By: Noeka Nimmervoll, Staff Writer
Wintertime always brings a heavy feeling in my life; the cold weather and shorter days cause me to question if I’m on the right path, and if my efforts will ever amass into the dreamed life of success and fulfillment. It may not bring up this feeling in others, but I feel comforted knowing I’m not alone in my winter blues. An evening at Green Auto, a local music venue on Pandora St. and Victoria Drive, proved just that. On February 19, the venue showcased performances from Benzonn, Riun Garner, and slowcry, three slowcore local bands and performers.
Music lovers, fans, and friends filled the crowd all there to melt in the music and find some respite from the winter night.
I talked to Nathan Chiu, bassist and lead singer of slowcry, and Jamal Coykendall, guitarist and background vocalist, for more information.
slowcry’s performance at Green Auto was their first headline show as a band, and spoke to their commitment to Vancouver’s underground music subculture. They arranged the show with the venue and got several performers together. Despite the preconception that Vancouver has a cliquey music scene that makes it difficult to launch a music career, Coykendall thinks differently. He said, “There’s so much great talent here. And even though it is kind of tight-knit, there’s just so much opportunity and potential in Vancouver.” Chiu added, “There’s also this beautiful subculture [within the scene] that’s very much more open,” and pointed out that people often don’t see this perspective due to the difficulty of breaking into the underground scene.
To slowcry, it seems that part of the appeal of underground venues is the DIY aesthetic of said venues. According to Chiu, the human urge to engage in creative and artistic acts drives the success of these performances. “People are really drawn to that [DIY mindset] because things right now are more censored than ever . . . and art is not really scratching the human itch,” shared Chiu. He said that people are paying more attention to indie artists who perform from their bedrooms, attributing this attention to people pushing against the disconnect that is prevalent in modern society. These performances attract photographers, artists, and dancers alike, making it a rich place for networking and human connection.
The band’s sound is well suited for the wintertime, mixing its observational storytelling with a raw, grungy, and emotional sound. “slowcry definitely shines through in the winter,” said Coykendall. Benzonn, the first band of the night, performed a head-bob-inducing shoegaze set that mixed technical talent with raw performance, ending in a messy mosh pit. The next performer, Riun Garner, sang sweet and slow songs for all the indie boys tucked away in the crowd, and left the crowd wanting more. slowcry performed upbeat, grungy songs that put a smile on everyone’s face as they grooved. In the middle of slowcry’s set, Chiu said to the crowd, “If you’ve been sad this winter, you’re not alone.” It was hard to imagine a cheery guy like that being sad, but it goes to show that we are all human. We are all getting through winter the same way — one day at a time. Often alone, but when we can, we do it together.
