IPO Vancouver 2025

 
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CLICK HERE to see IPO Vancouver 2025 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 Early Beats – Four veteran Vancouver music mavens play the early music of The Beatles. Song selections from the Cavern and Hamburg’s nightclubs right up to the hits and deep cuts of the touring Beatlemania years. They bring the harmonies, the gear, the energy to these amazing numbers! Featuring current and former members of The Roswells, Star Collector, Slowburn, The Tomorrows, Cherry Maracschino, The Orchid Highway etc. From Beginnings to Beatlemania to You!
 
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; he’ll also be playing some new songs at this year’s IPO, making the live show an experience not to be missed!
 
The Pete Fiend X-Plosion – An explosive late ‘60s and early ‘70s influenced pop rock experience will be had by one and all, courtesy of this quartet, led by Fiend on vocals and bass, and featuring Scott Fletcher and Julien Gripp on guitar and backing vocals with Taylor Little on drums. Think The Monkees meet The Doors meet The 13th Floor Elevators…or better yet, just come to IPO and check them out!
 
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 recent 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!
 
James MacDanger (and the Chosen) – The latest project of Jamie MacDonald, who some of you will know as one of three brothers who fronted the awesome power pop band, The Orchid Highway! I haven’t heard any of their music, but I’m taking it on faith that this will be a pop masterpiece! You should, too!
 
Nearly Nick – In 2024, The New Black’s Gord Badanic brought to IPO Vancouver The Buzzkills, an awesome Buzzcocks tribute band! We normally don’t do tribute bands at the festival, but that was truly special. This year it’s Nearly Nick, and no, that’s not Nick Gilder, but rather Nick Lowe, and I’m sure this tribute will be just as good!
 
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 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, any – and all – of their previous six CDs are a must have for any true power pop fan, and well-worth seeking out. Their brand-new disc, Everything Must Go!, features a veritable “who’s who” of co-writers (such as Jody Porter of Fountains Of Wayne and Ian Person of The Soundtrack Of Our Lives) and guest performers (such as Renee Suchy of The Pursuit Of Happiness, Paul Myers of The Paul & John and Derek MacDonald of The Bad Beats), and proves they’re just as good as ever…if not even better! It’s an album where the rock’s rockier, the pop’s poppier, and the mood’s moodier, veering into some previously uncharted territory as the band continues to challenge expectation, while still staying true to their mod-influenced rock n’ roll roots. We can’t wait to see and hear them do these songs live at IPO!!
 
 

Canadian Artists From Outside of Vancouver

 
Maddisun – Born in the wilderness of Cranbrook, BC, Maddisun (Maddison Keiver) is a powerhouse of sunshine soaked-mountain-made rock ‘n roll with soulful, soaring vocals, who has been writing and performing since the age of 10. “Like Joni Mitchell on Rock N’ Roll Steroids” (Tense Marie), her brand-new genre-defying album, The Pages, “…is powerful: themes of saying yes to yourself, empowering yourself, and refusing to say no” (Roots Music Canada). We look forward to welcoming her to her first IPO!
 
 

International Artists

 
Caper Clowns – A group of young Danes from Odense who made an immediate splash on Danish radio and the world-wide power pop blog underground with the release of their debut, The Buca Bus, late in 2016! The lead single, “Pockets”, was immediately chosen as the “weekly hit tip” on Danish national radio station DR P4, and received much airplay. Their follow up, A Salty Taste To The Lake, has been called “simply delicious indie power pop” and easily rose to the top of several 2018 “best of” lists. Their much-anticipated brand-new album, Without A Safety Net, was released earlier this summer, with the first single “Anywhere Is Home” climbing the charts on various indie podcasts and internet radio stations even before the album’s release! With multiple comparisons to the likes of McCartney, Crowded House, ELO and Jellyfish, it’s understandable why they have become a perennial fan favorite fixture at IPO Liverpool! Lead singer, Rick Kingo, now makes his home in Vancouver, and has brought over his friend and bandmate, Chris, from Denmark to help him share The Caper Clowns music at their first North American IPO!
 
Frames In Motion – Main man Jack Shriner is a Seattle-based singer, guitarist, and songwriter. A musical omnivore, Shriner writes harmony-rich, tightly-crafted music that merges elements of dream-pop, folk rock, prog, and neo-psychedelia. Crude Koan, his second album with Frames In Motion, features songs crafted during the pandemic; the loss of free will and a quest for salvation in the natural world are both themes that permeate the sonic and lyrical landscape. Northwest Music Scene characterized their music perfectly: “Dreamy pop with a deep, dark interior.”
 
Andras Jones – A purveyor of melodic witticism extraordinaire, Jones alternates his home from LA to Olympia, WA and has toured the US and Canada both solo and with his band, The Previous. He is also the host/creator of Radio8Ball, author of Accidental Initiations: The Kabbalistic Tree of Olympia (from Sync Book Press) and an actor who has appeared in several motion pictures and TV shows, including A Nightmare On Elm Street 4: The Dream Master and Saved By The Bell. His latest solo album, Recognize, De-Escalate, and De-Code, is full of melodic and lyrical twists in Jones’ inimitable style…but don’t miss his live show, as the banter and interaction with his audience are often even better than the songs!
 
LipStitch – Comprised of four friends from Bellingham, WA, who may have started as a Joan Jett cover band, but then started writing and recording their own material, and have not looked back! The recent Let’s Talk album is a little grit, a little glam and a whole lotta power pop/punk. If you like bands such as Go Betty Go, The Dollyrots or The Get Arounds (see above), you owe it to yourself to check them out!
 
Small Yards – A fuzzy pop band from Seattle who carve out an aesthetic that rides the waves between power pop, garage rock, psychedelia, and post punk. Rhythmically rooted and melodically driven, with catchy harmonic vocals. Their recently released self-titled album will appeal to fans of psych, garage and grunge from the ‘60s to the present as well as hard-core power pop fans.