Here's a great video from Fujiya and Miyagi featuring a real life Yo-Yo virtuoso.
Don't miss Fujiya and Miyagi, Jan 26 at Electric Owl
Tickets go on sale tomorrow (Dec 10), and will be available at Ticketweb, Red Cat and Zulu Records
Wolves in the Throne Room
Wolves in the Throne Room will venture out from Calliope, their remote Washington farmhouse, to bring their unique brand of Black Metal and activism to Vancouver
Don't miss them Jan 15, 2012 at Venue.
Tickets on sale Sat Dec 10, 2011 and will be available at Scrape Records, Red Cat Records, Zulu Records, and Ticketweb,
Break it yourself
Andrew Bird - Break It Yourself from Mom+Pop on Vimeo.
Andrew Bird has just announced the March 6 release of his new album, Break It Yourself via Mom + Pop. An extensive North American tour will begin on March 15 in support of the album. The full list of dates can be found here.
We're very pleased to announce Andrew Bird, Tues Apr 10, 2012 at The Vogue Theatre.
Joining him will be the lovely Laura Marling.
Tickets are on sale this Saturday Dec 10, and will be available via the Vogue Box Office, Red Cat Records, and Zulu Records
the unmagnificent lives of adults
It's cold and dark and damp in Vancouver, but we have good news! There are a few good seats still available for tonight's National show at The Orpheum. Last night's show was epic. We don't want to give away too much, but perhaps expect to be walked on and a sing-a-long. Get there early! You don't want to miss Wye Oak and Local Natives. Trust us.
Tonight - Tuneyards
Pitchfork: "Back in 1983 Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon wrote an essay for Art Forum that suggested that when we go to rock performances, we pay to see other people believe in themselves. A lot of what makes w h o k i l l and tUnE-yArDs' excellent live performances so compelling is the degree to which Garbus commits to her ideas and displays a total conviction in her personal, idiosyncratic, high-stakes music. This, in and of itself, is very inspiring and empowering. This unguarded, individualistic expression encourages strong identification in listeners, so don't be surprised if this record earns Garbus a very earnest and intense cult following."
Agreed.
party hard
We can't wait to party with Andrew W.K. when he brings his notorious live show and stage antics to The Rickshaw on Nov 26
Aleister X, Keep Tidy, and Oh No! Yoko will get the party started. See you there!
Tix available here
Dawes + Blitzen Trapper
Check out this lovely little video brought to you by Blitzen Trapper. You can catch them with Dawes and The Belle Brigade at The Rickshaw this Thursday, Nov 10
Tickets available here
Get Lost
Take a second to get lost in this amazing Local Natives performance for La Blogotheque. Catch them live next month opening 2 shows for The National at The Orpheum Theatre.
Tickets still available here for the November 28th show.
visiomento
Every Tuesday The Drums have been providing us with new episodes of their very own mini-series. This is the latest episode from their recent show at Maxwell's in New Jersey (which you might recognize from the GLORY DAYS music video). You can check out the whole series here.
Tickets are available here.
Siskiyou Record Release + Christopher Smith and the Beckon Call
We're excited to host Siskiyou's record release party for their new album "Keep Away the Dead", out on Constellation Records. It will also be their last Canadian show of the year. Christopher Smith and the Beckon Call and Andrew Lee of In Medias Res will be there to help them celebrate the occasion.
You can hear a song from the new album here
Tickets for Siskiyou / Christopher Smith and the Beckon Call are available here.
The National // second show added
The National // Tues.Nov.29.11 sold out in record time!
Luckily, we've just added a SECOND DATE:
Mon.Nov.28.11 at The Orpheum with Local Natives
The National
We are very pleased to announce The National with Local Natives and Wye Oak at The Orpheum on Tues Nov 29. You can read about the full tour on Pitchfork.
Be sure to follow @SwakPresents for the presale password.
Presale will run Thursday Sept 15 10am - 10pm.
Moonface
Moonface (otherwise known as Spencer Krug of Wolf Parade) is homeward-bound after holing up in a Finnish recording studio with Siinai.Luckily for all of us, that means he has a few dates lined up in North America. Don't miss him Oct 14 at The Waldorf.
PEACHES CANCELLATION
We're sorry to announce that the Peaches show this weekend has been cancelled. Refunds are available at point of purchase.The boys are leaving town
Japandroids are kicking off their North American tour with Bass Drum of Death right here in their hometown. You can check out the full list of dates here.Come see them off at The Waldorf on Sat Aug 27. Tickets are available here.
Lollapalooza
This weekend marked the 20th anniversary of Lollapalooza. We were a long way from Chicago, but you can see what you missed here.Luckily, a few of Lollapalooza's finest will be making their way to Vancouver. We've compiled a list to console you:
Califone
In the words of Pitchfork:"There's no other band like Califone. Ten years ago in this publication, Mark Richardson called them "the perfect sonic evolution for rock," praising their ability to meld the noise prevalent in experimental music with the organic textures of folk as if it were the most natural thing. A decade on, that's still accurate"
You can find the whole article here
Califone comes to The Biltmore Cabaret Tues Aug 9 with Vancouver's own Cloudsplitter
Tickets available here
Tonight
It could get messy tonight. Tickets are still available for tonight's show, but they're selling fast. Don't miss Chromeo. It's the most fun you'll have all summer.
Tickets available here.
Why Wait?
Beirut's new album, The Rip Tide, is slated to be released on Aug 30 on Pompeii Records. Luckily for us, they've decided to release the digital version on August 2. That's THIS Tuesday!We really hope you didn't wait to get your tickets for the sold out shows on August 9 and 10 at The Commodore. Toronto's Basia Bulat will be opening. Trust us, you won't want to miss her.
Capitol Hill
Checkout the amazing Alexei Perry of the Handsome Furs at the 2011 Capitol Hill Block Party. We don't have the words yet to explain how awesome this weekend was, but here is a link to the flickr photostream so you can see for yourself. If you've never been to this event, mark your calendar for next year. Seriously. Do it.
We had such a good time this week at TV on the Radio, Les Savy Fav and Handsome Furs that we're heading down to the Capitol Hill Block Party to see them again. See you Monday!The Screaming Eagle of Soul
We'd like to introduce you to Charles Bradley, the new king of soul. Don't believe us? Sit back and prepare to be blown away. To read Mr. Bradley's amazing story, visit his website.
TVOTR Tonight...and Tomorrow
The Georgia Straight loves TV On the Radio and so do we. As they put it, "if you haven’t seen the band’s all-out hypnotic live show, it’s not too late to clamber aboard the bandwagon. "Tickets are still available for tonight's show, and there are a few still available for tomorrow.
Find Tickets for July 20, 2011
Find Tickets for July 21, 2011
Forecast
The Capital Hill Block Party hits Seattle this weekend! Don't know what to wear? Here's some inspiration from The Pitchfork Music Festival care of Refinery 29. Though Vancouverites have had little opportunity to wear summer clothes, we can still appreciate a good festival outfit.
Stick A Fork In It
Pitchfork Music Festival is wrapping up what we can only assume was an amazing weekend (great music and hot weather, yes please!), so we thought we'd put up a post about one of the many artists we're looking forward to seeing this fall. A Chicago Sun-Times article about the festival refers to James Blake as a dead ringer for Aaron Neville. We think he's a dead ringer for awesome. Checkout his North American television debut on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
Business Casual
Here's a summer playlist care of Chromeo. Check them out live August 2nd at The Commodore Ballroom. And be sure to wear something you can move in, because you'll be dancing all night long.
Yuck
Dream Team
If you've seen them, you already know that Les Savy Fav are probably one of the best live bands to come out of the past decade. Tim Harrington is known for his wild antics, but when reigned in by the constraints of live radio it's easy to see that this band has a lot more going for it than crowd surfing in garbage cans and literally swinging from the rafters (though it does make for an unforgettable night).Want even more good news? Handsome Furs are also on the bill, playing in Vancouver for the first time since Wolf Parade's final show in May. The husband and wife duo recently released their third album, Sound Kapital, out on Sub Pop. The first video from the album premiered yesterday, check out the full story here
Les Savy Fav and Handsome Furs are playing at The Commodore on July 22, 2011.
Buy Tickets hereTV on the Radio
Check out this beautiful video for the Adebimpe/ Malone (TVOTR) collaboration with desert blues band Tinariwen.
We highly suggest checking out TVOTR's 2011 release "Nine Types of Light" as we can't get enough of it!
TV on the Radio will be playing July 20th and July 21st at The Commodore Ballroom.
Memphis
New video from their Arts & Crafts release Here Comes a City. Memphis is the side-project of Stars frontman Torquil Campbell
They play Jul 14 @ The Media Club
Friendly Fires
We all wish were were going to see Friendly Fires at Glastonbury this year, but one zone bus fare is far more economical than a plane ticketFriendly Fires play June 4th @ Venue. See you there!
The Mountain Goats Cover Jawbreaker
Mountain Goats + Jawbreaker!? Are you re-living an era or two of your life yet? We sure are. Read the full story here
the Mountain Goats are playing Jun 17 @ The Biltmore
French Connection
Keren Ann is a French chanteuse who tours the world, has a knack for languages, has co-written a piece for the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra, and has plans to collaborate with The Roots. If you aren't impressed yet, she is also a talented gear nerd, works as an engineer and producer AND has pretty great fashion sense.
Jealous? Yeah, so are we.
Keren Ann plays at The Biltmore June 18
Farewell, Wolf Parade
This is perhaps our most bittersweet announcement to date. Wolf Parade will play their final show May 30 at The Commodore Ballroom. We guarantee you won't want to miss this one
On the upside, we can look forward to upcoming tours and releases from Moonface, Handsome Furs, Johnny and the Moon, and Sunset Rubdown
Weekend at Burnie's
New Orleans rapper Curren$y has a few announcements to make about his upcoming album Weekend at Burnie's:1. The release date is set for June 21st, 2011
2. Currenc$y and his people plan to SYNC THE ALBUM UP TO WEEKEND AT BERNIE'S
Curren$y comes to Fortune Soundclub on May 14
All Ages Shows!
School is almost out. In the meantime there are amazing all ages shows to get you through...these shows will also get you through the endless winter if you happen to fall into the 19+ category
Man Man May 17 at The Rickshaw
The Sword and Dead Meadow
The Sword have been churning out jams for almost a decade, and the metal gods have taken notice. They've toured with Metallica, Lamb of God, and Clutch, and found themselves featured in Guitar Hero.
To make matters even BETTER, they're bringing Matador Records artists Dead Meadow on tour with them. Dead Meadow's first album was put out by Tollota Records (Fugazi bassist Joe Lally's label). Not a bad start.
Fitz and the Tantrums
Soul Artists/ organ aficionados Fitz and the Tantrums have climbed the charts quickly since their Dangerbird Records Debut. Come check them out May 30 at Venue
May 30 @ Venue
Phantogram
It's hard to imagine keyboardist Sarah Barthel busting these moves in a barn, but it's actually a common occurrence. The band happens to practice in a remote barn in upstate New York.
You can read more about their barn, and their upcoming Kimmel performance on the Barsuk Records website
Phantogram is playing May 20 at Venue
Take the stage with John Vanderslice
As you can see, John Vanderslice is looking for a little help. Read the full post here and then make your way down to the Media Club on Apr 20
End Blood
End Blood comes out today, featuring two tracks not included on Odd Blood. You can check it out here
Yeasayer plays May 28 at The Commodore Ballroom.
Yelle
French Electro-Pop artist Yelle will be at The Commodore on May 13. Brush up on your french and don't forget your dancing shoes!
Pop Quiz
Q. What do Drake, GZA, and Depeche Mode all have in common?A. Peter Bjorn & John
If you missed Peter Bjorn & John opening for DEPECHE MODE (!!!) on their Tour of the Universe in 2010, you can catch them May 11 @ Venue
Zola Jesus
Zola Jesus is a master of dark, honest pop songs and is known for putting on powerful live performances. Blogs have been singing her praises lately...take one listen to her voice and you'll see what they mean.
Don't kick yourself for missing out on this one. Zola Jesus descends on the Biltmore May 3 with Vancouver's own Cosmetics
Tame Impala
These psychedelic rockers from Perth are Vancouver bound, and we couldn't be more excited.
If you've ever lamented the fact that you were born too late to see anyone from the Nuggets Anthology in their heyday, you may want to head to The Commodore on April 21st. This is as close as it gets!(unless you finish that time machine you've been working on)
Helplessness Blues Sneak Preview
Attention all Fleet Foxes fans! Mark your calendars for the following:
Apr 29, 2011 Fleet Foxes @ The Vogue
Apr 30, 2011 Fleet Foxes @ The Vogue
May 3, 2011 Helplessness Blues Release date
Happy No Color day!
Today marks The Dodo's fourth album release, No Color. Even with guest vocal appearances from honourary Canadian Neko Case, they still couldn't find it in their hearts to call it No Colour. We still like it though. See what the rest of the internet has to say about it here and have a listen here The Dodos play at The Rickshaw Thursday March 31st
Bright Eyes and Rumours
The first single from the new Bright Eyes album, The People's Key on Saddle Creek.
Conor Oberst has been recording under the Bright Eyes moniker since 1995, and is a member of the much loved supergroup Monsters of Folk.
In an Omaha World Herald interview, Saddle Creek president Robb Nanse claimed that this may be the last album Oberst will release as Bright Eyes. You can read more here
If the rumours are true, you'll want to catch them at The Commodore on April 8, 2011.
Living in America
From Dom's Sun Bronzed Greek Gods EP out on Burning Mill Records
You can hear Living in America live in Canada Apr 2 at The Biltmore Cabaret
Separated at birth?
You be the judge. The Residents are bringing their avant-garde selves to The Rickshaw on Mar 19. Prepare to get weird.Cave Singers // No Witch
The Cave Singers unveil their Jagjaguwar debut today. Their new label mates include Bon Iver, Dinosaur Jr., Black Mountain, and a lengthy list of equally amazing bands. This album was worth the wait, but don't just take our word for it.
The Cave Singers are coming to The Biltmore on April, 21, 2011.
Akron/ Family ll: The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT
Akron/ Family's new album comes out today. We highly suggest staring at this ^ and then experiencing this video.
We'll go one step further and suggest you come see them Mar 25 at The Biltmore
Swans are not reuniting
According to Swans mastermind Michael Gira, Swans are not reuniting for the first time in 13 years...they're reactivating. We'll take it! You can expect to hear crushingly amazing and bleak sounds from My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky on Feb 25 at The Rickshaw
T.K.O in Tokyo
Our sympathies to Alice Glass, who broke her ankle in Tokyo today. Is now a bad time to mention that she'll be fully healed in time for Crystal Castles to attack The Commodore on March 7?
I CAN Go for That
Darryl Hall has Chromeo over to his house. Magic ensues.
Chromeo comes to The Commodore Ballroom Feb 10 & 11 (#make your dreams come true)
Chromeo comes to The Commodore Ballroom Feb 10 & 11 (#make your dreams come true)
Ra Ra Riot
If you missed Ra Ra Riot on Jimmy Kimmel, don't despair! You can still catch it here:
This song was drummer Gabriel Duquette's last performance with Ra Ra Riot after two years with the band.
You can see them up close and personal at The Biltmore Cabaret on Jan 29. Make sure you get there early to see Givers. Stereogum and Dirty Projectors are big Givers fans and we are too!
This song was drummer Gabriel Duquette's last performance with Ra Ra Riot after two years with the band.
You can see them up close and personal at The Biltmore Cabaret on Jan 29. Make sure you get there early to see Givers. Stereogum and Dirty Projectors are big Givers fans and we are too!
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Legendary Constellation Record artists Godspeed You Black Emperor are gracing the stage of The Vogue Theatre on Feb 16. Need we say more?Upcoming Shows
