Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Capital Rock City’ Category

ellice blackout

I get asked a lot, “where are all the new rock bands?”

Here you go.

Victoria’s Ellice Blackout have been working hard on their debut record Villains. The record which comes out on September 10th, is 12 wailing guitar driven shredders.

Lead singer David Fraelic matches the fierce energy of the guitars and is able to punch through on songs like “Duct Tape,” “Blue Ribbon” and single “Dead Radio.”

It’s fists up and everyone singing along on “Give Up The Ghost.”

The record marches at a fairly consistent high intensity for most it’s run but for me, the stand out moments are when it backs off the throttle a bit like on “Weightless.”

Fraelic says that a lot of the lyrics are “quite personal.” Which reminds me, next time I see him, I’ll have to ask about the story behind “Bad Tattoo.”

His favourite song on the record is side one, track one, “I personally love ‘Duct Tape’ because it’s the perfect combination of pop and hooks but still coming across very hard. It’s got all my influences in one song.”

The band does a fun modern spin on a classic hard rock sound.

Ellice Blackout’s record release party is going down September 10th in Victoria at Sugar Nightclub.

Go with yourself.

Read Full Post »

No-Liars

No Liars from Victoria released their music video today for the song “Catalyst.”

The band is in Vancouver tomorrow for a show at Venue and then Friday in Victoria at Distrikt.

Punktastic had this quote from the band: “The song is an expression of betrayal, and all the things that go through your head when you realize you’ve had the wool pulled over your eyes by someone you trusted,” the band explain. “We wanted to capture the raw energy of the band’s live performance in a bourgeoisie estate where our kind of music isn’t normally allowed.”

Go with yourself.

Read Full Post »

the girl on the train

How cool is this… Blitz//Berlin….the Toronto based band that us West Coast kids will always remember as Theset….had their song “Surfboard Fire” reworked for the Girl on the Train movie trailer.

And that sure does sound like Kanye West from his 2008 jammer “heartless.”

And here’s some banger cover/remix….because it’s Friday.

Go with yourself.

Read Full Post »

malahat

Vancouver Island band Malahat sent over their single for a song called “The Grit.”

When I heard this song I messaged Ben back and said, “I like it, reminds me of Monster Truck!” And he said that’s great because that band is big influence on them.

They’ll be in Vancouver on May 13th for a show at Studio Records and I’ll do my best to there (if I’m not DJing that night).

They’re also playing in Victoria on April 1st with Band of Rascals.

Go with yourself.

Read Full Post »

sonnight

Seaborne is an electronic duo made up of singer Maryse Bernard and programmer Solomon Krauss-Imlach.

We know and love Maryse from her time in Victoria. She sang in a band called Woodsmen.

This new song is from an upcoming ep called Lustre due out in the summer.

You can read more about the project and inspiration behind the cut by hitting their profile on Exclaim!

***

You in the Lower Mainland? I’m DJing tonight at Match Eatery in the Starlight Casino in Queensborough.

Go with yourself.

Read Full Post »

shobocon

I got an email today from a band out of Duncan, on Vancouver Island called Shobocon.

Traditional hard rock sound made a little interesting with the male/female vocals. Side-one track-one from their record is called “Cheeky Monkey.”

Go with yourself.

Read Full Post »

vince vaccaro

Victoria’s Vince Vaccaro posted this nice cover of Chris Isaak’s 1989 cut “Wicked Game.” He writes on his instagram, “I’ve always loved this song, and today I decided to sing the shit out of it.”

Let’s have a listen…and is Vince’s way, free download if you dig it.

Go with yourself.

Read Full Post »

Mike

I first met Victoria’s Mike Ferguson when he was part of band called Aegis Fang (and part of the Amalgamated Zone 24-Hour Relay Team? I think it was back then….).

Aegis Fang is no more,(The fang is still a thing but it’s all good we barely gig anymore. – MIke),  but Mike has been busy performing around Victoria at various pubs and drinking holes. He has a new solo EP called Hard Luck. Has a bit of an alt-country vibe to it.

This one here features homeboy Jesse Roper!

And I like this one…bluesy.

One more…. a pretty one (and sad one).

***

and how about that rain today in Vancouver? It rains a lot here in our corner of the Pacific North-West…but today was tropical jungle rain!

I took my daughter to school…eh, it’s grey out, a little wet. Come home and rally my son for daycare and the walk down it was torrential!

As one friend tweeted…you know it’s raining when Vancouverites are commenting on it.

 

Go with yourself.

Read Full Post »

LABS

photo by Amee Nijjar

Adam Sutherland send me over the project he is working on with Lindsay Bryan (and Matthew Longpre & Keenan Murray).

Electro-pop-alternative?  The group is called LABS. They are The Zone’s February Band of the Month and the song we have to check out is called “Down.”

Go with yourself.

Read Full Post »


Happy Tuesday my music blogger friends. The above Vine is a clip of my ECCW Wrestling debut…and possibly my last match? I took part in a small bout between some of the main events on Saturday at ECCW’s sold out Ballroom Brawl5 at the legendary Commodore Ballroom.

My fight was the “15 Minutes of Fame” match against Brady Malibu. An open challenge fight that ended with my head being smashed in by an iPad. Good times.

On to the tunes.

The Griswolds are going back on tour and coming to North America. Looking forward to a show on May 3rd at The Imperial with Panama Wedding and Magic Man. Other Pacific Northwest dates for the Hotling Spring Tour include Seattle on the 4th and Portland on the 5th. Weird, last time I was in Portland, The Griswolds were there and I missed them because I was doddling.

***

unnamed (13)

Thrice is firing it back up! (I used to love Thrice) Tour and a new record in 2016. I am jazzed on hearing what a 9th Thrice record might sound like, sad that there are no Vancouver shows.

***

The CBC had a story on Victoria rad duder Aidan Knight. They asked, “why isn’t he bigger in Canada?”

“Knight also explains how the last decade of his life has been like a research period — replete with lessons for his fresh start in Europe.”

RIGHT!

Got my old Versicolour LP in the collection at home.

I’ve been a fan of his work since early Victoria band Black Tie Social. Still LOVE hearing “Silver Screens.” (I hope they don’t mind…I uploaded the song on Soundcloud….eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!)

theset

And here is a live recording from 2006….just before the band’s final show at Big Fernwood.

Ugh…. nostalgia, you are a powerful drug.

Go with yourself.

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »