The Waldorf Hotel

The This is East Van book launch happened last Thursday at the Waldorf. We were going to check it out, but didn't feel like paying cover for an event we'd only stay at for 20 minutes... so we did a 180 and went straight to the Biltmore (where we were supposed to be, anyway) instead. Fortunately for us, the Thao and Mirah show was phenomenal. Openers Alex Guy and Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside were equally incredible. All in all, one of the better shows.

Read the review of the show on Guttersnipe.

I have been a busy girl

2010 was a prolific year for yours truly as far as concert-going activities go. I'd like to say I don't keep track. The problem is, I do.

Robyn's 2010 concerts in a nutshell

Louder Than Love, Waiting for Sunday, By Starlight @ the Railway Club - February 11

Nelly Furtado @ BC Place (for the Olympics Victory Ceremony) - February 14

Dal Richards @ Richmond Ozone (Olympics venue) - February 17

Burton Cummings @ BC Place (for the Olympics Victory Ceremony) - February 25

The Unknown Soldiers & Mightnight Lightning @ the Railway Club - February 27

Serena Maneesh w/the Ludvico Treatment & the Depreciation Guild @ the Media Club - March 27

Chris Velan & the Parlour Steps @ the Railway Club - April 1

Philip Glass @ the Chan Centre - April 5

Spirits @ the Shark Club - April 9

The Ruby Suns @ the Biltmore - April 9

Sia @ the Commodore - April 10

The XX w/ jj & DJ Nosaj Thing @ the Commodore - April 13

La Roux w/Piper Davis @ the Commodore - April 18

The Wedding Present w/Girl in a Coma @ the Biltmore - April 20

Shearwater w/Wye Oak @ the Biltmore - April 28

Kill Matilda & Ready Set Die @ the Media Club - April 30

Two Apple Tobacco @ the Penthouse - May 2

Nobunny @ Pat's Pub - May 6

Mono @ the Biltmore - May 12

Hannah Georgas w/Colleen Brown @ Venue - May 22

Girls @ Venue - May 26

Louder Than Love @ the Shark Club - May 28

Massive Attack @ the Malkin Bowl - May 29

LCD Soundsystem @ the Malkin Bowl - May 31

The Mountain Goats w/the Beets @ the Rickshaw Theatre - June 2

The Living Deadbeats & Dizzy Eyes @ Chapel Arts June 5

First Aid Kit w/Samantha Crain @ the Media Club - June 6

Nightwood @ Neptoon Records - June 13

The Besnard Lakes w/Young Galaxy @ Mod Club, Toronto - June 17

X @ Yonge-Dundas Square NxNE Stage, Toronto - June 17

Warpaint @ the Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto - June 17

CoCoComa @ the Great Hall, Toronto - June 17

White Cowbell Oklahoma @ El Mocambo, Toronto - June 18

The Two Koreas w/CATL @ The Comfort Zone, Toronto - June 18

Rival Boys @ the Painted Lady, Toronto - June 18

Spirits @ Sneaky Dee's, Toronto - June 18

Paint @ the Velvet Underground, Toronto - June 19

Surfer Blood w/The Grates & Mannequin Men @ Wrongbar, Toronto - June 19

Sarah Jaffe @ the Media Club - June 22

Paul Anthony's Talen Time @ the Biltmore - July 10

Fol Chen @ the Media Club - July 11

Bahamas, Elisapie Isaac, Shayne Koyczan, Tao Seeger Band, El Puchero Del Hortelano, Crooked Still, Watcha Clan, Valdi, Ladies of the Canyon, Vancouver Folk Festival - July 17

Villagers @ the Media Club - July 21

Sweethead @ the Biltmore - July 21

Ryan Dahle w/the Manvils @ the Biltmore - July 22

Bear in Heaven w/Twin Sister @ the Biltmore - July 24

We Are Scientists @ the Biltmore - July 27

The Joy Formidable @ the Media Club - Aug 15

Mia Moth, Annie Stela & Lucas Field @ the Biltmore - Aug 28

The Submarines, Plants & Animals, Visqueen, Jamie Liddell, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes, Bob Dylan, the Raveonettes @ Bumbershoot, Seattle - Sept 4

Courtney Love, Ra Ra Riot, Justin Towns Earle, Hole, The Dandy Warhols @ Bumbershoot, Seattle - Sept 5

Meat Puppets, Tony Millionaire, Laura Veirs @ Bumbershoot, Seattle - Sept 6

Japandroids w/The Thermals @ the Wild Buffalo, Bellingham - Sept 25

Sonic Youth & Pavement - Matador 21 @ the Pearl Theater, Las Vegas - Oct 1

Girls, Cat Power, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion & Superchunk - Matador 21 @ the Pearl Theater, Las Vegas - Oct 2

Kurt Vile - Matador 21 @ the Palms Ballroom, Las Vegas - Oct 3

The New Pornographers, Liz Phair (w/ Ted Leo & the Pharmacists), Yo La Tengo, Guided by Voices - Matador 21 @ The Pearl Theater, Las Vegas - Oct 3

Guided by Voices @ the Showbox Sodo, Seattle - Oct 9

Superchunk @ the Biltmore - Oct 13

Liz Phair w/Bradley @ Venue - Oct 15

Teenage Fanclub w/the Shilohs @ the Bilmore - Oct 16

Foals w/Esben and the Witch @ Venue - Oct 22

The Vaselines w/the Dum Dum Girls - Oct 23

Rich Hope and his Blue Rich Rangers @ the Main on Main - Oct 23

Deerhunter @ the Rickshaw - Oct 26

Kate Nash @ The Commodore - Nov 3

Louder Than Love w/the Mighty One @ the Shark Club - Nov 5

The Soft Pack w/Kurt Vile @ the Biltmore - Nov 5

Small Black w/Class Actress & Young Prism @ the Media Club - Nov 10

SK Robot - Guided by Robots @ the ANZA Club - Nov 13

Dean Wareham Plays Galaxie 500 (w/Britta Phillips) w/the Shilohs @ the Biltmore - Nov 15

We Found A Lovebird @ the Dark Room Gallery - Nov 27

Paul Anthony's Talent Time @ the Biltmore - Dec 1

Die Mannequin - Whistler Film Festival @ Whistler Conference Centre - Dec 4

Wizerds, Crystal Swells, the Oh Wells - Shindig! @ the Railway Club - Dec 7

The Posies w/Brendan Benson @ Venue - Dec 10

Killing Joke @ Venue - Dec 14

Olenka and the Autumn Lovers & Like Animals Again @ the Biltmore - Dec 27

I'm probably missing a few. And, I also missed a few. For example, driving down to Bellingham to see Pinback, only to get suckered into Trivia Tuesday at a whiskey bar instead. That kind of thing.

White Cowbell Oklahoma

If you're looking for a memorable evening in Vancouver tonight, go to the Penthouse to see White Cowbell Oklahoma - a party-rock band from Toronto. You have to see them at least once in your life. They were by far the most memorable act at NxNE that I saw this past June. I had no idea what to expect, and, well... debaucherous is putting it lightly. Just when you think it can't get any crazier, it does. And it's at the Penthouse, no less.







Seriously, the entertainment value's insane.

More photos of White Cowbell Oklahoma at NxNE on my Flickr account, here.

Deerhunter at the Rickshaw

I make no secret that I dabble in concert photography for fun. It comes in waves... sometimes I can go an entire month without a show, and at other times (read: October), there are shows every second evening.

On Tuesday night I ended up at the Rickshaw Theatre on Main & Hastings (yes...) for my first-ever Deerhunter show. The Rickshaw, though it doesn't have the best sound, is certainly one of my favourite venues in the city. I'm not sure if it's because of the spacious dance floor, the general theatre seating, or the fact that there's a bar at the front of the stage (and they serve generous gin & tonics).

Maybe it's the Bladerunner-esque facade:

In any case, I was there for Deerhunter - a band I have only recently (as of April) come to enjoy - a latecomer of their music, for sure. I've known about them for years, for example, but what tracks I had heard in the past never inspired me to pursue them further. Then, somehow, I gave them a second listen, discovered a particular song, and then another, and then another, and then I was hooked. They create shoegaze-y, indie rock dreamscapes... like a blurry Grizzly Bear or a focused Animal Collective. You're not quite sure what they're singing about for the most part, but it doesn't matter: they create an almost mysterious nostalgia-inducing atmosphere... sometimes verging on the creepy - a perfect pre-Halloween concert for the Rickshaw (although last year's Skinny Puppy show still takes the case).

If you're reading this, you're probably already familiar with Deerhunter, but if you're not,  here's one of my favourite tracks:



So back to the concert. It was noisy, it was fun, but I only really knew a handful of songs - Never Stops, Fluoroscent Grey, Rainwater Cassette Exchange (which I could have sworn started off as David Bowie's "Let's Dance"), and the others didn't really capture my attention as much... but that was my problem, having only listened to their most recent album a few hours before. (Lame, yes, I know). Deerhunter songs often take me several plays before I really get into them...

... but this isn't a concert review, buy the way, but an excuse for me to post some of my more memorable photos that I took: