How to Visit the Vancouver Folk Music Festival for the first time: tips for noobs

Have you been to the Vancouver Folk Music Festival yet? (I'm writing this piece with noobs in mind). 

Don't be shy about it, if you haven't: I am only just getting started with the myself; now in its 48th year, I began with year 45 -- and I'm so glad I did. That was in 2022, their first year back after an obligatory COVID hiatus, where I was drawn especially by Alejandro Escovedo and Frazey Ford, and ended up becoming a fan of Allison Russell (but I wrote about a few other things I saw that year here). 

Ford Pier was central to the experience, as shown by Erik Iversen

I attended again in 2023, the year that was almost cancelled, and wrote about it here -- that was the year of Ferron, Amythyst Kiah, and William Prince, and the year where Rich Hope lead the Grateful Dead’s “Truckin’” as part of the American Beauty showcase. I attended again in 2024 -- here's one of a few things I did that year; my Grace Petrie interview also came out of that festival, taking place, in fact, next door to the media tent at the festival, though the interview didn't run until months later, when she came back to town for Rogue Folk. 

With Amythyst Kiah, Folk Fest 2023, by Ron Stewart 

As of this morning, I have piece online with Montecristo that stands as a "temperature check" on VFMF 2025, dealing with how it's weathering the challenges of the post-pandemic landscape, focusing on an interview with Artistic Director Fiona Black. Having talked a bit with Steve Dawson last year about his collaborations with Black, apropos of his Highway 61 Re-Imagined showcase, it seemed quite natural to talk to her next. She's an obliging, engaging, and generous interview, but it turned out to be a piece that took me well out of my comfort zone, as I'd never interviewed someone about putting on a three day festival of this magnitude, let alone about budgeting it. Lots of research went into that!

Grace Petrie and I, by Dave Bowes

If you have never been, the best way by far to do the festival is to buy a three day pass. It's a terrific event, three days of music and community and in a beautiful landscape; it does require a bit of physical stamina to do it justice, but $250 for, what, 45 bands is a steal, really (in some cases you may have to run between stages, or elect to sit one artist out to see another, but it's usually pretty easy to know who you want to see, and almost everyone plays more than once, so if you miss someone on Saturday, you can catch them on Sunday). 

Ferron indulges some fans (including me)

However, if you are on a budget and/ or don't want to commit whole days, there are also evening passes, if you just want to come out for one night and get a taste of things. Friday (a half day) is $85 for an adult. All day Saturday or all-day Sunday are $150, while Saturday or Sunday evening-only are $75. And the whole thing is $250, with cheaper rates for seniors and kids, etc. I'd probably say, "do the Saturday," if you're going to only do one day (or one night) especially if you like Neil Young... But part of what's marvelous about the festival is the diversity, so if you CAN buy a pass for the whole weekend... do so, and you'll be floored by how many different styles of music, and how many different cultures, languages, and traditions, you'll encounter... 

Tips: bring something to sit on. I generally just stuff a pillow in a plastic bag into my backpack, which works for me. A hat and/or sunscreen are necessary, and maybe a light jacket in the event of rain. There are hydration stations, but bring a bottle or such for filling. And bring some extra cash, because there is lots of cool stuff on site, from clothing vendors to a Neptoon-curated merch tent to a vast array of food trucks... hell, you might even decide you want to donate something to help the festival make it to year 50...   

The schedule is a bit counterintuitive: at the top of the page, it starts with the Main Stage -- the largest one in the park; you might assume from it that the music begins on Friday at 5:45 with a Musqueam welcome. But if you scroll down, you discover there are three smaller stages also with music, which start at roughly 3:00 that day -- or much earlier on the Saturday and Sunday, at 10am -- with bands that overlap, so you can't possibly be at all of them. TEKE::TEKE, on the West Stage at 3, have an eye-catching name, to be sure, but, for instance, if you want to know more, you can either zip over to the artists' page to see what's what, or just Google them: they're a Montreal-based Japanese psych-rock band? What?  

TEKE::TEKE, playing Friday

Anyhow, it is up to you to figure out which stage you want to be at: at the same time that TEKE::TEKE plays, Nico Paulo is on another stage, sounding minimal and meditative, while Bel and Quinn are on the third small stage, doing something smooth and soulful. You can conceivably catch bits of all three, or settle in where you feel most comfortable. The next slot involves a choice between Marin Patenaude, Kellie Loder, and Bamba Wassoulou Groove, a Malian guitar-based band that Black caught at New York's Global Fest (she travels to learn of new bands; WOMEX also is a big thing for her, a European festival of global musics). That's also at the West Stage, so I'll probably just be sticking there after TEKE::TEKE, but I might check out Marin Patenaude for a bit, too -- it's gorgeously textural music that she makes (and her collaborators have included Paul Rigby, so...). Plus she has an album called Sex and Dying. Wait a sec, didn't I review this? 

Anyhow, that's it in terms of hard choices. Once things move to the main stage, that's where the action is, though we gather there will also be some pop up performances here and there by Rumbaristas, bringing a European festival vibe to things. And you can always explore the various vendors, eat from food trucks, feed ducks, or hang out at the merch tent.  

Friday's big news, though, is that Gordon Grdina's Haram are kicking things off, which Black and I talk about in the Montecristo piece. Not to be confused with the New York hardcore band of the same name, they fuse jazz and avant-garde elements to Middle Eastern Music, arriving (at least to my ear, untutored in the traditions of the Middle East) somewhere between John Zorn and Fela Kuti, which is a pretty interesting span (a separate Straight piece talks about their Middle Eastern influences; it's going online sometime before Friday!). 

Plus Grdina plays an oud as one of their instruments; I'm not sure if I've seen an oud live before? I gather Haram were amazing at their sold-out Infidels show at the Kingsway Club last month, but I've never seen them before -- I've caught Grdina here and there on other stages, but never this ensemble, which seems to be his most ambitious. 

This time I won't miss them. 

If you look at the program, you see that there are less bold names between the main ones, like the much-loved Blue Moon Marquee, for example, after Haram; these are shorter sets - tweeners, I think they call them -- that keep people engaged while the next big act sets up; usually these artists have their own concerts elsewhere during the afternoon (Blue Moon Marquee also appear on the Saturday South Stage, as part of the "Groove Will Keep Us Together" workshop, which isn't really a workshop; it's a handful of bands, yoked by a common theme, sharing a stage and trading off with each other, and sometimes even interacting... Then they pop up again on Sunday, doing a set of their own on the West Stage. Fans have three chances to see them in different contexts!).

Sometimes it's the tweeners that I'm excited about; on Friday, I am keen to see Ye Vagabonds, who do pretty trad Irish folk. If they have The Hare's Lament on vinyl at the merchtable, I'll be bugging them to sign it (there is often a schedule outside the tent for signings, which is worth checking in on at multiple times, since it changes during the day). They also pop up again on Saturday and Sunday, so if you dig what they do, you'll have two more chances to experience them...

But I am no better than the rest of you when it comes to poking around online to see what's what. In terms of the main-stage acts, Margaret Glaspy does an indy-rock/ indy-folk hybrid that might grab me live. Elisapie has an album of covers of pop songs sung in Inuktitut -- here's some Cyndi Lauper. That's a bit more appealing, though again not entirely my thing. The Zawose Queens -- bandcamp here, folk fest writeup here - I wouldn't even presume to evaluate from the recordings; music designed for dancing should be DANCED TO, not peered at by a geek on a computer. I'm keen for the opportunity. 

Besides Haram, my list of must-sees this year is still under-populated, mostly because I've been learning about grants and corporate funding and transcribing Fiona Black. But there are a few things I know for sure: On Saturday, I'll be checking out Steve Dawson's Neil Young showcase (do not be fooled, you Ditch Trilogy people: the reference to On the Beach in the guide is a play on the location of the festival -- the album being re-interpreted is actually After the Gold Rush. Let's hope someone breaks out "Revolution Blues," regardless). I also want to check out Meredith Moon on clawhammer banjo, and see this banjo-centric performance by Krystle Dos Santos and Orchard Sky, about the African roots of that instrument... mostly because I like a good banjo, but I enjoyed Dos Santos at the gospel tent a couple years back... plus Amythyst Kiah and I talked about banjos a bit the other year, and about how that instrument somehow has gotten hijacked as the stuff of white folks' music, which is just wrong... so I'm interested to learn more...

Many of those are smaller-stage acts, but that's often where my heart is, though I do like the idea of late-night dance parties, and am going to check out Bab L'Bluz, which should be quite exuberant -- I like them best of the headliners, I think. But what do I know about Moroccan-French music? I'm sure I'll feel more educated AFTER I see them. I love what I'm hearing online! 

But I already know that I'm going, and may just let Saturday and Sunday happen, without exhaustive research. In terms of the folkier folk, know I want to finally see Sue Foley, and maybe bug her about Ellen McIlwaine (she's in the doc about her, toured with her, knew her). Rich Hope is on the Gospel Stage Sunday morning, and I can't miss that (Black reassured me when my eyebrows raised at the prospect of waking him up that early that he's a hockey dad). I have seen him every year I've gone, so it's hard to believe his tenure with the festival goes back no further than mine! And because my wife is a big Frazey Ford fan, I might try to get her to come for Samantha Parton, as well (who was in the Be Good Tanyas with Frazey, and better yet, was recently onstage with the Minus 5 at the Biltmore Anyone who has sung with Scott McCaughey is all right with me!).   

Scott and Sam, photo by Erik Iversen

But that's all I have for the time being... I'll probably post a few photos, as well, but between Montecristo and the upcoming Grdina interview, I kind of feel like I've earned my keep this festival. Still, hope to see some of my friends out there. 

Now I'm gonna go listen to some Bab L'Bluz... 

The Return of the Cobalt (?!) with Toy Tiger, First Attack, MUZL and Second Nature

Bugsy Faithfull of Toy Tiger in front of the Tommy Wilson wall

(all photos by me)

So that was an interesting night, even if it ended with an abrupt, unexpected twist. Which we will get to, but I encourage you to take the scenic route and read the whole thing, to not skip ahead to the end, because the end is really kind of an unfortunate aberration... the meat of this is where the real news is... 

First off: Toy Tiger is a terrific (explicitly antifascist) street punk band. I had not seen them before tonight. I interviewed singer Bugsy Faithfull here -- a last minute piece that probably didn't get that many people out, in fact, since the room was already half full by the time it got posted -- but which they amply deserved (and appreciated). They were down a drummer, who had unexpectedly gotten called into work, and had their rhythm guitarist filling in for him... but what I saw was terrific. Shot one video -- a song I think called "Crime," about how -- I can only paraphrase -- robbing a bank is a lesser crime than funding one. I would have stayed for the whole set, but... uh... something came up...

The thing that was really exciting, mind you, was how the Cobalt is being re-reconfigured as a punk bar, which Bugsy is taking an active role in (and mentions in that Straight piece). Having been one of the people who (MOSTLY) boycotted the place as a night club, in the 10 or so years that I didn't go to the venue, I kind of lost track of who the players were, so I cannot say if the place has been FULLY rehabilitated yet. I stayed away out of solidarity with wendythirteen, who was the original person who built that place up, whose ouster I found very upsetting, back, in, what, 2009? It's actually all to be seen in a film, No Fun City -- the ending was kind of documented, and is devastating. Probably the building is still owned by the same family (do they get litigious if they're called slumlords?). They own other buildings where gigs happen, and I never heard calls to boycott, say, the Astoria, which, last I checked, was also a Sahota property... tho' I think they were only PART of why the Cobalt became problematic, and they were problematic in general before wendy ever got the boot... 

Mind you, I did break my rule to see Pere Ubu at the Cobalt a few years ago - because I had a sneaking suspicion that I would never see them again (which proved founded: the singer for Pere Ubu, David Thomas, died this year, and they never made it back here. Was he pissed off that I called him a blue butterfly? Some photos from that show in the piece...). Then I went back because Betty thought that one of the people-who-was-problematic was no longer involved, and booked a birthday show there before realizing he was, in fact, still behind the scenes... and then I went back again for Agent Orange, but only because I'd been given a ticket (like, three trips since 2009 is not too too disloyal, is it? And I only paid for two!).

Sorry, wendy!  (There are a couple of old-Cobes loyalists who I think have never been back, period). 

Anyhow, I talked to one of the people behind the reconfiguration -- I didn't get his name -- but suggested they put up some art in honour of wendythirteen and what she did for that venue and the scene that flourished there. I sure hope they do something like that. Even without the distinctive "Vancouver's Hardcore Bar" postering, last night it felt very, very weirdly like the welcoming, wonderful punk dive that it used to be -- though it was minus the horrifying smells from the shitwater leaking from upstairs (the people who took over back when did, at least, fix that). And the bathroom seemed to have been completely remodeled and painted since I was last there. I am sure that it will be covered over in graffiti soon enough, but it was surreal  how presentable it was last night (if very, very lime). 

But even if the bathroom is still pretty bare, there is art all over the walls outside it, including a huge wall of Winston-Smith-esque punk posters done by a local graphic designer I do not know named Tommy Wilson, whose Instagram is here and full of striking, politically-charged images. There's also a Crass logo painted large in the inner corner of one wall, to the left of the door -- nice to see Crass is still getting love -- and a Trojan-themed SHARP logo in the other (see above). I didn't snap a picture of the big IWW signage but it's also very much in keeping with brimging the place back as a politically-aware punk haven. The bar itself -- like, the literal bar you walk up to and order drinks at -- is still the bar that wendy built; you almost expect to see Chi bussing tables. And the audience last night, moshing with great enthusiasm, was ALMOST identical in appearance and demeanour to the one who habituated the place in its glory days of yore, with one pleasant exception: there were a whole bunch of transfolks present, last night, including onstage, where the opening band, MUZL, made trans rights, bathroom policing, and so forth explicit in their lyrics and stage rap, with the singer wearing an "I Love My Girlfriend's Penis" t-shirt.  Transpeople just weren't that visible, back in the early 2000s. It's a new landscape; the times they are a-changing! 

MUZL, the openers -- the name is pronounced "Muzzle" -- rocked, in any event. I didn't ask the singer's pronouns, but she/ they got an enthusiastic circle pit going for a cover of "I Wanna Be Your Dog," which preceded another dog-themed tune about "how it is fun to leave your newborn baby alone in a room with a poorly trained pitbull." I might have questions about that at some point? I think that song was called "Dog Fax." They also did another song called "Freak Bitch," which I shot video of, which I think was about transwomen being busted when they tried to use the ladies' room; it included an invitation in the lyrics for the people in the audience to show their penises, but the singer made it very clear from the stage that we were NOT TO DO THIS.

Those who were there will know someone in the audience said "Aww," in response to her saying this. That was me. I WAS KIDDING.  

Noelle Chaos was around, handing out pamphlets for Trooperfest next weekend, and also gave a big thumbs-up to MUZL, praising their community-mindedness and the bands their members have evolved from (which I do not know). They were very fun; I believe it was their first gig, but may there be many, many more...

Oh, and yeah, that last song was a cover of "Bad Reputation," by Joan Jett. Wish I'd recorded it. I did record "Freak Bitch," and wish I'd left the camera running a little bit past the singer dedicating the song to "all the trannies," to make the context a bit clearer...! (I don't think anyone took that word the wrong way... pretty sure it's not considered politically correct these days...!). 

The second band, Second Nature, got some enthusiastic moshing and played a very heavy set, but I was running around through most of it, trying to get records signed; they're a worthy band, but I didn't do them justice. How does that go: Socrates is a man, all men are mortal, therefore I am Socrates...? Something like that (I may be stealing that joke from somewhere but I forget). 

I shot "Might Get It," the last song in their set. I liked it, but the thing I liked best about Second Nature was their merch, which I did not buy, but did take a photograph of (I seriously have enough t-shirts). 

First Attack followed. I am unable to do justice to the differences between First Attack and Bishops Green, in sound -- I mean, obviously Greg is playing guitar, now, so there's that; the songs aren't maybe quite as "catchy," have less of that Cock Sparrer thing going than Greg Huff's last band, though they are very driving and tuneful and definitely recognizeable as one of his projects (I am still unclear what is going on with Bishops Green -- are they done for good? -- but may talk to Huff at some point, if I can). He was very friendly to the audience, commenting on how he never thought he'd be playing the Cobalt again. I enjoyed their set (though the first two songs had some, uh, fluctuations in the playing; by the time I shot "If You Say So," everything was completely on-track). They have a new 12" for sale, which they played most of. I don't think they covered any of Greg's other bands' songs, but really, they didn't need to... 

Mind you, my Jewish buddy was a bit taken aback by the barbed-wire borders on their t-shirt design, in unison with the quasi-Germanic font of the band name. We'll come back to him presently. He loved their set, and did by the record, but the combination of elements on the t-shirt maybe was a step too far towards Holocaust imagery? No t-shirts were purchased, in any case. He's a bit touchy about these things? 

There are other things I won't really go into -- from running into Rob Nuclear of the AK-747s, who lives down the street from the Cobalt (lucky guy) to two free video games in the lobby, including a Tetris with a glitchy joystick that adds, shall we say, a level of challenge to things. I'm not sure people realized the games were free, because almost no one was playing them. People wanting a taste of the room in its revitalized form should know that there's a pretty great sounding metal gig this Sunday (Virvum? Somethin' like that -- three northern European progressive/ technical death metal bands, plus one local band, courtesy of the Invisible Orange). 

I just really hope that whoever is running it now will do wendy justice in some way -- honour her contribution (I'd give her a full wall mural and kickbacks from that bar that she built, myself, but... that's me...).

Got a couple of good photos of First Attack...

Then it was time for Toy Tiger, and things went staggeringly wrong for exactly one person in the room, I think: my aforesaid Jewish friend, who had, shall we say, a very bad reaction to the first thing that Bugsy said from the stage: because Bugsy began, once soundcheck was done, with the chant, "From the river to the sea..." Which he repeated twice, loudly, gesturing to the audience. 

I assume everyone knows that the second half of the chant is, "Palestine will be free." I assume that not everyone knows that for many people, especially Jews, this chant reads as a call for the erasure of the state of Israel. But don't take my word for it, try the American Jewish Committee's, who say it "can be used to call for the elimination of the State of Israel and/or ethnic cleansing of Jews living there, to be replaced with Palestinian control over the entire territory from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea." It's a problematic slogan; even Norman Finkelstein, one of the most passionate Jewish critics of Israel, has suggested it not be used. 

Of course, MANY PEOPLE WHO USE THIS SLOGAN are not meaning to call for the destruction of Israel, any more than the people who say "No Justice No Peace," which Bugsy also said, necessarily mean that to rhyme with "fuck the police!" (or maybe they do?). But it is somewhat problematic that some of them do mean that.  Just because Zionists use the charge of anti-Semitism to stifle dissent does not mean tbat there isn't actual anti-Semitism out there. And I guess when maybe you're the only Jew in the room (Talesha was a the WISE), you might feel a bit... I dunno... uncomfortable?

So, yeah, my friend is sensitive, whattaya want me to say? Do I need to assert, here, that I disapprove of the state of Israel's actions in Gaza? Do I need to say that my Jewish friend also disapproves of their actions -- has in fact done more than I have (there's at least one petition calling for a ceasefire that he's signed; I've signed zero). And obviously an only potentially genocidal slogan is the lesser of two evils, compared to actually genocidal policies of Israel in Gaza. But that doesn't mean that everyone can rise above things in the heat of the moment. My friend said after thaf he felt he had been stabbed in the heart, which, yes, is a kind of extreme reaction, but, like, he had family members -- grandparents -- directly impacted by the Holocaust. Plus he is disturbed by the demonization of Israel in the west (to say nothing of the rise in actual hate crimes against Jews and a rise in anti-Semitism): he would say later, when cooling off down the street at Subway, words to the effect of, "Don't these people realize that in most Muslim countries, gays, lesbians and transsexuals would be regarded as criminals, even hanged? Israel is one of the only states in the region that would welcome them...!" 

Anyhow, I don't want to get too deep into this, and I sure don't mean this to take away from how great Toy Tiger is, but all things considered, maybe "From the river to the sea" isn't the best slogan for promoting the cause of Palestinian freedom? (There is also some rich discussion of it here). If the goal is to win friends and influence people, to reach hearts and minds and all that -- well, one Jew was driven from the venue by that chant, tonight, and one writer who would have rather stayed to see the rest of Toy Tiger's set ultimately felt obliged to go with him ("friend in crisis" and all; I was not walking out in protest, since personally I can step back from such moments, even if I think the slogan is unwise -- I did not feel stabbed, felt kinda even -- sorry -- entertained by the weird added wrinkle to the night... but, y'know, I can understand why Jews are touchy about that phrase...).

In fact, I end up feeling kinda bad for Bugsy in all this, because he seems like a truly great guy -- unworthy of any taint that this writing would bring. He wasn't intending to, like, traumatize anyone, right? (If he wants to comment on any of the above, I'll give him space here...).  

So I have to note all that, because it marked my early exit from the show, but it's great to have the Cobalt back (please be okay with this, wendy; the people who are trying to rebuild this space clearly have love and respect for what you built -- if it weren't for you, none of us would have been there, and the people who I talked to last night know that).  

Weirdly, of all the music that happened, I think I liked MUZL the best!  

Chopper solo (opening for Cawama): a mini interview, plus the Deadcats, the Saucermen, and more!

SHOW IS NOT HAPPENING (technically it's been moved to October)

Seems like every time I go into the city these days, whether I'm at LanaLou's or the Rickshaw or Red Cat or the Heatley or any other East Van destination, at some point in my travels, I will look up from what I'm doing and see Chopper going by on his bicycle. This time it was at Main and 21st -- I'd popped over from Khats to see the Riverdans (and sing along with "Barrett's Privateers," which was every bit as awesome as the last time I saw them do it; they do Stan proud. I was too busy singing along to shoot it). And there goes Chopper, peddling leisurely by (Chopper may at some point hurry but I have never seen it).  

So I chased after him.

I mean, I don't want to be a pest, but I almost always say hi, if  I'm not otherwise engaged, because, y'know, the Deadcats, his most known band, were a group I kind of took for granted. I saw them at least twice -- once at the Niagara, once at the Rickshaw. I didn't even know Mick Tupelo of the band had died (in 2019) until years after the fact (2023?). I think I learned about that at a Tequila Bats show at Lana's (though I've also seen Chopper with the Saucermen once, too -- he has a couple of bands he does his thing with). Realizing that I was never going to see them again, I grabbed the next Deadcats CD I saw, Look Like Hell (check out their loopy little promo for it, or one of the songs that made it to Youtube) -- and of course, I was delighted. 

I'm not really a psychobilly kind of guy, mind you -- or a surf kind of guy, or a garage kind of guy, or even a rockabilly kind of guy -- which is partially why I took them kinda for granted -- but it turns out, the Deadcats were goddamn good at what they did. 

Deadcats, Chopper at the right, lifted from this Clay Holmes vid

So having corralled Chopper, I asked him what he had planned for this Thursday's show at the Cobalt, where he'll be opening for Cawama, who are mostly a surf band, but are known to occasionally whip out a cover of the Dead Kennedys "Too Drunk to Fuck." Note that the Chopper portion of the evening will be a totally solo set; This Week in Van is describing it a s Chopper and the Saucermen gig, which I guess they're getting from a slightly Saucermen-heavy Showpass blurb (which does say he's flying solo, but whoever wrote that piece goes a bit off the rails about the Saucermen... there is no album coming out, for instance... at least not according to my source, who is seated at the drumkit, below...!).

Anyhow, for clarity, I have communed with the Saucermen and confirmed that this is not a Saucermen show. This is Chopper solo set. Prior to a Cawama set. I did not have any great questions (and I didn't want to hold him up, so this was fast-and-loose, y'know?). But here:

Chopper and the Saucermen from a vid I shot

ALLAN: What are you gonna do, opening for Cawama?

CHOPPER: What am I gonna do? Are you recording? Ohhh! Hey, ho! Hello, telephone! Heheheh. 

ALLAN: Heheheh.

CHOPPER: I am gonna do "Yangtze River Surfer" and I am gonna do this other ditty which I don't remember the name of, and I might do, oh yeah, "Comanche" by Link Wray. And some other ditties. Maybe a few Reverberators songs. "My Old Saddle" amongst them. I'm not sure. 

ALLAN: But overall surf!

CHOPPER: Oh yeah, or, ehrmm, instrumental rock or country or other MOR, middle-of-the-road, with a wide piece of white line so you can stay in the middle and you can miss all the cars so they don't hit  you with doors when you're riding by on your bicycle. 

ALLAN: Hold that thought, I have one question: do you ever do Deadcats songs, solo?

CHOPPER: Ooh, that's a thought. I hadn't thought about that. I could go through my library and see what I can come up with. I might be able to! Yeah!

ALLAN: When do you go on?

CHOPPER: Probably about 8:30, I'm guessing. If you're there by 8:30 you should catch me. I just play the opening set, and then Cawama comes on after that.

ALLAN: Any connections with Cawama?

CHOPPER: Well, I've played a couple of shows with them, twice at the Painted Ship. I think that's the only shows we've played with them, with Chopper and the Saucermen.

ALLAN: But this is a solo set?

CHOPPER: Yeah, it's just me! The other guys couldn't make it because they're too busy; it's a weeknight! They gotta work. You gotta work twice as hard to get half as much, these days, y'know what I mean?

Note: advance tickets are cheaper than tickets at the door, fwiw! 917 Main, Thursday night! 

Dan Scum of Scum Element, Dicksee Di'Anno of Powerclown, and Daniel Whitmore of Riverdans - notes on a Straight piece

UPDATE: This is a fun piece by Mike Usinger, in which this story, and its author, is mentioned:

https://www.straight.com/city-culture/dear-facebook-friends-straight-is-still-thrilled-to-be-doing-print-and-giving-you-a 

So you should go find a print copy of the current Georgia Straight. I have a story in it, first in a long time, and it's the first one you will find as you read the paper. Yes, they still print (monthly) and still have print-exclusive stories: I do not know whether this one will ever eventually make it online, so grab it while you can. I do have something of RELEVANCE to the Dan Scum story on the Straight website, but this ain't that. But they want you to actually pick up the print version, see? And I think this story is a good enough read that you'll want to do just that -- you can add it to your saved issue of Absolute Underground with Dan in jail on the cover! 

Thanks to Cat Ashbee for the photo... she and Dan go back a ways and have apparently rehearsed it so she can get this pic just right: 

This, by the way, is something Dan sent to show how his group cell in prison was laid out -- where you'd sit for hours at a time, assembling pens. Those are thin little futon you sleep on. No chairs, tatami mats. Both squat toilets and western-style toilets were part of his prison experience, though I can't recall offhand which was where. Maybe someday you'll read about his experience of squat toilets. They do take some getting used to! 

There's actually a whole other feature to be had from our interview -- I'll keep you posted as to what happens with it. 

Another detail I wasn't able to include in the Straight story, for those who are interested, is that Whitmore -- Scum -- WAS able to write letters to people and that he WAS able to get books, which he read a lot of (Michael Gira also did some heavy reading in prison in Israel -- we talked about that a bit here, but you might want to track down the print edition of Big Takeover for more; I forget what's where; the idea of formative experiences happening in prison is the subject of this Swans song. So far, I've interviewed three people who have done time - Scum, Gira, and Gerry Hannah). 

(Actually I've interviewed four, that I know of, but one of them isn't public about it, so let's not go there).

Back to books: Whitmore got into John Grisham in prison, which seems fitting enough, since Grisham writes legal thrillers; I believe he told me he got about 20 of those out of the library at Chiba. He mostly read non-fiction like Jared Diamond, Richard Dawkins, and Richard Feynman. I am more of a lightweight with books, and haven't read Diamond at all. I don't care for Dawkins, based on what little I've seen, have him pegged as an elitist who gives antitheism a bad name (I'll take Chris Hitchens any day)... but if you haven't read Feynman (the character who had the bongos at Los Alamos, which you briefly see in the movie Oppenheimer; thanks to Charles Mudede for that detail, which I would not have spotted otherwise), there is a rather delightful story in one of his books, "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman," where he talks about his inability to get laid while working on the bomb, until he decided to take a more scientific approach to things. His QED has a very lucid, non-specialist/ non-math-nerd discussion of the more curious aspects of quantum electrodynamics, but I figure the musings of a sexually frustrated nuclear scientist will have broader appeal: if you're going to read one Feynman, make it this one:  

And there was one other writer Scum mentioned, Victor E. Frankl, who has a concept in a book called Man's Search for Meaning that was relevant to the whole prison story: the delusion of reprieve. Where we talk in the print story about how he was in a bit of denial at first, hoping he'd be deported, until his lawyers told him he'd be inside for four years minimum, that's what was going on.

I'm kind of that way about my credit card debt. Anyone want to pay it off, it's about $21,000! I've carried that balance for years...

Anyhoo, you can also here a couple of samples of "acoustic scum" here and here. Dan is performing at Main and 21st as part of a street festival open-mic situation; you can also see two of the members of Powerclown doing a set, I think sans makeup, as well as something from Dan's brother. I'd aim to be there around 3pm. Just realize that you probably CAN'T do Stephen Hamm Theremin Man at Khats AND the Main and 21st event, both. 

You can still make Sudden Darts and the Circus in Flames, though, later this morning. And of course Joe Keithley, tonight. 

Have a fun July 5th, folks! 

A Two-Edded Monster: MeBats, Death Sentence, plus a special unannounced guest, July 4th at the Waldorf: "as entertaining as fuck"

 So there's a Jak's party at China Creek tomorrow, which I won't be at, followed by a gig at the Waldorf that I might be at. The headliner is Death Sentence; this will be the third time, and the third incarnation in which, I have seen them. 

The first was around 1985 at the York Theatre. I remember almost nothing about the show; I think it was a festival of independent music of some sort. The Spores played, whose lyrics I love; I was less enthusiastic with the cruder songwriting of Death Sentence, with lyrics about how "I don't want to love you/ I just want to fuck you up the ass," though I did love "In Flames." If I understand correctly, the video makes it look like Pete Cleaver, then the frontman, is singing the song, but the actual singer on the album -- someone tell me if I'm wrong -- is Doug Donut?). I remember arguing with a big haired Gothy gal who I liked which band was better, and I had to concede the point that Death Sentence had more live charisma, but held fast that "the Spores have better lyrics."  

That is exactly all I remember about seeing either band. Most of my memories of that day, in fact, involve the Haters, who were making a terrifying racket destroying things with power tools, while wearing hoods. 

The second time I saw Death Sentence was in the early 2000s. Doug Donut was fronting behind the kit. Pete Cleaver was long gone, and I don't recall who the two other members were. I enjoyed seeing Donut sing "In Flames" -- I had heard he was kind of a difficult case, but I still think that's a great song, and I'm glad I saw him do it (and that I can actually REMEMBER THE GIG, unlike the previous). 

The third time I saw Death Sentence, Donut was out, and Syd Savage had replaced him as the sole original member. Betty Bathory, in the role of "Betty Machete," sang the lyrics. I must admit, I enjoyed "Feel Fucked" a lot more with a woman singing it. 

Syd and Pete of Death Sentence, "maybe at the PNE," by bev davies

I was unsuccessful in hailing Syd -- I'm not sure he's much of a social media guy -- though I did chat with him awhile back at the Rickshaw and told him how delighted I was to hear that they'd started covering the Exploited's "USA" as part of their set, which I presume they will do on Friday as well. I think people will find that a powerfully cathartic song. I wonder how they figured out the lyrics? I can only really make out the chorus...

Syd Savage, 2024, by Bob Hanham

Without any real questions for Death Sentence (or any way of getting them answered) I have bugged both Ed Hurrell (left, below) and Eddy Dutchman (right, below) about the gig. I feel like it has been ages since I have seen them together, the odd Lulu's gig aside. I liked "Left Ed's" band Rocket #9 a bunch, though they seem to be defunct now. I like "Right Ed's" band Stiff Middle Finger a bunch, too, with Danny of the Spores as the singer. But I have not seen any incarnation of Stab'Em/ MeBats since before the pandemic... maybe a few years before the pandemic... it's been awhile!

Hasn't stopped them being friendly with me, though! 

Oh, Eddy Dutchman would like to clarify that Stab'Em in the Abdomen IS MeBats. "We are super lazy and Stab-Em-In-The-Abdomen was just too much work to repeat over and over. So we changed the name to a shorter, easy to repeat, 'Stab'Em.' But the algorithms for our various internet platforms had a problem with the words “Stab'Em’ and we kept getting barred so we just wrote it backwards, Me Bats... Oh that last brain cell just went ape shit when we came up with that one."

Borrowed from a FB post. Ed Hurrell, left; Eddy D., right

Anyhow, here are my questions and their answers. Because both Eds have eccentric ways of structuring their sentences, I am respecting this as a stylistic choice, maybe with a tinker here and there, mostly reigning in excessive and Sometimes ranDoM CAPITALIZATION, because IT MAKes me CrazY, though it does often carry EXPRESSIVE FORCE. I have left in a little of it. You will see that Mr. Hurrell prefers blocks of text while Eddy D. writes like a Bukowski poem. Both are valid forms. It makes it easy to tell which Ed is which. 

You may also want to read my slightly more historically-minded previous Ed Hurrell interview here. 

ALLAN: I am assuming, for July 4th, that Death Sentence will repeat their cover version of the Exploited's "U.S.A." So do MeBats have any songs about America, or songs that you will be playing to mark the occasion? Thoughts on the current situation in the USA? (I don't know how political MeBats get!). 

EDDY DUTCHMAN: 

Well.

As artists we like to craft our messages to force the listener to work for some meaning in our seemingly simple rock songs..

So?

We use Satan as our metaphor to represent America in our songs.

And why not.

The ‘Father of All Lies’, Trump and the Republican children of darkness that bow at his feet are represented in our songs like “Born Loser” and “Satan Bacon and Beer” as pure evil.

As far as being political.

The MeBats are strong proponents of closing the border with Amerikkka.

As Ed Hurrell likes to remind us all.

”Fuck em”.

ED HURRELL: 

I suppose "Boo Hoo,"..a song about FEAR instilled news stories... "Worried," a song about said fear and the coming world crisis via Trump-ism..."Money Stinks"... Not money itself per se, but the things people do to get it!.. "Satan Bacon & Beer"...basic hedonism resulting from a retreat from reality... "Shithole," about places we live or have lived whilst being a Starving Artist.. And the only affordable places to live!.."Little Electrode"... Forced training of soldiers, to turn 'em into killing machines.. Theres a Frankenstein element...hahah...

ALLAN: Tell me about your songs? I don't actually see you often enough to know any... what are three of the better-known ones, and what are they about? 

EDDY DUTCHMAN:

The MeBats don’t really care about being popular or care about what anyone thinks of our band.

We’re just a crappy rock band out to play loud and loose with the hope to offend and annoy anyone silly enough hang around.

So.

We just play what ever we want to play and excel at the entertainment part of show biz…

We like our song ‘Boo Hoo’ which is all about being scared shitless in todays world.

We also like to play “Money Stinks” which deals with greed and how it’s ok to live without a dollar addiction.

And of course our classic, “Shithole” which deals with those of us that have freed ourselves from that evil dollar addiction and have taken the vows of poverty..

Is that three songs?

ALLAN: Are there any new ones?

EDDY DUTCHMAN: 

New Songs?

Yes.

We have a newish one called “Worried.”

A nice little pop song about how fucked everything is and how we are just plain fucking worried.

And it even has spelling in it. The band likes to show off that we know how to spell.

Another new one is “Electrode”.

It’s a song about a future time when wars are fought with Frankenstein soldiers resurrected from the dead to go out and kill but the Frankenstein soldiers don’t want to.

It’s twisted.

ED HURRELL: 

The songs came about from improv-jams and fucking about. Lyrics come once and an IDEA is formed. We rarely sit down and say "Let's write a song" from scratch.. Also we do tunes from other bands we've played in [cf., the Liquor Kings, for example] ..In a sense we cover our own songs..having a HUGE backlog..from the last 35 years of doing this..Steve Graf  must take credit for a bunch..That guy is a writing machine!! 

ALLAN: Do you do covers of other bands? 

EDDY DUTCHMAN:

Well.

We don’t do covers.

We have a belief.

You do ‘one’ cove and that makes you a cover band.

And the MeBats are not a cover band.

Why the fuck would we spend any time as a band learning someone else’s song when we don’t even know our songs?

So.

ALLAN: So it's a Jak's skate event after party -- do you have Jak stories? Were you or the other Ed into skating, ever? Or Death Sentence stories?

ED HURRELL: 

Jak stories!! Well Dutchman is the guy to talk to there...

EDDY DUTCHMAN: 

We don’t skateboard.

We drink and party and play crappy rock songs.

That’s it.

As far as the Jaks go, we just happen to know Malcolm from SBR and Jak’s Ron Ferris.

And that is an other story we are not going to get into at this time.

Ask Ed about other shows we did with Death Sentence.

I know we have.

But I don’t remember.

That was back in the drugged out days of our youth.

I remember meeting Syd when he was new in town.

At Wank Manor.

Before Death Sentence.

We became good friends.

Just a couple of losers trying to find stuff to do.

ED HURRELL: 

Yeah, we played many shows supporting Death Sentence back in the mid-'80's..Stab'em and OGRE!! Pete PUKE hated me for some reason.. I think I bitched out some band fer going overtime and cutting into Ogre's set once... Ever after he referred to me as "THAT ROCK STAR!"... but it's been 35 years or so since we trod the boards with Death Sentence... Looking forward to doing it again... WE plan on doing out most rockingest tunes for the PUNK crowd that'll no doubt show up...

ALLAN: Any hints as to who the special secret guest is? Is that a guest the Jaks have arranged, perchance? (They dropped Brandon Cruz on us awhile back, that was pretty surprising).

EDDY DUTCHMAN: 

No idea who else is playing.

We don’t know anything about this show other than its July 4th At the Waldorf.

But what else do we need to know?

Death Sentence/MeBats/ Surprise Guest. July 4th. The Waldorf.

Let me say it again.

Death Sentence/MeBats/ Surprise Guest. July 4th. The Waldorf.

ALLAN: I am clear. So, uh, do you ever think about recording some MeBats or Stab'Em songs and making, say, a bandcamp page? Now that NO FUN is widely repped online, it's time for Stab'Em to have a presence, no? 

ED HURRELL: 

I dunno... we're a LIVE experience and cynical about the WHOLE BIZ.. There's just TOO MUCH out there... people's minds are already glutted,and they move on to the NEXT and the next and the next leaving behind a trail of used up musicians... We play and have fun... Fuck history.. 

EDDY DUTCHMAN: 

 Not sure if this is coming across to the degree it deserves...

But The MeBats have a serious attitude problem.

We don’t see any reason to record or have any kind of presence because at the end of it all, we all believe nobody gives a shit.

And it’s that simple.

So.

No. None of that stuff.

ALLAN: Any final things to say about the gig, the state of the world, or MeBats in 2025 (who else is in the band, by the way?).

ED HURRELL: 

WELLLL... I tend to keep it local.. My tiny paradise is pretty good.. I feel impotent to actually CHANGE anything... Decades of protests only slow "THEM" down at best... What with the SYSTEMATIC extreme DUMBING DOWN of the general public that's been going on fer the last few decades, it's harder and harder to make a "ONE MAN-ONE VOTE" electoral system count fer FUCK ALL!

As for band members!!! Myself...MR..Eddy Dutchman...Cole on keys...Tony Lee drums... Shane "Death Sentence" Davis on lead guit.. Dym (Roots Round Up) on trombone..A sort of ALL STAR band (except for me and COLE!) hahahah... The oldest still working "FUCK BAND" in Vancouver!!

I don't know who took this. Stolen from Ed's FB

EDDY DUTCHMAN: 

There is only one constant member in the sad and unappreciated 30 year history of Stab-Em-In-The-Abdomen.

And that is Ed Hurrell.

I’ve been in and out of this band 3 times.

Same with Shane (who also plays guitar in Death Sentence.)

Ed is the only original member.

I think this is a selfie? 

EDDY DUTCHMAN, CONTINUED: 

One last thing Allan.

Thanks for doing what you do.

It is huge and necessary for this fragile music scene to live.

We have an upcoming show at The Princeton.

Saturday Sept 6th.

The Me Bats are a crappy rock band.

And we are the first to admit that proudly.

So ya.

We’re a shitty rock band but we are as entertaining as fuck.

And you can quote me on that Allan.

“The MeBats are as entertaining as fuck.”

Tickets for Death Sentence, MeBats, and surprise guest here! Thanks, you Eds.

Khats?

 Am I going to do Khats this year? Lots of people I know are playing. Also lots I don't. Just sent this to someone, my tentative lineup. All I've got this year. Figure out your own schedule here! 

I've seen a couple of other bands and liked them, like Cherry Pick, but to some extent you have to pick and choose...!

Vine Stage: 11am: Sudden Darts, fronted by John Werner (the Furies, the Pack with Kirk Brandon) -- they're great! Caught them at the Princeton -- liked John a lot, liked the videos they did, but it was live that they shine...

Balsam Stage: 12:30, Circus in Flames (fronted by Doug Andrew of Shanghai Dog, did big Straight interview, haven't seen Doug nearly enough in recent years)

Macdonald Stage 2pm: Might check out Perfume Tree, don't know them, 90s gothy band w/ rep, association with the late David Allen of Shriekback and Gang of Four (they were on his label, anyhow)

Burrard Stage 330pm: The Matinee, well-received roots music band? Okay. 

Burrard Stage, 430: Stephen Hamm Theremin Man Space Family Band: nuff said

Balsam Stage 530 PM: Autonomous Apes -- Russian/ Canadian band that "takes inspiration from grunge, alt-rock and post hardcore" - don't know them but good band name, bears investigating!

Balsam Stage 6:30 - the Hausplants - oddball local indy band, don't really know what to expect -- might see a few minutes or, depending on how far away the stages are, just run to:

Burrard Stage 6:50pm - Joe Keithley

Then I might stick around for Meltt at 8pm, also at the Burrard stage. Dunno Meltt. But I'm there anyhow! 

Or I might be exhausted...