A casual night at the good ol' Pic. I hadn't seen a show in that room since it changed promoters' hands some months ago. But it's the same place it always was. Small, long, narrow, the stage sucks, the lights suck, the sound sucks, and still somehow it's one of the 'best' smaller live venues to play in Vancouver. Man, that's sad.

I walked in during Guitaro's set. I'd heard they have a Dandy Warhols vibe going on, and that was no lie. Sound-wise anyhow. All the melodic, droning guitar sounds and delightfully-disaffected vocals were in place. They even have the saucy female band member, though here she credibly takes on guitar duties instead of just bipping away on a keyboard or jangling a tambourine against her leg (which comes off a lot more as 'token-female'). They didn't possess the same smooth, nonchalant onstage sexuality though. They really all just stood around. So, music = aces. Don't tell me anything about carbon copies or unoriginality - very little is original these days and at least these guys chose something cool to take influence from and do it competently. Presence = needs-a-look. But they're cool. I give them a good rating and suggest you all go to see them.

(The above images are Hinterland, not Guitaro - just so you don't get confused...)

I think then my entourage showed up and I went out to grab some of Vancouver's greasy 99-cent pizza as a late and crappy dinner. When I went back, Hinterland was just about to hit the stage.

I first saw Hinterland a couple years ago at Vancouver's New Music West festival. They played a cozy set at the Sugar Refinery. I only caught a few songs of theirs, and they absolutely captivated me. Despite that fact, I didn't get out to see them again until this show. The night had a different feel from the earlier show I had, mostly just because of the venue. Still, the most striking thing about this band is singer Michaela Galloway's voice. High-pitched, lilting, adorable. And she plays the flute. They played a succinct set, and much of their music is quite similar. All sort of mid-tempo, pretty tunes with some electro-wizardry provided by a computer set up on the stage (ed. note - I just heard that the computer did not, in fact, belong to Hinterland, but rather to Guitaro, who I guess just hadn't moved the monitor. Hinterland uses a myriad of synth and effects though... that is what provides the electro-wizardry!). They were pretty sweet, and filled the small room of seated people well.

Finishing off the night was a band called The Parkas. These guys are from the Toronto area, and were in the midst of a cross-Canada tour. Here they found themselves closing a night at the Pic after Hinterland - a bit of a weird combo, and a poor time slot for a dopey Vancouver crowd. But when on tour, you often have to take what you can get - and I'd heard word earlier another option for them was the Marine Club, which would have been a step down. Anyhow, hop into the nearest pickup truck and get your ass out to a cabin on a lake somewhere. These boys will provide the perfect soundtrack.

The audience had sadly thinned a bit - go figure, as if Vancouver will stick around to check out a new band. The small crowd/stage/room didn't seem to hinder the band though. They stomped and kicked their feet, clapped their hands, swapped vocal duties, lifted their guitars in the air and sang and played like this was the ultimate party. They'd already kitsched-out the stage with deep-woods Canadiana décor, like varnished wooden clocks with deer motifs and fluffy blankets with wolf prints. And animal skulls. Awesome.

After too short a time, they suddenly realized that their PA had been cut. They addressed the sound guy, who told them that their set was finished. A slightly shocked and perturbed looking band of Parkas snidely remarked, "thanks for the warning, guy…" and quietly left the stage. The bewildered crowd that managed to hang around gave into some clapping after a delay, but altogether, it was a pretty dismal and disappointing way to have a set ended for the band. Out of their control. So while the show was a heap and a half of fun, the tunes solid and heartfelt, it was probably not the best show to get acquainted with them.

Interesting night of music. Bizarre mix of bands, but some good stuff in there.

Elsewhere

By Andy Scheffler
Photos : Andy Scheffler
Published : June 26, 2004.