After 38 years, this one-stop music shop is closing down
Booming local music scene has kept the Garage open for decades
The Garage is closing. That’s right. I am selling out and moving to something else. Just what, it’s too early to say, but after 38 years at The Province it’s time, as Chuck Willis used to sing, to hang up the rock 'n’ roll shoes.
The Garage started as a personal response to how active local music had become. Many acts were releasing up to six albums and thought nothing of touring the world, not just B.C. They were entering songwriting contests, winning awards, placing songs on soundtracks.
I thought readers should know about this, so every week I collected as much information as I could to report on it. And each week, I thought the column would dry up. It never did.
In fact, compiling the Garage has become even more labour intensive over the last few years — more videos to watch, singles to hear and albums to stream.
As well, the B.C. scene is changing with lots of new acts finding their own way. The acts now exploit social media and have become computer savvy. They don’t need mainstream media like they once did.
It’s been fun to watch the career trajectories of acts like Dan Mangan and Mother Mother.
As for the name, a garage is a symbol. Acts often start out rehearsing in a garage, developing imagery and image, come out of the garage when they are ready and go back to the garage when they need to retool.
Terrifier debuts its Weapons Of Thrash Destruction at Pat’s Pub, Feb. 17.
Nickelback has jumped ship from Universal to a deal with BMG.
Not to be confused with Vancouver’s other Destroyer, Little Destroyer airs its new LP Friday at Studio Vlostok.
As Canadian as it comes, Todd Kerns and Cory Churko lead a quartet called Toque. Their album is a collection of Canadian rock by the likes of Loverboy and April Wine, suitably titled Give’r.
Randy Bachman is the subject of a documentary film, Bachman, that is in production now.
Folk-based but gritty Lion Bear Fox releases its LP on Feb. 17.
Five Alarm Funk goes a step further with its sixth LP Sweat, out March 3.
PNWR, Pacific Northwest Radio, is online radio that goes public Friday to Sunday at the Taboo Naughty But Nice Show at the Vancouver Convention Centre’s East Facility. In its six months on the air, PNWR is averaging 30,000 listeners. You can check it out at pacificnorthwestradio.com.
The Real Ponchos releases To The Dusty World Feb. 10 at Wise Hall.
Although new owner the Donnelly Group swears it will be more of a neighbourhood pub than a music venue, music still seems to play a significant role if the rechristened Railway Stage And Beer Cafe is evidence. The Railway Club closed in March 2016, but it will reopen in late April 2017. For many people, it was a neighbourhood pub anyway with music in the front being an afterthought — as much a meeting place as anything else.
CD of the week
The first thing to get over is Maya Rae’s age: 14 years old. The other is that she is a jazz singer.
Her album Sapphire Birds is accomplished and speaks well of her depth and proves there is a lot of pop and soul that takes Rae out of the jazz world. It’s a jazz album, sure, but there is an uncommon spirit and the arrangements are sympathetic, remarkably spare enough to provide Rae with accompaniment, but giving her room to stand out and sing.
The album starts with a cover of Meghan Trainor’s Close Your Eyes that is first-class soul, but closes with a version of Summertime that Rae dares to make her own. There also is a jazzy interpretation of Carole King’s I Feel The Earth Move that straddles jazz and pop rock. At Frankie’s, Feb. 23.
Gigs
Back by popular demand is Souled Out (Friday, Club 240); SonReal, who has scored platinum with Can I Get A Witness (Friday, Commodore); Wes Mackey (Club 284, Saturday); Steve Dawson (Feb. 6, Bozzini’s in Chilliwack); We Found A Lovebird (Feb. 10, Media Club); Reid Jamieson (Feb. 18, Blue Frog); The Real McKenzies (March 4, Rickshaw); Colin James (March 8, Orpheum); Mother Mother (March 25-29, Commodore).