Defektors… Aug 14

Defektors
with B-Lines, the New Values, and Dichotomy
at the Honey Lounge, August 14, 2008
Reviewed by Stephen Jersak

Chad Loewen’s inebriated dicking around seemed like a detractor in the moment, but really, it defined Dichotomy’s sound. Beats are non-existent, relentless runs of snare/hi-hat/kick smashes surrogating. Screams were squeezed through the sound system, coming out as bursts of white noise. The bass parts were ripped off from an alternate Ramones who went hardcore after Leave Home. Over top of all of it, Mister Loewen layered shitloads of feedback and distortion on his scrappy chords, before fucking around for 10 minutes, alternately annoying and entertaining. Did I like them? I have no idea.

B-Lines… July 19

B-Lines
with White Lung and Chris-a-riffic
at the Chez Nous Ballroom, July 19, 2008
Reviewed by Stephen Jersak

Chris-a-riffic opened the loft with his insistence that everyone was going to hate him and the idea of him opening for B-Lines and White Lung was ridiculous. He followed it up with a short set of delightful pop. The piano teacher neglected his casio, relying on a floor tom, some A Capella percussion, and audience participation to grind along beneath his clever lyrics and endearing voice.

Dirty Dirty North – Beltline Therapy

Beltline Therapy
the Dirty Dirty North
Demo 2008
Reviewed by Stephen Jersak

By the end, I forgot I was listening to music. I got caught in the excitement, and was singing along at that terrible volume that isn’t singing to yourself, but clearly isn’t intended for anyone else.

Annthronein… May 8

Annthronein
with Guests or something
at the Yale New Drama Room, May 8, 2008
Reviewed by Stephen Jersak Unpurpose

Drew Riekman is sixteen, and Guests (aka All In Red aka Rage Against the Machine) put on the most entertaining show I’ve seen at a high school in years. The obvious disciples of the.wpp are a two-piece that sounds like half of a four-piece, but they’ve got time to fill out, and for now they’re exciting. The entire set felt like something was going to happen, and then not a lot did, but that would be remedied with more vocals. The set climaxed as they pounded out two chords, filled the room with feedback, and distributed the drum-kit throughout the crowd, finishing a couple minutes after the power was cut, creating white teenage suburban tribal music that made my hands bleed.

You Say Party! We Say Die!… May 3

You Say Party! We Say Die!
with the Doers, the Dirty Dirty North, WCB, and Velvamatics
at the McCallum Activity Centre, May 3, 2008
Reviewed by Stephen Jersak being increasingly obtuse

The Velvamatics are at a good start. That’s weird, ‘cuz I’ve been seeing them (not in this configuration) for two years and now they’re at a good starting point. It’s reasonable, they’re seventeen. Their garage rock climaxes at its noisiest, and with a few less repeats they’d be handling some nice fuzzy econo-rock.

Tranzmitors… March 8

Tranzmitors
with Dateless, the Spinoffs, and B-Lines
at Pub 340, March 8, 2008
Reviewed by Stephen Jersak

B-Lines are victims of school and jobs. Norm’s last show was a spastic showcase of why they deserve to trash punk houses inter-continentally. It was brief and sloppy, and maybe the wildest I’ve seen them play. Ryan keeps getting more comfortable, scaling the balcony, swinging the mic, and smashing light-bulbs. Everything was on overdrive, and broken glass suited the attack of a band on its way to being one of Vancouver’s most exciting.

Walls… Feb. 16

Walls
with High Jinks, B-Lines, Ghost Dance, and War Hero
at Casa del Artista, February 16, 2008
Reviewed by Stephen Jersak

War Hero are obvious teenagers. There’s no reason that their hardcore-with-too-much metal isn’t on its way to being good. They were trying really hard, and if they cut back on distortion, the song about skateboarding was approaching enjoyable straight-forward punk.

You Say Party! We Say Die!… Jan. 25

You Say Party! We Say Die!
with the Doers, Fake Shark Real Zombie and i/i
at Ukrainian Hall, January 25, 2008
Reviewed by Stephen Jersak

Are there still all-ages shows in Vancouver? The Emergency Room doesn’t count; letting anyone in doesn’t make it All-Ages. Kyle and Kohl’s final show reminded me that I really do hate teenagers. The media glorifies us, but really, we’re idiots.

The Evaporators… Jan. 25 & 26

The Evaporators
at HMV, January 25, 2008
The Evaporators
with B-Lines, the Elixxxers, and Lala
at Seylynn Hall, January 26, 2008
Reviewed by Stephen Jersak

HMV is a great venue when you like luring kids past endless piles of over-priced CDs.

Stamina Mantis… Jan. 19

Stamina Mantis
with B-Lines, Nü Sensae, and Stuffed Animals
at the Astoria, January 19, 2008
Reviewed by Stephen Jersak

High-school two-pieces are an excuse to not know songs. It’s kind of the same thing when people grow up.