Keithmas 2020! A return to the Rickshaw (virtually)

Damn I love the Rickshaw. It's the venue I was most scared for when COVID restrictions hit - the warmest, most welcoming place to see live music in Vancouver and the locale in Vancouver that I'm most happy to go to, record stores and David M's apartment aside. While there are plenty of good venues in this city - places with good sound, good lighting, good stages - a lot of them have an impersonal, corporate vibe, a little too clean, a little too polished, a little too perfect. I go to shows at the Imperial or the Venue in spite of the venues, not because of them. Even places I truly like seeing live music at - the Commodore has to be mentioned - have annoying features, like an overzealous and inconvenient mandatory bag check policy and a glut of security telling you how you may or may not enjoy yourself; more than once I've settled into a show having to swallow bile at the hurdles I've had to leap on the way in (to say nothing of that stairway!). There are other places I like - Lanalou's, even the Princeton - but for larger-scale shows, my favourite for years has been the Rickshaw, and so it remains, even with COVID. I'm very glad to see that Mo has held out, and continues to hold out, and is looking for new ways to make the Rickshaw feasible until such a time as we can actually go see live shows there again... 

Granted, the Rickshaw doesn't smell as bad as the vintage wendythirteen Cobalt did - the worst smell I have ever acquired a fondness for - but aroma aside, the Rickshaw has just as much character, an appealing history (as a Shaw Brothers-owned kung fu movie venue in the heart of Chinatown!) and a genuine music fan who owns it, Mo Tarmohamed, whom I have interviewed at some length once or twice before. And though the walk to the venue isn't great, I'd rather run the gauntlet of the disenfranchised, mentally ill, and dirt poor than dodge drunks, bar stars, and the obnoxiously overprivileged en route to the Vogue... which makes an interesting point of contrast with the Rickshaw: it likely has an interesting history too, and I've seen some great shows there (Nick Cave especially!) but I have never felt any personal connection at all to the space. Plus I've seen more violence on Granville Street than at Hastings and Main, come to think of it. And the main problem with the DTES is not that I dislike its residents, it's that I feel compassionate for them and don't want to feel like I should give them all my money and devote my life, Christlike, to their service; I feel more threatened by my own compassion than I do by the spare-changers themselves. Between giving them money to buy food (or drugs) and buying myself some merch and a couple of beers... well...

No one will panhandle me on the way to Keithmas' first online edition tonight (also streaming tomorrow and the next day, note), but before we get to the actual show - which features Joe Keithley, the Odds, Big Sugar and others performing Rolling Stones covers in honour of the birthday of Keith Richards - we have to check in with Mo about the Rickshaw and the challenges of changing it into a venue for livestreaming, rather than live music. 

Mo writes: 

I was hoping to send you something long winded, but alas, I am running short on time. I have been surprisingly busy the past few weeks. So, what's taking up my time?

A lot of scheduling and re-rescheduling of previously cancelled shows. It's all still guesswork on when we will be back to normal. Touring acts have to make sure that they will be able to play in enough venues to make it worth their while. If provinces and states are at various disparate stages in their re-opening, then it's going to be difficult for bands to book a tour. Even if the Canadian government gives us the green light to go ahead, international acts (that is, from Europe, South America, etc) will hold off until they can hit all of the major North American markets. Having said that, Canadian, specifically local, performers will see larger attendances at their shows when local venues finally open again. Firstly, local performers will not be competing with bands coming over the border, initially, but more importantly, I really think that there will be a pent up demand for all things related to the arts. A lot of people who had previously taken live music for granted now finally realize how much they miss going to a concert after months just staying at home baking and watching Netflix.

We have also been busy producing live stream events; Keithmas will be the 12th one that we have been directly involved in since late June. We have recorded over 25 bands over that timeframe. Most of these recordings have been produced in-house, directed and edited by our production savant Rob Barrington, including Keithmas, Moonshinin' Fest, The Pack AD, Black Wizard, Wrecked Beach among others. We are developing strong competencies in filming and broadcasting such events, and we have received such positive feedback on the production quality of these shows that it's been intrinsically rewarding for my team and me. I had made a conscious decision ever since we went into lockdown in the middle of March to a) stay relevant - our visibility has not diminished at all since the pandemic brought everything to a halt, as our marketing guru Louise Wersching has been very creative with our social media posts and b) to utilize the room in any which way we could. To that end, Evan [Orville?] of Bishops Green was instrumental with helping us become COVID-19 compliant so that we could record a Bishops Green set and all subsequent live streams.

And then there's the Rickshaw merchandise. The response has been nothing short of amazing. People have been so supportive by gobbling up Rickshaw merch items that we have turned over our inventory at least twice since the pandemic started. We have also added more items such as scarves, toques, hats, coffee mugs and of course facemasks. (Note: this is Allan, not Mo - he ain't that crass - but you can order merch here!)

Mo continues: 

I am also busy applying for any and all subsidies and emergency funding to make sure that we're still around when this whole nightmare ends. If people would like to support the Rickshaw they can do so by purchasing tickets to our live streams (if these streams happen to be behind a paywall) and or by donating to the Rickshaw so that we can produce more live streams. And we have a new shipment of merch that just arrived. Folks can go to our website (rickshawtheatre.com) for show and merch information. [Actually, Mo, I couldn't find the merch link on your website but I put it up above, so it's all good].

End Mo! Al writes: 

As for Keithmas, I suddenly have a newfound interest in the Stones. It started with the Pointed Sticks a couple of Keithmases ago (well-documented with photos from the great bev davies, here): the Sticks dressed in period gear and did a couple of very old Stones songs - "Down Home Girl," "Mother's Little Helper" and "Out of Time" got me excited to hear more early Stones, which led to at least one purchase of a Stones record at a pawn shop in Mission (hi, Ed; hi, Eric. $10 for the mono pressing is not bad at all!). The Bad Beats' "Off the Hook" helped a bit, too. Plus Erika got me my favourite-ever Stones album, Their Satanic Majesties' Request, in a special edition the next Christmas - again, also including a mono mix of the album, which is vastly cooler than the stereo (which, among other things, puts Mick's vocals all on one channel!). 

In terms of early, Brian-Jones-era Stones, those records sufficed for a long time, until various unrelated pressures and influences got me into buying The Beatles in Mono, which led to a very educational chat with David M., during which I learned that, besides that Beatles box, the Rolling Stones singles box set The London Years actually featured mono mixes of both the A-sides *AND* the B-sides of all those early Stones singles, including some great songs I had previously ignored (like "Child of the Moon." Wow!) and/or only ever heard in fake, rechanneled stereo. I probably wouldn't have bothered with that set at all - I tend to ignore comps, since overemphasizing hits can ruin the experience of listening to a whole album, creating an imbalance in how well you know the songs - had I not learned it was mostly in mono. Far from being the "old and lousy" to stereo's glowing "new and improved," mono is increasingly seeming the way to go for anything of this era. I relish hearing these songs how they were originally mixed, with the artist's participation, and not as they were slopped together after-the-fact by some bored or incompetent engineer because some label said, "We need a stereo mix of this." Too often, the fake stereo mixes of albums originally released in mono simply don't sound right, with the vocals all in one channel or sounds scattered in bizarre ways across a sprawling and disorganized audio-field; they're shaped all weird, basically, whereas the mono mixes are full and rich and focused, and most importantly, usually are the only true representation of the intent of the artist. M. gave me a few comparison cuts - toggling with his magic remote between mono, stereo, and even a few 5.1 mixes of Beatles songs (and a couple of Stones ones), and I went on a hunt and acquired that Stones package: 3 CDs used at Zulu for under $20, which I cannot at all complain about (they have the LP version on their wall, too, but it's a bit pricier!). 

...So I've been listening to that more than I have the Beatles box, actually, and am *primed* for Keithmas this year. 

So without asking anyone what songs they're going to play, what are people's favourite periods of the Stones? Joe Keithley of DOA - who will be playing with DOA alum Floor Tom Jones and Rich Hope bassist Erik Nielsen - says "my fave Stones period is the Sticky Fingers/Exile on Main St. era; I would have been in junior or senior high by that point." I would have answered the same up until recently. Joe - whose last show was opening for the Dead Kennedys in Washington, DC, on March 12th - promises that tonight's set will be "kind of a punk rock take on the Stones." 

Joe Keithley at the Rickshaw, July 6 2018, by bev davies, not to be reused without permission

Like Joe, Scott Smith, the guitar player with Rock N' Roll Circus, has played the Rickshaw many times before. "I think I've done nine of the ten Keithmases playing guitar with Rich Hope," he explains. His favourite Stones period "changes every year. Right now I'm really digging the early Stones period when they did a lot of R&B and blues covers. Last year I was really into the sleazy mid to late 70's stuff (Black and Blue through to Emotional Rescue)."

All the same - putting him in company with Joe and my usual self, he adds, "if I had to pick ONE period it would be 69 to 72, the Mick Taylor years." Check out the newest album by Rock N' Roll Circus, Bottle Rockets and Cherry Bombs, here. 

We know how Joe's been keeping productive during COVID, since he's now a Burnaby City Counselor; what about Scott? "I've been doing a lot of recording both for my own projects and for other peoples albums. I released an album of pedal steel instrumentals in April called Lifeboat: Explorations in Pedal Steel and my blues band Terminal Station released our third album, called Brotherhood, in early November. Doing lots of livestreaming, some smaller gigs, 'drive-in' shows on the Prairies, socially distanced theatre shows, etc. Writing songs with people, demoing songs. . . . Taking the kids to school..."

Matt of Rempel and the Rousers, meanwhile - a group comprised of members of the Tranzmitors, Ballantynes, and Mandates - hails from Calgary, so he hasn't been to the Rickshaw quite as often, tho' he did once see the Tranzmitors there, he says. (He notes that they have a "pretty good bass player"). Matt's favourite Stones album is Let It Bleed, and he's been spending "a lot of time with my Rubik's Cube" to while away the COVID lockdown.    

Meanwhile, Rempel - no, not Gord, but Rempel Roquette - lists her favourite recent Rickshaw experience as seeing the Black Halos. "So many pals were there, and they sounded great." . And Mike of that band - said Tranzmitors bassist - lists as his Rickshaw high point, "Opening for The Sonics with The Flintettes, playing with The Tranzmitors, and having Jade Blade from The Dishrags sing with us!"

This will be Rempel and the Rousers' first show (though they also have an upcoming single - keep an ear out). Rempel favours "the disco era" of the Stones, so I'm guessing we'll be hearing some Emotional Rescue-era songs from her new band. 

By contrast, Keithmas will not be the first show, or the first Rickshaw Show, or indeed the first Keithmas for the Wild North - a band that Rob Frith of Neptoon Records has recommended to me on more than one occasion, though I have only seen them briefly during Car-Free Day in front of his shop. I don't know them well, tho' I especially like their use of Freewheelin' Franklin in a gig poster. With a tiny turnaround, I was unable to hail the Wild North (or the Odds, or Big Sugar, or Bend Sinister, or a bunch of other bands playing Keithmas tonight, but I did ask Rob Frith to give a wee testimonial. He tells me that "The Wild North showcases some of the best players in town. Elliot, lead singer, has been active in the local music community for years and has been a mainstay of the Keithmas shows. I'll never forget seeing them at a Halloween show a few years ago. They were doing a Flying Burrito Brothers tribute. They all came out dressed as Burritos with wings. It was a witty and energetic performance. They are an amazing, talented band and always give 100%. They are well worth the price of admission."

Tickets for tonight's show (again, also available to stream through the weekend) are $15, with proceeds going to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank. Even if you're not a livestream kinda person, it's pretty Christmassy to give some money to the food bank and it might be a fun break from all that Netflixing. Who knows, maybe it'll actually be super fun to sit down on the sofa without all that Keithmas crowding, consume the substances of your choice without havin' to line up to buy them, and with NO STAIRWAY BETWEEN YOU AND THE BATHROOM! 

Never been a fan of stairways. 

MERRY KEITHMAS!   

See the Rickshaw website for more, or visit the Keithmas Facebook page, or their merch store (note that there are Keithmas bundles, including t-shirts, toques, and raffle tickets, that will come up when you go to buy tickets, and that the whole event is in support of the Vancouver Food Bank!).