PHOTOS: SingItFwd - JUNO Edition 2018
SINGItFWD 2018 ft. Peach Pit, Louise Burns, Khari McClelland, The Zolas, Said The Whale, Dawn Pemberton, Leif Vollebekk, Mother Mother, Hey Ocean!
Vogue Theatre
March 21, 2018
Christine McAvoy Photography
Peach Pit @ SingItFwd
Christine McAvoy Photography
Peach Pit @ SingItFwd
Christine McAvoy Photography
Peach Pit @ SingItFwd
Christine McAvoy Photography
Peach Pit @ SingItFwd
Christine McAvoy Photography
Peach Pit @ SingItFwd
Christine McAvoy Photography
Casey-Jo Loos & James Sutton
Christine McAvoy Photography
Louise Burns @ SingItFwd
Christine McAvoy Photography
Louise Burns @ SingItFwd
Christine McAvoy Photography
Khari McClelland @ SingItFwd
Christine McAvoy Photography
Khari McClelland @ SingItFwd
Christine McAvoy Photography
Khari McClelland @ SingItFwd
Christine McAvoy Photography
Khari McClelland @ SingItFwd
Christine McAvoy Photography
Khari McClelland @ SingItFwd
Christine McAvoy Photography
Khari McClelland @ SingItFwd
Christine McAvoy Photography
St James Music Academy @ SingItFwd
Christine McAvoy Photography
The Zolas @ SingItFwd
Christine McAvoy Photography
The Zolas @ SingItFwd
Christine McAvoy Photography
The Zolas @ SingItFwd
Christine McAvoy Photography
Said The Whale @ SingItFwd
Christine McAvoy Photography
Said The Whale @ SingItFwd
Christine McAvoy Photography
Said The Whale @ SingItFwd
Christine McAvoy Photography
Said The Whale @ SingItFwd
Christine McAvoy Photography
Dawn Pemberton @ SingItFwd
Christine McAvoy Photography
Dawn Pemberton @ SingItFwd
Christine McAvoy Photography
Dawn Pemberton @ SingItFwd
Christine McAvoy Photography
Dawn Pemberton @ SingItFwd
Christine McAvoy Photography
Leif Vollebekk @ SingItFwd
Christine McAvoy Photography
Leif Vollebekk @ SingItFwd
Christine McAvoy Photography
Leif Vollebekk @ SingItFwd
Christine McAvoy Photography
Leif Vollebekk @ SingItFwd
Christine McAvoy Photography
Leif Vollebekk @ SingItFwd
Christine McAvoy Photography
Mother Mother @ SingItFwd
Christine McAvoy Photography
Mother Mother @ SingItFwd
Christine McAvoy Photography
Mother Mother @ SingItFwd
Christine McAvoy Photography
Mother Mother @ SingItFwd
Christine McAvoy Photography
Hey Ocean! @ SingItFwd
Christine McAvoy Photography
Hey Ocean! @ SingItFwd
Christine McAvoy Photography
Hey Ocean! @ SingItFwd
Christine McAvoy Photography
Hey Ocean! @ SingItFwd
Christine McAvoy Photography
SingItFwd
Christine McAvoy Photography
SINGItFWD 2018 ft. Peach Pit, Louise Burns, Khari McClelland, The Zolas, Said The Whale, Dawn Pemberton, Leif Vollebekk, Mother Mother, Hey Ocean!
Vogue Theatre
March 21, 2018
Christine McAvoy Photography
Two years ago, we thought we were seeing the last ever SingItFwd with a two-night extravaganza. The show was an annual event, running since 2011, to benefit the children of the St. James Music Academy, and was always a highlight of the year. But now it's back for a very special Juno edition, as the music awards touch down in Vancouver this weekend.
This year's the show featured a host of local bands, many of which had played the event before, and some even nominated for a Juno this weekend. They all played a few songs each, sometimes stripped down, sometimes brand new stuff, and sometimes even joined by the kids from the St James Music Academy.
Starting off the night was the indie pop of Peach Pit, and their song "Drop The Guillotine". They were a great way to kick off the show with energy, especially when lead singer Neil Smith had portions of the crowd screaming with nothing but a hair flip.
(They also managed to make a few people feel old when they said they "grew up" on these SingItFwd shows, as well as some of the other bands performing that night).
Louise Burns was out next, alone of stage for a couple stripped down songs. Her haunting voice rang through the theatre with a couple songs that may be appropriate for the weekend, "Strange Weather" and "Storms", as well as a brand new song.
Khari Wendell McClelland followed, first with his own song, and then and after a cover of Bowie's "Five Years", we saw the first emergence of the kids from the SJMA, as they were out to sing choir on the song "Roll On".
A group of St James kids on strings were out ahead of a couple of The Zolas. Zach said how happy he was to be there as they played a couple songs off their recent album, before giving a shout out to a band that wasn't there, launching into a cover of one of their songs, "Keep On Dancing" by We Are The City, one of my favourites of the night.
Closing out the first half of the evening was Said the Whale, Tyler & Ben trading off lead vocals on, respectively, "Confidence" and "Lilac and Willow". They debuted a new song, called "Broken Man", which was Tyler admitted was being played for the second time ever (the first being downstairs in the green room 5 minutes beforehand).
After a brief intermission, a St James Jazz band was up, followed by the amazingly powerful voice of Dawn Pemberton. Anyone that hadn't heard of her before was immediately won over with her cover of "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" and one of her own songs, "Deeper". She then invited the kids back onstage to sing Stevie Wonder's "Love In Need Of Love" with her.
Leif Vollebekk was next, with perhaps the most emotion-stirring set of the night, his voice cutting through the near-silence of the venue as he poured his heart out with songs like "Vancouver Time". He was also joined by drummer Johnny Andrews for a song, joking that he was jealous since Johnny was drumming for at least half of all bands performing that night.
Ryan Guldemond and Jasmin Parkin were out representing Mother Mother, first playing "Body of Years" then also teasing a brand new song. Ryan joked about being 'afraid' of kids, in his own loquacious way, before being joined for their final song by both Ashleigh Ball and the SJMA choir for "Simply Simple".
And finally, after some great thank yous and videos from the stage for people who couldn't be there (including co-creator Ambrosia Humphrey) Hey Ocean! closed out the night. They teased their upcoming album The Hurt of Happiness with the title track, and the kids were out once more to sing with David Vertesi on a song written for Ambrosia, while it was .
Usually, the shows will end with a big, giant singalong cover, with the kids and all other musicians up on stage, and this one was no different, as they paid their respects with a great cover of "Ahead by a Century" by The Hip, Vertesi and Ben the Whale taking lead vocals, the latter absolutely channelling Downie.
On the blog post for the very first edition of SingItFwd, I said something like: "It would be cliché to call it a magical night, but there is hardly any better description." and I feel like that's been apt every year, but especially this one. It was a nice to see them come back for one last dance, and nice to see the celebration of local music ahead of the Junos.
A Tribe Called Red @ Commodore Ballroom
Christine McAvoy Photography
A Tribe Called Red @ Commodore Ballroom
Christine McAvoy Photography
A Tribe Called Red @ Commodore Ballroom
Christine McAvoy Photography
A Tribe Called Red @ Commodore Ballroom
Christine McAvoy Photography
A Tribe Called Red @ Commodore Ballroom
Christine McAvoy Photography
A Tribe Called Red @ Commodore Ballroom
Christine McAvoy Photography
A Tribe Called Red @ Commodore Ballroom
Christine McAvoy Photography
A Tribe Called Red @ Commodore Ballroom
Christine McAvoy Photography
A Tribe Called Red @ Commodore Ballroom
Christine McAvoy Photography
A Tribe Called Red
Commodore Ballroom
March 10, 2018
Christine McAvoy Photography
The last time The Dears were in town, they were gracing the stage of the Fox Cabaret shortly after their album Times Infinity, vol. 1. Now, two and a half years later, and after the release of Volume 2, they've returned to the same stage for an early show at the Fox.
Which, as a side note, I think the last 3 or 4 times I've seen The Dears here, it's been an early/curfewed show, and I'm really hoping that's not a trend that continues.
Anyway, I got to the venue just as opener Lou Canon was starting her set, out on stage alone with her keyboard and a projection screen of spooky eyes behind her. Dark synths and her haunting voice filled the room, with songs like "Coma" and infectiously catchy "Fever". She seemed to get a bit more comfortable on stage as the set went, joking with the crowd before dedicating the final song to her step-father.
Soon after that, the screen was filled with a giant image similar to the album cover of Times Infinity vol 2 -- Murray Lightburn and Natalia Yanchak smooching -- and The Dears took the stage to a 16-bit sounding tune (which I swear I recognised but could not place).
They kicked off with the first song from the new album, "Taking it to the Grave" before an hour-plus mix of nearly their whole history; from the dark and moody "Who Are You, Defenders Of The Universe", to the deceptively peppy and upbeat "Whites Only Party", to the fragile "I Used To Pray For The Heavens To Fall", and one of my all-time favourites, "You And I Are A Gang Of Losers" swelling to a soaring ending.
Even after joking about having a heart-attack on stage, Murray was still as intense and emotional as ever while performing. Switching between electric and acoustic guitars, adding tambourine or harmonica, singing to the crowd to to his wife, everything he does draws you in. While perched on the edge of the stage for "Hate Then Love", it seemed like he was personally vowing "I swear it to you" to each and every person, and they all believed it.
After finishing off the set with the crowd singing along to "Lost in the Plot", Murray came out alone for a solo acoustic song, joking he would start once the people in the back "shut the fuck up" (leading to a short debate as to if that was more or less harsh than "get the fuck out"). First playing a gorgeous version of "Ticket to Immortality", written while he & Natalia were still expecting their first child, and then spontaneously played "There Goes My Outfit" while waiting for the band to return. Finally, they finished the night off with the perennial favourite and show-closer, "22: The Death of All the Romance". Clearly a favourite to many in the crowd (myself included), emotions poured from the band, throughout the crowd, and back, as the song built to a chaotic, apocalyptic ending, Murray leaving the stage saying the band loves us... times infinity.
setlist
Taking It To The Grave
I Used To Pray For The Heavens To Fall
Who Are You, Defenders Of The Universe
Whites Only Party
5 Chords
Disclaimer
Here's To The Death Of All The Romance
1998
Of Fisticuffs
All The Hail Marys
You And I Are A Gang Of Losers
Hate Then Love
Lost In The Plot
(encore)
Ticket To Immortality
There Goes My Outfit
22: The Death Of All The Romance
The Elwins @ Commodore Ballroom
Christine McAvoy Photography
The Elwins @ Commodore Ballroom
Christine McAvoy Photography
The Elwins @ Commodore Ballroom
Christine McAvoy Photography
The Elwins @ Commodore Ballroom
Christine McAvoy Photography
The Elwins @ Commodore Ballroom
Christine McAvoy Photography
The Elwins @ Commodore Ballroom
Christine McAvoy Photography
The Elwins @ Commodore Ballroom
Christine McAvoy Photography
The Elwins @ Commodore Ballroom
Christine McAvoy Photography
The Elwins @ Commodore Ballroom
Christine McAvoy Photography
The Elwins @ Commodore Ballroom
Christine McAvoy Photography
Dashboard Confessional @ Commodore Ballroom
Christine McAvoy Photography
Dashboard Confessional @ Commodore Ballroom
Christine McAvoy Photography
Dashboard Confessional @ Commodore Ballroom
Christine McAvoy Photography
Dashboard Confessional @ Commodore Ballroom
Christine McAvoy Photography
Dashboard Confessional @ Commodore Ballroom
Christine McAvoy Photography
Dashboard Confessional @ Commodore Ballroom
Christine McAvoy Photography
Dashboard Confessional, and The Elwins
Commodore Ballroom
February 21, 2018
Christine McAvoy Photography