IPO Vancouver 2024
Click on artist name to go to their music page
CLICK HERE to see IPO Vancouver 2024 Artist Yearbook Photos
Artists From Vancouver
Dawn Boudreau – A folk musician who writes with a jazzy twist, sometimes with hints of musical theatre. Having achieved a comfortable state of middle-aged happiness, she loves to share stories from the journey she’s traveled to get here. Fans of artists such as Judee Sill, Carly Simon, or Joni Mitchell will dig her 2020 album, Flings & Things, and her recent single, “Every Winding Mile”, which chronicles a road trip from Prince George to Vancouver.
The Buzzkills – We normally don’t showcase tribute bands at IPO, but when it’s something as cool as The Buzzkills, we’ll make an exception! The band covers early Buzzcocks material, from 1978 through 1981, and among it’s members are three from legendary Vancouver band, Go Four 3: Gord Badanic, Stephen Quinn, and Rob Tomkow! The band has known each other for 40 years, so we know performing these songs well is in their DNA!
The Drink Tickets – Unapologetically loud and undeniably fun, The Drink Tickets are your new alt-indie rock teen sensation. Their album, Better, is subversively catchy, and will appeal to fans of indie pop with funny intellectual lyrics and riot grrl pop.
Danny Echo – He’s been featured in Wail Magazine and draws influences from the greats like The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Beatles, Radiohead, Oasis, and U2; Danny Echo reverberates with all that is melodic, all that is catchy, and all that is rock n’ roll on their latest full-length release, Rock Bottoms Up, or their more recent single, “Zeros and Ones”, and barely tones it down for their acoustic EP, Unplugged and Unglued. Smoke machines, projectors, smoking guitars, and fire extinguishers (?!!) have become a part of the visual assault of Danny Echo gigs, making the live show an experience not to be missed!
The Get Arounds – If you like in-your-face girl-fronted power-punk-pop, then look no further than The Get Arounds. Fronted by Lana Ryma, The Get Arounds music is a cross between the classic power pop of bands like Nikki and The Corvettes and the ‘90s punk/riot girl angst of artists such as Bikini Kill, Garbage or No Doubt, while drawing on influences of classic early punk artists such as The Sex Pistols and Blondie. The songs on their I Wanna Live album are insanely catchy, and we can’t wait to see them do their thing live again at IPO! There is also a 2nd album in the works, so watch for it!
Tyler Graham – High school French teacher by day, musician by later the same day, Graham crafts catchy pop songs inspired by a wide array of artists, such as Sloan, Weezer, Joel Plaskett, Sam Roberts, Blue Rodeo, Fountains of Wayne, Wilco and others. His latest album, appropriately named Finally, is an homage to everything we all love about catchy hook and harmony filled guitar pop. C’est Magnifique!
Cass King & The Cassettes – With a lineup comprised of Vancouver music scene veterans (lead singer Cass King and guitarist John Woods have previously performed together in The Wet Spots, drummer Adrian Buckley has appeared – including several times at IPO – with The Orchid Highway, The Tomorrows and Star Collector, and bassist Brendan Mooney with The Paperboys and Edmonton Block Heater), Cass King & The Cassettes are sultry rock n’ soul that will make you want to shake it till you break it! Their recently released album, Naked On The Dance Floor, channels the sounds of R&B – informed by British post punk legends like early Elvis Costello and Joe Jackson, as well as American garage rock stalwarts like the Mooney Suzuki and the Detroit Cobras, and is chock-a-block with edgy, danceable Motown-inspired shakers, with a couple of smooth ballads thrown in for make-out purposes. Their live performance is an energetic floor-stomper not to be missed…so don’t miss it!
Legret – Led by Kevan Ellis, who some at IPO may recall as the leader of SK Robot and Cinderpop, Legret explores life’s little moments on their debut digital album, Seedlings, in catchy, sometimes quirky pop ditties and instrumental interludes…each under 2-minutes long. Their first ever IPO last year was a thought-provoking humor-touched delight, and we can’t wait to see and hear what they’ll this year for their 2nd IPO appearance!
NOT Mentally Prepared – A Vancouver quintet who love nothing more than rocking hard and getting the audience to dance their booties off, so who could not love that!? In their original songs, featured on their recent Low Roller album, they specialize in writing about a wide range of topics – the reality of life, love, funny things, weird things, obsessions, emotions, people, etc., but they are also known to throw down a few well-chosen covers. Fans of artists from The Rolling Stones to AC/DC to The Cure should check them out! The band features several who have played IPO Vancouver right from the very beginning, and we’re glad to welcome them back!
Scott Perry & The EastVangelicals – A veteran of Vancouver’s music scene, Perry is known to many an IPO-er for his versatile guitar work and harmony vocals as a member of The Orchid Highway, The Winlaws, and The Top Drawers, but he’s also an accomplished singer/songwriter in his own right! Inspired by classic seventies singer-songwriters such as John Denver, George Harrison, Gram Parsons, but also drawing on the melodic power-pop of the Beatles and all who they influenced, the acoustic guitar remains at the heart of his songs, with more electric guitar and leads found throughout some of them, but still resounding everywhere is a love of vocal harmony, with many lush arrangements building simple songs into a rewarding listening experience. Their latest album, Folks Songs, which was long-planned, even before the band was formed, as a tribute to Perry’s parents who passed in 2015/16, adds a particularly poignant, yet uplifting, experience with each listen, so we can’t wait to see and hear Perry and his band share the love again at IPO!.
Jody Quine – A two-time Billboard charting vocalist/actor, Quine has toured the US several times, and appeared at IPO LA last summer while working with that most ubiquitous producer of the LA pop scene…you guessed it…Fernando Perdomo! Her vocal haunting style ranges from silken sweetness to smoldering emotional power and will instantly draw you in and hold you captivated. Her music showcases both Quine’s range as a performer and depth as a songwriter, with themes of letting go, heartache, depression, love, and being true to yourself. Her latest album, Star, is her first and only full-length as a solo artist. Check it out!
The Shady Shadows – A psychedelic Pop/Folk/Electronic group founded by elusive sonic artists Ray Down and K, both of Psychedelic art/pop bands The R.A.D.I.O. and The Strange Magic, who have released a wealth of digital singles and EPs lusciously layered with sounds that evoke the magic of the British psychedelic folk/pop movement in its heyday. Their live shows consist of playing with rotating lineups to select crowds at private after-hours art clubs, warehouses and nightclubs all around the globe…and we’re thrilled they are making IPO Vancouver one of these!
Star Collector – IPO is always thrilled to welcome these stalwarts of the Vancouver scene back to IPO, whether it’s been several years since they last played, or only one year! Their patented blend of decadent hooky Americana, British power pop and glam influences and powerhouse vocals will knock you off your feet! If you don’t already own them, their Flash Arrows & The Money Shot and Hundred-Bullet-Proof CDs are a must have for any true power pop fan, and well-worth seeking out. Their 2021 triumphant return album, Game Day, plus their latest, Attack, Sustain, Decay…Repeat, prove they’re just as good as ever…if not even better! Their IPO show is a rare live performance, which you will not want to miss!
International Artists
Rick Kingo Featuring Cherry Fez – IPO audiences from Liverpool and Copenhagen are almost sure to recognize Kingo as one of the main singer/songwriter/guitarists in Caper Clowns, who have become perennial favorites at both, for their high-octane guitars and pitch perfect harmonies…so there’s no doubt he knows his way around a great melody and catchy beat. He’s been working the past couple years on a solo project (with a little help from a few friends, with whom he’ll be sharing the stage), and is ready to step out on his own to share his music across the US and Canada, making stops at several IPOs. Expect a little bit of folk pop, a little bit of power pop, a little bit of humor, and a whole lotta melody and fun! He’s also recently made Vancouver his new home, so come out and welcome him to the Vancouver pop scene family!
Model Shop – A Seattle-based indie pop trio, risen from the ashes of The Math & Physics club, who have quickly become one of the star artists on the Meritorio Records label. “Lapping at the tail end of ‘90s power pop with shades of the indie wave that tore through the early aughts (think New Pornographers, Rogue Wave, or The Figgs), the band revels in crafting the kind of pop that shines through the shades like a sunbeam, lighting up the room with every note” (RavenSingsTheBlues.com review). Check out their recent EP, Check The Forecast, and their IPO showcase to see and hear for yourself!