SCENE AND HEARD showcases the independent music scene here in Vancouver. With over 28,000+ artists, boasting more than 140,000+ tracks, the CBC Music/CBC Radio 3 web site is the absolute ultimate authority, and the home, of independent music in Canada. With that massive library along with tools for members (free to join!), we’re taking advantage of what they’ve set up by bringing you a fresh batch of music every week featuring local groups who have tracks (entire albums, even!) on the R3 site.

Okay, someone needs to invent a time machine, or a teleporter, or something so that I can be in two places at once.
This week I’ll be enjoying NXNE in Toronto, but you my friends, you need to go to this show:
The Ketamines, Warm Soda, The Ballantynes, Zebrassieres, and Tough Age (yes, FIVE bands) are all playing at the Rickshaw Theatre this Saturday June 15th and it’s only $10. Two bucks a band is pretty awesome.

We asked Paul Lawton of The Ketamines to put together a list of songs by Vancouver bands for this week’s playlist which you can hear by clicking the images below (it is pretty awesome, IMHO)!
Have a great week everyone!

It’s all about balance on V.I.A. lately. Between our regular blog posts from the cycling non-profit HUB, our weekly Bike Brake feature and our recent partnership with Vancouver Cycle Chic lie Vancouver Autos and our On the Road To features. A celebration of cycling culture is being interspersed with a celebration of car culture. This is entirely by design, as we’re a community of walkers, cyclists, car drivers and transit travellers. Exploring our city and that which surrounds it is something that we all have in common, no matter how we choose to get there. I, for one, enjoy driving, I often travel to locations that aren’t accessible by transit, and I can’t see myself without a vehicle any time soon… but that hasn’t stopped me from enjoying Car Free Day on Main Street. I’ve always been curious as to what’s behind it and what they aim to achieve, so I asked them to write a piece on it for us. Have a read below, and I’ll see you on June 16th! – Bob K

WORDS: Joey Moore, Board Member, Car Free Vancouver Society

For me, nothing explains what Car Free Day is, better than that awkward, disorientating moment at the very beginning of the day when the barricades go up and the stream of cars and trucks is gone from the streets. While most adults still are glued to margins on the sidewalk, unsure of what to do, some less tamed child or youth will get on their skateboard, or simply run, right down the yellow-line. This simple, joyful act breaks the spell and the rest of us more disciplined folk spill onto the street.

At the core, this is what Car Free is about – rethinking what streets are and what they might be and allowing us to experience the truth of the Car Free slogan: Less Cars = More Community = Less Cars.

Almost 10 years ago now, Car Free Day in Vancouver began as a spontaneous street hockey game in the middle of Commercial Drive. Residents concerned about the neighbourhood and global effects of the Gateway/Highway 1 expansion project traded the more common protest signs and well worn-chants (“hey-ho, hey-ho global warming has got to go”) for a joyous afternoon of the best game I could name.
…READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY>>>

Here’s another video from a past edition of Sam Sullivan’s Public Salon which takes place at the Vancouver Playhouse, and which we co-sponsor. In this one, UBC psychology professor and dog behaviour expert Stanley Coren gives a fairly hilarious talk about how smart (or not smart) your pets are. Well worth a watch.

The next Public Salon is coming up on November 13th. We’ll give you plenty of notice leading up so you don’t miss your chance to attend. The last one sold out!

From 1934 to 1979, street photographer Foncie Pulice set up his camera on Vancouver city sidewalks and snapped candid shots of people strolling by. For almost half a century, he took thousands of photos, unwittingly capturing moments in time, the history of a city, and the lives of British Columbians.

Now documentary filmmaker Melanie Wood and British Columbia’s Knowledge Network are bringing these photographs together – collecting them from albums around the province and giving them a public home. Photo negatives of Foncie’s images do not exist. He destroyed most of them when he retired. Until now there was no central archive or collection.

Here are some thoughts from one of relatives of the subjects of this photo:
“This is a photo of my dad, Michael (in the middle), my Grandma Horton (on his left), and my uncle Robert (on his right). I cherish the memories of my grandma reminiscing about this photo. This photo currently lives on my fridge in Australia – My Grandma let me rip it out of her photo album before I moved here over 10 years ago. I believe my dads suspenders are the coolest thing I have ever seen, almost as stylish as my Grandma!”

This is a story about Vancouver, about British Columbia, and about it’s people… so they need your help. Visit Knowledge.ca/FonciesCorner to add your photos and stories to the collection.

We’re sharing a couple of Foncie photos here on V.I.A. each week. Learn about the exhibit happening NOW at the Museum of Vancouver HERE.

Vancouver Is Awesome is a proud media partner of Vancouver Draw Down 2013. The Drawing is Awesome project here on the blog showcases prominent Vancouverites participating in the Online Daily Drawing Project…

Name & Occupation: Constance Barnes is a Vancouver Park Board Commissioner.

Daily Drawing Project: “ Reflection ” (From Day 6 Online Daily Drawing)

Constance Barnes - 

“1) Hmmmmm the last thing I drew was silly pictures on my now grown children’s (23 & 25) Christmas presents. I like to use brown paper sometimes and snaz it up with art and old pictures of them.
2) I biked home thinking of the delicious dinner that I planned, garlic prawns with spaghetti squash and pesto…well PRESTO there she was a happy brilliant yellow squash just begging for some kick butt Constance Barnes doodle time!! I grabbed a a sharpie put on some Cat Stevens and snuggled up out on my wee balcony and started doodling!! Such fun and a true stress release!! So dinner and art – what a perfect Thursday night…now I will cook her up and enjoy this perfectly artistic evening. Yummy in more ways than one!!”

Visit the Online Daily Drawing Project running June 5 – June 14 in the 10 days leading up to Vancouver Draw Down, an annual daylong celebration of drawing on June 15 that offers free drawing workshops at over 35 locations around Vancouver.

Click here to check out past daily drawings by other prominent Vancouverites!

Vancouver Is Awesome is a proud media partner of Vancouver Draw Down 2013. The Drawing is Awesome project here on the blog showcases prominent Vancouverites participating in the Online Daily Drawing Project…

Name & Occupation: Liz Gleadle, first threw javelin at Kitsilano High, and went on to win 4 NAIA championships for UBC. She was a finalist in the 2012 Olympic Games and has her sights on a medal for 2016.

Daily Drawing Project: “ Convert & Draw! ” (From Day 5 Online Daily Drawing)

Visit the Online Daily Drawing Project running June 5 – June 14 in the 10 days leading up to Vancouver Draw Down, an annual daylong celebration of drawing on June 15 that offers free drawing workshops at over 35 locations around Vancouver.

Click here to check out past daily drawings by other prominent Vancouverites!