caravan, hoko's sushi bar, vancouver bc canada, feburary 2 2006 (mp3/aud)

download here (58.6MB)

Caravan is a gypsy punk group from Vancouver. Or so they'd lead you to believe. They're really a cosmic force to be reckoned with. Their power could fill several Eastern Bloc generators. Their warmth could heat a dozen Czech pubs. Or, in a pinch, one Vancouver sushi bar. There is a dangerous amount of energy in this band.

They've got an album dropping soon on French Immersion Records, so be sure to czech it out.

1. Accordion Funeral
2. Asma Karasma
3. Gde Ye Milenka
4. Warsava
5. Cukr Caj
6. Potato Peeling Contest
7. Haluški
8. Zsusika
9. Nights Of Love And Laughter
10. Pavel's Song
11. Outro

Note: recorded on a Tascam Portastudio 424mkII with two mics. I tried to reduce the tape hiss as much as possible.

they shoot horses don't they, ukranian hall, vancouver bc canada, december 1 2006 (mp3/sbd)

Last Friday, bizzare Vancouver jam band They Shoot Horses, Don't They? played the Ukranian Hall. They played mostly from their latest full-length, Boo Hoo Hoo Boo, which is out on Kill Rock Stars. The band even played some songs that were so new they didn't even have titles. I danced for a half-hour straight to this strange fun circus music horns thing that I can't seem to categorize. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy their show.

1. Intro
2. Last Song
3. That Them There
4. Transmitting
5. Older New Song
6. The Bugs
7. Silver Rain
8. Apple
9. Really New Song
10. Emptyhead
11. Sunlight

islands, ubc sub ballroom, vancouver bc canada, november 4 2006 (mp3/aud)

click here to download the show. also, click here to download the lossless (flac) version.

If there's one thing Montreal pop sextet Islands taught me last night, it's that they're all about fun. Lead singer/bodyguard/taxidermist Nick Diamonds led the band into a wonderful blend of bluegrass, hip hop, and even a bit of Def Leppard. They played their polished pop classics (Rough Gem, Don't Call Me Whitney, Bobby) as well as some new material that may be on the next album (Abominable Snow, Pieces of You). Nick says the album will be released in "less than a year", and from the tone of the new songs, it seems to have a much more serious feel to it. Is there great pop ballads in Islands's future? We can only hope so.

1. Intro
2. Swans
3. Volcanoes
4. We Swim
5. Kids
6. Jogging Gorgeous Summer
7. Waterloo Sunset *
8. Tsuxiit
9. Where There's A Will, There's A Whalebone
10. Pieces of You
11. Arm
12. Abominable Snow
13. Bucky Little Wing
14. Rough Gem
15. Humans
16. Lupe Fiasco Jam
17. Don't Call Me Whitney, Bobby

* The Kinks cover

I recorded the show with my iriver h320 and a Sony ECM-DS70P external microphone. Video clips of the performance are soon to come, so I'll update this with YouTube links when my friend who filmed it sends me them. Flac version also coming soon.

I'm trying some different hosting methods currently, so please let me know if the downloads on this bootleg work out fine.

edit: Flac version is up, and the videos are on their way.

the winks, mount pleasant community center, vancouver bc canada, september 16 2006 (mp3/sbd)

The Winks are a jangly, happy-go-lucky, subtle but loving experience. Their newest album, Birthday Party (out on November 14th on Ache Records), is a brilliant display of colourful emotion and fine-tuned pop. This recording is of their last show in Vancouver, with birthday hats, balloons, and streamers. I wish the Winks all kind of luck in Montreal, as they most definitely will make it big.

1. Intro
2. Cello Intro
3. Correct
4. Green Pen
5. Slumber Party Lets Go
6. Guitar Swing
7. Autumn Leaves
8. To Talk
9. Abalone
10. Crime Scene
11. Snakes!
12. Ship Wreck
13. O[]
14. Nolan Ryan
15. Hope So
16. These Boots Were Made For Walking

edit: rehosted.

final fantasy, ubc norm theatre, vancouver bc canada, september 19 2006 (mp3/sbd)

This was, honestly, one of the best shows I've ever been to. Polaris Music Prize winner Final Fantasy (known to his friends as Owen Pallett) played a sold-out show yesterday to approximately 450 fans of his take on classical, pop music, and video games. He played his classics (This Is The Dream Of Win And Regine, The CN Tower Belongs To The Dead) as well as some shining covers by bands like Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, Joanna Newsom, and even reached as far as pop diva Mariah Carey.

If you ever hear that Final Fantasy is coming to your town, I urge you to go to his show, you won't regret it. I also taped the set Bob Wiseman played before, I'll post that later.

Photo by Suzanna Wright.

Thanks to Dean Christie for manning the soundboard and giving me one awesome recording of this set.

1. Intro
2. Do You Love?
3. This Lamb Sells Condos
4. Many Lives -> 49mp
5. This Is The Dream Of Win And Regine
6. Peach Plum Pear
7. Hey Dad
8. The CN Tower Belongs To The Dead
9. ABC Auto Industry
10. The Arctic Circle
11. Song Song Song
12. That's When The Audience Died
13. Please Please Please
14. Better Than Worse
15. This Modern Love
16. Sweet Fantasy
17. The Miner Becomes Forgetful

click here to download the lossless (flac) version.

Also! Suzanna Wright has video clips of the performance. They're up on YouTube:

Peach Plum Pear
Better Than Worse
Better Than Worse (Ending)

edit: People had trouble downloading the zip file, so I fixed it (I hope).
edit 2: changed hosting, added a rar file too.
edit 3: totally fixed downloads! gah!

ninja high school, video-in studios, vancouver bc canada, august 9 2006 (mp3/sbd)

noise and sound link

I went to this show a couple of days ago and taped it via the soundboard, so the sound is really good. Special thanks to Chuck Ibey for working sound and letting me do this! Also meeting the people from Stillepost was really cool too. Possible pictures of the show later! Here's a setlist:

1. Intro
2. Jam Band Death Cult
3. It's All Right To Fight
4. We're Not The Only Ones Who Think This Way
5. Shake It Off
6. Popular
7. It's Gonna Be Us
8. By Purpose Not By Plan
9. Catholic Fashion
10. I Love World

broken social scene, ottawa folk festival, ottawa ontario, august 25 2004 (video/pro)

purelivegigs link

Here's a DVD found on Purelivegigs featuring Canadian indie band Broken Social Scene playing at the 2004 Ottawa Folk Festival. The DVD was created by DJElvis.

And also, YouTube user spirals put all of the individual songs from the performance on YouTube for easy downloadin', so hop to it!

1. Stars And Sons
2. KC Accidental
3. Tongue
4. Cause = Time
5. 7/4 (Shoreline)
6. Anthems For A Seventeen-Year-Old Girl
7. Almost Crimes
8. Superconnected
9. Lover's Spit

I'm seeing Broken Social Scene tomorrow at Deer Lake Park in Burnaby, and I'm also taping the show. I'll try to post it here in the near future.

garbage! violence! enthusiasm!, video clip (video/pro)

youtube link

Here's a clip of self-proclaimed "jock band" Garbage! Violence! Enthusiasm! playing their smash-hit Milton My Lover from the Bad Bands Revolution CD. I personally think that this band has one of the best names I've ever seen, and also when I'm listening to this song, I try to think what the male singer (Thomas Brandt) looks like. I keep coming up with Frank Black. Is that a good thing?

The Winks show that I filmed on June 30/06 is on its way, it just needs editing.