Spectacular Singing Debut

 

Tyrell Witherspoon took to the newly built stage at the JLounge and danced up a storm with two amazing backup dancers. He sang two songs, one was a nice melodic song which showed off his softer side and the second was an upbeat dance hit where he displayed his fantastic dancing skills.  Check out the video below! I only snapped a few pictures so i will include them as well!

 

First time for a Last Time

I had the pleasure of working with another brand new artist. 19 year old Sallie Mae rocked the microphone in the Vault Studios, Vancouver BC. She wrote the lyrics and found a perfect backing track. Such a talented voice which flows over the song. The bridge is my favourite part! So epic and grand! We're planning on shooting a music video soon so stay tuned!


Last Time by HammerRecords

A familiar Sound

This headlining band has been featured a lot in this website it just shows they are really active within the scene and always bring a great crowd. With some fantastic bands on the bill as well this night was a pleasure to attend!

Sadly i missed the first band The Pernell Reichert Band but did catch Familia. Ive been a big fan of this when i first heard their songs on myspace. I was not dissapointed. Solid set.

Up next was Weathered Home. I didnt catch a lot of their set due to catching up with an old professor of mine but what i did hear was some very melodic and grooving tunes. Love their sound and will definitly be checking them out when i can pay full attention.

To finish off the night at 1:00am was Free City Collective. Proving that no matter how late, if your a great band your fans will take the nightbus home just to listen to you. Everyone gathered up front to hear this band roar. As usual they blew the lid off the place as their sounds took over the air. Check out their new music video. And this video from the night!

To See pictures click:
HERE

A Strange Encounter

I managed to catch up with Kieran Strange before her show at the Tom Lee Music Hall. Listen up!

Music For The Masses

When did you start getting into the local music scene? Do you remember your first local show? All ages show are great ways to get young fans of music together. And no venue better than the Tom Lee Music Hall. Great stage, great sound and great lighting means a great show.

First to hit the stage was The Shrugs their drummer was trapped in White Rock and unable to make the show so they played an acoustic set. Fantastic voice, very full and powerful. Great bassist and guitarist, but the acoustic was buried in the mix and barley audible. Sound cool originals but a great cover of Grenade by Bruno Mars which i caught on film.

GreenTree puts on a show. Almost like musical theatre. Their set has been worked into a form of musical entertainment that is fit for the masses. Starting off with the lone drummer just chilling, his band members slowly come on stage to join him and then they rock out. The fact that most of the members sang just blew me away. Harmonies and counter melodies have been carefully worked out for each member. During one song their drummer came forth and sang a duet with the lead female singer. Fantastic, just fantastic. Give them a few years and they will be a force to be reckoned with.

Bullets In Overdrive hit the stage next like the ice burg hit Titanic. They sounded great, they looked great, they played great. One of the tightest sounding and looking bands I've seen in a long time and extra credit for being young. The lead guitarist shredded licks over her head, upside down, all white headbanging, a true idol for aspiring female guitarists. Same to be said with the bassist. Who ever said female musicians play softly should just look at BIO. Solid vocals from their lead singer. Tight drumming. The whole band worked as a unit and commanded the stage from start to finish. I would book them in a bar venue in a flash once all members are legal.

Kieren Strange and I managed to have a few words before she took the stage about her upcoming album and twitter frenzy and what not. Such a strong personality that is only amplified the minute she took on step into the spot light. She could be just as happy playing for a small room as she would be playing for a sold out stadium and her set would have not diminished at all. A born performer.

Sadly i had to depart before the show ended to hit another show (review coming up!) But i heard that Bell Tower Dreams put on a great show as usual!

To see picutres:
 CLICK HERE

A Gathering From Across The Country

Lynzaii Mae did a great job at gathering some great bands from across the country and bringing them to Vancouver. Even though Kill Matilda was originally from Vancouver they now reside in Ontario. Every band brought something different to the table.

Prom Night In Black And White was the first act i caught. A pop punk band with suprisenly heavy drums. Talented musicians rocking hard is always a welcome sight. Some cool tapping licks from their guitarist and a couple jump kicks thrown in from their singer/guitarist displayed their stage presence. They're song structures were pretty standard. A couple of die hard fans sang lyric for lyric with the set list. Great way to start off the night.

W!nslow brought the PUNK in pop punk. This trio from Montreal brought the engergy with their set. Headbanging, yelling, and stomping around the stage like a couple demons from hell. Their bassist was always face to face with the audience. At one point during the set he waded into the sea of people and headbanged. Raised the level another notch...

Kill Matilda finished off the night with a bang. The local favorites knew how to draw the crowd in and began their set off by teaching a few valguar french lessons. Quickly launching into old favorites they soon had the crowd grooving and headbanging. With lots of diologue thrown in to chat with their old fans and friends and were very personable. At the end they had the audience demanding an encore which i caught on video. Catch their next show in Vancouver at Glorywhores CD release party at Pat's Pub on June 25th!

To See The Photos:

http://s1107.photobucket.com/albums/h384/HammerPhotoVan/Kill%20Matilda%20Railway%20Club/

Bang Bang.... They're Dead....

Once again i was able to witness another of Vancouver's great bands bite the dust. This time pop punk legends Bang Bang Your Dead. They grabbed a couple bands and threw a show so they could rock one last time and go off with a bang... no pun intended.

Timmy Parent was the first to break the sweet silence of the night with his improvisational bass skills. From the well known band Ninja Spy he is as talented a bass player as I've seen. He used it as both, drum, bass, guitar, and synth with a loop pedal building amazing soundscapes and grooves.

A Nanimo band called Perfect Trend followed. They had played BBYD's first show.. and they played they're last. This bands sound was great. The synths really added to the mix and set them apart from most bands I've seen. Even playing to a not so friendly crowd they still rocked hard and had a blast. By the end of their set the crowd was warmed up and eagerly awaiting the coming onslaught.

But everyone had to wait just a bit as a moment of silence was given to the band before they played.

and they were not disappointed.. when Bang Bang You're Dead started playing.. they played their heart out until it was bled dry. With plenty of guests to sing, to quote them "they've gone through more bass players than members of the band.." At the end of their set they had everyone who had ever been in the band or very close to the band come up and sing along with their last song. I caught it on film and will be posted down below. Im sad to have caught this band so late in their career. They were a sight to see.

TO SEE PICTURES:
 http://s1107.photobucket.com/albums/h384/HammerPhotoVan/Railway%20Club%20April%2017th/ 

A Night Of Faces and Places

SASQUATCH is a festival of music in George, Washington (USA) that features artists such as Trailer Park Boys, City And Color, K-OS, to Death Cab for Cutie and Foo Fighters. Along with a number of local bands.  Social City Networking along with 30:Live have teamed up and brought Road To Sasquatch with a few of the acts to play a show at the Cobalt. You could win a pair of tickets for 4 day festival passes if you were lucky to have your name pulled out of a bucket. It was definitly a great night.

 

The night opened up with Autacoid a lone man working synths, loop and drum machines. Laying down some nice melodic electronic music. Setting the mood for the rest of the night. But aside from a few females shaking what their mother gave them, the dance floor was pretty empty.

 Panther & The Supafly took the stage next unleashing their hiphop funk tear through the speakers. Having just seen them rock Robson Square downtown i was excited to see their stage presence was just the same if not better having an actual stage to play on. The crowd moved up and danced so their funktastic grooves and rhythmic lyrics. A very solid performance yet again.

Keeping up the funk/electronic feeling of the night Piper Davis jumped up to the stage and had the crowd jamming out to their tracks in no time. The leader singer had a great voice and was very personable with the crowd. With a hidden DJ behind them the band was tight and locked into their grooves.

Mad Rad lived up to their name as they finished off the night with just a killer set! Born performers they dominated that stage. There is no doubt in my mind why they are playing Sasquatch. They're performance rivals that of stage veterans like K-OS. I wish I could see them command the crowd at the festival. Everyone left the show with a smile of satisfaction on their faces.

To see all the pictures:
http://s1107.photobucket.com/albums/h384/HammerPhotoVan/Cobalt%20April%2016th/

A Few Words Of Wisdom

Co-Op At the Cobalt

A Good Dose Of Karma

I managed to catch up with up and coming solo pop artist, Kristen Karma, to learn more about what lead her down her musical path as well as what lies in the future.

James: Tell me about how you came to love music?
Kristen: I came home one day from elementary school and my parents had surprised my siblings and i with a piano. It was an instant connection. It felt so natural to play from the heart. I have never regretted it since!

J: Have you ever taken lessons? Or just learnt from ear?
K: The first couple of months i was learning from a book. I eventually started to take lessons and testing with The Royal Conservatory of Music. It gave me my basics with scales and chords. As i advanced through the grades I found it easier to pick out my favorite tunes and learn on the piano by ear.

J: What was one of your favorite songs to play back when you were learning?
K: My Immortal By Evanescence. I would play it non-stop!

J: Same! Great song. Did you sing when you played or did that come later?
K: That came much later. I actually didn't write my first full complete song until the summer of 2009. I was shy and didn't really sing in front of anyone but myself.

J: Hard to imagine you being shy after seeing you on stage! What made you decide to start writing your own songs?
K: I was in a couple of bands before i went solo. Each band I was in I was more involved in the song writing process. I did take a class in highschool on music composition but still had no idea how to put my thoughts into music. So with the last band I was in, we began co-writing and I was also arranging songs. I felt it just clicked. I took a trip to the UK in 2009 with one of my best friends and she said "Why don't you just go solo? You have the talent to write hit songs!" Thus, it began.

J: So is that how your first album worked out? Who did you write with?
K: I wrote the song called Breakaway on piano and put it up as a demo on myspace. As i was writing Goodbye I started looking around at producers. I found Dave Thompson of Digital Underdog Productions. We met a few times then started working on those two plus Bustin'Out. It was originally suppose to just be a couple of songs, but with every song I just got so much better, so I decided to make the EP.

J: Did you and him come up with all the music?
K: I came up with demos done in Garage Band and Protools. It was mainly just synth, drums and piano with a rough cut of my vocals. He added the guitar and harmonies as well as a few other things to create fantastic mixes to the songs. I was there every step of the way to make sure they turned out exactly like what i heard in my Head. We really connect and work well as a team. I am truly blessed to have worked with such a great producer!

J: Tell me about any upcoming shows?
K: Yes! I am very excited for the upcoming shows! Last year i was sort of playing it by ear and how things were done. I ahd a lot of things put together, but was still missing key elements of my show. This year i have taken the bull by the horns. It is a high energy show with catchy tunes, that WILL have you dancing.

J: Now one of the biggest downfalls with pop music around Vancouver is its all done with a backing track or prerecorded music. Do you do this?
K: Ive got a show at the Celler Nightclub on May 20th and The Media Club on June 8th. Both shows are with wicked musicians from Vancouver. I can't wait to share the stage with them. It's always been something to me to have live musicians. You can feed right off their energy on stage. Plus it makes the show that much better to watch!

J: Any funny stories happen at one of your shows?
K: The first show I ever played was at the Media Club last year. I opened the show for this fashion show that was going on. So we decided to end the set with the song Bustin'Out. Well, as we were playing the last song all these girls came out with their bustiers on to model them. Wasn't really planned to play the last song with models "bustin out" of their bustiers. *laughs* It took a while to live that one down.

J: Any last words to our readers?
K: If you want it, and visualize it, what is stopping you from taking it? Don't take no for an answer. Follow what's in your heart. Exciting things are going down the upcoming shows. Hope you can make it out! It's all about having a blast and partying to some wicked music!

Check out her myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/kristenkarmaofficial

Listen to one of her tracks:

Pigeons Fly Together

Pigeon Park At The Point! Now there is alliteration if i ever saw it. I caught this fantastic blues rock band in Port Coquitlam with a packed audience. Every show of these guy's I've been to have been to a huge and fantastic audience. It goes to show that the suburbs are where its at! This band is tight as TNA pants on a hooker! They played a double set with only a 15 minute break to show their endurance to their roaring audience. With a guest MC laying down some lyrics all their songs were unique, bold and dynamic. Catchy melodies, memorable choruses, bluesy guitar solo's... this is a band to see one day. Always a good time and solid party animals they will never leave the show without thanking as many audience members as they can find.

As a bonus they gave out some free copies of their new album and i managed to get my hands on it. A solid recording of their fantastically  written songs. Be sure to grab it if you can.

Hear them roar at:

http://www.myspace.com/pigeonparkband

To See Photos:
http://s1107.photobucket.com/albums/h384/HammerPhotoVan/The%20Point%20April%208th/

A Montage of Video Clips:

Share The Spirit

Lipdub is a video involving people lip-syncing to a song, and then dubbing it (inserting it) into the video. Now take that and involve a whole university. That is what UBC did, involving everything from a unicorn to Marianas Trench. They had their official video release at Robson Square on April 8th with two fantastic bands play a free show.

Free City Collective created one of my favorite local albums. I was very excited to see them start off the night with a bang! They played a solid set as the sound engineers and lighting crew fine tuned their set up. Ben (the lead singer) eagerly ran up to the large crowd forming halfway through their set inviting them to dance the night away. A group of supportive friends lead the way dancing up a storm. Upon their last song they had a large crowd gathered intrigued at the event unfolding in front of them.

Panther and The Supafly, such an unusual name i didn't know what to expect. What ever image i had in my mind was blown away by this band and their amazing performance. A mixture of funk, hip-hop, ambient and rock, this band commanded the audience the minute they hit their first chord. The front man was such a strong character that when he called everyone up after the 2nd song the whole crowd moved in unison towards the stage. Groove after groove flowed over the audience as everyone danced, moved or even just nodded to the thick bass, tight drums and airy keyboards. Such rich melodies and harmonies my mind could not help but be drawn into the imaginary world they were painting with music. 

Once they had finished the stage was cleared for some quick speeches by leaders, directors and other officials to talk about the soon to be shown video. A quick "behind the scenes" video was shown about the making of the video which i found a bit confusing as we had yet to see the actual video. After a few more speeches the video was shown to cheers and applause from the audience. An amazing spectacle of coordination of a whole school, amazing film techniques and superb artistic vision. Watch Below to see the film.

And see the photos from the show at:
http://s1107.photobucket.com/albums/h384/HammerPhotoVan/Robson%20Square%20April%208th/

I Eat Tiger Prawns for Breakfast

If you read my previous post you will know the tale so far of my interesting night, going from acoustic, to live bands, or pop singer.... and now to improv bass and drum duo. A very interestingly musical night.

Tiger Prawn consists of two members of the band Mongoose. But very different musically. Both are very talented musicians. I almost assumed they were telepathic from the way they opened the set off with a series of crash clench hits perfectly on time. Some thick bass and drum grooves with plenty of effects left the ear amazed at how much a rhythm section can do. This was a show that could have happened in some beer soaked bar or on stage at Rogers Arena. They even brought their own stage lights and fog machine which was perfect for setting the mood. Definitely worth checking out!

Pictures:
http://s1107.photobucket.com/albums/h384/HammerPhotoVan/Tiger%20Prawn/

An Unexpectedly Good Night

After wandering around from the acoustic show i happened to stumble across a show who i knew none of the bands and when i asked the bouncer who is playing he briefly said "dunno, some random band". Well my curiosity got hte better of me and i paid the cover and soon learnt this was not just "some random band". This was a 604 show with 3 supposedly great acts.

I wandered in halfway through Connor Mcquire and The Lives of Others set. I was blown away by the sound of these guys. Total professional stage presence. Killer structure, great lyrics and amazing solos. They seemed very authentic about their music. As if every song was a story and each band member took a turn speaking. I will definitely try and find these guys again.

Next up was Jackie Valentine. I wasn't as impressed with the sound of the band. Just not my cup of tea music wise. But what a great band. Very solid performance and fantastic solos by their lead guitarist. More of a pop rock structuring but the singers voice had a very distinctive edge to it. A lot of cool grooves throughout the set with some interesting musical ideas thrown in as well. Though throughout the whole night the crowd didn't seem to be very into the bands. The usual cheers and claps but i expected they had all come for the headliner...

Carly Rae Jepsen took the stage with a band of hired guns. And i think this picture very accurately portrays her set. It just didn't feel real, and not in a good way. She seemed to be trying to sing a hit song but not quite getting it so attacking it at every different angle she can. All the songs sounded pretty much the same. She didn't really move that much, connect that much or really get excited at all. She brought up her friend as a harmony singer for one song which was cool but did nothing to energize the crowd. I had expected the crowd to move up to hear the headliner but everyone just sat and drank their beers. I didn't stay for too many songs so maybe her set got more interesting.. but i left shortly to go to the Railway Club for Tiger Prawn. On a side note... the band backing her was really good and personable. Definitely an unexpected night!


For all the photos check out:
http://s1107.photobucket.com/albums/h384/HammerPhotoVan/The%20Celler/

Close and Intimate

Music could be heard from within the newly renovated Cafe Barcelona, now called The Mexican, as the duo Timber Kin played their hearts out. A very folk rocky kind of sound emanated  from the small stage speakers as people sat around and enjoyed a few beers. Blain added percussion while Matteo provided rich chords and melodies. A perfect blend of sound for a tuesday night. They are in the studio right now with Tom Dobrzanski (Said The Whale/Shad/Hey Ocean) recording a 6 song EP. Be sure to stay tuned!

Timbre Kin's Website:
http://www.timbrekin.com

Photos:
http://s1107.photobucket.com/albums/h384/HammerPhotoVan/Timbre%20Kin/

A live video from the show:

A modern Twist on an old sound

Shredding licks is nothing new. But shredding licks and screaming Iron Maiden/Judas Priest style vocals is something you don't see much in the Vancouver music scene. I caught up with frontman Chris Osterman to chat about the band and their upcoming full length album.

James: So tell me about the history of the band
Chris: Technicaly we formed back in 2004. Jordan and I wanted to jam and see if anything came from it. But i wouldn't say we got serious until about 2008 when we started getting more shows and more of a direction that we wanted to go. We started as a four piece band but kicked 2.

J: Tell me about that? Why did they get kicked out? Not committed? Didn't share the same musical interest?
C: Actually you nailed it. We were young too, so it was a lot to do with people still finding themselves. We've actually gone through about 11 or 12 band members in total up to this point.

J: Crazy! Do you think this is a solid line up right now?
C: I feel the band is doing very well. But there is still a lot to come in the next few months so anything can happen.

J: On that note tell me about the upcoming album! Where is it being recorded? Whose the engineer?
C: Well as of now we are starting to get more details on the exact dates and times, but we plan to record the drums at The Facotry which used to be called Little Mountain Sound. Aerosmith, AC/DC, Motley Crue, Metallica, Rob Halford and Bon Jovi all recorded huge hits in those same rooms. We have confirmed that we will be working with Andy Boldt as our engineer. He owns a studio in his backyard where we will do all the vocals, bass and guitar tracks.

J: How many songs will be on the debut album?
C: Ultimately our budget will decide the final number but as of now we plan to record 9 songs with a possible tenth.

J: Can you describe the sound you want on the album?
C: I would say along the lines of Iron Maiden's The Number Of The Beast. or Judas Priest's Screaming For Vengeance, but we are our own band so the real plan is to get our sound with similar feelings to the classics.

J: Sounds like it will be a killer album. So you guys have played a lot of battle of the bands?
C: Indeed

J: And you've won your fair share of them?
C: yes, yes we have.

J: Tell me how that feels to win? What did you win?
C: Oh it feels great to know that other people enjoy and support your music! It's never an easy feat though. We've won money, prizes and merch packages, tuners, etc..

J: Favorite prize?
C: I'll be honest. The money. It's a tough industry and anything that helps you get a leg up is definitely helpful.

J: Worst?
C: hmm.. well a prize is a prize. but one time we won a few t-shirts from a company none of us would ever wear

J: hahaha nice. Any crazy tales from shows?
C: haha oh there is plenty. Well just 2 shows ago we blew the breaker at Jolly Macs Pub. Not once.. not twice.. but three times!

J: Brutal! Any crazy fans?
C: One time there was a homeless guy who said to Jordan after our performance at the Vogue Theatre that we sounded like Iron Maiden. That was very different to hear.

J: Sounds like good times! Any last comments?
C: We're here to bring back the music and excitement of the 70's-80's styled heavy rock and we hope you'll join us on our journey through time and metal! Keep the faith! \m/

Hear them Roar at:
http://www.myspace.com/thebandtwisted

Good Grief Charlie Brown!

I love a great straight ahead modern rock band. You know when your choruses are, know when to swing your beers, and you know when to bring out your lighters. Good Grief offers a night of good times with their crunchy guitars, grooving drums and gritty vocals. From listening to their Myspace I'd like to maybe hear some backup or gang vocals in their future songs but other than that I think this is a good group to go see for a solid night on the town!

Check out their Myspace:

http://www.myspace.com/goodgriefband

And check out their well put together video:

Welcome.... again

Finished the title sequence for Hammer Videos. video interviews coming up soon!

Beauty is soul deep Pt.2

Another installment. Dig it

Inventing the Dinosuar.. in a modern way

Unrelenting dynamic modern rock. From their first few chords on their myspace, I dig the vibes of Inventing The Dinosaur. A mix of Nirvana, Foo Fighters and Three days Grace. One of the perks of writing is always finding new music. These guys look like they've been around a while and their recordings are tight but still have that raw in your face quality. Lots of emotion in the vocals and the instruments are perfectly supportive. I haven't seen them live but from looking at them on YouTube they put on a strong performance. Lots of passion and raw energy. Be sure to keep your eyes out for these guys.

Check them out here:
http://www.myspace.com/inventingthedinosaur

A Wall Of Sound

Boogie Monster. This band is a mixture of different genres ranging from alternative to thrash. Now both players are just monsters on their instruments. A video of the band shows the drummer just wailing on his drums as if he plans of breaking them getting huge sounds, and the guitarist just rocking da funk out. But there is no structure, no lyrics, no rhyme or reason behind the madness. Just sound for sounds sake. Cool riffs, but on their latest released LP entitled Zechimechi it sounds over compressed and too many things coming at you at once. Some very cool riffs in there and beats, but i would not want to crank this in my car for fear that my ears will bleed. Sorry guys, just not my thing. They seem to win over the audience in their videos so maybe ill try and check them out live.
But feel free to check out a track of theirs called Castle In The Clouds:



Castle In The Clouds by HammerRecords

Taking over the world

Heavyweights in the metal world, Titans Eve is embarking on a massive tour to support their debut album The Divine Equal. A gruelling 23 shows in two months all across the USA and Canada. Brian Gamblin (Guitar/Vocal) had this to say about the upcoming shows:

"Titans Eve is beyond excited to be embarking on The Divine Equal North American tour. We are hell bent on delivering a power house juggernaut of a live show for all of you, and to show the world that we are an unstoppable force capable of destroying stages across the continent. It is to be a two month outing, doubling last year's Burning Canada tour. I hope to see all of you metal heads out at our shows cause it's going to be one hell of a party."


The album is a masterpiece of metal. Very dynamic, lots of structure but flows from start to finish. Shredding licks, beautiful clean parts, larger than life drums, and a very refined shape of the sound. Heres the tour dates, more to come:


May 17, 2011 - The Vat - Red Deer, AB - w/ guests
May 19, 2011 - The Distillery – Calgary, AB - w/ Woods of Ypres and guests
May 20, 2011 - Daves Sports Bar, Kelowna, B.C - w/ Woods of Ypres and guests
May 21, 2011 - The Rickshaw Theatre - Vancouver, B.C – CITR 101.9FM – Powerchord 25th Anniversary Show w/ Woods of Ypres, Scythia, Auroch Scissor Tooth, Magnus Rising  
May 23, 2011 - El Corazon - Seattle, WA - w/ Woods of Ypres and guests 
May 25, 2011 - TBA - Portland, OR - w/ Stone Creep
May 26, 2011 - The Black Forest - Eugene, OR - w/ Stone Creep, Beyond The Red Horizion, Fullix
May 27, 2011 - On The Y - Sacramento, CA - w/ Defiant Circle, Prelude to Ruin, Queen Alice
May 28, 2011 - The Stork Club - Oakland, CA - w/ Syndicon, Ashkira, Insanity
May 29, 2011 - The Blue Café - Los Angeles, CA - w/ guests
May 30, 2011 - Di Piazza - Long Beach, CA - w/ Scythe, Malignent
June 1, 2011 - Meat Head - Las Vegas, NV - w/ guests
June 3, 2011 - UB’s - Mesa, AZ - w/ Stone Creep, Misanhtropic Slaughter, The Artifact
June 6, 2011 - Night Rockers - San Antonio, TX - w/ Settling The Score, Raise The Matyr
June 7, 2011 - Head Hunters - Austin, TX - w/ No Dinero, Critical Assembly, Brink of Disaster  
June 9, 2011 - The White Swan - Houston, TX - w/ Legion, Kleos, Witness To The Fallen, Soul Skard 
June 10, 2011 - Kirks Biz'zar - Gulfport, MS - w/ Soul Skard, Southern Shadow
June 11, 2011 - Sam's Lounge - Jackson, MS - w/ Soul Skard
June 13, 2011 - Handle Bar - Pensecola, FL - w/ Pychomatics 
June 16, 2011 - Brewsters Pit Pub - Jacksonville, FL w/ Newborn Ranson, Sanctum 
June 17, 2011 - TBA - Savannah, GA - w/ Iff 
June 19, 2011 - JR's Bar - Philadelphia, PA w/ guests
July 2, 2011 - Blue Moon - Toronto, ON w/ Fatality, Reanimator


Be sure to catch them at the Rickshaw and hear them roar!

Homecoming Dance

Three big bands and one amazing venue... only thing that comes to my mind is the Black Eye Peas song Tonights Going To Be A Good Night. As I approach the venue I notice the lineup going around the block. Fans chatting excitedly about the bands and what they are expecting. Well nothing could prepare them for the upcoming show...

Fighting For Ithaca took to the stage like an animal in heat and sent the crowd into a screaming frenzy. Playing all their hits as well as a couple well picked covers. The whole crowd seemed to have all their lyrics memorized as the singing was non stop from the crowd. FFI gave everything they had and the crowd sent it right back at them. At the end of their set I didn't think anything could top it.. how wrong I was...

The night took a turn to for the heavier when Versus The Nothing started ripping it up. They had just returned form a two month long tour and had rallied a huge crowd to welcome them home on a Thursday night. I hadn't seen them live before and was definitely blown away. One of the tightest bands in Vancouver. Their set had been pounded into a solid flow of music that never stopped but never became dull. Each song adding new dynamics and building until the whole crowd was head banging so hard i swear their necks should have snapped. They had moved a road case to the front of the stage and used it as a makeshift riser and each took turns to rock the spotlight. The band sounded like a well oiled machine as they blasted their set and finished off with their new single of their album called Killer. It will be available for free download in the near future. VTN  had the whole crowd singing after the first chorus. Great band, great sound, be sure to check out their album. But, the night didn't end there...

Then it was time to get your groove on. After a few minutes set up time We Need Surgery were ready to end the night with their blend of rock and electronica. All the girls moved up front and started dancing to the huge drum sound, screaming keyboards, phat bass, and huge guitars. Their songwriting had my ears captured instantly. The crowd stayed right till the end then demanded an encore which they gladly played. What a way to end off the night!

See photos here:

http://s1107.photobucket.com/albums/h384/HammerPhotoVan/March31st%20Media%20Club/

Unbreakable

What does it take to be a rockstar? Matt Brinkler is part of a cast in a new reality TV show RockSTAR Academy and he is in it to win! Its a show about 12 hopefuls that battle it out to be chosen to win a record deal. During his stay in Vancouver I pulled him into the studio where he tracked his single Unbreakable. His voice has a hint of rasp, touch of soul and all heart as it sings through this wonderful tune. Accompanied by Leonardo Carrillo on guitar this track is sure to catch your ear.


Unbreakable by HammerRecords