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Burlesque in the spotlight during festival season

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EIC
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Freaky Candy was featured at Vancouver's love letter to all thing burlesque.

The Vancouver International Burlesque Festival (VIBF) hit Hot Art Wet City and the Vancouver Playhouse earlier this month. For those who don’t know, the art form of burlesque is a combination of caricature, extravaganza, and parody, usually centred around the removal of the player’s clothing.

The festival kicked off at the Wise Hall with Diamonds in the Buff, an industry appreciation night that included a red carpet awards section called the “Buffies.” Unfortunately the party was closed to the general public, but it was a wonderful excuse — not that the people of burlesque require one! — to dress to the nines and celebrate the unique, local community.

VIBF featured the TED Talks-style show, TIT Talks, at Hot Art Wet City. Speakers presented their stories and perspectives, with two different shows for both local and international talent. Presenters at TIT Talks included UBC associate professor in the department of anthropology and sociology, Becki Ross, for her work on the history of burlesque in Vancouver; April March, the “First Lady of Burlesque,” who started doing burlesque in 1952; and life partners Mat Fraser — of American Horror Story: Freak Show fame — and Julie Atlas Muz, an award-winning performer.

The first show was the International Cabaret, featuring acts from globally renowned burlesque stars in classic showgirl acts — complete with rhinestones and feather boas — as well as comedic nerdcore performers who added a strong dose of satire to the stage. Living legend, April March, closed out the first half of the show to thunderous applause. Other acts included Axis d’Evil, the Luminous Pariah, Sweetpea, and Mat Fraser with Julie Atlas Muz.

Vancouver Uncovered featured a variety of local talent from Screaming Chicken Theatrical Society, the Vancouver Burlesque Centre, and other hubs of burlesque education. Hunter S. Johnson delivered a hilarious performance which comprised of moving from tacky tourist clothes to a crisp, sparkly suit. The Lost Girls provided cult neo-burlesque in an unconventional but sensual experience.

Tassel-twirling was a feature in many of the acts, and although some were lost (oops!) the performers carried on in confident style. Clothing was flung, poles were conquered, and the performances were amazing. There was never a dull moment, with hosts Betsy Bottom Dollar, Bastard Keith, Mister Nickel, Mat Fraser, EmpeROAR Fabulous, and Sailor St. Claire keeping the ball rolling and the jokes cracking between the main events.

If you couldn’t make it to the festival this year, there’s always next year. If you can’t wait that long, catch any number of local shows at the Fox Cabaret, the Biltmore Cabaret, the Wise Hall, or elsewhere. It’s a fun, flirty, and sexy night out on the town that you won’t forget. Be prepared for plenty of skin, boobs, and profanity — everyone’s three favourite things.

When you want to join in on the fun instead of just playing spectator, the Vancouver Burlesque Centre offers classes, workshops, and student showcases to show you how to strut your stuff and bare some fine skin.

CENTRE STAGE: Ballet BC closes 30th anniversary season and young talent shines in Arts Umbrella’s Expressions Festival

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EIC
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Scott Fowler (centre) and the 16 other dancers featured in Bill.

Program 3 – Ballet BC

May 12–14, Queen Elizabeth Theatre

Program 3 closes Ballet BC’s 30th anniversary season. Finnish choreographer Jorma Elo’s I and I am You and artistic director Emily Molnar’s 16 + a room are remounts first seen in 2013, and the third piece on the bill was a Canadian premiere, Bill, by choreographers Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar.

Eyal and Behar’s style is full of instinctive, animalistic energy. Bill opens with a lone dancer centre stage, clad in a full-body yellow jumpsuit and cavorting with an almost cartoon-like gaiety. Later in the piece, 16 dancers join him on stage, some of them standing in a circle and shrieking like angry birds. The choreography was pulsating and visceral, and the tight jumpsuits emphasized the statuesque figure of the human form. The piece was stunning and evocative, but the ending seemed sudden and unplanned.   

Elo’s I and I am You presented a contrast between sharp movements, to place the dancers into specific positions and more sweeping movements that produced a hopeful tone. The lightest of the three works in terms of tone, it provided balance to the other works.

Molnar’s 16+ a room, as the title suggests, involves 16 dancers and a bare stage. The music is full of dissonant pops and crackles, and the dancers are dressed in shades of black and grey. With a wink at the audience, signs reading “This is a beginning” and “This is not the end” are paraded across the stage. The cohesive thematic message of Molnar’s work was very strong, and her choreography shone most when all 16 dancers were on stage moving together with the power of a locomotive and the grace of a swan.  

Julius Caesar – Arts Umbrella

Expressions Festival

May 12, 14, 19, 21, 22, Waterfront Theatre

At just over an hour, this abridged version of Shakespeare’s classic political tragedy hit on the highlights of the play but, at times, felt rushed and lacking in depth. With a sparse stage and few props, the set design could be seen as rudimentary, but it did allow for the focus to be on the actors and their lines. The words of Shakespeare, after all, carry the play no matter the version, and these young actors brought out the relevance of this timeless story.     

While some scenes felt a bit forced, there were many moments of intense emotional connection between characters, such as a heart to heart between Brutus (Raquel Neumann) and Cassius (Bonnie Duff). It’s difficult to overcome the audience’s anticipation for seeing Caesar slaughtered and the deaths that follow, as the conspirators begin to take their own lives and each other’s. These actors delivered Shakespeare’s difficult lines with ease. I commend the senior theatre troupe for taking on this immense piece of theatre.

The Drowsy Chaperone – Arts Umbrella

Expressions Festival

May 13, 15, 17, 18, 20–22, Waterfront Theatre

Before the lights come up, we hear a voice in the dark telling us that he loves the moment of anticipation when waiting for a show to start. He explains that in those moments he usually prays for the show to be short and for the performers to stay out of the audience. Finally, we see that the voice belongs to a man sitting in his living room beside his record player. He describes his favourite musical, The Drowsy Chaperone, and when he plays the record for us his apartment fills with zany 1920s musical theatre characters.

The plot of the show is simple: a showgirl falls in love and plans to give up her career to become a wife. Her producer tries to stop the wedding, and Aldolpho, the dimwitted stock European, sleeps with the wrong woman in an attempt to woo the bride. After plenty of musical numbers the show ends with four weddings and a sugary sweet happily ever after.  

The Man in the Chair (Paterson How), provides commentary throughout the show. With great comedic instincts, I can see him easily fitting into the professional theatre world. Other stars of the show included the chaperone (played by Haley Goldin the night I saw the show). Once you get over the fact that she’s drinking while underage, her strong voice shows she is mature beyond her years. Likewise, Janet the showgirl (Abigail Holmes when I saw the show) showed off her own vocal chops, while Kitty (Katherine Matlashewski) played the ditzy wannabe showgirl perfectly. She reminded me of a young Frenchie from Grease, and I can see her fitting right into a show like that.  

The Peak Board of Directors’ Meeting | May 26

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EIC
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Peak Publications Society Board of Directors Meeting Agenda

May 25, 2016

The Peak offices

Chair: Max Hill

In Attendance:

  • Maia Odegaard (Board Secretary, non-voting)
  • Max Hill (Editor-in-Chief)
  • Tamara Connor (Collective Rep)
  • Kevin Rey (Collective Rep)
  • Thadoe Wai (At-large Rep)
  • MuhammadQasim Dewji (Employee Rep)
  • Jess Whitesel (Guest)

 

  • Call to Order

 

  • Approval of Agenda

 

  • Approval of past minutes from April 21, 2015

 

  • Financial update

 

Maia to present the state of the Society’s finances through April 2016.

 

  • Discussion of Proposal to Divest from Fossil Fuels

 

Kevin Rey to present his proposal.

 

  • News and Associate News stipend (tabled last board meeting)

 

Tamara to present the proposal on behalf of the news team.

 

  • Infographic subscription proposal

 

Proposal written by Nathan Ross, presented by Tamara Connor.

 

  • New couches for the office meeting area

 

Maia to present proposal to purchase new couches for the meeting area.

 

  • Summer workshops in Minnesota

 

Some editors have expressed interest in attending the ACP/CMA summer workshops in Minneapolis, MN. The Board will discuss the feasibility of budgeting for this event.

 

  • Adjournment

Peak Publications Society Board of Directors Meeting Agenda

April 21, 2016

Hub Restaurant

Chair: Max Hill

In Attendance:

  • Maia Odegaard (Board Secretary, non-voting)
  • Max Hill (Editor-in-Chief)
  • Tamara Connor (Collective Rep)
  • Kevin Rey (Collective Rep)
  • Thadoe Wai (At-large Rep)

Regrets:

  • MuhammadQasim Dewji (Employee Rep)

 

  • Call to Order 6:12 p.m.

 

  • Approval of Agenda

 

Kevin/Thadoe

All in favour

 

  • Approval of past minutes from March 15, 2015

 

Tamara/Kevin

All in favour

 

  • Financial update

 

Maia presented the spring budget through March 2016 (see appendix A)

Tamara/Thadoe

All in favour

 

  • Investment update

 

Maia presented the Society’s investment portfolio through March 2016 (see appendix B). The investments are holding fairly steady.

 

  • Pay increase for editorial team

 

BIRT all stipend positions receive a 10% pay increase effective May 2016.

BIFRT all job descriptions are amended to reflect the pay increase and will state that overtime will not be paid, but staff are able to apply for an additional stipend, subject to approval by the PPS Board of Directors.

Kevin/Thadoe

All in favour

 

  • Adjustment of job descriptions

 

See further resolution in item 6.

 

  • Leaving InMotion Hosting

 

Qasim and Maia to investigate other hosting services and the process of migrating from InMotion.

No vote.  

 

  • News Editor and Associate News Editor stipend

 

Motion tabled until item can be further discussed with parties involved.

 

  • Desks

 

The board discussed moving all staff desk assignments to better accommodate team work.

No vote.

 

  • Adjournment 7:37 p.m.

 

Approved by ________________________________ & __________________________________ on May 26, 2016.

Hedley wows hometown crowd

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Peak Web
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Local boys Hedley wowed Rogers Area for their final tour stop.

By: Courtney Miller and Eric Smith

Hedley took Rogers Arena by storm at the final show of the Canadian leg of their Hello World Tour. Francesco Yates started the show off strong with a solid, high-energy performance, complete with superb falsetto. He and his bassist even had some synchronized dance moves for the funky “Better to Be Loved.” Yates ended on “Sugar,” arguably his most well-known tune.

Carly Rae Jepsen took the reins next, opening with “Run Away with Me” off E·MO·TION. Most of her set came from her latest album, and sadly nothing from before Kiss was played. Her performance was intimate — she seems more natural and at home on a smaller stage — but spot-on. Surprisingly, she did not end on “Call Me Maybe,” though she did have the entire audience singing and dancing along. Instead, “I Really Like You” took the coveted finale slot to keep the singalong kicking.

Hedley introduced themselves with an inspirational video about #ChangeAgents. This initiative helps people recognize world problems and connects individuals to make a #Someday where those problems are fixed. Following directly was a small sitcom-style skit introduction, which got the audience laughing and ready for a fun, crazy night.

From the get-go, frontman Jacob Hoggard was bouncing from one side of the stage to the other, never letting up as the band exploded onto the stage to “Hello.” The band’s stage presence was phenomenal, with guitarist Dave Rosin and bassist Tommy Mac also moving freely about the stage.

The sound was great, the vocals coming in at a decent volume over of the drums, bass, and guitar. They played a sweet medley of their song “Never Too Late” sandwiching “Lean On” by Major Lazer and DJ Snake, featuring MØ, “Sorry” by Justin Bieber, and “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson, featuring Bruno Mars.

“Can’t Slow Down” was next, and I’m still not sure why they auto-tuned Hoggard’s great voice. Then they switched gears to older stuff like “Gunnin’,” “For the Nights I Can’t Remember,” and “Perfect.” The audience went nuts during “Lose Control,” thanks to the great showmanship from the entire band.

They also did a rendition of “Unchained Melody” dedicated to Hoggard’s Nona who was in the crowd. Next Hoggard appeared in the audience and serenaded the crowd with his acoustic guitar, before joining the rest of the band on the main stage.

The night was made even more memorable by an extra song, “I Won’t Let You Go (Darling),” that Hoggard added to the set-list because it was his little sister Amanda’s birthday. It was a sweet, touching moment — the soft beauty of the song mixing with the palpable emotion in his voice. There were some teary audience members by the end.

Hedley ended on “Anything,” and though I wasn’t a fan of the song when it came out, there’s something deeply moving and inspiring about so many people banding together, screaming “Fuck that, I can do anything.” The only downside to the evening was that drummer Chris Crippin was injured. He did, however, emerge at the end of the show to take a deserved bow with his bandmates and fill-in drummer. – CM

 

 

I rarely go to concerts because they’re overpriced in Vancouver. That said, I got a Groupon deal on Hedley tickets and decided, why the hell not.

When I got to Rogers Arena, I noticed I was surrounded by mostly pre-teens and likely many families from Abbotsford and Mission, that were there to support local talent.

As I took my seat, Francesco Yates and his afro took the stage with some wannabe Mick Jagger moves. Yates’ voice had excellent range and reminded me of the late-legend Prince himself. It came as no surprise to me when I later learned he won Breakthrough Artist of the Year at the 2016 Juno Awards.

After Yates finished, Carly Rae Jepsen got the crowd singing along to her international hit “Call Me Maybe” and ended with her more current hit “I Really Like You.”

I overheard one father say he only came for Carly Rae, and that he was going to leave after her opening act. To both that man’s and my surprise, Hedley blew us away.

Hedley opened with “Hello” — a great choice for an introductory song, and coincidentally the name of their newest album and tour. The setlist included new and old hits, as well as a cover of Justin Bieber’s “Sorry” and Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk.”

Lead singer Jacob Hoggard led a singalong on piano to the hit “For the Nights I Can’t Remember” and stopped to complain the Vancouver crowd wasn’t singing well enough, comparing us to Toronto. This sparked a huge reaction from his Vancouver fans.

Perhaps the highlight of Jacob Hoggard’s in-between-songs comedy act was confiscating a girl’s cellphone for texting during his concert. He went through her texts, making boyfriend jokes, which led to Hoggard calling the girl’s “daddy” on stage.

All in all, it was a memorable performance, and Vancouver fans definitely got their money’s worth. All of my expectations for this concert were surpassed, and I think it was because there was a “proud to be a Vancouverite” vibe that echoed throughout Rogers Arena. I left the concert a little prouder to be a Vancouverite, knowing we have incredible local talent. – ES

Album Reviews

By
EIC
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Anohni – HOPELESSNESS

By Beau Bridge

The debut release of Anohni is a jewel to behold. She heads straight for the gut with the phenomenally strong opening track “Drone Bomb Me” — the general of an army of 10 knights.

Each of the album’s 11 songs is a euphoric ball of synth-electronica with a sharp core of political protest against Western capitalism, modern technology, and the slow downfall of contemporary society. A surprising product which could come from none other than the former lead singer of a band known for sad piano ballads — Antony and the Johnsons.

The approachable pop style that is reflective of our current nostalgically ‘80s zeitgeist (i.e. Swift’s 1989, The 1975, etc.) mixes perfectly with the strength of Anohni’s voice to produce an album that defies the segregation of pop and art. Contrary to its title, there is a hope in music, in government, and in the world that is still standing on its weak legs.

James Blake – The Colour in Anything

By Zainah Merani

Reaching into the very depths of our souls, James Blake has yet again moved us into another dimension of time. Since his last release in 2013, we have been waiting tirelessly for this moment — the moment where we feel things we didn’t even know were humanly possible.

The electronic R&B artist captures us with his unique voice and his even more unique beats, transporting us into a world of complete (un)awareness. I can’t even describe how I feel about the tracks on this album — the only thing I know for sure is that no other artist has ever made me feel so close to them. Passion seeps from every moment, every second of The Colour in Anything. Every track is extremely different from the other, yet it has this uncanny ability to come together oh so gracefully and take over your soul, if only for one hour and 17 minutes.

Strumbellas – Hope

By Tessa Perkins

The Strumbellas’ third album has recently gone Gold in Canada, and their breakout hit, “Spirits,” keeps gaining momentum. With lyrics like “I’ll be a dreamer ’til the day I die / But they say oh, how the good die young,” this single is immediately infectious. As soon as “Spirits” comes on the radio, you find yourself turning up the volume and rolling down the windows.

The rest of the album is equally worth your time, and presents a mix of slower, folk- and country-inspired tunes. “Shovels and Dirt” references banjos, cowboy hats, and a strong work ethic. “Young and Wild” is a likely candidate for their next single with its singalong potential and carefree theme. Their alternative country sound is refreshing, with an edge of raspy vocals and the same rousing melodies that thrust Mumford & Sons into the spotlight.

This is a hopeful, beautifully crafted collection of songs that I look forward to enjoying many times over.

The Pack a.d. explores a funner sound on their latest release

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EIC
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The Pack A.D. Rebecca Blissett Photograph

The Pack a.d. played a hometown show at The Cobalt, a smoky bar with a disco ball that provides great rock ambience. For those who missed the live performance, The Pack a.d. recently released a music video for their latest single “So What,” off their upcoming record, Positive Thinking. Joined by Glad Rags and Dead Soft, the show was high-tempo from the get-go. The two openers took well to their mission to amp up the crowd. Once the Pack a.d. appeared in the wing of the stage, the crowd was roaring for them to begin.

The female duo market themselves as having a lot of sound for only being two people, and they are not wrong. Singer and guitarist Becky Black and drummer Maya Miller used their garage band/psych-pop style to get the Cobalt positively humming with excitement. Combined with their surprisingly good stage presence — despite being restrained by mic stands and a drum kit — the Pack a.d. is a musical force to be reckoned with.

The Peak got to chat with Miller following the back-to-back nights at the Cobalt. On the performances, she said, “They went great, yeah, super. It was really great to play something smaller again, just to get a real sort of punk-feel back. [May 13] was good and sweaty — it was pretty hot.”

The Pack a.d. formed 10 years ago, after the end of the duo’s summer fling band. They got started on music on a whim, recalled Miller.

“I can’t even remember who said it, but someone was like, ‘Oh, we should be a band,’ and then all of a sudden — within a week — we were all buying instruments. So we made a band, and that band didn’t last, but through it, Becky and I found that we played well together. We liked the same stuff.”

They originally named themselves The Pack, recounted Miller, “Because we like wolves. And then there was another The Pack in California. A rap group. They were giving us grief so we added the a.d,” she laughed. “[E]very single album we go to make, we think ‘Oh, this is the time, we’re gonna do it. We’re gonna drop the a.d.,’ but it’s already so ingrained for anybody else that it’s just what it is.”

Miller and Black played “So What” at the shows, because according to Miller, “Everything from the upcoming album is really fun.” That doesn’t mean they’ve changed: “We’re still the same band. It’s only one facet of the album. There’s traces of that throughout the album, but there’s definitely heavier psych rock songs,” said Miller. “Creepin’ Jenny” also made an appearance, and for Miller, “That’s kind of a personal favourite.”

Miller’s open to branching out in their music in the future, too. “If there was some way I could throw some rap in there, I probably would, but it hasn’t happened yet.” She listens to a lot of rap, and Black listens to psych rock and ’80s music. Miller specified that the music she likes to listen to and the music she likes to play are different: “I really enjoy playing rock.”

A writer in addition to being a drummer, if Miller wasn’t in the Pack a.d. she’d be “Slogging away at writing for film and TV.” According to Miller, Black “[w]ould be pursuing her neuroscience aspirations.” However, Miller advised that if you like music, “Always pursue music. It gets you at different spots. Neither of us had any thought of going into music, and did it on a whim, but it’s a whim that lasts. Music’s a very gratifying profession.”

Catch the Pack a.d. this summer as they embark on a cross-country tour — with a few stops in the US — and stay tuned for their August release, Positive Thinking.

The best and worst summer songs of the past 10 years

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EIC
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Ah, summer. A time for patio drinking, long road trips, and getting sunburnt on the beach.

While all of these are part of having a successful season, the most important part of summer is the music. It’s the kind of music that you want to get day-drunk on pitchers of sangria to; the kind that says roll the windows down and push the speed limit, but also the kind of music you can chill on a beach to.

Summer songs are hard to define, much like when summer — not the season determined by the sun — actually starts. Is it the first day you wear flip-flops, or is it when the patio opens? Our friends at Billboard say summer is from mid-May to mid-September, and put together handy lists of summer songs based on their charts.

But are any of these actually capable of capturing the feelings of summer, and what I expect from a summer song? Based on my super biased, feelings-based definition of what a summer song is, here are my five best, and worst, summer songs of the past 10 years — presented in chronological order.

Best:

“Lose Control” – Missy Elliott feat. Ciara and Fatman Scoop (2005): OK. Stick with me for this one. At first listen it doesn’t have the classic summer song vibe, but the more you listen to it you realize it has the perfect mix of upbeat and chill to make a great summer jam.

“I Kissed a Girl” – Katy Perry (2008): It might be overplayed now, but when it was released it was fresh and perfect for the summer, with its fun yet slightly chill vibe.

“Give Me Everything” – Pitbull feat. Ne-Yo, Afrojack, and Nayer (2011): I could solely be saying this is a great summer song for nostalgic reasons, but this was the song that summer. I road-tripped, drank on patios, and got sunburnt on the beach to this song. 

“Summer” – Calvin Harris (2014): This is just a really fun summer song. Harris knew what he was doing when he named it “Summer,” even if it does come across as a little self-aggrandizing for a song title.

“Lean On” – Major Lazer and DJ Snake feat. MØ (2015): This is a summer jam. It’s fun and screams ‘Let’s get turnt,’ but is also chill so you won’t get kicked out of anywhere for getting too turnt either.

Worst:

“You and Me” – Lifehouse (2005): We get it, this song was big in the summer. But if I remember slow dancing to it in middle school and high school, it’s not a summer song.

“Unfaithful” – Rihanna (2006): Ah, nothing says summer fun like breaking your SO’s heart so much that you feel like you are killing them. Well, not really — but hey, summer is when the song came out.

“Hey There Delilah” – Plain White T’s (2007): No. Not fun, not summer, and super overplayed. But to be fair, even when it was new it was never a summer song.

“Bleeding Love” – Leona Lewis (2008): I do still think of being stuck inside working at Safeway during the summer when I hear this song. But this is just too depressing to be a good summer jam.

“Fight Song” – Rachel Platten (2015): It’s empowering, but I didn’t like it as a summer song when it was new last year. It doesn’t give a fun, carefree, I’m-just-here-to-have-a-good-time vibe.

Despite the uphill battle Black Sea was a labour of love

By
EIC
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Even when they are just hanging around you can see that they are doing something they love.

See below for more photos from the night. All photos courtesy of Chris Ho. 

 

Post-punk Calgary band Ultrviolence kicked off a mini-tour with their EP release party in Vancouver at the Emerald in Chinatown. Black Sea is their latest, following 2012’s Burn then Shine EP. During an interview with The Peak, singer and bassist Nate J., drummer Kirk Power, and guitarist Ali Abbas discussed the uphill battle it took to make Black Sea a reality.

Power: It’s taken two years to get to this point.

J.: It’s been quite the hardship.

Abbas: The plates kept on breaking. Every time they’d get pressed, something would go wrong with the plates.

It took four broken plates, one “bunk test pressing,” and one remaster to get the EP out to the world, according to Power. Abbas joked that “it wasn’t meant to be,” and it certainly seems that way. The band hasn’t had an easy road. Their tour vehicle was at the mechanic’s the night of the show. It was spitting fire earlier.

J. and Power have been friends since childhood. They started the band in 2002, back when they were a “rock, metal, Danzig band,” said J. They made the switch to post-punk because “It seemed like a natural transition. . . and a more interesting avenue,” Power explained. Abbas only came on board two years ago, but their signature moody sound was tight on stage.

During every pause in singing throughout their set, J. would take the time to very enthusiastically dance to the music. In true post-punk form, the set was dark with sorrowful, with soulful lyrics and moody guitar and bass. The rollicking drum riffs helped elevate the sound to another level.

The fan favourites happily coincided with Ultrviolence’s own favourite songs to play. “One of my favourite songs, I think, is probably “Turn the Lights Off” — the first song,” said J. Abbas added that, “It gets things started.” Power really enjoyed their cover of an Actors song, which is a local band in the same genre. They ended on “Do You Love Me,” which has a “slow, jazzy bit” of which J. is a fan.

They also commented on their band name, saying that it’s drawn from New Order’s song “Ultraviolence,” but that they made themselves the modern version by leaving out letters. “It’s kind of a play on that. A bit satirical,” said J.

“A way to stand out, too. Especially because then Lana Del Rey had a record that came out right away that was called Ultraviolence. Every time you’d search, that’s the first thing that would come up,” added Power.

When asked to self-describe Black Sea, they said that, “it’s kind of our answer to second- or third-wave punk, like AFI. We just got the idea that that all these songs are very expressive, very dark, very moody, so we used that whole metaphor of oceans and waves for that specific reason.

“We just had to create that abstract commonality between everybody. It’s multi-dimensional and works on a lot of different levels.”

Ultrviolence’s tour ends in their hometown of Calgary, where they spend almost every spare moment in their out-of-town farmhouse practice and recording space. All three of them are car and motorcycle nuts, with Power building car engines and Abbas working on bikes. They all have ‘day jobs,’ but whether your dream is music or something else, the guys said “just do it and don’t give up. Just go no matter what, or how hard it is. Follow your heart and you’ll never fall.”

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Andrew Bird asks Are You Serious? in his latest release

By
EIC
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Ever since getting married and becoming a father Bird's music has become more domestic.

The first time I listened to Andrew Bird was a decade ago, cross-legged on my high school crush’s bedroom floor. The song was a release from one of his early projects, Andrew Bird’s Bowl of Fire. As I tapped my foot to the twisting violin, my crush asked me if I knew what I was listening to. I paused, focused on the winding falsetto, and hazarded a guess: “Billie Holiday?”

It is very unlikely that anyone would hear traces of Billie Holiday in Andrew Bird’s newest record Are You Serious? This speaks to how awful my ear is, as well as the ease with which Bird effortlessly moves along a continuum of sound.

Over the last two decades, Bird has released 13 studio albums, a number of EPs, collaborations, a score to the new Zach Galifianakis show Baskets, and singles — one of which was featured in the most recent season of Orange is the New Black. In doing so, Bird has traversed the unexplored corners and combinations of jazz, blues, folk, pop, and experimental classical soundscapes.

Yet there is still continuity to his music. Bird always sews together playful semantic puzzles and eerie whistling hooks, couching them in the cadence of his violin.

Prior to Are You Serious?, his last release was Echolocations: Canyon, a seven-track album that Bird recorded in Utah’s Coyote Gulch. Using the natural acoustics of the hollow space to whistle and play his violin, the environment became an interchangeable part of his songs, embedded in the aching draw of the violin. The stark and sweeping album plays in sharp contrast to the loud, raw licks of Are You Serious?, which also reflects the environment of its inception: the studio.

In an interview with The Peak, Bird described his new record as forceful, loud, and intentional. He approached it thinking that “If the record is dead or dying, let’s do one more attempt at a high-quality album. [I] was determined to get people in the room as good as [myself] or better.” As a result, he enlisted the help of a producer for the first time and sought to challenge conceptions about his sound.

Are You Serious? is “an act of restraint from a virtuosic record,” carving out space for lyrics and hooks to move to the fore. Bird explained that he wanted to “grab people by the gut,” scaling back on his use of the violin and focusing on a dense, tight rhythm section.

Acknowledging the central role the violin plays in his music, Bird substituted it for the whistle or the guitar on this record, explaining that, “[the violin] has a lot of associations that can pull you away from the matter at hand.” Bird joked about the “Celtic mists” that the violin can summon, adding that he seeks to move away from those associations, as well as the impression people get when they see him and think, “A whistling violinist — how cute, how whimsical.”

The opening track of the album, “Capsized,” smashes through any cartoonish conceptions listeners may have of Bird, as its distorted guitar and vocal effect are more reminiscent of Breaking Bad than Planet Earth. Bird pointed to this song as emblematic of the struggle with sparsity he had on the record, as he constantly removed layers of violin and whistling that he worried would distract the listener from the raw power of the track.

“Valleys of the Young” is another track that reflects the changes Bird has made on this album. It’s a simple and stunning song about the life adjustments that come with parenthood.

Bird explained the process to creating this song: “A couple months ago we were people without a kid and now we have a kid. . . [we’re] in the trenches thinking, why didn’t anyone help us?” Bird wanted the song to be unavoidable in its honesty. He crafted it as a scouring, overwhelming message in order to force the listener to confront the wild reality of parenting. Bird speaks to this reality as beautiful and shattering, because “when you have a child, it’s kind of like your heart is constantly broken for the rest of your life.”

Referring to his notorious and enigmatic wordplay, Bird explained that his love of lyrical ambiguity was pushed to the side for this record. Bird took himself to task on this record and challenged himself with honesty, because “I like to do the thing that feels like it’s asking the most.” Scaling back on the coded metaphors led to the creation of sharp and intentional lyrics, which carve a narrative arc through the album for the listener to rest in.

Are You Serious? finds Bird asking himself the titular question throughout his songs, whether he jokingly sings about health and chemotherapy, or quietly confronts the changes of adulthood. You can catch Bird at the Orpheum on May 21, for a show which he promises will be sharp, tight, and oh-so-groovy.

Ten reasons your cat thinks you’re an asshole

By
EIC
-
0

You may adore your fuzzy feline, but it feels quite the opposite about you. In truth, your cat probably thinks you’re a real ass-hat most of the time. It continually observes you and your strange human practices and has concluded that there are infinite reasons to hate you — but it doesn’t have time for that with all the midday naps she takes. So here are. . .

1) Your stinky friends.

I would not like to be coddled by all these odorous flesh bags, thank you.

2) Your strange hygiene practices.

You waste so much time washing your genitals manually. You ought to try licking them clean instead.

3) Your forceful belief in your hygiene practices.

The amount of dried shit in my fur isn’t unreasonable at all. Honestly, I really don’t understand what the big fuss is about.

4) Your irregularly hairless body.
Your unsightly nude figure makes me wretch.

5)  Your vegetable choices.

If you ever bring another cucumber into this house, I will shit on your dead mother’s satin pillowcases.

6) Your trust in veterinarians.

Health? If death wants me, she can have me — I just never want that man’s finger in my asshole again.

7) The dirty poop box.

It’s a warzone in there, man. You go into a dark room full of week-old shit to relieve yourself and tell me how you feel. I, however, will enjoy a pleasant piss on the couch.

8) Your rejection of gifts.

It’s only polite that you feast on the mangled mouse corpse a cat has brought for you to enjoy. It’s really just simple manners — I don’t understand why you insist on being so extravagantly rude.

9) Your alien dialect.

Look I don’t understand what you’re yelling about, but I just wanted to inform you that I may have puked on the rug several times. Just in case you weren’t already aware. Watch your step!

10) Your prolonged absences.
Baby needs rubs, and baby needs rubs often. I guess I’ll just have to pass the time knocking over your mother’s urn. Maybe then I can have a clean place to shit.

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Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

Contact us: [email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society 1965-2024

Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

Contact us:
[email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society 1965-2024