Author Archives: Cindy Chow

Get Ready to Rock and Roll at Rogers Arena

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Get Ready to Rock and Roll at Rogers Arena

Rogers Arena is famous for hosting our hockey games, but it is also a great venue for large events and concerts. The last time that I was at Rogers Arena (https://rogersarena.com/) was for this free Christian concert event that my friend invited me to. It was so big, and I don’t even remember how many times I said “wow”. When I studied at UBC, I would go to events that were hosted inside the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Stadium. I was already so amazed at how big that place was, so for me to step inside Rogers Arena, a place that has a capacity of 19,700, I was speechless for the most part.

[picture from Pixabay]

Alright, let’s have a drum roll…

A big event is coming up at Rogers Arena next month. Depeche Mode and Young Fathers will be performing on Friday, November 24th. This will be a combination of Indie & Alt, Rock, Electronic and Hip-Hop. If you are adventurous and want to have an evening experiencing different genres, then this event will be great for you.

If you are into electronic music and follow bands in this area of music, then you know that this band dates all the way back to the 80s. Depeche Mode formed in Basildon, Essex, England in 1980, and they were first known as Composition of Sound. They have never taken a hiatus and have been active since 1980. So, if my math is correct, this year would be their 43rd year in the music industry.

The band currently has two active members, Dave Gahan and Martin Gore, they were both in the band since day one. Dave Gahan is the lead vocalist and Martin Gore plays the keyboards, guitars and is also the backing vocals. The most recent studio album released by Depeche Mode is their fifteenth one called Memento Mori (2023).

Check out the full album here:

You can’t change the world

But you can change the facts

And when you change the facts

You change points of view

If you change points of view

You may change a vote

And when you change a vote

You may change the world

 

– Depeche Mode, “New Dress” (1986)

 

Follow Depeche Mode on their social media and subscribe to their YouTube channel.

Young Fathers, a Scottish group from Edinburgh, Scotland will be joining and performing with Depeche Mode. Young Fathers consists of the trio: Alloysious Massaquoi, Kayus Bankole and Graham “G” Hastings. They released four studio albums, two mixtapes, eighteen singles and fifteen music videos.

Check out their YouTube channel here.

So, mark your calendars for Friday, November 24th at Rogers Arena for a spectacular concert.

SYML at Vogue Theatre

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SYML at Vogue Theatre

The last time that I went to Vogue Theatre was with my friend for a concert that she wanted to go to. Yes, I only knew about it a few hours before the show and I didn’t even know who the artist performing that night was. It might seem a bit ridiculous, but I simply went because my friend invited me, and I had nothing better to do on a Friday evening. It was quite an experience though, because I wasn’t a fan of the singer, and I didn’t know any of his songs. But sometimes it doesn’t matter, I was there just to enjoy the concert experience and show support with my friend, who was really hyped about it.

I think Vogue Theatre is a sweet little venue for smaller sized concerts. It’s not like a huge location with thousands of seats. The seats are quite close to the stage, but there is also a standing area between the stage and the front rows. It gets a bit stuffy and crowded in there if you decide to stand the entirety of the show. But from my experience, I sat through the whole thing and the seats were relatively comfortable.

[picture from Pixabay]

Vogue Theatre will be hosting SYML on Wednesday, November 15. The last time that SYML was in Vancouver was about a year ago. He is now back again for another tour.

SYML is the stage name of Brian Fennell. He was born in Issaquah, Washington, US and he studied classical piano. He sings and plays the keyboards and guitar. He plays alternative rock, indie rock, indie pop, and pop. He signed with Nettwerk Music Records. SYML released two studio albums SYML (2019) and The Day My Father Died (2023), one live album Sacred Spaces (2021), seven EPs and 27 singles. SYML also made a guest appearance in “Paris, Texas” with Lana Del Rey in the album Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd.

SYML performed at Easy Street Records in Seattle earlier this year, here is the recorded session.

Check out SYML’s YouTube channel for more updates.

Once again, the concert will be at Vogue Theatre in downtown Vancouver and the date is Wednesday, November 15th. The doors will open at 8:00pm. If you want to meet SYML and hear his music, don’t wait until the last minute to get your tickets to the event.

The Glorious Sons Rocking in Abbotsford

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The Glorious Sons Rocking in Abbotsford

Supporting local bands and artists is one of the goals that we have at our radio station. Although we do play tunes from other artists, Evolution is unique in that way and that might be something that you may be looking for on your daily commute. I know that whenever I hear a new song that I really like, I would just put it on repeat and won’t get tired of it.

[picture from Pixabay]

A Canadian rock band from Kingston, Ontario is going to be rocking in Abbotsford this November. For those that love to rock and roll, this is your opportunity to support a Canadian band. Head over to Abbotsford Entertainment & Sports Centre to meet The Glorious Sons and see what beats they want to show you.

The Glorious Sons formed in 2011 and the band signed with a Canadian label, Black Box Music two years later. They are now also signed with BMG Rights Management (US and Australia) and Earache Records (Europe and Japan). They have released one extended play, Shapeless Art (2013) and released four full-length albums.

There are currently six active members in the band. Brett Emmons is the vocalist and plays the guitar, harmonica, and keys. Jay Emmons plays the guitar and on vocals. Adam Paquette is the drummer and vocalist. Josh Hewson plays the piano and guitar. Peter Van Helvoort plays the bass guitar and is on vocals. Steve Kirstein also plays the guitar and on vocals. The band had three past members: Chris Koster (guitar, vocals), Andrew Young (guitar, vocals) and Chris Huot (bass).

The Glorious Sons have made great achievements in the music industry. They won the Group of the Year and Artist of the Year for the SiriusXM Indie Awards in 2015. They also won the Rock Album of the Year for the Juno Awards in both 2018 and 2020.

“The songwriting is top notch all over, weaving in and out a long list of influences seamlessly without ever really sounding derivative. And while tracks like the lead off single Heavy or White Noise (making a return appearance from their EP) are definitely radio singles, the rest of the album is strong from start to finish with no filler. Definitely a must for fans of melodic rock.” (Jean-Frederic Vachon, Music Addict)

Check out “Glory” by The Glorious Sons. This is a track from their newest album. This song was released one month ago. Make sure to also subscribe to their YouTube channel if you like their songs.

Join The Glorious Sons on Friday, November 10th at Abbotsford Entertainment & Sports Centre for some Indie & Alt rock music.

Charlie Cunningham and Ethan Tasch at Hollywood Theatre

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Charlie Cunningham and Ethan Tasch at Hollywood Theatre

At Evolution, we love new tunes and treasure old tunes. You can say that we are quite experimental when it comes to what we play, so it doesn’t matter what type of label it is, major label or no label, you’ll be able to hear it on-air. As you might have noticed, we are blocked on Facebook so if you want to stay on top of all our stories, this is the place to be!

Two Indie folk artists are coming to Vancouver next month. Live Nation is presenting Charlie Cunningham with special guest Ethan Tasch on Sunday, November 5th at Hollywood Theatre.

[picture from Pixabay]

Charlie Cunningham is from Buckinghamshire in southeast England. He is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He has been active since 2014 when he released his first EP Outside Things. He signed with Infectious Music, owned by BMG, and Dumont Dumont. He released three studio albums: Lines in 2017, Permanent Way in 2019, and the most recent one Frame this year. Charlie Cunningham also released four EPs: Outside Things EP (2014), Breather EP (2015), Heights EP (2016), Pieces EP (2020), and six singles. 2018 was an achievement year for Charlie Cunningham because he was nominated for Emerging Artist of the Year Award. His album Lines (2017) won the Album of the Year Award for Pop Awards 2018.

Check out “Water Tower”. This is Charlie Cunningham’s newest music video released on his official YouTube channel. He also posts live sessions singing in the studio while performing on the guitar.

Ethan Tasch is an Indie folk artist. He has over 22 million streams for the two EPs he had released, Hats Off (2021) and Sang About It (2022). His song “Room” did exceptionally well on Spotify, and was ranked on multiple editorial playlists such as All New Indie, Ultimate Indie and Best Indie Songs of 2020.

“With the release of his new single, indie-riser Ethan Tasch indulges in a colorful deceit in the music, pitting sound and emotion against one another to disguise his melancholy, though not fully.” (Kieran Kohorst, Sheesh)

Check out Ethan Tasch’s “Holdup” that he released in May this year.

If you want to meet Charlie Cunningham and Ethan Tasch, then you want to get your tickets to Hollywood Theatre on Sunday, November 5th. The doors will open at 7:00pm and the show starts at 8:00pm.

Check out Charlie Cunningham’s SoundCloud and listen to popular tracks.

Make sure to follow them on their social media to get the latest updates.

Moneen and Sparta, 20 Year Celebration

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Moneen and Sparta, 20 Year Celebration

If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands!

If something can last for more than 20 years, then it is worth celebrating. You don’t get that many 20 years in your life, and if you have a hobby or something that you enjoy doing and keep it up for so long, then it has become part of your life. Bands that can last over decades are precious. I think that for people that work together for such a long time and get along with each other is something to be proud of.

I remember in our Radio A&E program, we had to take a course in Organizational Behaviour. The reason behind it was to train us to work well with others in the workplace. Do you think you work well with your colleagues? Do you know any bands or groups that have stayed together for a long period of time?

[picture from Pixabay]

It’s a time of celebration for Moneen, a Canadian indie rock band from Brampton, Ontario. They announced this eight-show tour back in May of this year and fans are hyped about it. If you have known this band long enough, then you know that they are celebrating the 20th anniversary of Are We Really Happy with Who We Are Right Now.

Moneen was active since 2000 but went on a three-year hiatus from 2013-2016. They signed with labels like Dine Alone, Vagrant and Smallman. There are currently five active members in the band. Kenny Bridges and Chris “Hippy” Hughes both as vocalists and guitarists, Haris Cehajic playing the keyboards and guitar, Erik Hughes playing the bass guitar and Peter Krpan on the drums. They released four studio albums, four Eps, one DVD and a bunch of music videos.

This upcoming tour is supported by an American rock band, Sparta, from El Paso, Texas. Sparta will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of their album “Wiretap Scars”. That is double the fun and double the happiness.

Check out their album “Wiretap Scars”:

Sparta was formed in 2001 and has been active on and off. This year they will be going on tour supporting Moneen and also on their own to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their album.

So, save the date. If you like Rock and Indie & Alt, then you should really go see this concert.

What’s better than one band? Two bands of course!

You can meet Moneen and Sparta at the Commodore Ballroom on Monday, November 13th at 7:00pm.

Click here to get your tickets to the event.

Beach Fossils and Turnover at The Pearl

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Beach Fossils and Turnover at The Pearl

Rock, Hip-Hop, Indie & Alt Pop, Dream Pop, you name it, and you got it. Two bands are coming to Vancouver in November, so you should mark your calendars for Thursday, November 9th at The Pearl.

[picture from Pixabay]

Beach Fossils is an American indie rock band that formed in 2009 and they are from Brooklyn, New York City. They play indie rock, surf rock, garage pop, jangle pop, dream pop, indie pop, alternative rock and lo-fi. They are signed with Captured Tracks and Bayonet Records. The founder of the band is Dustin Payseur.

There are four active members in the group right now, but they also have six past members. Dustin Payseur is the lead vocalist and plays the guitar, Jack Doyle Smith is on the bass, Tommy Davidson is the guitarist and Anton Hochheim is the drummer. Interesting to note is that they are known for their lo-fi, atmospheric sound, confessional and nostalgic lyrics.

“The most distinctive component of Beach Fossils’ sound is their rejection of traditional song structures, favouring instead a hypnotic repetitiousness. While Payseur’s melodic sense is clearly indebted to New Order and numerous C86 bands, the way it plays out in a song like Lazy Day, with its mesmerising, endlessly repeating broken chord, is closer to a raga than it is to traditional rock forms.” (BBC Music Reviews)

The Beach Fossils have released four studio albums, one EP, one compilation album and twelve singles. The band’s most recent release is a song titled “Tough Love”, from their album “Bunny”.

Beach Fossils will be performing with Turnover on this tour. Turnover is a rock band from Virginia Beach, Virginia. They were formed in 2009, the same year as Beach Fossils, what a coincidence! Turnover has released five albums, two Eps and two singles and they are signed with the Run for Cover Records label.

There are four active members in the band right now. Austin Getz is the main vocalist, rhythm guitarist and keyboardist, Casey Getz is the drummer, Danny Dempsey on the bass guitar and backing vocals and Nick Rayfield playing the lead guitar and a backing vocalist.

[picture from Pixabay]

If you are hyped to meet these two bands, you should get your tickets before they’re sold out. The date is Thursday, November 9th, the venue will be at The Pearl and the doors will open at 8:00pm.

Follow Beach Fossils and Turnover on their YouTube channel for more updates and music videos.

Follow Beach Fossils’ YouTube channel here.

Follow Turnover’s YouTube channel here.

The Hives, The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons Tour

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The Hives, The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons Tour

I’m not sure if you are aware, but there’s only a week left this month and November is going be here before we know it. If you didn’t plan on going or don’t have the time to go to any concerts in October, don’t worry, because there are a bunch of shows that are coming up in November. If you’re the type to be on the fence and can’t decide, then keep reading to see if this is the one for you.

[picture from Pixabay]

The Hives are coming to Vancouver next month on Thursday, November 9th and they will be performing at Richshaw Theatre. The name of their tour is “The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons Tour”, and they will be joined by special guest Kat Clover and The Aubreys.

This Swedish rock band is from Fagersta, Sweden and they debuted as “The Hives” in 1993. They play garage rock revival and garage punk. They got to fame with international recognition in the early 2000s which, during the garage rock revival movement of indie rock. This was a movement or genre that musicians started to play stripped down and back-to-basics version of guitar rock. This genre is also known as post-punk revival, and it is heavily influenced by the original sounds and aesthetics of garage rock, new wave and post-punk.

There are five active members in the band. Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist is the lead vocalist, Nicholaus Arson is the lead guitarist and backing vocalist, Vigilante Carlstroem plays the rhythm guitar and is also a backing vocalist, Chris Dangerous on the drums and The Johan and Only on the bass. Dr. Matt Destruction was the bass player from 1993 to 2013 until he had to retire for health reasons.

Appearance-wise, The Hives are known for their black and white tuxedos. No, it is not fully black or fully white, but like half and half, one sleeve is white and the other is black and then one leg is black and the other is white. It looks really cool when they are all matching in outfit. The Hives released their first studio album in 1997 called Barely Legal and their sixth one this year called The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons.

If you know this band, then you might be familiar with their signature song “Hate to Say I Told You So”.

Follow The Hives on their YouTube channel for more updates and music videos.

This Is The Kit at Adanac

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This Is The Kit at Adanac

There is a band that’s playing this weekend and you don’t want to miss out. This is another event that you can choose to go to this Sunday, October 29th. This Is The Kit will be performing at Wise Hall, on Adanac St. in East Vancouver. It always amazes me that the street name Adanac is just Canada spelled backwards. This is a small venue, which is more like a lounge than a big concert hall. But I think that good music doesn’t matter where it is being played and the number of audiences doesn’t matter. Some people don’t like to go to large events and sit with a bunch of people, so this might be the right choice for you.

[picture from Pixabay]

This Is The Kit is a band from Winchester, England. They play alternative rock and folk rock and they have been active since 2003. There are four members in the band, but they perform in various configurations. Sometimes two of them would perform together as a duo and sometimes they make a quintet with other artists. Kate Stables is the vocalist, she also plays the guitar and banjo, Rozi Plain is the second vocalist and plays the bass, Neil Smith plays the guitar and Jamie Whitby-Coles is the drummer. The band has released six studio albums and a bunch of singles and EPs.

This Is The Kit released their new album “Careful of You Keepers” in June this year it is their sixth one.  “Inside Outside” is the second song in the ten-track album. This is the official music video of “Inside Outside”.

“It’s a record that embraces the concept of outrospection – the idea that you get to know oneself by developing relationships and empathic thinking with others – and brings the Paris-based, UK born bandleader’s signature ability to move swiftly between cryptic poetry to honest inquisition to the fore.” (Rough Trade Records Ltd)

Supporters on Bandcamp also commented on the album.

“It’s just truly fantastic. Suspended atmospheres; A voice that is both intimate and simple. The second side with the songs all in acoustic allows one to realize the great work done on the arrangements in the first part. Some Fairport Connection electricity; some contemporary folk; very nice lyrics. A very great discovery for me.” (Mattia Pelli)

The band has over 8k subscribers on YouTube and the most recent update on the channel is an Acoustic Session Live from Minack Theatre. In the video you can see Kate Stables playing the guitar, tapping the tambourine with her foot and singing “Stuck in A Room”.

Follow The Is The Kit on YouTube and help them get to 10k subscribers.

Declan McKenna The Big Return

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Declan McKenna The Big Return

[picture from Pixabay]

Join Declan Mckenna this Sunday, October 29th at the Commodore Ballroom at 7:00pm for his concert. He also invited special guest Allie Crow Buckley to perform with him. This duo has worked together before so you can anticipate some chemistry between the two artists and their music.

Declan McKenna is very experimental with his music. He is an English singer-songwriter, born on December 24, 1998, in Enfield, London, England. The music genres that McKenna is involved in include glam rock, indie rock, indie pop, dream pop, neo-psychedelia and alt-rock. He can play the guitar, keyboards, bass guitar, banjo and drums. I think that he is a very talented musician.

In 2015, Declan McKenna self-released a song called “Brazil”. It was the lead single from his debut studio album, What Do You Think About the Car? The song was a protest that criticized FIFA and the 2014 FIFA World Cup for the corruption of the officials and the poverty problem in Brazil. I wasn’t really into the World Cup, so I didn’t really know about this song. But to my understanding, when researching this song, I found out that it gained international recognition and lots of people supported Declan McKenna.

 

“It was a bit of a weird one. I generally come up with the melodies and guitar riffs before I come up with any lyrics, so first I had this guitar riff that I really liked and then I came up with the melody but didn’t have any words for it. Then it kind of just happened! I started hearing things about the FIFA World Cup and the corruption around it. I don’t really know why or how it happened, but I ended up writing a song about it and it turned out to be the one that I recorded and released. I was just seeing all this stuff around and like most songs, I was hearing so much about it that I couldn’t really avoid writing about it.” (Declan McKenna)

I still can’t believe that he is only 24 years old and he’s already having a world tour. He’s a late December baby, so he still hasn’t turned 25 yet. Declan McKenna will be on his world tour all the way until May of next year. He will be in Portland, Oregon tomorrow night before he heads up here to Vancouver this Sunday. If you like his music and want to see his performance, you can meet him in the Commodore Ballroom, Sunday, October 29th at 7:00pm.

Tom Odell at The Orpheum

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Tom Odell at The Orpheum

[picture from Pixabay]

The last time that I was at the Orpheum was for my high school graduation. I was the pianist for the choir, and I was one of the first few people to walk across the stage. After that, was a few hours of just sitting and clapping until my palms were all red. Nonetheless, it was still a once in a lifetime experience. I remember sitting behind the piano and looking at the audience. I didn’t have stage fright, I thought I would be very anxious and mess up on stage, but in the end, I performed quite well with the choir.

Have you ever been inside the Orpheum? Was it for your graduation ceremony or was it to watch a concert?

Well, this weekend, on October 29th, you can meet Tom Odell at the Orpheum Theatre for some Indie Pop. It is not too late to get your tickets to the event, I think there are still some seats available on the upper and lower balcony. The doors will open at 7:00pm.

Tom Odell is a singer-songwriter born in Chichester, West Sussex, England. His family moved to Auckland, New Zealand and he grew up and attended school there. He moved back to Chichester in his late teens and studied at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute (BIMM). He can play the piano, keyboards, organ and guitar.

In October of 2012, Tom Odell released his first extended play, Songs from Another Love. This EP was made in honour of his friend, Gabriel. There are four tracks in this EP, “Another Love”, “Sense”, “Can’t Pretend” and “Stay Tonight”. It was first released in the UK through Columbia Records and In the Name Of (ITNO).

“It’s the polished title track Another Love that stands out most though.  Odell’s voice whispers and breaks with alluring fragility, before powerfully soaring above the crescendo of piano and drums.  It’s a sound indebted to the past rather than heralding an exciting new fusion of styles, but Odell is certainly an accomplished talent.  However, there will be plenty of hurdles in 2013 if he is to live up to his influences.” (The Gizzle Review)

Let’s listen to a song from Odell’s fifth studio album, Best Day of My Life, that was released on October 28, 2022.

If you have time this Sunday, you can meet Tom Odell at The Orpheum for some Indie Pop.