A no messing around guide to the coolest things to eat, drink and do in Vancouver and beyond. Community. Not clickbait.

Understanding Why ‘The Birds & The Beets’ Always Sounds Good

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Definitive Records asks interesting Vancouverites to think hard and select the three albums that anchor their musical tastes. Today we hear from the Matt Senecal-Junkeer, the endlessly inspired owner of The Birds & The Beets. The popular Gastown cafe not only slings damn good lattes and a tasty miso barley bowls, but it has also helped to nurture others through pop-ups, facilitating such gastronomic talents of Jefferson Alvarez, The Dallah Menu and Juno Kim. It is also home to a permanent floral pocket shop by The Wild Bunch, so it often smells as sweet as it looks too. Matt’s three records go far in explaining why the cafe’s soundtrack is so consistently good.

Good News for People Who Like Bad NewsModest Mouse | LISTEN
“My family made the move from Montreal to BC when I was in my teens. Modest Mouse’s then newly released album became the soundtrack to my rapid adoption of a west coast identity. I find myself coming back to it on drives to Tofino, Salt Spring, etc.”

JazzmatazzGuru | LISTEN
“Guru’s ’93 album overlays a live jazz band with hip hop and rap. I find that combination to be musical fusion at its best, and this is probably the album I overplay the most at the cafe.”

DestroyerFive Spanish Songs | LISTEN
“I walk home to Strathcona from work most evenings, and Destroyer’s albums are generally my wind down soundtrack. Five Spanish Songs is my go-to after a particularly long day. It’s so poetic, melodic and transportive, and as a non-Spanish speaker it frees my from overthinking the lyrics.”

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Neighbourhood: Gastown
55 Powell St. Vancouver, BC
604-893-7832

From ‘Jazzy Boombap’ to Adolescent Rebellion: Shotaro Jotatsu Names His Definitive Records

In anticipation of his next event on June 17th, the Vancouver-based DJ and host of the Japanese-run music and vintage pop-up, Ishinomonosashi, gives us the rundown of his most influential albums to date.

The Musical Tastes of Yu Su, In and Out of the Kitchen

On Wednesday, December 7th, Ubuntu Canteen will be hosting Yu Su for a sonically inspired collaborative dinner, featuring the personal sounds of her trip through mainland China.

What’s Pumping on the Speakers (and Headphones) of Patrick Hennessy

From pre-service pump-ups, to subway commutes and his current restaurant jams: these are the records that define Barbara restaurant's owner / chef.

From ‘The Hip’ to Hip Hop, Mike Jacobsen Names His Three ‘Definitive Records’

We take a short trip over to Salt Spring and head immediately to Cassette Cafe and Dive Bar - a former gas station where these days locals and visitors alike fuel up on food, drinks and a stellar playlist of tunes - to hear from its owner about the albums that 'define' him...