Friday night in Vancouver and I am off to see another show - this time at the Nelson Cafe. Now, I have passed by this place for a dozen years and never would have thought to go see a show here. A long, narrow room with a small stage at the back. It's dark, and way too small to fit the 50 - 60 people who are there to eat, drink and listen to the bands.
It's an acoustic night, so only fractions of the bands are getting up to play. I am about to learn just how inbred the Vancouver music scene is as it seems like everybody gets a chance to play with everyone else. The room is full of not only the bands in the line up, but plenty of others who have come by to party. Somehow it works - sort of.
Catapult is on stage as we arrive. A couple of guitars and bass, and some strong, passionate vocals. They are new to me, and I like what I hear. I can appreciate the songwriting, but this stuff needs the energy a full band offers. I'll be sure to catch them again with a full line up someplace like the Buffalo Club.
Up next is Emily Madden. She sings and strums and is accompanied by a bongo player to add to the groove. Nice. The sound system doesn't do her justice. Again, I promise to catch her show somewhere where the subtleties of her smooth voice and the songwriting can be appreciated.
Submitted by Stephen Abbott on Sat, 2006-12-02 04:24.
Category: Reviews
Friday night in Vancouver and I am off to see another show - this time at the Nelson Cafe. Now I have passed by this place for a dozen years and never would have thought to go see a show there. A long, narrow room with a small stage at the back. It's dark, and way too small to fit the 50 - 60+ people who are there to eat, drink and listen to the bands. But there is definitely a buzz in there tonight.
It's an acoustic night, so only fractions of the bands are getting up to play. I am about to learn just how inbred the Vancouver music scene is as it seems like everybody gets a chance to play with everyone else. The room is full of not only the bands in the line up, but plenty of others who have come by to party. Somehow it works - sort of.
Catapult is on stage as we arrive. A couple of guitars and bass, and some strong, passionate vocals. They are new to me, and I like what I hear. I can appreciate the songwriting, but this stuff needs the energy a full band offers. I'll be sure to catch them again with a full line up someplace like the Buffalo Club or the Media Club.
Up next is Emily Madden. She sings and strums and is accompanied by a bongo player to add to the groove. Nice - really nice. The sound system doesn't do her justice. Again, I promise to catch her show somewhere where the subtleties of her smooth voice and the songwriting can be appreciated.
Submitted by Stephen Abbott on Sat, 2006-11-25 02:20.
Category: Reviews
I headed out to the Buffalo Club to see Cetra, who were opening for Incura. I picked up my show buddy, Kay, and off we went. It was an 8 o'clock start and I was expecting the the typical Vancouver turnout of less than 20 people. I was also gambling a bit on the start time, and missed the first couple songs. Much to my surprise when I walked in there were a good 60+ people hovering at the front of the stage getting into the music.
Submitted by Stephen Abbott on Sat, 2006-11-18 03:31.
Category: Reviews
On what seemed like the busiest night of the year for live local music, my choice was Arctic at the Backstage Lounge. And I wasn't alone - the place was packed to standing room only. Obviously this was not going to be a typical "what's-wrong-with-the-Vancouver-scene" show.
It's clear this band has a loyal following. As the room continued to fill, more and more people worked their way to the front of the slightly raised stage and sat waiting patiently for the magic to begin. With little fanfare (after what seemed like a never ending sound check) the trio came to life and worked nicely through three hypnotic songs: You Coming Down, Amazed and No Trace. I get the sense that this was the improvisational part of the show - three songs that are full of atmosphere and emotion and can change every time they are played. Kirsten and Max held a solid groove right from the start, which inspired an somewhat out-of-place couple to shake their groove thing in the middle of the crowded dance floor, ...and right in front of me. Two songs into it they were gone.
The show switched gears and the band moved into a few more melodic pop style songs: I Heard, Dec 25th and Some One Turning. These songs are more my style, and I hope that we get a version of I Heard posted soon. Not surprisingly the crowd also seemed to be getting into it as more and more people let the music take over and the dancing spread.
An impromtu rendition of Happy Birthday was played for Kirsten, and then the band finished off the set with the exciting Anything More. Obviously a crowd favourite, this song takes all the atmosphere and emotion and blends it with a serious pop groove. I am a huge fan of cool bass riffs, and Kirsten rocked with this one. Awesome.
I had heard that Marcus was incredible to watch as he worked his magic between his voice, his guitar and a virtual smorgasboard of pedals and effects. With a kind of controlled madness, one gets the sense that the band is creating new sounds right there on stage. It was great to see someone who uses the effects yet isn't a slave to them.
I had lots of choices tonight - I am really happy I made it to this one.
