SOUNDTRACKING: Musician Cass McCombs Chats In Advance Of His Electric Owl Show

by Daniel Colussi | Cass McCombs is for the most part portrayed as a lone-wolf weirdo, some kind of inscrutable mystic. There are at least a few reasons for this: his nomadic adulthood spent living in various American and European cities; his distaste for indulging the music press beyond the bare minimum required of him (for the promotion of Wit’s End, all correspondence between Cass and the press was strictly epistolary); but most of all because of his music. His music seems to stand outside time.  Over the course of ten years and six albums, he has pretty much done his own thing, always sounding fresh and inspired; totally himself. Despite his heavy rep, McCombs came across pretty directly to me. He revealed an earnest, sincere reverence for music and how powerfully it can affect us. He also understood his position in the music world at large. Elusive and inscrutable? Maybe. But he’s not exactly the first rocker to loathe the repetitive and thankless task of doing interviews. This time out, McCombs was generous and forthcoming in his responses. Read on…

Hey Cass, how are you? Did you hear some of that funky music while you were on hold? I know that music well. It’s the same song every time.

So I’ve read that it was by design that you were going to release two albums this year? You recorded a bunch of tracks and then split it up into two albums. Is that correct? No. No, where’d you get that from? 

My mistake. I thought I read that on your label’s website. Hmm, well, uh, no that’s not true. What we did was, uh.. I’ve been making the first of the two, Wit’s End, since the previous record, Catacombs, and while I was on tour the last couple years, I’ve just been recording a song or two in different cities if I had extra time and just kinda put ‘em all together, you know. And every song is a different band, a different location and um…totally different styles. But it’s just kind of, I dunno, what’s the word for it…kind of a “cornucopia” of miscellaneous debris.

So then you and Ariel Rechtshaid got together and did a monster session of mixing down and… The two records will never be in proximity to each other. They’re totally separate. Wit’s End was it’s own thing for years you know? And then Humor Risk is it’s own thing.

I like this idea of releasing two distinct albums in such close succession. It kind of makes me think of when The Beatles and The Stones et al would release albums every six months. Well, I’m not The Beatles! But I think that my purposes were actually for the kind of the opposite reason than why maybe The Beatles were inspired to do it. The Beatles record company – EMI and Capital – I would assume, would encourage them to release many records because they sold millions of copies. I, on the other hand, sell no copies! So…it doesn’t matter when I release. Most bands these days are encouraged to release an album every several years so that they can stretch out the life of each one. So to release one every six months is to devalue the potential of what each record can sell. Since I sell nothing, it doesn’t matter, you know? So I’ll just release them as they come. Read more

Zulu Report: Everything That You Should Listen To This Week

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

REAL ESTATE – “Green Aisles” – Days (Domino)

Track of the year candidate. Been waiting for quite some time now for the follow-up to Real Estate’s self-titled debut. Days is a superb record. I can’t put my finger on how they improved on the original. The formula hasn’t changed much – lazy (in a good way) vocal melodies, reverb-soaked guitars that literally every buzz band utilizes, and breezy guitars combine to create a sum worth way more than its parts…is that how that expression works? What I’m saying is this: I love the new Real Estate album. Read more

The Scout List: A Curated Agenda For Discerning Vancouverites

The main objective of this website is to scout out and promote the things that make Vancouver such a sweet place to be. We do this with an emphasis on the city’s independent spirit to foster a sense of connectedness within and between our communities, and to introduce our readers to the people who grow and cook our food, play the raddest tunes in our better venues, create our most interesting art, and design everything from what we wear to the spaces we inhabit.

The Scout List is our carefully considered, first rate agenda of super awesome things that we’re either doing, wishing that we could do, or conspiring to do this week. From our calendar to yours… Read more

SOUNDTRACKING: Crunching Autumnal With “Real Estate” Frontman Martin Courtney

by Daniel Colussi | The band Real Estate have come a long with since their days as a high school Weezer cover band in New Jersey. From those humble beginnings they’ve developed their own particular form of lackadaisical pop. Theirs is a vibe of stoned-melancholia that consists of frontman Martin Courtney’s laconic vocals delivered atop mid-paced grooves. It’s a deceptively simple formula: the band’s circulating guitar figures create melodies that burrow deep into you brain long after having finished. They just released their second longplayer, Days, and it’s truly an Autumn album, great for listening whilst plodding through puddles. Courtney talked to me about the new album, the band’s soft rock roots, and everything in between.

So you guys are signed to Domino now and the new album is well received. It seems like Real Estate is a lot more high profile now than before. How does it feel? 

We’re incredibly excited to be working with Domino, they’re all such nice people and they seem psyched on the record, so that really makes us feel good. It’s pretty surreal seeing all the press and attention this record has gotten so far – kind of hard to wrap your head around it – we’re both stoked and humbled.

You’ve got a lot of touring coming up. Are you guys a band of hardcore tour dogs? Are you psyched for the shows all over the place or would you be happier just chilling at home with the cat?

As far as touring is concerned, I love playing shows and I love traveling to new places and meeting people who like our music, but I hate being away from home for so long. I look at it as a necessary evil that can also be pretty fun if you go about it the right way. We try to keep the touring to three weeks or less as a general rule, but we had to make an exception for the first tour after the album came out. Read more

SOUNDTRACKING: Artful Drug Songs, From Cautionary Tales To Aural Mind Expansions

by Daniel Colussi | In commemoration of the recent decision by the Supreme Court Of Canada to allow Vancouver’s Insite to continue operating, I present my twelve favourite “drug songs”. Not merely a selection of the same tunes you’ve heard a million times (no offense to Neil Young or Lou Reed), this list covers the full range of the milieu. From cautionary tales of the perils of use and aural explorations of mind expansion to street-level tales that skip the morality and cut straight to the heart, it’s my own 12 step program to understanding – musically – what taking drugs is all about. Once you’ve given the tracks a listen after the jump, feel free to include your own favourites that I’ve missed in the comments below… Read more

SWAG: We’re Giving Away A Double Pass To The “Arkells” Concert At The Commodore

We have a double pass to the November 11th Arkells show at the Commodore to give away. If you’re keen on winning, keep half an eye on our Facebook page for over the weekend. As we’ve noted before, it’s where – in addition to posting photos, videos and news tidbits that don’t make Scout’s front page – we often give away concert tickets and other awesome, good time freebies. Good luck!

The Scout List: A Curated Agenda For Discerning Vancouverites

by Michelle Sproule | The main objective of this website is to scout out and promote the things that make Vancouver such a sweet place to be. We do this with an emphasis on the city’s independent spirit to foster a sense of connectedness within and between our communities, and to introduce our readers to the people who grow and cook our food, play the raddest tunes in our better venues, create our most interesting art, and design everything from what we wear to the spaces we inhabit.

The Scout List is our carefully considered, first rate agenda of super awesome things that we’re either doing, wishing that we could do, or conspiring to do this week. From our calendar to yours… Read more

Zulu Report: Everything That You Should Listen To This Week

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

FEIST – “The Bad In Each Other” – Metals (Arts & Crafts)

Leslie could sing over anything and I’d melt. The sludgy, grinding driver of an opener on her new LP is a great refresher to “remind” us (heh heh) that she’s still Canada’s indie queen. I’m not sure if I just wasn’t paying attention, but I always love when you don’t really hear anything about an artist hyping up their new album and then all of a sudden – BAM – it’s out, like Radiohead always does. But it’s just so rad to have an album catch you completely off guard on every level. Arts & Crafts were holding Metals close to the chest because they knew their quarterback had a Brett Favre shovel pass up her sleeve. Sick.

The Playlist

MYTHS Myths (Self-Released)

Craziest and probably best band in Vancouver; their self-titled full-length does its best to capture to disc the absolute chaos that Myths are capable of delivering in sweaty spaces across East Vancouver.

THE DRUMS Portamento (Frenchkiss)

Tight, sexy guitar boys from Brooklyn. Fun to dance and drink flirtinis to.

BONNIE PRINCE BILLY Wolfroy Goes To Town (Drag City)

One of the all-time greats in my book, Oldham’s back for his equivalent of “Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan”… violent imagery, subtle humour and quiet, tender moments of sexual tension.

THE FIELD Looping State of Mind (Kompakt)

Always loved The Field. Absolutely gorgeous, haunting pulses of electronic music that make me think I could get into clubbing for 34 minutes.

DAN MANGAN Oh Fortune (Arts & Crafts)

Listened to this upon it’s arrival in the store today. Liked it a lot. Arts & Crafts have certainly shifted their vision over the years – I can’t say I was sold at first but the Dan Man does the Canadian Indie Soul Rocker better than anyone I ever heard.

THE RAPTURE In The Grace of Your Love (DFA)

The fuck happened to these guys? They are too good. Seriously wish they would’ve capitalized on what they had back when it was 2002. Woulda been cool to see but now it’s just sad.

The Gig

Friday OCTOBER 21 – Death Cab For Cutie @ Rogers Arena

If you’ve been following the Zulu Report at all, you should know by now that I don’t joke. I’m legit excited about seeing DCFC in a huge arena. When’s the last time you saw an arena rock show? In case you don’t remember seeing Incubus and Hoobastank in Grade 7, they’re like seeing the Canucks or any professional sports event, but way better. I personally get totally high on any kind of huge spectacle that’s completely overproduced. But I’ve never seen a treasured indie-rock band make the jump as Gibbard and Co. have. Should be seriously awesome.

THE GLANCE

Sat Oct 15 GANG GANG DANCE – BILTMORE
Sat OCT 15 CHAD VANGAALEN – RIO THEATRE – WE’RE SOLD OUT
Sat OCT 15 EXPERIENCE FELA KUTI – DIAMOND BANQUET
Sat OCT 15 JON AND ROY – ELECTRIC OWL
Sat OCT 15 KENNY DOPE – FORTUNE
Sat OCT 15 REDMAN – GOSSIP
Sun OCT 16 OTT – RED ROOM
Sun OCT 16 MASON JENNINGS – VENUE – VENUE CHANGE!! OLD TICKETS HONORED
Mon OCT 17 FRANK TURNER – BILTMORE – WE ARE SOLD OUT
Tue OCT 18 NEXT MUSIC FROM TOKYO – BILTMORE
Wed Oct 19 BEATAUCUE + DATABASE – ELECTRIC OWL
Wed Oct 19 TOM MORELLO – VOGUE
Wed OCT 19 APHRODITE – CELEBRITIES
Wed OCT 19 SOCALLED – RIO
Wed OCT 19 BLACKALICIOUS – REPUBLIC
Thu OCT 20 GAUDI – RICKSHAW
Thu OCT 20 YELLOWMAN – FORTUNE
Thu OCT 20 JOHNNY POLYGON – BILTMORE
Thu Oct 20 BOXER REBELLION – VENUE – CANCELLED
Thu OCT 20 HEAD AND THE HEART – COMMODORE – WE ARE SOLD OUT
Thu OCT 20 THE ZOLAS – ELECTRIC OWL
Fri Oct 21 SHELBY LYNNE – RIO
Fri Oct 21 MALE BONDING – ELECTRIC OWL
Fri OCT 21 DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE – ROGERS ARENA
Fri OCT 21 ZEUS – BILTMORE
Fri OCT 21 OKA WITH THE FUNKHUNTERS – RICKSHAW
Fri Oct 21 FELICE BROTHERS – VENUE
Sat Oct 22 EXPERIENCE POGO – FORTUNE – CANCELLED, REFUNDS @ P.O.P.
Sat Oct 22 CURRENT SWELL – BILTMORE
Sun OCT 23 FIREWIND – RICKSHAW
Sun OCT 23 BEATNUTS – NARROWS PUB
Mon OCT 24 IS TROPICAL – FORTUNE
Mon OCT 24 THE ZOLAS (All Ages) – ST. JAMES
Tue Oct 25 SBTRKT – FORTUNE
Wed OCT 26 TOTALLY ENORMOUS EXTINCT DINOSAURS – VENUE
Thu OCT 27 LITTLE GUITRA ARMY – CHAPEL
Thu OCT 27 THE HARPOONIST – WALDORF
Thu OCT 27 KATHRYN CALDER – BILTMORE
Thu OCT 27 COOKIE MONSTA – GOSSIP
Thu OCT 27 NAPALM DEATH – RICKSHAW
Fri OCT 28 NARROWS HALLOWEEN – NARROWS PUB
Fri OCT 28 HALLOWEEN EXTRAVAGANZA – ELECTRIC OWL
Fri OCT 28 HARD DAYS NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD – RICKSHAW
Fri OCT 28 THE PARLOTONES – BILTMORE
Fri OCT 28 FELGUK – CELEBRITIES
Fri OCT 28 SHOCKONE – CLUB 560
Sat OCT 29 UNDERWORLD HALLOWEEN PARTY – NARROWS PUB
Sat OCT 29 NURSES / DOMINANT LEGS – BILTMORE
Sat OCT 29 FUNKAGENDA – GINGER 62
Sun OCT 30 PENDULUM DJ SET – VENUE
Sun OCT 30 DR.P – GOSSIP
Sun OCT 30 JACK’S MANNEQUIN – VOGUE
Mon OCT 31 THE MUSSICAL MASSACRE – CLUB 560
Mon Oct 31 STILL CORNERS – MEDIA
Mon Oct 31 FEED ME – CELEBRITIES

NOVEMBER

Tue NOV 01 KATE VOEGELE – MEDIA CLUB
Wed Nov 02 LITTLE RED – Media
Wed Nov 02 CUFF THE DUKE – Electric Owl
Wed Nov 02 THE FUGITIVES, CR AVERY, WIL – VOGUE
Thu NOV 03 IMPIETY – RED ROOM
Fri NOV 4 WARBRINGER – FUNKY’S
Fri NOV 4 LEMONHEADS – BILTMORE
Sat Nov 05 THE FIELD – Electric Owl
Sun NOV 06 AMANDA PALMER – VOGUE
Sun Nov 6 DEER TICK – RICKSHAW – WE’RE SOLD OUT
Mon NOV 7 SHONEN KNIFE – BILTMORE
Tue Nov 8 REAL ESTATE – BILTMORE
Tue NOV 8 THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS – VENUE
Tue Nov 08 HOLY GHOST! – Fortune
Tue Nov 08 RICH ROBINSON – Media
Tue Nov 08 LITTLE SCREAM – ELECTRIC OWL
Wed NOV 09 ELLIOTT BROOD – COMMODORE
Thu NOV 10 SWITCH (MAJOR LAZER) – REPUBLIC
Thu NOV 10 FIVE ALARM FUNK – VENUE
Thu Nov 10 YUKON BLONDE – Biltmore
Thu NOV 10 DAWES + BLITZEN TRAPPER – RICKSHAW
Thu NOV 10 BAR 9 – GOSSIP
Fri NOV 11 WOMBATS – VENUE
Sat NOV 12 HEY ROSETTA! – WE’RE SOLD OUT-
Sat NOV 12 MICKEY AVALON – GOSSIP
Sat Nov 12 WILD FLAG – Biltmore
Tue Nov 15 SCOTT H BIRAM – MEDIA

The Scout List: A Curated Agenda For Discerning Vancouverites

The main objective of this website is to scout out and promote the things that make Vancouver such a sweet place to be. We do this with an emphasis on the city’s independent spirit to foster a sense of connectedness within and between our communities, and to introduce our readers to the people who grow and cook our food, play the raddest tunes in our better venues, create our most interesting art, and design everything from what we wear to the spaces we inhabit.

The Scout List is our carefully considered, first rate agenda of super awesome things that we’re either doing, wishing that we could do, or conspiring to do this week. From our calendar to yours… Read more

SOUNDTRACKING: A Quick Chat With The “Jacuzzi Boys” (At The Waldorf Tonight!)

by Daniel Colussi | It’s been a heady couple of years for Florida’s Jacuzzi Boys with constant touring, a flood of tasty releases, and most of all their second full length, the cheekily titled Glazin’. Production-wise, Glazin’ offers just the right amount of musical and acoustic progression from their previous lo-fi releases to up the ante and keep things interesting. Song-wise, the Jacuzzi’s trod terrain that’s entirely appropriate for a couple of dudes in their early twenties, namely the bubblegum-world of girl-crushes, going to parties, and just good old L-I-V-I-N’, if you get me. Guitarist Gabriel Alcala and bassist Danny Gonzalez were kind enough to tell me about being a rock band in the most un-rocking state in the union, the pleasures of living in a trailer, and the success of their fine new album…

Music-wise, Florida makes me think of Death Metal and crazy Hardcore bands. What’s the straight deal on Florida? Where are the places you guys like to play? 

Danny: Florida has always been kind of weird place for music, particularly rock ‘n roll, and I think it’ll always be that way. Miami is so far removed from everything that it often feels that things exist in their own little vacuum down there, but there’s really only one place to play, and that’s Churchill’s. Everything else feels kinda clubby and lame…

Gabriel: Yeah, Churchill’s is like our CBGB’s! It’s located in Little Haiti and the area is filled with spooky vibes…

I was in Miami a few years back. I remember the incredible Art-Deco hotels, Wolfie’s restaurant, and seeing SUV’s driving around with bullet holes along the sides. In one of the USA’s high-crime zones. Have the Jacuzzi Boys had any notable brushes with the law?

Danny: Haha. Yeah. Miami can be a bit hairy, but we all grew up there so we kinda know the deal. Unless you’re involved in some shady shit, or trying to be a tough guy, you should be alright. Those bullet holes were probably just stickers though! People seem to like those in Miami…

Gabriel: I’ve gotten held at gun point with some friends once. I guess we parked a little too far from the bar.

You guys have been around for a few years now. What were some albums that you guys bonded over when forming the band? And, were there any particular albums that guided you through the recording of Glazin’?

Gabriel: Diego and I basically got into punk rock together and the one band that really blew us away was the New York Dolls. We thought they were beyond cool! When we first met, Danny, I think we spoke about digging Dr. John’s Gris Gris album, Moby Grape & our infinite love for the Ramones! While writing and recording Glazin’ I remember listening to a lot of Milk’N'Cookies, Brian Eno’s Here Come The Warm Jets and Lou Reed’s Coney Island Baby. Fleetwood Mac is always on in the van as well.

I’m assuming that doing the band isn’t any of your full time gigs. What do you guys do to put bread on the table? Is Miami an expensive city to live in? Is it musician friendly?

Danny: I used to work at my family’s restaurant, but haven’t lately. No, I don’t think it’s that musician friendly. That’s why we try to tour as much as we can…

Gabriel: It’s my full time gig. I can’t find a job for the life of me! Neither can Diego. This past summer we applied at dog walking services, a funeral home catering company, and tried to get a job as a half nude bartender at a gay bar. No dice!

Glazin’ demonstrates a nice evolution in the band’s sound since your first album. What kind of music do the Jacuzzi Boys play? What do you tell your Mom what your music is?

Danny: It’s rock ‘n roll, plain and simple. No need to fancy it up, or dumb it down. My mom thinks it’s just a bunch of noise, but she’s cool with it.

I’ve read that Danny in the band lives in a trailer. Trailer parks carry certain connotations to most people. My step-mom lived in trailer parks for years, and I found it to be a lovely community. Care to comment on life in the trailer park? What are the perks?

Danny: It’s funny. I do live in a trailer, and it is in a park, but it’s not a trailer park. It’s a state park. Only a few families live there, so it’s pretty chill. I can walk to the water!

Gabriel: We practice there and it’s surrounded by all kinds of wildlife. it rules!

The new album has garnered significantly bigger press.  How does it feel to have greater exposure for the band? Does it feel like Glazin’ is a turning point, or has it been a steady climb over the years?

Danny: I think it’s been a steady climb, but working with Hardly Art has definitely presented us with some pretty cool opportunities… It feels good to know more folks are getting into the band though!

Gabriel: Climbing and picking flowers along the way!

The Jacuzzi Boys play The Waldorf tonight (Saturday October 8th) with support from Vancouver sloppy-rockers Dead Ghosts, with DJ duties provided by Bryce Dunn. 

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