CD Review of Columbia - Join Our Ride

Columbia – Join Our Ride
CD Review by Jade Sperry

Columbia is a band who is heavily influcened by the British sound of the mid to late 1990's. But one important difference is that they make this sound their own. Hailing from Vancouver BC, the band members are Kevin Schallie taking on vocals, Richard Jacquard on lead guitars, Jason Tait on rhythm guitars and Jacques Rossouw on bass. Kevin and Richard were the prinicipal members who wrote and produced the music on this CD with help from fellow musician Dom Coletta on drums. Jason and Jacques have been in the band for just over a year.

Join Our Ride was released in May 2009, but they are now picking up steam as far as having a following. Currently, they hold the #1 and #2 spots on Supernova.com's Top 10 songs with “Everything (What You Always Wanted)” at #1 and “10 Out of 10” at #2. Not bad for a local band that is currently on the verge of a tour in Canada and the USA, has just signed a distribution deal with Thorny Bleeder Records to release the CD world wide at the beginning of 2010.

The CD starts out with “Join Our Ride” which has heavy, full guitars and killer vocals. This is a song that has a really good melody and very catchy hooks throughout the song. Musically it's very positive, happy, come and join us kind of song. Lyrically its about sunshine and getting the inside track on something. A 4 beat song with simple chords, it's effective in the overall sound and doesn't focus on one particular instrament. “Mistake” is a slower, bluesy song that talks about making mistakes, why we do these things, and offers comfort to someone who's made a mistake in life. This song has really good changes, a bridge and middle eight with searing guitars by Richard. Powerful vocals and guitars make this song a gem amoung the diamonds. “Motor Ride” begins strong and is very catchy musically. Kevin's vocals fit the music perfectly and the guitar work is particularly effective for the whole sound of the song. The rhythm guitars and drums are balanced to fit in with the lead guitar work. Lyrically its just about going for a ride while talking about life. We all do this at points in our daily lives. “Sunday Morning” is a slower song talking about the past and where it has lead you into your present life. I find that it's a coming of age song of sorts with lead and acoustic guitar work by both Kevin and Richard that is sad but positive at the same time. Things will be better around the corner as time passes by. “No One Said” is a power ballad at its best. Solid vocals, guitar work and the overall feel of the song is sad but positive in it's outcome. Musically solid and lyrically interesting, this is a song that really stands out from the others on this CD for this writer. I find that the message of this song is positive in that people need each other no matter what. We need human contact. “My Conscience” is clearly inspired by British popstars Oasis and has loops reminescent of The Beatles. Powerful guitars and lyrics combine to make this very psychedelic but also sad in its delivery. One second in time can change so many things in your life; your direction or career choice and your relationships. Solid and well played. “10 Out of 10” is a fun, positive and upbeat song about the opposite sex. Whether you take someone home or just have a great conversation alone with one other person, it's about one on one contact. The guitars and vocals dominate this song. Halfway through the song, it slows right down and gets a bit dirty before plunging back into the guitar work by Richard with Kevin coming back in with vocals that hint at something more fun (wink wink nudge nudge). “Ya Ya Ya” is a song that starts the back end of the CD by building towards a good end musically. Slow but direct in it's meaning, this song tells you that “it's alright”. Musically I am reminded of Oasis but also Blur and maybe some Radiohead in its sound and in how mature the melody is. “Take Me” is easily the standout track for this writer on the CD. Starting slow with acoustic guitars, it talks about a person coming into your life and how you thank a higher power that you've met them, and also talks of timing and luck. Time changes you slowly, and life is an element of luck. Well constructed with hooks and middle eights, I particularly like the message in this song but also how well the melody flows in and out with the guitars and vocals. “Everything (What You Always Wanted)” is another strong ballad with outstanding vocal and guitar work. Basically a song about a beautiful woman, this song can be understood by anyone from anywhere. It could be just as easily be about a man if you're a woman. An interchangeable song lyrically, it has melodies that are very easy on the ears, like a good beer going down on a really hot summer day. “Bring It Down” ends this CD in a powerful and strong way. Musically well constructed and lyrically about a relationship in turmoil, its surprisingly upbeat for its content. The guitar work by Richard is exciting and makes me want to get up and dance around my condominium, which generally never happens unless I am inspired to do so.

At the end of the day, all current band members of Columbia are heading in a direction that only the lucky and the brave venture to. This CD is very promising, and I can only say one thing: Watch out world, the new British sound movement is in Canada!

Columbia plays on Thursday September 17 at The Venue (formally The Plaza Club on Granville). This show is also a CD release party for Red City Breakout as well as featuring Fighting for Ithica and Bridges Out.

You can find the band on their various sites which include:

http://www.myspace.com/columbiaband
http://www.supernova.com/columbiaband
http://www.columbiaband.com
http://www.reverbnation.com/columbiamusic
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Columbia/8668179095?ref=mf
http://twitter.com/columbiatheband

Kick the Ashes EP review

Kick the Ashes

3 song EP review by Jade Sperry

Kick the Ashes are a vibrant addition to the Vancouver club scene. They are a young band that show a lot of promise as far as melodies and lyrics go. They are currently gearing up for a busy September with shows at the Princeton Pub on September 3 and The Wise Hall on September 25. The band consists of 5 members that are well tuned into one another. Gabriel's vocals are powerfully deep and provocative, Ryley's lead guitars show that he has some power and can play very well, Mario hits the skins hard and locks into the rhythm of the song by way of Kurtis who plays the bass and has a knowledge of root chords that will only develop over time and finally Kevin plays a mean rhythm guitar that brings out the drums and the bass perfectly.

The first song is titled “Say Goodnight Girl” which starts out slow and easy with a mournful wind sound followed by a gentle acoustic guitar. Gabriel's vocals come in softly and almost sound sad but hopeful at the same time. This lends the song with a dreamy feel to it. Lyrically solid, it talks of being maybe a little stressed out or tired and just go to sleep. At the 4 minute mark, violins and stringed instruments come into the song softly at first and then rise with Gabriel's vocals to end powerfully even if it's softly. “Shadowland” comes in next, and this song is very reminiscent of mid-80's metal at its best. I am reminded of early Metallica with this song but only musically. Powerful guitars, solid drums and a full rhythm section lend a hand so-to-speak to Gabriel's Jim Morrison-like vocals. It's definitely a good mix. Lyrically this song speaks of shadows, silent screams and of meeting your doom. My favorite line in this song: “Don't be fooled there's nothing in bloom but death growing in the womb”. Classic. The EP ends with “Scarlet Night”. This song begins slow and melodic with the rhythm section and goes to a 5 beat bar which then changes into a slower 3 beat bar. Gabriels' powerful but delicate vocals really suit the melody of the song perfectly, as well as his spoken words to the music in the middle eights. I particularly like the drum work by Mario in this song as well as the bass lines from Kurtis. Lyrically this is very solid, speaking of the last night on earth under the sky. The apocalypse has arrived with Kick the Ashes. This is a band to watch for in the future.

Kick the Ashes plays @ The Princeton Pub on Thursday September 3 for a back to school bash. Doors @ 8pm.

You can find the band in various places, including:

You Tube - Kick the Ashes

MySpace - Kick the Ashes

Reverbnation - Kick the Ashes

Supernova - Kick the Ashes

Facebook Fan Page - Kick the Ashes

The Manvils - Video party shoot!

One of my favorite bands, The Manvils, are shooting a video in Vancouver! You can read the post on their website here. Check out the rest of their website after reading the blog.

The video wrap party will be going off at Funky Winkerbeans, 35 W. Hastings which is near Army and Navy, Saturday, August 29th. Doors at 9pm. $1.50 BEERS all night long!

So come out and support indie Canadian music with one fine band! You can find the band on their MySpace page as well.

CD Review on The Sound Technicians

CD Review of The Sound Technicians

by Jade Sperry

Sounds like: power pop with a bit of grunge/glam in the mix

Power pop songs with catchy riffs are what this Ottawa ON band have in this 7-song self titled EP. Kicking it all off is "Reset", which is a fun song with catchy guitar riffs and easy sounding lyrics, followed by "Looking At You" that made me laugh the first time I heard it. It's a solid song musically with melodic guitar riffs, strange noises that compliment the guitar riffs, solid drumming and interesting lyrics that really mimic being at a concert. "Po Boy" is a song that slows it down somewhat and is interesting in the sense that it's more of an observation song. I can see the front man and bassist, Pete Ling, watching someone like the poor boy in the song. It's also an interesting song musically with frequent stops and starts but it works. "Aldo Nova" is a much slower tempo song about the 1980's singer/songwriter Aldo Nova, who Pete admires quite a bit, and it's a tribute to him. Quirky lyrics and noises make this song a memorable one. "Not Coming Home" is a song that is power pop at its best. This is a song that is for dancing and grooving to, with drums that are solid and bass lines that jump with the guitar. "The Sun" is an interesting song that feels very mellow although it's up tempo with a bit of hip-hop lines thrown into the mix. It's an original song that gets crazy towards the end and is a lot of fun. "Make A Million" is the final song in this line up and I feel that this song is one of the better ones. It's a song that makes you want to get up and dance. It also gives you some kind of inspiration that maybe one day you could also make your mark on the world, not so much in a financial sense, but in an original one of a kind way. All in all, this is a fun, energetic and crazy EP that shows this band is going on to bigger things. There's no need to run out to your local CD store to buy it... as the album is exclusively available electronically on iTunes, Amazon, Napster, Rhapsody and eMusic. You can find the band's website here and their My Space page here.

Friday June 12 - Pub 340 show with Valerie Graham, Urban Guerrilla, Thee Manipulators and The Beladeans

Friday night we headed out to Pub 340 for a show which featured 4 bands - Valerie Graham and her Drinking Problems, Urban Guerrilla, Thee Manipulators and The Beladeans. Good show by all the bands! Even though I was completely out of control with my beer drinking that night, I had a blast. But as usual, there is always some kind of high drama taking place around me and that night was no different. I decided to ignore it for as long as possible.

Valerie Graham has a good voice. And her songs were pretty decent. One of my friends liked her voice quite a bit. She had on a really shiny dress, and I saw one of Thee Manipulators playing drums for her.....nice.

Urban Guerrilla had so much energy in their music, it was hard not to get up and dance. I remember dancing at some point and I'm not sure which band I was dancing to. Regardless, I really liked the hard guitars that this band created. Rock on!

Thee Manipulators played a good show and it was Mike Roche's birthday that night, and he brought up his good friend, or his girlfriend (it was hard to hear what Mike said) and she was singing with them, which was odd because her voice didn't really fit the music, or so I thought. But hey whatever. Birthday madness! While Thee Manipulators were onstage is when some of that high drama took place. So I missed part of their performance. Sad but true.

The Beladeans I remember dancing to. I was into this band and enjoyed myself immensely. I really like the energy of this band's music, the songs are hard rocking and the vocals kicked.

So it was a fun filled birthday drinking night.

And in 2 weeks time on Friday July 3 at The Purple Crab (3916 Main Street), Thee Manipulators will be playing an all ages show with The Trap Doors and from Edmonton AB, Michael Rault. School is over and it only costs $5 to get in! So come and check out some good music! You can check out Thee Manipulators MYSPACE page for more details on that show. If you're over 19, and have legal ID, you can drink. I'll be going to this show because I'll be taking some new pictures to go along with the interview I'm working on for Thee Manipulators. I know you're all going to really like this band in the future!

CD Review of Pamela Brennan's One Hundred Photographs

Pamela Brennan CD Review - 100 Photographs

By Jade Sperry

This is the kind of CD you put on when you want to be chill and relax. The CD starts out with "Departure", which has a bluesy/folksy feel to it. Pamela's voice is lush and the music behind the vocals really suits her style perfectly. The song is a good choice to be the first song on this CD. I find that this song in particular has a whimsical feel as well. The instrumental choices of banjo and mandolin suit the song very well. "Amsterdam", "Epiphany" and "Sleep" are pretty much the same as the first song, but "One Hundred Photographs" is just Pamela's voice,a guitar and some hand drums. Simple and sweetly sung. "Sometimes" is a song that has a real jazzy feel - the piano at the beginning gives it that feel and the lyrics are slightly mournful. "Another Lonely Day" is a perfect hot summer day song. It has a dreamlike quality to it. Although a sadder song, it still delivers a slow sucker punch to the listener. The song "Dream" is melodic, strong and is a very busy with all the instruments and the vocals are solid and fresh. The final song, "Victoria", is a celebration song of sorts to honor a city that she obviously likes. I like the end of the song where some people can be heard cheering, which is a fitting end to an enjoyable 40 minutes of this CD. You can visit her website here or you can go to her MySpace site.

Patrick Krief Interview

Patrick Krief

Black Diamond Bay @ Richards May 30, Vancouver

Black Diamond Bay is Patrick’s current band, and they were recently here on tour with The Dears as well as Jets Overhead. Patrick is having fun touring with his ex-bandmate’s, The Dears, because Murray and Patrick are still very good friends, and they hang out when they are at home in Montreal.

We enjoyed a cold beer 2 blocks from the venue on one of the hottest days here in Vancouver so far this year. The staff at the bar we went to were not used to having patrons doing an interview, but we found it amusing. Patrick tells me that since leaving The Dears, he’s been constantly writing music, playing with friends and putting whatever bands he could together. The current line up in the band are his cousin Andre on bass, George (also an ex-member of the Dears) on the drums and Roberto on the keyboards, who‘s been working with Patrick for the last 5 years in different projects. Patrick says that he really wanted to work on this project with all of them.

I ask him about his home city of Montreal, and other than hating the weather, he loves the city. He isn’t as familiar with other cities in Canada so it’s not a safe assessment for him to compare Vancouver or Calgary with Montreal. He isn’t a club person or into the scene there, but instead emphasizes that the standard of living is affordable for struggling artists, and not having your money sucked into paying rent is a plus.

Patrick finds his musical inspiration is based in reality. What he feels, encounters and experiences is his reality and this is what he writes about. The reality of his life triggers his music, and having a “real” feeling that he can turn into sound is very gratifying. He also tells me that he can turn that around and he will remember how he felt in the presence of “sound”.

When I asked Patrick how he sees the current state of the Music Industry, his initial reaction was that the industry is in panic mode. He feels that they don’t put enough energy or focus into any new band as far as the “big labels” go. They don’t want to take a chance and instead they go with what they know. He’s also hearing that people are losing jobs, record labels shutting down and generally hears bad things all the time. Patrick also states that there are many bands who are just in it to be in a band. They have no talent and just want to be rock stars who have a bullshit attitude. These bands and people will not last and they will fade away for bands with substance and talent. He and his band are not in it for the money or glamour and they never will be. They play with a passion for music and for the love of sound.

When it comes to garnering media attention, Patrick states that once you get your foot in the door and you have an interview with someone, suddenly people start to notice you. But he admits that it is difficult to get that foot in the door initially. When they released Calm Awaits, it was hard to get any mainstream press. And he and his band are happy that they have been getting a decent amount of press lately.

When Patrick was asked about the goals of the band and the music, artistically they would like to constantly change it up and evolve, and generally just keep getting better, while career ambitions are to have a sustainable career and make a living with playing music. In a 2 year period, they would like to have another record out and be more on an international level in the US and Europe. Patrick can see this and envision it clearly.

The bands and their music that made Patrick want to be a musician were Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, and The Beatles. He was not inspired by their wild lifestyles which he found out later in his life about. In some of the songs that Patrick writes, particularly the ballads like “First Time I See You Again”, there is a Roy Orbison - John Lennon influence that you can hear, and Patrick is admirers of these musicians as well. He tells me that the working title of that song was “Fifties (1950’s)” because of the melody and the way it sounds, and on the set lists for shows, the song is listed this way. On a musical level, he can relate best to Jimi Hendrix. He feels that his ideals may be similar but he isn’t sure about that - he relates to Jimi’s music. Patrick is musical and he is driven to make music but he wasn’t always like that. The last 10 years have been a creative high for him, and music consumes him by his own admission 24/7. He has on numerous occasions been working on a song and been stuck on something, went to sleep and upon waking, he just knows how to make it sound and it turns out to be right. Ironically when he was in school, he would do the same thing with math equations.

The best venue that he’s played in is a tough one for him to answer. A venue in Mexico stands out. The vibe was there. In Canada, Lee’s Palace and The Horseshoe stands out but really he says they are all similar. He’s happy to play anywhere, but admits that there were some places they’ve played that should never host concerts.

Patrick is a very focused individual and in the long run, this will serve him well. I believe him when he says that in 2 years time, he will have world domination with this band.

You can visit the band's MYSPACE page and their WEBSITE.

Hey Ocean Interview with Dave Vertesi

Back in mid-April, I was lucky enough to speak with Hey Ocean's Dave Vertesi, which was set up over the phone. It was never used for the site that assigned it to me, so I am publishing it here. Enjoy!

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Hey Ocean is a band that blends jazz, fushion jazz, pop, rock and some folksy melodies into their own style of music. Hailing from Vancouver, I caught up with Dave Vertesi on a break from a tour that saw them in Los Angeles for the Mus Expo festival event.

Jade: So Dave – many of my friends love the music your band makes and they are wondering when the next CD might come out....

Dave: Wow! Hopefully as soon as we can get everything together to get into the studio (laughs). You know its funny when you release an album - it kind of becomes an unstoppable train of marketing, touring and trying to support the release of It's Easier To Be Somebody Else which came out in September 2008. We're trying to take that as far as we can but at the same time, we all have a real need to be moving forward artistically and we're all very actively writing for our next album/CD. We have a lot of material for it and we're just getting ready to hopefully be in the studio again in the fall (of 2009) and then as soon as its done we can release it.

Jade: Ashleigh Ball plays a lot of instruments – do you know how many she actually plays?

Dave: You know we get this comment quite a bit but the funny thing is she doesn't actually “play” them. She actually refers to it as “dabbling”. Ashleigh is just an incredible, musically creative person. If you give her something musical to play with, she can make it make music which she'll use where she can. She's actually quite good and rocks on the Flute! Ashleigh just wants to contribute as much as she can. She's always bringing new little things to us all to use and she'll ask “Can I use this onstage?” or “Can we use this in a song?” And that's great! She has a little harmonica on her necklace and she wants to use one of those little thumb pianos for our new CD. Ashleigh is the type of person who doesn't limit herself by saying “Oh I only play the flute and guitar”. She just knows that whatever the instrument is, it makes sound, and so she will just play it without inhibitions.

Jade: That is truly the sign of a very talented person.

Dave: Yes, she is and its fun to work with someone who just puts themselves out there in that way and it takes someone who is so unpretentious to do that.

Jade: Very true. Hey I know that you all just came back from the US and played a show at the Whiskey in LA for the MUS Expo.

Dave: Yes it was a big industry thing. It was a very cool show to play and there were tons of people there, both fans and industry people alike. It's a really historical venue that has seen the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, The Doors, Motley Crue and Guns and Roses – like they all started off playing there! It was a great room to play and we had a lot of fun.

Jade: Hard to explain that feeling isn't it?

Dave: It's funny when we tour across the country we end up playing a lot of great venues. Even the venues that technically aren't the best, but, we end up playing amazing shows.

Jade: What venue did you play on this tour that you personally enjoyed for whatever reason?

Dave: On this tour?

Jade: Yes

Dave: Um let's see (pause and mumbles to himself) I think my favorite show on this tour was probably at the Seahorse in Halifax. We played there in September (2008) and the city and the people are just so amazing which is what made this venue so great! We had a ton of fun at that show. They've since done renovations there and the stage is bigger now.We played in different sized clubs on this tour and that's kind of the reality when you're breaking into new markets. In Canada, we tend to play the larger bars and clubs, but in this case, the Seahorse show was 200-300 hundred, it was a smaller bar – and to play a sold out show there was great because it was so energetic, and there was just so much fun out there in the crowd!The Horseshoe in Toronto is also another great place to play – the sound is really good, the vibe in the room is awesome, lots of energy in general and the people who go there are cool.Sometimes when you play to larger room, you lose the feel.

Jade: That's right yeah I totally hear that ...

Dave: (gets very excited on live shows) Yeah well you were at the Media Club show (during Junofest) I mean that was so great to play to a packed Media Club show, and it was just so SICK – a couple months before that we played to 700-800 people at Richards on Richards, and to go from that to a smaller show at the Media club that gets so much more gritty - I think its a great experience! I love watching concerts like that and I enjoy playing in them. I think its good for both the audience and for us.

Jade: Yes I agree especially with the Horseshoe. I used to live in Toronto and that is the coolest venue on the planet for me.

Dave: Yeah I think so too its one of my top venues that we've had the opportunity to play in.

Jade: Having started your own label, Pop Machine with other Vancouver band, Said the Whale, what's your view on the club scene in general here in Vancouver in regards to live shows and clubs to play, lack of media coverage, publicity, live venues to play in.....?

Dave: Here in Vancouver or over Canada?

Jade: No, strictly in Vancouver.

Dave: Well, it's kind of a reality of the growing middle class in the music industry and there is only so much coverage. I know that when we started, we were looking for coverage we weren't really ready to have. I think that's the truth when you play smaller clubs. I personally think that there have been a lot of amazing venues that have opened in the last little while that have better sound systems than there were a couple years ago. And there are more bands to play in them! As far as the exposure of the club and bar band scene, its really a proving ground so to speak. For us it was a proving ground and we did really well initially when we started out. In terms of exposure, I'm glad in hindsight we didn't get that at that point because we were playing packed shows and doing really well - I don't know if as a band that we were really ready to take that on. I think in Vancouver its definitely its a proving ground and its hard to stand out. You have to work hard. Its not like Toronto where people go out for live music more often. In Vancouver, you need to work harder to get people out to your shows. Hard work is the test that gets your band ready for the road ahead. The hard work never ends.

Jade: I agree with that and its pretty much true for whatever you choose to do in life, you do have to do the work to get where you want to go.

Dave: Yeah and a lot of bands look to skip that at points. I just don't think thats possible anymore. You have to be pretty lucky to get around doing the work you need to do and I feel that if you're gonna get around it, you'll have sacrifice certain things that you might not want to sacrifice. For us, setting up the label Pop Machine was a good example of that. If we had chosen to sign with a label and letting them do all the work, we'd have to sacrifice cash, all the rights to our music and other things. We as a band decided to do it on our own and we now retain all those rights to our own music, and its made us a stronger band.

Jade: I think that was a very smart move and I like the name of the label – Pop Machine that's really catchy.

Dave: (laughing) Thanks it was Tyler from Said the Whale's name for it.

Jade: Right on Tyler!

Dave: Yeah.

Jade: Well Dave thank you so much for talking with me. Enjoy your day!

Dave: Thank you and enjoy yours as well.

A footnote to this story: As of today, May 18 2009, this interview is a feature on the people who assigned it to me, and you can read the edited version of that here on Soundproof Magazine - soundproofmagazine.com

May 8 - 9 shows in Vancouver this upcoming weekend...

Upcoming shows in the Vancouver area @ the Biltmore:

Friday May 8 - Immaculate Machine with guests Strange Magic and Lakefield
Saturday May 9 - Early show - Cloud Cult with guest Say Hi To Your Mom
- Late show (11pm start) - Glory Days with guest Fake Shark Real Zombie

These will be great shows so if you're in the area, The Biltmore is at 395 Kingsway near Main Street.

Biltmore Cabaret website is here. Go check it out or get a Geo Straight and check out page 63. Rock on with NXEW.

Timecopz, Los Malos and Thee Manipulators @ The Cobalt, Vancouver BC

Top photo - Thee Manipulators
Middle photo - Los Malos
Bottom Photo - Timecopz
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YAY! Beer and sweat are sure sweet when you're at an eclectic punk show! The show was high energy, frenetic and fun.

First band up was Timecopz - really rocking trio who started the sets off. These 3 played short, head banging tunes that could rival any established act. The drummer had on his sunglasses which was a classic move for bright stage lights. I really liked their energy, the songs, and their attitude.

The next band onstage was Los Malos. I was taken with the music this band played - a Spanish punk band with special guest Steve on the trumpet! The bass player played really well. A gentleman I met who I'll explain later in the blog said that most bass players who are female are usually very good and I agreed.

Thee Manipulators played next and I can only say I really like this band's music and stage show. The gentleman I met was the father of the drummer, Ben, from Thee Manipulators, who owns Neptune Records on Main Street in Vancouver. I also met Mongrel Zine creators Janella and Bob. Very nice people who are highly creative in their own rights, I purchased their zine #5, which included a CD compliation, a flyer and the coolest fridge magnet I've EVER seen. Bob is an artist who had on display his cork magnets, which are fun and funky. They were made of recycled cork and very cool.

The band have just finished recording a new batch of songs which should be out in July. Just in time for my birthday. Sweet. They are a a band that rock you to the core. Mike Roche is a powerhouse persona on stage and can play an axe like it was in his hand when he was born. Alex makes the best faces on stage but at the same time is a very talented guitarist. Ben can drum like a man possessed by a punk demon - very hard hitting drummer. Henry's organ mastery goes well with the punk aspect of the band and he brings in a bit of hillbilly into the mix with some of his playing. Park played his bass along a groove that meshed with the others, particularly with the drummer, Ben. In fact, this band is very tight in playing together. And they kill live and in your face. Oh, one small footnote, at one point in their show, Alex handed out what looked like plastic rattles. I know it will make a nice souvenier for those who took them.

Good times and a great show from ALL the bands!

Also, Mongrel Zine #5 - check it out online (link below) and support local artists in Vancouver who love music and mix it with art. Rock on!

You can check out these bands, and Mongrel Zine!, on their MySpace pages at the following links:

http://www.myspace.com/losmalosrock
http://www.myspace.com/theemanipulators
http://www.myspace.com/timecopz
http://www.myspace.com/mongrelzine

Peace and out.
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