Touring Western Canada with a Rock Band: Day Three (part 9)

When we arrived in Fernie BC, we were immediately struck by its beauty. By the the time we had considered where to stop for a break however, the town was nearly completely behind us, so we saw a place where a couple of other cars were parked in a pull-off near the river, and joined them there. We noted a couple people in hip-waders fishing, then pried ourselves out of the truck cab to have a cold drink and some snacks. We took in the pretty natural scenery, and I noted to myself that I’d like to come back at some point with more time to spend.

By now we were mostly revived, aided by the cold mountain air, in lifted spirits we hung out on the side of the highway for half an hour or more before continuing on through the Rockies and enduring the long, straight, mind-numbing drive across the prairie to Lethbridge, Alberta.

~Cheers, Rev. D

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Touring Western Canada with a Rock Band: Day Three (part 8)

Leaving Nelson in the morning, we got a jump on the drive to Lethbridge. We had agreed we were go on straight to the next town even though we had a break in the tour for a couple days, but it was a bit tough to stay such a short time in such a cool place. On we went, unhurried but tired after a short sleep until we stopped in Creston BC for a short break. We continued on from there, listening to podcasts in the truck, in a mostly zombie-like state, staring at the picturesque scenery until we got to Fernie BC.

~Cheers, Rev. D

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Touring Western Canada with a Rock Band: Day Two (part 6)

The hospitality at The Royal on Baker was gracious. After some sound checks and a couple cold drinks I surveyed the scene for places to set up cameras. Mostly satisfied with placements I settled in to enjoy Vogue Villains play an ambitious two hour set.

On the first notes of the first song, the bar was basically empty, save for a couple “superfans” who came out specifically for the occasion, but as the show continued a steady trickle of people joined. Some specifically came out for the show I’m sure, but some enticed by the melodies spilling out into the streets. By the end of the first hour a modest but very enthusiastic crowd had formed and were rocking out to the sounds. The stage, large enough in size and in most respect quite nice, was also directly in the path of a blasting heater perched above the entrance door. While I was shooting on the floor the temperature was warm but tolerable, but when I took the three steps to stand on the stage the heat was almost unbearable. The poor Vogue Villains had to endure two full hours playing hard while being baked like a pizza!

After the first half of the set was done, the band got to take a break and tried to cool down with some icy drinks, but before long they were back to it playing a diverse set list that ran the gamut of Vogue Villains originals as well covers of Tom Petty, Depeche Mode and others. The crowd was really getting into it at this point and they were rocking out and dancing harder than larger audiences might. After what I’m sure must have felt like an endurance race in the dessert, the band thanked the exuberant audience and made room for the next performer, a Reggae act.

As we tore down the stage, we mingled with the locals, a really cool bunch. Friends were made, invitations to future endeavours were accepted and we all just generally took in the very cool vibe that is Nelson BC. We loaded up the trailer and went back to the hotel we were staying at, the “Adventure Hotel”. Was it aptly named? Stay tuned.

~Cheers, Rev. D

Touring Western Canada with a Rock Band: Day Two (part 5)

We were making good time, passing through sections of the province I personally had never seen before. Passing though Rock Creek, Midway, Greenwood and a curious little place called Anaconda, we stopped in Grand Forks BC to reorient ourselves and figure out where exactly the venue was in Nelson Vogue Villains were to play that night. After a bit of Google-fu we punched in the address of “The Royal” into the maps app and headed towards our destination. Despite our vigilance, we at one point took a south where we should have gone north and drove for fifteen minutes in the wrong direction.

I haven’t visited Nelson BC in at least a decade up until now, but I always have had fond memories every time I have been there. It’s a laid back town, full of character and characters. The locals have their own flavour, some second generation hippies, some old timers who have dropped out of mainstream society years ago. A vibrant cast of artists and generally an eclectic mix of people, almost surreal in nature. As we arrived into town, the vibe was palpable. The Royal on Baker was near the close end of town and we found it no problem to find a spot near the entrance to park and load in gear for the show. As we carried armload after armload of band equipment, a few locals gathered to regale us with stories of their time touring with bands such as the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan, and others to diligently explain conspiracy theories like why humans didn’t ever go to the moon.

Once we were finished unpacking, our moods lifted, I set to work finding a power outlet inside the bar to charge all my many diminishing batteries, and grabbed a cold beer.

Next: Vogue Villains play a two hour set at The Royal.

~Cheers, Rev. D

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Touring Western Canada with a Rock Band (part two)

Disembarking the ferry, we wasted no time and entered the name of the place where the gig was to take place. Entering “Lana Lou’s” gave us a location near Oppenheimer Park in Vancouvers east side neighbourhood. After a few misdirections by google maps, we arrived. Not wanting to park the truck and trailer in a random location in what is not exactly the nicest part of town, we again opened google maps and went for a walk to look for a parkade or parking lot. Unsuccessful in our mission, we had killed enough time that there were a few spots open on the side of the road right outside Lana Lou’s Rock n’ Roll Eatery . We plunked in two dollars in the parking meter and decided to go get a drink and some food. Noting our time left on the meter, we decided to make the walk to Gastown, a mere five blocks away.

Once on the edge of Gastown I spotted a sign advertising beer outside of a doorway that lead down some stairs to a dark basement watering hole. We had discovered The Portside an east coast themed classic pub with a great selection of beer on tap and a small but tantalizing menu on which every item was a flat ten dollars. I ordered a lobster roll, it was a delicious small bite and washed it down with a cold IPA. No time to dally, we had our nibbles and a couple drinks and meandered back to the truck.

Back at the truck, Lana Lou’s wasn’t open for business yet, but the neighbouring business (Powell Street Salon shout out) was and the friendly proprietor came out to chat with us, she told us we could park right in front, next to the loading zone for the rest of the night as the paid parking hours were ending soon. She offered to give Lana (of Lana Lou’s) a phone call to let her know we were here, but before long a man with a straight-banged shaggy silver mullet came out of the doors. He introduced himself as Mark the sound guy, and let us in to set up.

It was around this time we saw a familiar face strolling up the sidewalk towards us. It was Chelsea! Vogue Villains super fan, and girlfriend of Nate (drums, vocals), she had hopped an airplane and flown over to Vancouver to see the show after a thwarted attempt to catch a ferry and still be there on time. Excited to see our friend, we got to work setting up.

The inside on Lana Lou’s is delightfully whimsical. Part living room, part disused library, part bar. The stage was pleasantly of an adequate size, which was hard to discern from looking at the website of the bar earlier. As we set up equipment, the other bands started to arrive. We mulled around, chatting with the guys from Sleep Circle and Getaway Van as I decided on camera angles and claimed a table near the sound booth to set up the sound recorders.

Sleep Circle played first. a hypnotic but very energetic heavy rock band and a photogenic bunch, I was glad to have another band play before the Vogue Villains so I could nail my camera settings on this, the first show of the tour. I took some photos and fell into the music, any stress I felt was starting to melt away and just enjoyed the tunes. Next, the boys were up. By this time some friends of the band and relatives of Andrew (vocals, bass) had arrived to cheer on the band and take photos. As they played I could see the crowd, especially the other bands, really getting into the music. A successful set! Vogue Villains played until they were curtly told their time on stage had ended. The night continued with Getaway Van. Self described as slightly-out-of-control, punky blues, stoner fuzz rock, they rocked the venue with loads of enthusiasm and energy. Listen here.

As the night wound down, we packed up the trailer and truck and headed to what would be our first hotel room with five guys crammed in it of the tour in Chilliwack BC.

Next post: waking up in Chilliwack and the long drive to Nelson BC for a show the next night.

Cheers, Rev. D

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Shot with Canon 6d with 50mm f/1.8 and Sony a6000 with 16-50mm kit lens.