RICHARD DUGUAY, IBRAINEATER, LIQUOR KINGS

Fairview Pub, Vancouver, November 15 2013

PunkRockaRolla101 - Showin' The Kids How It's Done - Gloriously Reckless

I hate to be an asshole and show up late to a show – especially when the kickassery meter is as high as an Liquor Kings and IBraineater/Jimmy Cummins double side kick in the balls opening one-two - but I was a late ass crotchety old man on this particular evening. I freakin’ missed two of the city's best live acts – cuz I had to take a nap. Yes, I am old...everyone involved in this show was old, and you know what – we kicked your Main Street hipster iconic beardo asses very nicely on this night. It was real, it was sweaty, it was high on the vibe-o-meter and... shit, it was punkrockarolla101. I kid you not.

FALL DOWN/GET DOWN 2013

Roky Erickson headlines FD/GD 2013

local label thumbs its nose at November

by Bryce Dunn

Let’s face it, as the end of the year draws nigh in Vancouver most of us wanna hunker in our bunkers until March and not come out until the apocalyptic clouds part like Moses parting the Red Sea. Thankfully, LA-TI-DA Records is once again giving the gig-going public ample reason to bundle up and brave the elements by hosting another epic seasonal shaker in the form of the Fall Down/Get Down Weekender November 14-17.

Even before the dust settled on last year’s line-up, many were asking if a sophomore stab was in the works as hard lessons were being learned with every step. This time out, according to Tim Horner (along with label partner Dale Davies and LTD team members Corey Poluk and Vanessa Dandurand), they want to “make sure to slow down, pace ourselves and enjoy the damn thing this year. Last year, the workload was crippling and often meant that we didn’t have the opportunity to take in a line-up that we worked so hard to curate.” They seem to have solved this issue with a slightly scaled down, less scattered, devoid-of-overlap program, but in the same breath have not skimped on the talent in the least.

Returning LA-TI-DA bands include the Ballantynes, Needles//Pins, the Tranzmitors and Fist City who will be rubbing shoulders with a solid set of out-of-towners such as Californian garage-pop creeps Cool Ghouls, Seattle’s sunny pop punk purveyors Big Eyes and the Brooklyn-based, slash-and-burn rock of Obits.

“But the heart of this fest,” concedes Horner, “rests firmly in the local scene. There are two central themes this year: local record release parties and local debut shows.” Introducing themselves during the festivities will be Mike & the Flintettes (featuring folks from the Tranzmitors, Vancougar and Weathered Pines), Charm (starring the hard-rockin’ ex-Hard Feelings rhythm section of Rick O’ Dell and Al Boyle) and Sunday Morning (sporting members from such legendary Mint Records bands as Tankhog and Pluto among its ranks).

Not content on hogging the spotlight for themselves, the crew at LTD is turning over the majority of Saturday’s soiree to the aforementioned Mint Records and Mammoth Cave Records for conjunctive record release shows for their respective acts Tough Age and Nervous Talk. Sunday’s finale will most certainly blow minds with the man who pioneered psychedelic rock, Roky Erickson, and the gloom-country crooner King Dude.

With the addition of DJ Russell Quan (the musical “Mummy”-fied mayor of San Francisco) spreading some good time record spinning fun and a gaggle of other great local acts, you can’t let this opportunity slip to help LA-TI-DA Records give November the middle finger and make some magic happen.

“Showcasing the LTD bands is honestly just a bit piece to this festival,” admits Horner. “If there’s any sort of aim, it’s to shake things up [in Vancouver] a little. The hurdles are not logistical: putting on Fall Down/Get Down is like solving a giant Sudoku puzzle. We really like solving Sudoku puzzles. The real hurdles run a little deeper in the collective consciousness.” Horner sums up the feeling of anticipation ahead of the upcoming event with some prophetic words from one of last year’s participants. “I think Tim Kerr put it best after returning to Austin from last year’s festival: ‘I wanted to say thanks to all in Vancouver that came and helped with the shows. You all have a really great scene going there… don’t get jaded and fuck it up!’ ”

And that’s the truth, Ruth. Get thee to www.latidarecords.com/the-fall-downget-down or check the LA-TI-DA Records’ Facebook page for the all the latest info including the full list of performers, then score a weekend wristband for $49 (+ S/C) and have some goddamn fun!

LA-TI-DA Records Presents FALL DOWN/GET DOWN 2013 NOV.14-17 at Biltmore Cabaret/Neptoon Records/Astoria Pub/Electric Owl Social Club.

ROCK BAND CALLED TIME

clocks in, ten more songs!

by More Betty

The eternal spirit of RNR finds its gravity in a Rock Band Called Time (RBCT). The origins of this East Vancouver trio can be traced back a few years, but the time is right for their self-titled LP. Guitarist and vocalist Braden DeCorby along with bassist Phil Misquitta both play in a very different sludge-doom band called Haggatha. “It's really slow heavy grim music with very little rock and roll influence. ‘Killyourmothermusic’ some would say. Just ‘cos we play that stuff, doesn't mean that’s all we listen too,” explains Misquitta, “Truth be ‘telt,’ we all MAINLY listen to old hard rock records.”

So to step back to 2009-ish and a broken ankle had DeCorby trading in his kick for a guitar and he wound up writing what could be described as “straight down the line” rock songs. Once healed, a few drum tracks made it to tape. Misquitta infers that an earlier incarnation with DeCorby had 20 songs written and sat in the basement on Fraser Street. “One day, a few years later he just pulled out these ADAT tapes and we started listening to them. They all had these amazing riffs and classic structures and I was sold right away,” he explains. Material that recalls Thin Lizzy, MC5 and early KISS. “I told him if he ever wanted to jam these songs, I would be down to play bass,” says Misquitta. At the time DeCorby was working with drummer Stew Johnson (GRASS CITY, BRONZE). “Stew is pretty much the most rock and roll guy in the city, so it made sense. We started jamming and pretty soon we were [the] rocking-est band in all of Little India,” he exclaims. To go from playing provocative punk-metal to music that gets folks dancing and singing can be described as “flattering!”

Hearing a Rock Band Called Time, the Thin Lizzy connection is so clear and incidentally another ensemble that started out as a trio before adding their two-guitar sound. “Everything about them was awesome. They had the best riffs, best drums and the best pronunciation of the word ‘out’ (oh-we-at). They wore women’s blouses but were super tough at the same time. All the vital rock and roll requirements,” says the bassist. RBCT considered adding a fourth member. “We always said that the only other guitar player we would ever add is Davy Blaze from Hoopsnake on account of him being one of the most ‘badassed’ rock and roll bastards we have ever known. He lives in Squamish though, so for the time being all you get is a power trio.” Another local, Pride Tiger, comes to mind immediately. “We actually played our first ever show with Pride Tiger, which ended up being their last ever show. I guess they passed on the Thin Lizzy rip-off torch to us,” he says.

In Vancouver, the name Jesse Gander is synonymous with recording and an obvious choice for this group with their collaborative history and a style that goes “above and beyond.” In 2012 they went to the Hive to record with Gander with plans for a four-song tape. “The songs went down a treat; even being played on 99.3 The Fox's indie show. The song ‘Manitoba’ in particular seems to be somewhat of a hit with the punters,” he says. “A friend of ours, let’s just call him ‘Big Fancy,’ persuaded us to go back into the studio and record enough songs for a full-length LP. His method of persuasion was to pay for it all,” he adds. Before recording they rehearsed with a vigorous work ethic, jamming for months, preparing right down to the last note. This allowed them the freedom to work and record right off the floor. “We find that we get a more honest and real result that way and that is important to us," says the bassist.

The task of an independent release can be a challenge to coordinate and finance. That said, their LP is available at Antisocial Skateboards, Audiopile, Neptoon Records or directly through them and be sure to catch them live so you can experience both the new songs and the old un-recorded ones too! “With the spirit of ROCK on our side.” Be assured, the torch will burn!

Look out for a show in December with Jiffy Marker and Proteens. Don’t be so ANTISOCIAL, come on out!

BURNING GHATS

worship the fore

by Heath Fenton

What is a burning ghat?

One version: A ghat is a stairway down the banks to the holiest bodies of waters used in cremation rituals and the charred remains of the burned would be set adrift into the current. Another version: The Burning Ghats of Vancouver: an extreme noise-filled, irate machine of a local band dedicated to dreadcore. Steeped deep in hardcore with a guitar tone that preys on minor chords that summon storm clouds to roll in fast, topped with lyrics that wail and scrawl with despaired reality, it’s bleakness at best.

Now that we cleared that up, may there be no more misinterpretations of their name. “Everybody seems to have their own versions of what it means,” chuckles bass player Cam Strudwick. “I actually went to the burning ghats in India. It’s insane. The funny thing is that they named the band before I joined.”

Over five years ago Burning Ghat’s guitarist Kevin Grindon’s previous band Batoche fizzled out. It was from these ashes that the Ghats were born. For his next project, Grindon picked his Scab (vocalist Chad Jones from the band Scabs). Then another scab was picked when Strudwick was recruited. More recently, they snagged manic drummer Ryan Driscol from Galgamex to make the current line-up. Like many young bands, Burning Ghats would go through evolutionary phases to get to what they have now.

“When we first started we wanted to be super techy and still have crust punk parts,” Grindon speaks of this process. “Then we moved away from the heavy metal and monster vocals to go back to our roots: hardcore, the one thing that ties us together as a group.” That may be, but there’s more going on in their music than hardcore, like evil undertones and dark tumultuous screamed lyrics.

The Ghats recorded their new record entitled Something Better Than Yourself at the Hive Creative Labs and made it a sort of coming out party for the years put in. “Lyrically this record turned into an attack on the lack of compassion I am forced to see every day. I've seen situations with other people that have affected me and about 75 per cent of what I write about deals with addiction and aversion to pain. Escapism, I guess.”

The Burning Ghats will announce their full arrival on to Vancouver’s extreme music scene with a coming-out-record-release-party on November 22 at the Astoria with Bridge Burner, Keep Tidy and Soot.

WALL OF SOUND - NOVEMBER

Here are some gigs to keep you maniacs smashed and thrashing through the fog and November rain:

Fri. Nov. 1: The Ramores (Ramones Tribute) Teenagers From Mars (Misfits) and Turbobastard (Turbonegro) wendythirteen’s Funky Winkerbeans @ 37 West Hastings St.

SUBCULTURE NOVEMBER

Ha ha ha, Chi Pig was part of a hilarious situation last night at the SNFU show as he came up and hid behind me saying that a rabid female fan was harassing him... So I was standing there protecting him and she spots him poking his head out from behind me... She moseys on over and tries to engage him again while he's telling her to leave him alone and I'm also then telling her to shoo... Then she says, “I'm going to keep bugging you until you remember me Justin!” Chi and I were just gutting ourselves laughing about that all night and for the rest of the gig I addressed Chi by his new nickname 'Juschinn'! Comedy gold! They say everyone in the world has a doppelganger... Oddly enough; Chi Pig has one named Justin somewhere out there...