Rebranding the Bard

Sitting on the patio of Steamworks, Romeo+Juliet make their identity and musical methodology abundantly clear. Simply put, they embody the star-crossed lovers whose namesake they covet: two overly romantic, hypersexual city kids. However, through some perverse subversion, they transfer their instinctual, animalistic tendencies into sleek electronic dance music. Essentially, it’s Shakespeare in neon tights.
And really, [...]

Record Review: Japandroids ‘No Singles’/ ‘Art Czars’ 7″

With the release of their 2009 full-length debut album, Post-Nothing (of which I briefly reviewed here), local noise-punks Japandroids not only put themselves on the international indie-rock map, but shamelessly propelled Vancouver into the center of their calculated madness. Outside of Vancouver, Post-Nothing was an unexpected gem that garnered the band a fair amount of [...]

Straight Skills Dj Comp

All of Vancouver’s BEST up and coming DJ’s all in one room. We will want an interview with the winner, that’s for sure!!
Best of luck!

Gentlemen Prefer (Yukon) Blondes: Yukon Blonde Interview

On April 6th, Adam and I got to check out Yukon Blonde, with Red Cedar and In-Flight Safety at The Biltmore Cabaret. Before the show we got to sit down with Yukon Blonde guitar player/vocalist Brandon Scott, as well as touring bassist/Red Cedar vocalist/guitarist, Andy Bishop. We had a solid chat about upcoming Yukon Blonde [...]

Record Review: Behind Sapphire s/t

Gentile, acousti-rock is a tricky genre. The divide between pop culture classic and overplayed, nausea inducer is frustratingly hazy and sometimes audiences just can’t tell the difference. For example, “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz could possibly be the greatest song ever written, but because I’ve heard it in passing more than any song in my [...]

Record Review: Jon and Roy ‘Homes’

Unlike other seasons, summer seems to be the only time of the year that has directly inspired an entire movement of music. Summertime music is completely inoffensive, soft-spoken, and expects little of the listener. It’s easily likeable, as it associates itself with bohemian beach busking and bikini babes swooning over acoustic mysticism. After all, there [...]

Cultural Olympiad Review: K’Naan

written by: JAMIE CESSFORD
photos by: ALEX YELIZAROV

As I’m sure most of you know, the Olympics brought a wide variety of cultural events with them to help promote the games (as if they needed any). While there was plenty of less mainstream events to attend (like the gay, hiphopera re-envisioning of Romeo and Juliet that was [...]

Music Profile: The Wind Whistles

interview: JAMIE CESSFORD
photos: ADAM GREENBERG
A while back I got the chance to interview Tom and Liza from The Wind Whistles. They’re an incredibly ambitious duo that has certainly experienced the ups and downs of being DIY in the digital age.
With the release of their fantastic follow-up to their 2007 debut, Animals are People Too, The [...]

Shottas: redefining the definition.

interview: KATRINA PERALTA
photos: ALEX YELIZAROV

Two young lyricists from Vancouver also known as Kai and Atlin have teamed up to rise to the top of the Vancouver music scene and taking it by storm one show at a time.  Although the word “shottas” arises from a Jamaican slang term for gangsters; who are often feared and [...]

Making it Big Time: A peek at the Peak Performance Finale

words: GRACELLE BONIFACIO
photos: ALEX YELIZAROV

Being one of those city girls that always had Top 40 tunes blaring in my car stereo, I would have never thought of ditching the stiletto infested, glitter copious, fist pumping or what some might call manic scene that is the Downtown Granville Strip, in exchange for a night chilling out [...]