"I wrote this song in Port Colborne on the edge of Lake Erie"

My heart did a little leap when Tony Dekker uttered those words...and I may have involuntarily let out a loud "WOO!" Port Colborne is my little 18,000-ish person town in Ontario.

With Jon-Rae Fletcher opening for them, Great Lake Swimmers played to a boisterous sold out Vogue Theater in Vancouver on Friday night:




--

Laura Smith, Elias, Bohdi Jones and Spotlight Carnival @ The Biltmore

Images from the Laura Smith, Elias, Bohdi Jones and Spotlight Carnival concert @ The Biltmore on December 9th in Vancouver:

[Bodhi Jones]
[Bodhi Jones]

[Laura Smith]
[Laura Smith]
[Laura Smith]

[Spotlight Carnival]

[Elias]
[Elias ft. Adaline]

(all images copyright Christine McAvoy)

Islands Disappear Vancouver CD Release

Said The Whale had its Vancouver CD Release show for their album Islands Disappear, opened by Hannah Georgas.

Here are some photos from the show:










CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE!!! www.mcavoy.ca/IslandsDisappear

Matt Epp - CD Release at The Media Club

Matt Epp rolled into Vancouver after a long cross country tour (that saw him hot on the heels of Vancouver band Said The Whale, catching their shows a day or two before playing the same venue as he made his way west).

Matt's CD, Safe or Free was having its Vancouver release on the 11th of November and he was supported by a few familiar local faces. James Lamb and Cory Woodward opened the night at The Media Club, and Matt ended it playing a majority of songs from the newly-released-record.



(**photography by Christine McAvoy**)


Matt's video for his single "I Don't Like Your Friends" was shot here in Vancouver, take a look:

MATT EPP music video for THEY WON'T FIND THE BODIES from Matt Epp on Vimeo.

If you missed this show, Matt will be back in town on December 12th playing at the Rio Theater with Coco Love Alcorn.

The Zolas! LIVE from their Tour Van!

This is the technology of the future... The Zolas are currently streaming live from their tour van.

Click here to watch right now: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/thezolas

They even made a stop at Booster Juice and took their live stream with them:


Streaming Video by Ustream.TV

The boys recommend you follow them on twitter: @thezolas and you can check out their drive from Oshawa to Kingston tomorrow...

What Darlings, The O'Darling...

It was a busy Sunday evening in Vancouver.

Matt Epp was performing again...this time at the Railway Club and he was just as great as the night before. I had to miss
Ann Vriend to jump over to the Media Club for show #2...



By the time I got there I had missed Benny Schütze, Said The Whale, Aidan Knight and only caught the last song by Hey Ocean!... From what I hear it was a free-for-all of Vancouver's indie music scene. Dan Mangan was in the crowd and got called on stage, performed two songs and then it was on to the main act...
The O'Darling.

They are a pretty amazing band...apparently originally from Victoria, but based in Toronto now. They had the entire crowd on their feet, many of them dancing. Aidan joined them on stage for a few songs too. (He will be performing at Dan's CD Release show on Friday.) By the end of the evening most everyone's facebook and twitter statuses changed to praise for the band and the evening.
Here are some shots from the love-fest at the Media Club:

Matt Epp, Ann Vriend and a Chocolate Store...

Chocolates and Music...an excellent combination.

In a little chocolate shop at 10th and Alma a beautiful white piano sits waiting while 20 people mill around with tea, coffee, chocolates and ice cream...
Matt Epp (@mattepplife) (hailing from Winnipeg) and (Vancouver born, but) Edmonton based singer-songwriter Ann Vriend are touring all across Canada and did a two night-stint at Cocoa Nymph in Vancouver, BC.

It was an intimate night of music in the dark and moody in Cocoa Nymph...one that saw the return of many people that came out the first night.

But don't fret they are both playing again tonight (Aug 23rd) at the Railway Club in Vancouver...and I recommend coming out if you're in town! And then see them at any of these dates across Canada:

23 Aug 2009 20:00
The Railway Club - Vancouver, British Columbia
25 Aug 2009 19:30
Hermann’s Jazz Club - Victoria, British Columbia
27 Aug 2009 20:00
Joe’s Garage - Courtenay, British Columbia
29 Aug 2009 20:00
House Concert - Salt Spring Island, British Columbia
30 Aug 2009 20:00
Duncan Garage Showroom - Duncan, British Columbia
2 Sep 2009 20:00
Osoyoos Bar & Grill - Osoyoos, British Columbia
4 Sep 2009 20:00
House Concert - Calgary, Alberta
5 Sep 2009 20:00
House Concert - Edmonton, Alberta
6 Sep 2009 14:00
Haven Social Club (BLUEBIRD NORTH SHOWCASE) Edmonton, Alberta
11 Sep 2009 20:00
Communitea - Canmore, Alberta
12 Sep 2009 20:00
Twin Butte General Store - Twin Butte, Alberta
15 Sep 2009 20:00
House Concert - Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
18 Sep 2009 21:00
McNally’s Tavern - Regina, Saskatchewan
20 Sep 2009 19:00
House Concert - Winnipeg, Manitoba
22 Sep 2009 19:30
Cypress River United Church - Cypress River, Manitoba

(***Ann heads to Europe - check her Myspace for more shows)

Matt Epp:
9 Oct 2009 20:00
Le Cagibi (Matt Epp w/ David Simard) - Montreal, Quebec
15 Oct 2009 20:00
Ontario Council of Folk Festivals (OCFF) - Ottawa, Ontario
16 Oct 2009 20:00
Ontario Council of Folk Festivals (OCFF) - Ottawa, Ontario
17 Oct 2009 3:00
OCFF - TUNESMITHS ROOM 3am - Ottawa, Ontario
18 Oct 2009 19:00
Flying Cloud Folk Club (at the Tranzac) - Toronto, Ontario
24 Oct 2009 20:00
Music In The Alcove (House Concert) - Red Lake, Ontario
3 Nov 2009 21:00
The Pyramid (w/ band) CD release party with THE LYTICS - Winnipeg, Manitoba
5 Nov 2009 21:00
Lydia’s Pub (Matt Epp w/ band) - Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
6 Nov 2009 20:00
Medicine Hat Folk Club (Epp solo opening for Ann Vriend & band) - Medicine Hat, Alberta
6 Nov 2009 22:00
The Slice (w/ band) - Lethbridge, Alberta
12 Nov 2009 21:00
Mikey’s Juke Joint (w/ band) - Calgary, Alberta
13 Nov 2009 20:00
Haven Social Club (w/ band) - Edmonton, Alberta
4 Dec 2009 20:00
Union Street Cafe - Berwick, Nova Scotia
5 Dec 2009 21:00
The Seahorse Tavern - Halifax, Nova Scotia
6 Dec 2009 20:00
Patchwork House Concert - Bedford, Nova Scotia

In the meantime...check out these photos and their music:

Dan Mangan: Live at Zulu Records

I learned via Dan's Twitter account(@danmanganmusic) that he'd be playing live in-store at Zulu Records at 5pm yesterday (August 22). So I grabbed my camera and walked the whole 10 blocks downhill from my house to Zulu and was hit with this:

It dawned on me later (not to mention, made me feel old) that it's technically an all ages show, which explains the vast amount of young girls in attendance.

The show was short and sweet, and ended with the entire store singing along to "Robots".
Many of Dan's friends from the Vancouver music scene showed up as well: Peter Carruthers, bass player from Said The Whale, Josh McNorton from The Painted Birds, Zach Gray of The Zolas and singer-songwriter Nadia von Hahn.

To see all the photos, click here: www.mcavoy.ca/DanManganLiveAtZulu

Dan's CD Release is at The East Van Cultural Center...two nights (Aug 28th and 29th) and tickets are almost sold out!

Here are few of my favourites: