The Railway Stage & Beer Café will celebrate its 85th anniversary with a full weekend of live music April 6 to 8.
The 7 Railwayman's Club, as it was known, opened in 1932 as a private members club on Dunsmuir Street for the workers who were based out of the Canadian Pacific Railway terminal at the base of Seymour St. — now the SeaBus Terminal. It operated continuously for 84 years, most famously as a live music destination, before closing in 2016.
After sitting vacant the club reopened in 2017 as the Railway Stage & Beer Café with extensive renovations including an upgraded sound system and stage and a revamped kitchen and craft beer program. The new management, led by local pub operators Chad Cole and Jeff Donnelly, invested in the room and kept the commitment to a full weekly schedule of live local music.
In April, that history is going to be celebrated with three days of live local music. The weekend kicks off Friday, April 6 with a four-band showcase featuring Friction Project, Aaron Trory, Sarah Wheeler, and Jazzberry Ram. On Saturday, the celebration goes all day with a Blues Brunch with Rob Montgomery followed by Jam Sessions featuring the Modelos and finishes with a rare small club show by Juno Award-winners Said the Whale.
The weekend wraps up on Sunday with Vancouver indie synthpop favourites Hey Ocean! whose members reunited in 2017 after a three-year hiatus spent pursuing solo projects.
"In a city where music venues come and go all the time, the Railway's 85th anniversary is a seriously big deal," David Vertesi of Hey Ocean! said in a press release. "It's a reminder of how important it is to protect and cultivate these spaces. I love that the recent renovations stayed true to the Railway's roots and I'm so glad they will continue to be a space for music, community, and, of course, good times for many years to come."
A limited number of tickets for Said the Whale will be released through showpass.com March 25th. Tickets for the Friday showcase are available for $10 at showpass.com while tickets for this special Hey Ocean! show will be made available through contests and promotions. For more information about these special events, visit the Railway Stage & Beer Cafe.
@sthomas10
