocals are echoing through the space. One can only imagine what it will feel like to experience it live. They are coming to the Rickshaw theatre on September 23rd, with a bond that’s anything but traumatic. They are performing with Cold Gawd, A Mourning Star, and Juice, with the last two hailing from Vancouver. All the bands carry with them similar vibes. They are rebellious, they have an anger within their music, and they are all going to shake that stage up.

Juice is known for performing energetic music that has a sound that is just as infectious as it is aggressive. Mourning Star is a five-piece metalcore band that was formed in 2021. Guess some good things came out after COVID.

(Rickshaw Theatre / eventbrite)

High Vis is a musician from different hardcore bands. I like to think of them like how we go from elementary school to suddenly all funneling into one high school kinda band. They all did their own thing, then they got together to create something EPIC. They are really a grassroots band. Their name is a nod to “high visibility clothing” because some of their members have a working-class past. They take inspiration from punk, indie rock, psychedelic music, and many other genres. And they are from London, and you know those English accents make everything better.

Cold Gawd is known for their live shows because they put in a lot of effort with the lighting, the setting, and samples to ensure the audience gets the best sound. They, like much of our generation, detest labels because their music is derived from anything and everything. The lyrics are written by Matthew Wainwright and are based on his personal experiences. Their genre is mixing shoegaze, post hardcore, and R&B, but they are also inspired by pop icons like SZA. So, when a band is doing all that, you know the music is good. Their album, “I’ll Drown on this earth”, was heavily praised by critics and audiences alike because it’s got a dreamlike quality with pop and sound distortion elements.

(Rolly Ford Photo / Flickr)

The venue placement is so perfect for the type of music that’s going to be played that night. Rickshaw Theatre is right in the middle of Chinatown. Walking through Chinatown, you are already feeling the hum of those lights, the chatter of a busy street slowly fades away, and all you hear is the thumping coming from the theatre. It’s almost like a black hole pulling you closer, your curiosity getting the better of you. For some reason, I think going to this show might work better than those rage rooms. The collective sway of bodies, the yelling of lyrics, and the exertion of energy are going to leave you feeling so refreshed the next day. Everyone should let out their rebellious side sometimes, and this is your chance.

Save a horse, ride a bull

Posted on by

Y’all must know I love country by now. The only problem in Vancouver was not being able to find a country club to dance to country tunes. Every time I have visited places outside of Vancouver, I have noticed the country music scene is strong. Events are themed by country, country artists tour regularly, and country music plays at the stores. So, when I was looking for a perfect country place, I found Yale Saloon. With a mechanical bull, line dancing lessons before 10 pm, it really immerses you into the country vibe. The best part is you don’t need to know how to line dance; there will always be someone who will show you how to do it.

(Vancouver page/ website)

Even the physical space itself yells Country. The wooden interior, the smokiness, the air hums with country tunes. It’s not just a bar, it’s where die-hard country fans come to enjoy, whether that be after concerts or a lively Friday night. Every Thursday to Saturday, they have specific themes.

Every Thursday to Saturday, from 8 PM, The Yale transforms into a country music mecca. They have Homecoming Thursdays, with coronas being only 4.75 all night. Cowgirl Fridays and saddle up Saturdays are money savers for the girls, with ladies getting free entry between 10 and 11 pm. You are also able to participate in the bull riding competition. The only rule is you must ride the bull with one hand only.

(Yale Saloon / instagram)

They also have event planners who will customize your bachelorette, birthdays, and whatever else you wish to celebrate. You give them your budget, and they will support you through planning for food and entertainment. You can choose what BBQ food options you wish to have and what cocktails you want to serve. All their party packages come with welcome drinks, and 3 courses reserved, with table, balloons, and a complimentary cowboy hat for the main guest, as mentioned on TripAdvisor. They have an HD projector screen with PA, a sound system, and a microphone.

The vibe is amazing, especially during weekdays, because only the people who truly love this place show up. That means you get more space on the dance floor, you get to connect with other people from Vancouver, and you get to talk to the staff of Yale Saloon, who are oh so wonderful. You don’t need to be a country fan to enjoy the atmosphere of this lively bar. You can be just someone who wants to have a fun night out because there’s something to do for you, whether that’s bull riding, trying out line dancing, playing pool, using their photobooth, or beating the highest score in punch the bag. It doesn’t get more country than this!

 

We are all good singers in a karaoke room

Posted on by

Some of us are hidden singers, others love singing in our school choir, and most of us are bathroom singers. But when you enter a karaoke room, everybody is a singer. Burnaby has some of the best karaoke spots in the Lower Mainland. One of my personal favorites is Solo Karaoke. They have soundproof rooms and a high-quality system. One of my main complaints in the karaoke room is always not being able to choose the songs we want if they are not already available on the system. But here you can choose songs straight from YouTube, so there’s never a lack of songs to sing. They have got an “All you can sing” deal which costs about 22-25 dollars from Sunday to Thursday, and considering their timings are 2 pm- 12 am, that is a lot of time. Their Google reviews are a testament that it’s not only me who regularly goes back there. They take good care of hygiene, with changing mic covers in between groups, clean rooms, and decent food.

(Karmen L./ Yelp)

Gal Chae Karaoke is another place in Burnaby where you can visit for that nostalgic karaoke experience. It’s where the lights shine brightly in colors of blue, green, and red. The sofas have been sat in and now they are comfortable pieces. Their rooms make all the difference. They create an intimate experience, and the owners treated you like family. They give complimentary mic covers, and food and drinks are allowed during happy hour. It can only be paid in cash or debit, though, so keep that in mind. If you are a more professional singer, they have a pitch, tone scoring system so you can keep track of how well you are hitting certain notes. They are quite affordable, with discounts during weekdays before 7 pm to get a 50% discount. The cost is on average, just about 10 dollars per person per hour.

If you are someone who enjoys a luxury karaoke experience, then V Karaoke is the place to be. Their rooms are spacious, with amazing song selection UI and audio systems. But be ready to spend extra money, because their food is a little on the expensive side. Moreover, there is a gratuity charge depending on how big the group is. One of the most selling points of this place is how large their song collection is and how much variety there it. They have got the hit songs and classic songs.

(V Karoake/ facebook)

So, in conclusion, they all have their pros and cons, and it really depends on what you are after. Solo karaoke gets you a large song collection, with clean rooms, whereas Gal Chae is very budget-friendly, quite intimate, and gives you that nostalgic karaoke bar vibe. V karaoke is perfect if you are okay spending a bit more for a more luxurious karaoke experience. Each spot caters to different Burnaby audiences and music lovers, filling the night with fun and music.

DJ playing in a skytrain?!

Posted on by

Imagine you take the King George train towards the Vancouver waterfront SkyTrain. You are on your way to work; you have left on time and are ready to take out your book and take the same journey you have taken hundreds of times. You are sitting down, and when the lady announces, “The next station is Nanaimo”, the doors slide open and in walks a gentleman with a black jacket, medium-length black hair, carrying a big box. There are two guys behind him carrying a big speaker and some DJ lights. You are curious, so you watch him as he takes out a soundboard and starts playing music. Right there, in the middle of the SkyTrain.

(Felix Cartal / website)

Slowly, people start recognizing him, and now the whole train is moving up and down as people jump and sing. That gentleman’s name is Felix Cartel, and he took Vancouver by storm because of his authenticity. Not just in his music, but also in the blogs that he posts on his website.

In a recent blog titled “Am I doing enough”, he expresses vulnerability as he deals with the pressures of this content-filled world, where artists have to not only create amazing music, but also promote it again and again. He talks about struggling with knowing when he has done enough. This sentiment is especially true as he came on the scene in 2009, when Vancouver’s music scene wasn’t nearly as big as it is now. When an artist was putting out music, labels handled all the promotion. But today, though labels and marketing agencies can handle that, audiences expect to hear the artist’s story from the artist themselves. Back in the 2000s, there weren’t nearly as many people fighting for the audience’s attention.

He has been one of the province’s biggest electronic dance music DJs. He started playing Vancouver’s DIY music scene, meaning small clubs, underground venues, and is now one of the most well-known DJs in Vancouver. His sound is extremely danceable, and he blends catchy pop hooks with house music.

You can catch him playing at various pop-ups in Vancouver, sometimes free beach concerts, and sometimes hidden venues. He keeps fans excited by giving little easter eggs, like Taylor Swift does. He’ll promote that he’s about to do a pop-up in the coming days, and you must send him a specific word that he’ll post on his stories to get the venue and timings. It all has a suspenseful feel to it.  

We love it when an artist makes it big, like Felix. BC’s music scene, from the smaller clubs to Vancouver’s Vogue theatres, thrives on artists like Cartel, who take their city with them wherever they go. They convey the emotion and sound of Vancouver through unforgettable performances. The electronic music scene isn’t too big in Canada, but because of artists like Felix, they are being revived. His music is filled with passion and rhythm, representing Canada’s electronic music culture.

She’s gone country

Posted on by

Country music brings you to that fresh air, those open skies, and that farm smell immediately. But I love when country is played in a place that pairs with the music like rum and Coke. Last night was the opening night of the 2025 Canadian Country Music Association Awards. Some of the country genre’s biggest stars were present and lit up the red carpet. The opening acts are so crucial to set up the pace of the rest of the nights are going to go. Well, the James Barker band did not disappoint. The warm evening created the perfect atmosphere for a night of country music, turning the venue into a dance floor where even fellow performer Cameron Whitcomb couldn’t resist joining in as they performed.

All in good time, as they won Group/Duo of the Year, again this year.  They are starting their Bud Light Buckle Up tour on September 18, with Kalsey Kulyk being added in as an opener. They are coming to Vancouver in November. They have had an amazing past few years, doing consistent shows around Canada. “James Barker Band is proof that big dreams can grow from small-town roots,” their bio states, and that authenticity shone through. Their set kicked off Country Music Week with an energetic blend of nostalgia and modern style. What a journey they have had, from small stages to one of the biggest stages in Canada. These best friends, who had grown up within an hour of each other in small towns surrounding Toronto, had gotten a taste of that success with their single “Chills” in 2017, and went to the top of Billboard’s Canadian Hot 100 chart. As it says on their website: “The group currently holds the title of the most No. 1’s for a Canadian country group in the BDS/Mediabase era.”

(Clatham-Tent / website)

Their performance felt like they were still that band performing in their background, except there were hundreds of people watching. Some artists have that “let me show you a different way of being, a higher way of entertainment”, and others, like the James Barker Band, have that warmness to them, their relatability, and their struggle connects fans to them. Their performances work because they still feel intimate; their friendship is very visibly seen. They are country boys, and you can sense that in the clothes they choose to wear, in how closely they interact with their fans, even as they perform. Their vibe is like listening to a band perform during the summer camps’ bonfire, it’s warm and impossible to resist. They made Kelowna come alive!

They had the crowd jumping on the beats in no time; there was singing, screaming of their ladies’ fans, and just other celebrities dancing with them. What a gift it is for country fans to get to enjoy James Barker Band even as they get bigger and bigger, but to still feel that authenticity and like they are a part of the band’s inner circle.

Supporting Vancouver’s Creative Soul

Posted on by

Tuesdays aren’t especially fun unless you go for those half-off tickets at Cineplex. But as Vancouver grows and becomes even more vibrant with creativity of all types, there is something to do every weekday. This Tuesday, September 16, the Painted Ship in Kitsilano will turn into a hub of sound. Ron Samworth and his Pat Pending Trio will create an unforgettable jazz experience at 8 PM. For just $10, which gets automatically added to your bill, this intimate venue will resonate with their beautiful music, described by Infidels Jazz as “spacious, textural, swinging and thoughtful.” Samworth, a Vancouver icon for over 30 years, plays guitar and effects, Jesus Caballero on drums, Karlis Silins on bass, and is joined by Bradshaw Pack on pedal steel.

(Infidels Jazz / website)

Walking into the Painted Ship, dim lights cast a warm glow over the wooden tables. The soft clink of glasses mixes with the crowd’s chatter. Samworth’s guitar drifts through the room like a gentle breeze, rising and falling, guiding you through the landscape of their music. Their sound, inspired by the natural world, feels alive, reflecting Vancouver’s coastlines, open skies, and forests. Their performance is part of the monthly Sea Legs jazz series. It urges us to act: if we want Vancouver to thrive, we need to support its artists.

(Scout / website)

We often say we want Vancouver to be more fun, have more music spots. Still, we sometimes hesitate to invest. Local artists like Samworth pour their hearts into performances that turn ordinary nights into memorable events. But venues like the Painted Ship can’t survive without our support. That $10 ticket, which costs less than a movie ticket, fuels creativity, keeping spaces open and making artists inspired. It brings hope, especially since people have worked for decades to perform and earn from their art. When you buy a ticket or donate, you’re not just supporting the artist in the short term; you’re telling venues that people want to see them more and that they can draw a crowd. You are using your money to vote for the artists you want to see and the venues you enjoy.

Supporting local talent isn’t charity; it’s about building a vibrant city. It’s contributing to what you want to see more of. Every local artist is a thread in Vancouver’s cultural fabric. By showing up, we weave those threads tighter, shaping a city that is fueled by community and creativity. So, on Tuesday, let’s sell out the Painted Ship, and prove that Vancouver’s creative side is worth every penny.