Archive for April, 2011

Every day we share a single photo from our Flickr Pool shot by one of our faithful and talented readers (that’s you!).

I was drawn to a very minimal composition from Simon Clarke today. It seems so stark and reduced to just basic forms, and it conveys a mood which is in such contrast to the view outside my window right now (note to self: post this and get outside). As I look at a beautiful day out there to enjoy – complete with a soundtrack of the chirping of birds – I am reminded that today is the last day of April (not to mention my mother’s birthday: Happy Birthday, Mom). As the saying goes, ‘April showers bring May flowers’.

So as pleasing as I find might find Simon’s photograph, I hope it represents a scene that is behind us for the time being. Say hello, and then goodbye, to April.

Gary

It’s a new dog twice a week! Click here to find out how to get your dog posted if you haven’t sent in your photos yet!

Today’s dog featured in Dogtown Vancouver is Johnny, Julia N’s pup. Here’s what she had to say about him…

NAME: Johnny. BREED: Terrier. HOOD: South Granville. FAVOURITE SNACK: Any type of dog treat cause he was on a strict diet for a long time! OTHER INFO: Johnny is one of the amazing success stories from my friend Alexis Adam’s non-profit dog rescue (The Penny Foundation, http://www.penniesfordogs.org/) which saves dogs from Mexico, Los Angeles, and even Taiwan! He used to have no hair (hence the fetching sweater in the photos) due to an unknown condition that kept him constantly itchy and smelling like yeast. He was due to be put down in a shelter until Alexis picked him up and started bringing him to every vet possible and figure out his condition to stop his constant scratching and uneasiness. After 2 years, she finally was able to diagnosis his correct allergies and he is finally running around like a happy dog and growing his hair back (even though his belly will always remain soft and pink like a pig). Johnny is super loveable and now VERY playful. He has been given a second chance at the life he always deserved. Potential dog owners should look at rescues and shelters to obtain their new pet, so many amazing dogs await them. They might need a little more time and love initially, but they are so worth it!!! If you’re interested in adopting a pet, check out our Happy Tails feature. If you adopted your pet from the SPCA and would like to share your awesome story on Happy Tails, send an email to Rory.Blanchard@novusnow.ca.

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Our friend Sean Devlin, executive producer of the hilarious Bring the 2012 Games to Vancouver series and the director of the most recent Dan Mangan video AND that series of viral election videos (which we didn’t highlight up until now because as a non-profit it’s in our mandate to not endorse/criticize any one political party, in fact we don’t criticize much of anything at all here on the blog), has written and produced a hilarious 5 part comedy miniseries for CTV with help from a bunch of Vancouver’s funniest humans!

The series is called The Party and the first episode aired today at 2PM on CTV News Network’s Power Play. In case you’re not watching the news channel in the afternoon they’ve been kind enough to stream it on their site. The episode stars Kevin Lee, Cameron Reed, Kaitlin Fontana and Ryan Beil (click their names to read our Tragedy Plus Time features on them!) and you can check it out HERE.

I was going to say that The Party is the best thing produced for the web in months but it was produced for TV and I don’t often find myself watching CTV News Network but I’ll take a leap and say it’s probably the best thing that’s been produced for them in a while. It’s definitely the funniest.

The Bassment is a weekly article bringing you coverage of the best in Hip Hop and Electronic music from around Vancouver. Weekly interviews, event coverage, album and concert reviews that show how awesome our city’s electronic and hip hop scene really is. If you think there is someone or something that needs coverage in this city in regards to the Hip Hop / Electronic community then get in touch with us.

The electronic music scene in Vancouver is not only about the local DJs but also the promoters that bring you some of the hottest international stars. This week I met with Vancouver DJs Expendable Youth who are not only some of the most known DJs in the city but also bring us great acts from around the world through the organization Blueprint Events. Around the time when the French touch revival started, ed banger records and institubes were breaking out Matt and Mike started really getting into dance music. After going to parties with the likes of the Devro brothers and My!Gay!Husband! and becoming in love with the scene and sound this DJ combo took their name from the Slayer song titled “Expendable Youth” and there was no holding back.

When I first heard of you guys coming here from another city you had a Sunday night weekly. Tell me about that.

Had a sunday weekly with Blueprint called Youngblood Sundays. Bringing “electro” DJs from around the world. Though Electro is a term I don’t like to use cause it is kind of all encompassing term for a lot of shit that people dont know what else to call. We don?t necessarily make electro music but some people that we play with do. The universal term should be “Bangers” instead of “electro”… For big parties in big rooms, we play BANGERS!

What kind of changes have you seen in the industry since you started?

When we started, I feel like we were really passionate about DJing & dance music and wanted to move into a position where we were reaching outside of this city and interacting with like minded people. Apart from Paul Devro, Felix Cartal & Neoteric, we didn’t see much of that mindset for a few years, but in the past 6-8 months we’ve noticed a lot more people making waves outside of Vancouver. There are a lot of guys like Babe Rainbow, who’s a friend, who are making like “post dubstep”, ambient, electronic music. Then guys like Teen Daze & Blood Diamonds are making electronic music and dance music. Going the indie route but getting lots of  recognition in the city and outside. Overall, there’s less stigma about electronic and dance music being something to shy away from, and that’s a huge step for this city.

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Skateboard culture is deeply rooted in this fine city of ours. Not only does Metro Vancouver produce some of the world’s finest wood-wheelers, it’s also a major migratory destination for skaters from all over Canada. The Weekly Ledge(r) exists to update you on skate-related news and happenings in our town. Know the ledge, it’s not just used for sitting…

With an election right around the corner, V.I.A.’s Most Awesome, Rob “Sluggo” Boyce should be on the ballot. Not only did he repaint the entire bowl at the Hastings skatepark (get the whole story/photos right here), Push.ca also put together a comprehensive retrospective video about Sluggo’s pro skate career and more. Click play above, it’s well worth a look.

As for web features this week, Vancouver photographer Rich Odam held down the trigger for a sequence feature, with GIF-animated bangers by Desmond Hoostie, Adam Hopkins and Arte Lew. SBC Skateboard has a cool feature online about Lifetime Collective’s Jeff Thorburn photo-documenting Calgary’s Sean MacAlister while he was in town for his March 18th “No Buddy Trusts Me Anymore” art show at Antisocial. North Van/SF’s Russ Milligan was interviewed on SkateNewSpot, and it includes a sweet video, while Keegan Sauder throws a little hot sauce on the fire in a recent 10 Qs session.

Viddy time: there’s a good ‘ol 1990s retrospective montage to gander, which has a dash of Slam City Jam in it. Ryan and Scott Decenzo were welcomed to the Arnette Sunglasses squad in this motion picture, and the Cult of Stacks art show/skate tour (remember these exclusive peeks?) now has an aftermath video featuring the skating of Cameo Wilson and Sebo Walker (keep an eye out for Bob K in this one):

VANCOUVER DAZE showcases and highlights the social life and scene of our beautiful city, covering all the misadventures and shenanigans at various cultural events, mixers, parties, meetups, and local happenings. We fiercely promote all the fun times the city has to offer along with the interesting people behind them. Follow more of my work/coverage over at RICKCHUNG.COM and on Twitter at @RICKCHUNG. You can pitch me HERE.

Volume 14: Molson Canadian Pub Party for Round 2: Game 1 – Vancouver Canucks 1, Nashville Predators 0 of the NHL 2011 Playoffs at Roxy Burger, Doolin’s Irish Pub, and Forum Sports Bar on Granville Street with hosts Peter Verge and “Street Pete” Henderson on April 28, 2011. More photos available on Flickr.

What a crazy day. A crazy week. This has been a roller coaster of a past few days thanks to rearranging my entire social calendar due to the Vancouver Canucks tumultuous playoff run.

I had several cancellations for various reasons this week and desperately wanted to do nothing but cheer on the Canucks. Yesterday, I was even delayed by some Green Men impostors causing a traffic jam and was interviewed by my pals over at CBC News. You can watch the full story here. I even ended up giving up my ticket to Pecha Kucha Night No.16 to opt  instead for catching the big game.
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Remember our LOOK at Ken Lum’s retrospective exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery? And our subsequent look at the accompanying BOOK? Well I’m happy to annouce that we’re co-sponsoring a summer series of film screens that Ken is presenting at the Waldorf. The series, entitled “Vengeance is Mine: Reality takes Vengeance on All, including the Innocent”, kicks off this weekend with a screening of what is considered by many to be one of the greatest Korean films of all time, The Housemaid (1960).

Below is the trailer of the film directed by Kim Ki-Young and starring Lee Eunshim and Kim Jin-kyu. The film is in Korean but of course there will be subtitles on the one shown this Sunday…

Series begins this SUnday, May 1st at 3pm at the Waldorf. Full details can be found HERE.