Hotel Mira @ Hollywood Theatre -- June 24, 2023

On the tail end of their ‘Dancing With The Moonlight’ Tour, Hotel Mira returned home for a sold out evening at the Hollywood Theatre. It was an early show (even for usual ‘early show’ standards) and I missed opener Dust Cwaine, but luckily arrived just before the night’s host, the established Shanda Leer, introduced the band with a quick drag number to Celine Dion’s “That’s the Way It Is”.

Shortly after, “Never Tear Us Apart” by INXS blasted over the speakers as Hotel Mira hit the stage; Mike Noble on bass & synth, Clark Grieve on guitar, drummer Cole George, and singer Charlie Kerr. They launched immediately into one of their new singles “Everything Once” and then crowd favourite “Fever Pitch”, which was also a fitting description for the audience that night, as the sold out room sang, yelled, and screamed along, hanging on Kerr's every word (and thrust).

Always a frenetic ball of energy on stage, Charlie Kerr was no different this night as he danced, writhed, lost his shirt, and interacted with the crowd. He perched on the edge of the stage & reached his hand out for whoever wanted to hold it during “Speaking Off the Record”, and asking who had recently been dumped so everyone could give a cathartic “Fuck James!” before “Better On Your Own”. And the rest of the band matched his energy for the show, as Kerr introduced each throughout the night when they had their own solos.

Other highlights included my favourite from their Perfectionism album “Jungle”, showcasing the band’s harmonies; the manic and infectious newer song “Dancing With the Moonlight”; and “The Eyes On You”, which was fittingly introduced by a quick cover of Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You”.

The main set ended off with the another older favourite “Southern Comforting”, before Charlie & Clark were quickly back for “A Song for Daisy”, lighters held aloft for the softer tune. They were then re-joined by Mike & Cole, to cap off the night with an old favourite, the chaotic “Oh My God”, Charlie wading into the audience to cap off the evening.

As the band took a bow there were chants for a genuine encore. But while the foursome seemed to consider it, the looming curfew probably put a stop to it. I’m not sure if it was the vibes in the room, the hometown show, or the end of their tour — or all of the above — but the band was on top of their game last night, possibly the best I’ve seen them perform.

setlist
Everything Once
Fever Pitch
Eventually
Circulation
Silver Lake
Better On Your Own
Ginger Ale
Jungle
The Eyes On You
Dancing With the Moonlight
This Could Be It For Me
Speaking Off the Record
Southern Comforting
(encore)
A Song for Daisy
Son-in-Law
Oh My God

PHOTOS: Rich Aucoin @ Fox Cabaret - June 01, 2023

Rich Aucoin, with Petra Glynt
at Fox Cabaret
June 01, 2023

Photos by Christine McAvoy

Rich Aucoin @ Fox Cabaret -- June 01, 2023

Regular readers of this blog will probably be aware of Rich Aucoin’s legendary live shows, and/or how I feel about them. It’s one of the most unique, uplifting, and engaging live shows going, and your time is running our to see it. Aucoin has previously announced that after a couple more tours, he will be retiring this version of his performance. So I hope you were at the Fox Cabaret last night, or plan to be at an upcoming one throughout his Is This The Real Life? tour (or when he returns for the next one).

Arriving a little late to the venue, I missed Devours, getting there just before Petra Glynt started. With an entire table of musical gadgets stretched out in front of her, she performed what she called a “machine set”, playing and looping everything live -- except when running into a bit of tech troubles. The experimental pop sound was bolstered by her vocal prowess, going from a breathy to a harsh to fragile throughout her set, a few times letting a loop play so she could stalk the front of the stage.

Not long after, the curtains parted and a timer started counting down to the “preshow” for Rich Aucoin. After a word from our sponsor & coming attractions -- built off memes, movie clips, and mashups -- an AI introduced the show and the crowd was tasked with summoning the narrator for the night: Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Governator pumped the crowd up, getting everyone used to the frequent instructions & lyrics that would be appearing on screen, interspersed with more movie clips, viral videos, and more all perfectly synced to the songs throughout the set.

At this point Rich hit the stage, joined by drummer Tony Dallas and Pete MacDonald on bass, starting with “Space Western” to build the tension as the ‘opening credits’ flashed on the screen, giving shoutouts to people in the crowd. From there Rich burst into “Meaning in Life”, leading the first sing (yell) along, as he smoothly transitioned into synth pop bangers like “The Other” and “Brian Wilson is A.L.i.V.E.” leading the crowd from the front of the stage, shooting off confetti, and even jumping into the mass of people to dance.

Part way through the set, ‘Chapter 2’ started, where Rich transitioned into songs from Synthetic, a four-part album (the first two Seasons are out now, the other two coming within the next year). The instrumentals kept up the same energy, accompanied by psychedelic imagery on screen, while everyone continued to move, especially those on stage. Even behind his synth, Rich could barely be still for a moment, radiating energy, and Tony Dallas more than kept pace as he clattered the drums.

After a few instrumentals, Rich went into “Undead” for more crowd participation, reminded us that “We are not dead yet, we are undead”, and one my favourite of his “Want to Believe”, which was mashed up with “4 More Years” — a song that was released nearly 10 years ago but feels incredibly timely after a global pandemic with line “What good are friends you cannot touch?”.

Then it was time for the centerpiece of Rich’s set, as Tony Dallas started to unfurl the parachute. The big rainbow canvas made its way across the Fox as the entire room huddled under (or grabbed the edges) for a cathartic dance party to “Are You Experiencing?”, Rich in the middle of it all letting everyone know “When you give it all up, you get it back”

All too soon, the set drew to a close with another one of my faves, “It”, backed by the song’s music video full of recreated movie scenes. For the final goodbye, Rich waded into the crowd for one last communal experience, a big singalong to “Bohemian Rhapsody”. Or, it started that way before Rich made sure everyone was looking at the lyrics on the screen and switching up to the smash hit “All Star”... but still to the tune of the Queen classic.

Since the first time I saw Rich Aucoin perform live, back in 2011, I’ve probably seem him a dozen or so times. And somehow I am no less enthralled by his show. The way he brings everyone in the room together is almost unparalleled; I’ve probably only seen one band do it better, and that’s The Flaming Lips. I hope everyone gets the chance to experience it before the show is retired.

Sunset Rubdown @ Rickshaw Theatre -- May 15, 2023

This show has been a long time coming. Not just because the last time Sunset Rubdown played a show in Vancouver was in 2009 (when Richard's on Richards still existed) but since the reunion show was announced, it's gone through two venue upgrades (from the Fox to the Biltmore to the Rickshaw) and one postponement (when the band got stuck at the ferry terminal on Vancouver Island). But the wait was worth it as the long dormant group returned to Vancouver to kick off the second leg of their comeback tour.

Opening the show was Nicholas Merz, whose set I caught the last half of. Alone on stage wearing double denim and a cowboy hat, Merz was behind a modified pedal steel creating loops for a bit of an avant-garde country sound, punctuated by his deep, crooning vocals. He would show off his voice even more when, a couple times at the end of a song, he strode up to the front of the stage with a bit of a soft-shoe to belt out some stark lyrics — once just himself, unaccompanied by the loops he created.
His set was either one of the most earnest performances I've ever seen, or -- and I can't quite put my finger on what makes me think this -- a very elaborate performance art piece. Either way, it was a very entertaining.

Then after a bit of a break, it was time for Sunset Rubdown as Michael Doerksen, Camilla Wynne, Jordan Robson-Cramer, and Spencer Krug hit the stage. Right off the bat, Krug apologised for the circumstances of the last show, and was incredibly grateful for the sold out crowd on an unseasonably hot Monday night. He joked that was the last they’d be speaking for a while and launched into “Snake's Got A Leg” from the groups debut album to kick off the set.

From there they ran through a selection from all four records, from “The Empty Threats of a Little Lord” to the relatively fragile “Silver Moons”, with other highlights including “Us Ones In Between”, building to an intense finish with Krug's distinctive vocals filling the theatre, and the dark and haunting “Winged/Wicked Things” sending chills through the (warm) room.

Between the familiar songs, the band teased some new material. The first time, Krug clarified it was just an old one that was never recorded, but later a new song was introduced with no such caveats. As far as I know, the band has been coy about any future plans, but fingers crossed.

Part way through the set, Nicholas Merz joined the others on stage on bass, though along with Michael and Jordan, the three of them swapped around on bass, guitar, and drums a little. And while he was behind the keys for most of the night, at once point Krug pulled out his guitar for a few songs, including “You Go on Ahead (Trumpet Trumpet II)” and probably my favourites of theirs, the barely-controlled chaos of “Idiot Heart”.

After a big intense jam to finish “The Men Are Called Horsemen There”, they brought the set to a close with the frenetic “The Mending of the Gown”, making the crowd work a little for the encore. But of course they were back, with just one more song, pouring all their remaining energy into the epic, winding, ten minute long “Dragon's Lair”, to cap off the nearly two hour set.

Since the breakup of Sunset Rubdown, I've seen Krug perform a number of other times; as Moonface, his collab with Siinai, solo piano shows, and even a Wolf Parade set. But as this show drew closer I started to worry that I was building the renion up too much in my head. Turns out that was for nothing, as the show more than met my expectations. The band hasn’t lost a single step, as tight as ever. Even at two hours, the show felt too fleeting, and I really hope we get to hear more from them in the future.

setlist
Snake's Got A Leg
The Taming Of The Hands That Came Back To Life
Silver Moons
Us Ones In Between
Shut Up I Am Dreaming of Places Where Lovers Have Wings
Winged/Wicked Things
Stadiums And Shrines
You Go on Ahead (Trumpet Trumpet II)
Coming To At Dawn
Idiot Heart
The Empty Threats of Little Lord
We're Losing Light
The Men Are Called Horsemen There
The Mending of the Gown
(encore)
Dragon's Lair

PHOTOS: Said The Whale with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra @ Orpheum - April 19, 2023

Said The Whale with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
Orpheum Theatre
April 19, 2023
Christine McAvoy Photography

Click here for Kirk’s Review!