Vancouver is a booming town with lots of movement yet you still get a mellow vibe all around.  Some of us could certainly move here at some point in our lives, maybe it’s something about being on the coast.  Van Show # 2 was at a nice and fairly large bar called the Honey Lounge.  Beautiful room with lots of huge comfortable couches.  The bartender Cory was a great guy and we had the same sound guy as the night prior who really dug us so he did us well.  We played first that night.  Was great to see people in Vancouver come out to experience and dig on new music… def nice to see healthy scenes across the country.  Another great show on our part, zero breaks between songs – lots of energy and lots of smiles in the room.  Pulled out a Minutemen cover “Bob Dylan Wrote Propaganda Songs” and had Berr of The Doers/Previous Tenants special guest on bass for fun!

BERR, his beautiful eyes and moustache.

Up next were a band we have shared the stage with in the past and friends of ours – Montreal’s own Special Noise.  Was plain to see a lot of folks were looking forward to their set as well, crowd went nuts knocking over mics/monitors etc – a beautiful mess.  Greg and Jef seem to get better everytime we see them and they’re constantly adding new elements to their sound – these dudes tour a lot and it shows.  Totally rad set.

Lastly were Previous Tenants whose membership includes Barry from The Doers on drums.  We’ve always known him as one of the best bassists we know, but he’s been playing drums for a few years now and really has some chops.  Joel and Jesse – two other members of PT helped provide an excellent set which at times reminded Remi of The Jam.  Lots of energy and they proved to be a smokin’ closing act.

Old Moncton friends of Kyle’s – Will Duplain and Aaron Marsh (of Vancouver jam/psych band Crimson Roots) showed up .. was great to see those two cats again and pound back some whiskey.

Words once spoken (and subsequently painted) by a wise man

Photos of the bands to come!

Woke up after noon, walked down the street and hit up a Vera’s Burger Shack which was really good.  Scoped out the neighborhood a bit (Broadway and Commercial) which was cool.  Packed up our stuff and head over to Sham’s place where we’d be staying for the rest of our time in Vancouver.

Packed up the vehicle and head over to Vancouver show #1 which was at the Astoria, who is now hosting a weekly show called Fake Jazz Wednesdays (run by Bil of Stamina Mantis and Jer of Shearing Pinx) which was a complete honor to be part of.  They have a reputation for asking bands with a sound very much on the experiemental side of things.  The first cat up that night Mark Dahl had a simple setup, six tape decks all playing at once which created a dense wall of sound.  Dude wasn’t even on the stage he just pressed play and had a few drinks at the bar.

The Astoria, Vancouver, BC

Second up were Robert Anton Pizza – an interesting duo with 2 synths and vocals being run through tons of whack effects.  The show included a sacrificial ritual of a pineapple and prizes/handouts given out to those in attendance.  Definitely well suited for fake jazz!

Pineapple Sacrificial Ceremony by Robert Anton Pizza!

We were running a little behind so we setup on the floor which ended up being the greatest idea ever (seriously).  We seemed to be a hit, people stuck around and we sold the most merch of any show on the tour.   One of our personal favorite sets!  Was great to have Jer of Shearing Pinx out to check out the show as they are one of our fav bands we draw inspiration from.

COP SHADES @ The Astoria, Vancouver, BC - August 18th, 2010. Photo by Jen Slattery.

Up next was the inegmatic Stamina Mantis featuring our dad Sham on guitar, Bil on drums and Mr Ugly on guitar.  Playing with Stamina Mantis who are 3 of the most influential underground musicians in this country was such a total pleasure.  Rumor had it the band was on a hiatus/no more etc but quite the contrarary.  They put on an incredible show.  An excellent barrage of controlled chaos, loop pedals on the bass, most out of hand drumming we’ve witnessed and awesome guitar made for a hit of a bill that night.  Thanks to Fake Jazz for being rad. Total great first Vancouver experience for COP SHADES and awesome show.

Stamina Mantis @ The Astoria, Vancouver, BC - August 18th, 2010.

BLURRED like the whole night!

Kits Beach provided an excellent break from the road, Remi dipped his foot in the Pacific Ocean for the first time which was a bit of a rush for him while questioning how clean the water was with all the oil tankers and such hanging out in the bay.  All in all – being close to the water all the while getting a great view of the mountains was quite a trip.

Remi meeting his long lost lover - the Pacific.

Kyle and Remi met up with Sham, very old friend and front man of The Doers.  Met his best good bud John Cow.  Ate at a good Italian Restaurant, had some great catch up timez and threw down on a few drinks.  Went back to John’s house and met up with old friend Barry, bassist in The Doers and drummer of Previous Tenants – who we’d be playing with in a couple days time.  Vancouver was truly a vacation on it’s own.

British Columbia is by far the most beautiful province in our fair country.   The drive was Kelowna to Vancouver was equally as awesome.  The craziest highway hills ever.

Ky McDons throwin' down on the highway

Jenny Curtains & The Doctor

wru bad weather?

Arrived in Van on Monday night and made our way to Remi’s friend from Moncton’s place, Jen and her bf Andrew (of Vancouver band The Clips) – who were super kind in hosting us for a couple days.  Was nice catching up as we hadn’t seen them in years.  A few days downtime in this awesome city was pretty much just what the doctor had ordered.

The drive from Calgary to Kelowna was inspiring.  For most of us it was our first rip through the rockies, snow caps in August – lots of falling rock signs and a million dollar view of one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Arrived and crashed out at Matt’s old friend Genevieve’s house up in a real high class neighborhood overlooking the city.

Snow in August!

Nice weather

First thing we notice upon our arrival in Calgary was how clean and beautiful the city was in general.  Even though it was the middle of the day on a Saturday we could tell it was a pretty relaxed city in the grand scheme of things.  Accidentally went down a C train street – which was exciting.

Calgary - August 14, 2010

Grabbed a bite to eat at the venue we would be playing downstairs at that evening, THE PALOMINO.  Food was incredible.. every single thing on the menu has pulled pork in it, even the water.  What a great place.. wall-to-wall, and floor to ceiling draped in old Americana paraphernalia.  First thing you see on the way in is a huge poster of Johnny Cash giving the ole hows your uncle middle finger, so we knew this was our kind of place.

The Palomino Smokehouse - Calgary, AB (old picture)

After dinner made our way to our hosts house, Valerie.  She’s a total sweet girl and good friend of Kyle’s.  Only small downside was her dog Aries who was a pitbull mix who seemed to get a bit freaked out with us when she wasn’t around.  He quickly calmed down to a manageable mood as you repeat “Aries, Ball, Aries, Ball” a few times.

Back to the Palomino where Kyle met up with some old friends, Keith Williams – college roommate from Recording Arts Canada in ‘98 (Stoney Creek), Mitch Boudreau – drummer of defunct maritime band The Ditchpigs and old next door neighbor Matt Springer.  Local draft was consumed!

We met our soundman Bill for the night.  Bill is a veteran at his trade as he did sound at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver for over 10 years back in the 90’s era.  Apparently in addition to doing sound he was also a road manager for a while so the guy knows what he’s doing and what bands expect.  Very thorough and you could tell he took pride in making sure bands sounded as good as possible on stage.

First up was Bonnaventure James – an interesting performer and cool guy to hang with. Had a voice reminiscent of Ian Curtis and had a whole mishmash of gear, samplers and drum machines.  The music was textured and somewhat complex, yet a bit of a dancy vibe.

Next up were What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? Got to spend some time talking to those dudes.. nice cats but they seemed less than thrilled to be playing that night.  Fortunately it didn’t show in their performance.  Earlier we spoke about weird band comparisons we had gotten in the past and how it’s unavoidable for critics, tastemakers and critics alike to get away from this weird cultural exercise – but for the sake of this band, THE FALL is a pretty close approximation with almost like a bit of a nu-metal/screamo edge if that makes any sense.

What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? @ The Palomino - Calgary, AB - August 14th, 2010

Our set made up  for our Edmonton show… energy was super high and and we gave a fantastic delivery of our material.  Later Bill asked for a band pin for his collection and asked if he could put our setlist up on the wall which was cool!

COP SHADES @ The Palomino - Calgary, AB - August 14th, 2010

Last band that night was Manchild.  A bit mathy at times, some whacky song structures.. wielding a shimmering guitar tone and a gorgeous bassist.  Very interesting set all in all and thanks to them for headlining the show.   (sry no pics turned out, sucks.)

After all the madness ensued, Valerie and Mitch head out on a mission to find the highest point possible in Calgary and hoist a huge Acadian flag they got ahold of somehow.  They found some huge building directly downtown that was being worked on, made their way up on foot to the 52^nd floor and made it happen.  Hilarity ensued!

Mitch + Beer = !

Calgary was awesome – ranks as the most beautiful city we’ve experienced thus far in Canada and a totally rad show.  Thanks to Spencer for making good shit happen!

Total beaut of a city

At this point in the tour days are starting to bleed into one another.  On our way into town we made our way to Matt’s friend’s place, Jeremy.  A nice fellow who is a rock climbing enthusiast – very mellow and accommodating.  Matt took it upon himself to cook up some delicious eats, spaghetti sauce from scratch, and a salad complete with avocado and blueberries.

Had about an hour downtime then off to WUNDERBAR – which incidentally has the smallest stage in the universe – though an absolutely incredible selection of imported beer (at a ridiculously cheap price).  We were advised it would be a good idea to setup up our gear outside of the venue on the deck or around back which comes included with vintage Edmonton transients who first asked us for money, then cigarettes, then offered to guard our gear for money while completely beyond wasted at 8pm.

Wunderbar - Edmonton, AB

The bar recommended that the 4 bands playing that evening share as much gear as possible to cut down on setup time and clutter.  Made perfect sense to us, alas not everyone was on the same page.  First band was Bike Month who were good, sounded like a weird version Vampire Weekend.. they were tight, nice enough guys, and had their shit together no doubt.

Bike Month @ Wunderbar - Edmonton, AB - August 13th, 2010

The second band Energetic Action had issues with sharing gear and when it came time for their setup, they took about 45 minutes.  When questioned evidently one of their guys forgot a bunch of his guitar cables and his 4-track (?) which is what took all the time.  They finally started, played about a song and a half and then flat out stopped as supposedly their guitarists amp died.  Too bad they didn’t want to share gear to begin with, it might have worked out.  Of what we saw of their set – it was a complete snorefest.

Next up – our set.  Probably the only set of our tour thus far that was kind of weird overall (with the slight exception of us turning down in Regina).  Set was fine but the tiny stage / Remi set up in front of the stage – the issue prior with the last band etc.. kind of left a weird taste in our mouths.  Was fun though and a really great turnout for the night overall, the bar was at capacity at one point too which is never a bad thing.

Falklands + car pops = win!

Last band on were FALKLANDS.  The drummer Jerf is an old friend and former band member of THE DOERS from Vancouver.  These guys were a ray of light in the lineup that evening.  They played a spirited and high energy set consisting of material that caught and kept our attention and were amazing dudes.  Another added bonus is we will be sharing the stage with them later this week in Vancouver which will be killer.

Falklands @ Wunderbar - Edmonton, AB - August 13th, 2010

Special thanks to Mattie for promoting and putting on the show, his girlfriend Sarah for working the door/our merch, and Craig for being the coolest bartender of the tour.

Mattie & Sarah

After 3 days driving through the prairies, things get real boring.  Only 2 hours from Regina we arrived quite early in Saskatoon which was great as it gave us a bunch of internet time to relax at a Starbucks.  Grabbed a McGangbang each then ripped over to Walkers for the evenings festivities.

Walkers Night Club - Saskatoon, SK - feat. Blanchard

Walkers Nightclub is a basement bar.. so although it was quite dank, the room and stage were awesome and we were stoked to play.  The place was jammed…  Saskatoon represent!

First up were Aunty Panty – a 2pc girl band who were playing their debut live show.  Their setup was a little unorthodox, they had onstage what seemed to be a volcano made of fruit and incense and also had panties and pizza boxes slung all over the stage.  Not to mention they were eating cheeseburgers and drinking Jack Daniels straight from the bottle.

Aunty Panty @ Walkers Night Club, Saskatoon SK - Thursday August 12th, 2010

Next up was a band we were really looking forward to catching live – FERAL CHILDREN.  They are a space rock band with heavy british 90’s influence.  Their frontman/brainchild Ryan Davidson also does sampling in between.  The atmosphere and texture was incredible – I can tell Halifax will eat these guys up real fast.

Feral Children @ Walkers Night Club, Saskatoon SK - Thursday August 12th, 2010

Our set went off without a hitch.  Now the new best set of the tour just a hair above our Toronto show /w Cauldron.  Everyone was ridiculously receptive and loud – Saskatoon’s music scene is in a real healthy state, which is great to see.  People are passionate for new music, super generous and love merch!

Lastly were SHOOTING GUNS.  Holy shit.  Now the heaviest band we’ve seen in our lives.  It doesn’t take “metal” to be the heaviest… these guys are deep.  Sort of like, Sleep meets Om meets Acid King with a bit of an experimental edge with sampling/synth.  5 of the nicest guys we’ve met on the whole tour, and arguably our favorite band we’ve played with.   Check out their video here and buy their 7” if you get a chance.

Shooting Guns @ Walkers Night Club, Saskatoon SK - Thursday August 12th, 2010

Stuck around chatting with all the locals then loaded up and off to our hosts house – a girl by the name of Rachel who we’d never met.  We had an address and were told she’d be sleeping as she worked late til 1:30am.  Walked in, grabbed some beds and had a great nights sleep.  Woke up the next morning to a cute little blonde pixie who was super happy to have helped us out for sleeping arrangements.  Thanks very much Rachel and to Ryan for all the hospitality!

Saskatoon = AAA+++++

Car playlist for the day : K’Naan – Troubador, The Damned – Damned Damned Damned, GG Allin – Banned In Boston, Beta Band – 3 EP’s, Nirvana – In Utero, The Ravonettes – Lust Lust Lust, Abe Vigoda – Skeleton, Brant Bjork – Punk Rock Guilt (x 3!)

For some of us – this was the first time traveling through the prairies, it’s true what they say it is certainly flat and you get the sense of an infinite horizon, meaning thunderstorms probably look really badass.

Welcome to boredom

Before leaving Winnipeg we found this great little spot for breakfast called The Black Sheep.  2^nd best breakfast of the tour – this is a must for anyone in Winnipeg looking for some reasonably priced yet great food.

Incredible Food/Service (Winnipeg)

We hit Regina and checked into the hotel – then ripped over to the venue – The Club, which is attached to The Exchange.  Unfortunately it’s located in a pretty commercial/industrial spot in the city and doesn’t look the prettiest from the outside, but it’s a nice venue.

As we arrived, Chris aka Wax Mannequin was unloading his gear.  He’s usually a lone dog of the road but this time had around he had a young filmmaker traveling with him to shoot a doc on old Wax Mannequin which should be a good watch.  There was an opening act booked to open the show though unfortunately for them a few members got some kind of stomach flu which they seemed to think was E Coli as a result of drinking the tap water in Brandon, MB. Can’t remember the name of the band but they are from BC and hopefully they will be back on track soon.  No fun seeing fellow bands having to cancel gigs due to illness.

possibly find E Coli here?

We have all come to know Wax Mannequin from gigs in the past when he was going through his heavy metal phase but it was clear tonight we would be privy to a set more on the progressive-folk side of things.  It’s also clear most in attendance were there for him so we decided to turn down a little in respect to all those at the show.  Was definitely the quietest we’ve ever played.  Wax was incredible.. his voice is smooth as silk and he is a master at the classical guitar.  The foot controlled drum samples were neat and he is excellent with his listening public – giving out prizes and dishing out interesting and funny antic dotes.

Wax Mannequin @ The Club - Regina, SK - August 11th, 2010

We had the pleasure of hanging out with Kyle’s old friend Faye Wallenberg.  Was awesome getting to know her / catch up with her. She is a total sweetheart and and a beautiful woman.   The show had an earlier 12 midnight end time so just after load out, Kyle and Faye went out for the night while Matt and Remi called it an early one.  Thanks to Amanda at the Exchange and special thanks to Wax Mannequin for good times.  Long live grasshopper beer!

The drive from TB to Winnipeg was not anywhere near as interesting.  Though Winnipeg is a cool city, there are an absurd amt of one way streets which is always a drag.  Straight away to the Royal Albert Arms.  We’d be told on several occasions to keep all eyes on gear as the “peg” had a reputation for being rough around the edges and attracting seedy characters.  Our experience was nothing short of fun, all the patrons and show goers we met were super friendly.  They however admitted to some drastic changes made to the neighborhood.  Some dude named Jared told us a story of a guy who was disemboweled at the hotel upstairs.  Apparently Susan Sarandon had a whackload of jewelery stolen and somehow some of it ended up at the crime scene next to body parts.  The venue was built in 1909 and has been hosting shows for 30 years, some notable mentions – Nirvana, Green Day and The Mentors – whose show lasted half a song before the show erupted into violence and were then subsequently banned from the city of Winnipeg.

The Royal Albert Arms - Winnipeg, MB

Around 9:30 the other bands showed up.  THIS HISSES featuring frontwoman Julia Ryckman (ex-The  Gorgon) would be opening the show that evening, and Breath Grenades.. a 25-year old legendary Winnipeg band that lurk in the shadows and are extremely selective as to when they play.

First up were This Hisses, a really serious and brand new band.  Some similar bands that spring to mind, X minus John Doe and the band Rex.  Julia has a beautiful/powerful voice and rips solid basslines, Pat (guitarist) was impressive and was rocking a cool fender twin reverb and JP was an animal behind the kit.. dude banged the snot out of the skins.

This Hisses - Winnipeg, MB @ The Royal Albert Arms - August 9th, 2010

We played a fun set.   The sound dude was great as was the sound on stage.  Great venue.

srs Blanchard biz imo

Lastly were Breath Grenades, WOW!  These guys pumped out a setlist that reminded us of demented Circus music.  Sadly these guys have a repupation for shying away from music media sources so it’s difficult to find their music however Don (the frontman/bassist) was kind enough to set us up with a rare copy of their CD (over 10 yrs old).  They consist of a drummer/keyboardist and bassist.. mind blowing  stuff – our kind of set for sure.  Super weird, lots of noise and wild melodies, totally off the cuff.  Some of the most original/wild shit we’ve seen played on a bass guitar.

Breath Grenades - Winnipeg, MB @ The Royal Albert Arms - August 9th, 2010

Great turnout for a Tuesday.. a total honor to play on this bill.  Special thanks to Julia for booking/promoting and playing the show… she is the goto person for cool shit in Winnipeg.