Bend Sinister @ Rickshaw Theatre -- June 20, 2024

This month, The Rickshaw Theatre is celebrating its 15th anniversary, and putting on a whole host of shows with some of the city’s finest talent. The Pack AD, The Pointed Sticks, Bison, ACTORS, Hyaenas, and Rong⚡ are all among the bands playing over the span of a week, including last night’s show: the eclectic mix of Bend Sinister, Elliot C Way, Colleen Rennison, and The Furniture. 

I got to the theatre a little later than I meant to, catching the last bit of Colleen Rennison. The former No Sinner singer recently put out a solo album, Persephone, and this was my first time catching her perform. With an 8-piece band and soulful voice – as well as sparkling dress – Rennison gave cabaret vibes as she hit songs off the new album, like the bombastic “Crawling on the Ceiling” or the smooth “Circles”. She also slipped in a cover of “I’m Just a Prisoner (Of Your Good Lovin’)” by Candi Staton, citing her as a big influence on the record, and capped off the set with another huge showcase of her incredible voice, and stage presence. She definitely made me regret missing my bus, and next time I will make certain I am there for her full set. 

Next up was the country grit of Elliot C Way. Appropriately clad in cowboy boots & hat, and leather vest, his whiskey-soaked voice and accompanying pedal steel set the tone.
Throughout the set, Way teased some new songs, like one called “Living Hard or Hardy Living” which was being played in front of a crowd for only the second time -- and had one of the most country opening lines I’ve heard in a while; “Tequila in the summer, Whiskey in the winter”. After a few more tunes, including “Annabelle”, which Way introduced as about a dominatrix, he capped off the set with “Fool’s Gold” from his band The Wild North. 

And finally, Bend Sinister took the stage to round out the evening. With their recent record, Mostly Great Things, out a few weeks ago, the anniversary show doubled as their album release, as they kicked off with “Leave The Lights On” from the album, starting strong and amping up the energy with “Hot City” (appropriate for this weekend’s weather in Vancouver).

The band wove through their last few releases, from the chaotic “Big Star” to the intensity of “Walk the Other Way”, and the joyous “Show Me How To Love” to the (relatively) calmer “One Shot”. Dan Moxon is always a monster on the keys and vocals, with an energy that the rest of the band definitely matches, as Dan introduced them throughout the night with solos; Joseph Blood on guitar, Matt Rhode on bass, and Dicky Neptune on Drums.

After the absolutely chaotic “Teacher”, the set came to an end with the introspective -- but no less rockin’ -- “What It Takes”, a look at the lives of touring bands now-a-days. But they hadn’t even left the stage while people cheered for more, with Dan joking he had to get up early, so just one more song. The finished off with the anthemic “Rock ‘n’ Roll”, complete with a pause mid-song for an action shot, the perfect way to close the set as they left everyone with the refrain, “Long live rock ‘n’ roll”

I haven’t really made it a secret that, for a long time, the Rickshaw... wasn't my favourite venue in Vancouver. Which, admittedly, had a lot to do with a bad experience at my first show there. But over the years, the venue has made improvements inside, continues to celebrate local music & book eclectic bands (and even some pro wrestling), and had carved out a great niche for itself.

setlist
Leave The Lights On
Hot City
Heard It All Before
Show Me How to Love
Renegade 
Big Star
Walk the Other Way
One Shot
Gotta Get Ready Now
Got You On My Mind
Shannon
Price You Pay 
Teacher
What It Takes
(encore)
Rock ‘n’ Roll

Skye Wallace @ Green Auto -- June 12, 2024

Last night, Toronto’s Skye Wallace returned to her one-time home, kicking off a quick jaunt of shows through the west coast, starting at Green Auto here in Vancouver.
And, just as a side note: I’ve only been to Green Auto a couple times now, but the sound there is great — a lot better than you would expect from looking at it — and they consistently put on shows with fun (and inclusive) lineups. It’s a really cool space, and Vancouver definitely needs more venues like it.

I got to the venue a little late, missing opener Leo D.E Johnson and catching the last few songs of CJ Wiley. They had a fun, breezy rockin’ sound, and was joined by Skye Wallace for a couple songs, their latest single “Cheap Therapy” and the 90s-alt-rock vibe of “No One Like U”. They finished with a haunting song I didn’t catch the name of, but I made a note that I’ll have to check them out again when I can.

After a quick turnaround, Skye Wallace hit the stage backed by usual bassist J Strautman, as well as some familiar Vancouver faces, Jasper Sloan Yip on guitar and Dicky Neptune on drums.

Skye kicked off with the raucous “There Is A Wall” and the dark & moody “Truth Be Told”, before shifting into some new songs. The recently released “Momentum”, my favourite of the new batch of songs, worked on with the legendary Hawksley Workman; “Tough Kid” was dedicated to a friend in the audience; and they even teased a few unreleased songs, possibly releasing later this year.
Between songs, Skye chatted and joked with the crowd, and other highlights included the raw “Tear A Piece (Bite Me)” and the frenetic banger “Coal in Your Window”.

Wallace wrapped up the set with a cover of the Against Me! song “I Was a Teenage Anarchist” — after gushing about recently opening for Laura Jane Grace(!)
And the band was barely offstage before the crowd chanted for more, which possibly elicited the rare legit encore, with a quip that they hadn't planned on anything, before finishing with the existential questions of “The Doubt” and Skye’s incredible voice filling the room once more.

I feel like every time I see Skye Wallace play, I like them more & more, and this night was no exception. Especially having a killer backing band behind them, as well as a really cool venue.

setlist
There Is A Wall
Truth Be Told
Momentum
Tough Kid
[new song]
Mean Song 2
Tear A Piece (Bite Me)
[new song]
Coal In Your Window
I Was a Teenage Anarchist [Against Me! cover]
(encore)
The Doubt

David Vertesi @ Wise Hall -- April 12, 2024

A few weeks ago, David Vertesi released his fourth album Fictionalized. And to celebrate, took to the Wise Hall for an album release show.

The evening started with Alex Badger coming out on stage alone, just an acoustic guitar accompanying her lovely voice for the first couple songs. She was soon joined by JP Maurice to back her up, as they played the recent single “Gum”, which he produced. Alex teased a few more songs that would be out soon, including the upbeat “Sunshine”, and finished off with a very heartfelt song that I didn’t catch the name of, but will definitely be keeping an ear out for in the future.

Next up was a solo set from Jordana, for what was only her second time in Vancouver. Armed with an electric guitar, she played a stripped down set of bedroom pop, with bubbly energy between songs. From taking impromptu polls for the next song (electing to play both anyway), to getting into backstories (without naming her crush whom the song was written about), and introducing a brand new tune, everything matched her energy, with the highlight being her self-described ‘rock song’, “Play Fair”.
She wrapped up the set with a couple covers, really letting loose on vocals for a jazzy version of “Say a Little Prayer” before channelling her inner Karen Carpenter with “Yesterday Once More” by The Carpenters.

Not long after that, the lights dimmed and David Vertesi walked over to the sofa on stage, flicked on the lamp on the side table, and started off with “One Day We Woke Up And The World Was Gone”, the ominous opening track from the new album. The other members of the band slowly joined him, Johnny Andrews on drums, Jonathan Anderson on guitar, and Benjamin Millman on keys, as they went into “Who Am I Now”, playing the album front-to-back.

David’s deep voice and smooth songs were made even more warm and cosy by the stage turned into a makeshift living room, Vertesi even wearing slippers as he played most of the set from the couch, admitting that’s where the songs were written during the height of the pandemic. Though he did pop up to the front of the stage for the maudlin “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do”.

Throughout the night he also invited some guests to the sofa, all who featured on the album; Sam Lynch providing vocals on “My Parents”, Jordan Klassen’s voice intertwining with his on “One In A Million”, and the inimitable Jill Barber for “Mind Reader”.

As Fictionalized came to a close, he called for everyone who was on stage before to return – including Jordana and Alex Badger – for the final song, a cover of Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros’ “That’s What’s Up”. But even with the album wrapped, Vertesi wasn’t quite done. Not bothering with the whole encore fakeout, he had everyone in the room, both on-stage and in the audience, sing along to “Waste” from his previous album Life Ghouls for a fun & cathartic closer.

As I recently said, it’s always fun to hear an album played in full, especially when Vertesi was able to get (almost) all of the guest stars to join him. But even aside from all the familiar faces on stage, you couldn’t go five feet in the Wise Hall without running into another musician, music-adjacent person, or longtime fan. Which is not only a testament to David Vertesi’s music, but his role in the local music community. From the many bands he’s been a part of, to producing, and even co-founding events like the Mural Festival, Vertesi is no doubt one of the hardest workers in town, and everyone was at the Wise to celebrate.

setlist
One Day We Woke Up And The World Was Gone
Who Am I Now
Age Of Celebrity
My Parents (ft. Sam Lynch)
Fictionalized
One In A Million (ft. Jordan Klassen)
Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
Mind Reader (ft. Jill Barber)
Note To Self
That’s What’s Up (ft. everyone) [Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros cover]
Waste (ft. everyone)

Said the Whale: hawaiii 10th Anniversary @ Hollywood Theatre -- April 05, 2024

Ten years (and change) ago, Said the Whale released their fourth full length album, hawaiii, and this weekend they celebrated with an intimate hometown show at the Hollywood Theatre.

Opening the night was lincolnhotchen – who is also the current bass player for the group – with a backing band consisting of members of Winona Forever. Due to it being a (very) early show, I only caught the tail end of his set, including the dreamy and catchy “Highlight”, which made me wish I was able to get there earlier.

Thanks to the curfew, there was a very quick turnaround before a banner was raised with the hawaiii album art, and Said the Whale took the stage. Ben Worcester, Tyler Bancroft, and Jaycelyn Brown were joined by Lincoln on bass and the familiar face of Spencer Schoening on drums, as Ben gave an introduction and they launched into the first song on the album, “More Than This”. 

The band weaved through the album, from the high energy “Mother” to slow-burn of “Safe to Say”, chatting & joking in between, giving backstories of songs & the album art, and shouting out people who helped that were in the crowd that night (like producer Tom Dobrzanski). Other highlights off the album included the dark and synthy “Resolutions” — though sadly, Shad was not there for his part of the song — and playful beat of “Oh K, Okay”. 

As the album grew to a close, everyone but Tyler stepped aside, introducing the next track, written for his mother. After explaining how it hit even harder since she passed last year, he launched into “Helpless Son”, his voice breaking throughout the incredibly beautiful and heartfelt song. There was not a dry eye in the house, including the rest of the band; Ben was audibly teary when he returned, dedicating his own melancholic song, “The Weight of the Season”, to his uncle who recently passed.

After the album was over, the band had one more sneaky song from that era, the b-side “Barbara-Ann”. But they weren’t done just yet. Playing off an earlier joke about ‘eras’, and with just enough time before the curfew, the band decided to hit their breakout album Islands Disappear front to back.

With the looming deadline, the band didn’t say much between songs, hitting big singalongs like “Camilo (The Magician)” and “Emerald Lake, AB”, as well as some favourites, the stormy intensity of “Black Day in December” or the quirky love song “Gentleman”. Tyler joked that every live-show-fibre in his being felt like they should end it after the incredibly joyous “Goodnight Moon”, but of course there was one more song on the album: the sweet ode to Ben’s sister (who was in the crowd) “Holly, Ontario” as they wrapped up perfectly on curfew. 

As someone that still listens to albums all the way through, I always love the concept of full album playthrough live shows, and getting not just the expected hawaiii, but the bonus Islands Disappear was a great treat. Near the end, the band teased that they were toying with the idea of doing a yearly hometown show, and if they did an annual series of full album playthroughs of their entire discography, I would be there in a heartbeat.

setlist
(hawaiii Era)
More Than This
Mother
Narrows
I Love You
Safe to Say
Resolutions
Willow
On the Ropes
I Could Smoke
Oh K, Okay
Helpless Son
The Weight of the Season
Barbara-Ann
(Islands Disappear Era)
Dear Elkhorn
Out on the Shield
B.C. Orienteering
Camilo (The Magician)
Emerald Lake, AB
Islands Disappear
Black Day in December
Gentleman
False Creek Change
A Cold Night Close to the End
The Gift of a Black Heart
Goodnight Moon
Holly, Ontario

PHOTOS: Shred Kelly, with Hyaenas at the Biltmore Cabaret - March 29, 2024

Shred Kelly, with Hyaenas
Biltmore Cabaret
March 29, 2024

Photos by Christine McAvoy