October 14th, 2011 - Pop Okanagan Festival Showcase
The Dudes - 11:45pm
The dudes are legit. They make rock songs that come from the most closely guarded vaults of the emotional banks. They sing about the triumph of good over no good. They trumpet the march of the working class lady. They tell stories of love gained and lost, knife fights, cops and kindness. The dudes want you to see them play live. They would like you to laugh and dance. After the show, they want to give you a high five. Scott will teach you a special handshake. Bob will ask you for your phone number. They used to have a brown van that took them across Canada thrice. Now its paid the price. She’s sitting along the highway at a Petrocan in Winnipeg and the last they checked, the doors were still unlocked. You know, if you want to go sit in it or something. Soon they will come to your town in a blue van. Will you be there? Maybe sleep on your floor?
Sex with Strangers - 10:45pm
Sex With Strangers is proud to be a part of the new Vancouver music scene. Fronted by the inimitable Hatch Benedict and mysterious bassist Magnus Magnum, SWS has been confounding listeners and delighting audiences with their hyper eclectic musical stylings and euphoric live show since 2007. The band has been gaining local, national and international attention since their inception, highlighted by a SPIN Magazine feature which listed SWS as one of “7 Undiscovered Bands Worth a Listen” to in the Spring of 2009. In addition to the critical success enjoyed by the band, Sex With Strangers has been fortunate enough to showcase at a number of notable festivals over the past two years, including the 2010 and 2011 SXSW Festivals, SLED Island, NXNE, JunoFest, Canadian Music Week, The Big Time Out, Rifflandia and others. Currently, SWS is supporting the release of their third independent album, titled “Frontier Justice”. The record is the conceptual follow-up to the band’s 2009 critically acclaimed release “The Tokyo Steel”, which featured the singles “New City Anthem” and “We Want the Fire”. Videos for both songs were featured on MuchMusic.
ROCOCODE (duo) - 9:45pm
ROCOCODE is an unfamiliar band made up of familiar faces. They strive to create music that is equal parts arty, accessible, sexy, sweet, badass, bent and beautiful. The band is operated by Laura Smith and Andrew Braun, Shaun Huberts (Tegan & Sara) and Johnny Andrews (Tegan & Sara). Their debut, Guns, Sex and Glory, was produced by Ryan Guldemond and Andrew Braun, and mixed by John Congleton (St. Vincent, Pink Mountaintops, Polyphonic Spree).
Aaron Gordon & friends - 8:45pm
Romantic, but energetic acoustic folk pop… Moody humorous intimate “Feel-Good” music – these may seem unlikely combinations of words to describe a musician, but they fit Aaron Gordon’s sound and style perfectly. The Canadian-based acoustic pop singer/songwriter has honed his craft to forge a unique blend of adult contemporary pop that runs the musical gamut from poignant and heartfelt ballads to hilarious, energetic and uplifting tunes. Raised on classic and modern rock and pop, Aaron gravitated towards playing drums, learning guitar and writing his first songs at age 12. His musical tastes branched out in his teen years to include more edgy stuff like techno and metal, but his true creative outlet would prove to be much softer and more intimate. Aaron played in a couple of regional bands and says he played tons of ‘open mic night’ acoustic solo performances, where he hit on his signature sound. A previous band member and Collin Croft – Bass (a friend from high school) joined Aaron a few years ago to form the Aaron Gordon Trio – they took first place at The Interior Provincial Exhibition Youth Talent Contest performing an original composition, “Blush,” this past September and went on to represent the IPE in November at the Canadian Youth Talent Competition with his band. His first in-studio experience resulted in a four-song demo recorded with Aaron Sinclair at Angelside Music. Aaron is currently working with Ange Alero and Darnell Toth of Alero Music Group, recording a new EP entitled Blush, set for release June, 2011. Whether he’s singing love-lorn angsty songs or regaling a crowd with a humorous upbeat song, long-time fans of Aaron’s and new fans are in for a sensory treat as they join him on the next leg of his musical journey. Aaron says no matter what he’s singing about in a song, he always wants to leave the listener with a sense of hope. “I want fans to feel good when my song ends. Even my torch songs end on a positive note,” he says. “I want my songs to be hopeful, self fulfilling, peaceful and passionate. If I can leave a person deep in thought or wide-eyed and engaged through my music, then I think I’ve done my job.”
Windmills - 7:45pm
Windmills is Cory Myraas.
He doesn’t stand on stage with an acoustic guitar and sing about his feelings.
(That may be half true and half a lie.)
He loops guitar, vocals and drums while running a multi-fx pedal through a vocal microphone.
He’s been called a dirty hipster.
He can’t really describe the music all that well.
But people enjoy what he does.
Windmills keep moving.
The dudes are legit. They make rock songs that come from the most closely guarded vaults of the emotional banks. They sing about the triumph of good over no good. They trumpet the march of the working class lady. They tell stories of love gained and lost, knife fights, cops and kindness. The dudes want you to see them play live. They would like you to laugh and dance. After the show, they want to give you a high five. Scott will teach you a special handshake. Bob will ask you for your phone number. They used to have a brown van that took them across Canada thrice. Now its paid the price. She’s sitting along the highway at a Petrocan in Winnipeg and the last they checked, the doors were still unlocked. You know, if you want to go sit in it or something. Soon they will come to your town in a blue van. Will you be there? Maybe sleep on your floor?
Sex with Strangers - 10:45pm
Sex With Strangers is proud to be a part of the new Vancouver music scene. Fronted by the inimitable Hatch Benedict and mysterious bassist Magnus Magnum, SWS has been confounding listeners and delighting audiences with their hyper eclectic musical stylings and euphoric live show since 2007. The band has been gaining local, national and international attention since their inception, highlighted by a SPIN Magazine feature which listed SWS as one of “7 Undiscovered Bands Worth a Listen” to in the Spring of 2009. In addition to the critical success enjoyed by the band, Sex With Strangers has been fortunate enough to showcase at a number of notable festivals over the past two years, including the 2010 and 2011 SXSW Festivals, SLED Island, NXNE, JunoFest, Canadian Music Week, The Big Time Out, Rifflandia and others. Currently, SWS is supporting the release of their third independent album, titled “Frontier Justice”. The record is the conceptual follow-up to the band’s 2009 critically acclaimed release “The Tokyo Steel”, which featured the singles “New City Anthem” and “We Want the Fire”. Videos for both songs were featured on MuchMusic.
ROCOCODE (duo) - 9:45pm
ROCOCODE is an unfamiliar band made up of familiar faces. They strive to create music that is equal parts arty, accessible, sexy, sweet, badass, bent and beautiful. The band is operated by Laura Smith and Andrew Braun, Shaun Huberts (Tegan & Sara) and Johnny Andrews (Tegan & Sara). Their debut, Guns, Sex and Glory, was produced by Ryan Guldemond and Andrew Braun, and mixed by John Congleton (St. Vincent, Pink Mountaintops, Polyphonic Spree).
Aaron Gordon & friends - 8:45pm
Romantic, but energetic acoustic folk pop… Moody humorous intimate “Feel-Good” music – these may seem unlikely combinations of words to describe a musician, but they fit Aaron Gordon’s sound and style perfectly. The Canadian-based acoustic pop singer/songwriter has honed his craft to forge a unique blend of adult contemporary pop that runs the musical gamut from poignant and heartfelt ballads to hilarious, energetic and uplifting tunes. Raised on classic and modern rock and pop, Aaron gravitated towards playing drums, learning guitar and writing his first songs at age 12. His musical tastes branched out in his teen years to include more edgy stuff like techno and metal, but his true creative outlet would prove to be much softer and more intimate. Aaron played in a couple of regional bands and says he played tons of ‘open mic night’ acoustic solo performances, where he hit on his signature sound. A previous band member and Collin Croft – Bass (a friend from high school) joined Aaron a few years ago to form the Aaron Gordon Trio – they took first place at The Interior Provincial Exhibition Youth Talent Contest performing an original composition, “Blush,” this past September and went on to represent the IPE in November at the Canadian Youth Talent Competition with his band. His first in-studio experience resulted in a four-song demo recorded with Aaron Sinclair at Angelside Music. Aaron is currently working with Ange Alero and Darnell Toth of Alero Music Group, recording a new EP entitled Blush, set for release June, 2011. Whether he’s singing love-lorn angsty songs or regaling a crowd with a humorous upbeat song, long-time fans of Aaron’s and new fans are in for a sensory treat as they join him on the next leg of his musical journey. Aaron says no matter what he’s singing about in a song, he always wants to leave the listener with a sense of hope. “I want fans to feel good when my song ends. Even my torch songs end on a positive note,” he says. “I want my songs to be hopeful, self fulfilling, peaceful and passionate. If I can leave a person deep in thought or wide-eyed and engaged through my music, then I think I’ve done my job.”
Windmills - 7:45pm
Windmills is Cory Myraas.
He doesn’t stand on stage with an acoustic guitar and sing about his feelings.
(That may be half true and half a lie.)
He loops guitar, vocals and drums while running a multi-fx pedal through a vocal microphone.
He’s been called a dirty hipster.
He can’t really describe the music all that well.
But people enjoy what he does.
Windmills keep moving.
- Categories: Acoustic , Folk , Concerts , Past Events , Indie Rock , Rock
