Author Archives: Cindy Chow

The Whale of Vancouver

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The Whale of Vancouver

How many indie rock bands do you know? How about indie rock bands that originate from Vancouver? If you don’t know, don’t worry, I don’t know that many either. Upon some researching, I found one that is interesting to talk about.

[picture from Pixabay]

Said the Whale is a Canadian Indie Rock band from Vancouver, British Columbia. Right here with us in Western Canada, Metro Vancouver. The band was formed in 2007. They currently have five active members. Ben Worcester (guitar, vocals), Tyler Bancroft (guitar, vocals), Jaycelyn Brown (keyboards), Lincoln Hotchen (bass), and Spencer Schoening (drums). They mostly play Indie Rock and Indie Folk, and they are signed with Everything Forever label.

In 2011, Said the Wale won “New Group of the Year” at the 2011 Juno Awards. They were also awarded $75,000 for second place for The Peak Performance Project in 2010. The Peak Performance Project was a music initiative funded by the Jim Pattison Group to give support to emerging Canadian artists.

[picture from Pixabay]

Said the Whale has released eight studio albums, ten extended plays, and fourteen singles.

This is their most viewed music video on their YouTube channel, “Camilo (The Magician)”:

This is their newest single “Never Grow Up” and it was released three weeks ago.

One of the best albums that they have released is their sixth album, Cascadia (2019).

“The results capture the rugged warmth of Said The Whale’s West Coast sound. There are full-throated singalongs (“Wake Up,” “Love Don’t Ask”), meditative ballads drenched in moody ambience (“Gambier Island Green,” “Old Soul, Young Heart”), and pop-rock bangers that are guaranteed to become instant favourites (“UnAmerican,” “Record Shop”). Along the way, the listener can hear background chatter and snippets of studio experimentation, making for an album that’s as spontaneous as it is meticulously beautiful.”

(Bandcamp)

 

“It’s an ambitious, multifaceted sound that’s reflected in Casadia’s title. “Cascadia is the name of a proposed country made up of British Columbia and the western United States,” notes Tyler. “That’s the physical manifestation of our music.” With rich harmonies drawn from California pop, crunchy guitars rooted in the lineage of Pacific Northwest rock, and naturalistic lyrics inspired by the water and mountains, Cascadia is the embodiment of everything Said the Whale does best.”

(Bandcamp)

If you like this local band, show your support, and subscribe to their YouTube channel and iTunes. You can also follow them on their social media platforms like Facebook, and X (Twitter) for more news and updates.

Feeling Some Steel Metal?

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Feeling Some Steel Metal?

Steel Panther will be performing in Vancouver at the end of December at Commodore Ballroom. Mark your calendars for Friday, December 29th at 8:00pm.

[picture from Pixabay]

This American band has quite a few names that they were using in the early 2000s. You might have heard of “Metal Shop”, “Danger Kitty” or “Metal Skool”, but they are currently known as “Steel Panther”. The band consists of four members, and they are known for their humorous lyrics and parody performances. They originated from Los Angeles, California and they play a variety of Glam Metal, Comedy Rock, Heavy Metal and Hard Rock. They are signed with labels like Republic, Open E and Kobalt.

Ralph “Michael Starr” Saenz is the lead vocalist and acoustic guitarist. Russ “Satchel” Parrish is the backing vocalist and plays the electric and acoustic guitars. Darren “Stix Zadinia” Leader is the backing vocalist and plays the drums, percussion, keyboards and piano. Joe “Spyder” Lester the newest member of the band plays the bass guitar and is also a backing vocalist.

[picture from Pixabay]

Steel Panther has released six studio albums: Feel the Steel (2009), Balls Out (2011), All You Can Eat (2014), Lower the Bar (2017), Heavy Metal Rules (2019), and On the Prowl (2023).

[picture from Pixabay]

With their debut album released in 2009, the band won the “Best Debut” award from Metal Hammer Germany. They also won “Live Act of the Year” at the Loudwire Music Awards for both 2012 and 2013. In 2014, with their video “Party Like Tomorrow Is the End of the World”, they won “Video of the Year” at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards.

Let’s look at this award-winning music video “Party Like Tomorrow Is the End of the World”:

Here is their Spotify playlist if you are interested to listen to more tunes from them:

Interesting to note, this year Steel Panther went on America’s Got Talent (AGT) and had a successful audition. This was their performance where they performed their song “Eyes of A Panther” to the judges. I think they had their last performance on the show in August this year and were eliminated going to the Top 10 of season 18.

Once again, Steel Panther will be in Vancouver for a performance this December. Make sure to get your tickets if you would like to see their performance. Friday, December 29th at Commodore Ballroom. The doors will open at 8:00pm.

If you want to see more videos from Steel Panther, make sure to subscribe to their YouTube channel, help them reach 400k subscribers.

National Historic Site of Canada – The Vogue Theatre

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National Historic Site of Canada – The Vogue Theatre

I mentioned in my post (read here) about my previous experience at the venue. Maybe you can tell me about your own experience if you have been there for a concert.

[picture from Pixabay]

If you haven’t been, then let me take you on a short virtual tour.

Vogue Theatre is an Art Deco or Art Moderne styled architecture. Art Deco or “Deco” is short for Arts Decoratifs in French. This style first appeared in France in the early 1900s and then it flourished to the United States and Europe in the next two decades. Vogue Theatre was originally built to be a movie house. It opened in 1941 and was operated by Canadian Odeon Theatres.

[picture from Pixabay]

In 1993, it was officially recognized as a National Historic Site of Canada, under the Historic Sites and monuments Act. Previously, I wrote about Queen Elizabeth Theatre which was also a National Historic Site of Canada.

Into a bit more detail of the venue, The Vogue Theatre has a total of 1161 seats, divided into three main parts. The Orchestra level has 614 seats, the Dress Circle has 211 seats, and the Upper Circle has 336 seats. The curved ceilings and curved balconies are a typical design in the Art Deco style of architecture.

You can look at the seating map:

[picture from Vogue Theatre]

“Locally owned and operated Vogue Theatre is one of the last remaining theatres from Vancouver’s famed Theatre Row. Located on Granville Street, the Vogue is a graceful reminder of the Vancouver of old. Originally built in 1941 as a movie house and venue for the performing arts. More than seventy years later, Vogue Theatre annually hosts upwards of 200 events and continues to be one of Canada’s premier venues for live music, cinema and corporate and community events.

Our goal is to give Vancouver a theatre to be proud of. We aim to make entertainment more accessible to a broader audience. We are pleased to share Vogue Theatre continues to take home the Canadian Music Week Best Performing Arts Centre Award year over year.”

(Vogue Theatre)

In 2018, Vogue Theatre took a peak at hosting 64 concerts that year. When sorting by genre, from 1993 to present, Vogue Theatre has hosted 485 Indie concerts, 455 Rock concerts, 426 Pop concerts, 333 Indie Rock concerts and 322 Alternative Rock concerts. Now, looking at those numbers are very impressive.

The next time you head downtown to enjoy a concert at Vogue Theatre, be proud that it is a National Historic Site of Canada.

How Do You Consume Music?

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How Do You Consume Music?

How do you like to listen to music? Do you download music to your phone? Do you stream it on music platforms with a subscription fee? Do you use an iPod and download music onto it? Do you buy physical CDs to put into a CD player? Do you buy vinyl records?

[picture from Pixabay]

Whether you like it or not, we are entering the digital world where most things are becoming virtual rather than physical. Music consumption has changed drastically over the last two decades. How do you think the value of music has changed?

[picture from Pixabay]

My classmates were giving a presentation last week about a case from 2000 titled, “Metallica, et al. v. Napster, Inc.”. This was a case that focused on copyright infringement and unlawful use of digital audio interface devices. But through our class discussion, from all the negativity that this gave to the public, there actually sparked some positivity. The ban and closure of Napster gave rise to Spotify and other music streaming platforms. Do you agree with this argument?

Here is a video that talks in detail about the case:

I have a very important question and that is, how do you feel the value of music has changed when compared from being physically obtainable to just virtual ownership? To simplify that, compare an album with buying the CD versus buying the digital album online or paying a monthly subscription to a platform to stream the music (i.e., Spotify). As a consumer, do you think that the value of the music has changed?

[picture from Pixabay]

My thought process of this comes from textbooks at school. I would always go for the digital version, usually PDF format, rather than buy the actual hardcover textbook. There is a major price difference and as a student with student loan, it really does break the bank and I need to make smart choices for my education. The perspective here is that for digital copies, I have nothing physically to get, so it is worth less in monetary value. The PDF will always be cheaper than the paper copy of the textbook. In similarity, the digital version of an album from a band would be cheaper than buying the physical CD version of the album.

[picture from Pixabay]

At the same time though, I have a counter argument. Digital copies are so much easier to transfer, and you can listen to music on the go, on your phone, computer, tablet, TV, etc. You can listen to the music even more frequent because it is digitalized. It is harder or almost impossible for those to carry around a CD player or a vinyl record player while they are on the SkyTrain to go to school or work.

Do you think this is a good thing or bad thing for artists?

Do you think it will affect them positively or negatively?

What are your thoughts about digitalizing everything?

Favourite Venues for Concerts – The Orpheum

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Favourite Venues for Concerts – The Orpheum

I was very fortunate to graduate high school and walk across the stage at The Orpheum. It was one of the most special occasions of my life and I’m going there again next week to watch the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra perform “Musically Speaking | Saint-Saëns’ Organ Symphony”.

[picture from Pixabay]

In my previous post about Queen Elizabeth Theatre (read here). I mentioned that The Orpheum is now the permanent home of Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. It is also part of the Vancouver Civic Theatres group alongside with Queen Elizabeth Theatre, the Vancouver Playhouse and the Annex.

The Orpheum has a longer history than Queen Elizabeth Theatre. The theatre was designed by Benjamin Marcus Priteca, a Scottish architect. It opened on November 8th, 1927. Don’t worry about pulling out the calculator, I’ll do it for you. In about four more years from today, it will be 100 years since the opening of The Orpheum. However, the theatre was closed on November 23rd, 1975, for renovation and restoration and reopened again two years later, April 2nd, 1977. In 1979, The Orpheum was designated by the federal Minister as a National Historic Site of Canada, given the official name “Orpheum Theatre National Historic Site of Canada”.

[picture from Pixabay]

Did you know that the big vertical neon sign outside the venue was installed in the 1970s?

It cost around 1.25 million dollars to construct, and the capacity is around three thousand seats. I remembered when I was playing the piano for my high school graduation, we almost filled the entire theatre. I had a rough estimate that we would have a little over two thousand people attending that year’s ceremony. I started it off with our national anthem “O Canada” and then our choir presented “Hercules: Go The Distance” and “Man in the Mirror” by Michael Jackson.

[picture from Pixabay]

For me, it was my second time there, because I also played the piano for the graduates the year before my own graduation. Yes, that also meant I sat through two full graduation ceremonies watching people walk across the stage.

If you were a student from Vancouver or anywhere in the lower mainland, where did your school choose to host their graduation ceremony? Did you also have it at The Orpheum? Did you ever watch a concert inside The Orpheum?

[picture from Pixabay]

Located on Smithe Street in downtown Vancouver, The Orpheum is a place that I encourage you to go and visit one day. It is such an interesting place to visit and you will not regret it.

Favourite Venues for Concerts – QE Theatre

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Favourite Venues for Concerts – QE Theatre

What is your favourite venue to go to when enjoying a concert?

I’ve been to a few of them myself and I think that the Queen Elizabeth Theatre is one of my favourite venues. I got to see one of my favourite Hong Kong artists, G.E.M., perform there in 2018, and it was the first live concert I’ve ever attended in my life.

[picture from Pixabay]

As I’m writing these articles about the upcoming concerts in Vancouver, there are a few names that keep coming up. Vogue Theatre, Rickshaw Theatre, The Orpheum, Hollywood Theatre, Enso Event Centre, Commodore Ballroom, Wise Hall, The Pearl, and Rogers Arena. That is quite a lot of different venues that host many different events. For the remaining two months of this year, all of them will be hosting concerts and I think that is very impressive. It is so impressive to have so many music events in Vancouver. It makes me proud to be living here.

Let me tell you about a few personal experiences of watching a concert in different venues. If you have been to any of the ones I list, think back to the last time you went and see if you agree with me or not.

The first one is: Queen Elizabeth Theatre

Let’s look at the seating map:

[picture from queenelizabeththeatre.org]

The capacity of Queen Elizabeth Theatre is a little over 2000 seats. It opened on July 5th, 1959. So, that is about 64 years ago. It used to be the home of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO), but they have moved to be based at the Orpheum. I went to Queen Elizabeth Theatre in 2018 to watch a concert. I remember I sat on the right side of the balcony section with my friends, and we were so excited. The stage was great, and the audio was amazing. My friend later told me that night that it was one of the best concerts she had ever been to, and I’m off to a great start with watching this one as my first.

“The impact of the theatre was immediate and profound: for the first time, major roadshows like My Fair Lady were able to stage productions in Vancouver, and shows staged across the U.S. border were compelled to extend their productions to Vancouver. Drama, opera, and the symphony were core activities, though the theatre also hosted events ranging from performances by internationally recognized artists to political meetings and holiday parties.”

(Vancouver Civic Theatres)

Learn more about this venue and the upcoming events by visiting their official website.

The Bear That Loves Honey

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The Bear That Loves Honey

Can you believe that we’re already in winter season?

I was just talking with my classmates the other day and it seemed like Winter really hit us by surprise! We weren’t even ready for Fall, and it went by so fast. I wonder how the animals that need to hibernate are doing. Did they get enough food to sleep through winter?

[picture from Pixabay]

A few weeks ago, my neighbours spotted a bear in their backyard. They said that they were in the living room when they heard a big loud noise coming from their backyard. They saw a bear crash right through the wooden boards from the further end and then going into the back of the house beside them. That is a scene that people in my area are familiar with because there are quite a lot of bears in our area. It was a close call that no one was injured, but the poor old creaky wooden boards need to be replaced soon.

What are your thoughts about bears? Are you scared of them? Do you know what to do and the safety procedure for self-defence if you ever encounter one? I guess it is winter and they will eventually all go into hibernation and will be sleeping until it gets warmer. But there is a bear out there that is not hibernating, and you might want to make an encounter.

[picture from Pixabay]

Chase The Bear is a Canadian rock band that formed in 2016. They are from Victoria, British Columbia.

“A band of blood brothers, childhood friends, and musical prodigies, British Columbia’s Chase The Bear, mix catchy hooks, roaring electric guitars, and hard-hitting rhythms inspired by classic rock with indie, soul, R&B, and pop influences.”

(Matthew Patania, Pulse Music Magazine)

There are currently six members in the band. Troy Gilmore is the vocalist, Braedan Royer is the bassist, Leo Gilmore is the guitarist, Jordan Phillips is another guitarist, Connor Brooks is the drummer, and Kevin Parker is the keyboardist.

They just released their debut album Honey (2023). They are new and rising and are supported by many others like Darrell Gilmour, Jon Wiliams and Colin Macdonald.

[picture from Pixabay]

This is the band’s first single, “Underwater”, released by Rock Is Dead Records. This song was a contender for the Vancouver Canucks goal song. I’ve heard great stories about the Canucks last week on their 10-1 game.

If you like their music, check out their full album here on Spotify or you can purchase the vinyl on their website:

I’m Dancing With The Moonlight

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I’m Dancing With The Moonlight

If you have been following us and tuning in on Evolution, you know that we play a lot of cool songs. Rock, Indie Rock, Alternative Rock, you name it, don’t expect anything less from us. We love to support local artists and bands and we have a large variety of song selection. So, if you listen to Evolution, you can be assured to get a lot of Canadian content.

[picture from Pixabay]

Take a look at this one:

I’m not myself. I’m dancing with the moonlight.

 

Could you not tell, we’re dancing with the moonlight?

 

It’s just as well. Keep dancing with the moonlight.

 

I’m not myself, I’m not myself I’m not myself.

 

Do the lyrics above sound a bit familiar?

Do you know which band or which song it is from?

Take a wild guess!

Ok, reveal time… drum roll please!

[picture from Pixabay]

It’s “Dancing With The Moonlight” by Hotel Mira, one of the most played on our station.

If you weren’t familiar with this song, don’t worry, I think it is still relatively new. Alright, let me talk a bit about the band. Hotel Mira is a Canadian alternative rock band from Vancouver. They were formerly known as JPNSGRLS (Japanese Girls), and they formed in 2010, they had another name before that, called Beauties, but that had some name conflict, so they chose JPNSGRLS. They rebranded in 2018 and changed their name to Hotel Mira. Another interesting fact, all the band members are from Vancouver. Woohoo! Go Vancouver Go!

There are currently four active members in the band. Charlie Kerr is the vocalist, Mike Noble is the bassist, Clark Grieve is the guitarist and keyboardist, Cole George is the drummer. Reviewing their discography, when they were still JPNSGRLS, they released one EP, The Sharkweek (2013) and two albums, Circulation (2014) and Divorce (2016). After they rebranded to Hotel Mira, they released an EP Hotel Mira (2018) and an album Perfectionism (2020). Perfectionism (2020) was released on Valentine’s Day, and it was produced by Eric Ratz. Eric Ratz is a Canadian producer, and he has won multiple Juno and Grammy Awards.

Let’s listen to another song from them, “Fever Pitch”:

You can stream their album on Spotify. They have quite a few catchy songs in there, maybe you will find one that you can jam to.

Help Hotel Mira reach 4k subscribers on their YouTube channel.

They are also on other social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and X (Twitter). If you want to keep up with their latest news and updates, then make sure you follow them.

Let me know which song is your favourite by the band.

 

Berkeley Band Coming To Town

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Berkeley Band Coming To Town

What do you think of when you hear the word “berkeley”, because whenever I hear the word “berkeley” in the introduction of someone, I think of the prestigious music college, and it gives me the impression that the person is super talented in music. I mean, isn’t that the place where all the musicians get professionally trained? But oh am I wrong with my spelling. Please forgive me for my negligence in this, it was hard to not be confused with Berkeley and Berklee.

[picture from Pixabay]

Berkeley and Berklee are two totally different things. In fact, there has been a lot of confusion because these two words sound the same when spoken out loud. I had to do a bit more research about this to make sure my facts are right. Berklee College of Music is a music college based in Boston. University of California, Berkeley is a public university that has a reputation for its rigorous academics in STEM fields. Berkeley College is a private college popular for programs in Criminal Justice, Law Enforcement Administration, Business Administration and Management.

Ok, now that’s all cleared out of the way, I can introduce to you a band that will be coming to perform in Vancouver in two weeks’ time. If you haven’t already figured out, they are from Berkeley!

We Are Scientists is a New York City-based rock band that formed in Berkeley, California. They have been active since 1999 and they play a variety of Indie rock, post-punk revival and alternative rock. There are currently two “scientists” in the band. Keith Murray is the lead vocalist, guitarist, keyboardist, and drummer. Chris Cain is the bass guitarist and backing vocalist. They also have a Keith Carne as a touring member of the band, and he is their percussionist.

Check out their albums and get news about their tours on their website and subscribe to their YouTube channel here.

Let’s listen to “Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt” from their debut album With Love & Squalor (2005).

“Bought on a whim, glad I did. Original sound, infectiously catchy vocals and enough variety for multiple listens.”

(Aztechk, Supporter on Bandcamp)

The band has released eight albums so far and Lobes (2023) is their most recent one that they are going on tour with. Save the date for Sunday, November 19th at Wise Hall to see We Are Scientists. It is a small venue for less than a hundred people. It will be during noon and the doors open at 12:00pm. If you like Rock, Electronic and Indie & Alt, then this might be a good event for you.

The Supernatural Barns at Rickshaw Theatre

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The Supernatural Barns at Rickshaw Theatre

More alternative rock and indie rock concerts are coming to Vancouver this winter season! I know it is getting chillier every day, but the hype for a rock concert is still on the rise.

Meet Barns Courtney at Rickshaw Theatre next Friday, November 10th, for a rock concert!

[picture from Pixabay]

A little over a year ago, Barns Courtney released a song called “Supernatural”. The song peaked at 11th for Canadian rock music charts (CAN Rock), 28th for Adult album alternative (US AAA), and 27th for Alternative Airplay (US Alt.). That song was one of his non-album singles.

Here is “Supernatural” by Barns Courtney if you haven’t listened to it before. I must agree that it does have a catchy tune.

Barns Courtney is an English singer-songwriter, and musician. He was born in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England. He plays a variety of Alternative rock, Indie rock, Folk pop, and Blues rock. He is signed with Virgin Records, Capitol Records, and EMI Records. Barns Courtney released his first track “Glitter & Gold” in 2015 and the song went viral, hitting the top numbers on multiple charts.

Here is “Glitter & Gold” by Barns Courtney. It has received more than 29 million views on YouTube.

His songs have been featured in soundtracks of video games, background music of trailers and gameplay music. Netflix even used his songs “Glitter & Gold” and “Fire” in their series Safe. I think that is quite impressive for his music to have such a success in different areas in the entertainment realm.

Barns Courtney released two studio albums; The Attractions of Youth (2017) and 404 (2019), two EPs; The Dull Drums (2017) and It’s Hard To Be Alone (2020), and fourteen singles. Three of his singles are ranked Gold for Music Canada. They are “Fire”, “Glitter & Gold” and “99”. Interesting to note, he also appeared on screen in variety shows like Conan, The Late Late Show with James Corden, Sunday Brunch, and Last Call with Carson Daly.

Subscribe to Barns Courtney’s YouTube channel here.

You can follow him on his social media platforms on X (Twitter) and Instagram (@barnscourtney) to get the latest updates.

Once again, head over to Rickshaw Theatre next Friday, November 10th if you want to meet Barns Coutney at his rock concert. The venue has a capacity of about five hundred, so you should secure yourself a spot if you really want to go. The doors will open at 8:00pm. Check out the upcoming concerts at Rickshaw Theatre here.