When you don't actually live in Vancouver, you miss big chunks of the culture there, even if you're interested.
Like, I never saw the Scramblers. Heard of them. Never saw them. Their album wasn't released back at the time, so my artifact-centered music consumption - commuting in from the suburbs to bring music back to my cave - never really took them in. I was in the dark enough that when Howard Rix took the stage to do some Iggy covers with Rude Norton at the Cobalt in 2009, he totally shocked me with his talent. He did "I Got a Right," "I Wanna Be Your Dog," and "No Fun," very nearly giving Iggy a run for the money in his energy of delivery. It stands out as one of the highlights of my visits to the Cobalt, but part of what I remember is my shock, wondering who the hell Rix was, where he came from, and how I'd missed him.
I can't say I ever followed that curiosity up. I only got to see him one more time, again with Rude Norton mates Brian Goble and Jon Card, in the band The Trespassers, I think during a Japan earthquake relief show at the Venue. I liked the band a lot, but have no equally vivid memories of the show. Pretty sure that's the only other time I saw Howard Rix. but it was enough to know that Vancouver has suffered a huge loss.
My condolences to those who knew him better.
Hey, check it out, there's an Eargoggles video from that night, but not of Rix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvRJ1MFozWU
ReplyDeleteBut then Clay Holmes gets on it and here y'all go, Howard Rix and Rude Norton at the Cobalt:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?t=33&v=UTR9kSmRnOw