Author Archives: Vincent Timperio

Music BC- Why I Think Performance for Musicians is Important

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Although some musicians will be nervous to get on stage and perform, they will feel a sense of accomplishment after they perform.  Applause and feedback from an audience make the hours the artist spent perfecting their song worth it and knowing that they have a talent and skill all their own is a huge confidence boost.

Not only this, but mastering a song for a performance involves a number of other skills: each musician has to have their songs memorized, overcome their own nerves and fears, and be ready to finish their performances despite any mistakes that may occur.

The other important factor in performing music live is that artists will also be able to hear other musicians performing, and be inspired by them. We often hear how diverse our recitals are; with different instruments from piano to drums, and artists of all ages and levels, it’s a big opportunity for musicians to see what other music genres are out there!

Not only that, but often live performances will allow artists to see the value of performing not only as a soloist but with other musicians. This builds a sense of community within the music community, and it’s really inspiring to see everyone greet each other, complement and give feedback to their peers, and in some cases, work with and make music together throughout the year.

This is why I feel it’s paramount that any musician gets that first performance under their belt because from that first show or performance onwards, they can build on whatever went wrong and correct their mistakes for their next show.

 

Upcoming Event….Its the Early Show with Emily Chambers!

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Coming on December 13, experience the “Early Show” featuring guest singer Emily Chambers. The show will take place downtown in Vancouver at Guilt and Company, located at 1 Alexander Street. With a nightclub sort of vibe don’t get it twisted, it’s still sure to be a family-friendly environment with food and drinks available at different areas of the venue.

Emily Chambers was born in Vancouver and now splits time between Canada and the US, residing part-time in Nashville. But if you’re looking for her, chances are she is on an open highway. A road warrior at heart, Emily dreamed of quitting her 9-5, moving into a camper van, and touring indefinitely. In 2016 she made that dream a reality.

Chambers has now completed two US tours in her 1983 Dodge 250B, performing in LA, Oklahoma, Dallas, Austin, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Nashville, Atlanta, New York City, and more. Some shows of note include New Year’s Eve at the Park MGM in Las Vegas, opening for R&B artist Andy Allo at The Mint in LA, opening for Jessica Childress at West Hollywood’s Peppermint Club, and opening up for the likes of Delta Rae, Walker Lukens, and the New York-based soul-pop group Lawrence at Biltmore Cabaret in Vancouver.

Quite the story for our guest, no?

I love these kinds of artists because it allows you to connect with them more on a personal level, and in turn, you can enjoy their music and learn to appreciate it that much more. I also really appreciate how she kept her future goal in mind of what she wanted her performances to look like, and just kept on working hard to make it happen.

Birthday Music Event

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Thought we were done with December 3rd music events in Vancouver?!?

Think again.

At the Railway Stage&Beer Cafe, it’s Dayvid’s birthday bash!!!

A couple of artists will be present, including Day of the Dog and Ria Jade. Tickets are 25 bucks but I honestly think it would be 25 bucks well spent. You get free food and drinks as well as a nice musical outing. Bring the family, might as well bring your friends too as you can witness an 18-year-old up-and-coming musician.

Ria has a number of special accomplishments under her belt already, with 2015 being a memorable year for both her talk show and her rising career in the musical industry. She is super busy these days as her show on SHAW multicultural is currently airing its third season.

My favorite thing about her is that she is super involved when it comes to mental health, which is a major priority these days. She lives by the mantra “Promote positivity and radiate kindness”, and she does this by making sure her show is a platform for a large variety of talents.

Back to the music, she has performed many live shows this past year, most recently at Close Look TV Fusion Star Night.

http://www.vtixonline.com/dayvids-birthday-bash-feat—day-of-the-dog–ria-jade-/2224

Posted by Day Of The Dog on Wednesday, 24 November 2021

Now to a male band from Vancouver, it’s Day of the Dog!

This group prides itself on not worrying about what anyone else thinks about them, and this is their main message to musicians wanting to break the ice and start a career in the industry. They say that if you can remove as much self-consciousness as you can, then you are allowing yourself to perform the way you want to and this is no different when it comes to music.

 

 

Young BC Musicians Collaborating for Army Veterans

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I found this to be pretty interesting while researching music this week, but not too long ago a bunch of young and up and coming BC musicians decided to get together and plan out a way that they could make music in honour of army veterans.

They even went as far as to present and perform in front of the veterans and their families for their enjoyment!

BC piano instructor Emily Armour was the one who originally came up with the smart and respectful idea, and she said that they really wanted to put an emphasis on recognition for the people who serve our country. Frankly, I love that they did this because although we have a special day set out for these special individuals, sometimes it still just feels like we don’t give them enough love and recognition, or at least as much as they deserve.

Anyways, Emily also went on to say that she wanted her students to connect with something of magnitude like this.

https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1972594243520/

For example, one of the students named Kai wrote a piece titled “Outcry”, inspired by a story he was once told about the Second World War and a soldier reliving his time spent in the trenches.

How was it possible for him to portray such an emotional story? Well, he said it all started with him visualizing what those people went through and all the potential emotions they had to deal with during a war so intense.

As you can imagine, the veterans were very emotional when they saw some of the performances put forth in their honor.

December 3rd Songwriters Event

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Coming up very shortly on December 3rd is a songwriters event downtown! Two artists will be present including longtime musician Samantha Parton and Sarah Jane Scouten from Bowen Island.

Sarah began singing at a very young age, belting out her favorite Canadian country-folk songs by artists such as Hank Williams, who further inspired her to kickstart a musical career. She then started singing bluegrass and gospel music at home in Bowen Island with her father. If you ask her about herself, she will most likely tell you that her talent is natural when it comes to performing, and it all starts with a simple motivational push.

Fast forward to today and you have an international artist that tours all over the place.

When it comes to Samantha Parton, there’s a fair amount of history to her career so far. A native of Vancouver, she is best known as a founding member of the award-winning Canadian folk group “the Be Good Tanyas”. Quite the band name if you ask me, but I have to say, it’s catchy!

Parton formed the group herself in the late 90s with Jolie Holland, eventually going on to add Frazey Ford and Trish Klein, whom Samantha met surprisingly enough while attending school in Nelson.

I don’t know what it is, but it seems as though a lot of musical talent comes out of Nelson….interesting to say the least.

Holland left the group amidst the recording of their first album, and the band went to carry on as a trio, releasing two more albums. As a result of this, they separated in 2008 and went on a group hiatus to pursue individual projects.

Safe to say that Samantha has done alright as an individual artist, wouldn’t you say?!

This BC Group Wasn’t Going to let the Floods Stop Them

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Perseverance, it’s something we should all live by. Whether it’s a small form or a big form of it, everyone should have a no-quit mentality.

With COVID, lots of performances were halted worldwide, but legendary BC punk band D.O.A wasn’t going to be halted again. Now, they were supposed to play a pair of events this past weekend to celebrate and cherish the 40th anniversary of their seminal album “Hardcore ’81. On Friday night, they were due to play in Hope, which was then to be followed by a huge homecoming show and performance at the Rickshaw Theatre in Vancouver the next day; a very manageable drive west on the highway, in regular times.

The head man of the band, Joe Keithley said that unless there’s a giant mudslide, it’s about an hour and a half drive. Their show in Hope, where lots of people were stranded because of flooding, got cancelled, but the Vancouver show was still on.

Their only apparent issue was getting there. Their drummer Paddy Duddy and bass guitarist Mike Hodsall live hours away in Nelson, BC. They kept on waiting for news that routes would finally reopen so that they could drive into Vancouver.

By late in the week, it became obvious that flying would have to be their best option. The group felt it had no other option but to fork out a large amount of money for the flights, almost $2000 for the two band members. This didn’t solve the problem of them getting their instruments to Vancouver from Nelson, however.

Thankfully, the band was able to borrow equipment from the opening acts of the event. The groups said that they’re all like one big family. They made it to the venue late Saturday afternoon, did a quick soundcheck, and performed all night long.

If that isn’t perseverance, then I don’t know what is.

Upcoming Juno Awards

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With the Juno Awards upcoming in June, it feels like a good chance to talk about a Canadian artist who seems to have a lot of mixed reviews these days, albeit while still maintaining his popularity. I’m talking about no one else but Drake.

Yes, we will talk about Certified Lover Boy, his latest album, and how I feel about it. But first, I’m going to give my honest opinion on him as an artist in general.

Frankly, I don’t like his new music as a whole, some songs, such as Way 2 Sexy from his latest album, are catchy. But a lot of his stuff today that gets released seems rushed. I get it, he still wants to make money and I know a lot of artists fear that if they stop releasing music for an extended period of time, they’ll fade into irrelevancy. But I don’t think that has to be the case with Drake. He is more than popular enough to have the ability to take his time with his music, and just put that extra amount of effort in so that his music can stay fresh and unique.

 

Unique, that’s the word I like to use with Drake and how I used to feel about his music. I like his older stuff, songs like Sneakin’ for example. Back then it almost seemed like he was unstoppable. He could release whatever he wanted and it would pop off, more importantly, it sounded unique.

This leads me into CLB, his latest album, and ill say yet again, I thought he rushed it. A few of the songs in the album are catchy, ill give him that, but the rest, not so much.

Let me know how you feel though, because like I said earlier I think a lot of people have super mixed opinions on him.

Upcoming Vancouver Event- Range Christmas Party

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Also coming up, and as we all know Christmas is on the horizon, is a Christmas Music Party at Wise Hall in Vancouver on December 11. It’s a Saturday too so don’t worry about how late your night goes 🙂

The event will feature 3 musicians/groups….including Mauvey from Ghana, Frankiie from Vancouver, and Nimkish from Okanagan Valley.

Starting with Mauvey, he was born in Ghana, West Africa, and raised between the UK and Vancouver. He filters his unique style of alternative pop with hip hop, as well as R&B/soul alongside his consistent message of “Love”. He wants his music to distribute love to everyone through the creative narratives of intentional songwriting, smart melody, and hypnotic beat.

He has been influenced by artists like Michael Jackson and Kanye West and says that he is inspired by artists who’ve made contributions so significant that their music will never be forgotten. Pretty strong motive behind the guy if you ask me!

Also present at the event will be Vancouver-based Indie Dream-Rock group Frankiie, whose story revolves around a separation of the band in the winter of 2016-17. It took that brief break-up for the groups’ members to truly realize just how appreciative they really were for each other. In the 3 years since, they’ve released one EP, had several tours, and started their own TV show!

Last but not least is Nimkish, an indigenous singer/songwriter born in the Okanagan Valley. Her name comes from the Nimpkish Valley of Vancouver Island. She writes about personal experiences, and her favorite part about music is the songwriting aspect of it. She debuted her first EP in 2018 and is expected to continue to grow and become more popular as she performs more and more. The ceilings are high for this talented artist!

The Zolas at Vogue Theatre

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Interestingly enough, the Zolas will be performing at the Vogue Theatre downtown this Friday, November 26th. The show will start at 8 pm. A special guest that is to be determined will also be present at the event, and you’ll just have to show up to see who it really is!

Personally, I think there’s some history you should know about the group before attending. Their debut album was released in November of 2009 and it was produced by Howard Redekopp, who you may know from his work with Tegan and Sara. Funny enough, the album was recorded for the most part in a studio that one of the guys constructed in his parents’ basement while he was studying at UBC. Other Vancouver indie bands have also recorded there!

The album, called Tic Toc Tic, has had five tracks that have been heavily played on XM satellite radio station “The Verge”. Despite being a new group, the Zolas were the 4th most tracked band on the Verge for the first half of 2010. They were also nominated for Album of the Year at The Verge XM Awards in 2011.

Their second album, Ancient Mars, was released on October 2nd, 2012. The duo’s track, “Knot in My Heart”, from Ancient Mars was heard in the background on an episode of the TV program “Whitney” on NBC. The song the album was named after was written by vocalist and guitarist Zach Gray while he was a student at UBC. Pretty common theme of UBC students that we’re noticing, huh?!

Gray later revealed that it was written at UBC Barber Library during his time as a student when the Zolas headlined an event at Koerners Pub at UBC in March of 2019.

By going to see them at this event on Friday, you’ll realize quick just how much passion is behind the story of the group.

 

Why the NFL is Easy to Get Invested in for the a Casual Fan

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The NFL is well marketed. It’s quite simple. The general sense of hype for games on a week-to-week basis is always high and it makes sense because, well, it doesn’t take much for an average fan to feel committed to their team when they only play once a week. This is one of the many draws that the National Football League possesses, but there’s more, and I’m going to tell you all about it.

A big reason why the league is a draw for the casual fan is because of the NFL’s yearly campaign to bring the sport overseas. For example, the London Games. This year both games involving the New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins, and Jacksonville Jaguars were played at the newly built Tottenham Hotspur soccer stadium, a team in the English Premier League. A lot of those fans attending probably didn’t know much about American football but they love it because of the fast physical pace of the game.

Another thing is that the season in the NFL is 17 spread out weeks, with each team getting 1 bye week while playing one game a week the rest of the time. This doesn’t require too much of a commitment and it allows the average Joe to get invested, even if they don’t have a particular team that they like most.

Couple this with the playoffs being layed out a similar way and you get a full season that’s not too hard to follow for the average casual fan.

Tailgating is also quite unique and great for the average fan. Who doesn’t want to hang out 4 or 5 hours before the game with buddies?! Everyone gathers around, has a beer, and relaxes until it’s time to get into the stadium and get loud.

https://twitter.com/USFAthletics/status/1459270632798044163?s=20

Another reason it’s great for the average fan is the rivalries.

Every sport on the planet offers intense rivalries. Soccer has Liverpool FC and Manchester United. Baseball has the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. Basketball has the LA Lakers and Boston Celtics. However, these rivalries cannot compare to the passion between fans of the Packers and Bears, Steelers and Raiders or Cowboys and Washington.

While other sporting rivalries are undoubtedly great to watch, the intensity cannot be matched to football, which depends on the other team hitting their competitors as hard as they possibly can. It can, therefore, lead to much tension and passion in the air between fans, which can transform a friendly game into a dramatic showdown.

A big part of bringing in casual fans is the end product of the season. The final. Where all the marbles are on the line. The NFL does it exceptionally well when it comes to the Super Bowl. The hype and build-up matched with all the ceremonies involved including the halftime show make the final more than just a game, and frankly, it’s a spectacle to behold.

The fact that teams earn equal revenue from the viewership and sponsorship deal also plays a big part in keeping casual fans on board. It makes the sport more popular and it pressures owners into doing what they can to field a quality team. The more quality teams there are, the more average fans get sucked in because of how much winning matters.

Television and the overall accessibility of games are also big factors.

No matter where you live in the world, as long as you have Internet access, you can spend every Sunday watching your favorite NFL team. That is something the League has worked on for decades. As far back as 1939, the first televised NFL broadcast featured the Philadelphia Eagles vs. the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field. That was just the beginning of the NFL making its product super-accessible to fans. Over the years, the NFL has made the product even more accessible by putting players’ names on jerseys, playing games on Monday nights (when people are home), building larger stadiums to accommodate demand, launching its own network and giving fans additional content, like the legendary NFL Films series.

The NFL’s social media presence is easy for the average person to keep their eye on too.

The NFL is known for its strong social media presence. In fact, every team in the league has a Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram account to provide fans with up-to-date news and engage them by highlighting specific fans, giving them a chance to win prizes like team memorabilia. Teams like the New York Jets and New Orleans Saints have even used Snapchat to reveal their schedules and create stories for the upcoming season. The Eagles have used Snapchat to unveil new products and show locker footage.

Not only does the NFL embrace social media, but it’s also not afraid to experiment with the latest trends.

They’re also just so far ahead in terms of fan experience, which is a big deal because chances are if you are new to the NFL you’re going to be wowed even more by the gameday experience.

Whether you stay home or go to your local stadium, the NFL is always looking for ways to improve your fan experience. If you go to a game, giant screens give you a better glimpse of the on-field action. Apps tell you how long restroom lines are. Stadiums such as Denver’s Empower Field at Mile High, New England’s Gillette Stadium and San Francisco’s Levi’s Stadium provide WiFi access so fans can update their social media accounts or check out their fantasy teams.

https://twitter.com/LevisStadium/status/1457462049320042496?s=20