We Are Now 20!! Weakerthans- CBC Session, Vancouver, BC 1999

 

This month 20 years ago, the Teenage Dogs In Trouble music blog was launched with it's first ever post, Up and Running. After all these years, the blog is still around and active, with so many similar blogs and music pages long gone, so I feel fortunate to survive the past 20 YEARS!! The format hasn't changed too much, though I've pivoted from promoting (or making you aware of) music you should hear to mainly posting live concert recordings I recorded or other dedicated tapers, who swapped with me or posted the music online. It's been fun and engaging, though it's a pain in the ass getting takedown notices or copyright shit that forces me to remove recordings. One of those shows is a Weakerthans show in Winnipeg from 1998, that I removed several years ago, so I'm taking the risk by posting a Weakerthans radio session from 1999. (FYI: if you are interested in the above mentioned show from 1998, send me a PM or email)

 

I'm still undertaking an ongoing personal project of digitizing my live cassette masters. Of course, this takes time and I don't seem to have a lot of that, but to celebrate the 20th anniversary, I promise to continue to post those shows on the blog. One of the tapes I did recently transfer, was this live CBC Session with the Weakerthans I recorded straight from the radio onto cassette. This recording is probably out there somewhere already, but listening to it recently, it got me reminiscing what a great band they were and how proud they are from Winnipeg. The show is hosted by Grant Lawrence (oh, I love the Smugglers!) and features a short in-studio performance, including not-yet released songs from, Left And Leaving and interview segment. Definitely worth revisiting! (Get it while you can!)

Enjoy!

 

P.S. I had a request from a reader about a John K. Samson recording that John and his wife, Christine Fellows recorded in 2006 called, The Old House (This Old House?). It's rare and was a private Christmas gift to friends and family and one of the songs, Taps Reversed (different version) appears on Provincial. A couple of songs received airplay on CBC radio (see below), but I have yet found the complete recording. A reddit thread led to a download of the two songs, definitely worth a listen! If anyone has more information or better yet have a version of, The Old House, please let me know!

 

This Old House.rar 

Taps Reversed

Good Salvage

 

 

Please do NOT sell or profit from this recording!

Do NOT convert to lossy formats, except for personal use

Please share! 

 

 

THE WEAKERTHANS
CBC Session- "Studio 2"
Vancouver, BC
June, 1999
FM Master

FM> Maxell XLII-90 Cassette> Technics M33 tape deck> 
Tascam DR-07> 8 GB SD card> WAV> Direct WAV splitter> FLAC> rar

01. Intro/ None Of The Above
02. <interview> (w/Grant Lawrence)
03. History Of The Undefeated
04. <interview #2)
05. Left And Leaving
06. <interview>
07. My Favourite Chords
08. Outro

 

THE WEAKERTHANS- 1999-06  CBC Session, Vancouver, BC FLAC Master. rar

 

Tranzmitors + Guests!- The American, Vancouver, BC: April 11, 2026

 

 

Opening for the Young Fresh Fellows in Vancouver was, the Tranzmitors who are comprised of many veterans of the local rock scene. I don't believe they've released a full album of new material in almost 20 years, but there was a promise of a new record and along the way there's been singles and even a collaboration with Lisa Marr, from CUB for a 7"er in 2019. The lineup of the band that played the American on April 11th, included a few former-Smugglers including guitarist, Nick Thomas. The day of the show, the local music paper, Georgia Straight, featured an article about Thomas that covered a lot of material, along with a brief history about the bands he's performed in. An interesting, informative read from a really good publication (I wish Winnipeg had a decent local music paper!) that also published a couple of pieces a day earlier about, Kurt Bloch and the Young Fresh Fellows (it mentioned the 1991 Hoodoo Gurus/YFF Winnipeg show/incident I wrote about last post), all written by Allan MacInnis (he writes a great blog). The blog has a review of the show with much more pro photos.

 

  

What caught my attention with the Tranzmitors set was the promise of special guests, Grant Lawrence and Andrew Molloy. I would consider the Smugglers and BUM, two of my favourite Canadian bands, who released some truly classic albums, Selling The Sizzle and Wanna Smash Sensation . It was through the Popllama mail order catalog that I first heard about BUM and ordered WSS, based on the fact it was produced by Kurt Bloch and the Smugglers, In The Hall of Fame CD. Hearing some of those songs again with Lawrence and Molloy backed by the Tranzmitors was definitely a highlight. I would love to see a BUM/Smugglers show in the future and I would seriously consider traveling back to the West Coast to see it!

 

 

The recording turned out okay, the vocals were a little hard to make out at times, but mainly it sounds good. Overall, I'm glad I recorded the set! Unfortunately, I'm not familiar enough with the Tranzmitors to know the names of some of the songs on their setlist. If anyone can figure out the song titles (tracks 2-5, 7), it would be greatly appreciated. Looking forward to coming back to Vancouver in the near future, it's been too long!

Enjoy!

 

 

Please do NOT sell or profit from this recording!

Do NOT convert to lossy formats, except for personal use.

Please share!

 

 

TRANZMITORS
The American
Vancouver, BC
April 11, 2026
Audience Master

Sony ECM-DS70P mic> Tascam DR-07> SD card > 16 bit Wav>
Direct Wave MP3 splitter> FLAC> rar

01. Dancing In The Front Row
02. Post Atomic
03. Round And Round
04. Mod Shop
05. Blame In Oni Boy ?
06. Beating Up My Heart
07. Easy Inside
08. Look What You're Doing To Me
09. Instant Kool Ayd (BUM)
10. Your Disciple (BUM)
11. <banter- Grant Lawrence>
12. To Serve, Protect And Entertain (The Smugglers)
13. She Ain't No Egyptian (The Smugglers)
14. Stay with Me (The Dictators)

Special guests:
Track 9, 10- Andrew Molloy- lead vocals
Tracks 12, 13- Grant Lawrence- lead vocals, Beez- backing vocals
Track 14- Molloy, Lawrence, Beez

 

TRANZMITORS- 2026-04-11 The American, Vancouver, BC FLAC Master. rar

Young Fresh Fellows- The American, Vancouver, BC: April 11, 2026

 

  

Well, as the old saying goes, "I can die happy now!" was the feeling I had after leaving the American on Saturday night, after seeing the Young Fresh Fellows perform live for the first time in over 30 years and quite possibly the last. I traveled halfway across the country for this show and since they probably won't play anywhere near Winnipeg ever again, I had to take the initiative, get off my ass, buy the concert ticket, book a flight, secure accommodations and just do it! No regrets! I chose the Vancouver date, because it was in Canada (no border crossing for me anytime soon) and I have relatives I can stay with and besides, Vancouver is a beautiful city I know quite well already and it gave me a chance to explore some great record stores. I've previously said, that I saw the Fellows back in 1992 at the Commodore in Vancouver and was excited to return and see them perform a headlining set and to hopefully record the show. It all went without a hitch (more on that later) and I couldn't be more pleased with the results. So many highlights, I'm sure others have reviewed/commented about the show and posted tons of great photos, but I'll give you kinda an "outsider" perspective and observations.

 

•  Opening the evening was, Like Whatever, a female fronted band that blasted a loud, menacing sound that really caught your attention. Not many rock bands are fronted by a saxophone playing vocalist and they pull it off well (the rest of the band is rounded out with the traditional, guitar, bass and drums) and they were entertaining. I'm not familiar with the songs, but what I heard was good and they have an EP, Baby Steps that would be worth checking out for a more focused listen. If you have a chance to see them live, go for it!

• The next band was the Tranzmitors, who have several members that were (at some point) in the Smugglers and sported a similar look and sound, with the suits and an energetic pop-punk rock sound. They remind me a bit of a Winnipeg based band, Novillero (fronted by Rod Slaughter from Duotang) who also embrace a British Mod-pop style and the Jam. The Tranzmitors rocked much harder with a straight forward rock 'n' roll sound that is infectious, fun and sweaty. I would definitely see these guys again if I lived in Vancouver!

 

• The Tranzmitors set featured special guests, Andrew Molloy from BUM and the evening's host and former Smuggler's front-man, Grant Lawrence. Both performed 2 songs with the band, then Andrew and Grant joined in together for a last song, the Dictator's, Stay With Me. The Smuggler's bass player, Beez also joined in to add more vocals. I also recorded the Tranzmitors set and I'll post it along with more photos soon. 
• The Young Fresh Fellows began their set after an introduction from Grant Lawrence, who managed to convince the band to return to Vancouver. Lawrence's band, the Smugglers shared many gigs throughout the years with the Fellows and my first introduction to his band was in 1991, at a lunch hour show the day of the show in Winnipeg at the University of Manitoba. The school paper said the YFFs were playing the nooner, but when I showed up (taking time off work!), much to my surprise (and disappointment?) it was the Smugglers dressed in their suits and rubber boots. They did win me over, though most of the crowd ignored the band on stage and I was pissed that evening when they were "squeezed" out of the opening slot, but the Fellows brought them up for a mini set within their own set. The headliners were the Hoodoo Gurus.

• The setlist touched on most of their career, with an emphasis on songs from the latest album, Loft. The new songs benefited being played live, that brought a freshness and energy to the songs and the more I listen to the album, the more I like it. Of course, they played all the songs I wanted to hear, Groovy Town, How Much About Last Night, Taco Wagon/Picture Book, Ringo, Get Outta My Cave, Pest Control and the YFF Theme. I wanted to hear, Teenage Dogs In Trouble, for obvious reasons, but they did play it in Tacoma the next night. I'm always pleased by the covers, especially Jonathan Richman's, Someone I Care About and Picture Book by the Kinks.  Heaven And Hell (The Who) and the Sonic's classic, Strychnine closed out the show.
• After the show, I bought the "original" Loft record, the one they sold only at a couple of shows in 2025, since I already had the limited edition Record Store version. Scott was at the merch table so he signed it and I also got Jim and John to autograph it. Unfortunately, I didn't see Kurt, so no luck. They were selling that cool gig poster (see last post) for cheap, but I didn't buy one because it was cardstock and unrollable (it will bend), so I couldn't risk bringing it in my carry-on luggage home. A nice girl in line had a setlist from the stage, who generously allowed me to take a photo, thanks!
• I was impressed by the sound at The American, as I didn't know what to expect from this venue. It seems to be a restaurant/bar complete with a pool table and a wall of pinball machines and other games. There was an open floor in front of the stage and tables and chairs behind, as well as a raised seating area at the back. I tried to position myself close to the middle, not too close up, but about midway back on the floor. The recording turned out quite well, maybe one of my best, or at least one of the most important. It's balanced, with clear vocals and the volume was perfect. I've been anxious about taping the show before I arrived, but once the music started and the settings were adjusted, I was much more relaxed and enjoyed the show. Before the Young Fresh Fellows set, I spotted a fellow taper (we share the same mic) and it was cool to compare notes and talk "shop", something I rarely do since I've never met another taper at the same show. Very cool!  

 

 Overall, it was a wonderful experience! Seeing my favourite band in another city really was a dream come true. To me, the Young Fresh Fellows are a special band that I came to discover and love by chance at a record store in Fargo, purchasing Topsy Turvy and The Men Who Loved Music on a whim (sight unheard) and the rest is history. Their music has been an essential part of my soundtrack for almost 40 years and seeing the band live (3x now), where they really shine, is something that is beyond memorable. Now go buy their records and see them live when you have the chance!

Enjoy!

 

 

Please do NOT sell or profit from this recording!

Do NOT convert to lossy formats, except for personal use.

Please share! 

 

 

 

YOUNG FRESH FELLOWS
The American
Vancouver, BC
April 11, 2026
Audience Master

Sony ECM-DS70P mic> Tascam DR-07> SD card > 16 bit Wav>
Direct Wave MP3 splitter> FLAC> rar

01. Intro
02. Where Is Groovy Town?
03. Down By The Pharmacy
04. I'm A Prison
05. Never Had It Bad
06. 99 Girls
07. Killing Time In Union Square
08. Hang Out Right
09. How Much About Last Night Do You Remember?
10. Three Gasconading Saints
11. Taco Wagon
12. Picture Book
13. Tad's Pad
14. Lamp Industries
15. Hillbilly Drummer Girl
16. Destination
17. Sittin' On A Pitchfork
18. Whispering Hole
19. I Don't Let The Little Things Get Me Down
20. Get Outta My Cave
21. Someone I Care About
22. My Friend Ringo
23. Rock 'n' Roll Pest Control
ENCORE
24. Backroom Of The Bar
25. Still There's Hope
26. All I Want For Christmas Is A Dead President
27. Heaven And Hell
28. Young Fresh Fellows Theme
29. Strychnine
30. Outro
 

Scott McCaughey- vocals, guitar 

Kurt Bloch- guitar, vocals 

Jim Sangster- guitar, vocals 

John Perrin- drums

 

YOUNG FRESH FELLOWS- 2026-04-11 The American, Vancouver, BC FLAC Master. rar

 

Wet Leg- Live In Vancouver, BC: August 4, 2022

 

Photos by Michael Carswell

Today is International Women's Day (March 8), a day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. On this blog we'll include the huge impact and contributions of really good music! I just realized as I write this that the last couple of posts have highlighted some female artists and I will continue to feature more women artists moving forward.

In the early days of the blog, there was a semi-regular feature called Something New Mondays. It was a weekly roundup (posted on Mondays, duh!) of new or upcoming releases that may have been overlooked and music that I recommended to give a listen. An album that would have been perfect to feature was Wet Leg's, self-titled album released in April 2022. I heard the hype about the band (before hearing the album) and there was something about their music that stuck with me. The band gained momentum throughout the year (critically and followers/fans) and they hit the height of mainstream popularity as they were nominated for best new artist at the Grammy's and won Best Alternative Music Album and Best Alternative Music Performance for the song, Chaise Longue. Accolades all around internationally for the band hailing from Isle of Wight in the UK! As you've probably guessed, I despise the Grammy's and do not consider it a measuring stick of what I consider is listenable, but I like Wet Leg. We'll see if they sink into the yucky commercially driven mainstream music "scene" or if they can maintain any kind of alternative edge cred.

 

Fortunately, someone recorded the Wet Leg show in Vancouver at the legendary venue, Commodore Ballroom last summer. As you can see on the poster for the concert, the date was originally for a later date on August 25th at the Rickshaw Theatre and my guess is that due to the rising popularity of the band, the show was moved to a larger venue because of the demand for tickets. There are some fabulous photos taken at the show and you can see more at Scene in the Dark and Unclear mag. The sound quality of the live recording is quite good, as it's a matrix of an audience recording and an IEM feed (in-ear wireless monitors) at the venue, The first two and a half songs in, it's audience only, but once the IEM signal kicks in the sound improves. A solid recording of an emerging band with a very enthusiastic and probably young (female) audience. Happy Women's day!

Enjoy!

 

 

Please do NOT sell or profit from this recording!

Do NOT convert to lossy formats, except for personal use.

Please share!

Wet Leg
Thursday August 4th, 2022
Commodore Ballroom
868 Granville St.
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

IEM + AUD Stereo Mix

Source 1:  Sony ECM > Sony Minidisc MZ-NF810 > Analog Cable > PC Soundcard > Audacity
Recorded by:  crowflies

Source 2:  IEM Feed > H6
Recorded by:  LeifH [2022#72]

Transfer:  .WAV > RX9 > Wavepad > flac (8) via TLH

Setlist:
01 Being in Love
02 Wet Dream
03 Convincing
04 Supermarket
05 Obvious
06 Oh No
07 Piece of Shit
08 Ur Mum
09 UFO
10 Too Late Now
11 Angelica
12 Chaise

 

51:21
The first 2.5 songs are audience only.  Some drops outs occurred during "Supermarket" on the IEM source.  

Rhian Teasdale – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Hester Chambers – lead guitar, backing vocals
Henry Holmes – drums, percussion
Ellis Durand – bass, backing vocals

 

Wet Leg- 2022-08-04 Vancouver, BC FLAC. rar

Zumpano Does Burt Bacharach 1999 (re-upload)

 

The other day, I was listening to my album of the day, (1001 albums you must hear before you die generator) Dusty Springfield's debut album, A Girl Called Dusty. It's a fine collection of songs, many familiar, early 60's Brit-Pop and some interesting Motown influenced tracks, but what caught my attention were the songs written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. This is Dusty's first collaboration with the songwriters and three songs appear on this record. Two of the songs, Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa and Anyone Who Had A Heart, I recognized from the CBC session with Zumpano, broadcast back in 1999, when the band performed a set of Bacharach covers. Dusty's versions were pretty good, but I'm leaning towards Zumpano's interpretations, which I thought were all brilliant. If you're not familiar with Zumpano, they hail from Vancouver and released a pair of excellent albums in the mid-90's. Frontman/lead singer is Carl Newman, who formed the New Pornographers about a year after this broadcast. I originally posted this show in 2007 in mp3 format, and since no one probably saw it and since I'm in a nostalgic mood, I'm re-posting the set in lossless FLAC format for your listening pleasure. I originally taped this off the radio during CBC-FM radio's, RadioSonic program that broadcasted live concerts and live studio performances on Saturday night. It's a very cool live session and I've rarely seen this anywhere, so treat yourself to an unique all-Bacharach set...and chill!

Enjoy!

Please do NOT sell or profit from this recording!

Do NOT convert to lossy formats, except for personal use

Please share!

Zumpano 

CBC Studios

"Radio Sonic"

Vancouver, BC 

January 26, 1999

FM>Fisher tape deck>Maxell LXII>ADS Instant Music>
USB>Nero Soundtrax>Wave>Direct Wave MP3 Splitter>
FLAC>rar  

1. Intro
2. Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa
3. interview
4. Anyone Who Had A Heart
5. What The World Needs Now Is Love
6. Interview
7. Always Something There To Remind Me
8. My Little Red Book
9. Outro

ALL Burt Bacharach covers!

Carl Newman- vocals, guitar, Hammond B-3
Michael Ledwidge- piano
David Carswell- guitar
Stefan Niemann- bass
Jason Zumpano- drums

ZUMPANO- 1999-01-26, CBC, Vancouver, BC, FLAC. rar

Grapes Of Wrath- "Just Concerts" CBC Broadcast 2000 (NEW Link!)

 

I had a request a few weeks ago to re-up the link for the Grapes Of Wrath show I posted in 2013. The link wasn't working, but it now works! So I thought I would re-post to remind you to listen to this great sounding recording from this excellent Canadian band!

Enjoy!

 

Please do NOT sell or profit from this recording!

Do NOT convert to lossy formats, except for personal use.

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GRAPES OF WRATH

Railway Club

Vancouver, BC

March 4, 2000

CBC "Just Concerts" Broadcast

FM> Audio CD> FreeRip> FLAC> rar
FM Master

01. Intro
02. You May Be Right
03. Do You Want To Tell Me
04. Hitchhiker
05. Black Eye
06. Peace Of Mind
07. All The Things I Wasn't
08. I Am here
09. Unsatisfied (Replacements)

(Thanks to LeonD for updating the proper date of the show!)

GRAPES OF WRATH- 2001 Railway Club, Vancouver, BC FLAC. rar

Art Bergmann- Live on Granville Island: Day 7

Art Bergmann by James O'Mara (1990)

One of the joys of running this music blog is actually knowing someone out there is reading the blog and hopefully share a similar taste in music. Another joy would be money and income, but that was never a goal or reason to start this site. In an offbeat way I compare it to when I volunteered coaching hockey (many, many years ago!), where you weren't paid to do it, in fact it cost more money than I could afford, but it was rewarding because I loved it and I learned even more about the sport and the people involved. This blog is an opportunity to share music you might not otherwise discover while relying on commercial radio and mainstream media. Because I love it so much, I constantly listen to live concert recordings, music new and old and of course, records I buy on impulse at record shops.

I welcome emails with your questions and suggestions, and though sometimes I'm not very helpful, I am encouraged by your input. I recently received an email from a reader (Rick) with a live recording from Vancouver's, Art Bergmann he recorded off the radio and recently converted to mp3 from cassette. I must admit I haven't thought about Art Bergmann for a while, probably in the mid-90's, but I was a big fan of his first three solo albums and his previous bands which include, Young Canadians (previously know as the K-Tels), a great band I posted about previously (No Escape). Art was a key figure in the late 70's Canadian punk scene and his solo material had that "heart on your sleeve" feel to it. Though Art enjoyed modest commercial success in the late 80's/early 90's, he never quite got his due or reached that pinnacle of success he deserved. Art has been active recording albums and playing the odd show. He took a break through most of the 2000's due to health issues, but more recently in 2016 he released an album with new material, The Apostate. Right now, he's working on his latest album due for release on his new label home, Porterhouse Records in 2020. The album, Late Stage Empire Dementia is seeking funds to help cover the recording and mastering process with the goal to provide digital downloads of the album. You can help out by donating to the Gofundme fundraiser for Art Bergmann's new album.

 The Art Bergmann show Rick sent me (he says he was at the show too!) is from 1994 (or 1993?) recorded at the Arts Theatre Backstage Lounge on Granville Island in Vancouver. It is a live radio broadcast for the station's, 101 Unplugged Series, this is not an unplugged concert! Art has a full electric band, but the cover charge for the show was $1.01...get it? The onstage radio host interrupts a few times, but it doesn't take away from the energy and intensity of the band on stage. This is a smoking hot show, the sound quality is excellent and Bergmann is a little snarly, but goes with the flow as they run through several songs from their then-upcoming album, What Fresh Hell Is This?, released at least a year later. After listening to the show I regret not seeing him live back in the 90's (I'm positive he toured through here) and wouldn't turn down an opportunity to see him now. Thanks again to Rick for the show, fine choice.
Enjoy!

#13yearsoftrouble 

• This recording is in mp3 format 
• Please do NOT sell!
• Yes, share!

ART BERGMANN
Arts Theatre Backstage Lounge
Granville Island
Vancouver, BC
1994?
CFMI-FM Vancouver Broadcast

FM> cassette master> mp3> Direct WAV splitter> rar

01. My Empty House
02. Sexual Roulette
03. Bar Of Pain
04. American Wife
05. Guns And Heroin
06. Ruin My Life
07. Dive
08. Message From Paul
09. Contract
10. Beatles In Hollywood

ART BERGMANN- Arts Theatre Backstage Lounge, Vancouver, BC mp3. rar

Day 8: The Smugglers- 10th Anniversary Party 1998

Poster image lifted from Grant Lawrence's book, Dirty Windshields

I couldn't resist, here's another live recording from the Smugglers when they celebrated their 10th anniversary at the Starfish Room in their hometown of Vancouver back in 1998. This a spin-off of the last three posts of bands that shared the stage with the Smugglers on tours and incidentally, the Donnas were one of the bands that opened this show. The show also celebrated the release of the live album, Growing Up Smuggler, a tenth anniversary album, that was kind of a live greatest hits that was recorded in Madrid, Spain. Why have all the cool bands from the west coast released a live album recorded in Spain? Off the top of my head I can think of several besides the Smugglers, Young Fresh Fellows, Bum, the Posies, Model Rockets...(psst!...more of the YFF's in Spain upcoming)

 
The sound quality on this CBC RadioSonic broadcast is top notch, so it's a nice compliment to the live Spain CD, that was produced by Fastback/YFF, Kurt Bloch. I recorded this straight from the radio directly to cassette tape and I only recently had a listen and thought it was too good not to share along with the less than ideal sounding live show I was at in 1996. Let me know if there are any glitches to the transfer, it's an old tape that probably hadn't been played in almost 30 years. Speaking of 30 years, the Smugglers are celebrating their 30th anniversary (proof time is flying by, fast!) with a show on November 24th at Amigo's in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and unfortunately for those fans outside of Saskatchewan this is their only show in 2018. I thought it was a bit odd they chose Saskatoon as the site for their 30th anniversary party (instead of Vancouver or Winnipeg??), but when I read chapter ten of Grant's tour diaries book, Dirty Windshields I understood better. It's a nice tribute to a venue that treated the band well in the early days and it became a welcoming venue for the band. I'm considering making the road trip north (6-8 hours away?), but slightly concerned about late November prairie weather on the highway. Chixdiggit is opening, another band I saw numerous times in the 90's, so the bill is solid. I urge you if you have the funds and you're a fan of the Smugglers of Chixdiggit, it would be well worth the trip.
Enjoy!!
#12daysoftrouble

Please do NOT sell or convert to lossy formats (except for personal use)
Please share!

THE SMUGGLERS
Starfish Room
Vancouver, BC
September 19, 1998
FM Broadcast Master

CBC RadioSonic radio> Maxell XLII 90 Cassette> Aiwa tape deck> ADS Instant music> usb> Nero SoundTrax> WAV> Direct WAV splitter> FLAC> rar

01. Rock With the Smugglers
02. Bishy-Bishy!
03. Action
04. Up And Down
05. Pebble Beach
06. Hey, Stephanie!
07. Shakedown!
08. Whiplash!
09. Rock Thy Neighbor
10. Pick 'Em Up Truck
11. The B 'n' I
12. She's A Machine
13. What's The Matter With Me (?)
14. She Ain't No Egyptian
15. To Serve, Protect And Entertain
16. Outro

THE SMUGGLERS- 1998-09-19 Starfish Room, Vancouver, BC FLAC. rar

Day 7: Cub- Saturday Night Live At the Starfish Room 1995

Actually, the date of April 21, 1995 was a Friday, but I'm pretty sure this Cub concert was broadcast on RealTime on CBC radio which aired on Saturday night. I spent a lot of my Saturday nights at home taping live concerts on the radio from RealTime and it's successor (also Saturday night time slot), RadioSonic (1997-2003). They broadcast complete concerts from a lot of good indie Canadian bands as well as bigger international names and the sound quality was excellent. I taped a lot of shows onto cassette and I've been gradually converting these tapes to digital files and have started posting them here. I actually didn't tape this broadcast, I received it in a trade, but this is a fine example of the excellent broadcast quality of these broadcasts. This show shouldn't be confused with the recent series of officially releases, CBC Brave New Waves albums that featured bands live in (CBC) studio sessions. Brave New Waves was another great CBC FM radio program (late night) that played "left of the dial" stuff, lots of indie and alternative bands that you usually didn't hear on commercial radio. The Cub session on Brave New Waves was recorded May 19, 1993 almost to the day of their 1st anniversary. Hey, Neko Case fans, Neko plays drums on this session! This album is available at the Cub Brave New Waves Bandcamp page, very cool pink & black effect vinyl is for sale, as well as digital download, CD and boring black vinyl.

The unofficial Dirty Windshields live soundtrack wouldn't be complete without a recording from Cub. Cub is another band that figured significantly in Grant's book as Cub and the Smugglers often shared bills together and touring together during the Smugglers second North American tour. Both bands were on the Mint Records label in Vancouver (Smugglers would later on Selling The Sizzle) and it was Cub that topped the charts of campus radio and helped drive up sales for Mint. "Cub's sound and attitude would prove highly influential for scores of young indie musicians seeking a new alternative to the new alternative" (Grant Lawrence). Another connection between the bands is that Cub's drummer, Neko Case dated Smugglers guitarist, Dave Carswell during this period, I didn't know that. This concert recorded at the Starfish Room in Vancouver is a sampling of some of Cub's best known songs and some extra cool covers that are better than the originals. If you're not familiar with Cub's brand of "cuddlecore", check their Bandcamp page for downloads, streams and information about purchasing a real CD. Hell, they only have 3 full length albums, it's well worth the purchase. Or if you want their collection of oddities, Mauler is a good place to start.
Enjoy!
 #12daysoftrouble

Please do NOT sell or convert to lossy format (except for personal use)
Please share!

CUB
Starfish Room
Vancouver, BC
April 21, 1995
FM Broadcast

trade> CDR> FreeRip> Flac> rar

01. Intro
02. Flaming Red Bobsled
03. Life Of Crime
04. Little Star
05. Green Eyes
06. Cast A Shadow
07. Runaway
08. Lucky 7
09. Pillow Queen
10. Sweet Pea
11. Voracious
12. A Picnic
13. Your Bed
14. Tell Me Now
15. The Day I Said Goodbye
16. New York City
17. Surfer Girl
18. Motel 6
19. Find A Way
20. My Chinchilla
21. Vacation
22. My Best Friend's Girl
23. Go Fish

CUB- 1995-04-21 Starfish Room, Vancouver, BC FLAC.rar

The Odds- RealTime 1996

The Odds are a Canadian band that I somehow overlooked back in the 90's. I always liked the band, I saw their music videos on TV and heard their "hits" on the radio, but never dug deeper and bought any of their full length albums until a couple of weeks ago. The Odds are a band I should have listened to more, they have a great power pop sound with plenty of guitar, a sound that is kind of edgy, but poppy and melodic enough to get mainstream radio play in Canada. The band went on a hiatus from 1999 to 2007, when Craig Northey left the band to pursue other projects. One of Northey's projects was a collaboration with the Gin Blossom's, Jesse Valenzuela to co-write and perform the theme song, Not A Lot Goin On for the hugely popular CTV show, Corner Gas. Ironically enough, this song might be the most recognizable Odds-related song in their career. More recently, the Odds could be seen (or at least heard) at Vancouver Canuck playoff games as their "house band" performing high above the ice in a private box. Unfortunately, for Canucks and Odds fans their appearance has been limited due to the Canucks lame early exit from the playoffs the last two years.

I dug through my tapes to find this rare little gem that was recorded from my big blaster tape deck onto cassette from a live CBC broadcast in 1996. This was a live in-studio performance in the CBC studios for a program called, RealTime that was heard on Saturday nights on the national network up here in Canada. The Odds performed songs from their latest album, Nest that featured the song, Someone Who's Cool, their biggest hit and arguably the best song they ever wrote. At this time the band was at the height of their career and have yet to match that success. This live session is a good listen, the band is playing their instruments through mini battery-powered amps so the sound is raw and they were obviously have a fun time in the studio. I honestly haven't listened to this tape since I recorded it, but I'm glad I can share it now. On the flip-side of the tape is a Sloan show from 1996 that might have been aired on the same night and I probably recorded the Odds session since I was recording anyways. The sound is okay, but be forewarned there is some static on the first two tracks (I seem to have a lot of radio reception problems on my stereo).
Enjoy!

THE ODDS
CBC "RealTime"
CBC Studio
Vancouver, BC
December 7, 1996

FM Master (cassette)

01. Someone Who's Cool
02. interview
03. Heard You Wrong
04. Nothing Beautiful
05. talk
06. Say You Mean It Wondergirl
07. interview


THE ODDS- 1996-12-07, CBC RealTime, Vancouver, BC, FLAC .rar

The Grapes Of Wrath Are Back!

I can't remember the exact date, but I'm pretty sure it was in 1989 (I actually can't find the ticket stub), as they toured in support of their album, Now And Again when I last saw The Grapes Of Wrath at Le Rendezvous. The Rendezvous wasn't a great place to see a band, it had this cavernous, warehouse feel to it, like a social hall or large bar that never had great sound, but it hosted some good shows. The size of the venue was larger than a bar (The Albert, Spectrum), but smaller than a theatre or concert hall, a middle-size venue that featured mid-range popular bands or bigger-name alternative bands. I saw some good stuff there, Mojo Nixon, Guadalcanal Diary, Scruffy The Cat (opening for 54-40, who I didn't care for), Wilco and the last band I ever saw there, The Weakerthans.

When I went to the Grapes Of Wrath I arrived in time to catch the opener, since I'm always interested to see who the headliner brought along on tour. To be honest in those days (in my pre-taping days), I didn't make a huge effort to arrive early as I didn't care how close I sat/stood to the front. Once I started to tape concerts it was crucial to stake out the venue before the show or during the opener to find that sweet spot that combined a balanced mix, close enough to the front to see the band clearly and enough volume to partially drown out the chitter chatter around me (usually the music doesn't drown out the chatter). Anyways, the opener for this Grapes Of Wrath show was emerging singer/songwriter, (and soon to be superstar) Sarah McLaughlan who didn't impress me in the slightest and continues to not impress me not even a little bit. McLaughlan went on to surpass the Grapes in popularity, record sales and probably disposable cash flow. McLaughlan has continued to milk her success through the strength of a couple of huge selling records, Lilith Fair and has become somewhat of a musical icon here in the Great White North...kudos for her...

The Grapes Of Wrath released another album after that tour, These Days in 1991, then broke up when Kevin Kane left the band to go solo. In 1999, Kane and Tom Hooper (vocalist/bass) reunited to play some shows and release an album, Field Trip under the Grapes Of Wrath name (without original drummer, Chris Hooper). They sporadically played together during the 2000's, but a reunion that included Chris Hooper didn't happen until July 2010, the first time the trio played together since 1992. The love continued on to include recording new tracks for a compilation album and a brand new album of all new material, High Road released in March 2013. Hopefully this new record will lead to more live dates this summer and maybe, just maybe they'll head back to Winnipeg, but not at the Le Rendezvous, which is long gone and replaced by condos.

Enjoy!

Heres's a CBC music stream of a concert with the reunited Grapes Of Wrath from the Mod Club in Toronto on October 30, 2012 with guests.

As a bonus, I dug up a recording I taped off the radio in 2001 (?) from the Kevin Kane/Tom Hooper reunited Grapes. Excellent sound with some songs from Field Trip along with some classic tracks. It's almost worth the listen alone for the Replacements cover!

GRAPES OF WRATH
Railway Club
Vancouver, BC
March 4, 2000
CBC "Just Concerts" Broadcast

FM> Audio CD> FreeRip> FLAC> rar
FM Master

01. Intro
02. You May Be Right
03. Do You Want To Tell Me
04. Hitchhiker
05. Black Eye
06. Peace Of Mind
07. All The Things I Wasn't
08. I Am Here
09. Unsatisfied (Replacements)

(thanks to LeonD for the proper date!)

GRAPES OF WRATH- 2001 Railway Club, Vancouver, BC FLAC. rar

Note: the previous link expired (sorry!) This is a new link that should work! (Oct. 1, 2022)