Aaron Bruno pretending he's not in AWOLnation at Venue, Vancouver, April 5 2011. Ashley Tanasiychuk photo
Vancouver concert preview Sept 19 – 26: Olio Festival, Pearl Jam, Braids & more
- by Shawn Conner
“Waaaaaaah!!!!”
That was your correspondent’s reaction to trying to pare down this week’s shows into this preview. There’s a ton of interesting and/or cool shows this week, including what could be Broken Social Scene’s last appearance here for a good while and a 20th anniversary appearance by none other than Pearl Jam. Not to mention, just a ferry ride away, Rifflandia in Victoria.
This week’s spotlight, however, is on the Olio Festival (Sept 22 – 25). It’s the third year for the ambitious event, which gets bigger every year and includes not just music but comedy and film. Among this year’s musical heavy-hitters: J. Mascis, Braids, and Besnard Lakes.
So here goes…
Hollerado at Venue (Sept 21) – These Manotick, Ontario guys make catchy, ready-for-FM-radio Sam Roberts-like populist rock. Don’t hate them for that.
Hollerado at the Media Club, May 5 2010. Lana Maytak photo
Blueprint’s Five-Day Party (Sept 21 – 26) – Dance-party promoter Blueprint Events is throwing a five-day party to celebrate its 14th anniversary. Responsible for bringing the likes of David Guetta and DeadMau5 to town, as well as for putting on smaller shows at Celebrities, the Vancouver-based company has scheduled events over the next five nights, including DJ Fedde Le Grand at Sugar in Victoria (Sept 21) and at the Caprice in Vancouver (Sept 22), Dutch DJ and producer Laidback Luke at Celebrities, Dutch DJ Nicky Romero at Ginger (Sept 24) and Kill the Noise, Gemeni and Bass Jackers at Venue (Sept 25). More info here.
David Guetta and Vancouver Convention Centre, May 22 2011. Jade Dempsey photo
Hot Sex & High Finance, Love and Electrik, Keys N Krates at the Lamplighter (Sept 22 Olio Festival) – Love and Electrik are a Vancouver electro-pop duo known to cover Vanity 6′s “Nasty Girls”. What else do you need to know?
Love and Electrik at the O.C., Oct 1 2009. Alison Pattern concert photo
Library Voices at the Biltmore Cabaret (Sept 22) – Wonderful boy/girl harmonies and melodic pop from the Prairies (Regina, to be exact). As bookish as their name implies (the first song on their new album Summer of Lust is “If Raymond Carver Was Born in the ’90s”), Library Voices is currently a darling of certain quarters of the American media (NPR, New Yorker).
Video – Library Voices, “Generation Handclap”:
AWOLnation at Venue (Sept 23) – This band has a number one hit with “Sail”, and their Venue show – their second this year – is sold-out.
Video – AWOLnation, “Sail”:
Braids, Painted Palms and Terror Bird at Electric Owl (Sept 23, Olio Festival). BRAIDS blew up last year with their atmospheric, complex-yet-catchy pop. Our Winnipeg correspondent eugene osudar was an early advocate, so The Snipe has a vested interest, even if the band likes to premiere songs and videos on other sites.
BRAIDS in Winnipeg, 2009.
Pack A.D. at No Limits (Sept 23, Olio Festival): Pack A.D. are a blooze-rawk duo from Vancouver. We have pics:
Pack AD at the Red Room, Vancouver, May 14 2011. Photo by Graeme Foote
J. Mascis at The Rio Theatre (Sept 23, Olio Festival) – In the ’80s, as frontman for Dinosaur Jr., J. Mascis made the electric guitar cool again; even Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore said Dinosaur Jr’s Bug album was “way better” than Daydream Nation. Bring ear-plugs.
Dinosaur Jr at the Commodore, Nov 9 2009. Kiri Rostad photo
Kim Wempe and Gabrielle Papillon play a double bill: Sept 23 at Cafe Deux Soleils and Sept 25 at The Railway Club.
Kim Wempe is touring to support her LP release Painting With Tides. Wempe has won both an East Coast Music Award and a Nova Scotia Music Award for the release of her independent EP
Winnipeg-bred Gabrielle Papillon plays Vancouver as part of her cross-Canada tour to promote her new album The Currency of Poetry, which comes out Oct 11.
Watch – Kim Wempe, “Martha Barry” (video):
Watch – Gabrielle Papillon, “Turn Left” (video):
Broken Social Scene w/ Ra Ra Riot at Malkin Bowl (Sept 24) – A worthy show this weekend not associated with Olio Festival! Seems like just yesterday we were (ahem) “hanging” with Broken Social Scene’s Kevin Drew outside of the Nite Lite booze bar in Seattle. Now the band is playing an out-door show in Vancouver before going on hiatus. Strongly recommended if you have a thermal rain-proof poncho and a flask full ‘o bourbon.
Broken Social Scene at the Burton Cummings Theatre, Winnipeg, Oct 6 2010. Lisa Varga photo
De La Soul at the Commodore Ballroom (Sept 24) – Groundbreaking hip-hop trio, last scene in these parts cavorting with people in tree costumes at the Virgin Music Festival, 2009.
De La Soul at the Virgin Festival, Deer Lake Park, Burnaby. Jessica Bardosh photo
Besnard Lakes w/ Malajube at the WISE Hall (Sept 24, Olio Festival) – Think of Besnard Lakes as Canada’s answer to Low. Or don’t; the band makes music as lushly melodic, yet heavy, as the Minnesota trio.
Besnard Lakes at the Mod Club, North by Northeast, June 17 2010. Robyn Hanson photo
The Tranzmitors w/ The Polymorphines at the Fairview Pub (Sept 24) – Vancouver mod/punk dance band The Tranzmitors will probably bring in a different crowd than what the blues-rock-based Broadway Street pub is used to. Ottawa garage-rock band The Polymorphines open. (Thanks to @iceco666 for the tip.)
Bon Iver at the Orpheum Theatre (Sept 25) – Everyone loves sad boy Bon Iver (aka Justin Vernon), whose album For Emma, Forever Ago (2008) broke all the indie girls’ hearts.
Pearl Jam at Pacific Coliseum (Sept 25) – The Seattle band celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, with a Cameron Crowe-directed documentary and a tour.
Pearl Jam at GM Place, Sept 25 2009. Jessica Bardosh photo
Honorable and/or notable mentions: Chromatics and Glass Candy at Republic (Sept 22, Olio Festival); Suuns w/ Valleys at the Media Club (Sept 23, Olio Festival); Active Child at Electric Owl (Sept 24, Olio Festival): Idiot Glee at the Waldorf Hotel (Sept 24); Peter Frampton at River Rock Show Theatre (Sept 24): Revolver w/ Chateau Marmont at the Media Club (Sept 24, Olio Festival); We Came As Romans at the Rickshaw Theatre (Sept 24): James Blake at the Commodore Ballroom (Sept 25).
Holy Rock Shows Batman! It’ll be a busy week…