Our friends over at Kitsilano’s Zulu Records once again present their weekly Scout feature, the Zulu Report. Within, staff from the West 4th music store provide The Track, the song that is on heavy rotation that week; The Playlist, which is pretty self-explanatory; The Gig, the must see show of the week; and The Glance, a view ahead to music on the horizon. From their ears to yours, enjoy…

The Track

NEIL YOUNG | Heart of Gold

HAL WILNER’S NEIL YOUNG PROJECT | Queen Elizabeth Theater | Feb. 18th & Feb. 19th

As we have seen already the Cultural Olympiad has chosen to drop more than a few surprises on the city’s music loving community. There have been rumours about this show for the past year and the hotly debated topic continues to be whether or not Canadian godfather of rock, Neil Young, will grace the evening celebrating his song catalog and vision. This much we can tell you…with Lou Reed, Iron and Wine, Ron Sexsmith, Broken Social Scene and many more lining up to toast Neil, the music promises to be every bit as special as its muse. Neil’s influence on music is undeniable, but what really makes this evening exciting is the curatorial role of the legendary producer Hal Wilner. His tributes to Leonard Cohen, Bill Withers, Harry Smith and many more have always offered refreshing twists on interpretation. Oh, to be a fly on the wall backstage!

The Playlist

A PLAYLIST OF FREE MUSIC OF THE CULTURAL OLYMPIAD

MALAJUBE Monday Feb 15th 8pm LiveCity Yaletown
Quebec hardcore is the best hardcore in Canada. The culture never died and these guys serious rock.

JULIE DOIRON Wednesday Feb 24th 7:30pm Atlantic Canada Kitchen Party Granville Island
Long time Zulu fave, Julie is indeed a national treasure and a voice we will be celebrating for future generations.

JILL BARBER Monday Feb 22 8PM Livecity Yaletown
We loved her Chances album – quirky jazzy pop with tons of charm – this is sure to bring a smile to all.

BUCK 65 Tuesday Feb 16 9:30pm LiveCity Downtown
Canada’s best known post-rap MC should serve up some screwed up beats and strange tales.

SAM ROBERTS BAND Saturday Feb 20th 9:30pm LiveCity Yaletown
Get there early and get through the security as you don’t want to see Canada’s best beard on the big scene outside.

DEADMAU5 Friday Feb 19th 9:30pm LiveCity Yaletown
Friday night’s highlight for sure… kids are already freaking out about the big beats and dancefloor chaos.

WINTERSLEEP Wednesday Feb 24th 10:30pm Atlantic Canada Kitchen Party Granville Island
Indie pop at its finest is on display with the ever-dreamy Wintersleep! Wednesday’s rainy day soundtrack.

ALEXISONFIRE Tuesday Feb 16 9:30pm LiveCity Yaletown
Do they give out medals for crowd surfing? This is going to get loud.

CONSTANTINES Tuesday Feb 23rd 8pm LiveCity Yaletown
Imagine the second coming of Crazy Horse and you will start to approach the raw sonic potency of the Cons!

ALPHA YAYA DIALLO Wednesday Feb 17th 6:30pm LiveCity Yaletown
Guinean-Canadian 3-time Juno Award recipient Alpha will do the Hastings Sunrise community proud with his mean guitar afro-beat!

The Gig

FEIST & GONZALES – ORPHEUM THEATER | Wednesday February 17th

The grandiose Orpheum Theater will be magically transformed into an intimate piano bar as Leslie and her longtime pal Gonzales settle in for a night of tickling the ivories. Producer Gonzales has long ago moved away from his early Montreal days as a downtempo club king and is finally getting his dues as a man with considerable musical talent, extravagant ambitions and a sense of humour that leads him to try anything at least once. Feist on the other hand can rarely be witnessed in such a low key manner, solo or without the normal hoopla associated with being one of this nation’s freshest faces. Together for one night only, we will really get to see their talents shine.

The Glance

Tue FEB 16

JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE – BILTMORE
STANTON WARRIORS – SHINE

Wed FEB 17

FEIST w/ GONZALES – ORPHEUM
DJ HEATHER – GINGER 62

Thu FEB 18

BELL ORCHESTRE – GREAT NORTHERN WAY CAMPUS

Fri FEB 19

YACHT – BILTMORE
MARTYN 2562 w/DEADBEAT & TANYA TAGAQ – GREAT NORTHERN WAY CAMPUS
STARS w/ HEY ROSETTA – ORPHEUM
BISON – RICKSHAW

Sat FEB 20

CHROMEO – GREAT NORTHERN WAY CAMPUS
WOODHANDS – BILTMORE
DOA w/ THE JOLTS – RICKSHAW

Tue FEB 23

K’NAAN & TINARIWEN – ORPHEUM

Wed FEB 24

FOUR TET – BILTMORE
MARK FARINA – GINGER 62

Thu FEB 25

DIESELBOY – SHINE

Fri FEB 26

SHAKLETON – BILTMORE

Sat FEB 27

CRYSTAL CASTLES – GOSSIP
EL PERRO DEL MAR & TAKEN BY TREES – BILTMORE
ACORN PROJECT w/ BLVD. – FAIRVIEW PUB
FOREIGN BORN – FORTUNE

Sun FEB 28

HOWELLS & BURRIDGE – SHINE
HEADLIGHTS – RAILWAY