Rawkerz Wed. @ Joe’s Apartment feat. byStarlight / MistrWolf / A Steady Vertigo

Last I heard Joe’s Apartment is causing a new stir on the streets of downtown Vancouver.  Bands love playing the new venue, each loving the room and the tone it sets for any night they play there. Yet, a room is only half the justice. What really makes the difference is the crowds they draw out of the woodwork. The bands bring their share followed by the regular street traffic that gets their dance shoes moving to the smooth flow set by DJ Zeus. And the crazy thing? It’s only Wednesday night!

I took some time to check in to what’s happening this Wednesday for Joe’s new weekly night “RAWKERZ Wednesdays @ Joe’s Apartment” and what jumps off the page http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=199815826696055&notif_t=event_wall#wall_posts? byStarlight, A Steady Vertigo and MistrWolf.

Well, first things first. Last time I saw byStarlight somehow they managed to uncork a bottle of champagne mid-set and not losing a beat they were literally pouring liquid energy into the crowd. These guys live and breathe for the moment and whatever that moment might bring they’re gonna make sure you’re a part of it. I haven’t even started to talk about the sound they bring and already I can’t wait to see what’s in store for this Wednesday. But hey, if that’s not enough to get you out for a night, I’ll let there music do the talking. With radio-ready tunes byStarlight gets you singing along to some upbeat style and moving to some down right dirty. For a practice run in your bedroom before Wednesday check out some of there latest at ww.myspace.com/bystarlightband…a good place to start? “I Thought You’d Get Down”

Before I get ahead of myself and get off track there’s some current terminology you must know which I thought I’d freshen myself up on as well by way of urbandictionary.com…here are some of the more purposeful definitions  that will be of use…

Dubstep:

i] Usually around 140bpm in tempo, the unifying sounds within dubstep are always bass and sub-bass. The music ranges in style from melodious instrumentals to dark, techy and distorted numbers.

ii] A genre which is filthier than fingering your sister and finding your Dad’s wedding ring…

iii]audio thunder.

Now, take your pick cause there’s a little for everyone, but be prepared to take what  you’re given this Wednesday. I’d bet MistrWolf is already scheming plans to make it all happen.  To be honest, I never found myself caught in the dubstep craze but when I checked out MistrWolf’s page http://soundcloud.com/mistrwolf and listened to Lux Aeturna it all clicked. Dubstep is about going places you’ve never been and would never have even thought to have gone. It’s like some strange black hole being pulled by a dream and a nightmare and there, stuck in the middle you get a little of both. Suddenly it makes sense and your body just has to move like your a puppet with a couple loose strings. I’m looking forward to this live experience now.

So, how does A Steady Vertigo, a Punk-Rock band fit into this mix of Dubstep and Pop-House? Well, their own bio describes them as “alternating between hyperactive, hypnotic and epic, classic yet modern…” something that the previous artists both seem to bring yet in their own regards. Besides, we’ve all had our clash with Punk-Rock and doesn’t it just make you feel good all over? While being bombarded by the auto-tune generation A Steady Vertigo is like meeting up with an old friend over a couple drinks…then having a couple to many…then going out and causing a riot in the streets. http://www.myspace.com/asteadyvertigo/music/songs/Riot-in-the-Street-76910879 [yes, I meant to play on those words.] Anyways, aside from any uncanny forsight A Steady Vertigo is sure to bring the place down and get the crowd rawking!

That’s all for this preview of Rawkerz Wednesday @ Joe’s Apartment http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=199815826696055&notif_t=event_wall#wall_posts Rawk on for the 48 hours and then come Rawk out! Doors @ 9pm /tix $8.

 

 

 

Rawkerz Wednesdays feat. The Post War, If We Are Machines, Hidden Towers

If you haven’t already marked on your calendar “Feb. 23rd – Be @ Joe’s Apartment!” then let me pause for a minute and allow you to do that…ok…now that we have that out of the way, you might as well take a minute out of your day to prepare yourself for what’s going down at Joe’s.

I’ll tell you to start by checking out Vancouver’s very own beauty-meets-tragedgy, The Post War [www.myspace.com/thepostwarmusic]. As kid’s these guys may have dreamed of being the biggest rockstar on the planet, who really knows? What we do know now though is, they’re honest in what they do and they do it the best way they know how…with instrument and voice.  Check out there latest http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMesFVn4k9k&feature=player_embedded and remember this is only a fraction of their live show.

If We Are Machines…If We Are Machines…If We Are Machines…like some journey through a robotic sound scape, we look forward to welcoming…If We Are Machines [http://www.myspace.com/ifwearemachines] to the Joe’s Stage, and these guys know what they’re doing. Just now while listening to their myspace playlist  I found myself in some induced state from their layered guitars and diving rhythms. Forming in 2001, ironically it’s safe to say If We Are Machines is nothing short of being well oiled. I look forward to whatever journey they may take the Joe’s crowd on Wednesday.

“The platform for Hidden Towers remains the same as the original vision created years ago: to create brutally-beautiful, surrealistic compositions over a canvas of complex rhythms.” http://www.myspace.com/hiddentowers . If I had a better way to put it I would, thankfully Hidden Towers recognizes who they are, who they want to be and most important of all, what they want to do. Writing songs in the 6-7 min range, though you would never know it except now of course that I’ve told you, Hidden Towers secretly conjours up some urge inside you to close your eyes and just let loose. With only sparce vocals surrounding their instrumentation Hidden Towers allows you to right your own story, a black hole to another dimension.

As they say, “all’s well that ends well”; with this lineup Wednesday Feb 23, 2011 at Joe’s Apartment about the only thing that could go wrong is the massive chandelier cracking under the pressure and plunging from the ceiling like some scene out of The Phantom of the Opera…but then again that would just add to what’s sure to be one hell of a show!

 

**For more info please check out the facebook even page http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=164772786904927

 

 

SHOWCASE Preview : March 9, 2009

GRAHAM PENCE ARTISTS presents SHOWCASE @ Republic, March 9, 2009 with special guests Young Pacific, Pigeon Park, and Vespertine!

Young Pacific (photo credit: myspace.com/youngpacificmusic

Young Pacific (myspace.com/youngpacificmusic)

Formed in 2009, Young Pacific hails from Coquitlam, BC, a cloudy suburb of Canada’s west coast urban central, Vancouver. Consisting of three young songwriters, the music and lyrics are not only inspired by growing up on the west coast, but also other things such as childhood, imagination and time itself. With an overwhelming reception to early recordings, Young Pacific hopes to continue with their momentum and create great songs for all to hear and love. (from myspace.com/youngpacificmusic)

Young Pacific will be the first of a handful of bands making their return to the SHOWCASE stage in March, after making their live debut here in January.

Pigeon Park (photo credit: myspace.com/pigeonparkband)

Pigeon Park (myspace.com/pigeonparkband)

Pigeon Park is a Vancouver based rock ‘n’ roll band with strokes of reggae, funk and blues painted into their sound creating a totally original ambience that is theirs and theirs only. With an EP released last summer the band is now heading back into the studio for a new LP and plans of a summer tour are on the horizon. (from myspace.com/pigeonparkband)

Vespertine (photo credit: myspace.com/vespertinevancouver)

Vespertine (myspace.com/vespertinevancouver)

Vespertine started out with Dean Acheson and Adam Riddle sitting in a car at Spanish Banks in the middle of the night writing songs on an acoustic guitar. They found that creating songs at night always gave a different feel than writing in the daytime, a kind of reminiscence lost in the sun. When the car got too claustrophobic, they would try for new inspirational places to write, like rooftops in August and airport runways with planes flying so close you can almost touch them. Vespertine’s music is about bringing out that feeling inside of everyone: the feeling of invincibilty, the feeling of never losing your past, and the feeling that makes you want to just take a drive and sing until your car hates you! (from myspace.com/vespertinevancouver)

For more details and to RSVP, check out the event page on Facebook, and, while you’re at it, join the SHOWCASE @ Republic presented byGRAHAM PENCE ARTISTS Facebook group for the latest information on who’s playing next!

preview by: Devin Weening (devinweening.wordpress.com)

Preview of February 2, 2010 SHOWCASE : Quickness / Whitey / Lemming Dynasty

GRAHAM PENCE ARTISTS presents SHOWCASE @ Republic – Tuesday, February 2, 2010 with Quickness, Whitey, and Lemming Dynasty!

Meet the bands:

Quickness (photo credit: myspace.com/quicknessband)

Quickness (myspace.com/quicknessband)

“Quickness are soul-infused rock vocals wrapped in a wall of distorted guitars with hip hop drums and dub bass tones, re-inventing classic reggae hip hop and breakbeat patterns and delivering deep pocket grooves that lock with the big guitar aesthetic of the band. Quickness blend explosive dub rock jams with socially conscious lyrics – creating other worldly ambience and jam band style mysticism.” (myspace.com/quicknessband)

Whitey (photo credit: myspace.com/whiteycanada)

Whitey (myspace.com/whiteycanada)

“At first glance, the diversity within Whitey’s repertoire can seem unjustified. However, it is the most honest, revealing conveyance of song they can possibly offer. Their purpose as a band has been to channel whatever expression comes at the specific moment in time, while making sure songs are crafter methodically to make people come together, dance, and enjoy themselves with others.” (myspace.com/whiteycanada)

Lemming Dynasty (photo credit: myspace.com/lemmingdynasty)

Lemming Dynasty (myspace.com/lemmingdynasty)

“Lemming Dynasty is a band well aware of their surroundings. Tim, Joel, and Adam Parent, along with Bruno Dominelli consciously reflect the climate in which they became – or are becoming – adults, in their music and lyrics. Slick grooves sauced in social outrage beget haunting melodies, peppered with a sly irony reminiscent of times when leaving a little to the imagination was as classy as it is classic. Intrinsic to the Dynasty’s sound is a strong sense of soulful defiance; that unwavering purpose develops throughout the emerging band’s repertoire as the young ensemble is engulfed in the creative thralls of self-discovery. One hears elements of grimy 70s funk, dirty grunge, electro punk and proggy jazz; but always in the context of a song, and always in the context of Lemming Dynasty.” (myspace.com/lemmingdynasty)

Why you should be there:

Never mind the fact that SHOWCASE is developing a strong and faithful group of regularly-attending music fans and musicians: this week’s edition, featuring three bands each with their own diverse set of influences, should be an all-out dance fest. Quickness, Whitey, and Lemming Dynasty all play fun, heartfelt music with a beat that’ll move your feet – so bring your dancing shoes!

For more details and to RSVP, check out the event page on Facebook, and, while you’re at it, join the SHOWCASE @ Republic presented by GRAHAM PENCE ARTISTS Facebook group for the latest information on who’s playing next!

preview by: Devin Weening (devinweening.wordpress.com)

Preview of January 26, 2010 SHOWCASE : ByStarlight / Stars of Boulevard / Timothy

GRAHAM PENCE ARTISTS presents SHOWCASE @ Republic – Tuesday, January 26, 2010 with byStarlight, Stars of Boulevard, and Timothy.

Meet the bands:

byStarlight (photo credit: Derek Rohde)

ByStarlight (myspace.com/bystarlightband)

“ByStarlight was formed in 2009 as an attempt to fully integrate electronic music with traditional rock and roll / pop….In their short time together, ByStarlight have been extremely well received by listeners, concert goers and industry professionals alike. Combining both an exciting live show and incredibly well written tunes, ByStarlight are definitely the band to look out for in the near future.” (myspace.com/bystarlightband)

Stars of Boulevard (photo credit: myspace.com/starsofboulevard)

Stars of Boulevard (myspace.com/starsofboulevard)

“Stars of Boulevard is many things to those who have discovered it. It’s raw and it’s free as shown in outlaw tracks like “Highway” and tracks like “That’s All It Is”, but there’s also a sensitivity and sensuality as found in “You Can Take The Money (The River)” and “Ruby Skies”. There’s adventure, social consciousness, songs of loss, love, good and bad, and life. These things and more.” (myspace.com/starsofboulevard)

Timothy (photo credit: myspace.com/timothy.music)

Timothy (myspace.com/timothy.music)

“Timothy is four gentlemen of the Coquitlam, British Columbia area, a mountainous region of Canada’s west coast, favoured dearly by the clouds, dead to the sun, yet in all accounts unspurious in its claim to beauty. Being reared in such conditions, the four aforementioned gentlemen are given both to cheerfulness and melancholy, the latter overcome by the former due to their ties to religion, which is the only cure for the more pensive despairers. For those of you in an unconscious despair, allow us to introduce yourself to yourself.” (myspace.com/timothy.music)

Why you should be there:

Timothy and Stars of Boulevards are two of the most buzzed-about bands in the Greater Vancouver indie scene, and the chance to see these two straight-ahead rock acts together is an opportunity no self-respecting fan of great music should pass up. ByStarlight, while less established than the other bands on the bill, delivers an energetic brand of synth-driven pop rock that is sure to get the party started on the right foot.

All in all, this week’s edition of SHOWCASE @ Republic is shaping up to be among the best yet, and should prove to everyone in attendance why SHOWCASE is the place to be on a Tuesday night. You don’t want to miss it!

For more details and to RSVP, check out the event page on Facebook, and, while you’re at it, join the SHOWCASE @ Republic presented by GRAHAM PENCE ARTISTS Facebook group!