IPO Vancouver 2015
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Artists From Vancouver
2 Days and Counting – A melodic rock quartet who wear their collective hearts on their sleeves and pour them into an enticing brew of funky bass lines and powerful vocals. Their new album, Long Short Story, will appeal to fans of The Dave Mathews Band, Pearl Jam, and Foo Fighters.
Paul Anthony & The Invasion – If you like your power pop with the emphasis on the power, then look no further than this muscular rock n’ roll outfit, who also know their way around a great hook and a groovy beat! Influences ranging from ‘60s psychedelia to ‘70s heartland rock to ‘80s new wave power pop to ’90s college radio rock are all in there, and blended perfectly to create their own brand of catchiness that is hard not to like!
The Bash ‘N IPO All Stars – As their name suggests, this band features an all star cast of Vancouver music scene luminaries from The Orchid Highway, The Walk-Ins, and other special guests, doing something completely different: A selection of cover tunes picked not by the band, but by yours truly – there are a few well known ones on their set list, but we’ve purposely thrown in a few obscure and challenging numbers that we can’t wait to see them pull off live!
Laurie Biagini – After a brief hiatus to take care of her health, Biagini is back, and better than ever! She has four CDs to her credit, filled with her characteristic sunshine harmony pop with some groovy surf and psychedelic undertones. Usually a “DIY” girl recording all the parts herself, both her latest disc, Sanctuary of Sound, and her new single, Try Our Luck Today, also feature a few guest guitar tracks and vocals from fans as far ranging as The UK and Italy. Fans of The Beach Boys, The Mamas & The Papas, and The Monkees need to check her out!
Graham Brown Band – Long a stalwart in the Vancouver music scene, this fine singer/songwriter serves up a tasty slice of crunchy alt-country, drawing heavily from influences such as Neil Young, Steve Earle, Tom Petty, and Johnny Cash. His latest CD, Give & Take, retains these influences, but also has a stronger rock n’ roll and power pop feel than his previous discs. Crank it up loud and get ready to bob your head and tap your feet!
The Carousel Scene – An alternative rock band consisting of “the kids from the suburbs that your mom warned you about.” Ashley, Kyle and Chris were all members of the now defunct indie rock band Shadows. Their music is best described as alternative rock with a hard-hitting grunge and indie sensibility.
Chimpanzebras – One of the most enjoyable bands we’ve encountered in quite some time, Chimpanzebras combine quirky angular indiepop chord shifts with punk pop energy and psychedelic surfpop, and a humorous lyric or two. Their musical diversity will appeal to fans of artists from Zappa to Bowling For Soup to just about everything in between – check out their latest disc, Dude, Relax, and hear for yourself!
The Deadset – The talented twosome stand out as a pop-punk power duo and what they lack in numbers, they make up for in attitude. In addition to rocking the local Vancouver scene, The Deadset has been spreading their playful, ruffian seed throughout Canada. Their irresistible layering of emotional lyrics about heartbreak over a contrasting, upbeat instrumental backdrop at Canadian Music Week 2014 in Toronto earned them an announcement in the first round for performing artists at Canadian Music Week 2015! If you haven’t yet had the chance to see them play, come check them out now!
The Diviners – The band consists of Donald Delano and Janis McKenzie and sometimes also Gord Badanic, Gary Economy, and Tony Lee. Their music features lots of sweet harmonies and not-so-sweet sentiments, and can be described as Nick Lowe meets The Everly Brothers…if one of them was a girl!
Siobhan DuVall – The leader of Duvallstar, and former guitarist for The Bomshells, Bif Naked, and The Widows (with Billy Hopeless), Siobhan is the consummate performer, whether fronting a band or rocking the house solo. Known for her sophisticated sexy power punk, Siobhan has played the main stage at the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival and Sony Playstation Skatespace in Whistler BC, and has appeared on VH-1 in New York City! Her stories in between songs are almost as good as the songs themselves!
Danny Echo – With influences drawing 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 his latest full length release, Rock Bottoms Up, and barely tones it down for his 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!
Edmonton Block Heater – Their 2011 CD, Mars, Massachusetts, has all the jangle and spank you’d expect from a power pop trio – big guitars, hooks, harmonies and handclaps – but with a broader palette and bigger ambitions, taking excursions into folk, country, R&B, and even Latin sounds! It’s a mature, confident set of 14 songs guaranteed to rock the house Saturday night and tend to your hangover Sunday morning. The follow up EP, Rover, is similarly diverse, and will appeal to fans of twangy powerpop, folky softpop, and muscular rock!
Elza – Her recent EP, Glories, started as a few experimental home recordings on a computer, but quickly grew into a lush set of fully orchestrated melancholic pop songs that perfectly complement Elza’s ethereal vocals. Fans of PJ Harvey, Tori Amos, and Kate Bush should check her out!
HEAD – HEAD is dark, but highly-charged – a little industrial, sexually moody, heavy, but melodic. With coquettish vocals, electro-slash guitars, mood altering keyboards, and intoxicating rhythms laced with dark, erotic lyrics, it’s what might happen if you mixed a little Tea Party with Garbage and Nine Inch Nails. Lyric, Stone, oD, The Phantom, Styxx. Definitely something different, but also very cool!
Cass King & The Next Right Thing – Combining the talents of some of Vancouver’s finest musicians, who have previously played in such bands as The Orchid Highway and The Wet Spots, Cass King & The Next Right Thing mix classic ‘60s R&B swing with scrappy garage-punk energy to create their own brand of sultry garage soul rock and roll that makes you want to shake it till you break it! Fans of artists from The Beatles to The Animals to Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings should check them out now!
The Perfect Foil – The new project of the leader of Duvallstar, Siobhan DuVall! Siobhan is the consummate performer, whether fronting a band or rocking the house solo. Known for her sophisticated sexy power punk, Siobhan has played the main stage at the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival and Sony Playstation Skatespace in Whistler BC, and has appeared on VH-1 in New York City! Her stories in between songs are almost as good as the songs themselves!
Pill Squad – Punk and garage rock influenced by the Cramps, Sonics and the Damned, featuring members of the Hip Type, China Syndrome, Full Leather Jacket and the Blow-Up Dolls. We were honored that they made last year’s IPO Vancouver their debut performance, and we’re thrilled to have them back again, but beware: their four-song digital demo album and their live performance will leave you longing for a full length!
Preston & Fletcher – If the Avengers were musicians, they would want to be Preston & Fletcher. They share a penchant for hooky melodies, insightful lyrics and British sports cars. Their songs have as many twists and turns as a Rallye Monte Carlo where the drivers are Bacharach, Lennon and McCartney, Aimee Mann and Jon Brion. As you read this they are putting the finishing flourishes on what promises to be an extraordinary debut recording, which we can hardly wait to hear!
The Spheres – A Vancouver synthpop band who’s music could be described as alternative, or post-alt…or maybe neo-contemporary…or future retro-ism–you know, like, what people fifteen years from now will imagine music sounded like today. But if you want to imagine what they sound like using past references, think Bowie meets Mates of State at a Duran Duran concert and then goes to a coffee shop after the show where they meet Blondie!
Star Collector – IPO is always thrilled to welcome these one-time stalwarts of the Vancouver scene back to IPO, whether it’s been several years since they last played or only one! Their patented blend of decadent hooky Americana, British powerpop 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 IPO show is a rare live performance, which you will not want to miss!
Virgil
We Found A Lovebird – Their latest release, Let’s Start The War, features a blend of sticky bubblegummy sunshine pop with darker shoegaze undercurrents. Fans of The Beach Boys, Big Star, The Archies, and Guided By Voices will all love this bird’s song!
The Written Years – An ever-evolving collective led by longtime friends Wade Ouellet and Kane Enders, who offer a unique combination of indie rock, traditional folk, post rock and alt-rock influences. The result manages to feel both incredibly intimate and uncomfortably isolating, and is backed by a highly energetic live show! Their sophomore release – due out in 2016 – retains the cinematic nature of their self-titled debut, while beginning to further adapt their post rock and electronic influences.
Canadian Artists From Outside Of Vancouver
Lindsay Kupser – We’re proud to welcome this Canadian original (from Calgary) by way of Boston to her first ever IPO Vancouver. Her style is part jazz, part folk, part poetry reading – softly haunting and provocative. Fans of Joni Mitchell, Edie Brickell, and Suzanne Vega should check out her latest EP, Quiet Songs.
The Perms – Long known in their hometown of Winnipeg (and throughout the rest of Canada) for their infectious hooks, The Perms have released five full-length albums, plus their most recent opus, The Aberdeen EP, in which they put all their focus into crafting arrangements that would push their instinctive writing skills and seasoned musicianship to a whole new level. The results of their hard work are high-energy, guitar-driven songs that feature sing-a-long melodies with an aggressive, harder-edged sound. Fans of OK Go, Weezer, Badfinger, Supergrass and The Cars need to check this out!
International Artists
Shakedown At The Majestic – A sharp-dressed young quartet from Seattle whose signature style involves tightly woven harmonies and interweaving vocal melodies, drawing from rock and pop’s early years but delivering something altogether fresh. Their influences include early rock n’ roll, doo-wop, the Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Zombies, Weezer, The Hives, and the Pixies, and they combine these into something irresistibly danceable, catchy and fun that we dare you to try to shake out of your head! Watch for a debut album to be released soon!