I’m wondering, how likely is it that someone will find the bill – certainly if everyone in the city knew about the contest, someone would find it quick, but I’m betting there’s a very good chance this bill will just wander off.

Reasons;

1 – Banks pull notes all the time. This may only temporarily remove the bill from circulation, but it could freeze it indefinitely, or even move it to another city where The Peak isn’t heard. And the longer this bill is out there, the more likely the maximum audience will be reached and passed before it’s found.

2 – Even more likely is the bill leaves the city on a person, headed on a flight to Toronto, a car-ride to Prince George, or traded in for American South of the Border.

3 – Fire. OK, I admit this is very very unlikely. I just wanted more than two ways the contest could end in nothing (and while I understand the purpose is to get the name of the station out, not for someone to actually win the five grand, it’s more interesting is someone does win.)

Saturday December 6th, there’s a lot going on at The Rio Theatre (Broadway and Commercial), all of it part of Cthulhupalooza (kuh-too-loo-pah-loo-zah) – I’ll see if I can break it down for you.

For starters, there’s a Rock Band contest, sponsored by the game creators, Harmonix – if you’ve got some pals, and think you can rock it out, the contest is open to all attendees. Finalists get to rock it out on stage, and the winners, besides winning sweet prizes, can perform with The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets. The Thickets have a track on Rock Band, so that’s the connection.

Then later there will be a screening of the HP Lovecraft Historical Society’s Call of Cthulhu (which is done as an old-school, silent movie) along with other visual fun.

And then the evening is capped by a performance by The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets! Lead singer and chief instigator Toren was recently a guest-host on CITR’s We All Fall Down, helping to get the word out and drive some funds for CITR’s on-going funding donations (listen here.)

Besides being a barrel of monkeys, the event is helping to raise money for Child’s Play, which helps provide hospitals around the world (including BC’s Children’s Hospital) with video game systems, toys, and other fun things that make time spent in a hospital that much less sucky.

There’s a website for the event, which has information on where to pick up tickets (RX comics, Elfsar comics, Scratch, Red Cat, Zulu, and Neptoon records, etc. plus online sales via PayPal), how to enter the Rock Band contest, and more as the day of the event gets nearer!

Please spread the word, as the event benefits from having as many people as possible in attendance!

Full disclosure – I am helping to organize this event. It’s a charity event, so I’m not sure if you give full disclosure on that sort of thing. But let’s just say I a lot of my heart invested in this event, and I wish it to go well. Hope to see you there.

“Hello Time Bomb” was at the top of MuchMusic’s charts when I tried to request it during a phone in request hour back in Kelowna.  I was working an extra long shift at the Uptown Cinema Centre, and wanted to hear the new Matthew Good Band track.  The DJ at The Lizard, which at that point was what passed for the alternative rock station, had never heard of the song.  He offered to play “Crash” by The Dave Matthews Band.

The Matthew Good Band was fast becoming one of my favorite bands, and since they toured British Columbia a lot more than U2 and charged a lot less for tickets I ended up going to a lot of shows.  At that point I’d already seen them at EdgeFest in Edmonton and since then I’ve seen the band and Matthew Good solo nearly twenty times.  My first time at the Commodore Ballroom was to see one of the band’s five shows that they played over the holidays between the release of Beautiful Midnight and The Audio of Being.  I’ve been to Kamloops and Penticton far more than I’d like simply to catch a show.

So Tuesday’s release of Matthew Good’s Live At Massey Hall album was an obvious buy for me.

Having such a compulsive need to see as many Matt Good live shows as I could, I had always been a strong believer in the need for him to release a live album.  One of the first things I had done when I had discovered the usefulness of Napster was to seek out bootlegged live songs.  The best of which were a handful of tracks that had been recorded in Germany, with only a little too much treble.

With all of my favorite artists I’ve always wanted a full Pearl Jam like live recording release.  These days all shows go through a mixing board of some kind, and attaching basic recording equipment to that would allow for a release of a live album for every concert performed. 

The Vancouver native didn’t go that far with his first live release, instead opting to focus on a single show at Toronto’s famed Massey Hall this past May [mg].  It’s traditional but Good’s promotion of the release almost exclusively through his website and iTunes could be the first step to a Radiohead / Nine Inch Nails like movement away from a traditional record label.  That the album is already at the top of the charts on the Canadian iTunes store and doing well in the States is  sign that maybe Good doesn’t need a label anymore.

I’ve spoken enough already about what I had hoped for, and what the future might hold.  The nitty gritty of a review should of course be about the record in question.  As it stands the album released on iTunes is just the first disc in a two disc set.  Recorded during Good’s return to full band touring after a few years of doing stripped down solo acoustic shows, the album focuses largely on his newer material with only “Hello Time Bomb” and “Load Me Up” surviving from the Matthew Good Band days.  (More MGB tracks will be on side two).

Having caught the Vancouver show on this tour, one of two of his shows I caught this year along with a cross boarder trip to Seattle for one of the acoustic dates, the tone is familiar.  Returning to a full band arrangement seems to have put a new burst of energy into some of the tracks, and while there’s a bit too much musical noodling at times we’re not talking about a Grateful Dead style jam session. 

Acoustic tracks will be part of the second disc, and were a large component of the In A Comabest of album from a few years ago, but I’d have almost preferred a release from one of his acoustic shows.  Still that’s complaining about what the album’s not, as opposed to focusing on what it is.  Good and backing band are tight and this is probably the closest we’ll ever get to the definitive live collection from his career.  It stands up well against other arstis’ live releases, and if it lacks the courage of Pearl Jam’s “release everything ever” philosophy then it’s worth noting that so does every other act in the world who aren’t Pearl Jam.

At the end of the day this disc isn’t going to convince anyone whose not already a Matthew Good fan to become one.  I think anyone cautious of really giving him a chance because of the radio hits like “Hello Time Bomb” should still check out his solo work like Hospital Music, but like a best of album this is mostly a repackaging of what’s come before.

It’s still a worthy purchase for any fan.  Anyone whose deep into his catalogue will have a few tracks they would have liked to have seen.  My all time favorite song of his is “Suburbia” and it’s nowhere to be seen, it’s also a fucking fantastic song live.  Thankfully it does have “Black Helicopter” his best track since.

I’m still going to see him live as long as he’s within driving distance, but to hold me over through the lean months when Matthew Good isn’t on the road I know have something to hold me over.  Matthew Good Live at Massey Hall is the methadone for my live concert habit.

All photos by Jeffery Simpson.

…sorry, what? Oh, right. Vancouver angle. There’s a good one – this year, local Lovecrafty rockers, The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets are playing at the Penny Arcade Expo! It’s been a long trip since they played in an arcade parking lot in Burnaby for a proto-PAX Necrowombicon, but they’ve…

…what? Yes, I realize it largely gibberish. Hang on, I’ll see if I can help a bit.

So, there’s a web comic called Penny Arcade, which some, as I do, find hilarious. It’s creators have grown it into a yearly convention, attended by 40K+ people, called, The Penny Arcade Expo. There’s lots of video games, board games, games games, panels about gaming, panels about web comics, and a concert, with performances by people like Jonathan Coulton, Freezepop, and The Thickets.

Little known fact is that PAX (the expo, short form) started as a fan gathering called Necrowombicon (for reasons I do not remember, nor will you care) here in Vancouver. Or, more accurately, Burnaby, thanks to things like hotels hooked up to malls with big arcades. The Thickets, as mentioned, played one of those gatherings. In a parking lot. It rocked.

More Vancouver ties, Vancouver companies, such as Hothead Games (who worked with Penny Arcade to produce their recently released video game) will be there, or are at least sponsors.

Which brings me full circle – I’m going. I would like to see The Thickets rock thousands of people. I want to meet Wil Wheaton. I want to meet Felica Day. I want to meet the Ecto-1 from Ghostbusters (whom/which I will marry and run away with – if I’m turned down, Felicia Day is my second choice. I don’t know if Wheaton is my alternate third – we’ll see how it goes day-of.)

So, surely others from Vancouver are going? Anyone? I’m not there Friday, but I’ll be there Saturday and Sunday, most likely helping man the Thickets merch table… because I promised.

Or is everyone going to Bumbershoot instead?

[UPDATE] Triangle Productions (as you may have spotted in the comments – you do read the comments don’t you?) will be at PAX and posting some video here. So if you can’t be there, keep an eye out there for vids. Then start saving for next year.

Duane Storey and I were supporting the Union Gospel Mission, due to their excellent work in the downtown eastside and around Metro Vancouver. Upon hearing of this effort and cause, Matthew Good offered up a once-in-a-lifetime prize.

Here’s what you will win:
- The opportunity to hang out with Canadian singer/songwriter Matthew Good at an exclusive private meetup

- A listening session of the demos for the next record, Vancouver
Demos include: 1. The Vancouver National Anthem, 2. The Boy Who Could Explode, 3. Us Remains Impossible, 4. On Nights Like Tonight, 5. Volcanoes, 6. A Silent Army In The Trees, 7. Fought To Fight It, 8. Empty’s Theme Park

How to enter: Be the highest bidder on Miss604.com. The winner will then donate said bid to the Union Gospel Mission and will be one of the first people to hear the new album in this intimate setting.

Photo credit: Dan Lilly on Flickr

They’ve recorded here, and claim to be planning on doing so again. They’ve launched tours here, and played secret club shows here. If it feels like Athens Georgia’s R.E.M. is in Vancouver as much most local bands, well that certainly did not dampen the expectations on the group as they kicked off their latest world wide tour in Burnaby’s Deer Lake Park. Headlining a three act show that included Modest Mouse and The National, the show is an early front runner for highlight of the local concert season, and was well worth even the steep ticket cost.

After the jump a closer look at each of the three groups’ performances as well as pictures from the Deer Lake Park show on Friday.

The National

The National [wp] have been one of the few bands in the last few years who’ve managed to break into regular rotation on my iPod. If I was on the fence about seeing R.E.M. again, having seen them in Seattle during their Up tour a few years ago, the inclusion of The National on the bill was what convinced me that this was a must-see show. I can’t recommend their latest album Boxer enough.

Buy Boxer now.

Buy Boxer now.

And yet I’ve still not recommended it enough, even after all of that.

Their set was short, which is to be expected of the first act on a three act bill. Sadly everyone in our group but myself and Lydia [iatl] completely missed The National. Even those who were at the park by in large treated the band’s performance as a chance to look at the R.E.M. t-shirts and get fries in a bucket. Those who did focus on the set were in for a treat.

Modest Mouse

Having seen Modest Mouse the last time they were through Vancouver, in a shitty show at the PNE [mbv], it was the act that I was least looking forward to. The last time they’d lost me with navel gazing noodling about and ridiculously long guitar jams, but when confined to the opening slot before R.E.M. they were constrained and musically very tight. Focusing on their most famous songs like “Float On” “Dashboard” and “Good News For People Who Love Bad News” they were tight, and upbeat.

The set was remarkably better than their last Vancouver show, and though I don’t think I’d ever go to a show headlined by Modest Mouse again I certainly would not avoid seeing them live if they were opening for another act that I wanted to see.

R.E.M.

R.E.M. is one of those acts that pretty much everyone knows. Like a select group of bands who’ve managed to stay popular through decades, first hitting the top of the charts in the 1908s, they’re the sort of band that my parents know of and those crazy teenagers in high school have heard of. Even though they’ve not really had a great album since 1996’s New Adventures In High-Fi, one of my all-time favorite records, they’ve managed to amass a collection of strong singles from each following album and along with earlier material have an incredibly deep live catalogue.

Though they performed “What’s The Frequency Kenneth” [fkr] fairly early on in the set list and “Losing My Religion” near the end, the bulk of the show’s opening songs were pulled from the recently released Accelerate. Part of being the first show on the tour means being the test case for new tunes that haven’t been performed live yet, and while I’d expect a better mix between old and new songs to develop as they travel the world, Vancouver got a fairly fresh collection.

While there’s nothing wrong with being treated to new songs, and Accelerate is one of their best albums for awhile, with a band with such a large pool of tracks to draw from there’s always going to be crowd favorites left out and this was a show where it seemed more notable for what they did not play than for what they did. Still even without a lot of the old favorites, (whither “Shiny Happy People” or “E-Bow The Letter”?), the show was great.

Having seen The White Stripes at Deer Lake Park last summer I have to say that I love it as a venue. The sound is always fantastic for an outside festival and because of a fixed end time the shows are generally fairly tight starting on time and without the long breaks between acts that plague a lot of rock shows.

On a weekend with Vancouver’s first Apple Store opening [mbv] R.E.M. was still the coolest thing going on in town.

Sing sing, originally uploaded by louder.

It’s a bit odd to be ushered out of a concert so that hip hop night can start and it’s also a change of pace for a concert to end by ten. A 7:30 pm start was not that odd, but the fact that a 7:30 start meant a 7:30 start is nearly unheard of.

I went to The Plaza to see The Submarines play [wp]. I’d enjoyed their first album Declare A New State and was keen to see how the sound translated live. Sadly because of the early start time by the time I got into the venue twenty minutes after doors open, The Submarines were already on their last song of the set. It was a good performance, and it translated their studio sound well. If you’re into indie rock, checking out Declare A New State is well worth a trip to iTunes.

I might have come to see the opening act but it was Bell X1 that blew me away.

Not knowing anything about the group apart from that they were big in Ireland, I really had no idea what to expect. I like to pick up an album of a band before I go see them live, or more regularly I go see a band live because I’ve really enjoyed their album, so experiancing new music in a live setting is actually really rare for me and being surprised is even rarer.Bell X1 might not have made a name for themselves in North America yet, Nada Surf got the Commodore Ballroom and when you can’t out draw Nada Surf, but if last night’s performance was any indication that’s not going to last. They’ve got everything to be big here, a stage presence, a good and varied song catalouge which after only a few years is an achievement.

None of which is a guarantee of success, but the elements are there.

Though the set was short, because you know Granville needs another hip hop club at 10:30 pm, it was strong.

Lead singer Paul Noonan has an energetic onstage presence. There was not much in the way of onstage banter, but he was engaging and clearly having fun with the audience. Bits of other songs were thrown into verses of Bell X1 songs, including some David Bowie and The Talking Heads.

iTunes does not have Bell X1’s most recent album up, but I’ll be going to the HMV to seek it out. I’d suggest you do the same, so that in three years when everyone is lined up outside the Commodore to see them you’ll know what they’re in store for.

Who: The Submarines & Bell X1

Where: The Plaza

When: Saturday the 29th of March, 2008

Do you want a pair of free tickets to see The Submarines and Bell X1 this Saturday at The Plaza? Here’s what you do, you comment on this thread answering a simple trivia question and if you are the first person to answer it correctly you win.

What’s the catch? There isn’t any. Tickets will be ready at the door for you and a friend and you’ll get a night of some good music.

Just answer the following question correctly in the comments. If you need help see this Wikipedia entry on The Submarines [wp].

Question: What are the names of the members of The Submarines?

submarines, originally uploaded by Orrin.

Los Angeles pop rock band the Submarines are coming to Vancouver and we’ve got a pair of tickets to give away thanks to Nettwerk. They’re playing at the Plaza Club [pc] on Saturday March 29th, with Bell X1, and you could be there if you win these hot tickets. The Submarines started in Los Angeles, and so did Metblogs with Blogging.LA [bla], so a Vancouver Metblogs contest with the group seems natural.

So how do you win these tickets? Answer a bit of trivia and we’ll do a draw on Monday the the 24th from all the qualifying entries. Post the answer to the question in the comments of this post, and I’ll just have to be diligent in checking the comments and deleting the answers so you at the very least have to go to their Wikipedia entry to answer this.

Question: The Submarines first album Declare A New State was mastered by a friend as a gift for what special event?

Answer in the comments. Entries have to be in by Sunday March 23rd.

Edit: This contest has been relaunched.  See this post [vmb] for details.

Sadly, tomorrow I’m going to be part of a Diva Race that I haven’t even trained for. Hence, I’ll be walking. Slowly. I doubt I’ll make it in time from Jericho to the parade. But, I will be there if some kind of fitness miracle takes place for me in the next 24 hours.

Also, I learned from Kinship yesterday that “Oh ye cannae shove yer grannie aff the bus”. So please don’t. You’re brother’s okay, but not your grannie. Please enjoy the Celtic Fest and the bus responsibly.