Inside Vancouver

Year-end round-up—Vancouver albums you might have missed part I

by Shawn Conner in Insider on December 27, 2017

Chamber-pop band Gentle Party released Jouska in March.

In what has become an annual tradition, Inside Vancouver has tried to dig up as many below-the-radar releases from Vancouver artists as possible. We found quite a few—so many that we’re dividing this post into two parts. The first, this one, covers albums released between January and June of this year. The second, which goes live Dec. 29, covers the second half of the year.

The list skews heavily towards rock, pop, country and folk. There are probably many electronica, hip-hop and metal records that we’ve missed. If you know of any, please let us know in the comments section.

The main qualification for making this list, besides relative obscurity and a release date between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31 2017, is length. The release must be either at least 10 songs or over 30 minutes. Otherwise, the list would be overrun with EPs, which are more plentiful than full-length albums. Thanks to all who suggested albums, including Mark Bignall, Ford Pier, Nancy Lanthier, and David Rust.

We have however included a few EPs, mostly based on the fact that we were already aware of them. We’ve also included a list of higher-profile reissues, as well as a couple of re-releases. We hope you enjoy the list and discover some new Vancouver talent.

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Year-end round-up—Vancouver albums you might have missed part I

Musicians showcase new material at Railtown Sessions Vinyl Release

by Shawn Conner in Uncategorized on December 7, 2016

Sarah Jane Scouten plays the Fox Cabaret as part of a record release party for the Railtown Sessions this Friday night.

Every few months over the last year, a small group of musicians and music fans have been coming together at a little recording studio in East Vancouver.

The occasions have been the Railtown Sessions, intimate shows at the headquarters of local record label Light Organ. At the Sessions, local musicians have debuted material to small audiences, as well as for Internet listeners via livestreaming.

All of the Sessions were also recorded. This Friday, Dec. 9, the four acts showcased play the Fox Cabaret (2321 Main St.) to celebrate the release of a record of those songs. Scroll below to find out more about the talent involved.

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Musicians showcase new material at Railtown Sessions Vinyl Release

Vancouver-raised singer chosen to represent Switzerland

by Shawn Conner in Uncategorized on February 15, 2016

Rykka after winning Die Grosse Entscheidungsshow. Photo courtesy SRF/Mirco Rederlechner.

A Vancouver born-and-raised singer won the contest to represent Switzerland at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.

The competition was held Feb. 13 at the Bodensee Arena in Kreuzlingen. Six acts performed their competing entry as well as cover song to show their musical versatility and live performing abilities. Vancouver’s Rykka, who won the provincial music contest the Peak Performance Project in 2013, won through a combined vote of the televoters and an expert jury.

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Vancouver-raised singer chosen to represent Switzerland

Justin Bieber and Adele tributes in Vancouver

by Shawn Conner in Uncategorized on February 5, 2016

British singer Adele gets her own tribute night at the Biltmore Cabaret in March.

Tribute nights have become a thing in Vancouver. In 2015, local musicians came together to celebrate the music of Taylor Swift, Bjork and Prince. In January, a Drake tribute brought out “an incredibly diverse lineup of Vancouver musicians.”

The tribute nights are proving so popular that there are more on the way for 2016. Two that have been recently announced are tributes to Stratford, Ontario bad boy Justin Bieber and the powerhouse British vocalist Adele.

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Justin Bieber and Adele tributes in Vancouver