rock of ages revisited
Rock Of Ages is and isn’t what it seems. It’s of a time, so it isn’t ageless. It’s of a place, so it isn’t transcendent. Yet it is filled with songs that, 40 years later, are still well-loved and remembered; therefore ageless. Rock Of...12 Step Program in one bite
2 Step Program Chapter One At last, some recognition for Bob Jansen. Too bad he’s dead. Never heard of Bob Jansen? He wrote 12 Step Program; that you must have heard. Every band of the 60s used to do it. That and Louie Louie and Gloria. Every band. It didn’t matter if...The Centaurs
Money had nothing to do with it. A compilation of a little known group of the 60s, from Vancouver no less, never was going to rack up a profit. It’s hard enough to sell records by a “legendary” band from anywhere but Vancouver as it is. Jamie...I’m a dog
I’m a dog. What makes you so sure? Well, when I come when my owner calls, I’m a good dog. If I eat my morning or evening meal, I’m a good dog. But it gets complicated. When I chase a squirrel, or pee in the front hall. Then, I’m a bad dog. So,...The Explosions Go Boom
What it comes down to is that The Explosions existed for the sake of a song. Bob Mercer had written Wilson Lucas And Bruce as a protest of the B .C. prison system’s solitary confinement. Rather than go back to “the hole,” three B.C. pen prisoners,...natasha and anders
Natasha D’Agostino’s Endings Rarely Are is the kind of album that can be damned with faint praise. That is, there are so many things to like about the record but… D’Agostino sings well, her accompanists read her well, and her own production...Braidwood
In the year of the 50th anniversary of the release of The Beatles’ “White Album” comes Braidwood’s Second Cacophony. Obviously, Braidwood is not The Beatles but the diversity of Braidwood’s second album has a similar effect, and a Beatles...The Potatoes
All the signs were good. The Potatoes was about to play it’s first gig – at the Smilin’ Buddha Cabaret, the centre of Vancouver punk-rock – opening for three nights for DOA, the preeminent Vancouver punk rock band. Then, on the way there in...Arwen
I don’t know how old the Arwen album is. Not that it matters. A good album might take months, even years, to reveal its strengths. The trouble with reviews is that they are based on timeliness. A record can come out Tuesday and is reviewed by the weekend, based...WANT TO KNOW ABOUT VANCOUVER ROCK’S HISTORY?
The ebook, published by The Province and HarperCollins Canada, is $7.99 and available for purchase at: