Table Table Restaurants On The Most Romantic Night Of The Year

News from Scout supporters CinCin, Araxi, West, and Blue Water Café

Vancouver + Whistler, BC | Like yours, our Olympic memories are rife with wonderful individual moments and the spirit that celebrated excellence at every turn. We enjoyed a great mix of our regulars and locals at each of our restaurants – Araxi in Whistler, and Blue Water Cafe, CinCin, and West in Vancouver – along with many visitors, royals and celebrities of an extraordinary diversity. Read more

Zulu Report: Really, It’s OK To Be Addicted To Pantha Du Prince

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

The tune currently on heavy rotation…

Pantha Du Prince | “Stick By My Side” from the album Black Noise (Rough Trade)

Pantha Du Prince has pulled off a remarkable feat with his beautiful sound poem of an album, Black Noise. Recorded in the Swiss Alps (and heavily inspired by those surroundings), Black Noise features forest sounds seamlessly integrated into minimal techno jams. Like Burial, The Field and the entire K7! label, Pantha Du Prince works within the “electro house” genre, but this is hardly the soulless, brainless throb that you’d expect by that tag. This is lush, blissed out, feeling music, as this track, Stick By My Side, attests. Having Panda Bear guest vocalize on this album will boost the songs appeal, but this is Pantha’s show all the way. Watch this video and be transported into the future by gazing into the deepness of humanity’s collective forest-past.

The Playlist

Click the links for some audible flavour…

A SUNNY DAY IN GLASGOW Nitetime EP (Mijos Os Discos)
Philly dream-poppers follow up last year’s stunner album with an EP of new songs and surprisingly solid remixes, providing further proof of the supremacy of their hazed-out musical vision.

THE MAGNETIC FIELDS Realism (Merge)
NY’s wry purveyors of intelligent pop magic turn folky and old-timey on an album of thirteen new classics.

THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE Who Killed Sgt. Pepper? (A)
Anton Newcombe detoxes in Iceland and enlists a fresh cast to back him up on his freshest album in years.

MASSIVE ATTACK Heligo Land (EMI)
Bristol, England’s Massive Attack brooding trip hop-i-delica is tailor-made for Vancouver’s gray and overcast post-Olympics hangover.

NOUVELLE VAGUE 3 (Peacefrog)
3 is an all star affair, with Martin Gore (Depeche Mode), Ian McCulloch and others joining Nouvelle Vague in creating striking new versions of classic 80’s hits.

STRANGE BOYS Be Brave (In The Red)
Demented, dumbo garage rock that wraps around your head in a choke-hold and doesn’t let go until you cry ‘Uncle’.

SPOON RIVER Kingdom Of The Burned (Northern Electric)
Vancouver by way of Montreal husband and wife super folky rock group that broods like Cohen and rocks like Neil. Homegrown is the way to be, people.

A SILVER MOUNT ZION Kollaps Tradixionales (Constellation)
ASM are the voice of artistic political dissent, creating Ernst-esque sound tapestries that haunt and inspire in equal measure.

SMITH WESTERNS s/t (HOZAC)
The Smith Westerns are guaranteed to be posters boys for the sound of scrappy pop circa 2010, as their self-titled debut proves. Hooks and sound-gunk to keep you pacified.

POSTDATA s/t (EMI)
Raw missives from Wintersleep frontman Paul Murphy as he confronts the fragility of life and inevitability of pain and suffering. Heavy but necessary.

The Gig

The Big Pink w/ A Place To Bury Strangers at Venue Sat March 13

This show is going to be massive. And by massive I mean you can expect infinitely elongated waves of reverb and distortion, like multi-coloured waves of sound washing over you. I mean…what a team up! The Big Pink, England’s latest shoegaze revival act, who are no slouches with the pop hooks, and NY’s fine A Place To Bury Strangers, who like their shows to be LOUD and their visuals to be wildly psychedelic. It’s rare that a headlining band and support act sync up so nicely, so this show will be a rare treat. It’s time for us locals to venture back onto Granville street and reclaim the city from the stuffed animal mascots and mouth-breathing hockey nuts who descended upon it during that whole Olympics thing. This Saturday’s show seems like an ideal chance to do just that.

The Glance

Fine local shows on the immediate horizon…

Tue MAR 09

THE APPLESEED CAST – BILTMORE

Wed MAR 10

THE COOL KIDS – VENUE (VENUE CHANGE)
FAKE BLOOD – FORTUNE SOUND CLUB

Fri MAR 12

GOMEZ – ORPHEUM
RICKARD BERGLOF – THE FALL
JACK BEATS & AC SLATER – CELEBRITIES
EFTERKLANG – BILTMORE

Sat MAR 13

THE BIG PINK – VENUE
PEZZNER – J LOUNGE
TRUS’ ME – COBALT
WARREL DAME – RED ROOM
MIKE DOUGHTY – BILTMORE

Sun MAR 14

DIPLO & PAUL DEVRO – VENUE

Fri MAR 19

JOHN DIGWEED – CELEBRITIES

West Broadway’s Intimate “Cru” Heats Up On Thursday Nights

News from Scout supporter Cru Restaurant

Vancouver, BC | Spring is in the air, and with the rising temperatures and swelling buds our thoughts turn to passionate encounters with fine cuisine. Starting Thursday, March 4, 2010 CRU Restaurant is introducing a “Date Night” weekly dinner special. Every Thursday evening, couples at CRU can enjoy a sumptuous three-course dinner with wine for $99. Read more

Zulu Report: Chain & the Gang Plays And Babe Window Freaks

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

The tune currently on heavy rotation…

Joanna Newsom | Have One On Me taken from the album Have One On Me.

Joanna Newsom – who’da thunk?  I never would’ve predicted that a harp-playing Middle Earth forest nymph would rise to become a bona fide, A-list musical darling. All joking aside, Newsom is obviously an artist of exceedingly rare talent and vision. Over the course of three albums she’s gone from being regarded as a highlight of the “freak folk” genre to more recently being recognized a totally singular artist, untethered to any bullshit scene. “Have One On Me” is three discs of folky, jazzy west coast pop music. Certainly there are some vaguely Joni Mitchell-esque signifiers (another singular artist), but really this is Newsom’s show all the way. Whether or not you “get” Newsom or not, she’s proved at a young age that she’s got goods. This clip doesn’t have bells and whistles, let alone any animatronic or CGI freakiness. It’s just a beautiful song, set up karaoke-style, so that you can sing along and pretend to be a middle earth queenie, like Newsom. Read more

Zulu Report: Spacing Out To The Sonic Awesomeness Of Yeasayer

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

BASIA BULAT | The Shore from Heart of My Own

Montreal’s Basia Bulat is a name within Canadian music circles that has been constantly bubbling over and steadily gaining critical praise. Her enigmatic compositions of voice and autoharp have enchanted both refined and rabid fans giving her a unique crossover appeal that hits with the hardcore crusty old folks club and a hipster boutique music fanbase. Blessed with an abundance of talent, a cannon of a voice, and a network of amazing musicians with which to collaborate, Basia now seems poised to take the next step both nationally and abroad. Here at Zulu, we loved her debut release Oh, My Darling, which slotted in nicely with the ladies of the canyon meets Vashti Bunyan and Joanna Newsom sonic niche. Naturally, we were blown away with this, her sophomore effort. It broods with a compelling craft and confidence while delicately capturing in song a rare sense of beauty and innocence. Bulat can do it all, Heart of My Own is gorgeous.

The Playlist

Click the links for some audible flavour…

YEASAYER Odd Blood (Secretly Canadian)
When you open your eyes you will be at the house party in your mind. Can you say Yeasayer?

MASSIVE ATTACK Heligoland (EMI)
Banging! Banging! Banging! Ten tracks and four remixes! Nice guest vocals too.

THE MAGNETIC FIELDS Realism (Nonesuch)
Stephen Merritt is a musical genius – this is his take on classic folk records…you have to love The Dada Polka.

HAWKSLEY WORKMAN Meat (Warner)
Seriously…Hawksley lives a charmed life penning sublime tunes in his rural Ontario farmhouse.

WATSON TWINS Talking To You (Capitol)
I loved their work with Jenny Lewis! This is like the second coming of Twin Peaks crooning songs!

WOODHANDS Remorsecadape (Paper Bag)
Dan Werb and Paul Banwatt are Canada’s best electronic pop psychedelic duo going.

EELS End Times (Vagrant)
Heavenly pop music sure to suck the poison out of your blood. Seriously, if this guy gets weird on us he will be the next Brian Wilson…

THE WOODEN SKY If I Don’t Come Home… (Black Box)
Toronto’s indie rock kingpins are awesome and make even me consider moving to the big smoke.

NOUVELLE VAGUE 3 (Peacefrog)
If you’re planning a dinner party with plenty of bubbly, delicious dumplings and lively conversation, well..you can invite us and this is what we’ll bring.

FANSHAW Dark Eyes (Mint Records)
Hometown hero Fanshaw is now out on the east coast selling her magnificent songs to the NYC elite – so it’s ok to drive around East Van and blast this.

The Gig

The coolest local shows on the immediate horizon…

Chain and The Gang + Strange Boys | MEDIA CLUB on Friday March 5th

Church organs, thumbing basslines, hot trapkit pitter-pat, and some scorching leads all provide a hypnotic spectacle for a night of real charisma and revolution! “Progress is a big word”… so tells us cultural critic/chain gang frontman extraordinaire Ian Svenonius a.k.a. Chain! Having given us Nation of Ulysses and the Make Up, Ian now returns with perhaps his best trash-talking, capitalist critiquing, JB’s inspired outfit to date. Anyone who saw him destroy minds at Little Mountain Studios last summer should know that this is the prefect antidote to every other night of mind-numbing music. Drag your significant other to this. Chain is going to shake you up!

The Glance

Fine local shows on the immediate horizon…

Tue FEB 23

K’NAAN & TINARIWEN – ORPHEUM

Wed FEB 24

FOUR TET – BILTMORE
MARK FARINA – GINGER 62

Thu FEB 25

DIESELBOY – SHINE

Thu FEB 25

CALVIN HARRIS – GOSSIP
BRUTAL TRUTH + INFERNAL MAJESTY – RED ROOM

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
APOCA-LYMPIAD – WISE HALL

Sun FEB 28

HOWELLS & BURRIDGE – SHINE
HEADLIGHTS – RAILWAY

Mon MAR 01

WE WERE PROMISED- BILTMORE -

Tue MAR 02

AGAINST ME – RICKSHAW -

Thu MAR 04

THE GRAND MOTHERS – BILTMORE

Fri MAR 05

BASIA BULAT – ST. JAMES
CHAIN AND THE GANG & STRANGE BOYS – MEDIA CLUB
ZULU RECORDS

“Painted Rock” WineMaker’s Dinner At West Broadway’s “Cru”

News from Scout supporter Cru Restaurant

Vancouver, BC | On Sunday, March 7 2010, Vancouver’s CRU Restaurant will present an intimate winemaker’s dinner featuring BC’s Painted Rock winery. The four-course dinner will give guests a chance to discover why Painted Rock rose above tough competition to be named Best New Winery at this year’s Okanagan Fall Wine Festival. Read more

Zulu Report: The Coolest Shows Going Down During The Games

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

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